But Severus, acquiring the imperial purple, put a stop to their defolating incursions. This emperor was justly termed one of the greatest of the Romans; if those talents which form the accomplished warrior and profound statesman merit that title. He was, however, of unbounded ambition, which he supported by acts of the most atrocious cruelty, and relentless hatred, against such as gave him the smallest offence. He carried his arms almost to the shores of the Indus in the east, and the most distant nations of the north felt their power. The Caledonians revolted under his government, and, as has been observed, drove the Romans beyond Adrian's Wall, filling the whole province with terror and confufion. Severus, who could brook no opposition, collected a mighty army, which he brought in transports to Britain, and, after many bloody battles, over-ran the whole island, obliging the Caledonians to furrender to him the most fertile parts of their country, particularly the lowlands, on the south of the river Forth.

But, well knowing the restless turn of that warlike people, he resolved to secure his conquest by fome strong rampart, that should effectually prevent their incurfions for the future. For this purpose, from about the year 197 to 207, by the labours of his foldiers, and assistance of the well-affected natives, he built a strong barrier, confifting of a stonewall, of great height and thickness, while another, at about twenty yards distance, of earth faced with stone, ran parallel with it, from the shores of the Irish sea across the whole ifland, terminating at Wallsend, a little village, about three miles east from Newcastle. The former of these was built by Severus; the latter by Adrian; but this having been often, in many parts, thrown down, occafioned the rearing of that wall by Severus, to protect his civilized subjects in their possessions, and also, by such a mighty undertaking, to perpetuate his name and renown through succeeding ages.

This stupendous work ran through Newcastle; and as that of Severus formed part of the townwall, which we shall shew when treating more circumftantially of the public edifices, we claim the indulgence of our readers, in making some further observations on this august monument of the Roman power and greatness. "During my refi"dence at Newcastle upon Tyne," says Mr. Brand in his history, "prompted by an ardour of curiofity

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bordering on enthusiasm, I occafionally made seve"ral excurfions, to examine the still remaining vef"tiges of those stupendous works, raised here, by a people who were justly styled the conquerors of "the world." We shall therefore avail ourselves of the privilege of presenting our readers with the substance of fome of the observations of that author.

Agricola appears to have suggested the first idea of building these, by erecting, A. D. 79, a row of forts across the island, from Tynmouth, on the German ocean, to the Irish sea.

To connect these, and to condense their strength, the emperor Adrian, first in the year 120, and afterwards Severus, A. D. 207. raised their separate walls, along the same tract of country, running from station to station, till an unfordable frith on one fide, and and a broad and deep river on the other, rendered it unneceffary to extend them any further.

We shall not servilely copy or transcribe the less interesting observations in Mr. Brand's history, but shall avail ourselves of fome of his more curious remarks, as well as of other antiquarians, who have employed their investigations in tracing and defcribing the ancient remains of Roman grandeur. All consent that Wallfend derives its etymology from its being the eastern termination of Severus's wall, and

SEGEDUNUM

feems to have been the first station of the Roman troops, appointed to guard, and to garrifon the wall. It was, perhaps, the station of the first cohort of the Lergi, and ftood at a small distance from the prefent village of Wallfend, and a little to the east of a gentleman's house, now called Carville. The house built for the viewer of the colliery stands parallel to the west rampart of the station, and near the fouth-west angle.

The fire-engine stands about fix yards to the north of the wall, the foundations of which were found here fix feet beneath the level of the ground. "In 1783," says Mr. Brand, "I faw part of a wall "composed of Roman bricks, cemented close toge"ther with lime. I found a fibula, some Roman " tegula and coins, a ring, &c. Immense quanti"ties of bones, horns, and teeth of animals, that had "been facrificed, are continually turning up. Alfo "two Roman querns, or hand-mills, by which the "foldiers ground their corn, were found in this fta"tion." To this may be added the observations of that ingenious gentleman, Mr. Buddle, viewer of Wallf

Wallfend colliery, who politely obliged us with a fight of several very great curiofities, which he and his fon have collected, and preserved with great care. The first object in this collection, which struck us, was a deer's or buck's horn, of large dimensions, extremely folid and weighty. Its length is two feet and a half, with a space of fifteen inches betwixt the extreme points of the antlers, and indicates the animal to have been of great size and strength. This horn is different from those of the tame species with which we are acquainted, and probably of one of those kinds so frequently mentioned by the ancients, which are exterminated in this part of the ifland, but still exist in many places of the Highlands. The place where this natural curiosity was discovered, was a kind of pit, near Mr. Buddle's house, like an inverted cone, artfully constructed, of nine feet diameter at the top, nine feet in depth, and two feet diameter at the bottom. It is probable, that this animal had been sacrificed in some of the religious rites of the army encamped here.

The next article we viewed was the skeleton of a cow's head, which has lost the maxilla inferior, and the frontal bone only remains entire, with a small part of the maxilla superior. The construction of this skeleton, however, is so singular, and so different from that of any of the domesticated kind of the present time, that it is highly probable it may be the remains of one of a species that used to run wild, in ancient times. Of this kind, there is perhaps none to be found, at least in the northern parts of the ifland, but in Chillingham Park, in Northumberland, belonging to the earl of Tankerville. And as many, prompted by curiosity, come from a great distance,

to see this singular species of cattle, we hope a short description of them will not be unacceptable to our readers; especially as they have frequented that part of the country from time immemorial, and probably were that very species which the Romans used for religious oblations, as well as for domestic purposes, in their encampments.

Their colour (says Dr. Fuller in his history of Berwick) is invariably white, muzzle black; the whole of the infide of the ear, and about one-third of the outside, from the tip downwards, red. Horns white, with black tips, very fine, and bent upwards. Some of the bulls have a thin, upright mane, about two inches long. The weight of the oxen is from thirtyfive to forty-five stone, the whole carcase. The beef is finely marbled, and of exquifite flavour. They never are very fat, from the nature of their pasture, and the frequent agitations they are put into, by the curiofity of strangers.

At the first appearance of any person, they set off in full gallop, and, at the distance of two or three hundred yards, make a wheel round, and come boldly up again, toffing their heads in a menacing manner. On a fudden they make a full stop, at the distance of forty or fifty yards, looking wildly at the object of their surprise; and, upon the least motion being made, they all turn round again, and gallop off with equal speed, but not to the fame distance; forming a shorter circle, and again returning with a bolder and more threatening aspect, they approach much nearer, about thirty yards, and once more gallop off. These circuitous motions are repeated, till they come within a few yards, when the specta