Page:Archaeologia volume 38 part 1.djvu/254

 22 1 Recent Excavations at Carthage. it. In this state I left it for about ten hours. The case was then turned over, so that what was before the bottom became the top ; the lid was unscrewed, the canvas cautiously removed by means of hot water, and the remains of the glue carefully cleaned off the marble. The experiment having answered so well, I set to work the following day with greater confidence, and succeeded, after twenty-nine days of assiduous labour, in removing the whole of the mosaics upon canvas. In the course of these operations, I became so confident in my method that I have taken up, and most successfully, one piece nearly 12 feet in length by 3 in breadth." The pavements were found at seven spots during the excavations, and may be grouped as follows : 1. Two portions of a very remarkable square pavement, discovered apparently at no great distance from the spot marked No. 86 in Falbe's map, where he places ruins indicating the line of a street. The mosaic was covered with ten feet of soil, and the workmen had to break through three distinct floors. It vas found imperfect, as will be seen by the accompanying plan, PL IX. It had suffered much injury ; deep pits had been sunk at two of the corners and in the intervening space; a deep trench had been made across Nos. 2, 5, and 8 by Arabs in search of building materials; and from the centre across Nos. 8 and 9 a broad wall had been built, which had destroyed that portion of the mosaic. The pavement when complete must have been about twenty-eight feet square. I will reserve the full description of it to a later part of this communication. '2. The next discovery of mosaics took place close to the sea-side, at the foot of the slopes under Sidi Bou-Said. At the depth of four feet from the surface was found an interesting fragment, 7 feet by 4 feet, representing a flying figure supporting a tablet, of which the right-hand portion only remained. It has on it the following inscription in white letters on a red ground : NC FVNDAMENTA TEM DEDICAVIMVS TIBIDETE-f AMICI FLOREN DEVM INVOCANTEM f QVI VIT QAVDENTES r DOMINVS TE EXALTA f FASTILANEM IN WIN CONSYMMAYIT OAYDENS E M T E M None of the lines being perfect, we are unable to determine their length ; and