The Roman tessellated pavement in Jewry Wall Street, Leicester,
discovered in the year 1832, is well known to archaeologists; it has
also been known as difficult of access, and hardly to be seen in a dark
cellar, and, in fact, it has not been seen or visited, except by very
few persons. Some time ago the Town Council resolved to purchase the
house and premises, with the object of preserving the pavement _in
situ_, and of giving additional light and better access to it, and, this
purchase having been completed in the beginning of the present year, the
work of improvement began. It was now seen that the pavement was
continuous under the premises of the adjoining house, and under the
public street, and arrangements were at once made to uncover and annex
these adjoining parts, so as to permit the whole to be seen at one view.
The pavement thus uncovered forms a floor which, if complete, would
measure 23 feet square; it lacks a part on the west side, and also the
entire south border is missing. It is a marvel of constructive skill, of
variety and beauty in form and color, and not the least part of the
marvel arises from the almost beggarly elements out of which the
designer has produced his truly harmonious effects. No squared,
artificially colored, or glazed tesseræ, such as we see in a modern
floor, are used, but little pieces, irregularly but purposely formed of
brick and stone. There are three shades of brick--a bright red, a dull
or Indian red, and a shade between the two; slate from a neighboring
quarry gives a dark bluish gray; an oolite supplies the warmer buff; and
a fine white composition resembling limestone is used for the center
points and borders. In addition, the outside border is formed with
tesseræ of rather larger size of a sage green limestone. Speaking
generally, the design is formed by nine octagon figures, three by three,
surrounded and divided by a guilloche cable band; the interspaces of the
octagons are filled by four smaller square patterns, and the outer
octagon spaces by 12 triangles. Outside these is a border formed by a
cable band, by a second band of alternate heart-shaped, pear-shaped, and
bell-shaped flowers, and by alternate white and gray bands; and outside
all is the limestone border already described. This border is
constructed with tesseræ about five-eighths of an inch square. The
remaining tesseræ vary from one half to one-quarter inch of irregular
rhomboidal form. The construction of the pavement is remarkable. There
is a foundation of strong concrete below; over it is a bed of pounded
brick and lime three to four inches thick, and upon this a layer of fine
white cement, in which the tesseræ are laid with their roughest side
downward. Liquid cement appears to have been poured over the floor,
filling up the interstices, after which the surface would be rubbed down
and polished.
As to the probable date and occupation of the floor, it may be observed
that the site of this pavement was near the center of the western Roman
town. It is near the Jewry Wall, that is, near the military station and
fortress. It was obviously the principal house in the place, and as
clearly, therefore, the residence of the Præfectus, the local
representative of the imperial power of Rome. The Roman occupation of
the district began with the proprætorship of Ostorius Scapula, A.D. 50.
He was succeeded in 59 by Suetonius Paulinus, who passed through
Leicester from the Isle of Anglesea when the insurrection under Boadicea
broke out. In the service of Suetonius was Julius Agricola, who was
elected consul and governor of Britain about the year 70. He is commonly
described as a wise and good governor, who introduced the arts of
civilized life, taught the natives to build, and encouraged education.
He left Britain about the year 85, and from that time to the decline of
the Roman power is but about 300 years. We shall not be far from the
truth, therefore, if we assign this work to the time or even to the
personal influence of Agricola, 1,800 years ago.--_London Times_.
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Some time ago we published the fact that the Empress of Germany had
offered a prize of $1,000 and the decoration of the Order of the Red
Cross to the successful inventor of the best portable field hospital.
Wm. M. Ducker, of No. 42 Fulton St., Brooklyn, sent in a design for
competition. A few days ago Mr. Ducker received notice that his
invention had won the prize. Another instance of the recognition of
American genius abroad.
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