which in its human aspect, of which alone I would presume to speak, contains the record of as grand a literature as the world has ever seen, which has been translated by our best scholars and ablest men, which is and always will remain our standard work in Gaelic-if this book could in numberless instances, as I have tried by an example or two to show, be improved in its diction and idiom by borrowing from the speech of the people, it follows that the study of the language as it has been preserved in the various dialects is an absolute necessity to the student who desires to master Scottish Gaelic.

Besides, be the ultimate law of the universe what it may, Becoming, not Being, is the ultimate law of language. Sounds are dropped, forms are disused, words are discarded in all languages -the loss being made up by new combinations of home growth, and by foreign loans. In languages with a flourishing literature the vanishing forms are stereotyped, and every new acquisition registered. In the case of Gaelic we have the loss, but not the compensation. The language has never been fully utilised in the published literature, and we have neither newspapers nor periodicals through which one district can communicate to another its characteristic words as well as its special views and needs. The common word can, to say or sing, forms no part of the diction of South Argyle. Gabh oran is the phrase used when you invite a friend to sing a song. I once heard a countryman of my own, painfully helpless in English, ask a Saxon brother very pressingly to take a The admirable northern word cus (overmuch) is not even in Armstrong's Dictionary, nor another to fill its place. If you take up Rob Donn's Poems, or Mackenzie's "Beauties," or, better still, Campbell's Tales, though these works by no means exhaust the resources of the dialects, you will be amazed to find the number of beautiful and expressive words in common local use which are not only strange to you, but which are not to be found in any Gaelic Dictionary. You will also unfortunately find the local author frequently borrowing uncouth expressions from English, in ignorance of the fact that admirable words to suit his purpose are in free circulation across the nearest ferry or over the neighbouring moor. Rob Donn, eg., gives bàghan and bunndaist and prac to the south, if the south would only accept them; but surely he ought to accept in return searmonachadh and foirfeach and mile, and leave such strainnsearan as préisgeadh and eilldeir, not to speak of sùsdan, in their native land.

song.

Finally, in addition to the want of a rich standard literature, and of free literary inter-communication in the Highlands, it is the

fact that the old economy, and by consequence the old language which it cherished, are, for good or for evil, passing away. Probably for good and evil; but let us hope that here also the evil will be overcome by the good. It would be interesting to trace the effect of the Reformation upon our Gaelic diction. The Catholics have preserved, among other words, aifrionn, a loan from the Latin, to designate the mass. I played my first games at shinty in Glaic-nan-aifrionn, in a purely Gaelic speaking parish where probably not a single individual knows the meaning of the word. Cain in early times meant law. The old Irish laws were called Càin Pàtraic, and we have still the saying, A' chain a bha aig Pàruig air Eirinn, which is explained to mean the body of laws which the Saint gave to his adopted country. The word afterwards came to mean a charge upon land. It was often applied to a portion of the rent paid in kind; and kain hens is a well-known term in Lowland Scotch. Cain means now in some districts a tax, in others a fine. In my native parish the word is restricted to the blacksmith's dues, which are paid in kind. So in South Argyle toinneamh is the miller's share of the meal for grinding it; and bunndaist—literally poundage — is applied by Rob Donn to designate the weaver's portion. The growing of flax and the manufacture of linen have dissappeared in Colonsay within my own recollection. The simidean is on the way to the museum, but the seiceil can again be turned to practical use in giving the final dressing to the tangled heads of candidates for Parliament. The spinning of wool is decreasing, and the weaving and dressing of woollen cloth is being rapidly transferred to the mills. Here is an interesting section of our lyric poetrythe waulking songs-being hushed for ever, and the whole vocabulary of a native industry in process of translation to the region of metaphor- the calanas of the good-wife, with her cuigeal and fearsaid, her cìreadh and tlàmadh and cladadh, her eachan and crois, crann-deilbh; and the weaver with his beairt and slinn and coimhead and spal and iteachan and fudhagan and gogan-treiscin and dlùth and inneach and eige, and a hundred more of useful articles and good Gaelic words. That most fascinating phase of Highland rural life—the airidh-which has produced so many beautiful lyrics, and especially those of the joyous and merry class, of which Gaelic possesses too few, is to most of us only a memory, if even so much. About the end of last century the airidh formed an essential part of the rural economy of the tenantry in the heart of Invernessshire. Mrs Grant of Laggan describes it, and was equally captivated by the poetry and the profits of the shielings. This phase

of life has hardly passed away as yet in the outer isles, and the literary, one might say the ceremonial, beauty of it, as well as its social charms, are happily described and illustrated by Mr Carmichael in an interesting paper entitled "Grazing and Agrestic Customs in the Outer Hebrides" which he furnished to the Crofters' Commissioners, and which is printed in the Appendix to their Report

The argument might be pursued and pressed on other grounds, on patriotic as well as on linguistic grounds, but for the present I have, perhaps, said enough. A thorough and systematic investigation of our Gaelic dialects is of the highest importance. Many members of the Gaelic Society of Inverness are, from early training, special opportunity, and interest in the subject, peculiarly fitted to deal with it. I beg most earnestly to recommend it to their attention.

21ST APRIL 1886.

On this date the Secretary (Mr William Mackenzie) read— (1) a paper entitled "Some Unpublished Letters of Simon, 12th Lord Lovat," contributed by Donald Cameron of Lochiel; and (2) a paper on "Granting Diplomas of Gentle Birth, &c., by Scottish Kings-Case of Lieut.-Colonel Monro of Obsdale, 1663," by Mr Charles Fraser-Mackintosh, M.P.

Lochiel's paper was as follows:

SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS OF SIMON 12TH LORD LOVAT TO LOCHIEL OF THE '45.

The interest which attaches to all that concerns the history, or illustrates the character of the celebrated Simon Lord Lovat renders it unnecessary to offer to the members of the Gaelic Society of Inverness any apology for the following contributions to a study of the public and private life of that extraordinary man. The following extracts are taken from a packet of letters given some years ago to the writer of this paper through the courtesy of the representative of a family allied to his own as well as to that of the author of the letters. By far the greater number of documents contained in the packet consist of letters addressed by Lord Lovat to the Lochiel of '45, and are almost all of a private nature, reference to topics connected with current political events being few and far between. It is, indeed, probable that in the stormy period immediately succeeding the date of most

of the letters (1743-44) all those which might in any degree compromise those adherents of the Stuart cause who had escaped the vengeance of the Government were destroyed. It seems unlikely, except on this hypothesis, that so confidential a correspondence should have been maintained between two Highland chiefs whose intimacy was so close, and yet that all those topics which, to a large extent, occupied the thoughts of men at that time should be studiously avoided.

There are, however, a few other letters addressed to Macleod of Macleod, the commencement to which is somewhat quaint. Lovat seems always to have begun his letters to that chief thus"My dear mother's chief," his mother being Sibylla, fourth daughter of John Macleod of Macleod. In reference to this, it is curious to observe the extreme punctiliousness which a hundred and fifty years ago marked the style of correspondence even between the most intimate friends. The following extract may be given as an example of the courtesies of correspondence then prevalent, but hardly ever brought to such perfection as in the present instance. Every letter in the collection begins in this way, or something very like it :-" My very dear Cusin," or, "My dear Laird of Lochiell" or "Lochziell "I received the honour of your letter, dated the 7th of this month, and I am exceedingly overjoyed to know that you keep your health; but I am very sorry that my dear Cusin your worthy lady is still tender and has a cough. I pray that Heaven may recover her health, for your comfort, and the good of your children, and for the satisfaction of her friends and relations. I am very sure she has no friend or relation in the world that wishes Her Ladyship better than I do, and I I beg leave to assure you and her, and all the lovely Bearns, of my most humble duty and affectionate respects."

Subjoined is a specimen of the conclusion of one of the letters, and it may indeed be said that in many cases the complimentary portion of the letter often occupies as large a space as half the rest of its contents:-

"I was overjoyed by my cousine Gortuleg that you and my very dear cousine, the Lady Lochiel, and your lovely Bairns were in health. Gortuleg makes panegericks on your friendship and good advices. You will always find him a very honest man, and much your faithful servant. I beg leave to assure you and my dear cousine, the Lady Locheil, and the dear young ones, of my most affectionate humble duty and best respects and good wishes. My Jenyie joins with me in these dutiful respects and good wishes. And I am much more than I can express, with most

unfeigned attachment and unalterable respect, my dear Laird of Lochiel, your most affectionate cousine and most obedient and respectful humble servant, “Lovat.”

That Lovat was accustomed to administer compliments in strong doses is corroborated by the compiler of the "History of the Chiefs of the Grants," who says (vol. 1, p. xxi.)—“Too much importance will not be attached to the letters of Simon Lord Lovat by those who are acquainted with his peculiar style. It was his wont to indulge in expressions of admiration, and even adulation, towards such of his friends as he particuliarly fancied."

The letters were, however, not all couched in the affectionate terms of the above extract. When any incident occurred to arouse the anger or jealousy of the Northern Chief, he would adopt a much cooler, not to say freezing tone, and he was in the habit of exaggerating his grievances equally with his assurances of affection when so disposed. Thus, in 1736, he begins his letter-" My dear sir" (in place of "my dear cousin or "my dear Laird of Lochiel "). The grievance complained of in this letter is apparently the usual one between Highland chiefs, at that time

-a raid or foray in which the members of one clan suffered from the depredations of neighbours who were supposed to be on terms of friendship or alliance. After referring to certain friendly overtures which Lovat made, he goes on to say:

"You cannot but be convinced of the great and singular love and regard I have for your person and family, and of my extraordinary patience in suffering so long such a terrible and manifest insult without endeavouring to resent it. But now, my dear cousin, I must freely and frankly tell you that my patience is worn out, and that I cannot longer forbear endeavouring to do myself and my kindred justice. But before I begin such a disagreeable undertaking, I send two principal gentlemen of my name that are my Baillies and Chamberlains, and are well known to you, Alexander Fraser of Bellnain, and William Fraser of Belloan, to get your final and positive answer of peace or war which will determine me. The proposition that John Fraser was so silly as to make to me to send money to those Ruffians to ransom the cattle, and bring them back, in my humble opinion is as great an insult as the first. However, I have bore patiently all those affronts till now, in hopes that the Laird of Lochiel, my nearest relation and my good friend, would give me redress, and that the Clan of the Camerons would not willingly and wilfully make war against the Clan of the Frasers, their old friends and allies who fought their battles against the Macdonalds and the