Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/521

 ROMAN EXPLORATION FUND. 9 have bought at very reasonable prices, have now been sold at more than four times the amount. Among these was part of the house or palace of I'udens the senator, the friend of S. Paul ; where Caractacus and the British royal family resided wlien they were in Kome as hostages, at tlie time when S. Paul was also there. They had been admitted by the Kmpcror Claudius into tiic (Jens Claudia when he pardoned Caractacus. This site ought to have been bought for the site of an Anglican church, as I tried in vain to jicrsuade the committee of the S.P.G. That portion is now being built upon ; but another part of the same large palace (the cellars of which, of the time of S. Paul, or earlier, extend all along one side of the street) might perhaps still be obtained, though at a much higher price. The construction of the brick walls of these cellars is nearly the same as that of the brick walls of the Pantheon of Agrippa, with alterations of the second century. The chui'ch of S. Pudentiana is made over some of tliese cellars ; but they are very numerous, and indicate a palace of con- siderable extent. An idea seems to prevail among my friends in England (among whom, I am thankful to say, I may reckon most of the princijial archicologists of our day) that the " Roman Exploration Fund " has done its work ; that the pride of the Italian nation has been roused, and they have taken the matter into their own hands, and will not allow foreigners to interfere with it. This is only partiaUi/ true. The Italian parliament does vote ^1200 a year (30,000 francs) for the purpose of carrying out Signor Rosa's plan to excavate the whole Palatine hill with the slopes round it, including the Forum Romanum, the Via Sacra, the Clivus Sacer, and the Summa Via Sacra, on one side, and the Circus Maximus on the other. This is a great and glorious work to do ; it will take about forty years to do it at the present rate. Our grandchildren may see it done ; but for the present generation it is hopeless. In the meanwhile there are several important historical sites that have been in dispute for centuries, each of w'hich might be settled in a week, if the necessary funds were forthcoming and permission obtained, which there is reason to believe can be done. The only portion of the great eastern Agger of Servius Tullius that now remains perfect, is a small piece of it between the railway station and S. Maria Maggiore ; and this is sold to a building company, and will soon be destrcjj'ed, ludess it is preserved by purchasing it from the company. It seems very desirable that a great eH'ort should be made to rescue some of the most interesting antiquities within the walls of Rome before it is too late. The Italian government limits its works to the Palatine Hill and the slopes round it ; this will take them forty years, as we have said, judging by what has been already done, fii-st by the Duchess of Devonshire, then by Napoleon I., then l)y the Emperor of Russia, then by Napoleon III. and the Pope, and since by the Italian government. There i.s good reason to believe that if the British House of Commons would make a grant of j£20,000 to the Roman Exploration Fund, which is oien to all the world, that tiie example would be followed by the Germans and others, and will be thankfully received by tiie Italian government and the Italian people. They are constantly regretting that they camiot atlord to preserve such interesting historical monuments. The Emperor o{ Germany excavated the Catacomb of S. Gencrosa, on the bank of the Tiber, two or three yeai-s since, and is known to take