Wednesday, July ith. 299 
the woodwork, the pulpit, and the very nice seats of Elizabethan 
work. 
Thence the carriages proceeded up over the down to KNIGHTON 
LONG BARROW, whereon the company rested for a while enjoying 
the extensive view over the whole surrounding country, and the 
splendid air of the high ground of the Plain. Here Mr. Doran 
Wess again said a few words on long and round barrows, as did 
also the Rev. W. Dowp1nc. From this point the route lay still 
over the down to STONEHENGE, where Mr. Evmunp Srory 
Masketyne demonstrated to the party on his theory of the 
astronomical and Phoenician origin of the structure, his remarks 
meeting with considerable criticism from those who were unable to 
accept his arguments. 
On the way home the carriages were left at VESPASIAN’S CAMP, 
and after the perambulation of the ramparts a walk through the 
beautiful woods and the vale brought the party back to Amesbury. 
At the Evening Conversazione Mr. H. Brakspxrar’s paper on 
recent discoveries on the site of the CHURCH AT LACOCK ABBEY 
came first, and was illustrated by a large ground-plan. 
_ Then followed Mr. E. Srory Masketyne’s paper on Stonehenge, 
promulgating his astronomical theory at length. It was entitled 
“THE PURPOSE, THE AGE, AND THE BUILDERS OF STONE- 
HENGE,” and has to a great extent been already printed in pamphlet 
form as read before the Bath Antiquarian Club. The author held 
that Stonehenge was an observatory erected by the Phcenicians 
about the year 1000 B.C., and that the position of its stones was 
governed by the position of certain stars by means of which its 
date could be accurately fixed. A somewhat animated discussion 
arose on certain points on which the author of the paper was 
hardly in agreement with received archzological opinion. 
_ A third paper, which had been crowded out the previous evening 
owing to the premature closing of the meeting, was that by Masor 
AWLEY, describing excavations made by himself on the sites of 
two Romano-British villages on Rushall Down. 
_ This was read by Mr. W. Hewarp Bett, in the unavoidable 
ubsence of the author, who had been obliged to leave that morning. 
