2 24 -^' ^' 5°^* 



trernity of Britain by the northern Pichts * ; but whether they were 

 nnnufadured by themfelves, or imported, we are not told. [Adamn. 

 L. ii, c. 32 ] We have reafon to believe that the art of manufaduring 

 glafs was known to the fouthern Britons before the invafion of the Ro- 

 mans. 



Ale was a common drink, and made at home. Wine was alfo ufed 



upon fome occafions, and moil probably imported. ICo^itos. c. 4 



Adamn. L.'\\,c.\.'\ 



The natives of Ireland, and the north-weft coaft of Britain, and the 

 adjacent iflands, caught falmon, and other fifh with nets. [Adamn. L. 

 ii, cc. 17, 18; L. iii, c. 25.] So it appears that they had no averfion to 

 fiih, VN^hatever their anceftors may have had. (See above, p. 200.) But 

 they knew nothing of the vaft advantage to be derived from an exten- 

 live fiihery, and only caught fifli for their own vife. 



Though the leather boats of the Britons chiefly attraded the attention 

 of foreigners, as being unufual with them, we mufi; not fuppofe they 

 had no others. They certainly learned to build vefTels of wood while 

 under the Roman dominion, if they had them not before. About this 

 time, even in the remote Weflern iflands, they had long velTels built ot 

 oak planks ; and they all carried at leafl one fail. Some of the veflels 

 covered with leather, were fufficient to go long voyages ; at leafl as far 

 as from Ireland to Orkney, and even to advance as far into the North- 

 ern ocean as a run of fourteen days with full fail before a fouth wind f. 

 [Adamn. L. i,c. F ; L. ii, cc. 42, 45.] 



I may here alfo obierve, that inftruments and trinkets made of gold, 

 fome of them of coniiderable weight, were by no means uncommon in 

 Ireland, as appears from the great numbers of them found in various 

 parts of the country, though they probably belong to ages prior to any 

 authentic hiflory %. As civilized nations do not carry the prctious merals 

 to countries in an inferior flate of civilization, it ieems more probable 

 that the gold was found in mines, of which there are flill fome veftiges 

 in Ireland, than that it was imported, though we fhould even f ppofe 

 with Tacitus (lee above, p. 189), that Ireland had a greater foreign 

 trade than Britain. 



* It is proper to ohfci"ve, tliat Cumin, who fociety) had adlually failed to Iceland, whrre they 



died ill the year 669, and was the original writer fettled, it being moil probably impofliiile f^i them 



oi the Life of Columba, has not a word of the to lind their way back again ; and their hooks in 



llorv Containing the notice of the drinking glafs. tlie Iiilh language, bells, okc. were found there by 



It is tjot known in what year Adamnan wrote his the full colonills from Norway. [_/Iili Schcda dc 



greatly-enlarged copy of Cuniiii'a Life of Coluni- JJlatidia, c. 2.] 



ba. The mannfaiSure of glafs was introduced \ Sic y4rchieolo^ia Britann. V. ii, ip. 3; V. iii, 



among the Erigliih of Northumberland in the year p. 55 q — (^aHmicry's CoUeBanca de rebus Hibcruicis, 



•674. n°. xlii. One gold Hhula of ten ounces (rtprcfent- 



-j- It appears, , that fome wrong-headed monks, ed in plate vi, 11°. 2) was fold to a goldt'nitli, who 



^:.i,,.. I,,, ■, r. ,1 ..... .tijp,.^ Of hy dtfigijj (for the informed Colonel Vallanccy, that he had melted 



fiij/pofed to confill in down feveral of that form, one of which weighed 



-1.1 111^ UH.U.. i.tj iiicieis by withdrawing from fixttcn ounces. 



