190 SCOTTISH POETRY. 



" I am still in the land of the living, though I can scarcely say in the 



Elace of hope. What poor ill-advised Jean thinks of her conduct, I dont 

 now ; but one thing I do know she has made me completely miserable. 

 Nover man loved, or rather adored, a woman more than I did her: and, to 

 confess a truth between you and me, I do still love her to distraction after 

 all. My poor dear unfortunate Jean ! It is not the losing her that makes 

 me so unhappy, but for her sake I feel most severely: I foresee she is in 

 the road to, I fear, eternal ruin. May Almighty God forgive her ingrati- 

 tude and purjury to me, as I from my very soul forgive her ; and may his 

 grace be with her and bless her in all her future life ! I can have no nearer 

 idea of the place of eternal punishment than what I have felt in my own 

 breast on her account. I have tried often to forget her; I have run into 

 all kinds of dissipation and riots, mason-meetings, drinking-matches, and 

 other mischief, to drive her out of my head, but all in vain. And now for 

 a grand cure: the ship is on her way home that is to take me out to 

 Jamaica; and then farewell, dear old Scotland! and farewell, dear un- 

 grateful Jean ! for never, never will I see you more." P. 99. 



It was in this afflicting period of Burns' life (July, 1786), that he 

 published a volume of poems at Kilmarnock, with the hope that he 

 would be able to raise a little money to waft him over the Atlantic ; 

 and in " this trying hour of adversity," he found many friends to aid 

 him ; he threw off six hundred copies, " having got subscriptions for 

 three hundred and fifty." The poems, he thought, " had merit, and 

 it was a delicious idea to him that he should be called a clever fellow." 

 The poet had judged rightly, the six hundred copies were soon dis- 

 posed of; and " twenty pounds and odd remained in the pocket of the 

 wondering bard, after defraying all expenses." " The first use," says 

 Mr. Cunningham, " he made of his good fortune, was to renew his 

 application for a situation in the West Indies." But his friends, 

 Hamilton and Aikin, detained him with the hopes of a situation in the 

 Excise, " an evil which awaited him on a later day." The fame of 

 this volume soon spread far and wide ; but nothing could be done for 

 him. 



" He now looked seriously to the West Indies, procured the situation of 

 overseer on an estate in Jamaica belonging to Dr. Douglas, and prepared 

 for departure. Of this all his friends seem to have been aware, but no one 

 interposed. It was now the middle of November, and the sound which 

 his poems had raised in the country began to die away." 



The many follies he had been guilty of, Burns said, would prevent 

 him from enjoying a situation in the Excise even if it could be pro- 

 cured ; he determined still to go abroad, sent his chest on the way to 

 Greenock, and wrote the last song he was to measure in Caledonia, 

 when, " well for the world" and " perhaps unfortunate for Burns," 

 an encouraging letter from Dr. Blacklock of Edinburgh arrived, that 

 upset his Jamaica expedition, and made him turn his face towards 

 " Edina, Scotia's darling seat." 



The hopes which Blacklock held out were that his poems were 

 much sought after in Edinburgh, that a copy could not be prcoured, 

 and advising that a larger impression should be immediately printed, 

 while the sections of the author's friends would circulate copies 

 everywhere. With these expectations, Burns proceeded on his way to 

 Edinburgh. 



