40 



a selection had to be made, and a number sacrificed to the 

 exigencies of our space. The falling away of the wind, and an 

 adverse tide, delayed the boat so much that, on arriving at the 

 pier, we had to run for the train, at 8-30 p.m., which we reached 

 in time, and, ere long, were at home, and ready to commence the 

 next stage of the work — the identification and preservation of the 

 things we had collected. 



On 10th January, 1872, Rev. Wm. M'Ilwaine, D.D., read a 

 paper, on " The Stone Period." 



The Lecturer commenced by a comparison between what had 

 occurred in the department of Archaeology, in the present day, 

 with the discoveries of Geology and Comparative Anatomy, by 

 Buckland, Cuvier, Owens, and others. The flint arrow heads, 

 of such frequent occurrence in Ireland, and which were for- 

 merly looked upon as objects of superstition, and called elf- 

 stones, together with stone implements of a similar class, had 

 been collected, compared, and so connected with other objects 

 and implements of similar origin and use, as to reveal a new era in 

 history. The present lecture was intended chiefly to apply to the 

 Irish remains of this description, which would be shown to have an 

 intimate connexion with others in Great Britain and in distant 

 localities. The Irish stone remains, consisting of celts, arrow- 

 heads, axes, hammers, &c, were of different makes, and apparently 

 belonging to different periods : — 1. The rude and coarsely manu- 

 factured implements betokened the earliest period. 2. The 

 polished period followed, wherein the greatest care and polish 

 were bestowed on such articles. 3. The period when bone, horn, 

 and rude wooden implements came into use succeeded, and brought 

 down the date of their use and manufacture to the borders of the 

 historic period. Such remains, of a very similar description, were 

 almost universal, and were discovered in France, Switzerland, 

 Belgium, as well as in the New World — similar stone remains hav- 

 ing been found in North America, as at Niagara and else- 

 where. The sources of information respecting the manufacture 



