for magnitude was perhaps unrivaled in England. Six years ago I drew
attention to it. The digging for iron ore soon after this was brought to
a standstill by the company, which at the time was working the mines,
ceasing their operations. Then the property came into other hands, and
since then more extensive basement floors of the villa have from time to
time been laid bare, and from tentative explorations which have been
just made, still more floors remain to be uncovered which may be of a
most interesting and instructive character. What a pity it is that the
inhabitants of Lincoln have not made an effort to preserve these
precious relics of the grandeur of the Roman occupation, an occupation
to which England owes so much. From the Romans the people of this
country inherit the sturdy self-reliance and perseverance in action
which have helped to make England what it is, and from the Romans too,
in a great degree, does England also inherit her colonizing instincts,
which impel her people to cover the waste places of the world with
colonies. If the Roman remains which have been so abundantly discovered
of late years in Lincoln and its vicinity had been collected and laid
out for exhibition, they would have formed a most interesting collection
of antiquities worthy of the town, and well worth showing to visitors
who now annually make Lincoln a visitation. Although these relics of a
remote age are being dug up and are being destroyed, it is not the fault
of Mr. Ramsden, for he not only preserved them as long as he
conveniently could, but he also had the soil removed from over them, and
had them thoroughly washed, in order that people might have an
opportunity of seeing their extent and beauty. One of these patches of
pavement extended 48 yards northward from what might be called the main
building, which had previously been broken up. This strip was 13 ft. in
breadth, and down its center ran an intricate pattern worked in blue
tesserae. The pattern is much used in these days in fabrics and works of
art, and is, I think, called the Grecian or Roman key pattern. On each
side of this ran alternately broad ribbons of white and narrower ribbons
of red tesserae. There is also another strip of pavement to the south of
the preceding patch, which has been laid bare to the extent of 27 yards.
This patch is about 10 ft. in breadth, and its western portion is cut up
in neat patterns, which show that they formed the floors of rooms. From
th