** Dr. Young, and Bishop of Clonfert, who united in his character the extremes of human perfection; the most unblemished virtue to the most exalted genius. visited the Highlands (on an Ossianic research) in 1784, he collected a number of Gællic poems respecting the race of the Fiens, so renowned in the annals of Irish heroism, * and found, that the orthography was less pure than that among us; for, he says, “the Erse being only a written language within these few years, no means were yet afforded of forming a decided orthographic standard.” But he augurs, from the improvement which had lately taken place, that we soon may expect to see the Erse restored to the original purity which it possesses in the _mother_ country. And these very poems, whence Mr. Macpherson has chiefly constructed his Ossian, bear such strong internal proof of their Irish origin, as to contain in themselves the best arguments that can be adduced against the Scottish claimants on the poems of the bard. But in their translation, ** many passages are perverted, in order to deprive Ireland of being the residence of Fingal’s heroes.” * See Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, 1786. ** “From the remotest antiquity we have seen the military order distinguished in Ireland, codes of military laws and discipline established, and their dress and rank in the state ascertained. The learned Keating and others, tell us that these militia were called Fine, from Fion Mac Cum-hal; but it is certainly a great error; the word fine, strictly implying a military corps. Many places in the island retain to this day the names of some of the leaders of this body of men, and whole volumes of poetical fictions have been grafted upon their exploits. The manuscripts which I have, after giving a particular account of Finn’s descent, his inheritance, his acquisitions from the king of Leinster and his great military command, immediately adds, ‘but the reader must not expect to meet here with such stories of him and his heroes as the vulgar Irish have.’”--Dr. Warner. “I remember,” said the Prince, “when you read to me a description of a sea fight between Fingal and Swaran, in Macpherson’s translation, that I repeated to you, in Irish, the very poem whence it was taken, and which is still very current here, under the title of _Laoid Mhanuis M’hoir_.” “True,” returned the priest, “a copy of which is deposited in the University of Dublin, with another Irish MS. entitled, ‘_Oran cadas Ailte agus do Maronnan_’ whence the battle of Lora is taken.” The Prince then, desiring Father John to give him down a bundle of old manuscripts which lay on a shelf in the hall dedicated to national tracts, after some trouble produced a copy of a poem, called “The Conversation of Ossian and St. Patrick,” the original of which, Father John assured me, was deposited in the library of the Irish University.