At length a proposal was made on the part of this country, to co-operate with the Neapolitan government on a subject so important to the diffusion of literature as that of eluci dating the Herculaneum manuscripts ; and Mr Hayter, chaplain to the Prince of Wales, was appointed, with a regular commission to superintend their subsequent de velopement. A parliamentary grant of 1200/. was next obtained to aid its prosecution ; and Mr Hayter, having commenced his operations under the most favourable auspices in 1302, employed thirteen persons in unrolling, deciphering, and transcribing. Some improvements seem to have been attempted in the evolution of the manuscripts by a chemical process ; but of those subjected to it, we are told that " the greatest part of each mays flew under this trial into useless atoms; besides, not a character was to be discovered upon any single piece : the dreadful odour drove us all from the museum." Mr I Layter con tinued his operations from 1802 to 1806, during which time he affirms, that more than 200 papyri had been open ed wholly or in part, and he calculated that the remainder would have been unrolled and copied within six years farther at latest. But as to the precise nature and descrip tion of these manuscripts, the accessions whiCh literature has gained or would gain by the work, we are only in formed that certain 'lie similes of some books of Epicu rus were engraved.
It cannot but be considered particularly unfortunate that the public expectation, so repeatedly excited regarding what are to appearance among the most interesting memo rials of antiquity, should be as often disappointed. Ad mitting every possible difficulty, and all the opposition which might have been experienced, unquestionably there were sufficient materials to make a specific report regard ing the state and description of the manuscripts, towards the developement of which the public had so liberally contributed.
In 1806, during Mr Hat'ter's operations, it became necessary to evacuate Naples; but the existing govern ment acquainted him, that the king had prohibited the re moval of the manuscripts; and in the flight of the court, every thing was abandoned to the French, who seem to have continued the assistance in unrolling and decipher ing as before. From the opposition which Mr Dayter experienced, he could do nothing more than retire with some of the fac similes to Palermo, where it appears he superintended engravings of them. Yet misunderstand ings with the secretary of the state prevented him from procuring a complete copy of the whole, until the British ambassador interfered.
Ninety-four fac simile copies were then obtained, partly engraved it would seem, and partly in manuscript. These were carried to England by Mr Hayter on his final recall in 1809, and presented by the Prince Regent to the uni versity of Oxford. However, a very confused and indis tinct account of the whole of this matter has reached the public, which compels us to be thus brief regarding the history of the Herculaneum manuscripts.
Perhaps it may ultimately be found that they are less worthy of notice than was anticipated, particularly if we are entitled to form any judgment regarding the rest, from the inconsiderable portions that have already been published. See Antichita d'Ercolano, 9 vols. in folio; Bavardi Belle Antichita d'Ercolano ;—Xotizie, del Scoprimento dell' Antichita cicta d'Ercolano ; Venuti De scrizione (Idle prime scoperte dell' Antichita citta d'Erco lano; Alum. de Papyris Herculanensibus ; Drummond and Walpole Herculanensia ; Hayter, Letter and Report on the Herculaneum Manuscripts ; Philosophical Transactions for 1751, 1753, 1754, 1755, 1756 ; and Sir W. Hamilton Campi Phlegreci, p. 58. (c)