on two monumental effigies, at Chenies, Bucks, by the Rev. H. Kelke. Drawings of these figures, supposed to be memorials of the Cheynes, long settled at that place, were produced. The effigies, representing a knight and lady, had been found there in a cellar. They are of the fourteenth century, and, although mutilated, are not devoid of interest.

Mr. Bindon communicated a notice of the recent discovery of certain ancient architectural remains, near Corn Street, Bristol, which had taken place in demolishing some houses for the erection of the new Athenæum. He sent plans and views of the structure, the principal part being of the thirteenth century. Its original intention is unknown, and Mr. Bindon was desirous to preserve some memorial of a building, which it has proved necessary to destroy.

The Rev. H. M. Scarth communicated a memoir on Raby Castle, co. Durham, illustrated by numerous sketches, plans, and details.

The Hon. Richard Neville gave an account of the results of his recent excavations at Ashden, on the property of Lord Maynard, near the Bartlow Hills. He produced a plan of a Roman villa, and two hypocausts, which had been brought to light, and explained certain arrangements of an unusual nature. He also exhibited several relics of the Roman age, lately dug up in Hadstock parish, during researches under his direction. The site is situated about 100 yards from the base of one of the tumuli above mentioned.

Mr. Edward Richardson desired to call attention to the discovery of Roman remains at Kilburn, on the property of the Hon. Col. Upton.

Mr. Walford communicated a notice relating to a palimpsest brass escucheon, produced by the late Dr. Mantell at the last meeting in London. It had been found during repairs of the tombs of Dr. Mantell's ancestors, at Lower Heyford, Northamptonshire. On one side of the plate are the arms of Heyford; on the reverse appear,-three fusils in fesse, quartering six lioncels; these arms Mr. Walford is disposed to attribute to William de Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, who died 1397, or his father, who was created Earl in 1337, and who may have assumed the coat of Longespee, quarterly with his own family bearing. Though no connexion existed to account for such a quartering, it may be an instance of treating the coat of the first Earls as the arms of the earldom, and quartering it with the family coat of the succeeding Earls, as was occasionally the practice in France and Scotland.

Mr. Webb exhibited a superb gold orna

ment found near Aix la Chapelle, apparently one of the rich circular brooches of the twelfth century. It was set with gems, which unfortunately have been removed.

Mr. Nesbitt produced rubbings of some incised sepulchral slabs at St. Quentin and Le Mans, and gave a detailed account of these curious memorials, now of rare occurrence in France. One of the tombs bears date as early as 1272.

The Hon. W. Fox Strangways sent a drawing of the curious sculpture at Schwarzach, in Germany, on the tympanum of a circular-headed doorway; the design is of Byzantine character, of the twelfth century.

The Rev. W. Gunner brought a miniature statue of St. George, found in digging a drain at Winchester; the armour of the reign of Richard II.

Mr. Edward Hoare exhibited a representation of a very singular bronze relic, resembling a shoe, found with bronze celts in co. Cork; and it was stated by Lord Talbot that an object nearly similar, and of high antiquity, exists in the Museum of the Irish Academy.

Mr. Brackstone sent several bronze antiquities found in Ireland, the massive handles of an ancient caldron, some weapons, and personal ornaments.

Mr. Greville Chester exhibited a remarkable specimen of early Limoges enamel, ploughed up near Sudbury. It is the lower portion of a ciborium, and of the choicest workmanship, although the gilding has disappeared from the surface, which is set with numerous imitative gems.

Mr. Walford brought a rubbing of a curious table for finding the Dominical letter, carved on the face of a column in Eastry Church, Kent. Mr. Wilbraham produced a very beautiful watch, found in Delamere House, Cheshire: it is an early example of the workmanship of Blois. Various other objects were exhibited by Mr. W. J. Bernhard Smith, Mr. Bright, Mr. Hayward of Lincoln, and Mr. Franks.

It was announced that the volume of Transactions at the Newcastle meeting is in immediate preparation, and subscribers were requested to enrol their names for this publication, which had received liberal encouragement from the Duke of Northumberland.

Armour," tracing their history from the earliest periods, and illustrating his paper by some interesting specimens. Mr. Cuming referred Mr. Pratt's specimen, exhibited by Mr. Planché, to the close of the reign of Edward II. or to the commencement of Edward III. Each ring consists of a simple circlet of stout iron wire fiveeighths of an inch in diameter, the ends being brought together without riveting. Mr. Charles Bridger exhibited a drawing of the brass of a serjeant-at-arms of the time of Henry V. in Wandsworth Church, Surrey. Mr. Clarke, of Easton, exhibited a coin found at Ipswich, having on it Johannes Dei Gra. &c. and another found at Manningtree, with Henric. D.G. Rex Angl. Mr. L. Jewitt exhibited a circular silver fibula having IESVS NAZARENVS inscribed on it, and three Celtic coins, two of copper and one of gold, found at Mount Baton, Plymouth. Mr. Ashpital exhibited a circular bronze fibula, having six raised triangular points, found at Maidstone. Mr. F. J. Baigent sent a drawing from a piece of glass in Aldermaston church, in Berkshire, representing the Annunciation. Mr. Newton exhibited a bronze socket, lately dug up at Hitchin, with this inscriptionHæc (scil. crux) tute indirigat iter. was supposed to have belonged to a pil. grim's staff. Mr. Black exhibited a perfect specimen of the "Bellarmine" jug or bottle, found at the depth of sixteen feet, in Goodman's-fields, in October last. Mr. Briggs forwarded several urns, patera, patina, &c. found in grubbing up an old hedge near Gaston, two miles from Dover, about four feet beneath the surface. Holes had apparently been cut in the solid chalk just large enough to admit each urn. The urns were in number about eighteen, varying in shape and size, and placed in pairs, each pair eight or ten feet distant from another, and each containing calcined bones. The saucer-shaped vessels also contained bones, one being turned on the top of another.

It

Mr. Lynch submitted three letters which have been found in a volume from a library at Rome, now in his possession. The first is from Pope Innocent XI. to Louis XIV. in Latin, and conveys an approval of the reception given by the French monarch to King James II. on his retreat from England. The second is the reply of Louis to the Pope, written in French, and of which there is also an Italian version. The third is from the Countess of Montecucoli, in Italian, and details the various plans which were concocted for the flight of the queen, the modifications which circumstances occasioned, and the ultimate method adopted.

The Rev. Thomas Hugo presented some

portions of Roman pottery and a bronze ring, lately obtained from Ribchester.

NUMISMATIC SOCIETY.

Nov. 25. Lord Londesborough in the chair.

Mr. Evans read a paper on a gold noble of Edward the Fourth, believed by him to be unique. The weight alone (107 grains) is sufficient to prove that it could not have been struck under Edward the Third, as no nobles were coined of less weight than 119 grains till A.D. 1411, thirty-four years after his death. The workmanship also, and the shape of the letters point to a considerably later date, and offer a strong resemblance to the nobles of Henry the Fifth. It was discovered in company with one of these. It is remarkable that the die from which this coin was struck appears to have been intended for the nobles of Henry,the H in the centre, though partially obliterated by an E which has been struck over it, being still quite perceptible. The coin itself is in the finest possible preservation.

Mr. Vaux (Secretary) read a paper on some rare Bactrian coins which have lately been acquired for the British Museum. Of these, the most remarkable were-an Amyntas in silver, which, Mr. Vaux stated his belief, was unique; and two remarkable coins of Hippostratus, also in silver. Very little is known from history of either of these princes; but their coins indicate the existence of a monarchy of considerable power. Lord Londesborough exhibited a fine denarius of Domitilla; Mr. W. D. Saull exhibited a medal of F. Mazzuolius Victor, date 1504 to 1540, found in the excavations going on for the city improvements, a jetton of the Netherlands, and two Gaulish coins; Mr. Williams a cast of a silver medal of Charles-Edward, the second Pretender, and his wife, described by Mr. Chalon in a pamphlet presented by him in the evening.

KILKENNY ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

At the November meeting of this Society, the Rev. James Graves, Hon. Secretary, drew attention to a splendid series of drawings by Mr. Henry O'Neill of the ancient sculptured crosses of the county of Kilkenny. The style of ornament observable in these crosses is peculiar to the Celtic race; it prevailed throughout Ireland, in the Isle of Man, Cornwall, Wales, the northern shires of England, and Scotland,-in short, wherever the influence of the early Irish preachers of Christianity extended. The peculiar interlaced work is also to be traced over Germany and Italy, wherever these zealous heralds of the Gospel directed their footsteps. Celtic carving, says Sir Francis Palgrave in his

late interesting and suggestive work "The History of Normandy and of England," was exhibited by the Book of the Gospels deposited by Berengarius, King of Italy, in the Sanctuary at Monza, in Lombardy, circa A.D. 892, along with his Iron Crown. Its crumbling leaves are still preserved between ivory tablets, quaintly carved and pierced, adorned by the interlacings termed runic knots, according to conventional archæological phraseology; but no Scandinavian sculptured their embossed and graceful foliage,-they were worked by a Celtic hand and Dr. Daniel Wilson, in "The Archæology and Pre-historic Annals of Scotland," remarks that interlaced knot-work, a favourite device of the Celtic mind, not only occurs on the sculptures, the jewellery, the manuscripts, and the decorated shrines of early Irish Christian art, but has been perpetuated almost to our own day on the weapons and personal ornaments of the Scotish Highlanders. The endless variety of interlaced ribband patterns observable on the Celtic crosses, their monolithic magnitude, reared on solid and massive bases, and the graceful combination of circular and rectangular lines in their design, raise feelings of admiration for the men who, in the troublous period extending from the seventh to the tenth century, were capable of executing such works of art. It is Mr. O'Neill's intention to publish the Crosses of the County of Kilkenny in lithography.

Mr. Prim communicated the fact of his having traced the arms of Sir Richard Shee of Bonnestown, and his second wife Margaret Fagan, much defaced, on the Butts Cross, Kilkenny..

A letter was read from the Rev. A. B. Rowan, on the discovery of some ancient graves in the neighbourhood of Sliabh Mis, and the possibility of their being memorials of the decisive battle fought between the Milesians and Tuatha de Danaan forces, in which the invading Milesians were the conquerors.

Mr. Prim read a memoir on the Cowleys of Kilkenny, ancestors of the Duke of Wellington; John P. Prendergast, esq. barrister-at-law, communicated a paper "Of Hawks and Hounds in Ireland;" and James F. Ferguson, esq. contributed a very curious contract made in 1455 between the O'Neill and the Archbishop of Armagh, for the succession of the heir of the former, and his allegiance to the church of Armagh. It was transcribed from the Primate's registry at Armagh, and the following is a translation:

"Memorandum-That on the 4th of August, 1455, Eugenius O'Neill, Captain of his nation, perceiving his bodily strength to fail so that it was necessary that another

should succeed to his care and lordship, his firstborn son Henry, being elected as Captain and principal of his nation before our lord the Primate, in the chamber or hall of his residence in the monastery of the apostles Peter and Paul at Armagh, stating that his election an institution as pertained to his temporal lordship belonged to his lord the Primate, and petitioning therefore with all diligence to be instituted and confirmed by the said lord. The Primate, believing him to be a good man and useful for his church and for the people of Ulster, confirmed and ratified the said person so elected as The O'Neill, the principal and Captain of his nation, and confirmed his collation before all those there assembled, as well clerics as laics, in very great numbers, the said former O'Neill offering no opposition.

"Memorandum-That on the 14th November, 1455, an agreement was entered into between our lord the Primate, for himself and his church, and Henry O'Neill, Captain of his nation, for himself, his brothers, cousins, and subjects, through the intervention of Charles O'Neill, dean, David M'Dewyon, treasurer, and James Leche, canon of the church of Armagh, and Arthur M'Cathmayll, O'Neill's judge, by whose mediation it was agreed as follows: That the said O'Neyll, by reason of an annual pension to be paid in shillings by our aforesaid lord the Primate, shall have for himself of good and noble cloth for his vesture, six yards long, and for his wife, to make one tunic, of the same cloth, three yards; and for the use of the aforesaid O'Neyll of coarse cloth one dusseta(?). And in consideration of this pension the said O'Neyll has sworn faithful service to our lord the Primate, and his church, his officers, ministers, natives, tenants, servants, and clerks, and to the religious and seculars, as appears by the following articles which he approved and ratified, and swore fully to observe.

"Imprimis-Will observe the Church in all liberty.

"2. Will demand the Primate's rents. "Will impose no slavery on the Clergy (cleri) or the tenants."

THE ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OF BATH.

The subject of the final paper which was read at the recent meeting of the Somershire Archæological and Natural History Society, by the Rev. H. M. Scarth (as mentioned in our last number, p. 510), was the Roman Antiquities of Bath. It commenced with recounting the notices which various antiquaries of past times have left upon this subject; alluded to the two temples near the site of the present abbey, the relics of which were so splendidly

occasion has the election been carried by so overwhelming a majority. The Hon. Daniel Webster, the Secretary of State, died on the 24th of October, and the Hon. Edward Everett has been selected as his successor.

The Belgian Cabinet has been reconstructed, with M. Henri de Brouckere as Prime Minister. The following is the reconstruction M. de Brouckere, Foreign Affairs; Piercot, Interior; Faider, Jus

tice; Anoul, War; and Hooredette, Public Works. M. de Brouckere, in explaining in the Chamber of Representatives the circumstances under which he had undertaken to form a Ministry, declared that the new Ministry was one of moderation, and it would be as conciliating as possible; but no one should have just cause to accuse it of concealing or betraying the Liberal flag which he and his colleagues had so long upheld.

MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,-I cannot meet you for the first time after the dissolution of Parliament without expressing my deep sorrow, in which I am sure you will participate, that your deliberations can no longer be aided by the counsels of that illustrious Man, whose great achievements have exalted the name of England, and in whose loyalty and patriotism the interests of my Throne and of my people ever found an unfailing support. I rely with confidence on your desire to join with me in taking such steps as may mark your sense of the irreparable loss which the country has sustained by the death of Arthur Duke of Welling

ton.

I am happy to acknowledge the readiness with which my subjects in general have come forward, in pursuance of the Act of last Session, to join the ranks of the Militia; and I confidently trust that the force thus raised by voluntary enlistment will be calculated to give effective aid to my regular army for the protection and security of the country.

I continue to receive from all Foreign Powers assurances of their anxious desire to maintain the friendly relations now happily subsisting with my Government.

Frequent and well-founded complaints on the part of my North American Colonies, of infractions, by citizens of the United States, of the Fishery Convention of 1818, induced me to dispatch for the protection of their interests a class of vessels better adapted to the service than those which had been previously employed. This step has led to discussions with the Government of the United States, and, while the rights of my subjects have been firmly maintained, the friendly spirit in which the question has been treated induces me to hope that the ultimate result may be a mutually beneficial extension and improvement of our commercial intercourse with that great Republic.

The Special Mission which, in concert with the Prince President of the French Republic, I deemed it right to send to the Argentine Confederation, has been received with the utmost cordiality, and the wise and enlightened policy of the Provisional Director has already opened to the commerce of the world the great rivers hitherto closed, which afford an access to the interior of the vast contitinent of South America.

I have the satisfaction of announcing to you that GENT. MAG. VOL. XXXVIII.

the sincere and zealous efforts of the Government of Brazil for the suppression of the Slave Trade, now nearly extinguished on that coast, have enabled me to suspend the stringent measures which I had been compelled reluctantly to adopt, a recurrence to which I anxiously hope may be proved to be unnecessary.

The Government of Her Most Faithful Majesty have fully recognized the justice of the claim which my Government have long urged for the abolition of the discriminating duties on the export of Wine, and have passed a decree for giving complete effect to the stipulations of the treaty on this subject.

You will probably deem it advisable to resume the inquiries which were commenced by the late Parliament, with a view to legislation on the subject of the future government of my East Indian Possessions.

GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, The estimates for the ensuing year will in due time be laid before you.

The advancement of the fine arts and of practical science will be readily recognized by you as worthy the attention of a great and enlightened nation. I have directed that a comprehensive scheme shall be laid before you, having in view the promotion of these objects, towards which I invite your aid and co-operation.

MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,-It gives me pleasure to be enabled by the blessing of Providence to congratulate you on the generally improved condition of the country, and especially of the industrious classes. If you should be of opinion that recent legislation in contributing, with other causes, to this happy result, has at the same time inflicted unavoidable injury on certain important interests, I recommend you dispassionately to consider how far it may be practicable equitably to mitigate that injury, and to enable the industry of the country to meet successfully that unrestricted competition to which Parliament, in its wisdom, has decided that it should be subjected.

I trust that the general improvement, notwithstanding many obstacles, has extended to Ireland; and, while I rely with confidence on your aid, should it be required, to restrain that unhappy spirit of insubordination and turbulence which produces many and aggravates all of the evils which afflict that portion of my dominions, I recommend to you the adoption of such a liberal and generous policy towards Ireland, as may encourage and assist her to rally from the depression in which she has been sunk by the sufferings of late years.

Anxious to promote the efficiency of every branch of our National Church, I have thought fit to issue a Commission to inquire and report to me, how far, in their opinion, the Capitular institutions of the country are capable of being made more effective for the great objects of religious worship, religious education, and ecclesiastical discipline.

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