108 REMAINS OF STONEHENGE. 



line of the circumference, so that there must have been more of wall than 

 of open space, in the proportion of 6f to 5. The imposts are fixed upon 

 the uprights throughout, by the contrivance called a tenon and mortise; 

 the ends of the uprights being hewn into tenons or projections, and 

 corresponding hollows being excavated in the imposts. They are oval 

 or egg shaped. Of course, there are two tenons on each upright, and two 

 mortises in each of the imposts, which are of the same number with the 

 uprights. The principal workmanship must have been bestowed upon 

 these fittings ; for, although the marks of the hewer's tool are visible upon 

 the other parts of the stones, their surface has been left, upon the whole, 

 rude and irregular. They are made to taper a little towards the top ; but 

 even in this respect they are not uniform. Within this great circle there 

 is another, formed by stones, not much smaller, but also much ruder in 

 their outline; of these there had originally been 40, but only 20 of them 

 can now be traced. This circle has never had any imposts; it is about 

 84 feet in diameter, and consequently the interval between it and the 

 outer circle is 8 feet. 



The next enclosure has been formed of only 10 stones; but they are 

 of very majestic height, exceeding that of the outer circle. They have 

 been disposed in five pairs, and in the form of a half-oval, or rather of a 

 horseshoe; the upper part, facing the north end or great door; the two 

 pairs, at the termination of the curve, which are distant from each other 

 about 40 feet, are each sixteen feet three inches in height ; but the height 

 of the next two pairs, is 17 feet 2 inches; and that of the last pair, the 

 station of which has been directly facing the opening, was twenty one feet 

 and a half. A striking effect must have been produced by this ascending 

 elevation. A variety and a lightness must also have been given to the 

 structure, by the arrangement of the stones here, not at equal distances, 

 as in the two exterior rows, but in pairs; the intervals between each two 

 pairs being much greater than that between the two stones composing 

 each pair. The uprights of this row have imposts over them, as in the 

 outer circle. One of these imposts is 16 feet 3 inches long ; of course the 

 imposts here not forming a continuous architrave, are only five in 

 number. Of the five pairs, or rather trilithons (that is, combinations of 

 three stones), although some of the shafts have been injured and mutilated, 

 all are still in their places, except the fifth, or that which faced the 

 entrance: this trilithon fell down on the 3rd January, 1797, and the 

 atones now encumber a flat one, of about 15 feet in length, which lay at 

 their base. Lastly, there appears to have been a fourth enclosure, 

 formed originally (as Stockely thinks) of 19 stones, but only 11 now 



