Ossian Collection > Ossianic controversy

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as well as frotn their similarity in language, race, genius and
manners, we can easily suppose that possibly the works of tlie
Caledonian Bard might have made their way to Ireland. I
have not had an opportunity of examining the Irish poems
concerning the " Fiona," or heroes of Fion MacComnal ; but
learned men who have examined them assure us that their
compositioH is of modern date, and in no way to be compared
to the poetry of the Scottish Bard, at least as far as antiquity
is concerned. They ascribe their origin to the Fifteenth
Century.
Mr Skene, in his rntroduction and N"otes to the uirsgeuls
of Ossian collected by the Dean of Ilsmore, ascribes their
authorship to Mr Lachlan Macpherson of Strathmashie.
He founds his argument upon some vagne rumour he had
heard while residing in the neighbourhood of Strathniashie,
concerning MSS. found among Mr Macpherson's papers al
his death. But are we to believe such vague reports? There
is no doubt tliat Strathmashie < 1 i < 1 much in aiding his clans-
111:111 in eollecting Gaelic MSS., in transeribing and revising
them : but we cannoi believe thal he was the author of
anyofthem. He was indeed a poet, and a poet of no mean
order, but quite incapable of singing in the subhme and
heroic strains of the "aged Bard." The pieces he has left
us are the besl proof of this. The most common opinion among
those who reject the authenticity of the Ossianic poetry, is that
James Macpherson himself is the author; thathe composed the
various pieces in English, and afterwards translated them into
Caclic 'l'hc Highland Society Committee, in their excellenl
report,candidly acknowledge that theywere unable to find aniong
the natives of the Highlands poems exactly the same as those
given to the world by Macpherson; they also acknowledged thai
Maephersoa may have supplied chasms, and softened incidents,