The President's Address. 103 



member the High Sheriff, Mr. Andrew Johnston, who laid 

 our cause before the Epping Forest Committee of the 

 Corporation of London. The details of the proposed 

 method of excavation have been made known to you on a 

 former occasion, but as there still appears to be some 

 uneasiness in the minds of many of our members as to our 

 possibly doing a permanent injury to these picturesque 

 remains, I will give a few words by way of further 

 explanation. The investigation will be conducted by 

 digging a trench about ten feet wide from inside the camp 

 right through the inner rampart and ditch, and on through 

 the outer rampart to the exterior boundary of the camp. 

 This trench will be carried down to such a depth as to get 

 below the old surface hne, and a most searching exami- 

 nation of the soil will be made as it is removed. Any 

 relics found on this old and buried surface will certainly 

 have been left by the original builders of the camp, and 

 every precaution will be taken to insure an accurate record 

 of the exact position of any object that may be found. A 

 plan of the proposed method of working has been kindly 

 drawn up for our use by General Pitt-Eivers, and Mr. W. 

 D'Oyley has offered his valuable services in assisting to 

 carry out the practical details. In accordance with the 

 terms of the permission granted by the Epping Forest 

 Committee, the trench will be filled in, and the original form 

 of the camp restored after the conclusion of our examination, 

 so that our members may rest satisfied in the belief that no 

 permanent disfigurement will result. It may perhaps be 

 thought advisable to erect some mark indicating the 

 position of our cutting, so that if at any future period other 

 investigations of the same camps should be made, the 

 excavators may not run the risk of going over our work 

 again. The Exploration Fund, as you already know, now 

 amounts to about £10, a sufficient sum to enable us to 

 investigate one of the camps, and to publish our results ; 

 and if these are sufficiently encouraging, we shall feel 

 justified in appealing for a further sum of £20 or £30 to 

 enable us to open the other camp. A preliminary survey 

 will be made, and operations will be commenced as soon as 



