arch, two columns, and two pilasters.  It is built of brick plastered over, and painted with architecture:  almost all the insides of the houses are in the same manner; and, what is very particular, the general ground of all the painting is red.  Besides this temple, they make out very plainly an amphitheatre:  the stairs, of white marble, and the seats are very perfect; the inside was painted in the same colour with the private houses, and great part cased with white marble.  They have found among other things some fine statues, some human bones, some rice, medals, and a few paintings extremely fine.  These latter are preferred to all the ancient paintings that have ever been discovered.  We have not seen them yet, as they are kept in the King’s apartment, whither all these curiosities are transplanted; and ’tis difficult to see them—­but we shall.  I forgot to tell you, that in several places the beams of the houses remain, but burnt to charcoal; so little damaged that they retain visibly the grain of the wood, but upon touching crumble to ashes.  What is remarkable, there are no other marks or appearance of fire, but what are visible on these beams.

There might certainly be collected great light from this reservoir of antiquities, if a man of learning had the inspection of it; if he directed the working, and would make a journal of the discoveries.  But I believe there is no judicious choice made of directors.  There is nothing of the kind known in the world; I mean a Roman city entire of that age, and that has not been corrupted with modern repairs.  Besides scrutinising this very carefully, I should be inclined to search for the remains of the other towns that were partners with this in the general ruin.[1] ’Tis certainly an advantage to the learned world, that this has been laid up so long.  Most of the discoveries in Rome were made in a barbarous age, where they only ransacked the ruins in quest of treasure, and had no regard to the form and being of the building; or to any circumstances that might give light into its use and history.  I shall finish this long account with a passage which Gray has observed in Statius, and which directly pictures out this latent city:—­

    Haec ego Chalcidicis ad te, Marcelle, sonabam
    Littoribus, fractas ubi Vestius egerit iras,
    Aemula Trinacriis volvens incendia flammis. 
    Mira fides! credetne virum ventura propago,
    Cum segetes iterum, cum jam haec deserta virebunt,
    Infra urbes populosque premi?

    SYLV. lib. iv. epist. 4.

Adieu, my dear West! and believe me yours ever.