248 president's address. 



of this family tlie cave contained an enormous quantity of ani- 

 mals' bones, which in all cases had been broken, apparently with 

 the object of extracting the marrow. It was stated that cart-loads 

 of such bones had been taken away before Mr. Greenwell visited 

 the spot. The cave is of considerable size. Its entrance was 

 near a small stream ; and the most probable conjecture appeared 

 to be that during the night, while the tenants were asleep, a 

 heavy thunderstorm had suddenly swollen the burn, that the 

 trunks of two or three trees brought down by the flood had acted 

 as a temporary barrier to the escape of the inhabitants, who were 

 thus drowned within the cave. Had they been killed by enemies 

 the valuable relics, which had been found, would not have been 

 left. Mr. Greenwell had met with the whole belongings of the 

 family. There were traces of fires having been lighted in dif- 

 ferent parts of the cave, and a large quantity of unornamented 

 and imperfectly baked pottery and other articles had been found. 

 All the pottery was broken. There had also been found several 

 arms and implements of warfare including two bronze swords, 

 one of which was broken, the other he had not seen. Eight spear 

 heads were found of various sizes, and of the most beautiful 

 make. He defied any one in the present day to manufacture 

 more beautiful spear-heads, either as regarded the structure or the 

 ornamentation. Eighteen celts, or as some people called them, 

 hatchets, were also found, and together with these a very inter- 

 esting mould, evidently used for casting celts in. Yet curiously 

 enough, although all the celts found differed in size and shape, 

 none of them agreed with that of the mould. There were also a 

 great number of bronze pins very beautifully made, and eight 

 circular discs, each with a small loop at the top, as though for 

 the purpose of attaching them to some woollen or cotton fabric. 

 Besides these there were eight very wide armlets, and three or 

 four others of ordinary size. Then there were a considerable 

 number of bone implements — pins, buttons, &c. : he had come 

 to the conclusion that some of these implements had been used 

 in weaving. A necklace of very humble description, consisting 

 of three shells, which had been suspended on a string, was also 

 among the spoils. All these articles were found upon a sort of 



