preventing any possibility of accident either which is so destructive to the rails, tend to by collision or by one carriage overtaking corroborate the correctness of the statement. another. It is needless to say that as the Gradients which would be impossible to the atmosphere in these railway tubes would be heavy locomotive are ascended and descended circulating every moment, there would be with perfect ease by means of the elastic rope perfect ventilation ;-we say tubes, but they of air. For instance, the ascent and descent may be brick arches, put such as those of the of the Fleet Valley at Holborn Hill and Snow Thames Tunnel, only much smaller,- —a head- Hill, will be as easily worked as the level way of nine feet, with a width of eight, be- road, and the train can work through sinuous ing quite sufficient for the passage of very curves which would be fatal to the locomotive. roomy carriages, seated like an omnibus The strong pressure public opinion is bringand lighted like an ordinary railway-car- ing to bear upon the government in favor of riage. The plan seems so utterly strange keeping the few open spots we have in the that the reader may shrug his shoulders and metropolis, will doubtless be fatal to many of doubt its practicability; but that part of the the schemes which propose to cut and carve business has been disposed of at Euston Square, our great city in all directions. It seems, and we are informed that the whole plan of therefore, that a scheme which can be worked operations will, in all probability, be tested underground in a space not larger than that in public ere long. It luckily happens that, occupied by good-sized culverts, and which at the present moment, the main high-level would not interfere with the great drains— intercepting culvert at Hackney Marsh, which for in the main thoroughfares, such as Oxford runs under an embankment for three miles in Street, there is ample room between them and length, will be lying idle for many months, the roadway-stands a good chance of obtainas it will not be required for the metropolitan ing public favor. Of course we speak in the main drainage scheme; and in these culverts, public interest only, and the experimental if he gains the commissioners' permission, he trial at Hackney Marsh will soon give us the will erect his pumping machinery and run public verdict one way or the other. But his trains. We are told that traffic can be whether this prove to be only one of those worked considerably cheaper by this method abortive schemes which Time gathers year by than it can be done by the locomotive, and year so plentifully in his wallet, or a great that the cost of constructing an underground invention, there can be no doubt that the rail on this system would also be one-third Pneumatic Despatch Company have establess than the cost of the Metropolitan line. lished their principle of working, and that These are matters which have to be brought traffic and parcels and letters carried on by a this great city will henceforth have its lighter to the actual working test; at the same time, circulation of air ramifying in a network of the comparatively diminished area of tunnel- tubes through soil, as the human body was ling required, and the great gain consequent supposed to be supplied by a similar circulaon the abolition of the heavy locomotive, tion, before the time of Harvey.

which the weight will be much reduced, and the huge instrument rendered more manageable.— Chambers's Journal.

rank among the The first numissued on the 1st

THE Australian colony of Victoria is inclined | Rosse is about to alter his tube to a skeleton, by to set up a monster reflecting telescope for observation of the nebule of the southern heavens. Astronomers have long been desirous to see this task undertaken, and Lord Rosse's success in our cloudy hemisphere, renders them the more impatient to establish a course of observations in the THE Alpine Club now takes clear atmosphere of the south. The colonial leg-publishing Societies of London. islature is ready to vote the cost when properly ber of a quarterly journal was informed of the matter, and they have sent an application through the Colonial Office to the Royal Society, which has been satisfactorily answered. The instrument will of necessity have to be made in this country. It is worthy of remark that an open framework is now found to be more suitable than a close tube; the images obtained are quite satisfactory, and we hear that Lord

of this month to the members. It contains interesting papers on Mountain Ascents, and a department for Notes and Queries relating to Mountaineering, Guides, and the various incidents of Alpine travel. As a medium of communication between Alpine explorers in various parts of the world, this journal, if efficiently conducted, will be of use.

From The Athenæum.
DISCOVERIES AT POMPEII.

Pompeii, Feb. 27, 1863.

that this might be a kind of sarcophagus created by Vesuvius, and that within were the remains of one of the victims of that terrible eruption. But how to remove or preserve them? A happy idea struck him. Plaster of Paris was poured into an aperture,—the interior having been discovered to be hollow, in consequence of the destruction of the flesh, and mixing with and uniting with the bones, restored to the world a Roman lady of the first century. Further researches led to the discovery of a male body, another woman, and that of a young girl; but that which first awakened the interest of excavators was the finding of ninety-one pieces of silver money, four ear-rings, a finger-ring, all of gold, together with two iron keys, and evident remains of a linen bag. These interesting relics have been now successfully removed, and are lying in a house not far distant. They are to be preserved in Pompeii, and four bronze tables, of an antique fashion, are being prepared for their reception. I will describe the dry details of their appearance. The first body, so to speak, is that of a woman, who lies on her right side, and from the twisted position of her body had been much convulsed. Her left hand and arm are raised and contorted, and the knuckles are bent in tightly; the right arm is broken, and at each end of the fragments one sees the cellular character of the bones. The form of the head-dress and the hair are distinctly visible. On the bone of the little finger of the left hand are two silver rings, one of which is a guard. The sandals remain, or the soles at least, and iron or nails are unmistakably to be seen. Though the body is much bent, the legs are extended as if under the influence of extreme pain.

ESCAPING from the blind and the lame, and the cracked guitar, and the wretched songster who pester our steps to the very gates of Pompeii, we enter a road, newly arranged and planted with the glowing mesambrianthemum. At the end of it is the ticket-office where we buy our permit, price two francs, and passing through an iron turnstile, which records the number of visitors, we are in the streets of the old city. The order which prevails here is a new feature in this country, and reminds one much of England; of more importance is it to observe that it indicates the action of a new spirit. In every direction there are signs of work; instead of a few lazy and extortionate custodes, and a man or two busy about nothing, there are 200 men, women and girls occupied in the interesting labor of excavating, so that if the same success continues to be displayed, the whole of Pompeii, it is calculated, will be brought to light in twenty years. What secrets will be revealed! What treasures of Art will be given to the world in that time! Along the high mound which now surrounds Pompeii, a tramroad has been laid down, and trains are continually running with the débris, which is carried off in the direction of the Amphitheatre. From this mound the visitor looks down on the unburied portion of the city, and forms a good idea of the interior of the houses, which are, of course, roofless. The excavations are being carried on in two spots-near the Temple of Isis, and near the house called that of Abbondanza, but we are more immediately concerned with the former site. Here in a house, in a small street just opened, were found the bodies or skeletons which are now attracting crowds. Falling in a mass of pumice-stone, these unfortunate persons had not become attached to the soil, and it was easy to cut away the ground beneath them; but above, fire, ashes, and hot water had been rained upon them from the fiery mountain, causing their death, and insuring their pres-left lying over the right,—the body is thinly ervation for nearly 2,000 years. On remov- covered over in some parts by the scoriæ or ing the débris, which consisted of the roof and the plaster, while the skull is visible, highly the ashes which had fallen into the interior polished. One hand is partially closed, as if of the house, something like a human form it had grasped something, probably her dress, was discovered, though nothing but fine pow- with which it had covered the head. The der was visible. It occurred to Cav. Fiorelli | finger-bones protrude through the incrusted

By the side of this figure lay the bags of which I have already spoken, with the money, the keys, and the rings, and the cast of it, with all that remains intermingled with or impressed on the plaster is preserved in the same room. Passing on to an inner chamber we found the figure of the young girl lying on its face, resting on its clasped hands and arms; the legs are drawn up, the

ashes, and on the surface of the body in va- ¡ Haste—haste !—fly-by the Stabian Gate, rious parts is distinctly visible the web of the towards the Salerno road! But it was too linen with which it had been covered. There late; the weakness of woman, or the strength was lying by the side of the child a full-grown of local attachment, had been too strong, woman, the left leg slightly elevated, whilst and down they fell, these poor victims, on the right arm is broken; but the left, which the very site from which they have now been is bent, is perfect, and the hand is closed. disinterred, after an undisturbed repose of The little finger has an iron ring; the left nearly two thousand years. The first was ear which is uppermost, is very conspicuous the mother and the head of the household, and stands off from the head. The folds of for by her side was the bag of money, the the drapery, the very web remain, and a nice keys, and two silver vases, and a silver handobserver might detect the quality of the dress. mirror, which was found only last Friday. The last figure I have to describe is that of a She was of gentle birth too; the delicacy of man, a splendid subject, lying on its back, her arms and legs indicates it; and coiffure with the legs stretched out to their full too. The hands are closed as if the very nails length. There is an iron ring on the little must have entered into the flesh, and the finger of the left hand, which, together with body is swollen, as are those of the others, the arm, are supported by the elbow. The as if water had aided the cruel death. The folds of the dress on the arm and over the child-perhaps her child—does not appear to whole of the upper part of the body are visi- have suffered so much, but, childlike, it had ble; the sandals are there, and the bones of thrown itself on the ground, and wrapped its one foot protrude through what might have dress about its head, thinking thereby to exbeen a broken sandal. The hair of the head clude all danger. I judge so from the marks and beard, by which I mean, of course, the of the folds of the linen round the arms and traces of them,—are there; and the breath on the upper part of the body, and from the of life has only to be inspired into this and partially open-hand as if it had grasped somethe other three figures to restore to the world thing. Poor child! it was not so tenacious of the nineteenth century the Romans of the of life as the mother, and soon went to sleep. first century. I gazed again and again on these lifeless forms with an interest which I cannot well describe. They might have fallen but yesterday, for were there not still remaining their sandals, their dress, the very tracery of their hair? They were trying to escape from destruction, for the bodies were found at a short distance one from the other, as if in the act of running. What could have induced them to remain so long it is only permitted to imagine. They were three women who, terrorstruck, had been unable, perhaps, to act until aided and urged forward by the man. It may be that with that attachment which binds us all so closely to our native place and our hearth, they still clung to their homes with the hope that the storm would soon pass away. I witnessed some instances of infatuation last year at Torre del Greco, where the poorer inhabitants remained in the lower rooms of their houses, the upper parts of which had fallen or were falling in, when the ground was heaving, and the crash of buildings was heard from time to time; but Vesuvius sent forth its clouds of ashes without intermission until the sun was darkened, and the only safety was in flight.

There is the figure of another woman, of a lower class, a servant perhaps, and I thought so from a large projecting ear, and the ring on the finger, which was of iron. She had suffered much evidently, as the right leg is twisted back and uplifted. She lies on her side, and the left hand, which is closed, rests on the ground; but her sufferings were less than those of her mistress, as her sensibility was perhaps less acute. The man, manlike, had struggled longer with the storm which raged around him, for he fell on his back, and fell dead. His limbs are stretched out at their full length, and give no sign of suffering. A more touching story than that which is told by these silent figures I have never read, and if a second Bulwer could describe the last days of Pompeii, nothing more suggestive could be found as a nucleus for his romance than the family group just brought to light. It was with comparatively little interest that I closed this day by visiting the sites where the laborers are actually at work. They are cutting out streets beneath the roots of large trees, and carting off the soil to many feet above them. Walls are coming out to view every moment, and the large red inscrip

tions and the popular jokes of Pompeiani. | improvements which my friend Cav. Fiorelli Many houses have been completely uncovered, has introduced, I must not fail to notice the with the exception of two or three feet of establishment of a museum, in which many sand, which are left on the ground-floor, and objects of great interest are deposited, all discover up the antiquarian wealth which is re- covered in Pompeii. There are the skeletons served for the eyes of distinguished visitors. of two dogs; and sixty loaves which were One house I remarked particularly, as it is baking when Vesuvius burst forth, and which the largest in Pompeii. There are two large were "drawn" only the other day. There gardens in the interior of the building, and are the great iron doors for the mouth of the marble fountains, around which were found oven. There are tallies, too, and hammers the figures of a wild boar being pulled down and bill-hooks and colors, should the artist by dogs, and a serpent and other animals, all need them, and medicines for sick, and pulse of bronze. On the walls are elegant fresco for the hungry. Vases and pateræ of plain paintings, and in one small room, a sleeping and colored glass, light and elegant in form, chamber, is a mosaic floor, a portion of which are there, and candelabra, so graceful that was repaired, and that right artistically too, one longs to grasp them. There, too, are by some old Roman mosaicist. This room is brasiers, more ornamented and more useful not far from the Temple of Isis, should visit- and elegant than any that modern Italians ors care to see it; and it will well repay the have made. H. W. trouble. Amongst the many changes and|

his decease, Dr. Cochrane made a second will which, it is alleged, had the effect of entirely revoking his former one, by which he left the legacy of £12,500 to Susan, although it did not contain any express clause of revocation. In 1826, Susan married Lieutenant Moorhouse; and the contest lies between Moorhouse and his wife, the appellants from the adverse decision of the court below, and Mr. Lord, in whose favor that decision has been made. This is the gist of a case in which a fortune of upwards of £200,000 awaits the final disposition of the House of Lords.-London Review.

MR. BURFORD's Panorama of Rome was exhib

A CURIOUS case has been brought upon appeal | Scotland, where he was domiciled at the time of before the House of Lords, after thirty years' litigation in the Court of Chancery. In the year 1780, Dr. Cochrane, a native of Scotland, left his country, and entered the service of the East India Company as assistant surgeon in their Bengal establishment. In 1790 he formed a connection -was married to her, as the appellants allege, according to the forms of an Indian marriage with Raheim Beebee, a princess of fourteen years of age, at Cawnpore, in the state of Furuckabad, then an independent Mahometan state. By this princess, on whose fair fame no imputation is cast, he had several children, all of whom, except Susan, the present appellant, born on the 17th of December, 1807, died shortly after their birth. On the 23d of November, 1808, Dr. Cochrane, being in England, was married to a Scotch lady named Margaret Douglas Fearon, with whom he returned to India. Of course there was nothing out of the way to the mind of the Mahometan princess in her husband taking to himself another wife; and it is alleged that Mrs. Cochrane the second, treated the native Mrs. Cochrane with the utmost respect, aud her daughter Susan with affection, PRUSSIAN Government engineers have been enwhile the two ladies were residing in separate establishments at Calcutta. On the 8th of Decem-gaged in making surveys with a view towards ber, 1818, residing still in India, Dr. Cochrane made a will, by which he left £12,500 to his child by the Indian princess, and, in terms of affection, conjured the second Mrs. Cochrane to bring her up in a manner befitting the morals and dignity of her station. Both his sons by the second marriage died without issue in 1835, and after the death of both parents. The widow of the first son, after having taken out letters of administration to her husband, married a Mr. Lord in 1842, and died in 1844. On his return to

ited on Saturday. It is the intention of the proprietors to produce in succession all the panoramas of the late Mr. Burford, who for seventy years annually exhibited pictorial representations of remarkable places in Europe, Asia, and America.

forming a canal to unite the Rhine, Weser, and Elbe Rivers; it is understood that the needful works do not present any very formidable engineering obstacles.

A MR. RICHARD WILLIAMS has translated Bacon's "Essays" into Welsh. This is the first of Lord Bacon's writings) have appeared in the time that these "Essays" (or perhaps any other idiom of that people.