The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27

That part Of the volume which deals with the
condition of Britain before the Roman invasion
will BIO found peculiarly interesting. Hero Mr.
Gardiner has awaited himself OF the latest conclu-
sons reached by geologiHts, palaeontologists, eth
nologsts and psychologists. He begins by point
ing out that in the periodof geological time known
as the Plcstiocene age, the part Of the earth's
surface afterwards called Britain was attached to
the Continent that animals could pass over on
dry land. The climate was much colder than IL Is
now, and II is known from the bones which have
been uncarthcd that the country was then in
habted by wolves, bears, mammoths, woody
rhinoceroses and other creatures now extinct
No human remains have been found among these
bones, but there is doubt that men existed con-
temporaneously with the animals OF which these
bones the relics because, in the river drift OF
gravel washed down by rivers there have been
discovered fnts sharpened by chipping which
can only have been produced by the hand of man
The men who used them are known Paleolithic
or the men OF ancient stone, because these stone
implements arc rougher, and therefore. older than
others which have been laid bare These palpoli-
thc men Of the river drift race OF stuntcd
sAvages who did not cultivate the ground but
lived on the animals which they killed and must
have had great difficulty in procuring food, as
they did not know how " make handles for their
sharpened fints and must, therefore, have had
to hold them in their hands. This race was sue
ceeded by other men that dweit in caves These
az well their predecessors known as Palao-
thics, inasmuch their weapons were still very
rude Since, however, they had learned 10 mako
handles for them, they could construct arrows
harpoons and iavelins They also made avis and
needles OF stone and, what is more remarkable,
possessed a decided artistic power which enabled
them by few vigorous scratches to indicate the
Of horses m IeiDderr her
animals Traces OF palDolithc men Of this typo
have been found as far north as Derbysh Their
descendants, however, are no longer TO be met with
in the British Islands The Eskimos of the
treme north east OF America have the same artistic
faculty and the same disregard for the dead and
IL has, therefore, been inferred that the cave
dwcllers of Britain were OF the race 10 which tho
modern Eskimos belong.
Ages passed away during which the climate
became more temperate and the earth's surface
in northwestern Europe sank to a lower level
The seas afterwards known the North Sea
and tho English Channel flowed over tho depres-
sion and island was thus formed out OF land
which had once been part OF the Continent After
this process had taken place third race appear
ed which must have crossed the in RATS or
canoes and which took the place Of the Paleo-
lithic men They arc known as Seolithic, or the
men Of the new stone age, because their stone
implements were OF kind, being polished
and more efficient than those OF their prcdoces.
sors They thus had the advantage Of superior
weapons and, perhaps, OF superior strength; at
all events, they able 70 overpower those
whom they found In Britain With their stone
axes they made cleaIings in the woods in which
to place their settlements They brought with
them domestic animals sheep and goats, dogs
and pigs. They spun thread with spindle and dis
taft, and wove IL into cloth upon loom. They
grew grain and manufactured rude kind OF
pottery Each tribe lived in state Of war with its
neig hbors; when attacked in force II took shelter
the hills In places OF rnfuge which were sur
rounded by lofty mounds and bitches Many Of
these cogns OF vantage are still 10 be seon as for
instance the one which bears the namo OF Maiden
Castle, near Dorchester. On the open hills, too,
are still to be found the long barrows which the
Ncolthic men raised over the dead Mr. Gardiner
has but little doubt that these men. whose way OF
life was SO superior to that Of their Eskimolike
predecessors, were Of the race now known as
Iberian which, at one time. inhabited q great
part OF western Europe but which has since min
ged with other races The Basquos Of the Pyren-
nees are the only Iberans who still preserve any-
thing like purity Of descent, though even the
Basaues have IN them blood the origin OF which is
not Iberian.
The Iherians in their turn, were followed to
Britain by swarm Of newcomers called CcltS
The Celts belonged 10 n group Of peoples some
times known the Aryan group To which also
belonged Teutons, Slnvs Italians Greeks and
certain ancient races Of Persia and India OF the
so called Aryan peoples, the Celts 6ocm to have
been the first TO arrive in the West where they
seized upon lands in Spain, in Gaul and In Brit
ain, which before them the Ibcrians had occu-
pied They did not however destroy the Ibcrians
altogether. The conqucrors undoubtedly preserved
some Of the men of the conquered race dawes
and a still larger number Of young and comedy
women who became tho mothers Of their children
In time the slaves and the children learned TO
speak the language OF their masters or fathers
The Cets II should be noted, were fair haired and
taller than tho Iberans whom they conquered
and to a large extent displaced. They had the
advantage OF possessing weapons OF bronze for
which even the polished stone weapons OF the
Iberians wero no match. They burned their deod
instead Of burying them, and raised the ashes
the round barrows which arc still to 10 found In
termlngled with the long barroWs Of dle IberiAnA
The earliest known nAme given TO the island
now called Great Britain was Albion. II Is uncar-
tain whether tho word Is OF Celtic Of IberiAn o-
gin. The later name. Britain, Is derived from q
second swarm OF Colts called Brythons, or BritonS
who after long interval, followed the FIRST Celtic
immigration Tho descendants Of the nrst imni-
grants distinguished from the ncucometa
by the name o; Goidels and II Is probable That the
GoidelS were al one time sAttlcd In Britain vol