Cylchgronau Cymru

FIFTH SERIES.—VOL. VI, NO. XXIV. OCTOBER 1889. ON SOME MSS. AND SEALS RELATING TO WALES IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. BY W. DE GRAY BIRCH, ESQ., F.S.A. When I advised Mr. Romilly Allen to include a visit to the British Museum in the programme he was pre¬ paring for the Congress of the Cambrian Archaeological Association, it occurred to me that, with the consent of the Principal Librarian, a small but interesting exhibi¬ tion of some MSS. and seals, likely to attract the atten¬ tion of Welsh antiquaries, might be made. This consent was obtained, and I had the gratification of selecting a number of literary relics which you were enabled to inspect on Wednesday morning, May 22nd. These con¬ sist of two classes. Of the seals I shall speak first. Our National Collection does not contain a very large number of impressions or casts of seals relating to Wales; but they are fairly representative, and many of them, as far as my limited knowledge of Welsh anti¬ quarian publications extends, are unknown to the world, because at present they " blush unseen" in boxes and drawers, and waste their " sweetness" in the un- fathomed pages of our catalogues. Perhaps some day one of your members may write a descriptive account of them, destined for liberal illustration in the Archce- ologia Cambreyisis. Among those which I desire espe¬ cially to mention are— Llewelyn, Prince of Wales, in armour, riding on a 5th ser. vol. vi. 18