Oc as irregular, and the parties usually sub- | land were exposed to more imminent hamit to a rebuke for their conduct, in the zards, and more extensive and destrucface of their respective congregations, tive spoliation, from external war. which is not however necessary to render cupied in the maintenance of their indethe marriage valid. Burns, whose mar-pendence against their more powerful riage, it will appear, was irregular, does neighbours, to this were necessarily sanot seem to have undergone this part of crificed the arts of peace, and at certain the discipline of the church. periods, the flower of their population. And when the union of the crowns proThus, though the institutions of Scot-duced a security from national wars with land are in many particulars favourable England, for the century succeeding, the to a conduct among the peasantry found- civil wars common to both divisions of the ed on foresight and reflection, on the sub-island, and the dependence, perhaps the ject of marriage the reverse of this is necessary dependence of the Scottish true. Irregular marriages, it may be councils on those of the more powerful naturally supposed, are often improvident kingdom, counteracted this disadvantage. ones, in whatever rank of society they Even the union of the British nations was occur. The children of such marriages, not, from obvious causes, immediately poorly endowed by their parents, find a followed by all the benefits which it was certain degree of instruction of easy ac- ultimately destined to produce. At length, quisition; but the comforts of life, and however, these benefits are distinctly felt, the gratifications of ambition, they find and generally acknowledged. Property of more difficult attainment in their na- is secure; manufactures and commerce tive soil; and thus the marriage laws of increasing; and agriculture is rapidly Scotland conspire with other circumstan- improving in Scotland. As yet, indeed, ces, to produce that habit of emigration, the farmers are not, in general, enabled and spirit of adventure, for which the to make improvements out of their own people are so remarkable. capitals, as in England; but the landholders, who have seen and felt the advantages resulting from them, contribute towards them with a liberal hand. Hence property, as well as population, is acenmulating rapidly on the Scottish soil; and the nation, enjoying a great part of the blessings of Englishmen, and retaining several of their own happy institutions, might be considered, if confidence could be placed in human foresight, to be as yet only in an early stage of their progress. Yet there are obstructions in their way. To the cultivation of the soil are opposed the extent and the strictness of the entails; to the improvement of the people, the rapidly increasing use of spirituous liquors,* a detestable practice, which includes in its consequences_almost every evil, physical and moral. The peculiarly social disposition of the Scottish peasantry exposes them to this practice. This disposition, which is fostered by their national songs and music, is perhaps characteristic of the nation at large. Though the source of many pleasures, it counteracts by its consequences the ef The manners and appearance of the Scottish peasantry do not bespeak to a stranger the degree of their cultivation. In their own country, their industry is inferior to that of the same description of men in the southern division of the island. Industry and the useful arts reached Scotland later than England; and though their advance has been rapid there, the effects produced are as yet far inferior both in reality and in appearance. The Scottish farmers have in general neither the opulence nor the comforts of those of England, neither vest the same capital in the soil, nor receive from it the same return. Their clothing, their food, and their habitations, are almost every where inferior.* Their appearance in these respects corresponds with the appearance of their country; and under the operation of patient industry, both are improving. Industry and the useful arts came later into Scotland than into England, because the security of property came later. With causes of internal agitation and warfare, similar to those which occured to the more southern nation, the people of Scot * These remarks are confined to the class of farmers; the same corresponding inferiority will not be found in the condition of the cottagers and labourers, at least in the article of food, as those who examine this subject impartially will soon discover. *The amount of the duty on spirits distilled in Scotland is now upwards of 250,0001. annually. In 1777, it did not reach 8,000. The rate of the duty has indeed been raised, but making every allowance, the increase of consumption must be enormous. This is independent of the duty on malt, &c. malt liquor, imported spirits, and wine fects of their patience, industry, and fru- | gality, both at home and abroad, of which those especially who have witnessed the progress of Scotchmen in other countries, must have known many striking in stances. writings. This, it must be confessed, is a very strong and general sentiment among the natives of Scotland, differing, however, in its character, according to the character of the different minds in which it is found; in some appearing a selfish prejudice, in others, a generous affection. An attachment to the land of their birth is, indeed, common to all men. It is found among the inhabitants of every region of the earth, from the arctic to the antarctic circle, in all the vast variety of climate, of surface, and of civilization. To analyze this general sentiment, to trace it through the mazes of association up to the prima Since the Union, the manners and language of the people of Scotland have no longer a standard among themselves, but are tried by the standard of the nation to which they are united. Though their habits are far from being flexible, yet it | is evident that their manners and dialect are undergoing a rapid change. Even the farmers of the present day appear to have less of the peculiarities of their coun-ry affection in which it has its source, try in their speech, than the men of letters of the last generation. Burns, who never left the island, nor penetrated farther into England than Carlisle on the one hand, or Newcastle on the other, had less of the Scottish dialect than Hume, who lived for many years in the best society of England and France: or perhaps than Robertson, who wrote the English language in a style of such purity; and if he had been in other respects fitted to take a lead in the British House of Commons, his pronunciation would neither have fettered his eloquence, nor deprived it of its due effect. would neither be a difficult nor an unpleasing labour. On the first consideration of the subject, we should perhaps expect to find this attachment strong in proportion to the physical advantages of the soil; but inquiry, far from confirming this supposition, seems rather to lead to an opposite conclusion.-In those fertile regions where beneficent nature yields almost spontaneously whatever is necessary to human wants, patriotism, as well as every other generous sentiment, seems weak and languid. In countries less richly endowed, where the comforts, and even necessaries of life must be purchased by patient toil, the affections of the mind, as A striking particular in the charac-well as the faculties of the understanding, ter of the Scottish peasantry, is one which it is hoped will not be lost-the strength of their domestic attachments. The privation to which many parents submit for the good of their children, and particularly to obtain for them instruction, which they consider as the chief good, has already been noticed. If their children live and prosper, they have their certain reward, not merely as witnessing, but as sharing of their prosperity. Even in the humblest ranks of the peasantry, the earnings of the children may generally be considered as at the disposal of their parents; perhaps in no country is so large a portion of the wages of labour applied to the support and comfort of those whose days of labour are past. A similar strength of attachment extends through all the domestic relations. Our poet partook largely of this amiable characteristic of his humble compeers; he was also strongly tinctured with another striking feature which belongs to them, a partiality for his native country, of which many proofs may be found in his improve under exertion, and patriotism flourishes amidst its kindred virtues. Where it is necessary to combine for mutual defence, as well as for the supply of common wants, mutual good-will springs from mutual difficulties and labours, the social affections unfold themselves, and extend from the men with whom we live, to the soil on which we tread. It will perhaps be found indeed, that our affections cannot be originally called forth, but by objects capable, or supposed capable, of feeling our sentiments, and of returning them; but when once excited they are strengthened by exercise, they are expanded by the powers of imagination, and seize more especially on those inanimate parts of creation, which form the theatre on which we have first felt the alternations of joy, and sorrow, and first tasted the sweets of sympathy and regard. If this reasoning be just, the love of our country although modified, and even extinguished in individuals by the chances and changes of life, may be presumed, in our general reasonings, to be strong among a people in proportion to their social, and more especially to their domestic affections. In free governments it is found more active than in despotic ones, because as the individual becomes of more consequence in the community, the community becomes of more consequence to him. In small states it is generally more active than in large ones, for the same reason, and also because the independence of a small community being maintained with difficulty, and frequently endangered, sentiments of patriotism are more frequently excited. In mountainous countries it is generally found more active than in plains, because there the necessities of life often require a closer union of the inhabitants; and more especially, because in such countries, though less populous than plains, the inhabitants, instead of being scattered equally over the whole are usually divided into small communities on the sides of their separate valleys, and on the banks of their respective streams; situations well calculated to call forth and to concentrate the social affections, amidst scenery that acts most powerfully on the sight, and makes a lasting impression on the memory. It may also be remarked, that mountainous countries are often peculiarly calculated to nourish sentiments of national pride and independence, from the influence of history on the affections of the mind. In such countries from their natural strength, inferior nations have maintained their independence against their more powerful neighbours, and valour, in all ages, has made its most successful efforts against oppression. Such countries present the fields of battle, where the tide of invasion was rolled back, and where the ashes of those rest, who have died in defence of their nation. The operation of the various causes we nave mentioned is doubtless more general and more permanent, where the scenery of a country, the peculiar manners of its inhabitants, and the martial achievements of their ancestors are embodied in national songs, and united to national music. By this combination, the ties that attach men to the land of their birth are multiplied and strengthened: and the images of infancy, strongly associating with the generous affections, resist the influence of time, and of new impressions; they often survive in countries far distant, and amidst far different scenes, to the latest periods of life, to sooth the heart with the pleasures of memory, when those of hope die away. If this reasoning be just, it will explain to us why, among the natives of Scotland, even of cultivated minds, we so generally find a partial attachment to the land of their birth, and why this is so strongly discoverable in the writings of Burns, who joined to the higher powers of the understanding the most ardent affections. Let not men of reflection think it a superfluous labour to trace the rise and progress of a character like his. Born in the condition of a peasant, he rose by the force of his mind into distinction and influence, and in his works has exhibited what are so rarely found, the charms of original genius. With a deep insight into the human heart, his poetry exhibits high powers of imagination-it displays, and as it were embalms, the peculiar manners of his country; and it may be considered as a monument, not to his own name only, but to the expiring genius of an ancient and once independent nation. In relating the incidents of his life, candour will prevent us from dwelling invidiously on those failings which justice forbids us to conceal; we will tread lightly over his yet warm ashes, and respect the laurels that shelter his untimely grave. THE LIFE OF ROBERT BURNS. BY DR. CURRIE. ROBERT BURNS was, as is well known, | the son of a farmer in Ayrshire, and afterwards himself a farmer there; but, naving been unsuccessful, he was about to emigrate to Jamaica. He had previously, however, attracted some notice by his poetical talents in the vicinity where he lived; and having published a small volume of his poems at Kilmarnock, this drew upon him more general attention. In consequence of the encouragement he received, he repaired to Edinburgh, and there published by subscription, an improved and enlarged edition of his poems, which met with extraordinary success. By the profits arising from the sale of this edition, he was enabled to enter on a farm in Dumfries-shire; and having married a person to whom he had been long attached, he retired to devote the remainder of his life to agriculture. He was again, however, unsuccessful; and, abandoning his farm, he removed into the town of Dumfries, where he filled an inferior office in the excise, and where he terminated his life, in July 1796, in his thirty-eighth year. The strength and originality of his genius procured him the notice of many persons distinguished in the republic of letters, and, among others, that of Dr. Moore, well known for his Views of Society and Manners on the Continent of Europe, Zeluco, and various other works. To this gentleman our poet addressed a letter, after his first visit to Edinburgh, giving a history of his life, up to the period of his writing. In a composition never intended to see the light, elegance, or perfect correctness of composition will not be expected. These, however, will be compensated by the opportunity of seeing our poet, as he gives the incidents "FOR some months past I have been rambling over the country; but I am now confined with some lingering complaints, originating, as I take it, in the stomach To divert my spirits a little in this mise rable fog of ennui, I have taken a whim to give you a history of myself. My name has made some little noise in this country; you have done me the honour to interest yourself very warmly in my behalf; and I think a faithful account of what character of a man I am, and how I came by that character, may perhaps amuse you in an idle moment. I will give you an honest narrative; though I know it will be often at my own expense; for I assure you, Sir, I have, like Solomon, whose character, excepting in the trifling affair of wisdom, I sometimes think I resemble-I have, I say, like him, turned my eyes to behold madness and folly, and, like him, too frequently shaken hands with their intoxicating friendship.*** After you have perused these pages, should you think them trifling and impertinent, I only beg leave to tell you, that the poor author wrote them under some twitching qualms of conscience, arising from suspicion that he was doing what he ought not to do: a predicament he has more than once been in before. "I have not the most distant pretensions to assume that character which the pyecoated guardians of escutcheons call a Gentleman. When at Edinburgh last winter, I got acquainted in the Herald's Office; and, looking through that granary of honours, I there found almost every | though nobody can be more sceptical than name in the kingdom; but for me, "My ancient but ignoble blood Has crept thro' scoundrels ever since the flood." I am in such matters, yet it often takes an effort of philosophy to shake off these idle terrors. The earliest composition that I Gules, Purpure, Argent, &c. quite dis-recollect taking pleasure in, was The Vi owned me. "My father was of the north of Scotland, the son of a farmer, and was thrown by early misfortunes on the world at large; where, after many years' wanderings and sojournings, he picked up a pretty large quantity of observation and experience, to which I am indebted for most of my sion of Mirza, and a hymn of Addison's, beginning, How are thy servants blest, O Lord! I particularly remember one halfstanza, which was music to my boyish ear "For though on dreadful whirls we hung I met with these pieces in Mason's Eng- my young ideas such a turn, that I used to strut in raptures up and down after the recruiting drum and bag-pipe, and wish myself tall enough to be a soldier; while the story of Wallace poured a Scottish prejudice into my veins, which will boil along there till the flood-gates of life shut in eternal rest. "Polemical divinity about this time was putting the country half-mad; and I, ambitious of shining in 'conversation parties on Sundays, between sermons, at funerals, &c. used, a few years afterwards, to puzzle Calvinism with so much heat and indiscretion, that I raised a hue and cry of heresy against me, which has not ceased to this hour. little pretensions to wisdom. I have met with few who understood men, their manners, and their ways, equal to him; but stubborn, ungainly integrity, and headlong, ungovernable irascibility, are disqualifying circumstances; consequently I was born a very poor man's son. For the first six or seven years of my life, my father was gardener to a worthy gentleman of small estate in the neighbourhood of Ayr. Had he continued in that station, I must have marched off to be one of the little underlings about a farm-house; but it was his dearest wish and prayer to have it in his power to keep his children under his own eye till they could discern between good and evil; so with the assistance of his generous master, my father ventured on a small farm on his estate. At those years I was by no means a favourite with any body. I was a good deal noted for a retentive memory, a stubborn, sturdy something in my disposition, and an enthusiastic ideot* piety. I say ideot piety, because I was then but a 'My vicinity to Ayr was of some adchild. Though it cost the schoolmaster vantage to me. My social disposition, some thrashings, I made an excellent when not checked by some modifications English scholar; and by the time I was of spirited pride, was, like our catechismten or eleven years of age, I was a critic definition of infinitude, without bounds or in substantives, verbs, and particles. In limits. I formed several connexions with my infant and boyish days, too, I owed other younkers who possessed superior much to an old woman who resided in the advantages, the youngling actors, who family, remarkable for her ignorance, crewere busy in the rehearsal of parts in dulity and superstition. She had, I sup- which they were shortly to appear on the pose, the largest collection in the country stage of life, where, alas! I was destined It is not of tales and songs, concerning devils, to drudge behind the scenes. ghosts, fairies, brownies, witches, war- commonly at this green age that our locks, spunkics, kelpies, elf-candles, dead-young gentry have a just sense of the imlights, wraiths, apparitions, cantraips, gi- mense distance between them and their ants, enchanted towers, dragons, and ragged play-fellows. It takes a few other trumpery. This cultivated the la- dashes into the world, to give the young tent seeds of poetry; but had so strong an great man that proper, decent, unnoticing effect on my imagination, that to this hour, disregard for the poor, insignificant, stuin my nocturnal rambles, I sometimes keep pid devils, the mechanics and peasantry a sharp look-out in suspicious places: and around him, who were perhaps born in the same village. My young superiors never insulted the clouterly appearance of Idiot for idiotic .. |