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THE

Scots Magazine,

AND

EDINBURGH LITERARY MISCELLANY,

FOR APRIL 1806.

No

MR JOHN DOWIE.

taste is more prevalent in these times than that for biographical traits of eminent living characters; as is fully attested by the bulky volumes of this description with which our sister king. dom is inundated. We have our doubts whether this be quite the most edifying kind of study; and have not therefore been libevery ral in furnishing a supply of it. Yet, that our readers may not com. plain of being altogether excluded from this gratification, we beg leave to introduce to their notice Mr John Dowie; and we appeal to them whether any one can have a better claim to the title of Scottish Public Character, than he, whose well-known face graces the title-page of our preseat number.

We have met lately with the fol. lowing anonymous poem, written a good many years ago, in which the praises and merits of Honest John are duly set forth. It is generally supposed to be the composition of Burns, who, when in town, was a frequent visitor of Mr Dowie's ; and,. at any rate, is a good imitation of his manner. Such of our readers as know what it is, over Johnny's ale, "to weet their pipes, for little "wrang," will readily acknowledge

that the picture is drawn to the life, and will probably not be displeased with this opportunity of recognizing an old acquaintance,

JOHNNIE DOWIE'S ALE.
A' ye wha wis', on e'enings lang,
To meet, an' crack, an' sing a sang,
An' weet your pipes, for little wrang,
To purse or person,
Johnnie Dowie's gang,

To sere

*

There thrum a verse on. O Dowie's Ale! thou art the thing That gars us crack, an' gars us sing, Cast by our cares, our wants a' fling

Frae us wi' anger;
Thou e'en mak'st passion tak' the wing,
Or thou wilt bang 'er.
How bless'd is he wha has a groat,
To spare upon the cheering pot;
He may look blyth as ony Scot
Gie's a' the like, but wi' a coat,
That e'er was born:

An' guide frae scorn.
But think na' that Strong Ale alone
Is a' that's kept by dainty John;
Na, na, for i' the place there's none,
Frae end to end,
For meat can set you better on

Wi' looks as mild as mild can be,
Than can your friend.
An' smudgin' laugh, wi' winken' ee,,
An' lowly bow down to his knee,

He'll say fu' douce, "Whe, gentlemen, stay till I see

"What's i' the house." -Anither bow-" Deed, gif ye please, "Ye can get a bit toasted cheese,

Serious.

"A crum o' tripe, ham, dish o' pease," (The season fitten,)

"An egg, or, cauler frae the seas, "A fluck or whitten;

"A nice beef steak-or ye may get "A gude buff'd herring, reisted skate, "An' ingans, an' (tho' past its date) "A cut o' veal;

"Ha, ha, its no that unco late,
"I'll do it weel."

O G****y R********, dreigh loun,
An' antiquarian P**** soun',
Wi' mony ithers i' the town,

What wad come o'er ye,
Gif Johnnie Dowie shou'd stap down
To th' grave before ve?
Ye sure wad break your hearts wi' grief,
An' in Strong Ale find nae relief,
War ye to lose your Dowie-chief
O' bottle keepers ;

THREE years at least, now to be brief,
Ye'd gang
wi' weepers.
But gude forbid for your sakes a',
That sic an usefu' man should fa';
For, frien's o' mine, between us twa,
Right i' your lug,

You'd lose a houff baith warm an' braw,

An' unco snug. Then pray for's health this mony a year, Fresh three-'n a 'ha'penny, best o' beer, That can (tho' dull) you brawly cheer, Recant you weel up; An' gar you a' forget your wear.

Your sorrows seal up.

"Another Bottle, John." "Gentlemen, 'tis past twelve, and time

to go home."

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pendent of those supported by the voluntary provisions of the dead and the living, amounted, in the year 1803, to 1,039,716, i. e. to more than one eighth of the whole population of that part of Great Britain. In Edinburgh, Canongate, and St. Cuthberts, the whole number of adults supported at the present time by parish funds in the workhouses and out of them, is 641, and of infants 240 *.

"If the population in these places amount to 72,000 or thereabouts, constituting about twenty-two parts of the population of Scotland, judged to be 1,600,000, it must be impossible to account for the difference between the sum total of the Poor in the one country and in the other, (i. e. not so much as one to ten,) without supposing that many here lie hid in indigence and obscurity, trusting to casual alms, or supported by spontaneous bounty, or that not few perish from want."

a

Workhouses are necessary, for such as are wholly unable to labour, and have no friends with whom they can reside; but for all such as are not not yet, reduced to that extremity, the present institution promises to be much more eligible. It is better calculated for distinguishing between real and pretended objects of charity; it affords relief at less expence, and in a more agreeable manner to such, as would look with horror at being cooped up within the walls of a workhouse. It ought also to put a stop to the pernicious practice of

beg

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Of the Beneficent Society of Edinburgh.

begging on the streets, by taking away all ground or pretence for ask ing or giving charity in that form. There is another view also in which it may be eminently conducive to the public interest, as well as that of the objects relieved. It seems to be the best means of checking that ruinous increase of poor-rates which has gone to such a height in England, and even in this country has made considerable progress.

"From papers now lying on the table of the House of Commons, it is proved, that the rates raised by the poor laws were, in 1803, not less than L.5,348,coo. Ofthis sum L. 190,0co was spent on suits occasioned by the poor laws, and the expences of parish overseers, L.1,034,000 were laid out on church rates, highways, the militia, &c.; but the nett sum spent exclusively on the poor, amounts to L.4,267,000. The progression of this tax is one of its most alarming circumstances. With every increase of the rates, the poor have increased in numbers. The average sum of poor rates in 1783, 1784, 1785, was far less than one half of these at present; and in 1776 it was greatly less than one third of it. Little more than a century ago there were not much above L.500,000 annually, less, i. e. than a tenth of their present exorbitant increase. The oppression of particular districts cannot be known by looking at the general sum. There are counties, as Sussex, where nearly every fourth or fifth person is supported by the parish; and there are towns in Eng land where manufactures once flourishing have decayed, in which they amount to 208. or 25s. in the pound Sterling. Taking the rental of property on which the poor's rates are raised at L.38,000,000, there is not less paid all over England on this account than 2s. 9d. in the pound SterJing. Were we to look forward to future times, and to judge the coun

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try doomed to the uncontrouled and accelerating increase of this burden, what gloomy prospects must we indulge!

It may be thought unnecessary to turn the attention of the inhabitants of this end of the island, to evils which they have not hitherto felt, and which, from difference of laws, customs, and manners, it is not likely that they shall feel. It is proper, however, that all should know, that, in a good many more than ICO parishes of Scotland, i. e. in between an eighth and ninth part of it, the provision for the Poor is raised by fixed assessments; that in some of these, it is not a late practice, that the number of such parishes is every year increasing, and that assessments have been resorted to in other parishes, although not statedly, yet upon very many occasions, when, through scarcity and dearness of provisions, or from other causes, the funds for supporting the poor have proved insuf ficient,

"In the county of Berwick, the Poor increased one fourth in number, with a very slender inerease of population upon the whole, during the ten years preceding 1794, and the expence of maintaining them increased about one half of the average sum required in the preceding ten years, . . preceding 1784."

The City has been divided into 40 districts, according to the extent and the number of poor likely to be found in each. Two or three gentlemen have undertaken the weekly visitation of every district, and give in their report to the weekly meeting of ordinary directors, with whom it rests to fix the sum which shall be allotted to each district, and distributed as the visitors may judge most eligible. A quarterly General meeting is held on the first Monday of February, May, August, and November, at 11 o'clock, in Merchant's hall.

The

The following is a list of the Di- CELESTIAL PHENOMENA for May rectors and office-bearers of the so

ciety.

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Walk.

MJ.Waugh, Manufacturer, Sciennes.

Extraordinary Directors. His Excellency, The Earl of Moira. Sir William Forbes, Bart. Adam Rolland, Esq. Advocate. George Baird, D. D. Principal of

the Univerity of Edinburgh. The Rev. John Campbell, one of the Ministers of Edinburgh. The Rev. Archibald Alison. The Rev. John Jamieson, D. D. The Rev. James Hall. The Rev. James Struthers. John Tait, Esq. Judge of Police. James Ferguson, Esq. Advocate. Ninian Lewis, Esq. John Campbell, Esq. W. S. Professor Dugald Stewart.

Robert Scott Moncrieff, Esq.

Halls.

of

Charles Stuart, M. D. Secretary.
Mr F. Alexander, Leith Terrace,
Treasurer,

Mr Gilbert M.Donald, Clerk.

1806.

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Tuesday, May 6th.

The right ascension of CERES is tion 290..19' North. The first saat present 1150..6', and her declinahis shadow at 12 minutes and 7 setellite of Jupiter will immerge into conds after one o'clock in the morning.

Wednesday, May 7th.
OCCULTATION OF JUPITER.

Just as the Moon and Jupiter are descending below the western horizon, the latter will immerge behind the enlightened limb of the former. This immersion will happen at 15 ning, at which time Jupiter will be minutes after 7 o'clock in the mor

8 minutes north of the Moon's centre. This phenomenon will scarcely be visible in Scotland. To all places whose latitude is less than 5 20 North, it may be seen, but with

great

great difficulty to those in the South of England, on account of the proximity of the planets to the hori

zon.

Monday, May 12th.

The planet MERCURY will be stationary in longitude 1..3..26'.

Tuesday, May 13th.

The first satellite of Jupiter will immerge into his shadow at 15 minutes and 49 seconds after 3 o'clock in the morning.

His de

The planet Mars is at present situated in longitude 1..1..54', and latitude 34 minutes south. clination is 11°..37' North, and he will come to the meridian at 10h.. 34'.

Friday, May 16th. About a quarter before 2 o'clock in the morning all the satellites of Jupiter will be situated on the western side of his disc, in the same or der as they lie in the system; the first being nearest, and the fourth being farthest from the planet.

Monday, May 19th.

The longitude of Jupiter is at present 95..7..23', and his latitude 13 minutes north: his declination is 23..2 south, and the time of his southing, 2..41' in the morning.

Wednesday, May 21st.

The Sun will enter the sign Gemini, at 43 minutes after 7 o'clock in the evening, and his longitude will be exactly 2 signs.

The longitude of the GEORGIUM SIDUS is at present 65..22°.. 11', and its latitude 37 minutes north: Its declination is 8°..12' South, and the time of its southing 10..2' in the evening.

Friday, May 23d.

The third satellite of Jupiter will emerge from behind his shadow at 45 minutes and 58 seconds after 12 o'clock in the evening.

Thursday, May 24th.

The planet Ceres will be situated in right ascension 122°..27', and north declination 27°..56'. Ceres being now very near the Sun, she

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