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Show 218 BURIAL OF TilE REMAINS CnAl'. IV. As tho fom1dations of the walls generally lie at a considerable depth, they will either have not subsided at all through the undermining action of worms, or they will have subside(l 1nuch less than the floor. This latter result would follow from worms not often working deep down beneath the foundations; but more especially from the walls not yielding when penetrated by worms, whereas the successively formed burrows in a mass of earth, equal to one of the walls in depth and thickness, would have collapsed 1nany times since the desertion of the ruins ' and would consequently have shrunk or subsided. .As the walls cannot have sunk much or at all, the immediately adjoining pavement from adhering to them will have ueen prevented from subsiding; and thus the present curvature of the pavement is in telli gi Lie. The circumstance which has surprised m; most with respect to Silchester is that during the many centuries which have elapsed since the old buildings were deserted, the vegetable mould has not accumulated over them to a greater thickness than that here observed. In CHAP. IV. OF ANCIENT BUILDJNGS. 219 most places it is only about 9 inches in thickness, but in some places 12 or even more inches. In Fig. 11, it is given as 20 incbes, but this section was drawn by Mr. Joyce before his attention was particularly called to this subject. The land enclosed within the old wa11s is described as sloping slightly to the south; but there arc part~ which, according to Mr. Joyce, are nearly level, and it appears that the mould is here genera11y ~bicker than elsewhere. The surface slop~s In other parts from west to cast, and Mr. tJoyce describes one floor as covered at the western end by rubbish and mould to a tl1ickness of 28i inches, and at the eastern e11d by a thickness of only 11~ inches. .A very sligbt slope suffices to cause recent casting to flow downwards during heavy rain, and thus mucl1 earth will ultimately reach the nei()"hbouring ril_Js and streams and be carried a~ay. By this means, the absence of very thick beds of mo~ld over these ancient ruins may, as I bebeve, be explained. Moreover mo. t of the land here has long been ploughed, and this would greatly aid the washing away of the finer earth during ra~ny weather. |
