858 
gold coinage in Britain at least 300 years before the Romans landed ; and 
they could“ produce gold coins, they could possibly construct other and better 
forts and citadels than many of these rude mounds. That in Ayrshire is 
very finished, but we have others which are much more rude. Some of the 
oppida were turned into Roman camps, as was the case at Silchester and 
Verulam, which were originally British citadels, afterwards occupied by the 
Romans. After the time of Boadieea, when instructions were given by 
Claudius that all the British forts should be occupied by Roman detach- 
ments, we find British and Roman remains lying in juxtaposition. The 
whole subject is too large to be treated too exclusively from one point of 
view, but it is extremely interesting. 
Rev. G. W. Weldon.— I have great pleasure in adding my testimony 
to the value of Dr. Phene’s paper (containing, as it does, the results of con- 
siderable investigation, for which we ought all to feel much obliged to him). 
I have often found myself following him in his travels ; wherever 1 
went Dr. Phend had been there before me ; I even found his name 
entered in the visitors’ book in Wisconsin, at Milwauke, in America. 
There are many things mentioned by Dr. Phen«5 which in themselves 
are mere nothings, but when taken together, there can be no doubt 
as to their connection with each other, and as to the proof they 
afford of sun and serpent worship as a universal fact throughout the world. 
I agree with Dr. Phene, in the second paragraph of his paper, as to the 
feeling in the human heart. There is no doubt whatever that there are 
three “facts with regard to man which are of universal application : first, 
that man is a religious being ; secondly, that he will and must worship 
something ; and thirdly, that he becomes associated more or less witn the 
objects of his worship. In this way you may account for the difference 
which existed between the worship of the Greeks and the worship of the 
Arabs. The Arabs led a wild, nomadic life ; they saw neither rivers, groves, 
nor mountains, but they did see the sun, moon, and stars, and would natu- 
rally worship them. In Greece they hadgroves, rivers, and mountains, and 
they would naturally worship these things as objects around them,— having 
no revelation, they would fall back upon nature. The Greeks not only wor- 
shipped the groves, but the trees in the groves, every tree having its dryad 
or hamadryad, whose life was coincident with that of the tree. As to t e 
serpent, we know it occupies a conspicuous place in the pages of the 
Old Testament history, and the tradition has been scattered far and 
wide throughout the world. There is one thing of which I am certain, 
that there is a universal feeling of dread with regard to anything that 
creeps in a serpent-like manner. Dr. Phene must himself have been 
cognizant of this fact, that in the north-west of Scotland, during the 
time of the famine, none of the people could be induced to eat an eel. 
They were plentiful enough, and I remember asking a man to take one 
home, but the reply was “ Not for me.” (Laughter.) The simple = fact is, 
that there is a superstition attaching to these creeping things. With regard 
to the brazen serpent, we should recollect that in the human mind theie has 
