mand attention, were they not in the vicinity of two such
remarkable and well-preserved monuments as the Amphitheatre and _Maison
Carree_.

The Gate of Augustus, which now serves as the entrance to the barracks
of the gendarmerie, is worthy of inspection. It consists of four
arches--two of equal size, for the admittance of chariots and horsemen,
and two less ones for pedestrians. The centres of the two larger arches
are decorated by the head of a bull, in alto-relievo; and above each of
the smaller arches is a niche, evidently meant for the reception of a
statue.

A Corinthian pilaster divides the larger arches from the less, and a
similar one terminates the building on each side; while the two larger
arches are separated by a small Ionic column, which rests on a
projecting abutment whence the arches spring. The Gate of France has
but one arch, and is said to have been flanked by towers; of which,
however, it has little vestige.

The inhabitants of Nismes seem very proud of its antiquities, and even
the humbler classes descant with much erudition on the subject. Most,
if not all of them, have studied the guide-books, and like to display
the extent of their _savoir_ on the subject.

They evince not a little jealousy if any preference seems accorded to
the antiquities of Italy over those of their town; and ask, with an air
of triumph, whether any thing in Italy can be compared with their
_Maison Carree_, expressing their wonder that so few English come to
look at it.

La Tour-Magne stands on the highest of the hills, at the base of which
is spread the town. It is precisely in the state most agreeable to
antiquaries, as its extreme dilapidation permits them to indulge those
various conjectures and hypotheses relative to its original
destination, in which they delight. They see in their "mind's eye" all
these interesting works of antiquity, _not_ as they _really_ are, but
as it pleases them to imagine they _once_ were; and, consequently, the
less that actually remains on which to base their suppositions, the
wider field have they for their favourite speculations.

This tower is said by some to have been intended for a lighthouse;
others assert it to have been a treasury; a third party declares it to
be the remains of a palace; and, last of all, it is assumed to have
been a mausoleum.

Its form, judging from what remains, must have been pyramidical,
composed of several stages, forming octagons, retreating one above