160- Congress of British ArcJiaological Association at Devizes. 



aud as having- been then recently demolished. He had since turned 

 to the passage, and though he found the dimensions there given 

 differed very much from those of the circle he had uncovered, being 

 put at 350 instead of 261 feet, yet the position was so accurately 

 defined, as " upon the heath south of Silbury,'^ that it was scarcely 

 possible it could have referred to any other circle. He would then 

 hail Dr. Stukeley as a witness to what he believed was generally 

 accepted by all who had visited the spot, but what may now be 

 considered a positive certainty, that the circle in question was not 

 natural, but placed there by the hand of man, though it had been 

 demolished and the foundations buried one hundred and fifty years 

 ago, and forgotten until he discovered and unearthed it two years 

 since. Then came the question, for what object was it placed there? 

 Calling to mind its very commanding position, with Silbury full in 

 sight, and with Abury also visible, to the north, almost immediately 

 behind Silbury ; and with the termination of the Kennet avenue, 

 the " Sanctuary " on Overton Hill, also in full view, it was scarcely 

 conceivable but that it was in some way connected with those 

 monuments. He however would be glad to hear the opinion of 

 others on that point. 



Mr. Morgan said the diameter — 261 feet — was a very large one, 

 too large to make it in any degree probable that it could have had a 

 sepulchral origin. Possibly it might have had some reference to 

 assemblies of some kind in connection with the large circle at 

 Abury. 



Mr. Brock suggested that the question should be studied on 

 paper, by means of a map on a large scale, showing the exact relative 

 positions of these several relics of antiquity. They would then be 

 in a better position to consider their probable bearing on one another. 



And the President terminated the discussion by saying that the 

 Members would hardly like to commit themselves to an off-hand 

 opinion on a fresh discovery of this kind : though it might hereafter 

 turn out to be a most interesting discovery in helping to form a 

 theory as to the use of Silbury and Abury. 



Some drawings of cromlechs and other remarkable stones, by 

 Mrs. Coifox, of Bridport, were then exhibited by Mr. Brock. 



