" 
1805.] 
The moft fatisfactory accounts have 
been received concerning the Ruffian ex- 
pedition for circumnavigating the globe. 
‘They are contained in a letter tran{mit- 
ted by the commander, M. Krusen- 
STERN, to M. Schubert, a member cf 
the Academy, and dated Auguit 8, 1804, 
from Kamtfchatka, where the voyagers 
arrived, without any accident of import- 
ance, on the rath of the preceding month, 
about five weeks after quitting the coat 
of Brafil. They touched, on their paf- 
faze, at the Marquefa iflands, on one of 
which M. Krufenttern found a Frenchman 
and an Englifhman, whom he intends to 
bring with him to Europe. The latter 
had completely forgotten his native lan- 
_ guage, and the Frenchman, why had not 
{poken his for feven years, with fome dif- 
ficulty gave the Rufhans to underitand, 
that he had keen wrecked, in an American 
fhip, near the coait of the ifland. Both 
of them having learned the language of 
the iflanders, and adopted their manners, 
will, doubtlefs, furnifh many curious par- 
ticulars relative to thofe iflands, which 
are but little known. M. Krufenftern 
was preparing to fail for Japan, to convey 
thither M. de Rafannoff, who is to refide 
there in the quality of Ambaflador Extra- 
ordinary of the Emperor of Ruffia. 
Three leagues fouth-eaft of Bourdeaux, 
near the bank of the Garonne, at St. Me- 
dard d’Eyran, have been difcovered two 
antique tombs, placed one upon the other, 
two feet below the furface of the earth. 
Befide them, and nearly at the fame 
depth, have been found fome low walls, 
fixteen inches thick, formed of rough 
ftones, and partly furmounted with hol- 
low tiles, about fourteeen inches fquare 
and two inches thick, and exactly refem- 
bling the Fiorentine tiles employed to form 
channels for therain. Both the tombs are 
of fine white marble, in the form of an 
ehiong fquare. The largett is fixteen feet 
in length, twenty-two inches in breadth, 
and two feet fix inches in height, exclufive 
of the covering. The marble is two 
ipches and a half thick. The cover is 
flat, and on the principal face of the tomb 
has a vertical elevation of nine inches. 
On this fide is reprefented a bacchanalian 
fcene. Bacchus is in the centre, in a 
chariot drawn by a female centaur, and 2 
male centaur holding a lyre. Oa the 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
495 
right and left are fatyrs, goats, bacchane 
tes, and fauns; at the left corner is Sile- 
nus, with Ariadne feated at his feet. On 
the oppofite pait is a female, in the fame 
a'tiiude, but her head is only fketched. 
On the left lateral part is Pan, playing on 
a double flute, and dancing before a 
litile terminus decorated with» Priapuss; 
tothe right is a woman holding a curved 
ftick. Of the attic of this tomb nothing 
remains but a grotefque head; on the 
right is achild in achariot. The other 
was found in the rubbifh, together with 
part of the bas-reliefs, and a {mall ftone 
without any infcription. A fracture, of 
ancient date, in the cover, as well as the 
polition in which thefe tombs were found, 
renders it probable that this was not their 
original fituation. The other tomb is 
nearly of the fame form, but of fmaller 
dimenfions : it appears to be confiderably 
pofterior to the former. The principal 
face reprefents Diana, whofe head is only 
{fketched, contemplating Endymion; the 
is placed in the centre, in a chariot drawn 
by two horfes, which are held by a Cu- 
pid. Endymion, whofe head likewife is 
only fketéhed, is on the right, reclined in 
a pofture of repofe, his dog at his feet, 
and is holding two lances, part of which 
is broken off. Morpheus is reprefented 
abowe, placing a wreath on his head, and 
holding in the other hand a poppy; two 
{mall wings iffue from his head, and two 
of larger fize from his fhoulders. A little 
Cupid, holding a lighted torch, is placed 
between the lover of Diana and the genius 
of fleep. On the left is the figure of a 
woman feated, with a cornucopia. A 
fhepherd, with nymphs and goats, termi- 
nates this bas-relief. On the lateral front, 
to the left, are feen a fhepherd, his dog, 
and fome goats; on the oppofite one, to 
the right, is a female with a crefcent on 
her head, ina chariot drawn by two bulls. 
The attic of this tomb was wanting; 
part of it was difcovered among the rub- 
bith. It is compofed of two grotefque 
heads, reprefenting Apollo, who was at 
the left extremity, and Diana at the right ; 
with the Judgment of Paris. In the 
cover, as in the former, there is a frac. 
ture, and another behind in the body of 
the tomb, which is joined again by means 
of iron cramps, 
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