, 1874-05-23
The Land Mainly Devoted to Pasturage.-.
Some Wloat Grown, ut The Peril
Of Human Life.
No Satisfactory Explanations as Yet
Giycn Of tho Causes Of tho
1nsalubrity.
Hopes Entertained of Disinfecting tho
Qanpagna by Planting Forests
Of the Eucalyptus.
Tree.
Special Correspondence of The chtcaqo Tribune.
ROME, April Q, 1874.
Rome can only DO approached by passing
through the great plain known over tho world

HoMEt Affl1 u 1874.
Roma can only bo approached by passing
through the great plain known over tho world
~
TIE oAMPA1NA,
and whose reputation il chiefly derived from tho
deadly malaria which in aummor overapreads it
aud rendorH 1t uninllabitable by the human raos.
had formed an opinion, before seeing 1t, that
1t WAS low, flnt prairie, mhrshy and wot In
creator part, and that is fatal insalubrity arose
from the decaying Of rank vegetation and tho
putridity Of etagnant wascr undor the action Of
= feryid italian sun. I bad probably confounded
It In come way with tho poisonous pontiuo
Marshes. But, since I have traversea the
Marshes, and crossed the Campagua in
several directions, tho erroneous impression
has bcen corrected. The Pontiac Marshes lio q
considerable distance beyond tho Campagna to
tho southeast, and are on tho right hand Of tho
traveller going to Naples, homo distance from
the railroad.track. and situnted towards tho sea-
ahoro. Us the Calumet marshes arc towards Lake
Michigan. The Campagna Is no more like q
marsh, or low, wet plain, than are Cook, Lake,
Du Page, and ,Kane Counties {Htriking OF the
Calumet swamp from Cook and 1t covers about
the Same area aa those counties,-itB length
boing G2 miles, and ita brendth 45 miles. Rome
Ia situated
nEAnLr IN THE MIDDLE
of this great foyor-broedng pIain, boing IS to
20 miles from tho soa to the southwest,
and 20 to 80 miles from tie mountains which
girdle the plain and bound the horizon to the
northward and eastward. This plain embraced
the groater portion Of tue anoiont Latium and q
considerable part OF Etruaia, and waH long the
battlefield Of D tribe whose subsequent victories
brought all nationa under Its rule
Tue Campagna Of Rome greatly resomblea
the uldulnting OF rolling prairies Of Iowa or
Kansas. Along tho margin of tho mountains
there are foothills and ridges which project q
sllort distance into the plain; in gome plaoos
qey rise into low conos, OF tho shapo Of an In
sSStaod bowl, ,-iu others, more lie an inverted
,aucer; aud tho tops Of thoao elevations nro Of
ten crowned by village. But nino-tentha Of
.he plain may be described as
AN UNDuLArINa pAA1n1E,
whose surface assumes 900 unexpected for1ns
and shapes. Seen from tho elevation of one Of
tho mountains, at Tigoli, for instance.-the
Campaigns LOOKS like green 500, sloping by im-
perceptible descent towards tho Mediterranean,
which can be distinguished in the far distance by
itH glittsrlng reflections in the sunlight. But
tho Campaign viewed from hoight does not
present those abrupt transitions and animated
contrasts which one observes in passing over it
In any direction, and which make the most at-
tractivo landscapes. Sometimes the road abrupt
ly descondH into q hollow, or ravino where tho
view is excluded on nearly all Bldes; and then it
asconds to breezy upland from which 3
vide prospect ie commanded. Sometimes 1t winds
along u hillside or lateral valley; again
il is crowded Gil either hand by not high but
precipitous cliffs. which seem to have been torn
by earthquake violence and these will be fol-
lowed by long, gentle swella then hill and dell,
valley or glen; and ne1t ono will come to IN in
doscribabto tract, Which tho geologsts declare to
bc the
CHATTER OF AN EXTINCT VOLCANO,
In tho contre Of which is frequently little lake
or pond, with htream Issuing thorefrom, and
with sulphur. Some Of these are used as min
eral springs. Forty Of those extinct volcanoes
hays been traced out and map|ped en- the surface
interacctea and yeined With streams, rivutcts,
springs issuing, from hil!-sidcs or glena. aud
all finding their outlot in the Tibor,
which, rolling down from tho Aponnine Noun.
tains, traverses tho plain to tue sou:
sides, as veil AZ tho doep outs through tho
logical formation OF this plain. It. il clearly
marked with indications OF struggle between
the forces Of fire and water. It 10 obvious that
tAt ER4A Wan VAEH lu1k Vi LAG hEA VI tA0 4A0AtG4-
anean Sea. In athousand places strata Of sand and
gravel can be aepn,-tle former oftan hardened
INTO sandstone, and full Of marine shel!s. But
the Campaigns exhibits more of volcanic than Of
marIno action. Whilo it yet lay under water, 1t
was tho Bcone OF
LONG SERIES OF VOLCANIC uoNyu1szoNs,
which we1o continued after it emerged from
the sea, as is sAovn By tho scores OF
dead orators scsttered Ill over it.
Of waters and the volcanoes burnt out, the Cam
pagna had then rough, irregular surface, ill.,
donsed with depressons. which tho watorB,
pouring down from tho Aponninos, converted
hS %s fss sd aS NIX sSs sse a o ses so % Of
what wero o,ico shallow lakea We now aud strata
Of sand and Inarl, and also large deposits Of
yellow travertine T. kind of. limeatono), Of
Which tie finest buildings snd most enduring
tho Coliseum and 81. Potor's: Ono can SEQ tho
procoaB Of tho formation ct this trnyortine Htone
going On now In pond not far from the ruins
Of Hadrian'z Villa, Is miles southeast OF lsome
Tue little stream flowing ato tue pond H. sttrong,
incrustation, which Ia filling. up tho pond. by
this proooss in fow centuries more, the pond
will be- completely closed, aB hundreds OF other
ponds Oh the Campagna hayo boon In the Sumo
way before 1t. THUS tho imagination eau 50 back
were held in solution i'll lalalcts 81
CARBONATE or LIMEl
Tho astoB and acorm discharged from tho dead
volcanoes, disposed In layers over the murine
deposits, and gradually copsolideted by water
and prosauro, formed the rpddls!|.hrown, soft
building-sto in common uHe in Homo, called
tufa while from tue lays-now Of tho volcanoes
IL obtained tho hard, dark, tint-lilo substance
with which the streets Of tho " Eternal City "
were In ancient timos, st,a arc now, paved
and which stood = Thousand years' travel
on the Appan aud Taminian, Ways and other
grcat military Highways Which radlated from
Ro1ne over tho oampagna and Italy.
Tue Oampugua flome is thus seen to be
vast tablet, on fthich tho action Of Ha,t water,
yoloauic tires oafthqnakest fresh nator, aud tho
Wanhiugs of tho AponilinoH, have recorded their
various inscriptions In characters so plain that
any Intelligent person may read them 81 hc rl1rs.
Iiov The lato aud lAlnentel COL Foator would
have enjoyed a,l exploration OF tllls singular
Gampagpa, aud what ply.iuterentiuE nn d
lucld report of "hHt he discovered he could have
Wny Ia tho Ronan Campaigns in summer
YEvEn.HTRtukEN TLAIH
lAays toxud no satisfactory au9Ess y this qqsa'