The genuine history of the Britons asserted against Mr. Macpherson ...

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THE GENUINE HISTORY OF
now the general appellation of the whole High
landSj was formerly, and is flill, the difcrimina^
tive Ua^^s of a part only. In the liiftory of Man-,
chefter I have ihevvn a tribe of the Caledonians
to have been called Albanii, and to have inha-
bited a part of Athol, Braidalbinj Strathern, and
Menteith', And Braid-Albin remains to this
day the appropriate appellation of a oiflricl: in
the Highlands. Were the Albanii therefore, or
9re the inhabitants of Braidalbin, peculiarly de-:
rived from the firfl inhabitants ? And a long
range of country, that ran in a narrow flip from
Derbyfliire into Scotland, I have ihewn to have
been dillinguiHied by the name of Alps, a de-
nomination exaflly the fame as Alba or Alb-an ',
Was all the country adjoining to this, therefore,
in a particular and fpecific manner peopled by
the defcendants of the firft colony? If they
were, what becomes of the exclufive right of the
Caledonians to this defcent ? And, if they were
not, what becomes of the argument from Alba
and Alban ? Thefe words indeed have as little
reference to the firft colony, as to the inhabitants
of the moon. The prefervation of the name
of Alp or Alb, in fo many parts of the ifland,
lliews the illand and thofe parts of it to have
been denominated from one common principle of
' Hlftory of Manclicfier, p. 410.
? Hiftory of Mancheikr, p. 140.
famenefs.