"The second is a canoe made of one piece of oak, rather more than 23
feet long, about 12 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. It terminates in a
point at both ends, and contains three cross-stays cut out of the solid
wood, and a small terminal triangular seat.
"The third, likewise made of one piece, is rather more than 20 feet long
and about 21 inches wide. On each side the wood is cut out so as to
receive a seat. This boat appears less ancient than the others, although
these may not have belonged to any very remote antiquity. In fact, Ware
states that in his time there were still to be seen on some of the Irish
rivers canoes hollowed out of a single trunk of oak.
"It is also well known that the lacustrine habitations constructed on
the artificial islands called _Crannoges_, existed to a late period in
Ireland. All the boats found round these island-dwellings are canoes
made all in one piece and hollowed out of the trunks of large trees.
"The trough-shaped canoe, consisting merely of the trunk of a tree cut
straight through at the two ends, and in no way squared on the outside,
also exists in Ireland. A very singular variety has been found in the
county of Monaghan;[22] at the two ends are two projections or handles,
which were probably used for carrying the boat from one place to
another, or to draw it up upon the beach after a voyage.
"According to Mr. John Buchanan, quoted by Sir C. Lyell,[23] at least
seventeen canoes have been found in the low ground along the margin of
the Clyde at Glasgow. Mr. Buchanan examined several of them before they
were dug out. Five of them were found buried in the silt under the
streets of Glasgow. One canoe was discovered in a vertical position,
with the prow upwards, as if it had foundered in a tempest; it contained
no small quantity of sea-shells. Twelve other canoes were found about
100 yards from the river, at the average depth of about 19 feet below
the surface of the ground, or about 7 feet below high-water mark. A few
only of them were found at a depth of no more than 4 or 5 feet, and
consequently more than 20 feet above the present level of the sea. One
was stuck into the sand at an angle of 45°; another had been turned over
and lay keel upwards; the others were in a horizontal position, as if
they had sunk in still water.
"Almost every one of these ancient boats had been formed of a single
trunk of oak, and hollowed out with some blunt instrument, probably
stone hatchets, assisted also by the action of fire. A few of them
presented clean-made cuts, evidently produced by a metallic tool. Two of
them were constructed of planks. The most elaborate of the number
bore the traces of square metal nails, which, however, had entirely
disappeared. In one canoe was found a diorite hatchet, and at the bottom
of another, a cork bung, which certainly implies relations with southern
France, Spain, or Italy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account