Hasdrubal's Advance.-Hasdrubal's in Italy was looked forward to with daily increasing anxiety first news came from the Massilians, who reported that b passed into Gaul, and that there was widespread excite amongst the natives owing to a rumour that he had br a large amount of gold for the payment of auxiliary t: The Massilian envoys were accompanied on their retui Sextus Antistitis and M. Raecius, who were sent to make fi investigations. These reported that they had sent emissaries accompanied by some Massilians who had friends amongst the Gaulish chieftains, to gain information and that they had definitely ascertained that Hasdrubal intended to cross the Alps the next spring with an enormous army. The only thing that kept him from advancing at once was that the Alps were insurmountable in winter. P. Aelius Paetus was appointed and consecrated augur in place of M. Marcellus, and Cnaeus Cornelius Dolabella was consecrated “King of Sacrifices”in Dlace of M. Marcius, who had been dead for two years. The lustrum was closed by the censors P. Sempronius Tuditanus and M. Cornelius The census returns gave the number of citizens as -137,W8, a considerably smaller number than the one before the bezinnina of the war.&IS r or the nrst tune since tiannim naa mvaaect Italy the comitium is stated to have been covered over and the Roman Games were celebrated for one day by the curule aediles Q. Metellus and C. Servilius. The Plebeian Games also were celebrated for two一 days by the plebeian aediles C. Mamilius and M. Caecilius Metellus. They also gave three statues to the temple of Ceres, and a banquet was held in honour of Jupiter on the occasion of the Games. The consuls then entered upon office; C. Claudius Nero for the first time, M. Livius for the second. As they had balloted for their provinces they ordered the praetors to ballot for theirs. The urban jurisdiction fell to C. Hostilius, and the jurisdiction over aliens was also committed to him in order that three praetors might be available for foreign service. A. Hostilius was allotted to Sardinia, C. Mamilius to Sicily and L. Porcius to Gaul. The total military strength amounted to twenty-three legions and were thus distributed:each of the consuls had two; four were in Spain;each of the three praetors had two in Sardinia, Sicily and Gaul respectively;C. Terentius had two in Etruria;Quintus Fulvius had two in Bruttium;Q. Claudius had two in the neighbourhood of Tarentum and the Sallentine district;C. Hostilius Tubulus had one at Capua;and two were raised in the City for home defence. The people appointed the military tribunes for the first four legions;the consuls commissioned the rest.