The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-11-17 00:00:00

THE ENTRY OF VICTOR EMMANUEL

INTO VENICE.

The following intereiting account of the entry of
Victor Emmanuel into Venice is from the letter of
the correspondent of the London Standard, writing
from Venice under date Nov. 7 :
The King of Italy hes entered Venice. Any scene so
gorgeous, any spectacle so imposingly beautiful, has never
been witnessed by • mi•mher of the present generation, and
could hardly have been excelled in any other. All
that Is c ads, all that is beautiful, all that bright oolour
and rich materials can produce, have been lavished
noon the display flow can It he descrihe..? How imagined ?
Take Shakspeare's description of Cleopatra'. galley, muieloy
that one by • honored, each differing ft mu the rest In ant,-
finite variety of form and colour, clothe the rowers lo fan-
tastic and splendid coeturnee, cony doe every brilliant hue,
every rich material, velvet and cause, satin and silk, clothe
of gold and of silver, wit them In a great picture with lime
lines of noble palaces, draped and embroidered, put every-
where—ln gondolas and at windows, upon quays and on
honseMpe—a shouting multitude filed with a depth of
patriotic entlauatum, such ae no Egyptian queen ever
engendered, and then the whole will give bet a faint
reflex of the glory of the spectacle or to-day
We took up our post near the Iron bridge by the railway
station, as we ,iould here watch the arrival of the various
boats which were to form the procession, goon they began
to assemble, and long ere the time the King wan to arrive
the canal Ira, lined far up with row upoo row of goad. I ea
As the barges of the municipality began to artists It was
soon evident that the scene which was presented at the
arrival of the troop, would be as nothing to this. The goo-
doles were much more numerous, and all carried the Italian
tricolour, and there were few of the rowers who had not
TOpped themselves In some sort of a festive COM woe But
the main points of interest were the large four and eight-oared
gondolas otthe.nonlr'pahily,ttte parishes, guild., and nobility
The forme of the gondolas differed as much as their bites,
but nil were constructed upon historical models, some ran
forward into • formidatile beak near the water's edge; some
hail • lof,y prow; Boma had shields with armorial bearing.:
some figures supporting waving scarves &Int areperies. They
were one blaze if colour, and each different Irons the others.
To convey more than an idea of them is !mailable, but I
will enumerate • few of them u I noted them down, and I
should mention that the coeurnes cf the oarsmeo were
like the decorations of the host. themulveg, all of atrlct
identical accuracy, and were taken from family and other
records of the costuines of the gondolier upon great
triumphal in.:aeons during the middle ages. There were
black velvet doublets, light leggings, one reo and one yellow,
great Vandyke collars, red starve., black velvet caps, with
white feathers; violet douldete, white silk sleeves and
pitied trunk., slashed with gold—the canopy and hangings
of their barges were of green velvet; crimson velvet Jackets,
with white satin sleeves and tome puffed breeches
nluhed with green velvet, with violet velvet canopy
and wnlte satin lining ; green velvet jackets, with cloth of
gold sleeve, and trunks, with gold and game hanging.,
barges similar to the above, but with blue, yellow, aid
red velvet hangings and CM:MOS. One barge I was particu-
larly struck with, the rowers had clo.h of gold tonics, bound
with a red nth, cloth of silver loose sleeves. arid front.,
yellow shoes, black velvet caps with roil plumes, and long
curling hair, of comae whites. Some of the hangings and
canopies were of lighter material,: one wu of fine gauze
sprinkled with gold, another of blue, and one of rose-coloured
muslin with silver titan Some of the rowers were In striped
dresses, blue, violet, and yellow, with silver; some In rich
elk damask.: some In complete white, with coloured or
gold scarves or sashes. (Jae boat hail rowers In violet
velvet, with yellow silk Stevers and sash, lung loose white
silk trillium and fiat yellow silk caps, with white plumes.
home represented the nationalities of pest tftnee. The Turk.
were entirely In red and black, with round hat turbans,
quite nnlike what the Turks wear at present, nut exactly re
10111, Hog thou In the plotares of nettles with the Otto-
mahe in the Ducal Tatum The hpaniards had a peculiar
and Niephistophellan aspect. Green velvet Jackets, tight
fitting patina ion., one leg white, the other red,
pointed shone, small, round red velvet capt with erect
feathers. The Greeke were also in full Greek costume,
scarlet Jackets and funs, and long white skirts. fo describe
the whou of the maim:nes would oc all the columns of
a newspaper, and I must therefore break off. They were
Infinite in hue and in material. Velvet, cloth, Satin, silk,
and cloths of gold Mel silver. Violet, green, pink, blue,
yellow, crimson, and Wreck overeats favourite colours for the
doublets, while the breeches were generally of the tame
Colotle, but sluhed with white silk and gold. The stockings
were generally white. The caps were almost all of velvet,
to snatch the dress, with white or coloured plume., bat
some were of the most singular shape and appearance, quite
induct-I nettle In the [recent limits. The sleeve, were full and
puffed, and on white satin or silver cloth I despair of giving
any idea of the wonder( ol beauty of these costumes.
At • quarter put eleven the tint gut. fired, and • great
movement of delight broke from the crowd. Leery one
tattled himself lo his place to obtain the best view p teeth's,
the ladles threw off their wraps, and the general air of cheer-
fulness and pleurae shone over everytniog In • very few
minute. those nearest the etation could perceive • great stir.
The gun. began to lire a otesdy salute, the bells of every cb urch
In the city clashed out at the signal, the hand struck up the
National Hymn, and • great roar of cheering burst from the
auernblod crowd. In the midst of all the din of this great
explosion of the heartfelt welcome of she city whl -h had so
long yearned for his pretence, Victor Eminiumel entered the
state gondola prepared for him. and the procesaion moved
forward the state gondola wes, I should here mention, a
long gondola rowed by eighteen oarsmen, with a high raised
platform in its centre covered and hung with Ortno6oll vel-
vet, and decorated everywhere with gold At the stern were
two figures In gilding of Italy crowning Venetia. The King
stood in the centre: beside him was a tall stately man, whom
I believe to have been the Prince of Carignan°, but about
whom, in the general excitement., I have not yet been able
to obtain any certain information. The Prince. Humbert and
Amadeo were also under the canopy. The King wu un-
covered, and was In the uniform of • general officer. Ile
looked well, and greatly pleated, ea indeed he could not be
otherwise by the enthinium of les reception. A. the pro.
cession swept slowly up the Grand Clonal, covered with a
moving macs Of Dolts, among cheers, Waring of emelerrehiste
end enttinsia-m indeserniable, the scene extruded all which
the imagination could have concel,d. . . . . Then
the palaces with their rich hanging., their bright 11.13 e, ,
their crowded windows, were the scene upon which one I
gazed with wonder and delight FOS variety,
for extraordinary richness and beauty of colour, nothing
I ever saw was to compare to the long line of
lofty barges, with their sidt and velvet draping., their
gilded prows and ornaments, their lotty awning., their ore&
mental lanterns on the bow and stern, mid the tlgures which
generally supported their draperies.. Ffom the railway to,
tke Plau• we roar of SOULO never abated—louder and'
lout.. it swelled as we drifted on one soild maws of boats
where nulling wu impossible, and the gondoliers strove
only to keep their places in the centre of the this. Looking
down upon the scene the effect must have been even more
marvellous—the grand galleys, the draperies, the drifting
gondolas, and the upturned us of faces Ono thing Arson
me Wand,. The En we an grval UM no Mg& ihnnd

was audible. Toe shouting multitude, the clashing of a
thousand bells, and the boom of cannon, made up • rimed
ellipse° of ref ',icing welcome no one note of which rose
above the others. A. we drifted on I noted the decors-
ton of the different palaces, but few of them merit
description. The nobility had determined to spare no
expellee, but to lavish all their Mete, all their care upon
their gondola., while they were content that their
palaces should form part of the grand whole. The
house decorations were not, therefore, so very much In ad
velem of thou ol the former Ate ; flags and hanging, of the
national colour were every•tiere, the Ted being s•metime.
varleo by magenta. The lovely palace called the "On d'oro,"
wm, cereals., the most beautiful, because the most eimpie of
all. In •eciition to several large tricolour. i flags, IM only
ornamentations were smartet cushions with long fringm of
the name eel..ur. which ran the whole leneth of the elyni.
tensity beautiful arcades upon each Olney The Pesaro Palace,
the Marti di Pieta, a• al several other buildings had some very
Site tapestry hangings, hot there wati no olio palace of them
• It which WWI deefar.itel either with taste or sumptuous....
The crowning poiet of the whole procession was id °our. the
osmium ender the Rialto The bridge in I.llll,nit cov,red with
Rumination, and was a mass ot people, and these, joining
their chorus of acclamation to those which rose from the
water below soil front the homes at each aide, swelled it to
proportions which were absolutely awe inspiring from the
',lament sound and the thought of the occult,. Before
the Municipal Palace the band of the National
Guard struck up as the Prom/Sidon passed, an
did atiothr before the Poet Office. . .. . . Ae we
gradually approached the lower end of the canal the
crowd upon the bank became always greater. Upon the
open space before the beautiful church of the Salute it was
greatest of all. • As they demi upon the steps, one above
another, it was • perfect wall of feces, while the church
with Re beautiful dome rose behind them, more and more
indistriect as the eye ascended, until the figure which crowned
it was quite lost is the thlok veil of vapour. Now we had
fumed from the canal, and were opposite the garden of the
Royal Palace. Here we were almost startled by a sadden
stoup cheer ?rem seaward, bond and together, and quite un-
like anything I had yet heard. Turning round, we saw some
spectral-looking vessels, upon tbe yard-arms of which,
almost lost in the fog, were lines of mile.. The effect of
this part of the spectacle was quite destroyed by the fog,
which hung much thicker and lower across the open In.
genes than it had done in the canals. Thin was • pity, as
there was • large number of war and other steamers .
lying off, and dressed as they were In their colours, and
with the yards manned by the crews, the effect would
have been very flue We did not, however, muck regret :
it at the time for Ina eyes ached with all this bleed of te11...,
this en vitut panorama of palaces and faces, and indeed there
was notion, to be hist in effecting • landieg and obtaining a
poet to see the Ring enter upon the Plan-tte. This l was
fortunate enough to do, and in a militate or two the Royal
barge drew up to the lending stace. A large open spam had
been kept by • double line of National timeds and troop.,
who, as the King set his foot upon the shore, presented
arms, while the runt again thmidered out, and the hand
played. A roar of cheering broke from the assembled thou-
sands, as bareheaded, accompanied by the PrineenlCarignano,
and followed by hie wine and hie brilliant staff, he walked
across the PissAtis toward. St Mark's It was a roost ex-
citing scene, and above all the din of noise., the hr Ils of the
campanile, far up in the mist, seemed to peal out exulttugly,
and to he the suardlan spirit of Venice welcoming from
the cloaca the 1313.• lord and muter of their city. . . . . .

And in at an it was over, at last Italy wan complete, and
the Idol her Kong had etepped as a master upon the his-
torical Piazza at St Mark's This's not the time, however,
to discuss this great event. It Is lthished—may it long
remain intact.