The Vatican and the Patent Office are governmental noses, and they bear a deal of character about them.
The guide showed us a colossal statue of Jupiter, in the Vatican, which he said looked so damaged and rusty--so like the God of the Vagabonds -- because it had but recently been dug up in the Campagna.

He asked how much we supposed this Jupiter was worth?
I replied, with intelligent promptness, that he was probably worth about four dollars--may be four and a half.

"A hundred thousand dollars!" Ferguson said.

Ferguson said, further, that the Pope permits no ancient work of this kind to leave his dominions.

He appoints a commission to examine discoveries like this and report upon the value; then the Pope pays the discoverer one-half of that assessed value and takes the statue.