477 
found from America to the Baltic, from Greece to Norway ; 
but the divergent spiral line (repoussé, in metal of a later date), 
and ornamented with champlevé enamel, is found in these 
islands alone, or in the neighbourhood of these islands; it 
vanishes in proportion to its distance from them. There is in 
all this not the slightest trace of the influence of what we call 
classical art. The trumpet pattern is neither Greek, nor 
Roman, nor Oriental. There is nothing like it in Etruscan 
art; there is nothing like it in German or Slavonic art ; there 
is little like it in Gallic or Helvetian art: it is indigenous, 
Gentlemen. The art of those Keltic tribes which forced their 
way into these islands of the Atlantic, and somewhat isolated 
here, developed a peculiar, but not the less admirable system 
of their own. And let me beg you to compare with it some 
of those admirable specimens of Germanic art of which Eng- 
land furnishes so many examples, in that country which was 
most continually subject to Frankish influence; and of which 
the finest examples of all are to be found in the cabinet of Mr. 
Mayer, of Liverpool. In these you haye merely geometrical 
figures—circles and parts of circles, triangles and squares, lo- 
zenges and horizontal zig-zags. Enamel has ceased; it is re- 
placed by niello. Amber is unknown ; but turquoises and slabs 
of garnets, or coloured glass, have become common. Each form 
of art is beautiful in its way ; but each has a character so pe- 
culiar that 1 will defy any observer to find any one point by 
which the two can be classed together, beyond the one that 
they both deal with metal, and are subservient to ornament. 
“‘ Tam warned by time to close as rapidly as possible what 
T have to say; but I earnestly entreat you to take this point 
of ornamentation seriously into consideration, because it forms 
one of the most important and characteristic criterions by 
which to judge of the tendency ofa race. Sir Wm. Hamilton 
has this evening well observed that there is some reason in 
every ornament why it recommended itself to some particular 
people. We do not know what the reason was, but the dif. 
