98 IRELAND PREVIOUS TO THE INVASION BY THE ENGLISH, 



acquired of the Phoenicians settled in that country a knowledge of those 

 arts for which that people were distinguished. 



Pinkerton's opinion is, that Ireland was originally peopled from Gaul ; 

 and at the time that the Belgse invaded the south of England, kindred 

 Gothic tribes emigrated to the south of Ireland ; these, according to his 

 account, were the Firlboigs of the ancient Irish historians, and the Scoti 

 of the Roman writers. General Valiancy's supposition, from the atten- 

 tion he has given to the antiquities of Ireland, is also entitled to consi- 

 deration. His idea is, that the people who first colonized Ireland were 

 of Southern-Scythian, the same as Phoenician, extraction, and who 

 directly owed their origin to that central Asiatic nation — the source 

 whence Ancient India, Egypt, and Babylon, derived their knowledge 

 and civilization. The antiquarian sagacity of Mr. Whittaker has also 

 been directed to this subject, and he has given his opinion with a confi- 

 dence and clearness which savours much of probability. 



According to this writer, the Belgse, about 350 years before Christ, 

 crossed the channel, and drove the inhabitants of the several southern 

 districts of England before them ; and these, giving way, emigrated 

 to Ireland. After a lapse of about 200 years, or about 100 years 

 before Christ, these colonists were joined by another body of Bri- 

 tons, who fled from their country on the landing of Divitiacus. And 

 that about the 150th year of the Christian era, the whole circumfe- 

 rence of the island was thus successively peopled. 



author's OPINION ON THE SUBJECT, 



While on the subject, and without any wish to set up his individual 

 opinion against such authorities as he has quoted, the author ventures to 

 state a few particulars which have occurred to his reflection. 



He has observed throughout the writings of the Irish historians who 

 profess to treat of the antiquities of their country, a general disposition 

 to ascribe the origin of their nation to the visits of certain colonists of 

 eastern extraction : and that they never will allow the idea of any 

 settlement having been made from Britain prior to this. 



To what this partiality for oriental extraction is owing it may be 

 difficult to say : it must, however, be allowed, that, by selecting the 

 Phoenicians for their ancestors, they have made a ver)- good choice ; as 

 that people, when possessing the ability to colonize, were perhaps the 

 most intelligent and most enterprising people upon earth. And if their 

 maritime excursions are regarded, which extended to all parts of the 



