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lands of Scotland, with equal neatness and sufficiency. Had those towers been built by enemies, it is to be presumed the natives of Scotland would be disposed to give them every possible interruption. The collection of stones of such regular figures as were necessary for such buildings was extremely difficult, and the collectors and carriers of them were liable to constant annoyance from their enemies. It is evident, that the raising of structures of such prodigious difficulty and labour required security and peace.

That the Danes or Norwegians, and the Gael, were equally capable of building such edifices, there is no good reason to entertain any doubt; but that these towers were built by the native Gael, and not by foreigners, appears to be in no small degree probable. They are of an uncommon construction, and different from any of those antique edifices to be seen in the islands possessed by the Danes. The double walls present a singular mode of building; the intermediate space is floored with large thin flat stones called flags, the ends of which are inserted in the walls, and prove that the buildings were intended to be strong and durable, and not like the common wooden houses of a pastoral people, which could be easily taken to pieces, removed to, and rebuilt in other situations. The circular spaces between the walls were capable of containing a considerable number of people, and were therefore not intended

merely for the accommodation of one family, but occasionally to be receptacles for concentred forces, to serve as garrisons for the natives, to enable them to act with more united energy and vigour against an invading or plundering enemy.

That they were built before the introduction of Christian names, is evinced by the following metrical lines, repeated by the common people in the country of Glenelg :

"Mo cherer mac maolé fionné

"A dhfhag mi air stratha n' aon ghlinn
"Mo Chalaman mo Throdan treun
"M' Eletha agus mo Chonull."

Which, literally translated, run thus:

"My four bald fair sons,

"Whom I left in the strath* of one valley;

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These are Gaelic, and not Norwegian or Danish names. By the names of these ancient men of note, the four towers in that valley of Glenelg, called Glenbeg or Little Glen, are at this day denominated and distinguished by the

Strath,-low lying grounds or bottom of a valley, through which generally a river runs.

common people. Two of these towers still remain, though not whole or entire; the other two have been destroyed by unhallowed hands, and taken away to build the barracks of Bernera, standing at the bottom of the larger valley of Glenelg. Those curious stones, laid with such admirable skill, and collected with such wonderful industry by our remote ancestors, were to be confounded with common stones of irregular figures, to be hidden from the eye by cement and mortar, after the manner of more improved ages in the arts of architecture. Thus those curious monuments of antiquity were pulled asunder, and swept away, to gratify the mean avarice of servants in the pay of Government. Disgraceful barbarity! It is to be hoped that the proprietor of those singular monuments of rude architecture, will in future pay particular attention to the preservation of their remains, which cannot but afford a delicious entertainment to the eye of curiosity.

Many vestiges still remain of circular buildings, which, from their situations on eminences of difficult access, announce their having been fortresses or strong-holds; but we have observed none which would lead to the conclusion that they were built wholly of stone, though to a certain height it appears, from the quantity of stones lying on the circular foundation, they were built of stones without cement. We mean not to include in these buildings the remains of

those which have of late years been denominated, by travellers of curiosity, vitrified forts. These, too, are all of circular forms; our British not departing from the mode of building observed and practised by our Gallic ancestors. Where, from the quantity of stones lying on the foundation of those ancient houses, the stone building must have been considerable, the houses are distinguished by the appellation of castle; where they appear to be the residence of the common people, they get the name of larach tai Draonaich, the foundation of the house of a Draoneach. Of these we never observed but one where there appears to be the foundation of a double circular wall; but, as we have already said, the quantity of stones in the foundation shows, that the body of the house was composed of wood, and tapered from bottom to top, like the houses of the Gauls, as described by Strabo.

We have heard it said that Draoneach signified a Druid. This application of the term Draonaich is certainly erroneous. Draothian is the proper appellation of Druids, as shall be observed hereafter. The Druids were the high-priests of the Gallic religion: their houses must have been few in number; whereas those called the houses of the Draonaich are numerous, and situated closely to one another, so as to demonstrate that they were the houses of the common people. The words of Cæsar, "Creberrima edificia Gallicis consimilia," are proved to be applicable to

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them, from ocular inspection of their remains at

this day.

PROOF OF IDENTITY.

FURTHER proofs of the identity of people may be gathered from their stature and complexion, their manners and customs, their modes of living, their dress or manner of clothing themselves, their use of warlike weapons, their religious rites and persuasion, and their language. These shall be noticed in their order. The last, though furnishing the most powerful proof, and therefore seeming to claim priority in point of importance, shall close the subject; as several observations will occur in the course of considering the other matters of remark, which will serve to abridge this most decisive proof of identity.

The accounts which we have of the inhabitants of Europe from Greek and Roman historians, entitle us to conclude with certainty, that they were not the descendants of a people who could claim pretensions to any high degree of policy or refinement in the arts of life. Their manners and customs were those of a pastoral people, and were not distinguished by any strongly marked characteristic differences.

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