Excursion on Wednesday, August IStk. 



143 



Then he called special attention to the position of this large circle, 

 one mile south of Silbury ; within sight of Abuiy, which stood one 

 mile to the north of that tumulus : and within view of the " Sanc- 

 tuary 33 on Overton Hill ; and he asked whether it was not probable, 

 nay, almost certain, that this circle was connected with these great 

 British antiquities. Mr. Wright thought it would be better that 

 the Members of the Association should not attempt to give any 

 off-hand opinion on this point, which seemed of considerable im- 

 portance, but which was new to most of them, and which they had 

 not previously considered ; and suggested that it might be more 

 profitably discussed at one of the evening meetings at Devizes : 

 at the same time he tendered the hearty thanks of the Association 

 to Mr. Smith, for the information he had given them during the 

 day's excursion; this was seconded by Lord Nelson, and then the 

 carriages were regained, and a straight course made for Devizes. 



At the evening meeting, in the Town Hall, a very valuable paper 

 was read by Mr. Loftus Brock, F.S.A., on "The Viking Ship," 

 a relic of arcient days which had recently been found in Norway, 

 supposed to be the burial-place of a sea-king : and at the conclusion 

 of the lecture much interesting discussion ensued; Mr. Myers,F.S. A., 

 informing the meeting that it was a well-known fact that a similar 

 ship, but not a Viking ship, existed in a barrow at Iona, and Mr. 

 Picton, F.S.A., pointing out that the position England held as the 

 chief maritime nation of the world was owing in a very great degree 

 to the hardy Norsemen who taught us first how to plough the sea ; 

 which the noble President said his great uncle did not forget at the 

 Battle of Copenhagen, when he sent out the notice, "Danes, we are 

 brothers," and to which the poet laureate alluded, when he wrote, 

 in his welcome to the bride of the Prince of Wales : — 

 " Saxon and Norman and Dane are we, 

 But all of us Danes in our welcome to thee, 

 Alexandra." 



A cordial vote of thanks to Mr. Brock terminated the proceedings. 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 19th. 

 A large party of archaeologists left Devizes by special train 

 for Chippenham, where carriages were in waiting to convey them 



