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end extended to the penultimate grinder of the adult. 

 This bone was wiiitc, all the otliers of a sand colour. 

 The bones of infants being soft, they jM-obably decay 

 sooner, which miiiht be the cause so few were found 

 here. I proceeded then to make a perpendicular cut 

 through tlie body of the barrow, that 1 might examine 

 its internal structure. This passed about three feet 

 from its centre, was opened to the former surface of the 

 earth, and was wide enough for a man to walk through 

 and examine its sides. At the bottom, that is, on the 

 level of the circumjacent plain, I found bones; above 

 these a few stones, brought from a clitf a quarter of a 

 mile off, and from the river one-eighth of a mile off; 

 then a large interval of eartli, then a stratum of bones, 

 and so on. At one end of the section were four strata 

 of bones plainly distinguishable; at the other, three;- 

 the strata in one part not ranging with those in another. 

 The bones nearest the surface were least decayed. No 

 holes were discovered in any of them, as if made with 

 bullets, arrows, or other weapons. I conjectured that 

 in this barrow miirht have been a thousand skeletons.—^ 

 Every one will readily seize the circumstances above 

 related, which militate against the opinion, that it cover- 

 ed the bones only of persons fnlien in battle ; and 

 against the tradition also, which would make it the 

 connnon sepulclire of a town, in which the bodies were 

 placed upright, and touching each other. Appearances^ 

 certainly indicate that it has derived both origin and 

 growth from the accustomary collection of bones, and- 

 deposition of them together ; that the first collection 

 had been deposited on the common surface of the earth, 

 a few stones put over it, antl then a covering of earth, 

 that the second had been laid on this, had covered more 

 or less of it in proportion to the number of bones, and 

 was then also covered with earth ; and so on. The fol- 

 lowing are the particular circumstances wjiich give it 

 this aspect. 1. The number of bones. 2. Their con- 

 fused position. 3. Their being in different strata. 4. 

 The strata in one part liaving no correspondence with' 

 tiiose i-n another. 5. The different states of decay ii> 



