437 



" It probably has been too hastily assumed, that tin was 

 not found formerly in Ireland. The late Earl of Rosse* has 

 argued, that Ireland has at least as good a title to rank under 

 the name of Cassiterides, or Tin Islands, as Britain has. 

 Nennius, no recent authority, bears his testimony, that a 

 mine of tin formerly existed at Killarney. His words are : 

 ' Est ibi stagnum quod vocatur Loch Lein quatuor circulis 

 arabitur. Primo circulo gronna stanni ambitur, secundo cir- 

 culo gronna plumbi, tertio circulo gronna ferri, quarto circulo 

 gronna seris ambitur.' Smithf says he found, near the Lake 

 of Killarney, an ore which contained tin. The following 

 passage from Adrianus or Hadrianus Junius, known as Adrian, 

 or Junius the Dutchman, shows that he, too, believed Ire- 

 land possessed mines of tin. That writer personifies Hibernia 

 as saying : 



' En ego cum regni sceptro mavortia bello 

 Pectora et horriferas hominum, nil fingo, figuras, 

 Qui cursu alipedes norint praevertere cervos, 

 Dedico, piscosque lacus, volucrumque paludes 

 Omnigenum lustris fgetas, stannique fodinas, 

 Et puri argenti venas, quas terra refossis 

 Visceribus manes imos visura recludit.' 



Even Camden,t whom O'Flaherty calls ' Csecus Hibernige- 

 nis,' on account of his hostility to this nation, thought these 

 verses worthy of his insertion, and he styles their author 

 ' litteratissimus Adrianus Junius.' Camden, therefore, adds 

 his sanction to the Dutchman's statement. Maegeoghe- 

 gan,§ writing on the natural history of the country, has: 

 ' Ou y trouve aussi des mines de mercure, d'etain,' &c., 

 for which he quotes Peter Lombard, c. 9. The same writer 

 says elsewhere: ' Ayant decouvert chez eux de mines d'or, 



* Defence of the Ancient History of Ireland. 



•f History of Kerry, p. 125. 



X Latin edition, London, A.D. 1600. § Hist. d'Irlande, torn. i. c. I. 



