In the House of Commons on Friday a curious little
inci- dent arose in the discussion of the Irish Estimates. Some wonderful Celtic gold ornaments were lately discovered in Ireland and bought by the British Museum and transferred to England. This the Irish very naturally and rightly, as we think, regard as unfair, and they ask that the treasures should be " restored" to Ireland. Unfortunately, there is a statute which prevents the British Museum parting with anything which it has once acquired. Mr. Balfour, how- ever, expressed his entire sympathy with the Irish demand, and promised to see what he could do. Even if a Bill is necessary, the Museum ought to be made to release the gold ornaments and present them to Dublin. We are not for any wanton decentralisation of the national collections, but Dublin should without question be the home of all forms of ancient Irish art..
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