Prepared for the 1875 Edition.
Laing, in his compilation of the Life of the Author, said:— “To the Poetical Magazine, published by Vernor and Hood of London, in 1804-5, and to other respecable periodicals of the day, he also contributed many poetical and lyric pieces.”
Ramsay, in his memoir of the Author, said:—“The fame of the ‘obscure verse-making weaver' (as he styles himself in a letter to a friend) now reached London, and about the year 1805, having been requested to become a contributor to a leading metropolitan magazine, he wrote for it.” (The pieces mentioned by Ramsay will be found in the previous Edition.)
TANNAHILL also contributed to two periodicals published in Glasgow in the year 1805 and 1806 respectively, namely—the Selector, in four volumes, and the Gleaner, in one volume, both edited and published by William Maver, book auctioneer in Glasgow, the latter being a continuation of the former—a gleaning of the selections. These works consisted of extracts from publications of merit, with original essays and poems. TANNAHILL contributed seventeen pieces. The names of Vernor and Hood appeared on the title page as one of the four London publishers.
The next publication to which TANNAHILL contributed was the Paisley Repository, edited by John Miller, bookseller, who commenced business in the early part of the present century in the shop, No. 24 Wellmeadow Street (then called Sandholes), at the north-east corner of Castle Street. The periodical was commenced in 1805, and continued down till 1811. It was very erratic as to the time of publication of the numbers and its series. TANNAHILL contributed eight pieces to this local publication.
He next sent twenty-five songs to the Nightingale or Songster's Magazine,—a choice selection of Scots, Irish, and English Songs,—printed and sold by A. and G. Leslie, Glasgow, 1806.
Two of the pieces, Nos. 113 and 117, which appeared in the Nightingale, also appeared in the Caledonian Musical Repository, a selection of esteemed Scottish songs adapted for the voice, violin, and German flute, published at London in 1806 by R. Crossby & Co. These may have either been contributed by Tannahill himself, or have been copied from the Nightingale.
Tannahill sent one piece to the “Goldfinch or New Modern Songster, being a select collection of the most admired and favourite Scots, English, and Irish songs,” without date or publishers' names. From the appearance of the paper and printing, and the songs inserted, the date was probably 1806 (the Braes of Yarrow being the song sent, a complete list of the songs sent to the different periodicals will be found in the previous edition).
FORMATION OF THE TRADES LIBRARY.
In consequence of the difficulty of tradesmen procuring books in their small club libraries for reading and reference, Robert Tannahill and Alexander M‘Naught, and a number of other persons, opened a subscription in 1805 for the purpose of forming an extensive library to which working men could have access. The Paisley Library for gentlemen had been opened at Whitsunday, 1803. The Rev. Robert Boog became a subscriber to the proposed library for the purpose of guiding, by his counsel, a proper selection of books. The new institution was named the Trades' Library, and was opened on 1st January, 1806. The subscribers submitted to the judgment of Mr. Boog for a short time, and then asserted their independence. The minister afterwards withdrew from the library, and became instrumental in forming the Theological Library in 1808. The books in the Trades Library were mostly of a philosophical, scientific, and moral description. (The library was broken up in 1846.)
IMPROVEMENT OF TOWN.
Since the year 1756, when the Poet's father came from Kilmarnock to Paisley, till 1806, a period of 50 years, forty-five new streets had been opened, and the general appearance of the old streets considerably improved, old thatched houses having been taken down and new buildings erected on their sites ; but it was still deficient in roadways, side pavements, lighting, and cleansing, so essentially necessary for the comfort and health of the inhabitants of a manufacturing town. The manufactures and other trades in the burgh had been in a prosperous state for several years, and there were engaged at this time in the manufacture of muslin 6750 weavers, of silk 120 weavers, and of tape 100 weavers. The population of the town increased considerably, as the following table will shew, which we give in continuation of the previously inserted table, bringing it down to the year 1810, when TANNAHILL died—
On 12th July, 1806, the local statute 46, George iii., cap. 116, called the Paisley Police Act, for paving, lighting, and cleansing the burgh of Paisley and suburbs, was passed. The first section enacted that proprietors should form pavements of flat hewn stone in front of their houses. The sixth section provided for the Town Council paving and keeping in repair the roadway of the streets. The ninth section ordered the removal of all outside stairs and outshots in the streets. And the seventeenth section directed the houses, buildings, shops, and warehouses to be numbered with figures. The first, sixth, and ninth sections of the new local acts were immediately carried into execution by the roadway being causeyed, the outside stairs and outshots removed, and freestone pavements laid down on each side of the streets, and the lighting, watching, and cleansing attended to. Although the removal of stairs and laying of pavements were very expensive to proprietors a vast improvement was effected upon the whole town. [Mr. Semple gives an interesting note to this paragraph as to the numbering of the houses in the previous edition.]
PUBLICATION OF FIRST EDITION.
We have already mentioned that TANNAHILL'S pieces were brought before the convivial club with which he was connected, and their merits and demerits freely discussed. He was in the habit of repeating and shewing to his neighbours any new pieces he had written, and absent friends were supplied with copies ; by this latter circumstance several of his poems and songs have been preserved from oblivion. A few of his best songs were set to music by these eminent composers, John Ross of Aberdeen, and R. A. Smith of Paisley, and were engraved and published in sheets. By the publication of his poems and songs in the periodicals referred to his name was soon brought into notice. His lyrics were easily committed to memory, particularly by the gentler sex, and by that means they quickly obtained a widespread popularity. In every company where singing delighted the ear, in the cottage, in the hall, at concerts, and in theatres, they were heard. Paisley at that time had a large adopted population from all parts of Scotland, and these, in revisiting their friends, carried the sweet songs of TANNAHILL in their memories, and sung them to their acquaintances ; these again and again reechoed them. At that period Caledonia was the habitation of a loyal and martial people—almost every person capable of carrying arms was either a volunteer, a militiaman, or a soldier in the line. Every one of these had their mothers, sisters, wives, or sweet-hearts, and they would be inspired with chivalry when they heard a female voice in sympathy and pathos singing the songs of “The Soldier's Return,”—
“Our Bonnie Scots Lads in their Green Tartan Plaids;”
“Langsyne beside the Woodlan Burn;” or,
“We'll meet beside the Dusky Glen on yon Burnside.”
TANNAHILL had now become famous, and he was urgently pressed to publish his songs in a selected volume. He acceded to these repeated demands, and on 19th January, 1807, he issued a prospectus of the work, giving a specimen of the typography from “The Soldier's Return,” and containing a sheet for subscribers' names. These sheets were issued to his friends, who promptly returned them filled up ; and the edition, consisting of 900 impressions, was issued in May, 1807,—TANNAHILL supplying his own relations with copies. Mr. Semple visited a cousin of the Author's in August 1875. For the particulars of that visit see the previous edition. The “Interlude” was placed first in the volume, his whole heart and soul being absorbed in the dramatic effort. He expected it would raise his name to never-dying fame ; but it was unhappily condemned by some critics, while his other commonplace lyrics were lauded to the skies. The snarling critics and treacherous friends,—the prophet who can foretell events after they have happened,—then came forward with their crocodile lamentations on their supposed predictions having been fulfilled, that the publication was premature, and TANNAHILL should have waited—their time, and their time meant doomsday. They merely wounded the fine feelings and sensibility of the Poet, and caused his songs to be sung by a greater number of vocalists, and more applauded by the people. In looking over the edition, we observed five of the songs had been set to music by John Ross (Nos. 80, 84, 90, 93, and 137), and four by R. A. Smith (Nos. 76, 83, 107, and 136).
The publication of the edition must have yielded the Author some profit, as he was enabled to deposit, on l0th July, 1807, the sum of Twenty Pounds sterling with the Paisley Union Bank, which had been established in Paisley in May, 1788, now the Union Bank of Scotland.