The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-13

ty millions was destroyed, with splen- did edifices, marble cathedrals and churches. Roman temples and palaces untold treasures of art from all quar- ters of the globe The history of Lis bon apart from this catastrophe. justi-
 ies such interest. "olysippoa "Ulyssip- pus'' (after Ulysses), or "Alis Ubbo' C'the Delicious Bay'o as the Phoenic- fans called it, was a place of some note under the Romans. who named it ''Fel- loitas Julia" (after Julius Caesar), and built many pagan temples therein. About 700 A. D. the Moors. eonquering Spain and Portugal. held Lisbon till the great battle of Guadelete d14D. when the first King of Portugal Alfonzo Henriques crowned in 1l9a) after protracted siege wrested 1t from them.
 A faint idea of the art treasures lost in 1755 may be formed from the fine chapel at San Roque built to order in Rome for King Joaz V, packed up, trans ported, and re-erected at Lisbon at cost of 100000 "cruzados" (f2,SS3.S2 It is covered with magnificent Roman mosaies-the piiasters are of verdantiqne. porphyry and lapis lazuli. There were many such buildings in the old Roman quarter of the city lying between the castle and the Tagus. now called the AL fama district, which still retains the characteristics of the Moorish mediaeval ages; steep tortuous narrow lanes, filthy and i'll paved, in strong contrast to the modern quarters westward, which were all rebuilt after the earthquake. It was not, however. till 1894 that Lisbon be- came an archbishopric and the capital of Portugal under H. M. Dom Joao L, when at the very acme of it's splendor and commercial importance the hand of God struck it the blow from which It never has recovered and never can.
 In the course of excavations for build- ing purpose, and the tardy researches of the Archaeological Society of Lisbon, relics of the great seismic convulson of 1755 are occasionally found. Notably in 1900 the tomb and remains of great per- sonage yelept Bartolomeo Johannis were dug up from a great depth in that part of the Alfama quarter known as the
 iIDlN =EH, NBETt AHt FIbiS olpot ffsaS especially worshipped About a fortnight ago an enthusiastic Senhor of the society noticed the capitals of highly ornate portico appearing in an excavation close to the same spot. Clearance was made, the gate forced, when the explorers found themselves in a most beautiful mortuary chapel, wherein was the tomb of a young IoA f,, a coat of rich brocade. ornamented with "glories" or representations of 70 .Espir- ito Sancto' The fabric is still perfect in color and fibre, and if the society take proper care, 1t may not suffer from air exposure The all important question has yet to be solved Who was the young lady thus magnifcently inferred?
 Enough has been discovered to prove that the skeleton is that of a favorite illegitimate daughter of a King of Portu- gal, and but little doubt remains that she was the natural daughter of King Algonzo-the child-wife of Count Henry of Burgundy, grandson of Duke Robert. This worthy, like many noble but neces- sitous adventurers of the day, sought to carve out a kingdom for himself. He fought successfully under King Alfonzo's banner against the Moors in Spain, and the monarch q095) rewarded him with the hand of his favorite natural daughter, with Portugal as her dowry.
 nation less apathetic than the Lusi- tanians would years ago have laid bare the whole quarter in which these discov- cries have been made; just as the Italians have cleared out Pompeii and Herculan- cum. It is more than probable that vast treasures would repay a little energy. We shall see what will be done. Ten to one they will content themselves in Lisbon with the everlasting "a manhia" (to- morrow) and will do-nothing.