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CORINTHIAN TOMB.

pression of the high degree of civilization to which Petra had attained than the great attention which was bestowed on such objects.

There is a Latin inscription over the entrance of a tomb, a little north of the Syke. It is, however, partially obliterated, and I found my eyes unequal to the effort of deciphering it. The tomb itself is a very beautiful one, with an ornamented façade, and is very rich in natural colouring.

Passing by many others in this part of the mountain which I examined with much interest, we arrive at the mouth of the Syke, where a magnificent façade arrests the attention. It has been called the Corinthian tomb, and is certainly one of the most striking objects in Petra. It is elevated upon a broad platform ten feet high, formed, like the tombs, of the native rock. The front, which is fifty paces in length, is ornamented with twelve massive columns on the lower story, surmounted by eight of smaller dimensions, but equal elegance, above. There are four entrances, all richly ornamented, the two middle ones with triangular pediments, the others with circular. Above the higher range of columns, as well as between that and the lower columns, is a profusion of architectural decorations. Some are peculiar, as far as my observations have gone, to the architecture of Petra. Above the broad entablature, and forming the base of the pediment, is a row of ornaments not unlike Corinthian capitals, running quite across the façade. This splendid front looks directly over the centre of the city towards the palace of Pharaoh. The whole height of the façade may be eighty or ninety feet. The interior of this tomb is plain and even rough. It consists of four rooms, all on the front, two of which are connected with each other. The largest chamber has two large recesses, one on each side as you enter, and another has several niches, or more shallow recesses, elevated a little above the pavement. The