property he held in his native place, were facts which did not specially recommend him as the only man in Dumfries capable of advising him in the task he had undertaken, the arduous nature of which he did not realise till it was too late to withdraw from it. The truth is, he was overweighted with his subject. The unbiassed literary opinion

of the time may be gauged by that of Charles Lamb, who, writing to Coleridge in the autumn of 1800, says: "Have you seen the new edition of Burns his posthumous works and letters ? I have only been able to procure the first volume, which contains his life-very confusedly and badly written, and interspersed with dull pathological and medical discussions. It is written by a Dr Currie. Do you know the weak but well-meaning doctor? Alas! ne sutor ultra crepidam."

EDITOR.

DR CURRIE TO JOHN SYME.

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11th June, 1787.

*

An original

"The poems of Burns have certainly great merit. Poet, which he may be called, is most highly welcome to every man of taste and feeling, after the disgust which arises from listening to a long succession of copyers of copyers, who have inherited from each other the same thoughts, the same expressions, and even the same cadence. This West-country Poet (the first, I believe, which that psalm-singing region has produced), has that admirable simplicity which is the attribute of true genius. His thoughts are natural, and flow easily; and by turns he is humorous, pathetic, and sublime. His 'Address to the Mouse' has all these characters of writing united; and it is certainly one of the happiest productions of modern poetry; and, what gives it additional value in this case, none but a ploughman could have written it.

"I agree with you that Burns ought to keep clear of politics. and, we may add, religion, which, from its very nature, cannot be made the vehicle of good poetry; as Johnson has demonstrated in his Life of Waller, in a passage of amazing force and elegance, to which I beg your attention,"

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"12th August, 1787.

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"The more I read Burns, the better I like him; and it is with much pleasure that I hear he is about to settle in the neighbourhood of Dumfries, where a farm, on very advantageous terms, has been offered him by Mr Miller, brother to the Lord Justice Clerk. On the banks of the Nith or the Annan, he will meet the Muses of former days, and these rivers may rise in his song to a rivalship with the Yarrow or the Tweed."

"26th July, 1796.

"I have long thought of inviting you to Liverpool. Independent of the curiosity you may be supposed to feel in seeing a place of its size and commerce, the very great and extending connection which it maintains with the south of Scotland might furnish you with powerful motives for such a journey; and I think I could make you acquainted with some persons here whose society would repay the fatigues of your travelling. Let me press this upon you. I would advise you to take the present season; to give yourself plenty of time; and to come on horseback. Be assured of the kindest reception it is in my power to give you. It would doubtless have given me, and several of my friends, particular pleasure to have seen poor Burns with you, but that expectation is now over. have just heard that he has taken a journey to that country' from whose bourne no traveller returns.'

I

My friend Roscoe paid him an elegant compliment lately in his Life of Lorenzo de Medici, and sent, or meant to send, him a copy of his work. Burns often talked, as we were informed, of coming to Liverpool; and he would have found many admirers here. I assure you, I lament over his early fate. I never saw this original genius but for a few minutes, in 1792, in the streets of Dumfries. In the little conversation I had with him, which was begun rather abruptly on my part, I could easily distinguish that bold, powerful, and ardent mind, which, in different circumstances, such as the present state of the world renders familiar to the imagination, might have influenced the history of nations. What did Burns die of? What family has he left and in what circumstances? Am I right in supposing him not a mere poet, but a man of general talents? By what I have heard, he was not very correct in his conduct; and a report goes about that he died of the effects of habitual drinking. Be so good as to tell me what you think on this point.

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Men of genius like Burns are sure to be envied, and even hated, by cold-blooded mediocrity and selfish prudence; and, on that account, one receives reports to their disadvantage with great

distrust. As you knew this singular man, of whom much will now be said, and much enquired in future times, I wish you would give me as much of his character and of his private life as you can without inconvenience, in addition to the points I have enquired into; and I will endeavour, in one way or other, to turn it to some account.

"In hopes of hearing from you soon, and, perhaps, of seeing you, I am, my dear Syme, Your faithful friend and servant. 'JAMES CURRIE."

Liverpool, 30th July, 1796.

"MY DEAR SIR,-I thank you very sincerely for your obliging letter of the 27th, in which you communicate some account of the death and funeral of Robert Burns. By a letter which was on the road to you at the time that yours was written, you will see the interest I take in the subject, and how very sensibly I shall be gratified by any opportunity that may offer of testifying my respect for this departed genius.

66

Though the paper you had the goodness to send me did not arrive, I procured the sight of another, and I read with much interest the accounts which it contains of the character and funeral honours of this extraordinary man.

I hope you will, at your leisure, comply with my request, and give me such answers as are in your power to the queries I have put ; for it is possible that I may have it in my power to convert the information you give me to some purpose.

"I observe an advertisement in the Dumfries Journal for a meeting of the friends of Mr Burns on the 28th. Oblige me with

an account of the subject, and the issue, of that meeting.

I have little fear that a provision will be procured for the family of a man whose genius reflects honour on his age and country, and who will be talked of with admiration after the far greater part of his contemporaries, high and low, are lost in oblivion.— I am, my dear Sir, in haste, Yours ever,

"JAMES CURRIE,"

Liverpool, 12th August, 1796.

"MY DEAR SYME, I have been in daily expectation of hearing from you for this fortnight past, in answer to two letters I have written to you on the subject of poor Burns.

My first, requesting information in regard to his life and character, you might, indeed, find it troublesome to answer; but I did expect a word or two in answer to my enquiries in regard to the mode adopted for the support of his family.

"For want of this information, I have been altogether at a loss how to proceed in my solicitations here; for your letter, written in haste, left me in doubt whether I ought to ask for money, or for subscriptions to the posthumous works.

“I have regretted this the more as I have a long letter from an excellent woman, and a great friend of Burns, urging me to make some exertions, and supposing me perfectly acquainted with the mode in which you are proceeding.

"Despairing of hearing from you, I last night wrote a preamble to a subscription paper, which I have put into the hands of a lady, who will exert herself in getting subscriptions of money; and I have begun to solicit my particular friends, and not without success. At the same time, every one is desirous of knowing to what extent it is necessary to subscribe; and several have suggested the propriety of each subscriber having a copy of such works as may be published. For my own part, I am ready to exert myself in any way that may be requisite; though, I confess, I am less able to solicit for money than for anything else. And the admirers of this celebrated genius may serve his family in different ways-for instance, it may be an object to provide for the sons; and, at a proper season, I am ready to do my best in that way. Some money, however, you shall have; but do write to me what you are doing, and what you expect to be done, that I may give my friends some notion of the sum they should advance, as well as judge for myself on that point.

Roscoe and I are also very anxious to hear who are to be the editors of his posthumous works, and who is to be Burns's biographer. It is a national concern that this be done with care and skill, and I earnestly entreat you to consider well of this point. All his remains should be carefully collected, but not all published; and his life should be written by one who feels the charms of his genius, and who can express what he feels. By this time such points are probably settled. I should be happy to hear that you are Burns's biographer yourself; and if you undertake it, you may command our assistance, if we can assist you.

"There are certain parts, I apprehend, of Burns's life, as well as of his opinions, that must be touched with delicacy; but the picture that is exhibited of him should convey a genuine likeness; and this can only be done by one who can conceive his character, and the high-wrought sensibility which laid the foundation of his excellencies, and perhaps of his defects.

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'In expectation of an answer, short or long, by return of postin great haste.—I am, my dear Syme, Your faithful friend,

"JAMES CURRIE.

The lady who wrote to me is Mrs Dunlop of Dunlop."

Liverpool, 15th August, 1796. "MY DEAR SYME,-I have given you more trouble than I intended about Burns; but I will send you forty or fifty guineas in a few days for his family; and this, I hope, will be a successful apology.

I agree with you in thinking the subject of his life delicate as well as important in its nature, and I hope it will be handled with skill and address. I should, however, be very sorry if there were not a superior hand employed to that you mention; for though I have seen some productions of that person,* which convey a favourable notion of her taste and fancy, yet I can never suppose her equal to a conception of the character of this great and masculine genius.

"The biographer of Burns has not many events to relate -the history of his life may be confined to a very few pages; and in regard to his character, that, in my mind, is displayed in almost every poem he wrote, to such as have the comprehension necessary to receive it. The very circumstance of Burns having pourtrayed himself in such vivid colours, is a decisive proof of his superior genius. It is not often that the real character of an author appears in his works. Inferior minds shrink from a full exposure of themselves; and in the exhibition of their characters are instinctively led to veil their defects, and to make more conspicuous their excellencies. It is only for men of the first order of genius to present themselves, without covering or disguise, in all the nakedness of truth and all the energy of nature. This fact may be easily explained. Common minds covet, of all things, the approbation of the world; superior minds prefer to this, the approbation of their own hearts. It is very rare that these last are completely gratified. Independent of the very defects that are too often entwined with kindred excellencies, it is not common virtues that satisfy their wishes, or common acquirements that will gratify their aspirations. Sinking far below the standard of excellence which their imagination is so constantly exhibiting, and too often mortified by those lapses into which sensibility is so liable to fall, they cannot conceal their errors from the tribunal of their own hearts; and why should they seek to disguise them from the tribunal of the world? Of the world, whose comparative ignorance they know, whose injustice they so often feel, and whose kindness is seldom bestowed till they are no longer sensible of its value !

"But, if I proceed in this strain, I shall trespass all reasonable bounds.

"What I wish chiefly to know is, whether any authorised person has undertaken the prefatory biography and editorship

*Maria Riddel,