Transactions. 69> 



by your bestowng upon him my best regards. I should be very happy to 

 be near such chosen spirits as your club consists of, and to replenish 

 my little glass from the plenitude of Bums' china punch bowl ; and with 

 best wishes to you, sir, your president, and all your other members, I am, 

 with much respect, your very faithful servant, Wm. Tennant. 



Mr Wilson read a number of very interesting letters from 

 John Mayne, which be had discovered in looking through the 

 papers of the late Dr Grierson, Thornhill. Mr Wm. Grierson, 

 the late Dr Grierson's father, appeared to have carried on an 

 extensive correspondence with natives of Dumfries resident 

 in other parts of the country. He long acted as factor upon a 

 property in Dumfries which belonged to the mother of John 

 Mayne, author of the " Siller Gun " and other poems, and in 

 many of Mayne's letters to him there are passages which might 

 be of interest even at this distant date. The first is highly 

 interesting to this locality. 



London, 1.3th January, 1809. 

 William Grierson, Esq., Juu., Dumfries. 



Dear Sir, — I received safely your kind present of a New Year's Day 

 bun, a present which calls to mind many pleasing recollections, and is a 

 new proof of the kindness which influences all your conduct when writing 

 Do or thinking of me ; and I sincerely thank you for your unceasing 

 partiality ; wishing you and all your near and dear friends many happy 

 returns of every festive period. 



I hope you have begun to supply poor Jock Wilson with a weekly allow, 

 ance of snuff. Any other innocent lu.xury that you think necessary to his 

 happiness I will cheerfully pay for. I wish you could learn from him his 

 idea of " Whistle o'er the lave o't " being the composition of John Bruce. 

 You know Burns has ascribed it to him, but I believe it is of much higher 

 antiquity, and tliat it is one of the many fine old airs that, having been 

 chanted in the Cathedral service when Episcopacy prevailed in Scotland, 

 were vulgarised and degraded by indecent words at the Reformation. Any 

 other information connected with minstrels or minstrelsy, especially as 

 relating to the Siller Gun, will be a most acceptable service to me, and 

 opportunities like the present for obtaining it will not frequently occur. 

 You will readily perceive that on making this inquiry I do not mean to 

 detract from the merit of John Bruce, whose memory I respect. My wish 

 is to ascertain correctly if the air in question is his composition ; if not, 

 whether or no he was even distinguished as a composer of any other music. 



Now, my dear sir, with respect to your queries about a new paper. It 

 is impossible for me so long estranged from Dumfries to ascertain the 

 probable success of such an experiment. The expense, I am confident, 

 would exceed anything of which you have an idea. The responsibility is 

 at all times irksome, and the labour and anxiety unremitting. Were I to 

 advise you it would be to haAre nothing to do with it, unless you have very 



