Ossian Collection > Thoughts on the origin and descent of the Gael

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habitants call themselves Gadhel, as do all the
descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Albinn
call themselves by that generic appellation. The
language of both is Gaelic, furnishing a proof in-
controvertible of the identity of people. Whe-
ther the island of Albinn, or that of Erinn, was
first in the order of population, is a question far
beyond the power of man to determine. Vahi
tales, big with fabulous absurdity, have existed;
but population has flowed from the first inha-
bited regions of the earth, in all directions, as
mankind increased in numbers, according to the
vicinity and ease of communication between dif-
ferent portions of the habitable globe. Power-
ful kingdoms and empires had subsisted in Asia
many ages before the dawn of any degree of
civilization was visible among the inhabitants
of Europe, now the most enlightened quarter
of the earth. Civilization and a knowledge of
the arts of life follow population ; but until the
population of any portion of the earth becomes
redundant, the ingenuities of Avhich the human
mind is capable, are not put in practice. It
is easier for a pastoral people to remove to new
settlements, than to render the native soil fruit-
ful by means of laborious industry. Hence the
origin of the emigrations of mankind: and as
the island of Albion or Great Britain is visible
from one part of the continent of Europe, it
is agreeable to rational conviction, that the first
movement of a redundant continental popula-