_Israel a Maritime Nation--Tyre and Sidon--The Lacedemonians Claim Relationship with Israel-The Ionians, Etrurians, Danes, Jutes, etc.--The various Captivities of Israel and Judah--Media_. The idea, though not until lately widely diffused, that many of the races inhabiting Europe are impregnated with the blood of Israel, is by no means a new one. Many writers, in their researches into the early history of that continent, have been forcibly struck with the similarity that existed between the laws, manners, customs, etc., of the ancient inhabitants of its northern and northwestern portions and those of ancient Israel. These writers have endeavored to account for this peculiarity in two ways. First by the supposition that Israelitish colonies for various causes, left the land of their inheritance and gradually worked themselves north and northwestward over Europe; and second, by the argument that remnants or branches of the lost Ten Tribes had emigrated from Media into Europe, and through the ignorance of historians, disguised under other names, they had remained unknown until the present, their habits, customs, traditions, etc., having in the meanwhile become so greatly changed by time and circumstance, as to render them unrecognizable at this late day. We will take up the first of these ideas, and present a few of the arguments advanced by those who support it. It is asserted by them that Israel early became a maritime nation, that its location on the Mediterranean Sea admirably adapted its people for such pursuit. By means of the Red Sea in its rear, it also had undisturbed access to Africa, India, and the isles beyond. As early as the days of the Judges (say B. C. 1,300) we find that Deborah and Barak, in their song of triumph, complain that Dan came not up to the aid of Israel in the hour of need, but remained in his ships while his fellows were contending with Sisera and his hosts. "Why did Dan remain in ship?" (_Judges v: 17_) is the exact question asked. This shows that thus early in Israel's history it had commenced to hold commercial relations with its neighbors.[A] The tribes whose inheritances bordered on the Mediterranean, commencing at the north, were Asher, Manasseh, Ephraim, Dan and Simeon. Asher's inheritance lay contiguous to the great ports of Tyre and Sidon, while Simeon's bordered on Egypt, and contained within its confines other seaports of the Philistines or Phœnicians, to whom, we think, profane writers have given credit for many of the commercial ventures undertaken by the Israelites. [Footnote A: We have seen a translation of an ancient Danish history, in which it is asserted that Angul of Issacher, a brother of Tola, who judged Israel about 1,225 years B.C., invaded England, and was assisted by Tola in so doing. In the name of Angul we find another derivation of the word Angleland (England).]