Transactions. 65 



increases my reluctance to undertake a long journey, and every year 

 increases the difficult}' of my leaving home ; but when the mausoleum is 

 completed I shall certainly, if then in health, endeavour to make a visit 

 to Dumfries. — With best wishes for your family liappiness and prosperity, 

 I am, my dear sir, your most obedt. humble ser\'aut, 



(Signed) Gilbert Bdrns. 



William Grieraon, lEsq., 

 Merchant, Dumfries. 



There was an interesting statement in the late Doctor's writing 

 relating to an incident wliioh occurred at Penpont to Burns while 

 prosecuting his duties as officer of Excise. It was taken from 

 the statement of Mi's Wallace, widow of the late Alexander 

 Wallace, weaver, Thornhill, who was born in 1788, and was at 

 the time 75 years of age, thus showing tliat it was written in 

 1863. She stated that her father, James Hastings, was a servant 

 to the Rev. Mr Keyden, of Penpont, and when in his service had 

 occasion early one morning to take liis horses to the blacksmith's 

 shop at Townhead. When passing through Penpont he observed 

 a scuffle among some men in front of the public-house kept by 

 Mrs M'Math. One of them was lying upon the ground calling 

 for assistance, but Hastings supposing that the man was drunk 

 gave no attention to the request. As he passed towards Town- 

 head he observed some horses on tlie Corsegate or Coi'seroad 

 laden with barrels, and lie afterwards learned that the afiray lie 

 had witnessed was between a party of smugglers and Burns, the 

 officer of Excise, and that tlie officer was the person who had 

 been knocked down and was calling for assistance. Hastings 

 was afterwards summoned to answer before the Justice of Peace 

 Court in Thornhill for refusing to give aid to Burns when called 

 upon. Burns prosecuted, and Hastings having pled the mistake 

 he had made in thinking it was a drunken brawl was acquitted. 

 The public-house referred to was the house recently taken down 

 and rebuilt by Mr Douglas at the east end of the Corseroad, 

 Penpont, and in the present building there is inserted the date 

 stone of the old house bearing the following initials and date : — 

 "T.M., I.M., 1733." These are the initials of Thomas M'Math 

 and his wife, who at that date built the old public-house. Mrs 

 Wallace also states that when Gilbert Bums removed from 

 Dinning Farm, parish of Closeburn, Mr Bacon, of Brownhill Inn, 

 bought the bed in which Burns was born, that it was placed in 

 the stable at the inn, and that James Hastings, her fsither, slept 



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