scholar, and has since shown great steadiness in every pursuit he was engaged in. Though silent in his manner he is a young man of good talents and expresses himself well in writing. His father, by the advice and in expectation of some patronage and assistance from the Hopes of Craigie-Hall (in whose service he was after leaving Dinning) had William educated for a Surgeon. During the second winter of his attendance in Edinburgh for that purpose his father met his death by his horse rearing and falling back upon him, leaving my sister a widow with nine children, of whom Wm. was the oldest.

We continued him, however, another year attending the medical classes when, after having received a more complete medical education than most young men when they apply for a diploma as qualified to act as Surgeon, the termination of the war put an end to our expectation of employment in that line for him. As it was necessary for him immediately to do something for his own support, as well as to assist his mother to maintain the other children, he engaged with Mr. Cooper, School Master at Dalmeny (which has long been celebrated as a school for boarders), as his Assistant. After being there two years with Mr. Cooper I advised him to stand Candidate for the parish school of Ormiston in the neighbourhood that he might have a house and a home for his mother and the younger children. He has been in that situation about three years, and was succeeded at Dalmeny by a younger brother, but still there are six of the children live with William and his mother, so that you see there are a number of persons interested in the success of this application.

There is another subject in which I stand much in need of your advice and assistance. I at last find myself in a situation to pay or nearly to pay my debt to my brother's family, if settled on proper principles. A State was fitted between you and me to the end of May 1798 and docqueted by Mrs. Burns, leaving a balance due by me at that date of £164, IIS. In July of that year I remitted to you £40 as part payment of that balance.

I have a distinct State of articles furnished for Mrs. Burns and family from that period to March 1801, when I removed to this country, amounting to £13, 75. 2d. During the time I possessed Dinning afterwards to Whity. 1809 I know Mrs. Burns got cheese, barley, potatoes, &c., fully to the amount of £3 a year, but I find John Begg has not kept a distinct account of these things. In these circumstances what ought I to do?

I have written to Mrs. Burns on the subject and I have been thinking of writing each of her sons with a State made up from the above data, requesting them to agree to my debt being settled on these principles and give directions for the bill being given up to me on my paying what may appear due on that State to any person they choose to appoint.

May I request your writing me soon on these subjects, and state (shortly) how the account stands between you and my Brother's family. Mention likewise whether you have got some odds and ends of my matters, of which I wrote you some time ago, Mrs. Potter's acct., &c., &c., settled. With best wishes for you, Mrs. Thomson and family.-I remain ever, my dear Sir, yours faithfully,

William Thomson, Esq., Writer, Dumfries.

GILBERT BURNS.

Private.

GRANT'S BRAES, 1st Decr., 1820.

My Dear Sir,—I wrote you on the 16th of last month putting some questions to you respecting the practicability of getting my debt to my brother's family settled to which I should have been glad to have received your answer. Since that I have received a letter from Mrs. Burns which makes me more urgent to have your opinion and if possible get the matter settled. I had written her some time ago informing her that I had lately got £200 which I could spare for settling that debt, but as that sum was a little short of the whole principal and interest due the family by me, and great part of my accts. against the family not being vouched in so completely a legal manner as could warrant your settling it with me, it would be necessary to have the consent of her and all her sons to my bill being given up for that sum. This she most readily consented to, and said she had no doubt all her sons would be equally ready to consent to. I deferred writing to my nephews on the subject till I could hear your opinion respecting the mode of my proceeding in the matter. Mrs. Burns informed me some time ago that her son Robert had been very imprudently engaged in some speculations (the nature of which I am not informed of) which had brought him into embarrassed circumstances, and that she had from time to time sent him such supplies of money as she could spare. She wrote on the 28th ult. that she had lately been informed by a brother she has in London that Robert's debts were not yet all paid, that his creditors are clamorous, and that he was in danger of being imprisoned for debt which would of course deprive him of his situation in the Stamp Office. Mrs. Burns is therefore anxious that this £200 should be applied for Robert's relief, and certainly almost any sacrifice ought to be made rather than he should be thus involved in complete ruin and starvation. Thus you see that we have not time to receive the consent of my nephews in India. Is not Mrs. Burns entitled to the third part of this sum, and would her and Robert's request to you to give up my bill as part of the share of the common property of the family be a sufficient security for you giving up the bill; for you will certainly allow that in justice to myself and family I cannot pay the money without at least having my counter accounts acknowledged? I beg you will write me fully on this subject with as little delay as possible. I defer writing Mrs. B. till I receive your answer, and you may be well aware she is very anxious for my answer. She appears anxious to conceal Robert's misfortunes as much as she can, and probably will not approve of making you acquainted with them, but I judged it necessary you should know the urgency of the matter.-I remain ever, my dear Sir, yours sincerely, GILBERT BURNS.

GILBERT BURNS TO MRS. BURNS.

GRANT'S BRAES, 7th Dec., 1820.

Dear Sister,-The information contained in your last two letters respecting poor Robert's embarrassments occasioned me a great deal of pain. I would have written you sooner but had written Mr. Thomson at the same time I wrote you respecting my wish and ability to pay £200 for

the extinction of my debt to my Brother's family, and I wished to hear from him before writing you. It was necessary to correspond with him on the subject as my bill being in his hand I could not pay the money without first learning whether I could get up the bill. On the receipt of your last letter I immediately wrote Mr. T. again, mentioning the way you wished to apply the money, and as that plan could not admit of the delay of hearing from your sons in India, I asked him if he would consider himself authorized to give up my bill on you and Robert requesting him to do so and to place it to your and his share of the funds belonging to the family. I this day received his answer which he had delayed as he wished to see you before writing me, but finding you were not at home, and that the matter would not admit of longer delay, he writes me as follows

"I conceive that if you and she adjust the amount of the furnishings made by you to the family by a docqueted account, there can be no hesitation in settling the bill and giving it up to you on payment. Neither do I see that with you and Mrs. Burns undertaking to me for the two absent sons of the family that they will approve, I can have any difficulty of allowing the amount of your debt when paid to go to the relief of Robert. As to Mrs. Burns I should think the trustees would consider her entitled to one-third of the sum, though I do not recollect that anything was ever settled by them on that point.”

A State of my debt was made up by Mr. Thomson to the 30th May 1798 docqueted and signed by you and me when my debt to the family was

By this statement which I know is very near the truth the amount of my debt at the 30th May last would be two hundred and sixteen pounds 5/10 and the interest due since will make it up about £220. It will be necessary to consult Mr. Thomson what sort of Mandate from Robert he will require to enable him to settle the matter and as I see I will have room to spare on the next page I will there state the amount as above that you may tear it off and give it Mr. Thomson that he may make up a formal

state and docquet it in the way he thinks right. If you are not already informed of the amount of Robert's debts you should get a state of them from himself and information how it is proposed to apply the £200 to his relief whether by dividing it among his creditors to accelerate the settlement of his debts or to get his yearly allowance increased. You had better advise with Mr. Thomson respecting this matter, he is able to give you sound advice and he seems so much affected by Robert's distresses (though very partially informed of them), that I think he will be disposed to give you every assistance in his power.-Your's, dear Sister,

GILBERT BURNS.

P.S.—I shall expect to hear from Mr. Thomson or you soon.

STATE OF DEBT

DUE BY GILBERT BURNS TO THE WIDOW AND FAMILY OF HIS DECEASED BROTHER ROBERT BURNS.

1797.

Sept. 7th. Balance of G. B.'s bill as per docqueted Acct., £158 15 5

Leaving of principal and interest due 16th Decr. 1820,

£220 7 6

If Mr. Thomson can make up a state from the above which he thinks will pass and get it docqueted by Mrs. Burns I will send a bill due in London for the money that it may the more readily be applied to the intended purpose and any guarantee for the approbation of the 2 absent sons wanted.

Mrs. Burns, Dumfries.

G. B.

D. M'NAUGHT.

BURNS AND THE LEGAL

THIS

PROFESSION.

paper was suggested by the able and interesting book of Dr. Findlay, entitled Burns in Relation to the Medical Profession. It is an attempt to submit something of the same kind, though less elaborate, in regard to the legal profession, compressed within the limits necessary for an article suitable for the Burns Chronicle.

Burns seems to have had a very poor opinion of the legal profession, although there is nothing to show that it was in his day behind the general code of honour and morality then existing. The law in his time was certainly far from perfect. It was slower, costlier, and more oppressive than it is now, but in hardly any respect was it worse than the time itself. high-strung poet (who certainly suffered under certain harsh legal operations) may be forgiven for the following unflattering samples of his views:

View unsuspecting Innocence a prey,

As guileful Fraud points out the erring way,
While subtile Litigation's pliant tongue,

The life blood equal sucks of Right and Wrong.

The

Writing of his father he says "His all went among the hell hounds who prowl (or growl) in the Kennel of Justice"doubtless a grossly exaggerated way of stating an unfortunate but inevitable fact.

Then take this :

What is right and what is wrang,

By the law?

What is right and what is wrang?

A short sword and a lang,

A weak arm and a strang,
For to draw.

And this (which probably represents his own occasionally wild view) from the "Jolly Beggars"

A fig for those by law protected,
Liberty's a glorious feast,

Courts for cowards were erected!