325 



solid mode of construction, may be the more ancient.* The 

 author himself thinks that the fact of the same sort of structures 

 being found in Venta Silurum, the Caerwent of to-day, (1) rather 

 indicates a more ancient date. He says (p. 30) that Venta being 

 situated farther east than Caerleon, must have been occupied 

 before Isca (Caerleon, in South Wales) ; Isca, however, was only, 

 after the second half of the 2nd century, the head quarters of 

 the second Legion, (2) which took part in the construction of 

 the wall of Hadrian. The same Legion also built the walls of 

 Isca, a fact which is beyond all doubt, and from this the writer 

 of this paper draws the further conclusion, that Glevum too is 

 a work of the second Legion. This conclusion is very unsafe ; 

 up till now, no tiles have been found in Gloucester bearing the 

 mark of any Legion, nor any stone bearing an inscription : (3) 

 on one single facing-stone only of the wall structure, has been 

 found a smooth place which had been destined for, and probably 

 once bore, an inscription, of which, however, no trace remains. 

 From reasons of another kind, however, which the author has 

 not, and cotdd not very well have known, it is highly probable 

 that Glevum was one of the oldest Colonies of the south of 

 Britain. A glance at the map shews us Camulodunum 

 (Colchester) in the east, and Glevum (Gloucester) in the west, 

 almost exactly under the same degree of latitude. 



* The herring-lone masonry at Gloucester forms the upper part only of the 

 wall. It must therefore be later than the grouted masonry below it. J, B. 



(1) Compare C.I.L. (vii, p. 37) at the conclusion of the Chapter on Isca. 



(2) C.I.L. vii, p. 37. 



(3) The only monument with an inscription mentioned by Mr. Bellows, 

 (p. 13, plate 2) is a fragment of red, so-called, Samian Pottery, with a mark on the 

 outside (as on the pieces joined together on the C.I.L. vii, 1337.) 



M. F. G EMIX.M 



It is, perhaps, identical with the mark GEMIN C.I.L. vii, 1337-36, and means 



M.F(lavi) Gemin(i) M(anv). Inside of such pottery we frequently find the mark 

 Grmini, or Gemini M(anu), or GrminCm) f(ecit), compare C.I.L. vii, 1336, 477. 

 There are six other marks of pottery which Mr. B. does not give. On this occasion 

 he laughs at the arnvsing affectation of the Antiquaries who avoid the term 

 " Samian Pottery,'' whilst we call Porcelain manufactured in Worcester or Sevres, 

 " China." The difference, however, is that our porcelain is intended to represent 

 and to replace the Chinese, whilst the red Samian pottery never had such pretension 

 with regard to the Samian. 



