English folk are apt to think that other nations have greater advantages than they in such matters as the exploration and study of foreign archaeological or historical sites, and feel resentful at times that the British Government exhibits an apathy that is little less than deplorable. Our American friends would appear to possess unlimited resources, not only now, but for many years past, that have enabled them to pursue their researches in Egypt, Greece, and Assyria, while Carnegie endowments have dispatched another group to dig even in Balkh, a city for many years forbidden to Englishmen. The French explore, and take to Paris, the treasures of Persepolis, find the money to establish institutes or other centres of French influence and culture, in Rome, Madrid, and elsewhere. Their school of living oriental languages in Paris had been in existence for many long years before England thought fit to do anything to encourage the study of Eastern tongues in this country. England seems to be incapable of supporting a journal of Oriental art such as has flourished for years past in Berlin, though in part maintained by English scholars. Meanwhile, we in England do our individual best to supplement these deficiencies, though it is seldom that an effort is made to understand the reasons that underlie and explain these marked differences between the English standpoint and that of other countries. Defective and incomplete methods of education are without doubt responsible in a great degree. Nearly every member of this audience must have had the experience, in speaking in ordinary society of some discussion that has taken place at one of our meetings, of seeing the look of blank and complete ignorance that comes over the countenance of his neighbour at the mention of almost any archaeological situation or problem. Such knowledge is relegated by the ordinary citizen to a realm peopled by such special subjects as the higher mathematics or the latest discoveries in bacteriology or chemistry. He feels not the least shame in confessing profound ignorance of the past history of his own country, and frankly regards any one possessing such knowledge as being given over to odd and queer pursuits, a kind of alchemist. It may be that the rising generation will be better equipped, as some slight return for the countless millions that are to be spent on the training of its mind. It will no doubt be urged, in certain quarters, that there is ‘no money’ in knowledge of the kind, which may seem superficially true. But even on this point there is something to be said on the other side. My friend Mr. Gordon Selfridge has for years past been providing his “staff” with lectures upon all kinds of subjects, mostly quite unrelated to the demands of his business. His reason is that he believes that the additional knowledge of any kind that his employees may possess is likely to make them more effective in their special functions. If so enterprising and competent a modern man of business takes this view, and is willing to spend money in putting it into practice, it would surely not be amiss to extend its operation into the world at large, and for the same reason. Both in theory and from personal experience, I am strongly in favour of a broad and solid foundation of general knowledge as the best initial training for specialist pursuits.

The three plaques of ivory here illustrated are already well known to students of such work, but there has been some uncertainty as to the form in which they were originally joined together. One of them, representing the Eagle of the Evangelist St. John, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum,1 for which it was acquired in 1867 from the Webb Collection; the other two, with the Angel of St. Matthew and a half-length figure of Christ, are now in the Museo Nazionale at Ravenna.

On page 86 of the 2nd edition (1912) of the late J. R. Allen's Celtic Art is the statement, ‘Of the smaller Hallstatt sword with an iron blade and a bronze handle, having antennae-like projections at the top, one specimen from the Thames is to be seen in the British Museum, and there are about half a dozen others in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin.’ Déchelette (Manuel, ii, 2nd part, page 737 and note 3) repeated this on Allen's authority. But no swords of this type have, I believe, been discovered in Ireland. As no examples have been exhibited with the Academy's collection it is difficult to account for the mistake.

The archer's bracer illustrated in the fig. on p. 209 is of cuir bouilli, the ornament on the outer side consisting of a rose crowned, a design of oak leaves and acorns treated in a conventional manner, and the words (Jesus help).

A tradition, apparently not very ancient, associated this rare and interesting object with certain relics of Henry VI once at Bolton Hall, near Sawley, in Bowland (Bolland), Yorkshire. I have failed to find confirmation of this tradition, and it is contradicted by Mr. W. A. Littledale, F.S.A., whose family was long connected with Bolton Hall; Mr. Littledale informs me that the bracer was never preserved in the house with the objects said to have been left there by Henry VI and now preserved at Liverpool. But additional evidence may be derived from the object itself.

Among some old family deeds in my possession is a quitclaim by Robert Fitz Meldred to Henry Spring of four marks of silver being the annual rent of the town of ‘Hoctun’, probably Houghton le Spring in the bishopric of Durham. The date is about 1230. Attached to the deed is the seal in white wax of Robert Fitz Meldred (fig. 1). The seal is circular, and when perfect was about 2½ in. in diameter ; it bears a saltire which it will be noticed is very narrow, and the legend, now partly broken away, that originally read

The exact date of the matrix of a seal such as this cannot, of course, be given with certainty, but I venture to think it may be placed before the year 1200. Although Sir William St. John Hope in his paper on the Seals of English Bishops gives useful approximate dates for the various kinds of lettering, his remarks relate to episcopal seals only, and he guards himself against necessarily applying them to other classes. The lettering of the seal now under discussion is rough and of an earlier type than the ordinary Lombardic which is met with in the thirteenth century; we may perhaps place it between the Roman capitals which ceased about the last quarter of the twelfth century and the Lombardic capitals.

During the late autumn of 1919 I did some digging in a gravel-pit where, during the war, I had found fragments of pottery. One workman was employed and the necessary funds were subscribed by residents in the Newbury district. The pit is in the parish of Thatcham, on the south side of the Bath road, exactly midway between Thatcham and Newbury, in the angle between the Bath road and the ‘lower way’ to Thatcham. The gravel for which it is worked is that of the lowest terrace, about twenty feet above the Kennet; the terrace here forms a bluff on the north side of the valley. The field in which the gravel-pit lies is called Prince Field on the Thatcham Award Map of 1817. The pottery was most abundant in the east and south faces of the pit, where old trenches and remains of fire were also found. It was possible to distinguish between the gravel filling of these old trenches and the much compacter undisturbed gravel; and the work consisted in clearing out the filling, which yielded a large quantity of potsherds.

In 1910 Mr. G. Wyman Abbott read to this Society a paper in which he gave some account of his discoveries of early British remains at Fengate, Peterborough (see Archaeologia, lxii, 352 ff.). Since that date he has been assiduous in collecting from the same locality such further material as has been brought to light in the process of gravel-digging. This new material already serves to indicate that the site was occupied continuously from Late Neolithic down to Late Celtic times, and, if only for that reason, is of the highest importance, since it is but seldom that a site with signs of habitation covering so long a period comes to light in this country.

The history of this specimen is unknown. I found it among some old documents. It consists of a disc of parchment 1⅜ in. in diameter, having the Arabic numerals 1 to 4 inclusive on either side, the 4 being of early looped form. This disc is pivoted between two semicircular leaves of a folded piece of parchment which cover three figures on either side of the disc, but leave the fourth exposed. These semicircular pieces of parchment have on one side the symbols of the sun, moon, and stars (fig. 1), and on the other side the sun only with the words ‘Rota versatil(is)’ in a cursive hand of the fifteenth century (fig. 2); the last two letters (is) are represented by a general sign of contraction. There is also a loop at the back through which a strip of parchment about ½ in. wide and 11½ in. long is threaded. The whole forms such a bookmarker as a skilful penman might make out of a few scraps of parchment in his leisure hours as an aid to his work.

I think I may safely say that there is no place-name in English topography which has given rise to more discussion and controversy than Coldharbour. In the course of a somewhat close and detailed examination of the ordnance survey maps which I had to make while preparing the papers I recently read to the Society on the circumstances and surroundings of Pre-Roman Silchester, I was struck with the frequent occurrence of Coldharbour in that area until I felt convinced that it had some distinct relationship to the subject-matter of my inquiry.

This little bronze (height 4 in.) was recently found in Rome, possibly in the neighbourhood of the Tombs of the Apostles, where excavations have been going on. It obviously represents St. Peter and St. Paul standing side by side with the monogram, in its early form, behind in the space between their heads.