By the Rev. J. L. Ross. i yg 
the first migrations were made by sea in ships. Even at this day the 
northern ocean, always inimical to navigation, is seldom traversed 
by ships from our part of the world.” From the same writer we 
further learn that some of the German tribes were of Celtic origin 
and particularly addicted to commerce and mining: and Cesar 
states that Mercury the patron of merchandize was the principal 
deity of the Celtae, which strongly confirms the derivation of 
the Celts from the Pheenicians, the merchants confessedly of the 
ancient world. 
“We have no certain history,” says Sir W. Betham,! “ of the 
period when the Celtae first fixed their residence in Europe. He- 
rodotus was acquainted with the fact of the Phcenicians having 
traded to certain islands beyond the pillars of Hercules for tin. 
Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, Strabo, and Plutarch, knew little more. 
The most ancient of the Greek writers say, that Hercules (that is 
the Tyrians) sailed beyond the pillars of Hercules, and subdued the 
giants Albion and Bergion among the Celtae, 7.e. conquered those 
islands: and Aristotle says the Pheenicians formed settlements in 
the British islands. From all which, the affinity of the Irish 
and Pheenician languages, and the remains constantly found in 
Treland,’ we can scarcely err in concluding the Celtae to have been 
a very early Pheenician colony, who, like their modern imitators, 
first formed settlements in Spain, Ireland, Britain, and Gaul, for 
commercial purposes, and afterwards sent military expeditions to 
conquer and secure these colonies.” From the description of the 
! Ulster King of Arms, and author of the Gael and Cymbri, &c. 
2 Numerous mines evidently worked at a very remote period, as also specimens 
of elaborate workmanship in gold, silver, copper, bronze, &c., are constantly dis- 
covered in the bogs in Ireland. ‘Mr. Griffith,” says Sir W. Betham, ‘‘person- 
ally inspected almost every mine in Ireland, and from the office he held, was 
peculiarly qualified to supply valuable and important evidence, both as a miner- 
alogist and metallurgist. He tell us that the mines were extensively worked in 
almost every part of Ireland, and that an ardent spirit for mining adventure 
must have pervaded this country at a very remote period. And further, that 
the ancient Irish possessed skill in metallurgy, we have abundant proofs from 
the numberless articles in gold, silver, copper, brass containing zinc, bronze 
containing tin, and other mixed metals, that have been discovered in every part 
of Ireland, many of which display beautiful forms and exquisite workmanship,” 
