224 



Dr. Graves pointed out the importance of having the an- 

 tiquity of these Irish Canons established in so conclusive a 

 manner, and adduced instances to show that they illustrated 

 the early civil history of Ireland. Though professedly a col- 

 lection of Ecclesiastical Canons, they contain amongst them 

 several laws that are purely of a civil character, and many 

 allusions to the existing state of society. In the ancient 

 Brehon Laws, still extant in the Irish language, the very 

 same institutions are to be found, forming parts of a system 

 which is altogether similar and coherent. Thus the indepen- 

 dent testimony of the Canons, whose age is now fully ascer- 

 tained, demonstrates the genuineness and antiquity of our 

 Brehon Laws. 



Francis M. Jennings, Esq., presented a lithograph repre- 

 senting the great Cork Tree now growing at Summertown, 

 near Cork, and described by J. C. Loudon, in the " Arbore- 

 tum et Fruticum Britannicum," vol. hi. pi. 1916. 



