Burns at Galston and Ecclefechan . ived from the poet were in his possession, and that he wouldnot part with them for love or money. Our readers, knowing the poets unreserve, will not, we think,be disposed to accept the above statements as a circumstantialaccount of the conditions under which the letter was written. Burns at Ecclefechan. 3i Could any man, in the situation described by Burns, have writtensuch a letter? We opine not. Neither could a tipsy man havecomposed the lines in honour of Chloris, a sample of which isgiven in the letter just quoted. All the same, it is to be regrettedthat
Burns at Galston and Ecclefechan . ived from the poet were in his possession, and that he wouldnot part with them for love or money. Our readers, knowing the poets unreserve, will not, we think,be disposed to accept the above statements as a circumstantialaccount of the conditions under which the letter was written. Burns at Ecclefechan. 3i Could any man, in the situation described by Burns, have writtensuch a letter? We opine not. Neither could a tipsy man havecomposed the lines in honour of Chloris, a sample of which isgiven in the letter just quoted. All the same, it is to be regrettedthat our poet so far forgot himself as to call sweet Ecclefechan bythe uncomplimentary epithets he has used in describing that nowfamous village. Little did he dream, in his barleycornianhumour, of the destinies of Ecclefechan infants, one of whom,named Thomas Carlyle, born on the 4th of December of thevery year of Burnss unlucky visit, was afterwards to be known to theworld as the most sympathetic interpreter of his life and I am indebted to the kind courtesy of the proprietors and editor of Scottish Nights, for theloan of the block from which the illustration given above is taken. Also, to Miss Froude,who holds the copyright, for permission to reproduce the portrait here, and in an article onCarlyles Life by the present writer which appeared in the miscellany named, on Dec. 6, 1894. Ecclefechan, even in Burnss time, as the poet must have knownin his sober moments, was by no means so contemptible as hewould have us suppose. No less than four individuals, whosenames and deeds have been rescued from oblivion, and whoaccompanied Burns part of the way in his all too brief earthlypilgrimage, were born in or near Ecclefechan, namely; Janet Little, 32 Burns at Ecclefechan. the Scotch milkmaid, who corresponded with, and addressedseveral poems to Burns; and William Nicol (Willie brewed apeck o maut). But it is chiefly as having been the birthplace ofDr. James Currie, of Liverpoo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectburnsro, bookyear1896
