with its immediate suburb, occupies a space of about ten thousand yards, the principal part of which is covered by a fine white sand, that, drifting with the wind along the beach, has been arrested in its progress by the ruins, and struck me at the moment as having probably been the means of preserving many specimens of art, which, from the numerous pillars, capitals, cornices, and sculptured fragments strewed around, I could not but suppose to have been extremely valuable; more especially, since having been the birth-place of the Emperor Severus, he might have enriched it with presents; besides which it had been highly favored, for its adherence to the Roman interest during the Jugurthine war. In addition to these circumstances, the fact of Leptis having been sufficiently opulent to render in tribute a talent a day, prompted me, on my arrival at Malta, to recommend it as an eligible field for an extensive excavation.
“On my return thither, in Jan. 1817, I was surprised, on riding over the ruins, to find that many of the most valuable columns which were standing in the preceding May, had either been removed, or were lying broken on the spot; and even most of those still remaining, had had their astragal and torus chipped off. I discovered, on enquiry, that a report had been circulated by the Tchaouses on my former visit, of an intention to embark them for England; and as it had long been a quarry whence the Arabs supplied themselves with mill-stones, they had, in the interval, been busily employed in breaking up the columns for that purpose, providing not only for the present, but also for a future supply. This extensive destruction was prompted by the peculiar construction of the Moorish oil. mills, they being built with a circular surface, having a gentle inclination towards the centre, round which a long stone traverses, formed by about one-third of a shaft.
“On the 25th, however, having arranged my tents and instruments, I commenced an excavation near the centre of the city, with a party of eight Arabs, whom I increased the following day to a hundred; and as they quickly gained the use of the English spade and mattock, the work proceeded with celerity. But I soon had the mortification of perceiving, from numerous local evidences, that Leptis had been completely ravaged in former times, and its public edifices demolished with diligent labour, owing perhaps to the furious bigotry of the Carthaginian bishops, who zealously destroyed the Pagan monuments in every place under their control. Or it might have been partly effected by the vengeance of the Barbarians for the memorable treachery of the Leptitani. From whatever cause it proceeded, the destruction is complete; most of the statues are either broken to pieces, or chipped into shapeless masses, the arabesque ornaments defaced, the acanthus leaves and volutes knocked off the fallen capitals, and even part of the pavements torn up, the massy shafts of the columns alone remaining entire.
“With a view of gaining further information, I opened an extensive Necropolis, but with little success. There were neither vases nor lachry-