The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-03-02
STONEHENGE.
SCHEMES FOR PREVENTING FUR-
 THEIR DESTRUCTION
Of the Prehistoric Monuments.


 Amid the solitudes of Salisbury plain
 on the last night of the last century
 there fell to the ground one of the
 great uprights of the outer circle of
 stones at Stonehenge.. The cross piece mortised to it on the top, of
 course, fell as we'll and the capstone was broken to pieces. Once again those
 who care for the preservation of such memorials of the past-and what memo
 rial belongs to so distant a past as
 this?--are considering how best to pre-
 vent the destruction of any more of
 these mighty pillars, whose object and
 meaning are involved in obscurity and have been the subject of so much anti quarians' controversy. Ancient monu- ments in this country have always been treated in haphazard way, though, | thanks mainly to the society now known as the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest and Natural Beau ty, some attempt at their preservation has been made of late years. There was the act of 1882, which empowers the owners of these monuments to con- stitute by deed the Department of Works and Public Buildings here and in Dublin guardians of them, and to arrange for their maintenance and preservation. If parliament SO wills, money may be voted for the purchase or these memorials and of the land on which they stand, but this can only be done on the application of the owner. The legislature has always refused to endoW either the state or the local au- thorities with powers to compulsorily acquire memorials Tn the session of last year the act of 1882 was extended and amended, particularly in the direc tion of enabling county councils, as well as the office of works, to become guardians or owners by purchase of any structure, erection or monument of historic or architectural interest, or any remains thereof" This definition replaces the three schedules of the ear Her act, and one of those includes the group of stones known as Stonehenge, in the parish of Amesbury, county of Wits" Both sets of authorities are given power to receive and administer voluntary contributions toward the cost | and maintenance or preservation of | any monument of which they may be- | come the purchasers or guardians | Moreover, the commissioners of works have possessed since 1882 power to ap- point inspectors to report on the condi- tion and the best means of preserving | these ancient structures.
 So far the law. A scheme for pre- venting any further destruction of the stones on Salisbury plain was suggest ed five years ago by the late General PittRivers in a report he made to the National Trust. It was in effect that the sloping stones should be brought to the perpendicular and underpinned, or surrounded at the bottom with concrete or masonry up to within say, eighteen inches of the surface, and then covered with earth. In a couple of years, as he pointed out, no trace of the under ground work would be visible. The re- cent fall has revived this project, and suggestions have been made for carry ng it out. The subject will be consid- cred to-day by the committee fof the National Trust, and it is to be hoped hat so influential a body will not fail to make some representation to the free holder of that part of the plain on ! which the stones lie or stand to allow ome scheme of preservation to be car jed out. To substitute concrete oundation for the few feet of soil and halk in which the feet of the pillar are low embedded would not be costly natter and for that or any other plan { should not be difficult to raise the ne- essary money by public subscription. If course, the freeholder has power to To just what he likes He may, if he hinks fit, forbid any interference with at all. Morally, however, hough not legally, he is the trustee for he nation of priceless relic of early Britain, and it is scarcely conceivable hat any difficulty would be put in the lay-always assuming that nothing be ' tempted until the highest expert pinion has been taken as to the best leans of preservatio A method for | ! oing this at the public expense exists, 8 we have pointed out in the act of and the committee of the Ia tional Trust is mot likely to overlook ne fact MT. Akers-D Douglas ought not want much spurring to send an in- ? oector at once to Salisbury plain to re- It ort as to the feasibility of the plan lggested by General Pitt-Rivers,- ondon Post.