Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-05-10

have plunged into one Of these pits a long ehesnu
tree sek, fresh cut and covered with Us stii uois
eaIk, srd has instantly caught hse. As yo'
knee before those internal gates ascertain the,
aepth, you distinctly perceive within hand -reael
the hame bending upon ITSELF dense, quiet, and al
most hmpid; t discharges clouds Of su'phuric nei'
gas, which excite cough, and soon compel the oh
server TO quit the spot. The ground, IL such a mann
can be given to the dangerous floor which cover
the oriee OF the volcano, is srewed with grey lava
ashes. melting sulphur. and pyrite substance.
whence escapes, at intervals, white smoke, which
aaects your eyes and lungs. and yet you cannot re
tire without reluctance from that awful scene. On
can scarcely conceive how that crater.
It's lower part has vomted heaps Of lava large enoug
| TO form mountain four times as bulky the We
suvius itself, without mentioning the ashes, small
pebbles, and masses OF boiling water which the wins
| has sometimes carried to enormous distances.
| Notwithstanding its fearful aspect, the Vesuviu'
| may be easily approached even when its eruption n,
take place. The lava itself, whose progress rs 81
formidable and inaexibe, advances with extrsm,
| slowoess. One has time to avoid or hy before u
The slightest obstacle Stops il, turns round objects
burns them IL they be combustble, and envelopes
| ana petrihes them as il cools IL they be not so
| mus Il Is that the city Of Herculaneum has beer
sealed into semi-metae mass, and, rs it were, cas-
IN the lava which now covers it. Pompen has dis
appeared under discharge from Vesuvius, under
shower OF ashes and little stones which have gradu
| ally though rapidly covered IL, Just as certain Al
pine villages disappear beneath the snow in Out
severe winters. Such is the reason why so much
| money has been expended in uncovcring but a few
small parts OF Herculaneum, namely, its theatre,
when continues hid IN utter darkness; whilst Sd
part OF Pompii has been cleared, exhibits itself 10
the open sky, and renders contemporary with its
inhaoitants Let us, therefore, hasten down the
'es'Wius and view its ravages, which have been
m'raeulous'y preserved Tor in its whole splendor,
city of thirty Thousand souls buried for eighteen
| hundred years past.
Herculansum and Pompe seems both very dis.
tant from the focus OF Vesuvius. They are now
| separated fom 1t by inhabitants and cultivated
spaces which have been CONC from the lava and
recovered from the volcano The village Of Portci
built upon the roofs Of the 6rst of those cites,
which was petrhed the day OF its death, and in
TO the tomb OF which one descends as into a mine,
by sort OF shaft ending ut tho theatre where, Is
conJectured, the inhab itants were assembled when
the eruption surprised them. IL was in 1859 that
the ruins OF the city made their appearance for the
nrft Time IN an excavation made at random, which
was resumed in 1920, anu finally organized in 1883
with admirable success. The discovery of the
theatre and Of every thing else has taken place since
that period. The theatre is of Greek architecture,
II IS ornamented with fine front, and with marble
columns standing 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 with
drew, and number OF OBJECTS which excite in the
traveller ming led astonshment and emotion. There
are also al Herculaneum forum surrounded with
portIcoes and temples, which almost all of them
damaged, and gaol with old rusty iroa bars, to
which the prisoners were chained-a melancholy
feature OF all times and places, and a HOMOGENEOUS
emblem of human society at all periods As you
leave these excavations, which have as yet made
little progress and cannot be much extended with
out endangerins the safety Of Pouci, you distinctly
peuseive several strata Of lava. proving beyond a
doubt that Hercuianeum was drotcRedin repeated
| eruptIons Of Vesuvus
The difficulty Of carrying the excavations at so
great depth, and under the very foundations of
new town, has caused the ruins Of Herculaneum to
be almost abandoned Tor those Of Pompeii, which
present FAR more striking interest At Hetculane-
um, there are only catacombs. At Pompeii, the Ro-
mans entirely revive; the houses stand and are fur
nished and ornamenIed with picturesque paintings
the cellars are stocked as well rs the tables; in
lhan one dwelling, the dinner has been found the
table, and the skeletons OF guests it, and then
you enter everywhere on the same hoor and as the
ashes, which lie hut few metres thick upon the an
cent buildings, are erred, the town appears ours
come TO light again when the mets in noun
famous countries. You arrive by suburb wholly
lined with Roman tombs, and walk over a Roman
pavement, worn out by Roman vehicles; you nav
enter the inn; there the Stables with the rings
TO fasten the horses; close by the farrer with his
sign over his door. II you penetrate into one of
those tombs, you will find urns, containing ashes,
hair, and fragments Of cllcined bones. Every
where displayed inscriptions, unaffected, disnI-
ned, and touching, such the eptap h dedicated by
a woman TO her husband: "Sruilia 10 The friend OF
| sr>sOHL" lie. US advance; we are in the tow u.
To the right OF the gate you behold the guardian,
| sentry box cut into the stone Take the footway
for there are footways at Pompeii, Roman fooiways
! with posts at intervals both sides, fooiways
wherein one ceases not TO gaze wheel ruts, made
| eighteen hundred years ago.
Whom do you wish TO be taken to1 You have
but 10 speak-the names written on the door OF
every house in large red letters Here is an apoih
ecAry's shop, with bis drugs IN phials, with surs-
cal instruments and bllsams still yielding a smell.
Here are far dlieren, things, by my faith Enter,
you have nothing 10 fear; but dare not tell YOU
where you are, unless you have perceived the sign
over the door. What think you Of it itl-and vet
facing one OF those houses stands a temple Of Yes
ia!
Let US, then, pay few visits; we ar. in a bakers
shop, and here is the flower. grind stone--suppose
stone sugar loaf, covered with eItnguisher also
of stonC-rub the against the other after throw
| ing some corn between them, and you have a Ro-
man MILL This vretehed Piece of machinery was
entrusted to the hands OF slaves. But have re-
! served a surprise for you; here Is some bread-do
! you read the bakers name followed out of that
carbonzed pancake take and break j.. Open
that Cupboard, you will find there preserved olives,
dried hgs ntels, and eatables of all descriptions
saucepan has been carried TO the Naples Museum
containing piece OF Esat, as well preserved as by
Mr. AppertSs process. What number of meals
], nevertheless, do not think that the Romans
were great eaters ] have careful explored num-
b'r Of Kitchens and dining rooms at POmpei and
have found even IN the richest houses, but very tr
hlng cooking apparatus, and miniature table uten-
sIls Thar plates real saucers and the tables
upon which the dinner was served up but little
stands. in general Of stone or marble which could
hold but one dish at lime. The guests Law down
around as sold e g round their moss. What is nd.
mlfable, delightful, charming, and oycrvhelmi IN
as biTbarians OF the nineteenth century, y The ey
quisite pureness aud decacy OF shape Of all the
utensils which served in Roman domestic life One
must those cindela bras, lamps, vases Of All
sizes, those charming Little bronze cIlsfactors (or
every thing was OF bronze,) those tripods, scales
beds, chIirs. those graceful and so iDgsniousl y
wrought shields which 81 up whole rooms at the
Naples Museum. One mus, above all, see the
| toilet arsenal OF the Roman ladies' their comb.
toothpcks curling rom, and the pots OF yegeto bis
and mineral rouge found 10 boudoir. Thus the
/ Roman ladies' used rouge and decAiyed people lust
( IS IS praetised nova days; they wore, Ike out
ladies, those necklaces, rings, ard ridiculous ear.
rings, which add nothing TO beauty and DIMINISH
not ugliness. HOY times resemble one another, in
spite OF the space that separates them.
! 4boye thirty streets Of Pompeii are now restored
10 hthJ u - third part Of the town. The wal,
which formed its ANCIENT enclosure have been recog.
nHsd; magnificent ampgtheatrc, q theatre, q 10.
! rum, tie temple Of ISIS that Of Venus and mum.
Der OF other buildings, have been cleared The se.
cfet stairs by which TIE priests Of those times sy
crept TO prompt the oTscles baVe been detected -
| On bsbodnS so many monuments Ebich display
~ % lively manner the Importance Of public and
tee Independence Of private lie among the Romans
II y Impossible TO resist feeling Of sadness and