The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-19 00:00:00

ANTIQUARIAN DISCOVERIES AT

L6_a, ON-BRIDGE.

. ,
In the progress of the works' to form the foun-
dations of the new London-bridge, antiquities
are daily_brought to light, which afford proof of
the ancient magnificence of the metropolis, as
the centre of opulence and luxury in this island,
whilst under the domination of the Romans.
A considerable quantity of Roman coins, gold,
silver, and brass, have been found, and one small,
silver statue, which has been deposited in the .
British Museum. In the course of the excava-
tions a few days since, the leaden figure of a
horse was brought up, and it is now in the pos-
session of Mr. Knight, an engineer. The exe-
cution of the head is of the highest order of the
antique, and in spirit it may be compared even
with some of the heads of the Elgin marbles.
The same gentleman has, amongst a considerable
collection of remains, one curious specimen of
ancient glazed tile, a number of -rare Saxon
coins, and a considerable quantity of counters
and gun-money. The remains, as soon as 'they
are discovered, are "contended for With great eeal
by rival collectors, and by persons who are
desirous of having some memorial of the old
bridge. The workmen, who at first considered
all the coin they met with as being merely old
half-pence, which were worth nothing, because
they would no longer ' pass, soon discovered.
their error, and now have all become con-
noisseurs, and can distinguish between the Roman
'coins of the higher and lower empires, and even
detect an Otho or au Antonine. Mr. R. L.
Jones, the Chairman of the Bridge Committee,
has zealously obtained all he could, with the liberal
intention of presenting his set to the CorporatiOn, to
form the nucleus of a collection its the New"Citv
Library. He has, besides, amongst a number of
indifferent coins found some time since, one
Roman coin, with the inscription P L ON,
which the, antiquarians read Peet/lila LOlldin:,
, zctie:or:neiand consider to have been struck in the metro-
polis. Mr. Newman, - the comptroller of the
Bridge-house Estates, has made a considerable
collection of coins, ancient implements, and
plate, which have been found on the spot. The
coins are chiefly Roman, amongst which are
several ConSular, but few' in remarkably good
preservation, or of extreme rarity. The most
frequent of the Roman coins are flide of An-
' tomus Pius, df which Mr. Knight has one good
specimen, in large brass. Saxon and-old Eng-
lish coins have been found -in great abundance,
together with many ancient instruments, warlike,
' sacerdotal, and domestic; spurs, spoons, 6ao--
, gers, crucifixes, chains, and manacles. e But
there is reason to believe that an exteniive trade
in spurious antiquities has been earied on about
, the bridges by unscrupulous 0/: mischievous in-
dividuals, through the medium of the workmen.
Not long since a bron7.. head was brought forth
las having been fctund, whilst digging- .30 feet
deep in the;blue. clay. The preservation of the
article was considered most remarkable, and its
lantiquity was conjectured to be long anterior to
the Roman period. From the workmanship, it
was judged to be Carthaginian. A gentleman.
who is confident he is not mistaken, declares that saw it, some weeks before the time of itsUs-
covery "30feet deep in the blue clay 9" and-that
it then.occupied a place in the window of a broker's
,' -iiri the New-cut, To guard against impofii-
• e
;t fis,• and the dispersion of the articles found..
the Workmen have, we understand, been directed
i
to deposit all they discover with.- Mr. Knight. '
When the fact of the discovery is properly' au-
thenticated, they receive a fair compensation for
the treasure trove, whatever it mar be. • kis
very necessary, however, that the corporation and.
the public should be put upon their guard against
the fabrications of spurious antiquaries, who ha-re .
of late been much upon the alert to entrap the
uninitiated, and have been very successful, espe-
cially in the city. The following instance -of an
attempt at imposition with a vase, which had
well nigh got into a national collection
hav-
ing mystified some of the Antiquarian Society,
hae excited sonde amusement. . ./.7', vase,
Irosaf,arsyt.. hberuolb,lnil
gas
iclkto
ffoe atrirntlid sale.ooufbb
,tv:e,.(h.tai,cs.ahtti,iat,:tiililea:lel-Itryi
c;liot.)o,aniailraeelnielial cine-
rary
,
entiquaiian. The . .
•, it was found ive digging . e
en, I._ 0-41,en ut it wt-ls, -,la.
'''COtt 't ,' - 'f .•
t' '
at Aldboreugh in Yorlt-
' ,hire, by labourers, who had eent•it to London
to have it sold for their benefit. The messenaer
did not profess to be aware of its value, or the
nature. of the inscription which it bore.. The
workmanship was of a primitive character ;'but
the incription, which afterwards excited no, little
interest, was as follows :

L CLODIVS HIRPANVf; VIXIT ANNOS

etv DES V PTEEoIt HALITY