EARLY LONDON. A VERY interesting sketch of early London is given in the Builder of the 13th instant, from which the following is an extract:"Long before the Romans invaded Britain, a Celtic community of fishers, hunters, and traders occupied the acclivity sloping up from the Thames at the little port of Billingsgate. The habitations spread eastward towards the Tower, westward towards Dowgate, and northward towards Fenchurch and Lombard streets, down which a clear stream, called the Langbourne, ran westward from Aldgate into the Wallbrook, near the Mansion House. The town thus situated was the nucleus of the present giant metropolis. It was named Llyndun—that is, the hill-town on the lake, as it appeared at high water nestling on the slope of an eminence jutting out into an estuary or lake. To realise this, it must be understood that the wide expanse lying between the Kent and Surrey hills on the south and the Essex and Middlesex hills on the north, was then, as most of it is now, below the level of the highest tides. At high water, therefore, it was submerged, and assumed the character of a lake, while at low water it presented a series of mudbanks and swamps, with the river-channel winding through them to the sea. As river-beds running through estuaries are, before they are embanked, usually shallow, and obstructed by shoals of sand and shingle cast up by the sea, or deposited by the river-current meeting the tide, so it is probable that before the tidal channel of the Thames was embanked, it also was shallow, full of sandbanks, and fordable at low water of spring tides at one or more places below as well as above London. But by throwing up embankments at the sides, which was done by the Romans (who employed their legions in executing useful engineering works as well as in fighting battles), not only was the expanse referred to won from inundation, but the energy and scour of the falling tide and river-flow were so much increased, that in course of time they raised and swept away the shoals, deepened the tidal channel, reduced its slope, lowered the low-water line, permitted the adjacent low grounds previously covered by the tides to be drained and laid dry, increased the range and duration of the tides, and enabled the largest vessels to be carried far into the interior of the country independently of the wind. The embankments, which extend from the sea to some miles above London, hold the river in a trough, high water therein being several feet above the level of the land on either side; so that were they to be broken through to admit the tides, thousands of acres of verdant marshes and fertile cornfields, and numerous populous towns and villages, would be inundated and destroyed. Nearly the whole space occupied by Deptford, Rotherhithe, Bermondsey, Southwark, Lambeth, and Battersea, north of a line drawn from the riverbank at Greenwich to the river-bank at Wandsworth, equal to about ten square miles, and the entire area of Westminster and Pimlico, south of a line drawn from Charingcross to the river-bank at Chelsea, except Thorney Island, whereon Westminster Abbey stands, were, before the river was embanked, flooded by the tides. Some parts of the former space are from 6 ft. to 8 ft. below high-water level; but the latter area has been raised from time to time, especially during the last quarter of a century, so that little of it, except the basement floors of the houses, is now under the highest tides. "In the eighth year of the reign of Claudius, A.D. 49, the Roman general, Ostorius Scapula, who was then pro-prætor in Britain, took possession of London. At that time it was celebrated for commerce, and much frequented by traders from Germany and Gaul. Under the Romans it soon became a flourishing and populous city; and, as was their wont wherever they settled, they left nothing undone to develop its resources, to render it healthy, and to improve its appearance. Thus they made hard durable roads from it to their various ports and stations; they raised the banks, already mentioned, at the sides of the river channel and its tributaries, where the tides overflowed the adjoining marshes; they prepared parts of the adjacent country for tillage by cutting down the forests that covered it; and they deepened the bed and piled the banks of the Wallbrook from the Thames to the great morass north of the City, for the purpose of thoroughly draining it. This is attested by Roman remains found along the ancient bed of the brook, from near the Mansion House to London Wall, at 25 ft. to 30 ft. below the present surface. Besides, it is not likely that a people so well versed in the art of drainage as the Romans were, would suffer a large unhealthy swamp to exist so near to their magnificent dwellings, when it could be laid dry by simply deepening the brook winding through it. Moreover, they must have drained the southern portion of it beforehand down to the bottom of the City wall, to enable them to build this wall from the foundation upwards, in the substantial and workmanlike manner in which it was afterwards found. "After the Romans left the country, in A.D. 420, the large marsh district north of the City wall again became a Wallbrook and its contributory drains from neglect, but swamp. This was caused partly by the choking of the chiefly by the Great Ditch, which was made 200 ft. wide, outside the wall, nearly from the Tower to Smithfield, raising the drainage level of the country beyond, and filling the subsoil thereof full of water. The Romans, previously to building the wall, excavated a deep trench for it along the southern border of the marsh from Newgate to Aldgate, and thence to the Tower. This trench they drained from Cripplegate into the sewer which now runs down Hosier Lane into the Fleet; from Cripplegate to Aldgate into the Wallbrook, which intersected it near Moorgate; and from Aldgate into the Irongate sewer, which still falls into the Thames east of the Tower; and when they built the wall they left a dry ditch outside, which they planted with thorns; but in 1190-93, during the mayoralty of Henry Fitz-Eylwin, this ditch was widened, and formed into a wet ditch, by placing a dam across the Wallbrook inside the wall, and stopping up the drainage outlets at the ends. A portion of the stone culvert which received the overflow from the dam is now in existence under London Wall, in the line of the old Wallbrook. Long after the ditch was made, Stow says 'it contained great store of good fish of divers sorts;' but in time it became the common receptacle for the streetsweepings and nightsoil of the city, which often made it an intolerable nuisance. The ditch is shown in the map of London made by Ralph Aggas in 1560." OLEOGRAPHS.-Messrs. Sampson Low, Son, and Marston have recently introduced a remarkable series of fac-similes of original oil paintings which deserve the attention of all who are interested in art. They are examples of a new process of reproduction, and the result is certainly most satisfactory as regards fidelity of drawing and purity of colour. These oleographs," as they have been called, are printed on canvas, and have all the appearance of oil-paintings, while their subjects place them far above the general run of pictures which are within the means of the ordinary buyer. About a hundred and thirty paintings have thus been reproduced, most of them works of European celebrity. These copies give a much more faithful representation of the original than an inaccurate lithograph or a colourless engraving. Such masterpieces as Van der Helst's "Banquet "Madonna della Sedia," of the Civil Guard," Raphael's Rembrandt's "Night Watch," Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," and a fine collection of modern Italian and German painters have only to be seen in this guise to give the process ample warrant; and it is satisfactory to add, in the interest of those who, unlike Mr. Ruskin, are not troubled with doubts as to how they shall spend their money, that the truthfulness of these reproductions is only equalled by their cheapness.-Daily News, THE THE PEG-TANKARD. HE following interesting article is reprinted from the March number of the Art Journal, through the kind permission of Messrs. Virtue, the proprietors of that publication. The Peg-Tankard is of very ancient origin, dating as far back as the time of King Edgar, when England was under Saxon rule. It is recorded of this monarch that, in order to restrain the habit of drunkenness which had become a crying evil in his reign, and which had been introduced among his subjects by the Danes, he caused "pegs," or "pins," to be placed in the drinking cups of that period, at certain distances, to limit the quantity of liquor allowed to each person, and ordained punishment to those who exceeded their proper marks. Dean Hook, in his "Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury," attributes the introduction of pegs in tankards to the intervention of Dunstan, who was primate from 957 to 988, and says that, owing to quarrels which frequently arose in taverns from disputes among topers as to their respective shares of the liquor when they drank out of the same cup, he (Dunstan) advised King Edgar to order gold or silver pegs to be fastened inside the pots, that, whilst every man knew his just measure, shame should compel each to confine himself to his proper share. Hence, the expression of being a peg too low.'" Dr. Pegge asserts that tankards conpegs in tributed more to the encouragement than the prevention of hard drinking, and states that the first person that drank was to empty the tankard to the first peg, or pin; the second to the next pin, and so on, by which the pins were so many measures to the compotators, making them all drink alike, or the same quantity; and as the dis tance of the pins was such as to contain a large draught of liquor, the company would be very liable by this method to get drunk, especially when, if they drank short of the pin or beyond it, they were obliged to drink again. possession of William Fripp, Esq., The Grove, Teignmouth, by whose kind permission the drawings were made. The first and most important of these tankards is of large size, being 8 inches high, and 6 inches in diameter. It holds two quarts of liquor, and is divided by six pins into measures of one-third of a quart each. It stands on three feet, each foot formed by a fruit of the melon tribe; and the carving is very rich and elaborate. On the lid, raised by means of a knob above the handle, is de picted the figure of the Saviour, enclosed in an oval wreath. He is seated on clouds, crowned with the nimbus, and is pointing to the globe and cross he holds in his left hand. Immediately above the head of the figure is an arched scroll, on which is inscribed, in capital text, the word Salvator. The lid is further enriched with carved bosses, birds, fruit, and foliage, ranged alternately on the surface. On the body of the tankard and inside the lid the figures of the four evangelists are disposed, medallion-wise, in the act of inditing their gospels. The centre and sides of the cup are filled in with the figures of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, with their respective attributes -an angel, a lion, and an ox-each enclosed in an oval border consisting of a wreath, broken at regular intervals by ebony rings and bosses. In the upper and lower spaces, between the compartments, figures of angels appear floating on clouds, in the act of blowing trumpets; and in the central spaces branches of fruit are grouped in a circular form. Inside the lid is a carving of the beloved disciple and evangelist, St. John. He is represented as a beardless youth, with locks flowing over his shoulders, holding a pen in one hand and a book in the other : this subject also being enclosed in a fine border. The head of each evangelist is surmounted by an arched scroll, bearing his name, as in that of the Saviour on the lid. The base of the tankard is finished with a border corresponding with the wreath on the lid. The handle of this cup is very fine: it is richly carved in a scale-like ornamentation, the outer edges are thickly studded The term is still extant, when, speaking of a person who with black knobs, and terminate at the base in a large foliated is much elated by drinking, that he is "in a merry pin; "boss, in which the ebony mountings are again introduced which, no doubt, originally meant that he had drank to the pin, or mark, and that his brain had become affected by his potation. Cowper describes John Gilpin as in "merry pin." The drinking flagons, which I am about to describe, are, with a few rare exceptions (including the famous Glastonbury tankard, which is of oak, and the maple tankard, preserved in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford), the only wooden peg-tankards at present known. The three examples here figured are of maple-wood, slightly wormeaten, but, nevertheless, in excellent preservation as specimens of medieval Art. The tankard, No. 2, is regarded from the style of carving and ornamentation as the most ancient. They are all secured by a thick coating of varnish rom the further ravages of the worm, and are now in the with good effect. This tankard is a noble specimen of the taste and skill of the era it exemplifies, and is the most imposing and beautiful of this interesting group. The peg-tankard, No. 2, stands on three carved pines, which form the feet. It is 7 inches high, and 6 inches in diameter, and is capable of holding three pints, which are divided into draughts by four wooden pegs. The lid-elevator, or knob, is surmounted by a pine, and the base of the handle terminates in a cherub's head with wings. On the face of the handle the quaint figure of a long-eared owl, seated on a perch, is carved, edged with a narrow delicately-cut border, and the sides are decorated with a garland of leaves. The body of the tankard is divided into six irregular compartments-three large and three small, ranged alternately. They are separated by tall twisted columns, from which rod. He is arrayed in a vestment girt round the loins with spring depressed semi-circular arches. Each of the smaller a cincture, and his head is garnished with a pair of uncouth spaces is filled with a single patriarchal figure-viz., Moses, looking horns, probably to typify the declaration of the with peaked beard and flowing hair; Aaron with the incense psalmist, that "the horns of the righteous shall be exalted." pot; and David with harp and crown. The larger divisions The rim of the lid is decorated with a foliated border. are occupied by groups of figures-the subjects taken from On the centre, which is raised, the Passion of Christ is deremarkable scenes in Scripture history. In one of these picted; and underneath, the twelve apostles, with their spaces is commemorated the "Offering of the Wise Men;" emblems, are "ranged in order due." in a second, "Moses Striking the Rock;" and in a third, "The Meeting of Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well of Nahor." In the central compartment, which is shown in the engraving, the patriarch is in the act of striking the rock, and the water is apparently gushing out of the end of his The third and last example of this interesting group is of much smaller dimensions than either of those previously described, being only 6 inches in height, and 4 inches in diameter. It is divided into half-pints by three wooden pegs. It is apparently the least ancient of the three, and the orna tains a vase of tulips in full bloom, confined by a semicircular arch, and between each arch rises a single flower. The lid has a dentilated edge, and in the centre, within a circular border, is the figure of a lion passant, the intermediate space being filled with festoons of the vine. mentation is of a different character; for whereas the other | It is divided into three compartments, each of which conexamples are scriptural, this is altogether floral in subject. It is also comparatively fresh-looking, and untouched by the worm; and is, therefore, probably of not earlier date than the introduction of tulips into Germany from the East, about the middle of the sixteenth century (1554), though it may have been copied from Eastern models before that time -the tulip having long been known as a favourite flower in Turkey, where a feast of tulips has been annually celebrated from time immemorial. This tankard stands on three elongated lions to form the feet, and the base is ornamented with a scolloped border. These ancient drinking-flagons are said to have been brought from Germany by a collector at the close of the last century; from him, probably at his death, they came into the market, and passed into the hands of a London dealer, who sold them many years ago to their present possessor. A. C. G. FUNERAL RITES, TOMBS, AND MONUMENTS. Ar the last meeting of the "Bromley Friends in Council," Mr. Vaughan, M.K.I.B.A., read a paper entitled "Funeral Rites, Tombs, and Monuments." It was illustrated with many diagrams. In his introductory remarks, he said veneration for the dead was inherent in the human mind; that there were three systems of disposing of the body-interment, embalming, and cremation; also three distinct sorts of tombs, -caves, tumuli, and structural tombs. Tombs constitute an important branch of archeological study,-painting and sculpture combined with architecture in their decoration, and many fragile relics of antiquity have been preserved in them, while the paintings on their walls afford invaluable examples of the costumes of peoples thousands of years since. Caves were the most ancient burying-places, and that of Machpelah the earliest mentioned. An interesting review of various orders of funeral rites, tombs, and monuments, was then given. ST. ALBAN'S ABBEY.-The Builder, in a plea for this ancient Abbey, says that a recent visit to it has strongly impressed the mind with the urgent need there is for providing the architect with the funds requisite for arresting further dilapidation, and that 26,000l. are required for the work, absolutely necessary for stability. THE STONE PERIOD IN GREECE. Sling stones, oblong, oval, round, and flat elliptical stones INFORMATION concerning the Stone Period in Greece may are also found; and several polished triangular stones, of be interesting, says a writer in the Athenæum, to many of various sizes and different forms. A few stone points or your readers, and new to most of those who occupy them-borers have been also collected. selves with the study of pre-historic archæology. The oldest The stones of the greater part of the implements found antiquities in a country long visited by able observers in search in Greece are finer and harder than those that are found in of antiquities have hitherto, by some unaccountable over- the rest of Europe. The greater number are of grey, sight, almost entirely escaped the notice of travellers and anti-greenish grey, and brown stones (apparently varieties of quaries, though it is evident from several passages of Pliny's diorite), green stone, porphyric stones, and brown iron-stone. "Natural History" that they attracted the attention both Many are also black, from lustrous velvet black to dull of the Greeks and Romans. These pre-historic relics are brown, Lydian stone, basaltic stone, and iron-stone, which much more numerous than might be supposed from their from its polish has a metallic lustre, and looks like steel, but is having been so long overlooked; and, indeed, their number not magnetic. A few of these dark stones, but not the is a reproach to antiquaries in a country where so much heaviest, are magnetic. Red jaspery, iron-clay, and granitic attention has been devoted to the search for antiquities by stones are not uncommon. Seven or eight of the smaller observers from every country in Europe. The writer of this celts are jade or nephrite, varying in their green colour, and letter directed the attention of the dealers in coins and anti- in their degrees of hardness. There is a small chisel of quities to the importance of relics of the Age of Stone, and amethyst, rather more than an inch in length and nearly gave them a money value, by printing, in 1869, a pamphlet, half an inch broad, with two notches on the sides for tying in Greek, on Pre-historic Archaeology in Greece and Switzer- it to a handle. There is also a small-axe-shaped celt of carland, which he distributed over the country as widely as lay nelian, an inch and a half long and an inch broad. I fear to in his power. The only pre-historic relics that had long fatigue your readers with details that might prove interesting attracted notice were the artificially-formed fragments of only to students of pre-historic archæology. obsidian, which, when found in the tumulus of Marathon, were misnamed Persian arrow-heads; but which the writer observed, in 1836, must have been mixed up in the soil when the earth was heaped into a tumulus over those who fell at Marathon. Sixty years ago, Sir William Gell picked up similar fragments, which he called flint, at the triodos, where the three roads, from Livdea, Daulis, and Dystomo to Delphi, unite at the entrance of the pass between Parnassus and Cirphis. Gell, under the impression that the fragments at Marathon were Persian arrow-heads, says of those he found at the triodos, that they were "perhaps a confirmation of the discomfiture of the barbarians in the Odos Schiste." Similar artificial fragments of obsidian have now been found in many places in Northern Greece, the Peloponnesus, and the islands of the Archipelago." It would be a step towards enlarging our knowledge concerning the pre-historic population of Greece if we could ascertain with certainty the character of the sites selected for their villages or towns. Where many families dwelt together, positions adapted for defence with stone hatchets, obsidian arrow-heads, and sling-stones, or casting-stones, from the hand, would be occupied when they had easy access to a supply of water, from which it would be difficult for an enemy to cut off the communication. It is probable, therefore, that when the lakes of Greece shall have been carefully examined by intelligent observers, traces will be found of lake-dwellings similar to those of Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, and Scotland. The plain of Dobrena, near the ancient Thisbe, must have been a lake in pre-historic ages. Works remain which, in very early times, converted it from a marsh into land capable of cultivation; and these works were, of course, ascribed to Hercules. They still serve their original purpose, and upbraid modern energy and intelligence, which cannot domistone implements have been found at Dobrena. From Tanagra a good many specimens have been obtained, and a good idea of the defensible nature of the site and its facilities for commanding a supply of water may be seen in the sketch given in Leake's "Travels in Northern Greece," ii. 453. The site was as well adapted for the men of the Age of Stone as for the Greeks of the heroic and classic ages. Another class of pre-historic habitations will be found in sites that offered very slight defensive advantages in later times, when the knowledge of metals gave men greater powers of attack. One of these villages of the Stone Period occupied a secluded position in the range of hills that connect Parnes with Pentelicus, overlooking the plain of Aphidna. It is an area surrounded by heights, protected against the cutting north winds of winter by rocks which form a precipice barring all access from the plain below, except by the gorge of a small ravine which afforded the supply of water. Large quantities of chips of obsidian, as well as numerous artificially-worked fragments, are found all round embedded in the soil. Other sites might probably be ascertained from the quantities of obsidian scattered about. At Kephisia and Aghias Kosmas on the Attic coast they exist in great quantity; and it must be observed that obsidian is not found either in Northern Greece or the Peloponnesus, and must have been transported in the boats or canoes of this Age of Stone. The only collection of stone axes or celts which existed besides that of the writer, previous to the distribution of the pamphlet, was formed by M. von Heldreich, Curator of the Museum of Natural History at Athens, and may be seen innate the waste of waters at the lake Copais. Many fine the mineralogical collection at the University. Since the circulation of the pamphlet, the writer has increased his collection of stone relics, independent of knives and other pieces of obsidian, from not more than a dozen objects to upwards of 250. The stone axes or celts alone amount to 170, varying in size from under an inch in length to upwards of six inches, and are of the forms represented in Sir John Lubbock's "Pre-historic Times," p. 68, and Sir William Wilde's "Descriptive Catalogue of the Antiquities in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy," Vol. I., pp. 41 and 45. The greater number are smaller than those preserved in the museums of Switzerland. Dr. Keller, the kind and zealous President of the Antiquarian Society of Zürich, pointed out to the writer, in the summer of 1868, six or seven good specimens of the common forms and material in Greece, which had been collected in the island of Euboea, and presented to the Museum of Zürich. The long, flat implements, that resemble chisels, are rare, because they were easily broken. The finest in the writer's collection is six inches long, an inch and a half broad, and three quarters of an inch thick. It is of a green stone, as is apparent from a fracture, but the surface is white, probably from the effect of fire. Hammers are also rare, but the collection contains two pierced with round holes for handles. In form the hammers resemble those found in other countries; but one is triangular, and another, which is two inches and a half long and nearly as broad, formed of a beautiful dark green stone, resembling heliotrope, has one side beautifully polished, to serve as a polisher. One of the axes, nearly four inches in length, is of the same beautiful material, and has been highly polished, but its edge is almost entirely broken off. Another interesting subject for investigation will be to ascertain from whence the stones were obtained of which the implements found in Greece are composed. Many were evidently worked out of the rolled pebbles found in different parts of the country, which were selected from experience of the toughness that was combined with their hardness, and from their natural form requiring the least possible labour to give them the desired shape. Red jaspery, iron-clay, and brown argillaceous iron-stone are found as rough pebbles in the glens of Euboea, and celts fashioned from them are not uncommon in the island. Jade, amethyst, carnelian, and Lydian stone were perhaps brought from other lands.-The Building News. SOCIETIES' MEETINGS. THE SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. AMONGST the business done on May 2nd, Dr. S. Birch, in the chair, read a paper upon a hieroglyphic tablet of Alexander II. (Argus), son of Alexander the Great, recently discovered at Cairo. This tablet was dedicated to the goddess Buto, and is dated in the seventh year of Alexander (B.C. 311). It records the restoration to the priests of Buto of the district formerly given to them by Khabash, an Egyptian monarch contemporaneous with the later years of Darius and Xerxes, which last monarch is mentioned in disparaging terms, probably to flatter Ptolemy, the Macedonian ruler of Egypt, who is styled on it "the satrap of Alexander." SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES. THIS Society held a meeting on the 4th instant, when Earl Mr. T. B. Sandwith laid before the Society a paper "On the various kinds of Pottery found at Cyprus," illustrated by about seventy coloured drawings. In connexion with this paper, Colonel Lane Fox and Mr. J. W. Flower exhibited some interesting specimens of Cypriote Antiquities, formerly belonging to the Cesnola collection. ARCHEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. forgeries, which have become not uncommon, might be detected. He then entered into an explanation of his theory as to the drift, the existence of which, at elevations so much above the level of the present beds of the rivers, he attributed to ancient river action, illustrating his theory by diagrams. The action of the rivers he supposed to have been slow, following pretty much the same view as that enunciated some years since by the late Professor Jukes. The period in which these remains of the Paleolithic Age had been manufactured was so distant as not to be measured by years or centuries. When we remembered that more than 2000 years ago our predecessors in this country had been acquainted with the use of metals, and that previous to that time they had polished their flints for a period of which we had no record, we could only form rough ideas of the great lapse of time since the rough implements were in use. Mr. Flowers dissented from Mr. Evans's view as to the drift, and was replied to by Mr. Evans, after which the meeting adjourned. A large collection of flint implements was exhibited, which have been kindly lent to the Society; these will remain on exhibition at their rooms, Somerset House, for a week. SHEFFIELD ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHEO- THE May excursion of members of this Society took place A party of ladies and gentlemen drove off from the School of Art about 10 A.M., and on their way called to look at the fine oak room in the old hall at Carbrook; at the old Roman station of Temple Borough, near Rotherham (Ickles), respecting both of which places the Rev. J. Stacey gave some particulars. After visiting Wentworth House (by the kind permission of Lord Fitzwilliam), the party were met at the church by Mr. Massey, of Wentworth, who pointed out many interesting particulars, and read to them a careful paper, "On the Ancient History of the place." Returning to Rotherham, the party were met by Mr. J. Guest and Dr. Shearman, who conducted them over the New Hospital, now in course of erection, and after visiting the fine old parish church, the party assembled in the Mechanics' Institution, to hear Mr. Guest read an interesting paper "On the Ancient History of Rotherham." A MEETING was held on the 5th instant, when Mr. Octavius Morgan, M.P., was in the chair. The Crown of the Abuna of Abyssinia, and the Chalice presented by King Adam Segud to the Church of Gondar, were exhibited by the Prize Committee of the Army. Mr. Holmes made some remarks upon the workmanship and art of those JAPANESE CERAMIC WARE.—Some very beautiful Teaobjects, and gave a short account of their capture in Mag-pots in a variety of patterns have just been received from dala. The workmanship was about 150 years old, and was Japan by Messrs. Albert Dean & Co., of Ludgate Hill. a copy of European work of the sixteenth century. The These unique specimens of Oriental ware are in red clay, material was pure gold, of which there was but little in the without ornamentation, or with coloured surfaces bearing country. floral and other designs under the glaze. In outline they are exceedingly graceful, and bear some resemblance to the highly prized Wedgwood teapots. They are a most successful example of the application of Japanese pottery to the uses of European society, so that while they are decorative objects, they are also of practical utility on the table. Their elegance and cheapness will no doubt make them very popular. Mr. J. Winter Jones gave a discourse on the collection of early printed books on view in the rooms. After an historical sketch of the invention of printing, and the circumstances attending its development and practice in various countries, he drew attention to many of the finer examples before the meeting. The Chairman expressed thanks for the able and lucid discourse with which they had been favoured; and remarks were added by Sir William Tite, Dr. Rock, and others. ROYAL ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY. AT the meeting of the Royal Antiquarian Society on the 18th instant, Colonel Lane Fox in the chair, Mr. Franks read a paper on the stone implements found in caves. He was followed by Mr. Evans, who read a paper on the stone implements found in the drift, in which, after describing the localities in France and England where these relics of pre-historic antiquity had been found, he described some of the implements and gave indications by which A HIERATIC papyrus, part of a treatise on Medicine, has been presented to the British Museum by the Royal Institution. Some of the recipes date from a very early period, and one is said to have been discovered at a later period, which was formerly in use in the days of Cheops, the builder of the Great Pyramid. Other recipes are stated to have been in use in the reign of Amenophis III., of the eighteenth dynasty. A PLASTER cast of the Tablet of Canopus, with the trilingual version in Hieroglyphs, Greek, and Demotic, has arrived at the British Museum, It has been presented by the Khedive. |