A. D. 828. 253 



of little confequeuce, may be confidered as a pretty good proof that the 

 commerce between Venice and Alexandria had not, as has been aflert- 

 ed, been carried on to a great extent for fome ages before this time. 



Amalfi, Genoa, and Pifa, maritime cities on the weft fide of Italy, 

 followed the example of Venice in trading to Alexandria ; but their 

 trade never became very confiderable, till the frenzy of the holy wars 

 placed in their hands the treafures of the Weft, and gave a vaft addi- 

 tional fpring to their carrying trade, their manufadures, commerce, and 

 general profperity. [Muratori Antiq. V. ii, col. 905.] 



836 — ' Some writers fpeak of the Netherlanders reforting to Scot- 



* land as early as about the year 836, for the buying of faked fifli of 

 ' the Scotifh fiftiermen, which they then carried home merely for the 



* fuftenance of their people, whereby the Scots were greatly enriched. 

 ' But it is alledged, that the Scots afterward putting fome hardfliips on 

 ' thofe Dutch purchafers, the latter learning the manner of catching 



* and faking the fifli themfelves, not only left dealing with the former 

 ' (to their impoverilhing), but flruck into the fupplying of other na- 



* tions with fifli caught on the Britifli coafts *.' 



838 — The firft invafion upon record of the country of the Pichts in 

 the north part of Britain by the Norwegian or Danilh rovers is dated 

 in the year 838. \^Ann. Ult.\ 



843 — Keneth,. after, reigning two years in the Scottifh kingdom of 

 Dalrieta in the weft, acquired the moft valuable part of the country of 

 the Pichts ; and henceforth the kings of the Scots (fometimes called al- 

 fo kings of the Pichts), were, next to thofe of the Englifti, the moft 

 pov^^erful fovereigns in Britain. 



848 — Turges, or Thorgils, the leader or king of the northern adven- 

 turers, who had opprefled Ireland about thirty years by praedatory in- 

 curfions, by feizing on large trads of the country, and by exacting griev- 

 ous tributes, was taken prifoner by Maolfechlin, the Inpreme king ot 

 Ireland, and drowned in Loch-Vair f . His countrymen, however, 



* Thefe are the words of Mr. Anderfon, ?.nd fufpeft tliat the ftory has oiiginally proceeded from 



they have been repeated, n\ more pofitive language no other fountain than the ' beautiful genius and 



than he ufed, by feverals who have had occafion ' fine fancy' of Heftor Boyfe, that copious mine 



to write upon the fubjeft of the filheries, though of falfifications in Scottifh hiftory, [_Scotorum Hijl. 



without quoting him, as he has alfo neglefted to f. 29 b] and has got a few improvements from 



adduce his authority, which ought by no means to fome later embeUillier. 



be omitted in a matter of fnch importance as the f Snorro Sturlefon fays, that Thorgils and Fro- 



firfl notice of a Britifh fifhcry as a commercial ob- da, the fons of Harold Harfagur, king of Norway, 



jeft. If the people of the Netherlands aflually plundered the coafts of Scotland, Wales, and Irt- 



bought fifh upon our north coall in that age land, and were the firil Norwegians who potTefTed 



(which, after a great deal of relearch, I have not Uyfflin (or Dublin) ; that Froda was polfoned, 



been able to verify), the name of the Pichts, the and Thorgils, after leigning long in DyiBIn, was 



people on the eail fide of the country, to which circumvented a id flain by tlie Irifh. With all my 



they had the eafieft accefs, ought fiirely to be fub- refpetl for the venerable Herodotus of the Nortli, 



ftituted for that of the Scots, whofe dominion was I apprehend he Is here confounding two perfoiii 



at this time reilrifted to Dalrieta, nearly the fame of the fame or fimilar names, as there Is leafon to 



with the prefent fhire of Argyle. But I much believe that this event was recorded in the Iriiii 



4 AnnaJs 



