The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-06-07

metal and earthenware vessels for SOUP.
with furnaces to keep it warm and ladies
to distribute it, precisely Is are used in
modern restaurants. Amphor@ of wine
are marked with the year of the vintage,
the characteristic quality, and the name
of the wine merchant from whom they
were purchased. Txverns are indicated
by checkers on the door. post, or by q sign
painted on the wall. The streets are
paved with solid blocks Of stone worn in
deep ruts by chariot wheels; and at one
drinking fountain, where slaves stopped
and drank from the flowing spout, on the
edge Of the trough is spot worn smooth
by the pressure Of the many hands that
rested against it.
The dwellings for the most part are
small and low, few exceeding two stories.
They have little ornamentatiOn externally,
and are we'll adapted to q people accus-
toned to pass most of the day in the open
air. The upper stories being of wood,
with fiat roofs, were speedily consumed
but as those portions of the house were
generally used as store-rooms or apart
ments for servants, their loss is Of little
consequence. The ground apartments
have escaped serious injury; and on their
walls some of the frescOes appear as bril-
liant as if recently painted.
The walls of the city, which have been
traced throughout their full extent, indi-
cate that an irregular, oval area of about
two miles in circumference was occupied.
1t hes generally been supposed that the
population was from 2O, 600 to SO, 900, but
according to Signor Fiorelli, the General
Superintendent of the excavations,
POmpeii had not more than $4,000 inhabi.
tAnts at the time of the eruption. Eight
gates have been discovered, and the roads
outside of them were lined on each side
with tombs of considerable size and archi.
tectural pretensidn. The Street of Tombs,
before the gate of Herculaneum, was
probably the principal burying- place OF
the city; but the sepulchral monuments
adjoining it give evidence of the refined
taste and great wealth of prominent
POnpeiians. The streets, which for the
most part run in regular lines, are, with
some exceptions, barely wide enough to
admit . single vehicle. The widest does
not exceed thirty feet in breadth, aud few
exceed twenty twofeet: Five of the main
streets have been partially OF wholly
traced and with these Irregular system Of
minor streets appear to have been con
nccted. These thOrOughfarHs, with sin
gle exception, terminate in or traverse the
western quarter of the city, which is the
only part yet completely explored. Thu
public buildings were profusely decorated
structures, and included temples Of Jupi
ter, Mercury and Venus, beside two thea
tiers. The NermG. or public baths, were
elegantly addrned.
The most important paintings and oh
jects of art discovered by excavation hav.
been deposited in the National Museum
at Naples. Until recently, the excava
tons have proceeded slowly; but at pres
ent the Italian Government is literally as
sisting the work. The space now laid bar
measures about 7O, 900 square feet, or one
third the whole area occupied by the city
Signor Fiorelli calculates that, making tn
excavations on an average twenty five fee
deep, and employing eighty.one laborer
daily, the whole city will he unearthed il
1947.-Scientifc american.