l6o JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



Strange that our genealogists trace the pedigree of no family to this 

 people, while we have several families of Fir-bolg descent men- 

 tioned." The circumstance stated may lead some to infer they were 

 a different or distinct race, and possibly were exterminated or ex- 

 pelled by the combined Celts. Had they been observed in the 

 population subsequently we may discover some peculiar idiom or 

 root derived from a foreign source. We must leave this to some 

 future Max Mliller. The Persian word khan has the same meaning 

 as cean in Erse. The Eastern origin of the latter seems evident. 

 Crora of Pagan Ireland is the Egyptian chrom. While you may 

 permit me to point to a few weapons and ornaments attributed to 

 this wonderful people, I may mention they are credited with having 

 conveyed from the East the " lia fail," or stone of destiny, in the coro- 

 nation chair, which Protestant England holds sacred, believing it to 

 be the identical pillow of Jacob, which he set up as an altar ! In- 

 stead of newly upholstering that blessed old antique, as was done 

 lately to modernize it for Her Gracious Majesty's descendants, it would 

 be more judicious, perhaps, to have handed it over in its original con- 

 dition to the safe custody of the British Museum than retain it where 

 it now is, as a monument of medieval English superstition in this 

 enlightened age. The Established Church may rest assured few of 

 us would feel inclined to claim such a Celtic relic as this. 



The succeeding wave of humanity that swept over Europe and 

 left their footprints indelibly impressed on every prominent mountain 

 chain, on the banks of the principal rivers also, was derived appar- 

 ently from the east. It is remarkable that two emigrations are 

 referred to, one towards the north, the other westerly by Gibraltar. 

 The latter is what we are concerned about, since the majority of the 

 Irish people and nearly all the inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands 

 derive descent from the Scythio-Iberian colonists, known to us as 

 Milesians. It is probable that Spain had a Celtic population before 

 the arrival of the latter there. I can see no reason to doubt the 

 bardic accounts, because some critics think it hard to imagine a 

 wandering tribe, at such an early period, having a knowledge of 

 navigation which would enable it to find a way across the sea from 

 Galicia to Ireland. They admit that Phoenicians and Greeks were navi- 

 gators, using sail vessels thousands of years ago ; that ships (not 

 mere boats or canoes), are undoubtedly represented on the tombs of 

 Egyptian Kings. But Oh ! it would seem too much to ask them to 



