at CaiacMo^ in Cof^ku 
The columnar manner of writing was adopted in the public 
decrees of the people, estimates for public works, &g. If this 
reading is admitted (which Colonel W. does admit), it will do 
away the difficulties of Maffei’s conjecture, that -the decree was 
to be inscribed on a column, and placed on a wall. 
It is worthy of being remarked, how precisely the situation of 
this building accords with the inscription on the Verona Tablet : 
Firsts There is a Temple placed, contrary to common practice, 
in a ravine, and subject to the injury of subterranean waters : 
Secondly^ A retaining-wall is built, to lessen their bad effects : 
Thirdly j Aqueducts are formed to draw the springs from the 
foundations, and conduct them, on the highest possible level, 
for a distant purpose : fourthly^ the Temple contained an 
altar, for which nitron was purchased. Colonel W. remarks. 
The ancients possessed such an imperfect knowledge of ni- 
tron or nitre, that natron, another name for soda, is generally 
presumed to be that which Pliny and his predecessors styled 
Nitron ; and it is very singular, that the altar still exhibits, after 
the lapse of 22 centuries, fragments of a coating that appears 
to contain soda, in the earthy matter composing it.” This sub- 
-stance which the Colonel speaks of, is chalk. 
With respect to the divinity ; the letter A, and the brazen 
serpent, would equally indicate Apollo and ^sculapius ; and, 
in conjecturing on this point, I should prefer (as the Colonel also 
does) the former, from the consideration of the existence in an- 
cient times of a fountain, which must have been supplied from 
the same springs, about TOO yards distant from the aqueducts, 
and was called the Pythean Fount,--^POO2nY0Alos, 
The excavations of Cadachio have further brought to light 
several female heads, in terra cota, lachrymatories, brazen pa- 
terae,. scarabaei, glass-beads, pottery, ivory, copper, iron, and 
lead, a brass wheel, heads of arrows, rings ; and a multitude of 
coins, amongst which are some of Epirus, Apollonia, Corinth, 
Syracuse, and Corey ra. With respect to the articles usually 
deposited in tombs, but found on the site of the Temple, it ap- 
pears to Colonel Whitmore, that its position, being in a ravine and 
water-course, any light substance detached from the neighbouring 
hills would be carried down by rains, till meeting such obstruc- 
tions as the walls of the cella or stylobate of the Temple, they 
