matter of British surveying, gives great colour to the tradition handed down to us by Ralph Higden, the monk of Chester, that this same Dyvnval Molmutius, or his son Belinus, was the founder of the four great British trackways, a view which, though repudiated by the celebrated antiquary Gale, is nevertheless perfectly consistent both with the idea conveyed in that code, and also with the etymology of the names of those roads; Billings-street terminating in Billings-gate, London, apparently carrying with it the name of Belinus, while the names of the others, Watlingstreet, Icknield-street, or Ryckneild-street, and Erminestreet, have a decided Celtic origin. It is to be observed that neither Nennius nor Geoffry of Monmouth pretend to give their histories upon their own authority, but each of them professes to have referred to MSS. which are now unfortunately lost.

Nennius (or whoever was the author of the history which goes under his name) is the most ancient British author whose works we possess. He is supposed to have lived in the middle of the ninth century. He commences his account with the six ages of the world, and his chronology of the human race for the most part tallies with the generally received Scripture computation.

The question of civilization seems to be one which

If Geoffry of Monmouth avers that Belins-street was made by King Belinus, he was at any rate not the originator of that tradition. It was a current impression of all the early historians. Geoffry Gaimar, who flourished in the eleventh century, speaks of the

.... chemin

Ke fist feire li reis Belin."

cannot be decided by any ordinary methods of calculation. Light and darkness seem at different periods of the world's history to have walked side by side in nations adjoining each other, as we see the different shades of character and talent in members of the same family. We find wonderful simplicity of manners and apparent ignorance of, and indifference to, the arts and even comforts of life, co-existent with the highest state of refinement; and the simplicity of life in the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob singularly contrasts with the luxuries and polish of the then courts of Egypt, to which two of the patriarchs were visitors, without its apparently affecting or altering their mode of life. Yet though we make this comparison, we should scarcely feel justified in calling Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob savages, as some writers have been disposed to treat our British ancestors, among whom a somewhat similar mode of life prevailed. It is impossible to read the Scripture accounts of the interview of Abraham with the angels in the plains of Mamre, or the visits of Abraham and Jacob to Pharaoh's court, without being impressed with the refinement of thought, combined with the simplicity of manners, of those eminent patriarchs. And not only do we remark these anomalies with regard to civilization, but we see nations which have once enjoyed a high degree of refinement lapsing into a comparative semi-barbarism, such as that of Egypt until recently; others, like China, settling down upon the lees of a pristine amount of civilization, dating back probably some thousands of years, and content to make no farther progress. We see, not

"Abbé Domenech (Seven years residences in the Nant

strong

in the love of the

civilization.

of I. Amerien) says Intions of primitive life that they always to the clestones of that state of existence, even when they become possessed of the aids of Thus, not withstanding the iron instruments with which the fur-companies provide them, they generally pre for using flint ireptruments of their owne

to his word"

making

withstanding the spread of commercial intercourse, the inhabitants of the islands in the Pacific, in Africa, and parts of North and South America, still using the same kind of flint weapons which were in use in Britain until after the Roman conquest.

It is to be observed that some of the British flint weapons as dug up in Roman stations, as at Witcombe, Gloucestershire, and elsewhere, shew that, although supplied as they might have been by Roman implements of superior fabric of iron and bronze, the British slaves still gave the preference to the flint weapons to which they were accustomed, as the natives of India still adhere to their national implements notwithstanding the introduction of more artistic tools under AngloSaxon rule. So that except from the localities in which these implements are found, and a variety of circumstances connected with the discovery, we are quite unyuu rata, vary magnounce upon their antiquity. And that GRAVES OF ANCIENT BRITONS.-One of the Yorkshire tumuli or barrows, which was recently opened near

Driffield, was found to contain the skeleton of a young
Briton. The right hand grasped a fine bronze dagger, of
the round-ended and very early type. The blade was thin,
and ovate-oblong in shape, the broad end having three
bronze rivets, and retaining distinctly the
line of the end of the wooden handle.
was deposited a large flint knife, and
awl or bodkin, three inches long,
and both ends rounded,
This is a very curious

the dagger it a bronze

hs recently adopted period, the bronze ever convenient in

nsisted

upon

when

agger the implements of

at the middle, ly with the bronze

buttons, quite 1, que lunar out

just below the chin were

in sharp points.

Before the chest and very large polished jet

and one button of baked ether there ever was

clay, of similar size and form, but ornamented by four lines, radiating from the centre. One of these buttons had three holes at the

as not known. We

Behind the pelvis of the back, the others all having two. Tubalcain, who must

skeleton was a remarkably fine

bronze axe, of the earliest type, evidently modelled on the haps three hundred plan of the old stone hatchet. The handle and sheath of the

dagger had been of wood, the remains being quite evident, Remains of a Roman Villa and the axe seems to have been enclosed in wood, the part handled being less oxidised than the rest. The whole of the bronze articles bore a very fine patina. This is the first instance, so far as is known, where a bronze battle-axe has been found with an interment in Yorkshire; and the discovery is of value on account of the association of ea axe and dagger.

The Confaronno of the frant Powers e