O'Reilly — Milesian Colonization relative to Oold-mininrj. 73 



the '^ Maraffateria" lying between Ponteferrada and Astorga, and 

 coinciding with the range of the Montes de Leon, he says of them : — 

 "Absolutely trustworthy, honest and diligent, they have in their 

 hands the whole of the trade from Coruna to Leon." They would be 

 at present, and probably were in the past, the conveyors of the pro- 

 ducts of the gold washings of the Sil valleys to Coruna, since they are 

 recognised as a very distinct and well marked race, having peculiar 

 habits and holding themselves somewhat apart, and, in consequence, 

 having attracted the attention of the travellers who have undertaken 

 to describe these parts of Spain. Ford, in his delightful book, 

 " Gatherings from Spain," gives an elaborate account of these people. 

 (Gadow, work cited, p. 175). It has been sought to connect them 

 with the Berbers as to their origin, but there is a possibility that they 

 may represent the remains of that Milesian colony which came from 

 the Mediterranean and settled in Galicia under " Barf ha," and which 

 peopled ancient Galicia, that is, a district comprehending not only the 

 present province, but also a considerable part of Asturias and the 

 province of Leon, "its boundaries having been on the south the 

 river Douro, on the north-east the river JS'avia, and on the east the 

 mountains of the Asturias, or Asturians, so that it corresponded almost 

 exactly to the modern Galicia, with the addition on the south of the 

 Portuguese provinces of Entre Deuro e Minho and Tras os Montes, 

 and on the east of some small portions of Asturias and Leon. Some- 

 times a wider extent was assigned to the country, so as to include the 

 Astui'es."^ 



That a Celtic people worked the mines abounding in the Pyrenees, 

 and more particularly the gold mines or washings, may be inferred from 

 the local names of rivers and tools already referred to, and that Coruna 

 was a point of outlet for those metals and ores during the period that 

 it was frequented by the Phoenicians may also be admitted, while at 

 the same time it served as a basis for maritime explorations and ex- 

 peditions by this remarkable people putting them in relation with all 

 the accessible ports of north Spain and those of the west coast of 

 Prance or Gaul. A trace of this intercourse is probably preserved in 

 the name of vessels which are in use along the northern coast of Spain, 

 and which, by reason of their size and qualities, are adapted for the 

 navigation of its ports and harbours. They are called ^^lanchas" 

 (Eng. launch, Fr. lanches), and are about the size and style of the 



1 Dion Cass, xxxvii. 53 ; Plin. iii. 3, s. 4 ; xix. 1, s. 2). (Smith's " Dictionary 

 of An. Geography.") 



