O'Reilly — Milesian Colonization relntice to Gold-mining. 41 



having gone away in good time. Following on this drouglit it rained 

 without interruption during three years, without cessation as it were, 

 and a great many came to inhabit the country again." 



" And Pedro Medina, in the cap. ix. of his work, gives a detail of 

 the foreigners, who at different periods came into Spain, as also does. 

 Jarafa on p. 33 and sq. of his work. Florian de Campo, in the 2nd 

 Book, cap. II. and m. of his work, and Alphonso de Cartagena, in his 

 work entitled, ' Anacephaleosis Eegum,' cap. v., describes the arrival 

 in Spain of the Lydians, the Thracians, the Ehodians, and Milesians, 

 the Carians, and Lesbians, Phoceans, and many Greeks and Cartha- 

 genians." 



A drought of the intensity and duration such as that referred to 

 here, would imply great consequent social perturbations, not merely as 

 regards Spain, but also as regards neighbouring countries, since the 

 meteorological and physical causes to which such a drought could be 

 attributed, must have affected more or less the countries which border 

 the Mediterranean Sea, Gaul, Italy, Greece, Syria, JSTorthern Africa, 

 and the Islands of the MediteiTanean. Hence, any history or record 

 of those times which has come down to us, concerning the countries 

 mentioned, should, if the di'ought really took place, to the extent 

 described, acquaint us with great migi'ations and emigrations of tribes 

 and peoples, from the waterless, and therefoi'e famine-stricken, districts 

 to the river valleys, which continued to carry water, and, therefore, to 

 offer satisfactory conditions for life. The authority cited mentions in 

 Spain, as such, the valleys of the Ebro and Guadalquiver, because of 

 their sources being situated in snow-clad mountains ; this condition 

 would have characterised equally certain of the rivers of the northern 

 part of Spain and Gaul, having their sources in the highest points of 

 the Pyrenees. Hence it might be assumed, that the valleys of the 

 TagTis, Deuro, and Minho, and those of the Astimas and Galicia 

 would have afforded shelter and favoiu'able conditions of life to 

 emigi'ants from the central plateau. As these privileged districts 

 became crowded, emigration would have carried away the later 

 comers to other countries more favourably circumstanced, such as the 

 Valley of the Phone, or of the I^ile so exceptionally favoured by 

 nattu-e, so that historical data from any other sources failing us for 

 those early dates, it is to the records of Egypt that we should turn to 

 look for some indications which might be taken as the consequences of 

 this drought, if it really occuiTed about the period mentioned, that is, 

 from about b.c. 1152, to about b.c. 1030. Citing from the article on 

 Egypt "in the British Encyclopedia (1877)," we find the following dates 



