356 
PROCEEDINGS, 1871—1877. 
beds, Professor Green indicated the succession of events to whicli 
they owed their origin. 
At a meeting held at HaKfax in 1875, Mr. Tiddeman, of H.M. 
Geological Survey, gave an account of the exploration of the Victoria 
Cave, near Settle. It is situated in a picturesque locality, in a line 
of limestone scars behind Settle, at an elevation of about 1,450 feet 
above the sea level ; the mouth of the cave has a southern aspect, 
with extensive views over the district of Craven. It was discovered 
by the dog of Mr. Joseph Jackson entering it through a small orifice 
in pursuit of a rabbit, on the day of Her Majesty's Coronation in 
1837, the year in which this Society was formed, Mr. Jackson's 
attention having been drawn to the cave, he was led to commence and 
carry on the exploration of its contents. Prof. Boyd Dawkins states 
that he discovered a remarkable series of ornaments and implements 
of bronze, iron, and bone, along with pottery and broken bones of 
animals. Fragments of Samian ware, and other Roman pottery, 
coins of Trajan, Constantius, and Constantine, proved that the stratum 
in which they were found was accumulated after the Roman invasion. 
There were also bronze fibulse, iron spear heads, nails, and daggers ; 
as well as bronze needles, pins, finger rings, armlets, bracelets, buckles, 
and studs. The broken bones belong to the red-deer, roebuck, pig, 
horse, Celtic short-horn, sheep or goat, badger, fox and dog. The 
whole collection was of that sort which is very generally found in the 
neighbourhood of Roman villas and towns, and was doubtless formed 
while the cave was a place of habitation.* Objects resulting from 
his researches are now placed in the British Museum, in the Museum 
at Leeds, and in his own private collection, In the year 1869 Prof. 
T. McKenny Hughes saw Mr. Jackson's collection, and considered it 
of such importance as to render it advisable that a systematic explora- 
tion of the cave should be made. He formed a committee, with Sir 
James Kay-Shu ttleworth as chairman, and obtained the permission 
of Mr. Stackhouse, the owner of the property, to explore the cave. 
Subscriptions and donations came in liberally. Professor Dawkins 
undertook the scientific direction of the work, and Mr. John Birkbeck 
accepted the post of honorary treasurer and secretary ; whilst Mr. 
♦ Journ. Anthrop. Inst., Vol. i., p. 61. 
