showing that the stream, though now easily stepped over, must have been at one time much more considerable, unless the size of the bridge was calculated with regard, not so much to the volume of water it was to cross, as to the dignity of its situation; for it is exactly in front of, and must have been the chief avenue from the city to the Stadium, one of the most magnificent in the ancient world.

The arena was in length about 800 feet, and in width 140 at the lower end, and 180 at the upper; just enough to allow the chariots a sweep to turn. It was rebuilt and adorned by Herodes Atticus with such splendour that the seats were covered with Pentelic marble; but now all that remains is a large grassy hollow preserving the original shape, with the subterranean passages, for the introduction, I suppose, of the wild beasts, with which the Romans disgraced their popular entertain

ments.

Returning towards the town, we passed over the intended site of the new palace, which is to be on a gentle eminence to the north-east of the present town, of which the first stone is to be laid tomorrow. The ceremony is to be a grand one, and we have, through the kindness of captain Sir Edmund Lyons, our minister at the court, received tickets for it, as well as invitations for the royal ball which is to be given in the evening.

On our way home, (I am sorry to prostitute the word home to the Munich hotel,) we visited what is commonly called the Lantern of Demosthenes, but properly the Choragic monument of Lysicrates, a small but elegant little structure, till lately more than half hidden within the walls of a convent, but now again revealed-though not to full admirationby the destruction of the modern buildings. The level of the ground is, in this part, a few feet above its original surface,

thereby still detracting something from the beauty of the building*.

I regret to state that the beautiful basreliefs which ran round the frieze of this building, and of which casts, fortunately taken by Lord Elgin, are preserved in the British Museum, have been within a very few years wantonly destroyed; and I am still more sorry to say, that this inconceivable mischief is attributed to the attempts of certain English visitors to detach some of the more prominent figures. The object seems so impracticable, as well as so disgraceful, that I would willingly believe that the accusation is unfounded; but the fact is but too certain this beautiful monument has been barbarously defaced.

The removal of the aggregation of rubbish from over the original soil of the lower town will, no doubt, reveal immense treasures of antiquity, in addition to those

* The cupola of St. Philip's church in Regent Street is an imitation of this monument.

which have been already collected in the temple of Theseus and in the Acropolis.

From the tranquil excitement of these noble objects we returned reluctantly to the noise and confusion of our Bavarian table-d'hôte.

177

CHAPTER VII.

ATHENS.-NEW PALACE-AREIOPAGUS.-BALL.

[6TH FEBRUARY.]

LONG before daybreak we were roused from our slumbers, which, from the exercise of the day, were generally tolerably sound, by bands of music parading the streets, and peals of artillery. At nine o'clock the king passed along the street in front of our hotel, which was lined with troops, on his way to the church, where service was to be performed preparatorily to the great ceremony of laying the foundation of the new palace.

This the tickets had announced would commence at ten o clock, A.M., and accordingly by that hour we presented ourselves