The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1848-04-07
From Ire Christian Mirror.
MI. Palmer's Sketches.
No. XII.
CONCLUDED


vius, and observing their relative positions
and the appearances which they now present,
the rejecting traveller is naturally led to in
quire, or at least to speculate, respecting the
nature of the extraordinary occurrence by
which the cities met their fate. Standing ON
the top of Vesuvius and facing toward the
bay, Pompeii lies seven miles distant, on the
left-Herculaneum in front. directly between
the mountain and the water, and Naples 5 or
6 miles distant on the right. That Hercula-
neum should have been overlooked with lava,
while Pompeii was covered with ashes only,
is easily accounted for by difference of situa-
tion but how it came to pass that Naples
suffered but little injury, while Pompeii at
greater distance from the mountain, was de-
stroyed, is not SO easily explained. I was
impressed, however, with the belief that the
present shape of Vesuvius affords, when
carefully observed, the means Of arriving at a
highly probable solution of the problem. 1t
seemed to me that there could be but little
doubt that in the great eruption of a. d. 49,,
very large section of what was then the
highest part of the mountain, was exploded
into fragments and blown into the air; thus
lowering the elevation very materially, and
opening an immense crater, at least two miles
across. In this terrible explosion, it would
seem that the side next Pompei was the
weaker; and thus the bursting in this dircc-
ton extended farther down than on the side
next Naples, which being composed of rock
was firm enough to resist the pressure;-the
effect of which would be, of course, to project
the materials exploded toward the former,
but away from the latter city. The base OF
the great cone which encloses the present
larger crater, appears to occupy the area OF
the vast crater which was opened by that
wonderful eruption. But as the subject can
not be we'll explained without a sketch ex-
hibiting the present appearance of the noun
tain, l will not dwell upon it here.
Among the things which strike one singu-
larly at Naples, is the very general use of
asses among the laboring people. You see
them every morning thronging into the city
in great numbers, laden with immense piles
of produce for the market, and indeed with
all sorts of commodities, contained in large
pannicrs, or in bundles almost equal in size to
the animal itself the man, woman or boy
who may chance to drive each donkey, al
most invariably holding on By the tail with one
hand, and carrying in the other heavy whip.
You find them also in the charge Of men and
boys about the streets saddled and bridled, to
be let 70 those who may have occasion for
their services. There was something quite
oriental in the picture which they presented !;
and having all of us read the Arabian Nights ,
we were from the first so greatly taken with
these long cared neutrality-suspicious. by kind
of telloao feeling-that we resolved on our last
morning at Naples to have ride la pictur-
esque. We accordingly took five asses for
our party, and a guide, with mule-teer-if
that is not an Irish bull-to drive US; for let
it be known that the above named illustrious
and classic animals, have such an endowment
of Roman .1frnanesS, that no amount OF cudgel-
| ling by the rider will avail to accelerate their
pace at all. Imagine then a Yankee lawyer of
Distinctions partner in a large mercantile
house in New York-a senior member of
Bowdon College, and our humble reverence,
with our French Italian valet de-place, all
mounted with white hats of broad venerable
brms upon our heads, and stout cudgels
chiefly by way of flourish in our hands, and
followed by our rear guard on foot, attached
after the usual manner to tail Imagine us
I say, advancing in grave procession through
one of the principal streets of Naples, as we
made our way into the country, with due