O'Heilly — Milesian Colonization relative to Gold-mining. 77 



artist is mentioned in the oldest historical tract that we now possess ; 

 the hattle of the Southern Magh Tureadh, fought hetween the 

 Pirbolgs and the Tuatha de Danann. His scales, weights, and 

 measures are mentioned in our ancient laws, and his decisions ahout 

 metals and metallui'gy haye been acted upon in Brehon law, almost 

 down to our own time. 



" Credne \^as dro^rned — 

 The cunning ' Cerd ' — upon the wide 

 Sea of dangerous Avaters 

 Whilst bringing over golden ore 

 Into Erin out of Spain." 



The last line is singularly interesting, as showing the connexion 

 hetween Ireland and Spain as regards the art of metallurgy in 

 particular, and bears directly on the subject matter of this paper. 

 The question is suggested by it : From what point of Spain was the 

 ore being brought ? "The wide sea of dangerous waters " may be 

 simply a poetical expression, and point to no sea in particular, but 

 it is well qualified to characterize the Bay of Biscay, and so 

 far would point to the north coast of Spain as the place from which 

 the "golden ore" was being brought. It has been already agreed 

 that gold was worked in the Pyrenees by Celtic or Ibero-Celtic tribes, 

 and extracts are given from Trutat's " Pyrenees " to that effect. jS'ow 

 there is a portion of the eastern Pyrenees still known by the local name, 

 " La Cerdagne, or in Spanish La Cerdafia" ; it is thus described in the 

 ' ' Dictionaire de Geographical University, ' ' already cited. ' ' Pays situe 

 sur les deux versants des Pyrenees orientales (en Prance, Pousillon, en 

 Espagne, Catalogue), dans les vallees superieures du Segre et de la Tet. 

 Les viUes principales sont, en Prance, Saillagouse and Montlouis ; et 

 en Espagne, Puycerda et Livia ou Llivia, Cette dennere presente cette 

 particularite, qu'elle forme une enclave espagnole, completement 

 entoiu-ee par le territoii'e franqais du Department des Pyrenees 

 Orientales. La Cerdagne garde le nom des Anciens Ceretani, 

 peuplade de sang Iberien, La plupart de ses bourgs et villages, sont 

 sujets a de tres longs hivers, et le climat est tres froid a cause de 

 r extreme altitude du sol. On y parle plus on moins le frangais au N. 

 I'espagnol au S., mais la langue national est encore le Catalan." 



An examination of the map of the Pyrenees shows that this 

 district lies near the sources of the Ariege, and not far from the 

 Comte de Foix, the gold washings of which have been refeiTed as 

 furnishing Celtic terms for the tools therein used by the washers. 



