Remeivs — Keller's Swiss Lake-Dwellings. 461 



Ibeen discovered in the lake of Neuchatel. This and the lakes of 

 Bienne and Morat have been especially investigated by Colonel 

 Frederick Schwab, of Bienne, and it is in a great measure due to his 

 exertions that so many settlements have been discovered ; these 

 three lakes alone containing 87, or ^nearly half the entire number 

 known. 



Dr. Keller's several reports are here entirely re-arranged, so as to 

 form one complete work. Commencing with an account of the 

 general form of Pile-dwellings, Fascine-dwellings, and Crannoges, 

 or Wooden Islands, Mr. Lee proceeds to show us the methods and ap- 

 paratus employed in collecting the antiquities of the Lake-dwellings. 

 This fishing up of remains from among the ancient pile-works of the 

 Swiss lakes is exceedingly interesting, and sufficiently difficult to 

 render its pursuit almost as exciting as that of picking up the lost 

 end of the Atlantic cable. 



We cannot omit to quote here Dr. Keller's important " Eemakks 

 ON THE Ages of Stone, Bkonze, and Ikon" (p. 12):— 



"It is well known that many antiquaries divide bygone ages into 

 the stone, the bronze, and the iron periods ; and attribute any 

 burials or settlements to one of these divisions, according to the 

 exclusive or prevailing presence of implements of any one of the 

 three materials which are the groundwork of this classification. 

 This division, according to the grade of civilization, is in general 

 clear and convenient ; but in determining isolated cases, it leads to 

 many false conclusions and errors. 



" In the first place, it has throughout only a relative value ; for 

 instance, if we grant that the civilization of man actually ran its 

 course through these periods, just as they are mentioned above, yet 

 it is certain that the bronze period of northern Europe by no means 

 agrees in time with that of the middle and southern parts of this 

 continent. Again, the bronze age of G-reece and Italy may be 

 separated by centuries from that of Egypt, which we may consider 

 as the cradle of civilization. We may safely conclude, as the Danish 

 antiquaries themselves allow, that in the Scandinavian countries, 

 stone implements were for a length of time continued in use, while 

 the bronze period was in full activity in the more southern lands ; 

 and that Egpyt, whose oldest monuments indicate very clearly the 

 use of iron, and also Greece, had both advanced to the iron period 

 when middle Europe was in the bronze age. If, therefore, according 

 to the testimony of ancient aiithors and monuments, bronze and iron 

 were used in the earliest ages in the countries round the Mediter- 

 ranean, the commencement of these periods in the inland and 

 northern parts of Europe was regulated entirely by the greater or 

 less amount of intercourse between these countries and those to 

 whom we are indebted for a knowledge of these materials, so essen- 

 tial to civilization. We may, even at the present day, observe a 

 similar irregularity in the distribution of the products of higher 

 civilization and art. 



" In the second place, this kind of division gives us no positive 

 certainty ; for in very few of the burial places, still less in the 



