HISTORY 



public works. A free banking law was passed 

 by the legislature the same year. 



Iowa. The name of the State, originally 

 applied to the river so called, is derived from 

 the Indian, and signifies "beautiful land." It 

 was a part of the Louisiana Purchase, acquired 

 in 1803. It was first visited by a Frenchman, 

 who gave his name, Dubuque, to the place 

 where he settled in 1788. In 1834, the territory 

 now included in Iowa was placed under the 

 jurisdiction of Michigan, and in 1836 under that 

 of Wisconsin. In 1838 Iowa became a separate 

 territory, including also the greater part of 

 Minnesota and the whole of Dakota. The 

 delimitation of the State occurred when it was 

 admitted as such in 1846. The State capital 

 was moved from Iowa City to Des Moines in 

 1857. It was the sixteenth State admitted 

 under the Federal Constitution. 



Ireland* According to ancient native 

 legends, Ireland was in remote times peopled 

 by tribes styled Firbolgs and Danauns, eventu- 

 ally subdued by Milesians or Gaels, who acquired 

 supremacy in the island. The primitive inhabit- ; 

 ants of Ireland are now believed to have been of 

 the same Indo-European race with the original 

 population of Britain. Although Ireland, styled ' 

 /ernts, is mentioned in a Greek poem five cen- 

 turies B. C., and by the names of Hibernia and 

 Juverna by various foreign pagan writers, little 

 IN known with certainty of her inhabitants before 

 the Fourth Century after Christ, when, under 

 the appellation of Scoti, or inhabitants of Scotia, 

 they became formidable by their descents upon 

 the Roman Province of Britain. These expedi- 

 tions were continued and extended to the coasts 

 of Gaul till the time of Laogaire McNeill, mon- 

 arch of Ireland. 430 A. D., in whose reign St. 

 irk attempted the conversion of the natives. 

 From the earliest period each province of Ireland 

 appear- to have had its own king, subject to the 

 Ar.l-Itiijh, or monarch, to whom the central dis- 

 trict called Meath was allotted and who usually 

 resided at Tara. Each clan was governed by a 

 chief selected from its most important family, 

 and who was required to be of mature age, 

 able of taking the field efficiently when 

 -ion required. The laws were peculiar in 

 their nature, dispensed by professional jurists 

 styled Brehons, who, as well as the poets and 

 men of learning, received high consideration, ami 



re endowed with lands and important 

 privileges. Cromlechs, or stone tombs and 



mposed of large uncemen' 



ascribed to the pagan Irish, -till -\i-t in various 

 parts i,f Ireland ; lacustrine habitations, or 

 stockaded Mauds styled Crannogs or Crannogcn, 

 in inland lake-, al-o appear to have been in use 

 there from early ages. It is remarkable that a 

 greater number and variety of antique golden 

 - of remote ages have been found in Ireland 

 than in any other part of northern Europe; and 

 jority of the gold antiquities illustrative <>\ 

 Briti-h history now preserved in the British 



Irish. In the Sixth ( 'enturv exten- 

 sive monasteries were founded in Ireland, in 

 which religion ami learning \\ere /ealoii-ly cul 

 ;. I rom these establishments numerous 

 issued during the succeeding cen- 

 tury, carrying the doctrines of Christianity under 



great difficulties into the still pagan countries of 

 Europe, whose inhabitants they surprised and 

 impressed by their self-devotion and asceticism. 

 Among the eminent native Irish of these times 

 were Columba, or Colum Cille, founder of the 

 celebrated monastery of lona; Comgall, who 

 established the convent of Bangor, in the County 

 of Down; Ciaran of Clonmacnoise ; and Adam- 

 nan. Abbot of lona and biographer of Columba. 

 Of the Irish missionaries to the continent the 

 more distinguished were Columbanus, founder 

 of Bobio; Callus of St. Gall, in Switzerland; 

 Dichuill, patronized by Clotaire; and Ferghal, 

 or Virgilius, the evangelizer of Carinthia. The 

 progress of Irish civilization was checked by 

 the incursions of the Scandinavians, com- 

 mencing towards the close of the Eighth 

 Century, and continued for upward of 300 

 years. From the close of the Eighth to 

 the Twelfth Century Ireland, although har- 

 assed by the Scandinavians, produced many 

 writers of merit, among whom were ^En^us, the 

 hagiographer ; Cormac McCullenan. King of 



| Munster and Bishop of Cashel, the reputed 

 a'uthor of Cormac' s Glossary; Cuan O'Lochain ; 

 Gilla Moduda; Flan of Monasterboice ; ami 

 Tighernach, the annalist. Of the Irish architec- 

 ture of the period examples survive at Cashel. 

 The well-known round towers of Ireland are 

 believed to have been erected about this era as 

 belfries, and to serve as places of security for 

 ecclesiastics during disturbances. But this is 

 mere surmise, the date of their erection having 

 never been established nor their use satisfac- 

 torily explained. The skill of the Irish musi- 

 cians in the Twelfth Century is attested by the 

 enthusiastic encomiums bestowed by Giraldus 

 Cambrensis upon their performances. The first 

 step toward an Anglo-Norman descent upon 

 Ireland was made by Henry II. in 1155. The 

 chief Anglo-Norman adventurers, Fitz Gislebert, 

 Le Gros, De Cogan, De Lacy, and De Curci. on- 

 countered formidable opposition before they 

 succeeded in establishing themselves on the 

 lands which they thus invaded. The | 

 ment was committed to a viceroy, and the 

 Norman legal system was introduced into 

 such parts of the island as were reduced to 

 obedience to England. The youthful Prince 

 .John was sent by King Henry into Ireland 

 in I is i. but the injudicious conduct of his coun- 

 cil having excited disturbances he was soon 

 recalled to England. The country was wholly 

 subdued in 1210; in 13I.". it was invaded by 

 Edward Bruce, who was crowned king 1 .'>!. and 

 slain 1318. In 1361, the heiress of fNtrr. 

 Elizabeth de Burgh, married the English Duke 

 of Clarence. In l.'i'.U. Richard II. landed at 



i Waterford with a large army. an. I gained the 

 adherence of the people by his mumhc.-nce. In 

 II'.M was passed I'.\ nine's LftW, making the 

 Irish Parliament subject to the English Council. 

 In I.MJ. Henry VIII. ..ss Um ed the title of king, 

 instead of lord of Ireland. In l.'.-U Thomas 

 Fitzgerald, son of the viceroy of Henry VIII.. 

 revolted, but not meeting \\ith adequate support 

 from his Anglo-Irish connections he was, 

 short time, suppressed and executed. Henry 

 received the title of "King of Ireland" in 1.M1. 

 by an act passed by the Anglo-Irish Parliament 



