Archceologia. 155 



The presence of Greek coins in ancient Britain appears to be gene- 

 rally regarded by numismatists with great doubt, and one of our 

 most experienced numismatists believes that, as far as they are 

 concerned, this is not a genuine "find." Yet in several instances, 

 as, for instance, at Exeter some years ago, Greek coins are said to 

 have been found under circumstances which do not point to any 

 suspicion of fraud ; and we see no reason why, in the course of 

 commerce, Greek coins may not have been frequently brought into 

 our island. On another point, however, we entirely differ from Mr. 

 Kell. We cannot see that this discovery of the remains, probably 

 of a Roman villa, has any connection with the history of the tin 

 trade, or that it furnishes any evidence whatever that the trade of 

 tin from Britain was ever carried through the Isle of Wight ; it 

 simply shows that the Romans did occupy this island, a fact of 

 which we had abundant evidence before. 



The Reliquary, edited by Llewellynn Jewitt at Derby, continues 

 to contribute very worthily its quarterly contribution of good and 

 interesting archaeological knowledge. We mention it on the present 

 occasion for the purpose of calling attention to the catalogue of 

 Arch^ological products of the sea-shore op Cheshire, collected 

 during the year 1865, published in the last quarterly number. It 

 has been known for some years that great numbers of antiquities, 

 of all periods, at least from the Roman age, are continually washed 

 up on the beach along the Cheshire coast, from the mouth of the 

 Mersey to that of the Dee, apparently suggesting that a very con- 

 siderable portion of the space here now covered by sea was at some 

 remote period dry land, which has been gradually washed away. 

 The catalogue to which we allude gives a detailed description of all 

 these objects, to which we refer the reader, and we will content our- 

 selves with merely stating the general character and numbers of the 

 objects of antiquity known to have been thus found during the one 

 year just mentioned. Of flint implements, including a number of 

 •arrow-heads, and others of stone and shell, classed under the head 

 of primeval, the number was thirty-three. There were found 

 during the same period twenty-two objects belonging to the Roman 

 period, many of them of rather remarkable character ; and an Anglo- 

 Saxon sceatta, with two or three objects in metal, which it is pro- 

 bable may be considered as Anglo-Saxon. The number of objects 

 found on this shore, which are classed under the head of mediaeval, 

 is much greater, amounting in all to upwards of a hundred. Among 

 them are a halved penny of the reign of Henry III., and a perfect 

 penny of Edward III. ; many pins, needles, personal ornaments of 

 very varied character, pottery, etc., and especially a portion of an 

 equestrian figure in light-coloured and glazed earthenware, belonging 

 to a class of works of art which is excessively rare, and which is 

 generally ascribed to the twelfth century. There were also found 

 — belonging, of course, to a much later period, a silver shilling of 

 James I., a horse-shoe of the seventeenth century, a rowel spur, a 

 large iron ring, and, in all, nearly two hundred heads of clay pipes, 

 ranging from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to the beginning of the 

 last century. We owe the labour of drawing up this curious record 

 of discoveries to Mr. H. Ecroyd Smith. 



