on; it
contains no less than fifteen altars. In this church Raphael is
buried. The Rotunda has no windows, but receives air and light
through a circular opening in the cupola.

The best view of ancient Rome is to be obtained from the tower of
the Senate-house. From this place we see stretched out beneath us,
Mount Palatine, the site of ancient Rome; the Capitol, in the midst
of the city; the Quirinal hill (Monte Cavallo), with the summer
residence of the Pope; the Esquiline mount, the loftiest of the
hills; Mount Aventine; the Vatican; and lastly, Monte Testaccio,
consisting entirely of broken pottery which the Romans throw down
here.

I also paid a visit to the Ponte Publicius, the most ancient bridge
in Rome, in the neighbourhood of which Horatius Cocles achieved his
heroic action; and the Tullian prison, beneath the church of St.
Joseph of Falignani, where Jugurtha was starved to death. The
staircase leading up to the building is called "the steps of sighs."
The Capitol has unfortunately fallen into decay; we can barely
distinguish a few remains of temples and other buildings.

Of the graves of the Scipios I could also discover little more than
the site; the subterranean passages are nearly all destroyed.

The Marsfield is partly covered with buildings, and partly used as a
promenade.

Cestius' grave is uncommonly well preserved, and a pyramid of large
square stones surrounds the sarcophagus. The aqueducts are built of
large blocks of stone fastened together without mortar. They are
now no longer used, as they have partly fallen into decay, and some
of the springs have dried up.

The hot baths of Titus are well worthy a visit, though in a ruined
condition. Here the celebrated Laocoon group was found. Near these
baths is the great reservoir called the "Seven Halls of Titus."

One of the greatest and best-preserved buildings of ancient Rome is
the amphitheatre of Flavius, or the Colliseum, once the scene of the
combats with wild beasts. It was capable of holding 87,000
spectators. Four stories yet remain. This building is seen to the
greatest advantage by torchlight. I was fortunate enough to find an
opportunity of joining a large party, and we were thus enabled to
divide the expense. The triumphal arch of Titus, of white marble,
covered with glorious sculptures; the arches of Septimus Severus,
that of Janus, and several other antique monuments, are to be seen
near the Colliseum.

The beautiful