Year: 1879

at that time. On the morning of the Goth,
at about half-past three, party OF twenty
students from Naples went down from the
Vesuvian observatory into the valley be
tween the two peaks, and were there
when the stream burst from the noun
tain side and poured down into the valley,
while the ashes and not stones were shot
out into the air. Two craters opened at
the top, and not one of that band of twenty
students escaped. Whether they were
caught in the lava stream or were killed
by the falling stones was never known.
Not one returned to tell the tale.


THE VOLCANO PHOTOGRAPHED.


It was during the height of the erup-
tion that the photograph was taken, from
the streets OF Naples, and of which copy
was next shown upon the screen. It gave
view OF the mountain with great vivid
ness. The top was shrouded in dense
masses OF vapor, and from the summit
there rolled away in the shape of huge
curved plume vast cloud of vapor. 1t
looked like vast arch thrown athwart
the heavens. The sides Of the mountain
were flaming and smoking with the lava
overflow, and abreast of the city could be
seen the broad front of the lava stream
that flows in that direction. People who
saw the vast cloud from Sorrento said it
looked like dingy white marble. and that
there was a terrible look of solidity about
it as though it might break and fall in a
tremendous river, carrying death and
destruction to everything beneath It. The
flood OF lava towards Naples covered two
square miles and was 20 feet deep. Yet
this was "quiet eruption" in the main,
and was not to be compared with the
one which overwhelmed Pompeil.
The ashes Of this eruption in
1872 were borne a long distance
and fell IN the streets OF Naples and up
on the window sills. The eruption was
followed On the Gosh with terrible tenn
pest and with torrents Of rain Several
views OF the eruption were shown, one, a
copy OF painting made by an artist in
Naples just after the eruption. The 9th
ers were views Of the volcano by day and
by night during the period of its activity.
The night scene was inconceivably grand.
The dense masses Of clouds threw back
the lurid glare Of the lava beds, while
here and there flames shot into the air
and black columns Of smoke made deep
shadows upon the heavy masses of va
por.


POMPEII.


The next slide was was view of a
portion of Pompeii restored, giving the
forum as it must have appeared at the
time OF the destruction Of the city. 1t
showed with what elegant and graceful
magnificence the city was built. OF the
history Of Pompeii before the Christian
era we do not know much. It was
founded about the sixth century, B. c.
but we know but little of it only IN the
Romanized period of It's history, when ii
had become the Newport Of Rome. There
are inscriptions and indications fOunG
which bel p the archaologist to read
somewhat of its olden history.


| THAT ROMAN SOLDIER.


The next slide gave view of one Of
the portals OF the city the gate of the
Herculaneum. Outside the walls the
way was lined with tombs. 1t was al
this gate that it was said that the Skeleton
OF the Roman soldier who had died al
his post, In the sentry. box just outside
the walls, was found. 1t was, said the
lecturer, very pretty tale, but the
trouble was that it was not trae. In the
first place, there was no garrison at Pom
peii at the time Of its destruction. In the
next place, the so.called sentrS box was
d tomb put outside the gate, and thirdly
no remains were found


Then Mr.. Spaulding in imagination
led his audience within the gates of the
city and showed the interior of one OF
the therma or public baths of the city
1t was very great mistake to suppose
that Pompeli in those days was the I'M
moral and vicious city which it has been
represented to be. It was city of ar,
and cultivation. It was inhabited by
men OF wealth and rare taste and culture.
1t was an eplcurean city, where the doc
trines Of that philosopher had been
brought to their highest state. It was
if New York and Brooklyn were blottel
out OF existence to-day, as ancient Pom
peli was blotted out, the future discover.
er would find beneath their ruins the evi-
dences Of vice and licentiousness to
which Pompeii can give but little COM
parlson. We do not need to whitewasb
pagan Pompeii, but we do need to blush
for Christian Brooklyn and New York.


The next slides gave several interiors
OF Pompeii dwellings. It was in 174S
that the spade of Spanish civil engi-
neer first struck upon the buried ruins
Of the city. 1t lay covered with from
seven to eight metres of debris say from
% to 26 feet of ashes and volcanic mud.
The lower half of the deposit consists OF
dry ashes and small stones or scoria.
Then comes about ten feet of volcanic
mud caused by the heavy vapors of
steam in the atmosphere convert ting the
showers of ashes as they fell into mud
then the scOrie and ashes of later erup-
tions, and the soil that had accumulated
on the top and which was very fertile
Another slide showed the process of the
excavations which have extended over
half the city. Another showed the
court of the house of Diomed, the wine
merchant, just outside the walls. His
family were found, or rather their skele.
tons, were found in the vaults of the
wine-cellars, to which they had fed fol
safety There was nothing burned in
Pompoli. The heat was not sufficient tc
change the color Of the frescoes on the
walls, but the woodwork, &C., was car.
bonized by its long entombment in such
a soil.


! THE SKELETONS.


One side showed the interior of a vault
and the skeleton of man just as it was
found. He had fed there for safety
and by his side was the empty amphora
or wine jar, and the overturned dish that
| held his food Eithar ha had narioho1 h,