1905-1906.] 435 



Mr. Tomlinson, after concluding his paper, explained, and 

 passed round for examination, a splendid set of geological 

 photographs of the Mourne district, taken by Mr. R. Welch; 

 and also a typical series of igneous rocks. The paper was 

 illustrated by excellent drawings of geological sections exposed 

 in different parts of the mountains. 



Messrs. W. H. Milligan, Wm. Gray, M.R.I. A. ; J. Strachan, 

 R. May, Rev. P. Quail, and Robert Patterson, M.R.I.A., having 

 spoken to and criticised the paper, Mr. Tomlinson replied, 

 and the proceedings terminated. 



'A TALK ON COINS. 



The usual Wednesday evening meeting was held on March 

 14th, in the Museum, College Square, when Mr. W. H. Robin- 

 son gave a talk on "Coins," a subject more or less new to the 

 Club. The chair was taken by the Vice-President (Mr. Robert 

 Patterson, M.R.I.A.), who called on the speaker tO' proceed 

 with his paper. Mr. Robinson said — "Ancient money was of 

 two kinds, coined and uncoined. By uncoined one may under- 

 stand pieces not issued under authority, while by coined money 

 those pieces m which the weight and fineness are certified by 

 the integrity of the designs impressed upon the surfaces of the 

 metal. Prior to the introduction of a regular coinage, rings of 

 gold, silver, and brass formed the earliest currency in Ireland. 

 These rings, as well as fibulae: of gold — at one time supposed 

 to have been used merely as personal ornaments — not only 

 passed as money in Ireland, but were graduated according to 

 Troy weight in multiples of the half pennyweight or twelve 

 grains. No Irish coins have been discovered which can be 

 assigned tO' a period earlier that the arrival of the Danes in 

 Ireland. The earliest coins struck in Ireland are of the second 

 half of the tenth century, or beginning of the eleventh. They 

 consist of pennies, and bear the name of Aethelred II. of 

 Wessex, and were struck at Dublin. Previous to that time the 



