The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1849-02-16
Display Of Dried-mp Dead Bones.

In Palermo they never bury their dead
Captain Sutherland gives the follow.
ing account of This circumstance in his
Tour TO Constantinople." The dead
bodies are carried to the Capuchin Con.
vent. which is one of the largest in Italy;
where, after the funeral service is per
formed, they are dried by "A stove. heated
by composition of lime which makes
the skin adhere to the homes. They are
then placed erect in inches. and fastened
to the wall by the back or neck. A piece
of coarse drab is thrown over their shoul-
ders. and round the waisl;and their hands
are lied together, holding piece of pa
per, with their epilaph. which is simply
their names. ages, and when they died. I"
We, of course -says Captain Suher-
land visited this famous repository; and it
is natural to suppose, that so many corps
es would impress one with reverence and
awe. 1t was nearly dark when we ar
rived at the convent. We passed The
chapel, where one Of the order had Just
finished saying vespers by the gloomy
glimmering of dying lamp. We were
then conducted through garden, where
the yew, the cypress. and the barren
orange obscured the remaining light; and
where melancholy silence is only dis
turbed by the hollow murmuring of fee
BILE waterfall. All these circumstances
tuned our minds for the dismal scene we
were going TO behold; but we had still To
descend flight of steps impervious to
the sun; and these, at last, conveyed US to
the dreary mansion of the dead. But
notwithstanding the chillingscene through
which we had passed; Notwithstanding
our being in the midst of more than
thousand lifeless bodies, neither our re.
spect for the dead nor for the holy fathers
who conducted us, could prevent our
smiling. The physiognomies of the de-
ceased are so ludcrously ly mutilated, and
their muscles are so contracted and dis
torled in the drying, that NJ French min.
ic could equal their appearance. The
friars soon observed the levity which
these unexpected visages occasioned;and
one of them as kind of memento point.
ed out to me "A captain of cavalry, who had
Just been cut off in the prime of youth;
but three months ago he was the mnion
of king,rhe favorte Of princess Alas,
how changed! Even on earth there is
no distinction between him and the mean.
est beggar. This idea in moment re-
stored my reflection; and felt with full
force the folly ofhuman vanity. turned
to the holy father who gave me this les
son. His eyes wele fixed on what was
once captain of horse. | saw in them,
Read this titled pomp, and shrink t.
thy original nothingness HE thee to
my lady's chamber; though she paint al
inch thick, to this she must come at last
make her laugh at that The relation.
Of the deceased are bound to send two
wax tapers every year for the use of the
convent; in default of which the corpse il
taken down and thrown into the charna
house. Were it not for the number u
vacancies occasioned by the nonpaymen
of this stipend, the Capuchins would b.
unable to fnd inches forthe number o
who must die every year in so pop
Nv as this, Women are dried a
hut are not exposed. Noble
B in chests. ,..i.. ....
F,l3-"plt that right back where you took