Dr. Voelcker estimates that rape cake yields in the manure 47. worth of ingredients for every ton consumed; cotton cake no less than 57. 6s. worth per ton of matter in the excrement; linseed cake 31. 158. per ton; beans and peas about 37.; while other feeding substances possess but little worth as regards their fertilizing value. Rice meal, for example, yields but 17. per ton to the dungheap, and molasses hardly anything at all. It is plain that facts of this kind must for the future materially affect the judgment which will guide the choice of purchased food by the farmer.

We have to report that the English Agricultural Society has at length resolved upon confining within professional limits those educational efforts which its charter binds it to make. Hitherto the small contribution made by it in this direction has gone merely towards the granting of prizes to country boys who pass the best examination in branches of general education before the University examiners. Hereafter whatever it may grant will be devoted to the reward of professional studies alone; and some stimulus may thus be given to the work of professional agricultural education, which it has hitherto almost entirely ignored.

We must not close our record without a word upon the Paris Exhibition, to which we had anticipated devoting a large share of our space. The grand programme put forth by the Commissioners has almost entirely failed so far as agriculture is concerned. The periodical exhibition of live stock and of implements at work, which was part of the original scheme, has not been carried out as intended. The display is confined to a mere show of implements by the agricultural machinists of this and other countries, and there is no particular novelty calling for remark. We can only report that in the agricultural department a very small contribution is made to that wonderful general effect which is now commanding such universal admiration.

2. ARCHEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY.

WE have this quarter to notice a most exhaustive treatise on ancient writing, by Professor J. R. Stephens, of Copenhagen, entitled "The Old Northern Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England." Although published in Denmark it is written in the English language, a fact which seems highly flattering to us as a scientific nation. Runes, according to Professor Stephens, "appear at the close of the Roman period, and were employed by the Barbarians' who overturned the Roman and Keltic systems." The Kelts "brought with them their Ogham staves and the Romans their alphabet, so the 'Barbarians' brought with them these their native characters." Runic

writing, therefore, belongs to a rather later period than that usually termed Pre-historic-to which we usually confine ourselves; but, as will be seen presently, inscriptions have recently been found on cromlechs, which may have some light thrown on them by a study of Runic lore; therefore we have thought it right to call attention to this masterly publication. Respecting the Oghamic inscriptions, to which we shall have further occasion to refer, Professor Stephens remarks, “First and earliest, in my opinion, are the monuments bearing the Ogham-marks. Some 300 of these pillar-stones have been found in Ireland, which country bears the same relation in this respect to the other Keltic lands as Sweden does to the Northern as to the Runes. The great mass of the Ogham stones is in Ireland, the great mass of the Runic stones is in Sweden.” Thus, we suppose, the Irish Kelts were at one time the most civilized people in Europe. As an example of their writing we have reproduced a figure (Plate, Fig. 4) of an Ogham stone from Dunbel, Kilkenny, the characters on which have been interpreted to mean "Sacred stone of Eochaidhe of the Excavations.' The student must consult Professor Stephens's work to be able to appreciate its importance and interest, and to learn what light Runic writings throw on doubtful points of history and tradition; but some idea of the difficulties which the author has surmounted may be gained by our stating that he has tabulated and correlated upwards of fifty distinct Runic alphabets.

In the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy,'* which has been published during the past quarter, are some important archæological papers by Mr. E. A. Conwell. The first is an abstract of his account of an "Examination of the ancient Sepulchral Cairns on the Loughcrew Hills, County of Meath (Part 1)," which gives just sufficient details to excite curiosity and interest. These cairns are thirty in number and vary considerably in form, dimensions, and completeness. Of some, very few stones are left, those missing having been apparently quarried away within a comparatively recent period. Taking the one marked H as being of perhaps the greatest interest, we find that its remains are between five and six feet in height and eighteen yards in diameter. The covering of the interior chambers has disappeared, with the exception of about half a dozen large overlapping flags, which are still to be seen in their places over the western and northern crypts, and give a good example of the mode of roofing. The plan is cruciform, the central chamber being a rude octagon. From the passages and crypts the author collected several hundred portions of human bones and skulls, fourteen separate teeth, and eight portions of jaws with teeth remaining. He also obtained a remarkable collection of bone implements (4,884 pieces); beads of amber, glass, and bronze; with * Vol. ix., part 4.

rings and a few tools of iron. In this cairn are five inscribed stones. Several of the cairns contain inscribed stones, and the author gives a classified list of the characters on them, to the number of 1,393 separate devices, or many times more than had been previously supposed to exist in Ireland. Mr. Conwell does not indicate the age of these cairns, nor the nature of the inscriptions, except in recording the occurrence, amongst the latter, of " nearly 300 single straight lines, some of which may probably be Oghamic."

Passing by a paper on an obelisk on Tarra Hill, supposed to be the "Lia Fail," or "Stone of Destiny," on which the Irish kings were formerly crowned, we come to an important memoir by the same author "On an inscribed Cromleac near Rathkenny, Co. Meath." The inscribed stone exhibits on its upper surface a most interesting series of lines, consisting of upwards of ninety separate characters (see Plate, Fig. 1), still showing "the original clean and smooth cutting-for the most part in a triangularly shaped hollowed linesome to the depth of nearly a quarter of an inch." On the under side seven circles are cut (see Plate, Fig. 2), and as many more are visible on the opposite face of an upright stone against which it leans. The sculpturing of the circles is rude, and bears a strong contrast to that of the lines. On the same surface of the slab as the latter are upwards of 300 depressions or cup-shaped hollows, which are probably the result of weathering and not artificial (see Plate, Fig. 1). Mr. Conwell does not attempt to give the meaning of the inscription, nor does he hint at the style of writing to which it may possibly belong. We may remark, however, that in the prevalence of simple lines it has an Oghamic affinity, while a few characters have a somewhat Runic appearance. To show that this is not the only example of such an inscription, Mr. Conwell has reproduced a tracing of one on a cromleac near Macroom, County Cork; and as we have copied this figure also (Plate, Fig. 3), our readers will perceive the striking similarity of the two inscriptions.

The Royal Irish Academy has also published † a valuable memoir by Capt. Meadows Taylor "On Cairns, Cromlechs, Kistvaens, and other Celtic, Druidical, or Scythian monuments in the Dekhan. It would occupy a Chronicle to describe these remains, so we must content ourselves with recording the author's summary of his discoveries. These are, "(1) Cromlechs, or open monuments, with and without circles of stones, containing no remains; (2) Kistvaens, with and without circular perforations in a side-slab, and with and without covering slabs, containing human ashes, bones, and broken pottery; (3) Cairns and barrows, with single, double, and treble circles of rocks and stones, containing cists and skeletons, with traces of human sacrifice, pottery, arms, &c.; others with cinerary urns *For an example of an Oghamic inscription, see Plate, Fig. 4. + Trans. Roy. Irish Acad., vol. xxiv., part 5.