throughout, and he failed to notice a very suggestive ruin (7) near the two monoliths at the head of the pass, 1400 ft. (8), which had long excited the curiosity of the Nant Conwy Antiquarian Society, on several expeditions to that generally interesting region. Permission has been sought from Mr. Barker, the owner of the property, to open out this ruin, and when this is granted the Society will do the necessary work, in the full expectation that it will prove to have been a Mutatio. The foundations only of this ruin are to be seen, on both sides of an entrance to a large space enclosed by boulders of considerable size, and the spot lends itself to a changing and resting-place.

From the Bwlch (8) to point (9) the road remains clearly discernible, but whether the Romans pursued a course towards Aber, or went, as is now proposed, straight to the low land south of Llanfairfechan, is matter of argument.

However, it is known to Welsh and other archæologists that two important milestones were found more than thirty years since on the Rhiwiau at point (10), some distance up the hill behind the present mansion of Gorddinog (12), whose owner, Colonel H. Platt, C. B., sent them, in 1883, to the British Museum. An illustration of one of these, that of temp. Hadrian, was given in the first paper, Arch. Camb., April, 1912, from a photograph procured by Mr. Willoughby Gardner, who also lent to the writer a rubbing he had had made of the second stone, which unfortunately lies at present in such a position in the British Museum that it cannot. be photographed. But it is known that the milestone was erected in the time of Septimius Severus and Marcus Aurelius, who were joint emperors A.D. 198-211. The inscription reads:

This rendering was kindly given by Sir Charles H. Read, of the British Museum. The stone itself is broken. The part which was broken off, and is stated to have been built into a wall erected after the stone. was found, probably recorded the same distance from Kanovium as does that of the Hadrian stoneM. P. VIII.1

In order to substantiate the claim that the earliest Roman road went down the Rhiwiau, Colonel Platt kindly permitted its examination at the three points (11) shown on the map, and provided labourers on his estate, including one ancient retainer who was able to

B

A

A. Original Level of Ground. B. Present Level, showing growth of 18 in. to 24 in. of Vegetable Mould

give valuable information. Colonel Platt pointed out the spot to the west of the track where the two milestones were found in successive years, within ten yards of each other; and it must be particularly noted that both were buried in the ground: that even of Hadrian showing only a small portion above the surface. Knowing the rapidity of the growth of vegetable mould in the course of many centuries, the accompanying illustration is given to show how easily, within the space of fourteen to fifteen centuries, this tall, heavy stone would become naturally covered when thrown down, most probably very soon after the Roman occupation ceased.

1 See Editorial Note.

A section of the present track was made opposite to the place where the two stones were discovered. Here there was evidence of deposit of rubble and stone, and the breadth of the track, 8 ft., comes within the designation of the Limites Linarii of the Romans, but its construction would necessarily have been at a later period; at the moment Suetonius presumably was following a native path. The ancient retainer then pointed out that from near below that section a new road commenced and was carried direct in his earlier days to the policies of Gorddinog, and that the old track ran in the wood parallel to that road and near to it. This was found to be the case, and two further cuttings were made. The first showed deposit of stone and rubble, which was badly broken up by tree roots. The next one, however, lower down the hill, was clear enough as to artificial deposit, and at the base included several cobble stones which are not natural to the local geological formation, while the breadth was again 8 ft.

From point (9) to the head of the Rhiwiau track there is marshy ground and now no indication of a path. A very slight obstruction would rapidly increase the depth of a marshy place, the growth of vegetation on wet ground being extremely quick. Thus, to prove further the correctness of the surmise that Suetonius Paulinus took the line down the Rhiwiau, excavation would have to be made, preferably from the head of the Rhiwiau towards the mountain road.

To continue the assumption, Suetonius when at point (9) would see his objective, Mona, and the present Lavan lands being, in those days, dry ground, the way was open to him straight almost to the island.

Mr. William Ashton in his very readable book, The Battle of Land and Sea, describes the great subsidence which, according to tradition, took place in the early part of the sixth century, along the whole British coast, from North Cumberland to Cardigan Bay, and possibly further south. The numerous finds at low tides far beyond the existing coast, and other evidences, make

this fact incontrovertible. The Welsh Gorhoffet, 11151190, the Welsh Triads, and Sir John Gwynne of Gwedir in his quaint and rare book, The Ancient Survey of Pen maen mawr, all allude to it. A somewhat questionable record in a poem attributed to Taliesin is also said to exist, to the effect that it occurred in his day, 520 A.D., and onward.

It is needful to make this allusion to Mr. Ashton's book, to make clear the course Suetonius would take. He had dry land before him to Mona, which was immediately opposite, and, arriving at the then narrow strait, we have the record of Tacitus.1 "He [Suetonius] built flat-bottomed vessels to cope with the shallows and uncertain depth of the sea. Thus the infantry crossed, while the cavalry followed by fording or, where the water was deep, swam by the side of their horses." The journey is ended. What Suetonius Paulinus did in Mona; how he was hurried back to South East Britain to deal with the revolt under Boudica (Boadicea of English History); or what Agricola accomplished about eighteen years subsequently to complete the subjection of Druidism, and of the malcontents. who had flocked to the Island of Mona for refuge, is briefly recorded by Tacitus, but the details are not within the province of the subject in hand. To quote a note of Mr. Murphy, in his translation of Tacitus's Agricola, there is little doubt that that general learned his first rudiments of war under Suetonius Paulinus, and was probably engaged with him in the first expedition to Mona, and took precisely the same route in his own expedition, and, further, that that route continued to be observed in the main, with certainty down the Rhiwiau for over one hundred years subsequently, and probably to the end of the occupation. Still, an alternative course may have been.

Igitur Monam insulam . . . aggredi parat, navesque fabricatur plano alveo adversus breve et incertum. Sic pedes equites vado secuti aut altiores inter undas adnantes equis tramisere. Tac. Annals, Book XIV, c. 29, Church's translation.