which are pure inventions; and (c) those upon songs which do not appear at all in the Museum. The most noteworthy example of the first kind is the long composite note on "Highland Laddie, which supersedes the short note written by Burns, and in which Cromek refers to the fifth volume of the Museum, published six months after the death of Burns, thus convicting himself of deliberate forgery. In "Auld Lang Syne" he falls into the same trap, and omits to give Burns's version of that song. In "Dainty Davie" he suppresses what Burns says, and instead recites the hoary-headed scandal about the Covenanting clergyman and the daughter of the Laird of Cherrytrees. The "Mill, Mill, O" may be taken as an example of the second kind, in which Cromek quotes eight lines of a song in the Merry Muses, apparently for the sake of quotation alone. In the third category are "The Shepherd's Complaint," "We ran and they ran," and "The Bob o' Dumblane," which are forgeries both in text and note.

The missing leaves are of the most consuming interest on account of their alleged contents. No fewer than seventeen are amissing, but Cromek prints only notes to three of the songs"The Highland Lassie, O," "The Day Returns," and "The Bonie Banks of Ayr "-and these, it is needless to say, cannot now be verified. Neither can they meanwhile be rejected, notwithstanding the untrustworthiness of Cromek, which is now proved to the hilt. If any of these leaves are yet in existence, now is the time to produce them, notably, that from which Cromek presumably copied his note on "The Highland Lassie, O." We quote the said note in its entirety because of its bearing on the Highland Mary episode :-

"This was a composition of mine in very early life, before I was known at all in the world. My Highland lassie was a warm-hearted, charming young creature as ever blessed a man with generous love. After a pretty long tract of the most ardent reciprocal attachment we met by appointment, on the second Sunday of May, in a sequestered spot by the banks of Ayr, where we spent a day in taking a farewell before she should embark for the West Highlands to arrange matters among her friends for our projected change of life. At the close of Autumn following she crossed the sea to meet me at Greenock, where she had scarce landed when she was seized with a malignant

fever which hurried my dear girl to the grave in a few days, before I could even hear of her illness."

When we compare this note with the others which Burns has left upon the record, its unwonted confidential tone on a subject upon which he always betrayed the utmost reticence comes as a surprise. It contains more information about Highland Mary than the sum total of all else he has written concerning her-the date of their parting, their projected marriage, the place of her nativity, and the approximate date of her untimely death at Greenock. Hamilton Paul, Robert Chambers, Scott-Douglas, Henley-in short, all writers since Cromek, have founded upon this note as a record of undisputed and indisputable fact, vouched for by the signature and seal of Burns himself. What is to be said of it now, and the host of diverse theories which have been built upon it? Was it written by Burns in whole or in part, or did it take its present shape in the Cromek imagination by suggestion from some shorter and more guarded statement by Burns, supplemented by whatever gossip and rumour Cromek had himself collected? We cannot say, but this we unhesitatingly assert, that it lies under the gravest suspicion till the original is recovered, and that is an event which is not likely now to happen. As it stands, it is an unsubstantiated statement, and must be received as such till more proof of its genuineness is forthcoming. As for the other notes referred to, that attached to "The Bonie Banks of Ayr" looks like a plagiarism from the Poet's letter to Dr Moore, but to hazard guesses on what the missing leaves may contain can serve no good purpose.

Some of the notes written by Riddell do not appear in the Reliques, while in others Burns's initials are deliberately substituted for his. To accomplish this successfully Cromek resorted to garbling to make the stitches meet, as in "Down the Burn,” where he omitted the words "by my father," to avoid suspicion; and again in "What will I do gin my Hoggie die?" where he altered Riddell's reference to Dr Walker, minister of Moffat, in 1772, to avoid an anachronism which would have convicted him. We learn also for the first time that Riddell, and not Burns, is

the author of the notes to "M'Pherson's Farewell," "The Gaberlunzie Man," and "Galloway Tam." Riddell's note on "Tam Glen" was rejected for the reason that it could not conveniently be manipulated without spoiling it.

It would be tedious to give all the details of the garbling and tinkering perpetrated by Cromek on the text of Burns's own notes. Suffice it to say that he considered none of them sacred, and not only took liberties with them but actually invented some of them and wrote them down where Burns himself had either nothing to say or preferred to say nothing. To the latter class belong the notes on "Saw ye nae my Peggy," "The Turnim-pike," and "Auld Lang Syne." Instances of his garbling will be found in "The Lass of Livingston," in which he quotes four lines from the song in the Merry Muses; and also in "Johnie Cope," with regard to which he has misled and given infinite trouble to all the editors who have succeeded him.

For further enlightenment we refer our readers to the book itself.* The edition is limited to 255 copies, and the volume is well worth the money asked for it as the most valuable Burnstext corrective which has ever come under our notice.

*Notes on Scottish Song by Robert Burns, Dick. (London: Henry Froude, 1908).

EDITOR.

Edited by James C.

SOME CENTENARY TRIBUTES

TO BURNS.

THE enthusiastic and world-wide demonstration which took place fifty years ago was perhaps the most remarkable manifestation of a nation's pride in its favourite Bard that the world has ever seen. Throughout the whole English-speaking world-wherever a few patriotic Scots were to be found the Centenary of Robert Burns was publicly celebrated in one form or another. Banquets, concerts, soirees, festivals, processions, reviews, were the order of the day. It is estimated that nearly nine hundred gatherings were held in various parts of the world. Of these about seven hundred were in Scotland alone--meetings being held from Whithorn to Lerwick. The principal Scottish gatherings were in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr, and Dumfries. In each of the two cities named over a dozen well-attended gatherings were held, while in several other towns some half-dozen large meetings took place that evening. At least one of the assemblies in each of the principal towns was a gathering of artisans. In England some eighty meetings were held, and ten in Ireland. In the Colonies. about fifty meetings took place, and over sixty in the United States of America. At Boston four poems, written in honour of Burns, were read- -one by O. W. Holmes, two by J. Russell Lowell, and one by J. G. Whittier. At Chicago the proceedings of the day included a grand military review and procession of friendly societies. Some of the most enthusiastic gatherings were those held in the backwoods of Western Canada among groups of Scottish settlers. It would take a whole issue of the Chronicle to give an adequate retrospect of the generous tributes then paid to the memory of the poetry of Burns by speakers of various nationalities and of all professions and classes. The following

brief quotations from the speeches of some men of note may, however, give some indication of the oratory of the great Centenary celebrations :

SCOTLAND.

Lord ARDMILLAN.-It is not alone to his humble birth, his rural toils, and his Scottish dialect, that the name of Burns owes its popular spell. The true power of the charm lies in three qualities characteristic alike of the man and of his poetry-sensibility, simplicity, and reality. He was the poet not of fiction, but of truth.-At Edinburgh.

Lord BROUGHAM.-After his great poetical genius there is nothing so remarkable in Burns's history as the extraordinary refinement of his sentiments, and even of his taste, from his earliest years, the effect certainly of his education having been greater than falls to the lot of the peasantry, even in Scotland. - Letter to Lord Ardmillan read at Edinburgh.

Lord NEAVES.-An unrivalled master of his art.-At Edinburgh.

Sheriff GORDON.-A nature on which the shadows of hypocrisy or duplicity never fell.-At Edinburgh.

Professor GEORGE WILSON.-Burns lives amongst us to-day to a far greater extent than many a man whose heart is still beating and his blood still flowing in his veins.-At Edinburgh.

Rev. ALEX. WALLACE, D.D.-He poured the rich melody of his genius over broad Scotland, because, like the birds, he could not but sing.-At Edinburgh.

DUNCAN MACLAREN, M. P.-In no circumstances of his life did he forget that self-respect to which he was entitled from his talents and genius. — At Edinburgh.

Sheriff STUART LOGAN.-Burns was specially gifted with some of those things which, in themselves the richest of God's bestowal, are bestowed most rarely.At Dundee.

Rev. GEORGE GILFILLAN. He loved the people, protested against their wrongs, sang their sorrows and joys, fanned the glow of their well placed love, sympathised with their toils, and strove for their elevation.-At Dundee.

Lord PANMURE (Fox Maule Ramsay, afterwards Marquis of Dalhousie). -I am one of those who think there is no discredit in doing honour to the noble Poet.-At Brechin.

Dr FRANCIS ADAMS.-If he saw a fellow-creature an hungered, none could be more prompt to give him food; if athirst, to give him. drink; or if