the
more archaic periods of Greek art, and we knew that on the gate of
Mycenae there were evidences of an art far more archaic and
apparently not allied with true Hellenic art, but we knew no more
nor had an idea how the great gulf in art history was to be bridged
over. It still remains a great gulf, but Dr. Schliemann by his
excavations, first on the site of Troy and then of Mycenae, has
brought to open daylight what, without prejudging questions as yet
_sub judice_, seem to be the veritable works of the heroes of the
Iliad; and if he has not yet actually solved the mysteries which
shroud that age, he has brought before us a perfect wealth of fact
at the least calculated to sharpen our antiquarian appetite for
more certain knowledge. Knowing that Dr. Schliemann is like one in
old times, who, while longing to tell of the Atrides and of Cadmus,
yet allowed the chords of his heart to vibrate to softer
influences, I will, while proposing his health, conjoin with his
name that of his energetic fellow-explorer, Madame Schliemann."]

MR. PRESIDENT, MY LORDS, AND GENTLEMEN:--You have been pleased
to confer upon me two of the greatest honors which this country can
possibly bestow upon a foreigner--first, by your kind invitation to this
hospitable banquet to meet the most illustrious statesmen, the most
eminent scholars, and the most distinguished artists; and secondly, by
your toast to my health. In warmly thanking you, I feel the greatest
satisfaction to think that for these signal honors, I am solely indebted
to my labors in Troy and Mycenae. ["Hear! Hear!"]

In Troy art was only in its first dawn; color was still completely
unknown, and instead of painting, the vases were decorated with incised
patterns filled with white clay. The productions of sculpture were
limited to carving of small flat idols of Minerva [Greek: glaukopis][6]
of marble, almost in the forms of two discs, which adhered to each
other, and upon which the owl's face is rudely scratched. The Trojan
treasure certainly shows more art, but it is characterized by an absence
of ornamentation. In Mycenae, on the contrary, the monuments which I have
brought to light show a high state of civilization, and the skill with
which the gold ornaments are made leads us to pre-suppose a school of
domestic artists which had flourished for ages before it reached such
perfection.

The very gre