536 



Sir Richard O'Donnell then came forward, and placed the Caah in 

 the hands of the Chairman, stating that it was his pleasure to recommit 

 it to the keeping of the Academy as heretofore. 



It was moved, seconded, and — 



Resolved, — That the fresh thanks of the Academy are due, and are 

 hereby returned to Sir Richard O'Donnell for the renewal of his kind- 

 ness in depositing the Caah in the Academy's Museum ; and that a 

 formal acknowledgment he made to him of the trust. 



The following acknowledgment was then ordered : — 



" Sir Richard O'Donnell, Bart., has this day deposited in the Museum 

 of the Royal Irish Academy that ancient Irish reliquary, and its con- 

 tained manuscript, called ' The Caah of Columbkille,' with the under- 

 standing that the Academy will take the same care of the said reliquary 

 and its manuscript that they do of the best article in their Museum ; 

 and that the Academy will at any time return the said reliquary and 

 its manuscript to the said Sir Richard O'Donnell on his demand, and 

 without any delay, charge, or hindrance whatever. 



"And this deposit on the conditions named was approved and accepted 

 bv the Academy, at a General Meeting, held in their house, on the same 

 14th day of May, 1866." 



And it was ordered that this acknowledgment, signed by the Chair- 

 man, Treasurer, and Secretary, be delivered to the depositor. 



The Academy then adjourned. 



, MONDAY, MAY 28, 1866. 



"William H. Haedinge, Esq., in the Chair. 



Mr. Denis Ceofton read the following paper : — 



On Vestiges of Ancient Human Habitation in Poole's Caveen, 



Deebyshiee. 



Poole's Cavern is an enormous natural excavation in the Carboniferous 

 Limestone of Derbyshire, running for several hundred yards under a 

 hill, about half a mile from Buxton. It is said to derive its appellation 

 from an outlaw named Poole, who is traditionally reported to have 

 made it his place of refuge in the reign of Henry VI. The entrance is 

 very small, and for some distance a man of ordinary height must go 

 into it in a stooping posture. The cave then enlarges, and expands 

 into a capacious passage, with numerous stalactites depending from the 

 roof. It bears marks of having been subjected to the action of water 

 at some former period, there being for a considerable part of the length, 

 on top of the limestone floor, a la}^er of gravel, about three or four feet 

 deep, covered over by one of brown clay, having a somewhat greater 

 thickness. At the distance of perhaps thirty or forty yards from the 

 mouth of the cavern the widening of the passage suddenly increases on 



