The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-12-19
rHE DAILY GAZETTE
cry OF POMPEII.

CITY OF POhPEll.
correspondent OF the New York
,.asl Of Commerce, who has been
'aa,.. .;.;,;ng the ancient city Of Pompeiii,
VI" ,," being excavated hy the Neapoil,,
av' ,su Government, Cove gives the subjoined
1Ieaying the temples, we entered
q. astreet Of abundance'--caile 50
from t,s q statue Of Abundance found
,here as The front Of all the houses on
s.ch se side the street was used tor store.
: ' .hous. the name Of each occupant
y S.;no 10 inscribed on the entrance in
vs ,.de characters Of red paint. The
isa lonses connected with these shops,
. .ra indeed almost ell the houses in
pompeii. % are small and low, though
.Ssuted in most respects to the climate
and and to the habits Of q people who
.nsot s most Of their time in the open
II ,EIu. and IN public. The portions Of
,hs house opened to visitors are the
,ss,;bnle y or porter's lodge, through
which YOU psss into the at,lun., quite
! SPACIOUS room, covered with nat
,ooi, opened in the centre for the pur-
bose si admitting the light, or secur'
Ing the rain. which descending through
II !, into . cistern occupying the centre
Of the room, and made OF marble, fire
ouently wrought into forms Of great
beauty. The walls and root OF this
sparta,snt were sometimes splendidly
oruamented, and the floor always OF
marble or rich mosaic. Opening in
to the atrium on the sides, We're the
rooms for the reception OF strangers,
and also the dining room. Through
this dining room they passed into the
more private apartments Of the family,
You Srs, come into court open TO the
.ir in the mi Idle, and surrounded by
! covered colonade, the centre OF this
count filled with flowers and statues,
and not un,requently adorned with a
fountain. Surrounding the court
were the dining saloon, the sitting
room. the library. the picture gallery
and the bed rooms. There was also
8 bath room in one angle of this court
and q little room set apart for house
hold goods. The second floor seems
to have been exclusively devoted to
store rooms and to apartments for ser
wants. In therear was . small garden,
corresponding in many respects to a
we'll kept ward Of q New York resi-
dence, filled with shrubs and flowers
and vines.
son one side, ct q short distance,
they pointed to the villa OF Cicero; but
m this was q matter Of uncertainty,
We hurried on the villa Of Diomede,
which has often been described. 1t
stands Just where this melancholy
nnet terminates, in the open fields OF
the country, and We found ourselves,
much to our surprise, stepping up by
.aigh. OF six steps, directly from the
street Of the tombs into what is consid-
cred the most elegant and wonderful
ofall the ruins of Pompeii. We pass
Cd through the various suites Of rooms
already described, bnt much larger
and more elegant. We stopped with
much interest in the museum. We
descended finally to the garden, IN
the rear, overlooking the sea; and
"here," said our guide, pointing to the
gate Of the garden, "were found two
men, the one holding in his skeleton
hand purse containing one hundred
gold and silver coins, while the other
man still grssped the key ofthe villa'"
They were the master and the servant.
But our interest il this scene was al
most forgotten as our guide led us still
further down into cellar, where were
found seventeen other members Of the
family, who had evidently sought this
as their last refuge from impending
destruction. They were mostly fe
males, and two Of them were children
whose beautiful blonde locks were as
bright when discovered as when blew
over their faces the sweet breeze OF
summer. The allaviu.n had hardened
upon their bodies, producing perfect
coats not only OF their forms, but even
oithe delicate texture of their linen
and jewels. A part OF a castofa fresh
Young girls neck and bosom, taken
l.om the cellar, is still exhibited at the
Museum, and --our guide holding up
als torch against the wall--we saw the
'o'ms OF two pngsons distinctly traced,
sanding therefor support, while the
sahocating torrent immersed their per
sons y, and sealed them up in darkness,
Inc sight | can never forget. Il was
We last house we visited at Pompeii
and that cellar, with its sad and vivid
pictures ofsudden and overwhelming
run, was a fitting termination to the
noors OF one OF the most exciting days
"my lite.
Exhibitions Of ancient life are seer
on every hand. The public bathing
rooms are as perfect as when he Pom
pellans enjoyed their luxury. The
visitor IS continually on the most beau
s'ul mosaic pavements, and exquisite
"un'alls, statues, and paintings ar,
ever before him, while various temples
%sgreat size, noble design and elegan
nnish, excite his admiration"