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ployed to copy them. Mr. Otway then alluded to the pro- 

 perty which one of the vaults at Knockmoy possesses of 

 preserving from corruption the bodies therein deposited, 

 and took occasion to animadvert on the careless and unbe- 

 coming way in which these depositories of the dead were 

 left open to public intrusion. Having spoken of Rossreilly 

 Abbey, near Headford, and exhibited a moss-covered skull 

 taken from these ruins, he next adverted to the Abbey of 

 Cong ; there also he shewed that the prejudices and super- 

 stitions of the people are accelerating the demolition of the 

 building, and, as an instance, he stated how, not long ago, 

 the tomb alleged to be that of Roderick O'Connor, was 

 overwhelmed by a person who, in consequence of a dream, 

 undermined the Abbey-wall to come at hidden treasure. 

 Mr. Otway concluded his paper with an account of Clare 

 Island and Abbey, the residence and place of interment of 

 the famous Grace O'Mealy. 



Sir William Betham read a paper on two remarkable 

 pieces of antiquity preserved at Cong, in the County of 

 Mayo. 



The first, he stated, is a cross, whose perpendicular shaft 

 is six inches high, the arms one foot six inches, and the 

 whole five-eighths of an inch thick. Upon the edge is the 

 following inscription, intimating that this reliquary once 

 enclosed a portion of the true cross : 



HAC. CRVCE. CRVX. TEGITVR. QVA. PASSVS. CONDITOR. ORBIS. 



There are several other inscriptions in the Irish charac- 

 ters and language, of which Sir William also gave readings 

 and translations; but these he has since withdrawn. 



The second reliquary described in this paper, was known 

 popularly, as the author stated, by the name of the Breast- 

 plate ; but in his opinion it was undoubtedly a case for a 

 manuscript copy of the Gospels. Sir William exhibited a 



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