The Last Days of Pompeii.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3022, 6 October 1888, Page 2

The Last Days of Pompeii.

A contributor to an English paper writes:—l was present at an interesting gatheiing of literary and scientific folk the other night, where we tocuesed anew the grand but awful subject of the destruction of Pompeii. ;Sublime and 'fascinating at any time, though tragio and terrible beyond any other ovent in the history of natural convulsions, tuo. subject: appealed, .with, unusual force to the little from' the the fact that it was brought' before us in some striking; passaged from <the writings of a fejlaw member"'of the Society .(MrS, Kussell Forbes);

who lias.. jiassedi. many ,yearß:.ophis, ;i;;: life ■ visited and explored, the (mm buried •&;&. aiid now : partly^disinterred City: of r t \ the Dead; ;Thejiccouut of the more.: %< ; recent ■ excavations • and discoveries f, ;•; • "was-preceded by- a new.-translatipn,' .;•; -;c; made by our Mend,bfjiujVq W&t ft ' which were written ; b#;Pliny^the^:;;^: younger to Tacitus,.the?latter .pfj,-■;.;. some:particulars to embody in his; ~;; history. Piiny t -with ibis rnotlier and. ■., ; ; his famous uncle,' had been Witnesses V: -' r v it in a way which, after the lapse of eighteen centuries,:brings.it as vividly ; . before the eyes as.if one had. seen it; > . onq'sßClf only .yesterday. Pliny and • his'friei/ds were at;-Misenum on the afternoon oftb.o24th August, 78, a.d., «wh|on they observed a cloud, whioh . appearedlike/a ! gigantic.pine tree. , toieyiielrutthatit was caused by an '. eruption of Vesuvius. They went on , boardlship, and steered forthevpoinfc :-*~"? of danger,\the cmders}vfro'ni;:^the' : i mountain, ..which -, ■' A: hotter'as they advanced^falh^gi*into' v T $ the ship, together wjthjpjirnice sfoneS |« f | and pieces of burning : reokV? !;$ tfi'if | ; .', The rest gives; in grealarijelap | $ -K that appaling picture get such an'effective f. twpjshortj sentences Loralytton for the title-page of liis i»ilhMt^obJ| ? ,'l.The Last Days; of w'aji.'turned into night, and'light into'"'"' darliness. An inexpressible quantity of dust and asheswaßpoured out, . ... ' land, isea,.and an\ and burying' two entire cities, Herou- ~ lanouni and Pompeii, 'while thepeople-' ' „; were''sitting .in: the theatre." This is h'ow. Pliny-himself describes the . climaxof thoscene:"l turned my ■%/' head'and'observed behind us a thick • smoke, whibh camo rolling after us like a''.torrent/ I proposed, while we. yet any light, toturn out of the" ■ high road, lest my mother should be pressed to death in tho dark by the -.■■.■ orowd that followed us, We had i scarcely stepped out of the dark wheu.'-..., darkness overspread, aot like that of a; ■':-', oloudy night,-or when there is ho" ' rhoon; bntlike that of a room when • ' it is shut up and all the lights ate . extinct.'"Nothing then was to be '. hoard but the shrieks of women, the" ■' ' soreams of children, and the cries of mon—some calling for their children; " othors for their parents, others for. their husbands, and only distinguishing each other by their voices; one. ' lamenting on his own fate, another that of his family; some wishing to'' die, from the very fear of dying; some lifting their hands to tho gods; but the greater part imagining that the last and eternal night was come whidh was to destroy both tho gods and the ~* world together."

.Following;'upon : this translation, the writor gave ah excellent ac'obunt qftho more recent excavations and discoveries; with .a 1 general' desorip- . tidn'of the graceful ruins and deserted streets >yhioh Pompeii how presents' '■ to the visitor.' The act of stooping to ■ pick up a piece ofglass inoneof these streets lod him to remark what a misconception exists among many that the Bomar/i* did not know the use of glass for windows mentioned ..-. by ancient authors, but at Fonipeii there are visible evidences that glass was'so employed,' In some of the "more Recently disinterred houses small windows have been found with glass half an inoh thick. In one oase where tho window, a : bath r ,, •, onefside of the glass was' ground to prevent anyone from seeing through.' Bronze' frames have also been-dis- " covered, with 'glass in them, fastened by_ nuts and sorews. In the villa of Diomedes were:.found four panes of glass, Ginby 4in.,and therein one ' hbuse;with'a window 'still11» situ, Even toughened glass, Biipposod to bo an invention of our own day, was discovered, but for Borne unexplained reason, it'was suppressed,and Tiberius put the inventor to'death I Noticing:'; the theatro,.the ease with whioh all (jpuld. get but was romarked upon; and it: was .added "Even tho telephone' was foreshadowed by these Romans; for, that the voice might ..' reach every' part of the house, and o'ouvey its sound to the hardest hearers, littlb bronze oups wore suspendod ' at 'intervals under tho seats of the spectators. I '' ■ Such is the merest outline of a very.:'aelightful ovening. Somehow, everything one reads ot hear about the auoient Romans or tho, anoient Greeks, inoveases one'?. «. astonishment at ,the. extent and ! .variety, of their rknowledge, and raises ono'a pity at the molanoboly grace of thoir wonderful history v

.- Girls' Names and Their Mean- ■* What's in a name ?" asks Shaksperc. Well, thero may bo a great deal in a uainer-muro, iu fact, than appears,on the surface. Names were originally givqn riot in a mere haphazard fashion as they often are now* adays, but to denote some;- character '•• < or quality in tho person- or thing ■' named. Thus, in tho case of the young ladies mentioned below, if they wore all worthy of tbo namos tbey bear, wo'should noUcod to ask their parents or friends, what thoy aro like? wo should know at once that Francis Is " unrestrained and freo;"' Bertha, " pellucid puroly bright ;"■ : Clara,.,'! clear" as tho crystal sea; ; Lucy; a star of radiant "light;" Catherine is" pure" m mountain air j Baihara comefch " from afar j" Mabel iS'Mike a lily fair;" Henrietta, solt, sweet "fatar." Foliciaisa "happygirl(" i Matilda is a''lady true;" Margaret is a shining "pearl;" ' Rebecca, *' with a faithful fow;" S.usan ta a ''lily white;" "■>'- > Janohastho'willow'fl'ourvoDndgraco Oeoilia. dear," is dim of sigh'l•'' ' Sophia shews" wisdom" on her face. Constance is firm p,nd " resolute j" Grace, a d'olicious'' favour meot;" . Charlotte," noble, of goood repute j" k Harrioti a fino."odour sweet;'' Isabella is" lady rare;" Lucinda ll constant as tho day;" Maria means" a lady fair;" ',. Abigail," joyful" as the May: Elizabeth, "an oath of Wet;" ~, Adelina," nice princess, proud ;" Agatha is "truly good and ]ust;" Leita,«a joy by love avowed." , Jemima, "a soft sound in air ;'' Carolina, "a sweet spirit hale;'' ■ Cornelia,'".harmonious and fair;" . Lydia, "a Judith," a song of s'Bcfed:praisV;-Kf;c'S . Julia,"ajowel " {^;X?