6'lr Transactions, 



There is a letter from Mr W. S. Walter, of London, a native 

 of Nithsdale, and contributor of various poetical pieces to the 

 " Nithsdale Minsti'el." It relates to the Mausoleum and Turuerelli's 

 sculpture. 



" Dear Sir, — It gives me great pleasure to see that you have 

 at length come to a determination respecting the monument to our 

 favoiTrite bard, and I now only feel anxious that something 

 worthy of that bard may be produced to cover his remains, ' and 

 point the spot where buried genius lies.' I have seen a spirited 

 and liighly elegant model from the hand of Mr Turnerelli, the 

 celebrated sculptor, who has just completed an elegant monument 

 to Dr Beattie. I think the subject most appropriate, and he has 

 very judiciously selected the poet's own memorable words, than 

 which nothing could be more striking. I hope the committee 

 will not waste any great proportion of the subscriptions on the 

 mere masonry ; the great object certainly should be the statuary ; 

 the other is merely a secondary object, in my idea a mere protec- 

 tion from the weather, which will beat from the north and eastern 

 quarters where the monument will stand, and which must con- 

 sequently be well defended. Pray do your utmost to forward the 

 measure in its best shape, and you will soothe the bard's indignant 

 shade. With my best wishes to all friends at Dumfries, — I am, 

 dear sir, your much obliged, &c., 



" W. S. Walter. 



" London, 10th April, 1815." 



Mr Walter also wrote a poem for the Burns' Club meeting in 

 1817. In forwarding it he writes : 



" Dear Sir, — I am fully sensible of the honour the committee 

 have done me in supposing that I could do anything worthy of 

 the occasion which calls for it ; but the name of Burns is inspiring, 

 and for what I have written, such as it is, I leave to its fate. Mr 

 Turnerelli has been, till lately, detained in Ireland by business and 

 family concerns. I saw him yesterday, and of this I am happy to 

 acquaint the committee, that he is confident he shall be able to 

 fulfil his engagement of having the monument ready by August 

 next. He has heard every opinion of the model, taken the best 

 advice, and is now modelling the whole anew the full size of life, 

 as he is resolved to do all in his power to render the sculpture 

 worthy of the bard it is to commemorate. I beg you will com- 

 municate this to the gentlemen of the committee, and at the same 



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