The Baptist headlight., 1894-08-01

no longer its position rs an infalllble
guide. In 1882, about three hundred
bodies mad been dug out of the ruins;
to-day the number reaches corsldera-
bly, over three thousand
The history of Pompaii is simple
enough. its building is generally
ascribed to the Oscans, and its name is
derived from the Greek "HOmlleta.
| or storehouses, indicating its com
mercial origin It is known TO have
| been a city of some Importance 500
years before Christ, but under the en-
pire it seems to have become kind OF
Brighton of the epoch, a fashionable
summer resort and watering place.
| Cicero had a villa in its suburbs, IN
which he wrote his famous "Offices'
and entertained as guests Augustus
Cesar, Balbus, Hirtius, and Pansa.
| Claudius took refuge here from the ty-
ranny of Tlberius, and his son Drusds
died within the walls of Pompell, oddly
enough, from the effects of swallowing
the wrong way a pear PIP, which
chOked him.
On more than one occasion the city
was menaced by destruction; firstly,
A. d. 63, by terrible earthquake,
which Tacitus tells us threw down half
the place, and Seneca adds, killed over
six hundred sheep, and deprived hun
dreds of persons of their reason. so
great, indeed was the terror. that
many persons abandoned the city en-
tirely." In the course OF the same
wear there was yet another earth
quake; which was, if anything, much
more terrible than the first, and traces
of which are yet discernible among the
ruins now brought TO light.
The first eruption of Vesuvius oi
which we have authentic record oc
: Cured in the year A. ID. 19, on the 24tt
day of August, late in the afternoon
1t is memorable not only as being the
one which destroyed POmpeii and Her
crlaneum, and caused the death o
Pliny the naturalist, but also as having
had Plinv the younger, his nephew, a.
it's historian.
Pliny describes the catastrophe a.
; he himself saw it. He tells Us tina
there had been many shocks of earth
quake before. and one slight one II
the morning. From this eplstle W.
gather that the first warning OF serl
GUS nature occurred at Pompell a
about in the afternoon. All through
out the evening and night long scene
: Nothing there was to be heard bu
the shrieks of women and children
the cries of men some ca ling 70
parents, Others for husband and wives
others upon their favorite gods: on
" lamenting his own fate, another tha
S of his family: some wishing to dl
: from the very fear of dying: out tn
greater part imagining that the las
S and eternal night was come which wa
4 to destroy the world and its gods tC
p" oether. Meantime a rain of fire fe
e around us, mixed with clnGers an
= ashes. which we were obliged now an
- then TO shake of. otherwise we shOul
e have been crushed and buried in tn
: heap" When day did appear an
even the sun peeped out, " the slgl
)r which greeted the eyes of the gref
- naturalist's nephew and his mothe
- "a corpulent and elderly lady" WI
d, had frequently urged her son
r abandon her and save himself" bl
which lie nobly ana dutifully refuse
OF TO do, was extraordinary indee
M Every object which presented
self to our eve seemed changed, beir
III covered over with white ashes, like
# deep snow. We returned 70 Misenur
a. where we refreshed ourselves a Toe
- we cOutC. anG passed. aHolneF ahA4o
e. night between hope and fear -thoug
,e- indeed. with a much larger share
the latter. for the earthquake 81
continued. while several foolish pt
sons ran up and down. heightenil
rk their own and their friends calau
ties by their terrible predictions
NJ ON this memorable night, Hercul
neum. q much larger city than 20
!. peii. was destroyed by kind of tow
IL LIQUID lava. which. pouring itself ir
every crcvicc, ha. rendered attemI
as TO recover the remains almost fruitl,
Fompeli, how ever. was buried undel
H. thick coating o! ashes, which ha
ST.