Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 2

304 THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.
used a>; part of a coffin, or some way employed about a corpse ; and ac- '
cordingly it was made into a coffin, for one who was in perfect health at
the time of the vision." After giving many other instances of the samo,
kind, he sums up as follows : — " Such as deny those visions give their
assent to several strange passages in history upon the authority of his-
torians that lived centuries before our time, and yet they deny the people
of this generation (1703) tlie liberty to believe the most intimate friends
and acquaintances, men of probity and unquestionable reputation, and of
wliose veracity they have greater certainty than we can have of any
ancient historian."
The following is a well authenticated instance regarding the Rev. Mr
Morrison, minister of the Parish of Petty, six miles from Inverness, who
was a man of remarkable devotion, and was looked upon as a prophet.
He had often, in vain, exhorted a wild and ungodly fisherman in his
parish to attend the means of grace, AValking one evening near the
manse witli an acquaintance the reverend gentleman, naming the fisherman
alluded to, said, " Well, that poor, unhappy man has often been invited
to attend the ordinances of the Gospel, which he will never have the
opportunity of doing again, as he is at this moment drowned at the new
pier of Inverness, and his body Avill be taken to the Gaelic Church, and
remain there during the night." There are very minute particulars con-
nected with this case of second sight, which were verified by tlie fact
occurring ; and being mentioned in Petty, the fisherman's relations went
that very night to Inverness and claimed the body. The minister here
alluded to was the liev. John Morrison, M.A. He was admitted to Petty
in 1759, died in 177-i, and is described as "a man of great sagacity, much
humour, and fervent piety, vulgarly supposed to have the gift of prophecy.
He was author of some popular Gaelic songs, which he composed to a
lady wliom he had baptised in her infancy, and whom he married in
1766."
Just another example on this subject. The Eev. Alex. Macgregor,
M.A., says, in an unpublished lecture on "Superstition": — "A very
remarkable instance of supernatural vision happened a good many years
ago in a landed proprietor's house in Skye : On a certain evening, pro-
bably that of New Year's Day, a large party of neighbouring ladies and
gentlemen, with tlie youngsters of their families, had been invited to en-
joy certain harmless festivities at this proprietor's house, the lady of
which liad been absent at the time in the south, but her sons and
daughters Avere at home to entertain tlie happy guests. After dinner, the
junior members of the party retired to the drawing-room to amuse them-
selves. A quadrille was set a-going, but before it had commenced, the
figure of a lady glided along the side wall of the room, from end to end,
and was seen by several of those ojjposite to it. * M}^ mother ! my
mother ! ' .screamed one of tlie young ladies of the family, and fainted,
The vision put a sudden termination to the liilarities of the evening, but
the most surprising fact was, that at the very time of the vision's appear-
ance, the lady of the house had died in a city in the south."
'^ Na 'm hlodh an f eaihall na hu ndgline hhiodh mo sglalachd na
b'/haid'j,"
(Concluded.)