d paintings, and since there
was no receptacle at hand to contain the _debris_, they took the simple
course of filling in each hollow made with the masses of rubbish already
excavated. Later in the same century the Bourbon king was induced by
Neapolitan savants to take some interest in the work, but, strange to
relate, the superintendent appointed, a certain Spanish officer named
Alcubier, was so ignorant and careless that half the objects found under
his supervision were broken or lost before they reached Naples; this
ignoramus, it was said, even went so far as to order whole architraves to
be smashed up and their bronze lettering to be picked out before making a
copy of the original inscription! Under these circumstances the marvel is
that anything of beauty or value should have survived at all, for this
selfish plundering of Herculaneum, in strong contrast with the reverent
treatment meted out to Pompeii, may be considered one of the greatest
pieces of vandalism ever perpetrated. In spite of this wholesale
destruction, however, there must remain untouched, as we have said, a vast
quantity of objects, beautiful, useful or curious, yet it is extremely
doubtful if we shall live to see any serious and intelligent effort made
to bring these hidden treasures forth to the light of day. The expense of
working this buried hoard would be enormous in any case, whilst the
existence of the houses of Resina and Portici overhead necessitates
special measures of precaution on the part of the excavators. The only
method of examining Herculaneum properly would be in fact to treat the
buried site like an immense mine by the construction of regular galleries
and shafts for the entrance of skilled workmen, and to remove the rubbish
displaced to the outer air. Perhaps some multi-millionaire might be found
ready to undertake so arduous, yet so fascinating a task, though we fear
that the Italian Government, which has always shown itself as tenacious of
its subterranean wealth of antiquity as it appears languid in the work of
quarrying it, would indignantly refuse to accede to any such offer. As
regards the ancient city of Hercules, therefore, we must perforce remain
content to inspect the magnificent bronzes and the other objects of
interest that are to be found in the Museum of Naples, for we are not
likely to see any further researches just at present, more's the pity,
since there is every reason to suppose that a thorough investigation
con