REMAINS OF STONEHEXGE. 109 



remain entire or in fragments. These seem also to have been arranged 

 in the shape of a half-oval, with the open part, a-s in the case of the other, 

 to the north east. Although greatly inferior in height to those last 

 described, they are still taller than those of the second circle. The most 

 perfect, according to Sir R. C. Hoare (see his History of, South Wilts, 

 London, 1812), is seven and a half feet high, and 23 inches wide at the 

 base, and twelve at the top. Like the second circle this row has never 

 had any imposts. 



A variety of absurd legends are connected with the origin and purposes 

 of this erection; but it is now universally ad mitted., that the view taken of 

 its origin, by Stockely (1740), is the correct one, viz: that it is a 

 Druid ical temple of the ancient Britons. It has also been the subject of 

 wonder how the immense stones came there this has been set at rest by 

 Sir R. C. Hoare, who proves that those of the outer circle, and the five 

 trilithons of the grand oval, are of the same kind with those which are 

 found in different parts of the surface of the Wiltshire downs, and are 

 there called Sarsen Stones, i. e., stones taken from their native quarry in 

 their rude state they being a fine grained species of silicious sandstone. 

 Those forming the smaller circle and the smaller oval, are again quite 

 different. Some are an aggregate of quartz, feldspar, chlorite, and 

 horneblende; one is a silicious schist; others are hornstone, intermixed 

 with small specks of feldspar and pyrites. What is called the altar, 

 being the stone now covered by the centre trilithon, is a micaceous fine 

 grained sandstone. It is still a matter of speculation by what mechanical 

 power they were placed in their situations. At Averbury, in the same 

 county, there are also some remains of what is supposed to have been the 

 largest Celtic, or Druidical temple in Europe. 



THE HISENBERG, (GIANT'S CASTLE) IN FRANCONIA. It is a rock of 

 most stupendous height, and the number of recesses, windows, arches, 

 rooms, &.c. in its interior is truly astonishing. But the attention is 

 forcibly struck with a most singular freak of nature, the form of a human 

 being of gigantic dimensions, in the rocky roof of one of the halls the 

 head, limbs, and ribs are distinctly developed. The castle derives its 

 name from this figure. 



