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jiOTES. 423longitudinein, on account of the length of the winter. Fromthe time of Columba till the twelfth century, the Irish werealmost the only clergy in Scotland, and raodelled the historyof the Scots to suit their own vanity. The adventitiouscircumstance of an Irish colony having settled in Argyleshireabout the middle of the third century, gave an air of plausibilityto the imposture, and, like the Germanic origin of the Caledonians,hinted at by Tacitus, it has been twisted about and aboutin every direction, and is as keenly contested at the present day,as the first moment the discussion began. On the evidence ofCalepine, the Romans reckoned Ireland a cold country, and thatit derived its name from this very circumstance. Perhaps thismistake induced/ lUeiemy to place Ireland due north of Scotland,instead of west, the former being the colder position of the two ;^nd this very error of/Ptoloaiy has tended not a little to perplexthe point in question.There is not a passage in any Roman author whatever, whicfecan inthe remotest degree imply that Ireland was Scotland,whilst every one of them clearly implies that Scotland wasIreland, Had the Scots, so formidable to the Romans, beenIrish auxiliaries, it could not have escaped the Roman historiansto a man.The Romans, on the contrary, had a most contemptibleopinion of Ireland. Tacitus tells us (Vit. Agric. cap. 8.)that Agricola placed garrisons on the coast of Britain, oppositeto Ireland, in spem magis quam ob forviidmem—i. e. " from thehope of advantageous intercourse, rather than from any dread oftheir arms ;" and in the same chapter adds, " that Ireland mightbe conqueredand kept by one legion and a few auxiliariesLegione una et modicis auxilus debellari Hibcriuam^ obimeriqueposse.It is well known that the Roman prtetentures, from SolwayFirth to the river Tyne, and from Clyde to Forth, wereconstructed to resist the invasions of the Scots and Picts. Buthad these incursions been from Ireland, the Romans would certainlyhave fortified the coast opposite to it, and opposed thesebarriers to the greatest danger. We are well warranted to infer,that the most formidable defence would be opposed to then 2—