Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-01-27
i VISIT TO POMPEIL.
Nn Ex- Of Richmond De-
scribes the Excsvatd City.
GLnHPSES OF 4 LONG BURIED PAST.
ne Religion, foitic,. Domestic Life Art
Culture, Trades, and Guilds OF the 10
man People Of A. D. 10.


morning Of the 23d day OF November
quite a connection was visible on the
friremes of that portion Of the Mlsennm
Squadron OF the Roman navy when
CHANGED to be anchored in the beautiful
bay OF Nespolis The commander oil
The feet. Gains Plinius Secundns, lam
fle of eirth and short of breath, az his
nephew somewhat irreverently describes
him. had ordered out bis gig N was
soon rapidly nearing the eastern shore.
But soldier, sailor, and lawyera as he was
or hed been. no claim OF his former or
presen. pursuit could account Tor ms ex-
element and haste or explain the vlgor
with which the stout sesraen began tne
accent OF the long and gentle slope OF
the peiqbboring mountain. That expia-
nation had nothing 10 do with bis gal"
liant career rs a cavalry leader IN Spain,
his "obtorto colo" at
Rome. or his cruises in the Mediter-
ysnesn-it was TO be found IN
the fact that the Commodore was
not only All we have described him, but
was, besides, the greatest naturalist OF
his time, or of any time, until the very
latest centuries and right before HIM a
drama OF natural energy was opening
the like OF which he had seen or
even heard of-drsma which was to
proye that day q tragedy for him andfor
many another OF his compatriots. .
The still mountain. covered to its head
with vines, and figs, and mulberries, bad
startled tue people OF a dozen villages
and q hundred villas that morning by
sending forth from its summit, the hrst
time in its recorded career, a thin column
of dense white smote-smoke that from
that good hour to this has never failed
10 pour from the blasted crest OF Vesu-
ylus.
HAIL OF POISON.
As Pliny assembled the slope he noticed
. huge grayish food bubble over from
the summit at his left, which, following
the natural depressions Of the earth,
spe1 onward towards the little town
founded by Notwithstanding TO an
ancient legend-and bearing hs name.
In a short time this molten mass en-
yeloped the fated town and buried Her
cnlaneum in a grave which still holds Its
secrets unrevealed, for in a few hours this
lake cooled and hardened into a mass 30
firm that it has now TO be quarrled like
stone, fusing all perishable things 1t
touched mean while. This explains the
trifing additions which BerculaDeum
has madet 10 our knowledge OF 1.-THE customs
of the first century. And now the wind,
which had been blowing from the east,
began to rise in a gale from the south
east, and at the same moment an ava
lauche OF gray ashes and cinders charged
with %sulpburous exhalation poured from
the volcano and deluged the western
slopes. In this hail Of poison Pliny was
lost-his body inurned doubtless IN this
fiery downpour certainly never after
wards seen OF men.
THE RUSH TO THE SEA.
At this moment the gay citizens OF
Pompeii we're for II large part sitting IN
their amphithestre-that odd structure
quite perfect to-day, not erected upon,
but dug into, the mountaineering
the games which 80 delighted the Ro-
mans of the Empire. The smoke from
Vcsuvius was easily visible to many OF
them, for the smphitheatres had no roof,
but the fate OF Herculaneum n not yet
known. Doubtless they watched the
phenomenon with a deeper interest III
view of the fact that only sixteen years
before an earthquake had upheaved the
mighty sides Of Vesuvius with so fierce
a shock that hardly a building was LETT
standing in the little city. but on that
occasion the great mountain had given
no other sign Of activity, and whatever
dangers belonged TO volcanic eruption
they were all unknown to the Pom.
peiians. But soon the sky became black,
and ashes and cinders, first in sparse
dropsan then in torrents, beganto fall IL
z the theatre itself, and the oar of constant
explosion turned curiosity into terror,
no little enhanced 10y the flying people
OF the neighboring town. who came
throngipg throught the Herculaneum Gate
OF Pompeii. as we call il now, reporting
with pale lips that their little home wal
already a tomb. Out then from the
four great portals of the city, along iii
stone-paved but narrow streets, the PEG
pie thronged, chiefly rushing to the sea,
and bearing with them their more pre-
cious and easily carried possessions, the
Christians among them doubtless believ
ing lin conformity to a very general no
ton that the generation that had seen
their Master would not completely pass
away until the end of all things SHOULD
GOMEZ that the day of judgment hac
sounded.
THE RRsToRED-sINCR.
All day and all night the downpour o
cinders and ashes went on, until a pal
twenty feet in thickness covered tn,
doomed city. The survivors found otheI
homes gradually the dread story wal
forgotten other irruptious and erup
tions of human origin overpassed thu
in d~esolstion, and at last, by that wonder
full process whereby Mother Earth, i
time be given her. fails not to furnish al
we'll a grave as q homo for all the work.
AZ for all the bodies of men. the en-
croaching mould o%verspread the desola
ton, vines and figs and mulberries spranl
up. and peasants danced and gathered
the purple grapes aud pressed out there
from the richest wine of Italy over the
tomb OF lost Pompen.
RESURRECTION.
Nearly LOO years passed, when ont
day an engineer, running a cutting for
conduit to supply water to a little tow
nearer the sea-Pompeii is two mile
away now--found himself stopped by
stone wall, and the buried city was re
vealed.
Since then. i~rregularly and at long In
teryais heretofore, but of late years me
medically and quite continuously, exca
walton has gone on, until now ove hal
OF Pompeii is open TO easy inspection
and this includes probably all the por
ton OF most interest in an arch@ologica
view.
II McHMoSpER's VISIT TO poMPEu.
Happening to be in Rome at the tim
OF the visit Of the Emperor William, an,
experiencing what an obstruction ant
nuisance imperial visitors are to the res
OF mankind. since all galleries an'
palaces must be closed hat no plebeian
may come between the wind and thei
nobility, | waited until William III. has
seen the Re Umberta launched and wit