A LETTER FROM ROME.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5529, 4 November 1879, Page 3

A LETTER FROM ROME.

J & T O a TtTTTi O >i 'A : j n Who would not wish to sec Rome?— a" city wh^' ( higtj)ry^j^\]gljii ' , ovetipßiQJSfffVi yiM<ikifilh t]iat i: was" noble ■i in ; "*^ getic and wajuablein jart-^-all the f astidiousri ness of luxu.ryir>a.nd gty^the^yipe of an immense anfL., powerful ,-r empire, was cenjered,y .a,,ci^y,',will ' iieyer" f aj1 .46 : { awaken interest, 1 if ' nb\ enth'usiasuij^.in 1 ! everyrjrjeftQcJ4ng)mind,'; such a "city ''may's fairly lay. claim taJ}he-title_of.." capital of th^^flflj'Mu? assail. ;mpdern civilisation, gradually bum itself up "from liei^ ruine, ; bo all naj!\^ggXa^ a;r!righ4^oj .claim a" certain ownership in jier remains. * This b£s b;eej£ exbib^ed pot only^by -the-, — indeed theJEopes were generally indifferent inOtHpJOna^ierj of, Ringing to lightiirerliiddetf.treaflures of Romaa ;a,n.tit quity — but by the-F-cench in a marked dtfgVe^i ffoVto*"men,tion others. :*>>■ Until ith-e cofiftrieneem4rii? ! Df this{Ge.nturyiihefißotriaTis Fo?6M T wl» Jt^¥esore^for>^cattle;fehe(rdedi there by the psisMtisr^riouWßiMlli'shotiament was doubled by "havingr cc^paniofto^^fep^adyyj^^d^le^.^ce a tfozon faeagu fßTeyiquglyjitand/^adj^^wfty^ made the .subjects of oijteuh-.ißjJQrft ( ap4i rtfmjtin^jasmabter &6festurdy* Jj<sa>e»;°,<!a:iiMl by the comparativelyJsm'aiWnumirerieof/ aulJtg^eW'airi^ptafe«fflinto,'-ccai|Mdl«Mo'h the Bize of the^pi§aV<6n^'66iihiiiin^' then a populatlo'fltfifou'f -'pillions,: in the reign of Augusti#ffi<^flbf mWs M aWtmt o£ treasures, ar^tfiMr^aa.dMstrc^hat were continua^lg^^f^^e centre of the empire rthe enormous mags^-p^ A^P.eitßc.um.bent earth and rubJphaJtbjEitrjfi^the; cpup 8e o f centuries ha&i,cfce*w'helmed. t andi' hidden from sight much of thecoKDc\iy?.tx<2:hai:old Forum Romanum is an example/malsoi Trojan^ E&lffiflLllN frhiJVPia&i di Monte Citdg^tih%¥§^¥ airf feleTa^on caused b^ b6ftfr.# u fchWVGfeotiotf of ! the: 1 Colosseum 4 - depthsof'Jooifeai^belo.wjKthetipreßent -level. ThePan^Wiofe^'ttie'^da^&irf^^tiefu'e building in Rome, and 2000 years old,

lies quite in a .depression, while the old u'ritil recent excavations haVe brought parts" of x these very interesting relics to fttigKf.lTA large gpiectiTjpf jfoem has been Mf later e^httniecE,Gld^Clto^th%U'P-ilway station. These wallS datb' back some 2500 year's I .^ In many places rrieciievfil Borne has' ..been Jbuilt over Kofrie/ nioderfi erectShTTbeing^aSain placedfbver thd medieval. ~ |hg J^ilatirie yofi go down a flight of Wliwj* I? fcer an °"* Komrin hcrtfse Sitp"posea to have been once the reSiderie'e 1 of Lma, the mother of the Emperor Titteriua. The arrangement of the rooms lof thi.s.vh.Qn'se gee Yer£>7rell;mn.rked, and tHe mural, paintings Wjti'al io'aflythat I saw sifc Porrijfeii. When oh'e thinks, =lioweve"fr-of-— the^y«le^6te^^cria^net!i4n_ L \jhicn Rome was harried^y,.. barbarian's, how xor centuries h^^onderful matblss Were; torn down, bro^en^ppsrldamrnt to ritaM iittie y-pxtd fmofjtar?^of^- wjien one refiie'ttiyerS im "eoti'flicts of the' VAiSdle l igsa}*-9kfc~>tfa^i&m '- noble within th^-^cify^ himaelf from hrs\n'eighl3^if v< "§ijoi.led- the old builqing3to ef'ec'i tneir strdn^rMwers, or converted many of itg~ eStenlsfre tombs into fortified palacesVffbin some of which on the • Way -'they "would-, issue, foVtH D(n,(3leW ; b|aok mail from trhvellers-j arid lastly, wn&fro^' but 'remember jth.'t't th f e'. :t P6pes th'erns6H'is'^have : : shanojef ully v plundered the ■ city- for ttiMerial iio' 'b'u'ildj' either- their- churches'^ : or' ijtJa't^ces- fot Uiernseiyei.pr . th,eir sqi-disant nephWa. WJ^ln'one' yets all" t'hejsfeidis-' turbjng. influences Defdie 'O'r/6'^ ; 'm l ihd[y;orie'' : in v so^6; T .meajsuserreauaeß. ; whafcj. na&.t/eem, the fate^ofJtjros^^PAWd^PJJ?, fnonui^entl' of I tUe imperial city. .I'roi-.i'o 1 in^\C^-. --AMent Rdirf^ Waa built for the'mdst part oiji .the modern city,, Jias ariaefl xUHve oii the .M'tv^roiiriclilying betwjeen the hills and the— Tiber', 1 oyer the a site 6ccupi6ti ijy.the old Oampus,^rih<s,' Mo ugh now? the,, exigencies, of .an,; ivvp.reas-;;. ing. po ; p^la^i&nJare> causing buildings to ccover-t^e-Wl!g^ra"rapidr«itei -Theselateadditidri§"ar^ for ,the''«<ctot..paEfci.beiTig/ er^cte^iriHh^Pafißian^style^ttiirihtfxrtes s iaM ffin^wid^s^ets, o '^^ cofnmpiitertVg iW■3douDtv^T&jitWusual «6rd^fi^^^ streetOaveltf^&,iaMiMie J 6f : keßning <thesun jtroni one during,,the,prolonged t heat— l i a bU3sjflg,eagerly aoygJU ,;for^ by/ttaU&p;:!. .^whoj s_ay v that s,piily,,i||Ladmen t fstt. t Engllsliff '"rrfen- occupy,. th;e .isunjiyj, .B|dejr^h.,.'flie iJ ainion of Tldme to the rest of Italy (he "Popb withdrew liis countenance from the city Since it has becomeitiie'.jcapital, ho'w~e"vet, its po^ultftion-has increasdd by sonjio:' 70,000 sdiils.Ca There are two . churches 1 of nltoge^KW^un{isual magnificence in rKSriie^Stf Potgr's%nd r S b? Prtul^= witlloittf' •wtq wlans^ The latter was,- if I am not -nifs{alcep,vb7uilfc "f oB vtheT hTost t^art. by; the" l late PiQper Pj.ua,ihe Ninth.. ...lyias an ex- 1 -eeeduigjljj but.si,, milliqjjijgt.e.rJiHg ( ha^,b°e,en tes^n^ed -onlt)^fl Jn^teriqpJidecorftt&ns,ninia\bJgi] -madapfiateji* m dl alabaster? .gliatenibg tatoun'd ,Qno^i3t}i§v iffect being qertainl^yery' striking, tfipughafter all;inj tjTe general" impression* given "tb a a stranger tjiejinteriors off^bpth^'St/ Peter's and' St,»'Pjaul!s,areimore that of a heathen teirjple than";'a!'Ohr&tian':chl;rch. — Of coursa thpiil|alian priests have little goqd to say of the King and his counsellors', seeing that Vittorio Emanuele tookif roniijthe^GhUrcliiproperEy hto tlie.es-c (^im i atyd ! 'Vj3\i4PSsl x^f^htyffdur' ntiillioit* stfer-J link a portion^pf^his'arh'oiirit hayin^/been •' set j aßide^"'from' >r; th'e ; ihtßfest-of\Vliich''th6 prints are p.aid. t All r the a cqiivHfafe*over the' country' havV'f or* tbji^'ttipW : p^rt ü ßeen converted into v b,a v rra.cks^uh rj^o^excep- • tion of a few, siicfi as*£h©Joert6sd7 or Car*tht|sian.|l^^nastejys , whe,re some fe\^ r^opk's ar^"all!^we<l'to~adhere' 'to ' their orders,* an'd~there 'end their lives, no ne^ f additidns to their number being per- J 'rhitte'd. " "■' ' - '-•'l'

The Italians are not" by any means a priest-ridden! ifiatibti\ andithp ugh "there is no| the. , slightest fear, of their seceding "frotn "; their" 'national religion,, still: I .Emj 'convinced' that a .large' ;.num--t»er, of the men especially, pay but scant 'attention, even to ita rites., . t „ " Curiously-; enough., there are not few l ltalians;.who will, lament' the old times, jaW tell -.you :they werej better pff Sunder their old governors both in Rome and . Tuscany. "Yes," said a gentleman to me,' " that may be' in 7 some things <;- but, on the other hand/ 1 have stood talking in a street in Florence; with two companions .when,. an ; Austrian official has walked up and ordered,' usC to.^ disperse. " There is •no doiibtj' c ")ioweve ( r,Vthaf the . people/ ari&' ( heavily .taxed, ; partly, owing to .'the fault" *6f ; the.' Government,, whose -system, is not so. efficient but..;that'it is open to robbery on arijextehsive scale.;. I am told. this is. not a secret to th'e> Government, but that, they- know not' how ; to remedy the. evil, i 13 For myself, I am not sure whether better tpaly to the "officials J Von Id be efficacious/ or whether . a certain., tendency to peoula- : tibn^in "''the' Italia^ character would : not^ overcome, the. extra pay. . , . vn '- 1 IThe.military !eyxpenditure is'.' .very! heavy*: for c .b,o' email a riatipn,-' and is "niuch "complained; of ;;; ir; ,Tjlie^national debt of, the' cduntry is not a lars/e one, and, no new loans are. at present being contracted, and] the -King sets^an example of moderate , -Italy seems ,\ r 6ry staunch to tile 'jHou'spi ,of. §ayoy l , 'and', certainly . the present King arid Qiie.eri..well deserve 'all th'eoincreasingaffec.tion. jof ; theij? subjects.,If ;the Italians are wise; they w/11 keep' s on J .. their, wny . qiiietly „ and, ; indus-,, ; triously ,■ not mixing- jnore • tlian ; . they , -can possibly help ' in • the disturbances L o£. politics, but allowing time, to;; -'consolidate the ■ conflicting jihterests-and jealousies caused; by : ages of '■ disunion <;- = looking seriously antl energetically to the f .purifi'c'atioh"ahd consequent diminished' 'cost of their government. " ! Siich. ar,cpur^e action perseyprei^ in bring- eveiT^ficcnmulating prosperity andjLcpnfidei)ce, and "EJuppe rwill at, last "see, sbr'on'/ajfirm an^Vsyi'p .fouriflationj" that grekt ' b66h' to v 'all' western' nations, unity. -•.->:i."?.iii.

Livorno, 4th September, 1879r