Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/157

Rh NOTICES OP ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. 115 briefly noticed, have liappily been recently purchased for tlic British Museum, and will form an imjtortant com[ilcment to the Mantell collection. The well-chosen cabinet of Roman large brass and English coins, the result of Mr. Dixon's assiduous research, almost from boyish years, may, as we believe, be purchased ; and as an instructive series on a moderate scale, it would form a very desirable acquisition. The British and Gaulish coins arc of singular interest. A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE ANTIQUITIES FOUND IN THE EXCAVATIONS AT THE NEW ROYAL EXCHANGE, preserved in the Museum of the Corporation of London. Preceded by an Introduction, with particulars relating to Roman London. By William Tite, Escj., F.R.S., F.S.A. Printed for the use of Members of the Corporation, fivo. During the extensive Avorks of embellishment which have been carried out in recent years, in almost every quarter of the ancient metropolis, many have been the disclosures which have told, more impressively than ancient chronicle, of the eventful history of that great city. It is much to be regretted that works of this nature, mostly conducted by contractors, and with the utmost expedition, are found singularly disadvantageous, as regards the careful observation of such discoveries. There is, however, a growing interest in ancient remains, which has extended to almost all classes of society, and no slight thanks are due to those, who, residing in the remote and busy haunts of old London, have availed themselves of their opportu- nities, and assiduously watched the results of public works around them, or have collected and classified the multiplicity of relics, which every exca- vation brings to view. The preservation of such remains, the tangible evidences of what this important city has been, and of the steps by which she has attained to her present high position, is not merely a laudable object of individual gratifi- cation, but a matter of public interest and instruction. They have been recognised as such by the citizens of our metropolis ; amidst the rapid advances of Archaeological Science, and the establishment of public collections in many great towns throughout the kingdom, it is gratifying to find that the corporation of London has regarded the antiquities dis- covered in the execution of civic public improvements, as worthy even of a depository near the chief seat of municipal administration. The occasion when a work of no ordinary magnitude was contemplated, in the erection of a New Royal Exchange, obviously promised unusual advantages for the commencement of such collections, and the civic authorities were not unmindful of this object. In the specification for the works, in 1840, all possible precaution was taken to secure for the Gresham Committee every object of interest which might be disinterred, and remune- ration was promised to the finders of such ancient remains, of which a large portion were in consequence faithfully delivered up. It was by this means that the interesting collection was formed, of which the little volume under consideration supplies a classified and descriptive inventory. Without such a guide, a museum is comparatively of slight utility : and the task of arranging and illustrating these antiquities was undertaken, and ably carried out, by Mr. Thomson, one of the librarians of the London Institution. To this Catalogue an appropriate Introduction has been prefixed, from