In using Asser's Life of King Alfred as the ground-work of a biographical sketeh of that Monarch, some doubts have arisen in my mind as to the authenticity and character of that well-known work, which I take the liberty of laying before the Society of Antiquaries. It is an important question, because it affects one of the most interesting periods of our national history; and I hope that these observations may lead to a more thorough investigation of the question by those who are better capable of deciding than myself. It will be had in mind that the book in question purports to be a life of King Alfred, written in the 45th year of his age (i. e. A.D. 893 or 894), by his intimate friend Bishop Asser.

The announcement in the French journals of the month of August 1838, that by the researches of the distinguished antiquary of Normandy, M. Deville, the lost effigy of King Richard had been brought to light from beneath the pavement of the choir in Rouen Cathedral, induced me to take the earliest opportunity of visiting that city, with the special purpose of examining so interesting a memorial. During the last summer I had the occasion of correcting the observations previously made, and which I had reserved in the hope that no long interval would elapse, before a second similar investigation, conducted with the same enthusiasm, and rewarded by a like success, might enable me to add to this notice of the relics of the Lion-hearted Richard, some account of the Tomb of Henry his elder brother, whose remains were deposited near to the spot where the effigy of Richard has been discovered, and whose memorial shared the same fate, by which both tombs were barbarously condemned to be destroyed. Owing to unexpected circumstances no further researches have hitherto been permitted, and as I am not aware, that during the interval any accurate report of the discovery made in 1838, has been made public, I am induced to hope that a short notice on a subject so interesting both in relation to early art, and to monumental antiquities, may not be unacceptable to the Society.

In the autumn of 1838, and in the spring of last year, excavations were made for the foundations of cottages, and also for materials for brickmaking, in a field called Church-field, situate on the banks of the Medway, between the town of Strood and the Temple farm, and opposite the castle of Rochester.

Some jet rings, and an ornament of the same material bearing a Medusa's head, were exhibited to the Society about a twelvemonth since, with a brief remark, stating the fact of their having been found during the progress of the work, with several hundred coins.

This announcement induced me to visit the spot. Finding that the report was not exaggerated, but, on the contrary, that other discoveries had been made and might still be looked for, I repeated my visit several times during the summer, and now lay the result before you ; at the same time I am enabled to furnish information relative to contemporary investigations in other parts of the county of Kent.

Having at the request of his Excellency Sir Henry Bouverie undertaken the superintendance of the excavations near Casel Crendi in this island, he has suggested to me that a short description of them, illustrative of the ground plan, taken for him by Mr. Foulis of the 59th Regiment, might be an acceptable present to the Society of Antiquaries. I have therefore taken the liberty of forwarding it to you, accompanied by a lithograph of the images.

I beg to submit to the Society of Antiquaries a sketch of the interior of the west end of the Nave and South Aisle of Saint Mary Overy's Church, Southwark (Plate XXIX.), in compliance with the request which you made in the early part of last year. I will trouble you with only a few remarks upon this ancient and elegant specimen of architecture. It was disclosed to view upon the removal of the masonry by which it had been concealed in the latter part of the fifteenth century, at which period the west doorway and window were inserted. The arches alluded to in a double tier at the west end of the nave, the clustered pillars attached to the same wall, the arches under the windows in the side aisles, the windows themselves in the westernmost compartment of both aisles, and the south porch, are all of the same age. The architectural features in these portions of the church are distinguished from the rest by the general design of the capitals, and the detail of the sculptured ornaments, both of which present a near resemblance to the forms characteristic of late Norman architecture, and may fairly be assigned to the reign of King John. It was owing to an unaccountable deviation from parallel lines in the position of the newer pillars in the nave, that the groined vault in the western portion of the aisles was constructed in the irregular manner shewn in the drawing. The bases of all the columns were nearly concealed by the pavement. It was observed, upon their being opened, that they had been carefully restored in cement; but the period of this restoration, and of that when the floor was raised, are unknown.

Through my friend, Dr. Rowlands, I transmit to you my observations on the site of Camulodunum. My first intention was to have traced the whole of the 9th Iter, but I have been prevented by my professional duties from attempting so much, and have confined my inquiries to my own neighbourhood. To Messrs. Tayspill and Gilbert I am greatly indebted for their kindness in tracing on the Ordnance Map the various roads and places mentioned in the Paper. The Roman works are marked in red, and the British works in blue. In addition to what relates to my paper, those gentlemen have also traced, from their own observations, the road leading from Colonia to Mersea Island, at least so much as has come under their notice, and this road they have also marked in red, and the site of the Propraetor's house, and the Roman beacon in Mersea Island. I was afraid to add more notes, lest I should make the paper too tedious; at the same time it was necessary to add some for explanation. And if what I have written meets the approbation of the Society, I shall be amply rewarded.

During a late visit to Bittern, the site of Clausentum, I observed in the garden of the Manor House, which (together with a lawn and plantations) now occupies a large part of the Roman station, an inscription to the Emperor Tetricus, which does not appear to have been published.

The interest occasioned by the removal of the Regalia from the Jewel House to a place of greater safety, during the late fire at the Tower, will, I trust, be a sufficient excuse for the liberty I take in requesting the favour of your communicating to the Society of Antiquaries the following particulars relative to that portion of the Regalia which was made for the Coronation of Charles the Second.

In continuation of my accounts of discoveries of Roman Remains in the City of London, those recently made on the site of the Royal Exchange now demand our attention.

Few persons, generally speaking, are aware that establishments called Monti di Pièta, institutions for lending money at a moderate interest to necessitous persons upon pledges, have long existed in Italy. They originated in the fifteenth century, in consequence of the excessive usury of the Jews and Lombards, who sometimes went so far as to take an interest of twenty-five per cent. The earliest of these Institutions is believed to have been that at Fadua founded in 1491. Leo the Tenth soon after adopted the plan at Rome, as a public benevolent institution under the inspection of the Government.

The want of contemporary documents to illustrate the complicated events produced by the feuds of the Yorkists and Lancastrians, during the agitated reign of Henry the Sixth, has been a subject of complaint with more than one of our historians. Every portion, therefore, of information, derived from original sources, which enables us to obtain a clearer insight into the transactions of that period, must be considered as valuable, and should be placed on record. With this view it is, that I beg to lay before the Society, by your hands, the copy of a paper preserved among the Egerton MSS. in the British Museum, No. 914, which contains some notices of circumstances hitherto unknown to our annalists, and is also of considerable interest from the light it throws on the state of the adverse parties at the beginning of the year 1454.

A Short time ago I took an opportunity of laying before the Society of Antiquaries by your hands, a Letter containing much interesting information on the state of parties in the year 1454; and I now beg leave to add, as a supplementary communication, copies of several Political Poems written at various periods of the reigns of Henry the Sixth and Edward the Fourth, all of which, with the exception of the first, have hitherto remained unpublished. Documents of this kind are confessedly not beneath the notice of the historian, since they shew the popular feelings of the time better than any other contemporary record, and often mention minute circumstances worthy of note, which may in vain be sought for elsewhere. In the Transactions of the Society some few specimens of this political versification have already appeared, of the reigns of Edward the Third, Richard the Second, and Edward the Fourth, and some others belonging to the reign of Henry the Sixth, may be found in the Excerpta Historica Of the six poems now sent, five were composed by adherents of the house of York, the first of which relates to the murder of the Duke of Suffolk, in 1450; the second to the chiefs of the Yorkist faction, probably about May, 1460; the third to the battle of Northampton, in July following; the fourth, to the policy and position of the adverse parties, probably towards the end of the same year; and the fifth to the battle of Towton, in 1461. The remaining poem was written by a Lancastrian, and presents a curious contrast to the others. It enumerates the principal Lords on the King's side, and, under the metaphor of a ship, describes the position of each in the guidance and government of the state towards the close of the year 1458.

My attention was drawn towards the present subject by an old manuscript book which I saw, some years ago, in the Royal Library at Munich. It was dated A.D. 1400, and contained a collection of Drawings on vellum, executed by or under the direction of one Paulus Kail, who filled the post of Master of Defence to the then existing Duke of Bavaria. These appeared to have been designed for the use of the Duke, and purported to display the parades and stratagems employed in combats with the different weapons which were in use at the beginning of the 15th century. It seemed, however, to have been more than a mere fencing master's instruction book; for the drawings were accompanied by written remarks, which gave it rather the air of a book of directions as to the conduct of Judicial Combats, showing any one likely to be engaged therein, how he might bring matters to a prosperous issue.