Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 11.djvu/344

 29C PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF Bv Mr. W. .1. Br.uNiiARD Smith. — A bronze flesh hook {harpago or a'eaqra),- probably for taking flesh out of a cahh-on, aUhough sometimes considered to have been used for raking the embers or other purposes in sacrifices ; also the bronze casing of the leg of a seat, a portion of wood still remaining within it ; both these objects were from the Canino collection of Etruscan Antiquities. — An iron arrow-head from Persepolis ; an arrow- head found in tl;e walls of a castle in England ; and a bronze spear-head, obtained from Italy. — An iron lance head, found at Battersea, and three quarrels or crossbow-bolts, of the fifteenth century, feathered with slips of wood, probablv of Swiss or German fabrication : a prod or stone-bow, of the time of Elizabeth, formed for firing bullets, and which originated the modern cross-bow.— Examples of cutlery, consisting of a slender knife found at Battersea, possibly (me of a pair of wedding knives, formerly part of the bride's accoutrements, as shown by Mr. Douce, (Archajologia, vol. xii., pi. 47, p. 215) ; a portion of a small knife, elegantly enibossed with silver, and another knife damascened with gold and silver, and bearing the date 1G13 inlaid in silver, the forge-mark being a rose slipped. These last were found ill the Thames. — Also, a sketch of the iron chamber of a paterero, found at Bridgnorth. The dimensions are as follows : length 7} inches, diameter about 4 inches, bore of the tube by which it was adjusted to the gun about 1 ,' inches. Chambers or moveable breeches, which contained the charge of powder, were in use from early times, and continued in vogue in the time of Henry VIII., and even down to a comparatively late period. They were fitted to the breech of iron tubes which served to give direction to the balls.'' ]5y the Kev. F. Dyson. — A large iron spear-head, found in Wiltshire. By Mr. FdituEST. — A tile of Italian majolica, painted with Arabesques, date al)out 15'M). — A round touch-box elaborately sculptured with subjects of the chace. — A shell-shaped ornament of amber, beautifully carved, with the figure of a Triton within the cavity. — Two enamels of the work of I.imoges, painted with mythological subjects, in the style of the work.s attributed to M. D. Pape, XVItli century. By Mr. W. Bartlktt, of Burbage, Wilts. — Three ancient horse-shoes, found near Silbury, as before mentioned (p. 6o, ante), and a representation of a fourth from the same locality. Mr. l>racy Clark has described and represented two of these in his work on shoeing horses. lie considered them to be the oldest existing examples, and as having belonged possibly to the same horse, although not found together. The close resemblance in their i)eculiar formation sliows beyond doubt they are of the same period. One was found in levelling a bank in Silbury-hill Mead ; no bones of the horse were stated to have been seen, but a human skeleton lay near the Hjiot. The otbcr was found on the down, about a mile and a half di.stant, under flints, supposed by Mr. Clark to have been removed for repairs of the road, and he coiijectured, from the appearance of the slioes and the nails in them, that the lior.se hud been buried with the shoes on its hoofs. He gives Home detailed remarks on the ancient mode of .shoeing horses, as illustrated by these exumples, as also on tin; peculiar constriK-tion of the shoes them- Bclves. We limy refer our readers to his work [tv fiullier iiiformation, as - S<<! r<|ir<'H<'iitntiiiiiHof n hiiiiilar l)rr>ii/.<' ' IlcpriHciiljitionK of iron clmnibers inHtnimi-iit ill tin- UritiMli MnHcuiii, SniilliH fouml in llic ImIc oI Wiiliiey iirc j;iven in liict. of Aiitii|. uii. tliir I..'itin I)ii-tioiiiiry, ''. llnrjuiiin. '•~<>.