Star.
London, England, 1830-07-30 00:00:00

and SIRJAMES MACKINTOSH.
TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE STAR.

05-lAN

Sts,—ln your paper of the 6th inst. you incautiously inserted
an extract from Dr. LAIONER'S Cabinet Cyclopedia, Vol. VIII.
professed to be a portion of Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH'S History of
England. That paragraph wu inserted in what you call your
Scintilla, and very properly so, for it is a spark which you, and Sir,
JAMES, ought to regret having thrown through the world, u
being altogether inconsistent with philosophy, argument, or histo-
rical fact. _ _ _

Sir JAmEs says, " Some tragmenta of the songs of the Scottish 1
highlanders of very uncertain antiquity, appear to have fallen into
the hands Of Macpherson, a young man of no mean genius, unac-
quainted with the higher criticism applied to the genuineness of an.
cient writings—and who was too much& stranger to the studious world,
to have learnt those refinements which extend probity to literature,
as well as to property." Whatever Sir Jraszs may think, the
WORLD will generally admit that genius is seldom met, without re-
fisement and probity in her train Ha ought also to remember that
some years before the first appearance of OSSIAM'S Poems, a most
daring imposition was attempted, and for a time successfully,
upon the ablest critics of the day, by a Scotchman of the
name of LAUDER, and, for aught I know, of the same
family as Sir James's friend, AIALCOLM LAnna—in proving that
John Milton was a plagiary—and that his Paradise Lost was no.
thing but a tissue of piracies from various foreign learned writers,
which 1111L•rox had collated, and therefrom formed his celebrated
work. To such a length did this literary Impostor carry his daring
falsehoods, that many of the most learned men of the day—among
the rest Dr. Jorrosox and Dr. PERCY—were convinced that
Lamest had made ont a case of want of" probity"against the illus-
trious; Milton;—when Dr. DOUGLAS, afterwards Bishop of Salis-
busy, devoting touch time and trouble to the yin.
dication of MiIton—LAUDER was at last compelled to admit that his
quotations were all fictions ;—such authors as mere quoted, never
havinj had any mutate*, except in his own wickedly fertile ima-
gination. It was not long before that the learned men of the day
were for a time imposed upon by spurious productions, reported
to be Shakspeare's—and by the Rowlteian manuscripts, said to be
found in aniold trunk at Bristol. No wonder, then, that the learned
who had suffered themselves to be deceived three times as above
stated—and in one cue by a boy 19 years of age—should for ever
after doubt the authenticity of any ancient poems. It is well for
them that they had formed their religious creed, previous to the
appecrance of Ossian, in their vernacular tongue; otherwise their
reasoning against the works of the son of Fingal, as well as that of
Sir JAMES, would equally apply to overturning all the truths of the
Old Testament.

Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH says, " Since the keen and search-
ing publication of Mr. Laing, these poems have fallen in reputation,
as they lost the character of genuineness. They had been admired
by all the nations, and by all the men of genius in Europe." Sir
JAMES himself gives the lie direct to the above two short sentences,
in his succeeding one, where lie states that " they formed almost
the whole poetical library of Napoleon—a man who, whatever may
be finally thought of him in other respects, must be owned to be, by
the transeendant vigour dills powers, entitled to a place in the first
class of intnian minds." Now for the truth as regards Mr. Lainy's
edition of Walden. That edition was published long before Buono-
parte was publicly known ; yet it appears Mr. Laing's reasoning
against Ossian's authenticity, was not "entitled to a place in the
first class of human minds." The compliment paid by Sir Janes
to Boonaparte, is very proper—it shows a sense of gratitude.—
Buonaparte was a great means of obtaining for Sir JAMES those
honours and comforts which he now enjoys. If Peltier had not
been persecuted, from the land of his birth, by an upstart Corsican,
and driven to England, where the " first class of -human minds"
prosecuted him in the King's Bench in 1802, Sir Janws would not
have had it in his power to defend Peltier against the then first
Consul. of FRANCE, in such a manner as to instantly prociere for
him a .ludgeship in India, a subsequent pension at home, and the
honour of a seat in the King's Privy Council.
Now for the Italian " version" !—Sit JAMES does rot say
whether this version was taken from -Ifaephcrson, or from
his friend Maleohn Lainy's edition—and it would appear
that he dues not even know the nane of the translator. 1 will
tell him that it was from the original Gaelic care:ion of Ossian's
wolks, by Macpherson—and translated by the celebrated
Italian Abbe CICANOTTI one of the most accomplished
scholars of the day—and who learnt the ancient language of
Caledonia fur the purpose of being acquainted with Oesierts in the
Original ; and what induced him to do so was the following cir-
cumstance :—ln the years 1793 told 1794, while the late Admiral
Lord Boon commanded the British fleet in the Mediterranean, Mr.
JOHN M'A Winn a, a native of Caledonia, and a good Celtic scho-
lar, attended his Lordship as his Secretary. He had frequently oc.
casion to be ashore in the Ports of Italy, where, among others, he
often met with Cicaeovvi, who spoke English and wrote it cor-
rectly. Their conversation often turned upon the beauties of Os.
SIAN. /11‘Aavuu a told his friend, that however poetic the ancient
bard was in the English translation, many of his lasules were lost
by the translator. The Abbe, at this time, had thoughts of tran-
slating Ossian from the English version, into Italian; but from
what Al'ilavnun told him, he commenced studying the Gaelic,
and by the assistance of his friend, who furnished hint with a few
elementary books, the Abbe, was soon enabled to read Osamu in
the Original ; and from it be gave the world that edition " which
so posed their Alerts," as Sir Janus is pleased to say ;—but
which "Jenard shout dee whole poetical library of Napoleon."
The Abbe CICAROTTI, in his own Italian dissertation upon
Ossian's Poems, alludes to claims put forth by several framed natives
of Ireland do favour of their author being a native of Erin, and not
of Caledonia. The Abbe concludes this part of the dissertation
with them remarkable words :—" Toone, as a einem Ohs teor:d,
it loaners not, whether °faux was barn in the Biss o/ Ireland.
or Mountains of Scotland; brat se one will deny that he was the
son of the Muses." PHII.O PnaLoszaus.