body was encased, and which had retained every line and fold of face and
drapery; as soon as the plaster hardened, the mould was lifted off with
the greatest precaution, and on the lava and ashes being removed, a
perfect cast of the living figure it had once contained appeared.

We regarded these painful figures with deep and mournful interest. There
was one of a woman, apparently of the poorer classes, who had been
overtaken by the deadly shower while endeavouring to save a young girl,
probably her daughter; the coarse texture of their raiment is distinctly
visible, and the smooth, rounded arms of the little maid may be
discerned through the rent sleeves. Another stately figure, evidently a
Roman matron, has gathered together her little treasures, with which she
hopes to escape; her draperies, disordered and caught up at one side,
display limbs of sculptured beauty. An aged man--apparently an invalid
from the thin and shrunken extremities--rests with his head leaning on
his hand exactly as he was overtaken by the fearful storm of pumice and
lava. These and many others were buried while yet alive, their features
plainly telling of the agonizing thoughts that flashed across their
minds at the moment of death, and every detail about them telling of
the hurriedness of their attempted flight.

The collection of old coins in this Museum, is, I believe, the finest in
the world, and the cabinets of ancient gems and crystals are exceedingly
beautiful. Then there is the library of papyri--rolls found at
Herculaneum, and a perfect model of the city of Pompeii. There are also
many other rooms full of interesting relics of the two unfortunate
cities--wonderful works of art in crystal, stone, and bronze, much of
which cannot even be imitated in the present day. Altogether this Museum
is a very temple of ancient treasure, and should make us humble in the
knowledge that we now possess.

We visited the Aquarium, which is quite unique in its way, and one of
the finest in the world. Here, in a series of great glass tanks, we saw
collected all the marvellous wonder and beauty of the great deep, every
branch and species of sea creature from the coral and the sponge to the
highest form of marine life. The most wonderful thing of all, we
thought, and certainly the most novel to us, was a kind of animated
purple thread, which spun itself out to such an extent that there was
only a long cobweb left perceptible; this, floating about, after a