The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-04-05

EXCAVATIONS on THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT CRY
OF URIooNIuM.-We have previously noticed the
excavations on the site of the Roman city of Uri-
conium, now the village of Wroxeter, on the Sew
ern, and on the ancient Waiting street, about six
miles from Shrewsbury. One particular object of
antiquity, portion OF wall of Roman architec-
ture, about 20 feet high, and 100 feet long, still re-
mains. On the 3rd of January last the excavations
were commenced, under the direction of Mr.. Thos.
Wright +. S. A, of London, and DR.. H. johnson
of Shrewsbury; since which time several hundred
feet of the original walls have been traced. The
portion of the site eXcavated is in the immediate
vicinity of the old wall standing above ground,
and the trench dug Ia feet deep to the founda-
tons. The walls were followed for considerable
length; and the excavations formed parallelo-
gram 226 feet by 81 In this portion some very
beautiful specimens of tessslated pavement have
been found besides several silver and other coins
of the regns of Nero, Trajan, Domitan, Antoninus
Plus, Valens, Constantine, Theodosius, &c. Nu-
merous chaste specimens of Samian ware have
been picked up, on one of which may be traced the
letters s I, being evidently the work of the
Roman potter, "Celsi" bronze rings fbul2, axe
heads, roofing states with the original nails still
attached iron tripod, horns and tusks of the red
deer and wild boar, together with numerous other
relics, have to light. On the 9th inst,
about 40 feet from the west end of the old wall a
trench was opened, running at right angles there
with, in cutting which the excavators discovered
portion of a hypocaust, or furnace chamber whence
heat conveyed through pipes in the walls to
all parts of the building, and especially to the
baths This hvpocaust is not yet fully traced; it is
semi-circular in appearance; the exterior wall is
two feet thick, the outside being plastered with
concrete, colored red; in the interior three pill
lars, formed OF square quarries, which probably
supported floor. Portions of the ashes of the
fuel used, and SCOT, were found in the interior
There is ample evidence discovered to show that the
ancient city of the Cornavii destroyed by fire.
Mr.. Wright and other antiquarians describe the
excavations at Wroxeter the most important
undertaking of the kind yet commenced in Eng
land.
Hon. JAMES GUrHRIE-The New York Tribune of
yesterday, saws: There is quiet but strong move
ment now in progress, designed to make James
Guthrie, of Louisville, Kentucky, the next Demo-
cratic candinate for Presidents and as we proba-
bly, know more of him than do some of those who
will be called to give him their support, we pro-
pose to contribute mite toward their enlighten
ment.
Mr.. Guthrie is a strong man. intellectually and
physically. He is more than sixty years old, but
has been little in public life, owing to the antagon-
ism of his political views to those which prevailed
in Louisville and Kentucky during the better por-
ton OF his mature life. Forty years ago, when he
was not nearly SO rich as he is now, he came in
collision with Mr.. Clay in the fierce controversy
between the bankrupt and the solvent portions of
the people of Kentucky, engendered by the crea-
ton of a new Court to uphold Stop-Laws in sea-
son of general embarrassment, whence the terms of
'New Court" and "Old Court parties. Mr.. CLAY
was an ''Old Court" Mr.. Guthrie ''New Court
man, and the antagonism thus engendered contin-
ued to the death of the former. Hence Mr.. Guth-
RE became jackson man, and in due time was
dubbed democrat" which, as he is about the
most decided aristocrat in Kentucky, was of about
the average improperly. Mr.. Guthrie is very
rich, very independent in his notions, heavy
Shareholder and very determined champion of
Slavery. He has been a member of the Kentucky
Senate, of the last Constitutional Convention of
that State and presided over the Treasury De-
partment under President Pierce with decided
ability. He is at heart for Protective Tariff but
thinks TIE would smell sweeter or less ranklv
by some other name.
Of his chances or wi shes as to the nomination
proposed, we have no knowledge and little curl
osity.
PrTCAIRN's IsLASD.-The officers of the United
States ship Vandaa, which has recently left Quay
mas from cruise among the Islands of the Pacific
give an interesting account of their visit to Pit
cairns Island which was supposed to be the first
made there since the removal of the descendants of
the mutineers, a few months previous, by the be-
neyolent action of the British Government. They
found the dwellings in good condition, with much
of the furniture and other effects remaining exactly
as when the buildings were occupied, their bulk
precluding their removal. Gardens and fields
though abandoned bore evidence of the care with
which they had been cultivated and many of the
vegetable productions still growing luxuriant-
ly. The boats crew which went ashore gathered
many OF these fruits and vegetables for the use of
the ship; and among others, considerable quanti-
ty of the BEANS which highly praised for their
excellence. sample of the beans has been left
with us, as above stated. They also took away
several interesting souvenirs, among them, two
Bibles, one bearing the name Of the patriarch John
Adams, the father of the colony; another that of
Catharine Christian the daughter of one os the
chief mutineers. 1t is mentioned as a circumstance
evincng the fraterna regard entertained for these
people by their friends in England, that quite
large number of surplus Bibles were left in their
houses.