The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-30 00:00:00

[TWOPENCE

CHRISTMAS IN ITALY.

(nor ova ruiux cosszeromerr.)

In catholic countries, and more especially in
Italy, Christmas is grand indeed. The curious
mixture of profane and sacred custom gives to the
far-famed midnight mass with which this great
religious festival in commemoration of the nativity
of Our Lord begins a fantastic splendour such as
is seen on no other occasion. Rich draperies hang
from the marble pillars of the churches, myriads of
wax candles adorn the numerous altars, coloured
banners wave from the pointed or elegantly carved
arches of Gothic or Roman roofs ; soft and rich
carpets, woven centuries ago in the old Florentine
or Genoese manufactories, cover the white or red
marble pavement ; silver or golden lamps, the work
of Cellini, or of some other far-famed Italian artist
of the sixteenth century, gentlY'swing from the
roof, reflecting a blaze of luminous glory,
and flashing with tremulous light. To the right
of the transept, amidst the shining light of
thousands of candles, rises the group of wooden
figures in which are represented the infant Jesus
lying on a bed of straw between the two animals
which are said to have warmed Him with their
breath. The Holy Virgin and St. Joseph, the
Three Kings from the East, ands host of shepherds,
all kneeling in adoration of our Redeemer, are also
represented, more or less worthily according as the
figures are old or new. The exhibition is adorned
with fresh flowers offered to the church by the
faithful of the parish, and the floor is covered with
a sort of carpet of dark green shrubs, which grow
even in winter along the edges of irrigated
meadows.

At about half-past 11 o'clock at night the
churches are thrown open to au eager crowd, who
are attracted by various motives to this traditional
ceremony of the nativity of our Lord. The be-
liever enters the church with a bright glow of faith
lighting up his countenance ; the indifferent goes
for pleasure's sake • the ignorant, from superstition.
But there is scarcely a person, whether in the large
towns or the small villages, who would not leave his
bodge to bear, as they say, the midnight mass. All
high masses are very much alike, and there is there-
fore no great difference in their ceremonies.
The costumes, however, of the officiating priests
and canons are richer than usual ; their long albs,
half-concealed under the large folds of the spotless
purple mantle, are of the finest lace ; their pianetas
and funice/las of gold or silver woven brocade, em-
broidered with intertwining flowers, and trimmed
all round with gold lace, are the richest the
churches possess. Music and singing add to the
attractiveness of the fife. The mass once over,
people think of anything but religion. Noisily do
the throngs wend their way homeward, intent upon
jollity and good cheer. Men who au hour before
were kissing the floor of the holy shrine andbeating
their breast at the foot of the premix, are now to
be seen seated round the groaning table on which
the traditional supper of Christmas eve—though it
might as well be called the early breakfast of Christ-
mas-day—is served. Now, too, in strange contrast
you may see a curiousblendiug of profaneand sacred
custom ; fur wide all is gaiety and merriment
around the festive board, every now and then some
dish makes its appearance which has been specially
blessed beforehand by the rector of the parish.
The frugality and sobriety of the Italians are well
known. Drunkenness is scarcely to be met with,
especially in the southern provinces. If a man by
any accident gets drunk there, be is looked upon as
a curiosity. As for the gentler sex, there are
whole villages and even towns in which a woman
would be looked upon as the vilest of creatures
were she to be seen in a state of intoxication.
The poor people of this country may be really said
to live upon a crust. But on a Christmas-day, as on
two or three other religious fetes, this daily rule is
put aside, and even poor people must get a good
dinner, or an excellent supper, according, of course,
to their notions of goodness and excellence. Ita-
lians adhere so closely to their culinary customs that
though the calendar of the Roman catholic church
does not actually publish the menu of the dinner
for each solemnity, yet the tradition is so well kept
in the families of the faithful that the merest child
knows that at Christmas the table must be laid
with such and such dishes, awl that Easter must be
sanctified by others. At all these fetes, but more
especially at Christmas, Italians believe they may
indulge in the luxury of copious libations. The
gates of the temple of Sobriety are shut, and those
of Bacchus are thrown wide open for twenty-four
hours at least. Thus last night I met with nume-
rous parties of wen whose whiskers were bristling
with long icicles, which gave them the appearance
of Norse gods, and who were all shouting, singing,
and rolling about the streets and porticos to prove
to the more sober passer-by that they had properly
performed their religious duties. /Cow and then
these roysterers were met by girls and women
coming from church, who were not the less merry
and talkative. These are in the main the most
striking pictures of Christmas-eve in Italy.

CHURCH RATE CABIL-.—At the Petty Sessions,
on Tuesday last, Mr. J. Taylor, of Oak House, near Wel.
Harlon, was summoned, at the instance of the church-
wardens of High Ercall, to show cause why be bad negg.
lected to pay a certain church rate, amounting to 61. its.
Mr. Smallwood appeared to support the ease, and Mr. N.
M. Taylor defended. The various witnesses were examined
as to the laying of the rate, the posting of the notice, Sce..
and Mr. Smallwood then asked the magistrates to make an
order for payment. In crces-exarnination of one of the
witnesses, it transpired that there iris one house in the
pariah not assessed to the rate, sod Mr. Taylor raised
this as au objection to the validity of the rate.
Be contended that inasmuch as the whole of the
property had not been assessed, it ousted the jurisdiction
of the magistrates, and the rate was irrecoverable. He
also further argued that the notice bad not been posted
on all the chapels in the parish, a proccedurg which the
act of parliament stated was necessary. There were minor
points raised, but upon the two mimed the defence wan
mainly rested. In answer to the theory set up for the
defame. Mr. Smallwood said that it had hue decided in the
Court of Arches that io case the amount not included in
the assessment was incoosiderable, theo it did not render
the rate illegal ; trivial errors, it was held, did not loyal.
date the rate, and clearly the case now before the court
came under one of these categories. A lung argument
ensued as to the question of the pasting of the notices upon
dissenting chapel•. Mr. Smallwood arguing that the chapels
mentioned were not those used by dmientflre. but belonging
to the established church, whilst Mr. Taylor took an uppo-
site view. The magistrates filially derided that the 44,sse.
lions were not toes fide, and ordered the rate to he paid,
with the ante.—Birminyhani Post.

SINGULAR AND FATAL AcCIT.F.NT.—OR Tuesday
morning. *servant man, earned fiernimed, in the employ-
meet of Mr. Flint, Ochiltree, parish ut Linlithgow, was ea
his way to Edinburgh, in charge of a milk-cart. Oa reach-
ing Wiechboiel Canal Bridge. about 2 o'clock in the morn-
ing, the young man having, it is supposed, ps-eviously fallen
asleep, the horse, which &toes time had been is the habit
of going to tho tilework in that locality, instead of proceed-
ing eastwards turned off to the north by a road does to the
bridge; and at that place the cattier/ over which the bridge is
cant being somewhat deep, the animal, left to its own
guidance, seems to have approached ton near the edge of
the mine, and hone, cart, and man were at once precipie
Sated Dot only to the bottom of the cutting, but into the
canal. The crash was such that while non person in the im-
mediate neighbourhood was awakened out of his sleep, it
was also heard by some boatmen nearly half a aide distant.
In 'bodement. the trams of the cart having been snapped
in two, the horse was liberated, but what with the impetus
of the cart and the milk barrels, both horse and man were
carried into the canal. Shortly afterwards the hone, little
injured, was by the aforesaid boatmen found standing above
the voung man, iu whom life was extinct. He was found
with his boots off ; but it seems to be the custom of some
men employed as he was to take eft their boots, in order to
keep themselves more comfortable by wrapping their feet in
stra w.—Scotsman. _

REDLVTION OF RAILWAY CIIAROC4 TO AND FROM
LIVERPOOL—The Loodoo and Nuith Waters Compsoy
have at heath yielded to the loos and loudly-expressed
rsmon•trances of the meresatile oommuuity of Liverpool,
sod announced their intsotioo of reducing the drrup oa
goods to juiced towns from Bs. 4d. • ton to tis. &I. It is
hoped that the company will follow this op by equalishig
thecharges upon other products with those made upon the
traffic from sod to other pats.
The Roman catholic Bishop of Rosa has
threatened to ecoommusieste all those who took part in the
burning of Mr. Collies, the priest, in effigy, so Skihhereea,
sinks, they make ample reparation labia a given time.