State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THERMOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from September 1ft to 30th, within one mile of the Castle of Edinburgh. THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, OR LITERARY MISCELLANY, IT SOME ACCOUNT OF ROBERT BURNS. prefenting to the public a few of thofe ideas and observations I have had the opportunities of forming, and which to the day that clofed for ever the fcene of his happy qualities and of his errors, I have never had the smallest caufe to deviate in or to recall. T is not likely that the extinction years paft, may perhaps juftify my of a fpirit like the late Robert Burns fhould be unattended with a variety of pofthumous anecdotes, memoirs, &c. relative to the very rare and uncommon perfonage whom it animated. I fhall not attempt to inlift with the voluminous corps of biographers, who, it is probable may, without poffeffing his genius, arrogate to themselves the privilege of criticifing the character or writings of Mr Burns." The infpiring mantle" thrown over him by that tutelary mufe who first found him like the prophet Elisha," at his plough has been the portion of few, may be the portion of fewer ftill; and if it is true that men of genius have a claim in their literal capacities to the legal rights of the British citizen in a court of juftice, that of being "tried only by their Peers," (I borrow here an expreffion I have frequently heard Burns himself make ufe of,) God forbid I should, any more than the generality of other people, affume the flattering and peculiar privilege of fitting upon his jury. But the intimacy of our acquaintance, for several * 19 It will be the misfortune of Burns's ' reputation in the records of literature, not only to future generations and to foreign countries, but even with his native Scotland and a number of his cotemporaries, that he has been regarded as a poet, and nothing but a poet. It must not be fuppofed that I confider this title as a rival one; no perfon can be more penetrated with the refpect due to the wreath beftowed by the Mufes than myfelf; and much certainly is due to the merits of a felf-taught bard, deprived of the advantages of a claffical education, and the intercourfe of minds congenial to his own, till that period of life when his native fire had already blazed forth in all its wild graces of genuine fimplicity, and energetic eloquence of fentiment. But the fact is, that even when all Y 2 his "The poetic genius of my country found me as the prophetic bard Elijah did Elisha, at the plough; and threw her infpiring mantle over me. She bade me fing the loves, the joys, the rural scenes and rural pleasures of my natal foil, in my native tongue," &c. Burn's Prefatory Addrefs to the Noblemen and Gentlemen of the Caledonian Hunt: his honours are yielded to him, Burns will undoubtedly be found to move in a sphere leis fplendid, lefs dignified, and even in his own paftoral ftile, lefs attractive than feveral other writers have done; and that poefy was (I appeal to all who had the advantage of being perfonally acquainted with him) actually not his forte. If others had climbed more fuccefsfully to the heights of Parnaffus, none certainly ever outfhone Burus in the charms the forcery I would almoft call it, of fascinating converfation, the fpontaneous eloquence of focial argument, or the unitudied poignancy of bril liant repartee. His perfonal endowments were perfectly correfpondent with the qualifications of his mind. His form was manly, his actionenergy itself entirely divefted, however, of all thofe graces, of that polish, acquired only in the refinement of focieties in which he feldom had the opportunity to mix; but where, fuch was the irrefiftable power of attraction that encircled him, tho' his manners and appearance were always peculiar, that he never failed to delight and to excel. His figure certainly bore the authentic imprefs of his birth and original station of life; it feemed rather moulded by nature for the rough exercifes of agriculture, than the gentler cultiva tion of the belles letters. His features were ftamped with the hardy cha racter of independence, and the firm nefs of conscious though not arrogant pre-eminence. I believe no man was ever gifted with a larger portion of the vivida vis animi." The animated expreflions of his countenance were almoft peculiar to himself. The rapid lightnings of his eye were always the harbingers of fome flafh of genius, whether they darted the fiery glances of infulted and indignant fuperiority, or beamed with the impaffioned fentiment of fervent and impetuous affections. His voice alone could improve upon the magic of his eye onorous, replete with the finest modurons, it alternately captivated the earth the melody of poetic numbers, t reafoning, of the ardent fallies, of perfpicuity of nervous enthufiaftic patiatifim. The keenefs of fatire was, I anat a lofs whether to fay his forte or his foible: For though nature had endowed him with a portion of the most ponted excellence in that "perilous gift," he fuffered it too often to be the vehicle of perfonal, and fometimes unfounded animofities. It was not always that fportiveness of humour, "that unwary pleafantry," which Sterne has defcribed to us, in colours fo confiliatory; but the darts of ridicule were frequently directed as the caprice of the inftant fuggefted, or the altercations of parties or of perfons happened to kindle the refleffness of his fpirit into intereft or averfion. This however was not unexceptionably the cafe; his wit (which is no unufual matter indeed) had always the start of his judgment, and would lead him to the indulgence of raillery, uniformly acute, but often unaccom panied with the leaft defire to wound. The fuppreffion of an arch and full pointed bon mct, from the dread of injuring its object, the fage of Zurich very properly claffes as a virtue only to be fought for in the kalender of Saints; if fo, Burns must not be dealt with unconfcientiously for being 1ather deficient in it. He paid the forfeit of his talents as dearly as any one could do; " 'twas no extravagant arithmetic" to fay of him as of Yorick, " that for every ten jokes he got an hundred enemies." And much allowance fhould be made by a candid mind for the fple netic warmth of a spirit whom “diftrefs had often spited with the world," and which, unbounded in its intellectual fallies and pursuits, continually experienced the curbs impofed by the way-wardnefs of his fortune; the vivacity of his wifhes and temper, check |