Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-21
DEATH TO MALARIA.
WHAT BRINGS IT ABOUT IN ONE
PLACE AT LEAST.
The Eucalyptus and the Sanitary Changes
Il Has Accomplished In the
Roman Campagna.

Il has Accomplished In the
Roman Campagna.
One lovely morning last October we left
our hotel hard by the Pantheon, and IN
few minutes came to the Tiber. Ii we
except the quaint and bright costumes OF
many classes of the people, and the ever
changing street scenes of Rome, there IS
nothing in the drive of very much interest
until we reach the river. Here, looking
back, we see the noble structure which
crowns the Capitoline Hill. The fine
building on the further bank of the river
is the Hospital of st. Michele. On this
side we are passing the small harbor of the
steamboats, which ply to Ostia. Presently,
the Marmorasa, or landing place of the
beautiful marble OF Carrara, is reached.
From here drive of few minutes brings
us to the cypress. covered slope of the
Protestant Cemetery, where, in the shadow
of the pyramid of Cestius, lie the graves
of Shelley and Keats. Apart from the in
terest attached to these two lowly tombs
and the memories aroused by their touch
ing epitaphs, no Englishman can visit this
secluded spot and'l look without deepfeeling
upon the last resting places of his country
men, who have died so many hundred
miles from home and friends. The GENE
terry Is kept in order and neatness, and
flowers grow upon nearly all the graves.
OUR ROUTE
able enigma the Monte Testaccio, hill as
high as the London Monument or the Ven
dome Column at Paris, made entirely of
broken pots and tiles. as old perhaps as
the time of Nero. Leaving behind this
singular heap OF earthenware, we thread
long avenues Of locust trees, and presently,
passing through the gate of st. Paul, reach
the magnificent basiliea of that name. Nor
can pause here to dwell upon the mar
vels of this noble temple, or to tell of its
glorious aisles and column-supported gal
leries of its lake-like marble floor, or Of
the wealth of nlalaehite, of lapis lazuli, or
verde antique, of alabastsr and of gold,
that has been lavished uponsthe decoration
OF its shrine. ! must stop, however, to
note that nowhere has the presence OF the
dread malaria made itself so obvious to
myself. We had scarcely entered the
church when We became conscious OF an
odor which recalled at once the Tetort-
house of a gas works, the bilge-water on
board ship and the atmosphere of dis
secting-room and We were obliged to
make hasty retreat. There could be
little doubt that the gaseous emanations
which produced this intolerable odor were
equally present in the Campagna outside,
but that in the church they were pent up
and concentrated. Even did space admit,
this is not the place to enter into any pro.
lopged dissertation on the history or causes
of this
TERRIBLE scoURGE
OF the Roman Campagna, the fever-pro-
ducing malaria. The name expresses the
unquestionable truth, that it is a gaseous
emanation from the soil and all that is
certainly known about it may be summed
up in a very few lines. The vast undulat-
ing plain known as the Campagna was ages
ago oveIflOWed by the sea, and owes its
present aspect TO volcanic agency. OF
this the whole soil affords ample evidence.
Not only are lava, pepeTino, and the vol
canic p0Zzuelana abundant, but IN many
piaces-as at Bracciano and Baccano-are
to be seen the remains OF ancient craters.
When the Campagna was in the earliest
phase of its history, It was enc fertile
garden, interspersed with thriving towns
and VILLAGES. Il was also the theater Of
events which tsrTnir ated in making Rome
the mistress CT the world. This very
supremacy was the final cause of It's ruin
and OF it's present desolation. While the
land remained IN the possession of small
holders every acre was assiduously titled
and drained; bRt when it passed into the
hands Of large landed prepTietors, who
held it from the mere lust of possession, it
became uncared for and unculivated.
a HoBEID WASTE.
FilteTing into a soil loaded with easily
decomposed sulphur compounds, the de-
composing vegetable matter hnds no exit
through the underlying rock. Tie conse-
quences may be imagined, but, TO those
who have not experienced them, are not
easily described. TITS once fertile land is
now horrid waste, untouched, except at
rare intervals By the hand Of the farmer,
and untenanted save by the herdsman.
Even he, during the months of summer,
when the malaria Is Ut its worst, is CON-
PEELED, II he viii avoid the fever, to go
with MS Hocks TO the mountains. 1t may
be mentioned IN passing, that the malaria
fever or Roman fever as it has been
called, has been the subject of recent in
vestigation by Professor Tommassi- Crudeli,
of Rome who attributes 1t to the presence
of an organism, to which the specific name
of BaciliHs n2QIdria has been gwen.
Leaving st. Pauls, we pursued for
short time the 0stian road and at poor
osteTia, where chestnuts, coarse bread and
wine were the only obtainable refresh
ments, cur route turned to the left, along
a road powdered with the reddish dust of
the pozzuolana-the mineral which forms
the basis of the original Roman cement
large masses OF which rock form the
roadside fences. After drive OF perhaps
half an hour, we found ourselves at the
Monastery of Ire FOntane three fountains).
The Abbey Of tire Ire Fontane comprises
within its precincts three churches, Of
which the earliest dates from the ninth
century. 0le Of these. San Paolo ale Ire
Fontaae, gives its name 70 the monastery.
A monk, wearing the brown robe and san
dals of the Trappist order, met us at the
gate. The contrass now presented between
the sterile semi. volcanic country around
and the smiling oasis which faces US, is
striking. Here are fields which have
borne good grass some slopipg hills COW
cred with vines and, directly in the fore
ground, almost a forest OF eucalypt-trees.
THE RESULT.
We have come to learn about eucayp.s !;
and our guide takes quite kindly to the role
of informant. What follows is derived
from his siDa goce teaching, from my own
observation on the spot, and from very
interesting pamphlet, printed at Rome in
1879, and entitled % Culture de l'Eucalpy-
tus aux 9rois Fontanes," by NJ. Auguste
Nallee.
Before the year 1865, the abbey was en-
tirely deserted. It is true that a haggard-
looking monk was to be found there. who
acted as cicerone TO visitors to the churches !;
but even he was obliged to sleep each night
in Rome The place attained 60 evil a
reputation that it was locally known as
"The Tomb. There are now twenty.nine
Brothers attached to the monastry, all of
whom sleep there each night. This re-
marksble result, though no doubt to great
extent due to the drainage and alteration
OF the character OF the soil hv cultivation