Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-01-27

left. on which, painted Ia largo black
lsttera was the name "POMPEH.'
rxrEnIsa THE crrr.
We lcimrely left the train-they do
all things leis1rsly in Italy, and the rail.
road trains are always sn hour behind
time, except whom they are two honrs--
we passed out through the station. de-
hvsring our tickets at the further door,
as is thu almost universal rule on the
Continent, and . walk OF three or four
minutes brought us TO tho ancient city.
There We paid " liri (iorty cents
and for this received o ticket OF admis-
zion and the services OF q Government
guide. who, on q salary of fifty cents .
day, spoke four languages and knew
everything about Pompeii. A notice IN
the ticket Office. reduplicated in many
places throughout the city, forbid the
guides 10 receive any gratuity from vlsi-
tors, but that notice. when no Official is
looking ON, is usually treated es Pat
treated the measlcs-''w with contimpt."
You enter Pompcii by the Ports Ma
rina-the gate facing the sea-a modern
name, as there is N record OF the ancient
names Of this or any OF the gates by
which the walls we're picrced-passing
over q street paved with large irregular
slabs. as are all Pompeii's streets This
roadway rises at an extremely sharp
grade, and passes undera well-prescrved
arch, the only portion standing OF the
sea-wall Of Pompeii. The remarkable
thing about this is that while the walls
on the other sides are in excellent order
there is not the slightest trace Of q wall
here. Probably the Romans, 10 faclii-
tate entrance to Pompeii, destroyed
this wall when Sylla conquered 1t
at the end of the "Socisl War" eighty
nine years Is. Ca time-honored pun
ishment for conquered cities.
NATURAL CASTS.
Afew steps from the gate, and still
within the archway. a door and a flight
OF three or four steps lead to the local
museum. Most Of the valuable trou-
v%aillcs" OF Pompeii are to be found at
the national museum in Naples, and they
are, in my opinion, more interesting
than ell the sher antiquities IN the
world I: but this little museum contains
some exceedingly touching memorials OF
the fatal dav. When the fall of cinders
and ashes enveloped the town many per-
sons seem to have been either 80 terror
stricken that they could not fly or so
eager TO gather their treasures that they
postponed fight until they were sufio-
Gated in the terrible hail OF sulphurous
cinders. Their bodies enveloped in the
warm asnes, Theoretically sealed from
the air, were preserved from corruption
long enough to enable the surrounding
mass, constantly pressed by the weight
above and around, to solidify into a per
feet cast. And when, after centuries,
the bodies wasted and shrank from their
covering a complete copy Of the form
remained. In the clearing out OF the
city many OF these natural casts remain
ed. and with careful treatment they
served as moulds, which. when filled
in the usual manner with liquid plaster,
gave a faithful reproduction of the forms
that were once enveloped by them.
Some eight or ten OF these are preserved
here in glass cases, and they tell the
story of the city's loss with a CHASTITY
fidelity chat nothing else approaches.
With one exception there is little in the
position of these forms to indicate that
death was other than peaceful but this
exception is a striking one. 1t is that OF
a dog. He was doubtless tied or chained,
and was stifed in the midst Of frantic
efforts to burst his bonds. His head is
between his fore knees and his body is
contorted in the most unnatural fashion,
rs though his fate befell him in the very
agony OF his final struggle for liberty.
DOMESTIC AND TRADE UTENSILS,
In this same room is a Roman safe
a strong box studded with iron bolts and
bound with strips Of the same metsl-of
extraordinary thickness. 1T was the
work of some Pomperian Herring, made
for one Cecelius Jucundus, a money
lender, AMI when broken open contained
a number OF promissory notes which ma
tured 1900 years ago and were protested
by yesuyius. The old skinlInt was a
heartless Insurer, for all his loans
carried interest at the modest tax OF "a
per cent. per annum, and If any Of
your readers desire to bring suit upon
them they sre still in existence. There
was found in his house a bronze portrait
of him, presented to him, az its iRscrip-
ton states. by one of his slaves so that
the plaintiff may supplement his gene
illogical tree when he comes to prove his
title by showing, perhaps, a family like
ness. The bones of several domestic
enthusiastically complete skeletons
arc preserved here and there is a
bronze frying-pan with the mortal re-
mains of a rabbit in it, which some
Pompeiian failed to get for breakfast that
sad morning in the first century. The
most interesting discoveries in Pompell
were the domestic and trade utensils.
These are preserved in hundreds IN the
Naples Museum, and bear high testimo-
ny TO the completeness OF the skill OF
the artificers of that day. The most
complete kitchen OF the largest hotel
now in the world would fail to du-
plicate many of the contrivances OF
these old Latins. One is often
struck also with the highly orna-
mental character of common things.
For example, there are many scales
with balance-levers like those Of
Fairbanks famous scales Of to-day, and
graduated with equal exsctitude but
the sliding piece Of metal by which the
weight was ascertained is rarely or never
a mere block of metal. 1t is always 6
head-usually of mercury, the mer
chants d~eity-snd is as welt executed al
though designed for ornament. not use.
/ counted in the Pompeiian rooms IN thu
Naples Museum nineteen different varie-
ties of scales, from the finest balances O
the diamond sellers to the gross machines
which weighed wood or hay.
HOW NARROW THEIR STREETS WE'RE.
Leaving the museum | entered at once
upon the streets Of Pompeii. These are
are rarely above Il or IA feet In width
all paved with slabs of stone, and many
of them not over five feet from curb tC
curb. i say curb because, unlike many
cities of far more modern date IN Eu
rope, Pompeii furnished its citizens in al
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