imity to the coffin, with which it must have been buried. The position of the coffin, due east and west, and of the arms of the skeleton which were crossed upon the breast, would suggest that the interment was made during the Christian period of Roman domination in Britain. The material of the coffin, which must have been obtained from a considerable distance, proves that it belonged to one of the wealthier inhabitants of probably old Londinum, it being well known that the Roman interments were extramural, and that the citizens deposited their dead along and near the highways leading from their cities. One of the workmen informed me, that a few months ago several discoveries were made somewhat further north, in digging for the foundation of some houses, and that he was told the place appeared to have been a burying-ground. This spot is still nearer to the Roman way. In this locality there will probably be a large amount of building within a few years, and there may be other discoveries, to which attention should be given. The excavation in which the remains above described were found was made for the purpose of laying a deep foundation, and has since been quite filled up. G. B. Webb, Esq. Secretary. Faithfully yours, B. H. COWPER. ROMAN REMAINS NEAR NEWGATE. In preparing for the new buildings erected, in the summer of 1857, on the north side of the gaol of Newgate, in the Old Bailey, and very near to the site of the city gate which gave its name to the prison, on the ground being excavated to a considerable depth, the foundation of the City Wall was cut through, and many vestiges of old London were discovered. Among these, Mr. G. R. Corner, F.S.A., obtained a fragment of a mortarium, with the potter's mark very clearly and distinctly impressed on the rim, but the words singularly disposed within a twisted border, thus: It is remarkable that a similar fragment, bearing the same mark,* was also found in Newgate Street, on the 23rd Oct. 1835, and is now preserved in Mr. Charles Roach Smith's Museum of London Antiquities at the British Museum. During the recent excavations, abundance of Roman bond-tiles and building materials appeared in and about the City Wall; and Mr. Corner observed under a stratum of pounded brick, which was the foundation of a coarse pavement, a layer of burnt wood, the evident remains of a fire during or previous to the Roman period. Many feet higher was a similar layer of wood-ashes, produced by the Fire of 1666, or some similar occurrence in latter times. It is much to be desired that advantage should be taken of every opportunity of discovering Roman remains in this part of London, in which, according to a strong opinion expressed by Mr. C. Roach Smith, the great Theatre of Londinium was situate, on the ground lying between the Old Bailey, Fleet Lane, Seacoal Lane, and Snow Hill, a spot raised in a remarkable manner above the level of the banks of the Fleet, and which is now approached from Seacoal Lane by several steep flights of steps. * See the Catalogue of that Museum, page 16. Another mark, MARTINVS F. mentioned in the same page, is not now to be found, and perhaps did not occur on a mortarium. Proceedings at the Meetings of the Society. FOURTH GENERAL (FIRST ANNUAL) MEETING, MORNING MEETING. The Right Hon. the LORD ROBERT GROSVENOR, M.P., in the Chair. Mr. G. Bish Webb (the Honorary Secretary) read the Report as follows: REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. In accordance with the rules, the Council have the pleasure of presenting their First Annual Report upon the progress and present state of the Society. Although six months only have elapsed since the date of its inauguration, three general meetings, exclusive of the present one, have been held-namely, two in the city of London, and one in Westminster. At these meetings, ten papers on subjects connected with the objects of the Society have been read, and many interesting antiquities and works of art have been exhibited. The attendance on these occasions has been numerous, thus evincing in the most satisfactory manner that the advantages offered by the Society are duly appreciated. The number of Members enrolled is now 250, of which number fifteen are Life Members: and, when it is remembered that one year has not yet elapsed since the Society was even projected, this result must be regarded as extremely encouraging. Still, the Council hope that, as our objects and plan of operation become better known, a large increase will take place; for the success of a Society having so small a subscription must depend greatly on its obtaining a numerous body of Members. The Council, considering it to be of importance to the interests of the Society that the publication of its Transactions should be commenced with as little delay as possible, have made arrangements for the immediate issue of the first part. The limited funds at their disposal for this purpose prevents much being effected; but they trust that even this small instalment of their literary store will prove acceptable to the Members at large. The Council have the satisfaction of stating that friendly relations have been established with the Ecclesiological Society, the Suffolk Institute of Archæology, and the Surrey Archæological Society. The Noble CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the Report, congratulated the meeting on the successful progress of the Society, and on the judicious economy that had characterised its management. Although, if he might so speak, the Society had only attained to the cutting of its first teeth on that occasion-it gave evidence of having been well nursed and nourished. Many Members had been elected, and further subscriptions were promised; and there was no doubt that the Institution would become worthy of the consideration and support of the lovers of archæology in this great metropolis. The attendance on the occasion of their meetings had been numerous -a pretty tolerable evidence that there was a want of a Society of this description, and of the interest that was taken in archæology in London. No doubt, as the Society became more largely known, a much larger amount of patronage would be extended to it in promotion of its objects. There was one announcement in the Report which shewed that there was vitality and value in the Society's proceedings, seeing that the Council were of opinion that it was of great importance that their Transactions should be published. This would put the Society to the experimentum crucis, for mainly on these Transactions would depend the public interest that would attach to them, and whether in its future career the Society would stand or fall. He was glad to find that the Council were taking steps to bring the Association prominently before the public, and that, following out a Royal precedent, they announced at the end of their Report, that they had "established friendly relations" with one or two sister associations. He was an ardent advocate for peaceful and harmonious relations, and though a noble lord (Lord Lindsay) had written a work of considerable philosophical depth to prove that the whole world was impelled by and progressed upon principles of antagonism (and, doubtless, there was some philosophical truth in it), he (the noble Chairman) being a man of peace, was at all times an advocate for amicable relations, whether in archæology or the world at large. With best wishes for the success of the Institution, he would move the adoption of the Report. Mr. ASHPITEL, F.S.A. seconded the motion. They had a wide field and much matter of archæological interest to study and explore. With the exception of Westminster Abbey and St. Saviour's, there was scarcely anything of positive antiquity in London that had been explored; and with reference even to the Abbey itself not even a tenth part of that had been explored archæologically, and, doubtless, the investigations of the Society would shew that there was scarcely a street, or at any rate a district, in London and Middlesex that did not contain some matter of antiquarian or historical interest. Thanks, on the motion of Mr. Sydney Smirke, seconded by Mr. Deputy Lott, were then given to the Auditors, Mr. H. Nethersole and Mr. R. B. Ridgway. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was moved by the Rev. Thomas Hugo, seconded by Mr. Tayler, and carried by acclamation. P The company then proceeded to the abbey, where GEORGE GILBERT Scott, Esq. addressed the members on the architectural peculiarities of the structure, and the Rev. CHARLES BOUTELL, M.A. described the most important and interesting of the monuments. Every part of the abbey, from the crypt to the triforium, was successively visited; and some of the party, including several fair archæologists, followed their conductors to the very roof of the edifice. Mr. Scort commenced his remarks by instituting a comparison between French and English Architecture of the period to which the foundation of the existing abbey must be referred. The idea of Westminster was taken from French models, although in many important respects the structure differed from those of France. The cathedrals of Amiens and Rouen furnished many points of resemblance, especially in the apsidal chapels. The five chapels of Westminster Abbey were all arranged on the chord of the semicircle, which formed the apse. At Amiens Cathedral there were seven such chapels, but they were not commenced on a chord of a circle, but were formed one bay in advance. This was different from Westminster Abbey, where the line radiated backward and westward, having a blank bay in the aisle, by which means the chapels were made larger in proportion to the church than in other instances. The double advantage was thus obtained of gaining in size and making the chapels of more beautiful figure. It could be shown that Rouen Cathedral was intended to be built like Westminster Abbey, but for some reason the builder departed from the plan, and only made a little chapel, certainly inferior in beauty to that of the Westminster plan. The work done to Westminster Abbey in Henry the Third's time showed them how rigidly the original style was adhered to. In 1269 the body of the Confessor was carried to its shrine in the abbey, and the new part was consecrated. Part of the transept was finished by Henry III. After his death the work was continued by Edward I. Edward III. built the choir. Richard II. added to it, but it was finished by Henry VII. On examination it would be seen, that, from the first pillar to the end of the screen, the building took place in the reign of Richard II., but not in the ordinary architecture of the period. All the architects appeared desirous of assimilating their work to that of the 13th century. Respecting the shrine of Edward the Confessor, it appeared that Abbot Weir went to Rome, and brought over here two master workmen to execute the mosaic work in glass, the same as appears in the churches of St. Sophia at Constantinople, St. Mark's at Venice, and in the works round Rome. One of the workmen's name was Peter, a Roman citizen. He helped to execute the shrine. The substance of the shrine was Purbeck marble, inlaid with grey mosaic. The other workman was named Odorico, and he was employed to execute mosaic in porphyry for floors. This workman executed that part of the pavement round the shrine of the Confessor and the high altar; both portions are inlaid, but both were allowed to fall into a state of decay and dilapidation. The lecturer concluded his interesting statement by saying, that he should |