He said that lliiitj-scven years after the 

 foundation of Rome the Temple of Vesta 

 was erected in circuhir form as a symbol 

 of the earth, and in it the sacred fire was 

 always kept burning- by the Vestal Virgins. 

 The present ruins of the Temple and the 

 Vestals' Palace belong- chiefly to the 1st and 

 2nd centuries a.d. Livy, in his History of 

 Rome, tells us of a Vestal who broke her 

 vow and was buried alive. Concordia, the 

 last High Vestal (a.d. 364) became a Chris- 

 tian. Close at hand the three Corin- 

 thian columns and entablature belonging to 

 the Temple of Castor and Pollux form one 

 of the most beautiful remains of Ancient 

 Rome. At the south-east end of the 

 Forum stands the Triumphal Arch of 

 Titus, a memoria 1 of the defeat of 

 the Jews (a.d. 70). Within the arch 

 there are some fine reliefs, one show- 

 ing the carrying away of spoils from 

 the Temple of Jerusalem. These Triumphal 

 Arches were a peculiar form of art among 

 the Romans, there being 3 notable ones in 

 Rome. Near the Arch of Severus are 

 two objects of great interest. One is 

 the Tullian Prison, consisting of two 

 small dungeons, one over the other, 

 the lower dungeon being entered from 

 a hole in the floor of the upper one. 

 There is a tradition that St. Peter and St. 

 Paul were confined here. The other inter- 

 esting object is the ancient column with 

 inscription found beneath the Forum, and 

 said to mark the tomb of Romulus, the 

 founder of Rome. The speaker went on to 

 give an interesting description of the Pala- 

 tine and the varioiis Palaces erected by the 

 Emperors of Rome, making special mention 

 of the interior arrangements and 

 decorations. In proceeding from their 

 Palaces to the Forum, the Emperors 

 made use of underground passages. 

 The Colosseum was erected on the site of 

 Nero's artificial lakes, and dedicated in 

 A.D. 80. At first constructed of stone, it 

 has received reparations and additions at 

 later periods. The building forms an el- 

 lipse of nearly a third of a mile in circum- 

 ference, and had seats for over 50,000 spec- 

 tators. After enumerating the remains of 

 the Circuses and Theatres, the lecturer 

 described the Paths provided for the Roman 

 citizen. In this connection he mentioned 

 the Pantheon, and said that there is still 

 much diversity of opinion as to whether the 

 Portico or the Rotunda is the oldest por- 

 tion. It was a remarkable edifice, remain- 

 ing in perfect condition. The necessity of 



providing for the traders who, for want 

 of space, had been driven from the 

 Roman Forum, was recognized by the 

 Emperors, and they caused Forums to 

 bo erected which were named after 

 them. Thus we have the Forums of 

 Trajan, Augustus, and Nerva, and, besides 

 others, the Forums that were set apart for 

 certain purposes, such as the cattle and fish 

 markets. If the Roman Emperors lived in 

 luxurious buildings during their lives they 

 were no less handsomely surrounded after 

 death. Hadrian erected for himself and his 

 successors an enormous tomb, now the Castle 

 of St. Angelo. A cylinder, 70 yards in di- 

 ameter, rises on a square substructure; and 

 it was originally covered with marble, and 

 decorated with statues of the gods and 

 heroes. Adjoining the Appian Way, during 

 the early centuries of the Christian era, 

 was formed what is to-day one of the most 

 marvellous sights of Rome — the Catacombs. 

 The district in and around the city has been 

 honeycombed with these cemeteries, the 

 principal entrance into the largest usually 

 opening upon the great high roads. The 

 Catacombs consisted of a series of narrow 

 passages crossing one another, at the sides 

 of which recesses were cut horizontally out 

 of the tufa, and then, after a burial, closed 

 with slabs of marble or terra cotta. This 

 labyrinth of passages at places is in 3 or 4 

 stories. For martyrs and certain families 

 small chambers were constructed with re- 

 cesses on the sides, and frequently they 

 contained niches for oratories or chapels. 

 In some of these tomb chambers we 

 can see remarkable frescoes. Not only 

 are these cemeteries the most ancient 

 monuments of Christianity at Rome, 

 but they also recall the persecutions 

 that later befell the christians. The 

 Catacombs of St. Calixtus have passages 

 running about 27 miles, 12 of which 

 are at present explored, and in this cata- 

 comb one million people are said to have 

 found sepulture. Beyond these, and under- 

 neath the ancient church, are the Cata- 

 combs of St. Sebastian, which served as the 

 first cemetery of the christians. 



The lecture, illustrated by slides from 

 photos taken by the lecturer and others 

 (the lantern being admirably manipulated 

 by the secretary), was followed with great 

 interest. At the close, Mr. Lander, on 

 behalf of those present, thanked Mr. Under- 

 hill for his lecture, and said that personally 

 he had no idea so many of the old buildings 

 were still to be seen. 



