Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/307

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meuts and rules. Scattered over the adjoining country are many barrows, covering the remains of the departed, which Dr. Stukely (with more fancy, perhaps, than truth) has systematically clas- sified; attributing some to arch Druids, others to plain Druids; some to kings, others to their subjects. Amongst them the most obvious, from its surprising size, is that called Silbury-h'll, close by whose side runs the turnpike road from Marl- borough to Bath. Its height is one hundred and seventy feet perpendicular; its diameter at the sum- mit one hundred and five feet; and at the base five hundred and twenty feet. Hie earth dug out of the bank that surrounds the mound originally formed it. In the year 1723 a penetration was made live feet down on its top, when a human skeleton appeared, accompanied by the bit of a bridle, an iron knife with a bone handle, and some deer-horns. In the year 1777 a perpendicular pit was cut through the mound by Major Drax; but the only treasures discovered were a rotten post, and a rusty knife.

One of the smaller barrows, at Upton-Lovel Down, was opened a lew days ago; a slight sketch of the appearances that were then discovered will give you a pretty accurate notion of the construc- tion and contents of them all: The tumulus was

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