"Edinburgh, April 9, 1787. "As I have seen a good deal of human life in Edinburgh, a great many characters which are new to one bred up in the shades of life as I have been, I am determined to take down my remarks on the spot. Gray observes, in a letter to Mr. Palgrave, that half a word fixed upon, or near the spot, is worth a cart-load of recollection.' I don't know how it is with the world in general, but with me, making my remarks is by no means a solitary pleasure. I want some one to laugh with me, some one to be grave with me, some one to please me, and help my discrimination, with his or her own remark, and, at times, no doubt, to admire my acuteness and penetration. The world are so busied with selfish pursuits, ambition, and vanity, interest, or pleasure, that very few think it worth their while to make any observation on what passes around them, except where that observation is a sucker, or branch of the darling plant they are rearing in their fancy. Now I am sure, notwithstanding all the sentimental flights of novel-writers, and the sage philosophy of moralists, whether we are capable of so intimate and cordial a coalition of friendship, as that one man may pour out his bosom, his every thought and floating fancy, his very inmost soul, with unreserved confidence to another, without hazard of losing part of that respect which man deserves from man; or from the unavoidable imperfections attending human nature, of one day repenting his confidence. "For these reasons I am determined to make these pages my confident. I will sketch every character that any way strikes me, to the best of my power, with unshrinking justice. I will insert anecdotes, and take down remarks, in the old law phrase, without feud or favour.'-Where I hit on anything clever, my own applause will, in some measure, feast my vanity; and begging Patroclus' and Achates' pardon, I think a lock and key a security, at least equal to the bosom of any friend whatever. My own private story likewise, my love-adventures, my rambles; the frowns and smiles of fortune on my bardship; my poems and fragments, that must never see the light, shall be occasionally inserted.-In short, never did four shillings purchase so much friendship since confidence went first to market, or honesty was set up for sale. "To these seemingly invidious, but too just ideas of human friendship, I would cheerfully make one exemption-the connexion between two persons of different sexes, when their interests are united and absorbed by the tie of love "When thought meets thought, ere from the lips And each warm wish springs mutual from the it part, heart. "There, confidence - confidence that exalts them the more in one another's opinion, that endears them the more to each other's hearts, unreservedly reigns and revels.' But this is not my lot; and, in my situation, if I am wise (which by the bye I have no real chance of being), my fate should be cast with the Psalmist's sparrow to watch alone on the housetops,'-Oh, the pity! he knows the noble landlord, at heart, gives the bard, or whatever he is, a share of his good wishes, beyond, perhaps, any one at table; yet how will it mortify him to see a fellow, whose abilities would scarcely have made an eighteenpenny tailor, and whose heart is not worth three farthings, meet with attention and notice, that are withheld from the son of genius and poverty? "The noble G has wounded me to the soul here, because I dearly esteem, respect, and love him. He showed me so much attentionengrossing attention, one day, to the only blockhead at table (the whole company consisted of his lordship, dunderpate, and myself), that I was within half a point of throwing down my gage of contemptuous defiance; but he shook my hand, and looked so benevolently good at parting. God bless him, though I should never see him more, I shall love him until my dying day! I am pleased to think I am so capable of the throes of gratitude, as I am miserably deficient in some other virtues. "With I am more at my ease. I never respect him with humble veneration; but when he kindly interests himself in my welfare, or still more when he descends from his pinnacle, and meets me on equal ground in conversation,. my heart overflows with what is called liking. When he neglects me for the mere carcass of greatness, or when his eye measures the difference of our points of elevation, I say to myself, what do I care for him, or his pomp either?" * * * The intentions of the poet in procuring this book, so fully described by himself, were very imperfectly executed. He has inserted into it a few or no incidents, but several observations and reflections, of which the greater part that are proper for the public eye, will be found interwoven in the volume of his letters. The most curious particulars in the book are the delineation of the characters he met with. These are not numerous; but they are chiefly of persons of distinction in the republic of letters, and nothing but the delicacy and respect due to living characters prevents us from committing them to the press. Though it appears that in his conversation he was sometimes disposed to sarcastic remarks on the men with whom he lived, nothing of this kind is discoverable in these more deliberate efforts of his understanding, which, while they exhibit great clearness of discrimination, manifest also the wish, as well as the power, to bestow high and generous praise. By the new edition of his poems, Burns acquired a sum of money that enabled him, not only to partake of the pleasure, of Edinburgh, but to gratify a desire he had long entertained, of visiting those parts of his native country, most attractive by their beauty or their grandeur: a desire which the return of summer naturally revived. The scenery on the banks of the Tweed, and of its tributary streams, strongly interested his fancy; and, accordingly, he left Edinburgh on the 6th of May, 1787, on a tour through a country so much celebrated in the rural songs of Scotland. He travelled on horseback, and was accompanied, during some part of his journey, by Mr. Ainslie, now writer to the signet, a gentleman who enjoyed much of his friendship and of his confidence. Of this tour a "There are few of the sore evils under the sun journal remains, which, however, contains only give me more uneasiness and chagrin than the occasional remarks on the scenery, and which is comparison how a man of genius, nay, of avowed chiefly occupied with an account of the author's worth, is received everywhere, with the recep- different stages, and with his observations on tion which a mere ordinary character, decorated the various characters to whom he was introwith the trapping and futile distinctions of for- duced. In the course of this tour, he visited Mr. tune, meets. I imagine a man of abilities, his Ainslie of Berrywell, the father of his combreast glowing with honest pride, conscious that panion; Mr. Drydone, the celebrated traveller, men are all born equal, still giving honour to to whom he carried a letter of introduction from whom honour is due;' he meets at a great man's Mr. Mackenzie; the Rev. Dr. Somerville of Jed"table, a Squire something, or a Sir somebody;burgh, the historian; Mr. and Mrs. Scott of Wau с * chope; Dr. Elliot, physician, retired to a romantic spot on the banks of the Roole; Sir Alexander Don; Sir James Hall of Douglass; and a great variety of other respectable characters. Everywhere the fame of the poet had spread before him, and everywhere he received the most hospitable and flattering attentions. At Jedburgh he continued several days, and was honoured by the magistrates with the freedom of their borough. The following may serve as a specimen of his tour, which the perpetual reference to living characters prevents us giving at large. Saturday, May 6. Left Edinburgh-Lammermuir hills, miserably dreary in general, but at times very picturesque. "Lanson-edge, a glorious view of the Merse. Reach Berrywell. The family-moeting with my compagnon de voyage, very charming: particularly the sister. Sunday. Went to church at Dunse. Heard Dr. Bowmaker. Having spent three weeks in exploring this interesting scenery, Burns crossed over into Northumberland. Mr. Ker, and Mr. Hood. two gentlemen with whom he had become acquainted in the course of his tour, accompanied him. He visited Alnwick Castle; the princely seat of the Duke of Northumberland; the hermitage and old castle of Warkworth; Morpeth and Newcastle. In this town he spent two days, and then proceeded to the south-west by Hexham and Wardrue, to Carlisle.-After spending a few days at Carlisle with his friend Mr. Mitchell, he returned into Scotland, and at Annan his journal terminates abruptly. Of the various persons with whom he became acquainted in the course of this journey, he has, in general, given some account; and almost always a favourable one. That on the banks of "Monday. Coldstream-glorious river. Tweed the Tweed and of the Teviot, our bard should -clear and majestic-fine bridge-dine at Cold- find nymphs that were beautiful, is what might stream with Mr. Ainslie and Mr. Foreman. Beat be confidently presumed. Two of these are parMr. Ainslie in a dispute about Voltaire. Drink ticularly described in his journal. But it does tea at Lennel-House with Mr. and Mrs. Bry-not appear that the scenery, or its inhabitants, done. Reception extremely flatter- produced any effort of his muse, as was to have been wished and expected. From Annan, Burns proceeded to Dumfries, and thence through Sanquhar, to Mossgiel, near Mauchline, in Ayrshire, where he arrived about the 8th of Jure, 1787, after an absence of six busy and eventful months. It will be easily conceived with what pleasure and pride he was received by his mother, his brothers, aud sisters. He had left them poor, and comparatively friendless; he returned to them high in public estimation, and easy in his circumstances. He returned to them unchanged in his ardent affections, and ready to share with them to the uttermost farthing the pittance that fortune had bestowed. ing. Sleep at Coldstream. Having remained with them a few days, he proceeded again to Edinburgh, and immediately set out on a journey to the Highlands. Of this tour no particulars have been found among his manuscripts. A letter to his friend Mr. Ainslie, datedArrachas, near Crochairbas, by Lochleary, June 28, 1787," commences as follows: "Wednesday. Breakfast with Mr. Fair. Charming romantic situation of Jedburgh, with "I write you this on my tour through a coungardens and orchards, intermingled among the try where savage streams tumble over savage houses and the ruins of a once magnificent mountains, thinly overspread with savage flocks, cathedral. All the towns here have the appear-which starvingly support as savage inhabitants. ance of old rude grandeur, but extremely idle. My last stage was Inverary-to-morrow night's Jed, a fine romantic little river. Dined with stage, Dumbarton. I ought sooner to have anCaptain Rutherford, return to Jed- swered your kind letter, but you know I am a burgh. Walked up the Jed with some ladies to man of many sins." be shown Love Lane, and Blackburn, two fairy scenes. Introduced to Mr. Potts, writer, and to Mr. Somerville, the clerygman of the parish. a man. and a gentleman, but sadly addicted to punning. * * * "Jedburgh, Saturday. Was presented by the magistrates with the freedom of the town. "Took farewell of Jedburgh with some melancholy sensations. "Monday, May 14, Kelso. Dine with the farmer's club-all gentlemen talking of high matters -each of them keeps a hunter from £30 to £50 value and attends the fox-hunting club in the country. Go out with Mr. Ker, one of the club, and a friend of Mr. Ainslie's, to sleep. In his mind and manners, Mr. Ainslie's is astonishingly like my dear old friend Robert Muir. Everything in his house elegant. He offers to accompany ine in my English tour. "Tuesday. Dine with Sir Alexander Don; a very wet day. Sleep at Mr. Ker's again, and set out next day for Melrose. Visit Dryburgh, a fine old ruined abbey, by the way. Cross the Leader, and come up the Tweed to Melrose. Dine there, and visit that far-famed From this journey, Burns returned to his friends in Ayrshire, with whom he spent the month of July, renewed his friendships, and extended his acquaintance throughout the county, where he was now very generally known and admired. In August he again visited Edinburgh, whence he undertook another journey towards the middle of this month in company with Mr. M. Adair, now Dr. Adair of Harrowgate, of which this gentleman has favoured us with the following account; "Burns and I left Edinburgh together in August, 1787. We rode by Linlithgow and Carron to Stirling. We visited the iron-works at Carron, with which the poet was forcibly struck. The resemblance between that place, and its inhabitants, to the cave of Cyclops, which must have occurred to every classical visitor, presented itself to Burns. At Stirling the prospects from the castle strongly interested him; in a former visit to which, his national feelings had been powerfully excited by the ruinous and roofless state of the hall in which the Scottish Parliaments had frequently been held. His indignation had vented itself in some imprudent but not unpoetical lines, which had given much |