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SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Aug. 24, 1? 



fulness and beauty. Referring to the most ancient or 

 British period, perhaps the most interesting monument 

 within the verge of their present resources was the vast 

 cromlech near Duffryn, in the parish of St. Nicholas. 

 It was, he believed, one of the largest, if not the largest, 

 of the Druidical remains to be found in the kingdom. 

 Other remains of the same period, devoted to the same 

 object but of smaller dimensions, existed in the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood. But the remains of the British 

 period still in existence were not confined to those of 

 structures devoted to religious purposes. Encampments 

 of greater or less extent, scattered at intervals over large 

 portions of the land of Morgan, served to remind them 

 that their forefathers were not so wholly engrossed in 

 peaceful pursuits as to neglect to guard themselves 

 against the attacks of their enemies. Passing from the 

 British period to the Roman occupation, which com- 

 menced about the middle of the first century of the 

 Christian era by the victory of the Roman general over 

 Caractacus, he remarked that doubtless at the moment 

 the conquest of the British and the captivity of their 

 brave leader were regarded as a terrible national dis- 

 aster ; but by God's providence that event was pro- 

 ductive of the holiest blessing which our land had ever 

 inherited in the first planting of Christianity within its 

 borders, and the seed out of which first sprang the 

 ancient British Church, which from that day to this, 

 notwithstanding many trials, had been continued in un- 

 broken continuity during the past eighteen centuries. 

 But apart from the interest which attached to the intro- 

 duction of Christianity into Britain, regarded in its 

 religious aspect, in some at least of its results it had a 

 peculiar interest for the archaeologist, since there were 

 few objects which he investigated with greater pleasure 

 and satisfaction than the remains of those ancient Chris- 

 tian temples which were raised by our pious forefathers 

 to God's honour and glory. His lordship proceeded to 

 notice some of these remains which were more imme- 

 diately connected with the advent of the Romans, and 

 then passed on to remark that the period that followed 

 the departure of the Romans had few objects of interest 

 for the archaeologist. The northern invaders' rule was 

 unlike that of the Romans and provoked a more obstinate 

 and prolonged resistance. The results of this were still 

 to be seen in the remains of the many Norman and 

 English castles which abounded in that and the neigh- 

 bouring counties of South Wales, and which furnished 

 for the archaeologist some of the most interesting objects 

 of research. Many of the parish churches, he added, 

 would be found interesting on account of their peculiar 

 construction and the various styles of architecture ; and 

 he particularly referred to the Church of St. Iltyd, or 

 Lan twit-Major. He also alluded to some recent dis- 

 coveries at Cardiff Castle, and expressed his best wishes 

 for the success of the present Congress. 



Mr. E. Laws then read a paper on " The Black Friars 

 of Cardiff." 



On Tuesday morning the members started by road for 

 St. Hilary, Old Beaupre, St. Athans, Fonmon, Penmark, 

 Llancarvan, and Llantrithyd. It was a beautiful sum- 

 mer day and the scenic attractions of the country were 

 much enjoyed. One of the first objects of the excursion 

 was Beauper Castle, as it was originally written, which 

 supplies an example of the classic style of architecture 

 engrafted on the Gothic, and where the remains of an 

 ancient Welsh fortress may be traced. The Castle of 

 Fonmon is a large Norman structure, one of the class 



referred to by the Bishop of LlandafF in his inaugural 

 address, but long since modernised and adapted for pre- 

 sent occupation. 



In the evening the following papers were read : — On 

 " English and Welsh Taw in the Marches ;" on " The 

 Norwich Taxation and Diocese of Llandaff," by Arch- 

 deacon Thomas ; and on " The Manor of Llanblithian," 

 by Mr. J. A. Corbett. 



The members on Wednesday visited the ancient vil- 

 lage of St. Bride's Major, and afterwards inspected 

 Ewenny Abbey, the residence of the Turberville family, 

 a Benedictine priory, founded early in the twelfth cen- 

 tury by William de Londres and his son Maurice. The 

 priory contains some of the finest Norman work in 

 Wales. A meeting was held at Cowbridge Town Hall 

 in the evening, under the presidency of the Bishop of 

 Llandaff, when Mr. Stephen Williams read an interesting 

 paper on " The Recent Excavations at Strata Florida 

 Abbey." 



On Thursday an old fortified town was first visited 

 under the guidance of Mr. Thomas Rees, the Mayor, and 

 Mr. Iltyd B. Nicholl, F.S.A. The ruins of St. Quintal's 

 Castle were afterwards inspected, and a visit was paid 

 to Llanmihangel-place and Llantwit-Major, where the 

 ancient monastery was, according to tradition, founded 

 by Garmain (St. Germanus), Bishop of Auxerre, during 

 one of his visits to Britain to counteract the spread of 

 Pelagianism. The village of Marcross and the historic 

 St. Donat's Castle were next visited. In the seventeenth 

 century Archbishop Usher took refuge in the castle, and 

 remained there some months after the collapse of the 

 royal cause at Naseby. The site known as Caer Wrgan, 

 on which the Cardiff Naturalist Society have made some 

 excavations, was examined, and the inscribed crosses of 

 Llantwit-Major were described on the spot by Mr. J. G. 

 Allen, F.S.A. In the evening a paper was read by Mr. 

 Edward Lawson on " St. Fagan's Fight." 



WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 

 The annual meeting of the Wiltshire Archaeological and 

 Natural History Society opened on Aug. 7th at the Town 

 Hall, Calne. The Rev. Archdeacon Buchanan presided. 

 The Rev. A. C. Smith (one of the general hon. sec- 

 retaries) read the annual report, of which the following 

 is an abstract : — The committee recorded steady pro- 

 gress, the number of names on the books being 363, an 

 increase of thirteen during the year. They deplored the 

 death of nine members, including their valued curator, 

 Mr. Henry Cannington. The balance-sheet showed, on 

 Dec. 31st, a balance of ,£195 13s. 5d., but a large por- 

 tion of it would soon be absorbed in defraying the cost 

 of publications which the society had in hand. The 

 society had made a divergence in the direction of pub- 

 lishing a large octavo volume of 5 1 2 pages on the flower- 

 ing plants of Wiltshire, for which it had secured the 

 services of the Rev. T. A. Preston. That volume the 

 society hoped to present to members in the course of 

 a few days. The museum and library had received 

 additions by donations of various sorts and from various 

 quarters. In the work of the society afield they had very 

 important matter to communicate, for, in the extreme 

 south of the county, excavations on a large scale had been 

 made this spring by General Pitt-Rivers, and sections of 

 considerable dimensions had been cut, under the imme- 

 diate direction of that experienced archaeologist, in one 

 of the old boundary ditches, known as " Bokerley Dyke," 



