STALACTITES. 35,9 
noblest vaults in the world. It is about nine feet 
high, seven wide, and has for its bottom a fine 
green glossy marble. The walls and arch of the 
roof of this being as smooth and even in most places 
as if wrought by art, and made of a fine glistering 
white and red granite, supported here and there 
with columns of a deep blood-red shining porphyry, 
made, with the reflection of the lights, an appear- 
ance not to be conceived. This passage is at least 
forty yards long ; and of so steep a descent, that 
one has enough to do, when seated on one’s breech, 
not to descend too quickly : our g;uides that we 
kept with us could here keep on each side of us ; 
and what with the prodigious grandeur and beauty 
of the place, our easy travelling through it, and the 
diversion of our now and then running over one an- 
other whether we would or not, this was much the 
pleasantest part of our journey. When we had en- 
tered this passage, I imagined we should at the 
bottom join the two guides we had first set down ; 
but, alas ! when we were got there, we found our- 
selves only at the mouth of another precipice, down 
which we descended by another ladder not much 
better than the former. 1 could have admired this 
place also, would my terror have suffered me ; but 
the dread of falling kept all my thoughts employed 
during my descent. I could but observe, however, 
as my companions were coming down after me, that 
the wall, if I may so call it, which the ladder hum? 
by, was one mass of blood-red marble, covered with 
white sprigs of rock crystal as long as my finger, 
