Letters from Robert Burns to Mrs Dunlop of Dunlop, 20 December 1794 to12 January 1795

This letter was written by Burns on at least four different sittings during December 1794 and January 1795. During the first sitting, dated 20 December 1794, Burns writes that he has tried in vain to send a letter to Mrs Dunlop, who has been travelling to and from London, with little success. He hopes that she is in good health and mentions that George Thomson's Select Collection of Scottish Airs will soon be published in Edinburgh. He also encloses a copy of the song My Chloris, mark how green the groves.

During the second sitting, dated 29 December, Burns announces that he has been appointed as an interim Supervisor of excise due to the illness of his own supervisor. He apologises for not having more time to write when he cuts off his letter for the second time.

The third sitting takes place on 1 January 1795. In this section, he wishes good health and a long life to Mrs Dunlop while lamenting the passage of time and the rapid approach of old age.

In the last section, written on 12 January, Burns discusses Dr John Moore's latest publication but complains of his sympathies with the recently executed King and Queen of France. As a supporter of the French Revolution, Burns writes:
’I cannot approve of the honest Doctor's whining over the deserved fate of a certain pair of Personages. -- What is there in the delivering over a perjured Blockhead & an unprincipled Prostitute into the hands of the hangman...’.

These comments lead to a cooling of the friendship, as Mrs Dunlop did not agree with Burns's republican sympathies. The friendship was renewed shortly before his death in July 1796