Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/268

 200 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF until Mr. Joseph Moore, being the owner of an estate in that parish, drew the attention of Mr. Trollope to several mounds lying at the distance of about half a mile eastward of the Roman way. Of their subsequent researches, and the excavations carried out through Mr. Moore's liberal desire to throw light upon the early remains in this district, a detailed account will be given on a future occasion. The Rev. James Graves communicated the following notice of a little earthen vessel, found in Ireland, differing from the smaller British fictilia of the earlier period, in the pointed form of its base, which is so fashioned that, like the rhytium of the classical period, or the foxes'-head drinking cups of modern times, these cups could not stand erect. A similar fashion appears in certain glass drinking vessels attributed to the Anglo Saxon period. - " The Urn, of which I forward a drawing, and which is at present deposited in the nmseum of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society, was found in the year 1850 on the lands of Mayhora, near Castlecomer, in the county of Kilkenny, by some workmen employed in quarrying stones. On clearing off the superincumbent earth, they laid open a small circular cist built of dry stones resting on a flag about two feet square ; another flag covered the cist at top, on removing which, there appeared an earthen cylinder without a bottom ; within this the small and curiously moulded urn, represented in the drawing, rested on its mouth. Around it, and within the cylinder were many small calcined fragments of bones ; a quantity of these was also found outside the cist. On removing the larger vessel it was unfortunately broken, and only one of the fragments preserved ; this, which I have represented with the urn, exhibits a rudely indented chevron ornament. The smaller urn is composed of hard grey or ash- coloured ware, and exhibits considerable elegance of mould. This peculiar type, tapering so much toward the bottom, seems peculiar to Ireland, The urn in question hears a cluse resemblance, both in size and shape, to the small urn found near Bagnalstown, county of Carlow, and figured in the proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. (Vol. iv., p. 36.) Urns of this form seem intended to have been placed inverted, perhaps over the ashes of the heart, and within laroer vessels containinof the other relics of the body. The fragment of the larger and outer urn is of red imper- fectly-baked ware, and very rude manufacture. The bones found within it comprised fragments of the rib of an adult, with the phalangial bones of a child, and had all been subjected to cremation. The accompanying representations are of the full size of the originals." Mr. T. Hcdsox Turner communicated some additional observations, on the subject of the negotiations between Edward I. and the Moghul Sovereign of Persia (see p. 45, in this volume). He observed that when he read the memoir, at a previous meeting, he was not aware that any other researches had been instituted, in relation to that interesting historical incident. Ilis attention had since been called to the fact that Mr. Meadows, in an article in the Chinese Repertory, had pointed out the existence of two original letters in the Mongolian language, in the National Library at Paris, addressed by Arghun to the King of France, at the same time that he was corresponding with the King of England.^ These letters, translated by Mr. Meadows, prove very satisfactorily that it was 2 Douglas, Nenia, pi. 4, 10, 16, 17. ^ gee note, ante, p. 48.