thenticity of Ossian's Poems, as the place to which the traitor Erath beguiled Duara, as recounted in one of the Songs of Selma. In this isle are buryinggrounds, and the ruins of a chapel. Near this is Elain 'n tagart, or "Priest's isle," with some traces of the priest's house still discernible. Lochow abounds with trout and salmon. Lochavich, anciently called Lochluina, is a beautiful sheet of water, of a regular trianglar form, about eight miles in circumference, full of trout, having one castle and several islands, the resort of gulls, cranes, water-eagles, and wild ducks. Near this lake lay the scene of an ancient Celtic poem, translated by Dr. Smith, called Cathluina, or "the conflict of Luina;" and in the lake is an island the scene of another poem, called Laoi fraoich, or "the death of Fraoch." Many places in this neighbourhood are still denominated from Ossian's heroes. This lake discharges itself into Lochow, by the stream or water of Avich, buried in wood, having six fine falls, with large circular ponds at the foot of each, and possessing the peculiarity of never freezing; even in the year 1740, not a particle of ice was observed on it, though the lake from whence it issues was entirely frozen over."

Description of the Scenes of Daura and Erath, as recorded in Ossian's Songs of Selma. By the Rev. Dr. John Smith.*

"THOSE fragments of Ossian which are still more generally known are, as we should suppose, some of

• Dissertation on the Authenticity of Ossian's Poems prefixed to Gaelic Antiquities, page 97.

the most beautiful parts of his composition. Among them are the battle of Lora, the episode of the Maid of Craca, the most affecting parts of Carthon, Conlath, Croma, Berrathon, the Death of Oscar in the first book of Temora, and almost the whole of Darthula. Now, if these and the like are avowedly ancient, and undoubtedly the composition of Ossian, it is but justice to allow that he could compose any other part of the collection, none of it being equal to some of these in poetical merit.

"Any further arguments to prove that the poems we speak of are genuine translations from the Gaelic, would, I trust, be superfluous. This being allowed, then, as it well may, it will easily appear that they can belong to no era but that very remote one, to which the translator has assigned them.

"There is, however, one argument that has too much weight to be passed over. It is an astonishing correspondence between some of these poems and scenes which they are found to describe, but which were too distant and too obscure for the translator ever to see or hear of, and concerning which there is not even a tradition, so far as ever I could learn, so that Mr. Macpherson must have found them in MS. otherwise they had never appeared. I mention one instance, chosen purposely from the part least known in Gaelic of the whole collection; it is one of the Songs of Selma. The names of Daura and Erath there spoken of are so uncommon, that I am confident we may defy any body to produce any instance of their being heard in name, surname, or tradition. Yet, in an obscure and almost inaccessible part of Argyleshire, which it is certain the translator

of Ossian never saw, and which from his own silence, the silence of tradition upon that story, and the distance and obscurity of the place, it is equally certain he never heard of. In this place can be traced out the very scene, and the very uncommon names of that episode, which of all the collection is perhaps the least known to a Gaelic antiquary. The island, to which the traitor Erath beguiled Dura, still retains his name, Innis-Eraith, "the Island of Erath." The ferry and farm contiguous to it, derive from him also their name, and about a mile distant from it is another farm, consisting of an extensive heath bounded by a large mountain-stream, and still retaining, from that unfortunate lady, the name of Durain, "the stream of Daura." And what further confirms that this is the scene described by Ossian is, that several places within sight of it are denominated from Connal and others of his heroes, whose names are better known. As nobody can suppose that the translator of Ossian could thus stumble, by chance, on names the least common, and places the least known, so as to make so many circumstances exactly correspond with his poems, without his ever knowing it, we must certainly allow this a most confounding proof of their authenticity." In another place Dr. Smith observes, "There is not a district in the Highlands but what has many places, waters, isles, caves, and mountains, which are called, from time immemorial, after the names of Ossian's heroes. These names are so common, that where I now sit, not far from Inverary, I could enumerate a long list in one view, such as Cruach-fhinn, "the hill of

Fingal," Innis-Chonnain, Innis Aildhe, Innis Raoine, Innis Chonnail, &c. the isles of Connan, Aldo, Regno, and Connal. Nothing is more frequent in all parts of the Highlands, than names and monuments of Ossian's heroes."

Description of the Vicinity of Selma, of the ancient City of Beregonium, the River Connel, or Conna, the Valley of Ete, or the Residence of Usnoch and his three Sons, whose story is the subject of Ossian's Poem of Darthula. By the Rev. Ludovick Grant; taken from his Account of the United Parishes of Ardchattan and Mukairn, Presbytery of Lorn, County of Argyle.*

In this district stood the famous city of Beregonium: it was situated between two hills, one called Dun Macsnichan, "the hill of Snachan's son," and the other, much superior in height, is named Dun bhail an righ," the hill of the King's town." A street paved with common stones, running from the foot of the one hill to the other, is still called Straidmharagaid, “the Market-street ;" and another place, at a little distance, goes by the name of Straidnamin, "the Meal-street." About ten or eleven years ago, a man cutting peats in a moss between the two hills, found one of the wooden pipes that conveyed the water from the one hill to the other, at the depth of five feet below the surface. On Dun Macsnichan is a large heap of rubbish and pumice stones; but no distinct traces of any building or

See Stat. Account of Scotland, Vol. VI. p. 179, 180, 181.

fortification can now be seen on either of the hills; the foundations have been dug up for the erecting houses in the neighbourhood.

purpose of

There is a tradition, among the lower class of people, that Beregonium was destroyed by fire from heaven. In confirmation of this tradition, it may be mentioned, that a high rock, near the summit of Dun bhail an righ, projecting and overhanging the road, has a volcanic appearance, and a most hideous aspect huge fragments have tumoled down from it. Adjoining to this place, is a fine, open, spacious bay, with a sandy bottom, capable of containing the whole navy of Great Britain.

It would be endless to enumerate all the druidical monuments in this district. Many cairns and heaps of stones are to be seen here; one in particular, near the centre of a deep moss, about three or four miles in circumference. In different places are stones rising twelve feet above the surface of the earth, all of them one single stone; and at a small distance, a number of large stones from twenty to twenty-two feet in length, of an oval figure.

The common language is the Celtic, the name of all the farms are derived from it, and are in general descriptive of their situations. Loch Etie, which divides Ardchattan from Muckairn and two other parishes, is a navigable inlet of the sea, fifteen computed miles in length, but of unequal breadth. Near its mouth is a narrow channel, not much more than a musket-shot over, at a place called Connel, signifying in the Celtic, rage or fury, which is very descriptive of this place, as a ridge of rugged and uneven