honour of having you for master of our lodge we hope you will excuse
this freedom, as you are the proper person to whom we ought to apply. We
look on our Mason Lodge to be a serious matter, both with respect to the
character of masonry itself, and likewise as it is a charitable society.
This last, indeed, does not interest you further than a benevolent heart
is interested in the welfare of its fellow-creatures; but to us, sir,
who are of the lower order of mankind, to have a fund in view on which
we may with certainty depend to be kept from want, should we be in
circumstances of distress, or old age--this is a matter of high
importance.

We are sorry to observe that our lodge's affairs with respect to its
finances have for a good while been in a wretched situation. We have
considerable sums in bills which lie by without being paid, or put in
execution, and many of our members never mind their yearly dues, or
anything else belonging to the lodge. And since the separation[4] from
St. David's we are not sure even of our existence as a lodge. There has
been a dispute before the Grand Lodge, but how decided, or if decided at
all, we know not.

For these and other reasons we humbly beg the favour of you, as soon as
convenient, to call a meeting, and let us consider on some means to
retrieve our wretched affairs.--We are, etc.

[Footnote 3: The MS. of the foregoing joint letter in Burns's
handwriting belongs to John Adam, Esquire, Greenock, and the letter
was first published in 1878. Burns was first admitted in St. David's
(Tarbolton) Lodge in July, 1781. At the separation preferred to he
became a member of the new lodge, St. James's, of which, two years
afterwards, he was depute-master.]