The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-08-10


Oudinot of the charge of Vandalism, and his tesi
mony on this point is important, no one in France
being greater devotee to the beautiful than The au.
thor of the following artistic letter. which we trans
late from the Courier DIES Etats- Unis
PARIS, July 4, l849
| You ask me, my dear friend, what is my opinion
Of the siege of Rome.
| wish TO consider it without the least reference 10
politics, and neither TO censure praise the inter-
vention of France in the affairs of our ultramon-
tame neghbors. | wish to talk to you of art, which
is as worthy of consideration as is any thing else,
| being immuable; il is republican, monarchica, pa
pal, and will survive the wreck of the political
dreams Of all humanity
| 10 the everlasting honor of our arms, be il said
the point selected for the attack was that which ex-
posed the most the life of our soldiers and endanger-
ed the least the sanctifed stones of the city; that
urbs, which needs no other designation Rome is q
christian relic, pagan medal, crowned by the wise
Aurellan, with a Gordon of twenty leagues. II was
necessary, unfortunately, To hurl the devastation OF
war on this double treasure 1t was determined to
do what neither Alaric or Genseric had dared for
the city did not become surrounded with ruins until
the siege Of 1927, by the Constable de Bourbon.
The Cloths, the Huns, and the Gepide, were no
destroyers.
In 1927 the Constable, according to the account
of the Marchese Bonaparte, eyewitness, opened
his first trench before the pass Of the wall of Azure
lian, near the sepulchre of Cecilia Metella This
monument, called by Chateaubriand a chef d'euvre
Of grandeur and elegance, was then as well pre-
served as it had been in the time of Crassus II
closed the via sep,ilcrorum, rebuilt by Piranese,
which extended that far from the pyramid of Caus
Sextus near the present gate of Saint Sebastian.
|. The artillery of the Constable, most fatally
pointed in the direction of this part of the via appa
uncrowned the tomb Of Metella; destroyed the
church Of Saint Pacomus. the ruins of which are
yet visible beat down the great circus of Romulus,
which now belongs to the banker Tortonia; swept
away the two rows of sepulchres, and mutated the
church of Saints Nerea and Aquilea, the tombs OF
the Scipios, and the baths of Antoninus. The de-
ISOLATION with which the Constable covered this pre-
cious reliquary is still percepible.
If the French artillery, the best in the world had
wished to cast its shot in the same burrows, Rome
would have been captured in twenty-four hours
| but then what the Constable had begun would have
been completed. In 1897 the monuments became
| ruins, and in l849 the ruins would have become
dust.
The attack might have been made at the gate of
San Giovanni d Lstsrano, and Rome thus have
been entered without the necessity of long parallels
But in that case the least resistance would have
| made it necessary to have recourse to shot and
shell, which could not but have led to great disas.
ters.
Near Santo Giovanni di Laterano and between
it and the wall of the Tabula,ium, at the very foot
| of the capitol, Santa Maria Maggiore-two
| Egyptian obesks-the Colisseum-the ruins OF
| the Temple of Venus and those of the Baslica OF
Constantine-the Meta S,dans-the Arch of Titus
the church of San Francisco-the temple of An
| toninus and Fausuna-the Pillars Of Phocas OF
Jupiter Stator, and the great Tonans-the temple
of Peace, (Coneordia)-the ruins of the Palatne-
the Arch of Septimus Severus-the Capitol and
| Capitolne Museums-the Rostrol Monument OF
Duiius-the Granite Chart of Roman .aniiq,ior--
| the Equestrian Statue of Adrian-the Theatre o.
| Marcelus-the Ara-Celi-the relcsrof heroes snt
saints, of gods and martyrs-the heritage received
| by the world from Homer and Christ.
| An attack on the left bank, between the ruins O
the baths of Antoninus, Caracalla, and the Tiber
would have threatened the Rotunda of Vesta, tn,
temple of Fortuna Virilis, the Arch of the Gold
smiths, the Quadrifount, the Arch Of Constantine
and the great Circus. From the side of the Piazrt
| del Popolo, the shot and shell menaced the pil.
Borghese, the obeisk Of Sesostris, the Palazso d
Corso, the Basca of .4ntoninu Plus, the pantheon
| OF Agrippa, the columns Of Trajan and Antoninus
the piazza Navona, Sania-Maria del 4ngeh, the won
II A. e Ill. Il Il. L
which are museums of art, faith, and sanctity.
| From the side of the Mons Marus, the whole
world Of art would have been destroyed-the vat
tican and Saint Peters, shell would have shattered tn,
mementos of Julius H., Leo X, Bramante, Bernini
Buonarotti, Rafaele, Dominichino, Paolo Borghese
and Adrinno the works 1.-TWO centuries, the marbl,
poesy, the jasper and porphyrian chronicles, tn,
| works Of the greatest men Of earth, would hay,
persisted.
| Rome had but one strong point, yet that was thu
one selected for attack BY occupying the Janicu
lum, capitulsnon would have been inevitable anc
had an attack been necessary, it would have beer
made on the transteverine quarter which exiend'
from the pons Paulina to the pons Serti, wher,
there is but one monument, the church Of Sar
Piero in .Noniorio, where Rafaele painted his pic
ture Of the TRANSPORTATION for the Carmelites Thu
chef d'euvre has, however, been removed, and il
now in the museum Of the Vatican.
Those who have not respected the monuments o
Rome have always suffered by not doing So In th'
commencement Of the fifth century, Alaric, having
sacked Rome, was about to leave Italy. He die
not, however, bot died at Coscnza. His tomb hs,
long been efaoed. The constable was killed in tn
breach OF the wall OF Aurelian On this occasion
France has respected Rome and exposed the live
| Of her soldiers.
| When Attila appeared at the gates Of Rome, th'
great Pope Leo went to meet him, bearing the hol,
vases; and the head Of christendom induced IN,
"scourge Of God" to pause at the tomb Of Adrian
In SIS another Leo, the Nv. defended Rome sgains
the Saracens. and saved il. Rome in Is4s hat
within its walls no Pope guard il; nothing remained
to this realm Of stoicism and msrtyrdom but IN,
patient generosity of the descendants Of the chill
dren Of Brennus, and the intelligent patriotism o
the offspring Of Camlus Instead Of the pro,ec
ton Of the Pope, recourse must now be had TO tn,
good sense Of two great nations. miracle hs,
| preserved the city Of Virgil and Leo x