36 
Dr. Petrie exhibited an ancient brooch belonging to Mr. 
Waterhouse, of Dame-street. 
‘¢ Sir, —By permission of Mr. Waterhouse, of Dame-street, 
I have the pleasure of exhibiting to the Academy a very re- 
markable specimen of ancient Irish art,—a fibula, or brooch, 
which came, a few months since, into that gentleman’s posses- 
sion. In availing myself, however, of this permission, I must 
confess my incompetency to treat of the skill exhibited in the 
workmanship, or of the taste in the design of this surpassingly 
beautiful article, which, though not much differing in its gene- 
ral form from various specimens of the Irish fibule in our own 
and other collections of antiquities, is superior to any hitherto 
found in the variety of its ornaments, and in the exquisite de- 
licacy and perfection of its execution. From such acquaintance 
as I have been able to acquire with the progress of ornamental 
art in Ireland, I may, perhaps, venture an opinion as to the 
age to which, with the greatest probability, this article may 
be ascribed ; but to treat of, or properly illustrate, the various 
mechanical arts exhibited in its manufacture, would require 
a greater amount of knowledge than I can pretend to, and a 
greater expenditure of time in the preparation than, from pe- 
culiar circumstances, I have lately had at my disposal; and 
besides I have no doubt that there are, within our Academy, 
many members who are better qualified than myself to under- 
take and accomplish this difficult and peculiar task. In short, 
my present object is little more than to present this beautiful 
remain to the notice of the Academy, and to direct their atten- 
tion to a few of its more striking peculiarities. 
‘‘ Of these peculiarities, perhaps, the first that should be 
noticed is that of the metal of which the brooch is chiefly com- 
posed. ‘This metal is apparently, and was for some time sup- 
posed to be silver; but this supposition has been found to be 
erroneous, and that it is in reality that harder metal formed 
by a combination of copper and tin, and usually known by the 
appellation of white bronze. 
