nall Cearnach. It is interesting to note that nine of the
poems are directly attributed to Ossian, two to Ferghus File, one to
Caoilte Mac Ronan, and one to Conall Cearnach, whilst others are
ascribed to Allan MacRorie, Gillie Calum Mac an Ollav and Caoch
O'Cluain, who are otherwise unknown. The Dean's Book was first
transcribed by Ewen MacLachlan in 1813. Thomas MacLauchlan published the
text of the Ossianic ballads with modern Gaelic and English renderings
in 1862. In the same volume W.F. Skene gave a useful description of the
MS. and its contents. Alexander Cameron revised the text of the portion
printed by MacLauchlan, and his amended text is printed in his
_Reliquiae Celticae_, vol. i. (See also L.C. Stern, _Zeitschr. f. celt.
Phil._ i. 294-326.)

"Book of Fernaig."

Between the Book of the Dean and the Forty-five we find another great
gap, which is only bridged over by a collection which presents many
points of resemblance to Macgregor's compilation. The _Book of Fernaig_,
which is also written in a kind of phonetic script, was compiled by
Duncan Macrae of Inverinate between 1688 and 1693. The MS. contains
about 4200 lines of verse of different dates and by different authors.
The contents of the collection are mainly political and religious, with
a few poems which are termed didactic. As in the Dean's Book love-songs
and drinking-songs are conspicuously absent, whilst the religious poetry
forms about one-half of the contents. In state politics the authors are
Jacobite, and in church politics Episcopalian. The Ossianic literature
is represented by 36 lines. There are a number of poems by 16th-century
writers, among whom is Bishop Carsewell. Mackinnon has pointed out that
the language of the _Book of Fernaig_ corresponds exactly to the dialect
spoken in Kintail at the present day. The text of the _Book of Fernaig_
is printed in its entirety in vol. ii. of Cameron's _Reliquiae
Celticae_, and many of the poems are to be found in standard orthography
in G. Henderson's _Leabhar nan Gleann_. The metres employed in the poems
show the influence of the English system of versification. (See Stern,
_Zeitschr. f. celt. Phil._ ii. pp. 566 ff.)

"Red and Black Books of Clanranald."

Two other Highland MSS. remain to be noticed. These are the _Red_ and
_Black Books of Clanranald_, which are largely taken up with the
histories of the families of Macdonald and with the achievements of
Montrose, written in the ordinary I