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NOTES AND QUERIES.

[9 th S. I. FKB. 5, '98.

same as our own, but the decans vary. It is about B.C. 46, and is engraved in ' The Penny Cyclopaedia.' In 1821 it was removed to the National Library, Paris.

10. In the second Egyptian room, British Museum, No. 6705, is the wooden coffin of Soter, Archon of Thebes. Roman period. The signs are painted inside it.

11. In the second Egyptian room, British Museum, No. 6706, is the wooden coffin of Cleopatra. Roman period. Thebes. The signs are painted inside it.

12. In the ceiling of the portico of the temple of Isis at Dendera is a square plani- sphere. Biot considers it was arranged c. B.C. 1700, and the temple built c. A.D. 30 (Denon, 'Voyage in Egypt,' 1803, pi. xiv.).

13. On the ceiling of the temple of Isis at Esneh (Latopolis), in the portico, is a long zodiac in two divisions, containing the signs and a few decans. The temple was built A.D. 41-138. It is, engraved in Panckoucke ('Description de 1'Egypte,' Paris, 1822).

14. In the temple of E'Dayr is a zodiac in granite, said to be about eighteen hundred years old (' N. & Q.,' 4 th S. vii. 65).

15. The temple of Chimmin (Khem) or Chem (Pan) at Pantapolis, in the Thebaid, contains a zodiac (Rees, 'Cyclopaedia,' art. 'Pan').

16. I have seen it stated that there is a zodiac in the temple of Contra Lato.

17. The Egyptian zodiac is engraved in Landseer ('Sabsean Researches,' 1823, p. 243: 'N. &Q.,' 7^8^150).

18. At Hermopolis Magna (Achmin, Echmin, or Oshmoonayn), on one of the entrances, are four concentric circles in a square containing the twelve signs, <fec. (' Dictionary of Archi- tecture, art. 'Zodiac').

19. The signs are sculptured on an Egyptian sarcophagus in the Barberini Collection, Rome. Engraved in Montfaucon ('Antiquite Expliquee,' pi. iii.).

20. The signs are painted on an Egyptian mummy cloth (Archceologia\ temp. Ptolemy.

21. The zodiac occurs on an Alexandrian coin (Head, ' Hist. Num.').

Chinese Zodiacs.

22. One is engraved on an ancient Chinese metal vase. The figures consist of a bull, tiger, rabbit, dragon, serpent, horse, goat, monkey, stork, fowl, dog, hog, rat (Journal of the Archaeological Association, 1853, viii. 28).

23. A Chinese steel mirror, B.C. 1743-1496, has engraved on it the sun in the centre of four dragons for planets, round which are the signs of a horse, goat, monkey, stork, dog, hog, rat, bull, tiger, rabbit, dragon, serpent

(engraved in Pettigrew, 'Ancient Chinese Vases,' 1851).

24. The Buddhist cycle of transmigrations is depicted on an ancient Thibetan picture ('Alphabetum Tibenatum,' i., pi. 2, p. 487): "In the external circle, which is a kind of zodiac, serving apparently as a frame, we remark twelve scenes, which it is difficult to explain." The figures appear to be a madman, traveller, potter, monkey, man and beast, ruined house, two seated figures, arrow, woman and man, woman picking fruit, woman and child, man dying.

25. The symbols of a Chinese zodiac are marked on a Chinese compass. Engraved in Cassell, ' The Historical Educator,' 1854, ii. 404.

Persian Zodiacal Pillar.

26. At Susa is an upright, nearly square- sided stone, with em clems on it. It is engraved in Ranyard, ' Stones Crying Out,' p. 428. It is built into Daniel's Tomb. On it are a star, crescent, sun, ass, dog, bird, bull, spike, palm or club, horns, wolf, serpent, scorpion, priest, horse head, trident, duo gcesa, two birds, Andrew's cross. On the side are two animals, three birds, and a window below a pillar head or (?) symbolic mountain. It is called the black stone of Shush, and was pro- bably a matsebah (Deuteronomy vii. 5).

A. B. G. (To be continued.)

IMPORTED PICTURES. The number of pic- tures imported into Great Britain during the years 1833 to 1838 inclusive, received from Germany, Italy, and Holland, averaged about 8,000 annually. The demand for these "masterpieces" increased in the next four years with such rapidity that the foreign supply upon which duty was paid was as follows. The number of pictures for the year ending January, 1839, was 9,620, and the amount of duty paid 2,844. ; 1840, 11,641, duty 3,299/. ; 1841, 11,920, duty 3,628^. ; 1842. 13,108, duty 3,681/. Thirteen thousand Titians, Berghems, Rembrandts, Poussins, put into circulation within one year saying nothing of other years. What wonder that so many dingy " old masters " cover the walls of the galleries of the great ! Some that came from these sources were probably of value, but the bulk would be only inferior copies, though eagerly bought up. Indepen- dently of the foreign supply, many so-called "genuine" pictures by foreign masters of renown were manufactured in this country and sold to inexpert buyers. After viewing the innumerable pictures in English galleries with the same names so oft repeated, we may