Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-07-30

pagoda, with small bells around the top, all
resplendent with shining brass These sad
dles look like ancient days, and probably are
one of the old heirlooms handed down from
father to son. long procession OF the ''Vir-
gin and child" (wooden images held aloft)
obstructed our way ard ruhled our tempers
for we were in the hot sun. Finally it turned
I about and passed us, and we whried away
through the white dust to the buried city. which
eighteen hundred years ago was overwhelmed
to the depth of about twenty feet with hot
mud and ashes from Mt. Vesuvius, on which
interesting occasion the whole top of the noun
tain was torn off and scattered for ten miles
/ each way, leaving a blackened smoking
desert twenty miles in diameter
where few hours before were large
cities, villages AMI fertile fields
! About one third only the city has been I'm
I covered. The work is very laborious and
has necessarily to be pursued with great can
ton and directed with enlightened skill. As
the DIRT is thrown out it is placed on railroad
trucks and hauled away. The Government
keep a3ont so men employed at this work
and an admission fee is charged during week
days. The soldiers who are stationed there
to guard the place are not allowed to receive
any fees, but they ingcniously get around that
by offering to sell you maps and photographs.
The unearthed buildings prove the city to
have been very ancient one when i. was
destroyed. stones are worn away by car
riage wheels, feet, and hands which i, must
have taken centuries to accomplish. We
will not attempt any minute description of
the place. and in fact our hurried visit Of two
hours among its interesting monuments would
not admit OF it as we could only get a general
idea of how the city looked when it was de-
stroyed. One who visits pompei with his
Imagination worked UP to q high pitch by
Bulwlr and others must expect disappoint-
ment. The scene before you as you enter the
city, which has been hidden from mortal view
iOrnear!y eighteen centuries is not an inspiring
one. On all sides are the low ruins Of the
buildings which were generally but one or
two stories in height. Very little marble
was used, but mostly bricl; and lava rock
covered with stuccO in imitation of marble or
With ordinary cement and lime. As natu-
raj consequence of the weight thrown upon
/ the buildings none of the roofs ren ain.
Among the best preserved objects arc the nu-
merous large square water troughs of granite.
which seem as sound as ever, while the iron
clamps which held the sides together have
entirely disappeared, leaving only the rusty
marks behind. The water came through the
mouth OF stone image at the back which is
worn away by the faces of thirsty passers by,
whose hands also wore away the edges of the
granite troughs as they stopped over to drink.
The streets were very narrow, allowing but
one carriage to pass, and were paved as are
the streets of Naples and most Italian cities
to-day,) with large flat stones which are
much grooved by the wheels. In few of the
houses the frescoes on the wall are lutte well
preserved, all being of pagan neurological
| character. Throughout the city are seen the
remains Of heather temples to the Greek and
Roman Deities, for the place was at first
Greek and afterwards Romanized. At the
time Of its destruction ii was favoritc resort
for wealthy Romans. The houses OF Cicero
and Sallust were shown to us, as also that of
avery wealthy man named Diomede, in whose
extensive wine cellar seventeen skeletons were
found. Most of the objects of art and value
have been removed to the museum at Naples
where they are carefully preserved. The
town is supposed to have had population of
10000 Some excavations are said to have
been made in ancient times, but during the
middle ages the place was undisturbed. In
l74S the discovery Of valuable relics led to
| excavations being made which have been con-
tinued to the present time at irregular inter-
walls. The work is now steadily progressing,
the Government approprating SIP 900 annual
ly for that purpose, which is probably con-
siderably augmented by the entrance fees re-
ceiyed from visitors. In the year GO severe
earthquake demolished a great part of the
city, and it had barely been rebuilt, when
in 70, sixteen years later, it was buried twen-
! ty feet deep with ashes and scoriae. The first
warning OF the impending doom was a shower
| of ashes about three feet thick, which allowed
most of the inhabitants to escape, but many
| who returned to secure valuables, or through
curiosity, were overwhelmed with a red hot
shower of stones. About six hundred skele-
tons have already been found. Many of the
customs Of this ancient buried city were very
similar to our own, while others were ex-
tremely odd, among the most striking of
which was the custom of placing obscene
signs over the entrances to houses of prosti-
tuition.
On our return to this city we passed through
the modern town Of Resina, beneath which
lies uerculaneum covered with lava, the diff
Guilty OF working in which has prevented any
extensive excavations. Taking candles we
were conducted down, down so feet through
the solid lava road to the level of the ancient
city, where we were shown theatre partly
cxCayatcd, and several other buildings. The
curiosities and valuables found here have also
been removed to the museum in Naples,
which we visited this morning and found many
interesting relics of the past, among which
we're a large number of frescoes taken from
the walls of the houses in Pompeii. plaster and
all, and hung up on the walls Of the museum
in frames. We also saw some exquisite
ewelry, porcelain, and glass, gold, silver and
bronze rings, cups, spoons and lamps, steel
surgical and dentists instruments, looking very
much like those in use at the present day,
marble and bronze statuary, paintings and
mosaics OF exquisite skill, pottery of all kinds,
and other things too numerous to mention.
One room is devoted to obscene frescoes taken
from the walls of houses of illfame.
From the museum we went to the Royal
Palace, an immense yellow building overlook
ing the sea and the arsenal and arms manufac
tory. The State apartments are very num-
erous, quite magnificent, but do rot compare
with those of Windsor Castle. A son OF
! Victor Emmanuel, Prince somebody, is the
only royal parsonage, we understand, now
occupying this great building. Connected
with the Palace and forming a part of it is q
| private theatre. There is also private pas
sage for the Royal family from the Palace to
the great (public) theatre near by where
facing the stage is an immense Royal Box.
The Palace probably has the finest white
marble stair case in the world. We visited
the royal carriages where we saw the state
coach of Murat while he was king Of Naples,