fragments of many columns, made of Egyptian granite, still occupy their original position, and convey to the mind some idea of the extent and magnificence of the building that was once the pride of Rome. The space occupied by the ruins is now inclosed with a wooden fence, used by the washerwomen in the neighborhood for drying clothes upon. The square is built up badly, and quite as uninviting as the region round about the Pantheon. Ascending the Quirinal from the Forum, we went into the gardens of the Colonna Palace, which are remarkable for several pine trees of enormous size, and the massive fragments of a building, supposed to be the Temple of the Sun. Passing the Palace of the Pope and the celebrated fountain in the piazza on the summit of the Quirinal, we proceeded to the Viminal, upon which are the remains of the Bath of Diocletian, said to have covered many acres. The ruins of this structure are now apparent in a portion of a circuit of brick wall, in an immense hall converted into a church, called St. Maria of the Angles, and other large brick walls and arches used for different purposes. Some of the pillars of the hall still remain in their original position. We counted eight made of Egyptian granite which measured fifty feet in height, and five feet through. Every thing evinces what great amount of labor was bestowed by the ancients upon their baths. Many objects of interest are to be seen in this neighborhood, such as the barracks of Diocletian, the garden of Sallust, the Porta Salina, through which the Sabine women entered, and the Villa of Albano, celebrated for its gardens and great collection of rare statuary and paintings. The most prominent objects of curiosity in the way of antiquities, occupy but a small space in and near the Capitoline and Aventine Hills. Just back of the Capitol is the celebrated Roman Forum, occupying the valley formed by the two hills. The floor of the ancient edifice is about twenty feet below the surface of the earth, but has been mostly excavated, and is now plainly seen. Fourteen columns are still standing, and the Arch of Septimus Severus is almost perfect. We descended into the prison near the Forum, in which St. Paul and St. Peter are said to have been confined; drank of the water out of the well in the centre of the dungeon; placed our hands in the print made on the wall by the head of St. Peter, when smitten by the soldier, and saw the hole through which he made his miracu lous escape. The dungeon is about thirty feet under ground, and the entrance is occupied as a chapel, to which hundreds resort daily for the purpose of prayer. On the summit of the Aventine are the remains of the Palace of the Cæsars. The brick arches are used for stables, and the space occupied by the palace is now covered over with a garden of vegetables. Just beyond we passed through the arch of Titus, and the ruined temple of Venus, to the great Coliseum, which is without question the most stupendous ruin in the world. Most things, as seen through the writings of travellers, and the highly telescopic medium of popular report, usually fall short of one's expectations; but the Coliseum is, in truth, far ahead of any description that I have ever read; it cannot be exaggerated, but, on the contrary, richly merits all the high eulogiums bestowed upon it in ancient and modern times. It is not so perfect as the one at Verona, as much of the stone has been taken away and used for build ing the palaces of modern Rome. This unhallowed demolition, I am happy to say, has been prohibited, and Pope Pius IX. deserves much praise for his restorations here and elsewhere. Only two thirds of the original structure now remain, which is amply sufficient to verify the truth of the lines quoted in the commencement of this letter. It is built of large blocks of travertine, brick work, and tufa; the Corinthian, Doric and Ionic orders prevail, and its shape, as usual, is elliptical. The arena, which was once the scene of gladiatorial spectacles, now contains the peaceful cross, promising for every kiss an indulgence of two hundred days, and fourteen statues of our Lord's Passion are arranged around it. A Franciscan monk preaches in the arena every Friday, and who that has ever listened to divine service in the Coliseum can fail to remember the solemn impressions created upon his mind on such an occasion ? Leaving this wonderful monument of ancient Rome, we procured a carriage and drove out on the Appian Way, which is not only interesting of itself, but passes through miles of ruined tombs and broken walls, that are full of historical recollections. The Baths of Caracalla first attracted our attention. They are situated on the eastern slopes of the Aventine, and are the most perfect of all the Roman thermæ, and with the exception of the Coliseum, are the most extensive ruins in Italy. They occupy an area not less than one mile in circuit, and give one a more correct idea of the extent and construction of ancient baths than either those of Diocletian or Titus. Passing through the Porta Latina, we stopped to see several Columbaria, (or tombs,) and among them the Columbarium of the slaves of Augustus. They consist of square vaults under ground, with rows of niches for urns, one above another. The bones of the deceased were placed in the urns, and inscriptions on the outside of the niche, showing the name, age, and death of each person. The tomb of the Scipios is the most ancient and interesting of all the tombs yet discovered; it is marked by a solitary cypress tree, and consists of a number of subterranean chambers, brought to light after having been undisturbed for more than twenty centuries. Several curious sarcophagi and numerous inscriptions of a very old date were excavated out of these chambers. Driving a little further, we passed the circus of Romulus, where the course of the chariots, the stations of the judges, competitors, and spectators, are yet as plainly to be seen as in old time; passed the tomb of Cecilia Metella, and entered the church of San Sebastiano, under which is the entrance to the catacombs, so celebrated as the place of burial, and also of the assemblage for the meetings of the early Christians. These passages have been explored for ninety miles, and form a chain of labyrinths sixty miles in circumference. We walked through various chambers, accompanied by a priest with wax candles, and found. them to be nothing more than excavations out of the earth, and in appearance similar to our small caves. In one of the chapels of this church, the priest exhibited a stone in a glass case, upon which there is an impression of two foot-prints, said to be those of Christ when he visited St. Peter in Rome, who said to him, “Domini quo vades." Tired of looking at broken aqueducts, broken temples, and broken tombs, we returned to the city over an excellent road, called the Nova Appia, and entered the Porta San Giovanni, situated near the church of St. John Lateran and the Scala Santa, in which are the marble steps upon which Christ descended when he was sentenced by Pontius Pilate. This holy staircase is composed of twenty-eight steps, said to have belonged to Pontius Pilate's house, and to be the identical stairs on which our Saviour trod. Pilgrims ascend it only on their knees. It is quite steep, and at the summit is a small chapel, said to be full of relics, into which the people peep through iron bars, and then descend by one of two side staircases, which are not sacred, and may be walked on. Fifty to one hundred pilgrims, male and female, old and young, high and low, may be seen at any time ascending this staircase on their knees. I never, in my life, saw any thing else so ridiculous and absurd as this sight-ridiculous in the many incidents connected with it, and absurd in its senseless and unmeaning degradation. There are two steps to begin with, and then a wide landing. Those who are most zealous begin at the beginning and go up to the top very slowly, resting on each step to repeat a prayer and kiss a cross cut in the wooden planks that cover the marble. This covering has been renewed three or four times, having been worn out by the knees of the pilgrims. We saw two American gentlemen go up, merely for the sake of saying that they had performed the feat. They got on charmingly, as if they were doing a match against time, and were up and down before some of the ladies had accomplished their half dozen stairs. Most of the penitents came down looking as if they had been regenerated, and had accomplished some substantial deed, which it would require a great deal of sin to counterbalance. The excursions in the vicinity of Rome are charming, and full of interest to the stranger, independent of the many changing views they afford of the broad Campagna. Hadrian's Villa, which was in early times so rich in every thing calculated to adorn a countryseat, still possesses an interest even in its ruined walls. Tivoli, where the river Arno is diverted from its natural course, and made to plunge headlong more than one hundred feet in the yawning caverns below, is also worthy of a visit. There, too, is the Villa d'Este, deserted and rapidly decaying, among groves of melancholy pines and cypress trees, where it seems to lie in state. Then, there is Frascati, and on the hill above, the remains of Tusculum, where Cato was born, and where Cicero lived and wrote and beautified his favorite home. LETTER THIRTY-FIVE. NAPLES, Italy. Journey from Rome to Naples-The Pontine Marshes-The Town of Fondi--A Night at Capua-Arrival at Naples-The Hotels-Lazzaroni-The Bay and General Appearance of Naples. "This region, surely, is not of the earth: Was it not dropt from Heaven? Not a grove, Sea-worn and mantled with the gadding vine, No people in the world are so much attached to each other, or evince in foreign lands so much clannishness, as the citizens of the several States of the American Union. The Englishman, the Frenchman, the German, and most travellers in this part of the world, go from one end of the continent to the other without forming a valuable acquaintance, and apparently caring very little for their own countrymen whom they meet en route. With the Americans, it is totally different; they generally travel in parties, always make inquiries at the hotels about their countrymen, and are pretty well posted relative to each other's movements. To illustrate this fact, I will merely mention that our party consisted of four while in northern Italy, and that we set out from Rome with our number increased to twelve, which I confess was rather too large for agreeability. We drove down the Corso after an early breakfast, gazed on the Capitol, Forum, and Coliseum, probably for the last time, and took leave of the "city of the soul" through the lofty Porta San Giovanni, from which begins the Via Appia Nova. All the forenoon was occupied in making our way to Albano, situated on a high hill, at the southern extremity of the broad Campagna. Here we stopped at a hotel that was a few years since occupied by some family, who abandoned it on account of the political troubles of the country. It is a magnificent building, commanding a view of Pompey's Villa, the sea, and the city of Rome. After dinner we proceeded as far as Cisterna, the place near which the "tres taberna" mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles were situated. Here the early Christians repaired to meet St. Paul on his way to Rome. I do not know |