Star.
London, England, 1825-12-30 00:00:00

ROMAN REMAINS IN LONDON.
A few days ago, as some workmen in the employ-
ment of Mr. Chadwick, the architect, were digging
near the foundation of the jiew Trinity Church, they
discovered a Roman vase of a very peculiar form.
Shortly afterwards, the pickaxe struck against a vase
of very considerable dimensions, which could not be
accurately described ; but from an examination of pieces
which were picked up, it was judged that it was about
four feet high. Many fragments of Roman. pottery,
chiefly of a light sort 4if stone ware, have been dug up
there. It is• supposed that this spot is contiguous to
that which Bagford mervions in his letter t.i Hearne,
as the place in which a number of Roman remains had
been found. Mr. Gwi't, the architect and antiquarian,
has formed a small museum of the various Roman
Antiquities which have been recently discovered in the
betough of Southwark, by the labourers who arc em-
ployed in digging the sewers near his own house in
Union-street, in which many Roman remains were
found, and amongst them was a vessel of a singular
shape, bearing some resemblance to a gallon stone
bottle. The aperture is perforated with small holes,
and it is evidently adapted as a sort ot watering pot
acting upon the principle of the common implement
used in taking samples of liquor from casks, in which
the fluid is retained as long as the orifice at the top is
kept closed by the finger, but from which it flews as
soon as the finger is removed. It is conjectured by
the workmanship, that the utensil is the Roman Silules.
A Samian cup, and several specimees of Samian ware,
were found near the same spot. S ,me of the frag-
ments resembled those dug up in Lombard-street, near
Birchin-lane, is 1786. While some workmen were
digging for the erection of a steam.eagine, at Messrs
Barclay and Perkins' brewery, they found a human',
skeleton, between the legs of which they discovered a
vessel containing several Roman coins, chiefl• o r the Lower
Empire. Near the Dissenters burying ground was found
a short time ago, a Roman bypocaust, or flue. In the,
whole line of Union-street and Blackman-street, vat inus
remains were discovered. On the south side of Sr.
Saviour's Church, a Roman tesselated pavement wasl
dug up, by some of Mr. Gwilt's workmen; but he was,
only enabled to remove a few fragments. A number
of Roman coins were also found in the same place. A
copper coin of Antoninus Pius, with a Britannia on the
reverse, was found in St. Saviour's Church-yard. The
head is in excellent preservation, and the execution is,
perhaps, not excelled by any model n coin, certainly not
by any of our own. In the course of the excavations
for the new London bridge, a quantity of Roman
mortar was found, which, it was conjectured, had be-
longed to some Roman embankment, which had fallen
into the river at the same time. From the remains
found in various places in the neighbourhood, it was
conjectured, indeed no doubt seems to exist, although
the circumstance is not mentioned in our histories, that
Southwark was once a very flourishing Roman station.
Amongst the works carried on in the course of the res-
toration of St. Saviour's Church, to the progress in
which such absurd impediments have been presented
by a party of the learned parish dignitat ies, a quantity
of Roman bricks were dug up rear the Spiritual Court,
and were ascertained to have been worked in with
the flint in the walls. The grerer part of the anti-
quities have been collected and preserved by Mr.
Gwilt. Indeed, his success as a collector has raised
up many rivals, who narrowly watch the woi lc%
carried on at any new sewers, drains, or excavations,
in the hope of meeting with something curious.—
The foremost of these is Mr. Gaitskell, the Magistrate ;
but Mr. Gwilt has hitherto succeeded, and driven away
'all chance from his competitors by the act ot liberal
rewards to the workmen. We understand he has ob-
tained one funeral urn, with an inscription which is
likely to poze the Antiquarian Society. Every an•
tiquarian who has yet been allowed to see it ha, given
a different construction of, and built a different hl po-
thesis upon it. It is probable, that in carrying on the
works of the new street., and in digging to form the
improvements of the metropolis, discoveries may be
made, which, if they come within the knobs ledge of the
learned, will serve to elucidate the site of the Roman
London, or Augusta, now a matter of such wide and
wild conjecture. In forming the late new buildings at
the India House, a considerable extent of ground was
cleared to what was considered the Roman site, where
a Roman road was discovered. Mr. Fisher, of the An-
tiquarian Society, who gave an account of the superb
Mosaic pavement discovered in Leadenhall-street, in
1803, has examined the spot very accurately, and will,
we presume, give to the society a paper on the subject,
fully descriptive of kis discoveries. There can be little
doubt that (irony antiquities have been destroyed or
dispersed on account ot ignorance of their value, and
that numerous Lite: esting remains, which might have
furnished matter useful, perhaps, to the historian, have
recently been broken up without having for a moment
excited the least degree of curiosity. Bctlind Coidbath-
fields prison were dug up lately many piles, and some
-tone-work, which appeared to he the vestige, ril a
b. idge, of great antiquity. The mounds near old Pan-
cras Church, which were considesed by Dr. Stukdy to
be the remains ot a Roman camp, and whichot is highly
probable, notwithstanding the wildness of his other
conjectures respecting it, were actually what he de-
scribed them to be, have been all obliterated by the
hand of modern improvement. The Spitalfield's Ma-
thematical Society learning that the Roman Camp, in
the fields beyond White Conduit-house, would soon be
obliteratsil by the brick-makers, have had a drawing of
it taken. We were yesterday led to examine a tomb
in the vet y ancient church of St. Catharine's, which
workmen are now pulling to pieces, for the purpose of
forming the new St. Catharine's Dock. It was the tomb ,
of John Duke of Eietcr, who was, we believe, uncle to
Henry V. and was with hiss at the battle of Agincourt.
His skull is now in thelpossession of Mr. Compton, the
surveyor. The cranium is small and retiring, which
those who profess to be learned in such matters say, is
evidence of royalty and legitimacy as well as of valour.
The teeth are remarkably perfect. It would appear that
his tomb bad once btrfote been opened and plundered.
His will, in which he bequeathed to the high altar of
the church " a cuppe of byrol, garnished with gold,
perles, and precious stones, to be put in the Sacrament,"
and a number of other:memorials of the Duke, are to
be seen amongst the town records.

Canterbury Theatre, on Monday night, was much
crowded by the Christmas holyday folks, to see the new
Pantomime of Hoy Avant Tout. During the perform-
ance of this piece, Mr, W. Dowron, who performed
the part of Harlequin, had the misfortune to dislocate
his and.. In consequence the Pantomime has been
withdrawn for the present.

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