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xxxii Cuchullin's horses and car, that in none of his translations is the inequality of Macpherson's genius to that of Ossian so very conspicuous."

Letter from Lachlan Macpherson, of Strathmashie, October 22, 1763:—"In the year 1760 I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend Mr. Macpherson during some part of his journey in search of the poems of Ossian through the Highlands. I assisted him in collecting them, and took down from oral tradition, and transcribed from old manuscripts by far the greatest part of those pieces he has published. Since the publication I have carefully compared the translation with the copies of the originals in my hands, and find it amazingly literal, even in such a degree as to preserve in some measure the cadence of the Gaelic versification."

Letter from Rev. John Macpherson, D.D., of Sleat, Nov. 27, 1763:—"I have in obedience to your request made enquiry for all the persons around me who were able to rehearse from memory any parts of the poems published by Mr. Macpherson, and have made them to rehearse in my hearing the several fragments or detached pieces of those poems which they were able to repeat. This done, I compared with great care the pieces rehearsed by them with Mr. Macpherson's translation. These pieces or fragments are: the description of