Litchfield enquirer., 1844-10-10
Letters from Abroad. No. XIX.

ness at Herculaneum the effects of its mysteriou.
and marvellous workings. Its theater is half exca
waited, but owing to its being Immediately under
the kings palace al Portici cannot be altogether
disinterred. 1t has been sufficiently cleared how.
ever to give an idea of its sze form and mag.
ni6cence; and as it has to be viewed by torchlight
you may fancy our singular procession, each bear.
ing light, threading the subterranean windings OF
this huge imbedded edi6ce. Every space and Gre
vice seems to have been filled with the melted la
va which consolidated into firm and solid cement,
envelopng all and every thing, and 10 me the skill
and labor evinced in clearing the beautiful statues
found here from the hard and rocky substance en-
wrapping them, seem equal to their first creation
by the sculptor. In the neighborhood of this they
have cleared quite space and brought to the light
Of day and the open air, square with Streets hou-
ses and the beautiful colorado of large and hand
some temple, which, surrounded with the dark,
dirty, and dingy houses of the modern Italians had
strange and singular aspect. The sun had set
when we left these dwellings of by-gone age, but
the west was glowing with the reflection of his par
ting rays, of which we caught glimpses between
the houses as we drove rapidly past. On reaching
our hotel we were gratified to find an invitation
from Mr.. B. to his box at the OPERA and as ssh Pu-
riani" was to be performed we fastened our prep
arations and passed delightful evening listening
to fine music and the conversation of Mr.. B. and
friend to whom he introduced US. When this was
over you may imagine we were glad enough to re-
tire after day of so much pleasure, excitement
and fatigue. After this / think cannot do better
than give you an account of a day spent at Pompei
The Excavations at Herculaneum require SO much
time, labor and expense that long time will e.
lapse before much will be accomplished, while
Pompei, being covered only with ashes, has great
portion oft already disint erred You walk through
quite city of ruined and roofless dwellings, you
behold the manner in which they divided their
houses, their fine open court yards, with cisterns
at the corners and reservoirs for fish in the center
Of each, and their numerous large and commodious
baths, considered not only luxury but necessity.
Then the beautiful frescoes of the walls, the coiors
still fresh and the figures distinct, which embel-
lished every room, the numerous inches for statues
that ornamented many, and the fine mosacs form
ing the beautiful pavements of the lower apart
ments these, with the gardens beautiied with ter
races, fountains, reservoirs, and marble ornaments
especially those attached to the villas of Cicero
Saust, and the rich Diomedes, attest the luxury of
these wealthy cts, the magnificent temples, the
splendid monuments and the fountains at the corr
ner Of every street give evidence of the splendor
and elegance of the city which they inhabited. We
spent some FIVE hours in walking through these am
cient dwellings and streets In the latter may still
be seen the marks worn by the wheels which rolled
over them near 1900 years ago. At intervals are
raised stones for the convenience Of foot passengers
in crossing II is curious to see in the collection
of the museum at Naples, taken from this entomb-
ed city, how many things Of every day use they had
to which those of the present times bear close re-
semblance; many too that have been considered
modern inventions How wonderful is it to look
upon things which formed part OF the household
furniture of beings who had their existence centu
res ago--things that were necessary to their ordi-
nary every day life, objects which made part Of
their domestic comforts-beautiful creations con-
tributing to their enjoyment and delight-so many
things thought necessary to actual or ideal happ-
ness. Here you walk past the dwellings Of those
who lived, with its number to distinguish it,
and perhaps a name and some simple insignia de-
noting the handicraft of the occupant-here is the
grndstone and hopper of the miller. there the oven
of the baker-in one the study of the poet, in an
other the studio of the artist; while all are decora-
ted with beautiful imaginings of the painter and
and the sculptnor. Extending your walk beyond
the gates Of the city, you the kind provision for
belated and benighted travellers arriving toolle to
enter, the large caravansary erected just without
the walls and along the way side, on either hand,
denoting the dwellings of their dead, are monu-
ments, vaults and tablets, with memorial inscrip-
little beyond the precincts of the exhumed city,
you ascend high mound where still hidden as it
were in the bowels Of the earh lie unrevealed yet
other mysteries of the age in which they were en-
gulphed. How imposing and awe inspiring are the
scenes here presented. Mysterious and awful are
the commissions of nature-strange and wonderful
in their effects! What field does Naples afford
to the geologist. naturalist and mineralogist! On
one of the promontores of its bay, point of its
crescent are two cones, probably the crater Of
a volcano now extinct Between this and the pre-
sent active crater Vesuvius is valley. On the
sides and base of both nesting beautiful villa
soil of their fruitful vineyards warmed by the
slumbering fires beneath. Many of them are plant
ed on the site 81 some long buried village once fair
and lovely as themselves, and nearly all of which
have suffered more or less from their near vicinity
to this great safety valve of the earth. On the op