202 Mr R. Edmonds on Ancient British Caves. 
removed, it will probably be found that this cave is six feet 
deep, and that the top of each wall overhangs its base two feet. 
It extended originally, as appears from its remains and the 
rubbish left by its recent spoilers, fifty feet or more in a 
straight line up the sloping side of the hill. Nor was so 
long a cave, six feet high, four feet wide on the top, and eight 
feet wide at the bottom, a larger storehouse (if used as such) 
than so considerable a village as old Chyoyster required. It 
appears to have been built on the natural surface of the hill- 
side, and then covered over with stones and earth, and planted 
with the evergreens which still abound there. So much 
of the old village has been lately removed, that the cave, 
although originally within, now lies outside it, towards New 
Chyoyster. The pit in the centre of one of the old dwellings 
is a recent excavation. 
The structure of this cave at Chyoyster is very different from 
that of the well-known cave at Boleit on the south-west of 
Penzance, six feet deep and thirty-six feet long. In the walls 
of the Chyoyster cave every successive layer overlaps consi- 
derably the layer next beneath it. The walls of the Boleit 
cave, on the contrary, are perpendicular, and none of the 
stones overlap, except where the capstone happens to be too 
short, in which case a stone or two on the top of the wall is 
projected a little to enable the short capstone to rest upon it. 
Another longitudinal cave, constructed, like that of Chyoy- 
ster, with overlapping stones, as appears from the very small 
portion of it at present exposed to view, adjoins and opens in- 
to the “ bee-hive” cave at Chapel Kuny. In the “bee-hive” 
cave itself the now remaining highest circular layer of stones 
overhangs the lowest about three feet in a depth of about six. 
feet. 
Should a deputation from the Cambrian Archeological 
Association favour us with a visit next year, as is contem- 
plated, I know of no antiquities in the west of Cornwall more 
worthy of their exploration, or more likely to reward them for 
their labour, than these caves near Penzance. 
PENZANCE, 10th May 1861. 
a 
