526 Notes on Urns and Cists found at Amhle. 



gradually sloping down to the edges. Over this in the slow 

 course of centuries, the sand had drifted to a depth of five to six 

 feet, and then on this had accumulated a thin bed of mould, 

 mantled o'er with turf and flowers, that give no indication that 

 beneath it was " fraught with the relics of humanity." 



I afterwards heard that a very large urn had been found 

 during the earlier excavations, and was fortunate enough to 

 discover a fragment of it. It had been crushed by the falling 

 in of the covering stone, and the pieces thrown away as useless, 

 excepting one which had been taken home by one of the work- 

 men. It is sufficiently large to determine the size when whole. 

 (Plate IV. fig. 2.) The segment is 14 inches, giving a diameter 

 of 10 J inches, outside the lip ; the height 7 inches, gives a 

 probable total height of 1 1 inches. The inside from about two 

 inches from the top is blackened by the action of fire, and the 

 clay which is half an inch thick, is burnt black through half its 

 thickness. Evidently it had been used for cremation. The 

 ornamentation is exactly like that of Plate iii. fig. 3, except that 

 the top of the lip has the zig-zag markings, the same as on the 

 sides. 



I also learned that a sword-shaped weapon had been found, 

 and was in the possession of a blacksmith in the place. On 

 making enquiry about it, it could not be found. It had been 

 left lying about as a thing of no importance, and it was supposed 

 his children had carried it off and lost it. From the description 

 he gave me of it, it had evidently been bronze. The length of 

 it was about 18 inches, by 2 or 2^ inches in width ; ridged down 

 the middle, and having thus a double edge. Tlie point was 

 lancet shaped, so that it had probably been a spear head. There 

 was nothing to shew how it could have been fastened to a handle. 



The urn, Plate in. fig. 4. was the last found. Mr Park, by 

 whom it was disinterred, has furnished me with the particulars 

 as follows. The grave, unlike the others, lay North and South, 

 and was of the usual character, about 4 feet long, 2 feet high 

 and 2J feet broad, one large flat stoae forming the cover. The 

 bottom was formed of flat stones, in this respect also differing 

 from the others, which had the natural clay or rock as a bottom. 

 The urn embedded in sand which had drifted in, was at the 

 north end, and nearly in the middle, and in an inverted position. 

 It measures 20 inches in circumference, 5 inches diameter inside 

 of the mouth, the lip being | of an inch broad, with a single 



