318 Mr. J. W. Mallet's Report on the Chemical Examination of Antiquities 



degree accounts for the rude workmanship of very many of the Celtic antiques 

 of this material. 



Of the specimens in the Royal Irish Academy collection I selected and 

 analyzed the following eight: — 



No. 1. A small ingot of silver, cast in an open mould. Museum mark, 

 ^ 0. It was of a long oval shape, about two inches in length, and half an 

 inch wide. It had two small nicks in one side, close together, as if to mark its 

 weight or value. Its weight was 377-23grs. =: 15dwts. 12grs. (+ 5-23grs.). 

 Hence if used for money it would have been equivalent to 31 or perhaps to 

 32 of the half-pennyweight units. It was a little tarnished by superficial 

 sulphuret of silver. Its specific gravity =: 10'225. 



No. 2. A piece of hexagonal wire, very neatly made, probably by hammer- 

 ing, about an inch and a half long, and an eighth of an inch in diameter. Mu- 

 seum mark, 809 c. It was bent into the shape of a horse-shoe, and the ends 

 were cut sharply off, so as to induce the belief that it too may have been used 

 for money. It weighed 103-86grs. = 4dwts. 6grs. (-1- l-86grs.) or about eight 

 and a half units. Its specific gravity = 10'253. 



No. 3. End of a taper bangle or penannular bracelet of very rude workman- 

 ship. Also, perhaps, occasionally used as money. It was very hard, and 

 rather brittle, breaking with a fine earthy fracture of a yellowish white colour. 

 Specific gravity = 8'770. 



No. 4 was a specimen which appeared at first sight to be part of a flat 

 silver bracelet or armlet, stamped with the triangular indentations so common 

 on the silver ornaments of Celtica and Scandinavia, and not broken, but cut 

 across at the ends. Museum mark, ^. On attempting to cut it again, how- 

 ever, it turned out to be a counterfeit, consisting in fact of a core of iron 

 covered with an exceedingly thin plate of silver, which was so skilfully joined 

 as to deceive the eye even on careful observation. This imitation of articles 

 in the precious metals has been observed before in gold rings, which are some- 

 times found on a thin shell of the valuable material covering a large core of 

 copper or occasionally of lead; but I can find no recorded instance of silver 

 counterfeits of this kind being found among presumed early Celtic antiquities. 

 The iron core of this specimen was much corroded, and the silver was tarnished 

 by sulphuret. Specific gravity of the silver = 10'379. 



