The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-16 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, APRIL 15.

The Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Trea-
sury have authorised an arrangement by which
articles of antiquity found in Ireland may be pur-
chased from their possessors a the full value, and
placed for the public benefit in the museum of the
Royal Irish Academy. The Lord Lieutenant has
ordered the constabulary to receive all such objects
offered to them, and to pay the finders the value
placed on them by the Committee of Antiquities of
the Royal Irish Academy. This arrangement pro-
tects the finders of " treasure trove" from all legal
claims, and secures them a much higher price than
they could other vise get for their articles. An im-
mense quantity of those articles has been sold to
jewellers and goldsmiths for melting purposes, the
price varying from 655. to 70s. per ounce. The an-
tiquarian value is 80s. an ounce, and often more,
according to the nature of the ornamentation. Lord
Talbot de Malahide exerted himself to procure the
Treasury minute above referred to, which will be
the means of preserving any golden ornaments that
may yet be found in the museum of the Royal Irish
Academy.

The academy has already a magnificent collection,
containing 300 specimens cf antique manufactured
gold. Dr. Wilde, Vice-President, has just pub-
lished a descriptive catalogue, which is full of inte-
rest, not only to the antiquary, but to the historian
and the general reader. He thinks that, in all pro-
bability, gold—in Irish, "or►"--was the metal with
which the primitive inhabitants of Ireland were
first acquainted; and he asserts that " a greater
number and variety of antique articles of gold have
bten found in this than in any other country in the
north-west of Europe, from the Alps to the utmost
inhabited limits of Norway or Sweden." He also
states that the majority of the gold articles illus-
trative of the antiquities of the British Isles now
preserved in the British Museum are Irish. The
specimens in the museum of the Royal Irish Aca-
demy consist of articles connected with personal
decoration, such as diadems, tiaras, lunulte, hair-
plates, earrings, gorgets, torques, beads, balls, neck-
laces, circular plates, fihulse, brooches, armillte,
bracelets, finger rings, and a great number of minor
trinkets. They have been found scattered broad-
cast over the country, and it is a curious fact that
they lie deeper beneath the surface than any other
remains. They are seldom met in ordinary drain-
ing operations, but they have been found at the
bottom of deep bogs, which seem to have grown
over them many feet since they were dropped or
buried. They seem to have been dropped or hidden
in haste, while the plundering invader pressed hotly
in pursuit of the terrified fugitive. The specimens
of most value seem to have belonged to the prehis-
toric period, and to have been lost long before the
use of writing was known in this country. The gold
is never thoroughly pure. It is generally from 18 to
21 carats fine. The earliest records, however, make
frequent mention of golden ornaments, ready gold
having been paid for ransom, &c., by bulk and.
weight, and as many as 30 ounces were given on
particular occasions. Gold does not appear to have
been used by the ancient Irish for crowns, and Irish.
history contains no account of a coronation. The
earliest insignia of rank or sovereignty would appear
to have been bands or fillets, as shown en some
of the most ancient coins and gems. At the
meeting of the Council, held the 7th of April, 1862,
it was resolved to recommend to the Academy :---
"That the Cross of Cong, the case of the Gospels of St.
Molasch, the Golden Head-dress (No. 17), the large Silver
Fibulae (Nos. 38 and 40), the Golden Fibulae with cup-
shaped ends (Nos. 121 and 122), the Golden Torque (No.
192), and such other articles as it may be thought desirable
to lend, be forwarded for exhibition in the museum, South
Kensington, London, belonging to the Science and Art
Department of the Committee of Council on Education,
during the forthcoming International Exhibition of 1862."
There was a general meeting of the members last
night, when this matter was under consideration.
At a meeting of the Royal Dublin Society last
night a paper was read on the quality of the milk
sold in Dublin. There were 20 satinpleo purchased
in the D0m.... xotricts of the city and suburbs and
auttlyzed. The results were satisfactory. Water
was the only adulteration found by the analysts...
There was no chalk—no calves' or sheep's brains—,
" the quality was, generally speaking, extremely
fair." In three districts the samples examined were
found to be absolutely pure, and two of these dis-
tricts were among the poorest in the city.