SEVENTH ORDINARY MEETING. 57 



pounded of Dun, a fort or hillock, and Breatunn, i.e., the fort of 

 Britain, and, as we may fairly argue, of the Britons — if those to 

 whose capital the Scottish Gaels gave the name Dun-Breatuinn — , the 

 name by which Dumbarton is known to the Scottish Gaels of our 

 own day. Such words as Frangach, a Frenchman ; Sasunnach, an 

 Englishman, a Saxon ; and Breatunnach, a Briton, are merely adap- 

 tations to the Gaelic language of France, Saxon, Briton. The Scot 

 tish Gael is wont to characterize the inhabitants of Scotland as 

 Alhannaich. Is Alhannach mise, I am a Scotchman. The word in 

 Scottish Gaelic for a British subject or for the British is Breatunnach^ 

 na Breatunnaich. The name Galhraith is in Gaelic Mac a! Bhrea- 

 tunnaich, the son of the Briton, and, as we may infer, the son of one 

 who belonged to a different people from the Gaels among whom he 

 may have resided, and whose name is perpetuated in the common 

 surname Galhraith. 



Whether the exact Etymology of Britain can ever be ascertained 

 or not, or whether it may have more than one derivation, the usages 

 of the Gaelic language go to show that it is Cymric and not Gaelic ; 

 and that, although it passes as current coin in the words Breatunn 

 and Breatunnach, such words found their way into Gaelic trom 

 another source ; and even when they are commonly employed, they 

 carry with them reminiscences of an origin that is not purely Gaelic, 

 but is to be construed as indicating that the Gaels of a far-off time 

 adopted such words to describe the members of a race with whom 

 they came frequently in contact, and who, as at Dumbarton, had 

 their home for a time in the immediate neighbourhood, if not in the 

 midst, of the Scottish Gaels. 



Dr. Scadding, and Messrs. Buchan and Rouse made 

 remarks on the subject of the paper. 



SEVENTH ORDINARY MEETING. 



The Seventh Ordinary Meeting of the Session i884-'85, 

 was held on Saturday, December 13th, 1884, the President in 

 the Chair. 



Donations and Exchanges received since last meeting ; 

 1. Appleton's Literary Bulletin, Nos. 11 and 12, Vol. III. 



