ATHENS. 341 
the hope of being one day able to recover this 
curious relic : for its extraordinary perfec- 
tion so much excited the cupidity of one of the 
Roman formatori, that having volunteered the 
troublesome and difficult task of packing up our 
antiquities when we were about to leave Athens, 
he availed himself of the opportunity to steal 
this lamp; and the theft was not discovered 
until the case, said by him to contain it, was 
opened upon its arrival in England. Possibly, 
therefore, as it may exist in some Cabinet of 
Europe, the following account of it may hereafter 
lead to the knowledge of its situation ; if it do 
not prove the cause of its destruction. It was 
of a black colour, like our dark Wedgwood ware : 
when first offered to us, it seemed to be cor- 
roded and porous ; but after it had imbibed a 
little oil, it appeared as perfect as if it had 
recently issued from the hands of the Athenian 
potter. In shape and size it resembled the 
generality of antient terra-cotta lamps; being 
of a circular form, and about three inches in 
diameter, with a protruding lip for the wick in 
one part of the circumference. Upon the top 
of it, a lion was represented in an erect pos- 
ture ; the figure of the animal expressing all the 
energy and greatness of style peculiar to the 
