far as they are known, constitutes a subject rich in interest to the antiquary.

particularly that at Dwaraca, are as large as any county in England. - The Magas, or Magi, extended from the White Island, in the west, to Persia, India, Aracan, and the Burman empire. Pliny observes, that from the great resemblance of ceremonies in religious worship, and other practices amongst the Persians and Druids, it might be supposed, that Magia, or Magism, had passed from Britain into Persia. According to Lucian, the priests, not only of the Persians, but those of the Parthians, Bactrians, Chorasmians, Arians, Sacæ, or Saxons, and other barbarous nations, were equally called Magi. Indeed, all those nations had one common origin.-The mighty, says Narada, live in the White Island. The most ancient inhabitants of Britain, in their romances, still call the White Island, Ynys y Cedeiru, the island of the mighty ones. The White Island is declared to be the abode of the Gods, or Suraleyam. This would have been expressed, in the west, by the Gothic tribes, by As-burgh, in some of the dialects of that language. Another name for it would be As-gard;, and we find that both were in use in that sense. As-gard is constantly used in the Edda; and As-burgh is the name of an ancient city, called by Ptolemy, Asburgium, in the eastern parts of Europe; and the learned agree, that it is the same with As-gard.-Vishnu is introduced in the Brahma-vaivartta, section of the Crishna-Janma-c'handa, saying, 'In the White Island, the abode of justice, I shall return with portions of the Gods and Goddesses, to live amongst the Golocas, or shepherds, near Mat 'hura. This shall most certainly happen, and nobody shall ever be able to prevent its taking place.' All the Avataras, incarnations, or principal emanations of Vishnu, ten in number, came originally from the White Island. This is also acknowledged by divines, according to the following text, from the same book and section:- There are many manifestations and forms of Bhagavan, O Muni: but the form which resides in the White Island, is the primitive one. Vishnu, says the author, recalling all his emanations into the White Island, went into the womb, in the house of Vasu Deva; and on this grand occasion, he recalled all his emanations. Rama and Nrisinha, are complete forms, O Muni; but Chrishna, the most powerful King of the White Island, is the most perfect and complete of all Vishnu's forms. For this purpose, Vishnu from Patala rejoins the body of Radhiceswara, the lord of Radha, he who dwells in the White Island with the famous snake Sesha, a portion of his essence. The Gods sent thither portions of their own essences, to be consolidated in the person of Crishna, who was going to be incarnated at Gocula.'-With regard to the religion of the Druids, very few of its tenets have been preserved, and transmitted to us, either by the Greeks or the Romans, of whose religion and fundamental tenets we know also but little, except what relates to exterior worship; for the Sacred College at Rome, and the augurs, kept the whole, a secret to themselves, as closely as the Druids did. But there is every reason to believe, that the religion of the Druids was fundamentally the same with that of the Greeks and Romans, Scythians, or Goths, Egyptians, and Hindus, with no greater deviations, perhaps, than those which are found in the Christian religion, amongst its numerous sects, at this day.-The White Goddess, whose abode is in the White Island, in the middle of the White Sea, is the Leuco-thea of the Greeks, which implies the same thing exactly. The Greeks call her also Bune; the Latians, AlBuna and Al-Bunea. The root of these denominations is no longer to be found in the Greek language; but it still exists in the Celtic and its dialects. Fionn, wen, ven VOL. I.

E

Another circumstance, marking a remote connection and intercourse between this country and the East, for the knowof which we are also indebted to oriental literature, is, that, many proverbs now in use in England, correspond literally, as far as the different idioms of the respective languages will admit, with those of Persia, and other eastern nations.

Of the antiquity, and extensive spread of Druidism, it is also curious to notice, that Mr. Mungo Park found men in Africa, resembling, in some respects, the bards of Northern Europe; and that Dr. Clarke, another celebrated modern traveller, discovered some monuments, evidently of Druidical origin, on the top of Mount Ida.

According to PINKERTON, the earliest population of Britain, which can be traced, is that of the Gael, or Southern Celts, called Guydels, by the Welch, who regard them as their predecessors; remarking, that the most ancient names in Wales, are Guydelic, not Cumraig, or Welch. Those Gael appear to have proceeded from the nearest shores of France and Flanders.* It was the fate of these settlers, to be subdued by the Cimbri, or Northern Celts, the ancestors of the mo, dern Welch. To the Celtic population of England succeeded that of the Goths, or Scythians, a people who, advancing from Asia, drove the Northern Celts before them; and, at a period long preceding the Christian æra, had seized

signify white, shining: Al-wen, Al-fionn, Al-Ben (hence Albion) remarkably white, In several dialects of the Peninsula of India, as in the Tamuli, and also in Ceylon, ben and ven signify white.-These are some of the more prominent points of Major WILFORD's very important paper.

*The primitive inhabitants of France were Celts, to whom no anterior people can be traced, in the western regions of Europe; but, on the south-west, the Aquitani, of African descent, had passed from Spain, and, on the north-east, the warlike German tribes, known by the name of Belgæ, had seized on a third part of the country, where they introduced the Gothic language and manners. On the south, also, the German Gauls had diffused themselves into what was called Gallia Bracata. There were also some Greek colonies in France. Vide, PINKERTON's Geography.

+ The original Gaelic inhabitants appear to have almost entirely evacuated the country, and to have retired to Ireland, also originally peopled from Gaul. There, and in the Highlands of Scotland, to which a Gaelic colony passed from Ireland, the Gaelic dialect of the Celtic language still exists.-Ibid.

on that part of Gaul which is nearest to Great Britain, where they acquired the provincial denomination of Belgæ. From. Gaul, they arrived in Britain; and Cæsar informs us, that, when he first explored this island, the primitive inhabitantsthat is, the Northern Celts-had been driven into the interior parts, whilst the regions on the south-east-subsequently known as the Kingdom of the East Angles, of which Suffolk constituted a portion-were peopled with Belgic colonies.— Those Belga, Mr. PINKERTON considers, may be justly regarded as the chief ancestors of the English nation; the Saxons, Angles, and other northern invaders, though of distinguished courage, being inconsiderable in numbers. We cannot perceive that Mr. PINKERTON's opinion, on this point, is sanctioned by the facts of history. To us, it seems more probable, that by the Saxons, &c. the Belga were, in their turn, driven into the interior parts of the kingdom, where they might, perhaps, connect themselves with the Northern Celts, or Welch.

The inhabitants of the southern parts of the island seem fond, though, apparently, with very little reason, of tracing their descent from the ancient Britons, or Welch. If PINKERTON's theory be correct, they are descendants of the Belgæ; but, if it be true, that the Belga were dislodged, driven into the interior of the country, or exterminated, by the Saxons, or Angles, the Saxons, or Angles, from whom England derives its name, must be their ancestors. The latter supposition is flattering to the notions of Englishmen; on the presumption, that the conquering Saxons were more brave than the vanquished Belgæ. Considering that the Belga are, in part, at least, the ancestors of the modern French, this might also be thought to account for the superiority-especially in physical force-which, to the present moment, Englishmen consider themselves to possess over their Gallic neighbours. It should be recollected, too, that the Welch are, evidently, in figure and conformation, a distinct race of people from the English, who even now, present the strongest resemblance to Germans, not only in their figures, features, and complexions,

but in their natural dispositions. In no part of the island, perhaps, is this resemblance more striking than in the county of Suffolk.

At the time of Cæsar's invasion, it is believed, that the number of independent nations, states, or tribes, in Britain, was about forty-five. One of these nations was the Iceni, which inhabited the country bordering on that of the Trinobantes, comprehending what was afterwards known as the Kingdom of East Anglia, and now forming the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, and Huntingdon. CAMDEN conjectures the word Iceni to have been derived "from the wedge-like form of the country;" observing, "that it abuts on the ocean in that shape. The Britons," continues he, "call a wedge in their language Iken: a place in Wales, on the lake Llintegyd is called from that shape Llan-Iken: and in the same sense a little tract in Spain approaching less to its shape than ours was called Sphen, or Wedge, according to Strabo." "Mr. Horsley observes," says the author of the Additions to Camden, "that, according to Cæsar and Tacitus, the Trinobantes, Iceni, and Brigantes, possessed the whole east part of England, at least they mention no more. He is much of opinion that Cæsar's Cenimagni should be read Iceni, Cangi, or rather Iceni, Regni, for the Cangi, seem to have been too distant to have submitted to Cæsar on this occasion; and as the Regni, according to Ptolemy, joined to Cantium, this is more probable. Lipsius on Tacitus, Ann. XII. 32, pays Cæsar the compliment of adopting Iceni, Cangi. The Cangi seems to have lain west or north-west from the Iceni; for the Romans, under Ostorius, after defeating the latter, marched through the country of the former, crossing the island more northward to the coast opposite Ireland. The intermediate tract might be subject to the Iceni. If they extended farther west than is usually supposed, as Dr. Plot would ́ have them, the Cangi might reach to Cheshire, or the borders of Wales: but I cannot think the Iceni reached so far. Some except to the derivation of the name from the form of the country, which the maps make rather square; and Sir Henry