MONTACUTE, BRYMPTON, AND PRESTON. IxXXVli. 



PRESTON. 



On leaving Brympton, the Members drove to Preston, 

 where they were entertained at tea by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph 

 Whitby. 



A Business Meeting followed, under the presidency of Captain 

 Elwes, in the regretted absence of the President (Mr. Nelson 

 M. Richardson). 



THE MEMBERSHIP. Two Members were elected, and two 

 candidates for membership nominated. 



THE HEMSWORTH ROMAN PAVEMENT. Mr. H. LE JEUNE 

 gave a few particulars about the very interesting work which has 

 lately been done at Hemsworth, near Wimborne, in uncovering 

 anew a fine space of richly-decorative Roman mosaic in a field 

 belonging to Lord Alington. The tesselation was found and 

 partially uncovered 77 years ago, and then happily covered up 

 again, and so preserved. The excavating on this occasion has 

 been much more extensive, and has revealed detail of rare 

 interest and beauty. One of the main subjects, Mr. Le Jeune 

 stated, was Venus rising out of the Sea (recalling the Greek myth 

 of the origin of Aphrodite, so named from AQpts, foam). Around 

 the goddess appear dolphins, delineated with a marvellous life, 

 grace, and spirit which make them immeasurably superior in 

 artistic merit to those appearing in the Fifehead Neville pave- 

 ment, good though they are. A special effort, he thought, ought 

 to be made to have this exceptionally fine example of Roman 

 tesselation preserved to posterity in some place such as the 

 Dorset County Museum. The Curator (Captain Acland) visited 

 Hemsworth with him and inspected the pavement a few days 

 ago. If not lifted and relaid, it ought certainly, if left in situ, to 

 be covered carefully to save it from the disintegrating influence 

 of the frosts, and also to be fenced round to shield it from 

 damage from above, as it is quite shallow, and perilously near 

 the edge of the ploughshare. He wished it to be known that 

 Mr. Scott Orr and Mr. H. Linklater, of Hemsworth, had done 

 all the excavations with exemplary care and thoroughness. 



