230 TRANSACTIONS. 
April, 1821, passed between the parties, and in the end Mr 
Turnerelli apparently considered his claim totally bad, and ceased 
to write on the subject. These facts as to the price of the sculp- 
ture were totally different from those given in a 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 :— 
{am grieved to find that my remarks on the Burns monument have 
given pain to a worthy gentleman and a lover of the muses. I agree 
with you that the design of the architecture is elegant, and may add 
further, the unity and 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 which insure duration in this moist and stormy 
climate. The sculpture I most heartily and 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 in her task. It reminds one of 
that passage in Seripture—‘ And a certain woman threw a piece of a 
mill-stone on the head, &e.” (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, and 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 worthier life be written or a better edition of his 
works published. 
T have, however, no cause to repine at my success. There is a 
regular sale of five thousand eopies of each volume of Burns’ works, and 
