A . , * * 4T J~o. f3 / ■i, QJ-VX^JCS J /Ml 4 /m. /m /m. /z/s /8/gf. /tlo. /HSf. THE SECOND Annual Beport OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPORT OF GAELIC SCHOOLS: WITH AN APPENDIX RESPECTING THE PRESENT STATE OF Cfce anti 3lsianD0 of ^cotlanti, The Operations of the Committee, <|c. EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY, By A. Balfour, Merchant Court. SOLD BY OLIPHANT, WAUGH AND INNES, HUNTER’S SQUARE J MANNERS AND MILLER, CROSS; AND W. WHYTE, ST ANDREW’S STREET ; BY L. B. SEELEY, LONDON ; AND L. GRANT AND CO. INVERNESS. 1813. MceslBeatera, President RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF MORAY. Vice-Presidents. RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF SELKIRK. RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF BREADALBANE. THE REV. DAVID JOHNSTON, D. D. CHARLES STUART, M. D. ROBERT SCOTT MONCRIEFF, ESQ. JOHN BURNETT, ESQ. Governors by Subscription. WILL. DAVIDSON, ESQ. DIVIE BETHUNE, ESQ. ALEX. RIDDELL, ESQ. ROBERT SPEAR, ESQ. JAMES ERSKINE, ESQ. Committee. James F. Gordon, Esq. Mr A. M'Laurin. Mr George Gibson. Rev. Dr Jamieson. Rev. Geo. Paxton. Mr Arch. Anderson. Rev. Dr T. S. Jones. Rev. James Peddie. Rev. Dav. Dickson, jun. Mr William Innes. John Pollock, Esq. Tho. Erskine, Esq. Rev. J. Johnston. Mr William Pringle. Mr William Whyte. Mr A. Kedslie. W. S. Moncrieff, Esq. Mr Robert Gray. Colonel M‘Leod. Mr Charles Stewart. Mr Alex. Cruickshank. Rev. Thos. M'Crie. Alex. Wardrop, Esq. Mr Robert Paul. Auditors. W. S. MONCRIEFF, ESQ. WALTER BROWN, ESQ. Treasurer. JOHN CAMPBELL, ESQ. TERTIGS, W. S. Secretaries. 11 MR CHRIST . ANDERSON. MR WILLIAM PAUL. MR JOHN CAMPBELL, Gaelic Secretary. MR ALEXANDER HUTCHISON, Clerk. Subscriptions and Donations are received by the Treasurer, No. 29, Heriot Rorv West; by the Secretaries; andby thefollowing Gentkmen. Manners & Miller, Cross; Oliphant, Waugh & Innes, Hunter’s Square; Robert Plenderleath & Co. North Bridge; William Whyte, St Andrew’s Street; Brown, Anderson, & Co. Lothian Street: Alexander Cruickshank, Hosier, Nicholson’s Street. Subscriptions are also received in London, by Rev. Alexander Waugh; Joseph Reyner, Esq. No. SO, Mark Lane; Robert Steven, Esq. Thames Street; Mr Joseph Tarn, Spa Fields. And in Liverpool, by Samuel Hope, Esq. JLatog anD Eegulattonsf, I. The sole object of this Institution being to teach the Inhabitants, of the Highlands and Islands, to read the Sacred Scriptures in their Native tongue, the designation of the Society shall be, “ THE SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPORT OF GAELIC SCHOOLS." II. For the accomplishment of this object, the Society shall maintain Circu- lating Schools, in which the Gaelic language only shall be taught. III. Each Subscriber of Half-a-Guinea annually, shall be a Member of the Society. IV. A Subscriber of Ten Guineas at one time, shall be a Member for life. V. An Annual Subscriber of Three Guineas, or a Benefactor of Twenty Gui- neas, shall be a Governor. VI. The Office-bearers of the Society shall consist of a President, six Vice- Presidents, a Committee of twenty-four, a Treasurer, three Secretaries, and a Clerk. One of the Vice-Presidents and six of the Committee to go out annually by rotation; the Treasurer, Secretaries, and Clerk, to be annually elected. VII. None of the Office-bearers, except the Clerk, shall draw any emolu- ment for their services to the Society. VIII. The business of the Society shall be conducted by the Committee of Management, consisting of the whole of the Office-bearers and Governors, —-jive to be a quorum. IX. The Committee shall have a stated meeting on the second Monday of every Month, and shall meet also at such other times as they shall find necessary. X. The Committee shall have power to call General Meetings of the Society, when they think it necessary to do so;—ten days notice being given by ' public advertisement. XI. A General meeting of the Society shall be annually held in the month of November, on a day to be fixed by the Committee, of which proper in- timation shall be given. At this Meeting the Office-bearers shall be elect- ed, the Accounts presented, the transactions of the foregoing year report, ed, and the general instructions of the Sotiety oommunieated to their Committee. ' •' .I! ,1. ■■ ■ ' ' • - ; - . r: i,,.- '« , ,,;x Extract from the Minutes of the Second Annual Meeting of the SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPORT OF GAELIC SCHOOLS, held in the New Rooms, Royal Exchange Coffee House, on Friday the 21 th day of November 1812. THE Right Honourable the President of the Society being pre- vented from attending the Meeting, on account of his duty in Par- liament ; one of the Vice-Presidents, ROBERT SCOTT MONCRIEFF, Esq. of Nemhalls, mas called to the Chair. The Second Annual Report of the Committee of Management mas read by the Secretary ;—mhcn the Meeting mas addressed by the Rev. DAVID DICKSON of St Cuthberfs, and upon his motion^ seconded by JOHN WAUGH, Esq. it mas RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY, “ That the Report of the Committee be received and adopted; and that it be printed, together miih an Appendix of Correspondence, a List of Subscribers and Donors; and a State of Account.” On the Motion of Dr CHARLES STUART, it mas RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY, “ That the thanks of this Society be given to the Friends in Glasgow, for their zealous co-operation, and very great exertions in aid of this Institution.” It mas moved by the Rev. Dr JOHN JAMIESON, and RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY, “ That the thanks of the Society be given to the British and Foreign Bible Society, for their very liberal donation of Gaelic Bibles and Testaments. viii RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY, On the Motion of the Rev. THOMAS BROWN, Dal- keith, seconded hy Mr JOHN ROBERTSON, “ That the thanks of this Meeting he given to the Friends in London, Liverpool, the North of Scotland, and other places mentioned in the Report, fof the libe- ral support which they have afforded to the Society. RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY, On the Motion of the Treasurer, “ That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the Collector, the Supervisors, and Of- ficers of Excise, in the Argyll District, for their generous donation in aid of the Society. It was then moved, by the Rev. THOMAS BROWN, seconded, and RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY, “ That the thanks of the Society be given to the Members qf the Committee, for their exertions during the past year, and particularly to the Secretary and Treasurer, for the greed trouble and attention which they have bestowed on the interests of this Society" On the motion of the Secretary, the unanimous thanks of th So- ciety were then voted to ROBERT SCOTT MONCRIEFF, Esq. for his conduct in the chair, and his kind attention to the business qf this Meeting. A List of the Office-bearers, for the ensuing Year, which were chosen at this Meeting, will be found in pages third and fourth. Annual Report, Edinburgh, 21th November, 1812. THE Committee of Management have now to submit to the SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPORT OF GAELIC SCHOOLS, in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, an account of their transactions, during the second year of the Institution. It was the recommendation of your former Committee, sanctioned by the last Annual Meeting, that the state of this Country, as far as it relates to the necessity for instruct- ing its inhabitants in reading their native tongue, should be referred to annually. With regard to the details then laid before the public by your Society, one clergyman, the Rev. William Fraser of Kilchrenan, has said, “ The pic- ture of Highland parishes, so faithfully drawn by your cor- respondents in the North, I have had occasion often to con- template, with emotions of pity and regret, despairing of ever seeing a general scheme adopted for removing the ma- ny obstacles to religious instruction, which exist in so ex- tended and scattered a population. It is the lot, and I trust will be the honour of your Society, to have chosen a plan for this pious purpose, which is, at once, simple in its operation, and I think adequate to the accomplishment of the object in view.—The representation contained in your Report, applies, in the most material circumstances, to the whole district of the Highlands, with which I am best ac- quainted : I mean the west coast, extending from Apple- cross in Ross-shire, to the south end of Kjntyre in Argyle- 2 REPORT. [1812. shire, including some of the largest, and several of the small adjacent islands. In different parts of that exten- sive district, I have had occasion, for years, to officiate as a Teacher of Youth, a Missionary Minister, and Esta- blished Clergyman, and I have reason to believe, that the majority of the inhabitants, of all ranks, will cordially co- operate with so benevolent and patriotic an institution as yours, when its object is once fairly and accurately stated to them, which can most effectually be done, by as exten- sive a circulation of your Report as possible.” There is one tract of country, on the Mainland, which was not mentioned in the Report of last year, respecting which the present Committee are able to furnish you with some particulars. “ I have made,” says our correspondent, the Rev. Daniel Dewar, Strontian, “ I have made, in the company of some English friends, an extensive tour through most of the Hebrides, as well as through Arisaig, Moidart, North and South Morrer, Knodart, &c. and I am now most deeply convinced of the utility, and the necessity of your Society. I made it my business to make enquiries as to the abilities of the people to read, and have seldom met with any one of the common people, in the districts I have mentioned, capable of reading either English or Gae- lic.