or, the great granite rock, destined for the pedestal of the statue of the Czar Peter, the great, whose weight was 1200 tons. This immense stone being found in a swamp, the count Carburi, of Cefalonia, raised it thereout, and drew it upon rolling balls, several miles, by land, then embarked it on a float, and conducted it down to Petersburgh, betwe✰ two ships; and, again disembarked it. "This work," says governor Pownal," appears to me, not only the greatest operation of mechanics, which was ever "effected in our world, but unique." In the year 1709, the ground, about the centre obelisk, was opened nine feet wide. At first, a good soit was found, about a foot deep; and then, a course of stones, rough, and of several kinds, but most were large pebbles, laid in a bed of coarse grit and clay, and so for four or five courses round; under these, was a strong clay, so hard, that the spade could not affect it; this was near two yards deep from the surface; and, a little lower, was the bottom of the stone, resting upon clay:* As much of the stone as was within ground, was a little thicker than that part exposed to the weather. The entire height, is 30 feet 6 inches, from the bottom. The foundation round the bottom of this obelisk, and that of the wall of Isurium, being pebbles and clay, the primitive cement of the britons; shew them both to have been constructed by the same people: The knowledge of preparing and using lime, was first brought here, by the romans. The marks of the chisel, upon this, beneath ground, assure us they are not composition, but natural stone; and that, of the most common sort we have in the north of England, called the coarse rag, ormill-stone grit: Large rocks of the same stone, and from whence probably these obelisks were taken, are at Plumpton, before-mentioned, and within 10 miles of this place. DR. STUKELEY supposes them to have been erect ed, long before the arrival of the romans in Britain; and, that here was in british times, the great Panegyre of the druids; the midsummer meeting of all the country round, to celebrate the great quarterly sacrifice, accompanied with sports, games, races, and all kinds of exercises, with universal festivity. This was like the Panathenea, the Olympian, Isthmian, and a Nemean meetings, and gaines, among the grecians and that those obelisks were the anete of the races: The remembrance of which is transmitted in the.. present great faif, held at Boroughbridge, on saint Barnabas's day, a DreStillingfleet was of opinion, they were british deities; and grounded itapon the custom of the phoenicians and the greeksydhations that were undoubtedly acquainted with Britain, before the arri val of the romans; who set up unpolished stones; to the honor of their gods. The origin of all idolatry, is almost the same. The Mercury of old Greece, was not that winged herald, now represented, but a square stone; nor was Bacchus more shapely. Before the time of Dædalus, the greek architect, unhewn stones were worshipped by all Greece. PERHAPS it will not be the most improbable of all the conjectures that have been formed, concerning these obelisks, to suppose they were found here by the romans; and used, by them, for the meta; round which the horses turn, at their chariot races. This supposition will appear the more probable, when we consider their form, their situation, and distance from each other; in which, we find such a similarity betwixt these remains, and several of the circuses at Rome, as makes it almost self-evident. The roman circus was of an oblong form; through the midst of which, standing in a line, were the obelisks, placed at certain distances. The first, from which the racers began their course, was called the meta prima; on the top of this, was placed the figure of an egg, in honor of Castor and Pollux, as the meta ultima was adorned with that of a dolphin, in honor of Neptune; and being, also, the swiftest of all animals. The order in which the chariots stood, was determined by lot; and, the person who presided at the games, gave the signal for starting, by dropping a napkin, or cloth; when, the chain of the Hermuli being withdrawn, they sprung forward; and, whoever first ran seven times round the course, was victor. Their manner of running was always such, as to keep the meta on the left-hand.* The shape See doctor Adams's Roman Antiquities. |