“Budrum, 26th April, 1857.
“My dear Panizzi,
Since I last wrote, we have made some brilliant discoveries. On the Eastern Side of the Mausoleum I have found a beautiful piece of frieze, three figures, an Amazon attacking a prostrate Greek, and a mounted figure.
This piece of frieze ranges with that now in the British Museum. It is in much finer condition, and is a most exquisite specimen of high relief. Being found in the Eastern Side, I think we may venture to consider it the work of Scopas, because a block of that size could not have been transported far without greater injury. On the North Side, digging on beyond the apparent boundary of the temenos, we came to a beautiful Hellenic wall about three feet behind the line cut out of the rock, which marks the boundaries of the quadrangle.
This wall, built of isodomous masonry, is evidently the boundary of the precinct (Pliny’s circuitus) on this side. Digging beyond it to the North, I came to a magnificent colossal female head lying in the ground. The hair is arranged in regular curls on the forehead, and bound with a coif behind, like the head-dress on the contemporary silver coins of Syracuse. This head is one of the most interesting discoveries we have made. It is in fine condition; the nose and mouth have suffered a little. Following the wall Eastward from this point, we came to a mass of ruins lying as they had originally fallen. Near the surface was a Lion of the same size as those in the Castle, nearly entire and in magnificent condition. We have the two forelegs, and hope to find the paws. The face quite perfect, the inside of the mouth coloured red, the very roughness of the tongue rendered. This Lion, though perhaps inferior to the rest in style, and not finished throughout, is a most noble beast. I think the British public will admire him, because there is so little for the imagination to supply.
While we were getting him out, we discovered a male (?) head in three pieces, but capable of being united without much loss. I think, an Apollo, exceedingly fine, on a smaller scale than the other; also part of a horse’s head, on an enormous scale, bigger, I think, than the equestrian statue I first found. After getting these out, we came upon a most beautiful draped female figure in very fine condition, but headless; it is in two pieces, the first from the neck to the knees, the second from the knees to the feet. The drapery of this figure seems to me equal to any in the Elgin-Room. The statue must have been about ten feet long. As we were getting it out, we discovered another colossal figure lying a little to the North of it. This we had not time to get out yesterday, and to-day is Sunday, so it must remain till to-morrow. I forgot to mention that on the piece of the horse’s head a portion of bronze bridle, with a circular ornament, was still fixed, but another piece of horse, with another piece of bronze bridle, was found close to it. You see that these discoveries promise well. My impression is that we are now, for the first time, exploring a part of the site where the ruins have not been disturbed since the building fell. Hence the completeness and fine condition of the sculpture....
Yours very sincerely,
C. T. Newton.”
On the 8th of June, of the same year, again Mr. Newton wrote to Panizzi;—
“You will rejoice to hear that along the Eastern Side of the Mausoleum I found two more very fine slabs of frieze, one nearly six feet long, with an Amazon on horseback, sitting with her face to the tail, shooting at a foe behind her, after the Parthian fashion—a most bold and vigorous design; the other, a combat on foot. It is remarkable that these four slabs of frieze have been found in a line on the Eastern Side. This makes me think they are all from the hand of Scopas. Together they make up about 16 feet, which, with the slabs now in the British Museum, will make up a total length of about 80 feet. I hope you have secured the Genoa slab at any price.