Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-05-24
FROM OUR PARIS CORRESPONDENT

FROM OUR PARIS CORRESPONDENT.
PARIS, May 8, 1851.
There is really no political news of importance
from France this week. will not incumber your
columns with such is of only secondary interest
for it is not improbable that in a few weeks my
letters will have to be almost exclusively filled with
political details. Fusion, revision, prorogation are
the engrossing themes yet in the Paris press.
Respecting these, some new events must turn up
ere shall have any thing new to say.
Embarrassed as they are however, by the political
difficulties Of the day, the Assembly and Ministers
still give attention to literature and science.
A few weeks since handsome sum was voted, at
the instance of NJ. ARAeo, for the mounting upon
parallactic apparatus at the Paris Observatory
new telescope of immense power; and now M
FAUcHER, Minister Of the Interior, has introduced
bill asking the Assembly to appropriate $40, 3O6 to
be applied to the expenses of publishing new
! work by M. PERRET, entitled "Subterranean
Rome" This work deem Of sufficient interest,
both in religious and literary point of view, to
justify notice of some length, for which shall
freely use the expose or report with which M.
FAUcHER accompanied the presentation of the bill
to the Assembly.
M. PERRET, talented French architect and
painter, has for years made the monuments which
era his special study. Those which exist in the
museum Of the Vatican and in the other Roman
collections and which other authors had perhaps sufficiently
described, served only starting point for NJ Pere He
wished go back it the very origin of the
and for five years, confined in the Roman catacobs be
pored in every direction that suberranean city which
ancient Rome He made copies Of the paintings and
inscriptions found there and his almost every step mark
ed by important discoveries Upon his return to France NJ
Pere in order the rich he had collected and pre-
pared them for publication He applied to the Minister of
the Interior for pecunary aid Good will existed to extend
it 10 him. but it found that ordinary of the
Ministry, of which this disposition might be made, in
sufficient and NJ Perret thinking Of accepting advan
ageous foreign proposals for publishing his work, when
suggested that the honor Of publication might be reserved
for France by appeal for funds to the National Assembly
The chief merit Of M. Pelrsls work (says the Minse)
consists only in the number, but also in the novelty Of
the documents collected and in the singular light they throw
upon the origin Of christian art and upon the authenticity of
great number Of monuments whose dates henceforh
certain These monuments abound in the Roman caacomb
of which they formed in sort the exclusive decoration
In fact these subteranean cavities in the early Of
christianity served asylum for prosecuted believers
sacred place the celebration their holy mysteries and the
burial place Of dead believers In aertmes when the new
religion had trumphed and christians able to worship
In public the caacombs continued TO be consecraed cems
es and the pey the popes and Of believers took plea
in enrichng them with monuments and paintings where
the history of christian is found reproduced, epoch by
spoch during long series Of ages Hitherto the caacombs
have only been mpeecty studied Several works had given
curious but inexac descriptions Of of the monuments
The date of these works will account for the vcds in these
publications and their imperections The work Of Boar
belongs to the year 1897 and the collections of Boso and
Arnghi date from 1882 and 1861. The only plates of
less imperfect character which exist in the work Of Seroux
dAgncourt but these few in number and upon two
small scale give exact idea Of the monuments repre-
sened II is to the restitution of this portion Of the history
Of art - impecy known to this me that the five years
labor Of NJ Pee has been devoted The patient and thorough
examination of than sixty ca,acombs presenting
aggregate extent of about three hundred leagues 50 miles,
has enabled him collect multitude Of and
dates by means Of which he connects ancient with modern
art and Eliminates certain points Of the history Of christianity
For instance he has been enabled establish in the cleaes
manner the origin Of the traditional images of Christ the
Virgin Mary the Apostles and Of great number Of holy
personsges In the catacombs of st. Caxtus upon the
plan way he has discovered the ancient paintings
known in which represented the person of Christ and
subjects taken from the Old and New Tesaments. These
paintings which go back the first and second centuries,
will be reproduced by fifty Eight plates in the work Of M.
Perret Expiring paganism and the religion singu
larry mingled together there, and the transition is marked
clearly as possible The subjects for instance taken from
the Old and New Testaments, but the distribution Of the
groups the accessories the whole aspect and generally what
appeans the mode of execution belongs the yet
fourishing pagan art Christianity furnishes the subject,
paganism the form. From age to age, in proportion
christianity gains ground this form modified art seeks
and finds modes Of representation. It not only
furnishes the thought expresses that thought in language
which is its Fy-seven pictures. copied in the cata-
combs of st. Agnes the Nomenanan Way, and which
appear to date from the second and third centuries represent
among other subjects Adam and Eve Tobias and the Angel
Herod and the Magi, the Paralytc.
Tn the catacombs Of st. Cyriac the ria 7burtna
found dating probably from the third and fourth centuries
very curious portrait Of the Virgin Mary, and the Oldest known
perhaps Of saints Cece Cyhac, and Cahsne To these
and other caacombs NJ Pere has collected three sub
jsc,s illustrating the early days Of christianity But perhaps
the most interesting Of all those discovered upon the OPEN
ing under the direction NJ Pee of the we'll of Patons
which was for time the tomb Of Saints Peter and Paul.
and which Pope Damascus in $685. caused be ornamented
with esco paintings and which since that epoch has remain
ed closed These frecos represent Saviour and the
Apostles.
The Minister adds that the work Of NJ Perre acquires ex
and value from the scrupuous and perec
ton with which the copies have been made. The paintings
have drawn the
tons taken sim and the collection of NJ Perre consist
ing Of three hundred and SIXTY studies in folio, ubdivded