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wards discovered by the Greeks, and at a later period by the Romans. But the identity of Britain with the Cassiterides could not have been discovered by the Romans before the invasion of Britain by Cæsar. As far as we can judge from history, it does not appear that Cæsar, when he invaded this country, was conscious that he had got into the great tinproducing land; because we are told that he believed, when he first came, he was invading a country full of wealth, and that afterwards he was disappointed. There are writings of Cicero in which he says the country was poor, and that it was a delusion to suppose there was anything to be found in it, especially silver, which there was great expectation of discovering. It does not seem that Cæsar got down to this southwestern part. It was much later that the Romans came here; but we have some curious evidence on the part of other historians, especially Diodorus, that Danmonium, which comprised Devonshire and Cornwall, was a country already in communication with foreign parts; that it was more given to trade, and more civilized, and that its inhabitants were more hospitable people than the rest of the Britons. The Britons generally were savage, rude, and inhospitable; but these Danmonii were more polished and more civilized. It is, perhaps, one of the reasons that may account for there being fewer Roman remains to be found here, that there was less necessity for the Romans to plant themselves here in force in order to keep this part of the country in subjection; they were on more friendly terms with this part of the country than they were with some others.

These are evidences which we have of the carly connexion of this part of the country with the navigators and commercial nations of the east. Then there are many other small evidences of the same connexion. Some of them may, perhaps, be fanciful; others have something in them. We hope that those who come here with the power and the habit of testing and sifting evidence, will enable us to judge for ourselves how far these matters, which we have been taught to regard as more or less important, have any real worth. For instance, there is the evidence of names. Polwhele, who is perhaps our best local historian, traces a Phoenician origin in everything,-in names, in places, in everything to be found in the west of England; and we should like to know how far there is any truth in the analogies which he discovers;

because we do know that the science of etymology, the comparison of one language with another, often affords the means of ascertaining the connection between one people and another. I should be glad to know if there is any truth in the origin which he ascribes to the names Hartland Point, Start Point, Belston, and others, which he supposes to contain traces of Phoenician worship; Start Point referring to Astarte, Hartland Point to Hercules, and Belston to Belus. He speaks of double pillars at Hartland and Start Point, and connects them with the Phoenician worship of the sun and moon; and with the celebrated Phoenician pillars of Hercules. We know that at Cadiz, a point to which the Phoenicians attained in Spain, there were two pillars-the two pillars of Hercules, one of the great landmarks of the ancient world. These were pillars connected no doubt with Phoenician worship. Polwhele supposes that there were two pillars at Hartland Point, and he speaks of there being the remains of such pillars at Start Point even now. I do not know whether such is the case; but it is a matter for the curious to inquire into. He sees in these double pillars traces of the Phoenician worship having been introduced into this country. One would be glad to know how far there are traces of anything that is decidedly eastern, and that is not to be attributed to our neighbours, the Gauls. Then there are the remains of Druidical worship to be found on Dartmoor; and we should be glad to know whether, on a comparison of these remains with others elsewhere, there is any such connection or difference between them that should lead us to suppose they were the work of one people rather than We should like to know whether the great work of Stonehenge all belonged to one period, or was placed there by two races; and if so we should be glad to know to which period the Dartmoor works belong,-whether to the earlier or the later,-in what the difference consists, and whether it is of such a character as to lead us to suppose that one race was or was not eastern in its origin. Cæsar mentions that there had been an invasion shortly before his time by the Belgæ from Gaul, who had driven the aboriginal inhabitants into the interior, and perhaps to the south-west. Looking to another point, we may ask who these aboriginals were? Were they people of eastern origin? If not, are they to be considered people who had had an eastern impress

two.

made upon them by communication with the Phoenicians? You may put any number of things together in this kind of inquiry; for archæology is of all studies the one which seems to me the best described by Shakespeare's saying that "Trifles light as air may be confirmation strong

As proofs of holy writ."

You may find any number of small points, each insignificant, apparently absurd, if you take it by itself, yet if you put them together, compare them, collate them with what has been discovered in other parts of the country, they produce, by degrees, first doubt, then suspicion, and then a moral certainty which almost amounts to the strength of demonstration. One would be glad that all these things should be recorded; that theories, however absurd in themselves, should be put forth and discussed, and everything that can be brought forward to support these theories be brought forth and stated, in order to determine what is really valuable and really true. Because there is this that is peculiar in this kind of study; and it is, I really think, an indication that archæology may be made a very fine and noble training for the intellectual powers and for the judgment of man-that you have to combine such different qualities in order to make a perfect archæologist. You require not only a great amount of knowledge; that, I am aware, is essential, with a great amount of industry, necessary in all studies, but you require a combination of imagination and of judgment, of enthusiasm and of scepticism. You want two kinds of archæologists-positive and negative. You want poets and you want critics. I do not believe you ever make discoveries, unless you make them with a view to some theory. A man lays down a theory, as Polwhele laid down his theory that we had a Phoenician origin; and in order to make out his theory he collected with great enthusiasm every kind of proof he could accumulate, some very weak and shallow no doubt, but others, having, perhaps, something in them. At all events he collected a great number of facts, which he would otherwise have thought of little or no value; and he collected them with interest, because he looked upon them as having an important bearing upon his theory. In that way you get facts together; and then you want to bring to bear upon them

critical scepticism, blowing to the winds those which do not bear investigation. But if you had criticism only you never would discover anything. Invention and discovery after all are very closely related; but you want to discover, you do not want to invent, and the great danger is lest discovery should run into invention, because some habits of mind will no doubt lead persons from one to the other. We must take great care that we neither repress and chill the discoverer, by throwing cold water, and looking with a smile upon his extravagancies; nor, on the other hand, allow ourselves to be led away by those extravagancies. That is the great use of such societies as the present. They come down with a large accumulation of experience. They are able, in the first place, to do much service in the district by exciting an interest. They cannot themselves—it is utterly impossible in the short time they have-make any great amount of discoveries. But what they can do is this. They can excite in the minds of a large number who live on the spot an interest in the subject which they themselves take an interest in. They can set these people on the track of discovery, and then when discoveries, or supposed discoveries are made, the Association come from time to time to see how their disciples in the provinces are going on, reviewing the work, and ascertaining whether there is anything in all this matter collected, taking up the heap of sand and sifting it to see if there are a few grains of gold in it. So, in that way, by stimulating and criticising, they may do real service towards the collection of materials for a good history of our own. county and our own locality. I am told that none of the histories we have of Devonshire and Exeter are worthy-I will not say worthy of the name of histories; but, at all events, not such as we ought to have. They are not such as in the present state of the science, and with the present advantages we have, we ought to be content with. But what our friends who now come down are anxious we should do is, that we should set to work, each in his different locality, each as he is able, to make collections, to make inquiries, to excite an interest for the preservation of our ancient monuments, and for the discovery of those matters which are in danger of being lost and overwhelmed amongst us, and for the purpose of bringing these things together, in order that those who take a wider range, who look over a

greater extent of country and compare discoveries made in one part with discoveries made in another, may be able to ascertain the real histories of these matters. There are many of the points which I have glanced at that well deserve your attention. attention. We know very well what service has been done by one who has been for some years removed from us-Mr. Rowe, of Crediton. The little book he published the Perambulation of Dartmoor-is not only a useful handbook for tourists, but contains a great deal of curious information which I should be very sorry to see perish from amongst us-a book which may live for ages and contribute its part to the materials which we hope to collect for a county history. And consider what others of you may do. When one looks at the collection in this room and sees the records of old monuments which have been removed-records of places taken away in the necessary course of improvement-one perceives how much you could do by securing drawings of various antiquities which still remain, to be circulated in other parts of the country, and used also as records in case those things should be destroyed. Let me also remind you how important an aid photography is to archæology; for with the greatest ease you are now enabled to preserve accurate recollections of those monuments, whether of art or of nature, which you feel an interest in. It is really throwing away this great machine, this great power put into your hands, unless you make some use of it, for so very interesting a purpose as the preservation of accurate records of monuments, all of which are gradually decaying, while some of them may perish by accident or disappear in the course of improvements. Again, there is another class of antiquities which you may assist in preserving, which perishes very easily, and which the march of civilisation has a tendency to efface-I mean old language, old words, old expressions, old customs, old superstitions even, everything that can connect us with the manners and customs of our early ancestors. For instance, how little is preserved of the old Cornish language! There we had, probably, the oldest language spoken in England; there we possessed the materials for tracing whether there were any truth or not in the supposed connection between Cornwall and the Eastern nations. A great deal that has been allowed to perish there might have been preserved;

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