Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-05-07

escape by numbcrless aperturcs, bordercd
with dust of lively orange color. If you
stop to admire in the distance the city Of Ma
Piles, softly spreading round the gulf, and at
your feet the evcr-smoking crater, you feel
the fire penetrating your boots, and the guide
will urge you to walk to avoid accidents
The ground, when strongly struck, yields a
certain metallic sound, and as you 90 round
the mountain you meet with gaping aper-
lures, al the bottom of which burns a rcd
and fattIsl flame. have plunged into one
of these pits long chestnut tree stick, fresh
cut and coverad with its still moist bark, and
i. has instantly caught fire. As you kneel
before these Internal gates to ascertain their
depth, you distinctly perceive within hand
reach the flame bending upon itself, dense,
quiet, and almost limpid it discharges
clouds of sulphurous acid gas, which excite a
cough, and soon compel the observer to quit
the spot. The ground, if such name can be
given to the dangerous floor which covers
the orifice of the volcano, is strewed with
grey lava, ashes, melting sulphur and pyrite
substances, whence escapes at intervals a
white smoke which affects your eyes and
lungs, and yet you cannot retire without re-
luctance from that awful scene. One can
scarcely conceive how that crater, so narrow
in its lower part, has vomitcd heaps of lava
large enough to form a mountain four times
as large as the Vesuvius itself, without mem
tioning the ashes, which. the wind has carried
to enormous distances.
Notwithstanding its fearful aspect, the
Vesuvius may be easily approached, even
when its eruptions take place. The lava it.
self, whose progress is so formidable and in
flexible, advances with extreme slowness.-
One has time to avoid or fly before it. The
slightest obstacle stops it; it turns round OBJ
jects, burns them if combustible, and cnvel-
opes and petrifics them as it cools, if they
be not so. Thus it is that the city Of Her.
eulanGum has been sealed into sentimental
lie mass, and as it were, cast in the lava
which now covers it.-Pompeii has disap-
peared under discharge from Vesuvus-
under shower of ashes and little stones,
which have gradually though rapidly COW
cred it, just as certain Alpine villages dis
appear beneath the snow in our severe VIM
tiers. Such is the reason why so much mon
ey is expend ed iu uncoverlng but few small
parts of Herculan9um, namely, its theatre,
which continues hid in utter darkness; while
a third part of Pompeii has been cleared,
exhibits itself to the open sky, and renders
us contemporary with its inhabitants. Let
us, therefore, hasten down the Vesuvius, and
view its ravages, which have miracuously
preserved for us in its whole splendcr, city
of thirty thousand souls, buried for eighteen
hundred years past.
HerculanGum and Pompei seem both
{ very distant from the focus of vius.-
f They are now separated from it by inhabi-
tants, and cultivated spaces have been con-
quered from the lava, and recovered from
the volcano. The village of Portci is built
UPON THE ROOFS of the first of those two
cities, which were petrifed on the day of its
death, and into the tomb of which one de-
ccnds as into a mine, by sort of shaft, en-
, ding at the theatre, where it is conjectured,
J., the inhabitants were assembled when the
eruption surprised them. 1t was in 1859
, that the ruins of the city made their appear
ance for the first time IN an excavation made
at random, which was resumed IN 1920, and
, finally organized in 1873, with admirable
t success. The discovery ofthe theatre and
, of every thing else has taken place since tina
, period. The theatre is of Greek ARCHITECT
ture it is ornamented with a fine front and
with marble columns standing on the stage it.
S self; the spectators occupied 81 rows of steps,
with gallery above, cmbelished with bronze
: statues. One can distinguish the places al
S lotted to the magistrates, the scene behind
U which the actors withdrew, and a number
Of objects which excite in the traveller min
: gled establishment aud emotion. There are
e also at HerculanGum, forum, surrounded
i with portcos and temples, which are almost
S all of them damaged, and Jail with old
rusty iron bars, to which the prisoners were
t chained-a melancholy feature of all time.
e and places, and monotonous emblem o.
. society at all peiods. AS you leave these
k excavations, which have as yet made little
e progress, and cannot be much extended
r without endangcl ing the safety of Portici,
n you distinctly perceive several strata Of lava
;, proving beyond doubt that IIercuIan9uH
h was drowned in repeated eruptions Of Yes.
c twins.
c The difficulty of carrying on the excava.
# tons at so great depth and under the very
n foundations of new town, has caused tn.
# ruins ofHcrculanpum to be almost abandon.
ed for those of Pompeii, which present a far
d more striking interest.-At HerculanGum
r there are only catacombs. At Pompei the
Romans entirely revive the houses stand
j. and are furnished and ornamented with pic.
e turesque paintings the cellers are stocked
: as well as the tables; in more than one
n dwelling the dinner has been found on the
: table, and the skeletons of the guests around
it, and then you enter every where on the
same floor and as the ashes, which lie bu
Il a few metres thick upon the ancient buildings
are cleared, the town appears, as ours come
to light again when the snow melts in noun
y famous countries. You arrive by suburb
e wholly lined with Roman tombs and walk
II over Roman pavement, worn out by
: Roman vehicles; you may enter therein
e there are the stables, with rings to fasten the
!, horses; close by it the tarrier with his sign
n over the door. If you penetrate into one
If oft these tombs, you will find urns containing
Il ashes air and ants of calcined homes -