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LIII.— ON A SET OF MUSICAL STONES IN THE SCIENCE 

 AND AET MUSEUM, DUBLIN. By BENJAMIN H. 

 MULLEN, B.A., DUBLIN. 



[Eead, January 19, 1885.] 



The stones now exhibited, by permission of the Director, Science 

 and Art Museum, formed a set of musical stones which were on 

 view in the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society about twenty- 

 five years ago ; many years before they were handed over, with 

 the entire collections of the Society, to the Science and Art 

 Department. They were found in a box in a store-room a few 

 months ago ; and, having been brought to light and arranged, 

 they form the rude, but tuneful instrument known as the Eock 

 Harmonicon. 



But, before entering into any particulars about these, it might 

 be interesting to say something of musical stones in general. 



From a work by Fetis, entitled VHistoire Qenemle de la 

 Musique, we learn that different sonorous stones are found in 

 China, the best of which, called pu,^ is hard, heavy, and close- 

 grained, and takes a polish like agate. These stones are given an 

 uniform shape, and are arranged in a series conformable with the 

 tonal system of the Chinese. The arrangement of this series of 

 sounding-stones is called king. The stone yu is put into vibra- 

 tion by a blow from a metal hammer or wooden mallet. Their 

 shape, as I gathered from an illustration in the above-mentioned 

 work, is like a pistol-holster, flattened considerably. They are 

 suspended in two rows of eight from the bars of a framework of 

 wood, somewhat resembling a large clothes-horse in appearance. 

 The smaller stones are hung from the upper bar, the larger from 

 the lower. 



1 The Chinese ytt stone is Jade. According to Goez (16th century) this stone was 

 sold at "exceeding great rates " in China, and was regarded as most precious. 



