Washington telegraph., 1848-03-15
ROME cRUMBLING TO DECAY.

This famed and proud city is not now
what 1t once was. lis ancient grandeur
and glory has long since departed. For
ages Ihe spirit oi decay has been creeping
over It. Many ol her once lhronged streets
are nw desolale, and her once gorgeous
palaces lie in scattered and erumbling ruins.
For years the population has been steadily
declining: The malaria ellhe marshes Is
steadily poisoning tho atmasphere aud pal.
sYing the eaefgas Of the whole region
Causes seem in the providence OF God,
silently and powerfully al work which viii
IN the lapse Of yeafs render Rome, like
Babylon aud NineFeh, an uninhabiiahe
desoiaton.
Rev. DR.. Adams. Pastor of the Brooine
street church, ia delivering course ol lee.
'lfes on the present condition of Rome. TO
crowded audiences. In the asl lecture
which he delivered, after. dwelling on The
eeelesiastieal aspect Of affairs at Rome, he
sad.
sl'ui over this vast metropolis has an
ar OF change aud decay passed The
seKen hills are distinctly visible, but sfeaed
aud almusl covered with broken fragments,
the ruins aud dust ol her onco proud manu
menis aud greatness. The Tiber still
ilows, an Insignificant and sluggish stream,
between It's banks, iofsellgi OF the time
when the arms and the lukuries oil the
wofld ilpaled on its tide, when il was crowd.
ed with the barges nf princes, whose gor.
genus banners and siken sails bore tes,i
mony 10 her mlgnideenee. A You look
lorlb upnn the sunny plain. Of tho Cham
Pasna, lar sifelehingto to tue sea, YOU see a
region nj sierilily and death, where the
peasants who would cultivate the soil drop
INTO tue grave almost as fast as the rain
dfops, aud where the country ha. been
mussy abandoned TO huiialoes and wild
boars. The whole population Of The Pa.
va States is only one.hait tue number
WINCH once inhabited llOme iisel. Rome
has not changed in her claim to erclesia..
Iiral power, she regards her claim a. the
highest IN power her superiority, Of divine
appointment.
so Of lis maral aspects. Preaching is
hardly known. One sermon only heard
IN Tho sis;ins Chapel, in Latin. and only
sii minutes long. Dispensalions Tor read.
ing the SacieI Scriptures are often gran,
Ell, but tic Bibles are Of such size and
shape that the common people can with
Jifiicully obtain Them. The spirl, ol Rome
is still seen in picture in which viciofi'
oGs aagei Is reprrsencd as ireadns ia ifi'
unph VA lac pEvslia,u ioms Oi Lu.aer and
Gavin.
''Bul great change has passed oycrlbe
Roman poniiiE The wealth Of Rome i.
exhausted. She is poor, hopcles,ly poor.
Wan u debt ol $4,000, 900, the interes,
Is tar OF morcibau 80 per cent. upon her
wboie income. Leo X. raised Immense
sums lor tho rearing oi churches and the
cncouragema Of The arts and artists, by
The sale ui iudulgences, hui the Council
ol Trent forbade The sale OF indulgences
for money. Kings were once impoverish'
cI by this, and wealth lowed into Rome
lke nyeIs ol water. aud Augus,an ele'
gance was united with Auguslan luxury.
iut no relzel rould now he sent inIo Ger
many to sell forgiveness for sins aud raise
treasures IN return. Rome wears the
aspect ol proud poverty. That govern.
ment is fallen which relies upon borrowed
iunds.--.Ner York Epangeli'L