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minish, it being at the top only six inches and one half long, and 
about two inches broad. Around the bottom is a kind of. brass 
frame, or base, of about one eighth of an inch thick and two inches 
in height, having at each corner a round brass pedestal, about 
three inches high and half an inch thick. These pillars extend 
about three eighths of an inch lower than the brass frame, so as to 
form a kind of feet. In this brass frame, or base, on the front 
side of the Barnaan Cuilawn, is a small semicircular opening, 
about an inch in diameter, and somewhat resembling the aper- 
ture of a bee-hive, through which its inmates pass in and out. 
The iron, or internal part of the Barnaan Cuilawn, appears 
to have been originally all covered with brass* and highly orna- 
mented. The top, which is the most curious part now extant, is 
of cast metal, like brass, of a whitish yellow colour, and exquisite 
workmanship. It has several apertures, and is beautifully inlaid 
in Runic knots with gold, silver, copper, and some dark-bluish gra- 
nulated metal which I at first took to resemble Cobalt, having on 
each of its sides four representations of an eye, and on the ends 
two bald antique heads, (much like those of stone, which are 
frequently to be met with in the walls of ancient monasteries in 
Ireland,) and two other representations of eyes. In the top are 
inlaid three pieces of yellow stone, or composition, intersected by 
other narrow red stones, both in appearance like Jasper. It is how- 
ever right to remark that those parts of the inlaying, which ap- 
peared to me to be Cobalt, are not in reallity of that metal ; for Cobalt 
is said not to have been discovered until about the year 1733, al- 
though the beautiful colour in some ancient stained windows and 
* There is brass still adhering to parts of the iron, and which has the appearance of haying 
been united to it by the effect of fire. 
