Miscellanies XXXV. 



roi IF. No. 24. 



THE SUBTERRANEAN HERCULANUN. 



In the reign of the "Roman Emperour Titus and 

 the year 79 after the Birth of lel'us Chrift one of 

 the - m oft terrible eruptions of the Mount Vefu- 

 vius happened. Heavy clouds of burning ashes 

 and pumice - ftones ejecf ed from the Volcano, chan- 

 ged-at firft, day in night, and then falling down 

 like a devalting rain covered and defiroyed the 

 whole adjacent country. 



Herculanum a large town and Colony of the 

 Ancient llomans fituated on the Sea -Shore bet- 

 ween Naples and Posnpejum was alfo buried by 

 this terrible Cataftrophe. The rain of ashes and 

 pumice - flones covered its flreets and houfes, 

 while the infortunate inhabitants had hardly time 

 enough to fave themfelves and their belt effects; 

 frequent showers foon after changed thefe ashes 

 into a hard and folid fubftauce, and a torrent of 

 glowing Lava which ftreained from the h urftin g 

 Volcano towards the Sea, covered Herculanum 

 with a kind of Stone- Cruft from 60 to 130 feed 

 thick. Thus this opulent town disappeared from 

 the furface of the earth and tome Centuries after 

 this terrible event nobody knew where this flou- 

 rishing town had been fituated; at laft tbe little 

 town Portici ( was built on the plain which cove- 

 red Herculanum and it was only by chance that 

 its fubtenanean ruins weie discovered in the laft 

 Century. 



Prince d'Elhoeuf from the houfe of Lorrain 

 built in 1720 a country houle near Portici when 

 a neighbouring pcafant digging at the fame time 

 a well, found various precious pieces of marble. 



The Prince hearing of it, bought that piece of 

 ground of the peafant, dug deeper and found a 

 great quantity of antiquities and ftatues of the 

 greateft value; but the king of Naples foon prohi- 

 bited all further fearching, and it was only 30 

 years after, that the government permitted to dig 

 again. After having pierced the Lava to a depth 

 of ßo feet they discovered the flreets of Hercula- 

 num and found an immenfe quantity of ftatues, 

 antic Vafes, facrificial inftrurnents and excellent 

 Fresco pictures (paintings on humid Lime). 

 Thefe treafures were taken out of the fubter- 

 ransous town, as may be feen fig. 1., and put in 

 the Royal Mufeum at Portici. 



As it was impoffible to uncover the whole 

 Herculanum without pulling down Portici, paf- 

 fages were dug through the Lava by which means 

 the ruins of this famous town may be feen by- 

 Torch -light. 



The firft magnificent Building discovered, 

 was the Theatre of which our picture fig, 2., 

 offers the plan. The inner part of this edifice 

 affords an excellent View of its Magnitude and 

 fuperb decoration. It was large enough to con- 

 tain 10000 Men, and the fpectaîors arrived from 

 a corridor, as the vertical opening (a) shows, 

 through feven doors Qb) to their fits of To- 

 phus. The walls were ornamented with ftatues 

 of marble that fiood in niches, and hojfes of 

 bronce placed on prominent pedeftals. The Pro- 

 scenium or the ftage was decorated with pillars 

 of the Corinthian order and ftatues of theMufes. 



