f)8 
formed is visible at the distance of several miles. The name tolmen is derived 
from tol, "hole," and men, "stone" — holed stone. It has been considered that 
the ancients attributed great and miraculous virtues to such stones when ritually 
consecrated, and imagined that whatever touched, lay down upon, passed through 
or under such stones, acquired thereby a kind of holiness, and became more 
acceptable to the gods. All this appears to be conjecture, but it bears some 
countenance from the fact that in Bombay the Gentoos call these tolmen "rocks 
of purification/' a passage through which is considered as purifying the penitent 
from all sin. Pak Patan, the name of an Indian town, also signifies " the passage 
of purity." 
Mr. Grose considered the tolmen to have been intended and used for intro- 
ducing proselytes or novices, persons under vows, or about to sacrifice, into the 
deepest mysteries of the Druidical religion. 
As to the origin of tolmen, or holed stones, they are in all probability produced 
through natural agency, and I can see no good reason for supposing them to be 
the work of men's hands. Without going into the question of the original for- 
mation of granite, whether it be wholly an igneous rock, or whether water, as 
well as fire, performed an important part in its production, it may, i think, be ad- 
mitted in either case, that when the materials of which it is composed were in a 
state of paste, entangled gases would cause cavities to be formed in the mass, 
and that when this mass was upraised and exposed to the action of the atmosphere, 
by the wearing away of the external coating, the apertures would become revealed to 
us and attract our notice, just as other phenomena of nature arrest our attention and 
invite our examination. 
It is quite possible that tolmen may not be wholly confined to granitic districts, 
as cavities and inequalities are common to all stony masses, and therefore these 
holed stones may probably be met with far away from a granite country. 
The President confirmed the views put forward by Major Austin 
in this i)aper, observing that many years ago he had himself personally 
irxvestigatf d these remarkable rocks. He spoke of 'jointing' as a 
feature of many igneous rocks, and thought that the Torrs of Devon- 
shire were the result of atmospheric action, remarking also upon the 
Druidical names, Stanton Drew, Drewsteignton, &c., meaning ' Stone- 
town of the Druids.' 
Mr. Grundy called attention to the Buckstone stone in Monmouth- 
shire, a large mass of conglomerate, 3 feet square at the base, which 
could easily be made to vibrate. 
Mr. Pease, F.G.S., one of the Vice-Presidents, remarked how much 
opposed Major Austin's views were to those of the Danish archaeologists, 
who attributed all these rocks to the Scandinavian mythology. He also 
advised that an excursion to the Brimham rocks ne.ir Harrogate should 
include a visit to the Plumpton Rocks. 
