Scotland.

exercises of Masonry , that for years ho was scarcely ever absent from a Lodge meeting , j Io was raised to a post of dignity and honour in the Craft , and in the course of one of his poems ho alludes with much complacency to the fact that be

" Oft , honoured with supremo command , Presided o ' er the Sons of Light . " Distinguished men from alar would visit his Lodge to see how the poet performed tho duties of the chair , and Professor Dugald Stewart , amongst others , lias left on record a testimony of the pleasure be experienced in observing the tact , discretion , and ability with which the poet went through the duties of that arduous post . AVhen Burns first went to Edinburgh his Alasonic character made him at once free

of tho world of literature and fashion , for nearly all tho men of rank and tbe literary men then resident in the capital were ardent Masons . Within the circle of tho fraternity his rare poetical gifts were at once most warmly acknowledged . The Canongate Kilwinning elected him their poet laureate , and a full length portrait of the bard is IIOAV placed above the seat of honour reserved for him by the side of the Master ' s chair in tho interesting hall of that ancient Lodge . For myself , when I remember the enthusiasm with which the immortal bard devoted himself to

advance tho interests of the Craft , I feel myself more and more encouraged to follow so eminent an example , and you Avho , while professing your admiration of Burns . yet shrink from associating yourself with the fraternity to which he was so proud to belong , I ivould urgently advise you to free yourselves from such inconsistency , and seek the earliest opportunity of becoming in form and reality what every true Scotsman must be in heart , a sincere Mason . " The president here introduced au interesting account of Burns's visit to this part of the

country , taken from Dr . Adair ' s notes of a tour made in company with the poet . He concluded in the folloiA'iug ivords : — " Gentlemen , I fear I have trespassed too long on your attention . But when the subject is one so dear to the Scotsman ' s heart , as that of Burns , tbe temptation to be prolix is almost irresistible . Bums is not like most other great poets , a eold abstraction , in whose personal history wo cannot feel more than a limited interest . The brief tragic story of the life of tho Scottish bard goes direct to our hearts . AA e follow the poet from his lowly

birth iu the humble cottage on the roadside not far from Ayr , through tho loves and disappointments , the joys and sorrows ancl struggles of his youth , till that dark hour when , in tbe bitter gloom ofhis misfortunes , he had resolved to seek , in a distant land , those means of subsistence which seemed to be denied him at home . AVhen the subsequent treacherous gleam of sunshine crossed the path , and he seemed to be entering ou tho high road of temporal prosperity , AA'ith the temple of feme opening its shining gates to the proud tread of the peasant poet , we watch his splendid and dazzling career AA'ith feelings of interest and concern . In the

dismal struggle that ensued , our hearts overflow with sympathy for the sufferer , sinking under accumulated disappointments and writhing under tbe consequences of those errors of conduct , which the very brilliancy of his genius had led him into . AVhen the strong man sank in solitude and suffering , struck down in the very prime of his manhood how it would have cheered him on his melancholy deathbed to have foreseen that his country would have been kind to his feelings , and just to his memory , and ivould keep the centenary of his birth in

a way that no other poet ' s centenary had been kept before . Gentlemen , I maintain that this great celebration is most honourable to the Scottish people , as a proof of their hearty sympathy with all that is upright , manly , noble , and truthful in the character of one of the best , noblest , and most famous of their representative men ; and , as a patriot , I can entertain no higher wish for my country than that the spirit which has prompted this great Burns Centenary of 1 S 59 , may survive in this beloved land for everto stimulate all coming generations to hih thoughts

, g aud heroic acts . Gentlemen , I IIOAV invite you to join with me iu drinking , iu solemn silence , to the memory of our great national bard—Robert Burns . ( Loud cheers ) . Several appropriate toasts folloived , among which were " The Poets of England and Ireland ; " "The Poets of Scotland ; " " The Scottish Peasantry , " & c . Bro , Faille , in proposing the health of the chairman , said , he thought it most