Blair Collection > Celtic gleanings, or, Notices of the history and literature of the Scottish Gael

LECTURE I. 15
in bringing the men who have so pushed it
back to the sounder doctrine, that " God made
of one blood all the nations of the earth/' And
it might, perhaps, be unnecessary to do this, at
least men might be allowed to indulge in their
own ideas on the subject, were it not that these
ideas are far from harmless. It cannot be
doubted that certain views on the subject of
ethnological distinctions, have entered into the
treatment which the Celtic race has received
both in Britain and Ireland. In the Scottish
Highlands these form, undoubtedly, one of the
arguments made use of to defend a system lead-
ing to the rapid extirpation or extradition of
the native population. It is vain to attempt con-
cealing that there are parties, and parties pos-
sessed of leading influence in many portions of
the country, who cherish the belief that it would
be well to be rid of them ; and hence, instead
of efforts for their social improvement, we
hear of little else throughout their territory but
summonses of ejection, having in view their re-
moval from the land. In Ireland no pen can
rightly describe the misery to which this anta-
gonism of race has led. A writer, holding decided
Protestant principles, will not be readily accused
of sympathizing with much that is character-
istic of the native Irish. He is not likely to