without some formidable allies. Satire was revenged with satire. There were plenty poets in the land, and though their lesser light has been extinguished in the glory of the Reay Bard, they were by no means contemptible. One of these espoused the cause of the Greys, and ran a poetic lance through our poet's character and poetry. That his name was Rob the Brave was no cause of terror to the greater Rob. He was delighted at the new chance given to his faculty for satire. At once he pours forth a torrent of abuse on his brother poet, dwelling with shameful gusto on physical peculiarities. In his rage he withdraws some concessions formerly made to the good qualities of Captain Grey, and now declares that his marriage into a truly noble family did not secure for him its distinguished virtues that in character each remains separate. The neatest verse in the poem is a description of Rob as one who would make a good priest for a man without religion; a good secretary for a circumventing knave; a steward for a merciless oppressing family; a tutor for the children of the barren!! With an expression of sincere regret that time has not dealt more kindly by the whitewasher of the Greys, so detestable to Rob Donn, that the other side of the question might be heard, we bid a peaceful adieu to the memory of those for whom our bard had nothing but war, and pass on to a serener atmosphere.

The next Elegy we shall glance at is intensely interesting, not only for the soft beauty of its poetry, but for the nature of its contents. The poet celebrates the virtues of one of the middle class ladies of his own day and country. Her name is Eliza Sutherland. Intelligence, morality, religion, must have prevailed among a people which produced a woman like her, and a bard capable, though technically illiterate, of appreciating her worth, and of embalming her fame in such strains as these. There is nothing mean, vulgar, or ostentatious, either in the subject of the Elegy, nor yet in the style and thought of the Elegy itself. We rise from the perusal of it, grateful to the poet for letting us see that culture, refinement, winning manners, are older than shooting boxes, colossal fortunes, and the march of intellect. Particularly pleasing is the revelation it makes of the influence wielded by the gentlewomen, to use a good old word, whom our bard knew, of the deep and tender reverence, freely rendered to them. If we turn to the Elegy, we discover the secret of their gentle power, the qualities in detail which won for them honour and affection. They found a fit home for themselves in the person of the wife of the tacksman of Raoin. The poet sings with a soft, subdued note the praises of that beautiful home. Elizabeth's history and character evidently made a deep impression upon his mind. He was, besides, admitted to her circle. He found in her no ordinary woman, and he describes what he saw with a firm, gentle hand. He would, if possible, keep alive her fame, not so much for her sake as for the sake of those still alive, in order to stir them up to emulate her goodness. Rob Donn had no sympathy with those who say that men owe nothing to their ancestry, as he dwells with delight on her fortune in being of a good family. He is ever proud of the present, in so far as it is linked to the past, grows out of it, and in its own life preserves what had accumulated in the traditions of family and clan. For this reason he loves to see in the moral beauty and personal attractions of the subject of his poem a fair copy of what had adorned in times

past the lives of a long line of ancestors on either side. To be interested in the past, as the poet was, is to be careful of the future-careful that the inheritance received shall be transmitted without dishonour to those who shall come after. This honour, too, was due to the memory of his departed friend. She had left behind her children who, unless their noon would belie the bright signs of their morning, would not disgrace the pure blood in their veins. Surely we may fearlessly say, that the singing of such sentiments in their hearing, as the bard teils us would be done by the bereaved husband, should greatly help to bring about a realisation of the bard's anticipations.

Rob Donn lays much more stress upon beauty of character, than upon beauty of person. The moral attracts him more than the sensuous. He cares little for elaborate painting in colours taken from the external. This may account for what his masterly critic in the Gael says of the comparative unmusicalness of his lines. Fine metaphors, subtle and melodious combinations of sound, gave him no concern. Neatness, brevity, point, antithesis, were his delight, and in these he need fear no comparison. Thus he disposes of the external attractions of his heroine in a line or two, and he does so by saying that these in their various forms, were such that they needed no mention from him. Such is not the manner of many other Gaelic poets, who are not unfrequently minute to trifling in their description of the external, though that habit, when at its best, has given a richness of colour, a fulness of style, a wealth of melody, to their poems, to which Rob Donn can lay no claim. In the poem before us, Donn is true to his genius. He would have a picture of the Lady of Raoin placed in the chamber of every young wife--a written picture of her actions, her speech, her understanding, her piety. He could not write such a picture, but he could, and did, reduce it to speech, if the mixed metaphor be forgiven. In doing so, he takes care that the virtues he describes are not lost sight of in the gorgeousness of the terms in which they are clothed. We may give a short sample in bold prose of some of the graces which adorned the "daughter of the Laird of Langwell." "Thy good breeding gave thee mildness and courtesy in the society of lowly Gaels; thy rich culture introduced thee to the highest English society; thy bearing was dignified in every company-whether it was haughty or genial; thy countenance beamed in presence of one who bore the seal of a religious spirit. Thy hands were deft; thine intellect was keen, for nature and culture met both together there." There are ladies still in the land of the Reays who might be described in the very same terms, at home, in cottage, and hall, with Gaelic for the one, and English for the other. The more is the pity that there are others who affect the foolish pride of thinking the language of Rob Donn beneath their notice.

KINBRACE.

TO CONTRIBUTORS.-First article on Ian MacCodrum received, and will appear in an early issue.

THE MONUMENT TO JOHN MACKENZIE, OF THE "BEAUTIES OF GAELIC POETRY."

THE following letter appeared in The Inverness Courier; and afterwards in The Highlander, The Inverness Advertiser, The London Scottish Journal, and The Ross-shire Journal :—

Celtic Magazine Office, Inverness, Feb. 4, 1878.

SIR,-Will you kindly permit me to appeal, through your widely circulated paper, to the admirers of the language and literature of the Gael at home and abroad, for their aid in erecting a decent monument to one to whom we all owe so much. If he had done nothing else than to collect the materials for, and compile "The Beauties of Gaelic Poetry," he would have deserved this at the hands of his Gaelic countrymen; but he has done much more: he has written, or translated, over thirty volumes of poetry and prose-secular and religious-many of which his countrymen daily peruse in their Gaelic vernacular, without having the slightest idea to whom they are indebted for placing these within their reach in their own language.

The monument is already ordered-a granite obelisk, 12 feet 6 inches high, on which it is intended to place an inscription in Gaelic and English -and will be ready in July next. In addition to this it would be most agreeable to place a slab at the head of his grave in the ruined old chapel in which he is buried, and in which it is impossible to erect the monument itself. At present there is nothing to indicate his last resting-place. This is a positive shame; but I feel sure that it only wants to be known to be at once rectified by his many admirers. A sum of about £50 has been already promised, but a few pounds more are necessary to enable us to carry out the proposed monument and tablet. The Gaelic Society of Inverness has collected about £10 among its members. Could not other Celtic societies do themselves the honour to follow the example?

The following extract from a letter just received from Evan M'Coll, the Bard of Loch-Fyne, is, I trust, sufficiently interesting to secure a place in your columns; and at the same time to rouse the interest of Highlanders in this movement. Mr M'Coll writes from Kingston, Canada:- "From a few words in your letter of last May, in reference to your relative, John Mackenzie, of 'The Beauties,' and the monument about to be erected in commemoration of his achievements as a Celtic writer, I would infer that you think John and myself were not personally known to one another. Unknown indeed! Why, my dear sir, John and I have eaten at the same table and slept in the same bed hundreds of times between the winter of 1835 and the spring of 1839, at which latter date I left Scotland for Liverpool, never again to meet with him in this life. We, however, continued to occasionally exchange letters up to within a year or two of his death. It was in the town of Greenock that we first met each other, and that at

the hospitable evening fireside of a most estimable friend of mine, and his too-Hugh Fraser, a citizen of Inverness, although at that time resident in Greenock, where he did business as a bookseller. Many a time have I listened, under Mr Fraser's roof, to our friend's favourite Feadan (chanter) that inseparable companion of his, that often afterwards helped to chase dull care away from us both, when together in Glasgow 'cultivating literature on a little oatmeal.' Poor John! when I think of all the privations he endured in pursuit of his favourite object-the cold shoulder so often given to him by men who, if he were now living, would be proud to call him their friend-I may well admire the perseverance which enabled him eventually to make himself a name which the world will not willingly let die.' His works are his best monument, and yet I cannot help honouring you for your efforts to have his last resting-place marked by a memorial cairn worthy of so genuine a Gael; and as it would be very ungracious in me not to fling a stone in among the rest, I purpose sending you a guinea towards the general fund."

Trusting that others will follow such a good example and intimate their subscriptions to the honorary treasurer, Alex. Fraser, Esq., Drummond Estate Offices, 16 Union Street, Inverness; or to yourself, perhaps, si, for John Mackenzie had, early in his career, an engagement on the Courier.-I am, sir, yours faithfully,

ALEX. MACKENZIE,

TEACHING GAELIC IN HIGHLAND SCHOOLS. - The patriotic member for the Inverness burghs, Mr Fraser-Mackintosh, who has made this question peculiarly his own, and been busy in season and out of season forcing its attention at headquarters, has at length been successful in securing some recognition of its claims from the Education Department. His motion on the subject was fixed for Tuesday the 19th ult. in the House of Commons, when he had made every arrangement to secure influential support from hon. members in the House, but at the last moment it was announced that Lord Sandon and the Lord Advocate could not attend owing to indisposition, and that the discussion would have to be further delayed. This looked apparently fatal to the cause, but Mr Fraser-Mackintosh set to work, and after much correspondence and an interview with Sir F. Sandford, the Education Department has agreed, on his representation, to recognise Gaelic in the Code of 1878 to the extent of permitting it to be taught at least two hours a week, and to be utilised as a means of instruction in other branches. In this way the permitted time will be paid by Government grant, and the school funds may be applied in special payment to teachers. As these alterations met to some extent the object of Mr Fraser-Mackintosh's resolution, he has thought it advisable to accept them and to wait their effect before again moving in the matter. A number of petitions in favour of teaching Gaelic in the schools have been presented from various parts of the Highlands by School Boards and others, among the rest from parishioners of Tarbat, the Glasgow Highland Association, Glasgow Sutherland Association, Helensburgh Highland Association, Gaelic Society of Glasgow, Gaelic Society of Edinburgh, School Board of Tyree, parishioners of Barvas, parishioners of Moy, School Boards of Killearnan, of Boleskine and Abertarff, of Latheron, of Clyne; School Boards and parishioners of Assynt and of Contin; parishioners of Shieldaig, of Kilmuir, and of Stenscholl, Isle of Skye ; South Ballachulish, and Glencoe, Gairloch, and Kilcalmonell; Gaelic Societies of Inverness and London, Ossian Lodge of Good Templars, Glasgow ; and office-bearers of the Free Church, Portree.

Р

WILLIAM JOLLY, H.M. INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS, ON GAELIC LITERATURE AND THE CELTIC CHAIR.

Ar our request, Mr Jolly has considerably expanded the remarks he made on these subjects, at the recent annual dinner of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, so as to give fuller expression to his opinions in regard to them than was possible in an after-dinner speech. The paper will be found, as it now stands, a most valuable contribution to the discussion on the desirability of teaching Gaelic in Highland schools, and is exceedingly well timed.

When Mr Jolly rose to propose the toast of "Celtic Literature and the Celtic Chair," he was received with loud applause. He said the toast he had to submit to them was one he had particular pleasure in proposing, as he would endeavour to remove certain misapprehensions regarding the subjects included in it, speaking as a Saxon to Saxons, and mayhap to not a few Celts. He continued :

It is not unfrequently asked, in real sincerity, Is there a Gaelic Literature other than the doubtful Ossian? Certainly, and a rich and good one. That has been shown to some extent in Gray's specimens from the Welsh bards; by Matthew Arnold, when, in Oxford, he opened up in some measure this unknown field; by Pattison, in his translations from the Gaelic poets; but it has been proved beyond cavil or question, by our chief, Professor Blackie, in his brilliant sketch of that literature, and his more brilliant examples of its power and pathos. That one book is a sufficient answer to the question, an answer so good that it has taken our literateurs by surprise, and caused astonishment to the Times—that here, for generations, we have been neglecting and despising, with English self-sufficiency, a rich fountain of song, a mine of poetic wealth, at our very door. Henceforth, no history of British literature will be complete that does not include a Celtic chapter, merely as a statement of fact, if for no higher poetical, literary, or national reasons. I remember well when first I was introduced to this fountain of lyric fire and feeling, many years ago, away at the back of Schiehallion-when a Gaelic friend and myself, after ascending the great mountain cone, found a selection of Gaelic poetry in English, in Rogers' work, in an empty shepherd's sheiling at the foot of the mountain, along with the Bible, and Madeleine Smith's trial! There we sat and read Dugald Buchanan's Last Day and other pieces; and there I first got a glimpse into a vista of real poetry-in that lone Highland glen, a fitting place for a first experience of a literature that mirrors the grand, the sublime, the solitary, and the beautiful, among the wild glens and bens of the north. Since then, I have gone into the subject, and it is my simple conviction that it is a poetry and a literature