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

POEMS OF OSSIAN. 3j£
pherfon, tranflator of Oman's poems, was, for fome
years before he entered on that work, my intimate
acquaintance and friend. When he returned from
his tour through the Weftern Highlands and Iflands,
he came to my houfe in Brae-Badenoch : I inquired
the fuccefs of his journey, and he produced feveral
volumes, fmall octavo, or rather large duodecimo,
in the Gaelic language and characters, being the
poems of Oman, and other ancient bards.
I remember perfectly, that many of thofe volumes
were, at the clofe, faid to have been collected by
!Paul Macmhuirich Bard Clanraonuil, and about the
beginning of the 1 4th century. Mr Macpherfon and I
were of opinion, that though the bard collected them,
yet that they muft have been writ by an ecclefiaftic,
for the characters and fpelling were mofl beautiful
and correct. Every poem had its firft letter of its
firit word moll elegantly flouriflied and gilded ; fome
red, fome yellow, fome blue, and fome green : the
material writ on feemed to be a limber, yet coarfe
and dark vellum : the volumes were bound in ftrong
parchment : Mr Macpherfon had them from Clan-
ronald.
At that time I could read the Gaelic characters,
♦hough with difficulty, and did often amufe myfelf
with reading here and there in thofe poems, while
Mr Macpherfon was employed on his tranflation.
At times we differed as to the meaning of certain
words in the original.
With much labour I have recovered fome fcatter-
e*l parts of the tranflation made at my fire-fide, I
mould