The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-08-17

formed of large Roman fat tiles, II inches bv lS
Whlcn mas been completely uncovered, and the
trench was carried on beyond this perhaps another
loo ieet, till it came to a strong boundary wall at
tne eastern extremity of the ground now in posses
SION OF the Excavation Committee which appears
10 pe the eastern extremity of the building we are
now exploring 1t Is opposite the eastern end of the
mass OF toman masonry standing above ground
known as Old Wall. 4 trench has been carried
along the line of the eastern boundary wall about
lUo feet, TILL the workmen came to the continuation
OF the mass of what were supposed to be domestic
rooms, found Immediately to the south of the old
wall. small square room, with n wellpreserved
herring bono pavement, projects eastwardly beyond
the boundary wall of the main building. 1t commu-
nlcates Westwardly with room having deep hy
Pocaust with its walls entirely covered with there
mains OF the tue tiles so close together that the
room has evidently been intended to be very much
heated. Still proceeding westward, we came upon
series OF rather wide passages, with another hy-
pocaust in which, when opened, were found the re-
mains OF the skeletons of what appeared to be two
young women. The women of Urconium seem to
have sought cOncealment from those who were
maSsacrng the inhabitants by creeping into the hy
pocaust, which would be something analogous to
getting up the chimney of modern hOuse-a very
unsatisfactory place of refuge, it must be confess
ed, when the house was set on fire, and they seem
all TO nave been suttocated, or perhaps baked. In
another hypocaust, further west in the same line
the skeletons of an old man, with his money, and
apparently two women, were found. Beyond this
Is another square room, with herring bone pave
eht, resembling CLOSELY tnat at the eastern end Of
the building, and still more westerly are the large
"ooms with hypOcausts, which were the side of the
hrst excavations to the south of the old wall.
We have thus observed here line of apartments
extending from easttO west, above $50 feet, which
are now open to the inspection of visitors in addi-
ton to the square described above 1t is some
what singular that we have not found any mosaic
pavements, but the floors of the rooms appear gen
orally to have been formed of smoothed cement
inns, embodied with some other circumstances
leads me to suspect that still in buildings of
apubllc character, perhaps baths and wash houses
The works at the northeastern corner are aborous
and slow, for the men have to remove 10 or II feet
OF earth before they can get to some of the floors,
but we are rewarded by finding the walls standing
IN places nine ten feet high which naturally ena-
bes us to understand much better the character of
the remains. ! expect that when we have pursued
a little inrther the excavations on this spot we
snail obtain the key to the character of this great
mass of buildings
will do no more than allude to the numerous OBJ
ects OF various kinds which have been already found
IN the course OF these excavations and have been
placed in the Museum at Shrewsbury. l feel con-
vinced that the public will appreciate the impor-
tance of the undertaking, and that they will give il
their best support and, as the excavations proceed
and become more and more interesting, | cannot
but hope the day will come when the Government
Will think right not to withhold from this English
Pompeii the favor which it has at times bestowed
on the digging at Carthage and other ancient sites
abroad.