Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-07-29
WHOLE No. 500.
HERCULANEUM AND POMPEIIIN
Is39.

! ITcrcnlaneum and Pompei seem both very
distant from The focus VI Vcsuvius. They
are nov separated from il by inhabitants and
cultivated spaces, which have been conquer
ed iron, the lava aud recovered from the VOL
csno. The village of Portici is built upos
lie roofs of the first OF those two cities, which,
| was petrl6cd on The day Of lis death, and
INTO the tomb of which one descends us inio
mine, by SORT "f shaft, ending at the thea.
| tro where, II IS conjectured, the inhabitants
were assembled when the eruption surpriscd
In IN. Ii was in 1850 that the ruins of the
! city made their appearance for the 6rsi i,mc.
~ an excavation made at random, which
was resumed in 1870, aud finally orgnized IN
! 1913 with admirable SUCCESS. The discovery
Of the theatre and OF every thing else has la
ken place since that period The theatre is
OF Greek architecture; II ~ orDomcnted with
a hne front, and with marble columns stand.
ing on The stage itself; the spectators occu-
pied twenty one rows at steps, with q gallery
above embe ll,sheJ with bronze statues.
! One can still distinguish the places allotted
To the magistrates, the scene behind which
the actors withdrew, and number of objects
which excite IN the traveller mi ngied aston
lshment and emotion. There are also OF
llerculaneum forum surrounded with por-
tlcos and temples, which are almost oil of
them damaged, aud gaol with old rusty
iron bars 10 which the prisoners were chain.
led-a melancholy feature Of all tunes aud
places, aud "A mUnotonous emblem Of human
society at all periods. As you leave these
Excavations, which have ms yet made little
progress, and cannot be much extended -uh-
out cndsngerlDg The safety m Portici, you
dist lnctly perceive several strn'n of lava,
proving beyond a doubt that ilcrculsncu,n
was drowned in repeated eruptions Of Vcsu-
Wins.
The difficulty Of carrying on the cxcavs-
tions at so great depth, and under the very
foundations OF "A new town, has caused the
runs of Ilercuaneum to be almost abandon
ed for those of Pompcii, winch present a far
more striking interest. At HerculaneuIn
there nre only catacomhs. AT Pomp-m tho
Romans entirely revive the houses stand and
are furnished and ornamented with pctur-
csquc paintings, the cellars are stocked as
well as the tables 10 more than one dwell
! inc the dinner has been found on the table,
and the skeletons OF the guests around IL,
and then you enter every where on the sams
floor; and as the ashes, which lie but few
metres thick upon the ancient buildings, arc
cleared, tho town appears, as ours come 10
/ light again when the snow meis ~ noun
famous countries. You arrive by surburb
wholly lined with Roman tombs, and walk
over "A Roman pavement, worn out by Roman
vehicles: yOu may enter the inn there are ,he
stables, with the rings TO fasten the hnrses;
close ny is the farrlet, with his sign ever his
door. IL you penetrate into one of theso
tombs, you will fnd urns, containing ashes,
hair and fragments 0f cocned bones. Evcry
where are displayed insc scripiions, unaffected,
and touching, such as the cptaph dedicated
by woman 10 her husband: ".SeTvHia TO the
friend Of her soul" Let US advance; we are
IN the town. TO the right OF the gale you
behold the guardIaus sentry box cut into
stone. Take The foclwny, for there nrc foot
ways at Pompeii, Rn,nan foo,ways, with pnsts
a, intervals on both sldes, tootways wherein
! one ceases not to gaze on wheel ru,s, made
! 1900 years ago.
/ Whom do you wish 10 lie taken to? You
have but 10 speak-the names arc written on
I the door Of every house in large red letters.
Here Is an epothecays shop, with his drugs
in phlalS, with surgical instruments and bah
SANS stIll yielding a smell. Here are far
different things, by my faith Enter, you
have nothing TO fear but | dare not tell
where you are, unless you have perceived
the sign over the daor. What think you OF
II !-and yet facing one Of those houscs
stands a temple Of Vesta.
! Let us then, pay few visits we are ~
a bakers shop, and here is the -four. grind
sione-suppose q stone Sugar loaf covered
with an cGIingushcr also Of stone-rub tha
one against the other, after throwing soma
corn between them, and you have a Roman
MILL THIS wreiched piece of machinery was
entrusted to the hand of slaves. But l,syo
reserved surprise for you; here is soma
bread do you read the bakers name holaw,
cd ont Of that carbpnized pancake take and
break II. Open that cupboard you will find
there preserved olives, dried figs, lin,els, and
cotables OF all descriptions. a saucepan haa
been carried TO the Naples Museum, contain.
ing piece Of meat, ms well preserved as by
Mr. Appcrt's proccss.-Whai number az
meals Vcsnvius interrupted on tha, wolsl
day
I nevertheless, do not think that the Ra.
mans were greet eaters. ! have oarcsultY
cxplarcd number Of kitchens and Jinlpo
rooms a, Pompeli, and have found, even ~
the richest houses, but very trifng cooking
apparatus, and miniature table utensils. They
plates were real saucers, aud the tnblcs upaN
which the dinner was served up, but lith,
stands, IN general OF stone or marble, which
could hold hut one dish at Time. The gnesta
lay down as soldiers round their pess. Whnt
is admirable, delightful, chnrnIIug, overwheks
ming In US bafbarans OF the nineteenth ecu.
tury, is :he exquisite pureness aud drlcscy
of shape OF all the utensils which served the
Romans IN domestic life, Que must see
those condelabras, lamps, vases Of all sizes.
those charming little bronze cacfsc,ors, (G,t
every thing was OF bropse.l those tripods,
scales, beds, chairs, those graceful and ingen.
lously wrought shields which Gil up wbpla
rooms at The Naples Museum. One ausi,
above all, see the toilet OF the Roman ladies'
their combs, tooth picks, surfing irons, aud
the pots OF vegetable, aud mineral rougs
found IN boudoir. Thus the Roman ladics
used rouge aud deceived the people jus, as ~
praeticed now adays; they wore, like ons
ladies, those necklaces, rings aud ridirulous
earrings, which add nothing to beauty and
diminish not ugllncss. How ,inca resemble
one another, IN spite Of the space tha, sepa.
rates tbcin.
Above thirty streets of Pompeii sse nov
restored 10 light IL !. u ihud part Of ibe
town. The walls which formed It's enclosure
have been recognized magnificent sm.
plnlheatrc, n theatre, a forum. the temple 20
Isis. that of Venus, and n number Of other