New-York daily tribune., 1844-02-20

enter into every work of phael. The unskled
in Art will admire more the masterpiece of Guer-
cino, which appeals at once to the mind and the
heart and does not depend for It's merit on the
mere execution, which artists are too apt to for
get is always merely secondary and subsidiary to
the feeling and the expression Guercino has re-
presented Abraham sending off Hagar and Isll-
mael. The patriarch seems vainly endeavoring
to look stern and unyiclding, as he turns out in
the desert the lovely but wretched handmaiden.
She goes, but turns half around with a look OF
incredulous sorrow, as if she could not believe
the reality Of the heartless sentence, and Ishmael
cllngs to her, Just beginning to find that every
mans hand is against him. The young Isaac
seems supplicating for the stay Of his playmate,
and through an open door is seen the finely scorn-
u profile Of Sarah, her lips curling with the feel
ing of superior sanctlty and triumphant malice.
The picture is perfect in propriety Of expression,
and the estimation in which It is deservedly held
is shown by four artists being now engaged at
once in copying it.
Adjoining the gallery is the OBSERVATORY, re-
markable as having been established by the cele-
brated Father Boscovich, and farther curious from
all the nuns in the city having sent in most earn
est remonstrances against the building Of the
tower, urging that their sacred privacy would be
invaded and that they would constantly be spied
at by the astronomers in their converts. Whe
ther their unwilIingness to have their doings seen
arose from pety otherwise, every one will Judge
for himself, according as he is more or less charl-
tably inclined.
The AMBRosIAN LIBRARY is famous for its valu-
| able manuscripts and is particularly interesting
to the scholar, as having been the first or chief
source of the recovery OF tho lost classics, from
the Polimpsests The monks OF the middle ages
were in the habit Of taking the parchment manu-
scripts of the Classic authors Of Greece and
Rome, which to them were proianc, and there
fore worse than worthless, and, after hall rubbing
out with pumice stone the original characters,
writing over them their hymns, prayers and homl-
lies. They usually crossed the first writing, as
ladies do their letters, though sometimes they
wrote between the original lines. Angelo MAJ
(now deservedly Cardinal Man first undertook to
recover the original text from under the monklsh
rubbish and his great and invaluable success IS
well known and priced by all classical scholars.
After the first suggestion of the method OF dis
coyery the chief difficulty lay in connecting the
fragments thus found on separate leaves, and
hunt out and bring together these widely sePara
ted parts required all the learning and ingenuity
which SO eminently distinguished Cardinal Mai.
Among the other curiosities in the library is
part of a translation of the Bible made III the
fourth century by UlfiIa, Bishop of the Meso-
goths; fragmentary manuscript OF Homer, of
the same date; drawings and diagrams, by Le-
onardo da Vcnci, with the descriptions written
from right TO left, so that any other than himself
could read them only by the aid of looking
glass; &c Sc The most interesting is a man
uscrpt of Virgil copied by Petrarch, in remark
ably elegant and uniform hand "a lesson to those
poets who pride themselves on Their illegible
hand wtiting) and having preixed to it the ia
NOUS note describing the first time the poet saw
his Laura Genuine or not in such case the
romance of belief is preferable to the barrenness
of scepticism
In garden within the building is a rchque,
which is a most instructive lesson to travellers
not to form their judgments too hastily or on too
slight foundations. Lalande, in his description
of Italy, cxos the mildncss Of the climate of Mi
Ian. and proves it by palm-tree growing IN this
garden The stump of this palnl-tree still remains
here, but unfortunately, upon examination, 1t
proves to be an artificial one of tin
The situation of Milan, so near the activity of
Northern Europe, and It's position as the focus OF
travellers, whence the great routes dlverge, have
given it al industrious, prosperous, commercial
air, which speaks well for the character of It's IN
hab,ants. Great wealth still exists among many
of the old families and 1t is IN many cases nobly
employed One prince In Ill founded a hospital,
(callcd after him the OSpi@io Ircutei,) which
now contains SIX hundred inmates, ali over seven
~ wears OF age, who there well fed and clothed
and allowed once week to visit Their trlends.-
The Prince Trivulzio gave up his own palace to
this charitable purpose, and 1t has been recently
enlarged to nearly double It's former size by the
donations and legacies which the Allanese nave
added to the original endowment.
If any one doubts the progress and improve
ment of mankind, let HIM contrast with this be-
neyolcnt charity of the present time two authen-
tic anecdotes OF incidents occurring in this same
place during the middle ages
Not far from the hospital is the church OF San
Tomaso in terra atnOra, Saint Thomas IN
bitter earth The story runs that Giorannt
Viscontt, the tyrant, Of Milan, riding one day
past church. yard, heard woman IN loud la
mentation. Inquirng the reason, he learnt that
the nriest refused to bury the woman'S husband,
whose corpse was lying beside the open grave,
because she had no money TO pay the funeral