We believe that Dr. Lepsius is directed completely to explore all this upper division of the country, and will not revisit Cairo till that is accomplished, probably about April. After some repose the expedition will proceed to Syria--(Literary Gazette.)

ROMAN ALTARS AT NEWCASTLE.

MR. URBAN,-The accompanying drawings represent two Roman altars, dug up within two months on the outside of the station of PONS ELII, in its western suburbs. They had been used in the foundations of White Friar Tower (one of the towers of the town wall of Newcastle), the removal of which led to the discovery of these remains. The first is dedicated to

Silvanus, but the name of the dedicator is unknown to us, as the lower part of the altar has been shorn, probably as early as the reign of Edward I. when it is supposed the tower was erected.

The other is of neat workmanship, and, like the other, about sixteen or seventeen inches in height, but uninscribed.

These add to the convincing evidence already deduced of Newcastle having been a Roman station.

It is probable, too, that we may not err in assigning a still earlier date as the

period of its first occupation, as about three years ago there was found near the same spot a British coin in a coffin-shaped chamber, a few feet below the present surface.

Relics of all kinds doubtless lie hidden throughout the town, until some fortuitous circumstance brings them to light.

Newcastle. GEO. B. RICHARDSON.

LAKE MŒRIS.

M. Linant, who fills a high post as engineer in the service of the Pacha of Egypt, has published a memoir clearing up a point which has long been a subject of great perplexity amongst learned men --the site of the ancient Lake Moris, described by Herodotus as an artificial lake 3600 stadia, or 360 geographical miles, in circumference, receiving the waters of the Nile during the inundation, and flowing back again as the water fell. Whilst surveying the valley of Fayúm, in the Libyan hills, as engineer in the service of the Pacha of Egypt, M. Linant one day perceived something like the transverse section of a mound, on the top of the bank on both sides of a ravine, and commenced an investigation which led him at once to the discovery of a great dam, obliterated in many places, but still so frequently traceable that its general outline may be determined with certainty. It enclosed an area of about 150 square miles. M. Linant shows clearly that the outline which he has traced coincides perfectly with the sites of Crocodilopolis, for example, and the Labyrinth, connected with it by the ancients. He has also pointed out the remains of the two pyramids in the Lake described by Herodotus.

ANCIENT WEAPONS FOUND IN ESSEX.

There have lately been found, under the bottom of a deep ditch in Rayne, in Essex, a number of celts, and parts of spearheads, in bronze, evidently ancient British, together with a quantity of copper ones; the celts (heads of a sort of battle-axe) are of various sizes, and all more or less injured, and, with the fragments of spearheads, amounted to 18 in number. The celts had originally all been cast in different moulds. Seven of them are to be deposited in the Walden Museum : the others remain with a private collector.

THE CAVE TEMPLES OF INDIA.

At the meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society on the 3d Feb. Mr. J. Fergusson's memoir on the Cave Temples of India, (already partially noticed in p. 188,) was concluded.

Mr. Fergusson divides all the cavetemples of India into five classes. The

and these of small importance. They consist of a number of colossal figures cut in the rock, and sometimes, but not always, with a screen left standing before, thus constituting a chamber. The sculpture is rude, and in bad taste.

The second class is that of the chaitya caves. These are the temples of the Buddhists; and one, at least, is attached to every set of caves in India. The plan and arrangement of these is exactly alike; and, unlike the viharas, the oldest differ in nothing from the most modern, except in size. They have all an external porch, an internal gallery over the entrance, and a nave or centre aisle, at least twice as long as broad, covered by a vault, with a semi-dome over chaitya, or daghope. The whole interior is surrounded by a narrow aisle, separated from the nave by massy columns, and roofed. The most perfect chaitya cave in India, and in Mr. Fergusson's opinion the most ancient, is that at Carlee.

These two classes comprise the Buddhist caves. The third class are the Brahminical caves. These are copies of Buddhist viharas, and, until closely examined, appear as though they were Buddhist caves appropriated to Brahminical use. A nearer acquaintance, however, shows much difference in detail. They are, moreover, never surrounded by cells, the monastic state not being adopted by the Brahmans; and the walls are sculptured, and never painted, as in the vihara caves. The finest specimens are at Ellora and Elephanta.

The fourth class are not properly caves: they are imitations of built temples; and, as the rock they are cut from is usually higher than the temple itself, they look as though they were built in pits. Thus they can never be properly seen, and have an insignificant appearance. They are in worse taste than either of the classes mentioned, although of considerable interest to the antiquary. The farfamed Kylas at Ellora is of this class.

The fifth class are the jaina caves, which, unless it comprehends the Indra Subha group at Ellora, a matter of some

In connection with the subject, Mr. Fergusson made some remarks on the religions of India. He is of opinion that previous to the appearance of Sakya Muni, in the sixth century before Christ, there existed in India a Brahminical religion, a sort of fire-worship, very different from modern Brahminism; and that, contemporary with it, there was a Buddhistical religion, differing but little from it. Kings and people went from one to the other without difficulty or excitement; and in the descriptions left by the Greeks, and in native records, we find it difficult to distinguish between them. He is also of opinion that, from the period of Asoka, B.C. 250, to the fifth century of our era, Buddhism was the prevailing faith of Northern India, while Brahminism ruled in the south; and that during this participation of territory that polytheistic Brahminism was elaborated which now prevails throughout India. He concludes that the earliest cavewe-diggers of India were Buddhists, who were afterwards imitated by the Brahmins; and as to their antiquity, that none are so old as the date of Asoka. Mr. Fergusson finished by deploring the continued destruction of these remains, and more particularly of the paintings, from the injuries of the climate, from their incrustation by the soot from the native cooking-fires, and by the more destructive propensities of European curiosity-fanciers, who seldom visit a temple without carrying off a head or two, picked out of the wall, which is usually crushed to powder before reaching its destination.

These observations elicited from the meeting a resolution to use all possible means to get copies made of some of these paintings, and especially those of Ajanta, which were more particularly alluded to by Mr. Fergusson.

ROYAL VAULTS IN PRUSSIA.

The King of Prussia, during a visit to Quidlinburg, at the end of November, inspected the vaults under the chapel of the castle, which are formed entirely in the sandstone, and which are said to preserve for ages the bodies which are buried in them. His Majesty, having determined to ascertain the fact by his own observation, ordered the tomb of Henry I. who died in 936, to be opened; but his

remains were entirely dried up, leaving no features discernible, and the vestments were all reduced to dust. The King then inspected that of the celebrated Countess of Königsmark, mother of Marshal Saxe, who was buried in 1728, Her body was in an astonishingly perfect state, in somuch that the beauty for which she was so celebrated was still apparent. Her garments, consisting of a robe of silver brocade, a cap in the fashion of Mary Queen of Scots, of white velvet, trimmed with silver and pearls, white silk stockings, and white satin shoes, were all as fresh and brilliant as when they were

new.

CARTHAGINIAN BUST.

A bust of Parian marble in good preservation, and of excellent style, as it is said, has recently been dug up at Cherchell, in Africa, supposed to be that of Ptolemy, son of the second Juba, and last king of Mauritania Tingitana, which is valuable as being unique. Cherchell is the ancient Cæsarea, the capital of that kingdom. The bust is a portrait of a man in the freshness of youth, with the royal fillet on his brow; and has a striking resemblance to the likeness on the coins of the Ptolemy in question. It is destined for the Royal Museum at Paris.

FRENCH ANTIQUARIAN INTELLIGENCE. The Minister of the Interior has issued a circular to the prefects of departments, enjoining them not to allow plaster-casts to be taken of sculptured work in any public monument under their control without especial authorisation; it having been found that much damage has been caused by careless persons in operations of this nature. The method of copying inscriptions and incised work by rubbings is now widely practised in France, though introduced there only two years ago by one of the English correspondents of the Comité Historique. The French method of using strong unsized paper, wetted and impressed into the cavities of inscriptions, &c. by means of a fine-haired brush, is also practised, and in some cases it is a better method than the former. The only objection to it is the length of time it requires, and perhaps its want of portability. It applies, however, to objects in low relief much better than the black-lead method. We have seen a beautiful series of Greek medieval inscriptions and sculptures thus copied, and brought home by Messrs. Didron and Durand when they visited that country.

The Comité Historique has loudly de

clared itself against the practice of putting up the dial-plates of clocks on the fronts of medieval churches. Iunumerable instances have occurred in which the fine effect of a front of the 13th or 14th centuries has been much spoiled by an inappropriate appendix of this kind. "Clocks," the Comité observe, "are better suited to the fronts of town-balls and mayories than to ecclesiastical buildings." It would be a desirable thing if the old peals of bells could be re-established in all the churches of France; in this respect at least, though the buildings of England are deficient in others, the churches have a title to superiority.

M. Dupasquier, professor of architecture at the Ecole la Martiniere at Lyons, has opened a class for workmen (masons, sculptors, carpenters, smiths, &c.) who are desirous of studying the works of art and the methods of the middle ages. It is well attended.

The epitaph of an Englishman, named Andrew Young (ob. 1657), has been lately discovered under the whitewash of the church of Notre Dame at Calais.

In the church of Saint Blaise at Arles there have been recently brought to light a quantity of small earthenware horns and pots placed in the wall of one of the compartments of the nave for acoustic purposes; they date back to about 1280. Numerous churches in Spain have been observed by Baron Taylor to have their vaultings formed of various kinds of pottery; and abundant specimens have been deposited by him in the Ceramic Museum at Sévres.

A cast of the scull of Jean sans Peur, Duke of Burgundy, has been presented to the Comité Historique. The scull was found in 1841 in the church of St. Benigne at Dijon, and bore the traces of the death-wound inflicted on the Duke at the fatal bridge of Montereau.

A Gaelic tomb has been lately laid open near Louviers in Normandy. Under a large Druidic stone, was found a number of skeletons arranged as the radii of a circle, with the feet inwards. Along with them were a small axe-head in jade, a bone-handle fitted for a wooden one larger size, and a bone hammer.

The cathedral church of Noyon and the churches at Laon and Châlons sur Marne are stated to be exceedingly rich in incised slabs and sepulchral monuments of all kinds. A notice on those of Noyon (extending in a series from the 13th to the end of the 18th century) has been drawn up by one of the members of the ecclesiastical seminary at Beauvais.

subject of so much importance, and have appointed a Commission with ample authority to conduct the requisite investigation.

"I recommend to your early consideration the enactments at present in force in Ireland concerning the Registration of Voters for Members of Parliament. You will probably find that a revision of the Law of Registration, taken in conjunction with other causes at present in operation, would produce a material diminution of the number of county voters, and that it may be advisable on that account to consider the state of the law, with a view to an extension of the County Franchise in Ireland.

"I commit to your deliberate consideration the various important questions of public policy which will necessarily come under your review, with full confidence in your loyalty and wisdom, and with an earnest prayer to Almighty God to direct and favour your efforts to promote the welfare of all classes of my people."

The Address was moved in the HOUSE OF LORDS by Lord Eldon, and seconded by Lord Hill, which after a brief debate was passed without any amendment.

Feb. 8. Lord Brougham moved the second reading of the Duke of Richmond's Bill for discontinuing certain actions which had been commenced under several statutes for the prevention of excessive GAMING, and to prevent for the future the bringing of such actions. Lord Campbell and the Bishop of London were in favour of the Bill, but the Bishop of Exeter opposed it.-Read a second time, and a third on the following day.

Feb. 12. The Earl of Ripon moved the thanks of the House to Lieut.-General Sir C. Napier, and to the officers and men, for their decisive victories in SINDE. The Earl of Auckland seconded the mo. tion, and the Duke of Wellington pronounced a very high eulogium on the generalship and bravery of Sir C. Napier. -Carried unanimously.

Feb. 13. The Marquess of Normanby moved a resolution expressive of the intention of the House to inquire into the cases of discontent in IRELAND. The principal speakers were Lord Wharncliffe, Lord Roden, Marquess of Clanricarde, Lord Devon, &c., when the debate was adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Feb. 1. The Speaker having read the Queen's Speech, Lord Clive moved the Address, which was seconded by Mr. Cardwell. Mr. S. Crawford moved an amendment declaratory of the determina

tion of the House to inquire into grievances previously to granting supplies, which was lost by 29 votes to 285; and Mr. Hume moved the insertion of several paragraphs, referring to the Corn Laws, the distresses of the working classes, public establishments, &c., which were rejected by 235 votes to 49.

Feb. 5. Mr. Gladstone moved for a committee to revise the standing orders on RAILWAYS. Not less than 66 private Bills connected with Roads had been given notice of for the present session, and he therefore thought the present time favourable for demanding, in exchange for the facilities applied for, that the public should receive greater advantages than they now enjoyed. Mr. Labouchere approved of the appointment of a committee. Sir R. Peel said Parlia ment had granted extensive powers to existing Companies, and he did not question the right to control those Companies, but he thought a great difference ought to be made between new and old Companies. He thought the Companies would do well to consider the effect that might yet be produced by the adaptation of the principle of the Atmospheric Railway. A Committee was then appointed.

Feb. 6. On the motion for a Committee of Supply, Mr. S. Crawford moved a resolution affirming the necessity of an examination into the composition of the House, before voting the supplies. Mr. Williams seconded it. On a division, there were for the original motion 130 for Mr. Crawford's 22, majority 118.

The House then went in committee, and resolved unanimously, "That a supply be granted to Her Majesty." Sir James Graham brought in a Bill "for regulating the employment of Children, Young Persons, and Women, in FACTORIES," which was read the first time.

Feb. 8. Lord Ashley moved an address, praying "that Her Majesty will be graciously pleased to take into her consider. ation the situation and treatment of the AMEERS OF SINDE; and that she will direct their immediate restoration to liberty, and the enjoyment of their estates, or with such provision for their future maintenance as may be considered a just equivalent." The motion gave rise to a long debate, but was ultimately negatived by a majority of 202 to 68. The Ameers receive an annual allowance of 24,0007.

Feb. 10. Sir James Graham brought in a Bill for the further amendment of the Laws relating to THE POOR in Eugland, and said he would state briefly the alterations proposed. As there was considerable difference of opinion on the abolition