Add MS 35263-35265

ORIGINAL LETTERS to George Thomson, of Edinburgh, the friend of Robert Burns the poet, and editor of several collections of Scottish, Welsh, and Irish songs, from composers, poets and others, relating to these publications, with copies of a few of his replies; 1793-1847. The composers are Leopold Kozeluch, Franz Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Henry Rowley Bishop, Carl Maria von Weber, and Johann Nepomuk Hummel (for the music composed by some of these for Thomson, see below, 35,270-35,279). The poets (whose letters deal mainly with Thomson's requests for songs, and with his criticisms upon those written for him, and enclose many of the songs themselves) include Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Moore, Thomas Campbell, James Hogg, Joanna Baillie, Amelia Opie, Sir Alexander Boswell of Auchinleck, John Gibson Lockhart, and a few others of less note, the most voluminous correspondent being William Smyth, of Peterhouse, Professor of Modern History, of whom Thomson remarks in an endorsement, "He has been a second Burns to me, God bless him!" (35,265, f. 34 b). There are a few letters from members of Burns's family, including his widow's answers (post 1800) to a series of questions as to the identity of the heroines of his songs (35,265, f. 341). The names of all the writers, with full references, will be found in the index. For Thomson's own letters, see below (35,266-35,269). Many extracts from the correspondence are contained in J. C. Hadden's George Thomson, the Friend of Burns, 1898. Three volumes, arranged chronologically.Paper. Folio.