painted direct from life, but from a sketch in pencil taken by the artist during the visit he made in the company of the Poet to Roslin Castle; the attitude having been happily caught and preserved on a scrap of paper, while the unconscious Bard stood rapt in thought looking at the beauty of the scene.

Lockhart in 1828, speaking of this picture, says that the surviving friends of Burns who had seen it, are unanimous in pronouncing it to be a very lively representation of the Bard, as he first attracted public notice on the streets of Edinburgh : but, observe, this was thirty years after the death of the Poet.

We now come to consider the small picture of Burns, by Peter Taylor, at present in the National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street, Edinburgh.

And here it may be observed how desirable it would be for the purpose of comparison, were it possible to have all the portraits of Burns under one roof.

Taylor was a young and rising artist in Edinburgh, and is said to have gained some reputation for the accuracy of his portraits he was a contemporary of Buchan, Bonnar, and Nasmyth. He became very intimate with Burns, and offered to paint his portrait; to this the Poet agreed, and gave the artist three sittings; taking breakfast with him before beginning work. Mrs. Taylor being present at the last sitting which was the longest. As Burns was leaving town, probably his first departure, on the 5th of May, 1787, as George Gilfillan says, “triumphant in literary success." The year given on the engraving from this picture as that on which it was painted, viz: 1786, is therefore subject to this understanding, that if begun in that year, it was finished in May of the year following. Nasmyth's portrait being already in the hands of the engraver, as Burns, writing from Edinburgh to his friend John Ballantine, Ayr, on the 24th February, 1787, says: "I am getting my phiz done by an eminent engraver ; and if it can be ready in time, I will appear in my book looking, like other fools, to my title page."

Curiously enough the same view of the head is given by both Nasmyth and Taylor, being friends they would probably see each others work.

Mrs. Taylor appears to have been the only person who saw this portrait in progress, and on the death of her husband, not long after, she is said to have locked up the picture, and it was only as a special favour that a sight of it could be obtained.

In the Edinburgh Literary Journal, for 21st November, and 5th December, 1829, several letters, and a considerable amount of information appears relative to this picture, the fact of its existence being almost unknown.

It may be safely asserted that, at first sight, and, in the absence of any inscription, Burns is the last person anyone would consider this picture to represent. A careful comparison however leaves less room for doubt, that, here we have a rendering not the best, perhaps, of the features of our Bard, yet carrying an amount of truth to life, sufficient to satisfy relatives and friends, whose recorded convictions regarding it

cannot be lightly considered, although a long interval had intervened between their last sight of the Poet, and seeing the picture.

In the letters just mentioned, Mrs. Burns expresses her belief in its being an original, and adds that "the likeness to the upper part of the face is very striking."

This is but halting praise from the widow of the person represented; but, widows are proverbially ill to please with the representation of a loved husband.

'Clarinda's' opinion is clearer and more characteristic: it is true, her letter is written thirty-two years after the death of 'Silvander ;' but doubts do not cloud her memory, or encumber her verdict. She writes:

“SIR,

:

I return you the fine portrait of Burns, taken from life by the late Mr. Peter Taylor his early friend.

In my opinion it is the most striking likeness of the Poet I have ever seen; and I say this with more confidence having a most perfect recollection of his appearance.

AGNES MACLEHOSE.

14 CALTON HILL,

EDINBURGH,

28th OCTOBER, 1828."

To this may be added the following letter from Sir Walter Scott, relative to the same picture :

"SIR,

:

I was much gratified by the sight of Robert Burns. I saw the distinguished poet only once, and that many years since, and being a bad marker of likenesses, and recollector of faces, I should, in an ordinary case, have hesitated to offer an opinion upon the resemblance, especially as I make no pretention to judge of the Fine Arts. But Burns was so remarkable a man, that his features remain impressed on my mind as if I had seen him only yesterday; and I could not hesitate to recognise this portrait as a striking resemblance of the Poet, though it had been presented to me amid a whole Exhibition. I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

Edinburgh, 14th Nov., 1829."

WALTER SCOTT.

.

The Ettrick Shepherd a year later, describing a visit, made by permission, to the widow of the Artist, for the purpose of inspecting this picture, wrote to the following effect-dated from"MOUNT BENGER,

NOVEMBER, 27th, 1829.

On the 26th of January, 1812, along with some half-dozen others, including Gilbert Burns, we visited Mrs. Taylor who recognised and singled him out from the others, through his likeness to his brother.

Mr. Gray at first sight exclaimed Glorious! Glorious! Burns every inch, every feature! Mrs. Taylor this is quite a treasure.' Mr. Ainslie made some remarks about the mouth; Mr. Gilbert Burns said—“It is particularly like Robert in the form and air; with regard to venial faults I care not.'

Hogg adds "all that I can say of the portrait is—that though I thought it hardly so finished a picture as Nasmyth's, I could see a family likeness in it which I could not decern in the others.

I had been accustomed to see Mrs. Burns, in Closeburn Church, every Sabbath day for years, also a sister of the Bard's who was married there, and Gilbert Burns was present, Taylor's picture had a family likeness to them all.

To his youngest sister it had a particular likeness; it was as like one of Gilbert Burns' sons, and very like Gilbert himself in the upper part of the face. I took a long and scrutinizing look at Gilbert and the picture.

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The impression of the whole party was, in a general sense, that Mr. Taylor's picture was a free, bold, and striking likeness of Burns.

Mrs. Taylor would never let it out of her hand, but she let us look at it as long as we liked, and Mr. Gilbert Burns testified himself particularly gratified."

A moments examination of all this shows, that the widow and brother of the Poet are the most temperate in praise of this picture, as a likeness of their relative, and thus modifying very materially the testimony of the others.

Hogg's summing up being probably near to the truth, namely, that in certain features, and general air, it resembled Burns, at

the same time possessing to a degree characteristics of the family; but not entirely satisfactory as a likeness of the person represented.

Replying to a letter from Mr. D. Bridges, jr., dated November 16th, 1829, requesting his opinion upon "the recently discovered portrait of your old acquaintance Burns," C. Kirkpatrick Sharpe writes,

"DEAR SIR,-You desire me to give my opinion of the portrait of Burns you some time ago sent to me. I think it extremely like him, and that there can be no doubt about its authenticity.

But, like all his other portraits which I have seen, it does not give one the idea of so good looking a person as he was. There is ever, I think, a fault about his eyes; not that we can expect the fire of the original, but the shape and position appear to me faulty.

The print of him in the first edition of his poems I always thought like, but thinner faced than I remembered him, till death had begun his conquest.

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I am tempted to think that the portrait in question was done by a person of the name of Reid, a portrait painter in Dumfries. I remember well to have seen, in the house of a carver and gilder there, one Stott, who was frequently employed by my father, portraits of Burns and his wife, which Stott told me were done by Reid. I am almost persuaded that I saw this very picture; certain I am that Jean's was a miniature, in a white gown and a cap with a large border, I remember it particularly, because I saw it before I had seen the original. Reid painted both in oil and water-colours: and after he had been some time in Dumfries, went, as I think, to Galloway, where he died."

Unfortunately Mr. Sharpe is uncertain on the point where certainty was most to be desired; he is "tempted to think" that it is by Taylor, this would indicate that the picture had been placed before him without the name of the artist being given; he is "almost persuaded" that he had seen it before; and is only confident when speaking of the miniature of Mrs. Burns.

We have the written testimony of Burns that Reid painted a miniature of himself of which he speaks in eulogistic terms.