Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-04-02
FROM ITALY.
Two Young Burlington Persons Ascend
vosuyius; and Visit Pompeii, Paestum
and Capri.
(From a Private letter..

Naples, March 10 96.
We assembled Vesuvius Tuesday 1t was
a bright morning and the drive in COM
Portable two-horSe carriage, with Il very
pleasant gentleman from Montreal and
his daughter, was delightful one-that Is
after we got rid of the dcformed beggars
and itinerant musicians in Portici and
Resina. The lava of a recent eruption has
covered the road in some places SO that af-
ter IL drive of about two hours and
half we were obliged to change our car
riage for saddle-beasts. We had two
strong donkcyS that were fast and had
comfortable saddles. The climb over
path across the lava fields took three quar-
tiers of an hour. and showed us the most
fantastic formations that one can imagine,
In some places the lava looked like Il
cloth OF some very heavy texture dropped
into innumerablc folds. In others, it resem-
bled coarse ropes, and in other spots it was
twisted and gnarlcd like trunks of wealth
err beaten cedars. In spots where the rain
torrents run it had begun to disintcgratc
and formed fiat slopes of black sand.
our strong donkeys brought us to the foot
of the cable road up the cone OF the vol
cano proper; the ascent of this took only
fifteen minutes or so and then We set out
on foot for the crater. The government
imposes a tax on everybody who goes up
to the crater, and furnishes guide TO
conduct each party Unfortunately the
clouds of steam were hanging heavy
around the summit and filed both the old
and new craters so completely that we could
see only the sharp declivity at the brink.
But we heard the subterrancan thunder
and smelled the sulphur fumes and saw
the deep clcfts in the sides of the crater
sufficiently distinctly to be convinced that
we were walking over the home of those
terrible forces that destroyed lIerculaneum
and Pompei almost two thousand years
ago. From the lower end of the funicular
road we walked perhaps mile over liclds
of lava to where u red hot steam of mol
| ten rock is issuing from the base of The
cone. The blocks we stood on were form
ed only five days before and in the cracks
between them we could still sec the glow
of that awful heat. our companions had
the guides dig out pieces of hot lava and
press pennies into them. but preferred to
/ try IL for myself and after several at
/ tcmpts, | got lump of soft lava out of
/ the stream with my walking stick The
heat was almost unbeatable, and though
my cane was in the fluid only few
seconds, the spike that forms the end
grew SO hot that the cement that fastens II
on came boiling out around the edges OF
the ferule. My piece of lava was some
thing smaller than my fist, but when we
got back to the railway it was stu hot
ON the way down the clouds lifted, and We
of Capri and Ischea in the distance.
The next day we went to Pompcii
This was our second visit to the town, and
l was amazed TO find how much there was
that was still absolutely new to us. one
could stay for days and not exhaust tn,
interest and admiration for the old town
that every traveller must feel We had {
most perfect day and as we stood on th'
old city and looked across the bay to the
heights behind Castelmare and Sorrento
and then turned to look at Nesvius viii
white smoke pouring from the cop, W.
could not wonder that the ancients bull
their villas here in spite of the known
dangers of the situation.
1t is of course impossible to describe
Pompeii, and unless one has seen the place
even the most vivid description is entircl,
unsatisfactory. That night we went L
Salerno. and on Thursday we went on Il
Paestum. where we were blessed will
another good day. We poked around tn
ruins of the temples and the theatre, am
climbed over walls built by modern shift
less Italian peasants from the blocks o
stone and pottery which perhaps wcr
shaped i'm the era of the Persian wars
: who knows? The beautiful Temple o
Neptune. with its wonderful! soft color AM
it's marvellous preservation, absorbed mos
of our time an interest, ana it was onl
with the greatest reluctance that we turn
ed DaCK 10 the StatlOll, Wnefe we TOOK III
train for La Cava.
At La CaVa we took rooms at tho Hot,
de Londres, and old villa made over T.
minister to the wants of the travellers
We had two enormous chambers with car
we'd and nlaid furniture and tried TO fc,
like Italian aristocrats, but the attemp
, was not successful. This next day We too
a carriage and drove along the magnifccn
coast road TO Sorrento stopping for lunc
lHanlIplin Monastery
coast, the blue sky, the clouds, the sapph!r
+ water-l hardly know which to admir-
p most. a more beautiful drive have ncve
. taken and only a tour on late summer
+ day along the banks of Lake Champair
a with Mansfield and the Adirondacks o
n either hand, could equal it, even for
born Vermontcr At Sorrento we had con
Portable quarters at the new Hot,
d. Europe. and on Saturday embarked fc
! Capri with a good lunch that our host PIT
up for us. We went direct in the steamC
to the Blue Grotto and We're rowed int
the cavern in q small skif without an
misfortune Some of our acquaintance
: were drenched to the skin by wave thf
y struck them just at the mouth of the gro
: to- 1t took us some time to gev accustome
- to the light in the cave. 1t seems to CON
from the water entirely, thought suppos
: that some of 1t comes through the openin
and is reflected by the walls and the SUI
face of the water Such Illuminated or
, Illuminating water ] never saw, the onl
: thing | can compare it with Is the color
; a wcl-cut brilliant aquamarine. Aft'
, leaving the Blue Grotto we took carrai
= and drove about the island for three houl
= or so. and then took the boat for Maple
: again. From here we go to Rome to-mo
. row u. W. H.
A RHYME FOR RETAILERS.
= If you want to build a business,