Page:Archaeologia Volume 13.djvu/21

Rh The particular spot called the Camp and part of the heath to the West of it, is a perfect level, entirely dry, and lightly covered with heath; and the ground under the heath is almost white with spathic pebbles of a great variety of sizes and shapes, but mostly round or oval: here and there a few are found resembling agate and porphyry; but the white predominate so as to make the ground look as it would do soon after a fall of large hail-stones.

The elevation of this plain with respect to the adjacent country, is so considerable, as to take in the whole horizon at the distance of twenty to thirty miles. The city of Wesel is distinctly seen at twenty miles distance, and Xanten at twenty-six miles distance. By conjecture, it may be 200 feet above the level of the river Lippe.

What is called the Camp is an oblong square, bounded on the South and East sides, and on part of the North, by cultivated grounds: on the rest of the North side is a slight appearance of a Vallum, and it is the only one discernible. To the Westward, no separation can be discerned from the rest of the level heath.

Within this compass of ground are seen twenty-eight or thirty Tumuli or Barrows, confusedly placed, so as to make it not easy to count them; but all perfectly distinct and round, two excepted, of which below. They are from six to twelve feet in height, and respectively as many yards, at least, in diameter. They are all covered with the same heath and white pebbles as the surrounding plain, and of the same apparent antiquity. One of them has been cut through, and another dug into from the summit, probably for the sake of exploring their contents: the excavations are in part filled up; but what remained open, shewed nothing but a mixture of pebbles, sand, and calcareous earth. Within this supposed Camp we found several pieces of granite: one of ten or twelve pounds weight; another of about three pounds weight, and one or two others lesser. It may be observed, Rh