opposed to Union activity and there was no way he was going to join, so he was forced to leave. His only alternative was to work on his own from home in his small house. He had always been opposed to self-employment, but now he had no choice. After a year he took a shop, but a year later he had given that up commenting "the experience of what it is to keep an open door, I thought rather dear". Later work In 1811 he completed 'A Winters Day', which was printed privately with some success and in 1816 he wrote 'An Essay on the State of the Labouring Poor'. The work caused considerable correspondence for Struthers. One of the correspondents was Mr Archibald Fullarton of the firm Khull, Blackie & Co who asked his permission to print a cheap edition for circulation among that class of the community for whose benefit it was more immediately intended. The pamphlet was reduced from 18d to a groat. For the working man however the work held no charms. In 1818 'The Plough' was printed by Robert Chapman and was well received by the public. He also produced a volume of poems by William Muir, of which he edited and added a preface and saw through the press. The work died without a trace. Fullarton asked Struthers to edit a collection of songs. He did this reluctantly, thinking himself unqualified for the job. The result was 'The Harp of Caledonia' which came out in 3 volumes in 1819. It included songs by Sir Walter Scott and Joanna Baillie. In 1819 he gave up shoemaking and joined the firm of Khull, Blackie and Co. His jobs were of a most general kind including a little proof reading or editing. At the request of Fullarton he wrote 'The History of Scotland from the Union to 1827'. He intended to add a third volume, but this was never finished. He worked for 18 months on Scottish biographies, many of which appeared in Chambers 'Eminent Scotsmen'. In 1829 the firm of Khull and Blackie was broken up and Struthers found himself without employment. In 1832 took a post as librarian at Stirling's Public Library in Glasgow, a post he held for another thirteen years. He died on 30 July 1853. Works Poetry Poems on various subjects 1801. Glasgow The Poor Man's Sabbath 1804. Glasgow The Peasant's Death;