In the upper stone was peg, by way of handle. on the cloth. a hole to pour in corn, and a The meal ran out by the sides It was these mills to which Matthew alludes, chapter xxiv, verse 41, "Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." See also Luke, xvii., 35. In the illustrating plate with the querns are also representations of bells, fibulæ, fragments of Samian ware; and in the accompanying article, C. R. Smith, esq., truthfully observes," As yet the neighbourhood of Springhead remains free from the intrusion of the speculator, and the people of London, for a trifling expense, and at an accessible distance, can find in its walks the gratification of knowing they are really tasting something of the delights and retirement that belong to true country life. But few of the numerous visitors to the sequestered gardens of Springhead are conscious of the existence, in the locality of ought beyond the charms which nature presents, in varied luxuriance, in cultivated garden, field, and wood scenery. They dream not that the pleasures of a visit to this retired and pretty spot may be enhanced by a retrospective glance at its condition in former times, and a slight knowledge of its importance when Britain was under the civilizing influence of her Roman masters; and that the facts which supply this information are ploughed or dug out of the grounds over which they walk in unsuspecting ignorance of what lies buried beneath their feet. Where now the garden smiles and the corn waves, fifteen hundred years ago stood the dwelling of Roman colonists, and there lived and died generations of whom no written record remains and whose existence is now only to be traced in the vestiges of their buildings, and in objects strewed over their sites, which the practised eye of the antiquary can alone identify and describe." The Rev. Beale Post in the "Journal of the British Archæological Association," asserts in an article upon the transmission of objects of antiquity to our times, that "These remains in all parts of England have been found covered over with a depth of earth varying from four or five feet to two or three, above the higher parts of them now left; and when the superincumbent mass of earth has been removed, not only have hypocausts and tesselated pavements been often found in existence, but even frequently some small portions of the side. walls, stuccoed and exhibiting the pattern of the painting and embellishments." The same author accounts for the preservation of the Roman remains in vallies in the following manner, when left in ruins after conflagration or in whatever mode the cities were destroyed by the devastating Saxons in their predatical excursions, the country being generally depopulated:— "the streams became obstructed from want of attention, and greater overflowings in periods of rain taking place than before were accustomed, the stilt, or alluvial deposit of the same reaching beyond the usual limits, would accumulate in the hypocausts and upon the floors, and gradually cover over the parts of the building which had escaped destruction. During this progress the thinness of the population, disregard for the arts, and perhaps superstitious notions, might prevent these relics from being materially disturbed. In a century or two, by the time population was somewhat recruited, they would have become concealed from observation." List of the Roman Coins discovered at Springhead, in the Parish of Southfleet, Kent, in the possession of Mr. Silvester, July, 1845 : as far as Catalogued by C. Roach Smith, esq. SILVER. Consular, much worn (acquinarius). 3 Nero 1 Hadrian. Faustina the elder. Faustina the 1 younger 1 1 Julia Mamaea, mother of Severus Alexander Severus Alexander 1 2 SMALL BRASS. There are also two or three British coins, for a description and etchings, of which vide No. 1, of C. R. Smith's "Collectanea Antiqua," a book indispensable to the Antiquary, published periodically by Nichols and Son, and by J. R. Smith, Compton street, Soho. Since the date of this catalogue, more than two hundred coins have been found. DISCOVERY OF ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS AT NORTHFLEET, BY C, R. SMITH, ESQ. [Extracted from the Journal of the British Archaeological Assoc. No XI. ] opinion held by the author of the foregoing pages, and which, the following' discoveries have tended to confirm-is, that during the fifth century, the Roman town on the bauks of the river Ebbs was destroyed. (See p. 132, ante.) And after the Saxons had become naturalized, they adopted the heights nearer the mouth of the estuary, for their residences. "In the spring and summer of 1847, I was induced to make inquiries whether during the progress of railway excavations on the elevated ground at Northfleet, any antient sepulchral remains had been brought to light. I was led to watch the operations on this line, as far as almost incessant engagements at home and elsewhere would permit, because experience has now so well proved that nearly all the hills and elevated land throughout the county of Kent were chosen by the Anglo-Saxons for cemeteries, and particularly so when contiguous to towns and villages. Railroad excavations, although they often lead to curious discoveries, are not the process most favourable to antiquarian research, which requires care, circumspection, and the capacity not only to re 7 To elucidate this article as far as possible, the wood blocks used in the Journal published Nov. 1st, 1847, were kindly lent-for which, the author of these pages returns his best thanks. cognize objects of antiquity when met with, but to arrange and adapt them to some useful purpose; and we therefore find, that all the revelations of hidden works of early art, which have been made in railway cuttings, have been only of comparative service to archæology, simply because there has been no person present competent to seize upon and apply the facts developed by the pick-axe and the spade. This has, unfortunately, been the case with discoveries made at Northfleet, in the locality where, as I stated, I anticipated such a result. It is true, some objects have been preserved; and thanks to the care and politeness of Mr. Gale of the engineer's office, and of Mr. Stevenson, access to them has been procured; but the circumstances under which they were found have not been preserved, and their interest in consequence is impaired. Still, the discovery is authenticated, and comparison with others made under more favourable arrangements, will enable us to add this to our records as a contribution by no means valueless and unimportant. "The annexed cut exhibits an assemblage of objects, which may be thus particularized:-fig. 1, a portion of an urn with an incuse pattern stamped on it, as at a; fig. 2, an iron umbo of a shield, six inches in dia 5 2 meter; fig. 3, a spear-head in iron, fifteen inches in length, with an iron termination to the spear when perfect, as shewn below; fig. 4, another variety of spearhead in iron, six inches in length;. fig. 5, portion of a wooden pail or bucket, with bronze hoops, four inches in length: figs, 1, 2 and 4, being in the posses |