L 33 ] 



friction. This was highly important, in that its presence 

 suggested that the few pieces of polished stone, which had been 

 found in and about the caujp from time to time, had been gi'ound 

 on the spot, and not, as had been suggested, that the chipped 

 flints were polished elsewhere ; thougla he certainly should be glad 

 to see more extensive proofs that this was the case by the presence 

 of a grinder's shop among the many chipping places that were still 

 left on Cissbury. It was also worthy of remark that with reference 

 to the dehydration, oxidation, or separation of the silica of the flint, 

 or whatever it was that caused the alteration of colour to flints 

 exposed on or near the surface on chalk soil, that in the first few 

 feet all were so patinated to the depth, varying from the thickness 

 of a sheet of paper to an eighth of an inch, and that the lower 

 down the shaft they found them the less they were whitened. For 

 instance, those occurring in the red earth deposit at eight feet were 

 no more than just discoloured, whilst the few found at 15 feet, and 

 below, were as fresh as the day they were fashioned from the 

 natui'al sponge. All the stones, however, in the red earth deposits 

 were covered instead with a crust of carbonate of lime which was 

 easily detached by water and scraping. It was curious that the 

 analysis of the two colours of flint had shown no appx-eclable 

 difi"erence in degree of silica and lime, as it was only in chalk 

 districts that this was observed, the implements of the drift type 

 and others found on sandy soils retaining their original colour to a 

 high degree. This dehydration took place on the upper surface. 



As to the occurrence of these remains at the various levels, the 

 first two feet presented such appearances as one would expect to 

 find in other parts of the camp. The chalk rubble deposit also 

 extended over the part of the camp beyond the area of the shaft, 

 and was not remarkable for much, except that it contained charcoal 

 and flint implements. But when they came to the red earth deposits, 

 they had two veiy marked periods of the temporary cessation of 

 the filling in of the shaft ; they both presented such characters as 

 one would expect to find if these levels were occupied as flint work- 

 shops by the tribe who had sunk the shaft after they had nearly or 

 completely worked out the flint and partly filled it in. They were, 

 in the first place, trough-shaped, deeper in the centre than at the 

 sides, and the material appeared to be much trodden ; fi-agments of 

 charcoal were observed, and very numerous in both cases were the 



