Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/300

 21 S NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. St. Cadwin came over to Britain, most probably with this second immigration. Cyngen, he agrees with Mr. Williams (pp. 100, 212), was very probably Cyngen ap Cadell, prince of Powis, whose era is pretty well established by the recorded death of his sou Brochmael, early in the seventh century ; he concludes b}- suggesting that this monument to St. Cadvan belongs to the end of the sixth century. A suggestion historically deduced, which pretty nearly coincides with the age to which Mr. Westwood, judging from its characteristics, assigns this interesting and venerable relic. It is need- less to insist upon the value of investigations such as these. In a country Avhere there is now such a dearth of early written records, these carved stones may truly be regarded as " the only unimpeachable proofs of the extent to which religion, literature, and science was cultivated " by our British forefathers, and there is no part of the country where they are bo plentiful as in Wales. They cannot therefore be too highly valued, closely examined, and carefully preserved. Well may the Cambrian Association feel indebted to those members, who have been the first to decipher the stone of St. Cadvan, nor less so to Mr. Stephens, who has offered an interpretation somewhat differing from that of Mr. Williams, and many critical observations upon the subject (N. S. vol. ii., p. 58), which should be read in conjunction with the original paper. Such a highly curious specimen of British Palaeography has appeared deserving of this detailed notice, on account of the great rarity of similar remains in other parts of the kingdom, and the important bearing of such evidences, hitherto very imperfectly understood, upon historical inquiries. In addition to this early inscription, we find, on looking through the other volumes, numerous other inscriptions on early monumental stones, carefully deciphered and recorded — as that of " Wledermat Odeleu," the founder (as the inscription mentions) of this church in the time " Ewini Regis," on a stone in the churchyard of Llanfihangel y Traethau. (Vol. iii., p. 22-4.) Another at Llangian, Caernarvonshire — MELI MEDICI FILI MARTINI, considered to be not later than the fifth century. Some at Llannor, Caernarvonshire (vol. ii., p. 201) ; the tombstone of Brochmael, said to be earlier than the ninth century {ibid. p. 30) ; of Turpilius, in Brecknockshire {ibid. p. 25) ; with those of Porius (vol. i., p. 42-i) ; and Catamanus {ibid. 165) — (the former near Dolgelley, Merionethshire, the latter in Anglesea) ; and an incidental notice of the pillar of Eliseg {ibid. pp. 17, 32). Several of these have been noticed by Camden, and others, but few, if any, so clearly deciphered, as they now have been by the keen investigations of the members of this association. Nor have they been less attentive to earlier British antiquities. Among the papers on these antiquities, we may notice, under a title, " Castra Clwydiana," a full account of an examination of three out of six ancient camps on the Chvydian Hills, on the confines of Denbighshire and Flintshire, accompanied by four jilates containing plans of each camp (vol. i., Xeic Series, 81, 174: and Mr Longueville Jones's interesting account, illustrated with engravings of British remains in the neighbourhood of Conway and Aber (vol. i., p. 70). Roman remains are rather scanty in Wales, but at the more important stations some discoveries have been made. At Caerleon, a villa was exca- vated in the garden of J. Jenkins, Esq., of which an account will be found in vol. iv., p. 73, illustrated by nine plates. Among the relics then found, was a bronze ornament, recognised by the Rev. C. W. King as the precise pattern of ear-ring.s at present in common use in Tuscany, and portions of