Maria Ridoell, the Friend of Burns. 25 



The fame of Maria Kiddcll prtjbably only exists to-day 

 on account of the part she played in the life of Burns. 27 It 

 will be remembered that ever since the poet set up as farmer 

 at EUisland, in 1788, he had enjoyed the friendliest hospitality 

 from Captain Robert Riddell,^^ the neighbouring- laird of 

 Friars' Carse. Whether his brother, Walter Riddell, had 

 known Burns prior to his going to the West Indies Is not 



Fencibles '' ; published an account of Scottish Antiquarian Society 

 (1782-4). The I'liihisophij 0/ Natural History (1790-9), posthunaous 

 lives of Lord Karnes, Hume, Adam Smith, and J. Gregorj', M.D., 

 and an edition of Button ; d . June 24th, 1795. 



27 A catalogue of the poems and letters addressed by Burns to 

 Mrs Riddell will be found in Appendix B. Messrs Kerr and 

 Richardson, of Glasgow (in a catalogue of second-hand books issued 

 about 1890). state, when advertising a copy of The Metrical 

 Misrellaii!/. that: "This volume was edited . . . by Maria Riddell. 

 to whom Burns sent his own MS. copy of ' Tarn o' Shanter ' with a 

 quotation beginning ' How gracefully Maria leads the dance.' " I 

 can find no confirmation of Bin-ns having sent a copy of his ' Tam 

 o' Shanter' to Maria Riddell. The quotation is: — 



" How gracefully ]\Iaria leads the dance! 

 She's life itself : I never saw a foot 

 So nimble and so elegant. It speaks. 

 And the sweet whispering Poetiy it makes 

 Shames the musician." 



Adriano, or. The first of June. 



" This elegant little fragment appears, in the poet's holograph, on 

 the back of an MS. copy of the ' Lament of Mary Queen of Scots ' 

 that apparently had been presented by the author to ... Mrs 

 Maria Riddell." (W. Scott Douglas. The Worls of liohert Burns. 

 vol. iii. (1877), p. 82.) The fragment has been photo-lithographed 

 by AVilliam Griggs with an introductory note by H. R. Sharman. 

 1869. Adriano. or. The fir.^t of June, is " a poem by the author of 

 the Village Curate " [James Hurdis], 1790, p. 94. The quotation 

 by Burns is incorrect insomuch that in the third line of the original 

 the word " eloquent " is u.sed instead of " elegant." 



28 Robert Riddell: h. October 3rd. 1755; educated at the 

 Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews; entered the Army and 

 retired with the rank of Captain, 1783; ni. Klizabeth Kennedy. 

 !March 23rd, 1784 ; thereafter much of his life was spent in Anti- 

 quarian and Literary pursuits at Friars' Carse, which he had in- 

 herited from hi.s father. His intimacy with Burns is well known ; 

 on January 23rd, 1794, he received the hon. degree of LL.D. from 

 the University of Edinburgh ; he d. April 21st. 1794. 



