290 



they are referred to with confidence. This trouble, however, may 

 be saved by reference to Dr. Mc Arthur's work, a few pages for- 

 ward, where that gentleman will be found contradicting himself, and 

 truly asserting, (p. 336,) when still speaking of tradition, " That 

 history so transmitted through a series of ages, can, in all things, be 

 equally correct as the historical productions of this day, would be 

 too much to affirm." 



Sections 2 and 3 of the Doctor's " Supplemental Observations " 

 extend from p. 379 to p. 432, and are on the subjects " Of the an- 

 cient name and inhabitants of Britain, and progress of letters among 

 the Caledonians," and of " Philosophical inquiries, on the affinity 

 of the Celtic, or Gaelic, with the oriental and other languages :" in 

 all which there is not one single fact, or one line that proves any 

 thing relative to the antiquity or authenticity of Ossian's poems, and 

 therefore they call not upon us for any particular observations. We 

 may, however, be allowed to observe, in passing, that in the exam- 

 ples given, p. 425, "in order to shew the corresponding sounds and 

 sense between the Gaelic and L^tin," the Gaelic lines are incorrect 

 in every particular. We mention this as a further proof to shew that 

 if the genuine poems of Ossian, or any other Gaelic composition of 

 his times, were produced to the Society, there are none among the 

 Gaelic scholars of Scotland, capable of explaining them. 



The fourth section of the ■' Supplemental Observations," p. 432, 

 is " A summary of the evidence adduced in support of the authen- 

 ticity of Ossian's poems, with further proofs." In this summary, little 

 jnore is contained than a repetition of what the Doctor considered 

 as the strongest proofs and arguments produced by the Report of the 

 highland Society in support of the authenticity of those poems. 

 These proofs we have already examined in the foregoing pages, and 

 have, it is submitted, clparly shewn that none of them prove any 



