Cylchgronau Cymru

among some thousands of sermons, tracts and letters. It has occurred to one of his descendents that his narrative might be of some general interest in shedding light on the early evangelisation of the Gower peninsula by the Baroness Barham." All informa- tion on the life of Lady Barham is very welcome (see article in 1956 Gower Journal), but the story of William Griffiths is also of great interest, and here. are printed his own words, describing his life before and after he came to Gower. Ballotted to serve in the Carmarthenshire Militia in 1807, he marched over Britain. The description of his service is written in clear simple language, we had six days marching from Carmarthen to Bristol. The first two or three days I walked in pensive silence." Vividly these simple words convey to us the thoughts of a young conscript in Napoleonic times. Miss A. Gower Jones is to be praised for her editing and pub- lishing of this very well printed book, and I hope she will be able to bring some of the journals and other letters to light, not only to tell us more of William Griffiths, but to add to our knowledge of the history of Gower in the last century. I.H.J. Minchin Hole Excavation, 1957. by J. G. Rutter THE ELEVENTH season's work in the excavation of the deposits of Minchin Hole brought further impressive results when the dig was resumed in June under the direction of the writer. On this occasion the presence of two experienced archaeologists from Scarborough, Messrs. F. C. Rimington and G. R. Pye, and Dr. E. Maling, of the University College of Swansea, contributed to the success of .the session. Much of the unrewarding but necessary work of removing an extensive spoil dump was undertaken by members of the Swansea Astronomical Society and the appearance of several additional volunteers of their calibre would be especially useful in 1958. We are also indebted to the Astronomical Society for the loan of tools and especially to Mr. H. J. Hambury for his assistance in many spheres. The chief task in the 1957 excavation was to sink a second shaft through the deposits near the entrance to the cave and so obtain a clearer understanding of the raised beach stratification. Numerous animal bones were recovered, including those referable to the rhinoceros, and a report on the identification of these is awaited from the National Museum of Wales. There is much hard and heavy work to be done at Minchin in the next year or two and a few more local workers would be very welcome, if only for a day or two. Those who wish to assist in 1958 should send their names to Mr. H. J. Hambury, c/o. The Royal Institution of South Wales, and they will receive early notice of the dates of next year's excavations.