described, and as I mentioned the subject in my letter from this place, I shall be as brief as possible in my remarks.

The façade is decorated with two rows of pillars, one of which is of the Ionic and the other of the Corinthian order; with different stone statues; and with two porticos, the one above the other. In the superior one, whence the pope gives his benedictions on particular days, is seen the mosaic work which adorned the original front. The portico below is supported by eight fine columns of granite, and by several marble pilasters. It possesses, likewise, four bas-relieves, and a bronze statue of Philip the Fourth of Spain, who was patron of the church. Four doors lead into the basilick, without counting the one which is only opened in years of jubilee.

The interior is divided into three naves, by thirty-six beautiful white marble columns of the Ionic order.

Besides many other statues, tombs, and pictures, deserving notice in various parts of the church, I was particularly pleased with the paintings and pillars in the chapel of the Crucifix; with the picture of the Annunciation, by Battoni, in the following chapel; and with the magnificent chapel of Sixtus the Fifth, covered with the finest marble, adorned with paintings,

and supported with Corinthian pilasters. The latter of these chapels requires a particular account. The tomb of the pope to whom it is dedicated is supported by four beautiful pillars, and is decorated with bas-relieves and two admirable statues. Opposite the sepulchre of Sixtus the Fifth is that of Pius the Fifth, whose body is preserved in a fine urn of green marble. In the centre of the chapel is placed the altar of the Sacrament, on which stand four figures of angels in gilt bronze.-The pictures in this splendid oratory are also excellent; and in a sacristie attached to it are some landscapes, by Paul Brill.

The principal altar of the basilick stands alone, and consists of a great urn of porphyry, supported at the four corners by small figures of angels in gilt bronze. Above is a beautiful and rich canopy, held up by six marble figures of angels, the work of Pietro Bracci. There are also around it pictures, mosaics, and other

ornaments.

The next most remarkable object is the chapel of the Borghese family, erected by pope Paul the Fifth, of that house. It is rich in pictures and valuable marbles.

Among other curiosities the altar Della Nostra Signora must be distinguished. It is truly magnificent, and decorated with four columns

of oriental jasper, the base and capitals of which are of gilt bronze, supporting an en、 tablature whose frieze is of agate. Surrounded with a profusion of lapis-lazuli appears a picture of the Virgin said to have been painted by the evangelist St. Luke. It is set round with precious stones, and supported by four figures of angels in gilt bronze. The paintings above and around the altar are by the chevalier Arpini. The pictures near the window are by Guido Reni, and esteemed some of his best productions. This chapel has also a sacristie attached to it, adorned with gilt stucco, and with pictures by Passignano.

After the Borghese chapel comes that of the Sforza family, which was built by Michael Angelo, and painted by Cæsare Nebbia. Next follow the chapel of Cesi, &c. But here I must stop, having already allotted more space to the account of this church than the general plan of my narrative ought to allow.

Of the obelisk, which stands at the opposite side of the basilick from that by which I entered, I have already spoken. It was brought to Rome, from Egypt, by Claudius, and placed in the mausoleum of Augustus, where it was found, with a similar one, now on the Monte Cavallo. It was erected in its present position by Sixtus V., under the superintendance of the

chevalier Fontana. It is of red granite, fortythree feet high (not including the pedestal, which is twenty feet from the ground), and is not marked with hieroglyphics.

In the Church of Santa Prasseda, whither I next went, I saw a pillar of jasper, which, as my guide asserted, is the very one to which our Saviour was attached. A picture of the Flagellation, by Giulio Romano; a portrait, in the sacristie, of St. Gualbert, the founder of the order of Vallembrosa, by Bourquignon; a painting in one of the chapels by Zuccheri; and a ceiling in the same, by Ciampelli; are the objects most deserving of notice in this church. It is recorded, on an inscription which fronts the principal gate, that Santa Prasseda collected here the holy blood of two thousand three hundred martyrs! "Behold," said my conductor, with a solemn face, pointing to a well in the middle of the church," the very spot in which this precious deposit was made by the sainted virgin."

The Church of San Martino, built over a part of the Thermæ of Titus, is celebrated for its subterraneous chambers, in which the early Christians used to celebrate divine service while persecuted by their heathen opponents.

When Constantine extended his protection to those who professed the doctrines of our Saviour, and received himself the rites of baptism, the present edifice was erected. It is now rich in pictures, statues, paintings, and marbles.

The church is divided into three naves, by twenty-four ancient pillars, made of marble, and in the Corinthian order. On the walls appear some beautiful landscapes, by Gaspard Poussin; with figures, by his brother Nicholas, but which are much injured from the effects of a damp situation. A staircase of admirable construction leads to the subterraneous chapel; which runs entirely under the church, and is the spot before alluded to in which the first believers originally assembled. The altar is modern, of marble, and of elegant form.

Not far from this church I found, in a vineyard, the remains of an old building called The Seven Chambers*, and which are supposed to have formed the reservoir of water for the use

"A little to the east of the baths there is a ruin commonly called the Sette Sale. It should rather be called the Nove Sale, as it consists of nine galleries, though seven of them are only open, the other two being filled with rubbish. These galleries all communicate with each other, by means of doors on arches placed in a transversal line, which