The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-19 00:00:00

HERCULANEUM AND POMPEII.

M. Raoul Rochette has communicated to the French
Academy of Inscriptions and the Academy of Fine Arts
intelligence of high interest,. extracted from a letter from
Pompeii, dated Jan. 15, concerning- the recent • excava-
tions. It is as follows :

" The most brilliant discoveries are daily making at
Herculaneum and Pompeii. A magnificent mansion is
gradually appearing at Herculaneum, the garden of which,
surrounded by colonnades, is the grandest which has hither-
to been found. Some of the paintings with which it is
decorated are of great interest. Among other mythological
subjects there is a picture of Perseus, who, assisted by
Minerva, is killing. Medusa; Mercury laying Argus to
sleep, that he may ravish away the betutiful In; a subject
very rare among the monuments of art ; Jason, the Dragon,
and the three Hesperides. But the most remarkable ob-
jects in this mansion are some bas-reliefs in silver, fixed
on elliptical tablets of bronze, and representing Apollo and
Diana. There are numberless other articles of curiosity in
furniture and household utensils.

" But as to ancient pictures, it appears that none ap-
proach in merit those discovered at a house in Pompeii.
It is now certain that the quarter in which the excavations
are going• on is the finest in the city. The Tuscan
Atrium first presents itself in the mansion we are speaking
of. This Atrium is surrounded with small rooms very
prettily decorated, from which we pass into a garden, round
which are also disposed apartments appropriated to visiters.
To the left of the Atrium there_is a passage leading to large
pot ticos supported by red pillars, and embellished with a
profusion of beautiful paintings.
" Among these pictures the following compositions are
particularly remarkable:—
" 1. Medea meditating the murder of her Children,
who are innocently playing at dice, whilst their tutor at a
short distance, conscious of Medea's intention, is lamenting
the fate which impends over them.
" 2. The Sons and Daughters of Niobe assailed with
the arrows of Apollo and Diana. This is It picture full of
pathos.
" 3. Meleager departing fur the Chase of the Wild Boar
of Calydyn. •
. _

" 4. Perseus delivering Andromeda.
" 5. A Bacchante.

" 6. The Muses.

" There are also some grotesque designs ; such as a
pigmy teaching an ape to dance, as well as paintings of
fruit and animals beautifully executed. These porticoes
were devoted to promenading. They enclose a little gar-
den, in the centre of which there is a basin for fish, and at
the bottom was found a large triclinium, or dining-table,
and seats for reclining. The gyirccum, or apartment ap-
propriated to females, consists of a peristyleum, surrounded
with porticoes leading into the apartments, where there is
a luxurious display of pictures, executed in first-rate style.
Castor and Pollux, the household gods, are on each side of
the entrance ; the-other principal subjects are—Echo and
Narcissus; Endynrion ; The Infant Achilles plunged into
Styx by his mother 'Thetis ; Mars and Venus ; Saturn ;
Orpheus ; Ceres ; Mars Pacific ; Jupiter Hosaitalis ; and
a classical group of a Satyr and an Hermaphrodite.

" The exedrum, or study, is decorated with sonic ad-
mirable pictures, representing Bacchantes of incomparable
beauty ; also a picture of Achilles drawing his sword against
Agamemnon, and restrained by Minerva. Pictures oa
this subject, but indifferently executed, have been before
discovered among those in the Temple of Venus. There
is here, likewise, Achilles, disguised as a woman, and de-
tected by Ulysses ; Ulysses, begging and receiving alms
front the faithful Eumteus, &c. The style of these paint-
ings is said to be superior to any thing that has yet been
discovered of ancient art. Front the exedrum we pass into
a third garden, also surrounded with red columns, and
adorned with pictures on the following subjects ;
Pluedra, discovering her incestuous passion to Ilippolytes ;
several tragic and comic scenes ; the fable of Xtra and
iEgens ; Apollo, with Daphne, changed into a laurel.
There is a little niche, or sacrarium, in the garden, front
which we pass into a third peristyleum. Among the move-
able articles found in this mansion, a casket is particularly
mentioned, enriched with elegant ornaments in bronze,
and deposited in a corner of the gyumccum. It contains
42, pieces of imperial gold money, and six of silver."—
Paris Paper.

LIVERPOOL, FEB.-17.—Our Cotton Market
.ather flat to-day, and the sales amount to about 1,200

~.~~y.

According to Gadicke's newest Guide through
Berlin, it contains 294 streets, 32 open places, 7,330 houses,
and 220,600 inhabitants. The garrison is calculated to be
rather less than 12,000 men. Every house where a great
man has died is specially mentioned.

GOOD NOTES TO A POOR BOOK.—The
great Du)se,of ChandosOue;dakihilibited his library to a
poor Clergyman, and told him to select any one he pre-
ferred. The Clergyman, from modesty, fixed ori'Cne of
small value, which was sent ItuMe,tu him, and on. dpetiiing
it he found 13atik-notes •-to , a consideiable amount Within
the leaves, •

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-(LAST NIGHT.)

The Loum CHANCELLOR did not take his seat till
nearly 20 minutes past Five o'clock.
Mr. Crafer, from the Treasury, presented an ac-
count of the circulation of all the Batik of England
Notes under 51.

The Earl of SHAFTESBURY moved that no
pli,.ate Bill be brought up after Wednesday, the
2:3:11 March, and that no Judges' Report be received
after Wednesday, the 29th of April.
The Wtshop of EXETER presented a petition
prom .1111 individual, praying that the House would, in
their proceedings upon the Roman Catholic Ques-
tion, keep in mind the essential principles of the
Constitution of the country. The petition, on
some irregularity having been pointed out by one of
the odi2ers, was withdrawn.
The Archbishop of CANTERBURYpresented IL
petition from the Archdeaconry and Diocese of Tnam,
a:al another from the Bishop and Clergy of Clon-
fert, against further concessions to the Roman Ca;
tholics.

The Duke of RICHMOND pmvenled a petition
from the inhabitants of the city of Chichester to the
some effect.

Lord BEXLEY presented a petition from nearly
9,000 inhabitants of the city of Norsiich, expressing
what he conceived to be a pretty fair specimen of the
sentiments of the people of England on the Roman
Catholic Question. The petition was against con-
cession, The Noble Lord presented two other
Petitions from parishes in the county of Norfolk to
the same effect.

Lord 63N6 FORD presenteq a petition from
the Protestant Dissenters in king's County against
the Catholic claims, praying for the suppression of
the Catholic Assoclation, and to revise the laws with.
respect to the forty-shilling freeholders.

Lord MOUNTCASHEL presented a petition
from the Protestant Dissenters of the city of Cork,
nAwinst further concessions. This petition was
signed by many thousands of individuals. The
:Noble Lord had had the irenotir of presenting
last year a similar petition. He stated then
that he had heard of a disposition on the
part of the Roman Catholics to publish the names
of all who signed petitions of this nature, in order
that they alight be held up us obje-;ts of attention.
This threat had actually been put intJ execution, for
a greet many of the petitiott-as.had been inserted
in the radical newspapers of that part of the
county. This threat had been renewed on the
present. omission, otherwise this petition would have
been signed by a still greater number. The Protes-
tants dare not speak their sentiments, but the
Catholics were unrestrained in every respect. The
Noble Lord hadjust returned from Ireland, and from
what he had witnessed felt perfectly satisfied, that if
the claims of the Roman' Catholics were now
to be granted, instead of pacifying, it would
only throw them into a greater state of agitation.
It Was not the mass of the people of Ireland who
were to be benefitted by the measure now proposed
--it was only to satisfy a set of political swindlers,
and under these circumstances he was disposed
to oppose Catholic Emancipation; he should, how-
ever, N, ithh old his more detailed sentimeres upon
the subject until the House was fully informed of the
exact nature and extent of the measure about to be
proposed.

Lord CLARE presented a petition from the Vice
Chancellor, Ma-ters, and Scholars of the University
and City of Oxford against further concessions to
the Roman Catholics. This petition was to have
been presented by the Chancellor of the University,
but in consequence of that Noble Lord's indisposition
the petition had been sent to him (Lord Clare.)
The Chancellor did not concur with the prayer of
the petition, and whenever the House came to
vote upon the subject, the Noble Lord as well
as himself (Lord C.) would not fail to give their
votes either in person or by proxy against the.prayer.
The Noble Lord, however, trusted that the utmost
attention and respect would be paid to the petition,
coming from the very respectable quarter from which
it issued. For himself he would say, that he had
never given a vote in that House with half the plea-
sure that he should give a vote in favour of the
measures to he brought forward by his Al.jesty's
Ministers, for removing all civil disabilities on account
of religious opinions.
Lord BEXLEY was sure that the Noble Lord
who had just sat down would have added, if he
had been aware of the fact, that this petition had
been agreed to by one of the most numerous Convo-
cations ever held in Oxford, and by a majority of
about three to one.

Lord CLARE observed that. he had certainly rot
been informed of this circumstance.—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-(LAST NIGHT.)

Mr. Rainsford brought up certain returns from
the Court of Chancery.
Mr. Crafer brought up certain papers from the
Treasury.
Mr. FITZGIBBON presented a petition from a
palish in Limerick in favour of the Catholics,
another against the Sub-letting Act, and another
against the Vestry Act.
Mr. HANCOCK presented two petitions from
places in the county of Westmeath, against the
Catholic Claims.

General KING presented a similar petition from
the parish of Killmore, county Moyne.
Mr. J. BROWN presented a petition in favour
of Catholic Claims from two places in the county of
Sligo.

Mr. MOORE presented fourteen petitions
against. the Catholic Claims, which he stated were
signed by upwards of 3,000 Protestant inhabitants
of one of the smallest counties in Ireland.

Colonel ROCHFORD presented a petition from
Ireland, against the Catholics.
Sir 11. ST. PAUL presented a similar petition,
signe.l by .5,000 persons, inhabitants of Clifton,
in the county of Stafford.
Lord MILTOWN enquired if the petition was
signed at a public meeting.
Sir H. ST. PAUL replied in the affirmative.
_ _

Mr. H. WHITE presented a petition from three
parishes in the county of Dublin in favour of the Ca-
tholics, one against the Sub-letting, and 'one against
the Vestry Acts.
Mr. O'NEILL gave notice that on monday next
be should move that a list should be furnished to
the House of all places in Great Britain, from
whence petitions should be presented against Catho-
lic Emancipation, with an account of the number of
signatures to each, and also an account of the popu-
lation according to the last census of the places from
whence those petitions were sent.
Sir JOHN BECKETT presented a petition from
Haslemere against the Catholic Claims.
Mr. MALCOLM presented a petition from the
Mayor and Corporation of Boston against any fur-
ther concessions to the Roman,Catholies. The Hon.
Member said, when his Majesty's Ministers brought
forward the proposed measure, he should be ready
to support the prayer of the petitioners.

Sir CHARLES HASTINGS was convinced
the great body of the people were against concession
to the Roman Catholics. Every Member of that
House ought to state his opinion on this momentous
question ; he thought it would, if carried, bring the
greatest misery upon the country.
Mr. HENRY MAXWELL, presented seven
petitions from parishes in Ireland against the Catho-
lic Claims.

Mr. BANKES presented a petition from Stock-
land in Dorsctshire, against the Catholic Claims,
and a similar one from a parish in Somersetshire.
Mr.BIRCH presented a petition from the Mayor
and .Corporation of Nottingham, in favour of
Catholic Emancipation, and another of a similar
nature from a Society of Protestant Dissenters, in
the same place.
Mr. DAWSON• bronght up returns from the
Courts of Request and Public Charities,
Mr. T. POTTER. MACQUEEN gave notice
that he should on a future day bring in a Bill to re-

peal so much of the Act relating to the Poor
Laws, as regards obtaining a settlement by means
of servitude.

SUPPLY.

On the motion of Mr. DAWSON the House re-
solved itself into a Committee of Supply,
Several customary resolutions were agreed to,
after which the House resumed, and the Report was
ordered to be brought up to-morrow.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT (IRELAND).
The House then resolved itself into a Committee
upon the Salaries to the Commissioners of Insolvent
Debtors.

Mr. DAWSON moved that the Salaries of the
Commissioners of Insolvent Debtors' in Ireland be
paid out of the Consolidated Fund of Great Britain
and Ire!aril

The Resolution was agreed to, the House re-
sumed, and the Report was ordered to be received
to-morrrow.

Mr. LOCKHART presented a petition from the
parish of St. Mai tin's, Oxford, against any further
concessions to the Catholics.

The House then adjourned.

TRADE WITH COLONiBIA.

Bogota, Dec. 7.

Sir,---I have the honour of transmitting to you, for the
information of the ship-owners and merchants engaged in
the trade of Colombia, the translation of a decree admitting
Spanish produce and manufactures into the Colombian
pert*, in neutral vessels.-1 have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
JAMES HENDERSON,
His Britannic Majesty's Consul• General.
John Bennett, Esq., Lloyd's.

" SIMON 110LIVAR, LIBERATOR, PRESIDENT, &C. &C.
" Considering—
" Ist, That although by the right which every Govern-
meat has to adopt all those measures that may be within
its reach, to diminish the Means of its enemy to make war,
Colombia might continue to act with hostility against the
commerce of Spain, she wishes to give to the world a proof
of her generosity, arid her wish alone is, that the justice of
her cause may be recognized, and—
" 2d, That the Spanish Government being convinced of
the rectitude of the intentions of Colombia, it is to be hoped
that, discovering the true interests of Spain, it will decide
on obtaining the great advantages which other nations enjoy,
through the medium of a reciprocal trade with Colombia.
" The Council of State being heard,
" I decree—

" Art. I.—The decree issued by the executive power
on the 20th of January, 1823, is revoked in all its parts,
which excluded from our commerce the fruits and manu-
factures of the Spanish nation.
" Art. 2.—ln consequence of its revocation, the natural
fruits, effects, and manufactures of the Spanish nation and
her Colonies will be admitted to the trade of the republic,
Immediately after the publication of the present decree, pro-
vided alwa3s that the importation is made in neutral ves-
sels, which navigate conformably to the laws of the natitm
to which they belong, without any Spaniard whatever
being on board, either as owner or supercargo.
" Articles of monopoly, or whatever other produce and
manufactures are excepted from this disposition, by the
prevailing laws, friendly and neutral nations are prohibited
from introducing.
" Art. 3.—lf at any time Spain opens her ports to Co-
lombian commerce, and permits the introduction into
them of the produce and manufactures of cur territory, in
Colombian vessels, reciprocity will be used by this Go-
vernment towards those of Spain.
" Given in Bogota the 19th of November, 1828.
(Signed) " SIMON BOLIVAR.
(Signed) " NICOLAS M. TANCO,
Minister of Finance."

A clergyman at Abingdon, last week, refused
to marry a tradesman to his fiust wife's sister, such a union
being contrary to Ecclesiastical Law.

Tit?. art of printing is unknown in Persia
beautiful writing, therefore, is considered a high accom-
plishment. It is carefully taught in the schools, and those
who excel in it are almost classed with literary men. They
are employed to cepy books, and some have attained to such
eminence in this art, that a few lines by one of these cele-
brated penmen are often sold for several pounds.
CURIOUS EFFECTS OF DISAPPOINTED
LevE.—The week before last a case was brought before
the Sheriff of Bute of rather an extraordinary nature. It
was at the instance of the Procurator Fiscal, against a
farm servant, for entering the byre of a farmer there, and
tying all his cows together by the tails. The motive
alleged for this singular act of malevolence was disappoint-
ment in love; the defender having paid his addresses to
one of the farmer's servant girls, who would have
nothing to do with him.—He then thought of express-
ing at once his grief and his indignation through
the medium of the cows : and to be sure the bellow-
ing and the rage of the poor animals, when thus
strung together, are described as having been truly
dreadful. The noise was heard at an incredible distance.
and when the cause of it was ascertaintd, it was waggishly
observed, that farmer 111‘—'s cows had certainly laid
their tails, if not their heatiA, together, to disturb the re-
pose of the whole neighbourhood. The charge having
been clearly made out against the prisoner, the Sheriff-
Substitute, admonishing him in strong terms upon the
cruel, unmanly, and mischievous nature of his crime, sen-
tenced him to pay a fine of three pounds, and to be impri-
soned until payment should be made.—Edinburgh Paper.
MESDAMES PISARONI AND MONTICELLI.
—Pisaroni is a wonder. Iler ugliness is of the most emi-
nent and distinguished kind, but the beauties of her art
triumph over it ; and, as we listen to her voice, we learn
even to look at her with pleasure—a pleasure resulting
from the contemplation of talent conquering the unkind-
ness of nature. If Pasta was the Siddons of the lyric
stage, Pisaroni is the Kean. She has to surmount a host
of outward disadvantages by the force of the merit that is
within, and she will accomplish the task, or we are
greatly mistaken, though our public has so much more
eye than ear, and is mightily addicted to looking at the
merits of singers. There is, however, such beauty in
music that it is surely a wantonness of luxury to require
its association with personal loveliness ; it is indeed
gilding refined gold, and adding perfume to the violet.—
If the public had a genuine and healthy taste for the art
they professed to love, they would regard professors chiefly,
with relation to their excellence in it. Eyes and eye-
brows, mouth and teeth, nay, foot and ankle, would not
of necessity enter into the popularity of a vocalist. It
were better that the stage picture were handsome than
ugly ; hut the beauty should be hailed as a lucky accident,
and not accounted an essential. Shall- we prefer jays,
with their screaming voices, to nightingales with dull
plumage? Lovelinesl, voice, and skill, sometimes con-
cur, as in the instance of that bird of paradise, Madame
Ronzi di Begnis, who united in herself every form
of excellence—delightful as a singer, and as an actress
an O'Neill or a Jordan, as the serious or the comic
happened to be the part allotted. Such cases are rarities,
and all the natural endowments and talents of the plaits are
left uncultivated because it is known that the public make
comeliness an-ingredient in their musical judgments. Now
as there are in the world m...,re women without beauty
than with it—and the probability is that the greater
amount of musical capacity is to be found in the greater
number—our prejudices obviously betray us into very bad
economy. We are forbidding the growth of the corn
because the land does not bear roses. The example of
Pisaroni—and, as it is an extreme one, so it is the more
serviceable—may cure us of this bad habit of judgment;
and the day of St. Cecilia may arrive when the beauty of a
vocalist may be as little thought of as the beauty of Mr.
Brougham, and the artist be considered only with relation to
the art. The voice of Pisaroni is a contralto, not without
some tones of harshness. If we were ignorant of the
person from whom it proceeded, we should doubt whether
it were masculine after having decided that it was not fe-
niinise. Her management of this voice of doubtful gender
is excellent. Awkward as Pisaroni is in person her act-
ing nevirtheless is animated by an intelligence which re-
deems it from the ungainly, and renders it almost interesting.
When making this observation'it must not be denied that
we prcbahly saw her to peculiar advantage in the part of
Malcolm Grcerne, as she presents that hard-favoured
visage which would seem proper to an inhabitant of the high-
lands. There is a topical and therefore dramatic fitness in
her countenance in this character. But in whatever else she
appears in, her personal disadvantages should be flung into
the scale of her merits, for, in conquering the vulgar effect
of them, she has given the strongest manifestation of her
powers. Of Monticelli we have little to say. She is; as
the Italian witness phrased it, " mole good.than bad ;"
and bears just so much resemblance to Ronzi di Begnis as
renders the advertised comparison especially impolitic. The
likeness is about that between a bead and a pearl. There
is, however, a pleasing propriety about all she does.—
Spectator.

LONDON,
THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 19, 1829.

Every hour makes converts among the members
of the Convocation of Oxford—and there is now
no doubt entertained that the Right Honourable
Secretary will be re-elected, if not unanimously,
at least by a great majority. Indeed, it is question-
able, from the recent light thrown upon the prospects
of the parties, whether there will be any opposition
at all—those members who had set up the standard
of defiance, having forgotten, at the moment, that
it was the Right Honourable Gentleman's intention
to remain in office. That fact being now beyond
doubt, of course, materially alters the case—and the
non-conformists would rather that no election took
place, but for the sake of saving their consistency.
Many of them, we understand, who were his most
firm supporters, do not intend to vote at all on
the present occasion, because their gratitude for
Mr. PEEL'S past services is too great to allow them
to o;►pose the man whom they cannot altogether
support. This feeling gains ground hourly—and
the example of the Sister University is so far con-
solatory, that Cambridge would not vote for Catholic
Emancipation if evil were expected to ensue. Ox-
ford will therefore make a virtue of necessity—
and re-elect Mr. PEEL. It is the wisest course.

Tile University of Oxford will only rest the firmer
on its foundations when the storm of Catholic
Emancipation shall have passed over. What is
good will endure because worthy of preservation :
what is pernicious must perish because it insures its
own destruction.

The French Papers are particularly barren of
news. The Gazette de France and the 2lfoniteur
contain nothing from the East of Europe, and the
Messager des Chambres says that the German Jour-
nals give no intelligence from the Banks of the
Danube. The situation of the Armies is still the
same. The weather and snow have completely in-
terrupted all kinds of military operations.
The King of FRANCE has given a private audience
to the Russian Ambassador, Count Pozzo DI
BORGO ; and Prince POLIGNAC has taken leave, on
his return to this country.
FRENCH FUNDS, PARIS, FEB. 16.—Five per Cents.,
110 f., 110 f. sc. 15c. 10c. 15c. ; Three per Cents., 76f.
65c. 60c. 65c. ; Bank Stock, I,Blof. ; Naples Stock,
81f. 65r. ; Royal Spanish Loan, 79; Haytian Loan,
5351. Exchange on Londpn, one month, 25f. 25c.
three months, 25f. 10c.—fours Authentique.

A Correspondent, who dates'from Colchester, in-
forms us that on Wednesday last an Anti-Catholic
Meeting was held in that town, at which, out of a
population of 14,000, only 600, or at the very ut-
most 1,000, could be scraped together. These
consisted (with the exception of some members
of the Clergy and the Corporation) .of the very
lowest dregs of society, to whom the usual stale
diatribes against the Pope and the Papists were
abundantly administered. The petition was signed
by many who knew nothing at all of the merits of
the case, and who did not even know how to spell
the obnoxious word Pope. Previous to this Meet-
ing taking place, our Correspondent adds, that
a sermon was preached on Sunday last, at St.
Peter's Church, the avowed object of which was to
inflame the minds of the populace against Catholicism.
The decency of such a proceeding—at the very mo-
ment when his MAJESTY, as head of the Church,
has commanded a different line of conduct—needs
no comment, it speaks for itself.

The Allgemcine Zeitung, of the 12th inst. says,
that the Ambassadors of the Allied Powers, now at
Naples, are busily occupied on a plan for the future
form of the Government of Greece. Mr. STRATFOItD
CANNING, it is said, will return to London for a