ised in despair; the hands are clenched
convulsively; her garments are gathered up on one side, leaving
exposed a limb of beautiful shape. So perfect a mould of it has been
formed by the soft and yielding mud, that the cast would seem to be
taken from an exquisite work of Greek art. She had fled with her
little treasure, which lay scattered around her--two silver cups, a
few jewels, and some dozen silver coins; nor had she, like a good
housewife, forgotten her keys, after having probably locked up her
stores before seeking to escape. They were found by her side.

"The fourth cast is that of a man of the people, perhaps a common
soldier. As may be seen in the cut, he is of almost colossal size; he
lies on his left arm extended by his side, and his head rests on his
right hand, and his legs drawn up as if, finding escape impossible,
he had laid himself down to meet death like a brave man. His dress
consists of a short coat or jerkin and tight-fitting breeches of some
coarse stuff, perhaps leather. On one finger is seen his iron ring.
His features are strongly marked the mouth open, as in death. Some of
the teeth still remain, and even part of the moustache adheres to the
plaster.

"The importance of Signor Fiorelli's discovery may be understood from
the results we have described. It may furnish us with many curious
particulars as to the dress and domestic habits of the Romans, and
with many an interesting episode of the last day of Pompeii. Had it
been made at an earlier period we might perhaps have possessed the
perfect cast of the Diomedes, as they clung together in their last
struggle, and of other victims whose remains are now mingled together
in the bone-house."

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HOUSE OF DIOMEDES.

This house, the most interesting, and by far the most extensive of the
private buildings yet discovered, is the Suburban Villa, as it is
called, from its position a little way without the gates, in the
Street of the Tombs, which led to, or formed part of, the suburb
called Augustus Felix. It is worthy of remark that the plan of this
edifice is in close accord with the descriptions of country houses
given us by Vitruvius and others--a circumstance which tends strongly
to confirm the belief already expressed, that the houses of the city
are built upon the Roman system of arrangement, although the Greek
taste may predominate in their decoration. We will commence by
extracting the most