This was probably used to hold the frankincense and verbena upon the altars, and thence called a thuribulum, though a thuribulum was more commonly a box.

Bronze tripods were perhaps the most favourite offering made by the Greeks to their temples. Pausanias, when describing Athens, mentions the Street of Tripods, leading from the Prytaneum, so called because there were in that street many temples, in which were a great number of tripods of bronze.

The next subject is an ornamented Stew-pan, found in the same year at Herculaneum.

"The dish itself is eight inches and three quarters in diameter, and about three inches deep it is engraved in the inside with the figure of a priest making a sacrifice. The handle is curious and exceedingly beautiful; it consists of the figure of a man seven inches and a quarter long, at whose feet is a ram's head: his arms are extended so as to be above his head, and serve as branches to support the pan. They hold, however, a sort of crescent, which intervenes between him and it; at each end of which there is also a ram's head. Behind the man's head, and rising between his shoulders, and reaching nearly to the centre of the bottom of the vessel, is an acanthus leaf. The figure itself is much in the Egyptian style, and crowned with flowers. Caylus has one of these engraved in his Receuil; but the handle of his is straight, having also a ram's head at the end; he calls it Espece de Casserolle.'-Receuil, vol. vii. pl. xxxv.

"These ornamented pans were used to serve up the viands hot at table. In the British Museum is a terra-cotta vase, on which is represented persons at supper, and a boy waiting upon them, carrying one of these things to each of the party.'

In the third plate are represented the lid, front, and side of a bronze box. This elegant production of ancient art was described by Count Caylus as an Acerra, or coffer for containing incense. It is engraved in his Recueil, vol. iv. p. 281, but without the lid, which by some accident was then missing; and he closed a dissertation of four pages upon it in these words :"Je finis cet article en assurant que j'ai peu vu d'ouvrage Romain, de ce mouvement, de ce gout, de cette execution."

It was given to Caylus by father Paciaudi, a distinguished antiquary,

and librarian to the Duke of Parma. In the year 1765 it came, with the lid, into the hands of Mr. Thomas Hollis, from whom it descended to Mr. Brand Hollis and to the Rev. Dr. Disney; but after the death of the latter, in 1816, it became the property of a lady, and was restored to the Museum Disneianum only in the year 1848. Whilst it belonged to the lady she confided it to the care of Messrs. Rundell and Bridge, in order to have hinges supplied, and to prevent the future wandering of the lid. The workman employed unfortunately removed its patina, that "most interesting and valuable evidence of age," gave it a fresh coat of lacquer, and, it is believed, made grooves inside for partitions, in order that it might serve as a work-box.

"From the fresh and brilliant appearance (adds Mr. Disney) which this barbarous change has given it, it may be suggested by those who form hasty and off-hand opinions in such cases, that this was the work of Benvenuto Cellini, to whom many things are ascribed he never

saw.

"I have seen many of his celebrated works, and possess some, and have observed that in his, and the articles of his day, where the artist introduced an orna. ment as pendent to another, they were identically alike: now, here, the two musical instruments under the horses are different; one is a lyre, and the other is the pipe of unequal reeds. The wreaths at the ends are hung upon the sculls of oxen, exactly resembling wreaths similarly hung upon a marble ossuarium in my possession, of the time of Augustus. The figures of Cellini have wings, and generally no arms : those on this specimen have arms as well as wings, very common on Roman sarcophagi. From all these circumstances, and the evidently concurrent judgment of Paciaudi and Caylus, and the unhesitating admission of numerous antiquaries personally known to me and my ancestors for above eighty years, I have no difficulty in stating my full conviction, that this splendid monument is of genuine Roman work."

The fourth plate represents a magnificent lamp with ten burners, which was found in the ruins of Herculaneum about the year 1795.

"The centre part of this lamp is nine. inches in diameter, and has ten lights radiating from it, each terminating in a bull's head, so contrived, that the flame would issue out from between the horns. The top of the oil vessel is adorned with

"This lamp is unornamented, and of coarse work. The centre of the oil vessel is, as usual, hollowed at the top, and here has an elevated rim round it to prevent the oil being spilled. There are three staples for chains; and some part of the chains themselves are still attached. It was found at Herculaneum in 1790, and bought at Naples in 1796."

The collection also contains a variety of hand lamps. The specimen of which an engraving is subjoined is ornamented with peculiar beauty. It was formerly in the collection of Dr. Mead. On each side is a head of Medusa, and the concave surface is richly chased