A few years ago C.-SM.—then Private—Latham came to the opinion that the Chelsea culvert must pass beneath the barracks. At the suggestion of Maj. H. C. Davis he used a divining rod to trace the culvert's course across the site from the conduit tó the junction of High-street and Church-street. The use of red brick "samples" led to the detection of similar material in the earth, and the culvert was duly traced. It was seen that it made an unexpected detour and appeared to hug the line of an unknown obstacle before resuming its course.
The divining-rod was brought again. After laborious research, results seemed to show: that the mass below ground was a spacious rectangular building with walls 4 ft. thick. In one place, below an unfloored basement store, it became possible to excavate—and there, at a depth of 23 ft, Mr. Latham finally discovered the wall indicated by his implements.
His knowledge of numismatics enabled him to identify various coins found during the digging—rare debased testoons (or shillings) of Henry VIII, one of Henry's half-groats bearing Wolsey's initials, and a silver penny of James the First.
Until the barracks are demolished, it will be impossible to excavate fully; but it has now been made known that, during recent work on the new library site at Kensington, a small and ancient stream-bed was found slightly below the level of the masonry within the barracks. This seems to establish positively the former levels of this portion of the parish.
Mr. Latham's find is a tribute both to intelligent deduction and to, the power of divination which in his opinion deserves the honour given to it in France as an approved science—radiesthesis.
"I am working for the general recognition of divination," he said, "English people are still inclined to be sceptical; but this shows what can be done. After frequent experiments I have found that, with instruction, one person in three can use the divining-rod; it is by no means an exclusive cult."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.