Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1846-01-08

dUfc, lIeIT contents UcHlS OiPPSo ny
by ladies', Of which the museum atNa-
pies contains great many specimens.
A bakers shop arrested my attention.
The front portion upon the street con-
tanned the articles made ready for use,
behind this was the mill for grinding
the grain, in the form Of a coffee mill
consisting ola solid cone ofvery hard
lava, fitted to a hollow cone Of the same
material; still further in the rear are
ovens: so that the whole establishment
is quite comprehensive.
The general plan Of the houses is that
of quadrangle, built round an open
court. Nearly all the rooms open into
this court, at the centre Of which is x
marble fountain or cistern of water, and
their only light is derived from the
doors. From the small size Of the a
partments, it is supposed that hospital
ity could not have been one of the viz
tues of the Pompelans. They proba-
bly,, as the inhabitants of those coun-
tries still do to great extent, spent
much of their time in the forum, in the
public baths, at the theatre, or at the
.amphitheatre: here they saw everybo
Idy, conversed with everybody, and had
therefore little motive for social enter
tainments at their own houses.
The baths of Pompeii are both spa
cious and splendid They are divided
into three separate apartments: tie first
for servants and for fires, the second
for the use of the women, and the third
for the men. All these apartments are
beautifully adorned with frescoes, and
with figures wrought in stucco, both
on the ceilings and on the walls. The
basin for cold water is twelve feet and
ten inches in diameter, and is lined
throughout with white marble. A
bronze window frame was found in one
of these baths, containing four beauti-
full panes of glass, which prove that
this elegant comfort was not unknown
to the Pompeians. Nor is this the on
ly evidence of their skill in this kind of
manufacture: for large number of va
ses, bottles, and glasses Of very elegan:
patterns and beautiful material, have
been brought to light. Some idea of
the extent and magni6cence of these
baths may be formed from the fact that
one thousand lamps were found here.
Imagine these magnificent apartments
with their bronzes, their marble statues,
their relievoes, all radient with the light
of thousand lamps, and thronged with
a gay and graceful people, in easy
flowing costume, breathing the balmiest
air that ever was breathed without the
gates of parad;se-and you have pic
ture of one one scene in Pompeian life.
The fact that most Of the inhabitants
of this unfortunate city were allowed
to make their escape from impending
ruin, induces us to sympathise all the
more tenderly with those Inflated VIC
tins who persisted. l have elsewhere
alluded to the skeleton Of Diomede,
found in his splendid villa without the
gate; still more touching memorial
found in the same villa, is believed to
be the mistress eff the house and her in
FAINT child. The wet ashes had envel-
oped the mother with the child locked
in her arms. There was found every
feature and limb of both, exquisitely
rounded. Even the linen which had
enveloped her young and beautiful
form was found adhering to the mould.
But nothing Of that fair form remained
except the skeleton mother clasping her
skeleton child-a gold chain about her
neck, and gold rings on her bony fin
gers! ~ al msd
In the prison were found two skele-
tons with their bones still held by the
shackles either of justice or tyranny
In a niche nearer the forum were found
the remains of soldier, his skeleton
hand still grasping lance! 3
| could NIT content myself with a
single visit, but returned to spend a Sc
cond day among these unique and deep
! ly interesting ruins. The excavations
were then going forward, and had the
pleasure Of seeing the walls of a house
/ laid bare, which had been hid from the
Hight Of day for eighteen hundred
years! The frescoes on these walls
were as bright as if the pencil had ira
ced them but yesterday! The excava-
lions are conducted by the government.
and the premises are guarded night
and day against depredations. -Visi.
tiers are always attended by guides au-
|thorised by the government,
To explore Herculaneun, II which
was accidentally discovered in 1726