An account of the ancient city of Herculaneum, destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vefuvius many ages ago. In a letter from a gentleman at Naples in 1744.

TH

His great catastrophe was occafioned by an eruption of Mount Vefuvius, fo early as in the days of the Emperor Titus, in which the city of Herculaneum perifhed [ix. 386.], and was overwhelmed with the afhes, fulphur, and other matter, thrown out of that mountain, to the depth of eighty feet, and in fome places of more than one hundred. It has been the general opinion, that this city funk into the earth at that time; but by what I have feen of it, and by what I can judge from the face of the country all round, there has been no fuch thing: for the whole earth now thereabout has been plainly made up of the difgorgings of the mount to a great depth; and the city, many parts of which I have within these few days feen, has all its buildings ftanding perfectly upright: which could not have been the cafe had they funk; for they would then neceffarily have leaned, and many of them would have fallen by the fault of their foundation; as we cannot fuppofe fo great an extent of earth, and that fo irregularly loaded, to have funk perfectly even.

Be this as it will, however, we are very certain that it is fo long ago that the city perished; and at different times, in feveral ages fince, there have been attempts to dig and penetrate into it, and one thing or other has often been difcovered. There are in many of the neighbouring places, remains of Roman ftatues, which have been taken out, fome 100, fome 200, fome, as they fay, 600 years ago. But about 80 years fince, a bold attempt was made for the pene trating a great way into it; a private gentleman having fecretly caufed to be raken up as much treasure of one fort or other, as he fold for 18,000 1. Sterling; but one of his labourers at length betraying him, and the thing getting air, the government became apprifed of it, and Teized on the effects of the perfon concerned, who was forced to fly, and VOL. XIX.

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spent the remainder of his life in fome The court, however, made no use of the difcovery, but the thing flept till the year 1738; when many hands were employed, and have been ever fince, to pene trate into it, and bring up the various treasures; the greatest of which are the paintings; which, however, are with difficulty preferved, being not done in the modern way in frames, but on the plaifter on the walls.

of the German dominions.

They have lately funk a new paffage into the higher part of the city, which is fufficiently broad and convenient. They before defcended by fome brick fteps, arched over the top; but having cleared away all that that part of the town afforded, till they came to a large circular wall, fo thick that they could not get through it, they have now begun in a new place. The fteps they defcended by, were at firft fuppofed by the virtuofi and antiquarians here, to be the work of the inhabitants, to get away their treasure after the lofs of the place. But this was foon found to be a groundless notion, this work having never penetrated into the city, and the bricks being not at all like thofe in the buildings of it; befides that there is no fand in the mortar they are joined with, which determines the date to be of not more than 300 years; and the cement of all the buildings of the city itself being harder than the bricks, and all compofed of lime and yellow fand. This new paffage is very broad, and lefs fteep than the former, and is propped at intervals with wood work.

The fubftance through which it is cut is truly wonderful. In one place are vaft beds of yellow, blue, and green fulphur, which take fire at carrying a candle by them; in others, the fides are crammed with fuch fort of stuff as you make the rough work of the grottoes with in England; in others, it feems all cut through a bed of afhes, like the beds of loose fand in the heavy roads in fome places, and here it is forced to be propped up all the way, and faced with boards; in another place you fhall fee vaft lumps of glafs of all colours, made by the 4 E

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heat of the fire; in fome there are blocks of pure metal, and not a little, that, where it is fresh broken, feems very full of gold and filver; fo that I am apt to think this will one time or other be found to be the most valuable part of the treasure. Thefe pieces all look very full of different colours, and ftrike fire with the tools, fmelling like brimftone. It is remarkable, that in the whole paffage there has not been difcovered fo much as a fingle lump of natural mould, nor a pebble, but all fulphur and melt. ed matter: and as we go lower toward the bottom, we fometimes may obferve whole ftreams, that feem to have been rivers of melted iron, which have allo fallen in fome places into the town, and filled whole freets; and very likely this may have been the cafe, where the workmen at the other entrance could make no further way, When we are here got to the level of the town, we are received in a broad and open fquare, partly natural, partly owing to the work mens having pulled down and removed the walls; and all round this they have broken into feveral fine apartments, and in one place into a whole ftreet. But two of the workmen were lately crushed to death, and buried in the ruins of a wall that fell on them, and two others narrowly escaped the fame fate. In this fquare are depofited the treafures they have lately found; and on a view of this, and of the magnificence of the rooms they have broken into, one cannot but admire the magnificence and elegance of the ancients. One room I went into, was lined with the most beautiful purple and white marble, in regu Jar pannels, each pannel being edged with a black and gold marble, and fur rounded with a broad divifion of ano. ther of blue, green, white, and purple. Several others were in this tafte, though in a leffer way. You may think thefe very magnificent: but, alas, Sir, thefe were the meaneft of their apartments; the finer were all covered with paintings, which are fill fo fine and perfect, that they rob all the late painters of their glory. In the feveral niches of thefe, there are alfo fatues of a workmanship fupe

rior to any thing we have ever seen, and, in my judgment, even to the paintings themselves. There is a Juno all carved in a bluish-white marble, the foldings of whofe robes would deceive you into the thinking they were linen, even at two feet diftance; the expreffion in the face is so much beyond all we know of ftatuary, that we want words even to convey our ideas of its excellence in.

But the paintings are what chiefly amaze and delight every body. There are very many which are broken or da maged by the workmen, or defaced by accident; but the few that are unhurt, Į are proofs that there have once been ma fters which probably will never be equalled. Among thofe I faw here, was a Tityus chained to a rock, with his breaft laid open, and a large bird feeding upon his liver. There are but few colours in this piece; yet the majesty of the whole, and the ideas it conveys, are fcarce to be expreffed The rock is of a deep brown, cracked and torn in feve ral places, and appearing fo rugged, that you fweat for pain for the naked figure that lies on it. This is perhaps one of the greatest muscular figures that ever was or ever will be executed. The fize adds to the terror of it; it is more than eight feet long; and the drawing up the left leg, and at the fame time thrufting out the other to its utmost extent, in the agony of the pain, gives an opportunity of difplaying fuch mufcles as will never be seen elsewhere. The fingers of the right hand are bent almost to breaking, in trying, as it were, to tear up the rock, and the other hand is ftrang. ly clenched. In both these the promi nence of the joints and the diftention of the veffels, is beyond all idea of any who have not feen it. The whole body fhews its various mufcles at work in agony. The wound in the breaft is turned artfully away, as a fight too fhock, ing; but over it ftands the bird of hell, in the act of striking its head toward his breaft. The whole plumage of the bird ftands loofe and trembling, with expectation of its banquet; and the fierceness of its eye, at once looking down into the wound, and gazing aflant, as if to fee

if any one was in the way, is nature al moft amended; the foot of the bird which is in view, feems clenching as to take faft hold, its claws penetrate deep into the flesh, and the blood is juft ma king its way at the wounds. Thus far I have attempted to defcribe, what, were you to fee it, makes all defcription poor. But there yet remains the face, which is as much fuperior to all the reft, as the rest is to every thing befides. The menacing fiercenefs of the look, mixed with the agony and torment it expreffes, are truly inconceivable without feeing this piece: the inflamed eyes are turned towards heaven; they have no tears, but the horrors of the face are doubled by large drops of sweat standing on the fwelling mufcles. The lips are fhut, yet you can see that the teeth are violently gnafhed together, even by the drawing upwards of the chin. The great art of the painter is, to give you this in full view, which is done by throwing the head from its natural posture, by a distorting struggle of the neck; yet all this appears perfectly natural, and has a naked fimplicity, which adds infinitely to its beauties. The only colours in this piece feem brown and red; the flesh of the body is a brown red, and expreffes the most robust and sturdy complexion; the chain is of a dufty brown, with a little red; and the bird a paler brown without any mixture. I do not know how far I may have been able to paint this painting to you, but I am very fenfible I fhall never forget it.

As this is all horror, there are several others all foftness. A Semele melting into transport at the fight of a Jupiter at a vaft distance in the clouds, and a courtezan leaning on the neck of her lover, are patterns of all excellence in this kind. There is a Bacchanal dance, where every face has a different expreffion of the tranfport; a Thetis leaning on a bed of mofs under a natural grotto, and receiving a Phoebus, has, befides the paffions and fineness of the figures, a glow of red from the defcending car, that makes all Titian's funfhine the blaze of a boy's bonfire. There is a Philoctetes with the arrow fallen on his foot, in

which the languishing look and terror of the afpect, fpeak in the most lively manner, the fenfe of death, and the regret of the hero, to miís the glorious enterprife he was invited to. There are a multitude of other figures, many of which are not understood, which are full compofitions; among the reft there are fome of the public fhews of beafts, where the several animals are painted as fine as the Tityus; particularly there is a dying tiger, the nobleft thing of the kind ever executed; the death of Achilles, in which the fiercenefs, mixed with forrow, in the face of the hero, and the mixture of aftonishment, terror, and a concealed joy, in the face of Polyxena, none but the hand that did it, can come up to. There is a fingle Silenus, a most pleafing figure; and a Mercury in flight, which is only a part of a picture, but fhews the lofs of the remainder to have been an uncommon misfortune.

These, and a multitude of others, ftand now in the fquare. A number of others are alfo preferved; and among thofe, two of very early date among us, having been taken up about feven years fince, which by thofe who have not yet feen the Tityus, are thought to excel all the reft.

These are, a Vertumnus and Pomona, the Vertumnus turning from her, and he beckoning a fatyr to call him back, whofe arch fmile feems to fay, Let him go if he pleases, there are enough ready to fupply his place. The other is theCentaur teaching Achilles mufic. I heartily with you could see these, partly for your own fatisfaction, and partly for my fake, that I might fee you; but, despairing of that pleasure, lam,&c. [Lit. Mag.] GEO. BEHN.

"The things defcribed in the preceding letter, are certainly great, very great; but whether they exceed the works of Raphael, is a queftion that cannot but admit fome doubt in all who have feen the Vatican. The writer of the letter is a great judge of painting, but is him felf no painter. And if he were, we know he might be deceived, fince the greateft have been fo. R. G. D." [Lit. Mag.]

Our readers have formerly feen a letter on this fubject by a Scots gentleman. [xiii. 18.] 4 E 2 LON

entertainments, befides thofe they had formerly; this being the most effectual way of attaching them to his perfon and government, and of keeping their fortunes within moderate bounds; being fenfible, that allowing them to refide on their eftates, would not only preferve their health, but revive that attachment the Commons of England had in their days of profperity to their lords and ba

rons.

The King, to fhew his affection to fuch of his new fubjects as advanced large fums of money for the fupport, or rather deftruction, of their late government, has graciously refigned to thofe creditors all his demands on the Great Mogul and his tributaries, who for many years had received large fums of money, and failed in granting the affiftance ftipulated by treaty, when his fettlements in that country were attacked and demolished by Adm. Watfon nine and twenty years ago; and upon that account grants to the Eaft-India company liberty to take from the Great Mogul all the treasures they have transferred into his coffers for the products of India these many years paft, which will do more than repay all the money advanced by them and others to the late government of this kingdom.

The King being fenfible of the propriety of the law relating to marriage, has caufed it to be inferted in the new code now completing at Paris for the government of this country; the only alterations are, poftponing the age of majority of both fexes to twenty-five years, till which time the youth are to ferve in the army, and the ladies to be confined in nunneries for the more ftrict obfervance of that ftatute, till married by confent of parents or guardians, or by the King's order.

We hear the King intends that all laws relating to taxes fhall remain in full force, as none of his fubjects can complain of what was enacted by their own confent and authority many years ago. This morning the troops were reviewed in Hyde park by Marshal Richlieu. It is furprifing to fee with what eager nefs the late generals and other officers of diftinction learn the rudiments of war

under this experienced officer, whofe father gave the firft blow to the English nation by taking the island of Minorca. The Marfhal is refolved to advance them according to their merit only. Moft of them at prefent act only as ferjeants; but the King has, out of his great love and affection, and from a defire by rewards to infpire a military spirit, ordered the Marfhal to advance, against Christmas next, all who bore the rank of generals, to the rank of captains of foot, provided that betwixt and that time they fhew no indications of cowardice or effeminacy; as the Moft Chriftian King is willing to impute the faint or non refiftance they made against his troops, rather to their ignorance in the art of war, to their love of eafe, and to the riches they poffeffed, than to any want of natural courage, in a people once fo brave as the English, under a Richard III. Edward III. Harry VIII. and other princes who governed them in a manner fuitable to their genius.

We hear the King has moft gracioufly offered his free pardon to the rebel Scots and Welch, who refufe to lay down their arms, (though by the submiffion of the English there is no hopes of relief for them), provided they furrender in ten days; and we hear fron Paris, that two leading men from each of those countries are arrived there, in order to treat with the King upon terms. It is faid the demands of the Scots are very high, and that they complain in the most injurious terms of the English for not arming them fooner, and for not inviting them to their defence; and one of the deputies had the affurance to tell the King, that had the English army retreated north when they were obli ged to abandon the capital, his Majesty would not have found fo eafy a conqueft. We do not hear yet what answer is gi ven to their demands; but it is not doubted but the King will af with his ufual wisdom, in treating with a nation who may be rendered either the weak fide or bulwark of G. Britain.

The facility and quicknefs with which the conqueft of this country has been atchieved, muft not only furprise all Eu

rope,