167 



channel stood a large and apparently solid rock, which was 

 used as a sort of stepping-stone in crossing into and from the 

 corcass. This it was necessary to remove, in order to give a 

 sufficient breadth to the channel. While some of the men 

 were boring the upper part for blasting, a stander-by observed 

 a small crevice in the side of the rock, into which he thrust a 

 crow-bar, and, finding that he could move the upper part of 

 the rock, which formed a kind of slab, he pointed it out to the 

 other workmen. In a few minutes, by employing more crow- 

 bars, they dislodged the upper slab. Underneath and in the 

 middle of the lower portion of the rock a hollow space was 

 found, in the centre whereof was a heap composed partly of 

 ashes, partly of small bones ; but arranged in a circle round 

 the heap, with their broad edges outwards, were ten or eleven 

 bronze axes of various sizes. Those I have presented are the 

 largest and most remarkable. The bones generally crumbled 

 into dust on being touched, but some portions were in a suf- 

 ficiently sound state to bear removal. My father had these 

 examined by a surgeon, who stated that they were not human 

 bones but those of deer. The ashes were wood ashes. There 

 is no tradition of any kind which can give a clue to the time 

 or occasion of the placing of these axes, nor was there even the 

 slightest suspicion of the existence of the kist in which they 

 were found, as the rock externally appeared to be quite 

 solid." 



Edward J. Cooper, Esq., communicated the following 

 letter from Mr. Graham, his principal assistant at the Mar- 

 kree Observatory, containing the Elements of the new Planet 

 Metis, recently discovered by that gentleman. 



" Observatory, Wth May, 1848 {Noon). 

 " Sir,— 1 have just obtained a first approximation to the 

 elements of ' Metis.' The following observations were made 

 the bases of the calculations : 



