Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-11-10

masses Of ruined houses which detace IN
eucum b er the soil, and almost exclusive
inhabited by mere begsars--the only sue.
cessors of the men VINO made the Angus.
tar age so bright period in the history o.
| r ONE With this scene before ones eve,
it is deeply solemn to contrast its pres,,.
condition with the state in which il r,,
curing its prosperity, when it was throry
ed with men, who have passed from, ,,a
| world like shadows, and Thousand. of
| whom have left no other traces hshf,e
them than these scattered fragment. q,
| their dwellings But it is not less sfa.'
TIM to Tx the mind on few individual.
to regard the effects of time in relation ~
them alone As we love whatever rem,nj,
US of our friends we take pleasure in,
place which has been inhabited by han
by familiar, or even one amiable persor
! The settle Of Bai9 must then be a suot IS
much interest to one who Remembers tbs,
it was once the frequent resort of Angus.
tus end his group OF favorites-of whom
there have come down 10 US, not merev
the general character OF greatness, bur
! such particular details of lives and man
ners, as, while we admire them as hero.,
and wits, make us respect them as men
While speaking OF this subject canpot
! TO. bear to transcribe that warm burst r
feeling with which Horace INDUCES I'm,
/ self in his 5th Satire, On meeting usa1.
pectediy several OF lis friends at Manpr.
ra:
"Next mornings sun arose with light more fa;r
For Nari4s, Plo,ius, Virgil met me there
SO Il, sucn As never o;,t OF heay n were fond
Fneuds TO nv heart with ST on lection bound
o, what embraces and what JOYS attend
To me lne world were nought without friend"
| out Virgil has rendered lAis tract Of
country peculiarly Interesting by ma.ing
1t the scene OIL the OH book VI tie Ineio,
The whole cape Is comprehended b. the
nalle OF the "Lu69an coast OF Cump,n
where the remains OF the Trojan Heet
trs, anchored after leaving Sicily; and
Ii. re are still seen ihe spots Vi winch the
poet mas gwen 10 So strining description
Such changes have been effected here in
the course VI centuries. That We must hot
expect ~ nnd even the grUund Nselt Al.
ways remaining as 1t WAS When 'ugil
wrote, much iess as 1t was at the period
oil which tie wrote. Since that tine. ito
! dark dwellings oi the Lammerians have
been succeeueG by the Palaces ana Villas
OF luxurious Romans, wnIcn IN tneIr turn
have OeeR deserted by their inhabltaDs
ami have IalieD INTO tie inerest masses Of
ruin. Dessdes, repeated eai ,h4uaAes have
accelerated TIE tl!apl, alton; ana, IN con-
junction with the volcano that burst OF:
N the immaculate vicinity, have heipedtO
produce important changes In the face o!
things.
at the upper end of the cape, at tie
leot vt The mountain which the volcano
threw out so wonderfully In one night,
lies Iahe, about half mile across, and
surrounded by naHed banks slOping IS
regularly as the SIDES vi d crater, which
indeed tney much resemble. On the
southerH si.e there Is q nOtch In the hills
where the Groumu 10 parily covered with
scatter my trees; ana ne-r The water /. a
dark hoie IN the rochy mountain, where
you are inviied nay, most i,r,sd tom
ter by several "retched, rag sed men, MO
Will conduct you thvou, "a dark narrow
passages by torch-light, and taMe you N
Their b-cns throu,h water knee dep
Tins is lake Avernus;-the cavern bears
the name Of the sybtss Grc..o, and tie
trees III tie nelshoorhood are called the
Grove OF Trivia. On the opposite side cs
the iake are the ruins Of some ancient edl
hce which is supposed to have been tie
Temple Of Apollo. With these three %
,ects the reader Of Virgil is familiar The
temple was built TO the god who !asp'rcd
the Sybil, the Inhabitants Of the grotto; il
tits grove 4Eneas was led BY tive doves to
the tree which bore a golden branch; and
thrc' the cavern he was conducted 10 lhOa
interesting scehes SO fully and poetiraIiy
described in the remaining part Of the
book, Lake Acheron lies on the Other
side of the hill, shut in by elevated bans
SO that in ancient times, while covered
with forests, the place might have been
mistaken BY one entering it thro' tie cav
ern for sceno in another world. One
can hardly read the description of the on
trance to this region without feeling IN:
power Of the poet in very strong degree
and yielding himself to his guidance as
implicitly as the horo did TO that Of the
Sybii:
"Obscrrs thsy went thro' dreary shade, tia. 10
Along the waste doUinons OF the dead
Thus wander travellers in woods by isht,
BY the moons doubtful and mali gnant iGnt
When Jove in dusky clouds involves the skies,
And the faint crescent shoots by ats before ihtf
eyes" (DrydeH
There is a peculiar pleasure felt II VIZ
ting spot which has been regarded a.
The habitation Of spirits--we are curious
to imagine their feelings a. far as we can