J. F. Campbell Collection > Report of the Committee of the Highland Society of Scotland, appointed to inquire into the nature and authenticity of the poems of Ossian

32 LETTERS TO DR. BLAIR.
upon this subject, I shall make all the enquiry I can for
the clearing it up.
I beg the favour you make my most respectful compli-
ments to Principal Robertson. I am,
Sir,
Your most obedient
humble servant,
Donald Macleod.
1-0. From Mr Donald Macqueen, Minister of Kilmuir,
in the Isle of Sky, dated Kilmuh-, nth April 1764.
Reverend and Dear Sir,
I wrote you some months
ago an answer to a letter I had from you about the authen-
ticity and antiquity of Ossian's poems, and though I am
not sure whether you received it or not, I cannot help pre-
vailing with myself to acquaint you further, by a person
who goes from here to Edinburgh, that I had for these
twenty days with me a rehearser of ancient songs, whom
Sir James Macdonald ordered to see me from Long-island.
He had little more to say for your purpose, than what I
acquainted you of already, and, I believe, farther disco-
veries would be too late for the present edition, I have
heard the description of Cuchnllin's car repeated by seve-
rals, with som^e variations : it is very grand in the original ;
there are four horses described in it, with a long string oi'
epithets applied to each, of which the translator dropped
a few through his fingers. It is surprising to find some
learned critics doubt that Cuchullin was master of such a
car, who cannot be ignorant that Cassivelaunus made use
of them against Caesar, that Galgacus had them at the
Grampian tills, Etdocilis rector rcstrati Belga Covini,
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