The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-10-22
REMARKABLE DISCO VERY IN
ENGLAND.

est historical Importance, and which may
lead to more information respecting a
period Of which little is known, viz that
immediately succeeding the first arrival
Of the Saxons i'll britain The discovery
was made in the following manner, writ
| ten to the Liverpool Mcrc~ry by }. p.
Ashton, a well-known antiquary:
"On the 21th instant, while shaking
one of our caIssonS, an obstacle was met
with which dclicd the pressure exercised
by onr sinking apparatus. Divers were
sent down, who, on removing quantity
of sand from about the base of the cais-
son, reported the obstacle to be large
log of wood. BY the help of strong
crane, and after removing the pressure
from the caisson, We were enabled to
draw it up to the staging, and found it
not to hc log Of wood, as the divers,
misled by its general attrided state, had
reported, but a large collin-shaped box,
of great strength, measuring about eight
feet by three feet The wood had be-
come impregnated with oxide # iron
from the red sandstone, which had made
it as hard as iron ITSELF SO that it was
with the greatest difficulty that We were
enabled to pry open the lid. The inside,
which was roughly hewn to the shape Of
a human body, but with a large addi-
tional space at the head, was lined with
a whitish, bituminOus substance and
contained the body of man in most
wonderful state of preservation. 1t is
attired in the dress of wealthy Roman
citizen, the tunic and toga both white.
embroidered with purple and gold
threads, the tOga fastened with hand
some golden fibula The straps of the
buskins arc studded with little golden
bosses Attached to the girdle are ia
blet and a golden-hlted stylus. The
t0at ensemble, in fact, while not glariug,
is rich and tasteful.
"The body, though in civil dress, APP
pears to be that of a legionary officer, as
large military CLOAK is swathed round
it, and 10y its side are q short sword ttlls
famous Roman gladium }, with its belt,
a lavclIn and yinea, such aS centurions
used to preserve discipline among the
men. \ fine onyx signet ring, bearing the
letters s p. q. K and the figure of
wolf, is on the iinger.s This | conjecture
to be symbol of authority delegated by
the Roman Senate, or the then reigning
Emperor. TO the bearer. The sword and
belt also bear the initials IS. p. Z. r.
The head Of the yinea is shaped into
rude resemblance to Rom an eagle.
THE body has been embalmed in so
skillful n manner as to preserve, even
after this lapse of time, the features tole-
rably distinct; but it is excessively fra
gilc, crumbling ut touch, in fact, it has
only been preserved from total destruc-
ton by the mantle, and by a quantity of
a cryptogamic plant, allied to the com
mon cquisetun, which is packed round
ii, keeping it steady and imnovable in
the collin.
:" forbear giving a more detailed ac-
count, and will proceed to mention
briefly the contents of the space above
the head Of the corpse. 4 quantity of
the eIuistum like herb sustains unin
lured an amph0ra Of coarse carthenware,
with yellow, vitreOus glaze. The han
dies and neck are broken of, and inside
it is placed also with packing-a beau
tifully executed cinerary urn Of red Sc
main ware, containing ashes and small
roll of vcllum, covered with characters
| which am unable to decipher, but which
believe to he Saxon. Sprinkled through
the scroll |, however, find the Roman
| name 90 Sulpicius, Piso, the initials
IS. u. O. R. the words "legatus,'
"crcmatio," "manes," "lares," and a
few others This scroll therefore i'm
agine to hold the key of the enigma
| presented by the many anomalous ap-
| pcaranceS have described and am about
| To describe.
In the amphora, beneath the urn, are
|; a number of ornaments of gold and sill
yer, such rs were worn by Saxon females
oil rank among them is kind Of rude
| loChct, containing long tresS of glossy
| yellow hatr. The ornaments appear to be-
a set, as If they had belonged to one per
son; and this fact, coupled with the pre-
| Scnce Of the hair, leads me to suppose tho
ashes contained III the urn to be those of
| the owner both of them and the hair
| "The atAphora also contains a small
packet Of coins, nearly one hundred in
| number, of which forty three are gold,
| and 0i the rcgns OF the Roman emperOrs
| iionoriuS, dating \. ID. 40, a few OF
| iIadrian, Antonius and Severus, with
| ca1 Iier dates The remaining coins are
| silver, probably Saxon, but owing to their
mutilatetl aud deiaced condition, am
| unable to say positively. On one only is
a date visible, namely, 4G5.
| From these dates, as we'll as from
| the Saxon ornaments, | am inclined to
refer the remains to about the date of the
first arrival of the Saxons in Britain. -
The corpse may be that of one of the last
emiSsaIies OF Rome to this island-or, as
history speaks Of no political intercourse
between Rome and our island at that Pc
riod, he may have been connected with
reli siouS, not civil, mission The ashes
suimisc to be those of Saxon female.
| But how shall We account for the pre-
Scnce of the remains OF u Roman and
Saxon ia y common tomb More strange
still is the embalming Of the Roman and
the cremation OF the Saxon. The posi-
ton OF the collin in the bed Of the river
is also strange but an overturned boat
and the shifting sands may account for
this Possibly the scroll found III tho
urn may give an explanation oi this, and
until this has been deciphered We must
| ha cautnni IA remain in the dark. | have