Before leaving England, Lord ELGIN brought this subject before the Government. He suggested the public value of the object sought for, and how worthy of the Nation it would be to give encouragement from public sources for the employment of a staff of skilful and eminent artists. But the suggestion was received with no favour or welcome. He was still unwilling to relinquish his hopes, and endeavoured to engage, at his own cost, some competent draughtsmen and modellers. But the terms of remuneration proposed to him were beyond his available means. He feared that he must give up his plans. On reaching Palermo, however, Lord ELGIN opened the subject to Sir William HAMILTON, who strongly recommended him to persevere, and told him that if he could not afford to meet the terms of English artists, he would find less difficulty in coming to an agreement with Italians, whose time commonly bore a smaller commercial value. [Sidenote: CONFERS WITH SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON.] With Sir William’s assistance he engaged, in Sicily, a distinguished painter and archæologist, John Baptist LUSIERI (better known at Naples as ‘Don Tita’), and he obtained several skilful modellers and draughtsmen from Rome. The removal of the marbles themselves formed no part of Lord ELGIN’S original design. That step was induced by causes which at this time were unforeseen. On his arrival at Constantinople Lord ELGIN applied to the Turkish Ministers for leave to establish six artists at Athens to make drawings and casts. He met with many difficulties and delays, but at length succeeded. [Sidenote: SENDS ARTISTS TO ATHENS;] Mr. HAMILTON, his Secretary, accompanied the Italians into Greece, to superintend the commencement of their labours. The difficulties at Constantinople proved to be almost trivial in comparison with those which ensued at Athens. Every step was met, both by the official persons and the people generally, with jealousy and obstruction. If a scaffold was put up, the Turks were sure that it was with a view to look into the harem of some neighbouring house. If a fragment of sculpture was examined with any visible delight or eagerness, they were equally sure that it must contain hidden gold. When the artist left the specimen he had been drawing, or modelling, he would find, not infrequently, that some Turk or other had laid hands upon it and broken it to pieces. But the artists persevered, and habit in some degree reconciled, at length, the people to their presence. When Lord ELGIN went himself to Athens the state in which he found some of the temples suggested to him the desirableness of excavations in the adjacent mounds. He purchased some houses, expressly to pull them down and to dig beneath and around them. Sometimes the exploration brought to light valuable sculpture. [Sidenote: AND MAKES EXPLORATIONS BY DIGGING.] Sometimes, in situations of greatest promise, nothing was found.