1867.] Archeology ami Ethnology. 375 



rings and a few tools of iron. In tins cairn are five inscribed stones. 

 Several of the cairns contain inscribed stones, and the author gives 

 a classified list of the characters on ihem, to the number of 1,393 

 separate devices, or many times more than had been previously 

 supposed to exist in Ireland. Mr. Con well does not indicate the 

 age of these cairns, nor the nature of the inscriptions, except in 

 recording the occurrence, amongst the latter, of " nearly 300 single 

 straight lines, some of which may probably be Oghamic."* 



Passing by a paper on an obelisk on Tarra Hill, supposed to be 

 the " Lia Fail," or " Stone of Destiny," on which the Irish kings 

 were formerly crowned, we come to an important memoir by the 

 same author "On an inscribed Cromleac near Kathkenny, Co.Meath." 

 The inscribed stone exhibits on its upper surface a most interesting 

 series of lines, consisting of upwards of ninety separate characters 

 (see Plate, Fig. 1), still showing "the original clean and smooth 

 cutting — for the most part in a triangularly shaped hollowed line — 

 some to the depth of nearly a quarter of an inch." On the under 

 side seven circles are cut (see Plate, Fig. 2), and as many more are 

 visible on the opposite face of an upright stone against which it 

 leans. The sculpturing of the circles is rude, and bears a strong 

 contrast to that of the lines. On the same surface of the slab as 

 the latter are upwards of 300 depressions or cup-shaped hollows, 

 which are probably the result of weathering and not artificial (see 

 Plate, Fig. 1). Mr. Conwell does not attempt to give the meaning 

 of the inscription, nor does he hint at the style of writing to which 

 it may possibly belong. We may remark, however, that in the 

 prevalence of simple lines it has an Oghamic affinity, while a few 

 characters have a somewhat Kunic appearance. To show that this 

 is not the only example of such an inscription, Mr. Conwell has re- 

 produced a tracing of one on a cromleac near Macroom, County 

 Cork; and as we have copied this figure also (Plate, Fig. 3), our 

 readers will perceive the striking similarity of the two inscriptions. 



The Eoyal Irish Academy has also published t a valuable 

 memoir by Capt. Meadows Taylor " On Cairns, Cromlechs, Kistvaens, 

 and other Celtic, Druidical, or Scythian monuments in the Dekhan." 

 It would occupy a Chronicle to describe these remains, so we must 

 content ourselves with recording the author's summary of his dis- 

 coveries. These are, "(1) Cromlechs, or open monuments, with 

 and without circles of stones, containing no remains ; (2) Kistvaens, 

 with and without circular perforations in a side-slab, and with and 

 without covering slabs, containing human ashes, bones, and broken 

 pottery ; (3) Cairns and barrows, with single, double, and treble 

 circles of rocks and stones, containing cists and skeletons, with traces 

 of human sacrifice, pottery, arms, &c. ; others with cinerary urns 



* For an example of an Oghamic inscription, see Plate, Fig. 4. 

 t Trans. Koy. Irish Acad., vol. xxiv., part 5. 



