An gaidheal - National Library of Scotland

158 THE GAEL.technical terms and jiroper names intoGaelic " as if the lamjuage ioere 'impotentto famish names in keeping with its owngenius and idiom." The words in Italicswere inadvertently omitted in the Hit/hlander.Our northren friend trips us upby saj'ing, that Ard-AV)annach is not atranslation of Highlander. The secondhalf of the word certainly is not a translation,but the first half is, and, whenprefixed to Alhannacli, gives us quite anew and unique name—one which wenever heard applied to a Scottish Highlander.Aìhaììììnrh is our Gaelic equivalentfor Scotsman, thertilom Ard-Alùannachsignifies, in Scotland at least. High, orChief, or Arch-Scotsman. The suggestionof the name, however, seems to havecome from Ireland, and with all respectto Professor Bourke—himself no meanCeltic scholar—we do not think he hasmade a happy selection. In the professor'sown country, we understand, thatthe term Anl-AÌ/iaiiiìarh would be appliedto an Arch-Protestant or Presbyterian.But after all, the mere Gaelicheading is a small matter ; we are gladto see the Iliylilander maintaining itsexcellent character, and hope to see it,])y continuance in well-doing on behalf ofour country and countrymen, attain tothe position of being, par fixcellence, theChief-Scotsman in the newspaper world.BOOKS, &c.Gaelic Schools Society : Sixty-Second Annual Rei^ort.We have mncli pleasure in callingthe attention of our readei's to thismost useful Society, the report ofAvhose proceedings for the jiast yearhas just come to hand. It is doinggreat and good work for the promotionof education, especially Gaelicinstruction, in the Highlands, andthat so unobtrusively that we doubtnot many of our i-eaders were ({uiteunaware of its existence. The Societywas instituted in 18,1 for thesupport of Gaelic schools, and havingas its primaiy object the teaching ofthe " inhabitants to read the HolyScriptures in their native language."To this object the Society has adheredwith the slight deviation of administering"the rudiments of English whendesired, and where it would not iuterfei'ewith the carrying out of tlieprimaiy intention of its founders.The results are most gratifying, thereis an attendance of 1741 scholars inthe schools of the society, and allthat is required to extend its usefulness,much more the "sinews of war."We cordially recommend the objectto the liberality of all true heartedHighlanders. We may mention thatthe Treasurer is IVfr. John Maclaren,138 Princes Street, Edinburgh.OssiANic Controversy: A Lecturedelivei-ed to the Greenock HighlandSociety, by the Rev. JohnM'Plierson, Gaelic Parish. AM'Kenzie & Coy., Greenock.We congratulate the GreenockHighlanders on this, the first emanationof their energetic Society, andwe hope it may not be the last, whichwe may have the pleasure of jjerusing.The Lecture bears the motto, Clannanmi Gàidlieal re gualllibh a. cheile,which we jiresume is the motto of theSociety, under whose auspices it wasdelivered. The lecturer brieflyalludes to " the origin of the controversyand the circumstances whichat first roused suspicion in the mindsof literary men, regarding the authenticityand genuineness of theOssianic poems," and then reproducesseveral of the more general objectionsurged against their authenticity. Inrefuting David Hume's argument,that " The preservation of such longand such connected poems by oraltradition alone, during a course offoui-teen centuries, is so much out ofthe ordinary course of human affairs,that it requires the strongest reasonto make us believe it;" the authorremarks, " we miist remember thatwe ai-e not to judge bygone agesentii-ely by the present, and I cannot