Lexington union. (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-18??, 1840-12-19

reverse; but his wife and daughters VIII
have hard lessons to learn. ! hope one
will be that of sincerity"
From Miss Tylor's "Loltes from Italy"
PALACES OF RoME-MANurAcTURE OF
MosArc-ToMn OF CECILIA METELLA.
- OF the palaces of Rome scarcely know
what to say one so much resembles
another that the same description may
serve for all: their chief, indeed their only
attraction lies 10 the pictures they contain.
The exterior ofIhcse buildingsis generally
imposing: one suit Of apartments Isusually
furnished with great magnfcence, fire.
quently hung with pain,ings,and sometimes
contains choice peices Of sculpture, whilst
the rest Of the palace is neglected, and
wears deserted appearance; the entrance
| is often disagreeablc You drive into
courtyard, and ascend fligh! OF marble
stairs at once magnificent and dirty you
meet, halfway up perhaps, miserable
beggar, who duplicates your carity-a
wretched cantrast to the spIend around
him. When admitted after ringing two
or three times, YOU enter lofty, spacious,
and very dirty hall; here velvet canopy
! may over hang the chair Of state, and
iveried servants indolentIy loiter about,
seeming to have nothing better TO DO than
to gaze at Strangers; from this you turn TO
cobber's lille stall or tailor's board,
whilst a cardinal, followed byavnunerous
train, ~ se9s ralengthe distaQirend Of the
thai.
| All this we saw in the Blrberini Palace.
Even the state rooms of the palaces have n
comforless appearances: | never in any Of
them found a pleasant one, ia which could
have sal down TO write, or read, or work ;
all were gloomy and grand, with massive
turuiture-great couches and chairs, look
ing as hard as the marble Of which the
floors were formed.
| Leaving ST. Peters, we walked 10 see
the mandatory Of mosaic. It differs
stones are employed in the Florcutiue
mosaic, the material used in the Roman is
a composition OF lead, tin, and glass,
: smel'ed and mixed with colours Of this
there are said to be eighteen thousand
shades. We walked through long room
lined with cases, in which this is arranged
to the workshops. Here we watched the
progress Of the mosaic manufacture for
some time. In an iron frame is placed a
stone, the size Of the intended picture; and
On il is spread, inch by inch, kind OF
masic, which when dry becomes as hard
! as flint. While vet soft, the workman
inserts 10 il he small peices Of which
ihee mosaic is formed, cut and ground
with the utmost nicely TO the shape requir'
e.. The tine necessary for the compile
ton of these pictures is Of course great
and The expense proportionate some costing
nearly G500O.
When the copyis has faithfully executed
his task, there is sill much TO be done, tEt
mosaic is laid on a table, and the interslict
are filed with peculiar sort of wax,
prepared for this purpose; the surface is
ground perfectly smooth, end the whole
polished. The subjects generally chosen
are the finest pictures Of the old masters
and il is wonderful 10 see the beautiful
c1tles producdd by such mechanical
means.
Before we returned home to-day VIC
visited the tomb Of Cecilia Metella--a
, large round tower, built with so much
regard to strength, that you would never
imagine il designed for the grave Of wo-
man. Nothing more is known of her for
whom il was erected, than that she was the
wife Crassus, the oppulent Triunvir. The
Gaetani family, during the civil wars Of
) The middle ages, fortified themselves within
this tower, and added the embatiled corn
ice al the top the walls are of immense
thickness, and there was apparently no
! entrance until they we're broken into, when
a sarcophagus was found, which now stands
in the court oflhe Farncse Palace There
, is something in this lonely monument SO
in accordance with the scene around, thai
il fixos The attention. 1t stands at o
; considerable distance from the city, 10 the
midst Of the Campagne: the waving Of the
long grass, the hum of the passing insect
or the wind sweeping mournlully along
are the only sounds which fall upon tht
: ear: and the noble aqueducts, the scattered
I. ruins Of villages or tombs, with here ant
there, peasant tending his scon,y flocks
: are tho only sights which meet the eye
!, All is still as the grave we look upon aut
the vast Campagnes, stretching ever,
: where around in melancholy grandeur
! !, seems itself mighty sepulchre
III Go il ,chile you're youag.-A girl l.
. - $40 has reroVered GIL ON c..