REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 2B 



the teeth of the elephant found in the neighbourhood, and also a Palieolithio 

 flint implement, the only one found in that locality. Probably many others had 

 been broken up for the roads. It was a rough flint, and evidently formed before 

 the art of gi-inding was invented. It therefore took them back to the earliest 

 time, and there could be no doubt that it was with such instruments as the one 

 shown that iire-historic men who lived in the valley of the Nene killed the 

 elephant and other animals. It was a most remarkable specimen, and he 

 considered it the gem of Lady Huntly's beautiful collection. After the pre- 

 historic tribes, probably what they might call the British population, their 

 successors, inhabited that part of England. They were, no doubt, excellent 

 potters, and gained the reputation of '' the great potteries of the Durobrivte," 

 which, he supjiosed, were inhabited by people who might have lived along the 

 banks of the Nene for ten or twelve miles. The greatest quantity of remains 

 had been found at Castor, on the north side of the river, and at Chesterton on 

 the south. After the British came the Komans, and the very beautiful 

 specimens of pottery on the table were of that pei'iod. The subjects depicted 

 were the chase — an admirable representation of hare and hounds. There were 

 no better siaecimens, he thought, anywhere. Perhaps one at Colchester, however, 

 might claim superiority. It was a very imi)ortant thing for this district that 

 Lady Huntly had paid so much attention to collecting. Her library was very 

 valuable, and so was her collection, and he was glad that at last Peterborough had 

 tried to compete with her by founding a library and museum. No doubt the 

 competition would be productive of good results. It was diSicult to say what 

 was the relation of Peterborough to Orton and Castor. Roman remains had 

 lately been found in Peterborough, and no doubt as further excavations were 

 made greater results would appear. It was supposed there was no Roman 

 occupation of Peterborougli, but that was entirely a mistake. He thought it 

 was probable that the British Road passed througli Peterborough, and that the 

 famous Roman Road, Ermin Street, which passed near Orton, Castor, and 

 Chesterton, was really a deviation from the main line of work, and 

 intended to give access to the very important potteries in the district. 

 On all parts of the Continent the Durobrivie pottery was valued for 

 its quality and colour. Instead of baking clay in the ordinary way the 

 ancient Britons, and their successors the Romans, mixed chaff or grain 

 with the clay, and ournt it in a kiln to carbonise the whole and give it a black 

 aiipearance. They also invented the important process of closing the kiln after the 

 pottery was nearly baked and letting the smoke colour the productions. The 

 dark colour in the specimens before him was really produced in that curious 

 manner. He had a map, to which he drew attention, showing the direction of 

 Ermin Street. There was quite a straight line irom London to Huntingdon, where 

 there was a sudden turn to the left. The Romans always tried to make their 

 road as direct as possible, and the deviation may have been caused by the Fen 

 water troubling them ; but as soon as they got to ahill they went perfectly straight 

 to Castor. After passing the bend in the river at Peterborough they paused to make 

 anotherturnnear Barnack, and so on to Stamford. It appeared as if the Romans 

 deviated from their rule of making straight roads in order to get access to the 

 important quarries at Barnack. The Romans travelled on horseback, and had 

 stations every seven or eight miles. They had a complete line of way from Con- 

 stantinople to Rome, from Rome to Boulogne, and thence across in boats to 

 Sandwich or Dover. Evidence still remained of that passage, so that he was not 

 speaking from hearsay. Anybody could examine those Roman roads and be 

 perfectly certain of their identity. He though it was very important that the 

 subjects discussed by such societies as theirs should have a real basis in fact. 

 They had the advantage of beautiful objects collected by Lady Huntly with a 

 great deal of care, and the works of an artist and writer of the neighbourhood, so 

 that everything presented to their notice that evening was an absolute fact, and 

 no theory at all. If they looked at the map they would see the Roman stage 

 from Dover to London, the place where .Tulius Ctesar landed near Deal, and they 

 would find it passed through the town of Canterbury, over Rochester Bridge, and 

 touched the Thames embankment. Bcfoi'c the Romans came to England there 



