294 
Dr. Wilde stated, that having been engaged in investi- 
gating the ruins of Tyre, he discovered several circular 
apertures or reservoirs cut inthe solid sandstone rock close to 
the water’s edge along the southern shores ofthe peninsula. 
These in shape resembled a large pot, and varied in size 
from two to eight feet, in diameter and from four to five deep ; 
some were in clusters, others isolated, and several were con- 
nected in pairs by a conduit about afoot deep. Many of 
those reservoirs were filled with a breccia solely compos- 
sed of broken up shells, bound together by carbonate of 
lime, and a small trace of strontian; large heaps of a simi- 
lar breccia were found in the vicinity of the pots. This 
mass, a portion of which Dr. Wilde exhibited to the Aca- 
demy, is exceedingly heavy, of adamantine hardness, and 
the shells of which it is composed appear to be all of one spe- 
cies, and from the sharpness of their fracture, were evidently 
broken by art and not worn or water washed. The portions 
of shell were examined by eminent naturalists, and are pro- 
nounced to be the murea trunculus, which most concholo- 
gists agree was one species from which the Tyrian dye was 
obtained, but until now, no proof could be given of its being 
the actual shell. 
Dr. Wilde is of opinion, that the reservoirs he discover- 
ed were the vats or mortars in which the shells were broken 
up, in order to obtain the dye (which lies in a sac in the neck 
of the mollusc inhabiting them,) and showed that it accu- 
rately accords with the description of Pliny, who states, that 
the smaller shells (of which those in the specimen are ex- 
amples) were broken in “ certain mills.” 
Dr. Wilde exhibited some ancient spear heads, the pro- 
perty of Lord Lorton, found in the County of Roscommon. 
RESOLVED, (on the recommendation of Council,)—That 
certain defaulters, owing five years subscription and upwards 
