"the life of the late Robert Burns " written by R. Heron," (the effence of which was inferted in Nos. 52 and 57 of your excellent Magazine, N. S.) an exceedingly inaccurrate account of the conditions of the lease of the farm, which the Poet had from P. Miller of Dalfwinton, Efq.

"that he held the farm at too high a “rent, contrary to his landlord's in"tention."

This account of the tranfaction, is erroneous, in every particular. The truth is this: Mr Miller offered Mr Burns the choice of feveral excellent farms on the estate of Dalfwinton, which were at that time out of leafe. Mr Burns gave the preference to the farm of Ellifland, moft charmingly fituated on the banks of the Nith, containing upwards of an hundred acres of moft excellent land, then worth a rent of from eighty to an hundred pounds. Mr Miller after fhewing Mr Burns what the farm coft him to a farthing, allowed him to fix the rental himself and the endurance of the leafe. A leafe was accordingly given to the Poet on his own terms, viz. for fifty feven years at the very low rent of fifty-pounds. And in addition to this, when Mr Burns figned the tack, Mr Miller prefented him with two hundred pounds to enable him to inclose and improve his farm, &c. It is ufual to allow tenants a years rent for this purpose, but the fum Mr Miller gave him was at leaft four years rent. Mr Miller has fince fold the farm of Ellifland to John M'Morrine, Efq. nineteen hundred pounds leaving to himself seven acres on the Dalfwinton fide of the river.

In this memoir, Mr Heron, after mentioning Mr Miller's having generously offered to establish Mr "Burns in a farm upon conditions of "lease, which prudence and induftry "might easily have rendered ex"tremely advantageous," then adds, "Two of the Poet's friends from "Ayrshire were invited to furvey "that farm in Dumfries-shire, which "Mr Miller offered. A leafe was "granted to the Poetical Farmer, at that annual rent, which his friends declared, that the due cultivation "of the farm might eafily enable "him to pay." And Mr Heron, when pointing out the causes that induced Mr Burns to refign the leafe of his farm, (which by the bye, he could not do, without the proprietor's permiffion,) boldly afferts, that, "Befides "all thefe, I have reason to believe, "that the Poet had made his bargain rafhly, and had not duly availed "himself of his patron's generofity, "His friends from Ayrshire were "little acquainted with the foil, with "the manures, with the markets, "with the dairies, with the modes "of improvement in Dumfries-fhire. They had fet upon his farm, ra"ther fuch a rental as it might "have borne in Ayrshire, than that "which it could easily afford in the "local circumftances in which it was actually placed. He himself "had inconfiderately fubmitted to their judgement, without once "doubting whether they might not "have erred against his interefts, "with the flighteft wish to make a "bargain artfully advantageous for himfelf: and the confequences was,

Although, after what has now been ftated, it may be unneceffary to make any comment on the generofity of Mr Miller, it may not be improper to add, That Mr Miller's motive in wishing Mr Burns to fettle at Ellifland, was to fave him by withdrawing him from the habits of diffipation of a town-life; and that had poor Burns followed the advice given him, he might perhaps have been ftill living and happy.

We cannot clofe this better, than with the following letter from the Poet to Mr Miller. It will explain his fenfe of Mr Miller's kindness to

him, in a more forcible manner, than
any thing we could fay; and it was
written at a time, when all intercourfe
between them had dropt.
SIR,

April, 1793.

My Poems having just come out in another edition, will you do me the honour to accept a copy? a mark of my gratitude to you, as a gentleman to whofe goodness, I have been much indebted; of my respect for you, as a patriot, who, in a venal flid

of my veneration for you, as a man whofe benevolence of heart does honour to human nature.-There was a time, Sir, when I was your dependant: this language then would have been like the vile incenfe of flattery.

I could not have used it.-Now that connection is at at end; do me the honour to accept of this honeft tribute of respect from, Sir, your much indebted humble servant,

(Signed) Robert Burns.

of the liberties of my country; ing To Patrick Miller, Efq. }

H

and

of Dalfwinton.

ANECDOTE of MADAME DE GUERCHEVILLE.

From Seward's Biographiana.

cafe, and furrounded by all her fervants. She takes a candle from one of them, and conducts the king to the best room in her house, when, after having made him a most respect. ful courtesy, fhe retires, as the king fuppofes, to give the neceffary orders. Soon afterwards fupper is ferved; the lady does not make her appearance at it. Henry fends after her, and is told that he had juft entered her coach, and was gone out. On hearing this, the king immediately fends after her to know the reason why she has quitted her house. She replies by the meffenger, "A king fhould "always be the mafter wherever he

ENRY the Fourth was very for him at the foot of the great ftairmuch in love with this beautiful and excellant woman. She declined his addresses; and yet fo much power has virtue upon minds that are not totally abandoned to vice, that he made her firft lady of the bed chamber to his new queen, ob ferving to her, that if he knew a wo. man of more honour than herself in all his kingdom, he should have giv en her the preference. Henry one day, hunting on purpofe in the neighbourhood of her château, fent her word, that he would fup and take a bed at her house. She replied, that she should take all poffible care that his majefty was received as he ought to be. The king, pleafed with this anfwer, comes to Roche-Guion in the evening, and finds Madame de Guercheville beautiful as an angel, and very elegantly dreft, in waiting

is; with respect to myself, I always "wish to be free wherever I am." Henry rifes early the next morning, and retires to Paris vexed, yet pleas ed, at his disappointment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW *.

HAINING HOUSE, the feat of Mark

Pringle of 'Clifton, Efq. Mem. ber of Parliament for the county of Selkirk. Is fituated upon the border of a beautiful lake, in the immediate vicinity of the town of Selkirk. The piece of water which appears in the

view, is an English mile in circumference, is furrounded on all fides with woods, and abounds with pike, perch, and various kinds of fish. The pleasure walks which are numerous and extenfive, are laid out in the fineft ftile of modern improvement.

*This view is taken from the South.

REMIN

REMINISCENCES.

From the Works of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford.

(Continued from our last, page 354.)

WILL now refume the ftory of by her interest made a baron, and fince created Earl of Buckinghamfhire.

Lady Suffolk, whofe hiftory, tho' fhe had none of that influence on the tranfactions of the cabinet that was expected, will fill probably be more entertaining to two young ladies, than a magisterial detail of political events, the traces of which at least may be found in journals and brief chronicles of the times. The interior of courts and the leffer features of history are precifely thofe with which we are leaft acquainted, I mean of the age preceding our own. Such anecdotes are forgotten in the multiplicity of those that ensue, or refide only in the memory of idle old perfons, or have not yet emerged into publicity from the porte-feuilles of fuch garrulous Brantômes as myself. Trifling I will not call myself; for, while I have fuch charming difciples as you two to inform; and though acute or plodding politicians, for whom they are not meant, may condemn thefe pages; which is preferable, the labour of an hiftorian who toils for fame and for applaufe from he knows not whom; or my carelefs commiflion to paper of perhaps infignificant paffages that I remember, but penned for the amufe. ment of a pair of fuch fenfible and cultivated minds as I never met at fo early an age, and whofe fine eyes I do know will read me with candour, and allow me that mite of fame to which I afpire-their approbation of my endeavours to divert their evenings in the country? O Guicciardin is pofthumous renown fo valuable as the fatisfaction of reading these court- tales to the lovely B-ys?

Henrietta Hobart was daughter of Sir Henry, and fifter of Sir John Hobart, knight of the Bath on the revival of the order, and afterward Ed. Mag. June 1799.

She was firft married to Mr Howard, the younger brother of more than one Earl of Suffolk; to which title he at laft fucceeded himself, and left a fon by her, who was the laft Earl of that branch. She had but the flender fortune of an ancient baronet's daughter; and Mr Howard's circumstances were the reverfe of opulent.. It was the clofe of Queen Anne's reign: the young couple faw no ftep more prudent than to refort to Hanover, and endeavour to ingratiate themselves with the future fovereigns of England. Still fo narrow was their fortune, that Mr Howard finding it expedient to give a dinner to the Hanoverian minifters, Mrs Howard is faid to have facrificed her beautiful head of hair to pay for the expence. It must be recollected, that at that period were in fashion those enormous full-bottomed wigs which often coft twenty and thirty guineas. Mrs Howard was extremely acceptable tothe intelligent princefs Sophiabut did not at that time make farther impreffion on the electoral prince, than on his father's fucceffion to the crown to be appointed one of the bed-chamber-women to the new princess of Wales.

The elder whig politicians became minifters to the king. The moft promifing of the Lords and genyoung tlemen of that party, and the prettieft and livelieft of the young ladies, formed the new court of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The apartment of the bed-chamber-woman in waiting became the fashionable evening rendezvous of the most diftinguifhed wits and beauties. Lord Chefterfield, then Lord Stanhope, 3 F

vey,