4 REPORT — 1866. 



Devonian rocks of the district generally. No such masses were found on the 

 floor of the Gallerj'. 



The overlying black mould previously mentioned was found everywhere 

 both in the Chamber and in the Passage of Urns; but not in the Gallery, except 

 quite at the entrance, where there was a mere trace. It has continued to 

 yield a large series of such articles as were mentioned in the First Report, 

 few of which require to be particularized. The most interesting additions to 

 the collection from tliis deposit are a series of spindle-whorls, a polishing 

 stone, and a portion of a cake of smelted copper. 



The whorls are six in number, and, unlike any of tliose mentioned in the 

 First lleport, are all formed of slate. Four of them are highly finished, and 

 two are somewhat elaborately ornamented, but in different styles or patterns. 

 No two of them are of the same size. The ornamented two were found lying 

 together. Mr. Franks, of the liritisli Museum, to whom they have been sub- 

 mitted, states that " the pattern on one of them resembles that on British 

 pottery." 



The " polishing stone " is a quadrantal fragment of an oblate spheroidal 

 pebble of fine-grained qnartzite, probably derived, directly or indirectly, from 

 the famous " pebblc-bcd " occurring in the Triassic cliff immediately west of 

 Budleigh 8altcrton, about thirteen miles nortli-casterly from tlie cavern. One 

 of the flattened or polar surfaces, and also one of those at right angles to it, 

 formed by the fracture of the stone, have undergone a considerable amount of 

 artificial polish, as if they had been used in grinding, sharpening, or polish- 

 ing. The stone was found under a large block of limestone, measuring 18 

 inches in thickness, and cemented with stalagmite to other such blocks. 



The piece of copper difl'ers from that mentioned in the Fii'st Ecport only in 

 being smaller. 



Some of the pottery found recently is so rotten as scarcely to hear handling, 

 and when placed in water it resolves itself into a coarse mud. 



As has been already observed, it was stated in the Eeport sent in last year 

 that in a few instances the floor of stalagmite did not extend quite across 

 the Chamber. Tliesc gaps entirely ceased at about 42 feet from the external 

 entrance, so that in the innermost 20 feet of the Chamber, as well as through- 

 out the entire GaUery, stalagmite occurred everywhere in unbroken continuity. 

 Its level, however, instead of being uniformly the same, was, on the southern 

 side of the Chamber, invariably somewhat lower than on the northern side. 

 In other words, immediately in front or east of the Gallery, it suddenly sank 

 below the general level which it attained elsewhere ; but was, nevertheless, 

 perfectly continuous with that which covered the other parts of the Chamber, 

 without any indication of a line of fracture or severance. The Gallery pos- 

 sessed two such floors, or, as they were termed by way of distinction, a " floor" 

 and a "ceiling." The former or lowermost, like that elsewhere, rested 

 immediately on the red cave-earth, and towards its base gradually became 

 a strong breccia. It varied from 3 inches to upwards of 2 feet in thickness, 

 and was strictly a continuation of that part of the floor of the Chamber with 

 Avhich it was directly connected, and of which it was the immediate prolon- 

 gation — that part, in f;ict, just stated to have been somewhat below the 

 common level. The " ceiling," or uppermost floor, was of greater thiclcness. 

 It extended from wall to wall across the Gallery without further support than 

 that furnished by its own inherent cohesion. Its level was that of the general 

 or comparatively high floor of the Chamber of which it was a continuation. 

 Indeed a vertical north and south section through it showed that, at the 



