471 
they used weapons of bronze, were the Iberians of Lusitania; 
and that the somewhat weak authority of Xiphilunis repeats 
the same tradition of a portion of the tribes of Britain. If, 
now, this short stabbing sword found its way from the East, 
along the upper coast of Africa, into Spain, and from Spain 
along the western shores both of France and England into 
this island, we may readily account, not only for its occurrence 
in such numerous cases, but also for its continuance at a period 
when iron weapons were generally used by the Celtic invaders, 
who occupied the more eastern portion of these islands. And 
it is a fact of great cogency, that hitherto no mould for the 
casting of these swords has been found in these islands. 
Moulds for the production of spears, of rapiers, and other 
implements of war, have, from time to time, been found ; but 
as yet, for any thing we know, the leaf-shaped sword may have 
been the result solely of importation from another land. Ido 
not know that there is anything particularly distinguishing 
the collection of swords in the Royal Irish Academy from 
those found in other parts of Britain, except the great num- 
bers in which they are found. One form, indeed, I have ob- 
served which appears to me to be perfectly unique, and in 
which, while all the outline is carefully preserved, a bend is 
given to the blade, making it approach something of the form 
ofa Turkish yataghan. ‘This, as far as my experience goes, 
is entirely unique in Europe. Amongst those weapons of 
offence which belong to the class of swords, and which, to the 
best of my knowledge, have only been found in these islands, 
there occurs a long rapier-shaped blade of extremely finished 
workmanship, and, in fact, forming a most dangerous weapon 
of offence. It has been asked, whether these were not intended 
to be fixed on shafts, and used as substitutes for the more ordi- 
nary spear; but to this a decided answer can be given in the 
negative, for in the collection of your revered member, Dr. 
Petrie, is one admirably preserved specimen of this class, in 
which the handle, formed of hollow bronze, and fitted to the 
