Whether "the thin but strong cord" by which Mr. Murray pulls the old
Iberians to these shores be mainly historical or imaginative, I have
not attempted to decide; but as to the old races of Southern Europe
there are relics already sufficient to evoke their history by
psychometric exploration.
The _Popular Science News_ of Boston gives a sketch of some old relics
from "La Nature" which I quote as follows:
"Recent explorations in Spain by two Belgian scientists, the
Messrs. Siret, have resulted in some very interesting
discoveries. Relics of a prehistoric race have been found in
great abundance, ranging from the stone age to that of bronze
and metals. These people buried their dead not only in stone
graves or cells, but also in great jars of burnt clay,
accompanied by pieces of pottery and other articles of use and
value. This form of jar-burial is very widespread, and examples
have been found from Japan to Peru. These relics are supposed to
belong to that ancient race which lived in Europe previous to
the Aryan immigration, the various branches of which are known
as Iberians, Pelasgians, Ligurians, etc., according to the
country in which they lived.
"Several skeletons were found adorned with silver and gold
ornaments. One of the most remarkable is illustrated here. It is
a female skull encircled by a band of silver, to which is
attached a thin plate of the same metal. It is not known whether
it was originally worn in the position as when found, or, as is
most likely, had been accidentally displaced after burial. This
skull was found in a cave near the station of Fuente-Alamo,
where gold and silver are found in small quantities in the soil;
and it is quite possible that in those ancient times the mining
of the precious metals was a regular occupation of the
inhabitants."
[Illustration]
PSYCHOMETRIC DESCRIPTION.--Mrs. Buchanan, describing the subject from
this engraving, without seeing it or knowing what it represented,
spoke as follows:
"This is far away; it is remains of some kind; remains of a
human being, of a very remote type of female. Her surroundings
were very rude. She was of a race of strong animal instincts--a
large people. She seems something like a squaw. (What of their
habitations?) They were very rude, as much like caves as
anything. I think they lived in caves and rocks. They hunted and
fished. Their weapons were of stones, but they had some kind of
metal which they could hammer out. They dried their food in the
sun--fishes and meats. They had very little agriculture. They
had a process for making things they wanted for domestic use,
and for weapons, as well as stone implements. They may have used
the precious metals, not as money but for ornaments. It was not
a numerous race, did not propagate fast. They have all died out.
There is no vestige of them on the earth. They were a brown,
dark colored race. Their heads were low and faces large; jaws
prominent."
Evidently this is not the race of which Mr. Murray speaks--neither
Iberian nor Basque.