CONTENTS. 9 Curious particulars of the Customs Philofophical Tranfactions of the London Royal Society for 1795, Letters from a Farmer on the bill Royal Edinburgh Volunteers offer to take the duty of the Caftle Sir John Sinclair's Addrefs to the Farmers of Britain and Ireland 70--72 THE CONSTITUENT PARTS OF THE POTATOE ROOT. BY DR PEARSON. FROM Dr Pearfon's Experiments it appears that 100 parts of potatoe-root deprived of its fkin or bran, confift of The potatoe-root contains alfo pot-afh, or vegetable alkali. By eftimation, there were ten grains of it in its mild ftate from 1000 grains of the root; but as of these ten grains not lefs than two and a half were carbonic acid, or fixed air, produced during burning, we cannot reckon the quantity of this alkali more than feven grains and a half in 1000 of the root; that is, three-fourths of a grain per cent. The afhes of 1000 grains of potatoe-root afforded alfo feven grains and a half, or three fourths of a grain per cent. of fubftances not examined; but which are very probably the fame fubftances afforded by the afhes of vegetable matters in general; namely, oxide, or calx of iron, and of manganese, phosphoric acid united to lime, magnefia, and muriate of foda, or common falt. The fubftances found in the afhes of 1000 grains of the potatoe-root-amounting to fifteen grains do not, we have good reason to believe, enter into the compofition, or are effential parts of the root, but are merely extraneous matters, introduced into the plant along with water, air, and other aliment, or are fecreted by the power of the vegetable economy. There is alfo in the root under examination, volatile effential oil, or fpiritus redor, to which is owing its fmell and the little tafte it poffeffes. The proportion of volatile oil is too fmall even to be estimated; and most of it feems to fly off with the water during diftillation or evaporation. The greatest part or the whole of this oil, may be washed out along with this extract or foluble mucilage. There is in the juice, or water of the potatoe-root, an acid which difappears upon burning the root afhes; either because it is decompounded by the fire, or evaporated, or because it enters into chemical union during the combuftion. The acid is not difcoverable in the filtrated liquid from the bruifed root, because the proportion of it is too fmall to be detected by any teft when diluted with water. We may add, that the black potatoe not only appears to be the moft prolific, but to afford more ftarch than the white, and is of a greater fpecific gravity. From Report of the Committee of the Board of Agriculture. SCOTS MAGAZINE, For JANUARY 1797. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS THE AYRSHIRE POET*. WE are naturally interested in the difcerning the dawn of his genius. He life of an author, whofe writ- ufed himfelf to fay, that his father ings have afforded us either pleasure or instruction. We wish to know the most minute circumftances in his private conduct and domeftic fituation; we are gratified by being made acquainted with every particular of his character and conduct; we even feel a defire to be able to depict his perfon in our imagina tion. In the prefent inftance, however, much is not to be expected; Burns lived five-and-twenty years in obfcurity; he never occupied a station in life where he had an opportunity of difplaying his powers, or calling forth his abilities to public view. They who knew him beft, how ever, give the ftrongeft teftimony to the fuperiority of his mind; and there can be little doubt, had he been called to aft a part in public life, that his conduct would have been attended with advantage to fociety. In the narrow field of agriculture, the genius of Burns had not room to expand; it was not here that his talents were to flourish; it was in fociety, where foul kindleth foul, and where one face fharpeneth another, that our poet was to shine. Burns was born at Alloway, a fmall village near the town of Ayr, in the year 1759. His father was a gardener and overfeer on the eftate of Doonholm; he himfelf was bred to the plough. We I have not heard that, in his younger days, Burns difcovered any thing remarkable in his conduct: this is probably because those about him were incapable of • See poem on his death, p. 51. VOL. LIX. thought him the best reader in the house, and generally employed him to read the Bible to the family. His education was only that of an ordinary country school; he learned no more than to read and write English, and the fimple rules of arithmetic, at the village of Alloway. An eagerness for knowledge, and a talte for reading, however, foon led him to feek after books. It is worthy of notice, that the first book which attracted Burns' attention, and urged him to read for pleafure, was "The Man of Feeling." This was his vade mecum; for we have heard him fay, that, by carrying it in his pocket, he wore out two copies of that elegant and bewitching novel. Being preffed one day to give a reafon why he never took the trouble of acquiring the Latin language, he replied with a fmile, "That he already knew all the Latin he defired to learn, and that was, omnia vincit amor." It is to be regretted we have not been able to difcover the date of his first poetic fallies. He had, at a pretty early period, become acquainted with most of the English claffics, and there is little doubt but his mufe would occafionally be heard amongft his acquaintance. Certain it is, however, that by far the greater part of his poems were written while he followed the plough, while he was under 30 years of age, and while he had no opportunity of knowing the world, but from books-a A defect defect which was wonderfully fupplied there is fomething wonderfully pleafing in the contemplation of genius; of that fupereminent reach of mind, by which fome men are diftinguished. In the view of highly fuperior talents, as in that of great and ftupendous natural objects, there is a fublimity which fills by his uncommon fagacity and penetra tion. It is also evident from many of his later productions, that he understood the French language; we are informed he often converfed in that tongue, and was fond of it. "I know not if I fhall be accused To fuch a genius, the feanty em- the foul with wonder and delight = ployment of a peafant, in a small farm, which expands it, as it were, beyond feemed poor and contemptible. Not its ufual bounds; and which, invelting being enabled to extend his views in his our nature with extraordinary powers, own profeffion, in this country, and from. and extraordinary honours, interefts our a defire to better his fortune, Burns had curiofity, and flatters our pride. conceived a plan of going out to a friend in Jamaica. In order to raise a little of enthusiasm and partiality, when I inmoney towards paying the expence of troduce to the notice of my readers a his voyage, he was advised to publish poet of our country, with whose writhis poems. They were accordingly ings I have lately become acquainted; printed at Ayr about the year 1785. but if I am not greatly deceived, I think Though fuch was the object of pub- I may pronounce him a genius of no lifhing the first edition of his poems, yet we are not to conclude, that "The fimple Bard, rough at the ruftic plough, Learning his tuneful trade from every bough." Nurft in the peafant's lowly fhed, To hardy independence bravely bred, By early poverty to hardfhip fteel'd, And train'd to arms in ftern misfortune's field," never felt the paffion for fame, fo remarkable in all poets. No; in the fame poem (Brigs of Ayr) he fays, "He glows with all the fpirit of the Bard, Fame, honeft Fame, his great, his dear reward." ordinary rank. The perfon I allude to is Robert Burns, an Ayrshire ploughman. I hope I shall not be thought to affume too much, if I endeavour to draw him from the obfcurity of his fituation, to call for a verdict of his country on the merit of his works, and to claim for him thofe honours which their excellence appears to deserve." The curiofity of the public being thus excited, a fubfcription for a more refpectable and enlarged edition of his poems was moft laudably fet on foot, in which many of the first names in the country appeared. It was publifhed in April 1787, with a dedica Fortunately a copy fell into the hands tion to the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Mr M'Kenzie, who, with fome o- of the Caledonian Hunt, written by thers, was then engaged in a periodical himself. A ftriking likeness of the auwork called the Lounger. Mr M Ken- thor, painted by Nafmyth, and neatly zie, ftruck with the native energy of engraved by Beugo, ornamented this our Bard, with great difcernment and edition, which was fold at 6s. This beneficence, called upon his country- fuccefs, both honourable and lucrative, men to do juftice to the merits of the Ayrshire Ploughman; for this end he gave fome account of the author, with a fpecimen of his poems, in the 97th number of that work. The way in which Mr M'Kenzie introduces him is fo ftriking and elegant, that our readers will not be difpleafed at our tranfcribing part of it. "To the feeling and fufceptible mind, convinced the poet, that his merit would not be overlooked, when known by his countrymen. Relinquishing his fcheme of going to the Weft Indies, he came to Edinburgh, and fuperintended the publication. This may be said to be the beginning of his public career. Here Burns blazed like a Comet for a few months his company was courted courted by almost all who valued them- and to keep his muse uncorrupted, that ried ftate, which his lively imagination him, with an income of about 50l. per had so often pictured to him. But, annum. In this fituation he refided in care, A burden more than I can bear, I fit me down and figh: To wretches fuch as I! Soon after this period, Mr Miller of Dalfwinton conferred a more effential fervice upon our poet. Wishing to The reflection of one debauch was preferve him in his ruftic employment, to be effaced by another, till at last a VOL. LIX. B |