Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-06-14
PoMPEII.

Messrs EDIToRs My subject Pompei again. Already
recommended the construction Of the baths Of that city
in public and private dwellings, and will here again
into detailed plan Of the "Themea its stufa, rigda
rum, tspidarium, caldarium, &C. if did, Of my
readers would be like old friend Of mine who in the
habit Of reading his prayer book aloud in church, and
claimed aloud at every long word, "hard word, skip it."
Pompe destroyed about sixty years thereabouts
after the commencement Of the Christian by eruption
Of Mount Vesuvius In this small city three theatres
comic, tragic and amphheae in the latter the whole
population Of the city assembled witness the fights Of
gadiato We told Christian stood in the centre Of
the circle waiting the approach Of Nubian lion already had
the mountain shown signs of eruption lurd glare from
column Of fire its summit had heated the atmosphere
almost suocaon the terrified beast painting around
the snung close to the earh while the poor primitive
Christian watched the animal and silently offered prayer to
the Supreme Being Suddenly the air became dakened the
earth shook convulvey hotwater ashes and pummce
thrown from the for three days. deugng and covering
Pompe in many places sixty feet Such it's fate. For
eighteen hundred years botted out and discovered
again by accident It has been disinered with nearly
all its walls and temples almost entire. We struck at
entering this city with feeling Of perfect sotude
its roohess walls unnhabied Streets and its silence But
every point in its temples paintings and statues read
the character TASTE habits and of its people, We
that whatever wealth. taste and ingenuity could
pish here carried the Of luxury and en~
tousness The temple Of Isis Venus, JUPITER and one
the unknown God frequently visited and their feass
often attended In Pompe the and style the OPP
pose Of those Of Rome there display heavy arch
lecture the private buildings temples il light airy
and taseful the Forum, in unfinished at its
destruction shows the beautiful lgh. cour ms peculiar to all
the buildings in the city. We ia their private dwellings
no heavy columns but delicate pillars their length broken
by light weaths leaves the walls either paint
ed or ornamened with escos Cupids Pyches Bachantes
Fawn Pans landscapes The three dwellings this city
which give the complete idea Of the taste and luxury
the Pompeans the dwellings Of Diomede Pansa and the
tragic poet From the Of the FIRST Of these dwellings
the wealth and taste Of the wine merchant of that
day the long vaults beneath the house, well stocked with
wine jars once doubt well filed with choice liquors the
empuvsum, used also for the purpose of fish pond where
doubt the famous lampreys swan, considered great
decacy in that day; then the little Thermea with its
stua, gidereum, &c. the little area around which the
mansion built formed into flower garden; the solid
marble tables enirest which The guests often sat- ast
ed praired and probably purchased his wines the family
room, bed, and sitting room, small but neat show at once
wealth ease too which he must have inherited
In this house do not quite much luxury and de-
bauchery elsewhere Displayed there evidence
that Domede, the wine merchant married. The house
Of Pansa In this desire to make show
Of luxury, ease, and licentiouess mixed with low origin
and petty meanness displayed paintings to please
the eye and excite the passions decorate the walls in sco
but bakery occupies the most important portion Of the prem
But if we wish taste, refined luxury combined
with RIGHTEOUSNESS we look into the house Of the tragic
poet fear that this will occupy too much Of your paper
will therefore for the present close.
Yours, w. D. PORTER: