Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1844-04-25

.... .Athens, Aforday, Oct. 2ad, ls48.

~NN0~"~Sp ~'@0'0-~NsJS
My dear Cousin, and you, nv dear little Children,
will perceive by the date Of this, that am now on
truly classic, and not only classic, but upon holy
gTOWnd-and you will scarce believe it, that this
did not content me- but had really strong desire
to have headed my letter sCorinth." should moi
have ventured like the great apostles to have indi
ted an epistie to the Corinthians, but had quite
envy to have addressed one to yOM from the site
of that ancient city Of the church; bat we were
obliged to content ourselves with view of the
modern city, while at anchor yesterday morning in
the centre Of its narrow gus and with the view Of
"the seven Doric columns" brought near to us by
the aid Of good glass. But must Fetrograde
little to where left YOU in my last, which be-
lieve was in or about Milan. I mentioned our de-
scent the Italian side Of the Alps, our sail along
the Lago Maggiore, the beautiful Borromeo Isles,
on the shores Of which is acolossalstatue about so
feet high of St. Carlo Borromeo, who by his good
and holy life, raised to himself pillar Of fame CO.
mented by many pious work. and by his deeds of
charity alone secured to himself Tin the esteem Of
the Msianese) crown of glory, and so much was he
loved in life and worshipped after death by them.
that they have enshrned him in that ecclesiastical
wonder, the Cathedral Of Milan. This shrine is a
circular room (as large as your dining room or the
one you used such when was in Lltchheld. this
lie entirely, sides and ceiling, lined with silver and
gilt, and ornamented with various beautiful devices
in the same precious metals. The sides Of the
room are divided into many compartments, beauti-
fully embossed and chased, depicting the remarka-
BILE incidents in his lieone where he is distributing
an enormous sum aims to the poor during fam
ine--in another he is administering the sacrament
in the streets of Milan, to the populace dying Of
the plague, which he is thought by his prayers to
have STAYED, standing like Aaron between them and
the destroying angel-another shows his life at
tempted by a wicked priest in revenge for his ex-
posure Of his evil doings-a reformation Of some
vile orders of the priesthood. casting out such as
had detiled the temple Of the Lord, as our Savior
cast out the money changers who had made it den
of thieves Besides which there is represented his
death bed scene, at the age Of AZ, and many other
things which cannot recollect. After this your
attention is called to an immense casket Of silver
and gilt, richly embossed, when by the aid Of a
wndass, the front of it is let down, and in chrys
.ai case, bound together with bands Of gold, and
hung with the richest votive offerings, the gifts Of
kings and princes, you see the body Of st. Carlo
himself, his black and almost heshless skull in hor
rid contrast with the magnificent drapery of his
rich ponti6cal robes, his gorgeous mitre and cro-
,ier and the crown of gold suspended over his head
Poor, poor humanity what frail tenement is his
earthly tabernacle! But we will ascend again to
the temple above, and which is itself in the form Of
shrine rather than of the usual Greek or Latin
ross. Methinks in its exterior beauty and elabo-
Ute workmanship il might compare with the Tenn
lie of solomon in all its glory. The wisdom OF
many a Solomon during five centuries has been en-
and the artiGcers Of many lands have executed their
utm st taste and skill in its beauty and ornaments.
and they are still at work, and when its 5000
st atueS shall all be com oeted, whoever lives to see
il may well pronounce it miracle Of the work OF
mems hands Aad its interior strikes you with
awe and admiration, from its not ing divided into
shrines or chapcls, but is left in one wide expan.
sive space, and as you stand under its lofty dome,
the light streaming through its richly stained win.
dows and rejecting their variegated hues on the
beautifully tesseslated pavement below. and list to
the rich strains Of the organ Dealiue and reyerhrr
atiny throuSh the vaul'ed arches' wh'Ie cl""ds OF
perfumed incense are waited around you, there is
spirit Of awe that makes you feel that you are
in the temple of the Lord, and that I" the Lord
10 in His holy temple" and bids you keep silence
before Him." But must pass on. We visited
Como's Lake, and leaving Milan, passed through
Breseia Verona, visiting the fine ampitheatre Of
the latter ,sad to be the most perfect now remain
ing, its very ancient toIn5s and monuments, thence
to Vice lsu Padua. where we remained long enough
to visit the tomb of Antenor, its fou ider, likewise
Of Lvy; saw the Egyptian figures br ught BY Bel
soni the traveller, and with young Italian gentle
man, our fellow traveller, and who had been stu
dent here visited its ancient University renOwn
ed in former and in the present time and walked
through beautiful grove not onlv shaded ny many
Il ne trees, but containing some fifty statues of the
learned men Of Padna and Others who had made
themselves name ty earningf anne. A rail-road
conveyed Us from padua to the Gulfof Venice, where
a go,sdoia awaited as, and we were soon gliding
across the Lagoons, and Venice with her thousand
isles rose from the bosom OF fine sea. With il a
thousand years came rushing by filed with the his.
tory Of the past and have sailed along its grand
canal, past its many palaces 80 sad, 50 ruined, 90
deserted and vet 50 beautiful without, as II the
wealth within them had Ger past its dark and
sombre prison replete with death and mournful
memories. sighed on its" Bridge of Signs" crawled
through the "dripping vaults" and in the "plumb-
ed cells" seated myself in the Doges chair in the
Hall Of Inaustior walked thyough the chan5er OF
the Council of Ten," those of the Senafe and fine
| Grand Council assembled the Scaladero, and de-
| scended the marble steps down which the grizzly
| head Of old Falero rolled-have seen the winged
| lion" and its many mouths, the proud symbols Of
Venice in her power and glory. the stone Of shame
on which debtors were absolved, and that
on which criminals atoned for their crimes by
pouring out their blood, and have stood on the
porphyry stone marking the spot in old st. Marks
where once an emperOrkHef-th pIoad Frederick
Barbarossa to receive on his Bonded neck ffe foot
of the naughty Pontiff Alexander TIE.-and have
| moved almost entranced before the portal OF
this gorgeous, mystical and mos1ue-like pile with
its 500 columns of precious marbles and its mosalcs
of rich vivid hues on their glttering field Of gold,
have climbed its tall Campanile and viewed it's ma
nv isles, each crowned with its santed church, and
| last of all, have gOndOIiered by moonlight.
| must not omit to mention that have had VIZ
sit from the young Connt Medin, and oh how
sweet and beautiful he Is, with his soft dark eyes
and long. dark and siIken ringlets. He does look
like our little H, his father said when we show
ed him her miniature at Berlin-a resemblance
which made me heartily homesick, and caused me
good hearty CRYING spell. And now, adieu 10
beautiful Venice from whence after stay of nine
DAYS we went to Trieste. and made excursion
thence to the wonderful cave Of AdeEsberg,. On
the 18th, at P. NJ, we left in steamer, and the
l r. L. srwtA