The sun., 1889-12-15
Early britain.

The volume lately added to the "Story OF
the Nations" series, which bears the name
of Early Britain tPutn ans. really deals with a
theme much more comprehensive than Its title
implies. The author. the Rev. ALFRED j.
CHURCH. has undertaken to recount eonoisely
the history Of the countries now known as
England. Wales. and the LoWlands OF Scotland.
from the earliest times OF which there is any
record down to the Norman conquest. The re-
suit Is that only Ill out OF tho 365 pages are
devoted to the aboriginal Britons and their
Romanized descendants to the year SIT OF our
era, when about three-flfths of the land south
of the Firth Of Forth had been not only overrun
but permanently occupied by the Teutonic in
vaders variously known rs Jutes, Angles. and
Saxons From that time to 1060 the Brit
ons concentrated in Cornwall and Dev-
Onshire. Wales. Cumbria and Strathclyde
are only incidentally mentioned. the
author following closely. for the most part.
the lines laid down In the narratives Of Mr.. j.
Il Green and Prof. Freeman. We cannot see
that the story Of the making Of England by the
Teutonic settlers required retellinR, whereas
the story Of the Britons. covering. as 1t does. a
period OF nearly fifteen hundred years from tho
landing Of Caesar to the last outgush Of nation
al feryor under Owen Glendower. did deserve
to be carefully and consacutively depicted. We
are aware that the materials for such narra-
tive are by no means complete. especially for
tho period from 45O to 1400. but enough inior-
nation and reasonable deduction have been
collected since attention has been turned in
that direction to mako o faithful outline of the
conclusions reached extremely desirable.
With early England we are tolerably CONVEX
SAINT. and what we naturally OK pected from this
book was an account OF early Britain up to the
political extinction OF the Welsh nationality.
In the description OF the races which inhab-
tied Britain at tho timo OF Cesars abortive
attacks the authors nomenclature is unsclen-
ti1o, and his assertions scarcely coincide with
the generally accepted opinions of ethnoloRists
and phioloRists. The inhabitants. he says, OF
Britain were Iberians and Gauls. 1T is rea-
sonRble." he adds, Ito SEQ the kindred OF the
former IN the Bretons occupying the extreme
northwest Of France and the BGsques Of north
srn Spatr." As to the other constituent Of
BritAin's population, no declares that "the
Gsuls OF Britain are identified beyond all
doubt with the Gauls Of tho Continent and
with the BelRio stock OF this people," One OF
those statements Is incorrect and the other is
misleading. Whether or NO the Basques are
survivors OF the IberiRns-and they probably
are not-it Is certain that they stand outside OF
the whole Aryan family. and are, therefore. un-
connected with that branch OF tho Celtic stock
which took root In Brittany. The word Gaul
10 ambiguous. having geographical rather
than an ethnoloKical siknihcatlon. The actual
state OF Britain In the arst century before
Christ Is moro intolliRibly and authoritatively
explained as follows; There were still extant.
apparently, In the extreme west and extreme
north remnants Of prehistoric race. perhaps
but not certainly identical with the Iberihns,
These RbortgiAOS seem TO have been longs
headed tdollcAOseDhAliol. though II L. not