214? Geological Society . 



upon them such various effects, should yet have stationed the pave- 

 ment of this temple in the self-same spot which it occupied at the 

 time of its original construction. 



The letter from Capt. Basil ,Hall contains remarks on the position 

 of the three columns of the temple which are still standing; they 

 appear from his observations not to be exactly upright, but to bulge 

 over a little, all in one direction, but not to the same degree. The 

 outermost, in consequence of the tilt, has been brought into such a 

 position that the top of the column is in a line with its base, an ex- 

 traordinary accident. These remarks do not diminish our difficulties. 

 The tilting may have been occasioned by such subsidences as all 

 buildings are liable to, which are not founded upon solid rock, or it 

 may be referred to earthquakes or original carelessness, or to the 

 skill of the architect, who, by giving a deviation from the plummet 

 line to the axis of the columns (so slight indeed as not to catch the 

 eye,) strengthened his edifice against some lateral thrust, a practice 

 known to have been employed at Athens, and referred to in the let- 

 ter. Captain Hall has indeed put his veto on this last hypothesis, 

 by saying that the inclination of the columns takes the opposite di- 

 rection to that which would be required for the supposed purpose ; 

 but this cannot be known, I imagine, unless we know also the de- 

 tails of the original structure, and especially the position and con- 

 struction of the roofs. 



Shortly after this temple had been examined by Mr. Babbage, an 

 attempt to drain it effectually was made by the Neapolitan Govern- 

 ment : the stagnant water which infected the air of the neighbour- 

 hood was partly supplied from the mineral spring, partly from rain, 

 partly from the sea: the experiment failed for reasons which it is 

 not necessary to mention. Signor Nicolini, President of the Royal 

 Academy of Naples, who was entrusted with the conduct of the 

 work, and has published an account of it, discovered a rich mosaic 

 pavement a hundred palms in length at the depth of sixteen palms 

 below the level of the stagnant water, whence it appears that the 

 sea must have risen sixteen palms since that pavement was laid. 

 The existence of two pavements of different dates shows further 

 that great changes of level took place before the present temple was 

 built : but Signor Nicolini goes further, he advances a confident 

 opinion that the level of the Mediterranean, in relation to the land, is 

 even now changing. 



In support of this doctrine, he not only refers to the phenomena 

 of the temple of Serapis, but points out others in its neighbour- 

 hood, all tending to the same conclusion : he states, that in the year 

 1808 he spent ten days or more in sketching at this spot, and never 

 once saw the pavement flooded, whereas during the last five years he 

 lias never once found it dry; that in 1790 the old road near the 

 Serapeum being subject to be flooded, a new one was made at a 

 higher level; and that at the commencement of the new road there 

 is now visible, two palms below the sea level, the pavement of an 

 old landing-place ; that boats now pass near the promontory of 

 Puzzuoliovera mass of tufa, which derived its name of "The Table," 



