The Picture which, by Her Majesty's gracious permission, is exhibited before the Society this evening, may be regarded as one of the accepted landmarks of historical painting in England.

The grouping of the figures has been made familiar to all students of art by a well executed line engraving taken from the picture in 1762, by Ch. Grignion, and published in the 4to. edition of Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting issued at that date. This was copied on a somewhat smaller scale by Ph. Audinet for the Rev. James Dallaway's edition of the Anecdotes published in 1826, and employed again in the more amplified reprint annotated by Ralph Nicholson Wornum in 1849. The plate which accompanies this paper is a photographic reproduction of a choice impression of Grignion's original engraving in 1762.

I venture this evening to call attention to the ecclesiology and architecture of a part of Europe which, though tolerably well known to a few architects and others who have visited and written about its remarkable medieval treasures, is yet, in my opinion, a country which still requires a very extensive exploration, and which rejoices in the possession of some of the most interesting productions of the art of the middle ages which can be found anywhere on the continent.

The Torso of Dionysos, shown in the accompanying plate from two photographs by Mr. Robinson of Tunbridge Wells, is of much interest, both from its state of preservation and character, and, also, from being an entirely new representation of the god; but more particularly from its possessing such decided characteristics of the Praxitelean schcol as to lead to the inference that it must be a copy of some celebrated statue of the god by this great master, of which no other copy or description has come down to us, or any representation on coin, or vase, as far as I have been able to ascertain.

The first Norman cathedral church erected at Rochester was a building presenting remarkable, and in some respects unique, features. Though very little of the original fabric remains above ground, discoveries made from time to time, and fortunately put on record, enable us to ascertain its precise extent. Its documentary history, too, is fairly clear.

When collecting materials for the third part of my Bibliographical Notes on Histories of Inventions and Books of Secrets, I observed in the sale catalogue of the duke of Hamilton's library a copy of the well-known tract, De Secretis Mulierum, usually ascribed to Albertus Magnus. The following description of it was there given:

“Alberti Magni Secreta Mulierum, wants A 1 (a blank leaf) and several leaves mended, sold therefore with all faults, red morocco extra, borders of gold, gilt edges, by J. Mackenzie, sm. 4to. s. l. & a.

The south-western extremity of Asia Minor, opposite the Island of Cos and Rhodes, is noted for a remarkable promontory, extending nearly east and west towards the former island for a length of thirty-seven miles.

The promontory separates two gulfs, the northern one being the ancient Ceramicus Sinus, but now called the Grulf of Boudroum (from the Turkish town and castle of Boudroum, occupying the site of the celebrated city of Halicarnassus within it), and the Southern the Dorian Gulf.

Before offering a description of the interesting, although as yet incomplete, results of the excavations which I undertook last year at Civita Lavinia at the suggestion of my friend Mr. Pullan, and which I am still carrying on there, I will briefly recapitulate such particulars of the topographical position and historical notices of the ancient city of Lanuvium, which formerly occupied the site of our present researches, as are necessary for the appreciation of my subject.

The map on the next page will show (1) the position of the gulf of Smyrna, and how the mountains on either side of it close in with mount Sipylus on the north and mount Tactalu on the south; (2) how the two ranges of mountains meet at the east of the gulf, where there is a pass leading from the plain of Smyrna to the plain beyond, which in its turn leads to the plain of the Hermos at Cassaba. There is a bridle-path over this pass which leads to Cassaba, Sardis, and Philadelphia. About fifteen miles or thereabouts from Smyrna, a little to the right of the high road on the northern slope of Tactalu, is a village called by the Greeks Nymphio; this was at all times a favourite picnic-ing place for the Smyrniotes during the periods that the neighbouring country was free from brigands; afterwards it became a place often visited by strangers wishing to see the rock-cut figure, supposed to be the work of Sesostris, which is carved on a rock by the side of a stream a few hours distant from Nymphio.

Before describing the very interesting remains of these buildings recently brought to light, it may be well to give a short account of the worship of Vesta and the rules relating to her priestesses.

This cult was (according to tradition) brought to Rome from Alba Long, either in the reign of Romulus or of Numa.

The recent removal of the road which ran across the Forum Romanum by the Arch of Severus has at last brought to light the whole of the existing remains of the Rostra, and finally settled the oft-disputed question as to the size and form of this historically most interesting structure. The original Rostra stood on a different site; they were on the north side of the Forum Romanum, and were constructed the Comitium, which was a paved area in front of the Curia, probably surrounded by a rail or low screen. There is very strong evidence to show that the church of St. Adriano is the Curia as it was finally rebuilt by Diocletian; the brick-facing of the front of this building, with its enriched mouldings of fine hard stucco (opus albarium), is clearly work of the time of Diocletian; even in minute details it corresponds with certain parts of the Thermae of that emperor. The Comitium then must have been in the space between St. Adriano and the Arch of Severus—now occupied by a modern road, which buries the original level to the depth of about twenty feet. It appears to have been a paved area, not raised above the Forum but a few steps below it.

The little building which forms the subject of this paper was, until the summer of last year, one of the very few examples left to us of the adjuncts to the gatehouse of a monastery. It is now utterly destroyed, not one stone being left on another. There is no published account of it, and the only plan which shows its relation to the other conventual buildings is, I believe, the one which accompanies this paper. I have prepared the following account in the belief that the Society of Antiquaries, though powerless to prevent the destruction of the ancient buildings of the country, will not hear of their demolition without wishing to preserve for its members authentic memorials of their existence. I am indebted chiefly to Mr. Charles Lynam, of Stoke upon Trent, for the drawings which enable me to place the features of the building plainly before you.

Any discovery connected with the Roman Conquest of Britain is of such general as well as antiquarian interest that I need no apology for calling the attention of the Society to a remarkable relic recording the success of the Roman invaders, even though it will not be now described for the first time.

William Lloyd, one of the most learned and eminent of English bishops, descended from an ancient Welsh family seated in the island of Anglesea, was born in 1627, at Tilehurst, in Berkshire, of which place his father was rector, and also vicar of Sunning, in the same county. He received his early education from his father, and was entered in 1638 a student of Oriel college, Oxford, and the following year obtained a scholarship at Jesus college. In 1642 he proceeded B.A. and left the university, but returned in 1646, when he commenced M.A. and was chosen fellow of his college. He was ordained deacon in 1649 and afterwards became tutor to the children of Sir William Backhouse of Swallowfield, Berks. In 1654 he was presented to the living of Bradfield by Elias Ashmole, but, a dispute arising as to the right of presentation, he resigned the living. In 1656 he was ordained priest, and went to Wadham college, Oxon. as governor to John Backhouse, Esq., a gentleman commoner, with whom he continued till 1659. In September 1660 he was incorporated M.A. at Cambridge, and was made a prebendary of Ripon. In 1666 he was appointed a king's chaplain, and in 1667 was collated to a prebend of Salisbury, having shortly before proceeded D.D. at Oxford.

The head in terra-cotta shown in the accompanying plate was dug up in the summer of 1881, during the course of excavations, levellings, and other earthwork, preparatory to building some of the many streets of houses which now nearly cover the Esquiline hill at Rome. With it were found, near the present Via Paolina, some fragments of terra-cotta mouldings and architectural ornaments, and a pine cone formed of the same material, some 12 or 15 inches high; from this we may infer that the building, of which these were fragments, was probably of a sepulchral character.