urvival of such articles
for the period of two or three thousand years is too great a tax upon
one's credulity to be patiently entertained. While in Egypt, the author
saw an insignificant article purchased of a peddler by an English lady,
which was said to have been exhumed at ancient Thebes, and for which she
paid five pounds sterling. An expert in such matters afterward showed
the lady certain unmistakable marks upon the object she had purchased,
which proved to her that it had been manufactured at Birmingham,
England, for this purpose. There are other articles offered for sale at
Citta Vecchia, which are after the Greek style, and still more which are
Roman in design. Some of the latter appear to be genuine, but who can
tell? The imitation serves every purpose, one must freely admit,
provided only the imitation be correct.

Many ruins of temples, tombs, and prehistoric monuments exist between
the site of the old city and the coast, especially toward the south,
most of which are attributed to the Romans; but there are also others
which the Romans must have found here when they came. Antiquarians
believe they can identify the period to which most of these
"black-letter records of the ages" individually belong. Without doubt
sufficiently complete portions of some of them are still extant to
serve for this purpose, though the rust of twice ten centuries has
crumbled and disintegrated some of the largest stones.

So late as 1839, a very spacious edifice was exhumed south of the
ancient capital, which, so far as regards its almost complete
preservation in all essentials, together with many antiquities which it
contained, proved to be even more interesting than the greater Giant's
Tower, on the island of Gozo. It closely resembled that structure, and
is believed beyond doubt to be the work of the same race, though it is
not of such mammoth proportions. Implements of husbandry, domestic
utensils, and large jars formed of baked clay, supposed to be designed
for oil and wine, were found in this singular structure. To us it seemed
to be clearly of Phoenician origin. It is thought by many that this
people had their capital in the group near this spot, possibly
antedating Citta Vecchia, but this is all conjecture. In the
neighborhood of these ruins, considerably nearer to the sea, are more
remains of a similar character, which have not yet been so fully
uncovered, and there are many other indications showing that this
vicinity