PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
173 
civil strife; or they may have availed themselves of such a convenient repository 
wherein to bury their dead. In support of each of these views, I will quote two or 
three short passages from the works of Buckland and Lyell:— 
“ The universal practice of interring the dead, and frequent custom of placing 
various instruments and utensils in the ground with them, offer a ready explana¬ 
tion of the presence of bones of men in situations accessible for the purposes 
of burial.” 
“Frequent discoveries have been made of human bones, and rude works of art, 
in natural caverns, sometimes enclosed in stalactite.’’ 
“ Many of these caverns have been inhabited by savage tribes, who, for con¬ 
venience of occupation, have repeatedly disturbed portions of soil in which their 
predecessors may have been buried.” 
Dr. Buckland particularly mentions a cave of mountain limestone, at Burring- 
don, in the Mendip Hills, supposed to have been once used as a place of sepulture 
or refuge , in which human bones have been met with, encrusted with stalactite, 
one of the skulls being filled with this substance in the interior. We may, there¬ 
fore, attribute the abundance of human bones in the Cave of Dunmore, to its having 
been used for a dwelling-place, or for concealment, or sepulture; but, perhaps, 
we may be nearer the truth, if we look upon them as the remains of the victims of 
the great slaughter, to which I have already alluded in an extract from the Annals 
of the Four Masters. 
It has been remarked to me by the Rev. James Graves, that no steps have been 
taken to investigate, whether the bones of any extinct species of animals have been 
found along with those of man in this Cave ; as it is a subject worth examining 
into, it is to be hoped that some of our medical associates will give the aid of their 
anatomical skill in settling the question. 
To return to legendary lore, we find that it was generally rumoured, that there 
was a running stream in this Cave ; but for such an idea there seems to have been 
no grounds ; but the story of the “ well of wonders” may have been founded on 
the fact, that the Cave contains a small well, in which there may be a spring, or it 
may act as a reservoir of the water flowing from the higher ground. Mr. John 
G. A. Prim informs me, that some years ago there was a large quantity of bones in 
this well. 
Having thus endeavoured to give you some idea of the wonders of the greatest 
natural curiosity in our country, I would strongly recommend all who have not 
seen it, to visit it, and even to those who may not wish to undertake the labour of 
exploring its interior, I can hold out the promise of a great treat in viewing the 
picturesque mouth of the Cave ; of my grounds for saying so, you have the means 
of judging now before you, in the very excellent painting by Henry O’Neill, which 
has been kindly lent to me by the Rev. James Graves. 
I exhibit some very beautiful specimens of stalactites and stalagmites, from the 
Mitchelstown Caves, you will observe that they are cleaner and brighter looking 
than the specimens from Dunmore, which I suppose is owing to the water at 
Mitchelstown flowing through strata less charged with earthy matter. 
Some observations were made by the Rev. James Graves and Mr. Prim, who 
stated that it was evident the late Mr. Robertson had only explored the eastern 
branch of the Cave, and had not entered or known of the western branch, in which 
the well and human remains were to be seen. 
APRIL 28, 1854. 
Dr. James in the chair. 
Mr. Graves said he had much pleasure in announcing that the Right Hon. W. 
F. Tighe had made another most valuable donation to the Museum. In addition 
to the collection of casts from ancient Greek and Roman coins and medals, pre¬ 
sented on a former occasion, that gentleman had sent them the cabinet now before 
the meeting, containing 188 specimens of minerals, scientifically classified and 
arranged. Amongst the various ores and minerals which this collection embraced 
were a fine specimen of Diamond from Brazil, presenting a perfect octaedral 
