Books and other items printed in Gaelic from 1841 to 1870 > Caraid nan Gàidheal

of the author.
XXXlll
lie will find this matter placed in a light that cannot
fail to make him at least look with interest on our
oral literature. Dr. Macleod has preserved one
specimen of these tales, with its excellent moral', in
the ‘ Mountain Sketch-book; ’ and would that the
legions of immoral stories issuing weekly from a
profane press were superseded by stories so moral
in their tendencies as either this one, or those
collected by Mr. Campbell. But while Dr. Mac¬
leod had used his pen to preserve what was really
worth preserving, yet no one has done more by his
teaching—witness, for example, his tale of Coire-
na-sithe—to explode the belief in witchcraft and
ghost stories.”
In addition to those works for the Highlanders,
my father published a Gaelic dictionary, his object
being to afford facilities to the Highland youths
when leaving school to acquire a better knowledge
of the English language.
Another important contribution of his to his
Celtic brethren was a metrical version of the Psalms
of David for the use of the church in Ireland. It is
a noteworthy fact that the Irish Established Church,
with some millions in Ireland speaking the Irish
language, had never published any edition of the
Psalms for their use! My father was induced to
undertake this work by what he had seen and heard
during, to him, a memorable tour in Ireland; and
more especially by the representations made, and
the encouragement given to him by the Synod of
Ulster, which he had addressed, and with whose
members, especially with Drs. Cooke, Morgan,
Kilpatrick, &c., he enjoyed an intercourse which was
a source of gratification to him all his life after¬
wards, and which I rejoice to know was cordially