Star.
London, England, 1824-04-28 00:00:00

POMPEII.

The excavations at-this singular and interesting spot
continue. Among the most remarkable of the build-
ings brought to light is a temple, supposed to be a pan-
theon. Its principal entrance is on the eastern side cf
the forum, under a small colonnade. Its form appears
to be that of a paiallelogr:im, surrounded with a w.l/1,
the lower part if which is ornamented with hand nrne
fresco paintings on a greyish ground, In the middle
of the building is found a large dodecagon (marked by
twelve pedestals), and an aqueduct in nrarh!c. Corres-
ponding with the si2es of this figure, are twelve cham-
bers paintred with dig seat subjects, in pretty good pre-
servation. At the further part of the edifice are three
great divisions, to which tae approach is by a Right of
steps. In the middle one of the three, which rei.embles
the cell of a temple, are five riches wrought in the wall,
two of which contain statues, declared by the antiqua-
rians to be those of Nero and Messalirra. The right-
hand division isof the same form; that on the lett ap-
pears to have been a room for the Pi iests to assemble
in, and along its walls are placed tables and benches.
EMINENT CHARACTERS.
Those who at a distance contemplate characters pro-
fessionally eminent for invention, wit, and satirical ht.
'nom-, suppo,,e their. society must be °nivel%
sally sought; and that such most, of necessity, be the
life and soul of the convivi.il board. Men, however,
who see much, and speculate but little, know better.
Among the dullest in company, could be pointed out
those who are wondrous witty by themselves; and this,
not from pride of their superior faculty for invention or
humour; or front an unv,illingness to please, but from a
constitutional shyness, or modest desire to avoid notice
or applause; or from indolence, or actually from con-
scious tininess when absent from the study and the desk,
when without the pencil or the pea.
Peter Pindar was vcitles,, even over Lis bottle, with
his most intimate cronies. Anthony Pasquin was
sour, and not prone to conver:-,e. CLuicirill was a
sulky sot. Butler was lively, neither drul,k nor sober,
only a choice companion when ha/if-gone; hence, as
the witty Duke of Buckingham observed, "Le was
to be compa.ed to a skittle, little at both ends,
hut great in the middle." Birton, who had no less -
humour than Cervantes, and the learning of a whole
University, was neither a cheerful corupanion, TIOT en-
durable to himself. A hundred more could be named
whose aptitude and promptness to discover the ridicu-
lous side of human action, has astonished the grave':
and yet these men, who have thus exposed folly to the
1 rughter of mankind, have been themselvds the dullest
dogs aJvc. Poor ay w:,s always hipped, and at
last sunk into that deplo: able ~.tate of mental aberra-
tion which verifies the line c f :!ie most acute of our
satirical bards—
", Bow nearly wit to madness is allied!"

.
The German ..11a.s,Yazinc of Foreign lila/kat Litereure
for April, contair.s the first oMeial account of the appearance cf the
Cholera nturbus last autumn at Astrachan, and of the stop put to its
progress by the judicious and vigorous rn asu.es of the Rusisiau Go-
vernment. The most sanguine expeeta!ions arc encouraged by the
Success of these nivasures against a disease which, since 11117,• Lis
been incessantly advancing from East to West, and in the space at
three yrarthas cal tied off Litre.: milions and a half of people in nitis
stone.—Fiankforr Paper.
The i ab it Ants of SLJOILinna, among other cttstotlls*
have the following:—They beg an Lc elish name cf the sailors voilio
touch at their isl:.nd ; and of cellist!, names of the first eminence
are given by our cats. Thus, when they came to visa the +ships that
touch at the islana, it has liappeneel, that the Duke of Richmond
bus humbly • solicited the washing of linen ; Lord Eldon requested
*preference fur I.is vegetables; Loud Liverpool has been detected
inttealing a blanket; and Use Luke of Bedford been known t , beg
for a tenpenny uaiL

I beta known to beg
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