4,00 
Dr. Pearson’s Observations 
iii. The Sauce-pan is represented in Tab. XIII. Fromitsform 
and the grain of its fracture, and its being one entire piece, it 
appears to have been made of cast metal. It is considered to 
be a piece of Roman workmanship. It is neatly and curiously 
grooved at the bottom, to admit the fire to penetrate to the 
contents more easily. On the handle is impressed, seemingly 
with a stamp, C arat ; which letters may possibly signify 
Caius Aratus, as the latter part of the stamp seems not to 
have made an impression. 
It was found in the year 1768 in the river Witham, near 
Tattersall ferry. It appeared to have been tinned, but almost 
all the coating had been worn off. As it was said that it had 
been used by some boatmen, for some time after it had been 
found, it might have been tinned after it got into their posses- 
sion. The art of tinning copper, however, was understood and 
practised by the Romans,* although it is commonly supposed 
to be a modern invention, therefore it is not very improbable 
that this utensil was originally covered with tin by that people. 
iv. Tab.XI. fig. 3. represents the Scabbard with a sword of iron 
within it. This and another brass scabbard in Sir Joseph Banks’s 
collection were found in the river Witham in 1 787, near the site 
of Bardney abbey. In the same place were found many other 
arms ; from whence some conjecture respecting their antiquity 
may be formed. We may suppose that the destruction of that 
noble monastery was not effected without loss on the side 
of the Danes who attacked, and the Saxons who defended 
it. By the best accounts it was destroyed in the year 870.^ 
• “ Stannum illitum seneis vasis, saporem gratiorem facit, et compescit asruginis 
‘"virus.” Puny, lib. xxxiv. cap. xvii. 
•} Tanner’s Notitia Monastica, p. 248. 
