THE GRAY MANUSCRIPTS.

HROUGH the courtesy of Mr. George Gray, Clerk of the

TH

Peace, Glasgow, and Town Clerk of Rutherglen, we are enabled to lay before our readers some interesting Burns MSS., the majority of which have never before been published so far as our knowledge goes. From the notes appended, we learn that the documents were once the property of Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, who doubtless drew upon them for the edition of the "Museum," published by Blackwood in 1839, under the superintendence of Mr. David Laing, Mr. Stenhouse, the original editor, having died in 1827. They were purchased by Messrs. Kerr & Richardson, Glasgow, at a sale of Messrs. Christie, Manson & Woods, which took place in December 1880, from whom they were acquired by Mr. Gray. The first lot, a letter to John Ballantyne, of 4 pages 4to, is described in the catalogue as "a very interesting letter, and highly characteristic of the Poet." Mr. Scott Douglas prints it in Paterson's Edition (Vol. iv., p. 189), but evidently from a copy, for he states in a note that "it is not known what Mr. Sharpe did with the Poet's holograph." The danger of using a copy with the same confidence as the original is signally exemplified by comparing the Scott Douglas version with the Gray text, upwards of seventy errors in verbiage, punctuation, and spelling having been made by the transcriber or printer. On the accompanying sheet of foolscap is written in Mr. Sharpe's holograph:

"This Letter belonged to Professor Sir John Leslie-it cost me two guineas at his sale. C. K. S., 1833."

The text is as follows:

MY HONORED FRIEND,-It gives me a secret comfort to observe in myself that I am not yet so far gone as Willie Gaw's Skate, "past redemption"; for I have still this favorable symptom of grace, that when my Conscience, as in the case of this letter, tells me I am leaving something undone that I ought to do, it teases me eternally till I do it.

I am still "dark as was Chaos" in respect to Futurity. My generous friend, Mr. Peter Miller, brother to the Justice Clerk, has been talking with me about a lease of some farm or other in an estate called Dasswinton (sic) which he has lately bought near Dumfries. Some life-rented, embittering

Recollections whisper me that I will be happier anywhere than in my old neighbourhood, but Mr. Miller is no Judge of land; and though I dare say he means to favour me, yet he may give me, in his opinion, an advantageous bargain that may ruin me. I am to take a tour by Dumfries as I return and have promised to meet Mr. Miller on his lands some time in May.

I went to a Mason-lodge yesternight where the Most Worshipful Grand Master Charters, and all the Grand lodge of Scotland visited. The meeting was most numerous and elegant; all the different Lodges about town were present, in all their pomp. The Grand Master who presided with great solemnity, and honor to himself as a Gentleman and Mason, among other general toasts gave, "Caledonia and Caledonia's Bard, brother B—' which rung through the whole Assembly with multiplied honors and repeated acclamations. As I had no idea such a thing would happen, I was downright thunder struck, and trembling in every nerve made the best return in my power. Just as I finished, some of the Grand Officers said so loud as I could hear, with a most comforting accent, "Very well indeed," which set me something to rights again. I have just now had a visit from my Landlady, who is a staid, sober, piously-disposed, sculdudery-abhoring widow, coming on her grand climacterick. She is at present in sore tribulation respecting some "Daughters of Belial" who are on the floor immediately above. My Landlady who, as I said, is a flesh-disciplining, godly Matron, firmly believes her husband is in Heaven; and having been very happy with him on earth, she vigorously and perseveringly practises some of the most distinguishing Christian virtues, such as, attending Church, railing against vice, &c., that she may be qualified to meet her dear quondam Bedfellow in that happy place where the unclean and the ungodly shall never enter. This, no doubt, requires some strong exertions of Self-denial in a hale, wellkept Widow of forty five; and as our floors are low and ill-plaistered, we can easily distinguish our laughter-loving, night-rejoicing neighbors— when they are eating, when they are drinking, when they are singing, when they are &c., my worthy Landlady tosses sleepless and unquiet, "looking for rest but finding none," the whole night. Just now she told me, though by the by she is sometimes dubious that I am, in her own phrase, "but a rough an' roun' Christian" that "We should not be uneasy and envious because the Wicked enjoy the good things of this life; for these base jades who, in her own words, lie up gandy-going with their filthy fellows, drinking the best of wines, and singing abominable songs, they shall one day lie in hell, weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth over a cup of God's wrath !"

I have to-day corrected my 152d page. My best good wishes to Mr.

The second document of interest is docqueted as follows, in the autograph of Allan Cunningham:

[Obtained from George Thomson, of Edinburgh, to whom the letter was addressed. A. C.]

Immediately above this, in another hand, is written :—

"The Fisher should go up the Burn.-J. C."-the initials being in a different hand, probably Dr. Currie's.

Appended, in an unknown hand, is the following note :

Autograph of Burns presented by Allan Cunningham, Esq., on Easter Sunday-obtained by him from Thomson of Edinbro'-to whom it was sent by Burns-and is part of one of the published letters. It has also the Dumfries letter mark, and the autographs of Thomson and Allan Cunningham.

On the back of the sheet, where the post-marks appear, Thomson has written, in his neat, clerkly hand :

agreeing to the alterations propd. on sevl. Songs―wt. an addl. verse to The Learigg.

The sheet has evidently formed pp. 3 and 4 of Burns's letter to Thomson, of date 1st December, 1792, which will be found in Paterson's Ed. (Vol. VI., p. 228), and forms the conclusion of that letter. It runs thus :

I am interrupted.—[Please transmit the inclosed by a careful hand.] Yours,

ROBT. BURNS.

Scott Douglas does not indicate that the original had been mutilated, probably because he took it from a printed copy, and was ignorant of the fact. Mr. Gray thinks that the other sheet is in the Brechin collection.

The part of Mr. Gray's collection, next in importance, is a series of written scraps and music-sheets, nearly every one of which bears the autograph of Burns. They are thus described in the catalogue :—

"Music of several of the songs which Burns contributed to The Scots Musical Museum, with the titles of the Songs and Notes in the Poet's handwriting, also Transcripts of Songs, with his Remarks and List of the Songs which he contributed in his autograph. A very interesting collection."

We will take them as they come to hand. Johnson's phonetic method of spelling is as apparent here as in the curious

bills or circulars he printed, on the Poet's order, for the Globe Tavern, Dumfries. "You have," writes the Poet, "in your usual luck, misspelt two words; the article "Postages and porter," you have made "Porterages and porter "—pray alter that. In the article "Pipes and Tobacco," you have spelt Tobacco thus, "Tobbacco," whereas, &c." The first sheet that we lift, Johnson, with his "usual luck," entitles "The Shepherd of Donis," instead of "The Shepherd Adonis," which he pro-bably never saw in print, and so improved upon in his own peculiar way. Below the music, appears in Burns's hand:MEM. To enquire of Dr. B

No. 2.-Song-Nithsdale.

which part of Waukin o' suits the chorus. Burns writes, "Tune-Ginglan Geordie. This song goes finely to Ginglan Geordie." (See 'ohnson, vol. ii., p. 167.—[Ed.]).

No. 3.-Somebody. Burns writes, "This tune is Allan Masterton's manuscript, let him be spoke to, if it be difficult to set." (See Johnson, vol. v., p. 448. Different set of the melody.— [ED.]). No. 4.-Burns writes, "For the Sake of Somebody. Note, the notation of the music seems incorrect, but I send it as I got it. Slow." (See note supra.—[ED.]).

Come under my Plaidy. Burns writes, "See this song in a Number of the Bee enclosed with this." (See Johnson, vol. vi., p. 550. Setting less florid than in MS.-[ED.]).

No. 5.-Charlotte. Burns writes, "Note this tune, the song 'Fair Emma,' and let Dr. B's words follow."

No. 6.-Delia's Regret. Burns writes, “Mr. Burns's old words." The Maid of Leven. Burns writes, "I forbid this song."

No. 7.-"I dreamed I lay where flowers were springing," in Burns's hand, over "One night I dreamed I lay most easy," which is

deleted. (See Johnson, Vol. ii., p. 153. Set in a different key... -[ED.]).

No. 8.-"Captain's Lady," in Burns's hand, over "Mount my Baggage," which is deleted. (See Johnson, Vol. iii., p. 242. Different

set of the air.-[ED.]).

No. 9.-Tibbie Fouler o' the Glen.

3.

Fye upon the filthy snott,

There's ower mony wooin' at her,

Fifteen came frae Aberdeen ;

There's seven-and-forty wooin' at her.

Be a lassie ne'er sae fine,

Gin she want the penny siller,

She may live till ninety-nine

Ere she get a man till her.

No. 10.-The Devoted Maid. Burns writes, "Take Mr. Burns's old

words.'

No. 11.-Witchcraft in Love.

song.-J. J."

piece.-R. B.”

Johnson writes, "I am not shure of this Burns adds, "I suspect this for an English

Besides the foregoing, there are 12 pp. of manuscript containing titles of songs, a large proportion of which are in the autograph of Burns. In the Poet's letter to Johnson of date October, 1793, he advises the latter to "get somebody to class the first lines of the songs alphabetically," and offers to “draw out an index of authors' names." These sheets, therefore very probably, are the identical ones which passed between Burns and Johnson with this double object in view. We regret that our space forbids their reproduction in the present issue, but we will keep them in view for future publication. Mr. Gray's collection also includes letters from Cunningham, Bridges, Anderson, engraver, Edinburgh, and others; as well as what appears to be the printer's copy of the Thomson correspondence. Hanging in his library, suitably framed and mounted, we observed the concluding stanza of "O'er the muir amang the heather," and a short note to M'Murdo-both fine examples of the characteristic handwriting of the Poet. We were also favoured with a perusal of several catalogues of Burnsiana sales from 1831 to more recent dates, which merit separate publication in our "Notes and Queries."

Mr. Gray is also the fortunate possessor of two copies of the Kilmarnock edition, one of which is the full height, nine inches, but unfortunately incomplete; the other is a very fine copy, 84 inches, beautifully bound in red morocco. He has also on his library walls two paintings-one of Burns, and the other of Bonnie Jean. The former is evidently a copy of Nasmyth; the latter in her maturer years, and a portrait regarding which more enquiry should certainly be made.

D. M'NAUGHT.