The ceiling being ornamented with various subjects, taken from Roman history. It contains twenty-nine statues, all bearing relation to the Roman people. Amongst them are: The head of Scipio Africanus in bronze; the bust of Hadrian in the same metal, stolen from the Library of St. Mark’s at Venice. From the Capitol, the bust of Brutus; a Wounded Warrior[6] (this is a magnificent piece of work); Urania, sitting on a rock. From the Vatican, Melpomene, Antoninus, and Venus at the bath, are the most striking figures. And we now arrive at the “Hall of the Laocoon.” This vast room is embellished with four beautiful columns of verde antique, taken from the Mausoleum, erected after the designs of Bulloin, of the famous Constable of France, Anne de Montmorency. Each is a massive single block of the richest quality, about eleven feet high and half a yard in diameter. In this hall are twenty-one figures, of which the first which demands attention is that wonder of the world and masterpiece of sculpture, “The Groups of the Laocoon,” executed by Agisander, Polydorus and Athenodorus. It surpasses all comment, and displays at once the perfection of sentiment, plan and composition. Some other statues, worthy of particular notice, in this hall, are a Thrower of the Disk; a Hermes, representing Tragedy; a statue of an Amazon, drawing her bow; and a colossal statue of a Triton, this latter discovered by our countryman Hamilton,[1] in the neighbourhood of Naples, and given by him to Pope Ganganalli. These are all, like the Laocoon, stolen from the Vatican. The fourth compartment of the Gallery is termed the “Hall of Apollo,” ornamented with four superb pillars of red granite, stolen from a Cathedral in Italy. It contains twenty-seven statues, of which “The Apollo Belvidere,” that subject of delight to every tasteful eye, stands in a niche at the end of the hall--two sphinxes of oriental red granite, brought from the Vatican Museum, are placed on the steps which lead up to the statue of the Sun God. These steps and the platform on which the Apollo is fixed are of the most beautiful marble, and in the centre there are five squares of mosaic antique, representing animals in cars and other ornaments. The pillars which ornament the niche were taken from the tomb of Charlemagne at Aix-la-Chapelle. The statue is preserved from too near approach by a handsome railing. The name of the sculptor of this statue is unknown. Giovanni Angelo di Montorsoli, pupil of Michael Angelo, restored the right arm and left hand, which were missing when the statue was discovered among the ruins of Antium. It was fixed in the Belvidere of the Vatican by Pope Julius II., where for more than three centuries it excited the admiration of mankind, until, to use the language of the guide book provided by the Institute: “Un héros, guidé par la victoire, est venu l’en tirer pour la fixer à jamais sur les rives de la Seine.”