Page:Surrey Archaeological Collections Volume 1.djvu/25

 as having a strange mythology and very peculiar institutions. We must not completely look upon that race as barbarians, as their conquerors have taught us to do. The Romans, as great conquerors, always desired that the nations which they vanquished should become amalgamated with them, so as to become a Roman province. If there was a race who clashed with their will in this respect, and would not blend with them, they endeavoured to exterminate that race; a race more pliant and yielding they would mould according to their own way, give them their own institutions, and make them adopt Roman manners and Roman customs. But they could not subvert the habits and customs of the ancient British people, and so they called them barbarous; but the fact is, that there was some learning among them, the Druids possessing a considerable share of scientific knowledge. The Romans, when they departed, left many traces of wonderful works in this country—above all, the roads which they constructed are very remarkable, one of which runs through Surrey, connecting London with the neighborhood of Arundel, going straight along by Ockley, and forming a conspicuous object from the top of Leith Hill. It would be a most interesting object if this Society—and I beg to recommend it to their notice—could engage in the work of tracing out the exact line of this road, as well as the Roman station of Noviomagus, the exact site of which has not been clearly ascertained, although supposed by many authorities to be at Croydon. It may have been left for this Society to effect that which has not yet been effected—to trace out this Roman road and station, which would be an honour to it. (Cheers.) I may mention, too, that there was a great battle fought in Surrey,—that of Ockley,—where the father of Alfred the Great defeated the Danes, who had burned the city of London, and were then going through Surrey towards the southern coast. The county history is also connected with the first invasion of Cæsar. When that great man came over, he passed through Surrey and crossed the Thames. Antiquaries are not agreed as to the exact spot—whether at Kingston or Coway Stakes, near Chertsey. But although where he crossed it is not known, it is certain that he went on to St. Alban's (Verulamium), where there was an action with the Britons, whom he defeated, and whom he compelled to retreat. No doubt that was felt to be a great degradation; but it is perhaps a still greater degradation to be deprived of its political existence, as St. Alban's has been by the Parliament (a laugh); and, no doubt, if the old British king had been alive now, he would have been more hurt at the disgrace thus thrown upon his town than he was at being vanquished by the Romans. (Cheers and laughter.) There is another interesting discovery to which I will call your attention. After all the labour which has been expended on the subject of Roman remains, and searching out the localities where that people established themselves, there have been discovered at Farley Heath, not far from Guildford, a variety of Roman coins and other relics, where no one had ever dreamed there was a Roman station—there was no record of it in history, and this discovery was the first intimation of it. The coins were spread over a period of Roman history from almost their first arrival here until they left our