The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-11-08
whore 80. 900 Died.



From the London Globe.
Considerable interest has been excited
in Lisbon, and IN the archaeological world,
by the fresh discoveries recently unearthed
under the debris Of the old city buried by
the fearful earthquake of 1855, when so,
900 human beings persisted, 1000 being
engulfed in two minutes on the Pace Com
mereio, or Square of Commerce, when the
earth opened and shat upon them, when
property worth twenty millions was de-
stroyed, with splendid edifces, marble
cathedrals and churches, Roman temples
and palacess-untold treasures of art from
all quarters of the globe The history Of
Lisbon, apart from this catastrophe, justi-
fees such interest s.Olysippo, ssUlys-
sippus CATER Ulysses, or Ais Ubbo'
(ssthe Delicious Bay as the Phoeni-
clans called it, was a place of some note
under the Romans, who named it "Feli
citas Julia (after Julius Casar) and
built many pagan temples therein. About
700 A. D., the Moors, conquering Spain
and Portugal, held Lisbon till the great
battle of Gaudelete (1l47), when the first
King Of Portugal, Alfonzo Henriques
(crowned in 1880, after a protracted
siege, wrested it from them.
4 faint idea Of the art treasures lost in
1855 may be formed from the fine chapel
at San Rogue, built to order in Rome for
King Joaz Y, packed up, transported aud
re-erected at Lisbon at cost of $4,000,
600 .scruzados (92, 1888, 321)l It is
covered with magnificent Roman mosaics--
the pilasters are of verdantique, porphyry
and lapis lazuli There we're many such
buildings in the old Roman quarter of the
city. living between the castle and the Ia
gus, now called the ALBANIA district, which
still retains the characteristics of the Moor
ish medieval ages; steep, tortuous, mar
row lanes, filthy and i'll paved; 10 strong
contrast to the modern quarters westward,
which we're all rebuilt after the earth
quake. 1t was not, however, till 1894
that Lisbon became an Archbishopric and
the capital of Portugal under II. M. Dom
Joao |, when at the very acme Of its splen-
dor and commercial Importance the hand
of God struck it the blow from which ii
never has recovered, and never can.
In the course Of excavations for build
ing purposes, and the tardy researches Of
the Archaeological Society Of Lisbon, relics
of the great seismic convulsion Of 1893
are occasionally found Notably in 1900
the tomb and remains of great parsonage
yclept Bartolomeo Johannis were dug up
from great depth in that part of the Al
fama quarter known as the ssHoly Sc,
where the Holy Chest was especially wor-
shipped. About fortnight ago an en-
thusiastic Senior of the society noticed
the capitals of highly ornate portico ap-
pearing in an excavation close to the same
spot. Clearance was made, the gate
forced when die explorers found them
selves in most.beautiful mortuary chapel,
wherein was the tomb of young girl,
within the tomb skeleton clad in a coat
of rich brocade, ornamented with 'glo-
ries, or representations of 90 Espirite
Sancto. The fabric is still perfect III
c0IOT anu UDf6, anu III Tie cOCiCbJ eoht
proper care, it may not suffer from air ex-
posture. The all important question has
vet 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 lille
Ultimate daughter of King of Portugal.
and but little doubt remains that she wa:
the natural daughter of King Alfonzo----
the child wife of Count Henry of Bur
gundy, grandson of Duke Robert This
worthy, like many noble but necessitoui
adventurers Of the day, sought to carry
out kingdom for himself. He Tough
successfully under King Alfonzo' $ banner
against the Moors in Spain, and the monarch
(1095} regarded him with the hand Of
his favorite natural daughter, with Portu
gal as her dowry
A nation less apathetic than the Lusi
tanians would years ago have laid bare the
whole quarter in which these discoveries
have been made; just as the Italians have
cleared out Pompeii and Herculaneum.
1t 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 manila (tomorrow), and
will do-nothing.