The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-01-14 00:00:00

THE SEARCHING OF THE RIVER TYRER

FOR

REMAINS OF ANTIQUITY.

From " The London Nnqn:int," priatcd by B21(11160,

Craduci, and Joy.]

A plan for searching the bottom of the Tyher,
to recover those remains of staitiaity over which
there can be little doubt that its current rolls,
must naturally engage the atteistion of the
scholar, the antiquary, mid the artist. While
the terra firma of Rome is teltnno daily giving
back from its bosom some relic of ancient so-
ciety, it is reasonable to auppase. that the Ty her
less its full share of these vidualiles. Best ies
occasional inundations, which not only swept
away the ‘‘ mortortnenta regis lemphigue Veshe,"
.but the bridges with their decoratto-s, these was
the silent bat sure underiniiiing of 'saris of the
banks, occasioned by the river—anti with them it
received whatever of °momenta! graced the water's
brink. To this cause the destruction of the
magnificent facing of the island of gscillapius,
wita its temples mid stature, must be attributed.
The various conflicts, of which Koine itself was
the theatre. also occostoileil mail a rich and beau-
tiful posses•ion to he thrown into the river, (sumo
a wish to prevent its bolltsig bobs the hoods of
the enemy. The destruction of all that was elegant
during the Gothic Wats, was, we know, c.irried on by
the Romans who defended, as will us the barbs.
flans who attacked the city; mid the tomb of
Aifrian, whose brae is washed by the Tvber, was
stripped of its statues, that they might serve as
missile weapons against the assuttants. The battle
of Constantine and Aluocimus. fought within two
miles of Rome, upon the banks of the river, soil
the 5111vion bridge, must have filled its bed with
the riches of inipetial army ; while the zeal of
the first Christians precipitated many a beautiful
idol into the stream.

A feasible plan for recovering some of these
riche► has always been desired, and various schemes
have been proposed from issue to time, and pray-
sired with more or less success. Cardinal Poliguac
conceived the idea of diverting the course of the
Tyber for two miles: the immense expense that
would have attended such a labour. was a less se-
rious abjection than the certain bad consequences
to the inhabilesits, front the pestilential exhalations
of the slims of the river. Whether practicable or
spot. the death of Benedict XIII. prevented the pro-
secution of this design. Some more facile, and less
dangerous pisus were proposed afterwards, and put
iii executions Caissons were employed, by means of
which it was posstble to search a smell portion of the
bottom of the river, and to dig as upon dry land; but
if this method had nut the some cliradvautirges as the.
first, on account of exposing purls of the bed of the
river to the sir, it was still vesy expensive, as well as
dreadfully tedious. ♦s it is impossible to tell where
she Tyber hides its treasures, it would be necessary
to repeat such treenail/us in every part of its bed,
aiiil the labour, is the great majority of instances,
must be unsuccessful. An operation of this sort,
howe►er, was made in 1773 by Don AlPhoni°
Ilruzzi, under the auspices of Prince Alfieri and
the Cavoliere Cinci, of which there is a detailed
account ; but the caissons, not being heavy enough,
rose again. and allowed very little time fur exca-
vating. Notwithstanding this, and although the
place was selected by CIIBIIOC, they were so for-
tunate as to find enough to cover the experne.
About the middle of the year 1818, Signor
Giuseppe Bensordo Nero, conceived a new plait,
which will be best described by au account of
its actual operation. A vessel is constructed
with two square wells, to the foremost of
which a sort of frame is fitted, coatrived to
descend to the bottom of the water. The
lower part of this machine ciarsists of an iron
cylinder, armed with teeth, which turns on
an axis able under the water, by means of a
chain and pally, worked with a strong windlass.
When the beanio, between which the cylioder re-
volves, are wound down to the bottom, the teeth
rake up the Lind as the cylitithr twos, :rod the ma.
chine cunt issues to work downward into tin• car Us. If
the teeth strike against any hard suhaaucr, the di-
vers go down and examine it, and the vessel is tl►eir
mowed on so as to bring the secuml will aver she
place. The second cuirclune is contrives.. like she
other, to rise and descend; and Is itriAiled wish
something like us. oyster-iiiedge. A c) hurler,
formed ol iron rings, covered with iron net, is con-
tused to open I. aphorise under writer ; the open.
ings are armed with strong teeth ; asset thU iiiadisise
is calculated to bring up the smallest objects, such
55 emus, I.y Likiug up the sand itself, as well as
tho►e of u con,idrrahlr wr. When the object is
too large to come through the well of toe vessel.
the divers go 1111)%1111 and fix chasm' to it, anti it is
got up in the willowy way. , i .•:, 4„i*
(Tu be continua f J tsttfk► -

IRE *RP.

PRESTON RACES, 1820.

We hate iron faniered wills a list of the aritolnati•itis it
Presto*, hr Ike rental year, from which we leers let wen,
hones an Named for the Ptodoce Stakes on
twenty fee the Gold Cop, ea Wednesday; eight f., the
Sweepstakes of 100ge. on Thursday ; sod tic fur ibe %step.
stakes of !Sp. each, on Ike last-senliourel day.
The Sevier& asated, sre the Hots. E. C. liblbtryi aad
Newry Hoghtoo, Esq.
CHESTER RACES, 1020.

The lovers of t►e Turf a►e likely to derive roosidersble
sport from oar present year's Rare.. The ealvicripsom
lists to the •111111M0111111 Stakes were Never besirr Mksl
than at ibis early period, •od the horses named fur
several of them are highly celebrated. There arc
subscribers to the Grosvenor Stakes, so he run for on ,:..
first dry of the Races. ibis horses are named for the
disci btahre; and thirteen (or she Dee Stakn the
fiviirepalalles of legs. each, to be added to the Stand G,1,1
Cap, there are fourteen osibreribere; to the Sweeporlirs ..f
2bge. to be ran fur on T►ursday, sic subetvihere ; and to tLe
Palatine Stakes, on Friday, right subscribers.