the tall, slender monuments at Carew and Nevern, in Pembrokeshire, than with the short, stumpy wheel-crosses which are all head and no shaft to speak of. It will be seen that by varying the relative dimensions of the head and shaft of the wheel-cross, its character may be entirely changed. The effect of lengthening the shaft is to make the head appear smaller by comparison. The Maen y Chwyfan has the proud distinction of being the tallest of the wheel-crosses of Great Britain. The Maen y Chwyfan is sculptured in relief on all four faces. Thus:: Front. On the head is a cross with a circular, raised boss in the centre, and four equal arms having expanded ends. The spaces between the arms are recessed, and there is a small, round pellet in each of the angles next the central boss. The lower and two sidearms are filled in with a triquetra, or three-cornered knot, distorted on the side next the centre, so as to fit into the space occupied by the arms. The top arm is filled in with a looped band. The cross on the head is surrounded by a circular ring ornamented with a flat cable-moulding. The boss has a cross formed of incised lines upon it. The shaft is divided into three panels containing-(1) a piece of plaitwork composed of fourteen bands interlacing correctly, but irregularly executed as regards the straightness of the bands and the distances between them; (2), a key-pattern, the setting-out lines of which form a square divided into eight similar triangles; (3), a man, undraped, holding a spear (?) in his right hand, and treading on a serpent, the whole being surrounded by a border of rude spiral ornament. The bottom of the shaft, to a height of 1 ft. 6 in. above the base, is left plain. Back. On the head is a design very similar to that on the front, except that the triquetra-knots on the arms of the cross are regular instead of being distorted, and there is no cable-moulding round the ring. The shaft is divided into two panels containing (1) two separate pieces of interlaced work, the one at the top consisting of a pair of concentric circular rings interlaced with a four-cornered knot formed of four intersecting semicircles, and the pattern filling the remainder of the panel at the bottom consisting of a band looped alternately on opposite sides; (2), a piece of plaitwork composed of twelve bands. All the interlaced work on this face has a line along the centre of the band. The bottom of the shaft is plain to the height of 1 ft. 6 in. above the base. Right Side.-Round the circular edge of the head is a continuous piece of plait work composed of four bands. On the shaft is a single panel containing seven separate designs: (a), a double-square, keypattern border composed of T's placed facing alternately to the right and left; (b), a chain composed of two circular rings; (c), a circular ring interlaced with a four-cornered knot, similar to the design on the top panel of the back of the cross; (d), a band making undulating curves; (e), a band forming loops on opposite sides; (f), an animal with a man standing underneath its belly; (g), a key-pattern, the setting-out lines of which form a square divided into eight similar triangles. The bottom is plain to a height of 1 ft. 6 in. above the base. Left Side.-Round the circular edge of the head is a piece of plaitwork of four bands, continued from the opposite side. shaft is a single panel containing five separate designs: (a), a chain of six circular rings; (b), a piece of plait work composed of four bands ornamented with a line along the centre of the band; (c), a man, undraped, seen in full face, standing with his two arms upraised, and his two legs apart, with an axe between them; (d), an animal (?) much defaced; (e), an animal with a long tongue, and a serpent between its legs. The bottom of the shaft is plain to a height of 1 ft. 6 in. above the base. The following is an analysis of the ornament and figure-subjects on the Maen y Chwyfan: ORNAMENT. Interlaced Work.-Plait of four bands, right side, head; left side, head; left side, shaft (b). Plait of twelve bands, back-shaft-panel (2). Band looped alternately on opposite sides, back-shaft-panel (1a). Ditto with two concentric circular rings, back, shaft (1a). Ditto distorted, front, head, arms of cross. Key-Patterns.-T double border, right side, shaft (a). Square divided into eight triangles, front, shaft (2); right side, shaft (f). Spirals.-Front, shaft (3). Figure-Subjects.-Man with spear, front, shaft (3). Ditto, under beast, right side, shaft (e). Beast, right side, shaft (e); left side, shaft (e). Gelli. Before leaving the neighbourhood of the Maen y Chwyfan some of the party walked half a mile south to see the farmhouse of Gelli, formerly a grange belonging to Basingwerk Abbey. From the few architectural details which remain, in the shape of windows with stone mullions, it would appear to be a building of the fifteenth century. Not far off, at the south-west corner of a cornfield, still retaining the name of "Cae Capel", a portion of the west wall of the old chapel, about 10 ft. long, was pointed out in the hedge, together with the Monks' Walk leading towards it. This concluded the day's excursion, and the members having rejoined the carriages returned to Holywell, a distance of four or five miles to the east. (To be continued.) Archaeological Notes and Queries. ROMAN INSCRIPTIONS AT CHESTER.-It will be in the recollection of your readers that in the year 1887, in carrying out some necessary repairs in the upper part of the north wall of the city of Chester, an examination was made of the lower part of the wall, when it was found to be full of Roman remains. No fewer than thirteen monumental and other inscribed stones were taken out of the small portion then examined, together with a number of other stones, which had formerly belonged to large and important Roman buildings. The interest excited by this find was very great, and as a result a Sub-Committee of the Chester Archæological and Historical Society collected nearly £100, and further excavations in the wall were carried out. These resulted in the finding of fourteen more inscribed and sculptured stones, together with many architectural fragments, etc., belonging to Roman buildings. In 1888 I was authorised by the Council of the Chester Archæological Society, as their Editorial Secretary, to issue an illustrated account of these discoveries under the title of "The Recent Discoveries of Roman Remains found in Repairing the North Wall of the City of Chester" (Manchester, Ireland and Co.), in which the Official Report of the City Surveyor (Mr. I. Matthews Jones), and various papers by the late Mr. Thompson Watkin, Mr. W. de Gray Birch, F.S.A., and Mr. G. W. Shrubsole, were printed in full; together with the discussion on the age of the north wall, in which the late Sir James A. Picton, Prof. McKenny Hughes, Mr. T. Hodg kin, and others took part. All the more important of the inscribed and sculptured stones were carefully and accurately drawn, and were illustrated in some thirteen full-page plates. In the Introduction to this volume I ventured to urge upon the Chester authorities the importance of making further excavations in the north wall as time and opportunity permitted; but the expense being necessarily great, the question of funds was somewhat of a stumbling-block. In the early part of this year Mr. F. Haverfield, M.A., of Lancing College, Shoreham, Sussex, issued an appeal, in connection with Prof. Pelham of Oxford, Prof. Middleton of Cambridge, Dr. John Evans, and other authorities on Roman remains, in order to raise funds for further excavations in the north wall. The consent of the Chester Town Council was willingly granted under certain conditions, and had it not been for unexpected difficulties of a special kind, the examination of the remainder of the north wall, to the east of the Northgate, would ere this have been resumed with, no doubt, most important results. During the last month, however, the City Surveyor, finding that a portion of the north wall, to the west of the Northgate, wanted repair, obtained the consent of the Town Council to do the work. It was soon apparent that, just as was the case on the other side of the Northgate, the wall was full of Roman remains, consisting of inscribed and sculptured monuments, portions of Roman buildings, etc. On being informed of this, Mr. Haverfield at once forwarded a sum of money to enable the excavations to be carried down into the lower portion of the wall, with the result that no fewer than seven inscribed stones (either whole or fragmentary) have already been unearthed, together with four pieces of sculpture. Of these, two are particularly noteworthy, and it is strange that they should have been found so close together. It has hitherto been considered somewhat remarkable that only one sepulchral monument of any equites, or Roman horse-soldiers, belonging to the Twentieth Legion, stationed at Deva (Chester), should have been found; but here two monuments to soldiers of this class have been discovered, in one of which the soldier is shown on horseback. One of these has the inscription still perfect, whilst in the other it is at present missing. Mr. Haverfield has sent the following account of them, which I have now much pleasure, with the sanction of the Mayor and Corporation of Chester, in sending to you for publication. The excavations will be continued if sufficient funds can be raised, and I venture to appeal to the generosity of those of your readers who are interested in the past history of Roman England to enable them to be properly carried on. Any sums sent to Mr. Haverfield, to the City Surveyor, or to myself, will be gratefully received and duly acknowledged. The excavations are under the personal superintendence of the City Surveyor, who is most careful and painstaking in every way; and his foreman and the men under him are most keenly alert for the traces of any fragment of Roman work, however small. Pensarn, Abergele, North Wales. J. P. EARWAKER. "Provisional Account of Roman Inscriptions found at Chester "1. Tombstone, 20 in. wide, with two-inch letters, surmounted by fragment of a relief representing a horseman. Lines 3, 4, 5, are fractured, but fairly certain : D.M C. IVL. SEVERVS EQ. LEG. XXVV VIXIT. AN XXXX "Dis) M(anibus) c. IUL(ius) SEVERUS EQ(ues) LEG(ionis) XX v(aleriæ) v(ictricis) VIXIT AN(nos) XXXX.-To C. Julius Severus, horseman of the Twentieth Legion, who died at the age of forty. "As the stone is broken off in line 5, it is impossible to say if the inscription was originally any longer. Each legion (about 5,000 men) had 120 riders attached to it under the Empire. "2. Relief of a horseman riding over a fallen enemy, well preserved; underneath an inscription, of which only the first line, D. M (Dis Manibus) is left. "3. Tombstone, 30 in. wide, two-inch letters, surmounted by fragments of two figures,-one certainly, the other probably, female. The whole is much broken : VOCON AE C. VA VICTOR NIGRINA VOCONIÆ C. VA(lerius ?) VICTOR NIGRINA. Possibly C. Va(1). Victor was husband of Voconia; but the inscription appears never to have been completed. Certainly no more is visible. "4. Tombstone, 32 in. high, 26 in. wide; letters, one inch and seven-eighths; surmounted by the lower part of a funeral banquet relief. Line 4 is much broken. Of line 5 only the top of an s at the end survives : D'M AN. VII. ET. M Q "D(is) M(anibus) RESTITAE V(ixit) AN(nos) VII, ET MAR... (?) V(ixit) AN(nos) III... "The name MAR... is not quite certain. Possibly it is Martiæ. "5. Fragment of tombstone with fine letters three inches and five-eighths long. Part only of the м is preserved : 66 ...MILES (legionis xx. v) v(ixit annos...). "6. Fragment, 27 in. by 20 in., with four-inch letters: "(Dis Manibus...) L(i)us (......) GAL (eria triba) (......)NITVS. "7. Fragment, 3 in. by 8 in., with the letters NI. ES apparently. "Besides these inscribed relics, some pieces of sculpture (all seemingly sepulchral) have been found, and some coping stones and other hewn work. All but two or three pieces are of red sandstone; |