BURNS'S ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL AT TOKOMAIRORO,

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 52, 6 February 1869, Page 6

BURNS'S ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL AT TOKOMAIRORO,

QwiftS fo the dissatisfaction generally felt at the incomplete report of this celebration in a contemporary, we have been favoured with the following, which, owing to the excellence of the matter contained, we have great pleasure in submitting to our readers. On the 25th of January, 1759, the bard whose strains have done more to unite and refine the hardy sona of Scotja than all the writings of her philosophers, first saw li^ht in tho humble cot of an Ayrshire peasant. He lived his life, and having done his work, sank into the obscure grave an ungrateful cquntry awarded as tho guerdon of his deathless song. Since | that eventful- day, one hundred and ten years have passed, and now, under a fqreign sky, in a land which, if Robert Burns had even heard the name, was regarded as a kind of ultima Thule — a land of savages and cannibals — toot Scotsmen only, but natives of every civilised country meet together, to celebrate the anniversary of one who was truly an apostle of the brotherhood of man. Truly has a greater than Burns said, " One touch of nature makes tho whole world kin." Scots, Englishmen, Irishmen, Germans, and Americans, were to be found ajnpng the sixty gentlemen who sat down to a most sumptuous supper, seryed up in the manner for which he has so welL-eatned a reputatiop, by Mr James Goodall. The excellence of "all the arrangements, by putting every one in good spirits, had no small share in 'the great success for which the Committee, Messrs Cunningham, M'Gill, Goodall, Capstick, Howson, Lockhart, Bryce, sen., Bryce, jun., Dickson, sen., Chalmers, sen., Chalmers, jun., Wallace and Clark, have tp be congratulated. Tho chair was taken by Mr P. Cunningham about Beven p.m. ; and Mr J. Elder Brown, TVlayor of Milton, acted as croupier. Prominent among the viands, we obBcryedthe "sonsy face" of the " Chieftain of the pudding race," which was dono ample justice tpbyall assembled. After supper, a punch-bowl, of Brodignagian dimensions was brought in; and, while the Chairman was engagpjl in the mysterious rite of Bacchus, known as brewing toddy, Mr Capstick favored the company with the follow, iag admirable original song, which we need hardly say was received with enthusiastic applause : — O Jamie's brew-'d his peck o' maut, And we're all here just for to pree, Nae blyther hearts, this very night, In a' New Zealand winna be. We'll nae get fou, we'll nae be fou, But hae a drap, we've a' agreed, We'll dance, we'll sing, we will, I trow, Until the morn, we'll no tak heed. Of Rabbie Burns we've read and sang, Till we laughed and skirled for vera fun, Bat ower the leaf we turn'd ere lang, Then frae our c'en the tears did run. We'll nae get fou, &c. For truth and sterling honest wo"th, Nane'a liv'd known of poetic lor«? Who's songs are sung out ower the earth, In castle, hall, at cottage door. We'll nae get fou, &c. ~ " There's nane but fause, deceitfol loons, But mourns poorßab's harftoil for gear, When bairns cried daddwi ur their sow'ns, Nae wonder 2fa6 did drink and swear. Then ilka ane that does nae drink, See, there's nae ithen fruit ye hae, For w& are tauld in't muckle bink there's nane without, not ane of a.' Then let us join in right good will, ' In friendship's glass, and toast and sang, Frae strife, frae malice, and ill will, In peace well die some day ere lang. We'll nae get fou, we'll nae be fou, But just a drap before we gae, This very night, 'tween me and thou, Friendship's begun, whoe'ersay nae, The Chairman then called for a bumper to the health and prosperity of her Majesty the Queen and the Eoyal family, which was right loyally responded to. The National Anthem " Thp Army, Navy, ancl Volunteers," • coupled with fb.Q name of Mr,. B. Stewart, was giFen by the "Chairman, and suitably responded to by Mr. Stewart, after Septs Wha Hae" had been sung by Mr. B,ryce. The Chairman then said i Gentlemen, |ho next toast I have to propose is the toast of the. evening: " The immortal memory of Kobert Burns." — ()0he,e.r,8.) If a stranger were to enter tJuV r.6om at this moment without knowing what we had met for, an<J ask the reason of our meeting this evening, l>e would be answered by one and all : "To do honour tq the memory of Scotland's greatest pqqt ; " and lam sure }f he were at all acquainted with I his writings he would join with us in doing hpnourto his inemory.— :(Oheers.) He has left us a legacy richer and more lasting than all the, gqld this qbuntry contains', and more endurable { $ai} monuments of marble. Some people think we are idolising thp creatur.6 moje than ihe Creator by pur loye for, Burns. We are met this evening to' thsflk the Gjiver pf all good for the great gift he, has conferred •upon out country, and ttye wide world.

His writings have cheered the hearts of his countrymen, and by all mankind are known and read. It is to his writings that Scotchmen are indebted for that manly independence and love of liberty which is characteristic of Scotchmen in every land. By the power of his genius he binds together rich and poor in one common sentiment, so widely and practically acknowledged to-night : — " The rank is but the guinea stamp : The man's the man for a' that." Gentlemen, is it any wonder that we love and admire Burns? Ho has rendered the land of our birth classic ; ho has pourtrayedher people, customs, hills, glens, rivers, and rippling burns, and given to them all a deathless name. Nothing surpasses the beauty of some of the pictures drawn in his poetry. His " Cottar's Saturday Night " stands unequalled in any language. In song he stands without a rival ; it is in them that he holds that magic that 'binds together his countrymen in whatever land their lot may be cast ; and cold must be that heart which is proof against their melting strains : such are unworthy of the land of our fathers and of Burns. Gentlemen, I hope you will ft]] ypur glasses to the brim and drink, liot in silence, but with jovial hearts, to — '•- The Immortal Memory qf Robert Burns." Song, Mr. Goodall, "There was a lad was born in Eyle.." Mr, Capstick then sung the following parody oil " Willie brewed q peck o' maut," written '"by 'himself for the occasion : — Willie nae inair wijl hyoyr the maut, Kab and Allen nae mair Will pree, The three blythe hearts that lealang night ? Are dead and gae'n ouTo'christinclie. They're nao fou, they can't be fou, l"he drappie's gaen out o' their e'e, Nae mair for ihetfi the onpk will crow, Nae mair they'll taste the barley bree They'll meet nae mair three merry boys, Three merry boys nae mair they'll be, For niony nights of mirth and joy's JBgen past and gaen since they were thrge They are nae fou, &c. w j For them the moon'll no blink her horn, J Nor shine for them ower tower and tree, For the grass is green en ilka morn, That wraps the graves of a' the three. They are na« fou, &c. They'll rise nae mair to gang awa, Cuckold of loons nae mair they'll be, They'll fa' nae mair beside the chair, There is nae king amang the three., They are nae fou, &c. Mr. Church said : I regret that j the duty of proposing the toast of " The Poets of Scotland " should have devolved upon me, for I feel unable to do it adequate justice. To follow in tho wake of my friend Mr* Cunninghame, who has kindled anew our loving j remembrance of " Auld Scotland," by j the eloquent words uttered in memory of him who is the cause of our meeting, j is no easy matter. I take it that none are here who are ashamed of being J Scotchmen, or who do not respect the land of the " brave and the free," and therefore the mere mention of the toast is of itself enough to commaud your attention. The toast is, "To the Memory of the Poets of Scotland." Sir, it would be strange indeed if this toast did not stir up within us our national fire, and animate us with a fervid recollection of the patriotic deeds of our countrymen in overy era of Scottish history. My tongue may halt and refuse ready utterance to my feelings, but to no one will' JLjfield_a place in i»jk fWg^pdTfor the sons of song^who have shed a lustre upon -Scotland, immortalised her rugged scenery, and who have helped to secure for her sons and daughters the glorious privileges of freedom and independence. Were it otherwise I would be unworthy of the privileges and influ- j ences which were mine from earliest l infancy. Born on the banks of the ! silvery Tweed, — on ground rendered classic by the poetic pen of Scott, — my feet havd trod on almost every spot he has described — the scenes of the " Monastery " and " Marmion." Sir, I have heard that such a re-union as this is.lightly spoken of, and that we j are only gathered together for a Bacchanalian feast. I repudiate such a thought ; and you will, by the pleasant success of to-night, indicate that something higher and nobler has brought us here than to engage in noisy and drunken revelry. We are now far removed from the scenes and associations of our native land that have 'fccmied the spring of our minstrels' anu poets' songs. Such a meeting as j this will re-animate our never-dying love for Scotland, and rekindle our regard for the poets who have sung in praise of her hills and dales, and painted in poetic tints the heroic deeds j of her sons, the truth and modesty of j her daughters. We can never forget the familiar story of "King Robert! the Bruce," so graphically told by Barbour, or the adventures of Sir William Wallace," by Blind Harry, the wandering minstrel. The writings j of William Punbar ; of Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, who did so ] much, to improve Scottish literature ; and of Qeorge Buchanan, the historian, j Latin scholar and poet, will be for j ever dear to us. You cannot show me a true Scotchman who has not treasured in his memory tho "Gentle Shepherd "of AUan'Eamsay ; nor one who is not familiar with the rich, eloquent and sublime passages in "The Reasons," by James Thomson. Time would fail me to speak of Beattie, 6ruce, Logan, and Campbell, the # last of whom has given to us two national songs: "Xc Mariners of England"

and " Battle of the Baltic." I need not to speak of the novelist of Scotland, Sir Walter Scott : his prose is poetry. His "Lay," "Lady of the Lake," and " Lord of the Isles " are treasured as household words by one and all. The names of John Wilson, of Christopher North; of Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd ; of Allan Cunningham ; and of Eobert Nichol, the second Robert Burns ; these, and more than these, Scotland has produced. Pollock, the poet of " Time ; " Tannahill, Traill, Gilfillan, and* a host of others are called up to recollection by the toast I have now to propose. Sir, it is good for us to be here ; for amidst the turmoil and struggles of building up a home in the wilderness of a new country the ennobling spirit which poesy creates may languish and decay, and we may be apt to be overcome by tho degrading influences of selfishness and isolation. If such effects may be produced on us, who in our youth nave learned the beauties of poetry, how needful it is to inspire our children with some love for the works of genius. Such an annual gathering as this seems well fitted for the purpose. We should use every effort to promote tho love of poetry amongst our sons and daughters ; tor unless some knowledge and interest in the immortal works of poetic genius be theirs, I cannot but fear that their hearts will too soon become seared with tho curse of " money grubbing," and their smiles be the smiles of deceit and selfishness After alluding to the poems sent forward to the Caledonian Socipty, Mr. Church concluded by calling fqr a bumper to the memory of " The Poets of ScotlanJ." Song — Mr. Watson. ]V£r\ M'lntyre rpse and proposed "The Poets of England," saying it was indqeM pleasant to mark the enthusiasm displayed in memory of their great bard; but they shquld never forget that there were other poets who had a claim, a great claim, upon their attention. England had been reiuark r able for the vast number of great poets, and there could be little doubt that to them was greatly due tne proud position she now occupied as the country of freedom and independence. Time would fail him to enumerate all the honoured names ; sufilce it that he mentioned a few, First, there was Chaucer, whose " Canterbury Tales " were still read with interest ; then tho groat, the immortal Shakspore, whose name would survive as long as England ; and Milton, the greatest epic poet that ever existed. It was said that poetry was dying out, but it was not so, as was found by the writings of Tennyson. He asked them to drink to the memory of " The Poets of England." Song, " The Englishman," Mr. Bass. Mr Campbell, in rising to propose " The Poets of Ireland," did so with reluctance, not having a speech prepared; he, however, would not be doing justice to the " Land of Song," if he refused to represent its poets on the present occasion. From among the numerous poets of Ireland, he would select one — one who, while living was respected and admired for his beautiful genius, whose society was courted by the highest of the land, whose amiability won the hearts of all classes ; and although he has paid the last debt of nature still lives in every true Irishman's heart. It matters not in what part of the globe our Iritffc* ifioir ~«ftß^4i§ I J ie ~& &yx «ny time in imagination visit his native land, its mountains, valleys, rbers., lakes, hills, plains and woods all have a language of tlieir. own, and are beautifully desoribed by Thos. Moore, in the choicest poetic language. Moore was a poet of the highest standing ; he was amply endowed by Providence with natural gifts, he was highly educated, and competent to take a high stand in society; his poetic genius displayed itself at the early age qf eleven ye'irs. Moore's poetry is a language that speaks feelingly tq the heart, and pleasing to the imagination, it warms the heart with rajpture ' and ecstasjc, }t regales the sense with the sounds of its musical expression, and it ravish.es the fancy wjfch enchanting images, f therefore, as an humble tribute of respect and admiration, beg to couple with the toast of the " Poets p.f Ireland," the immortal "Thomas Moore." Mr. Weidner said : Mr. Chairman, vice-Chairman, and gentlemen, the toast I have to propose is one which I am sure will be duly acknowledged : it is in honour of the poets of other lands. I being one qf Germania's children, you will pardon me if I specially select the poets t)f my fatherland, leaving those of America to my friend Mr. Langley. It is one the importance of which, like ever other patriot, I feel deeply. By it the remembrances of home and early days are at once brought back j for Schiller, Gothe, Klopstock, Lessing, TJhland, Arndt, and Korner are names which in youth are cherished, but which, as a man, a German feels justly proud of. Poetry not only cultivates the niind, but it impresses the boy with a love of fatherland first, and with a distinctness which does not fade, but increases with time, no matter how long the absence from our native land ; indeed, the older we get and the farther away from home the more intense does this feeling grow. This festive and numerous assemblage to the immortal memory of Burns testifies to it. The power of his lyric lore has truly possessed itself of the hearts of Scotia's sons. Gentlemen, I propose "The

Poets of Germany,'' and " The Poets of other Lands," with which latter I beg to couple the name of Mr. Langley. Song by Mr Weidncr— " Childhood's Home." Mr. Langley said : Mr. Chairman, I vice- Chairman, and gentlemen, the i toast of 'I The Poets of other Lands," coupled with my name, by the former" speaker, Mr, Weidnei', I have much pleasure in responding to. In the United States of America we have poets of some considerable talent ; but it cannot be expected for a young country like America to have such poets as a Bobert Burns or a Tom Moore; still we have a Longfellow, and he shines brightly, and may yet shine with still more sparkling effulgence. There are many others I might mention, but as the time is getting short I will not "detain you. Having been asked to sing a song, I will do my best, although I am suffering from a severe cold. Mr. Langley then sang "Tho Soldier's Dream. The chairman remarked that they had poets of their own, in their own, locality, he called upon Mr. Goodall. Mr Goodall then said — Since we last held here the anniversary of our immortal bard, in addition to our stock of colonial poets, who have published volumes of their poems — viz., the renowned J. 15arr and Mrs. Fulton, there is one more who now enters for our favour, Justin Aubray, who has published in the colony a volume of poems, under the name of Corunna Varia ; or Various Songs. We do not wish to see poets coining' out with Latin names for their poems ; it puts us in mind of Dr Hornbook. jSTothing is so good and natural as our own language; aud humility is most becoming in either poets or men ; however, his poema of themselves are very good, and tho only fault they have is that they are mostly descriptive of scenes and circumstances of home life. What he has written of New Zealand is recommendablc; aud if ho was to use the poetical gift he possesses in describing colonial life and manners, and the scenery and things around him in our adopted country, he may yet shine a bright star among our colonial luminaries. There is one poem, when he describes the annoyance incidental to the life of linen drapers, it is certainly amusing, and the description is so good that we would think no one, except he had seen what he describes, would have done it so well. The annoyances experienced are ladies and others coming to "j;he shop, pre r tending to want to purchase, when their real object is nothing else than idle curiosity, to the great -annoyance of the shopmen. Although it is more applicable to home life, yet it is said tobe getting too common in these colonies ; and ladies who are in the habit of doing so should read his pde,m on the subject. We would recommend his poems as well calculated to assist us in spending a pleasant hour, and they all haye a pleagant moral tone pervading them which makes his poems a valuable acquisition, and they can be read with pleasure and profit both by. young and old. We j»£>£crEre"Sir his book to our colon^T readers, and wish him every success^ The next is the prize poem, by T/ Bracken, unexpected, unheard vf f and unknown, and, lik# ihe gold undiscovered, in my estimation, his poem is the best we have ever seen or read in the colony. I was so delighted "vpith it that J could not help reading it, whenever the toils of business allowed me a private moment, till it was cpmpjetely committed to memory. The poetry is delightful, and the ideas are grand, as well as moral, and the patriotic spirit }s so pleasing that it must delight every lqver of his fatherland, and it has thp effect, which all good and true poetry has upon the reader, that he wonders he did not think or see such things before. We hope, therefore, if T. Bracken can keep up his muse to the same pitch he h,as done, he will soon be the Burns qf Otago. We were glad to see. there were no less than thirty competitors for the prize poem this year, while, last year there was only one, which assures us that there is plenty pf the niuse in the colony, and that we will soon have every hill and dale, river and rill, glen and vale, burn and bush sung, arid made classic the same as at home, so that we will find it true what Mr Bracken tells. u,s Scotia's spirit says to her sons — The -gems that sparkle in the azure span, Th,at heaven's architect has built on high, Recede at dawn from the rude gaze of man, Yet still unquench'd they sparkle \vi $fj'sky. Then say not, mortal, that my glqriquti band Has no existence on this golden shore, O'er all the earth, wl^ere'qr my children stand, These songs will hu>t till time shall be no more. The next piece I have to read to you is an p,d,e, to our immortal bard. I may say it is so difficult to write' an ode to our great poet, to keep out of whai has been trodden by others, as our bard has had so many odes addressed to him, in all kinds of metres, and all kinds of styles and quality, that this lan\e I have tried a r.nyming of a part of his poems ai}d songs, to keep up the task of others before, H*e:— : pDE TO BURNS. Another year has gone the round Since first we hail'd thy natal day ; Though far and distant from the ground Where thou firs : t' saw the light of day: No time or distance can efface Our memory or respect for thee, Although fair India be our place, ' Or isles upon the distant set. '

Thy muse and songs will (.till ie dear To Scotia's sons where'er they roam : Our cares to soothe, our hearts to cheer, And bring to mind our youthful honW. tfhe bush, the brier, the tryating thorn', The rural mill, the bonny glen, Are bright scenes of our early morn, And make us live youth o'er agatkft The blackbird's note, the mavis' song* The classic river winding clear ; i The lavrock's song the clouds among, Are scenes of home for ever dear. The steeps and fens where strawberries grew, The bushes where linnets built and sung. The mosses where we heard the wild curlew, Androcksprojectingwherethe woodbinehung The courtship of good Duncan Gray, With Maggie's taunts and Duncan's grief, Till Maggie's caught in love's affray, And seeks poor Duncan's kind relief, Tho haunted kirk, the hunter's glen, Despondency's despairing hour, The haggis, food for hardy meny j The daisy crimson-tipped flowir, Th« Trouncfe* hare, tfie moofcecelk's ere*', Are all safe now beyond- remede ; The cruel sportsman is* laid low : ; If news be tru<s 1?iw» Samson-'s dead? The bonny lass of BaSffebwyle,. ' Much lovelier than the ffcwers ef M*y— More sweet than Autumn's evening style? Or" *han- the beauteous garden gay*The banks of Doon so bright and faifof/ Now sung, on Many a foreign itrandv In plaintive notes so sweet and rare, As bind our thoughts to fatherland.Sweet Highland Mary's loving vow? Were lost by death forlovely Jean, Whose plighted faith amang the knowe», Placed her where Mary should h»ve been. Edina's daughters sweet and fair, More lovely than the summer's sky, x Her generous sons for learning, rare, > I And wisdom none on earth can vie. Jock Hornbook with his books and skill, High notions and- pedantic pride. Awoke thy muse with right good will, I To make him laughed at far and wide. Old Satan whom most critic* pass, And leave unto the churchmen's care, Invoked thy muse to his &ad case, To wish that grace he yet might share. Even preachers who forgot good taste, And thought their province quite secure, ! Bestirred thy muse in cutting haste, To teach them what was right and pure. - The toothache with its venom sting, Which steals our sleep and sweet repose. i Fiist from thy muse a curse did wing And wish'd it on our country's foes. Man's follies on life's chequered vale, | Oft causes wisdom for to mourn, Assures to us $by muse' sad tale, That man to care and woe is born. Man : s inhumanity to man, The fruitful source of grief and woe, Opposed to Heavgn's benignant plan, To make the world a heaven below. I ph would they try the law of love, More strong than all the bolts of war, To bind the nations soon would prove * The best of remedies by far. No more of wars would then be heard. But o'er tlie world good news would f|ee. And man to man <j'er all the, earth, Would soon together brothers be. Than brothers pf the Minstrel land, Renowned for what is good and true ? May good deeds never slack your hand^ Still forward what is right pursue. May nqble thoughts your bosom swell, ■ Higfi purposes"yourlSJfi3ji- eagggej w> s.- — .. none in yirtue you excel, Be honpurs tp the present ago. Then shall the Bard whose praise we sing-^ Be honoured in his country's name, The end for which his muse did ring, Be triumphed in his cquntry's fame. Then brothers pf the minstrel band, Up freedom's path with might pursue.. Go shine m suns in every land. Mankind will then be proud qf you,. Mr. James Elder Brown said : toast I have to propose is one which I am sure will meet the approbation of aU. In proposing " The Fatherlands," we all recognise that we are not representatives of one country, but that we are all brethren — common children of one great and good Father ; and are here to-night united together for mutual enjoyment. We do not meet to exalt the poetry or poets of one country over another, but to do honour to the poetry of every land. In selecting the birthday of Eobert Burns, — the ploughman Poet of Scotland, — for our meeting, we are doing honour to the memory, of one whose genius is universally acknowledged, and whose writings "are enjoyed, and cheer the hearts of men in every station and every clime. Love of then* country is not peculiar to any people, and has been sung by the poets of every nation. Scott, in his "Lay of the Last Minstrel," gives expression to it in the noble lines — " Breathes there the man with soul so dead Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land ; Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand? " And again — ( " O Caledonia I stern and wild, Meet nurse for a poetio child ; Land of brown heath and shaggy wood ; Land of the mountain and the flood ; Land of my sires ! what mortal hand Can e'er untie the filial band T^at knits me to "t^'y rugged strand?" But here we are met in the land that Sco{;t and Burns and the great poets of their days knew jinly as the land of the savage ; indeed, when Burns was born, Captain Cpok, one of the greatest benefactors of his race, Had not reached its shores', or made "know its wonders to the Old World! ' And yet we must not forget it as a fatherland. In less than two months Qtago will have reached her majority; and' already thousands of her children are proud of

it as a fatherland.; When the heir to an ancient house, is born there are great rejoicings, and again when he attains the age of twenty-one years,when he has reached his manhood.The united band of the first two pioneer ships numbered only. 326. Their rejoicings, we may well believe, were more to get again on shore than joy at their prospects. But hope, the great inspirer, without which we could never accomplish anything great or good, cheered and upheld them ; and now Otago will reach her majority something like 50,000 strong. We* need not go into the matter of her present condition and prospects. Let her but adopt the principles of her early pioneers — then* independence,, frugality, and indomitable perseverance, and all will be well. When - they landed, they might have used many portions ,pf Campbell's " Pleasures of Hope '! as applicable to their case, as — " Where barbarous hordes on Scythian moon* tains roam, Truth, mercy, freedom yet shall find a home." i Around this table I see representatives iof Caledonia, happy England, the Green Isle of the Ocean, of America/— * of our brother Jonathan — of Germany, rendered very near to us as being to a great extent the cradle of our language. I know not how many more there may be, but in- the* hope that peace, love,. I unity and coacord may ever attend us and brighten <S»ur homes and firesides, I propose the toast of " The Fatherlands." Mr EV SSeVart proposed: " Thd» Ladies," who found a champion in Mp> JJl'lntyre.^*" " ■*■*• After-*ne health of the Chairman 1 , Vice-Ghairinan, and Host and Hostess were duly proposed and responded to, the supper was closed by the singing of "Auld Lang Syne,'* when preparations were made for the Baß^whien it is unnecessary for us to reMßtffe wa*> the scene of joyous pleasure unUib a» early hour of the morning. Thertf were upwards of fifty couples present, and the music was really excellent. { -