Nov. 9, 1888.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



477 



filled with minute crystals having the exact appearance of 

 water, the illusion only being discovered by touch. To 

 see this formation alone would well repay the visitor for 

 the trouble experienced in reaching it. 



"The third branch, to the left of the last described, is 

 comparatively small, and consists of a narrow winding 

 passage, at the end of which is an almost circular 

 chamber, being the main part of the branch. It contains 

 a good collection of stalactites and stalagmites, and also 

 some fine coral-like beds, the floor being of a crystallised 

 dripstone. Fossilised bone deposits are found in some 

 parts of the cave, a few specimens of which I brought 

 down for examination. The roots of the Kurrajong tree, 

 growing 50 ft. overhead, appear through the roof of the 

 cave, and seem to take root again below the floor, some 

 of them having a thick coating of lime. This cave in 

 some respects resembles very much the Imperial and 

 Lucas caves of Jenolan — the former in the fineness, 

 transparency, and delicacy of its stalactitic structures ; 

 and the latter in some of its spacious and lofty chambers ; 

 and I may safely add that some of its formations, a proper 

 description of which it would be difficult to give, if seen 

 by the aid of the magnesium wire or other such light, 

 would be proved to be quite equal to some of the best 

 found at the far-famed Jenolan Caves. I may add that 

 this discovery cannot be over-estimated, and it adds im- 

 mensely to the interest of the Whombeyan Caves for 

 those desirous of studying the wonderful and beautiful 

 phenomena of the ancient subterraneous river channels 

 hollowed out of the massive marble and limestone. 



" In conclusion, I may state that as time and circum- 

 stances permit, further explorations will be carried out, 

 it being my firm belief that other large chambers exist 

 connected with this cave." 



— ^>»^><^Jtf-» — 



ROMAN REMAINS AT LLANTWIT- 

 MAJOR. 



LLANTWIT-MAJOR, or more correctly, from a 

 Welsh point of view, Caerworgan or Caerwrgan, 

 is a quaint little agricultural town in Glamorganshire. 

 It consists almost entirely of queer-looking cottages, 

 arranged in a most curious and irregular manner in the 

 crooked streets, with nice little gardens back and front. 

 Llantwit contains many ancient fragments pleasing to 

 the antiquary. It is accessible from the Cowbridge 

 station on the Great Western Railway, and is also an 

 agreeable drive of about eighteen miles from Cardiff. 



Situated a mile to the northward of Llantwit is a field, 

 which, on entering, does not strike the visitor by exhibit- 

 ing anything extraordinary or different from any ordinary 

 pasture or meadow ; but on rounding a haystack, peculiar 

 inequalities of the surface attract attention, and a line of 

 large pieces of rock, resembling stones for building, 

 indicate that something is going on, and on wending our 

 way in that direction, we observed a trench extending 

 some distance, large heaps of earth, stones, and sun- 

 dries showing us at once that some extensive excavating 

 operations were going on, and from a tent in the field 

 were evidently still in progress. Looking around, we 

 could not help thinking, whatever could have induced 

 any one to come to this out-of-the-way spot, and when 

 there, what was it made them think of digging for Roman 

 remains ; and as our readers will most likely be as 

 inquisitive as we were on this point, the history and 



modus operandi of these excavations will, doubtless, be as 

 acceptable to them as they were to us. 



Mr. Storrie, the astute and able curator of the 

 Cardiff Museum, is an ardent naturalist, and makes 

 frequent rambles in remote parts in search of things 

 and specimens of scientific or general interest. 

 One of these excursions, in quest of botanical speci- 

 mens, led him to the field in question. He was 

 attracted by the peculiar hillocks and irregular ridges, 

 and expressed an opinion, that archaeological remains of 

 considerable importance were hidden under the surface ; 

 and as his opinion, in such matters,is regarded as second 

 to none in the district, at his request the Cardiff 

 Naturalists' Society took the matter in hand, and having 

 procured the necessary funds, decided to make excava- 

 tions in the field. 



A preliminary probing of the field seemed to indicate 

 that walls existed under some of the ridges, and when 

 sufficient evidence was obtained by this means steps 

 were taken to commence operations in a systematic 

 manner. As a first step it was decided that a trench 

 should be cut straight across the ridges, in a direction 

 which appeared to intersect the greatest number of buried 

 walls or ridges, or whatever they were. 



The work of digging a trench about 5 feet wide and 

 2 feet deep was started in August of this year, from the 



Fig. 



1.— First Pot found in Excavation at 

 Caerworgan. 



eastern end, in a westerly direction, bearing slightly south, 

 and in a few days Mr. Storrie's enthusiasm had been 

 rewarded by the appearance of fragments of pottery and 

 numerous blocks of stone, which had at one time evidently 

 formed part of an edifice of some kind. A few feet farther 

 a regular accumulation of large stones, about 2 feet thick, 

 was disclosed, crossing the trench at a slightly acute 

 angle, and recalling in many respects the characters of a 

 dry stone wall. Within about 30 feet from this, a per- 

 fectly well-defined dry stone wall was encountered more 

 than 3 feet thick, and running parallel to the other wall. 

 About 20 feet from this wall an interment was observed 

 under a large flat stone. On removal, it was found to 

 consist of an urn of black pottery (now in the Cardiff 

 Museum), containing charred remains, along with extra- 

 neous matter fromthe surrounding soil,such as earth,worm 

 casts etc. From our illustration (fig. 1.) it will be noticed 

 that the urn was evidently interred with much care. It 

 would seem, therefore, to have contained remains of some 

 importance, and Mr. Storrie expresses an opinion that 

 a tumulus formerly stood where the urn was found. In 

 close proximity to this, another wall was soon exposed 



