Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-09-11
NAPLES AND pOMPEII
VENETIAN MOSQUITOES,
tue Beautiful Milan ca,nedral-The Swiss
A'ps-Thc Lion Of Luccrne--The
"Beas,sy" Channel
Istaff Correspondence Richmond Dispa.cn.l

DnsPAroH is not likely 10 be abused by any
further account of our travels, unless, in
decd, we have some news item of conse.
quence TO report
SO FAR we have been witnesses of fir,
aboard ship, and were victims Cat Naples
OF collision'ot cabs, and thought that We
were going 10 the bottom while crossing tb.
English channel; but have had nothing Il
occur 70 us, or in our presence. worthy OF
. coiump cahlegram 10 the paper. and We
devoutly trust-indeed pray THAT we
NAV conclude our journey as safely as we
have so tar prosecuted 1T.
A JOY.
IL is Joy 20 be among English speaking
people again. by the means of money
and gestures and the use of the travellers
polyelot that we have learned since we
left the banks Of tho James we managed
20 make ourselves understood, TO some ex.
tent, on the Continent; but we get along
better here (thougn we only speak Ameri-
can-Enelish) than we did among the
French, the Italians. or the German-SwiSs,
among whom our lot was cast by fortune
and our tourists tickets. And yet no
where on the Continent did we meet with
the least incivilty (and found the Italians
quite the equals of the French in polite
ness, and nowhere were we BATTERED by
being taken for Enehshmen. At such a
season "a that was when we yentured into
France aud Italy the Englishmen with
draw from the Continent--or, at least, from
abe Continental lowlands-and retire TO
their own lovely country, and leave the
Continent for Americans, who have no
great fear of hot sun.
And the sun was hot.
The warm wave" crossed the Atlantic
from the United States and nearly para
lived Paris. IL found us at Rome and al
most blasted us; yet we managed 10 ra'ly
and go down to Naples All the way
thither the country looked az II Vesuyius
had sent out tongues of fame md scorched
II. There had been no ram for weeks and
weeks. The beds of the streams we're
dry. Vegetation was withered. Ihe
mountains were bare and looked as If they
were nothing more than great ash-heaps,
aud every wagon on road or railway
train on track raised cloud OF white
dust. which rose into the air and then fell
and powdered the earth.
NAPLES, PoMPEII. AND vEsUv1Us.
No port on Garth can be lovelier than
Naples. Here the mountains come down
60 the sea. and in plain view You have We
suvius spinning out spiral column OF
smoke.
All that MIR. r. Buchanan Reed says of
Naples IN bis popular poem is about as cor
rect as q poet can get at these things; but,
for oil that, Naples is queer mixture OF
squalor and elegance. On the high ground
there are many beautiful villas. and on the
beach are several superb bathing-places and
homes of rich men. built OF marble or stuc-
coed brick and set in the midst of groves
of the umbrella pine; but we saw In many
localities donkeys, goats, and children hud-
died up fraternally together IN dark courts
and narrow alleys, and the children were
almost as naked as the goats.
We are rather afraid that some of our
English friends are lacking in enthusiasm.
One of the big Britishers was travelling
with party of Americans in Naples few
da.s ago. and lady in the crowd. per-
full of fine sentiment, said TO the Queens
subject; " Dir. -, do tell me how
the expression See Naples and die origi-
mated? The fair American wanted to
learn the name of the author of the quota
tion. and in what connection he used 1t
but she was rather taken back when the
Engiishman replied IN the most matter-of-
fact sort of way: II guess it's because
there is so much malaria mere"
The explanation was certainly an I'M
poetic one. but Il dirt goes TO make mala-
ria, and the disease invariably proves fatal,
il was certainly very appropriate, for after
beauty, Naples certainly has more DIRT than
any town we have seen.
Access 10 NesuYius is now easy enough
You take a carriage and drive to the foot
OF the mountain, where you get upon a
car which is drawn up almost to the brink
of the crater. This costs YOU IS. and the
satisfaction that you get Is eyes full of
smoke. lungs chOked with sulphur and a
conviction that the sooner you get down
on the plain the better you will be able to
see the volcano. Mt. Nesuvius is less than
400 feet high. Elliot's Knob IN Virginia
is taller. About its base are vineyards, but
higher up there is no soil; only mass Of
lava, which looks very much like the Stag
elected from a foundry. At present Nesu-
vius is simply smoking, and this the peo-
pie of Naples delight TO see. When the
smoke ceases then they fear an eruption.
AN ACCIDENT.
Our ride from Naples to the station.
where we were TO take the train for
Pompeii, was o memorable one indeed, as
we narrowly escaped having our necks
broken by the carelessness of our cab
drivers. One vehicle of our caravan was
occupied by the young lady and gentle
man of our party, together with several
satchels and a bottle of Apollinaris (Apol-
linaris. mind you, brother deaconsO y,
which proved almost as much of q uui-
sance as the average baby OF canary-bird.
Behind this turnout rode the grave and
reverend seigneurs" in another rickety
CONVEYANCE. Our steeds were of
that ossifed equine type which one
sees in the neighborhood of horse
heaven" but be il said 10 their credit that
their animation was entirely dispropor-
tonate to the fatty. substance on their
frames. By some unforeseen accident the
Pegasus dragging the first carriage became
so exhilarated with his surroundings Cor
the aforesaid Apollinaris) that be lost his
footing and fell down. His shadowy CON-
panion pulling carriage No. was so close
in the rear that there was nothing left for
him to do except 10 fall too, and so he
forthwith tumbled under the wheels Of the
CONVEYANCE in front. For q short while
lers. and bottled refreshments were very
much confused, and il was difficult to as
certain (which was which" Fortunately
none OF our party were hurt in the slight
est. but one OF the rampant chargers was
30 badly disabled that he had TO be un-
hitehed and is now IN state of innoeu-
Gus desuetude" unless Fate has been very
kind to him.
The accident had hardly occurred when
our drivers commenced unrolling their
fluent supply of "cuss" words, which
they cordially exchanged with each other
until every Neapolitan goat and donkey
and child (tho three words are almost
SYNONYMOUS terms III Tue QUAINT clLlJ
gathered around US and satisfied them
selves as TO the situation.
Later on, the bottle containing the
Apo!linaris became too full for utterance,
and in spirit of wantonness exploded
with loud noise and destroyed the I'M
maculacy of the only clean shirt in the
psrty-that worn by the gentleman who
has always advocated the idea of Six
meals day.
OUR one DAY IN PoMPEIT.
Poropeii Is well worth visiting. 10 IL
about seven miles from the present crater
OF vesuvius and IN plain view of Naples.
There YOU see restored to light city
which was buried under Vesuyius' streams
of lava 1900 years ago.
All OF you people who saw the PompeIian
exhibition in Richmond have doubtless
imagined how it was done.
The Pompei of to-day rs q tenaptless
city Of unfoofed and unfurn,sked houses
houses of brick, stone. aud marble, built
before the birth OF Christ. aud standing vet
solid and strong. and seemingly capable OF
enduring for centuries TO come. Upon
some OF the walls are good paintings, and
several OF the floors are Of fine mosaic
work. There Is sort of museum at the
city's gaze (which you have 10 pay two
francs TO entcrl, but the most valuable
g a