Minutes of Proceedings. 289 



6. When Her Majesty's Governnieiit, in 1868, purcliased, along 

 with the entire Petrie Collection of Antiquities, the famous "Tara 

 Brooch," the Goyernment of the day was so deeply impressed with 

 the fact that the Academy was the appropriate place of exhihition 

 of these ohjects that they ordered them to be deposited with the 

 Academy. 



7. In like manner, on the acquisition in 1874 of another object, 

 which for beauty of execution takes its place beside the Tara Brooch, 

 viz. the " Ardagh Chalice," it was deposited among the collections of 

 which the Academy is the guardian. 



8. Again in 1884, when the Science and Art Department in 

 London purchased, at theFountaine Sale, the Beliquary of St. Lachtin, 

 the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury sanctioned the 

 transfer of £452 3s. &d. from the Civil Contingencies Fund to 

 the credit of the vote for the Science and Art Department in 

 repayment of the amount expended in the purchase of the object, 

 and deposited the shriae in its natural place with the other historic 

 Irish antiquities. 



9. From these facts it is obvious that successive Governments 

 have felt that the Boyal Irish Academy is the fitting depository of 

 these monuments of early Irish Art. 



• 10. On the 21st January, 1897, a Paper^" was read before the 

 Society of Antiquaries of London, by Mr. Arthur J. Evans, on a 

 remarkable hoard of gold objects recently acquired by Mr. Eobert 

 Day, of Cork, and in the Paper Mr. Evans states that "the objects 

 were found together by a ploughman, who turned them up in sub- 

 soiling. ... The spot where the treasure was found is near the sea 

 on the north-west coast of Ireland." 



Mr. Evans proceeds to describe the various objects in the ''find," 

 and coming to the consideration ' ' whether it contained relics of 

 different periods, or that the treasure itself had been collected from 

 more than one source by its original modern possessor," adds : — 

 "AVith regard to the last possibility, Mr. Eobert Day has made most 

 careful investigations, and has completely satisfied himself as to the 

 hona fide character of the find, and that all the objects were brought 

 to light at the same place and at the same time. . . . The fine brown 



* Published in Archaologiay second series, vol. v., p. 391. 



