had struck out the last four lines, which we still think feeble and expletive. By an advertisement prefixed to this poem, we learn that Mr. Ramsay, of Auchtertyre in Stirlingshire, who appears to such advantage as the correspondent of Burns during a tour through the Hebrides, heard, in conversation, the expression, I'll never burn my harp for a woman.' On inquiring into the meaning and origin of this proverb, he understood that it was founded on the story of a celebrated harper, who, it would appear, had, in a situation of great distress, burnt his harp for want of other fuel, to save his wife from perishing by cold; but had been repaid with ingratitude, the lady having soon afterwards deserted him for another. On this simple structure Mr. Macneill has built a poem of various incident, and of considerable extent. Here his language is pure English; but the ancient Scottish ballad is his model. The Harp is dramatic, descriptive, and pathetic; and we should be tempted to enlarge again on its merits, did our limits permit. . In these volumes we find several songs in the Scottish manner and dialect, which are in general written with great taste, simplicity, and delicacy. In these compositions Mr. Macneill excels all his predecessors, the Ayrshire ploughman excepted, with whom, nevertheless, he may stand a comparison. We shall select one as a specimen that has not before been in print, so far as we have observed, making some slight changes in the orthography for the sake of English readers. JEANIE'S BLACK EE. • Air.-Cauld frosty Morning. The sun rose so rosy, the grey hills adorning ! To mark her impatience, I crept 'mong the brakens ||, Soft through the green birches I stole to my jewel, "With love's warm sensations I've marked your impatience, Lang hid 'mong the brakens I watched your black eeYou're not sleeping, pawkie §§ Jean! open these lovely een!" • Ha me mohátel na dousku me!' § Tripping lightly. * Stretched. Feri. Appointment. ++ Erse a asleep, do not waken me'-the lady speaks. ¶ Eye. §§ Cunning, sly. "Bright is the whin's bloom each green knaw* adorning, O! light! light she's dancing keen on the smooth daisied green, While Jeanie is sleeping still, I'll run and sport my fill,”— "I'll run and whirl her round; Jeanie is sleeping sound; Sweet! sweet's her honey mou!" Well, I'm not sleeping now, Laughing till like to drap, swift to my Jean I lap, is sweet, The elegy on the death of a beautiful boy in Jamaica, in pure English, pleases us much more than that on the death of the author's friend Dr. Doig, in the Scottish dialect and stanza. The occasion was a serious one, and was no doubt felt as such by Mr. Macneill. But we cannot sympathise with the sorrows of a man evidently so polished, who laments the loss of a friend, and that friend a great scholar, in broad Scotch. This is the only instance of ill taste we have found in these volumes. In his Epistle to C. L. and in several other poems, our author shows a very happy vein of humor, more correct, and scarcely less poignant than that of Burns. In his Links o' Forth and his Scottish Muse, he challenges a still more direct comparison with that powerful genius. In these poems he adopts the favourite stanza of Burns, describing the scenery of his infancy, and touches on the incidents of his riper years. In the Vision, Coila, the tutelary spirit of his native district, addresses Burns, relates the incidents of his infancy, describes the dawnings of his genius, avows her favor and guardianship, and, under the pressure of poverty and neglect, displays the consolations she has to offer, and breathes into his soul the lofty aspirations, the unconquerable spirit of the bard. In like manner, in the last of the two poems above mentioned, the Muse addresses Macneill. The state of the poet is different, and so is her strain. *Knoll. Ill fated wand'rer! doomed to mane! Wan sufferer! bleached with care and pain! The side of the face-the temples. Having her clothes tucked up. Honey-mouth.-In order to understand this song, it must be observed that the chorus, except in the last instance, is always repeated by the lady. In the rest of the song it is the lover that speaks. Slip frae the crowd and mix amang "Twas then I saw (alas! owre clear!) Your moral pride and truth sincere Aye won my heart.' Vol. ii. P. 130. With all deference to the author, we suspect it was not the 'Muse' that blamed the tuneful art.' This must have been some of the offspring of Mammon, some spirit of darkness in the colors of light. The Muse brings with her airs from heaven;'-this spirit, if she bring not blasts from hell,' breathes at least the cold damps of worldly prudence. But passing over this mistake, we learn that this thriftless career compelled the author to leave his retreat and engage in the more active scenes of life. He flew to the East-Indies, and thence to the West-Indies,-the muse still following him. • Whether to east or westward borne, Or cassia-bud, or logwood thorn, Or frae the mist-cap'd mountain blue Rich from pimento's groves that grew In deep'ning green, Crown'd with their flowers o' milk-white hue -Whether at eve, wi' raptur'd breast As Ocean murm❜ring gently kissed The whitening shore. • Whether at twilight's parting day And 'thwart the grove in harmless play The light'nings stream! Or, by the moon's bright radiance led, The cabbage rears its regal head O'er palm-crowned hill.. Still following close, still whisp'ring near The Muse aye caught your list'ning ear;' &c. This very fine description of the West-Indian landscape has, we apprehend, all the merit of exactitude; and we doubt whether the scenery of the Caribbean islands was ever before depicted in so animated a strain of poetry." In these wanderings we learn that the author's youth passed away, and that he at length returned to his favorite haunts, to Strevlin's heights' and Aichil brae." ''Twas then the Muse taught him to tune his native reed ;'→ in other words, our poet then began to write in the Scottish dialect. It was put into his hand by the Muse, < "Tween past'ral Tweed and wand'ring Ayr, And many a wild note soft and clear Sings sweet by turns, Tuned by my winsome Allan's ear And fav'rite Burns. Vol. ii. P. 144. On the delights which this new engagement produced, the Muse descants, and then proceeds These times are gone!-ah! welladay! Youth too has fled! and cauld decay Comes creeping on: October's sun cheers not like May That brightly shone!' Vol. ii. r. 145; Various consolations are however offered through several affecting stanzas. ⚫ Catch then the dream! nor count it vain, And yet draw near ye: Meanwhile, ye see, I hear your moan, The flatterer ceased, and smiled adieu! And frae that moment made a vow To-mourn nae main' Vol. ii. P.T48. The quotations we have given, and several of Mr. Macneill's other poems, particularly his ode to Grandeur, and his verses on the death of sir Ralph Abercrombie, show considerable strength and elevation of fancy. But tenderness, delicacy, and sensibility, are the most striking characteristics of his Muse. He is everywhere true to nature and passion, and touches with a skilful hand the finest chords of the heart. As a moral writer, he is without a stain-uniformly faithful to the cause of innocence and the interests of virtue. He appears to write under the frequent recurrence of pain and sickness. We should be happy if our plaudits could soothe his sufferings-happy if we could anticipate the voice of posterity, and breathe into the ear of the living poet those grateful accents with which future generations will hallow his dust! ART. IX.-A Tour through the Batavian Republic during the latter Part of the Year 1800: containing an Account of the Revolution and recent Events in that Country, By R. Fell. 8vo. 8s. 6d. Boards. Phillips. 1801. THE writer of these letters was taken prisoner by a French privateer near the coast of Yorkshire, and carried into Holland, where he obtained permission to make a tour through the country, and was thus enabled to collect accurate information respecting the state of the Batavian republic during the period of his residence in it. His observations are in general interesting, and communicated in an easy familiar manner. In the course of his tour, he visited Delft, Rotterdam, the Hague, Scheveling, the place whence the stadtholder embarked for England, Leyden, Haerlem, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Nimeguen, traveling in treckschupts the common conveyances of the country, and noting |