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[Page 4]
an entrance into several very considerable drifts running in different directions, with piers between, in a part of the cornfield a little to the North of a lime pit close, not far from the N.E. angle of the old Roman Wall, between the east side of Newport & the road to Nettleham. I had the pleasure of putting on a surtout of mud & dirt in walking & crawling about these apertury about a week ago. In several parts of them one perceives larger & more regular openings, where these may seem to have been stations for dressing the stone & selecting what was deemd fit for use; where some pains have been taken to point up the cracks & crevices at the top, to prevent the water or dirt from falling through upon the workmen: & near one of these, calld the shop are two little walls of toold stone, tho' I think not intended to support either sides or roof, like one I believe I once told you I had met with in a quarry they were working for lime at the west side of Newport. I was told there was a date (1173 or 1337) observable upon the roof in one part, but I coud not find it out: nor coud I discover any passage towards the surface where the stones might be supposed to be carried out but indeed my meditations were much interrupted by the numerous attendance I was honord with for going abt. noon I had half the school boys in Lincoln at my heels, & lookd, I coud conceive, somewhat like Gulliver among the Lilliputians. The measures from the surface of the ground to the top of the entrance are abt. 3 feet of vegetable (formd) earth abt. 2 feet of stone, 4 Do. of rubble, & abt. 1 Do. or 10 inches of rock by way of cieling: bearing a very near resemblance to the appearance of Sr. Giles's Holes, not far distant from hence, where I apprehend I once had the honor of attending
[On right hand side of letter]
frm. Gordon
Feb. 7 '89