Danbury Times

PUTEOLI
BY A FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT OF THE NEW-YORK
TRIBUNE.

This town has figured considerably in Roman
history. It was formerly the port of Cumae,
and was one of those towns Fabius fortified du-
ring the second Punic war to resist the encroach-
ments of Hannibal. It has several interesting
ruins, but the chief one is the temple of Jupi-
ter Serapis, formerly buried by an earthquake,
and accidentally discovered by a peasant about a
hundred years ago. It was 134 feet long by 115
feet wide, being quadrangular. It is a magnifi-
cent ruin. The floor is covered with precious
marble, with which also the whole edifice was
formerly lined. Two rings of Corinthian brass
are still fastened in the floor, to which the vic-
tims destined for slaughter were formerly bound;
and near by stands the receptacle for blood and
ashes. Only three columns of this noble temple
are left standing, but these are each a single sol-
id piece. This is the temple to which Dr. Ly-
ell referred in his Lectures on Geology in New-
York, illustrating the gradual elevation and sink-
ing of some portions of the earth. When he
was here, he said, the floor of this temple was
nearly dry, while the depth to which it had once
been sunk was clearly visible on the columns—
Nearly half way up they are corroded and eaten
in by the shell-fish and other marine animals that
once floated in their native element around it.
The whole temple is now sinking again ; and
since Dr. Lyell was here it has gone down near-
ly a foot, so that the floor presents a pond of wa-
ter. in which fish were sporting. Those three
lordly columns still stand as the temple goes
down, showing to the beholder the depth to
which they have once sunk and may go again.
Their effect is enhanced when one remembers
that they are never still, but, silent and lonely,
rise and fall slowly on the bosom of the temple
while the ages roll by. This singular geologi-
cal fact seems true of this whole coast. The
same depression of the land or encroachment of
the sea is visible at Baiae: and even fifty miles
farther on, at Nola, where Cicero had a villa,
the same thing was pointed out to me. Forty
or fifty rods from shore was the foundations of a
large and splendid building, over which the Me-
diterranean now heaves its waters. Whether
this whole country floats on a sea of fire, and
slowly rises and falls on its immense tides, or
some other power is at work to produce the
phenomenon, it is certainly not among the firm-
est portions of terra firma.

Saltafara, the crater of an extinct volcano.
just above this temple, still smokes in several
parts ; and when Vesuvius—more than twenty
miles distant—is quiet, it is thrown into great
agitation, and smokes and sputters away like a
mad creature. When, on the other hand, Vesu-
vius is active, it rests calm and quiet as if it had
nothing to do,—as if a power greater than it-
self was sustaining the reputation of the coun-
try. They seem connected by some fiery chan-
nel underneath; and always when walking over
this region I felt as if the crust was but a few
feet thick under me, and might at any moment
break like rotten ice and let me down. Earth-
quakes and Volcanoes seem to have chosen this
delightful region from love of contrast, and now
and then darken its beauty and roll into ruin its
plains and cities by way of pastime. Wild rev-
elers indeed they are ; and when they choose to
sport, Man's pastimes are over. This is a beau-
tiful country ; but anew I remember its under-
ground fires, the sun-light on it seems like the
hectic flush on the cheek of Consumption.