The miniature of Edward Cairns, of his sister Janet, and of her husband William Nicol (this last in Lord Rosebery's collection) are interesting as portraits of three friends celebrated in the Poet's writings-the lady and her husband being well known in this connection; but her brother, who was equally deserving of that honour, is not known at all, as the stanza dedicated to him under his territorial style, as "the good laird of Torr," is unannotated in the latest and most complete editions of Burns.

The stanza in question is adhibited to a copy of "The Whistle now in the Burns Cottage Museum-Catalogue 1917, number 167 :—

"But one sorry quill, and that worn to the core,

No paper but such as I show it;

But such as it is, will the good laird of Torr
Accept and excuse the poor Poet?"

There is a tradition in Rerrick, in which parish Torr is situated, that it was due to the machinations of Mrs Wm. Nicol (Janet Cairns) that the good laird of Torr separated from his wife, Anne Humphreys, after she had borne him. several children. The Rerrick tradition is an odd commentary on a feature of Mrs Nicol's character, as described by her husband in a letter to his friend Burns, dated from Edinburgh, 10th February, 1793

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'My wife, who is in a high devotional fit this evening, wishes that Mrs Burns and her children may be reckoned the favourites of the Lord, and numbered with the elect. She indeed leaves your honour and me to shift for ourselves, as, so far as she can judge from the criteria laid down in Guthrie's Trials of a Saving Interest, both you and I are stamped with the marks of reprobation."

In a letter to Nicol, Burns invites his friend's little Neddy to Ellisland to gather nuts during his holidays. This son was no doubt named after his maternal uncle, the good laird of Torr," to whom the Nicols owed so much.

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Nor do the editors of Burns appear to know that it was Mr Cairns, and his sister Janet, out of her marriage dowry, who provided the means by which Nicol became, in the sarcastic words of Burns, "the illustrious Lord of Laggan's many hills." Nicol is one of the heroes of

the song,

"O, Willie brew'd a peck o' maut,
And Rab and Allan cam' to prie ";

which some editors, including the hypercritical Ritson, of "Scotish renown, with amazing remissness, print,

"O, Willie brew'd a peck o' maut,

And Rab and Allan cam to see "

as if Burns and Masterton could have been contented with merely seeing a peck o' maut that had been specially brewed to be drunk at their meeting; and was drunk, and something else besides, if Rab's lively imagination is to be taken literally.

Reference has been made to the portrait in oils of "Kipp Cairns," who was sib to the laird of Torr. Kipp was a well-known humorist in his day. The huggerymuggery MacTaggart, in that amazing literary and historical gallimaufry of his, the Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopædia - a rare and desiderated scarce book information regarding "Kipp," but, as he laments in his jocular way, could get none. The present writer has been more fortunate, as his collection of unpublished ana witnesses. One of the best anecdotes given in Dean Ramsay's classic Reminiscences, but without the names. of the dramatis persona, has reference to 'Kipp" and his wife (her maiden name is unknown to the historian of the family of Cairns), whose annals, sumptuously got up, and the articles galore which have been written on the subject, are well known to students interested in Scottish family histories.

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In the summer of 1791, and again in 1792, Reid and Glenriddell, who were latterly joined by Grose and Grose's

accomplished servant, Thomas Cocking, some of whose drawings still exist, made a tour of inspection of all the interesting historical remains in Dumfries and Galloway, Reid or Grose making drawings from them, and Glenriddell writing the descriptions. A record of these interesting journeys, accompanied by the drawings, still exists in manuscript, partly at Dalmeny and partly elsewhere. It may have been during these journeys that Reid executed a portrait, in sepia, now in the collection of an Edinburgh gentleman.

Returning to the miniature portraits that of David Davidson, author of Thoughts of the Seasons, shows more traces of Reid's French art training than any other of his productions that have come to light. Soon after returning from London and Paris Reid was so exclusively engaged on purely Scottish subjects, at the instance of or in company with such enthusiasts for things Scottish as Burns, Grose, and others, that the French influence on his style of treatment and method of colouring, which was very superficial at the best, soon disappeared; and he became, what he ever afterwards remained, a purely Scots artist. Indeed, it would be doing Reid no injustice to style him, as has been done here, a Gallovidian artist, by virtue of his subject-matter as well as on account of his birth. More than four-fifths of his discovered work derives its subjects from persons and places in Galloway.

Nevertheless, with his old methods, and in the spirit which still lingered in the age in which he lived, Reid did good and lasting work; for art, while it is conditioned by the ideals of the age in which it flourishes or fades, is art or is not art in proportion as its fundamental principles guide the artist, the ideals of the age notwithstanding. What constitutes an artist is not so much the media by means of which he achieves his results as the spirit in which he works; for in the graphic, as in the plastic arts, style is of more importance than matter. Reid had the spirit of the artist deep down in his soul, but it never

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 commissioned by others to execute.

chose, or was

BURNS AND IRELAND.

Two

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,