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Authors A-C

Scottish literary papers in the Laing Collection, including manuscripts by Robert Burns, Joanna Baillie, Hugh Blair, James Boswell, Thomas Carlyle, Alison Cockburn, and Henry Cockburn.

Thomas Aird (1802-1876)

  • 2 letters from Aird, 1 to W. Tait and 1 to Mr Dunbar, 1828-1863, with a fragment of another letter from Aird (La.II.336)

Sir William Alexander (c. 1567-1640)

  • Letter, holograph, 23 November [1625] (La.I.74)

Andrew, of Wyntoun (1350?-1420?)

  • 'The Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland', Sir Henry Seton’s Copy, 1724 (La.III.431)

John Arbuthnot (1667-1735)

  • 2 letters from Arbuthnot, 1 to Mr Baron Scrope and 1 to Mr Fairfax, 1717 and undated (La.II.260)
  • Letter, fragmentary, from Philip Dormer Stanhope (Lord Chesterfield) to Arbuthnot, 1731 (La.II.593)

William Edmondstoune Aytoun (1813-1865)

  • Letter from Aytoun to Peter Cunningham, 12 May 1853 (La.II.647/25-26)
  • 2 letters from Aytoun to David Laing, 18 April 1862 and undated (La.IV.6 Ayt. 1-2)
  • Letters from Aytoun to Alexander Young, 1840 (La.II.509)

Grizel Baillie (1665-1746)

  • 2 letters, 1726, 1729 (La.II.323)

Joanna Baillie (1762-1851)

  • 2 letters from Baillie to Miss Carmichael and to Miss Kelly, [18--], with an autograph song ‘Goodnight, Goodnight’ (La.II.585/1)
  • Letter from Baillie to Sir Walter Scott, 1816 (La.III.584/28)

Alexander Balfour (1767-1829)

  • Letter from Balfour [to publishers], 1823 (La.II.511)

James Ballantine (1806-1877)

  • ‘Leezie Lee’, song, 1860 (La.IV.6 Bal.)
  • Letter from Ballantine to David Laing, 12 March 1860 (La.IV.6 Bal. 1)
  • Letter from Ballantine to David Laing, undated, with a letter from James Drummond to Ballantine (La.IV.17)

James Beattie (1735-1803)

  • Letter from Beattie to Mr Creech, 1783 (La.II.589)
  • Testimonial from Beattie in favour of Thomas Brydson, 1789 (La.II.110)
  • Receipt: For Salary as Professor of Moral Philosophy, Marischal College, 1768 (La.II.152)

Henry Glassford Bell (1803-1874)

  • Letter from Bell to John Aitken, 1831 (La.II.602)

Robert Birnie (1608-1691)

  • Exposition of the Psalms (La.III.122)
  • Poems in Latin (La.III.455)

John Stuart Blackie (1809-1895)

  • 5 letters from Blackie to David Laing, 1864-1876, and undated, with a letter from Laing to Blackie (La.IV.17)

Thomas Blacklock (1721-1791)

  • 'Kalokagathia, or, The Doctrine of Practical Ethics and Natural Theology', imperfect (La.III.80)
  • 2 letters from Blacklock, 1 to Rev. W. Cameron and 1 to Henry Mackenzie, 1787, 1 original, 1 copy (La.II.110)
  • 4 letters from Blacklock to James Cumming, 1771-1781, and undated (La.II.82)

Hugh Blair (1718-1800)

  • Letter from Blair to Thomas Brydson (La.II.110)
  • 8 letters from Blair to Alexander Carlyle, and holograph note from Blair to William Robertson, 1768-1798 (La.II.243)
  • Letter from Blair to Prof. John Walker, 1792? (La.III.352)
  • Letters from Blair to Hugh Warrender (La.II.509)

Robert Blair (1699-1746)

  • Letter from Blair to P. Wilkie, minister at Haddington, undated (La.II.328)

Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

  • 2 letters from Bonar to David Laing, 1866 (La.IV.17)

Sir Alexander Boswell (1775-1822)

  • ‘The Brig’s Answer: To John Gibson’, poem (La.II.343)
  • 8 letters from Boswell to David Laing, 1813-1818, and undated (La.IV.6 Bos. 1-8)
  • Letter from Boswell to Sir Walter Scott, 1811 (La.III.584/21)

James Boswell (1740-1795)

  • ‘Note on the “Old Extent”, with an autograph statement, twice written, dictated to Boswell by his father Alexander Boswell, and a letter to James Boswell from Alexander Boswell (La.III.619/1)
  • Letter from Boswell to James Cumming, 1785, with a draft of Cumming’s reply, and an extract from a letter from Boswell to Sir A. Dick made by Cumming (La.II.82)
  • Letter to Boswell from Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, 1776 (La.II.603)
  • Correspondence with Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes (La.II.180)
  • Correspondence with Isabella Strange (La.II.81)

Robert Boswell (1746-1804)

  • 5 letters from Boswell to Mr and Mrs James Cumming and to Miss Cumming, 1765-1785 (La.II.82)
  • Letter from Boswell to J. MacRichie, 1795 (La.II.511)

Walter Bower (1385-1449)

  • 'The Scotichronicon of Fordun', 2 vols, 1747, with MS Notes by Macpherson, 1747 (La.III.779)

John Brown (1810-1882)

  • 4 letters from Brown to David Laing, 1873, and undated (La.IV.17)

James Bruce (1730-1794)

  • Letter from Bruce to David Erskine, Earl of Buchan, 1788 (La.II.588)
  • Letter from Bruce to William Robinson, bookseller, 24 April 1789 (La. II.591)

Peter Buchan (1790-1854)

  • 42 letters from Buchan to David Laing, 1818-1850 (La.IV.6 Buc. 1-42)
  • Letter, 12 February 1825, with two enclosures (La.II.337)

George Buchanan (1506-1582)

  • Paper bearing the initials ‘G. B. Scoti 1558’, said to be the holograph of Buchanan (La.II.256)
  • Notes by Alexander Fraser Tytler on Buchanan as a poet, political writer, historian, etc. (La.II.433/17-20)

Robert Burns

  • ‘Address to Edinburgh’, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Canye labor lea’, autograph of lines 13-16 in fair copy of letter to James Dalrymple, Feb. [1787] (La.III.586)
  • ‘Dainty Davy’, autograph of lines 1-4 (La.III.586)
  • ‘Epigram on Lord Galloway’, transcript in unidentified hand (La.III.586)
  • ‘Epistle to a Young Friend’, autograph (signed) (La.II.210-212)
  • ‘Epistle to Captain William Logan at Park’, transcript, by or for David Auld (La.III.586)
  • ‘Epistle to Mr Tytler of Woodhouselee’, transcript in unidentified hand of lines 1-24 (La.III.586)
  • ‘Holy Willie’s Prayer’, autograph, wanting the Argument, annotated ‘Enclosed in letter to Earl of Glencairn, 1 August 1788 (La.III.586)
  • ‘The Inventory’, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Jenny dang the weaver’, transcript in unidentified hand (La.III.586)
  • ‘The Kirk of Scotland’s Garland’, autograph in letter to Lady Elizabeth Cunningham, 23 December 1789 (La.III.586, f. 23)
  • ‘Lament for James Earl of Glencairn’, autograph in letter to Lady Don, 23 October 1791 (La.III.685)
  • ‘The Lass o’ Liviston’, autograph of lines 1-2 and 5-6, in ‘Notes on Scottish Song’ (La.III.586)
  • ‘Love and Liberty: A Cantata’, autograph, wanting lines 41-44, 113-116 (La.III.586)
  • ‘Love and Liberty: A Cantata’, transcript in unidentified hand with autograph stanza (La.III.586)
  • ‘Muirland Meg’, transcript in unidentified hand (La.III.586)
  • ‘A New Psalm for the Chapel of Kilmarnock’ (La.III.586)
  • ‘Ode, Sacred to the Memory of Mrs --- of ---‘, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Notes on Scottish Song', autograph (La.III.586)
  • Ode to the Departed Regency-Bill—1789’, autograph wanting lines 55-56, 67-68, in a letter to Lady Elizabeth Cunningham, 23 December 1789 (La.III.586)
  • ‘On Maxwell of Cardoness’, transcript in an unidentified hand (La.III.586)
  • ‘On seeing a wounded hare limp by me’, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Passion’s Cry’, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Song (O wat ye wha that lo’es me)’, autograph in letter to Robert Cleghorn (La.II.210-212)
  • ‘To Robt. Graham of Fintry Esqr.’, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Verses Intended to Be Written below a Noble Earl’s Picture’, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Wat Ye What my Minnie Did’, autograph (La.III.586)
  • ‘Written in Friar’s Carse Hermitage on the Banks of Nith’, autograph copies of versions A and B (La.III.586)

George Gordon Byron, Baron Byron (1788-1824)

  • ‘Verses on the Prince Regent’s Visiting the Tombs of Henry VIII and Charles I’, copy (La.II.417/22)
  • Letter from Byron to John Murray, enclosed with a letter from John Murray, junior, to David Laing, 1828 (La.IV.17)

  • Verse on Byron handwritten by James Smith, 19th century (La.IV.6 Smi.)

Alexander Campbell (1764-1824)

  • ‘Notes—Journal—27th July 1802—A. McD. & A.C.’, notes of travel from Logie Green to Inverness, Fort Augustus, etc, 1802 (La.II.378/1)
  • ‘Notes of my Third Journey to the Borders’, 1816 (La.II.378)
  • ‘Original Poems and Songs’, undated, with some letters to Campbell (La.II.51)
  • ‘A Slight Sketch of a Journey Made through Parts of the Highlands and Hebrides: Undertaken to Collect Materials for “Albyn’s Anthology” by the Editor in Autumn 1815’ (La.III.577)
  • 2 letters from Campbell to David Laing, 1821 (La.IV.17)
  • Letter from Campbell to Charles Stewart, 1804 (La.III.353)
  • Letter from John Leyden to Campbell, 27 October 1797 (La.II.333/1)

John Campbell (1708-1775)

  • Letter from Campbell, 29 September 1759 (La.II.262)

Thomas Campbell (1777-1844)

  • Declarations for a civil list pension, 1838-1844 (La.II.72)
  • Power of attorney: in favour of James Gibson Craig of Riccarton, W.S., David Wardlaw Writer and James Thomson Gibson Craig, W.S., signed by Campbell, 1825 (La.II.492)
  • Letter from Campbell to Mr Davison, printer 1817 (La.II.144)
  • Letter, fragmentary, from Campbell to Robert Anderson, 1800, copy (La.III.370, f. 18)
  • Two letters from Campbell (La.II.167)

Cape Club

  • ‘The Capeiad, in three Cantos, etc.’, 1764 (La.III.464)

David Carey (1782-1824)

  • Letter from Carey [to a member of the aristocracy], 1814 (La.II.423/86)

Cargill, James (19th century)

  • Poems on various subjects, by James Cargill, Perth, 1830 (La.III.474)

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

  • 41 letters from Carlyle, 40 to David Laing and 1 to Miss Hope-Scott, 1841-1874, with drafts of 3 letters from Laing to Carlyle, 1865-1875, and undated (La.IV.4)

Robert Carruthers (1799-1878)

  • 13 letters from Carruthers to David Laing, 1856-1873 (La.IV.17)

Robert Chambers (1802-1871)

  • Letter from Chambers to Alexander Campbell, 1822 (La.II.51)
  • 21 letters from Chambers to David Laing, 1828-1867, and undated (La.IV.17)

Douglas Cheape (1797-1861)

  • ‘King of the Breechesleys Islands’, song, 1836 (La.IV.6 Che. 1)
  • ‘Mrs Cole: A New Song’, with a memorandum by Charles Neaves, Lord Neaves (1800-1876) on the political application of the song (La.II.141)
  • Letter to David Laing, 1836 (La.IV.6 Che. 1)

Alison Cockburn (ca. 1712-1794)

  • ‘The Pretenders Manifesto, 1745, turned into a Song of Ridicule to the Tune of “The Tinkler”’ (La.II.451/1)
  • 9 letters from Cockburn, 8 to Henrietta Cumming and 1 to James Cumming, [1766?-1771?], with ‘Poem in the Style of Ossian’ and ‘Verses Wrote on Archibald Duke of Argyl after his Rejecting the Scheme of a Protestant Nunnery’ by Cockburn (La.II.81/2)

Henry Cockburn, Lord Cockburn (1779-1854)

  • 15 letters to David Laing, 1828-1854, and undated (La.IV.6 Coc. 1-15)

Robert Colvill (d. 1788)

  • Receipt from Robert Colvill to Messrs Kincaid & Donaldson, 175[-] (La.II.508)

Samuel Colvil (fl. 1640-1680)

  • ‘Mock Poeme, or, Whigg's Supplication’ and 'Debate between the Knight and the Squire about the Mending of the Petition and Who Should Carry It to the King', marked on outside 'Kinnaird's Manuscripts', 17th Century (La.III.433)
  • ‘Whig’s Supplication’ (La.III.457)
  • ‘The Whig’s Supplication’, parts 1-II (La.III.796)

William Craig, Lord Craig (1745 -1813)

  • Poem (La.II.140)
  • Possible contribution to The Mirror (La.II.265)

Alexander Cunningham (1655–1730)

  • Latin poems, 1647-1668 (La.II.200)

Allan Cunningham (1784-1842)

  • 38 letters from Cunningham, 37 to David Laing and 1 to Messrs Nodwell and Martin, 1822-1841, and undated, with 3 songs by Cunningham, ‘Paul Jones’, ‘I’d rather be fast than free’, and ‘I’d rather be free than fast’ (La.IV.6 Cun. 1-39)
  • 3 letters from Cunningham to Sir William Allan, 1828 (La.II.215)

James Cunningham (18th century)

  • Poems by James Cunningham, written when confined in the jail, Edinburgh, 1710-1714 (La.III.708)
  • Brief discourses and Hymns by James Cunningham. 1713 (La.III.709)
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