313 



XIV. — Report on the Chemical Examination of Antiquities from the Museum 

 of the Royal Irish Academy. By J. W. Mallet, A. B., Ph. D. 



Presented April U, 1853. 



L HE examination of the antiquities to which the present paper refers was 

 undertaken in the hope that more extensive and accurate chemical informa- 

 tion, as to the nature of some of the materials employed by the craftsmen who 

 so many centuries ago formed the numerous implements used for purposes 

 of war and peace, which now are to be foimd in the Museum of the Aca- 

 demy, might be found of value in elucidating the history of the ancient arts 

 by which these implements were produced. 



This Museum has afforded peculiar facilities for a research of the present 

 nature, as from the great extent and variety of the objects which it contains, 

 and its general completeness as regards Irish antiquities, it was easy to procure 

 a sufficient number of really typical examples in each of the departments exa- 

 mined, without injuring the collection of specimens, as such. 



The greater number of the articles submitted to investigation were metalhc; 

 the universal applicability of the metals for the purposes of peace and war, of use 

 and ornament, rendering everything calculated to throw light on the materials 

 and processes employed in ancient metalliu-gy, most important and interesting. 



The specimens of this class were most carefully selected, and may, I think, 

 be fairly taken as types of this department of the Museum. 



Commencing, then, with the ancient metals and alloys, the first to be de- 

 scribed are the 



GOLD OENAMENTS, 



of which class of Celtic antiquities I have seen no record of any previous 

 analyses. 



