BABBAGE ON THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS. 



189 



The part of the column, which was nearly horizontal, was covered 

 with this deposit to the depth of from a quarter to half an inch, and 

 the rain had washed portions of it away, leaving little miniature 

 columns protected by small caps of stones on their tops. These for- 

 cibly reminded me of the clay pillars in the valley of Visp, which 

 I had visited several years before in company with my friend Sir J. 

 Herschel. Several of those pillars were from 50 to 70 feet high, 

 whilst none of these on the fallen fragments of the columns of the 

 temple attained as many hundredths of an inch. There were no 

 marks either of shells or of Serpulas on this fragment. 



Fig. 2. 



8. A fragment of the bottom of a column (1), 17 feet long. The 

 upper edge of the calcareous coating (see par. 3) is 6 feet 4 inches 

 from the base; the breadth of the zone about 1 foot; height to 

 lower edge of disintegrated part of column, 8 feet 7 inches. This 

 fragment is perforated on the upper or broken end almost in the axis, 

 and the disintegrated part is perforated. 



The three preceding fragments appear from their dimensions to 

 have formed parts of one column. Their united length is 42 feet, 

 which is about the height of the columns that remain standing. I 

 did not however record in my notes whether the broken ends fa- 

 voured this supposition. 



9. A fragment (1)7 feet 4 inches long, perforated at both ends, 

 and all over. 



10. A fragment 11 feet 4 inches; from base to beginning of cal- 

 careous zone 6 feet 7 inches ; breadth of zone 1 foot 4 inches ; from 

 base to beginning of disintegration 7 feet 11 inches: not perforated 

 at the base. 



11. A fragment (2) of lower portion of a column of African 

 breccia, length 6 feet 10 inches ; from base to beginning of disinte- 

 gration 4 feet : not perforated at the end. 



12. A capital of white marble perforated; but only four decided 

 marks were observed. 



