The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-04-22

1 " . uOklOC Dy 46Ank tAAO 90 ~N--
lieu of crash towels. BE, perceiving their DRIFT
quickly set them at work rubbing each other"
One peculiarity of Pompeiian architecture II
the disregard which seems to have been exhibited
for external effect. But though plain in outward
appearance, art was lavished will a free hand IN
the decoration of the interior. Beautiful carvings
and paintings were common and some OF the
paintings are now apparently, as fresh as they
were when their owners looked upon them. The
grace and beauty of the pottery and metallic
work also, assure us of a high state of art But
though e~xcelling in this respect, the Pompeiians
were far behind the present day in mechanical
genius; and if some defunct old Roman mechanic
could be permitted to revisit the earth again IN
the nineteenth century, he would stare Win
wonder at the accurate fit of our doors and win
dows, the strength and thoroughness of our
ioiner's work and the utility and convenience
of the results of modern labor.
The ladies of the Roman empire were to all ap-
pearance, as fond of adjoining themselves as those
of a more recent period and the bellies OF Pom
peii in particular, spared no pains to win the adj
miration of their gallants and the envy of each
other.
.sTheir mirrors were usually Of steel, and some
times of glass, manufactured at Sidon, which was the
Venice of that day in that respect. But. upon refiec-
ton, / must add, that however elegant IN frame,
they could by no means maintain a steady counte-
nance beside French plate Pins they had, but they
would not sell nowadays alongside the Birmingham.
In their haste to escape, the ladies left behind them
many tokens of disturbed ~toilettes, with the usual
variety of vanity-ware. Some of their rings, pins,
brooches. and canoes have found modern imitators IN
modern art, and are as much admired 10 the year
eighteen hundred and ~ffty-four Of Our Lord as they
were in the year one. The Pompeian jewelers. have
o.roo Ja-;0pc IN MANY of our choicest ornaments.
They, I dare say, in their turn, stole them from
Greece, which stole them from Egypt. There was no
lack of cosmetics, and, for arrangement of hair,
Judging from female busts, our ladies have, as yet,
discovered no modes more becoming than those of the
classical ages. Forks are a modern invention, the
Romans preferring their fingers, as they did also to
recline at table, in n scantiness of clothing quite the
reverse of modern ideas of a dinner toilet"
The inhabitants of Pompeii had doubtless suf-
fcient time to convey their gold and jewels to a
place of safety. Sometimes, however. the labor
of the modern explorer is rewarded by the discov-
ery of a secret deposit which the owner forgot or
from other causes was unable to remove.
"In one house, near the Forum, the workmen were
astonished by a shower of gold coins, ~ffty-six in num-
Der, as large and bright as new half eagles, which
tumbled from q chink in the wall. These were soon
after followed by IA pile of silver money, consolidated
by heat into one mass. and a silver spoon. But there
are evidences that Pompeii was explored before the
lava which covered it had cooled. 1t was not so deep
as now by several feet, as succeeding %eruptions have
deposited over it successive strata. In one spot, some
twelve feet above the payements, several skeletons
were found, with money, jewels, and plate, which
they had succeeded in obtaining, but their avarice,
prompting them to longer search, had caused them to
fall victims to the mephitic gases which arose from
the then smoking mass"
The disinterment of Pompeii is pursued at an
annual cost of less than a thousand dollars-so
slowly that at the present rate, centuries must
elapse before it is uncovered. Nearly three quar-
tiers of the town yet remain buried. Mr.. Jarves
says
SIT would not be difficult to restore the luxurious
Sallust's house or Diomedes's villa to its actual con-
dition of furniture, ornament, and arrangement, as
they existed when their title-deeds were in their
builders hands. What correct ideas might we not
then possess of the home-life of the Roman gentle
man The public buildings are more interesting as
they are, but n perfect Roman house would be a gem
of antiquity. So far from entertaining an enterprise
of this sort, the King of Naples seems to regard Pom
peii as a playhouse for royalty. Houses which give
evidence of being rich in spoil are uncovered only to
q certain depth, and kept until a royal visitor arrives.
The King of Naples makes up a party, and the work
is finished for its amusement. L believe he presents
his visitor with whatever is found; but that he is
mean enough to republican sovereigns like myself, L
can testify. On approaching the street where explo-
ration was in progress, a soldier watched me rs close
ly as if | had myself been a disinterred P%ompeian
preparing to serve on him notice of n writ of eject
ment. There were human bones, broken a%mphor;e,
charred wood, pottery, and other tokens of discovery
lying about. They had just disclosed n massive door
way, on which the owners name was as fresh as If
written but that morning. Above was II window and
burned beams. The carts were taking of the min
gled charcoal and ashes, and throwing it away out
side ofthe walls. / picked up a morael of the char
coal no bigger than q walnut. The wood was 30 per-
fectly carbonized that it left not a particle of grit to
the taste, and it was as easily dissolved in the mouth
as sugar. The soldier saw my motion, rushed for
ward and seized the remnant | had not taken, roughly
telling me that L must not so much as touch even 4
cinder in Pompcii.''
The shops of Pompeii were small and mean.
Some of the counters still bear the stain of wine
glasses. Cooked eggs, bread stamped with the
makers name, olives, and a great variety of mis-
cellaneous articles have been found. Our med
zeal establishment yielded more than forty surgical
instruments, some of which are almost fac-similes
of those now in use. Two large theaters have
been uncovered in Pompeii and an amphitheater
four hundred and thirty feet in length by three
hundred and thirty-fve feet in width-all still in
good preservation. We regret that our space is
too limited to permit of further details and ex-
tracts gathered from Mr.. Jarves' work. We can
only advise our readers to read the book for them
selves, and learn all about it.
Herculaneum and Pompeii are only two of
many cities that have been buried by irruptions
of Vesuvius. At the present time the waters of
the Mediterranean are gradually receding- Ac-
cording to Lyell, it is not improbable that at
some future day they will again advance upon the
shores and wash away the high cliffs of tuff and
lava which Vesuvius has formed. The people of
that age will then behold layers of ancient cities,
one above the other, jutting out from the ocean
washed wall, and separated from each other by
intervening strata of ashes or rock. Secrets older
than those of Pompeii will be recovered.
HAWAIIAN FLoUR.-By reference to our CONNER
cial report, it win be seen that recent shipments of
Hawaiian -four have been favorably received in Cali
fornia, and from private adyices we learn that a pre-
ference was given to it over the domestic article. This