99 



''26th Moi/, 1845. 



" StR, — It may be well to have a notice inserted in the minutes 

 of the meeting of this evening, of the discovery of three gold anti- 

 quities of considerable value, which were found recently in the 

 neighbourhood of Naas. 



*' The most interesting of these articles is a gold torquis, which 

 I have purchased for the Marquis of Kildare's collection. It dif- 

 fers in form from the two in the Academy collection, which were 

 found at Tara ; and it is smaller than the largest of these, and 

 larger than the smaller ; its ends are also larger than those of the 

 larger torquis. In form, the ends resemble those of the small tor- 

 quis which the Academy purchased from the late Major Sirr. This 

 torquis weighs 18 oz. 4 dwts. and 6 grs. The principle of its con- 

 struction is quite manifest, for the four gold bands of which it is 

 made are not perfectly connected together in several places : thus 

 it exhibits a difference in its construction from the gold articles 

 from Africa, which resemble those twisted gold ornaments found 

 in Ireland. 



" The other two articles were gold rings, or bent round bars of 

 gold, one large enough to go round the necJe of a man, and the 

 other to go round his wrist. The larger weighs 31 oz. 14 dwts. and 

 16 grs. ; and the smaller one weighs 7 oz. 5 dwts. and 19 grs., being 

 a quarter of the weight of the larger. As the weights were ascer- 

 tained with great care, they may be depended on. 



"The weight of the torquis has not been yet verified. It is, 

 for the present, deposited for inspection in the case with the gold 

 ornaments belonging to the Academy. 



"Your obedient Servant, 



" Edward Clibborn, 

 " Assist. Librarian, B. I. A." 



The Rev. Dr. Todd read a paper on the ancient Wax 

 Tablets which he had presented to the Academy on the I4th 

 of April last, on behalf of the Rev. J. Spencer Knox. 



From the words still legible on the tablets it is evident 

 that they had belonged to some schoolmaster, who had em- 

 ployed them in the instruction of his pupils, or to some 



