XIX 



should make £50 of it. In that case he would make a far more 

 profitable affair of it than he (Mr. PauU) who had discovered it, 

 had done. 



Antiquities in Ireland. Rev. Dr. Bannister stated that 

 when he was in Ireland, a few months since, he saw, in the 

 Museum of the Eoyal Irish Academy at Dublin, more than a 

 dozen of those ancient Gold Ornaments referred to in the Paper^ 

 written by the President, in the Number of this Society's Journal 

 just issued. One of them was like the projecting rim or front 

 part of an old-fashioned Leghorn bonnet.— But what he particu- ■ 

 larly wished to mention was,, that in that Museum at Dublin were 

 several hideous, naked, obscene female figures rudely carved in 

 stone. He was told by the Curator that they were very common, 

 and were called " Shela na gigs," and that they were placed in 

 religious buildings to keep away evil spirits. The Curator further 

 stated that one was found in the " Lost Church of Perranzabuloe," 

 and expressed surprise that a gentleman coming from Cornwall 

 had not heard of it. Mr. Bannister now wished to know if there 

 was any truth in this statement ; as, according to the wood-cuts 

 in Haslam's book, the building, when first uncovered, had certain 

 Irish peculiarities, such as jambs wider apart at the bottom than 

 at the top ; and human or other heads at the springings and crown 

 of the arch over the doorways ; though in Collins's book, published 

 some years before Haslam's, there was some difference as to the 

 details. 



Dr. BarhaM said there were in the Museum of this Institu- 

 tion three rude heads found at the old Church at Perranzabuloe, 

 and he was not aware that any other objects in sculpture had been 

 found there. 



Rev. John Carne l^ad always understood that there was 

 nothing found there but those three heads, and some carved 

 mouldings around the door. 



The destroyed Barrows at Gwloweth. Dr. Bannister 

 having made mention of these barrows and expressed regret that 

 they had been destroyed, the President said every facility for ex- 

 amining them was afforded to members of this Institution ; but 

 they were most unproductive. They were of almost unmixed 

 mould, and whatever they might formerly have contained, had 

 long ago disappeared. He should say they had been very much 

 lowered, and nothing appeared on the surface but earth of ordinary 

 character. In one or two of the mounds were stones in consider- 

 able number ; and he remembered that that was the character of 

 those barrows which were examined by members of the Institution 



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