Book Description

If you look at a Map of the World, you will see, in the left-hand upper corner of the EasternHemisphere, two Islands lying in the sea. They are England and Scotland, and Ireland. Englandand Scotland form the greater part of these Islands. Ireland is the next in size. The littleneighbouring islands, which are so small upon the Map as to be mere dots, are chiefly little bits ofScotland, -broken off, I dare say, in the course of a great length of time, by the power of therestless water.In the old days, a long, long while ago, before Our Saviour was born on earth and lay asleep in amanger, these Islands were in the same place, and the stormy sea roared round them, just as it roarsnow. But the sea was not alive, then, with great ships and brave sailors, sailing to and from all partsof the world. It was very lonely. The Islands lay solitary, in the great expanse of water. Thefoaming waves dashed against their cliffs, and the bleak winds blew over their forests; but the windsand waves brought no adventurers to land upon the Islands, and the savage Islanders knew nothingof the rest of the world, and the rest of the world knew nothing of them.It is supposed that the Phoenicians, who were an ancient people, famous for carrying on trade, camein ships to these Islands, and found that they produced tin and lead; both very useful things, as youknow, and both produced to this very hour upon the sea-coast. The most celebrated tin mines inCornwall are, still, close to the sea. One of them, which I have seen, is so close to it that it ishollowed out underneath the ocean; and the miners say, that in stormy weather, when they are atwork down in that deep place, they can hear the noise of the waves thundering above theirheads. So, the Phoenicians, coasting about the Islands, would come, without much difficulty, towhere the tin and lead were.The Phoenicians traded with the Islanders for these metals, and gave the Islanders some other usefulthings in exchange. The Islanders were, at first, poor savages, going almost naked, or only dressedin the rough skins of beasts, and staining their bodies, as other savages do, with coloured earths andthe juices of plants. But the Phoenicians, sailing over to the opposite coasts of France and Belgium, and saying to the people there, 'We have been to those white cliffs across the water, which you cansee in fine weather, and from that country, which is called BRITAIN, we bring this tin and lead, 'tempted some of the French and Belgians to come over also. These people settled themselves onthe south coast of England, which is now called Kent; and, although they were a rough people too, they taught the savage Britons some useful arts, and improved that part of the Islands. It isprobable that other people came over from Spain to Ireland, and settled there.