Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-10-16
lEYA. GAZETTE 6 VIRGINIA ADVERTISER
Roman Discoveries.


Roman Discoveries.
Anne Brewster's Letter to Boston Advertiser
ROME, Sept lS72.-Though it is the dead
season of Rome, so far as society is concerned,
the month of August has been full of interest
in the matter OF buildings and excavations
Nearly every day has brought its portion of ex
citing news Of discoveries of strange sarcophagi,
valuable inscriptions, fine fragments of sculp-
ture, aud the leveling of the slope of Mount
Palatine under the Velia has seemed to let
loose any number of little ends Of promises for
the disentaugling 0! the archaeological skelns OF
the Forum and P.latine. ln fortnight all
the grassy slope between the arches OF Titus
and Constantine will he cleared away. The
part already eXcavatcd looks like miniature
Pompe there are ruins of baths, broken walls,
and pavements OF coarse mosaics. There Is al
50 the trace of a small Christian Church to be
seen: double abSiS, and on some of the marh C
Slabs of It's pavement are Christian sgns-tht
palm, the dove, aud the Greek name of Christ
Ga Tuesday of this week there was found near
the column of PhocaS, 10 the Forum, large
aS.rcirt iu three pieces, scul ulptured on both
sides, which evidently served as baustrade.
On one side is represented a sacrifice; there
are fifteen persons iu the groups. The sacrifice
takes place in front OF rudey sketched tenn
rie. La the left corner Is an arch Of triumph.
On the other side are the sacrifcial bcasts-a
bull and ram These are very we'll executed
some of the perS0ns who have seen them
say the bull is as fine in its style as the
celebrated lion on the Barbcrini Palace
staircase, which Canova admired SO much as to
Staud and lie in front OF when he was modelling
his beautiful lions iii the monument Of Clement
NH at 81. Peters This barberini lion is on
the staircase leading to Mr.. Story apartment
Early in August Duke Fiano began the re-
pairs OF his palace, which is on the Corso and
st Lorenzo, in Lucina. 4 sarcophagus was
found six feet below the ground, covered with
slab of marble the workmanship is of the
best period This Sarcophagus will be opened
some time this mouth, when all the members
OF the. archaeological commission are assembled
III Rome, and much speculation Is INDUCED in
"a to its contents, Some important person
Martus burial place, where it was found. was
So exclusive that it required decree Of the
Senate to be Inferred there.
At Monte Citoru, while making the tounda-
tons for some building attached to Paazzo
Chegi, fortnight ago, the workmen struck on
an ancient black aud white mosaic, represent
ing dancing figures The place is filed with
water-thus the mosaic can not be seen until
drained. Early in August beautiful trescoed
room was opened in the foundations OF the
house, l54 Salita di ST. Maria Magglore. The
trescoes are what are called Pompelrlan can.
dclabra; black squares with figures over half
yard high Oh them, and rich cornce with
putt or children holding gar!ands. Since then
another room has been opened at the same
place similarly decorated; the paintings are well
preserved TO form some idea Of the accumu
latiou OF soil in Rome, these rooms, which
originally were on the highest floor of the anci
cnt house to which they belonged, are on a
level now with the modern cellars.
PoTAToEs In Germany there exists de-
cidcd prejudice against potatoes, because they
are composed of three tourths water, with but
ten to fifteen per cent starch contained IN IN
digestible cells. The French, who make a
perfect science Of the whole business of nour-
ishment and cookery, rarely eat potatoes eX-
ccpt occasionally fried for the second breakfast.
They consume beans more than any other vege-
table and with reason, for dried beans contain
TWENTY-FIVE per cent. albumen and fifty OF
starch, and the common leptils twcnty-slX per
cent. of albumen and fifty six of starch. In
the monasteries of France and Italy great
quantities of bcaus are used, especially dur 6
the Lenten season. German naturalists are
now searching all over the world for substl-
tutc for potatoes, and this is believed to have
been found in China in the dioscorea iaponlca,
which endures the greatest cold and is more
nourishing and better favored than the potato.
In the Museum of Natural History at Paris
specimen three feet long and weighing three
pounds was exhibited.
that nations, far from improving, will dctcrl-
oratc both in physical and mental characters,
tics, if potatoes become a principal article OF
diet. The celebrated Carl Voigt says that
the unnourisius potato does not restore the
wasted tissues but makes our proetariats ply
sicallv and mentally weak" The Holland
phvsioogisr Muldcr gives the same Judgment,
when he declares that the excessive use OF
potatoes among the poorer classes, and coffee
and tea hy the higher ranks, is the cause OF
the indnencc o! ratlons. Leldcntrost MAN.
tans that the revolutions OF the last three cen
turies have b, ca caused BY the changed nour
isRment. Ia former days, the lowest work
men ate more flesh than now, when the cheap
nntato forms his principal subsistence, but
gives to him no muscular or nervous strehs1h'
-Gultuy tm NoremOer.
\ BESEFACTOR REMEMBERED. MIR. IS. l;
Ilanlcv, we'll known i'll the West and South anC
whose fortune IS estimated at S3 O0O, 900 is said
to be. diving in Texas In 1928 Mr. Hanley en-
gagged in the mercantile business IN ClnclnDatl'
selling fine silks and ribbons He was very sue
c,ssful tor time and invested every cent nc
had in his business He finally became INVOLVED
in debt and was on the eve ofbankruptcyy. Mr
S. ". Davis Of the same city, bookseller = ano
blank book manufacturer, hearing OF MI. nau
lcv's misfortune, aud although being stranger
to him, knowing his integrity and honesty to DC
beyond oucs: ion, helped him out ofhis difficulty
Mr. Hanley strove to repay his benetactor, bu
he was doomed to a greater misfortune than he
had experienced before. One night his ; store
was burned to the ground, and he was reduced
to poverty. Mr.. Hauley determined to leave
the city, and Mr. Davis advanced him suftl
Gent money to pay his expenses and engage; IL
some new enterprise 1t was not until Octobe
1869, lapse of forty five years, that Mr.. Davl
heard from Mr.. Hanley again. during TINS ln
.l A. I,lor had amasSad large fortune