ON THE TORC OF THE CELTS.

379 the decoration more elegant, tlie ends have been hollowed into cups, appearing more or less bell-shaped, or pyramidal. Such arc the bronze torcpies found by M. De Ring in the plains of the province of the 13as Rhin&, In a more common type, but one which is probably to be referred to a later ]ieriod, possibly to the fourth or fifth cen- tury, the ends terminate in solid cylinders, as if to interlace. A large gold torques, or rather belt of this shape, is in the collection of the Museum, and another found at St. Leu d'Esse- rcns, Canton de Crcil, is exhibited in the Bibli- otheque Royale at Paris. Some light is thrown upon the way in which Torques wl-.b soM rj-Undn<-al ends. this was adjusted by the gold torques discovered at Boyton in Suffolk. The extremities were secm-ed by the aid of two small rings', a contrivance which supposes a greater state of refinement and mechanical knowledge than the open and bulb- ous ends. But the most remarkable varieties of this type are those published by Mr. Petrie as found at the Tara hill in Ireland. Prom the extremity of the cylindrical termina- tion of these proceeded a Torques found at Boytou. thin wire, terminating in another cylinder. One was large Gold, 5 ft. 7in. — 27 oz. 2 dwt. TORQUES FOUND AT TARA. Gold, 12 oz. 6 dwt. enough to wear round the loins, and the wire seemed intended K M. de Ring, Etablissemens Celtiques dans la Sud-ouest Allemagne, 8vo. Fri- burg. 181'2. Archa;ol., vol. xxvi. p. 471. ' One of these was unfortunately lost. •* Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i. p. 457. Transact. Roy. Irish. Acad., vol. i. p. 457.