Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/169

 RESEARCHES RELATING TO EARLY SLAVONIC ANTIQUITIES, WITH NOTICES OF GOLD BBACTEATE COINS AND RUNIC IiNSCRIFTIONS. The ancient remains and early records of the Slavonic races have not hitherto attracted that attention to which they are entitled. This may be attributable in part to the difficulty of obtaining information upon the subject, and partly to the inattractive form in which the materials that exist for the most part present themselves. It becomes the more desirable, therefore, that notice should be taken of such records of them as from time to time present themselves, and I hope that I shall not be regarded as occupying unpro- fitably the attention of our readers by bringing before their notice, " T. von Wolanski's Brief liber Slavische Alterthiimer, Erste Sammlung, mit 145 Abbildungen auf XII, Kupfer- tafeln.'' Gnesen, 1846, 4°. The author informs us in his address that he had originally proposed to himself to arrange and publish, with critical and explanatory remarks, the materials he had collected, consist- ing of coins and other memorials of all the Slavonic nations. Fearing, however, that his advanced age and failing strength would render it impossible for him to carry this design pro- perly into effect, he adopted the resolution of transferring separate portions of his collection to more active men, and to learned societies, in order that they might make what use of them they thought proper. The author determined at the same time to publisli the letters he addressed to the various parties among whom he distributed his collection, in the hope that by so doing the accidents of miscarriage, or the chance of their being set aside or forgotten, amidst events of a more exciting nature, might be avoided. With this view he published the " First Collection," com- prising the letters addressed respectively to the Royal Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg, to Herr Theodor von Narbutt, author of the Early History of the Lithuanians, to the Royal Danish Society for the investigation of Northern Antiquities at Copenhagen, and the Royal Bohemian Academy of Sciences at Prague. The first letter is the most important of the series, sup-