The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-11-30
Hercuian@um.

/
n@um, writing from Naples gives the
following account of the recent excaya
tions at Herculaneum
Months have now elasped since | call
cd your attention to the fact that gov
ernment had recommended the cxcava-
tions of Hcfculanaum. Wonderful it
is, indeed, that, after the discovery there
of such miracles Of art as now enrich
the Mucso Borbonco. these excavations
should have been so long suspended; and
lequally wonderful is it hat on being re-
newcd. the work should be done on SO
parsimonious, SO wretchcd "A scale One
half of Hcrculaneum may be considered
us lying under the modern city of Resi-.
ma, and as therefore lost to the world,
for the present at least the other half
lies under vineyards
The portion which has hitherto been
cxcavatcd. is but minute portion. n
mere corner of this latter, this accessa-
bic half To the restoration to the light
OF what may influence so much the taste
and bear So much on the comforts and
convenienccs of mankind, the Neapoli.
tan government has At leugth resolved to
/ devote 400 or 400 ducats a year-a
grant equal to about eco or As cd
day enabling the directors to put on
not more than ten Or twenty mcn.-Still
the smallest instanent of what is due to
the world is better than nothing. Be-
fore, however. speak of what has been
done during this year. shall give has
iy glance at the past.
1t is of course as wcll-known in Eng
land as in Naples, that all the chcts a.
cenrrc of art aud of antiquity which have
produced such happy revolution in the
taste of entire Europe, and 50 much af.
fcctcd domestic ornaments and even u,eu-
sils were found during the last century
in Hcrculaunum. Until very recently
the excavations have been conducted by
burrowng rather than mining thus cn.
abling the antiquary to abstract what
was interesting or valuable in art. but
leaving the ci,y as FIR removed from or
dinary observation, as it had been for
eighteen centuries 1t was at leugth re-
solved in 1927. to lift the cover and cx-
pose the city to light-a suggestion for
which we are indebted to Cavalier Bon
ucci, who for many years has been dircc.
tor OF the excavations of the kingdom
of the two Sicilies,and who is well known
to the world By the many important dis
covcrles Which he has made.
The revolution of lSlS'-o, was, Of
course, death blow to all the proceed.
ing connected with mere taste for the
fiue arts, and the excavations of Ilercula.
nDuni and Pompeii were suspended. The
objects of interest which had been dis
covered in them aud deposited in the
Musco Borbonico, were voted national
property, and if party representations
can be depended on, were III danger of
changing hands. Everything, however,
has now returned to the administration
of the royal house, and one Of the first
consequences is the renewal of the work
both ut Pompeii and at Herculaneum.
To direct the later Bonucei has in
more particular manner been destined
aud though such paltry sum has been
devoted to so important all object. we
yet hope that the little that can be done
will have the effect of stimulating to
greater effort
The new excavations commenced in
January last, have already brought to
light part of the old arsenal. near the
port of llerculaueum, 50 famous in the
times of Augustus and Titus. Former
ly the sea washed the walls it has now
receded full half mile, SO that the bare
mention OF the port Of IlercuIaneum, is
enough to awaken smile of incrcdulty
on the face of one who is unacquaintcd
with the changes that have taken place
on the coast Of the Mediterranean. On
visiting the spot few days since, | found
myself in a series of small rooms or a.
partments, with kitchens attached, which
had just been laid open; apparently they
had been quarters for marines. The en-
trance was over a roof which is on lev
cl with the present surface of the ground;
aud dcccndiug few steps on the lcs:.,
we found four or five other steps, at tue
bottom of which was an entrance to
probably cellar, over whose roof We
had entered.
Here there was found so much salt
water sarging up, that the works had
been for moment suspended our d.
rectiou, therefore, lay straight forward,
into the small room of which | have
spoken. The roof is vaulted. and very
lofty whilst the partition walls are very
low, showing that one large hall or space
had been hastily rrudel arranged with
view to the convenience of numbers.
In the first small room, which was a
kitchen. still exist the stove aud CRATES,
precisely of the same form as are now
to be seen in every part of M,gna Gre.
cia. Beneath the stove lay fragments
Of pottery, which slovenly cook mi ght
have thrown there an hour before, to get
them out of the way" whilst the bones
Of the poor cook it might be, were found
mixed up with ashes aud Instruments of
his trade
In the same place, also, were found
bones and minute fragments ofiron plates;
indicating, in the opinion of Cavalier
Bonucei, that in the awful moment of
this city's destruction some men were
surprised and overwhelmed on .his very
spot But few remains could be pre-
served, so utterly destroyed were they
by time, and so mingled and moulded en-
maSsc with the fine ashes, which had moi,
been, perhaps, carefully enough removed.
All, indeed. that could we'll distinguish
were portions Of ribs aud skull bones -
Yet what a melancholy interest have
these, especially as connected with his.
tory II is said of Pliny the elder who.