Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-12-22
Co1YeSbondence.
LsTTB. FROM EUROPE.
GENOA, ITALY, Nov. Ia, Is

GENOA, ITALY, Nov. Ia, 1871.
Before leaving Naples we made second
visit to the great museum, Borbonico,
where, as 1 told you before, are to be seen
nearly all the relics and the riches which
were found hidden in the ruins of Pompei
and Herculaneum, and other cities near
Naples.
Now we all have different curiosities to
crafty but must confess that 1 have had
nothing afford me greater pleasure than to
examine these relies, and things which
were made, used and enjoyed by people
two thousand years ago and more. In them
we can read their tastes in art, in pleasure
also discover their advancement in science,
and form good idea of the objects, as well
as the manner of their worship. 1t is in
teresting to stand by and study the features
and atti tudes of the statues and busts cut
out of marble, and wrought in bronze, rep
resenting the great men who figured in an
cient Greece and Rome, such as Alexander
the Great, Nero, julius Cesar, Heroditus,
Homer, Cicero, Demosthenes and hundreds
of others, which were placed in public
places in these ancient cities, in honor of
the men of their day, and which we have a
right to presume were good representa-
tions of the men themselves. 1t is also in
teresting to study the statuary found in
their temples, their gods, and objects of
worship. Among these is one of Diana of
Ephesus, in Oriental aabaster, the head,
feet and hands of bronze. Also the great
number of statues of fancy, history and
legend; the sleeping dancing and drunk
en- Fauns, Mercury in repose, and several
Nemeses, one of which was discovered in
the golden house of Nero at Rome. Among
the curiosities 1 must mention a large
bronze water pipe joint and cock, found in
Pompeii, containing gallon or more of
water, which has been hermetically sealed
for centuries one large hall of cases full
of articles of utility for kitchen and house
hold uses. These were all, even to the bed
steads, made of iron and bronze, and very
much like the things used now, except
they are more artistic for in all cases, the
handles, the legs, or the thing itself, was
made to represent some living thng,-ani-
NAL, bird, fish, reptile, or insect, as n mat
ter of elegance. The croc kerry and earthen-
wareSs much like the pictures we are ac-
customed to see of them, all beautifully
figured. The backsmith's tools, and me-
chanic's tools, which were found, are much
the same as are used now. Several cases
of surgical instruments were very like
modern ones. The old chariots and chari-
OF wheels are like those seen in pictures, as
well as all of the implements of war. In
one room the cases were filled with jewell
ry and precious stones, signets, seals, por-
traits in gold, silver, ivory, stone and glass,
all of which were eXquisitey beautiful, in
styles sinnumerable and from which we COPY.
Caskets filled with rings, pins, necklaces.
and bracelets have been brought out, the fair
owners of which are unknown. Much mon
ey, gold and silver plate is to be seen here,
some of which has been discovered of late.
In this room, also, are to be seen various
fabrics of silk and wool, charred, but still
re tanning its shape in folds as it was left,-
dresses, robes, skins and balls of thread
and silk, together with all manner Of arti-
cles pertaining to ladies' needlework and
toilets also loaves of bread and cake in
perfect shape, some on plates and some in
bronze shes. One partially private room
was devoted to nude figures, where are
placed thousands of vulgar and unsighuy
images in bronze; so many that it would
seem that they must have been common to
every household, and which indicated the
immoral tendency of the people, aud for
which, like Sodom, some think they were
destroyed. 1t may be so.
On the whole, l must say that Naples,
with its surroundings, these old cities and
museu ms, affords the traveller as much in
teresting matter as any place we have Wis
tied, unless it is Rome, and that should
hardly be an exception. No one should
come abroad without visiting Naples. For
few evenings before we left, we had the
pie sure of seeing Vesuvius exhibiting a
grand eruption. Only once before for ma
ny years has the display been so splendid; F.;
so we were told, and saw it noted in the
papers. The night before we left was the
great thunder and rain storm, which l men
toned in my last. 1t was the beginning of
the fall rain, which has continued ever
since-now over week-and no signs of
its abating. On our way to Rome the flood
was great and when we reached the city,
the Tber was full up to its banks, and all
the meadows and low lands flooded.
We remained at Rome four days on our
return, and left it with feelings of regret,
for truly it is one of tho most desirable
places in Italy to spend the winter, and
many ofour countrymen stay there in pref
erence to any other place.
On our way to Leghorn, as we leave the
city, we pass close by the ruins Of the new
aqueduct. For many miles the old arches,
from 10 to 60 feet high, remain to mark its
course and all over the vast plains may be
seen here and there standing portions of
the walls of ediGces which once helped to
mako up the glory of old Rome. This
whole country must have once been Il
thickly populated city, as all the excava-
tions for twenty miles along the railway
showed, underneath the soil, brick and
mortar which once had its place in some
structure. / thought as we rod0 over these
richly cultivated folds, how much wealth
must be buried beneath them, and how lit
tie would ever be opened up again, After
leaving Rome our route is mostly along
the Oofuersoi INC MeuiteIaheah' W esa"
but little that was interesting. We passed
in sight of the Island of Elba, and just be-
fore we reached Leghorn we entered the
pine and oak brush, the noted wild boar
and deer hunting grounds. We reached
Leghorn on Saturday night, still storming;
and all night and Sunday was ono continu-
GUS torrent of rain. We might as well be
shut up for Leghorn, though good sized
city, has nothing attractive about it, and is
one of those places one is as glad to leave
as TO reach.
Our next move was to visit Pisa and see
the wonderful Cleaning Tower;' and it is
a wonder as well as a beauty. 1t is 100 feet
high, consisting of eight stories. The top
most story overhangs the base by about /,