The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-05-04

In the cuGbing OF the street are holes cut
i'll the stone, for the purpose OF hitChing
their horses.
Plny the Younger, in one OF his letters,
after describing how he hravely strove to
remove his mother out OF danger, while
she implored him with all mothers I'M
seltishness to leave her behind and save
himself TINS writes: :" BY this time the
murky darkness had SO Increased that enc
might have believed himself abroad in a
black and moonleSs night, OF in il chamber
where all the lights have been eHtinguished.
On every hand were heard the complaints
of women, the waiiing of children, and the
cries of men. One called his father, an
other his son, and another his wife, and only
by their voices could they know each other
Many 10 their despair begged that death
would come and end their distress. Some
implored the gods to succor them, aud
some believed that this night was the last,
the eternal night, which should engulf the
universe. Even SO 1t seemed to me, and
| conscled myself for the coming death
with the reflections: Behold, tie D0rld is
passing Gac0y.'
The above is ar extract from a letter
written by an actual observer to his friend.
1t appears that for several days before the
eruption low muTmurngS and g!owlings
had been heard in the direction of the vol
cano; that the earth trembled, and So great
was the trembling and commotion i'll The
evening that the customary plays in the
tragic theatCr and the ampAitheater were
dispensed with. These murmurings Of the
mountain continued ali through the n light.
Ia the morning the sun was darkenGd 10y
the immense volumes of smoke thar issued
from the crater, and the Inhabitants Ci
| romneii were forced either 10 grope their
way along the streets of POmPei, or to
carry small lamp TO light their pathway.
| About 10 O'Clock the mex morning, the
| volcano threw cut a fire dust which cover
ed the entire city to the depth of five feet.
| This dust was almost IS white as snow, aid
wa8 merely the ASHES from the yn!cGUo.
| About 4 O'Clock iii the afternoon, Il COM
| mcnced 70 rain, hjch beating into the
| crater. did not queCCh the flames IN the
| least, but :atlaI rcicasGG them, and caused
! the volcano t. tbro" ou5 great quantities
of lava. At this time the volcano was
under fell Roadway III Gischa.gilig the lava.
| 1t threw up large bouders AID poGrcd out
| All inceSSant stream of lava, mingled with
the rain which WAS falling III torrents, and
which made the first fall Of ashes of the
consistency OF putty, which ran--il1--55 Title
houses tiliiag eyerE x ,7il1 corner, bury
! IL IHe living and the dead, and covering
the fine trescoes with Theoretically sealed
covering. aud there 10 remain until the
nineteenth century, undiSturh2d and uu-
covered, until it entered into the hearts OF /
some noble EngliShlncn, who opened their
purses for the purpose OF opening the an
cieut city Of Pom?aii 10 the world. 1t is
strange, indeed, to walk through the city.
One cannot help but feel that at every turn
on the street he will meet some ancient
and it is hard 30 realize the fact that the
Inhabitants have left their tenemcuts many,
many years ago, AID left them too in such
unacemly haste that they failed to close the
doors after them. or neg lected to tell when
they might be expected to return. IL such
warm countries. there was no need for fires
to keep them warm even in Winter. The
houses, therefore, had no chimuays; the |
people did not, it appears, do then own
cooking, but in sundry places throughout
the city are the public bakeries. In one OF
these bakeries were found several luaveS OF
bread already done, or nearly 50; bus the
baker, owing to the haste il which lie left !
his shop, did not wait until the other side
OF his loaf was done. but though it was time
to "get up and BECOME which he accord |
irgly did, leaving behind his oven, his fire, |
and his half-done bread to be looked upon
ny d IdCc VI IpIiOn rtlIC CiSH-
teen hundred years after him. The wall |
around Pompeii is built of lava blocks, and |
is some eighteen or twenty feet high. Por- |
tons of the wall have been little weak
ened by the battering ram il some OF their |
ancient wars.
The forum or place of justice, og, as we
would call it, the court house, is located |
near the street of Fortune, and was a very
fine building; the columns the seats of the |
JUDGES, aud the mosaic flooring are all that |
really remains of it. The chief employ !
ment of the former residents of Pcmpeii |
appears to have been selling wine. Almost |
every other house in the business part Of
Pompeli was Il wine SHOP. | thought, |
while walking along the streets Of Pom
peii, what wide field the "Good Tenn |
plars - and the " Dashaways" would have |
to work in, had they been in existence |
in those days. The houses were mostly /
built Of brick or stone, and covered with |
plaster; at least they were white in appear |
ance. They had skillfu workers III mar
BILE in those days, and sl;illful handlers of
the brush, the frescoes upon some of the |
walls OF the private dwelling houses stand |
almost as fresh as the day they we're painted, |
and they are as beautiful as they are fresh. |
The company, having in charge the cXca |
vatiOnS, have watchmcn stationed all over |
the city, and visitors can ask them any and |
many questions as they choose, but as |
for getting satisfactory answer, it is an
entirely different matter, especially if you
address them in English, for they do hot |
know word of English, or pretend that |
they do not understand you: and for the |
life of me | cannot determine which it is. |
| believe that the future excavations will |
show more fully the manner of life of the |
a, al
city has been excavated, aud when the OK
p1rers, as they are called come upon some |
hidden treasure, they must wait till some
person. quite high in authority, visits the |
place and sees the new object excaYated |
But | believe that Al some future time the
explorers will come upon the remains Of Il
number of the citizens, luddleG together
in some part of the city yet to be uncoy-
cred.
Tie site and location of the city reSem
bcs the city of Wilmington, Delaware, in
going up Market street of that city. Pom
peii appears to have been built on hill Or
Il slight rise or knoll of ground. iIercua-
ncum was built in a valley, and, i'll order
to explore its ruins, it is necessary to
go under ground But Pompeii is above
ground, and every building is fully ex-
posed to the light of day. had always
the impression that, in order to see Pom
Dei, it would be necessary to take lighted
lamps in your hand aud go cropping down a
long subterranean channel under the earth,
like the mammoth cave iii Kentucky. But
such is not the fact; the city stands out
bold, and is located on land as high as the
city of Wilmington, Delaware. After the
eruption of Mount Ecsuvius, which de-
Stroyed PumpeI, the citizens of the place
came back and viewed the destroyed city.