on two of the sides of the stone; it showed evident signs of its having been in use for a long time, it being much worn. Lastly. A great number of smooth water-worn pebbles, having a score cut out on their sides for attaching them, they having been evidently intended to serve as sinkers to fishingnets, which system still exists to this day on the sea coast of the Morbihan. In order to obtain these objects it was only necessary to remove the surface pebbles which had accumulated and had been deposited within the part of the cromlech on the beach. The part on the island was afterwards examined; to do so it was merely necessary to clear away the surface stones and humus, beneath which there were found enormous quantities of broken celts, instruments of silex, and shards of pottery. Dr. de Closmadeuc frequently revisited this small island, accompanied by his workmen, bringing away with him on each occasion ample quantities of these remains; indeed it is only requisite to follow with the eye the thin and superficial upper stratum of the island to be convinced that there exists below it literally a stratum of broken stone implements and shards of pottery, which stratum to this day has only been partially examined. Dr. de Closmadeuc revisited Er-Lanic during the month of October, 1876, at the time of one of the lowest spring tides, and perceived very distinctly that beyond the cromlech (circle) which he had discovered (the whole of which was then visible), there existed a further circle attached at a tangent to the first one, it being also of about the same dimensions as the first one, seven or eight of its menhirs being on the beach; the remainder, although submerged, had their upper part on a level with the water, being perfectly visible; at its further extremity there is a colossal menhir, which then projected about 3 feet above the level of the water: it is this menhir which is marked on Beautemps Beaupré's chart of 1820 as being "a rock" to be avoided; the fishermen to this day call it Carec-er-go, or the "Blacksmith's rock." There exist, therefore, in reality, two cromlechs or circles here, which together resemble the figure of 8 (Plate III), one-half of the first circle being situated on the island, and the other half being covered at high water; the second circle being under water at all times of the tide. Dr. de Closmadeuc further discovered at the same time that there are two enormous menhirs to the right and left of the double circles, which evidently belonged to the system; they are always under water. The submersion of these circles is probably due to the following causes-Firstly, to a gradual subsidence of the land; and secondly, to the erosions caused by the rivers of Auray, Vannes, VOL. XIV. E and Noyalo, which empty themselves into the Morbihan, and carry away the softer strata, leaving the harder rocks which now form the islands of this inland sea; this process is still ever going on. The volume of the discharge of water, and the scour of the gulf, are such, that at times boats cannot stem its rapidity, and that, in fact, in some parts of it, after heavy rains, they become perfectly unmanageable. It is also a well-authenticated fact that the western coast of France has for a series of centuries been subsiding: the proofs of it are not wanting. In the bay of Audierne, when the weather is fine and the sea calm, the remains of ancient constructions can be plainly seen at a distance from the shore beneath the waters, which has given rise to many legends, especially that of the destruction of the city of Is. At Quiberon, the alignements of the menhirs of St. Pierre not only run down to the beach, but are continued under the sea water. Some of the menhirs are still standing upright below its level, and are distinctly visible at low water. Description of Plate III. Map of the Isle of Er-Lanic, in the Gulf of Morbihan, showing the position of the two stone circles, or cromlechs, and of the two submerged menhirs. DISCUSSION. Mr. LEWIS said it had been known for some time that this halfsubmerged circle existed, and the Rev. W. C. Lukis had mentioned it to the Society of Antiquaries, but he did not think so many details had been given about it before. The outlying stones were new to him, and were most important; for it was seen from the plan that they had a reference to four notable points of the compass, namely, a large stone to the north-east, another to the south-west, a rocky eminence to the north-west, and the submerged circle to the south-east or south. Those facts might be compared with those stated in his own paper on the "Relation of Stone Circles to Outlying Stones," &c., published in their Journal in November, 1882. In so far as these references were to the north-east, southeast, south-west, and north-west, rather than to the east, south, west, and north, they followed the Chaldean method of orientation, as opposed to the Egyptian, and this might some day be found to have some anthropological significance. The great quantities of broken stone axes and flakes and pottery found in and about the circles were also of great importance. Either the circles were set up on the site of an old implement factory or the flints and pottery were taken to and broken in the circles, which seemed to him the most likely. He could hardly suppose that so much pottery would be found amongst the débris of a flint factory; on the other hand, fragments of vessels, used and ap parently broken in some religious ceremony, were found in circles near the first cataract of the Nile (Academy, 18th November, 1876), in India (Forbes Leslie's "Early Races of Scotland"), and he believed nearer home also; but if the implements and pottery were brought to the circles and broken there it showed that the circles belonged to a much earlier period than Mr. Fergusson had assigned to our rude stone monuments. The submersion of the circles also indicated age, though Mr. Peacock had shown much ground for believing that great subsidences have taken place round the northern French coasts within the last two thousand years; and it was of interest in another way. It had been thought that as the stones on Gavr Inis were not native to that island they must have been floated over to it on rafts; but it would now seem that when the remarkable monument upon that island (which he had visited in 1867) was constructed the island might at some point have been connected with the mainland, though, indeed, water carriage might have been rather a help than a hindrance. The fact that the stones of the circles were still in situ suggested that their submersion was due to subsidence rather than to erosion. The following paper was read by the Assistant-Secretary :On a PORTION of a HUMAN SKULL of supposed PALEOLITHIC AGE from near BURY ST. EDMUNDS. By HENRY PRIGG, Esq. [WITH PLATES IV, V, AND VI.] THE fragment of human skull which I beg to submit to your notice (Plate V) was found in November, 1882, at a depth of 7 feet from the surface, in a pit then recently opened for brick-earth by the side of the high road from Bury St. Edmunds to Saxham, and in the parish of Westley. It includes a triangular central portion of a frontal bone from a little above the foramen cæcum; about 5 inches of the coronal suture; and a little over 2 inches of the sagittal, with the anterior third of the left parietal, and a small portion of the right. The sutures are closed internally, but not completely without. The bone is very slight, the two tabula being separated by a very thin diploe. The thickest part of the fragment is only one-fourth of an inch. The skull, judged from what remains of it, would appear to have belonged to an undersized, poorly-developed individual of middle age, probably of the female sex. The length of the frontal portion preserved is externally 3 inches, which in a normal skull would indicate that its lowest point would approach the upper margin of the glabella; if so, I think it Position as assigned by the late Dr. J. Barnard Davis. |