328 - PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1753. 



IX. On the Antiquities dug up from the Ancient Herculaneum, dated from 

 Naples, Nov. 18. 1752. By Sig. Camillo Paderni. Translated from the 

 Italian, p. 71- 



The things, of which Sig. Paderni says he had the charge, are many, and 

 extraordinary, consisting of metals: that is, bronzes, silver and gold of all kinds, 

 of excellent workmanship. Beautiful cameos and intaglios. Glass of all sorts. 

 Various productions of the earth ; such as, grain, beans, figs, dates, nuts, pis- 

 tachios, almonds, rice, bread. Colours for painting. Medicines in pills, and 

 other forms, with their marks. A phial of oil. Gold lace, perfectly well pre- 

 served, and extremely curious, on account of its being made with massy gold, 

 spun out, without any silk, or other yarn. Soap, bran, and a variety of other 

 things, which it were tedious here to 'enumerate. 



There were found many volumes of papyrus, but turned to a sort of charcoal, 

 and so brittle, that, being touched, it fell to ashes. Yet by his majesty's orders, 

 he made many trials to open them, but all to no purpose; excepting some scraps 

 containing some words, by which it appeared in what manner the whole was 

 written. The characters are made with a very black tincture, exceeding the 

 darkness of charcoal.* 



There were found also very lately 3 beautiful statues of marble, and one of 

 them excellent; 6 heads of bronze, of which there was one that gave hopes 

 of finding the statue it belongs to. It is a young Hercules, of a kind of work 

 that has no fellow in the way of metal, having the hair finished in a surprising 

 manner. Also several little figures of metal ; a sistrum very neat and well pre- 

 served ; and not a day passes but they bring some curiosities newly found. 



X. A Translation and Explanation of some Articles of the Booh intitled, 

 Theorie de la Figure de la Terre. By Mons. Clairaut of the Royal Academy 

 of Sciences at Paris, and F. R. S. p. 73. 



Mr. Short, in his account of Father Frisi's Disquisito Mathematica in Causam 

 Physicam Figurae et Magnitudinis Telluris Nostras, having reported that philoso- 

 pher's sentiments on my reflections, says M. Clairaut, on the same matter, 

 without taking the trouble to examine whether they were founded on the truth 

 or not, I find myself under the necessity to lay before the Royal Society the pas- 

 sages of my book, which, having been misunderstood by F. Frisi, have occa- 

 sioned the misconstruction made of my sentiments, either on the trust I give 

 to the actual operation made for discovering the figure of the earth, or Sir Isaac 

 Newton's theoretical inquiries about the same subject. 



* Since this was written some successful attempts have been made to unravel these ancient manu- 

 scripts, which treat of philosophy, music, &c. 



