"Visitor," a small work
published at Greenock; and in the following year became the third and
last editor of the "Harp of Renfrewshire," an esteemed collection of
songs, to which he supplied an interesting introductory essay and many
valuable notes. Pursuing his researches on the subject of Scottish song
and ballad, he appeared in 1827 as the editor of an interesting quarto
volume, entitled "Minstrelsy, Ancient and Modern,"--a work which
considerably extended his reputation, and secured him the friendly
correspondence of Sir Walter Scott. In 1828, he originated the _Paisley
Magazine_, which was conducted by him during its continuance of one
year; it contains several of his best poetical compositions, and a copy
is now extremely rare. During the same year, he was appointed editor of
the _Paisley Advertiser_, a Conservative newspaper; and this office he
exchanged, in January 1830, for the editorship of the _Glasgow Courier_,
a more influential journal in the same political interests.

On his removal to Glasgow, Motherwell rapidly extended the circle of his
literary friends, and began to exercise no unimportant influence as a
public journalist. To _The Day_, a periodical published in the city in
1832, he contributed many poetical pieces with some prose sketches; and
about the same time furnished a preface of some length to a volume of
Scottish Proverbs, edited by his ingenious friend, Andrew Henderson.
Towards the close of 1832, he collected his best poetical compositions
into a small volume, with the title of "Poems, Narrative and Lyrical."
In 1835, he became the coadjutor of the Ettrick Shepherd in annotating
an edition of Burns' Works, published by Messrs Fullarton of Glasgow;
but his death took place before the completion of this undertaking. He
died of apoplexy, after a few hours' illness, on the 1st of November
1835, at the early age of thirty-eight. His remains were interred in the
Necropolis, where an elegant monument, with a bust by Fillans, has been
erected to his memory.

Motherwell was of short stature, but was well-formed. His head was large
and forehead ample, but his features were somewhat coarse; his
cheek-bones were prominent, and his eyes small, sunk in his head, and
surmounted by thick eye-lashes. In society he was reserved and often
taciturn, but was free and communicative among his personal friends. He
was not a little superstitious, and a firm believer in the reality of
spectral illusions. Desultory