Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1849-06-07

The London Daily Ne VS., April 18th
has letter from its correspondent al
Rome, bearing date March 81, in which
is description of the improvements and
excavations that are going on in that city
under the new Republican Government
One work is the restoration of the ancient
Forum, which is to be cleared down to
its ancient level, from the arch of Tisus
to the foot of the capitol. The elm trees
growing upon the superintendent accu-
mutations are removed. The rubbish is
removed by contract, and used in filling
in the foundation of the railway. All
this at Rome! But this is not the most
exciting. The letter. writer proceeds to
describe visit he had made that very
4 morning, to the works going on in the
subterranean vaults of the "Holy Of
fce," where he was not little horrife9,
he says, at what he saw with his own
eyes, and held with his own hands.
| The building is ina close court, back Of
st. Peters, and is modern and comfor-
table in external appearance. But on
entering, the real character Of the place
appears. On the ground floor is range
of strongly barred prisons, used as re-
ceiving rooms; farther on, in small
courtyard, is triple row of small dun
geons, capable of holding sixty prison.
ers, and a supplementary row to the
back of the quadrangle. All have iron
rings set in the masonry. Numerous in
scriptions of ancient date are trae ed on
the walls-one is of this import The
caprice or wickedness of man cannot ex-
clude me from thy Church, o Christ,
my only hope" The correspondent says:
"The officer in charge let me down to
where the men were digging in the vaults
below; they had cleared downward
flight Of steps, which was choked up
with old rubbish, and had come to Sc
ries of dungeons under the vaults deep
err still, and which Immediately brought
to my mind the prisons of the Doge un-
der the canal of the Bridge Of Signs at
Venice, only that here there was sur
passing horror. t
I saw imbedded in old masonry, un-
symmetrically arranged, five skeletons in
various recesses. and the clearance had
only just begun; the period of their in
sertion in this spot must have been more
than century and half. From anoth-
er vault full of souls and scattered hu-
man remains, there was shaft about
four feet long ascending perpendicularly
to the first floor of the building, and en-
ding in passage off the hall of the
chancery, where trap door lay between
the tribunal and the way into suit of
Tfe obIect of this Shaft could admit Of
but surm:se. The ground of the vault
was made up Of decayed animal matter,
lump Of which held imbedded in it a
long silken lock of hair, as l found by
personal examination, as it was shoveled
up from below. But that is not all;
there are two large subteranean lime
kilns, if I may so call them. shaped like
beehive in masonry, filed with layers
of calcined bones, forming the substra-
tum of two other chambers on the ground
floor in the immediate vicinity Of the very
mysterious shaft above mentioned"
The CO: respondent who says he has
been very familiar with every thing in
and about Rome for quarter of cen
fury, very properly raises the inquiry why
such charnel-house should have been
constructed under the building, "with a
large space of ground lying outside. "
He thus comments on the affair:
"I know not what interest you may
attach to what looks like a chapter from
Mrs. Radcliff, but had not the evidence
of nay own senses | would never have
dreampt of such appearances in q prison
ola holy office being thoroughly sick of
the nonsense that has for years been put
forth on that topic by partisan pens. But
here the thing will become serious, for
tomorrow the whole population Of Rome
is publicly invited by the authorities to
come and see with their own eyes one Of
the results of entrusting power to cleric
al hands. Libels on the clergy have
been manifold during the last A months,
and have done their work among the
masses-But mere talk is nothing to the
actual views of realities
He adds that the archieves Of the In
QUESTION have been overhauled, and that
selections will be published forthwith,
including cases of the most intense inter-
est, from Galileo's time downward to
modern days. And he concludes:
eft is quite possible that the Croats
of Radetsky may force back on the pop
ulation of these territories clerical rulers
again but no friend Of the Roman Cath
ole Church, can view such an event
without deep alarm ~ .