had thrown out thousands of them with their shovels, and scattered them in every direction, before, by the necessary aid of a magnifying glass, we could discover what they were; but fortunately, enough remained attached to the wood to enable us to develope the pattern. Beneath the fingers of the right hand lay a lance-head of brass, but so much corroded that it broke to pieces on moving. Immediately over the breast of the skeleton was a large plate of gold in the form of a lozenge, and measuring seven inches by six. It was fixed to a thin piece of wood, over the edges of which the gold was lapped: it is perforated at top and bottom, for the purpose, probably, of fastening it to the dress as a breast-plate. The even surface of this noble ornament is relieved by indented lines, cheques, and zigzags, following the shape of the outline, and forming lozenge within lozenge, diminishing gradually towards the centre. We next discovered, on the right side of the skeleton, a very curious perforated stone, some rough articles of bone, many small rings of the same material, and another article of gold. The stone is made out of a fossil mass of tubularia, and polished, rather of an egg form, or, as a farmer who was present observed, resembling the top of a large gimlet. It had a wooden handle, which was fixed into the perforation in the centre, and encircled by a neat ornament of brass, part of which still adheres to the stone. As this stone bears no marks of wear or attrition, I can hardly consider it to have been used as a domestic implement; and from the circumstance of its being composed of a mass of sea worms, or little serpents, I think we may not be too fanciful in considering it an article of consequence. We know, by history, that much importance was attached by the Antients to the Serpent; and I have before had occasion to mention the veneration with which the glain nadroeth, or adder stones, were esteemed by the Britons; and my classical Readers will recollect the fanciful story related by Pliny on this subject, who says, that the Druid's egg was formed by the scum of a vast multitude of serpents twisted and conjured up together. This stone, therefore, which contains a mass of serpularia, or little serpents, might have been held in great veneration by the Britons, and considered of sufficient importance to merit a place amongst the many rich and valuable relicks deposited in this tumulus with the body of the deceased." GENT. MAG. August, 1812. This is, indeed, a most interesting barrow, and throws a considerable light on the costume of the Britons. Near the arms and hands of the person here interred lay his dagger and lances; and immediately over his breast was the gold plate which probably decorated that part of his body. All these curious articles are admi cannot rably engraved on two plates; and we regret that a delineation of them extract. accompany this Throughout the remainder of this Station we have continued accounts of the Author's persevering researches in the barrows around Stonehenge; many of which produced articles whose original uses appear as uniutelligible to us as they did to our Author. Amongst these is an article of twisted brass, resembling a pitchfork, with a shank, by which it was fixed into a piece of wood; and four very singular little articles of bone, with various devices cut upon them, and which our Author supposes to have, been originally used as lots. At page 217 we find an account and an engraved plan of an earthen work called the Camp of Constantius Chlorus. Then follows the description and plan of Ogbury Camp, containing an enclosure of 62 acres, and supposed to be a British Work. Station VII. SALISBURY. Our Author prefaces his account of the district allotted to this Station by a satisfactory derivation of both the antient and modern names of Salisbury, which was distinguished in the Roman æra by the title of SORBIODU NUM: and in the Saxon æra by those of Searbyrig, Searobyrig, Seureberi, and Searesbyri, each of which names, to use the Author's words, " may be traced most satisfactorily to their primeval root; for in the Roman title of Sorbiodunum, we recognise the Celtic words sorbio, dry, and dun, a city or fortress; and in the more modern appellation of Searbyrig, we recognize the Saxon words sear, dry, and byrig, a town; so that both the Roman and Saxon titles applied equally to the dry quality of the soil on which the city of Old Sarum was built; and although the Saxons changed the word Sorbio to Sear, and dunum to byrig, they still preserved in their language the original signification of the dry city;" on which ac account we find at page 225, that it was deserted in the time of King Stephen, ob insolentiam militis, et ob penuriam aquæ, and translated, in the reign of King Henry the Third, to the site it now occupies. At page 226 we have a view, and the most accurate ground plan we have hitherto seen, of the fine old fortress of Old Sarum; and at page 227 there is a copious account of Clarendon Park, near Salisbury, once a royal demesne, where the celebrated Constitutions of Clarendon were enacted. We are afterwards gratified with ground plans of various earthen works; viz. Whichbury Camp, and Clearbury Ring; and with an account of two great boundary ditches, the one called Bokerley, the other Grym's Ditch. The description of this Station terminates with the Author's researches on some tumuli in the neighbourhood of Woodyates Inn, which were productive of some novel and curious articles. Station VIII. Fovant. To this Sta tion is prefixed the map of a group of barrows which are situated in an angle between the old Roman road from Sorbiodunum (Old Sarum) and Durnovaria (Dorchester), and the modern road to Blandford, and were opened by our Author and his friends, one of which, to use his own words, 66 was attended by so many awful circumstances, and gave birth to so beautiful and truly descriptive a Poem by the Rev. William Lisle Bowles, that it will ever be remembered both with horror and pleasure by those who were present. During the tremendous storm of thunder and lightning by which the gravediggers were surprized, their only place of refuge was the barrow, which had been excavated to a considerable depth; the lightning flashed upon the spades and iron instruments, and large flints poured down upon the poor Antiquaries so abundantly and so forcibly, that they were obliged to quit their hiding-place, and abide "the pelting of the pitiless storm" upon the bleak and unsheltered down. They seem, however, to have had an ample recompence for their alarm by the receipt of the following beautiful Poem, which Mr. Bowles, who quitted the antiquarian party that evening, forwarded to them on the following morning : "Let me, let me sleep again." While the high-raised flinty road The sulphur from his blazing hair. Mr. Bowles has been very happy in his poetical description of the local and accidental which relate to this barrow and its opening: and the Roman Soldier, marching on the highraised causeway that overlooks this tumulus, pays a tribute, en passant, to the deceased Briton, "There in dust the mighty lie." A well-engraved plate illustrates the articles discovered in this barrow, and alluded to in the poem, viz. a fine dag. ger, four beautiful arrow-heads of flint, &c. At At page 245 we have an account of a tumulus near Broad Chalke, known by the name of Gawen's Barrow, with some curious extracts relating to that family, taken from an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Aubrey, entitled Monumenta Britannica. At pages 247, 249, and 250, we have descriptions of Winkelbury Camp, Chiselbury Camp, and Castle Ditches, with ground-plans of each. Station IX. HINDON. "We are now come," says our Author, "to the ninth and last Station allotted to the history of the Southern districts of Wiltshire; and as we proceed towards its termination, we find a considerable decrease of interest as well as of Antiquities. The latter are confined to two earthen works, and a few barrows dispersed very sparingly over the face of the country. These two earthen works are distinguished by the names of Wick Ball Camp, and Castle Ring, the latter of which is engraved." Conclusion. "I have now brought to a termination my Antient History of South Wiltshire, and it is my intention to prosecute the same researches throughout the Northern district of our County, where a spacious and unexplored field is left open for inquiry and investigation. In the Work now submitted to the publick, I have related with accuracy (and some of my Readers may think with too tedious a minuteness) the detail of our subterraneous researches. I have wandered as little as possible into the regions of Fancy and Conjecture; and I have endeavoured throughout my whole progress to adhere most scrupulously to my motto, and to Speak from facts, not theory." We congratulate both our Author and the Publick on the termination of this interesting Work, and look forward with pleasure towards the continuation of it through North Wiltshire, where Abury and Silburyhill must form a most prominent feature. And we also congratulate our Author on having found so accurate a Draftsman and Surveyor in Mr. Philip Crocker, and so spirited an Engraver in Mr. Basire; and we sincerely hope that the same energy and spirit of Antiquarian research, which has encouraged their footsteps over the bleak downs of South Wiltshire, may guide them with equal success and safety over those of the Northern district, On observing the very respectable size and contents of this Volume, we are surprized to find so much new matter produced; for hitherto the early history of the Britons has been overlooked, and a few pages in the introductory chapter of a County History have been deemed sufficient on that subject: but here we find a whole Volume devoted solely, and, indeed, most satisfactorily, to the history of our Aborigines. The system of our barrows is now proved to have been but imperfectly developed, even by the zealous and indefatigable Stukeley: he was content with skimming the surface, whilst our more modern explorators have clearly proved, by numerous examples, that the primary interments were deposited at the bottom of the barrow. But the greatest and most important novelty appears to consist in the discovery of the habitations and settlements of the living Britons, of which we see nearly fifty enumerated in the Index; and as it may be gratifying to many of your Readers to become acquainted with the illustrative decorations attached to this splendid Work, I shall conclude my remarks with an account of them. The engraved title-page is composed of various antique articles that have been discovered in barrows, and possesses both novelty, effect, and beauty. Next follows a very spirited portrait of Mr. William Cunnington, By to whom our Author attributes the first projected plan of this publication. Thirty-five plates of sepul chral urns, with various instruments amber, tend to illustrate, in the of bone, flint, stone, gold, brass, and most satisfactory manner, the costume of our British ancestors. the numerous plans of earthen works laid down from actual survey, we are in some degree enabled to form an idea of the different modes of antient castrametation. The plans and views of Stonehenge are truly satisfactory, as well as the large map, comprehending all the barrows and antiquities in the neighbourhood of that celebrated relick of Antiquity. A map is annexed to cach Station, by which we are enabled to trace the various Antiquities, as well as the Author's Progress. The whole number of engravings,consisting of Barrows, Camps, Stonehenge, Stations, &c. amounts to |