A beautiful statue of Bacchus has recently been discovered in a hollow place beneath the staircase in the library at Hadrian’s Villa, Rome. It represents the god not as the coarse dissipated old man, but according to his later aspect, as a beautiful effeminate youth. It is singularly well preserved, the right hand only being missing. Its great beauty was at once recognised, and casts were immediately made, one of which is at Berlin, another at Strassburg, and a third in the new Cast Museum of Sculpture at Cambridge. The statue represents a youth standing with the weight of the body thrown on the right leg; the right hand is raised, and held, it is supposed, the two-handled wine-cup or _kantharos_ of Bacchus. Over the right shoulder is thrown a _nebris_ (fawn-skin), which falls back and front with studied symmetry. A question has arisen amongst the learned on these subjects as to whether this beautiful work of ancient art is itself an original, or a copy in marble from a bronze original. And then comes the still more important inquiry, what is its date? Professor Michaelis—a noted authority—states his opinion that ‘the statue is a work of the eclectic school, the post-Alexandrian manner which selected and combined, and advisedly imitated, the style of bygone manners, which sought to revive the manner of the best Attic and Argive work;’ and which the learned professor fancies he can discern by certain peculiar appearances and treatment, and a want of harmony in many minute details, which, however, could hardly occur to any ordinary spectator, who sees before him simply an exquisitely finished and beautiful work of antique art. TELEPHONING EXTRAORDINARY. The most remarkable piece of telephoning yet attempted has been just accomplished by the engineers of the ‘International Bell Telephone Company,’ who successfully carried out an experiment by which they were enabled to hold a conversation between St Petersburg and Bologæ, a distance of two thousand four hundred and sixty-five miles. Blake transmitting, and Bell receiving, instruments were used, and conversation was kept up notwithstanding a rather high induction. The experiments were carried on during the night, when the telegraph lines were not at work. The Russian engineers of this Company are so confident of further success that they hope shortly to be able to converse with ease at a distance of four thousand six hundred and sixty-five miles; but to accomplish this astonishing feat they must combine all the conditions favourable for the transmission of telephonic sounds. If it is found possible to hold audible conversation at such extraordinary distances, it is possible that this fact will be speedily improved upon, and we shall be enabled to converse freely between London and New York, and by-and-by between London and the antipodes. A MODERN MADRIGAL.