BY THE KEY. BR. HOOPPELL. 129 



either end, the whole area is paved with flag-stones. The pav- 

 ing is bounded on the east, south, and west sides by a line of 

 massive squared stones sunk in the earth, not a few of which have 

 been worn into deep depressions by the passage over them of in- 

 numerable feet, and, at a distance from these massive stones of 

 from three to four feet, a continuous line of channelled stones, 

 around the same three sides, carried off the rain from the side 

 paths lying between them and the outer sunken blocks, and from 

 the paved area in the centre. Other accompanying drainage 

 arrangements were complete. It was interesting to see how 

 perfectly they acted the first time this ancient pavement was 

 directly exposed to violent rain after the lapse of more than a 

 thousand years. The writer was present when this occurred, 

 and saw the flood disappear from the old Koman market-place, 

 throughout its entire extent, as completely and as rapidly as it 

 does from a modern street, although the area was surrounded 

 with a bank of earth as yet unexcavated of from three to four 

 feet in height. 



It was on the floor of the forum that the pillars and fragments 

 of pillars already mentioned were found. They were lying in 

 and about the channelling on the west side. There were in all, 

 in whole or part, three pillars. They bore evident marks of 

 having been exposed to fierce flames. They were in close proxi- 

 mity to one of the most interesting features of this remarkable 

 spot, a wall completely prostrate, but unbroken, save at the ex- 

 tremities, lying flat upon the forum, and covering about a sixth 

 of its whole area. (Plate YI. ; and jv, Plate XIII.) 



This wall had evidently been the south wall of a lofty build- 

 ing situated on the northern side of the forum, the prsetorium, 

 in my opinion, while the town was Roman. It had stood, in all 

 probability, for a while after the final destruction of the Station, 

 and then, in some great gale from the north-west, had snapped 

 from its foundations, and fallen in one piece. I am led to con- 

 clude thus from the fact that there are a few inches of soil, iu 

 some places perhaps a foot or nearly a foot of soil, between it 

 and the pavement of the forum. Tlie first few courses also are 

 standing upright in their original position. The height of this 



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