J?OTi:S TO CIIIIDE IIAROLJ),

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us in our second excursion. However, his works, as far *slliey go, are most beautiful; hut they are almost all unfi-nished* While he and his patrons confine themselves totasting medals, appreciating'cameos, sketching columns, andcheapening gems, their little absurdities are as harmless asinsect or fox-hunting, maiden-speechifying, barouche-dri-ving, or any such pastime: but when they carry away threeor four shiploads of the most valuable and massy relicsthat time and barbarism have left to the most injured andmost celebrated of cities; when they destroy, in a vain at-tempt to tear down, those works which have been the ad-miration of ages, I know no motive which cau excuse, noname which can designate, the perpetrators of this dastard-ly devastation. It was not the least of the crimes laid tothe charge of Verres, that he had plundered Sicily , in themanner since imitated at Athens. The most unblushing im-pudence could hardly go farther than to affix the name ofits plunderer to the walls of the Acropolis ; while the wan-ton and useless defacement of the whole range of the bas-so-relievos, in one compartment of the temple, will neverpermit that name to be pronounced by an observer withoutexecration.

On this occasion I speak impartially: I am not a collect-or or admirer of collections, consequently no rival; butI have some early prepossession in favour of Greece , anddo not think the honour of England advanced by plunder,■whether of India or Attica.

Another noble Lord ha* done better, because he lias do-ne less : but some others, more or less noble, yet “all ho-nourable men/’ have done best, because, after a deal of ex-

with this and many other Levantine scenes, by the arri-val of his performances*