228 Transactions of the [Sess. 



ethnologic legends contained in the Leabhar Gabhala or Book of 

 Conquests. Some things they mention, such as the occupation 

 of these islands by a small dark race, appear to receive some cor- 

 roboratory evidence from other sources. It seems likely that 

 they originated from the same parent-stock as the Iberian race 

 that is now to be found in the Basque Provinces.-*- That the 

 Eomans knew the sea to the west of Scotland by the name 

 " Caledonius Oceanus," may be gleaned from Valerius Flaccus, 

 who writes about a.d. 70 (' Argonautica,' i. 8). Pliny (lib. iv. c. 16) 

 mentions that there were thirty islands named Hasbrides, which 

 is wonderfully near the truth ; but some succeeding Koman his- 

 torians only mention five, which may be accounted for by their 

 having got their information from an overland expedition, while 

 Pliny must have got his from some early voyager. We are also in- 

 formed by Solinus, in his ' Polyhistor ' (c. 22) that from the Promon- 

 torium Caledonias could be seen the five islands of the Hebudes, and 

 this promontory we conclude to be the district of Kintjre. Ptolemy 

 gives a map of these islands, but the only one that can be identified 

 with any certainty is the most northerly, which he calls Maleus, 

 and which is doubtless Mull. The other islands are therefore 

 south of that, and may possibly be represented by Colonsay (with 

 which Oronsay might be included). Jura, Isla, and Gigha, and 

 the names given them by Ptolemy are Epidium, Eugaricenna, 

 and two outer islands marked Ebuda. It may, however, be doubted 

 whether the Eomans could actually distinguish five islands, as, 

 unless they had the depression pointed out in which is the Sound 

 of Isla, they would almost certainly take Isla and Jura to be 

 one island. And unless the view-point from which they looked 

 out upon the Atlantic was the top of some of the higher moun- 

 tains, it is very unlikely they would get even a glimpse of Colon- 

 say, unless they were at the extreme north of the district of 

 Kintyre. From these considerations, therefore, we form the con- 

 clusion that most probably after reaching the shores of the Atlantic, 

 the Romans noted the statements of the natives and saw some 

 islands. But that they did not apprehend their position pro- 

 perly may be seen at a glance by referring to Ptolemy's map. 



In the year 87 a.d. Agricola appears to have penetrated to the 

 Western Ocean, where he saw the shores of Ireland in the dim 

 distance, and the five islands of the Hebudes and the coast of the 

 mainland of Scotland running due north. But of all the Eoman 

 authors, Solinus gives us the fullest statement regarding these 

 islands, their inhabitants and singular customs, in his ' Polyhistor' 

 (c. 22). He says they heard that the inhabitants did not know 

 how to cultivate the ground, but depended entirely upon j?s/« and 

 milk as their food. They were reported to be ruled by one king, 

 1 Professor Huxley, ' Critiques and Addresses,' p. 167. 



