French National Injlitide. 83 



An hiftorical account of the life and fervices of H. F. Gil- 

 bert : by C. Cuvier ; 



On public fpirit : by Toulongeon. 



The following notice of the labours of the Clafs of Litera- 

 ture and the Fine Arts was read by C. Villars : 



Antiquities. 



The n.Hmes of two celebrated cities, Herculaneum* and 

 Pompeii f, have often inflamed with a noble emulation the 

 amateurs of antiquities and anticnt monuments. Hitherto 

 the total difappearance of thefc two cities has been afcribed- 

 to the famous eruption of Veru\ ins in the firft year of the 

 reign of Titus, and the 79th of the Chriftian lera. Accord- 

 ing to the obfervations of C. Du Theil, this epoch is not cer- 

 tain; for thefe two cities rofe again from their ruins under 

 the reign of that prince ; and they ftill exifted, with f )nie 

 remains of fplendour, under Hadrian, The beautiful cha- 

 racters of the infcription traced out on the bafe of the equef- 

 Irian llatue of M, Nonius Balbus, fon of Marcus, are an 

 evident proof of its exiftence at that period. They were found 

 under the reign of the Antonincs; for the account of Tri- 

 malchio's feaft, in the fatirical romance afcribed to Petronius 

 Arbiter, furniflies feveral evidences of the exiftence of Pompeii, 

 and of fome of the edifices of Herculaneum, under the laft of 

 thefe princes. In the geographical monimient known under 

 the name of Peutinger's chart, which is of a date pofterior to 

 the reign of Conftantine, that is to fay, in the commence- 

 ment of the fourth centurv, Herculaneum and Pompeii were 

 ftill (tanding, and then inhabited; but in the Itinerary im- 

 properly afcribed to Antoninus, neither of thefe two cities is 

 noticed ; from which it mav be conje6lured, witli fome de- 

 gree of foundation, that the entire ruin of Flerculaneum and 

 Pompeii niuft have taken place in that interval, between the 

 time when Peutinger's chart was conftructcd and that when 

 the above Itinerary was ponipofed. 



The eruption which took place in 471 occafioned the moft 



* Hcrculamini, oihcrwifc Hcrculnnium, Herculaneum, Hcrciileum, an 

 anticnt city of Italy in Canijiania, on the II 1 co.ift, oppofu^- to Vcfuvius. 

 Pl'tii. lib. iii. c. 5. j»JttCfs it ijetw-een Naples and Pompeii. Patercuhii, 

 Jib. ii. c. 6. as ivcll as Ftonn, lib. i.c- 6. lays tiiatit was conquered by the 

 Pvonians during the v/ar of :lic allies. 



t Pompeii, in drnpania, four miles from N.iplcs towards the e.ilh Under 

 the allies of Vcfiivius wa? difcovercd the village called I'orrr ^ifl Greco — 

 the Greek towe.--. It is generally I'lipi'.iled that the city of Pompeii was 

 touried in tb.it fpot. 



F 2 dreadful 



