asseverations which the Report contains regarding the manner that he adopted in all likelihood in arranging his material. It is obvious that, as many versions of the same poem or episode were current, owing to the universal tendency of oral tradition, MacPherson was compelled out of regard to lucidity and continuity of thought and sentiment, to make a judicious rearrangement of the poems or fragments of poems that fell into his hands. Pisistratus, or whoever collected and arranged the poems of Homer, must have followed a similar plan in the arrangement of the Homeric poems that came into his possession. There is, and must be, however, a wide diversity between such an arrangement of poetical matter that was available, and between the excogitation of such poems. Campbell is profuse in his admissions that traditional poems in abundance, written or unwritten and attributed to Ossian, were current in the Highlands and accessible to MacPherson. His grave objection is, that the Gaelic Ossian of 1807 and the Sean Dana of 1787 are almost unknown to the class that recite Gaelic poems which they attribute to Ossian. "The Sean Dana and the Gaelic Ossian are nowhere to be found in any of these collections made from the people." The modern opponents of MacPherson and of the Sean Dana fail, it is very much to be feared, in assigning its due significance to the fact, that almost half a century intervened between the translation of the poems of Ossian by MacPherson and the publication of the Gaelic Ossian-to employ Campbell's own phrase. During so long an interval, much useful poetical material must have been irrecoverably lost.

As a century, with all its changes and transformations in the Highlands of Scotland, intervened between MacPherson's poetical mission through the Highlands and the laudable labour of Campbell in gathering the material of Leabhar na Feinne; no injustice is done to Campbell when it is contended, that he must of necessity have been an imperfect judge of the facilities which MacPherson must have had in preparing the poems of Ossian for publication. And when every deference is made to the frequent allegation of Campbell, that he failed to find Gaelic similar to that of the Gaelic Ossian and the Sean Dana, it surely does not follow that such Gaelic did not exist, unless, indeed, we are to concede that Campbell had accurate knowledge of all the Gaelic that was either spoken or written in Scotland during the long years that passed between 1760 and 1872. It would surely be a violation of all honest criticism to admit, that poems must necessarily have been invented or forged, because, forsooth, an enthusiastic lover of his country's literature did not discover amid all his efforts to disentomb the records of an almost forgotten past, any poetry to correspond exactly in language and sentiment with those poems. Every Gaelic scholar will at once perceive that the Gaelic of

the Sean Dana and of the Gaelic Ossian is far more beautiful and musical than the Gaelic of Leabhar na Feinne; and that, indeed, the classical Gaelic of Scotland is to be found in those two books or collections. It has to be boldly and confidently maintained, that the modern assailants of MacPherson and Dr. Smith must produce much stronger arguments than the airy sentimentality in which they indulge, before they can convince any honest student of the entire controversy regarding Ossianic poetry, that those two men were forgers or literary impostors and nothing

more.

It must be granted, in all candour, that were he so disposed, MacPherson could easily have lessened or avoided altogether the severity of the opposition which he had to encounter in connection with the poems of Ossian. It is evident, that he had a remarkable measure of that lofty independence and pride that lives on through every generation in the hearts and minds of the race to which he belonged. Who could blame him for thus reasoning, when Hume and Johnson were levelling the shafts of ridicule and disparagement against him, that, as he was successful in gaining a reputation in the world of letters, perhaps more enviable and more extensive than their own, he could afford, in obedience to the warmth of his Highland pride, to ignore themselves and their persistent abuse? It may be fairly held, that much of the Ossianic poetry which he once possessed, was lost during his sojourn in Florida, and while he was engaged in the discharge of important official functions, which must have occupied very much of his time and attention. Nor is it at all unlikely, that Gaelic poems of much value were mislaid and ultimately lost, during the time that passed between his death and the transmission to the Highland Society of London of all the material that remained.

Very forcible is the opinion of the Abbé Cesarotti: "But whatever may be thought on the subject, the works of the Celtic Homer (Ossian) do exist. They are all of the same brilliant and harmonious colouring, and they have a certain author. Let the author have existed in the times of Caracalla or of St. Patrick; let him be a native of Morven or of Ulster; let him belong to the family of a petty king or to that of a simple Highlander, it is all the same to those who consider him in the light of a poet. Let such as do not like to name him Ossian call him Orpheus. Doubts may be entertained whether Fingal was his father, but no one will say that he was not the son of Apollo." "I confess," says Dr. Blair, "I cannot avoid considering the discovery of the works of Ossian as an important era in the annals of taste and literature, and the share which I have had in contributing towards it as a part of my life by which I have deserved well of this age and posterity."

NIAGARA LIBRARY, 1800-1820.

BY JANET CARNOCHAN.

(Read 6th January, 1894.)

It says much for the members of any community when we find them providing reading of a high literary order, and especially would this be the case, at the beginning of this century, among a band of refugees just emerged from a great struggle, with the forest around them and everything speaking of a new country and all that is implied in this.

When by the merest chance, some months ago, I laid my hands upon an old, brown, leather-covered Record Book, I had no idea of the rich treat it was to prove. To my astonishment, by dint of much patient study of its thick, yellow pages covered with writing, though large yet very difficult to read, it was shown that in this old town of Niagara in those early days there was a most valuable public library well supported, the accounts showing regular payments and much interest, as evidenced by the money contributed and the regular records. To the boast made by Niagarians that here was held the first parliament for Upper Canada, that here was published the first newspaper, that it contains almost the oldest church records in Ontario, must now be added the honour of having had the first public library, and the first agricultural society. The varied information to be gleaned from this book may be thus classified: Ist, a list of proprietors through the years from 1800 to 1820; 2nd, list of their payments and those of non-subscribers; 3rd, catalogue of library with prices of books; 4th, money expended; 5th, rules and regulations; 6th, account of annual meetings, contingent meetings, etc.; 7th, list of books taken out and date of return; 8th, alphabetical list of subscribers with separate page for entries for each during these years. When we think of the vicissitudes of the years 1812, 1813, 1814, and of the stirring events which took place here, military occupation by friend and foe, of fire and sword alternately doing their cruel work, we wonder how this library was preserved, for preserved in part at least it was, for the issue of books goes on, a new catalogue with spaces left perhaps for books missing, and in the accounts sums are paid to replace particular books. It is interesting to follow up the period of the war and in all these divisions note the latest entry, and then following an interval of two years without the break of a line even left as space

between such deeds as the glorious death of the Hero of Upper Canada, the rattle of guns and roar of cannons, the flight over frozen plains, watching the smoking ruins of once happy homes, still go on in the same handwriting, the payment of money, the purchase of books, the annual meetings, etc. It may be doubted if in this day of boasted enlightenment we are willing to pay so much for our reading. One thing at least is certain, against the proprietors of this library cannot be made the charge of light reading now brought so justly against the frequenters of modern libraries. Nothing light or trashy can be found on the list. Theology, history, travel, biography, agriculture, a little poetry, and later, a small amount of fiction. We in these days can almost envy the people of that time for the delight they must have experienced when "Guy Mannering" and "Waverly" appeared, for they knew that the Great Magician of the North was still alive and was sending out regularly those delightful stories, while we can never again hope for such pleasure as the first reading of these books evoked.

It

In glancing over the list of subscribers we meet with names of many who played no insignificant part-the church, the army, the civil service, the yeomanry, are all represented. We find several names from Fort Niagara, U. S., and also several names of women. Were there nothing in this book but the list of names, this alone would be valuable. seems strange to think that after all these years we can now take the name of a noted man of those days and follow it up through these pages, tell what style of reading he preferred, when a particular book was taken out, when returned, how he paid his fees, when he attended the meetings of managers, and many other particulars. How little did they think that they were thus providing for us a very interesting page of history now!

The first entry is: "Niagara Library, 8th June, 1800. Sensible how much we are at a loss in this new and remote country for every kind of useful knowledge, and convinced that nothing would be of more use to diffuse knowledge amongst us and our offspring than a library, supported by subscription in this town, we whose names are hereunto subscribed hereby associate ourselves together for that purpose, and promise to pay annually a sum not exceeding four dollars to be laid out on books as agreed upon by a majority of votes at a yearly meeting to be held by us at this town on the 15th August annually, when everything respecting the library will be regulated by the majority of votes.

41 subscribers at 24s. each £49 4s., carried to account current page B. 15 August, 1801."

Of the original forty-one the names of only four can now be found in the vicinity, though descendants of several others may be found under other names.

The first on the list, Andrew Heron, was the secretary and treasurer of nearly all the period of twenty years. Robert Addison was the first minister of St. Mark's. Silvester Tiffany was the printer of the "Constellation," which followed the "Upper Canada Gazette." Then follows another list, continued down to 1820, of thirty-four names, making altogether seventy-five, in which we recognize other names.

George Forsyth.
Robert Kerr.

John Wales.

Charles Selick.

Colin McNabb.
Wm. Ward.
T. Butler.

Wm. McClellan.
Alex. McKie.
Wm. Mann.
George Havens.
John McEwan.

John Powell.

Robert Weir.

R. Hamilton.

Wm. Dickson, A. C.
James Muirhead, A.C.
Thomas Powis.

Thomas Butler, A. C.
Isaac Swayzie.
John Symington, A.C.
Israel Burtch.
John Ten Brouk.
John Silverthorn.

John McNabb.
John Robertson.
George Read.
Robert Mathews.
Dr. West.

J. P. Clement.
James Secord.
Wm. Musgrove.
R. C. Cockrell.
Tubal Parr.
Ensign Barnard.
Wm. Claus.

In this list we find the familiar names of Butler, Claus, Dickson, McNabb. That of Swayzie has been made familiar in the name of a delicious russet apple only found in this vicinity and probably first grown on the farm of this patron of our library. Dr. West was from Fort Niagara, and ten names on this list are quite familiar to us yet.

Now follows the account of the first annual meeting held on 15th August, 1800, when it was

"Resolved, that Andrew Heron and Martin McClellan be made commissioners to arrange the business of the society till the annual meeting