The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-11 00:00:00

111111 SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 11, 1.863

though within the quadrangle of porticoes and chambers
once surrounding them, now, indeed, almost entirely lust
save on one side. Two stories of subterranean halls, appa-
rently independent of the baths, and belonging to some
splendid residence, were here uncovered (for the most part
within the last few weeks), both having pavements in black
and white mosaic, or gracefully designed floral and folial
subjects, but without figures or other representations. The
walls are covered with colour, mostly deep red, divided by
quadrate borders of different tints ; and within these com-
partments are figures, some well preserved, others scarce
traceable. Most of the mosaic pavement has fallen in from
the upper story, encumbering the floor below, to which we
can only descend by a ladder, no staircase remaining. But
the principal extent of halls is still subterranean, there be-
ing in this part but one story under the ground cultivated
as a garden immediately above. Here the wall paintings
are more perfect, and cover almost the entire surface ; but
as they became inaccessible, owing to the influx of water
from an inundation of the Tiber, shortly after their recent
discovery, and the works have been in consequence sus-
pended, we are unable to supply fuller report as to these in-
teriors in their present state.
The activity within the sphere of sacred archa3ologic
pursuits and research for their illustration under the
present pontificate has demanded a special record of re-
sults ; and this desideratum is promised satisfaction, with all
possible advantages of intelligent interpretation, by a
monthly issue from the pen of Di Rossi, first among living
authorities on Christian antiquity in Rome. His " Bulle-
tino di Archeologia Cristiana" began its welcome career last
January, in pamphlet form of ample contents, with fac-
simile epigraphs and outline engravings occasionally inter-
spersed over the text, and has hitherto proved indeed worthy
of its distinguished editor. The first number gives a full ac-
count of the discoveries under his direction in the catacombs
on the Appian Way, begun in 1848, and resulting, two
years later, in the opening of a crypt, at the foot of its an••
cient staircase, adorned by paintings, among the most im-
portant yet found in these Christian hypogees; also, the
opening, in 1857, of another crypt belonging to the cata-
combs of Pratextatus, whose vaulted roof is covered with
paintings of much beauty, ascribable, as here shown, to the
period of the Antonin() Emperors. The second number re-
ports with full details on the subterranean church of St.
Clemente, and its interesting archaic contents, some of its
paintings being ascribed by Di Rossi to the 9th, others to
the 10th and the latter years of the 11th century. Else-
where are described the frescoes lately found in the most an-
cient section of the S. Lorenzo basilica—the Virgin and
Child, and the figures of five male and five female saints in
this grouping, are allowed claims to antiquity at least as
high as the 10th century. Besides this new periodical, we
have the Bulletin of the Archaaological Institute, conducted
by the Germans, to whom that association pertains; also
monthly, and very well compiled, but rather appropriated
to classic than sacred antiquity ; nor is there any other re-
gular report of the arehreological researches in Rome save at
the sessions of " Accademie"—amidst which deficiencies we
have the greater reason to hail with pleasure the under-
taking of Di Rossi.
The site of the ancient Aricia, but the highest point of
which is occupied by the modern village of that name, is
now being excavated by Signor Fortunati, to whose ex-
ploring energies we owe the discovery of the beautifully-
painted tombs and the St. Stephen basilica, on the Latin
Way. A private society for excavating purposes has lately
found the remains of an antique villa on the Campagna,
near a village named Prima Porta, on tho Tiber; and close
to the little port on that river, within the city, was recently
disinterred a pedestal bearing the dedication, Dive Antonin°.
Casts from all the reliefs referring to Trajan, on the Arch
of Constantine, have been executed for the Emperor of
France; and, thus reproduced, these noble sculptures may
be far better appreciated.

The Atrocious Assault by the Russians on a
British Subject.

A letter dated Cracow, April 4, says :
The Secretary of the British Embassy at Vienna arrived
here a few days ago to inquire into the circumstances attend-
ing, the attempted murder of Mr. Finkenstein, who, strange
to say, is recovering, and is now able to walk. The descrip-

tion of Mr. Finkenstein's passport, as entered in the books
of the frontier station at Baran, has been examined, and his
account of the onslaught made upon him by the Russian
soldiers taken down, read over to him, and duly attested. a
To my former narrative of this horrible affair I may now
add some particulars supplied to me (at my own request) by
M. Bielski, the proprietor of Gebutlow, the village where
the outrage was perpetrated. Mr. Finkenstein only knew
that after he had remained for some time in his carriage (on
Sunday morning, the day after his capture), guarded by a
Stinker and four sentinels, four Poles were brought to his
side, and that immediately afterwards a furious attack was
made upon them and upon himself by the soldiers, against
which the efforts of the officers to save the prisoners proved
quite unavailing. It appears that for about an hour before
the massacre of the prisoners the Russians had been engaged
in searching and robbing the house of M. Bielski. The major
commanding the Russian column (composed of several com-
panies of the Smolensk Regiment of Infantry and the bri-
gade of shorpshooters, with a detachment of Cossacks and
dragoons) was present endeavouring, by a judicious use of
the revolver, to restrain the excesses of his men. In going
over the house to look for arms the soldiers stole whatever
they could lay hands upon ; they also assaulted and wounded
many of the servants, but in presence of their determined
chief they were obliged to preservo a c3rtain decorum, and
confine themselves to pocketing chimney ornaments and
other portable articles when his eyes were turned another
way.

An officer of Cossacks entered the room where M. Bielski's
wife and daughters, with several other ladies, were col-
lected, wearing his cap, when the major at once knocked it
off. With this one exception all the officers seem to have
done their duty as gentlemen and men of honour.
I asked M. Bielski why the Major, who was perpetually
exhibiting his revolver, did not make use of it and shoot
one soldier in order to discourage the others, "He was on

the point of doing so," wag the reply, " but we entreated
him not to. It would have been the signal for a general
massacre of the officers. The major was the only one who
could enforce any sort of obedience; and yet, when he
menaced one of the men, and said to him, 'I have a bullet
here for you,' the answer made to him was, And I have

two for you,'"
The fury of the soldiers was so great at not being allowed
to pillage the house that, M. Bielski, for the sake of his
handy and of a number of visitors who were staying with
him, offered to give it up to plunder. He also proposed to
constitute himself a prisoner, on condition of being allowed
to send the ladies away; but the major would hear of no-
thing of the kind, and said that, the search for arms finished,
the soldiers should go, and that no one should be injured.
When the troops were ordered to leave the chateau of
Gebultow they began to growl like beasts deprived of their
majorpre ,arnedpeaattetdhetfihr:tocrodmer in a peremptory tone, and a crymand did not move a step. The
was then raised of " He's an insurgent He's a Pole ! He's
against the Emperor!"
M. Bielski's wife and daughter, .a beautiful little girl of
six or seven years of age, now retired to the chapel with
the ladies who were staying at the house, and went down
on their knees, expecting
every moment to be assassinated.
M, Bielski remained with the major, who preserved all his
calmness, and ultimately succeeded in driving the ruffians
out. They went into the court-yard cursing and blasphem-
ing, and muttering that they would burn the house down
before they had done with it.
The major was endeavouring to form the column, and
giving directions to the officers, who could not get the
men together, when a number of soldiers of the Smolensk
Regiment called out " Kill the prisoner," and rushed to-
wards Mr. Finkenstein's carriage, by the side of which four
Polish prisoners were standing under the guard of a Junker
and four sentinels. How the prisoners were saved for a mo-
ment by the energetic attitude of two officers who happened
to be near, and how they were ultimately knocked down and
bayoneted, has already been told. You may remember that
three of the Poles were killed on the spot; the fourth, like
Mr. Finkenstein, was loft for dead.

M. Beilski saw the massacre from the door of his house,
and hastened to inform the major of it. The major struck
his forehead in despair when he heard that Mr. Finkenstein
had been murdered, and exclaimed, "My God, what a posi-
tion lamin ! I did my best to save them all, but I gave
that one my solemn promise that nothing should happen to
him l"

The chateau of Gebultow was now surrounded by the sol-
diers, intoxicated and enraged by their own bloody work,
and "Burn it down! burn it down I" was roared out by
600 savages. A ltogether the place and all its inmates had
been threatened with destruction for an hour and a half,
when the major at last got the column into movement. It
had not proceeded many paces when it halted, and many of
the men turned round and declared they would go back to
the house. The major assured• them that the first who
tried the experiment might consider himself a dead man,
and the experiment was not tried. But the grumbling and
muttering still continued, and a noise like the growling of
600 bears was heard until the column was out of sight.
When it was last seen the soldiers were still hesitating and
refusing to march, and the major was still riding along the
side, picking out the most turbulent among the military
mob, and subduing them by his voice, his gestures,
and the presentation of the eternal revolver. It
would be unfair to this officer, who is an honour
to the Russian army, just as much as the Smolensk Regi-
ment in general is a disgrace and shame to it, and to the
whole country, not to mention that his name is Bentkowski
He is no relation to the well-known Prussian-Polish De-
puty and chief of the staff under Langiewicz of the same
name, but belongs to a thoroughly Russian family.
After the Russian troops had disappeared, the members
of M.Bielski's far"ily
came oui to see what could be done for
the prisoners, though they had every reason to fear they
were already beyond the reach of assistance. M. Finken-
stein's face was one red mass' and the first thing he remora •
hers after recovering his
consciousness is Madame Bielski
leaning over him, and washing away the blood, which was
flowing profusely from a frightful wound in his forehead,
She was disturbed in her charitable occupation by a cry
that the Russians were returning. This was an error, the
troops which were approaching were not those of a regular
Government pretending to be civilised, but of Langiewicz,
A the insurgent chief, who, as the reader is already aware,