T

Scalpa says in his affidavit, September 1800-"The declarant's brother, Alexander, had a Gaelic manuscript in quarto, about an inch and a quarter thick. That he informed him he had given it to Mr Macpherson, who carried it with him." Strathmashie says-"I took down from oral tradition, and I transcribed from old manuscripts, by far the greatest part of those pieces he has published." Mr Ewen Macpherson testifies that he got from Clanranald's bard "a manuscript of the size of a New Testament, which contained some of the poems of Ossian." He also tells us that Clanranald gave him an order on Lieutenant Macdonald, Edinburgh, for "the Leabhar Dearg "-a Gaelic folio which contained poems by Össian. The Rev. Mr Gallie of Kincardine, Strathspey, says, March 1799"When Macpherson returned from his tour he came to my house. He produced several volumes small octavo, or rather large duodecimo, in the Gaelic language and character, being the poems of Ossian and other bards. I remember perfectly that many of these volumes were said to have been collected by Clanranald's bard about the beginning of the fourteenth century." We have the following interesting statement given us by Sir John Sinclair in his dissertation anent the authenticity of these poems. Previous to 1745 the Rev. John Farquharson was Catholic priest at Strathglass, Inverness-shire. At the suggestion of Mr Fraser of Culbokie, he filled a folio volume three inches thick with ancient Gaelic poetry. Farquharson carried this folio to Douay, in French Flanders, where it was repeatedly seen by Dr Cameron and four other clergymen between 1763 and 1767. In 1766 Macpherson's Ossian was sent to Farquharson. These clergymen saw him frequently comparing it with the contents of his folio. He had all, he said, of the poems Macpherson translated, as well as other Ossianic poems of equal if not greater merit. The letters of the Rev. Mr Macgillivray, who knew Farquharson and saw his folio, are so minute and circumstantial as to leave no doubt as to the truth of what

he says.

How can we resist evidence such as this-clear, unanimous, consistent, and consecutive! These men had no conceivable motive in saying what hey say, beyond saying the truth. If, therefore, we reject such testimony n favour of the genuineness of these remains, on what grounds are we to lieve in the genuineness of any literary remains? We are not discussing e point of editorship. An editor must have discretionary powers within t limits. Yet these facts we have adduced go to show that even as or Macpherson did his work faithfully and conscientiously, and has us these Ossianic remains very much as he himself received them. nes Laertius says that Solon collected the Homeric poems. Cicero says he work of Pisistratus. Plato ascribes it to Hipparchus. Possibly have passed through the editorial alembic of all three. The however, are Homer's, be the editorial merits what they may. ude, whatever the merits or demerits of Macpherson as e have in accordance with his own testimony, as that the originals of Ossian

Now in our possession.

Macpherson a large sum. His situation as ard Islands secured him a pension of £300 per of Great Britain from the restoration of Charles II. e House of Hanover brought him £3000. His

they say than just to say the truth. We extract the following from the report of the Highland Society, where the reader will find a great deal more of similar import. The Society's inquiry, of which their report is a summary, was occasioned by the statements already referred to on the part of those who denied the authenticity of these poems.

"The Rev. Mr Macpherson, minister of Sleat, writing in 1763, the year after 'Fingal' was published, says he met with people who could repeat eight pieces of Fingal' as it is published by Macpherson. The Rev. Mr Macnicol of South Uist tells us that he found people who could recite parts of books ii., iv., and v. of ‘Fingal,' and the whole of the poem of 'Darthula.' The Rev. Mr Macleod Ross of Mull says that he can personally testify to the genuineness of pieces of books ii, iii., and iv. of Fingal; that he had these pieces when a boy from a Skye man. The Rev. Mr Macaulay, military chaplain in Edinburgh, writing in 1764, says he was informed by Lieutenant Macnicol of Glenorchy that he found individuals who could recite parts of books iii, iv., and v. of 'Fingal '— also the battle of Lora, and the poem of Darthula almost to the end; and also pieces of great length of Timora and Caraigthura-almost word for word as Macpherson had given them. The Rev. Donald Macleod of Glenelg says it was in his house Macpherson got his description of Cuchulin's chariot, from a schoolmaster and another man of the name of Macleod. He also heard these men recite the part of Fingal, book iii., which describes his voyage to Lochlin. Gillies published his collection of Gaelic poems in 1786, in which he gives Malvina's dream, and Ossian's reply, amounting to fifty-seven lines, and quite as Macpherson gives them in the poem of Croma. The number of lines obtained in this way amount to nine hundred-word for word almost as they are to be found in Macpherson's original Gaelic Ossian. It will be borne in mind that these originals were not printed till 1807, so that none of them could possibly have access to them.

That Macpherson himself collected many of these poems in the same way, we have, besides his own testimony, that of the gentlemen who assisted him. Macpherson of Strathmashie says "I assisted him in collecting them, and took down from oral tradition, and transcribed by far the greatest part of those pieces he has published. I have carefully compared the translations with the originals, and find it amazingly literal, even in such a degree as in some measure to preserve the cadence of the Gaelic versification." Mr Ewen Macpherson, the Knoydart teacher, says "The declarant was with Mr Macpherson three or four weeks; in course of which he took down poems of Ossian from the recitation of several individuals at different places, which he gave to Mr Macpherson." This same person tells us that he was afterwards presented with a copy of the printed Fingal," "and that he was of opinion that the translation was excellent." So much then as to Macpherson's indebtedness to oral tradition for these poems. But we are not necessarlly to suppose that he obtained all his materials from this source alone. We find, on the contrary, that he drew largely upon the manuscripts he got; how largely we cannot say, though it is not impossible, or improbable, they contained as much, or more, of these poems than he got from oral recitations. He says himself"I have met with a number of old manuscripts in my travels. The poetical part of them I have endeavoured to secure." Mr Malcolm Macpherson of Society will do its duty, as I expect such a patriotic Association to do,

Scalpa says in his affidavit, September 1800-"The declarant's brother, Alexander, had a Gaelic manuscript in quarto, about an inch and a quarter thick. That he informed him he had given it to Mr Macpherson, who carried it with him." Strathmashie says "I took down from oral tradition, and I transcribed from old manuscripts, by far the greatest part of those pieces he has published." Mr Ewen Macpherson testifies that he got from Clanranald's bard "a manuscript of the size of a New Testament, which contained some of the poems of Ossian." He also tells us that Clanranald gave him an order on Lieutenant Macdonald, Edinburgh, for "the Leabhar Dearg "-a Gaelic folio which contained poems by Ossian. The Rev. Mr Gallie of Kincardine, Strathspey, says, March 1799"When Macpherson returned from his tour he came to my house. He produced several volumes small octavo, or rather large duodecimo, in the Gaelic language and character, being the poems of Ossian and other bards. I remember perfectly that many of these volumes were said to have been collected by Clanranald's bard about the beginning of the fourteenth century." We have the following interesting statement given us by Sir John Sinclair in his dissertation anent the authenticity of these poems. Previous to 1745 the Rev. John Farquharson was Catholic priest at Strathglass, Inverness-shire. At the suggestion of Mr Fraser of Culbokie, he filled a folio volume three inches thick with ancient Gaelic poetry. Farquharson carried this folio to Douay, in French Flanders, where it was repeatedly seen by Dr Cameron and four other clergymen between 1763 and 1767. In 1766 Macpherson's Ossian was sent to Farquharson. These clergymen saw him frequently comparing it with the contents of his folio. He had all, he said, of the poems Macpherson translated, as well as other Ossianic poems of equal if not greater merit. The letters of the Rev. Mr Macgillivray, who knew Farquharson and saw his folio, are so minute and circumstantial as to leave no doubt as to the truth of what

he says.

How can we resist evidence such as this-clear, unanimous, consistent, and consecutive! These men had no conceivable motive in saying what they say, beyond saying the truth. If, therefore, we reject such testimony in favour of the genuineness of these remains, on what grounds are we to believe in the genuineness of any literary remains? We are not discussing the point of editorship. An editor must have discretionary powers within just limits. Yet these facts we have adduced go to show that even as editor Macpherson did his work faithfully and conscientiously, and has given us these Ossianic remains very much as he himself received them. Diogenes Laertius says that Solon collected the Homeric poems. Cicero says it was the work of Pisistratus. Plato ascribes it to Hipparchus. Possibly they may have passed through the editorial alembic of all three. originals, however, are Homer's, be the editorial merits what they may. Similarly, we conclude, whatever the merits or demerits of Macpherson as editor, substantially we have in accordance with his own testimony, as well as his coadjutor's, sufficient evidence that the originals of Ossiananyhow as he received them are now in our possession.

The

These poems brought Macpherson a large sum. His situation as surveyor of the Leeward Islands secured him a pension of £300 per annum. His history of Great Britain from the restoration of Charles II. to the accession of the House of Hanover brought him £3000. His

étection as semetary for the Nabob of Amos mamite of wealth; and wo bankdilly did he do dway in this offe, that his en besought him to take the management of his afaire, and won him a bind for £10,000, bat which he did how line so relie. He promchased the pmperty of Belleville from the family & Maskizush of Berlim, which formerly was known by the name of Raita. Here he resided annually during his intervals of repose from publie daty, and displayed miform kindness and generosity towards La native fellowenitryne, with whom he was very popolaz As an instance of his genereity, it is mid that when offered on liberal terms the estate of Cluny, segretated because of the Chief's attachment to the House of Stuart, he declined the offer, and exerted himself to have it restored to the original owner. He was Member for Camelford from 1780 tl 1790. He died, February 17th, in his own house at Belleville, parish of Alvie, in 1796, at the comparatively early are of fifty-eight years; and, at his own regnest, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, in Poets' Comer. The Gaelle originals of his Ossian were not pablished till 1807 forty-five years after the publication of his English translation of them. He left a sum of money in his will for this purpose. For an explanation of this long delay, for which he was so much and perhaps justly blamed, we refer the reader to Professor Blackie's chapter on the Ossianic controversy in his volume on the language and literature of the Scottish Highlands, which will, we are sure, satisfy all unprejudiced inquirers.

HIGHLAND BOOKS.-The Highlander, referring to the recent visit of the Celtic editors to Canada, and the United States of America, publishes the following:-"It has always been felt that it was not safe for a man to publish Highland books, for example, because there were so few to buy them. Many did not read; there were still more who had become such victims of imported prejudices that they thought they would not be sustaining their own respectability if they showed a predilection for the literature and language of their own race; a still greater number were too poor to indulge in the luxury of dear books-for Highland books were always dearer in proportion than English ones. In one sentence, our Highland people were not to be relied upon to buy the books, and there were very few who could afford to publish at a loss, although, unfortunately, most who have published have done so to very small pecuniary advantage. But there was, all this time, a large Highland constituency in the colonies and in the United States; but there was next to no communication with them. They had been driven by vicious laws in this country to cut out a way for themselves in the woods of Canada, or to work in the mines of California or Australia, and they grow old in absolute ignorance of the fact that there was any Gaelic or Highland literature to think of, to buy, or to help into publicity. The publishers did not know where these people were; and it is absolutely astonishing how little the families here and in America know of each other. But let us hope that the wall of partition which stood thus between the Highlanders at and from home has in some measure been broken through, and that the authors of Highland books may calculate upon a wider and safer circulation; that the colonists, &c., may, in hundreds of cases at any rate, indulge their love of home by reading some of the literature which has got into print since they left this country, and that by this widening of the area of operations, the few who have been reading will do so in future at a smaller sacrifice."