ultimately fuppreffed. It was not long, therefore, before Burns began to view his farm with dislike and despondence, if not with difguft.

Unfortunately he had for several years looked to an office in the excife as a certain means of livelihood, should his other expectations fail. As has already been mentioned, he had been recommended to the board of excife, and had received the inftruction neceffary for fuch a fituation. He now applied to be employed; and, by the interest of Mr. Graham of Fintry, was appointed excifeman, or, as it is vulgarly called, gauger, of the diftrict in which he lived. His farm was after this, in a great measure, abandoned to fervants, while he betook himself to the duties of his new appointment.' Vol. i. P. 197

The confequences may be eafily imagined. Notwithstanding the uniform prudence and good management of Mrs. Burns, and though his rent was moderate and reafonable, our poet found it convenient, if not neceffary, to refign his farm to Mr. Miller, after having occupied it three years and a half. His office in the excife had originally produced about fifty pounds per annum. Having acquitted himself to the fatisfaction of the board, he had been appointed to a new' diftrict, the emoluments of which rose to about feventy pounds per annum. Hoping to fupport himself and his family on this humble income till promotion should reach him, he difpofed of his ftock and of his crop on Ellifland by public auction, and removed to a small house which he had taken in Dumfries, about the end of the year 1791.

Hitherto Burns, though addicted to excefs in focial parties, had. abstained from the habitual use of frong liquors, and his conftitution had not fuffered any permanent injury from the irregularities of his conduct. In Dumfries, temptations to the fin that fo eafily befet him, continually prefented themselves; and his irregularities grew by degrees into habits. Thefe temptations unhappily occurred dur ing his engagements in the bufinefs of his office, as well as duringhis hours of relaxation; and though he clearly forefaw the confequence of yielding to them, his appetites and fenfations, which could not pervert the dictates of his judgement, finally triumphed over the powers of his will. Yet this victory was not obtained without many obstinate struggles, and at times temperance and virrue feemed to have obtained the maftery. Befides his engagements in the excife, and the fociety into which they led, many circumftances contributed to the melancholy fate of Burns. His great celebrity made him an object of intereft and curiofity to ftrangers, and few perfons of cultivated minds paffed through Dumfries without attempting to fee our poet, and to enjoy the pleasure of his con-. verfation. As he could not receive them under his own humble roof, these interviews paffed at the inns of the town, and often terminated in thofe exceffes which Burns fometimes provoked, and

was feldom able to refift. And among the inhabitants of Dumfries; and its vicinity, there were never wanting perfons to share his focial pleasures; to lead or accompany him to the tavern; to par take in the wildeft fallies of his wit; to witnefs the strength and the degradation of his genius.

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Still, however, he cultivated the fociety of perfons of taste and of refpectability, and in their company could impofe on himself the zestraints of temperance and decorum. Nor was his muse dormant. In the four years which he lived in Dumfries, he produced many of his beautiful lyrics, though it does not appear that he attempted any poem of confiderable length.'. Vol. i. P. 204.

Though the tide of minifterial bounty has certainly in modern times flowed into Scotland with no fcanty ftream, yet we have found that the patronage extended to the most energetic of her fons was limited to the paltry fituation of a gauger., How indignant must be the feelings of every admirer of genius on being apprifed that even this vulgar boon was clogged with an implied ftipulation, that the acceptor, whofe mind was qualified and delighted to range through the wideft field of intellectual difcuffion,, fhould not prefume to differ in politics from the ruling powers. And that this was the cafe is evinced by the following narrative.

Burns had entertained hopes of promotion in the excife; but circumftances occurred which retarded their fulfilment, and which in his own mind destroyed all expectation of their being ever fulfilled. The extraordinary events which ufhered in the revolution of France, interested the feelings, and excited the hopes of men in every corner of Europe. Prejudice and tyranny feemed about to disappear from among men, and the day-star of reason to rife upon a benighted world. In the dawn of this beautiful morning the genius of French freedom appeared on our fouthern horizon with the countenance of an angel, but fpeedily affumed the features of a dæmon, and vanifhed in a fhower of blood. due

Though previoufly a jacobite and a cavalier, Burns had fhared in the original hopes entertained of this aftonishing revolution by ardent and benevolent minds. The novelty and the hazard of the attempt ineditated by the firft or Constituent Affembly, ferved rather, it is probable, to recommend it to his daring temper; and the unfettered scope propofed to be given to every kind of talents, was doubtless gratifying to the feelings of confcious but indignant ge-" nius. Burns forefaw not the mighty ruin that was to be the immediate confequence of an enterprife, which, on its commencement, promifed fo much happinefs to the human race. And even after the career of guilt and of blood commenced, he could not im-. mediately, it may be prefumed, withdraw his partial gaze from a people who had fo lately breathed the fentiments of universal peace and benignity, or obliterate in his bofom the pictures of hope and

of happiness to which those fentiments had given birth. Under thefe impreffions, he did not always conduct himself with the circumfpection and prudence which his dependent fituation feemed to demand. He engaged indeed in no popular affociations, so com mon at the time of which we speak; but in company he did not conceal his opinions of public measures, or of the reforms required in the practice of our government: and sometimes, in his focial and unguarded moments, he uttered them with a wild and unjustifiable vehemence. Information of this was given to the board of excife, with the exaggerations so general in fuch cafes. A fuperior officer in that department was authorised to inquire into his conduct. Burns defended himself in a letter addreffed to one of the Board, written with great independence of spirit, and with more than his accustomed eloquence. The officer appointed to inquire into his conduct gave a favourable report. His fteady friend, Mr. Graham of Fintry, interpofed his good offices in his behalf; and the imprudent gauger was fuffered to retain his fituation, but given to understand that his promotion was deferred, and must depend on his future behaviour.

This circumftance made a deep impreffion on the mind of Burns. Fame exaggerated his mifconduct, and represented him as actually dismissed from his office. And this report induced a gentleman of much refpectability to propose a fubfcription in his favour. The offer was refufed by our poet in a letter of great elevation of fentiment, in which he gives an account of the whole of this tranfaction, and defends himself from the imputation of difloyal fentiments on the one hand, and on the other from the charge of having made fubmiffions, for the fake of his office, unworthy of his character.

"The partiality of my countrymen," he obferves, "has brought me forward as a man of genius, and has given me a character to fupport. In the poet I have avowed manly and independent sentiments, which I hope have been found in the man. Reasons of no lefs weight than the fupport of a wife and children have pointed out my present occupation as the only eligible line of life within my reach. Still my honeft fame is my dearest concern, and a thoufand times have I trembled at the idea of the degrading epithets that malice or misreprefentation may affix to my name. Often in blasting anticipation have I liftened to fome future hackney fcribbler, with the heavy malice of favage ftupidity, exultingly afferting that Burns, notwithstanding the fanfaronade of independence to be found in his works, and after having been held up to public view, and to public eftimation, as a man of fome genius, yet, quite deftitute of refources within himself to fupport his borrowed dignity, dwindled into a paltry exciseman, and flunk out the rest of his infignificant exiftence in the meaneft of purfuirs, and among the lowest of mankind.

"In your illuftrious hands, Sir, permit me to lodge my ftrong CRIT. REV. VOL. XXX. September, 1800.

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difavowal and defiance of fuch flanderous falfehoods. Burns was a poor man from his birth, and an excifeman by neceffity: but— I will fay it! the fterling of his honeft worth poverty could not debafe, and his independent British fpirit oppreflion might bend, but could not fubdue."

It was one of the laft acts of his life to copy this letter into his book of manufcripts, accompanied by fome additional remarks.on the fame fubject. It is not furprifing, that, at a season of univerfal alarm for the fafety of the conftitution, the indifcreet expreffions of a man fo powerful as Burns fhould have attracted notice. The times certainly required extraordinary vigilance in thofe entrusted with the adminiftration of the government, and to enfure the safety of the conftitution was doubtless their firft duty. Yet generous minds will lament that their measures of precaution should have robbed the imagination of our poet of the laft prop on which his hopes of independence rested, and, by embittering his peace, have aggravated thofe exceffes which were foon to conduct him to an untimely grave.' Vol. i. P. 213.

The reader must be wholly devoid of a difcerning tafte who is not fenfible of the manly fpirit diffufed through this epiftle of the indignant bard, and of the elegant and affecting style in which the unhappy tranfaction is narrated by his biographer.

Within a fhort period after this inveftigation of his political conduct, the mighty fpirit of Burns ceafed to give umbrage to the jealousy of minifterial underlings. From October, 1795, to the January following, an accidental complaint confined him to the houfe. When he was at length able to go abroad, his habitual imprudence expofed him to a new acceffion of distemper. After ftruggling with a complication of diforders during the fpring, he determined, in the fammer of 1796, to try the effect of fea-bathing. From this he derived no benefit, and when brought back to his own houfe in Dumfries, on the 18th of July, he was no longer able to fland upright. On the 22d of the fame month the fufferings of this great but ill-fated genius were terminated, and a life was clofed, in which virtue and paffion had been at perpetual variance.'

We are confident that we fhall merit the thanks of our readers by laying before them Dr. Currie's discriminative cha racter of Burns.

Burns, as has already been mentioned, was nearly five feet ten inches in height, and of a form that indicated agility as well as ftrength. His well-raised forehead, shaded with black curling hair, indicated extenfive capacity, His eyes were large, dark, full of ardour and intelligence. His face was well formed, and his counjenance uncommonly interefting and expreffive. His mode of

dressing, which was often flovenly, and a certain fulness and bend in his thoulders, characteristic of his original profeflion, difguifed in fome degree the natural fymmetry and elegance of his form. The external appearance of Burns was most strikingly indicative of the character of his mind. On a first view, his phyfi gnomy had a certain air of coarfenefs, mingled however with an expreffion of deep penetration, and of calm thoughtfulness, approaching to melancholy. There appeared in his first manner and addref, perfect eafe and felf poflethon, but a ftern and almoft fupercilious elevation, not indeed incompatible with openness and affability, which, however, befpoke a mind confcious of fu erior talents. Strangers that fuppofed themfelves approaching an Ayrshire peasant, who could make rhymes, and to whom their notice was an honour, found them felves fpeedily overawed by the prefence of a man who bore himself with dignity, and who poffeffed a fingular power of correcting forwardness, and of repelling intrufion. But though jealous of the refpect due to himself, Burus never enforced it where he faw it was willingly paid; and though inacceffible to the approaches of pride, he was open to every advance of kindness and of benevolence. His dark and haughty countenance easily relaxed into a look of good-will, of pity, or of tendernefs; and as the various emotions fucceeded each other in his mind, affumed with equal ease the expreffion of the broadeft humour, of the most extravagant mirth, of the deepest melancholy, or of the most fublime emotion. The tones of his voice happily correfponded with the expreffion of his features, and with the feelings of his mind. When to thefe endowments are added a rapid and diftin&t apprehenfion, a moft powerful understanding, and a happy command of language-of ftrength as well as brilliancy of expreffion-we fhall be able to account for the extraordinary attractions of his converfation-for the forcery which in his focial parties he feemed to exert on all around him. In the company of women this forcery was more especially apparent. Their prefence charmed the fiend of melancholy in his bolom, and awoke his happieft feelings; it excited the powers of bis fancy as well as the tenderness of his heart; and by reftraining the vehemence and the exuberance of his language, at times gave to his manners the impreffion of tafte, and even of elegance, which in the company of men they feldom poffeffed. This influence was doubtless reciprocal. A Scottish lady, accuftomed to the beft fociety, declared with characteristic naïveté, that no man's converfation ever carried her fo completely off her feet as that of Burns; and an English lady, familiarly acquainted with feveral of the most diftinguished characters of the prefent times, affured the editor, that in the happiest of his focial hours there was a charm about Burns which he had never feen equalled. This charin arose not more from the power than the verfatility of his genius. No languor could be felt in the fociety of a man who paffed at pleafure from grave to gay, from the ludicrous to the pathetic, from the fimple to