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On Friday, 24tli June, the Club met at Mitcheldean, and breakfasted 

 at the George Inn. After breakfast the members visited the fine old 

 Church, which has recently been carefiilly restored. From thence the 

 pai-ty passed along the new road, examining by the way the succession of 

 sandstones, limestones, and "mine" measures, and the curious old mining 

 places, called " Scowles," from a British word signifying "hiding-places." 

 Some of these are of great extent and depth ; they have been worked by 

 ancient minei-s as far as the water would permit. These " Scowles " have 

 been formed by the excavation in the Mountain Limestone of certain 

 ca'vities filled with iron ore, called by the miners "Pouches" and "Churns." 



Our colleague, Dr. Bird, in the paper on the " Forest of Dean," read 

 to the Club at this meeting, has some interesting information on the 

 subject of these " Scowles," respecting which, and all matters connected 

 with Forest history, his long I'esidence in that district and his intimate 

 acquaintance with its peculiarities, especially fit him to be its chronicler. 

 He states, " In conversing with a person some years ago on the means 

 emjjloyed by the 'old men' to procure the mine from these cavities, 

 and to follow it through the narrow crevices in the hard rock to the 

 water-level : he gave it as his belief, that when the cavities contracted 

 so much as to prevent them from getting at the mine, they were in the 

 habit of lighting strong charcoal or wood fires until they had burned the 

 limestone rock into lime, which they slaked and removed, and thus opened 

 a way from one cavity to another, so as to enable them to follow the 

 mine — that there are clear traces in many of the old ' Scowles ' of the 

 employment of such a plan for remoA-ing the rock — that it was efficient, 

 but much more tedious than that of blasting with gunpowder." 



The party proceeded by Wig Pool to the cutting on the Koss road, 

 and thence by Drybrook, Nailridge, and across the Forest to the Speech 

 House. At Drybrook the elaborate and careful section of Messrs. Jones 

 and Lucy was examined throughout, and compared layer by layer, with 

 the original, and found scrupulously correct. I have already directed 

 attention to the propriety of publishing this work, as soon as our funds 

 will pei'mit. 



The members dined together at the Speech House, after which a 

 paper on the "Forest of Dean" was read by Dr. Bird. 



On Thursday, 21st July, the Cotteswold, Malvern, and Woolhope Clubs 

 met at Ross. The programme for the day embraced a boat voyage down 

 the Wye, and a walk by English Bicknor and Symond's Yat to Whitchurch, 

 returning thence, by carriages, to Ross. The Club mustered for breakfast 

 at the Royal Hotel in great force — the numbers somewhat inconveniently 



