Washington sentinel., 1854-01-10

mountains and heights, the names of which are
as familiar as household words to every reader
of Latin history or verse. And when you have
taken in these views, and fairly formed in your
own mind amapo of old Rome, you are prepared to
descend and begin to look at one after another
Of the antiquities which you have been merely
getting birds eglance of from the top of the
tower.
NV friends, Messrs. RICHTER and Hill, who
had crossed the ocean with me, and travelled
some weeks with me in Europe, were anxiously
waiting my arrival in Rome. They were my
guides to all the wonders Of ancient and mod
ern Rome, and having already made themselves
familiar with every object of interest, they are
as able, as willing to lead me to these affairs OF
dead paganism and half dead christianity OF
which this city Of two dispensations is the Je-
rusalem. They led me also beneath the sur
face Of things, and showed me the tombs of
the Scipios, and the catacombs, those mysteri-
GUS excavations, which have beeen the ceme-
teries of the dead, and the sanctuaries of the
living. An old monk with dim canae, which
made the darkness and his own ugliness the
more formidable, conducted us through long
passages dug from solid rock, which seemed to
be endless passages leading to nothing, but
empty shelves for cofins, and tabular stones
with inscriptions dating back to the Christian
era, and last he brought US out by another way
from the entrance and we breathed freely
again on coming into the open air. Such in
fernal regions as these might have given to old
mythologists the idea of their hell; an idea
which in some form or other has formed part
of every system Of religious doctrine OF the
Pagan or Christian world.
Riding out a little father on the Appian Way,
we came to the tomb of Becelia Metella, which
has stood nineteen hundred years. It is more
like fortress than scpulchre, and indeed has
been so used in times of war. 1t is round
tower seventy feet across, and built on bed OF
lava, with strength to resist the ravages time,
and has withstood the robberies of successive
generations who have plundered it not only Of
the beautiful white marble sarcophagus which
stood deep in its centre, but of all the ornaments
and vast wealth of its materials, which have
been carried off to build or adorn the modern
palaces of Romans who live on the monuments
of the past Within short walk of this re-
markable tomb is the Circus of Romulus Max
entius, the outer walls of which are still stand
ing, showing the form and dimentions OF this
amphitheatre, which would contain 100000
spectators Here the chariot races were run,
and those equestrian sport where the eritdtd
meta of Horace drew down the applause of the
multitude, and victory, as in the Olympic games,
was rewarded with fading crown. And
went with my young friends to visit the Mau,
soleum of Augustus And would you believe
it, found modern circus within its venerable
walls-the. sepulchre of the old emperor,
theatre for horses ridden by women under the
full light of a Roman sun. But the riding was
not bad A beautiful girl with scant patterns
for skirt, and none for sleeves, was exhibiting
tableaur cicantes on horseback with q hand
some young man, and when he stood erect on
the horse, and carried her around the ring in
his arms, while she struggled to get free, the
scene did somewhat resemble the rape OF the
Sabines, with which the settlement Of this haunt
of robbers is identified.
By and by, / hope to take up the description
of each one of these old memorials of Rome,
and after the most approved style of dull his
tory, give you oil the particulars. Now you
must be content with such sketches as these.
IRENNUS.