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it is the 'Annie Laurie* of poor Findlater.5* The only Findlater I have been able to trace was R. Findlater who wrote words for music of only mediocre grade, " In Thy Presence" for instance. The air of " Annie Laurie" as now sung I am compelled to add is quite modern, having been composed, on her own statement, by Lady John Scott, as already indicated. It was a favourite with the British soldiers in their weary encampment before Sebastopol in 1854-5. The melody of " Logan Water" is of very considerable antiquity, and very Scottish in tonality. The words were written by John Mayne, a native of Dumfries, who eventually settled in London as the editor of " The Star" newspaper. " Logan Water" or " Logan Braes," says Mayne himself in reply to the letter of in-quiry from Lord Woodhouselee, " was written and circulated in Glasgow about 1781, inserted in the 'Star' on Saturday May 23rd, 1789, thence copied and sung at Vauxhall, and pub-lished soon afterwards by a music dealer in the Strand,"
One of the oldest of old Scottish songs—or, to be accurate, of the oldest melodies—is that which we know as " Scots wha hae." Burns himself once said: " Many of our Scots airs have outlived their original and perhaps many
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