Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-06-26


unable to keep courier fight their battles shoulder
of their passport annOyances upon hotel commissioners
and If they sometimes driven TO rebel against the
outrageous extorons to which they subjected when
a small sum may be Of the utmost importance to
them, do not think they can be blamed for entertain
ing different view Of things Five dollars will purchase
an immense deal of poteness in own country
where poteness is not national characteristic and
where dollars are more plenty than they are here and
FIVE dollars in Italy win purchase good deal po-
likeness than five pauls and much pleasant
impression of the Italian character The fact is people
who find that wealth will not purchase them sufficient
amount Of homage at home charmed with their fat
terng reception here where vulgary and ignorance are
barriers to the society Of the nobility and where the
gloss of gold viii bring down all classes in common wor-
ship There people who have been accustomed
good society at home, who find it quite enchanting to
be served with sayish DEVOTION to be bowed to with
humility have Urah Heaps about them on all occa-
sons and it is such people generally who carry home
certain European ideas Of fashion and MORALS which God
forbid should be transpanted upon free SOIL
We have something to learn from Europe but nothing in
the way of morals except avoid all innovations Of this
kind, if we would remain free people. The very
dton Of things here where this hollow hearted homage is
daily sold to the highest bidder and where human
is not ntrnscaly depraved than is else
where, shows to what nation may either by msor
tune by too little regard for the dignity Of independence
and those high principles of honor and virtue without
which experience has shown nation be truly pros
porous happy There is much to be pited and much
be excused in all this and the sympathies of
constantly aroused by the reflection that it is only
the traits of character which he sees at home
ried out to greater extent the weakness
to humanity brought into papabe effect by great
er density population, by difference of climate and
by the various that produce differences every
where But any attempt to introduce at home fashions
and customs which must inevitably be followed by the
results should receive the marked disapproval of
every American who feels interest in his country
In letter dated at Messina gave you account of
the catacombs of Palermo Since then have been down
among the dead men in Syracuse jerusalem and ST. Sa
ba, but have interest SO much those
Of Palermo The other day explored the caacombs of
Rome and found them old and musty with graves enough
and COMMISSIONERS enough for all the living population of
Rome but nothing else that curious except the old
monk who gave the candles led the way and told
all about ST. Sebastian and Santa Cecilia For all know
the contrary he may have eaten up the bones that
said to be down there for certainly nothing of them
1t is dark subterranean city in which the ancient Ro
buried their dead The best of the inscriptions
now to be the walls of the Vatican. A map is
shown in the church Of ST. Sebastian the Appan way
where he entered, from which it appears that the entire
extent Of these subterranean passages is sixty miles
Many them have been closed up prevent sters from
getting lost They very low and narrow and possess
other interest at present than that arising from their
historical associations Near the Piazza Barbarina
the Capucn catacombs, which being comparatively mo-
dern generally unnotioed by travellers. They
certainly very curious and well worth visit The cells
containing the dead beneath the Capucn Chapel I'm
like the catacombs of Palermo, they light and cheer
full being above ground, and wonderful from
their grotesque novelty of arrangement than from any of
the CHASTITY associations Of DEATH Bones turned into
lowers here; death itself becomes ornamental The walls
and ceilings are covered with gay and beautiful designs,
all worked out from the various parts of the human frame
There garands of flowers waving vines and uxuriant
festoons fancfu borders, stars circles and
copies from the antique mosaic limitations of the reizes
and cornces of classic times; quaint symbols of religion
and mysterious dances showing the end which must
come all done in the bones of the dead From the cell
ings hung strangely fashioned lamps profusey and
curiously ornamented-bones ALL to the chains by
which they supported Tombs on each side Of the
cells formed to represent grottoes contain ful-ength
bodies Of the Capucn fathers in the brown sack and cow
The tombs built Of human skulls the dead hold the
dead. Two skeleton children lean over mausoleum one
nous IN ms nand scythe the other has wings and points
heaven they tell Of the shorness of life here and Of
Life everlasting hereafter The mausoleum is of skulls the
scyhe is shoulder blade and the wings are feathered
with bones. The Of dead Capucn forms links in
chain to hang lamp by; his fingers for
mental border garland of flowers; his legs may be
pillars to support candlesck with ornamented
tops made Of toes his ribs are beautifully twined round
the walls represent dances in the Pompenn Style beads
and blossoms made Of his teeth and his head peeps
out from the Of skulls if in search of the scatter
ed members that subject to the viii that dwet
within il, fragments immovable save by the
will of the living the will Of God In one of the cham
bers the floor is covered with sacred earth from Jerusa
lem The bodies first laid in this and in the course
Of few years. when the flesh has mouldered away and
nothing left but the dry remains they are taken up and
placed in inches Of skulls When they are required for
ornamental purposes the bones Of the less perfect skee
tons used and those that are in good state Of pre-
servation dressed in the sack and cow and put up
right to the stranger with their feshless jaws
and eyeess sockets that death is about that to dust all
must come at last Three old frars stand in row in
chamber and two lie out at full length open tomb Of
skulls There is something fearuly grotesque in their
extravaganza Of action and expression the starting for
ward from their places the throwing up and grapng Of
the bony hands, the blanched face peepng out from be-
meath the dark oow and the horrible grin Of sepulchra
laughter that dstorts the mouth and lower jaw as II
human forttude unable endure the death fortunes had
yielded up at the last moment and madness had seized
upon the dying man. Only few such specimens, how
ever in these catacombs. The general effect is
,rro