Bij iVilliam Long, Esq. 81 



remarked by Dr. Stukeley, though it was not so considerable^ I 

 think, as is represented in his north view of Stonehenge." ^ 



Mr. Henry Browne, in his "Illustrations of Stonehengeand Abury/' 

 gives some additional information : " I will here take the opportunity 

 of introducing the account which was given me of the fall of this 

 trilithon, by Dr. Maton, of Spring Gardens, London, when I had 

 the pleasure of meeting that gentleman on the spot, and who, at the 

 time of its fall, resided at Salisbury. About twenty years ago it 

 was the habit of persons, waiting the commencement of fairs in this 

 part of Wiltshire, to take up their abode in Stonehenge for some 

 days, as a defence against the inclemency of the weather. In the 

 autumn preceding the fall of the trilithon, amongst others who 

 availed themselves of this protection were some gipsies, who, not 

 content with a position behind this trilithon on the level ground, 

 made an excavation in the chalk to obtain a lower position. On 

 quitting Stonehenge, the effect produced by this proceeding, was 

 that of causing an extraordinary accumulation of moisture behind 

 this trilithon, in the rainy and snowy season of autumn and winter. 

 The chalk, in this position and under these circumstances, being 

 frozen in the winter, and thawed in the succeeding mild weather, 

 was, in consequence, decomposed. This naturally weakened the 

 foundation of the trilithon on its outward side, towards the west, and 

 it at length, as already stated, fell in that direction, after being ob- 

 served for two or three days to be out of its perpendicular position." 



Mr. Kickman, visiting the place on the fall of the trilithon, 

 noticed that the foundation exhibited nothing remarkable, the two 

 great stones having no artificial support in the ground, and one of 

 them exhibiting an irregular shape of its base, quite unsuitable for 

 stability, as forming the obtuse angle of a rhombus, and that not 

 penetrating more than six feet deep. The accurate juncture of the 

 upper surface of the uprights and the lower side of the transverse 

 stone must have cost much labour, and not less skill than the tenons 

 and mortices : but these surfaces exhibited no mark of tooling.* 



' In Inigo Jones' North Prospect of Stonehenge this trilithon is represented as 

 inclining outwards considerably. 



* See Archseologia, vol. xxviii., 411. 

 VOL. XVI. XO. XLVI. G 



