230 Transactions. 



April, 1821, passed between the parties, and in the end Mr 

 Tnrnerelli apparently considered his claim totally bad, and ceased 

 to write on the snbject. These facts as to the price of the sculp- 

 ture were totally different from those given in n leaderette of the 

 Dumfries Standard, wherein it was stated that the sculpture was 

 gifted to the community by Turnerelli. The Mausoleum itself, as 

 well as the sculpture, had been the subject of much hostile 

 criticism, and even to this day the discussion was periodically 

 revived. Even " honest Allan " could not refrain from passing his 

 judgment, and in a letter to Mr Grierson, of date 30th July, 1834, 

 he speaks out boldly : — 



I am grieved to fiud that my remarks on the Burns mouuraeut have 

 given paiu to a «vorthy gentleman aud a lover of the muses. I agree 

 with you that the design of the architecture is elegant, aud may add 

 further, the unity aud harmony of the whole are much to my mind. My 

 objection is that the structure wants that massive vigour of design and 

 hardness of material wliich insure duration in this moist and stormy 

 climate. The sculpture I most heartily aud conscientiously dislike. It 

 is ill conceived, and worse executed, and, indeed, the sentiment is beyond 

 the power of sculpture to express. Who can carve an inspired or rather 

 an inspiring mantle ? It is but a bit of marble. The muse in the hand 

 of Turnerelli was not likely to succeed iu her task. It reminds one of 

 that passage in Scripture — " Aud a certain woman threw a piece of a 

 mill-stone on the head, &c." (The quotation is from Judges, c. 9, v. 53, 

 aud is — " And a certain woman cast a piece of a mill-stone upon Abime- 

 lech's head, and all to break his skull.") I am supported in my dislike 

 by very high authorities. A few days ago Mr Wordsworth, the poet, 

 wrote to me saying that he had been in the vale of the Nith, aud had 

 walked in the footsteps of Burns. " By-the-bye," he says, " what a sorry 

 piece of sculpture is Burns' monument in Dumfries Churchyard. 

 Monstrous in conception and clumsy in the execution, it is a disgrace to 

 the memory of the poet." Chantrey had no chance for the monument - 

 he was not one of the competitors — so I was not at all disappointed. 

 Had it been confided to his hands, you would have had a statue for your 

 money worth a couple of thousand pounds. I have had a drawing made 

 of the monument — the architectural portion I mean — and it will be 

 engraved for the concluding volume ; nor will I fail to intimate to whom 

 we owe the first monument raised by the gratitude of Scotland and to 

 the memory of Burns. You did your best to have the poet honoured, 

 and who can do more \ I have likewise done my best, nor shall I be 

 displeased should a wortiuer life be written or a better edition of his 

 works published. 



I have, however, no cause to repine at my success. There is a 

 regular sale of five thousand copies of each volume of Burns' works, and 



