Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1847-06-10

cupation by the coniederates of Roger Will
liams The foundation which was OF extreme
lcnpth, extends across what is now Mill-street,
at point east Of where church was erected
in 1923, at which time, as appears from the
records Of the church, IT was displaced, and the
material used in erecting the foundation of the
church. That there wssas lare. settlement in
the immediate vicinity of this important rum
most satisfactory evidence exists. Ancient
coins have been exhumed some of the date OF
Henry llth ll60, which would lead us to be-
leve that some kind of commercial intercourse
was much narrower than at present, the sea
cbbing and flowing in close proximity to the
temple ; marine shells and aqueous formations
have been dug up, where il is now thickly in
habited and settled. have copied this part Of
the report attributed to Professor Scrobien
relative to the excavation &c entire, to ex-
pose it's extreme absurdity and ialsity, which
lis stamped OH the very face Of it, and requires
no argument To show. 1t was in 1892, less
than fifteen years since the excavations and
discoveries stated in the report attributed to
Professor Scroben is SAID to have been made,
with the cooperation Of u numju of scientific
gentiemen If .Nemport uih SererA OHoers Of
The .4rny then stat,0ncd here if that were the
fact, the time stated is so recent that some OF
those who co-opcruted in the examination &c.
must be now living, TO whom reference might
be made in corroboration, but not one has come
forward or been referred TO Of one thing am
sure, there is no man Of integrity and honor,
| whether citizen or officer Of the army, who
would have assented to the report as stated to
have been made by Professor Scrobein. The
|, writer of this is not " the oldest inhabtant"
but One Of the oldest inhabitants Of Newport,
who was born, and has lived between seventy
and eighty years, within forty rods Of the " old
stone mill' recently styled the "Newport
RUM" and has never known any excavations
| made near it, except once about the year l797,
! when an excavation was made IN the night
time by company Of money diggcrs, directly
under the centre Of the ruin, which was left
| open, and about four or five feet deep, but did
| no. d;aoloss .lso founastien Of the rseeptt~am
! mentioned in the report in question. There Is
not one among the old inhabitants ofNewport,
many Of whom are older than myself, of whom
inquiry has been made, who recollects any ex-
cavation having been made about the rum, ex-
cept for the purpose above stated, which has
occurred several times within their recolec-
ton, and recollecting those occurrences, they
would certainly have perfect recollection OF
any excavations 30 recently said to have been
made, and Of such extent and depth as to ex-
pose the base Of the columns upon which the
superstructure rests, &C (for the details of the
report as stated by Antiquarian, | refer the
reader to his publication in the Daily News OF
May Goth, and Gas more extended cXcava-
ton was forbidden, from fear of looscning the
bed ofthe ruin In addition to the fore going
evidence that no such excavation was made, as
is stated in the report, | will add the lniorma-
ton of gentleman of high standing, and OF
! strict integrity and honor, who has lived some
thirty or forty years within ono hundred yards
! of the old ruin, and cannot come out OF his
house without seeing it, who AYERS that no e1'
, cayntion was made about or under it at the
time stated in the report, for it could not have
been made without his observing 1t, and he
/ never knew or heard Of any excavations ever
having been made about it, except with the
! view before stated. | will refer any person
| who is not satisfied with this statement, to the
gentleman last alluded to for its correctness as
| far az it regards himself, which from the free
! dom with which he answered my inquiries, l
! feel myself authorized to do.
/ The foundation on which the false and
! groundless report attributed to Professor Scro-
! bein was erected, being removed, the whole
superstructure must fall into its original moth
| inpness notwithstanding the communication
! received by Antiquarian" from an eminent
| citizen of Newport, of less years than ms
! ancient friend which he says places the ques
! ton in the ccarest light, wherein he says thai
I, he was present at the time alluded to, with
! Lieut. Barber of the Army" but as there wa
no such person here, the writer OF some other
added (3arbarin, no doubD. lplty the pow
erty of that mans mind, who with no better
evidence than that adduced and without see
mo the refutatlon, as man beside himself
says in the plural, "'oe are decidedly o' th'
opinion Of Antiquarian that II c"the ole
ruin y was built by the Northmen OF Europe
centuries ago, and for religious rites and cere
monies.
In an article published by " Antiquarian II
the Newport Daily News Of the Goth instant
dated "Provdencc, May 10th, he says "A'
elaborate article addressed to me orer the SIG
Ilniture Of the "oldcst inhabItant OF Newport,
4 merits special attention, not 50 mush from IL
concise history of the "old Stone Mill tror
1.-The time of Gov. Arnold, as It's absurd an
friroIous objections to the learned report q
Professors Raicn aud Graciz before the koy'
Society of Copenhagen, extracts from who
in my former communication I'M
lltedious document would willingly submit tpul
llishl bu, its extreme length iorblds 1t. froI
the allusion of " Antiquarian TO the tedion
ldocnment which he would willingly submit br