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greater by thirteen in its lesser diameter, and ten inches deep, — being, 

 however, much abraded and reduced in depth on its outer edge towards 

 the northern extremity of the impost. 



The cavities, about which I am more immediately concerned, on the 

 western or upper face, are nine feet six inches apart from inner, and 

 eleven feet seven inches apart from outer, edge to edge. They are of 

 irregular circular form. That towards the southern end of the impost 

 is a dish-shaped indentation, thirteen inches in its greater by twelve 

 inches in its lesser diameter, and 3 J inches deep. That towards the 

 northern end is a dish-shaped indentation, twelve inches in its greater by 

 ten inches in its lesser diameter, and four inches deep. The major dia- 

 meters of these hollows lie in the direction of the length of the im- 

 post. The lips of the upper cavities are worn into irregular indenta- 

 tions ; and hollows of from eight to ten inches in breadth, and about two 

 inches in depth, extend from both to a distance of more than a foot. It 

 is not impossible that the same process of erosion may have obliterated 

 tool marks, if such existed within the cavities. The tool marks have 

 in fact disappeared from the surfaces both of the squared leaning 

 pillar and of its supporting leaning obelisk, which is grooved in the di- 

 rection of its length, although plainly visible on the tops of the fallen 

 pillars on the right, where they have been picked down into smooth 

 surfaces for the bedding of their imposts. Then it must be owned to 

 be extremely improbable that chance corrosions should have resulted in 

 the formation of cavities so nearly symmetrical with the opposite 

 mortises. 



This impost and the fallen pillar cover about nine feet of the ex- 

 posed surface of what has been called the " altar stone." Where its 

 ends appears from under these incumbent masses, they are reduced in 

 thickness by the breaking off of portions of the exposed surface ; so 

 that, partly owing to this cause, and partly to the obstruction of the 

 ruins above, it is impossible, in the present situation of things, to say 

 whether indentations corresponding to the cavities in question existed 

 or exist on this stone also ; but its dimensions and position are such, 

 that if an upper trilithon ever stood over the central impost, this stone 

 was probably the lintel of it ; and if, further, the recognised derivation 

 of Stonehenge be correct, this probably was the object which gave 

 to the monument its patibulary designation of " Stone Gallows." It is 

 just sixteen feet in length by three feet four inches broad, and it is 

 stated by Stukeley to be twenty inches thick. It has been surmised to 

 be an altar, and a table of astronomic observation ; and some reliance 

 has been placed on its position, as seen on the ground plans of the place, 

 being symmetrical with the surrounding objects : but its position, in fact, 

 is considerably off the line of theory, and is not symmetrical with any 

 line of construction, but is such as a heavy stone tumbled from above 

 the central trilithon might take in its fall, especially if its fall were 

 occasioned by the tilting over of upright supports ; and in such case 



E. I. A. PEOC. VOL. IX. 2D 



