An gaidheal - National Library of Scotland

'1"^^—2.SG THE GAEL. Xovemher, 1873the GiiL-lic Scriptures." notwitlistandingtliut he hiuiself, in a lecturereported in the Gael, A''o1. I. p. 218,says that "the Gaelic Scripturesmust be purged of the errors andanomalies which escaped the noticeof the trauslatoi'S, and also of therevisers of 1820." I should saythat what is strictly idiomatic, and,to say the least of it, nut nnymmviatical,is to be preferred to thatwhich is neither idiomatic nor grammatical,though sanctioned by thetdmost invariable usage of certainpeople whose work abounds in errorsand auouuilies.Mr. Cameron's better natm^e seemsto be asserting itself toward the endof his letter; the jilayful banter ofliis closing paragraph is quite refreshing.In his remarks about Bèinn-Nibheis, however, he seems to forcjetthat { is a primitive vowel ; and also,that we have, incontrovertible evidencethat the attenuation to whichhe refers is at least five score yearsold Beinn-Nibheis it was then,Bèinn-Bibheis it is now, and Beinn-Nibheis it is likely to continue to be._-I am, àc, D. C. M.Edinburgh, 22d October, 1873.OSSIAN AND THE CLYDE.We ha^'e much pleasure in directingthe attention of onr readers tothe prospcictus of a new v.'ork on theiibuve subject by the Rev. Dr. P.Hately Waddell. The subject isiu itself one of intrinsic and outstandingimportance to all Highlanders,and from the great learning of theauthor, as well as his indefatigabilityin the collection of evidence to provethe authenticity of Ossian's poems,ticity and truth of the poems inquestion. His work will be arrangedunder the following headsI. Geological and Geographicalevidence.II. Geographical and Traditional.HI. Historical and Geographical.IV. Critical and Statistical.V. A large AppendLx of variedcontents.NEWS OF THE HIGHLANDS ANDISLANDS.London.—The Gaelic Society of Loudonis ill a very prosperous condition. Aninteresting paper was recently read byMr. Donald Kennedy, the Librarian, hissubject being 'The origin of clan names."'Gkeenock.—The opening lecture of thecourse under the auspices of the GaelicSociety was delivered by the Rev. Dr.Masson, of Edinburgh, his subject being"The Gael in the Ear West." Thelecture was throughout most interesting.We ^egret that our limited space preventsour availing ourselves of some extractsfrom it at present. We may do so at afuture time. "Inverness.—Mr. W. Mackay, latesecretary of the Gaelic Society here, hasbeen entertained to a complimentarysupper, and presented with a gold watchand chain, on the occasion of his leavingfor Edinburgh. Mr. Wm. Mackenzie hasbeen appointed his successor as secretaryto the Gaelic Society. The syllabus forthe coming session has been arrange.l,and comprises a varietj' of talent whichgives promise of a very successful session.—Arrangements are being made for theestablishment of a free library, and fundsare being raised for the purpose.Fort-William and Tyndrum.—Acorrespondent writes as follows :—For thehist two or three days parties have beenengaged in making a preliminary surveyof tiie route from Tyndruni, through(dencoe, to Fort- William, with the viewof constructing a railway to join the Obauand Callander line at Tyiulrum. Thiswould certainly be a better route than toKingussie, as it is much more direct towe anticipate a volume of no com Endinburgh and Glasgow. The proposed!Dr. Waddell has anwill, it is said, be of a narrower guagemon interest,than that in ordinary use, but some doubtamount of cumulative evidencemay be entertained of the correctness ofwhich he states will prove to a this statement. It would certainly addmathematical certainty the anthen-much to the expense of working it, as it