of the annual interest was to be divided among the deserving residenters of the parish. It is perhaps needless to add that the wishes expressed in the bequest are faithfully observed by the kirk session.

EDWARD J. WILSON.

A "TRUE MAN" BALLAD.

For Recital on 25th January and 21st July.

WHO fears to speak of Robert Burns?

Who blushes for his fame?

Let "Fause Face" blink, let "Faint Heart" slink—

And hang their heads in shame.

He's half a knave, or all a slave,
Who slights our Poet thus ;

A TRUE MAN, like you man,
Will fill your glass with US.

We pledge the memory of A MAN,
A KINGLY man-a True:

He is not gone, his Soul shines on,
All radiant to our view;

His name lives on-his fame moves on-
Still rises like a tide;

And TRUE MEN, like you men,

Repeat his name with pride.

Leal brither Scots, in distant lands,
Their fondest memories twine,

Of Home, of Love, of Friendships dear,
With his songs of Langsyne.

And though their clay be far away

Beyond th' Atlantic's foam;

In TRUE MEN, like you men,
Their Spirit dwells at home.

Alas th' uncanny, nipping spring
That chilled his early May!
Alas the coward breath that dims
The lustre of his day!

But not for us are craven thoughts,

They long have passed away;

And TRUE MEN, like you men,

Are Plenty here to-day.

The "thoughtless follies" he deplored,
No longer cloud our view :

No more in humble tone, we sue
To hush the prudish crew;

No more we'll speak of "sad regret ;
Our pleading still in vain,

Nor Charity, nor Truth we've met-
We ne'er will plead again.

The TRUE MAN will not meanly crawl,
Where selfish gain may lead;

Nor sink the voice, nor fold the arm,
Nor shrink in time of need.

The TRUE MAN reads in Songs of Burns
With clear unblinking sight,

True WORTH to prize, Sham to despise,
When warring for the Right.

And on this day, we'll proudly say,
As only TRUE MEN can;

"His fame is clear, his name is dear,
We hail AN HONEST MAN."

And on this day, a Scot's heart aye

To Scottish land returns ;

And swells with pride-in mounting tide,

At name of ROBERT BURNS.

JAMES ADAMS, M.D.

I

STATUE OF HIGHLAND MARY AT

DUNOON.

"Thou lingering star with less'ning ray,
That loves to greet the early morn,
Again thou usher'st in the day

My Mary from my soul was torn."

NDISSOLUBLY wedded to the immortal genius of Coila, calling forth the purest and most tender of his imperishable lyrics, Mary Campbell was born at the farmhouse of Auchamore, situated near the high road which runs behind the

remains of the ancient stronghold known as Dunoon Castle, on

the Firth of Clyde.

The consent of His Grace the Duke of Argyll and the Dunoon Commissioners having been obtained, it is now intended to use a portion of the rocks skirting the beach, in front of the noted ruins, as the site for a commanding statue of Highland Mary.

The execution of the Memorial has been entrusted to Mr. D. W. Stevenson, R.S.A., Edinburgh, who has produced a design which has met with the highest commendation, and whose well-known reputation as an erudite Burns student, and an art sculptor, will sufficiently ensure the production of a work creditable alike to himself, the heroine, and the inspired author of "To Mary in Heaven."

The Statue, looking towards Ayrshire, will be constructed of bronze, and cannot fail to arrest the attention of the countless thousands who, as excursionists, travellers, and seafarers, constantly throng the familiar highway of the noble river, already rendered more than famous by the "Genius of Steam" (James Watt), who had birth on the world-famed Banks of Clyde.

The details of the costume have been chiefly taken from the works of the eminent contemporary artist, David Allan, whose graphic and truthful illustrations of Scottish life, particularly the rank in which Mary Campbell lived, are in the highest degree artistic and accurate.

It is intended that this tribute to the Bard's Immortal Memory shall be unveiled on the 21st of July, 1896, the Centenary of his death-day; and that on the occasion there should take place a National demonstration at Dunoon.

COLIN RAE BROWN.

REVIEWS.

CHAMBERS'S BURNS.-THE FORTHCOMING CENTENARY EDITION.

WE have been favoured with advance sheets and general prospectus of the new issue of the above work, for the editing of which the proprietors have been fortunate in securing the services of Mr. William Wallace, M.A., of the Glasgow Herald. A more profound Burns scholar and capable Burns critic could not have been selected to bring the work of the erudite, conscientious, and painstaking Robert Chambers up to date. Apart from his literary gifts, Mr. Wallace is specially fitted for the task. We have had so much ignorant and careless editing of Burns within the last half century, that we hail with the supremest satisfaction the advent of such a man as a Burns biographer. In the pursuit of his profession Mr. Wallace lived successively in Ayr, Dumfries, and Edinburgh, for lengthened periods; in which places his leisure time was employed by personal research in Burns lore, the result being an accumulation of original and important facts which shed an entirely new light on certain periods of the Poet's career, and which will be incorporated in the forthcoming volumes. Mr. Wallace is more than a mere Burns enthusiast. The fugitive Burns articles which have already appeared over his name prove him to be the possessor of a judicial and judicious mind. He is a stickler for facts, spares neither time nor trouble in ferreting them out, and is given to weighing their import without the slightest prejudice. In the volume which has come to hand, we note that he sets down what is new in the unostentatious manner which is the best proof of its truth, and his own faithful verification of it. He has also been at enormous pains to annotate the text, and, by his labours, has placed Burns on the same level as the best editions of the classics. In fact, the whole work is one of rectification, elucidation, and solidification of what is now beyond dispute. He is no believer in the "down grade" theory of the Dumfries period, as can be gathered from the valuable contribution which appears this year in our own pages. In this connection, the summing up of the Life in the last volume will be awaited with breathless interest, the confident expectation being that the myths and misrepresentations of the close of the Poet's career will be ruthlessly exposed and at once and for ever exploded. The plan of Chambers's edition commends itself both to the student and general reader. The poems, the biography, and the correspondence are arranged to show their relation to one another— that is to say, the story of the life is accompanied by the tale of work accomplished, and everything else calculated to illustrate Burns's poetic evolution. This plan is still adhered to, the new material swelling each volume to between seventy and a hundred pages beyond the original dimensions. The price-seven and sixpence per volume-places it within the reach of all. When completed, we have no hesitation in saying that