130
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. x. A. IG, 1902.
1632-1719; Nathaniel Salmon, 1675-1742
Robert Clutterbuck, 1772-1831 ; John Edwin
Cussans, 1837-1899. For the purpose oi
preparing a paper with the above title 1
should be glad of any biographical note?
or other particulars relating to the foregoing
supplementary to their biographies in the
' Dictionary of National Biography.'
W. B. GEEISH. Bishop's Stortford.
MICHAEL BRUCE AND BURNS.
(9 th S. vii. 466 ; viii. 70, 148, 312, 388, 527 ;
ix. 95, 209, 309, 414, 469, 512 ; x. 69.)
THE Bruce-Logan controversy owes much of its intricacy to the imperfect manner in which the Rev. William Mackelvie, D.D., executed his task in 1837 when he published, along with the 'Poems,' a 'Life of Michael Bruce.' In 1865 the Rev. A. B. Grosart, D.D., LL.D., issued his edition of Bruce's 'Poems' with 'Memoir 'and an 'Introduction to the Poems. ' Instead of helping to elucidate the subject, his unfortunate style, utterly wanting in judicial calmness, has but further increased the difficulty of removing from the minds of his readers the impression that Logan acted in the scandalous manner charged against him. In the latest edition of Bruce's 'Poems' with 'Life,' issued in 1895 by the Rev. William Stephen, of Kelty, there is a repetition of all the former charges. Nor is there any evidence that a comparison of the uncon tested productions of the two authors was undertaken. Mr. Stephen has not come forward to explain or defend his position, although evidence has been adduced proving that Tooke incorporated a consider- able portion of one of Logan's sermons to embellish one in a second edition of Zollikofer, the charge having been made that it was Logan who stole from Tooke's translation.
The following extracts from letters still extant show how groundless is another charge, and a most serious one, that Logan utilized for his own advancement lectures which he had, surreptitiously or otherwise, obtained from a friend. Both letters are addressed to the Rev. Dr. Carlyle, Mussel- burgh, near Edinburgh :
London, 20 th Aug' [1787].
DEAR SIR, There has been a long interruption of our correspondence from accidents which I do not
know I fancy you recollect a Dr. Rutherford
who came from Scotland about twelve years ago, to be a dissenting clergyman and Teacher of an Academy at Uxbridge. He is now publishing 'A View of Antient History ' by subscription May I
hope that you will do him the honour to be one of his
subscribers and promote a subscription for his book
among your acquaintance ? It is to consist of three
volumes octavo If you could interest the family
of Buccleugh [.sic] in this affair I would look upon it
as a great favour I go [to] the country this day
to stay for some weeks Yours faithfully,
J. LOGAN.
Uxbridge, 27 th Sept' '87.
I have been living at Uxbridge for these six
weeks, which is one of the most beautiful spots in England. Another summer in the country will perfectly re-establish my health.
He died in December of the following year. In a foot-note to vol. i. chap. xiii. Rutherford refers thus to the synopsis of Logan's lectures to show that he was indebted to it for material: "Vide Logan's Elements." These two charges being removed, I propose to subject the remaining ones to an examina- tion, so as, if possible, to show that they also are unfounded. In doing so I will ignore Dr. Grosart's dictum (p 105): "Internal evidence is not very much to be depended on." One wonders if he had detected how strong it was in Logan's favour.
In order to attain my end it will be neces- sary to compare the authentic pieces with Logan's undisputed ' Runnamede ' and his sermons. The compositions that require examination are (1) 'A Tale,' beginning " Where pastoral Tweed "; (2) ' Levina,' being 278 lines of Bruce's ' Lochleven,' from " Low lies a lake " and onwards ; (3) a collection of hymns, most of which are now included in the Paraphrases found at the end of most editions of the Bible as printed for use in Scotland. After these are disposed of, the 'Ode to the Cuckoo' will alone xemain for consideration ; for the Rev. Dr. Robert Small, Edinburgh, has already in the British and Foreign Evangelical Review (April and October, 1879) conclusively shown that the ' Ode to Paoli ' and the ' Danish Odes ' could not have been written by Bruce, the data for the former having been non-existent, and Gray's ' Odes,' of which the latter were imita- tions, not published till after Bruce's death. For an exhaustive treatment of the subject readers of ' N. & O.' are referred to the British and Foreign Evangelical Review. But some material not utilized by Dr. Small will be considered here to strengthen the onclusion at which that writer found him- self reluctantly compelled to arrive. To make the matter perfectly clear it is im- possible to avoid altogether going over old ground.
Let us then first consider ' A Tale.' ^ Rely-
ng upon a certain parallelism in it with
similar lines in ' Levina,' Dr. Mackelvie con-
luded, " These are not accidental coincidences
