Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-02-22
,;o, which oueh, to be characterised by no.

ton, which 0ught 10 oe C"a' T.,
bic simplicity. The veSisuie supPo.W;a
eighty columns OF marble, ana tee cor,n
movn,;np by magnificent flight OF steps, ior'"
a suitable entrance TO the great hall oil the 2en-
ate. which is $50 feet in length, 60 IN oreaa'n'
and 70 in height, Round its walls are nicnes
SHED with statues, which are all draped WIZ"
wh;,a linen Here the Senate and the Dose
convened to enact laws for the Republic, III va
ro,eon entered and prorogued the body si"e
d;s An anecdo,e is told OF the French, wh'ch
I was unwilling 10 believe, but whlch appeal
70 he well Observation-Disclosures on their APP
nroacb TO this venerable pile, they threw down
and dashed TO pieces statue OF Andrew D"Fia'
which stood on the area in front OF the paiace'
Adjoining the grea, hall is another apartment
designed for consultation, less grand III us VII
mansions, though not less elegantly nnishe"
Than the other Before the great hire OF iIG'
nv which the building was nearly des'ro!su'
its decorations were suited to the dignity OF inc
edifce The naval achievements OF the RePu'-
lie: its victories over the Pisans; its chivalrous
deeds in the East; and the landing ofits own
Columbus in the New World, were deiineated
unon the walls. These ornaments have, so lar
as prac ,icable, been restored; but the charm
which time and association impart, is IN great
measure dissolved, occupied as the ha''s no"
are by the creatures Of the present government.
| Among the double score OF other palaces,
there is little TO choose in poln. o! attraction
| Each has some peculiar features, set OFT 10 the
best advantage by the cosmetics OF cicerohes,
to stimulate the curiosity Of the tourist. All
| of them are rather interesting as specimens OF
arc hi,ecture and as repositories OF the hne arts,
than from any historical or personal assoca-
,ions. Of the Durazzos and Brignoles, the
Spinolas and Cambiasos, the original pro2rle-
tors who once figured as Doges and Counseiiors
| of State, few traces now remain, save long lines
of dusty family portraits, suspended from me
walls. The splendid groups OF Genoese Pa'a,
ces irculcate, however, political lesson, ana
furnish striking illustration oil the position SO
elooueutly maintained by MIR. Everett In one OF
his orations-thai free governments are as Ia
vorable to the cultivation OF the tlne arts as are
monarchies Nearly all these sump,uous piles
we're reared and filled with galleries Of pictures
during the golden age Of the Republic, by prl-
va,e individuals who acquired their wealth by
enterprise and commercial prosperity. Area
DIV s,ripped Of many of their embellishments,
they are now sinking into decay under the pa
,ronage of the present sovereign! Enterprise,
penius. and taste have been parallzed by the
touch of leaden sceptre, and falling state, the
decline Of industry, the prostration oil the arts,
furnish sad commentary on the encourage
ment to be looked for from legitimate courts
Blu, 10 return from this, slight dgression,-
the Palaces Of Genoa are generally uniform I'D
their outlines, two, three and four stories high
including the at,cs, with spacious courts and
sometimes garden, profuson of marble pill
lars in the hes, taste, and almost always superb
flights of steps, leading often to dirty dark, and
idesoIste suites of apartments, inhabited by any
BODY but nobiemen, & exhibiting any thing but
M a,ness or comfort. The largest oil these
proud structures is the Palais Durazzo, the
front of which stretches between three and ionl
hundred feet along the Strata .,s,t.. was il.
F.um4ns,pn win .c67TtoSred lamps, exhibiting a
spectacle brilliant beyond descrp, ion. Its por.
tails are adorned with tour Doric Pillars oil
white marble, and the court and stairway can
scarcely be surpassed in magni6cence. -Hav-
ing curiosity to see the theatre when his Ma
jesty munches his candy, and above all the H.
brary, whence he draws these profound lessons
of political wisdom for the government of d
mighty empire, stretching from the Alps to the
| Orient, from Mount Blanc TO Je:usaIrm,s we
sought admission to the halls Of the Durazzo.
But "Carle, now the King has comes" and wha:
tavors could untitled republicans expect at the
hands of such an august sovereign? Unlike
the English nobility, his superiors in character
and fortune, and unlike one Of his masters, the
| Ming OF France, ne suffers no foreign loot to
profaue his carpets, and no pleabian crowds 10
see him eat,-save only his sweet meats in the
opera box
| To the other palaces we found easy access
and were permitted to range wherever inclina
tion listed, through saloons and bed chambers,
dining halls and dressing rooms Oat of the
number TO which the Valet de Place conducted
| us in rapid succession, select for more particu
lar notice the Palais Brignole, called by way
of distinction the Paais Rouge, on account of
its exterior being painted of pash red CO.
Tor. In this selection am governed less by
the grandeur Of its proporlions,,he beauty ofi,s
architecture, and the splendor Of its apartments,
than by its gallery Of paintings, which is one Of
the richest and most extensive in Genoa. Ii is
of square form fronting upon the Strada
Nouva Its porch is adorned with fourteen Do
rio pillars VI white marble, aud us broad high,
OF steps Of the same materia. The collection
OF pictures fills f,centy one rooms, and embraces
some OF the finest productions VI The great liza.
lian masters, from Leonardo Da Vincl down to
the present day. Instead OF pursuing the safe
and beaten track OF other tourists in designating
the most remarkable and the most interesting
OF such multitude, shall adopt the more ha-
1-.rl<s