CALICINATED RINGS.
There is a particular class of antique gold ornaments, belonging to the Bronze Period, which is deserving of especial attention, from the circumstance that the British Isles is the only locality in which it has yet been discovered. These ornaments consist of a solid cylindrical gold bar, beat into a semicircle or segmental arc, most frequently tapering from the centre, and terminated at both ends with hollow cups, resembling the mouth of a trumpet, or the expanded calix of a flower. A remarkable example of these curious native relics is engraved in the "Archæological Journal." The cups are formed merely by hollows in the slightly dilated ends; but it is further interesting from being decorated with the style of incised ornaments of most frequent occurrence on the primitive British pottery. It was dug up at Brahalish, near Bantry, county Cork, and weighs 3 oz. 5 dwts. 6 grs. In contrast to this, another is engraved in the same journal, found near the entrance lodge at Swinton Park, Yorkshire, scarcely two feet below the surface. In this beautiful specimen the terminal cups are so unusually large, that the solid bar of gold dwindles into a mere connecting-link between them. The annexed figure of a very fine example found by a labourer while cutting peats in the parish of Cromdale, Inverness-shire, somewhat resembles that of Swinton Park in the size of its cups. It is from a drawing by the late Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, and represents it about one-half the size of the original. Similar relics of more ordinary proportions have been brought to light, at different times, in various Scottish districts.
EXTRAORDINARY CRICKET MATCHES.
Every day in summer wagers are made at Lord's cricket ground, upon matches there to be played; but there have been more extraordinary matches elsewhere relative to this exercising game; for a cricket match was played on Blackheath, in the year 1766, between eleven Greenwich pensioners who had lost each an arm, and eleven others who had lost each a leg. The former won with ease. And again, on the 9th of August, 1796, a cricket match was played by eleven Greenwich pensioners with one leg, against eleven with one arm, for one thousand guineas, at the new cricket ground, Montpelier gardens, Walworth. At nine o'clock the men arrived in three Greenwich stages; about twelve the wickets were pitched, and they commenced. Those with but one leg had the first innings, and got 93 runs; those with but one arm got but 42 runs during their innings. The one-leg commenced their second innings, and six were bowled out after they had got 60 runs; so that they left off one hundred and eleven more than those with one arm. Next morning the match was played out; and the men with one leg beat the one-arms by one hundred and three runs. After the match was finished the eleven one-legged men ran a sweep-stakes of one hundred yards distance for twenty guineas, and the three first had prizes.
MUMMY CASES.
The annexed engraving represents a set of Egyptian mummy cases, several of which were used for the interment of one body, the smaller one being enclosed within the larger. On the death of a king in Egypt, "three score and ten days" was the period that intervened from his departure to the termination of the embalming operations; the earlier and more important of which, exclusive of the soaking in natron, occupied forty days. The coffin, or wooden case, in which the embalmed body of Joseph was preserved, till at the exodus it was carried from Egypt, was, doubtless, of such a form and appearance as those with which we are familiar at our museums. An account of some specimens of these, and of the internal shells which were considered requisite for persons of rank, will be read with interest.