88 



On the Stone Avenues of Carnac. 



allusion to monuments which are so well known as those of Avebury 

 and Stonehenge. And yet I feel almost disposed to do so, — because 

 with regard to the latter there is nothing in Britanny with which to 

 compare it; and with regard to the former the points of resemblance 

 are so few and faint, and the points of dissimilarity so numerous and 

 strong, that I do not find, in what I have seen on the continent, any- 

 thing that will throw a clear light upon its true plan and destination. 



As regards Stonehenge I think sufficient of it remains for the 

 ground plan to be determined with tolerable certainty, — but as 

 regards Avebury there is now very little clue to its plan, and we are 

 compelled to accept the imperfect and inaccurate drawings of anti- 

 quaries of the seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth centuries^ 

 that is to say, of men whose skill in drawing was of a very humble 

 character, and whose knowledge of surveying was of a still lower 

 standard. Besides this, the intelligent and observant men of those 

 days had received no archaeological education; and if, even in the 

 present day with our opportunities of travel, and our abundant sources 

 of information, many intelligent persons are found to entertain and 

 put forth the strangest ideas, and to give the most inaccurate descrip- 

 tions of monuments they have beheld for the first time, is it not 

 probable that our Aubreys and Stukeleys may have done the same ? 

 No doubt they all " aimed at accuracy and truthfulness/'' but in 

 treating of monuments of great dimensions and of unusual and un- 

 known forms how easy to be misled and mistaken! I confess that 

 for some years I have been sceptical with regard to the ground-plan 

 of Avebury, as given by Stukeley, and yet it is perhaps the only an- 

 cient plan that has been considered of any value; and my doubt has 

 been strengthened by my intimate acquaintance with the Carnac and 

 other groups of Stone Lines. I have shown you that these monu- 

 ments are distinct and separate works, although they have been 

 erroneously described by antiquaries as constituting one great monu- 

 ment. The error has arisen from inaccurate plans and descriptions 

 in the first instance, succeeded by imperfect observation on the spot. 

 Just so I am led to conclude that the concentric circles, and short 

 avenue connected therewith, on Overton Hill constituted a monument 

 wholly distinct from the greater circles and avenue of Avebury. 



