1883.] R. R. Bayne — 'Excaimtlons on site of Old Fort William. 43 



The longitudinal section of this pipe excavation shewed on its sides 

 the undisturbed natural soil sloping either way : above this it was filled 

 in with a mixture of loose bricks, mortar, broken plaster and earth. 

 It all lay very loosely packed towards the bottom : the bricks, as they 

 lay tumbled in, ,were full of cavities, between some of which I could 

 see in several inches or probe a stick as much as a foot : towards the bottom 

 there was a greater mixture of loose earth than towards the top : the bottom 

 to which I excavated and at which the filling of bricks ceased was at water 

 line or S'S"" below road level. 



The excavation here, and the appearance of the trench, gave me the 

 impression that the looseness of the filling might be due to some such cause 

 as the decay of bodies laid in first, causing a cavity, which, if of a few inches 

 only, would allow the soil immediately above it to follow in and consequent- 

 ly He loosely packed. There was not a vestige of a bone, but 125 years 

 .would, I presume, destroy all traces of even bones in a soil saturated with 

 water. The bottom of the trench, the part in which bodies would lie, was 

 excavated by me with the light only of oil torches and I of course could 

 only very indifterently examine the soil, added to which the water pipe 

 layers could give me no time. 



The trench was at an angle, and to any one standing behind it, at the 

 point at which the excavation cut it, the salient would be to his right, 

 shewing that the centre of the gateway was south, — how far I cannot ven- 

 ture a guess, — of the small fountain erected at this place. The ditch was 

 to the east of this fountain, the bottom of the slopes 43 feet to the east 

 of its centre. 



I am inclined to think that the position of the fountain is, north or 

 south, not very far ofE the centre line of the gateway. 



About 56 feet within this temporary Ravelin of earthwork, I found a 

 sloping wall of brickwork, 2'-6'' thick, following the same direction, and 27'-6" 

 east, or in advance of, the east curtain or gate : from this I infer that there 

 was an outer wall covering the entrance to the Fort. 



The excavation of this trench for the pi23ing has been completed and 

 has settled that the face of the eastern gate is still further to the south. 

 Inside it I find at a distance of 17 feet the inner wall already found 

 behind the northern curtain and the noi'thern end of the east curtain : 

 beyond it, again, I find at 11 feet a verandah wall as already described by 

 me and wanting in all but the small gateway at the N. W. corner. 



At a distance of 175'-0" within this, I found some of the foundations 

 of the Governor's House : in my map 1 have conjectured this and placed it 

 160 feet within the gatewciy, so that I am not very far out of position ; to 

 the north I have not examined the walls nor do I intend to do so as this is 

 not important enough to search for, but should be recorded when further 

 excavations are made. 



