The New York herald., 1870-12-31

AS Driet despatch published this morning
in onr telegraphic columns informs the reader,
''the Eternal City"-the residence Of the Poa-
tiffs and the new capital of Italy--has just
been visited by an inuadation Of unusual
some ascribed to an overflow Of ''the Yellow
Tiber," which runs in circuitous route for
distance of nearly three miles through Rome,
and by others to sudden rising of the
Mediterranean Sea, the shore Of which is only
about seventeen miles distant, to the south
eastward. The former contingency is much
the more probable, as the river is frequently
swollen by heavy rains to as great height as
thirty feet above its ordinary level. The
width of the Tiber is Only three hundred and
eleven feet at ST. Angelo bridge, leading
across from the main to the Leonine city, in
which are situated the church and square of
St. Peters, the Vatican Palace and the Pom
ti6cal gardens attached TO the residence
Of Plus TX. The Roman dwellings and
edfices are very close to the banks of the
stream, and hence any excessive overflow of
the latter would instantly begin to invade
them, and, owing to the peculiar sinuosities Of
the ground, spread broadly over the lower dis
trcts within the city limits, and much more
80 on the low-lying and undulAting region OF
meadows and marshes outside. The winter
showers in Central aud Southern Italy are tre-
mendous when they do pour down, and in the
ATTITUDES of Florence and Rome are of almost
tropical fury and duration. Their effect in and
around the City of the Popes is, under such
exceptional circumstances, greatly heightened
by sudden torrents descending from the Alban
and Sabine bills and accommodating toward the
water shed Of the Tibsr. The old Latin poets
and historians make frequent reference to the o
| foods, which, in their time, when the Cam
pagna was studded with forests and gardens,
| often swept away farm houses and groves, with
| herds of live stock, and sometimes even the IN
| fortunate rustics who had not been sufficiently
on the alert to make timely escape to the city
| or to the mountains In modern times the
| Campagna in its nakednsss is much more ex-
posed, and less inundation than those of
| ancient days is apt to make greater impress
| sion. Hence it is likely enough that the
present food, preceded by heavier rains than
usual and rising but two or three feet higher
than its predecessors in recent years, may
have occassned extravagant alarm, partcu-
| larly since it occurs at moment when the
minds Of the Roman populace are agitated by
the striking political events that have signal
lied the past year aud by the predictions OF
awful chastisements with which many have de-
nounced the suspension of the temporal power
of the Papacy.
However, should the inun1ation turn out to
be really an invasion Of the sea the incident is
grave indeed, since its spread and dura-
ton are as uncertain as it's causes
The Campagna, extending all around
Rome and from the mountains to the
margin of the sea, with length of sixty
and width Of forty miles, although it rises
in places nearly two hundred feet above the
dead water level, is volcanic concavity full
Of depressions that change from year to year
Hot sulphurous springs are numerous on its
surface, and the lakeets dotted over it have
in most instances, distinct cone formed, crater
like openings In fine, the Roman fields tht
Pontine Mashes the Solfatara, near the cit,
Of Naples; the Hsrculanean region bsyond it
the islands in its bay the Calabrlan ant
Sicilian heights and valleys, and even 'sth'
isles Of Greece" are but parts Of vast vol
canic area, beneath waich tue tremendous
suhterranean fires OF Vesuvius, Etna Strom
boil and the Cyclops OF Santorino and tn
Morea are incessantly at work.
1T may be remembered too, that the sage
Of Canada predicted terribly destructv
tidal wave that was TO beat upon the northeas
coast of tho American Continent as the direc
result Of reaction against the attractive fore
exercised upon the opposite hemisphere q
our planet by the Moon during the recent sola
| eclipse. But that eclipse was total owe