92 Mr. PETKIE'S Inquiry into the Origin and 



of removing a portion of a skeleton, or skeletons, yet, from the respect always 

 paid to the remains of the dead among Christians, and even pagans, it would 

 have been an object to leave the area enclosed within the circle undisturbed 

 as far as possible. 



So much then for this singular hypothesis. But it will be asked, how do I 

 account for the discovery of pagan urns in the Towers of Timahoe in Ireland 

 and of Abernethy in Scotland ? and, certainly, if these discoveries were satis- 

 factorily proved, they would, as Mr. Windele writes to me, stand much in the 

 way of my theory. But they are not satisfactorily proved. With respect to 

 the discovery of the urn in the Tower of Timahoe, I have already expressed 

 my utter disbelief of the statement, and have also shown that Mr. Windele 

 himself is not without doubts of its truth ; and, with respect to the alleged dis- 

 covery of human bones and an urn in the Tower of Abernethy, I shall venture 

 also to express my disbelief of it, and will state my reasons for doing so. It 

 will be recollected, that this statement, as already given in full, was put forward 

 in the Cork Southern Reporter, as resting on the very respectable authority of 

 Mr. D. D. Black's History of Brechin, and that not a word was said of any other 

 authority for the facts. The words are, " by Mr. Black's history we learn, that in 

 Abernethy Tower (Scotland) human skulls and bones were found in great 

 numbers, and there was also discovered an urn ;" and it is added, " these two 

 facts prove that Timahoe and Abernethy Towers at least, were pagan structures, 

 and leave a strong presumption in favour of the same inference with regard to 

 the others." Having for a considerable time failed to procure a copy of Mr. 

 Black's work, I requested Mr. Windele to favour me with a transcript of the 

 passage in it, on which this statement rested, and he sent me, as a copy of the 

 extract required, a descriptive account of the Tower in question, but nothing 

 authorizing the statement pvit forward in reference to the pagan urn. I have, 

 however, been since favoured with a copy of Mr. Black's work by its talented 

 author, and I certainly do find such a statement in it, not however, as Mr. Black's 

 own, but as one put forward by the Rev. Dr. Small, and which Mr. Black very 

 obviously regards as of very little value, as will appear from the following ex- 

 tract from his work : 



" The Rev. Dr. Small of Edenshead, Abernethy, who has written a book on ' Eoman Anti- 

 quities,' states the tradition, regarding the tower of Abernethy, to be, that it was erected as a bury- 



