22
Celtic. In this language Oilian Mu-ote
his admirable poems ; and though the
inhabitants cannot at prefent produce
any thing comparable to them, yet I
hope, on iny return home, to give
yon proofs o f their being able to
write both with elegance and judgment.
As it is very extraordinary that
this language iliould have preferved
it itfelf here fo long *, it will per-
The very little connexion that the antient inhabitants
o f the Scots Highlands and of the Hebrides had
with other nations (efpecially before the Union, which
has in every refpeil: been beneficial to them) is the true
caufe that the Erfe langqage has fo long been preferved
among them. Befides thefe reafons there is another,
which accounts almoil: for them all ; the poverty o f
the foil and inclemency of cljmate admit of very little
cultivation, fo that thefe parts have very few natural
produffions which might tempt foreigners to vifit them;
fome few gifts of nature are, no doubt, lodged in the
bofom of the hills of Scotland ; but hitherto indolence
and want of induilry in the natives have negletfted thefe
riches: it is only within a few years that commerce has
begun to raife its head, which alone induces other nations
to frequent this or any country. It is therefore
nor io very extraordinary, that in a mountainous country
the remains of antient nations ihould be found,
who preferve for a great length of time their language.
In die Caucaius are flill exifling the pofferity
of feveral nations who cro/Ted thefe mountains in their
attempt to conquer Afia and Europe; and within a
fmall compafs, more than five or fix different languages
are fpoken.
haps
23 ]
haps not be difagreeable to you to be
more particularly acquainted o f the limits
within which it is confined. I
will readily iketch them out to you,
being able to do it with fo much the
more certainty, having received my
information from Mr. Macpherfon, the
only man in Great Britain who has
particularly ftudied this language.
It begins to be fpoken on theeaftern
fide at Nairn, and extends from thence
through the whole country, and all the
weftern iftes. In the north its limits
are at Cathnefs, where Erfe is only
fpoken in four pariflies out o f ten; in
the other fix, better Engliih is fpoke
than in any other part o f Scotland.
There is in Iceland another dialed; o f
it, as well as in Wales and Britany ;
however, they are not fo different, hut
that a man horn in either of thefe provinces,
may'make himfelfunderftood in
the others. Had I been acquainted with
thelanguageoftheDalikarUanSjIftiould
have had an opportunity of examining
how far that fimilarity is foundtd
which, as it appeared to my ear, fub-
fifts between thefe two languages,
B 4 The