664 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



thirds of its length, the other 

 third sloping off' to a round point. 

 In the middle it is three lines and 

 a half thick, and slopes to form 

 an edge on each side. Below the 

 hilt, and on each side at the edge, 

 is a part cut out nine or ten lines 

 long, and one, or one and a quar- 

 ter deep, the use of which I do 

 not know. 



To find the colour and bright- 

 ness of the blade, I ground it ; 

 and though the parts injured by 

 the rust prevented me from re- 

 storing its original appearance, its 

 colour and lustre were observable 

 in some parts, and indicated con- 

 siderable hardness and density. 



Its analysis, in the way above 

 mentioned, gave the following pro- 

 portions: copper 89, tin 11. 



To render the description and 

 analysis of these antique swords 

 found in our country more inter- 

 esting by a comparison with other 

 weapons, I sliall here give an ab- 

 stract of two excellent papers by 

 Mr. Mongez, in the fifth volume 

 of the Memoirs of the Institute, 

 which contain a description and 

 analysis of similar bronze swords 

 found near Abbeville. One was 

 found under a bed of peat, with 

 the skeletons of a man and horse. 

 Its whole length was 22 inches, 

 the breadth of the blade 16 lines, 

 the weight 21 ounces. According 

 to the analysis of Mr. Darcet, it 

 contained 15-53 tin, and 87*57 

 copper. A second which was 

 found at the depth of ten feet in 

 a calcareous tufa, was about 29 

 inches long, and contained 15 tin 

 and 85 copper. The rivets that 

 fastened the outer part of the hilt 

 contained but 5 per cent of tin, 

 because they required to be more 

 flcKible. A third was 33 inches 



long, and found at the depth of 

 nine feet in a bed of peat, by the 

 side of the skeleton of a man, on 

 the head of which was a bronze 

 helmet. This skeleton and seve- 

 ral others were lying in an ancient 

 boat. The composition of this 

 sword was 10 tin, and 90 copper. 

 Another sword or cutlass, eigh- 

 teen inches and a half long con- 

 tained but 4- per cent of tin. 



These antique swords were not 

 forged, like our weapons of iron 

 and steel, but were cast in moulds, 

 like all other instruments of 

 bronze. Their edge, as well as 

 those of cutting instruments in 

 general, must have been given 

 by hard smooth stones. The opi- 

 nion of some antiquaries, there- 

 fore, who assert, that the ancients 

 were unacquainted with the art of 

 casting metals is absolutely false. 



To say nothing of the nature of 

 bronze, rendering it incapable of 

 being prepared in any other way, 

 any one may be convinced of this 

 by simple inspection ; if you would 

 have a proof of it in Homer, you 

 need only read the 23rd booK of 

 the Iliad. 



2. Analysis of the metallic alloy 

 ()f crooked antique knives. 



In several provincesof Germany 

 cutting instruments shaped like 

 sickles, have been found in digging 

 or ploughing the ground; but 

 whether they really were ancient 

 sickles is not determined, as many 

 suppose that they may have been 

 used as knives in the warm baths. 

 I have selected two of these, found 

 at different places, for analysis. 



One, which was found with va- 

 rions utensils in a garden at Merz, 

 near Muelford, yielded by analy- 

 sis, alter its crust of greyish rust 



