The archaeology and prehistoric annals of Scotland . described in a later chapter as the silver armour of Norries Law. Only a very small portion of thiscollection was rescued from the crucible; and the moiety of theLargo Bay relics which escaped the same fate appears to have beeneven less, if we may credit the extremely probable tradition of thelocality. With the wonted perverse modesty of Scottish antiquaries,Mr. Dundas accompanies his account of the latter discovery with areference to the advantages of the neighbouring bay as a safe anchor- New Statist. Ace. vol. vii. p. 200. - Arehneol. .Jo
The archaeology and prehistoric annals of Scotland . described in a later chapter as the silver armour of Norries Law. Only a very small portion of thiscollection was rescued from the crucible; and the moiety of theLargo Bay relics which escaped the same fate appears to have beeneven less, if we may credit the extremely probable tradition of thelocality. With the wonted perverse modesty of Scottish antiquaries,Mr. Dundas accompanies his account of the latter discovery with areference to the advantages of the neighbouring bay as a safe anchor- New Statist. Ace. vol. vii. p. 200. - Arehneol. .Journnl, vol. vi. p. 54. PERSONAL ORNAMENTS. 321 age, and the j^robability of its liaving been a favourite landing-placeof the northern freebooters. How strange is it, that rather than be-lieve in the possibility of the existence of early native art, this im-probable theory should have been fostered and bandied about byintelligent writers without contradiction for upwards of a there were no native arts and costly treasures, what, it may be. Largo Armilla. asked, brought northern fi-cebooters to our shores ? Surely some lessextravagant hypothesis may be suggested than that they crossed theocean to bury their own golden treasures in our sands. It wouldseem, on the contrar}^ to aftord undoubted evidence of a tumulus orsepulchral chamber being the work of natives or of resident colonistswhen it is found to contain objects of value. Only the confidence in-spired by the universal recognition of the sacredness of such depositscould induce the abandonment of them under cover only of a few feet X 322 THE ARCHAIC OH BRONZE PERIOD. of soil. It not until a veiy late period—towards the end of tlieninth century—that the northmen established a footing even on theremoter Scottish islands; while their possession of any but a verysmall portion of the mainland in the immediate vicinity of theirOrkney possessions was so brief and precarious, that it might well ex-cite our surpris
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