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THE HON. HORACE WALPOLE TO MR.

PINKERTON.

Berkely Square, Feb. 11th, 1788.

I wrote a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, soliciting his interest for you, should there be a vacancy at the Museum. He answered (and I will show you his answer when I see you) that he is positively engaged to Mr. Thorkelin, should Mr. Planta resign; but that, the Chancellor having refused to sign the permission for the latter, who will not go abroad without that indulgence, no vacancy is likely to happen from that event. Sir Joseph has since called on me, to make excuses for not complying with my request; and he then told me he thought Mr. Planta might go abroad, with the consent of the Archbishop and Speaker, without the signature of the Chancellor. I do not care about that, which would not promote your interest. I am very sorry, for your sake, that I have none; but I knew as much before.

DR. LORIMER TO MR. PINKERTON.

Charlotte Street, Feb. 25th, 1788.

Your letter of the 20th I received on Friday evening, but could not sit down to answer it till this day; and I am afraid it will still be to little purpose, when I do my best to solve your difficulties. With respect to the sixth section of the

Chronicon Rythmicum,* you may remember that, soon after you and I were first acquainted, I put the same question to you. I need not tell you that I put no great confidence in the Chronology of this Author; though I should be glad to reconcile the dates he mentions with each other, as it is one of the few authorities prior to Fordun, &c. The Pictish kingdom, he thinks, existed 1224 years and nine months, and ended in the year 836. Consequently, it began 388 years and nine months before the Christian æra. The Scots, he says, came into Argyle 443 years before Christ; and, as it would appear, preceded the Picts about 265 years and three months, I think; but those dates can never be made to tally. This chapter begins" Quod jam promisi, &c. ;" where does he promise? In the prologue he says, "quoto tempore, et quotâ arte Pictos, cum iisdem, et post eos vicissim regnaverunt, et qualiter nunc stirps Scotigera miscetur cum Saxonica." If we admit the Scots 443 years before the Incarnation, and the Picts 388 years and nine months, then the former were only fifty-four years and three months before the latter, 1224 years and nine months with them; and how many after them I leave you to consider. I am glad you turned your thoughts

"The Chronicon Rythmicum is to be found at the end of many manuscripts of Fordun, and is an abstract of his Chronicle, or rather of the Scotish Chronicle or History in general. It is never quoted, nor referred to, either by Fordun or Winton, though they quote the Carmen Elegiacum often; so that certaiuly it was not written before their time." Pinkerton's Early History of Scotland, I. p. 513.

towards this subject; and, when we can contrive to meet, we shall have some farther consideration on these matters. At the same time, I must beg that, as you have asked my opinions in writing, you would promise not to expose my name in print; for I have a mortal aversion to it, though several of my scraps have come out without my intending it.

With respect to the Register of St. Andrew's, I only differ from Innes's copy in two reigns: the third king I make thirty-three or thirty-four years, and the thirteenth I make thirteen years. My reasons you can soon see; and if we differ in opinion, we shall not disagree. I wish you may be able to read this scrawl, as I have only time to add that I ever am, &c.

P. S. You see clearly that the order of the verses in the Irish Duain has been altered: query, whether the same liberty has not been taken with the sixth chapter of this Chronicon Rythmicum, the "deca quinque contibinorum" is the only difficulty, and what I always wished to get explained. When I mention the Chronicle of St. Andrew's, I do not mean that I have considered that part which relates to the Picts; neither do I consider the reigns after the children of Malcolm III. to be equally correct with the former part of the Register. The author had begun to nod. I have just found out two or three leaves of my own fragments written about twenty years ago upon this same subject, which I shall put in my pocket, to show you, the first day I can catch you at home to-morrow I shall be in the city; but,

bating accidents, if the weather is good, on Thursday forenoon I may call.

MR. MACAULEY TO DR. LORIMER.*

72, Charlotte Street, Rathbone Place, March 24th, 1788.

Mr. Macauley presents his compliments to Dr. Lorimer. Reflecting on the name, Ethica, since he saw the Doctor, it has occurred to him that it must be the island situated about six leagues N.N.E. of the Point of Ardnamurchan, and now called, according to the English orthography, Egg. Ethica would be pronounced by an Highlander Ehica, according to the Scots method of pronouncing the vowels;-with this difference, that the last syllable would be rather an opening of the mouth than any distinct vowel. In the Gaelic language (monosyllables excepted) words terminating in a vowel, (or rather in either of the vowels a or e) if that termination is not accented, have it pronounced so indistinctly, that it may be written either with an a or an e. It depends on the preceding vowel, which of these is to be written at the end of the word, and not upon the pronunciation or sound of the word itself. Thus the name Ethica would be pronounced Ehiche—in three syllables; the last syllable being rather an opening of the mouth than any distinct sound. It is easy

• Inclosed in the preceding.

to conceive how this name, in process of time, might be changed into Ehiga, and, by a little contraction of the pronunciation into Egge, which is the present Gaelic name, converted by English orthography and pronunciation into Egg. Mr. Macauley will be happy if this explication will appear satisfactory to Dr. Lorimer. The name

does not appear to be of Gaelic etymology, and therefore probably is Danish.

MR. PINKERTON TO MR. GEORGE PATON.*

Knightsbridge, March 31st, 1788.

I am favored with yours, inclosing Mr. Herd's remarks, for which I thank you and him.

I am much obliged to you for the etchings. Lindsay's Satire I returned as desired, though I had made no use of it, for want of the Bannatyne copy. I wish you would complete and collate

* This and the following letter are preserved in the Paton Correspondence, manuscript, in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, and have already appeared in a small 8vo. vol. intitled Reliquiæ Scotica, for a copy of which I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Alexander Young of Edinburgh. The book was printed only for private distribution; and but a very few copies were taken off. Mr. Paton was a clerk in the CustomHouse at Edinburgh, and, as the editor of the Reliquiæ Scoticæ states, a well-meaning and inoffensive man. It is to be regretted that his own letters to Mr. Pinkerton are not preserved; that it might be seen what gave rise to so intemperate an effusion as the second of these letters to him. Mr. Pinkerton has preserved no trace of any correspondence between them.

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