Several interesting fragments of Roman work have been brought to light in the course of excavations that are being made for building purposes at Twyford, near Winchester.  About a month ago, a paved way, composed entirely of small red tiles, six feet in width and extending probably a considerable distance (a length of 14 ft. was uncovered), was found while digging on the site for flints.  The more recent excavations are 20 ft. west of this passage, and there is now to be seen, in a very perfect state of preservation, an oven or kiln with three openings.  Five yards away from this is a chamber about eight feet square, paved with tiles, and the sides coated with a reddish plaster.  On one side is a ledge 15 in. from the ground, extending the whole length of the chamber; on the floor is a sunk channel with an opening at the end for the water to escape.  This chamber evidently represents the bath.  Portions of the dividing walls of the different chambers have also been discovered, together with various bones, teeth, horns and ornaments, but very few coins.  It is probable that an alteration in the plans of the house which was about to be built on the spot will be made so as to preserve all the more interesting features of these remains in the basement.  These discoveries were made at a depth of only two or three feet from the surface of the ground, and are within about a quarter of a mile of other Roman remains which were similarly brought to light a few months ago.

* * * * *

[Continued from SUPPLEMENT, No. 830, page 13110.]

GUM ARABIC AND ITS MODERN SUBSTITUTES.[1]

[Footnote 1:  A paper read before the Society of Chemical Industry, London, 1891.  From the Journal]

BY DR. S. RIDEAL AND W.E.  YOULE.

Subjoined is a table giving the absolute viscosity of various gums.  A comparison of the uncorrected viscosities with the corrected shows the great importance of Slotte’s correction for dextrins and inferior gum arabics; in other words, for solutions of low viscosity, while it will be observed to have little influence upon the uncorrected [eta] obtained for the Ghatti gums and the best samples of gum arabic.

TABLE OF ABSOLUTE VISCOSITIES OF 10 PER CENT.  GUM AND DEXTRIN SOLUTIONS.

---------------------+--------------+------------+-----

-----
Sample.       |     [eta]    |    [eta]   | Z Water
| Uncorrected. | Corrected. |  = 100.
---------------------+--------------+------------+----------

Gum arabic.......... |    0.1876    |   0.1856   |  1,233
Cape gum............ |    0.1575    |   0.1555   |  1,029
Indian gum.......... |    0.0540    |   0.0470   |    311
Eastern gum......... |    0.0689    |   0.0639   |    417
Gum arabic.......... |    0.0550    |   0.0480   |    317
Senegal............. |    0.0494    |   0.0410   |    271
Senegal............. |    0.0468    |   0.0380   |    251