played freely on his work All the same, he was a capable workman; careful in his draughting, and pleasing in his colours; and was always, or at least nearly always, interesting by virtue of the subjects he chose, or was commissioned by others to execute. A hun'er' years hae passed an' mair That's a' they want; they're after dollars. They care nae mair for Kirk or State, 66 A. CAMPBELL, Alexandria Burns Club. BURNS AND IRELAND. Tw WO years ago the Tam o' Shanter Burns Club of Glasgow took a rather bold step on St. Patrick's night, when they held an "Irish" evening, said to be the first in a Scottish Burns Club. An Irish journalist sang the praises of Tom Moore, and everything Scottish was tabooed with the exception of "Auld Lang Syne." It was a unique sight, the large room full of douce Scots all decorated with Shamrock, and some of them imbibing Irish potheen for the nonce. Some stern and unbending Tories were inclined at first to shake their heads over the experiment, and reluctantly consented to the wearing o' the green "for this night only." But the innovation was justified by success, and no grumbling was heard at the close. Scottish Burnsians should be good cosmopolitans as well as good patriots. Already one or two other Clubs are talking of imitating the Irish experiment, and there is no reason why the idea should not be developed. There is already a whisper of a coming "Allies "night. Burns has many enthusiastic worshippers in Ireland, and the number of Burns Clubs in the Emerald Isle is increasing. Four Clubs are affiliated to the Federation in the following order :-Belfast (No. 15), established 1872, federated 1886 (dormant); Dublin (No. 146), instituted and federated 1905; Londonderry (No. 183), instituted 1907, federated 1909-the President was the late Mr D. C. Hogg, M.P.; Dundalk and District (No. 204), instituted 1909, federated 1911. In addition there is a St. Andrew's Society in both Belfast and Dublin. The Dublin men are full of enthusiasm, and their anniversary festival is always a great success. In January last the function was honoured by the presence of the Lord-Lieutenant; and a Glasgow literary man, Ex-Bailie William Martin, an ex-Vice-President of the Federation, delivered the oration in felicitous terms. President is Mr J. Hubbard Clark, J.P. The present England, with about nine times the population of Ireland, has but 33 federated Clubs, so Ireland's number is proportionally good. It is to be hoped that the Federation may shortly have the opportunity of holding its anniversary on either the Laggan or the Liffey. Belfast has the only Burns Memorial in Ireland. In September, 1892, a number of Scots in the city presented the Free Library and Art Gallery with a half-size statue. It is a replica of the well-known Ayr statue, and is a beautiful work of art. It was executed by Mr George A. Lawson. The pedestal is of Peterhead granite, and has this inscription: "ROBERT BURNS (1759-1796). Presented by his countrymen and admirers in Belfast. ́ The statue occupies a prominent position in the "Poet's Corner," and has a background of screens bearing the texts of some of the Poet's works, and a collection of engravings and photographs. Over ten thousand people inspected the statue on the first three days after unveiling. The Gibson collection of Burnsiana, the property of Mr Andrew Gibson, of Belfast, was purchased by the people of that city. Samuel Lover, the famous Irish novelist, attended the Glasgow Burns Festival in 1859, and made a brilliant speech. He was even described as the Burns of Ireland, and was the first member enrolled in the London Burns Club. He died before the Club was formally inaugurated. At the celebration of the Death Centenary in 1896 Ireland was represented at Dumfries by two societies; and in the same year it was a distinguished Irishman, Lord Kelvin, who unveiled the "Highland Mary" statue at Dunoon. Ireland comes next to Scotland among the four nations of the United Kingdom in its wealth of lyric song, though neither in quantity nor quality does it ever come near the northern kingdom. Such love gems, however, as "Love's young dream" and "Believe me, if all those endearing young charms," have secured an abiding place in Scottish hearts, and as much may be said for such stirring war songs as "The Minstrel Boy" and such rollicking social ditties as Gra ma chree, mo Cruiskin Lan." 66 What did Burns know of Ireland and the Irish? In his day the distressful isle was a terra incognita. If even a coach journey from Glasgow to London called for the making of last wills and the taking of sad farewells, such as we now see when friends are going to the furthest corners of the earth, what would a journey to Ireland have entailed in the eighteenth century? The grand tour of Europe was a trifle in comparison. During the years Burns lived the Irish were a race apart, and were hated in this country even more than were the French. Few Irish came here, and those who did come got a reception to the north side of friendly. Burns, of course, never visited the distressful isle, though he could see its shore on a clear day from the heights of his native shire, and we have little information as to what the Poet's sentiments were on the subject of Ireland and its inhabitants. He died only two years before the great Rebellion, and during the twenty thinking years of his life the story of Ireland contains many notable events. Grattan entered Parliament in 1775, and in 1782 he produced his famous Declaration of Rights. In 1793 Roman Catholics were permitted to exercise the franchise, but not to sit in Parliament. In 1795 Grattan introduced a Bill to grant full Catholic emancipation, and if that had been carried there would have been no Irish Rebellion, and years of strife and unhappiness would have been avoided. Now, Grattan was precisely the man that one would expect would have fired the imagination of the Poet. Sydney Smith said of him that the highest attainments of human genius were within his reach, but he believed that the noblest occupation of a man was to make other men happy and free. We get no indication of the thoughts of the Poet on the dreary record of misgovernment, strife, and poverty that mainly make up the Irish story of old. If Burns sympathised to some extent with French revolutionaries, we may perhaps take it for granted that he was not deaf to the cry of oppressed Celts, even though in his day the average Briton had not begun to realise that he had never tried to view Ireland through Irish eyes. Trade there doubtless was between Dumfriesshire and the Irish ports in Burns's time, and in his capacity of gauger he must frequently have encountered natives of the Emerald Isle, but they do not seem to have inspired him. Burns's son, Col. William Nicol Burns, married Mary, daughter of Mr R. Crone, of Dublin, and died without issue. Some relatives of the Poet are buried at Carrick Fergus. The references to Ireland in Burns's works are few. One of the best known is in "Death and Dr Hornbook,” where we read : "But this that I am gaun to tell, Which lately on a nicht befel, Is just as true's the Deil's in Hell, That ere he nearer comes oursel' Probably this reference is merely jocular. The Dublin of 1789 was probably, on the whole, no worse than the Edinburgh or London. In the last issue of the Chronicle there is a striking reference to Ireland in a newly discovered letter of the Poet. This letter, dated 31st March, 1788, was lately presented to the Dumfries Burns Club, and deals with Burns's preliminary work at Ellisland. It has one of Burns's few but usually (despite Henley's criticism) apt |