San Andreas independent., 1858-06-12

"A TOUCHING RELIC OF PoMpEII.--
In digging the ruins of Pompeii, every
turn of the spade brings up some relic Of
ancient life, some witnt S of imperial lux
ury For far the create. part, the relics
have merely curious interest; they be-
long to archaeology, and find appropriate
resting places in historical museums.
But there are some exceptions. Here,
for instance, the excavator drops, an un-
invited guest, upon a banquet; there he
unexpectedly obtrudes himself into a
tomb. In one place, he finds miser cow
ering in his heap, another shows him
bones of dancing girls and broken instru-
ments of music, lying on the marble floor.
In the midst of the painted chambers,
baths, halls, columns, fountains, among
the splendid evidences of material wealth,
he sometimes stumbles on a simple ,inci-
dent-a touching human story-such as
strikes the imagination and suggests
mournful incidents of the great disaster,
as the sudden sighs of wounded soldier
conjures up the horrors of the field of
battle.
Such, to our minds, is the latest discov-
cry OF the excavators in this melancholy
field 1t is group of skeletons in the
act OF flight, accompanied by dog
There are three human beings, one of
them young girl, with gold ring and
jewels still on her fingers. The fugitives
had bag of gold and silver with them,
snatched up, no doubt, in haste and dark
ness. But the fiery flood was on their
track, and vain their wealth, their flight,
the age of one, the youth of the other.
The burning lava rolled above and beyond,
and the faithful dog turned back to share
the fortune of his mistress, dying at her feet
Seen by the light of such an incident,
how wildly that night of horrors looms
upon the senses /! Does not the imagina-
tion picture the little group in their own
house, by the side of their evening foun-
tain, languidly chattering over the days
events, unusual heat? Does it not hear
with them the troubled swell of the wa
ters in the bay? See with them how the
light comes down in sudden strangeness,
how the sky opens overhead, and the
flames break out, while scoria, sand and
molten rocks come down. What move
ments, what emotions, surprise The
scene grows darker every instant; the
hollow monotony of the bay is lifted into
yells and shrieks; the air grows thick
and hot with fame, and at the mountains s
foot is heard the roll of liquid lava
Jewels, household goods, gold and silver
coins, are snatched up on the instant
: No time to say farewell; darkness in front
: and fire behind; theyrush into the streets
| streets choked with falling houses and
flying citizens. How find a way through
passages that have no longer outlets p
: Confusion, danger, darkness, uproar, ev-
erywhere! The shouts of parted friends,
the agony of men struck down by falling
columns; fear, madness and despair un.
chained here penury clutching gold it
could not keep-there, glutony, feeding
on its final meal, and phrenzy striking in
the dark to forestall death. Through all,
fancy hears the young girls screams the
fire is on her jewelled hand. No time
for thought-no pause-the food rolls on,
and wisdom, beauty, age, and youth, with
all the stories of their love, their hopes,
their rank, wealth and greatness-all the
once attiuent life-are gone forever.
When unearthed, after many years.
the nameless group has no other import
ance to mankind, than it may "serve to
point moral or adorn tale"