The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-12-03
Chr Aaily 8nllstin.
FRIDAY. DEC. 3, 1886.
ROMAN TREASURES.
PRECIOUS SOUVENIRS OF FAST AGES
THAT LIE BURIED BENEATH
MODERN ROME.

Beneath the soil of the Eternal
City are myriads of yet undiscovered
souvenirs of Rome's great past.
Above the soil each day develops
one or more reminders of certain
human characteristics which accen-
tuate Italy's present. But every
thing in its place-so let us talk in
the first place of the buried treasure
trove.
l have never kept list of the
priceless relics that are being
brought to light nearly every week,
but l know, if / had, that for a
single year it would prove a long
one. And this thing has been going
on for years, perhaps ten years.
Since the City of the Caesars, in the
days of the Unification, imbibed the
lotion of the perennial youth, and
has taken on new lease of life,
buildings have sprung up on every
side, and streets haye been cut
through old villa and palace proper.
ties that had slumbered in LATEST
luxury for centuries. All this has
necessitated digging, and the Forty
niner's pick and spade in the gold
fields were never as sure of striking
ore as the Roman excavators have
all along been of exhuming some
thing as good as gold. If the stock
in the capitol keeps on replenishing
at the rate it has been, a museum
will soon be needed half as big as
the town itself.
can't begin to tell you what they
have exhnmed in recent years. Pa
gan gods, ancient beauties, Emper-
ors without number, statesmen and
warriors have come up again to the
top of earth's crust in every known
metal or material which sculptors
ever hewed at or nodded. They
have awakened from their long nap,
and hoped out into the air minus
perhaps a leg or an arm, and fire.
quently lacking a nose with which
to sniff modern times. Indeed, it
not rarely happens that statue has
lost his or her head-quite after the
fashion of some nowadays people.
And, what to me is singular, re-
search doesn't always succeed in
finding the missing member or head
piece. There are quantities of
archaologists in Rome, and some OF
them world-famous, who have very
practical theories as to the reason Of
such and such disappearance; but
it is purely conjecture, of course,
and 1 prefer to speculate for myself
as to the why and wherefore. 1t is
bewildering subject. Just think
of all the soil beneath this big city
being peopled with such marble
spectres. Science may satisfactorily
explain everything, but Imagination,
less cold, runs wild through that
underneath region.
Recent papers report another dis.
covery. In digging the foundations
of the national bank over in the new
Via Nazionale quarter several rict
finds have startled the savants. Tn,
latest is the well-preserved remnants
of an old Roman House, which, al
ready they say it, belonged to abou
the second century of the Christian
era. The walls are decorated witt
paintings representing columns ant
vases united by borders of arabesqu'
flowers and fruits. The decoration.
largely help the wise men to guess
at the date of construction of the
ancient mansion; but, curiously
enough, in the present case there i.
q singular admixture of the Christian
and profane, some of the walls por
traying Biblical subjects, while
other commemorate incidents in thu
lives of Bacchus and his merries
contemporaries. One large wal
space is devoted to Esculapius
Another feature of this most recen
exhumation is tomb well filled
with human bones-a fact which
puzzles the modern student, In view
of the fact that the ancient Roman
law forbade interment within th,
walls of the city,
There have been several other dis
coveries of a similar character, ant
dig on whatever. side you will O.
this wonderful old town the labo
will always be rewarded. I ono,
thought seriously of buying one pro
perty on the outskirts of the cit,
solely for the purpose ofdiving dow
into wonderland and hunting fol
treasures. 1 changed my mind
however, when / ascertained that al
these gems, found by whomsoeveI
they were, and on property towhom
soever it might belong, reverted tt
the city of Rome. How rapidly anc
how marvelously her storehouses O
art are being furnished these days
And yet whoever comes to Rome
and leaves wondering at what h,
sees of antiquity's mementos, shout,
consider that he has walked above
yet never seen, treasures create
and richer far than the guide book
tell of in the museums Rom
Correspondent Philadelphia Tele
graph.