10 to 14 ft. high, and about 15 yards broad at its base. This is in its turn surrounded by a ditch from 20 to 30 ft. deep, but close to the bank only in a part of its circumference, being bowed outwards at two points, so as to include two roughly semicircular platforms. The entrance on the North side is through one of these platforms. It is by a notch cut through the bank. There seems to have been an outer ditch, part of which is occupied by the old Basingstoke canal. Basing House stood on the Eastern platform. The central area seems to have been some kind of garden or "plaisaunce." It was walled round, and much of the wall, of red brick, is seen along the axis of the bank.
There can be little doubt but this very remarkable earthwork was thrown up for the defence of the stronghold of the Ports or their Saxon progenitors before the Norman Conquest.
The return to Southampton was not effected till a late hour.
Wednesday, August 7.
The Section of Antiquities (Sir E. Smirke in the chair) met at 10 A.M., and the Rev. J. P. Bartlett read a memoir on "Romano-British Pottery found in the New Forest," which he illustrated by examples. A meeting of the Historical Section followed, under the presidency of Lord Henry Scott, M.P.; and, in the absence of the writer, a memoir on "The Alien Priories of the Isle of Wight, and their seizure by King Edward the First," by the Rev. E. Venables, Precentor of Lincoln, was read by the Hon. Secretary. [This has been already printed at p. 230.] Mr. B. W. Greenfield then gave a discourse "On Monastic decorated Tiles found in the South of Hampshire," which was illustrated by a large collection of coloured drawings. An encaustic tile found at Beaulieu some years since, bearing the insignia of Richard, King of the Romans, the brother of King Henry III., had been the moving cause of the lecturer taking up the subject. He had found in the pavements of Winchester Cathedral, the Hospital of St. Cross, the churches of Romsey and Christchurch, and the ruins of St. Denys, Beaulieu, and Netley, specimens of precisely the same tiles, made apparently from similar moulds. Going over the whole series of illustrations, Mr. Greenfield discussed at some length their relations to each other, and their heraldic insignia and decorations, concluding by appropriating the first-mentioned tile from Beaulieu to Isabel, wife of Richard, King of the Romans. In the discussion which ensued the Chairman, Mr. Parker, and Mr. Burtt contributed some observations upon the subject. Thanks having been voted to the respective authors, an adjournment was made. At 1 p.m. a special steamer conveyed a party to Cowes, to visit the Isle of Wight. The morning had been so wet and stormy that a telegram from the Mayor of Newport advised the postponement of the excursion; but this was impossible. The number of visitors was consequently much smaller than it would have been had the weather been more propitious. Fortunately the weather cleared up, and a more beautiful afternoon could not have been desired. From Cowes the visitors proceeded by railway to Newport, where carriages were in readiness to convey them to the Museum—a small collection of early remains found in the island, housed in a very simple manner; thence to the Town Hall, where the Corporation muniments and maces were displayed to view, and to the Church, a modern structure containing an
