rials, will not be found less striking, than his diligence in procuring and analyzing them.

One of the earliest and greatest difficulties that he encountered in the course of his labours, arose from the manner in which Mr. Macpherson and Sir J. Dalrymple had explained and conducted their respective publications, and which he always considered as unsatisfactory. His complaints of both these authors were frequent; and the more he examined and studied their books, the more he perceived the necessity of making some further researches. He was anxious, if possible, to consult the original documents from which their extracts were made; and he was at first apprehensive, that nothing short of an examination of all the manuscripts of the Scotch College at Paris, could enable him to determine the degree of credit due to the extracts of Macpherson. But he must very soon have despaired of obtaining that satisfaction, for he had strong reasons to suspect, even before his journey to Paris in 1802, that the most valuable part, if not the whole of them, had been destroyed. Three important points however, might yet be ascertained :....1st, Of what the manuscripts, so long preserved in the Scotch College at Paris, actually consisted; ....2ndly, To what part of them either Carte or Macpherson had access ;....3dly, whether any portion, copies, or fragments, of the papers were still in existence. The result of his enquiries will be best given in his own words, though upon the first point he had ascertained something more than appears from the following extract of his letter to Mr. Laing.

*

Among Mr. Fox's papers was found a list of "the works which were placed in the Scotch College at Paris, soon after the death of

"With respect to Carte's extract, I have no doubt but "it is faithfully copied; but on this extract it is necessary "to make an observation, which applies to all the rest, both "of Carte's and Macpherson's, and which leads to the de❝tection of an imposture of the latter, as impudent as "Ossian itself. The extracts are evidently made, not from "a journal, but from a narrative; and I have now ascer"tained beyond all doubt, that there were in the Scotch Colแ lege two distinct manuscripts, one in James's own hand, "consisting of papers of different sizes bound up together, "and the other a sort of historical narrative, compiled from "the former. The narrative was said to have been revised "and corrected, as to style, by Dryden* the poet, (mean❝ing probably Charles Dryden, the great poet's son,) and "it was not known in the College whether it was drawn up "in James's life, or by the direction of his son, the Pre"tender. I doubt whether Carte ever saw the original "journal; but I learn, from undoubted authority, that Mac"pherson never did; and yet to read his Preface, page 6

"James the Second, and were there at the time of the French Revolu❝tion." It is as follows:

Four volumes folio, six volumes quarto,

Two thin quarto volumes,

Two thin quarto volumes,

Memoirs in James the Second's own hand writing, beginning from the time that he was sixteen years of age. (Containing letters from Charles the Second's ministers to James the Se cond (then Duke of York,) when he was at Brussels and in Scotland, MS. Containing Letters from Charles the Second to his brother, James Duke of York, MS.

* It is the opinion of the present possessor of the narrative, that it was compiled from the original documents by Thomas Innes, one of the Superiors of the College, and author of a work entitled, A Critical Es say on the ancient Inhabitants of Scotland.

"and 7, (which pray advert to,) one would have supposed, 66 not only that he had inspected it accurately, but that all "his extracts at least, if not Carte's also, were taken from "it. Macpherson's impudence in attempting such an im66 position, at a time when almost any man could have de"tected him, would have been in another man, incredible, "if the internal evidence of the extracts themselves against "him were not corroborated by the testimony of the prin"cipal persons of the College. And this leads me to a point of more importance to me. Principal Gordon

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<< thought, when I saw him at Paris, in October 1802, that "all the papers were lost. I now hear from a well-inform"ed person, that the most material, viz. those written in "James's own hand-writing, were indeed lost, and in the

way mentioned by Gordon, but that the Narrative, from "which only Macpherson made his extracts, is still exist"ing, and that Mr. Alexander Cameron, Blackfriars Wynd, Edinburgh, either has it himself, or knows where it is to "be found."

The above information was correct. There is strong presumptive evidence, that the Manuscripts of King James the Second were destroyed, but the Narrative, as described, was then, and is now, in the hands of Dr. Cameron, Roman Catholic Bishop in Edinburgh. It could not be in possession of a person who is better qualified to judge of its merits, and on whose fidelity, should he be induced to print it, the public might more implicitly rely. I am indebted to his accuracy and friendship, for some additional information respecting the manner in which the Manuscripts of the Scotch College were lost. As the facts are in themselves curious, I lay before the reader his succinct and in

teresting relation of them, contained in a letter to me, dated Edinburgh, March 2, 1808.

"Before Lord Gower, the British Embassador, left Paris, "in the beginning of the French Revolution, he wrote to "Principal Gordon, and offered to take charge of those "valuable papers, (King James's Manuscripts, &c.) and

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deposit them in some place of safety in Britain. I know 66 not what answer was returned, but nothing was done. "Not long thereafter, the Principal came to England, and "the care of every thing in the College devolved on Mr.TM "Alexander Innes, the only British subject who remained "in it. About the same time, Mr. Stapleton, then Presi"dent of the English College of St. Omer, afterwards "Bishop in England, went to Paris, previously to his re"tiring from France, and Mr. Innes, who had resolved not "to abandon his post, consulted with him about the means " of preserving the manuscripts. Mr. Stapleton thought, if " he had them at St. Omer, he could, with small risk conແ vey them to England. It was therefore resolved, that they "should be carefully packed up, addressed to a French"man, a confidential friend of Mr. Stapleton, and remitted

by some public carriage. Some other things were put up with the Manuscripts. The whole arrived without any "accident, and was laid in a cellar. But the patriotism of "the Frenchman becoming suspicious, perhaps upon ac"count of his connection with the English College, he was put in prison; and his wife apprehensive of the conse

quences of being found to have English manuscripts, "richly bound and ornamented with Royal arms, in her "house, cut off the boards, and destroyed them. The "Manuscripts thus disfigured, and more easily huddled up "in a sort of bundle, were secretly carried, with papers be

1

longing to the Frenchman himself, to his country-house; "and buried in the garden. They were not, however, "permitted to remain long there; the lady's fears increased, " and the Manuscripts were taken up and reduced to ashes. "This is the substance of the account given to Mr. Innes, and reported by him to me in June, 1802, in Paris. I "desired it might be authenticated by a proces verbale. A "letter was therefore written to St. Omer, either by Mr. "Innes, or by Mr. Cleghorn, a lay gentleman, who had re"sided in the English College of St. Omer, and was per"sonally acquainted with the Frenchman, and happened to "be at Paris at this time. The answer given to this letter "was, that the good man, under the pressure of old age and "other infirmities, was alarmed by the proposal of a dis"cussion and investigation, which revived in his memory

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past sufferings, and might, perhaps, lead to a renewal of "them. Any further correspondence upon the subject "seemed useless, especially as I instructed Mr. Innes to

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go to St. Omer, and clear up every doubt, in a formal and "legal manner, that some authentic document might be "handed down to posterity concerning those valuable Manuscripts. I did not foresee that war was to be kindled friend Mr. Innes was to die so soon. up anew, or that my "Mr. Cleghorn, whom I mentioned above, is at present "in the Catholic seminary of Old Hall Green, Puckeridge, "Hertfordshire. He can probably name another gentleman "who saw the Manuscripts at St. Omer, and saved some "small things, (but unconnected with the Manuscripts,) "which he carried away in his pocket, and has still in his possession.

"I need not trouble your Lordship with my reflexions upon this relation: but I ought not to omit that I was