were there any thing of a regular communication between my place of abode and his. As your Dissertation has done, suffer me to say it, a great deal of honour to our country, I wish, with all my soul, your new intended work may be able to satisfy all reasonable sceptics, and unbelievers, if not to silence the cavils of malignity, and surmises of envy. You will not, to be sure, be in a hurry to publish your new defence of the authenticity, &c. till all the materials that can be found are collected together. No doubt Mr Macpherson and you act in concert; if so, what he and others will be able to furnish, can hardly fail to prove that the poems are genuine. I have the satisfaction to subscribe myself, with very high esteem and respect, Dear Sir, Your affectionate Brother, and most obedient servant, JOHN MACPHerson. 4. From LACHLAN M'PHERSON of Strathmashie, dated Strathmashie, 22d October, 1763. SIR, As I hear you have made application in this country for testimonies concerning the authenticity of Ossian's poems, I make bold to send you this letter, of which you may make what use you please. In the year 1760, I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend Mr Macpherson, during some part of his journey in search of the poems of Ossian, through the Highlands. I assisted him in collecting them; and took down from oral tradition, and transcribed from old manuscripts, by far the greatest part of those pieces he has published. Since the publication, I have carefully compared the translation with the copies of the originals in my hands, and find it amazingly literal, even in such a degree, as to preserve, in some measure, the cadence of the Gaelic versification. I need not aver, Sir, that these poems are taken in this country to be of the utmost antiquity. This is notorious to almost all those who speak the Gaelic language in Scotland. In the Highlands, the scene of every action is pointed out to this day; and the Historical Poems of Ossian have been, for ages, the winter evening amusement of the clans. Some of the hereditary bards retained by the chiefs, committed very early to writing some of the works of Ossian. One manuscript in particular was written as far back as the year 1410, which I saw in Mr Macpherson's possession. Permit me, Sir, as a Highlander, to make use of this opportunity to thank you, for the pains you have taken to illustrate the beauties, and establish the reputation, of the poems of Ossian, which do so much honour to the ancient genius of our country. I am, with great esteem, Sir, Your most obedient servant, 5. From Doctor JOHN MACPHERSON, Minister of Sleat, dated Sleat, 27th November 1763. DEAR SIR, Soon after your letter came to hand, I wrote upon the subject of it to several gentlemen who live at a considerable distance from the place of my residence, and did myself the pleasure at the same time to examine, in compliance with your request, all the persons in my neighbourhood that could be of any service, I had reason to believe, that the gentlemen would exert all their strength in defending a cause in which Dr Blair, Mr Macpherson, and, let me add, I myself, are so deeply interested, especially as it is a national one; but hitherto I have not had the satisfaction of receiving any the smallest assistance in that way. What I have to say myself, in answer to your questions, after having made all the researches in my power, is in substance as follows: That I have perused a Gaelic manuscript, containing all the poems translated by Mr Macpherson, or a considerable part of them, I am not able to say; but can honestly affirm, that I have seen a Gaelic manuscript in the hands of an old bard, who travelled about through the Highlands and Isles about thirty years ago, out of which he read, in my hearing, and before thousands yet alive, the exploits of Cuchullin, Fingal, Oscar, Ossian, Gaul, Dermid, and the other heroes celebrated in Mr Macpherson's book. This bard was descended of a race of ancestors who had served the family of Clanranald for about three hundred years, in quality of bards and genealogists, and whose predecessors had been employed in the same office by the Lords of the Isles long before the family of Clanranald existed. The name of the tribe which produced these hereditary poets and shenachies, was Macmhurich. The last man of the tribe who sustained these two characters with any dignity I knew personally, and conversed with him more than once. He was a man of some letters, like all or most of his predecessors in that office; and had, to my certain knowledge, some manuscripts, in verse as well as prose, in his possession. Whether these manuscripts are now extant, I cannot say, as I live at a great distance from that part of the country where the Macmhurichs were settled, and as I have not yet heard from a gentleman there to whom I have written of late upon that subject. That the poems contained in the manuscripts belonging to the Macmhurichs, were identically the same with those published by Mr Macpherson, or nearly so, seems to be abundantly probable. One reason that induces me to entertain this opinion is this; I have conversed with many different persons who had frequently rehearsed, from memory, several parts of the poems translated by that gentleman, long before he was an author; and I can affirm, that these several parts, together with many more of the same kind, and in the same manner, were rehearsed by the Macmhurich's times without number. So much in answer to your first question. I have, in obedience to your request, made enquiry for all the persons around me who were able to rehearse from memory any parts of the poems published by Mr Macpherson, and have made them to rehearse, in my hearing, the several fragments or detached pieces of these poems which they were able to repeat. This done, I compared with great care the pieces rehearsed by them with Mr Macpherson's translation. These pieces, or fragments, are as follows: The Description of Cuchullin's Chariot; Fingal, Book 1st, page 11. The rehearsers are, John Macdonald of Breackish, in Strath, Isle of Sky, gentleman; Martin Macilivray, tenant in Slate; and Allan Macaskle, farmer, in Glenelg. The Episode relating to Faincasolis; Fingal, Book 3d, page 45. The rehearsers are, among many more, John Macdonald of Breackish; Alexander Macdonald, merchant in Slate; John Down, cow-herd there; and John Maclean, carpenter, in the parish of Strath. The actions of Ossian at the lake of Lege, and his courtship of Everallin; Fingal, Book 4th, page 50. The rehearsers are, Alexander Macdonald, merchant, in Slate; Nicol Mackenzie, in the parish of Strath, gentleman; and Ewen Macpherson, schoolmaster, in Glenelg. Fingal's combat with the King of Lochlin; Fingal, Book 5th, page 62. The rehearsers, Alexander Macdonald, merchant, in Slate; Donald Robertson, tenant there; and Nicol Mackenzie just mentioned, together with many more. The Battle of Lora; page 111. The rehearsers, Alexander Macdonald, merchant, in Slate; John Maclean, carpenter, in Strath; and Niel Mackinnon, farmer, there. Darthula; page 155. The rehearsers, Alexander Morison, in the parish of Duirnish, gentleman; Ewen Macpherson, schoolmaster, in Glenelg; and John Down, cowherd, in Slate. The Combat between Oscar and Ullin, in the Fragments. The rehearsers, John Macdonald of Breackish, Alexander Morison, and John Down, all three abovementioned. The Lamentation of the spouse of Dargo. Sung by thousands in the Isles. These are all the pieces of Ossian's poems, as published by Mr Macpherson, known to the rehearsers whom I have had occasion to consult. Had it been in my power to have travelled farther than through my own parish, and that next to it, I have reason to believe that I would have easily found many more such upon record, in the memories of others who have a taste for our old Gaelic compositions. The rehearsers whom I had occasion to consult, have repeated, in my hearing, several other poems which have much of the spirit and manner of Ossian, and are consequently the genuine productions of his muse, or, what is much the same, authentic monuments of that uncommon genius for poetry which once prevailed among our countrymen of ancient times. This, give me leave to say so, you may take upon my word; nor shall I scruple to affirm, that some of these remains or monuments of genius are |
