An gaidheal - National Library of Scotland

——June, 1873. THE GAEL. 127explain the lessons read by them in a languagethey know nothing about, certainlya severe task for youngsters. How muchbetter it would be to make the childrento read thoroughly their own language,and then set them to learn English bymaking them translate it into Gaelic ! Inthis way they would soon come to understandEnglish intelligently, and, at thesame time, have the means within theirreach of extending their knowledge of thelanguage after leaving school. The timethus sj^ent in teaching children to readGaelic in school is certainly not mis-spent,but time well and profitably occupied.Our young Highlanders would not leaveschool, as they often do, unable to understandproperly the language they havebeen learning to read, and incapalile ofreading their own language, which theyotherwise understand, if such a coursewere adopted in Highland schools."Oban Times.QTorrcisponbcnxc.OISEAN AGUS AN CLEIREACH.Sir, — In the April number of TheGael you give anonymously a most carefullyedited version of the above Ossianicballad. As one who takes great interestin all that pertains to our Celtic ancestoi's,I beg to offer the following pedigree ofthe piece in question, and would suggestto your contributors the desirability ofgiving the source of their contributionswhen these happen to be of an antiquariannature :M'Nicol's MSS., for an account ofwhich see Leabhar na Feinne, xv., pp.41-43, and The Gael, Vol. I., p. 84..Gillies' collection, p 18; Miss Brooke'sEebques of Irish Poetry, II., p. 271;Leabhar na Feinne, p. 72.I may mention that the text is evidentlyfounded on that given in the last mentionedcollection of Ossianic ballads.I am, &c., D. C. M.Edinburgh, May 10, 1873.On one occasion two irreverent youngfellows determined, as they said, to 'taigle'the minister. Coming up to him in theHigh Street of Dumfries, they accostedhim with much solemnity—' Maister Dunlop,dae ye hear the news?' What news?''' 'Oh, the deil's deed.' Is he?' said Mr.Dunlop, 'then I mauu pray for twafaitherless baima,'NEWS OF THE HIGHLANDS ANDISLANDS,The Herring Trade. — The Lewisfishing up to this date has been tolerablysuccessful in catch, if there are not toomany caught for the season and quality.Dunoon and Kilmun.—At a meetingheld in the Parish Church of Dunoon onMonday 5th May, it was resolved to askthe E,ev. Robert Blair, A.M., of St. Columba,Glasgow, tf) accept of the pastorateof the united parish vacant by the deathof the Eev. Dr. Clark, and a deputationwas appointed to wait upon Mr. Blair inreference to the matter. We understand,however, that Mr. Blair declines to acceptthe call, much to the delight of his largeand enthusiastically attached congregationin Glasgow.Death of the Bishop of Argyll.—We regret to announce the death of theEight Rev. Alexander Ewing, LL.D.,D.C.L., the Bishop of Argyll and theIsles. The right rev. prelate was theeldest son of Mr. John Ewing, of Sheelagreen,Aberdeenshire, and was born in1815. He married first, in 1835, theeldest daughter of Ludovic Stewart ofPittyvaich, in Banffshire, which lady diedin 185G; secondly, in 1862, he marriedLady Alice Louisa, third daughter of theeighteenth Ea,rl of Morton. Dr. Ewingwas ordained in 1838, and consecratedBishop, in 1847, of the See of Argyll andthe Isles (for which Bishop Low left anendowment), at that time disjoined fromthe Diocese of Moray and Ross. The lossof Bishop Ewing will be generally felt,not only in the Communion of which hewas an esteemed and distinguished member,but by all those who knew and appreciatedhis unobtrusive piety and intellectualcast of character. For some yearspast, owing to failing health, the deceasedhad taken but little part in the generalbusiness of the Episcopal Church, devotinghimself chiefly to literary researchesin connection with the early history ofChristianity in the.se islands. He "wasthe editor of a monthly periodical calledPresent Day Papers. He had also writtena considerable number of books and tracts.He was the author of one of the mostpopular of modern hymn tunes, that towhich "Jerusalem the golden" is usuallysung, and which in most collections bearsthe name of "Ewing." Theologically Dr.Ewing belonged to the subdivision of theLiberal party in the Church which hasbeen called (says the Pall Mall Gazette)"Broad, with unction." In private life