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MEMOIR OP 
symmetry and regularity of the whole, the great 
number and interesting character of the statues and 
bas-reliefs with which they are ornamented, excite 
our wonder that they were not earlier examined, 
sketched, and described.” 
It is almost during the present century, and 
chiefly by the exertions of Sir Stamford himself, 
that those singular reliques have been brought to 
light, and made known to Europe. His volumes 
contain some hundreds of these objects, including 
temples, statues, inscriptions, medals, coins, cups, 
and other implements, taken from the original casts 
in stone, copper, or brass, but rarely of silver. It 
is said that fonnerly many gold casts were dis- 
covered of a similar description, but these have 
disappeared, and one ■i'illage is mentioned as having 
from time immemorial paid its annual rent, amount- 
ing to upwards of a thousand dollars, in gold pro- 
cured by melting doum the relics of antiquity found 
in its neighbourhood. The age of most of these 
remains is alleged to be between the sixth and 
ninth century of the Christian era, that being the 
period of greatest splendour in the East, though 
the darkest spot in the intellectual history of 
Europe. They are partly Mohammedan, but chief- 
ly Pagan or Indian, several of them having been 
evidently consecrated to the worship of Budh. 
In concluding his interesting remarks on these 
architectural antiquities, Sir Stamford infers, from 
the extensive variety of temples and sculpture, as 
