The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1827-12-03
~ ,LAH7y.
PRlSONERSIN VENICE.
~ DIR. MOSFIY.


| into the cells ot' the Prigioni Publlchc,
or great Common Prison. Here, even
here, the soul of man clinrs TO his body,
nd shows no more symptoms, or pres
cionce Of immortality, lhan il that body
were on bed Of down, canopied IN a
gorgeous palace.
In the morning, when set ouI on this
gloomy expedition, Dominicho Iacchi,
my Nehltlan servant, who had attended
Lord 81. Asaph, Sir George Beaumont,
and several other English travellers, du-
ring their resi1 nee nj Venice, took his
leave of me. This WIS on the 10th of
September 1877. Dominirho thought
that would never return, or if ! did |
miphi tale unfold" that would en-
danger nv safety al Venice. But he
said, from what he bad heard, he did not
think If possible for me 10 survive the
foul and pesliIential air had to encoun-
ter.
II WIS with some difficulty that ! oh
tanned permission from the inqulsltors,
winch WIS granted mc merely on nc
count III my be NC an English Physician;
character mueh respected AT that time
IN Venice. wished TO have seen the
Scatto Piamhi, whore the state prisou-
ers were kept, but thu was refused.
Here under the Roof of the public build
inns, they are confined, exposed 10 the
rponr Of winters cold, aud summers
heat, and the vicissitudrs of scorching
davs, and chllno NIGHTS.
was conducted trough the pr son, by
one Of lis inferior dependents. We
Ind torch with MS. We crcpt along
narrow PASSAGES, as dark as pitch. In
some Of them Two people could scarcely
pass each other. The cells are made of
masSv marble the architecture of the
celebrated Sansovine.
Fhe cells are mol only dark g. black
as ink, but BEING surrounded and conlin-
ed with huge wills, the smallest breath
of All can scarcely find circulation in
them. They are about nne feet square
on the floor, arched n the top, and be-
tween SIX and seven fcet hieh in The
highest part. There is To each cell a
round hale Of eipht inchee d'amcter,
through which he prisoners daily al
low nee of Twelve ounces Of bread and q
por of wlter is delivered. There is a
small iron door in the cclI. The furn-
lule Il the cell is a little straw aud a
small nh nothing else. The straw is
removed, and the tub enDliod, through
the iron door, occasionally.
The diet is ngeniously contrlved TO-
the perturbation olpnnishment. Anim-
al food, or a cordial, nntricious regimen,
in such situation, would brng on dis
ease, u defeu the end of his Venetian
Justice. Neither can the soul, if so in
elincd, sink away, wrapt up in slumber-
inp dclusion, or sink 10 rest, from the
admonillon Of her sad existence, by the
gaoler's daily r,iutn'
saw one mn who had been in a cell
thirty wears two had been twelve
wears; and several who had been eight
and nlne y rs in their respective cells.
BY my per's Iohl, I could discover
The prlsoners's horrid countenanccs.
They were MI naked. The man who
bad been there Tiny wears bad bis face
MI boy covered with long hair; he
had losl the Infringement Of words, and
order of l,nenagc. When spakc to
him, Inc made an uninleIllglblc noise, e.
expressed fer and surprise and, liz
some wild animals in deserts, which
have suffered by the lreacherV OF the
human race or bavc an instructive ab-
horlence of it, he would have fled like
lightning from mt il hc could.
One whose faculties were not so con-
tracted, who still recollectcd the differ
ence between day and night, whose eyes
and ears, ihough long closed with 4 si-
lent blank, sui Unpublished to perform
thrir natural function, lmplored in the
most piercing IN nner that would pre-
vail on the gaoIcr to murder HIM, or 10
give him some instrument TO destroy
himself. ! told him | had no power to
serve hun in this request. He then en-
treated would use my endeavors with
the iuqnsltors TO get hun hanged, or
drowned in the canal d'Ofdn1. But
even in this could not serve h m.
Death was favor had not interest t.
nough to procure for HIM. This kind
ness Of death, however, was, during my
stay in Venice, granted to one man who
lad been " from the cheerful ways Of
man cut OH thirteen years.
| Before he left his dungeon, had some
conversation with him ; this was six
days previous 10 his execution. His
transport at the prospect of death was
surprising: he longed for the happy mo-
mont. No SAINT ever exhibited more
fervour in anticipating the joys Of flu
ture state, than this man did at the
L mood tifo Itt-