New-York daily tribune., 1844-04-11

uol SFbh ACotu NOuiN
At one end Of the Hall of Scrutiny is tn
umphal arch to the honor OF the Dogc Morosini,
who is represented as presenting to his country.
the captive Morea, whose conques; he had jus,
achieved. This is another OF those tokens OF the
past glory Of Venice which are 50 profusey scat
tcrced over this Palace, and which are still more
striking in then contrast with her present degra-
dation.
The other end OF this hall is filed up by Pal
mas painting Of the Last Judgment If the
eicerone may be believed, it contains curious
instance OF artist;cal revenge. When Palma paint.
ed the first half of the picture, he made his wife
very prominent among the happy crowd OF Saints
upon the right. But before the picture was in-
ished, unluckly for her reputation with posterity,
she in some way offended her husband most grew
ousIy, and in revenge he inflicted on her the char
acteristc punishment Of painting her among the
unfortunates on the left FILLING into the arms Of
the horned and hoofcd demons below, and driven
down by himself under the guise Of an angel with
drawn sword. Let painters wives therefore,
beware how they offend their husbands.
The series of Doges is continued around this
room. There arc hundred and fifteen in all,
and there arc blank spaces for many more, but
they arc blanks never to be filled, for when ma
tons attain the summit Of power, like Venice, and
then fall, it is, like Lucie!, never 10 rise again
The cycle rolls on new nations take their place,
and when their sun sctsit sets for ever.
The old prisons are in the Palace, and with
goood reason under government where execU-
ton followed SO close on the heels Of judgement.
The Soto piombi are prisons under the leads Of
the roof and poets have been eloquent in their pic
lures of the horrors of the burning sun beating
down upon the absorbing lead day after day, tillhc
brains of the prisoners became parched and burnt,
and their agony ended in delirium and death. In
reality, however, although the roof of the Palace
was covered with lead, the ceilings Of the cells
were many feet below the roof, SO that they were
remarkably cool and saubrious. The PozSi, or
subterranean cells, were, however really as horri-
bic as described. They are sort of wells sunk in
the thick walls OF the palace, and reached by dark
passages and trap-Goors They are utterly de-
prired of light and air. and are only about fifteen
feet long. seven widc and as many high. The
only consolation of the wfetches there confined
mus; have been the aope of a speedy execution /;
though when the republicans descended into these
dungeons they found one prisoner who had been
there sixteen years. The famous Bridge Of
Sichs connects the palace with the ordinary prs.
ous. /, is a gloomy covered gallery which Joins
the Two buildings at their midnight, ana wal
divides it into Two parts. When the secret Tr'-
bunal condemned prisoner 10 die, lie was led
from the Palace through one division of The Bridge
10 tic Prison. and lhenct was made 10 enter She
other side OF ;he Endgo and there strangicd. So
SAYS tradition and II hall It's tales OF Venice be
true we may easily console ourselves ior thc dc
struction OF power thus abused.
On coming out of the Dogcs Palace we found
the Piassetfa III front OF ii cleared Of people aud
surrounded by guard OF soldiers. while plat
form had been placed in It's midst. by.siandcr
told US that sentence wasaboul 10 be announced
Accordingly criminal soon appeared, loaded
with chains and guarded by a file OF soldiers. lie
was led or rather dragged, for he seemed more
dead than alive, up the steps of the platform. A
scarlet hanging was flung over the gallery OF the
Palace, and an official, attended by his train, ap
peared behind il. A soldier removed the cap o
the criminal, who seemed TO be in great agony
and the official read an announcement of hi:
crime and his sentence, which was six years i'm
prisonment in The gallcys. The criminal was then
taken away, the platform and scarlet hanging:
removed, the soldiers returned to their quarters
and all was as before.
Thence we walked toward thh Arsenal, along
the Riua del Schiaroni, the broad quay which
runs along the side OF the lagoon and which cross
es by arched bridges the various canals which
lead inward. This Rira is the favorite stand ol
Polichtnello the original of the Englieh Punch
Here he has box a. every few rods, and around
each is large crowd, listening with delight to his
iokc and his practical wit, which seems tolic chief
ly in wearing an enormous nose and beating his
wife and friends to death with his big stick. The
keepers are very siilful in modulating and chang
ing their voice in exact time with the motions OF
their puppets, though their broad dialect renders
them almost entirely unintclligiblc TO stranger.
Here too the ImprppisatOri take their stations,
and amuse the people with their vehement rcclta-
tions OF prose and poetry. They stand IN the
middle OF circle, expressing themselves as much
by gcsticuations as by words, and seem to be
wholly absorbed by their subject, while they still
have keen lookout for the mainchance, and
when stranger appears in the crowd they direct
all their discourse to him, as a preparative for
the money box which they are very quick to pre-
sent Many of them look like men who have
seen better days, and who adopt this occupation
as temporary means OF subsistence, though
their genius does not here seem very well re-
warded, If the appearance OF their wardrobe be
any test.
Halfway down the Rira del Schioroni, at the
corner of canal is shrine OF the Virgin,
with painting before which lamps always burn