(Ivit) cepit-viam Fingal adversus ejus faciem cum ferociâ.

Ejus gladio puro caeruleo in ejus manu;

Filio Lunonis cujus erat fusco-atra gena.
Ivit lux duri-gladii per spectrum,

Larvam vilem mortis sub tetricitate.

Cecidit illa (larva) sine forma et eâ ex adverso,
Super vento nigrorum saxetorum; ut fumus
Quem rumpit puer, cum bacillo in ejus manu,
Circa caminum luctaminis et atri-vaporis.
Ejulavit larva formae Lodinis in monte,
Se colligens in se ipsam in vento.

Audivit Innistorca (insula aprorum vel cetorum) sonitum
Cessavit iter undarum prae metu;

Surrexerunt bellatores filii Comalis victoriarum ;
Fuit hasta in singulis manibus supra in clivo.
Quo loco est ille? Et eorum irâ sub torvitate,
Et unaquâque loricâ sonante circa suum heroa.
Venit luna foras in oriente;

Rediit summus dux virorum in suis armis ;
Fuit laetitia in juventute in aequore;

gleam of his arms. The joy of his youth was great ;

their souls settled as a sea from a storm.

Ullin raised the

song of gladness. The hills of Inistore rejoiced. The flame of the oak arose; and the tales of heroes are told.

Shiolaidh 'n anam mar mhuir o stoirm.

Thog Ullin gu subhach an dàn

Chual' Innis nan carn an ceòl;

Bha lasair o 'n daraig làn;

Chualas sgeul air clann nan seòd,

Subsedit eorum animus sicut mare ex procellis

Elevavit Ullin hilariter carmen;

Audivit insula saxetorum melos;
Fuit flamma è quercu plena;

Audita est historia de prole heroun

CAPTAIN MORRISON replies: That before leaving Skye, even from the first of his recollection, he heard repeated, and learnt many poems and songs respecting Fingal, Ossian, and other ancient heroes; many of which were afterwards collected, arranged, and translated, by Mr. James Macpherson.

To 2d, That he gave the Rev. Mr. Mac Kinnon of Glendarual, before he went last time to America, in the year 1780, Ossian's Address to the Sun in the original, which

being transmitted by Lord Bannatyne and presented, he identifies.

To 3d, That he got the Address among Mr. James Macpherson's original papers, when he was transcribing fairly for him, from these original papers (either collected by himself, or transmitted by his Highland friends,) as it stood in the poem of Carthon, afterwards translated and published.

To 4th, That he can repeat the whole of the poem given Mr. Mac-Kinnon, and give a copy of it in writing.

To 5th, He remembers some pieces or fragments of ancient Gaelic poetry respecting Fingal, Ossian, and other heroes, and gives a few of these as he now recollects them.

To 6th, That Mr. James Macpherson, on his tour through the Highlands and Isles, was a night in his house in Skinnader Skye; was then collecting the ancient poems, but when in his house, had only a few of them: that he gave him (Captain Morrison) some, which he afterwards translated and published; together with fingalian or old heroic poems, not published in his translations, one of them Dargo. That afterwards in London, he had access to Mr. Macpherson's papers; saw the several manuscripts, which he translated in different hand-writings, some of them in his own hand, some not, as they were either gathered by himself, or sent him, from his friends in the Highlands, 'some of them taken from oral recitation, some from MSS. -That he does not now remember all the persons, who recited or sent them; because he could have no doubt regarding the poems he was accustomed to hear from his infancy is certain, that Mr. Macpherson got some of them from the Macvurichs in Uist, and some from Mull, likely from the Fletchers of Glenforsa, fa

:

nous for a long time, for the recitation and history of such poems.

To 7th and following Queries. That he saw many MSS. in the old Gaelic character with Mr. Macpherson, containing some of the poems translated, which MSS. they found difficult to read: That he heard of such being in the country, and given him: Is of opinion, that Mr. Donald MacQueen, minister of Trotterness, Skye, a good Gaelic scholar, gave some of them: How old the MSS. were cannot say; but from the character and spelling seemed very ancient.

General Observations by Capt. Morison on the foregoing

Subject,

-WAS intimately acquainted with Mr. James Macpherson's abilities and knowledge of the Gaelic language: Admits he had much merit, in collecting, and arranging, and transslating; but that he was no great poet, nor thoroughly conversant in Gaelic literature; So far from composing such poems as were translated, that he assisted him often in understanding some words, and suggested some improvements. That he could as well compose the Prophecies of Isaiah, or create the Island of Skye, as compose a Poem like one of Ossian's: That there are many other such poems, which Mr. Macpherson did not collect, and collected some which he did not translate; but made his choice with proper taste: That the Address to the Sun in the Poem of Carthon, wanted two lines in the original, which neither Mr. Macpherson, nor any body else, could supply, nay supply any thing like them.

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