NOTES. 69 



excessive. As much grows now in six weeks as grew in six months 

 four years ago. The passenger jetty is no longer a guide, as the 

 timbering has largely been replaced by ferro-concrete." 



Along with Captain Legge I examined a pilot launch , which had 

 been hauled up for cleaning on the Master Attendant's slip. The 

 hull was thickly encrusted with countless numbers of barnacles and 

 huge masses of white calcareous tubes containing Polychaete worms. 

 I understand that this fouling represented a growth of about two 

 months. [Ed.] 



8. Composition of Ancient Bronze from Polonnaruwa. — I give 

 belovv the result of an analysis of a fragment of a bronze begging- 

 bowl, which was given to me for the purpose by the Director of the 

 Colombo Museum early in 191 1 . The bowl was unearthed at Polon- 

 naruwa some years ago, and is supposed to belong to the twelfth 

 century. The analysis was made in conjunction with Mr. Wallace, 

 Instructor in Analysis at the University of Pennsylvania. 



Owing to the metal on the boAd being very thin, much corroded, 



and covered with a scale of oxide and carbonate copper, it was 



difficult to get a sample for trial entirely free from this coating. So 



that if the analysis does not foot up to 100, it is probably due to the 



oxygen and carbon and in the coating not being estimated. The 



result we have obtained is as follows : — 



Per Cent. 

 Copper . . 77 • 46 



Tin .. 19-63 



Lead .. .. -19 



Cobalt . . . . . . -43 



Traces of Iron and Zinc. 



97-71 



One would have looked for almost pure copper in a bowl which had 

 to be hammered up from a sheet, which must be soft and yielding, 

 not hard and brittle. Possibly this bowl was cast, a matter difficult 

 to tell owing to the thinness of the metal and the deeply corroded 

 surfaces. The amount of tin is rather larger than usual. Ten per 

 cent, is the usual amount required to make a true bronze and give 

 hardness to the metal. The large percentage of tin may be owing to 

 the fact that that metal could be obtained in India more easily than 

 in some countries like Egypt, where it was more sparingly used. Tin 

 was doubtless used in this alloy to give hardness and to resist the wear 

 and tear. The presence of cobalt is rather unusual, and may be 

 due to its presence in the copper ore from which the bronze was 

 made. The comparison of analyses of different bronzes of ancient 

 races, used for making tools, ornaments, arms, and utensils, indicates 

 to some extent their knowledge of alloys, and my investigations have 

 this end in view. An analysis of bronze from Anuradhapura , or 

 from any other ancient site, in Ceylon would be very interesting if a 

 specimen could he obtained - .'^^ BRIXTON PHILLIPS." 



