310 Archceologia. 



Normans, treasure trove was altogether a royalty. The crime of 

 concealing treasure thus found amounted to death, or loss of limb, 

 which was at a later period commuted for fine or imprisonment. 

 Mr. Faussett described the misapprehensions which had existed in 

 regard to the law on this subject in modern times, and the proposals 

 which had been made for amending it. In 1860, Sir George Corne- 

 wall Lewis, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, issued a well-known 

 " circular" to the police, who were directed to claim all coins, gold 

 or silver ornaments, and other relics found in this manner, for the 

 crown, but to pay the finder their full value on his giving them up ; 

 and the circular further directed that, in cases of concealment which 

 might come to the knowledge of the police, measures should be taken 

 for the recovery of the treasure. This measure, as antiquaries know, 

 has proved a complete failure, and only increased the difficulty it was 

 intended to remove. Mr. Faussett seems to ascribe this in a great 

 .measure to the employment of the police, which he thinks was 

 calculated to raise suspicion and ill-feeling; while, by asserting a 

 claim to all ancient relics, and not to the precious metals only, the 

 question became perplexed, and no intention was expressed as to 

 the destination of the treasure which was to be delivered up. He 

 offered some suggestions for the future arrangement of this question, 

 which, at present, is certainly in a very unsatisfactory state. He 

 is opposed to the opinions of those who wish the sovereign to waive 

 all claim to the treasure trove, and vest the property of such dis- 

 coveries entirely in the finders, because he thinks that this would be 

 merely equivalent to an attempt to discourage pilfering, by giving 

 the thief what he covets, and he thinks that this would benefit none 

 of the parties concerned. He proposes an amended " circular," to 

 the same effect as that of Sir George Lewis, with this especial dif- 

 ference, that the future destination of objects secured by Govern- 

 ment should be distinctly set forth, accompanied with a well-defined 

 statement of what the crown may and will claim, and the offer to 

 purchase such objects as are not claimed, in addition to that of 

 liberal and prompt remuneration for what it does claim ; and he 

 especially urges the elimination, as far as possible, of the police 

 element in the transaction. In regard to this latter difficulty, Mr. 

 Faussett suggests that, in some way or other, which we do not very 

 clearly understand, the principal post-offices throughout the king- 

 dom might be used as an agency in place of the police. Mr. 

 Faussett's paper led to a long and rather warm discussion of the 

 question, in which Mr. John Evans and some other speakers advo- 

 cated the expediency of abandoning all claim on the part of the 

 crown, or lords of manors, over treasure trove, as the best way 

 of ensuring the proper preservation of the objects found. We con- 

 fess ourselves much inclined to Mr. Evans's opinion. The real 

 difficulty in all such plans as the " circular," or the proposed amended 

 circular, arises from the circumstance that it necessarily implies a 

 transaction between two ignorant people. The finders of antiquities 

 in the country are usually agricultural labourers, who of course know 

 nothing about them, and it will be a long time before the members of 

 the police force or the men employed in country post-offices will have 



