About the isles, and island, and islands, an astute (Irish-American) observer noted that the British Empire seemed to have been reduced to an island off the east coast of Argentina & claim to part of an island off its own west coast.
John Barton touches upon an interesting topic: the descent of the inhabitants. I have forgotten the details, but there was a 19C discussion about inhabitants before the arrival of the Angles & Saxons & such like Brave Blue-eyed Blond Barbarians, & the impossibility of surviving descendants (an Anglo-Norman spelling). Lately however, some bones turned up in some northernish part of the island, whose DNA is the same as that of some current local inhabitants.
(A footnote: at the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, there is much cheering for Harold. I asked in my faux-naif manner if William was the ancestor of the present royal family, why the cheers for Harold. A local librarian told me that Harold's wound in the eye was really a tear in the Bayeux tapestry.
The tapestry is not precisely a "book" but it tells a tale - in pictures & words. Anent which, the Random House reproduction of the full tapestry is a wonder which all libraries should have.
It was also pointed out that (pace Churchill) England had been successfully invaded a second time (with the connivance of his ancestor) by the Dutchman William.
Gabriel Austin
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Barton" <bartonlander@free.net.nz>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <exlibris@library.berkeley.edu>
Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2003 9:11 PM
Subject: Re: British
> But my nationality remains British, and England merely a place-name, as I have had to correct many officials such as
> bank-managers, customs officers, census takers, etc. Not that anyone could call me a bigot.
To this part of John's note, I can but add my daughter's ferocious response when filling out a form which asks for "race" or "nationality". She puts down "Celtic" and defies any comment. (Anent which, the use of Caucasian is dangerous in Russia. It would be like the use of "mafioso").
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