Of Western Europe. 



They had some communication with other nations. 

 They had quartz from Gaul ; some bits of amber, which 

 must have come from the Baltic; and nephrite, from 

 Asia. A small bar of pure tin has been found, and 

 some vases have thin strips of tin pressed into the sur- 

 face for ornament. This, with the glass beads found at 

 some of the older settlements, must have been brought 

 to their maritime neighbors by the Phoenicians. It was 

 taken for granted, at first, that their bronze came from 

 the same source; but crucibles have been found with 

 dross yet adhering to the edge, and a well-constructed 

 bronze mold has been discovered. Besides, it has been 

 noticed that the bronze implements which appear most 

 ancient, are modeled after the stone implements that were 

 in use before the introduction of metal ; while those 

 made when metal became more common, appear to have 

 been gradually fashioned in shapes better suited to 

 metal. Finally, chemical analysis, by Professor Von 

 Fellenberg, of Berne, has shown that much of the bronze 

 used contains nickel, which is not the case with bronze 

 found elsewhere. Now, in Switzerland, in the vale of 

 Anniviers, mines of copper and nickel are found close 

 together. Hence these early people seem to have been, 

 to some extent, miners. 



The remains of food indicate that the villages were 

 inhabited throughout the year. Seeds of fruits and 

 berries mark all the months of summer; beech-nuts 

 and hazel-nuts point to autumn ; and the bones of the 

 swan, which visits the Swiss lakes only in December and 

 January, mark the winter. The stores of grain found 

 in one village destroyed by fire, show they laid up food ; 

 and the quantity of loose flax and thread indicate that 



