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perufe the Colonel's defence of the Irish with greater fatisfaction, than he must view Mr. Shaw's conduct with indignation, for bringing this as an argument against the authenticity of Offian's Poems, after what he himself had written. Mr. Shaw fays in the 15th page of his Analyfis, "Unlike the Irish, the Scots Gae "lic delights to pronounce every letter, and is "not bristled over with fo many useless and "quiefcent confonants. The English and the "French are infinitely more difficult to pronoun"ce." Here he makes ufe of Mr. Macpherson's own words. Let the reader compare this paffage with the prefent publication, and withhold the name of IMPOSTOR from its author, if he can. One of his assertions must be false, intentionally falfe too: for they relate not to matter of opinion, but are pofitive allegations, concerning a language, which, he fays, he understands as well as any man living. Yet this very man has the confummate asfurance, to hold himfelf forth as a paragon of integrity; and the periodical papers of England are filled with his praise as fuch, reprefenting him as a miracle of fincerity and truth.

Great part of Mr. Shaw's pamphlet is taken up with a feeble and fruitless attack on (d) 4'

Dr.

Dr. Blair's elegant Dissertation on the Poems of Ofian. No facts, however, that have the fmalleft foundation in truth, are produced against the Dissertation; and the reader will fcarcely imagine, that the Doctor ftands in need of fupport from any other writer, against the arguments of fuch an opponent as Mr. Shaw. The following assertions, however, are very remark able.

"Dr. Blair," fays Shaw, "of all men living, has the greateft reafon to be displeafed, who "has been impofed upon, and led to write in "defence of a forgery;" p. 19. "The Doctor "(Blair), how ftrenuously foever he has endea"youred to make them appear authentic, muft "have known better; for fome fay, it is the "promifcuous production of Dr. Blair and Mr. "Macpherson :" P. 39.

I fhall leave the reader, to make his own reflections on these two paragraphs, and reconcile them, if he can.

But Mr. Shaw proceeds, and says, "The "truth is, Dr. Blair and Profeffor Ferguson, "when Dr. Piercy was at Edinburgh, took ca

"re to introduce a young ftudent of divinity "from the Highlands, who rehearfed fome verfes, of which Profeffor Fergufon faid, fuch "and fuch paffages in Fingal were the translation," p. 46.

I have perfonally applied to these two learned and elegant writers; and they have authorised me to asfure the public, that the whole is, in every particular, a falfehood. Upon fuch authority, the public will not hesitate to treat the ftory with the contempt it merits.

Similar to this fiation, relative to two of the firft literary characters of this age as well as nation, is what Shaw alleges concerning his interview with Mr. Macpherfon, on the fubject of the Poems of Offian. The distance of my place of refidence from that gentleman, prevented me from applying to him in perfon. I chofe therefore to request a friend, to wait upon him in London, rather than write to him That friend accordingly called upon him in my name; and he gave him in fubftance the following detail. His words were, as nearly as my friend can recollect, "That, feveral years ago, "Mr. Shaw called at his houfe, and introduced "hims

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"himself without either recommendation or prior "acquaintance whatfoever, but merely as a na"tive of one of the Scotch ifles, and a man "who had ftudied the Gaelic language. That "the avowed object of his calling was to follicit "Mr. Macpherion's intereft to promote a fub"fcription for a grammar of the Gaelic language, "which he had written, or had in contempla"tion to write. That, as a fpecimen of his "knowledge of the Gaelic language, he left for "Mr. Macpherfon's perufal and judgment, a trans"lation of Mr. Pope's Meffiah; which has been "fince printed, and annexed, by Mr. Shaw, to "his Grammar. That Mr. Macpherson, upon "perufal of this fpecimen, conceived a very in"different opinion, both of Mr. Shaw's poetical "talents and knowledge of the Gaelic; as the "language was the very worft dialect of the "Gaelic tongue, (that spoken in the ifle of Aṛ"ran), and the words throughout, mifpelt, and "fcarcely intelligible. That Mr. Shaw called "repeatedly, but at long intervals, upon Mr. "Macpherson; by whom he was received only "with a cold and distant civility, which might "be understood from his not returning any one "of Mr. Shaw's vifits. That he does not recol"lect, that Mr. Shaw ever prefumed to afk a

"fight of his manufcripts; and that, even if he "had, Mr. Macpherson fhould not have indulged "his curiofity, as he both disliked the manners "of the man, and knew that he was not capable "of forming any juft judgment upon the mat"ter. That, whatever farther, than what is ftat"ed above, has been either written or faid by "Mr. Shaw, relative to perfonal interviews with "Mr. Macpherson, is mere exaggeration, or a "fiction meant to deceive and mislead the pub"lic." Mr. Macpherson alfo authorifed my friend, to declare to me, "That the allegation of Mr. "Shaw, that the manufcripts in the hands of "Mr. Mackenzie are the fame, that were depo"fited with his bookfeller, by Mr. Macpherson, "for the inspection of the public, is an absolute "falsehood; as the last mentioned manufcripts "have never been out of Mr. Macpherson's pof"feffion, fince he withdrew them from Mr. Bec"ket's fhop, after they had remained there for "many months."

As for my own part, I mention the very names of men of literary eminence with refpect. What then muft I feel, when I fee a man, diftinguished for nothing less than for genius, truth, and candour, attempting to emerge from

his