203 
found in the ruins of Herculaneum. 
remained. By assisting the operation of detaching the layers 
by muriatic ether and the other processes mentioned in page 
lgg, many parts of columns were obtained from several of 
the fragments, by which some idea of their contents may 
be formed. 
On the black compact and heavy MSS. which contained 
white earthy matter in their folds, I tried several experiments, 
with the hopes of separating them into single layers, both by 
the action of muriatic and nitric ether, and by the operation 
of chlorine and of weak hydrofluoric acid, assisted by heat; 
but generally the fibres of the papyrus had been so firmly 
cemented together, and so much earthy matter had pene- 
trated them, that only a very imperfect separation could be 
obtained, and in parts where vestiges only of letters ap- 
peared, so that from MSS. of this kind only a few remains 
of sentences could be gained. 
During the two months that I was actively employed in 
experiments on the papyri at Naples, I had succeeded, with 
the assistance of six of the persons attached to the Museum, 
and whom I had engaged for the purpose, in partially un- 
rolling 23 MSS., from which fragments of writing were 
obtained, and in examining about 120 others, which afforded 
no hopes of success ; and I should gladly have gone on with 
the undertaking, from the mere prospect of a possibility of 
discovering some better results, had not the labour, in itself 
difficult and unpleasant, been made more so, by the conduct 
of the persons at the head of this department in the Museum. 
At first every disposition was shown to promote my re- 
searches ; for the papyri remaining unrolled were considered 
by them as incapable of affording any thing legible by the 
mdcccxxi. D d 
