The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1827-04-10

town of tolerable commerce in its car
y days that the Sea, which once wash
ed It's walls, subsequently left il in the
midst OF one of those delicious plains
made by nature for the dissolution of all
industry III the Italian dweller, and for
the common places ofpoelry, in all the
northern abusers Of the pen that it was
ravaged by every barbarian, who in
turn was called a conquerer on the Ita-
liam soil, and was snccesslyely tho pillage
of Carthagenian and OF Roman, until a.
last the Aagustim age saw It's little CIR
cult quoted IN the centre OF colony,
aud man finding nothing more to ROB,
attempted 10 rob no more.
! When man had &c SD his molestai-
on, nature commenced hor's, and this m-
fortunate little city was, by a curious
fate, at once to be cxtngulshed and
preserved, 10 perish from the iaco of tie
Roman empire, and TO live when Rome
was nest OF Monks and Munmars,
and her empire torn ilto fragments lor
Turk, Russian, Austrian, Prussian, and
he whole host of barbarian names tina.
were once as the dust OF her feet. In
tho year of the Christian era, 63, an
earthquake showed the civ on what te-
nure her lease was held. Whole streets
were thrown down, and the evidences
of hasty repair arc still 10 be detected.
From this period, occasional warnings
were given in slight shocks until, in
the year rs, Vcsuvius poured out all
his old accumulation of-terrers 'atsonce,
and on the clearing away of the cloud
of fire and ashes which covered Campo
MIA for four days, Pompeii, with all its
multitude, was gone. The Romans
seem to have been as fond of Villas as
If every soul of them had made for
tunes in Cheapside, g. the whole south
ern coast WIS covered with the summer
palaces Of those lords of the world. We
suviusis now formidable foundation
for a house whose inhabitants may not
wish to be sucked into a .arhace ten
thousand fathamS deep, or 10 stcd sub
acre GpertO bat it was then asleep, and
bad never flung up sparks or stone from
time immemorial.
To those who look upon it now in its
'errors grim, blasted, and lifting up its
sooty forehead among the piles Of per-
petual smoke that are to be enlightened
only by IFS bursts oftire, the very throne
OF Pluto and Vulcan together, no force
of tnncy may picture what it was when
the Roman built his palaces and payl.-
onS on its side. A pyramid of three
thousand feet high, painted over with
gardens, forest, vine yard and orchard
ripening under the southern sun, zoned
with colonades, and turrets, and golden
roofs, and marble porticos, with the G.
ternal azure of the Campanian sky for
its canopy, and the Mediterranean at
its feet, gliltering in the colors Of sun
shine noon and evening, like an
| : finite Turkey carpet let down from
the steps oil throne--all this was turn
ed into cinders, lave md hot water, on
| 0f we can trust to chronology the first
day Of November, Ammo Domini 70, in
the first year of the Emperor Titus.
The whole story is told IN the younger
| Plny's letters or, if the illustration OF
one who thought himself born for a de-
scrlber, Dio' CaSSiUS, be sought, it will
be found that this eruption was worthy
the work it had to do, and was a hand
some recompensc for the long sIumbcr
| of the volcano. The continent, thro'-
out its whole southern range, probably
felt this vigorous awakening. Rome
was covered with the ashes, of which
Northern Africa, Egypt " Asia Monor
had their share. The sun was turned
into blood and darkness, and the people
thought that the destruction of the world
was come.
At the close Of the eruption, Vesuyi-
us stood forth the naked giant that he is
| at this hour-the palaces and the gar
| dehs were all dust and air--tho sky
was stained with that cloud which. still
sits like crown of wrath upon his brow
the plain at his foot, where Fercula-
neur1 and Pompeii spread Their circuses
and temples, Ike chIldren's toys, was
covered over with sand, charcoal and
smoke--and the whole was left for a
mightymoral against the danger Of trus-
ting the sleep of a volcano.
All was then at ain end with the cities
below the population were burnt, and
had no more need Of houses, the Ro-
man mobiles had no passion for combus-
ton, and kept aloof the winds and
rain, robbers and moiayio, were the sole
tcnants Of the land and IN this way
rolled fifteen hundred years over the
bones of the winners, sailors and sung
citizens of the Vesuvian cities. But
their time was to come and their beds
we're to be perforated by French and
Neapolitan pick-axes, ard to be visited
by English feet, and Sketched, and writ.
ten about, and Autographed, till all the
World wished thew had never betn dis