Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1841-07-24
HerCuIaneum and POmpeii I'm
uSG0-

us. They are now separated from it
by inhabitants and cultivated spaces,
which have been conquered from the
lava and recovered from the volcano.
The village Of Portici is built upon the
roofs of the first of those two cities,
which was petrifed on the day of its
death, and into the tomb of which one
descends as into mine, by sort of
shaft, ending at the theatre where, it is
conjectured, the inhabitants were as
sembled when the eruption surprised
them. 1t was in 1859 that the ruins
of the city made their appearance
for the first time, in an excavation
made at random, which was resumed
in 1920, and finally organized in 1898
with admirable success. The discove-
ry of the theatre and of every thing
else has taken place since that period.
The theatre is of Greek architecture ;
it is ornamented with fine front, and
with marble columns standing on the
stage itself; the spectators occupied
twenty-one rows of steps, with gallery
above embellished with bronze statues.
One can still distinguish the places
allotted TO the magistrates, the scene
behind which the actors withdrew, and
a number of objects which excite in the
traveller mingled astonishment and C.
motion. There are also at Herculaneum
a forum surrounded with porticos and
temples, which are almost all of them
damaged, and gaol with old rusty
iron bars, to which the prisoners were
chained-a melancholy feature Of all
times and places, and a momentous
emblem Of human society at all periods.
AS you leave these excavations, which
have as yet made little progress, and
cannot be much extended without en-
dangering the safety of Portici, you
distinctly perceive several strata of la
va, proving beyond doubt that Hercu-
laneum was drowned in repeated erup-
tons Of Vesuvius.
The difficulty of carrying on the ex-
cavations at so great depth, and un-
der the very foundations of new town,
has caused the ruins of Herculaneum TO
be almost abandoned for those of Pom
peii, which present far more striking
interest. At Herculaneum there are
onl ly catacombs. At Pompeii the Ro-
mans entirely revive; the houses stand
and are furnished and ornamented with
picturesque paintings, the cellars are
stocked as well as the tables; in more
than one dwelling the dinner has been
found on the table, and the skeletons OF
the guests around it, and then you en-
ter every where on the same floor; anc
as the ashes, which lie but few me
tres thick upon the ancient buildings
are cleared. the town appears as our.
come to light again when the snow
melts in mountainous countries. You
arrive by a suburb wholly lined with
Roman tombs, and walk over Roman
pavement, worn out by Roman vehicles
you may enter the inn; there are the
stables, with the rings to fasten the hor
ses; close by is the farrier, with hi
sign over his door. Ifyou penetrate in
to one of these tombs, you will find urns
containing ashes, hair, and fragments
of calcined bones. Every where arr
displayed inscriptions, unaffected, anc
touching, such as the eptaph dedicated
by woman TO her husband: "Servi
liza, to the friend of her SOUL" Let u
advance; we are in the town. To tn
right of the gate you behold the guar
dams sentry box cut into the stone
Take the footway, for there are foot
ways at Pompeii, Roman footway:
is with posts at intervals on both sides
'r footways wherein one ceases not t
gaze on wheel ruts, made 1900 year
Il ago.
y Whom do you wish to be taken to
T. You have but to speak-the names ar
he written on the door of every house
n large red letters. Here is an apothec;
nr ry's shop, with his drugs in phials, wit
n surgical instruments and balsams sli
a. yielding smell. Here are far difie
ent things, but my faith Enter, yo
III have nothing to fear; but dare not te
n where you are, unless you have perez
we'd the sign over the door. VIII
, think you fit land yet facing one
10 those houses stands temple of Vest
"a Let us, then, pay a few visits; we a
RAJ in a bakers shop, and here is the tlou
'as grindstone--suppose stone sugar io'
IA Las covered with an extinguisher also
'0' stone-rub the one against the oth'
after throwing some corn betwe
at them, and you have Roman m
Ie,e This wretched piece of machinery "
OBJ entrusted to the hand of slaves. Blu
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