216 ANCIENT REMAINS IN ARRAN. 



moor, gave no result "whatever; the position of the centre 

 and course of the circumference were in this case, as in that 

 of No. 9, mere matters of conjecture. This excavation ex- 

 hausted our day; it was nearly dark when we left the 

 ground, and there was now no time left to examine the last 

 circle, No. 10. I regretted this the less, that it had a tossed 

 appearance as if it had been opened in more than one place, 

 perhaps in the hope of finding treasure concealed in a spot 

 round which there hung a certain amount of sanctity. 



102. Mr Paterson having organized a force at Brodick 

 under the chief forester, next day was given to the supposed 

 site of a circle in Glen Shant, but without any result. The 

 small granite circle and pillared slab at the summit-level of 

 the Lamlash road (Art. 70) were then examined. Here, within 

 the circuit of the four blocks, and at a small depth, I found 

 a cist 26 inches long, 11 wide, and 10^ deep, cut out of the 

 solid sandstone rock, and fitted by a lid. In it there were 

 bone fragments and black earth, in the soil over it some rude 

 flint ai-row-heads. At the standing stone we found nothing. 



The day turning out very wet and stormy in the after- 

 noon, I was unable to carry out my plan of examining some 

 of the monoliths about Brodick as those on Mayish farm, 

 and that by the road-side at Invercloy. It would be 

 interesting to determine whether they ai-e true monoliths, 

 or the remains of circles; whether monumental, or com- 

 memorative of a battle or the judicial combat. Human 

 remains, or those of weapons, would mark these purposes; 

 the non-existenoe of any remains would probably merely 

 indicate a boundary or be commemorative of a treaty of 

 amity that neither party " would pass this pillar for harm" 

 to the other.* 



103. All the objects found during the excavations were 

 presented, by the desire of his Grace the late Duke of 

 Hamilton, to the Scottish Antiquarian Society, and may be 



* Genesis xxxi. 51, 52. 



