Extract of a Letter from Camillo Paderni, Keeper of the Herculaneum Museum, to Thomas Hollis, Esq; Relating to the Late Discoveries at Herculaneum

at Constantinople; and that a lake of fresh water is risen where the town sunk. The earthquake was felt at Angora and Smyrna, but there was no notice, they had felt any thing of it at Aleppo, though there were letters from thence as fresh as that time. CII. Extract of a Letter from Camillo Paderni, Keeper of the Herculaneum Museum, to Thomas Hollis, Esq; relating to the late Discoveries at Herculaneum. Naples, Oct. 18, 1754. Read Dec. 12, 1754. I shall now proceed to give you some little account of our late discoveries at Herculaneum. We are going on to dig in two places, one towards the road della Torre del Grego; and the other nearer to the neighbourhood of the royal palace at Portici, directly under the wood belonging to the church of the Augustines. This latter place has afforded many things, and will, as we hope, furnish many more. Please only to reflect, in what manner the persons employed are obliged to work through the subterraneous passages, and how hard they find the lava; and then you may judge why they advance so slowly. The first thing here discovered was a garden, in which were found divers statues of marble of excellent Greek artists. This route led us towards a palace, which lay near the garden. But before they arrived at the palace, they came to a long square, which formed a kind of Forum, and was adorned throughout with columns of stucco; in the middle of which was a bath. At the several angles of the square was a terminus of marble, and upon every one of those stood a bust of bronze, of Greek workmanship, one of which had on it the name of the artist, ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΟΣ ΑΡΧΙΟΥ ΑΘΗΝΑΙΟΣ. A small fountain was placed before each terminus, which was constructed in the following manner: Level with the pavement was a vase to receive the water, which fell from above: in the middle of this vase was a stand of balustrade work, to support another marble vase. This second vase was square on the outside, and circular within, where it had the appearance of a scallop-shell; in the centre whereof was the spout, which threw up the water, that was supplied by leaden pipes inclosed within the balustrades. Among the columns, which adorned the bath, were alternately placed a statue of bronze, and a bust of the same metal, at the equal distance of a certain number of palms. It is true, that more statues have been found among these columns than busts; but however, we hope in our progress to find a like number of these latter. The statues, taken out from April 15 to September 30, are in number seven, near the height of six Neapolitan palms; except one of them, which is much larger, and of an excellent expression. This represents a fawn lying down, who appears to be drunk, resting upon the goatskin, in which they antiently put wine. Two other of these statues are of young men, and three of nymphs; all of middling workmanship. September 27, I went myself to take out a head in bronze, which proved to be that of Seneca, and the finest, that has hitherto appeared; being, I assure you, Sir, as excellent a performance as can well be conceived. The artist has chosen to represent him in all those agonies, which the poor man must have suffered when ready to expire; for one perceives in it every passion, that would naturally arise in the countenance of a person in that situation. We are going on with all possible dispatch to examine the whole spot before described; though we have observed, that in five places, where we might have expected to meet with busts or statues, the antients had been digging before us, and taken them away. The method, whereby they regulated their searches, seems to have been this: where the ground was pretty easy to work, they dug through it; and where they met with the solid lava, they desisted. But whether they were in want of money, or of hands, they certainly did not perfect their intention; as is plain from the statues, which we have found. Our greatest hopes are from the palace itself, which is of a very large extent. As yet we have only entered into one room, the floor of which is formed of mosaic work, not unelegant. It appears to have been a library, adorned with presses, inlaid with different sorts of wood, disposed in rows; at the top of which were cornices, as in our own times. I was buried in this spot more than twelve days, to carry off the volumes found there; many of which were so perished, that it was impossible to remove them. Those, which I took away, amounted to the number of three hundred thirty-seven, all of them at present uncapable of being opened. These are all written in Greek characters. While I was busy in this work, I observed a large bundle, which, from the size, I imagined gined must contain more than a single volume. I tried with the utmost care to get it out, but could not, from the damp and weight of it. However I perceived, that it consisted of about eighteen volumes, each of which was in length a palm and three Neapolitan inches; being the longest hitherto discovered. They were wrapped about with the bark of a tree, and covered at each end with a piece of wood. All these were written in Latin, as appears by a few words, which broke off from them. I was in hopes to have got something out of them, but they are in a worse condition than the Greek. From the latter the public will see some entire columns, having myself had the good fortune to extract two, and many other fine fragments. Of all these an account is drawing up, which will be published together with the other Greek characters, now engraving on copper-plates, and afterwards make a separate work by themselves. The person, who is to give this account, is of the first distinction among the learned at Naples; so that there is no doubt but it will be very satisfactory. We are likewise in hopes, that in a short time the catalogue of the paintings will be published; to which, it is not unlikely, will be added that of the statues and bronzes, if the volume admit of it; in order thereby to unite them into one work, and better satisfy the curious. In the mean while they are very busy in engraving the paintings themselves; of which the king has resolved to publish the first volume speedily, a great number of the plates being already finished. At present the monk, who was sent for from Rome, to try to open the former manuscripts, has begun to give us some hopes in in respect to one of them. Those, which I have opened, are philosophical tracts, the subjects of which are known to me; but I am not at liberty to be more explicit. When they are published, they shall be immediately conveyed to you. The first papyri, of which I formerly acquainted you, were in a separate room, adjoining to the before-mentioned palace. CIII. Extract of a Letter from Sir James Gray, Bart. his Majesty's Envoy to the King of Naples, to the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Robinson, Knight of the Bath, one of his Majesty's Secretaries of State, relating to the same Discoveries at Herculaneum. Naples, October 29, 1754. Read Dec. 12, 1754. Several curious and valuable things are daily found in the mine of antiquities at Portici. They have lately met with more rolls of Papyri of different lengths and sizes, some with the Umbilicus remaining in them; the greater part are Greek in small capitals. The Canonico Mazocchi, who is much esteemed for his learning and knowledge of antiquity, is employed in copying and explaining five entire columns, that have been lately unrolled off one of the Papyri, which gives some hopes of farther discoveries. This manuscript treats of music and poetry. The Epicurean philosophy