CHRONICLE. 



257 



described, above fifty years ago, 

 by Pontoppidan, Bishop of Ber- 

 gen, in his History of Norway, 

 and hitherto deemed fabulous, is 

 now fully established. It has been 

 named Halsydms Pontoppidani, or 

 Sea Snake of Pontoppidan. The 

 head, a fin, the collar-bone, and 

 five feet of the back-bone, are ex- 

 pected by the first ship from Ork- 

 ney, these valuable remains having, 

 with much propriety, been pre- 

 sented to the University Museum at 

 Edinburgh, by Gilbert Meason,Esq. 

 on whose property in Stronsa the 

 animal was cast. 



FEBRUARY. 



1. Cambridge. — The late Rev. 

 John Hulse's premiums will this 

 year be given for the best disserta- 

 tion " On the Advantage of Diffi- 

 culties in religion ; and an attempt 

 to show the good Effects which 

 result from the proofs of Revela- 

 tion being of a probable, rather 

 than of a demonstrative kind." 



In excavating the reservoir for 

 the Colchester water-works, some 

 vestiges of Roman baths were 

 lately found. Since that period, in 

 proceeding with the works, the 

 workmen fell in with a quantity of 

 Roman pavement, and, what is ex- 

 traordinary, beneath that some oak 

 framing, almost perfectly sound, 

 although it must have laid there 

 above a thousand years. By in- 

 spection it appears that it had 

 been previously charred, asthe crust 

 was on it when first dug up. It is 

 therefore evident, that charring of 

 timber, to make it last underground, 

 was known to the Romans. Amidst 

 some fragments of porcelain found, 

 was one vessel of most excellent 

 Vol. LI. 



workmanship and classical taste, 

 the outside of which was highly 

 embossed with basso relievo, divided 

 into different departments, in two 

 of which were Diana and Faunus, 

 on pedestals, facing each other, 

 Diana, in her left hand, holds a 

 boy, and in the right the two fore- 

 feet of a leveret, standing in an 

 upright posture against her. The 

 attitude of Faunus is nearly that of 

 the antique Antinous ; a wreath of 

 a mask and plumes of feathers hang 

 between the two. In two other 

 departments are the stags at bay 

 with the dogs. Between this de- 

 partment, and the before-described 

 rsa long upright one, with a tripod 

 in the center, and an eagle hovering 

 over the flame, with a plume of 

 feathers erect on its back. In two 

 other departments are Cupid sacri- 

 ficing, in the act of pouring some- 

 thing from a vessel on the altar ; 

 round the border of this depart- 

 ment is studded with imitations of 

 diadems ; in two other departments 

 are represented the great wild bear 

 passant, capitally executed; towards 

 the cornice, or towards the upper 

 edge or opening of the vessel, is a 

 rich canopy, ornamented all round ; 

 on the bottom and sides of the de- 

 partments are plumes of feathers 

 studded with ornaments like mace. 

 It is nearly the colour of dark cor- 

 nelian, has been hardened by fire, 

 and is almost as dense as flint. 

 Most of the coins dug up are of 

 Claudius, Ccesar Augustus, and 

 others of the Emperor Trajanus, 

 Antoninus Pius, and Divus Anto- 

 ninus, and many others hardly dis- 

 tinguishable from their state of cor- 

 rosion ; also silver gilt instruments 

 used in the sacrifices. 



^3. Court of King's Bench. — 

 The King v. Beaumont. — This 



S was 



