324 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSIITUTK. [VoL. IV. 



no deceivers, but their ideas as to authenticity differed from modern 

 ideas on that subject." It is apparent, therefore, that Campbell made 

 strong insinuations against the honesty and veracity of MacPherson and 

 John and Donald Smith. A new edition of his Popular Tales of West 

 Highlands was issued during last year. Were a critical examination made 

 of his statements regarding the Ossianic controversy, it would be eas)' 

 to show, that his views are at times contradictory, and that he could not 

 have had a consisient theory to advance regarding the poems of Ossian. 

 It was to himself that, so late as 1861, trustworthy correspondents sent 

 such information as this from Bembecula and Skye : " A great variety of 

 other poems that go under the name of Ossian's poems are commonly 

 recited by the people. I have frequently questioned old men concerning 

 the Fingalians in almost all parts of the Highlands, from Cape Wratli 

 to the Mull of Cantyre. All had heard of them, and all firmly believed 

 in their existence. Donald Stewart, Skye, 92 years of age, often heard 

 the poems of Ossian. Every person knew them, most could recite them, 

 and all admired them. Another old man had as much Ossianic poetry 

 as would take him whole days in the recital, yet he could recite for whole 

 nights together without the slightest hesitation. A certain schoolmaster 

 affirmed that his father had more Ossianic poetry than all ever MacPherson 

 translated, and that he himself when a boy could repeat what would form 

 a tolerably sized volume. He was personally acquainted with many 

 old men who could repeat lots of Ossianic poetry." Those citations, 

 and citations of a similar kind, which could be made from Campbell's 

 Popular Tales of West Highlands, are of themselves extremely valuable, 

 because they allow us to understand that after the lapse of an entire 

 century since MacPherson went on his poetical mission through the 

 Highlands, Ossianic poetry still survived in the Western Isles, and 

 among Gaels who never heard of MacPherson and who never read a verse 

 of his Ossian. As, therefore, Ossianic poetry was found in large abundance 

 in 1 861, the question naturally presents itself: How very extensive must 

 the same poetry have been in 1760. The inference is irresistible, that 

 MacPherson could have found, and doubtless did find, abundance of 

 Ossianic poetry in the Highlands, and that he had no occasion, even if he 

 had the ability, to excogitate, or, in other words, to forge, the poems of 

 Ossian. 



That the power of oral tradition is very great, so far as the perpetua- 

 tion of poetry is concerned, appears very clearly from the remarks which 

 Max Miiller makes with regard to the Finns. "The Epic songs .still 

 lived among the poorest, recorded by oral tradition alone. From the 

 mouths of the aged, an Epic poem has been collected equalling the Iliad 

 in length and completeness. Kalevala possesses merits not dissimilar 



