The Sun.
London, England, 1804-06-27 00:00:00

LtiVeS, JUNE 23c

A few days since Mr. StritAr NALL, surgeon of the
South Gloucester Militia, stationed.here, and a gen.
ticman conversant in Antiquarian researches, caused
to he opened, on our Downs, near Off'l4m chalk-pit
and Mount Barry, several tumuli or harrows, which
the ancients had thrown up for the burial of their
dead.

li-,t that was explored exhibited the skele-
ton of a female, nearly entire, lying E.S.E.._and
W.N.,W. hut nothing either of ornaments .or of
w weAt ons was to be found.
The second exposed to view part of a male skele-
ton, lying-in a di;eaion contrary to the former.—
roinmest search, above, below, and at the sides
of-i', .:did not lend to any discovery by which the
age a these deposits could he ascertained.
The third, a very large one; and distant about-
half a mile front the two former, presented several
skulls and human bones, lying promiscuously, with
evi(lror marks of the ground having been previously
'Starched.
in fourth, nearer to the beacon,-and on the
side of Mount Harry, was found a skeleton, wrapped
in. a" deca.yed black substance, resembling tinder,
that was, doubtless, ' the clothes in which the body
was deposited, but without the least trace of orna-

ments or weapons near it.'
The last eximined, in mint of size, was of the
first class, and &cit.-Jed by; ethers of lesser dimen-
sions ; to ore of these "Mr. SHRAPNALL next di.
ruled his attention,:arid di'scovered, little below
the surface of the surrounding soil, a fourth skele-
ton, environed, like all, the rest, by a greyish and
rather greasy mould. They were all left covered
up 'nearly in the same state they were found ; but
with respect to the age in which they might have
been deposited, we can only refer our readers to the
description given by ancient authors.
,We I%ve it fr, m authentic writers, that the Ro-
may s, Dines, and Britons; buried their ashes or bo-
dies unclrr, such tumuli, 'or rather, that they threw
up such heaps of earth over their dead.

,The Romans generally burnt their Undies, and.de-
y-,sited the ashes uf their generals in urns, with or
!laments and warlike weapons, over which they
raised mounts of earth.; and ,these are generally to
be found near. the Roman-hishways and, stations.
But she barrows We love been speaking of are not
sulposed to be 'of this description, nor of. Danish
nrigin ; but from the" rude nranner Tn which the
bodif s appear to have been deposited, the_most pro-
bable ctinclusion is, that they are British.

The Danes, according to 01.aus I,Vottnius, had
three custcms, at different reriods, of burying their
dead. ,The first he calls the age of burning ; the
see,rd the age of burying ; and the third, when
Christianity wa4 introduced, ',early as we bury our
dead.

The,Romins were foYbid, by the law of the
Twelve Tables, burying in their cities and camps ;
but tl cy•gener.44 Iparned their bodies, and depo-
sited The ;i,,hes in urns of earthenware of curious
workmanship, together nith cochrymatorys and or-
naments.

),1,.n rude harre,ws as are feund with Out stone
coffins, and with tmles simply cut in the earth,
bkcked up with large stones, or; have large stones,
c.+lted kectvaneq, on their. tops, are generally sup-
posed, to be rude sepulchral monuments of the Bri-
,
tiih.

• All the above skeletons. were kirrounded by, or
covered witll, large flint stones, which justifiefi the
atoreguitt nctu;ton, that the harrows in question
were raised ever aric err Britons, -hot not great and
tlistingnished personages, as, even in British monu.

rr,ntsof this kindm something remains to point ottt
disCnEtions.

To reccncle the fael of a female skeleton being
Tcodd. ..O.,ve stated, it thy not be improper to
obsrve, that it was' not unusual for women to head
armies atm.:iv the Britons; and many authors re_
cord; that the bodies of females have been- found in
rrows.

Er.;IIA.AtE WITH IREL AND.

EXTRACT

FROM MINUTES OF EVIDENCE

Taken‘:befi)re the Committee .appoinrcd to, inquire into the
State of I, [eland, as to-its Circulating Paper ; its Specieand
Curt4nt Coin; and the Exchange between that part of the
United Kingdom and Great Britain.
The Right Hon. o'l-IN FOSTER, in the Chair.
(Continued front our Paper of Friday.)