no doubt that a faithful tranflation would be acceptable to the literary world, which of late years, have received, very favourably attempts to preferve ancient poctry of far inferior interest and merit. Let us therefore hear no more of Macpherson, whose last preface fufficiently intimates his own claim to the renown which had attended his fuppofed original. Difmifling this queftion entirely, we would earnestly recommend a general felection of Gaelic poetry upon the plan of Mifs Brookes, excepting only that the tranflations fhould be made in profe; a condition, however, from which we will willingly releafe the Chairman of the Committe, fhould he be pleafed to gratify the public by undertaking

the task.

Of Mr Laing's criticisms, we take the liberty to fay, that the impreffion they have made on us has been involuntary, and that he has, as it were, carried his point by storm. We were never believers in Offian to the extravagant extent demanded by Macpherfon; yet we long cherished the pleafing belief that much of his tranflation, perhaps more than one half, was authorised by an authentic original. Nor did we think that we were very credulous fince thus far we had the countenance of Mr Pinkerton himself. But the refult of the Committee's inquiries, by which, though much ancient poetry has been collected, not one poem of

huin (Allen in Leinfter) as the abode of Fingal. Many of the Irish poems, fuch as Magnus, Cath-Gabhra, &c. in which the claim of Green Erin to the Fions is maintained, are current in the Highlands; but in no fuch poem, in manufcript, or traditionary, is there a hint given of their being Scottifhmen. Irish hiftory mentions them explicitly, and narrates their rife and fall: in Scottish hiftory they were never heard of, fave where flightly mentioned as fubjects of legendary lore by Boece; for even that fabler never dreamed of a pretenfion which would have jammed Fingal, Comhal, Trathal, Trenmor, and heaven knows how many car-borne chiefs befides into the middle of his royal genealogy. Gawain Douglas calls them Irish gods. Above all, Macpherson was ignorant of the real hiftory of the colony of the Dalriads or Irish Scots who poffeffed themselves of a part of Argylefhire in the middle of the third century; an indubitable fact, inconfiftent with his whole fyftem. But it is highly probable that the Fions occafionally vifited Scotland, and engaged in her wars. Hence, perhaps, their general renown through the Highlands, which we are ftill more inclined to afcribe to the prevalence of the tales concerning them. Mountains and ftreams are fre quently named after the heroes of romance in a neighbouring country, whofe fame has extended to that in which they are fituated. We have, in Scotland, as many places called after the British Arthur, as the Irish Fingal has attached his name to in the Weft Highlands.

of the celebrated Offian has been recovered-the avowal of Macpherson, when he drops Offian and talks of himself, his own genius, and his own improvements-and finally, this elaborate work, in which more than a thousand resemblances, coincidences, and plagiarisms are pointed out, compels us to allow, that the poems of Offian, as tranflated by M'Pherfon, bear the fame relation to the original legends, that the Tragedy of Douglas does to the Ballad of Gil Morris. But, while we are compelled to renounce the pleafing idea, that Fingal lived, and that Öffian fung,' our national vanity may be equally flattered by the fact, that a remote, and almost a barbarous corner of Scotland, produced, in the 18th century, a bard, capable not only of making an enthusiastic impreffion on every mind fufceptible of poetical beauty, but of giving a new tone to poetry throughout all Europe.

ART. XVI.

A Differtation on the best Means of civilizing the Subjects of the British Empire in India, and of diffufing the Light of the Chriftian Religion throughout the Eaftern World; which obtained Mr Buchanan's prize. By the Rev. William Cockburn, A. M. Fellow of St John's College, and Christian Advocate in the University of Cambridge. 4to. pp. 48. Deighton, Cambridge. Rivington and Hatchard, London. 1805..

WHI

HILE we admire the truly oriental liberality of Mr Bachanan in exciting the industry and emulation of our Univerfities, we cannot help doubting, whether the subject propofed by him for the English effay was very judiciously chofen. The discovery of the means by which the civilization of a people may be advanced, is the great problem, which it is the bufinefs of all legiflation practically to folve, and a problem which has staggered the mightiest masters of political wisdom. The difficulty, however, of folving it, is confiderably increased in a cafe like the prefent. India is a country little known to Englishmen in general, and, leaft. of all, we should think, to Englifhmen removed from the bustle of public life, and cloistered in the abodes of science and literature. Even the little which fuch perfons may be prefumed to know of that remote dependency of our empire, cannot be of a practical or a producible kind. The gleanings of information which they may have collected refpecting it, are repofed in their minds, rather like exotic rarities in á museum, than as merchantable wares intended for ufe and circulation. In addition to all this, it may naturally be fuppofed,

that

that the candidates for fuch prizes as thofe of Mr Buchanan, will ufually belong to the juvenile class of academics, a defcrip. tion of characters not the most likely to have qualified their literary or philofophical ftudies with an infufion of Indian politics.

On a differtation proceeding from fuch a quarter, upon fuch a fubject, it is pretty evident that our demands fhould be moderate; nor muft we be difconcerted at difcovering it to be tolerably fertile of errors, and perhaps of contradictions. Even the narrative or historic sketches which it contains, are not likely to be accurate, but will probably exhibit all thofe defects which ufually disfigure the hafty defigns of an unpractifed pencil. At the best, it may be prefumed, that the facts detailed will feldom be viewed in their juft light, or turned to the greatest account. Inftead of being fcientifically claffified, and (if we may fo fpeak) accurately fized, we may expect to find them toffed to gether with little judgment, and with little reference to their mutual bearings, or their comparative importance. Still lefs, perhaps, is to be expected from the reafonings than from the facts. To fay the leaft, we can look for nothing in this department that is very profound or fyftematic, nor please ourselves with the profpect of any mafterly elucidation of the principles, by which the policy of Great Britain, with refpect to her Oriental dominions, fhould be regulated. On the contrary, we must be prepared to meet with opinions haftily, and, perhaps, imperfectly drawn from cafual fources, opinions of various authority, not very patient of coalition, and rather fhaken together by force than combining spontaneously by virtue of their refpective affinities.

All this, we fay, is to be expected in an academical difquifition on the fubject propofed by Mr Buchanan; and if therefore we add, that all this, or fomething very like it, is to be found in the Effay before us, we hope we fhall not be accused of difrefpect, either to its author, or to that learned body who, by publishing it without correction, have acquiefced in its errors. In truth, we are willing to cenfure the fubject much more than either the effayift or the judges. We will not, indeed, say that, confidered either as an exhibition of general talent, or as a mere piece of writing, this production is quite worthy of the celebrated Univerfity whofe approbation it has received. But we wish to speak tenderly of it in thefe refpects, and fhall therefore confine our ftrictures almoft entirely to fuch of its defects as may be afcribed to misinformation on points immediately commected with its main fubject. Of these we fhall now produce a few famples. Should we ourselves, in the course of our examen, be any where chargeable with mistakes fimilar to thofe that we fhall expofe, (which,

(which, however, we truft, will not be the cafe), this will only be a fresh proof of the difficulty of the questions at iffue; and we must cheer ourselves, like the poet, with the thought of having a companion in error-quales ego vel Cluviemis.

Our learned effayift begins his differtation with fome general reafonings, of which (as far as in us lies) our readers fhall remain for ever ignorant. He then proceeds to remark, that nothing can be more injurious to the peace, and therefore to the increafing civilization of India, than the growth of finall states ori that continent, and on this fubject he thus admonishes our Indian governors :'

• Whenever the termination of war, or other accidents, leave them at liberty to make new arrangements with refpect to territory, let them avoid, if they wish for peace and increafing civilization, the formation of fmall flates, even though thofe flates be in fome meafure dependent on themfelves. With this impreffion, I cannot fufficiently applaud the ufe made by Lord Wellesley, of our complete fucceffes in the Myfore in the year 1799.

The territory of Tippoo was ours by right of conqueft. A part which added much to our fecurity, but little otherwife to our aggrandisement, was retained; whilst the rest of the spoil was offered to the Nizam and the Poonah Mahrattas, the two ftates already the most powerful in the peninfula of India.' P. 10.

We cannot help admiring, here, the convenient ambiguity of the word offered; and at the fame time cautioning the gentle reader against the supposition, that the land which was offered on this occafion, was necellarily given.. The fact is, that the whole of the above extract comes true (as the faying is) by the rule of con traries. At the period in queftion, no land at all was given to the Mahrattas; fome was indeed offered, which Mr Cockburn might think enough, but which they thought too little, and the matter ended in their having none. The Nizam fared better for a time; he actually received fome territory, but was foon perfuaded to refign it to us, in lieu of a pecuniary fubfidy which he had formerly ftipulated to pay for the maintenance of a body of British foldiers at his capital. Finally, a fmall tract of country was erected into a principality under the Rajah of Myfore.

Thus, then, the 'ufe made of our complete fucceffes in 1799,' and which this author cannot fufficiently applaud,' has been, that the Nizam and the Mahrattas, thofe two powerful states,' are left without a fingle rood of the conquered territory between them; and that, in the principality of Myfore, we have actually set up one of those fmall ftates, the formation of which our Indian governors are to avoid, if they wish for peace and increafing civilization.'

Next, our author ftrongly recommends to his countrymen in the Eaft, the policy of aflifting, as far as poffible, the established governments in their neighbourhood against ufurpers. Ufurpers, he fays truly, are ever restless:

The old hereditary monarch, fitting fecurely on his father's throne, and enjoying his high dignity without fear of any rival, wishes not to rifk a fituation fo preeminent, by engaging in doubtful wars and dangerous attacks upon the fimilar eftablishments of his neighbours.

Upon principles, then, of the foundest political wisdom did Marquis Wellesley enter into the late conteft. He protected the old Nizam, and strengthened his power again the too potent union of the Mahrattas; facilitating, at the fame time, the acceffion of his fon to an hereditary throne: while our well-difciplined troops, acting under. the fanction of the defenfive treaty of Baffein, entered Poonah, not as enemies or plunderers, but as protectors of the inhabitants, and as allies of the degraded Peifhwa, whofe authority had firft been ufurped by the ambitious Scindia, and afterwards completely destroyed by the adventurous and daring Holkar. In the fame fpirit of excellent policy, and with the fame fuccefs and glory, did General Lake, on the northern quarter of Hindoftan, refcue the venerable Emperor of Delhi from the tyranny of the fame Scindia, and the more dangerous influence of that afpiring and fubtle Frenchman, M. Perron. p. 10, 11.

It is really to be hoped, that the character of Lord Wellesley for found political wifdom,' and that of Lord Lake for ex-cellent policy,' do not altogether depend on the accuracy or inaccuracy of this ftatement; for, unlefs we are much mistaken, thefe four fentences contain at least four confiderable errors. Firf, Lord Wellesley never dreamed of entering into the late conteft, for the purpose of protecting the old Nizam against the Mahrattas. In truth, the Mahrattas, according to the Noble Lord's own reprefentation, were actuated folely by a fpirit of hostility towards the British government; they even invited the Nizam to a close alliance with themselves; and at last menaced him with an attack, only because they could not detach him from our friendfhip. The Nizam, therefore, was no more the cause of the war than the Dey of Algiers, nor was he indebted to the enmity of the Mahrattas for our protection,' but to our protection for the enmity of the Mahrattas. Secondly, The fame remark applies to the fucceffion of the Nizam's fon, which there would have been no occafion to facilitate,' had not the war already broken out; because no Mahratta would have attempted to difturb it. Thirdly, The treaty of Baffein can no more be called a defenfive treaty, than a treaty between the Emperor of Ruffia and Louis the XVIII. could be called defenfive, in which his Imperial Majefty fhould engage to restore the King of France to the throne of his fathers. Fourthly, Lord Lake never thought of reftoring the venerable

Emperor