The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-19 00:00:00

give rise to reply and rejoinder. Months will thus
be lost ; the Session will come to an end, and the
world will have one more proof of the wisdom of
that saying, " The Minister who wishes to know
how not to do a thing need only refer it to a Com.
mission."

The Excavations at Malton.

During the past fortnight the excavations in pro-
gress by the North-Eastern Railway Company, on
the eastern side of the British, and subsequently
Roman, military station at Malton, have been pushed
across the great outer breach, or vallurn, defending
the quadrilateral of the camp. The excavations
have yielded the most important results, the British
and Roman periods being most clearly defined by
the sections. The previous notice showed that two
British tumuli had been exhumed from below a co-
vering of disturbed Roman wound—the result of a
levelling of the land in the beginning of the present
century. Two lesser trenches had also been cut
across, showing British and Roman periods plainly
recognisable. At a progress of about 50 yards the
rock (oolite) was struck, the superficial covering
being very thin—not more than 2 feet of soil, full
of Roman pottery. Among the objects found was
a fine red bowl, ornamented, of the ware known as
bastard Samian, but which the Rev. Mr. Porter, of
Yedingham, confidently traces to the Castor pot-
teries (Durobrivaa). Near it was found a silver coin
of Severus. Both these articles were sold by the
workmen. The Crown, however, is claiming the
coin as treasure trove, and the bowl clearly belongs
to the lord of the manor, Earl Fitzwilliam, whose
agent, Capt. Copperthwaite, was compelled by these
irregular proceedings to put in a claim ; and the
other antiquities are located in the Lodge, Malton, or
are held by Mr. Monkman, or the Rev. W. Green-
well, of Durham. The great outer trench, or covered
way to the camp, has been cut across within the
last few days, and the results of the excavation are
of the greatest historical importance. The section
of the trench is about IGft. wide by 20ft. deep, the
level of the railway being short of the bottom by
some 6ft. or Bft. ; therefore the full section has not
been exposed. This was proved by thrusting a crow-
bar overhead in soft, unctuous soil. If this trench
is ever probed to the bottom, it must be outside the
railway boundary, and the excavations will pro-
bably be continued next summer. The lower part
of the great trench was filled with striated soil,
showing layers of charcoal and mixings of burnings,
charcoal and bones of animals, for a height of some
feet above the railway level. [Probably five feet
more were below.] The deposits yielded one stone
implement and two flint flakes (knives), these
being the only signs of human occupation. At the
division between the British and Roman periods
there was plainly distinguishable a line of semi-ve-
getable deposit, not exactly to be classed as peat,
but showing sufficient vegetable remains to prove
that there was a period of vegetation and moisture
in the trench before the upper portion was filled
with the debris of the Roman occupiers--the con-
querors. Just under the semi-peaty line in the sec-
tion an entire skeleton was found, the body being
doubled up after the British fashion, and surrcunded
with large stones. It could not be said a rough
cist was formed, nor yet a cairn—there was every
evidence of hasty burial—probably of a Brigantean
hero, who had fought for his birthright and was buried
where he fell. Among a great number of navvies it
is difficult to collect remains, but of this skeleton
Captain Copperthwaite succeeded in obtaining very
nearly the whole. What was very important, the
skull was perfect with the exception of part of the
jaw. The position in which this burial was found suf-
ficiently stamped it as British, and Mr. Greenwell
pronounced the skull to be a very fine British speci-
men, with a parietal breadth of 80, as to 100 in
length. The lower jaw is square and strong, and
corresponds very closely with a fine Northumbrian
skull in the collection. Singularly enough the fron-
tal suture of the Malton skull remains—a very rare
occurrence—and the type is brachy-cephalic, the
age being about 40 years and the sex masculine, of
strong make. It is evident, from a curious molar,
that toothache was common, or at least known, to
the Brigantes. Some of the teeth were wanting (had
been lost), and it was plain that the wisdom teeth
had been lost early in life. If there were any articles
interred with this body they were not recovered.
Immediately above this burial the soil began to show
fragments of Roman pottery, of undoubted local
make, but mixed pretty freely with the red ware and
the bluish-black ware of the Castor potteries. This
deposit reached to within a foot of the surface, and
showed that in Roman times the trench had been ,
rapidly filled. The upper part of the rampart had,
however, been thrown down early in this century.
Among the deposits of the Roman period a bronze
fibula—a greyhound coursing a hare (see illustra-
tion in Wright's " Celt, Roman, and Saxon," p.
, 343), was found, together with a bronze ring and
an agate seal, haying two doves seated on an urn,
from which issues a flame. Captain Copperthwaite
regards this as being a votive offering to Venus.
The cutting of the stone is admirable The
bronze leg of a Roman figure was also found—very
singularly of a similar type to one found 40 years
ago by the father of Captain Copperthwaite. On the
left of the trench, and just below the surface, a cist,
or sarcophagus, containing a body of full length,
and laid very Christian-like—east and west—was
found. The cist was hewn out of two blocks of
native oolite, and if it ever had a lid, the levelling
process of 1860-6 had removed it. Indeed, it is
strange how the coffin itself could have escaped de-
tection. This burial was found just at darkening,
and next morning the bones of the skeleton were
missing ; they had been stolen during the night,
only the occipital bone of the skull remain-
ing. The cist measures 6ft. gin. by lft. Gin.
by 10in. deep internally, and is of immense
weight, and is now finally placed in the Lodge
grounds, Malton. This burial was undoubtedly late
Roman. There were found associated with it some
half-dozen bone pins, a bone bodkin, and a very
fine red " bastard Samian" ware lachrymatory, all
of which are held by Captain Copperthwaite.
Some other trivial matters, tending to show the
nature of the burial, and to distinguish it from a
twelfth century interment, were found. The ex-
cavations are still being carried on, but chiefly in
the rock, and it is thought the ancient fortifications
have all been passed.

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day.

Market steady. Sales probably 10,000 bales.

At the half-yearly meeting, to-day, of the Fore-
street Warehouse Company, a dividend at the rate
of 10 per cent. was declared.
At a meeting of the Board of the London and
Provincial Marine Insurance Company, the direc-
tors have resolved to recommend at the ensuing
general meeting a payment of bonus of 5 per cent.
on the paid-up capital of the company, in addition
to the payment of interest for the half-year ending
31st December, 1865, at the rate of 10 per cent. per
annum, and to increase the reserve fund to £25,000.
During the last few days there has been a very
limited amount of business transacted in the Foreign
and Colonial Produce Markets. Sugars have been
in very moderate request, at barely previous prices.
Coffee, however, has been in fair demand at steady
rates, and superior descriptions have advanced 6d.
to ls. per cwt. Rice has been more inquired for,
while tallow has been dealt in to a seasonable extent
for both present and forward delivery, at steady
quotations.
SoUTHAMPTON, Thursday.—The North German
Lloyd screw steamship New York, Captain N• con Oteren-
dorf, sailed for Now York to-day at 2 pin.,
with German,
French, and English mails, 72 cabin passengers' 13 pack-
ages of jewellery from Havre, value £5,500, and a full
cargo of general merchandise.
his persons be found
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