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ascent was made at once through the entrance at the west end, 

 the vallum circuited, and a halt called at the north point, where 

 the Secretary claimed the ear of the members, whilst he said a 

 few words descriptive of the camp and the geology of the district. 

 The camp was evidently pre-Roman, and, like most others 

 of the same character, followed the general contour of the hill. 

 It was surrounded by a deep ditch with two aggers, had probably 

 an entrance at the west and also at the east end, and held a very 

 commanding position in the surrounding country. Whether the 

 Romans had subsequentlj- occupied it he was not prepared to say^ 

 as he was not aware of anything of a Roman date having been 

 found here, though as the members well knew the Romans had 

 been there, as traces of them existed all around, e.g., in the names 

 of places, as Stratton-on-the-Fosse ; in their mining operations, as 

 at Charterhouse ; and in the Roman road, which the members 

 would shortly follow. "Whether the long-headed or round-headed 

 people had made this camp he would leave to those who were 

 better acquainted with that subject. A venerable doctor near 

 him might perhaps enlighten them on that point. From archse 

 ology to geology was the next step, and however obscure might 

 be the history of the camp that of the formation of the hill 

 was evident. The blocks around them indicated that they were 

 standing on the Old Red Sandstone, that Palaeozoic formation 

 which constituted the central axis of the Mendips. The members 

 had passed in their morning's ride from the eastern edge of the 

 Bristol coal basin, from the Liassic valleys at Bath over the 

 Inferior Oolite across the Radstock coal basin, and by a gradual 

 ascent over rocks in a descending order until they had crossed 

 the Lower Limestone Shales resting against the axis of the Old 

 Red, which formed as it were the base of the triangular coal 

 field whose apex was Tortworth. From the geological map which 

 was spread out on the gorse they would see that the axis of 

 disturbance ran in a general way from west to east, extending 

 from Ireland on the one hand right away throughout England, 



