Excursion on Wednesday , August Y&tli. 137 



embankment while Mr. Smith discoursed on the dyke, which he 

 described as a frontier rampart thrown up by the Belgic invaders of 

 the southern portion of Britain against the attacks of the aboriginal 

 inhabitants, and pointed out its ditch towards the north, clearly 

 indicating that its defensive purpose was to guard a people dwelling 

 in the south. He then described the course of the dyke, traces of 

 which may be seen from the Bristol Channel, till it enters the county 

 at Neston Park, and again may be recognized at Spye Park and 

 Wans, but ascending the downs above Blackland Hollow, retains 

 its huge proportions for an unbroken length of near ten miles, as it 

 is carried in an irregular line along the hills from east to west* 

 Mr. J. T. Burgess, Mr. Picton, and Mr. Morgan also made some 

 observations, but none disputed its Belgic origin, which is now 

 generally accepted ; Mr. Morgan, however, called attention to the 

 fact that it became the boundary of the Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. 



A short drive of two miles, with many noble barrows on either 

 hand, and then Mr. Smith called a halt where the Roman road coming 

 down from Calston, crosses the London Road, and steers towards 

 Silbury. The grassy ridge of the old Roman highway is very dis- 

 tinguishable at this spot, and Mr. Smith explained that this was a 

 road which runs in a direct line from Aquoe Solis (Bath), through 

 the Roman station Verlucio (Wans), to Cunetio (Marlborough); 

 and pointed out what a straight course it took, making apparently 

 for the very centre of Silbury, though, on approaching that tumulus, 

 it was found to diverge to the south in order to avoid it. Mr. 

 Burgess gave corroborative evidence in regard to Brinklow Hill, in 

 Warwickshire, where, in respect to the Foss Way, a similar detour 

 had been made by the constructors of the road. Mr. Cunnington 

 referred to Mr. Fergusson's conviction that an investigation would 

 lead to the finding of traces of the road directly under the hill, but 

 his opinion had been proved to be unfounded, and the actual road 

 had been discovered some yards to the south. The road had been 

 formed by digging a ditch on each side of it, and throwing up the 

 material ; not as in Warwickshire, where the materials had been 

 obtained from pits. 



Arrived at Abury, Mr. Smith at once conducted the archreologists 



