mutilated statues, and inscriptions, are here carefully preserved: but
nothing in the collection equals the statue known by the title of the
Venus of Arles, found here, and which is so deservedly admired at the
Louvre.

An obelisk of granite, about sixty feet high, said to be the only
antique one in France, stands on the place of the Hôtel-de-Ville.
Discovered in 1389, it was not disinterred from the earth in which it
was embedded until the reign of Charles IX, and was erected on its
present site in 1676, with a dedication to the then reigning sovereign,
Louis XIV; A globe, ornamented with _fleurs de lis_ placed on its
point, deteriorates, in my opinion, from the beauty of its effect. It
was originally in one block, but it was broken in two by its overturn.

Many houses in the streets have portions of columns, friezes, and
cornices embedded in their walls; and one of them, occupied by a
barber, had a column in front, to which the insignia of his profession
were attached. Ruins, said to be those of the palace of Constantine,
were pointed out to us, as well as fragments of a forum and baths.

Arles is certainly one of the most interesting towns I have ever seen,
whether viewed as a place remarkable for the objects of antiquity it
contains, or for the primitive manners of its inhabitants and its
picturesque appearance.

The quays are spacious and well built, presenting a very different
aspect to the streets; for the former are very populous, being
frequented by the boatmen who ply their busy commerce between Lyons and
Marseilles--dépôts for the merchandise being erected along them, while
the latter are comparatively deserted.