The ladies' garland. [volume], June 17, 1826, Page 75, Image 3

About The ladies' garland. [volume] (Harpers-Ferry, Va. [W. Va.]) 1824-1828

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.u:J the juvenile- party returned to rest as if the ho
-n v dew of Heaven liad distilled upon them, in af
fection and friendship.
The true feast of reason and flow of soul, is—
1 he soul’s calm sunshine,
And the heart-felt joy, true virtue’s pri/e.
I'iilf'.M) ()!' MAN.
THE LADIES’ GARLAND
SATURDAY I.VKNINC, .It \ K 17, 1'tJe.
Mrs. A. S. Coi.vix.ofW a~hington Citv. who.
in I *'•22, published her •• Wkkk h^Mt'-knoku."
is about to resume its publleatkfri. It is to roil
si-l of four royal quarto wages to bo i;sued
tv< ry Saturday, at loin/iiullars jier annum.—
Alls. ( . i- tbi; uiibny'of John li. ( oi.vi.v, Esq.
w 11 kiio'.vn in tl^e'editorial wot Id, as one of the
ablest jiolifuxT writers of bis time. We cannot
but hope that a lady 'u v.ell i|iialified to pre
pare a weekly literary treat will lie haiulsumrlv
patronized. 1 h r taste, education, and research,
and her experience during her late husband's
editorial career, give her claims upon public fa
vor which oil”lit to be appreciated and reward
ed; and from the ladies of our eountrv, those
who have such a manifest and important inllu
once in the forin.uion of the vouthful mind, she
lew reason to look lor a generous support.—
Wives, mothers, maidens! ‘re that \ our accotii
plishcd countrywoman look not in vain for
vour rheerintr approbation.
I'he common fluency of speech, savs Dean
‘"'vil’t. in many linn ami iiuiM women. is
owing to a scarcity of matter ami scarcitv of
words; for whoever is a master of language,
and lias a mind fall of idi-as, will ho apt in spt-ak
inu to hesitate in the chmee oi both, whereas
common speakers lumi oik t of ideas ami one
vt of words to .dotho them in. and these are al
vi a\ s read v at the month.
VISIT TO Till'. W IDOW Of m itXS
The follow mg’extract from ( .irtei's I.etn is, in reh
titm to the family of the Scotch Poet, v. ill he
read with inVresl:
“Haviir; k ;. m- .«| from our friends at lr
v »!!•■. that ’he toon of liohel t ftarns iv;a .till
living "i Dumfii- s, and that she is accessible to
'trailers without formal h t’e i of introduction,
after breakfast this morning- we addressed a note
toher, s‘ : ■ that two gentlemen from the
( ni’ed Sic', *. v.i10 ate am;.a ; tir tr ir.satlanlic
adnt'.rir t the Scottish I!,m .and who had just
visited his Lirl'n pi;:.-.-, ... v. ell as the scenes
which his inusi had coii'e.-i-'.ued. wer< anxinm
to pay m-ir respects to M:-.Bums in 'hi course
of the n Tning. if pern ctiy agrcoahl •. Tin- w
quest was, coiniuiimrated hv onr clever and
'.bilging landlady, who lues within a few doers
In the mean lime, while this interesting suit
was pending, we walked to the village kiik. to
visit the tomb of the poet himself. Our old
g tale was personally acquainted wuh him. o d
bra! e.a-sed ...arty a sj.utd a . * ‘ l*elore lug own
hearth. ' 1 'lie church-yanl contains an unusual
number oi'hands-nmc monuments, many of them
being finished with little turrets in the Gothic
style. The mausoleum in memory of Burns is
creditable to the liberality and taste of the pub
lic. at whose expense it was erected. It consists
til an octagonal temple supported by ftfcwc pil
lars, and surmounted by a handsome dome. In
the hack part there is a statue of the poet, us
large as life, with his bosom open, and in the
attitude ol holding the plough. Aoove, the muse
is seen throwing over him '• the inspiring man
tie. I he design was taken from a passage in
the dedication to the Caledonian Hunt, in
which the author alludes to his early and sub
sequent pursuits. There appeared to be a de
fect in the representation, since the whole of
the plough is seen, w ith the poet in the awkward
posture of holding it without a team. If there
was not room tor the wh.de. a part of the rural
instrument might have been concealed, so as
iu render the defect less obvious. The monu
ment is enclosed by a neat iron railing, and the
little r.rea, perhaps forty feet square, is covered
with a profusion of shrubbery, consisting of
holly, the wild lose, laurel, yew, and other ever
greens, which beautifully shade the tomb.
Oil our return to the hotel, the hostess com
mimica'.-d the compliments of Mrs. Hunts, with
the gratifying intelligence that she would he
happy to see us at any hour we might choose
to call. Being anxious to leave town as soon
a» possible, we promptly accepted her act of
kindness. She lives m a neat two story house.
on Burns street, not far t'mm the church. We
were rein ited by her at the pailour door w itii a
cordial -hake ul tlie hand* and by even mark
of ho'jiitalit v. The apartment is tastefully fur
nid'.ed with all th.it ran conduce t• > comfort,
and is i.ii"lamented with an <ninitial portrait of
Burn ■, In '• d - meith. of l''i!iiibury, whence the
other like:, ' .is a; • dema d. In this house the
poet di.-d ; and n the warmth of Scottish f. eL
my. hit n.iei! will, conjugal atleetion, the smviv
iny partner ul his bosom informed us that she
v.. old not exchange it for a palace. She lives
v mm’ -rtahly on an income of .'500/. a year, with
a little auburn haired grand child, mol vet t• .,>
old to yio' each ot u> a kiss.i to oeeupv her at
trillion in the hours of retirement. She has
three children, all of whom are absent—one in
l.oiulon. and the other two,officers in the army,
now in tlie IvM Indies.
Mrs Burns is apparently at the age of he
t'.vcen liily and sixty, retaining traces of those
11• i• ■•.•ii mis of beauty which the poet found in
his hoimv dean. ' S!e- has a good form, and !
Iht i:u.1 r ;1 eye is ~ti!l quick and iinineitedjn i
its ylanci s. Her pretty hand was tastefully s.-i
eft with liny's, and the perfect neatness if |.,.r
dress lett no regret that, in order to show hi r
eve y Dialk ot respect, sen'll' fhillg heyand ordi
nary attention had been paid to our own. Her
easy flow- of conversation , marked by few of tin;
uliurilii-s of tin1 Scottish dialect. ami i-mln :i**
insr a variety of topics, muons: which were incji;
lies alter her friends in New York, protract* d
our call to a \ i>it of more than half an hour
She showed us, with a food deal of apparent
satisfaction, an elegant s, ( of silver candlestick*
and snuffers, which were “• the gift ol'u few Scots
in SheflnTd to the widow id Hums." The tra\
hears the lollow ine- appropriate insciiption from
the pen of the poet Montironierv :
“ lie pushed through life’s tempestuous night,
A brilliant, trembling northern light,
Through \ ears to come, he shines Iroin far
A tixeil, uusetting polar star.”
Hat ing received at parting tire same tvami
pledge of kindness w liich hade us w clcoiiu , w illi
the addition cl many good wi-hes.we sh oped
into a post chaise, which drove u- oil.
It so happened that our iast night in Scotland.
alter a satisfactory and agreeable visit of m\
weeks, w as on the anniversary of what is denu
minuted, in the legend' of supei stition, lltillma
ecu; and its mystic riles were dulv observed hv
a group of rosy cheeked lassies at the hotel.—
Near the witching time of night, half a dozi n
of.them groped their wav into the garden to
pull cabbage stalk- lint a description of the
ceremonies would he too long for the end of a
sketch already too prolix, and it'anv of mv read
ers are curious to lev <• tin ir recollection im the
subject, they hare only to recur to the graphic
poem of Hum- :
“Some meny, countra folks
Together did com i ne.
To h’lrn 1111-i 1 nuts and fmu their stocks,
And hand their liull'i-Mrii
I n’ bh the that night.”
i.vcrktia (.itr.x\ u.n;
'I his exulted female was betrothed to frauds,
Duke of Ihickingham, at the time that he fell in
battle by the hand of Cromwell himself, and open
receiving intelligence of the melancholv event, she
swore to .n en^e his death on the murderer. Dur
ing the three succeeding years she exercised her.
st If with pistols in firing at a portrait of ('rormvcdl.
which she scTend as a m.uk, that she might not be
awe d t>> the sight of the original, and, as soon as she
found herseli perfect, she sought an opportunity te
gra'ifv her revenge. Hut Cromwell seldom appear
ed iu public : and when he did, it was with such
prer union, tha' few could approach his person.
An orcassion at length occurred : The cifv
l.oudon resolved to give a magnificent banquet in
honor of the I’rotector, who, either from vanity, or
with a poh' eul view, determined to make his < u
iranee itfo To elon in all the splendor ofroyalty _
f poll this Icing made public, tlie curiosilv ot* all
ranks was exciti 1 ; and l.ucrctia < oenvdlo re- jfv ed
not to lose so favorable an opportune.!. fortune
herself seemed to second her purpose; for it sc
h tpp'-ned, that the procession was appointed Sc
pass through the very street in which she reside
and a balcony before the first store of the lion.e
11 -Id d tier full scop ■ for putting her long preme
ftil design int. • fleet.
On the appointed day she seat ' 1 ferscl?. \ M