1803:] 
ble quarries of Paros under contribu- 
tion. 
Butafter all, when on the point of proceed- 
ing to theexecution of the magnificent plan, 
the whole undertaking dwindled into the 
building of a wooden houfe, which our ar- 
chiteét left to be finifned by the carpenters, 
and returned to his temples at Athens. 
A confiderable quantity of antiques was 
difcovered and obtained at Athens ; but 
the {poil carried away from other places 
was comparatively but trifling. The ar- 
tifts had been almoft a year at Athens 
before Lord Elgin ‘could obtain full per- 
miffion for them to fearch, and dig, and 
to draw plans and views unmolefted where- 
ever they would, and to remove and {hip 
off for England whatever fuited them.— 
But it muft be owned, they afterwards 
made fo good a ufe of the opportunity 
afforded them, that future travellers in 
Greece will not be much inclined to blefs 
the memory of Lord Elgin. The num- 
ber of chefts-full of precious remains of 
antiquity already fent off to England 
amounts to more than two hundred, and 
a great many articles ftili remain behind, 
to be forwarded by Don Tita. This may 
be confidered as the laft gleaning of what 
had been {pared by the fuccetlive {poiers of 
the ornaments of Gieece. Not only have 
all moveable works been carried away ; 
but even. many things which had been hi- 
therto confidered ag immoveable, have 
been torn from the places where they had 
remained unmolefted for thoulands of 
years. This, for inftance, the metopes 
of the temple of Minerva, in the Acropo- 
polis, which was ornamented with figures 
in alto-relievo,’ have been all broken out 
of the wall, and the round carved work 
on the tympans have likewife been carried 
away. By digging in front of the temple, 
they difcovered a couple of torfos heads and 
fragments of baffs-relievos. Four excel- 
lent baflo-relievos, that belonged to a 
temple of Victory, and repreiented an 
eugagement of the Greeks with the Per- 
-fians, have likewife been taken away.— 
But from the temple of, Thefeus nothing 
could be obtained, as it is now a Greek 
church. Lord Elgin has brought along 
with him all the drawings and_ plans, 
which were executed upon the fpot: but 
only 2 few perfons of the higheft rank, 
(as, for inftance, Lord Briftol, and the 
Prince of Mecklenburgh-Srrejitz) have 
been favoured with a fight of them ; and 
they exprefs in the warmeft terms their 
admiration of the beauty of them. You 
MonTuuy Mac, No. 104. * ~ 
Account of Lord Elgin’s Grecian Antiques, ec. 
17 
will already have heard of the fhipwreck 
of the brig on board of which Lord Hae 
milton had embarked for England, with 
all his papers, and the manufcripts and 
other curious and rare articles which “he 
had colleéted in his journey through Afia- 
Minor, Syria, and Egypt, and likewi‘e 
eleven chefts full of antique fculptures, 
among which were the four above men- 
tioned baflo-relievos. On the fime day 
the great earthquake was felt at Conflan- 
tinople, the fhip was overtaken by a vio- 
lent ftorm near the ifland of Cerigo; and 
as fhe was too heavily laden, and could 
not ride out the ftorm at fea, thecaptain 
deemed it expedient to run her in towards 
the fhore. Here fhe ftruck upon a rock, 
that was hidden under the water. At firft, 
all the. chefts containing the antiques 
might have been taken out: but while 
they were endeavouring to five the whole 
fhip; they negleéted to do this, and fhe 
funk at laft with almoft the whole of her 
cargo. The crew, however, Lord Ha- 
milton’s papers, and four chefts full of 
fculptures, were faved. Two frigates 
had haftened to their affiftance, and they 
tried, but in vain, to raife the thip. Above 
ten thoufand pounds have been already 
expended in thefe hitherto untuccefsful en- 
deavours. Still, however, they have not 
given up all hopes of heaving the funken 
fhip from the bottom of the fea, or at 
leaft of faving her valuable cargo. But 
fhould fome of the originals unfortunately . 
be irrecoverable, {till they cannot be con- 
fidered as entirely loft; as they had 
the precaution to make models in plafter’ 
of Paris of all the fculptures. The other 
articles fent to England are fafely arrived 
there. Lord Elgin has likewife brought 
from Conftantinople a valuable colleétion 
of engraved gems, and rare medals. One 
of the gems is faid to be of an extraordi- 
nary fize and beauty: it reprefents a fe- 
male Centaur fuckling a young one. Mr. 
Feodor is going to England, to fuperintend 
the engraving of his drawings. Lord El- 
gin was induced to this undertaking, that 
he mizhthave the glory of enriching his 
country with thele fpoils of ancient Greece, 
and that he might poffefs a cabinet fur- 
pafling others in the rarity of the articles 
itcontains. May he be incited by a ne~ 
bler ambition to render thefe treafures ge- 
verally ufefal, by a free accefs to them ; 
fo that the traveller, who has in vain 
locked for them in Greece, may at leaft 
find them in England! Young Lord Ha- 
milton unites profound erudition with a 
D delicate 
