182 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 
most celebrated characters among the people, 7.e., the Tuath de 
Danaan, was Manannan Mac Leir, of whom we are told in Cormac’s 
Glossary and other ancient authorities, that he was a famous merchant 
who resided in and gave name to Inis Manann, or the Isle of Man...” 
The conjecture has been advanced, that the term Mannin is com- 
pounded of meadhon, middle, and in, an island ; and that accordingly, 
it is a purely Gaelic word, signifying “ the middle island.” A glance 
at the map will show, that the Isle of Man is situated in a very con- 
venient position so far as England, Iveland and Scotland are con” 
cerned ; and that in the davs of irregular and unprincipled warfare, it 
could not fail to be involved in the continual struggles that were 
going on in those kingdoms. Three armed legs form the present 
armorial bearing of the Isle of Man. The motto, Quwocunque 
jeceris stabit, inasmuch as no transposition of the words can alter the - 
true meaning, may be regarded as an ingenious allusion to the three 
alternatives which Man in the days of its independence possessed, of 
leaning for support on one or more of its more powerful neighbours. 
That the Manksmen could and can speak their own Gaelic after being 
subject to their Welsh neighbours for 400 years, and to the Danes 
for 153 years, and to the Norwegians for 200 years, and after 
owning the sway of England and Scotlind for 139 years before the 
Isle of Man became the property of the Stanleys with whom it re- 
mained for 530 years, when it passed into the possession of the Lords 
and Dukes of Atholl, who surrendered every claim to it in 1829,—goes 
very far to show how strong the lite of a language can be, and how 
its vitality can continue and be vigorous even when unfriendly forces 
of a powerful kind are, it may be, intent on destroying it. 
Taylor in his Words and Places, (pp. 260, 261), maintains that 
Mun signities a district. He goes on to state that “the map of the 
Isle of Man contains about four bundred names, of which about 20 
per cent. are English, 21 per cent. Norwegian, and 59 per cent. Cel- 
tic. These Celtic names are all of the most characteristic Erse type. 
It would appear that not a single colonist from Wales ever reached 
the island, which, from the mountains of Carnarvon, is seen like a 
faint blue cloud upon the water. There are 96 names beginning 
with Balla, and the names of more than a dozen of the highest moun- 
tains have the prefix sdiew, answering to the Irish slebh or sliabh. 
The Isle of Man has the Curraghs, the Longhs, and the Allens of 
Ireland faithfully reproduced.” Taylor was doubtless at pains to 
