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it properly written, does not mean " Caledonian Irish." It means 

 Irish Gaelic^ or the dialect of the Gaelic used in Ireland ; and it is 

 a positive fact, that the Irish do not, nor never did, call the dialect 

 of North Britain " a Chaelic," nor even an Ghaelic. Let us hear 

 what is said on this subject by Doctor Shaw, a learned clergyman, a 

 Highlander, who, in the year 1778, published " An Analysis of the 

 Gaelic Language," and in two years after, in London, " A Gaelic 

 and English Dictionary," and " An English and Gaelic Dictionary." 

 This gentleman, from his acquaintance with the language, must be 

 acknowledged a good judge of Gaelic writing. He once believed the 

 poems of Ossian, as published by Macpherson, to be genuine trans- 

 lations from the ancient Gaelic, and, in order to convince the world 

 that they were so, he made a journey through the Highlands and 

 islands to discover the originals, as Mr. Macpherson did not choose 

 to produce those that he said were in his possession. The search, 

 though made with great diligence and labour, was fruitless. No 

 ancient poems could be found either in writing or in the mouths of 

 the people. Poems stuffed with ridiculous fables were to be found, 

 in which Fionn Mac-Cuhhail and his followers made a conspicuous 

 figure, but these were the compositions of the fifteenth century. To 

 put an end to the dispute relating to Macpherson's Ossian, and to 

 convince Doctor Johnson that there was, at least, one Scotchman 

 who loved truth better than Scotland, Doctor Shaw published the 

 result of his inquiries, in a pamphlet, entitled " An Enquiry into the 

 Authenticity of the Poems ascribed to Ossian." From a copy of this 

 work, printed by Byrne, Dublin, 1782, pp. 121-127, the following 

 extracts are given : ■ '• 



?.V" I would not wish to appear to derogate from the real honour and 

 antiquity of Scotland ; that can never be affected by the loss of these 

 poems ; but when I am conscious that without a knowledge of Irish 



