Relics of a Destroyed City that Astonish Archaeologists.

THE ANCIENT city of Pompeii lay on the shore of the beautiful Bay of Naples, at the foot of Vesuvius. It had various industries, but its distinction was due to its vogue as a seaside resort for the Roman patricians. The site of the city is now some miles from the coast, owing to the recession of the Mediterranean.

Pompeii’s most magnificent houses were the abodes of women who ministered to the luxurious habits of the time. They were two and three stories in height, the upper stories of wood, and were richly furnished.

The eruption of Vesuvius, which buried the city, took place on August 24th, A. D. 79. An overwhelming mass of red-hot ashes fired and destroyed the upper stories of the houses and all else that was combustible. This was followed by a deluge of hot mud, which covered everything left, and this, in turn, by ashes, which completed the turning of the city into a vast tomb.