40 On Roman Remains found at Holbury, near Bean. 



imity of the site of a Roman building. The workmen threw out 

 large quantities of broken roofing stones brought from Portland, 

 hexagonal in shape, and varying in size from eleven inches in width 

 to the diminutive specimen before you ; which shows, I think, that 

 the stones were graduated, as in modern ornamental roofing, from 

 the eaves to the crest ; and immense numbers of nails of all shapes 

 and sizes, some of the larger of which had been used, no doubt, for 

 fastening on the roofing stones. Here is a fragment, with the nail 

 still remaining in it. We found besides numerous pieces of window- 

 glass, varying considerably in tint and thickness, some of them not 

 very dissimilar to Hartley's patent. These are by themselves in- 

 dications not only that there was a villa in the neighbourhood, but 

 that it was one of some importance; for glazed windows were 

 luxuries and not very common ones in Roman times. Then there 

 were oyster-shells and snail-shells in abundance, the former both of 

 the larger and of the small variety ; the latter of Helix aspersa only, 

 which as well as Helix pomatia, is known to have been eaten by the 

 Romans : bones of animals, pronounced by Dr. Fox to be those of 

 oxen, sheep, swine, and deer, horns of the Bos longifrons, and stags' 

 horns, some of the latter sawn into small pieces, boars' tusks, and 

 teeth of dogs and other animals. Amongst implements of iron^ 

 were pincers, a knife-blade, a buckle, hooks, and punches s of bronze 

 — a few armillse and fragments of twisted wire, portions of a spoon, 

 a cufF-button precisely similar in shape to those now used by ladies, 

 and some thin sheeting which had evidently been nailed upon wood : 

 of bone*— -a hair-pin, the tooth of a comb, and a singular square object 

 pierced with five holes, which bear marks of the abrasion of the 

 thread or silk with which it was attached, as is supposed, to some 

 portion of the dress. Sherds of pottery were also found very much 

 like those already discovered, except that there was a larger pro- 

 portion of vessels of white clay, but only one object, and that a 

 small olla, of the coarsest black ware, in an unmutilated condition. 

 Upon a fragment of a similar one are the letters BERiE, part of an 

 unfinished word, and the only instance of any inscription that we 

 have met with* There were relics of some articles of wood, part of 

 the rim of a bowl, portions of an armilla, and round knobs, which 



