160 Kecent Excavations at Birrens. 



lines, however, are conjectural only to a very limited extent, as in 

 every instance evidence more or less conclusive of the situation 

 occupied was found. 



The buildings with their intervening streets form a rectan- 

 gular block, measuring 500 feet from north to south, and 300 

 from east to west ; and the interior of the station when complete 

 would extend to about 4 acres. 



A principal street crosses the station from the east gateway 

 to the west, dividing it into two unequal parts, embracing respec- 

 tively two-fifths and three-fifths of the area. Another leads from 

 the north gateway to the south end, and marks the station longi- 

 tudinally into two equal and almost uniformly arranged 

 divisions. This street is divided at the centre of the station by a 

 building, supposed to be the praetorium (XII. on plate Ia.), round 

 which it is carried, one-half on either side. The building in this 

 way stands out separately. 



No minor streets are found in the southern division, but 

 eavesdrops intervene between the different blocks of buildings. 

 In the north division three subsidiary streets run from the east 

 side to the west ; and eavesdi'ops alternate with these. 



The buildings appear to be grouped according to the several 

 purposes they were intended to serve ; and those conjectured to 

 be meant for administrative and other more special ends occupy 

 the main street between the east and west gateways. The 

 praetorium is the most prominent, and probably also the most in- 

 teresting. The walls are 2 feet 10 inches thick, strengthened with 

 buttresses. In the south one is the entrance gateway, which 

 shows the seats of the scuntions, and two stone-posts for stopping 

 the gate. This leads into an open court, floored with charac- 

 teristic irregular polygonal pieces of stone fitted together, and 

 provided with a drain all round for carrying off the surface water. 

 At the west side of the court is the public well, 18 feet deep and 

 4 feet 4 inches diameter, yielding water for the supply of the 

 station. It is built of dressed stones in regular courses, and the 

 bottom is paved with cobbles over a bed of well-tempered clay. 

 On the east and west sides of the court was a narrow apartment, 

 and on the north a verandah, supported on slender pillars of wood 

 or iron, and an arcade of seven bays behind it, had extended across 

 the building from east to west. Remains, partly in situ, partly 

 in fragments lying on the pavement, prove that square piers, with 



I 



