328 «© Abury Notes.” 
favor of Stukeley, who says that they are “of like form and di- 
mensions.” On a visit to Abury, January 22nd, 1855, the writer, 
in company with Dr. Thurnan, carefully inspected the remaining 
stones of these circles, and the hollows in the turf which indicate 
the position of several which have been long.since removed. By 
this examination Stukeley’s accuracy was clearly established as to 
the circular form, and similar, if not identical, diameter of the 
northern and southern “circles.”? His estimate of the number of 
' stones (thirty), composing each of the outer circles of these “tem- 
ples,” appeared altogether probable. Of the inner circles, no traces 
whatever, even of hellows in the turf, were to be seen. One stone 
of each of these circles was all that remained in Stukeley’s days. 
That of the northern was still standing at the time of Mr. Crocker’s 
survey. ‘The existence, indeed of these circles rests almost entirely 
on Dr. Stukeley’s testimony ; which, as he gives dates for the re- 
moval of individual stones, cannot be set aside; and we think his 
statement, as to their consisting of twelve stones each, must be 
admitted as probable.! The distance of the inner from its larger 
containing circle is shown by the position of the single stone in 
Crocker’s plan; and it is clear, that to complete a circle at this 
distance, the number of stones required would be twelve; the 
diameter of the inner circle, as compared with that of the outer, 
being in the proportion of four to ten, The slovenliness of Aubrey’s 
survey, as to these circles, can hardly be too much regretted ; for, 
bad he laid down with care the stones which remained in his day, 
their original number and arrangement could scarcely now have been 
open to doubt. In the centre of the northern temple Aubrey lays 
down the three stones of the “ Cove,” all of which were standing in 
his day, and gives a ground-plan and rude sketch of them, in the 
corner of the paper on which his survey is delineated. This plan is 
1J¢ may here be remarked as curious that in Stukeley’s ‘‘ Rude General 
Sketch of the wonderful Relique of Antiquity at Abury, Wiltshire, as it ap- 
peared to us, May 19th, 1719,” (Stukeley’s Commonplace Book, folio 1717-48, 
lately in the possession of Sir William Tite,) the southern circle (of a somewhat 
spiral form) is larger than the northern circle, and that there are no indications 
in either of them of the inner circle of twelve stones which Stukeley subse- 
quently held to haye been contained within each of these circles of thirty stones, 
