ANCIENT CHAMliEREL) TUMULI. 43 



feet in height and a few yards in dimension, to those 

 which, like the celebrated structure at Grave Creek, in 

 Virginia, rise to the height of seventy feet, and measure 

 1,000 feet in circumference round the base. There is a 

 great mound in the vicinity of Miamisburg, Montgomery 

 County, Ohio, which is sixty-eight feet in perpendicular 

 height, and 852 feet in circumference at the base, and con- 

 taias 311,353 cubic feet of earth. The great mound at 

 Selserstown, Mississippi, is computed to Cover six acres 

 of ff round. These we may compare to Silbury Hill, near 

 Avebury ; but the usual dimensions are considerably less, 

 ranging from six to thirty feet in perpendicular height, by 

 forty to 100 feet diameter at the base. In North America 

 they are composed of earth and stone, and sometimes of 

 both combined. 



Before proceeding to describe the tumulus at Wellow, I 

 would first give from Mr. Skinner's correspondence with 

 Mr. Douglas, author of the Ncen. Brit, the result of the 

 opening of some tumuli, which are of interest, as relating 

 to this county. 



" Tumulus opened by the Eev. J. Skinner, of Camerton, 

 Jan. 16, 1818." (See letter to the Rev. J. Douglas, col- 

 lection of letters in Literary and Scientific Institution, 

 Bath.) 



The tumulus was situated at the northern extremity of 

 the parish of Camerton, bordering on Farnborough Down, 

 at a place called Wall Mead. vVorkmen were employed 

 above a week in making a diagonal section from east to 

 west, expecting to find a eist in the centre. The tumulus 

 measured sixty paces in circumference, and about ten feet 

 in height, and was composed entirely of stones, taken from 

 the quarries in the neighbourhood. Two men were em- 

 ployed upwards of a fortnight in the trench, which was 



