Robby Burns Statue

It seemed to him now that it was as though, by some perverse grace, out of total inundation of some Pacific Northwestern city had been preserved....a broken statue of Bobbie Burns.... Present Estate of Pompeii

The statue is located in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia.

The rededication plaque reads:

"This statue of Robert Burns, Scotland's National Bard, was unveiled by J. Ramsay MacDonald , a Prime Minister of Britain, on 25th August, 1928. Robert Burns's sincere desire for friendship and brotherhood among all peoples is clearly shown in his many poems and songs. His poetry and letters, both serious and humorous are worthy of study by those who value liberty and freedom.
This memorial was rededicated on the 200th Anniversary of the Bard's death by the Burns Club of Vancouver. 21 July 1996:

Then let us pray that come it may
(as come it will for a' that)...
that man to man, the world o'er
shall birthers be for a' that"

You can read Vancouver's Tribute to Burns here

History of the Isle of Man

Malc had life long interest in the Isle of Man from the time he spent on family holidays on the isle culminating with the isle featuring in his work. One of the reasons for the appearance of the isle in his work is also partly due to his friendship with the Manxman Jimmy Craige at Dollarton.

..but with his three pipes ready filled for the morning beside him on the table, sitting under the oil lamp with his spectacles on, reading History of the Isle of Man- Present Estate of Pompeii

The history book is by Arthur William Moore(1853-1909) who was a Manx antiquarian, historian, linguist, folklorist, and former Speaker of the House of Keys in the Isle of Man. He published under the sobriquet A. W. Moore. Read more on Wikipedia

You can read the book in two volumes below:





Above map of Isle of Man by Thomas Moule

Trees That Died Of Fear

Scared to death

In Arizona, a 1000-acre forest of junipers suddenly withered and died. Foresters are unable to explain it, but the Indians say the trees died of fear but they are not in agreement as to what caused the fright. Present Estate of Pompeii

I recently discovered the source of the above passage in Malc's 'Present Estate of Pompeii'. The source for the passage is a magazine entitled The Desert March 1947 which again demonstrates that Malc was not adverse to include material in his work from his diverse reading of magazines.

You can read the entire article here.