mischievous demons. The annexed is a correct representation of the highlyvalued talisman, in the favourite elongated shape:

This is one of the largest and best specimens of the sacred symbol, in its simple form, that I have hitherto met with; wherefore it was selected for illustration in preference to a similar one-No. 194-which formerly belonged to me. It is made of fine hard porcelain, entirely coated with a blue vitreous glaze of the most durable nature.

eye

of

As an omen of good fortune, this device was painted on the bows of their boats; and especially on funereal barges which conveyed dead bodies to the western bank of the Nile. In the third volume of Sir Gardner Wilkinson's "Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians," opposite page 211, a yacht is represented with coloured sails copied from the tomb of the potent third Rameses of Thebes. On the larboard bow of this stately vessel is the Osiris, with exactly similar appendages as those to the cut before us. The custom of carrying this badge is still retained in various countries, as in India and in the Mediterranean: for it continues to be found on the speronaras and scampavias of Sicily and Malta; and as well on Archipelagan boats as those which ply about the harbours of Valetta. That the primitive Etruscans and classical Greeks regarded the eye, and that the Romans adopted it for

their war-galleys, is evident from their coinage; the importance of which imagery must be my apology for introducing an exemplar in point, from my "Catalogue of Roman Large Brass Medals (1834) ":—

Obverse.

Reverse.

DIVI IVLI, CAESAR DIVI F. IMP. (Divi Julii, Cæsar divi filius imperator.) Two naked heads
in opposite directions, representing Julius Caesar and his adopted son; but as likenesses they
possess less interest than those on No. II. The medal is in tolerable preservation, and was
procured in Calabria in 1814. It is of the class called Colonial, which, from the many set-
tlements made by the Romans, were necessarily of much diversity of character. At first they
bore only the ox, the plough, the ensign, or other badge of colonization; but they were after-
wards stamped with more curious types, and inscribed with the name of the colony, its preroga-
tives, alliances, immunities, and other circumstances. They were usually of second brass, with
a few exceptions of large, and one-.
- Nemausus-of silver.

C. I. V.

(Colonia Julia Valentia). The prow of a Prætorian galley, with a large eye on the bow, and what seamen term a "fiddle head." Upon this prow is raised a curious castle or superstructure, an early indication of the name of fore-castle: this appellation still remaining, though the fabric has long disappeared from the fore-part of our ships. The eye typifies Providence or the Deity, and is still retained upon some of the Mediterranean craft. It is of the remotest antiquity, and occurs perpetually as the symbol of the Sun, or Osiris, in Egyptian monuments. The custom of using it was probably derived from the East, for the Chinese are pertinacious in the practice, from the war-junk to the sampan:-" Heigh-yaw!" exclaimed a Fouki at Canton, whom I was questioning upon the subject, "how can ship see, suppose no hab eyes?" It also appears on the superb Etruscan vases which have been recently sent to London by Lucien Buonaparte; and that it was adopted by the early Greeks is proved in the "Supplicants" of Eschylus, where Danaus says,

The properties of our wonderful organ of sight were palpable in the earliest days, and apparent to those who knew nothing of their physiological relations; hence originated some of the superstitions which are recorded on the first pages of history. Yet not a seer of the Ogygian ages could have regarded the symbolical Eye with greater veneration than did the sages of mediæval times; and an example of the omnipotent light in which it was then holden may be seen in the famous " "Reliquaire de la Sainte Larme de Vendome," which is figured on page 78, vol. iii. of that magnificent work "Mélanges d'Archéologie," published at Paris in 1853.

Having alluded to the vitrified surface of the eye (No. 193), it may be consistent to add, that in the Edes (page 157) reference is made to the proficiency of the ancient Egyptians in glass-blowing at least 3500 years ago; and there is abundant proof of their being well acquainted with chemical agents as colouring matters-cobalt, antimoniate of lead, borax, minium, litharge, manganese, antimony, and other metallic oxides. Now No. 131 of this series shews the proficiency to which that ingenious people had attained in imitating precious stones; this being a surprising semblance of a gem -- white, blue, green. and black-it was worthy of the scrutiny of Sir Henry De la Beche, who could only exclaim-"I am puzzled!" It represents a cow in a recumbent posture, bearing on its head between the horns a symbol of the solar orb, and the double ostrich feathers, indicative of truth and justice; by this it is seen that the spurious onyx is intended to typify Isis or Athor, for both those divinities were thus metaporized.

The singular specimen of fused or compounded glass which belonged to my shipmate Capt. Henvey, is thus described by Sir G. Wilkinson *

The quality and the distribution of the colours in Captain Henvey's specimen are strikingly beautiful; the total size is about 1 inch square; and the ground is of an amethyst hue. In the centre is a device consisting of a yellow circle, surrounded by light blue with a bright red border, and on the four sides shot forth light blue rays edged with white. Around this, which is isolated, runs a square ornament of bright yellow, divided into distinct parts, formed by openings in each of the sides, and at the four corners a beautiful device projects like a leaf, formed of a succession of minute lines, green, red, and white, the two last encircling the green nucleus, which meet in a common point towards the base, and terminate in almost imperceptible tenuity. The delicacy of some of the lines is truly surprising, and not less the accuracy with which the patterns are executed; and the brilliancy of the colours is as remarkable as the harmony maintained in their disposition: an art then much more studiously attended to, and far better understood, than at the present day.

* I beg also to refer the inquiring reader to an interesting essay on ancient Egyptian Glass, from the pen of the indefatigable T. J. Pettigrew, F.R.S, author of the well-known "History of Mummies" and the "Encyclopedia Egyptiaca." This gentleman, at my request, kindly opened, unrolled, and lucidly explained a mummy belonging to the United Service Museum, in January, 1849, to the gratification and instruction of a large party of officers, ladies, and general visitors. See No. 374 of the Lee Catalogue for a sample of the spoils obtained on that occasion.

Nos. 374 and 400 of the Catalogue, being the mummy and hawk, as herewith engraven, constitute but one subject. Osiris is here 18 inches high, covered with coarse pigment, and having vertical lines of hieroglyphics before and behind; that in front beginning with the usual formula, and the snake typifying "for ever:" the head is pierced to hold the emblematic horn and feathers. The bird covers a small cavity in the plinth, in which probably corn-seeds, a small papyrus, or other sepulchral gift, formed the deposit; but, in this instance, the hole had been already sacked when given to me by ViceConsul Lee, at Alexandria, in 1822. Mrs. Smyth gave the group-if we may so term it-to Dr. Lee, at Bedford, in 1830, as a tribute to the Hartwell Museum; and here is its miniature:-

A suggestive primeval record is accurately copied by Mr. Joseph Bonomi, under No. 415 of the catalogue; where it is also ably described. It is a well

sculptured head upon sandstone from Djebbel Silsilis, in very low relief, probably intended to represent Rameses the Great-in whom we must recognise the renowned Sesostris of the Greeks-and the father of the Pharaoh of the Exodus; in fact the hagiographal Pharaoh for whom, under oppressive taskmasters, the Jews built the treasure-cities Pithom and Raamses mentioned in Exodus i. 2. This profile is apparently taken from a column in the great hall of the temple at Karnak; and to this fragment are also attached the arms and hand of the King making an offering of a cone, resembling, in form and size, one of those terra-cotta cones that are found in such abundance at Thebes. The whole will be best understood by the figures, and the explanation of them from the aforesaid catalogue; the dimensions of the larger column are expressed in French metres as well as English feet:

In order to explain whence these fragments were derived, it will be necessary to state, in the first place, that the roof of the Great Hall of the temple of Karnak is supported by 132 columns, ten of which are of the kind and dimensions of fig. 1, representing the full-blown papyrus; and