Shutter of a little Inn, whence I had actually copied some other Lines of Burns's in praise of a Young Lady, published by you in the Collection of his Works. Somebody, I really forget who, afterwards wrote out a Copy from my Book, and prefixed to it the fictitious Origin which I had assigned it. I made a Sort of Apology for the Severity of the Concluding Line, which at the time, in the absence of the Scene described, I really felt; but on a late vizit to Nidpath Castle I had the veteris vestigis flammæ so rekindled in me that I was disposed to retract the Charity of that Concession, if I had ever mentioned the Verses, which, except once or twice at the time above mentioned, I never did.

Such, Sir, is the genuine Account of this trifling Jeu d'Esprit. There is no probability that one of your critical Discernment should be deceived by it; but I think it right to prevent even the smallest chance of my being accessary to such a Deception.

I passed lately some weeks at Moffat on account of my health, and vizited frequently the shades of Dumcrieff. If they should tempt you at any time to Scotland, I hope you will allow me an Opportunity of introducing myself to you. Tho' for some time past a Recreant to Letters (my Time devoted to Business, and my Thoughts, alas! to Affliction), I cannot but feel an Interest in the good Opinion of Dr Currie, and should be proud of obtaining his Acquaintance. Meantime it will afford me much Satisfaction to cultivate his Correspondence.

I am, with very sincere regard, Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant,

The authority is thus of the best, and as a consequence the "Verses on the Destruction of the Woods near Drumlanrig" go to join the collection of pieces-" Verses to my Bed," "To the Owl," "Mary," "Shelah O'Neil," "Evan Banks," and the far too numerous others which forms the Burns apocrypha.

CLUB NOTES.

[COMMUNICATED.]

THE LONDON ROBERT BURNS CLUB.

50TH ANNIVERSARY.

The year 1918-the Jubilee year of the Club-was marked by great activity, many matters of purely local importance, as well as matters of more general concern having occupied the attention of members.

The Birthday Celebration was the occasion of a demonstration of International importance, for on the 25th January, the Club, as part of its war work, invited to dinner the Ambassadors and other representatives of our Allies-in-arms. In accepting the invitations, every one of the Ambassadors testified to their pleasure in worshipping for an evening at the shrine of the Poet of Democracy. Every representative of the Diplomatic Corps who was invited accepted our invitation to the Criterion Piccadilly Circus, and although a dinner by the Prime Minister in honour of the Italian Premier, Signor Orlando, suddenly fixed for that evening, robbed us of our principal guests, the Ambassadors and Ministers sent representatives, and the programme was carried through with enthusiasm, and evidently to the great pleasure of the large audience. Mr W. Will, the President, occupied the chair, and excellent speeches were delivered by Lord Glenconner, Dr Fort Newton, the Right Hon. Robert Munro, Secretary for Scotland, and Admiral Sir Reginald Hall; while Mr John Buchan proposed "The Immortal Memory in one of the finest orations on Robert Burns that has ever been delivered, which is saying a great deal. Mr Mackenzie Murdoch charmed the great gathering by his delightful rendering of Scottish violin music, and Archie Anderson sang with his old enthusiasm several of Burns's songs. The Club Pipe-Major Reith and Pipe-Major Geo. Shand still further enlivened the proceedings by their skilful playing of reels, marches, and strathspeys.

The whole of the arrangements were in the hands of Mr P. N. M'Farlane, the Hon. Secretary, and the great success of the gathering was a tribute to this skilful handling of the whole affair.

LUNCHEON TO MR HARRY LAUDER.

On the return of Mr Harry Lauder, a member of the Club, from a successful mission to the United States and Canada, the members

arranged for a Welcome Home" lunch, which was held in the Café Monico on 28th June, 1918. The building was packed by an audience which gave the great little Scot a tremendous ovation. The chair was occupied by the President, Mr Wm. Will, and in the company were Lord Balfour of Burleigh, Lord Glenconner, Right Hon. Ian Macpherson (Under Secretary of State for War) and Mrs Macpherson, Right Hon. Andrew Fisher, Col. Sir John Young, and Rev. Dr George Adam, &c. Preceding the submission of the toast of the afternoon, Lord Balfour proposed, Lord Glenconner seconded, and Mr Fisher supported a vote of congratulation to the King of Italy, Signor Orlando, and General Diaz, on the great victory gained by the Italian Army. Mr Macpherson in an eloquent speech proposed the health of Mr and Mrs Lauder. Mr Lauder, he said, had done much for Scottish National sentiment, and he had done much for the successful prosecution of the war. The toast was received with great enthusiasm. Mr Lauder, in a speech

in which he touched the whole gamut of human emotions, replied, and showed himself an implacable opponent of the Hun, and a fierce critic of those pacifists who were prepared to take the bloodstained hands of the Germans and treat them as brothers. Mr Lauder treated the audience to the solo parts of " God Save the King " and "Auld Lang Syne."

OBITUARY: MR NEIL TURNER.

The death of Mr Neil Turner, a Past-President of the London Robert Burns Club, came with tragic suddenness when leaving King's Cross for a vacation on 20th September last. Mr Turner, who was one of the most active of the members of No. 1 (London), was President in 1910-11, and discharged the duties of the chair with great conscientiousness and spirit. He was a keen student of the works of the Bard, and on several occasions read papers on various aspects of the Poet's life.

Last year Mr Turner, who was general manager of The Daily Chronicle and Lloyd's News and their allied publications, was appointed by the Paper Controller to be Director of Distribution and Economy; the faithfulness with which he discharged his duties may probably have been a contributory cause of his sudden demise. Mr Turner's reserved character did not lead to the making of many friends outside business circles, but those friends whom he did make were bound to him by ties strengthened by his splendid character. Incapable of doing a mean action himself, Mr Turner was an implacable enemy of anything mean in others. The funeral to West, Hampstead Cemetery was one of the most largely attended ever witnessed-every Newspaper Office in London being represented, and many others outside business circles also

being present. A large number of members of the London Robert Burns Club were present at the service at the cemetery, and a handsome wreath was sent by the Club.

A TOUCHING BURIAL AT WEST HAMPSTEAD CEMETERY.

The funeral of Mr Neil Turner, general manager of The Daily Chronicle, took place yesterday afternoon at West Hampstead Cemetery, and was a touching tribute to the regard in which he was held not only by his colleagues and immediate friends, but by others with knowledge of his public spirit and generosity of heart. Mrs Neil Turner, a brave pathetic figure, was able to attend the service, first in the chapel of the cemetery, which lies away apart from the roar of London, and then to take farewell of her husband at the grave-side, where her cousin, the Rev. F. Pickford, rector of Farncombe, said the beautiful last words of "The Order for the Burial of the Dead."

The attendance at the funeral was not only large and representative, especially of Fleet Street, but there was a wonderful tribute of flowers.

Altogether, the quiet, removed corner where Mr Neil Turner rests in West Hampstead Cemetery had the colour and perfume of a lovely garden, austere and fine, and that is how he would have liked to be left.

SUNDERLAND BURNS CLUB.

We issue our Twenty-first Annual Report of the Sunderland Burns Club with the war still raging: the enemy suing for peace, while continuing his dastardly acts of shelling open boats filled with women and children, pillaging and looting towns and villages. Any day may see his end, but we are quite certain we are expressing the hope of every member of our Club when we say, Give him first a good hammering and then talk peace-that peace which shall be lasting.

The demands of the Admiralty to accommodate the Shipyard workers were such that several important centres in the town were taken over by them. This necessitated the removal of our property, and we are indebted to our Treasurer, Mr A. W. Semple, for temporarily housing our belongings. We trust conditions may have so changed that we may be able to return to the Palatine Hotel, where we have spent very many happy hours together.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The Annual Meeting of last year was well attended, and was quite an interesting gathering. A report submitted on the

proposal to remove the Highland Mary Memorial and Grave from the West Churchyard, Greenock, was considered, when it was decided that we forward to the Burns Federation our protest against the proposal.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.

For the first time in our history we had to dispense with our Annual Dinner. Our arrangements were almost completed when, a week or so before the 25th, the Admiralty took over the Palatine Hotel and we were compelled to seek new quarters. Your Committee left no stone unturned to obtain a suitable place, and we were fortunate in being able to celebrate the one hundred and fiftyninth Anniversary of our Poet's birth. The gathering took place in the Mountain Daisy Hotel, on Friday, 25th January, 1918, and, while not so large as usual, it was quite representative.

The President of the Club, J. A. Macdonald, Esq., occupied the chair, and was supported by the Rev. R. L. Wiseman, who submitted the Toast of the "Immortal Memory." In doing so he paid a high tribute to the genius of Burns.

"CHRONICLE."

The Chronicle continues to maintain its position in the list of publications issued during the year. Each year adds to the difficulty of securing something new concerning the Poet, and while that is so the veteran Editor is to be congratulated upon his efforts in this direction. The articles are always well worthy of the perusal of every member of the Club. We should like to see a larger number of readers in our Club--probably were the price increased the value would be more appreciated. It is an acknowledged fact that these volumes will one day be more valuable than they are to-day, and our duty is to support the Chronicle and its noble Editor.

THE PIPE BAND.

The work of the Pipe Band has been continued during the year under the guidance of Pipe-Major Wm. Graham. While there has not been anything which calls for special mention, the practices have been held regularly and a large amount of useful work done.

One of our number, Piper James Findlater, has joined the Forces, and we regret losing his valuable services. We were pleased to have the assistance of Piper A. M'Lean during the year, while located in the town, but he has also joined the Mercantile Marine, and we thus lose the valuable services of two young pipers. In order to keep the ranks filled Pipe-Major Graham has devoted a