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Show OP.IGIN" OF NAIIES OF COUTT-TEIES. COUTT-TEIES. The following countries, it is said, were originally named by the rhoeni- ; ; cians, the greatest commercial people V in the world. The names, in the Phoe-1 Phoe-1 nician language, signified! something characteristic of the places which they designate. Europe signifies a country cf white complexion, so named because the inhabitants' in-habitants' were of lighter complexion than those of Asia and Africa. Asia signifies between or in the middle, mid-dle, from the fact that the geographers ' placed it between Europe and Africa. Africa signifies the land of com r i ; ears, it was nieoraieu tor lis aounu- ; ance of corn and all sorts of grain. Siberia signifies thirsty or dry very i characteristic. Spain, a country of rabbits or conies. It was once so infested with these animals, ani-mals, that it sued At-gusta for an army to destroy them. Italy, the country of pitch, from its yielding great quantities of blr.ck pitch. Calabria, also, for the same purpose. pur-pose. Gaul, modern France, signifies yel- j low-haired, as yellow hair character- s izes its inhabitants. 1 The English of Caledonia, is a high I hill. This- was a rugged mountainous province in Scotland. Hibernia is utmost, or last habitation; habita-tion; for beyond this westward the Phoenicians never extended their voyages. voy-ages. Britain, the country of tin, great quantities being found oni it and adja- cent islands. The Greeks called it Al- bion. which signifies in the Phoenician I tongue either white or high mountains, , f from the whiteness of its shores, or the I high rocks on the western coast. , . 'I Corsica signifies a woody place. l Sardinia signifies the footsteps of men. which it resembles. f Syracuse, bad savior, so-called from I the unwholesome marsh on which , I stood. j Rhodes, serpents or dragons, whic-i'i f it produced in abundance. Sicily, the country of grapes. , f f Scylla, the whirlpool of destructio:t W Aetna signifies a furnace, or dark or- f smoky. I |