" He died June 12th, 1878.
BURNS, ROBERT, the national poet of Scotland, was the son of a small
farmer, and was born near the town of Ayr, on January, 25th, 1759. His
early life was spent in farming, but he was about emigrating to the West
Indies, when the publication of a volume of his poems, in 1786, which were
very favourably received, determined him on remaining in his native land,
and he proceeded to Edinburgh, where he made the acquaintance of the
distinguished men of letters of that famous city. His reception was
triumphant, and a new edition of his poems was issued, by which he realised
more than L500. In 1788 he was married to Miss Jean Armour (Bonnie Jean),
and soon after obtained a place in the excise, and in 1791 he removed to
Dumfries, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died on July 21st,
1796. Nature had made Burns the greatest among lyric poets; the most
striking characteristics of his poetry are simplicity and intensity, in
which qualities he is scarcely, if at all, inferior to any of the greatest
poets that have ever lived.
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