322 KtlTMERrDGE COAL-MONET. 



square hole had been cut, but the sides of which had 

 partially split away; it had however been re-adapted by 

 drilling the three holes for a treble chuck. In another, two 

 sets of holes have been drilled. I remarked that, although 

 very many minute pieces of coal, chippings from the lathe, 

 were mingled with the soil, scarce any other refuse occurred. 

 These circumstances materially lead to the conclusion that 

 the coal was not conveyed to this spot in its rough state, but 

 that the ** buttons," so to speak, were prepared at the quarry, 

 which we may suppose to have been at Kimmeridge, and 

 thence supplied to the manufacturers. Hence their care not 

 to waste them. 



The chief novelty discovered was of considerable interest. 

 It consisted of a vessel, (Fig. p. 220,) roughly cut out of 

 shale; the form is a rude circle, the longitudinal diameter 

 being about ^-in. longer than the transverse. The diameter 

 of the interior averages about 4^-in., of the exterior 5^-in. 

 the thickness of the rim being about f-inch; the handle, 

 which is truncated and broken off, is 2-inches broad. The 

 thickness of the whole vessel, including rim, varies from less 

 than ^-in. to l^-in., and the depth of the cup is about |-in. It 

 was turned up in a mass of ''Coal-money" and broken flints, 

 conglomerated by the presence of irony matter. At first I 

 thought that it had been made for, and served the purpose of 

 holding, by the turner's side, the flint points which he used 

 in his work. Mr. Albert Way has however suggested a more 

 probable use. He writes in the following words. " The stand 

 closely resembles certain shallow one-handled stands, as, I 

 believe, for a lamp. Either the lamp was placed therein, or 

 some little cup or other object used for burning a light; or 

 else fat, &c. was put in the stand itself and burned with a 

 wick. The stone Druidical Paterae of the North, of which 

 much has been fabled, were certainly for such uses. And my 

 friend, Sir Walter Trevelyan found thorn still in use as hand- 

 lamps, in the Faroe Isles. Thoy are just the size of yours, 

 but the wide area in your case gives more the aspect of a 



