226 
MISCELLANY. 
bring before our eyes scenes of childhood—faces remembered in youth, when love 
was a stranger to himself! The Mossy bank by the way side, where we so often 
sat for hours, drinking in the beauty of the Primrose with our eyes—the sheltered 
gem, darkly green, filled with the perfume of Violets, that shone in their intense 
blue, like another sky spread upon the earth—the laughter of merry voices—the 
sweet song of the maiden—the downcast eye, the spreading blush, the kiss, 
ashamed at its own sound—are all brought back to memory by a flower. 
GEOLOGY. 
Singular Discovery at Lincoln.— The remains of former days ever and anon 
are met with in this ancient city, and astonish the moderns with their ghostly 
resuscitations of former grandeur. On Saturday last, Mr. Gresham (Above¬ 
hill) commenced enlarging his cellar, as he supposed, by penetrating the stone¬ 
work which closed up an old arch that formed one side of the place. The cellar 
is itself a great curiosity, being about twenty feet deep in the earth, and having 
many groinings and pointed arches; probably forming part of some ecclesiastical 
edifice. The old arch, above alluded to, was partly buried in the floor of this 
cellar; and Mr. Gresham supposed that by breaking down the stone-work which 
closed it up, he should open some collateral archway. When a few stones were 
taken down, a very different thing from that which had been expected, ivas 
discovered; a subterraneous passage was disclosed, of extraordinary extent and 
careful workmanship. It passes from the arched cellar of Mr. Gresi-iam, in a 
direction towards the ancient Roman Southport ; but probably may turn or 
terminate before it arrives at that outlet. It is five feet high, four feet in width* 
formed of capital masonry, with dressed stones carefully worked. It is covered 
in flat, with huge slabs of stone; and seems far too well executed to be a sewer. 
There are apertures only fourteen inches square, going off at right angles, 
horizontal from the main passage, and these lateral shafts appear to extend a 
considerable distance under the street and houses. The main passage is now 
cleared to the extent of 50 feet, and Mr. Gresham, in the true spirit of research, 
is determined to go as far as it continues, which to all appearance may be a 
quarter of a mile or more. Conjecture is at work to explain what might have 
been the purpose of this driftway : some suppose it to be a Roman secret passage, 
whereby to get beyond the walls. Others think it to be a subterraneous com¬ 
munication between adjacent religious establishments. A fragment of an earthern 
vessel was found amongst the rubbish, and some bones and teeth, but not in 
sufficient amount to lead to the idea that these were vaults for the deposit of the 
dead, although its aspect is such as would serve any modern Mrs. Ratcliffe 
with ample horrors for one of her most gloomy romances .—Star in the East , 
July 21, 1838. 
