160 Recent ExcAVATIONS AT BIRRENS. 
lines, however, are conjectural only to a very limited extent, as in 
every instance evidence more or less conclusive of the situation 
occupied was found. 
The buildings with their intervening streets form a rectan- 
gular block, measuring 500 feet from north to south, and 300 
from east to west; and the interior of the station when complete 
would extend to about 4 acres. 
A principal street crosses the station from the east gateway 
to the west, dividing it into two unequal parts, embracing respec- 
tively two-fifths and three-fifths of the area. Another leads from 
the north gateway to the south end, and marks the station longi- 
tudinally into two equal and almost uniformly arranged 
divisions. ‘'lhis street is divided at the centre of the station by a 
building, supposed to be the praetorium (XII. on plate Ia.), round 
which it is carried, one-half on either side. The building in this 
way stands out separately. 
No minor streets are found in the southern division, but 
eavesdrops intervene between the different blocks of buildings. 
In the north division three subsidiary streets run from the east 
side to the west ; and eavesdrops alternate with these. 
The buildings appear to be grouped according to the several 
purposes they were intended to serve; and those conjectured to 
be meant for administrative and other more special ends occupy 
the main street between the east and west gateways. The 
praetorium is the most prominent, and probably also the most in- 
teresting. The walls are 2 feet 10 inches thick, strengthened with 
buttresses. In the south one is the entrance gateway, which 
shows the seats of the scuntions, and two stone-posts for stopping 
the gate. This leads into an open court, floored with charac- 
teristic irregular polygonal pieces of stone fitted together, and 
provided with a drain all round for carrying off the surface water. 
At the west side of the court is the public well, 18 feet deep and 
4 feet 4 inches diameter, yielding water for the supply of the 
station. It is built of dressed stones in regular courses, and the 
bottom is paved with cobbles over a bed of well-tempered clay. 
On the east and west sides of the court was a narrow apartment, 
and on the north a verandah, supported on slender pillars of wood 
or iron, and an arcade of seven bays behind it, had extended across 
the building from east to west. Remains, partly zn set, partly 
in fragments lying on the pavement, prove that square piers, with 
