"24th.-In the event of vacancies happening in the commissioned or non-commissioned officers' departments, every member in the Corps subscribing these regulations, and these only, are eligible to the succession, whatever their rank may be.

"25th.-The Commandant may give occasional necessary oders for the economy and good discipline of the Corps, viz., forming and sizing the companies, care and occasional repair of arms and accoutrements, occasionally altering a drill day or the hour thereof, and such small matters as must necessarily occur, provided they do not in any wise militate against the intent of the foregoing resolution.

66

Lastly. The Corps reserve to themselves liberty to make such new regulations and bye-laws, or to make such alteration on the present, as a majority of them may afterwards think proper. In testimony of all which the Corps have subscribed the foregoing resolution at Dumfries, the twenty-eighth day of March, in the year one thousand and seven hundred and ninety-five, having at the same time taken the oaths to His Majesty."

PROPOSED REMOVAL OF THE HIGHLAND

MARY MEMORIAL.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.

IN

N the Burns Chronicle (No. XXVII., 1918) appeared a narrative of the proceedings of Messrs Caird & Co., Shipbuilders, Greenock, to acquire the Old West Parish Church and Graveyard for the purpose of securing greater facilities for the building of the larger vessels necessitated by the demands of modern commerce. With this object in view, they approached the Heritors and Trustees of the Church, but both bodies refused to entertain the proposal; and so the project was allowed to lapse for a time, and the narrative in the Chronicle referred to ended with the announcement of that fact. Early in 1919 the question was taken up by the Corporation of Greenock, which body took steps to procure a Provisional Order for the removal of the church and graveyard on the grounds that they were situated in a slum locality which ought to be swept away as a menace to the public health and an impediment in the way of the improvement of the town. The question came up for discussion at the Annual Meeting of the Federation on 6th September last, a report of which is annexed, together with other information which brings the narrative up to date. Instead of giving a summary of the evidence led before Lord Forteviot by the Federation delegates, we deemed it preferable to lay it before our readers in extenso, lest we inadvertently left out any point in which our readers are interested. It will be observed that, by a majority, the Trustees and Kirk-Session of the Church have changed their attitude; and we may add that certain of the more influential heritors and lairholders have followed their example.

When the question was reached on the agenda paper the President reported on the efforts made by the Executive of the Federation to secure the preservation of the West Kirk and Kirkyard and Highland Mary's grave and In connection therewith he read the follow

monument.

ing letters:

Duncan M'Naught, Esq., President of Burns Federation,
Benrig, Kilmaurs, Ayrshire.

North of Scotland Bank Chambers,

31 Cathcart Street, Greenock, 25th August, 1919.

Dear Sir,

Greenock Improvement Provisional Order, 1919.

As you will have seen from the papers, the Commissioners decided against us in this matter. Leaving all sentiment out of the case and the methods adopted by the shipbuilding firm, it is our view that the necessity for the churchyard for shipbuilding purposes was not proved, and that it is against usual Parliamentary procedure in any case to grant ground for the purpose of a private enterprise. Notwithstanding the result, we think all the objectors are glad that the attempt was made to preserve the old church and churchyard, with their historic associations, and to have shewn that there are still some people left in this utilitarian age with a sense of decency and a reverence for ancient things.

On the adjustment of the clauses referring to Highland Mary's grave, it was arranged as a condition of the settlement that Messrs Caird should give the letter of which we enclose a copy. It was proposed by the promoters that it should rest with the Greenock Burns Club as to the course to be adopted, but we objected to this on the grounds that we considered the negative attitude adopted by the Greenock Burns Club did not warrant any consideration being given to their views. The letter was handed to us on behalf of the Petitioners, with the approval of the Commissioners, and the Petitioners will now be glad to have the Burns Federation views as to which of the three alternatives proposed they would consider should be adopted. We have no doubt our clients will be glad to have carried out any results which the Burns Federation may suggest. We take it there is no immediate hurry to decide the matter, but it is probably advisable that we should be in a position to state as soon as possible what is to be done. We shall therefore be glad if you will put the matter before the Federation at their first meeting.We are, Yours faithfully,

Dear Sirs,

Justiciary Buildings,

Glasgow, 12th August, 1919.

Greenock Provisional Order, 1919.

agree

Notwithstanding the terms of the above Order we entirely at our expense either (1) to remove the remains of " Highland Mary" and the monument to her memory to such a place of sepulture or site as may be selected by the Executive Committee of the Burns Federation, or (2) to leave the remains interred as at present and to reverse the existing monument to face Laird Street, and to leave sufficient ground around it to be accessible to visitors at all times, or (3) to remove the existing monument and place and maintain a mural tablet in lieu thereof, as shown on the sketch submitted to you, the remains not being disturbed. Failing agreement, the alternative to be adopted shall be decided by the Sheriff-Substitute at Greenock after hearing all parties interested.-Yours faithfully, For CAIRD & Co., LTD., (Signed) J. W. KEMPSTER,

Managing Director.

To Messrs M'Neil & Rowan,

Solicitors, Greenock.

If they carried their minds back to 1917 they would remember that certain members of the Greenock Burns Club assured the Federation that there was no proposal at that time to remove Highland Mary's grave. They accepted that statement, but as a precaution they appointed a small committee to act along with the Greenock Burns Club should the emergency arise. During the year 1918 the Secretary reported that the committee had never met, that they had had no news from Greenock, and last year they again remitted the whole question to their Executive. In the beginning of 1919 they found that there was a proposal to remove Highland Mary's grave. Application had been made for a Provisional Order to remove the whole of the West Kirk and Kirkyard, this time not by Messrs Harland & Wolff, but by the Corporation of Greenock, who held that it was a slum area. The Executive met twice, and at the second meeting, as things were urgent, they appointed Mr J. C. Ewing and himself to attend the inquiry that was held in the Justiciary Court,

Glasgow, under the chairmanship of Lord Forteviot, and oppose the granting of the Provisional Order so far as it proposed the removal of the grave of Highland Mary. The impression left on his mind by the evidence produced in Court was that it was perfectly clear to him that the Provisional Order was going to be granted. He remembered that Mr Ewing and himself had been sent specially to the inquiry for the purpose of trying to preserve Highland Mary's grave, and therefore he favoured the offer made by Mr Wilson, K.C., counsel for the promoters, that Messrs Harland & Wolff were willing to make a recess in the wall, leaving the monument and the grave exactly as they stood. But it was a necessity that the monument which at present faced into the church should be turned round and made to face the street. This appeared to him to be a very good solution of the difficulty, but of course h spoke in ignorance of the locality, and he made it clear at the same time that he only spoke for himself, and that he could not bind himself to speak for the Federation. He had given it as his opinion that it would go a great length in placating the Federation if assurances were given and plans drawn and laid before them to show that the grave and the monument would not be further interfered with. The result of the inquiry was that the preamble of the Provisional Order had been proved, and since then he had received several communications from Greenock. The position now, so far as they were concerned, was that they had an offer by the promoters of three alternatives --(1) to remove the remains of Highland Mary and the monument to such a place of sepulture as might be selected by the executive of the Federation; (2) to leave the remains interred as at present, and to reverse the existing monument so as to face the street; or (3) to remove the existing monument, and to place and maintain a mural tablet in lieu thereof, the remains not being disturbed. He was not familiar with the locality, and would be glad to hear the views of the Greenock Burns Club. Personally he had quite an open mind on the matter, but he would like to