130 



THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY &> NATURALIST. 



On page 129 he writes : 



At Preston Candover there is an avenue of yew trees 

 probably a mile long, each tree containing, as nearly as I 

 can guess, from 12 to 20 feet of timber, which, as the reader 

 knows, implies a tree of considerable size. They have 

 probably been a century or two in growing. 



CARISBROOKE CASTLE. The Pictorial World for 

 this week contains an interesting historical descrip- 

 tion of Carisbrooke Castle, with some pages of illus- 

 trations, forming No. 13 of a series of " Famous 

 Castles and Abbeys." There is a large double-page 

 general view of the castle, and the smaller sketches 

 12 in number include views of the steps leading to 

 base court and ruins of royal apartments, general 

 view of the interior from the walls, the window 

 through which King Charles I is supposed to have 

 attempted his escape, the keep steps, the great 

 gateway, remains of small domestic chapel built by 

 Isabella de Fortibus, and the donkey well, and a plan 

 of the castle. 



WEATHER REPORT FOR THE WEEK. 

 From the meteorological register made at the Ordnance 

 Survey Office, Southampton, under the direction of Col. Sir 

 Chas. Wilson, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., F.R.S.. R.E. Lat. 50' 

 54' 59" N.; long, i" 24' o" W. ; height above sea, 84 feet. 

 Observers Sergt. T. Chambers, R.E., and Mr. J. T. Cook. 



Black bulbinvacuo. 



THE HAMPSHIRE INDEPENDENT, November 8, 1890. 



EXPLORATIONS AT SILCHESTER. 



The Antiquary for November contains an account 

 by Mr. W. H. St. John Hope of the excavations at 



Silchester, which have now been discontinued for the 

 winter months. A discovery ot very great interest 

 was that of the workmen's tools "including axles, 

 hammers, chisels, gouges, adzes, a large anvil, files, 

 plough-coulters, a long pair ot tongs, and several 

 curious articles of unknown use. But the most valu- 

 able object of all was a large carpenter's plane, the 

 first that has been found in England, and one of the 

 very few, indeed, that have been found in Europe. 

 All these tools, though of iron, are in a most 

 wonderful state of preservation, having rusted only 

 where in contact, and the cutting edges are still quite 

 as sharp as when the objects were placed in the pit.'' 



THE ARMS OF SOUTHAMPTON. 



For some time past I have noticed that the in- 

 habitants are very ignorant as to the correct manner 

 in which the arms of the town, "the three roses," 

 should be depicted ; and I have frequently seen them 

 painted, as decorations on " festive occasions," the 

 upper part red and the lower white, also red roses on 

 a blue ground, and in all sorts of colours, though 

 keeping to the general outline. But I was quite unpre- 

 prepared to find them cut in stone over the main 

 entrance to the Artillery Volunteer Drill Hall, in the 

 disgraceful position of reversed, one rose in the upper 

 portion and two in the lower. Surely this was not in- 

 tentional ? For the benefit of your readers I may here 

 state that the arms as granted to the town by patent, 

 August 4 (17 Eliz.), 1575 ; are Per fesse, argent and 

 gules (red and white), three roses, two in chief and 

 one in base counterchanged. The crest and supporters 

 are usually correctly given, and a good example is 

 to be seen in the Hartley Hall. 



M. 



WEATHER IN OCTOBER. 



The first half of this month has been again beauti- 

 fully fine, and eight days of the fourteen are entered 

 as " fine sunshine." Only -08 inches of rain fell 

 during this time on two days. The six weeks ending 

 October 14 have been a delightfully fine early autumn, 

 such as perhaps is hardly remembered. The total fall 

 of the month has been 1*07, and the average of the 

 previous ten years is 3-65 inches. This is rather 

 more than the average of fifteen years ending 1889, 

 which was 3-44, and which placed October as the 

 wettest month but one, November being the wettest. 

 Since January ist the fall has been 22-96, and the 

 average of the same time is 24-09 inches. Rain fell 

 on eight days. 



The barometer has been again high, and was .30 

 inches and above on twenty-two days. It has showed 

 little variation. The highest was 30-55, and the 

 lowest 29-50 inches. 



The weather was warm during the first two week;;, 



