Transactions. 65 
increases ‘my reluctance to undertake a long journey, and every year 
increases the difficulty 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 happiness and prosperity, 
IT am, my dear sir, your most obedt. humble servant, 
(Signed) GILBERT Burns. 
William Grierson, \Esq., 
Merchant, Dumfries. 
‘There was an interesting statement in ‘the late Doctor’s writing 
. relating ‘to an incident which occurred at Penpont to Burns while 
prosecuting ‘his duties as officer of Excise. It was taken from 
the statement of Mrs 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 that it was written in 
1863. She stated that'her father, James Hastings, was a servant 
to ithe Rev. Mr Keyden, of Penpont, and when in his service had 
occasion early one morning to take his 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 ‘the Corsegate or Corseroad 
laden with barrels, and he afterwards learned that the affray he 
had witnessed was between a party of smugglers and Burns, the 
officer of Excise, and that the 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 Burns 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 father, slept 
9 
