Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-27

SOME in eresting Notes from the va
Cient CITY.


IFron private letter printed N the American A.
Ch,cCt'
In Two recently eyca>ated houses the
paintings on the walls are as fresh aB if
lust put on, and the halls are rich with
decorations. Some Of the marble tables
are still standing; the fountains in the
atrium and peristyle, with their pretty
little statues and mosaics, look as if they
might begin to play at any moment the
kitchen. .hearths, built like ranges, seem
ready for their pots md kettles few
iio1 pots are sill set in the gardens {;
in the store. rooms are some oil Jars and
wine jars it is as if one might begin
| housekeeping tomorrow. and invite ones
friends to dinner the doy after.
Dne thing is difficult to conceive with
out seeing it. and that is tho gorgeous
ness of the interiors of the private houses.
The colors are now faded the columns
are broken ; the mosaics of the floors are
generally nearly destroyed the foun-
tains do not play the flower beds are
destitute of flowers yet, even as it is,
one is continually amazed IVY the brilliant
elect of The interior vlstas. In one house
the view from triclinium across two
courts, both surrounded by gaily decora-
ted Corinthian columns standing before
walls painted from top to bottom III va
riety of colors, is really da2ing to the
eyes. The old Pompeians lived in a rain
bow atmosphere.
Another striking thing is the absolute
cleanliness. You may say that tue dirt
has all been taken away by the Italian
Government. That is true, but it is quit,
evident that III the old times it never was
there. Our modern houses are not mad,
TO be clean, as were the Pompeian resi-
dences. The walls, the floors, every
corner of their homes were finished will
the most admirable workmanship. Ii
their rooms no plaster ever fell, for it wal
f of such excellent material, and so vel
put on that it soon became like marble
They had no wooden walls, no cracks
where dust could penetrate. Water fol
cleansing was found in every part of tn,
) house, and ran off though perfect drains
All the tables and bedsteuds were Of mar
BILE or bronze even the well-curbs anI
the borders Of the flower beds were o
! hewn stone. Hygiene must have COM
i naturally to the old POmpeian he evi
IDENTIFY had no chance to get typhuido
= attack the only class OF diseases h
, could not provide against were the erup
tive, and one Of these carried him off a
: last. *
:, :, The excavations are going on steadily
u u and are admirably managed. II is de
= light to see one room after another reveal
) ed to the light OF day The authorize
A are now beginning to replace the charre
, timbers of the roofs with new ones.
Y this way some second story balconies or
. kept in place, instead of being allowed t.
i fall down as formerly. Over some of til
d most richly decorated houses the roof
y are restored exactly as they were, wit
e tiles made after the ancient patterns.
You would be astonished at the size c
" some of the Pompeian houses, and of til
= rooms and spaces they enclose The
look small Lecause they are so empty
but when you measure them YOU lin
r them very spaciods. Houses OF thirt
|, and forty rooms i'll the first story are NJ
Is uncommon. The great space was the a
,r rum, often thirty-fve to forty feet lonl
10 having an opening for light in the cent?
N of the roof, and Just under this marbl,
p lined basin, raised above the floor, int
% which the rain fell, and on the margin
a which were placed bronzes and vase
h Out of this opened bedrooms, and at Il
ir end receptonroom and dining-roon
IA Beyond these was peristyle or cour
le surrounded by from eight to twenty sc
Or umns, thus making broad corridor ru
re ming all around. Some of the peristyl
o. were eighty or one hundred feet squar
re with great variety of rooms openil
H. into them. Beyond the peristy.e VAS Il
as garden, sometimes $50 feet square.
- more, with all sorts of arrangements I
IL plants aud fountains. A good many
+, ''r 'laborate ! cL.-shaped fountains Il
d. ..l perfect. Tho street entrances
n q. --.45 Of the uses are ten to fifteen ft
to in width, and hSd auadruple or fo'