The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1847-08-18
Fall Of thc Leaning Tower Of Pisa.


gon, Esq, with the following extract from
a letter received by him under date of July
lst, from an intelligent friend Of his now
travelling.
The building to which the extracts refer
was called the Campanile, and formed the
Bcliry of the Duomo or Cathedral, Gothic
edifce at Pisa and was known to most Eu-
ropcans as the Leaning Tower of Pisa
1t was finished in 1l74, and was about l6O
feet high, and IL feet out of the perpcn:licu-
lar: this beautiful ediice was adorned with
more than 200 columns of granite and other
marbles, the ascent to top was easy, and the
view extensive he says;
was fortunate enough to be at Pisa
during the earthquake OH the 18th of June,
which | would not have missed for the
world, as was an eye. witness, hasten
to communicate the description, so far as
my scribbling powers will permit me-
We're | to commence by telling you
that the Tower of Pisa had fallen to the
ground, you would no doubt consider it a
hoax. was myself present within ten mi
nutcs or quarter of an hour after the ca
tastrophc.
81 had put up on the 18th, at the Don
gella, which you may recollect, is situated
on the Arno, kept by Mons. Devarde, when
about o'clock in the morning of the 18th
was suddenly awakened by shouts from
the streets, Immediately dressed and re-
paired to the place of confusion, whore all
Pisa seemed to have been collected The
crowd was immense.
"Thc Campanile, or Leaning Tower,
which had been shaken by the earthquake
IN September last: and which had stood the
selge oftilne since ll74, has now becctne,
may say, almost a total ruin, hav wing fallen
to the Southwark, reaching nearly to the
Strada across the green. Strange to say,
the upper portion is comparatively but little
shattered, having been 50 admirably clam
ped with iron. The centre is a completely
mutilated ruin, from the extreme eight of
the esuperstructure-whch whole remained.
The marble pillars, of which there were
nearly two hundred, were very much shat
tered, though some of those from the extreme
top were but slightly injured; the bronze
doors, which were brought from Jerusalem,
are unlnjured-the Tower, up to the first
landing, (about 20 feet,) remaining immove-
able, SO that, as it now stands, the great Sc
cret of whether this building was purposely
constructed IL feet out of the perpendicular
or not, still remains mystery. 1t is pro-
sed to deposit the pillars on the Campo San
to-" until the Government take some steps
as 10 what Is best to be done the marble
pillars are very valuable. | left for Leg
horn on the Doth, where took the steamer
Eraolano for Marseilles, where remained
one day, and then proceeded to Paris, where
arrived two days since.
Toronto (Canada) Colonist.
The GREAT WEsT.-A recent tourist
through the great western valley, enumer~
ates some of 1.-The wonders of the way" in a
letter to the Newtown Journal, and men,
tions amongst other great and amazing
thingsth that came under his sight, a Kentuck:.
an 7feet O inches high-a catfish weighing
100 pounds-perch Is pounds-5OO bush
els of straw berries IN. one day, MANY of
which were one inch in diameter-trees
27 feet in circumference, soil from 20 to 80
feet in depth, praire flies nearly as large as
humming birds, and mosquitoes the size of
yellow wasps. .
The CHANcEs dF BArrLE.-a At Water.
loo," said Napoleon, 6 ought to have been
victorious. The chances were a hundred
s:sto one in my favor But Nay, the bravest
gsot 1.Eg ne brave at the head $4,000 French
cred himselfto be delayed whole
day by son1e. thousands o Nassau troops
| Had it not beensfsr this inezplicable lnacti-
.vity,the English asnp would have been
taken Jaagr1nte detissA and annihilated
without striking a blow. Sronchy. with
4O, 900 men, suffered Bulow ands sRlleher to
sescape from him; and finally, a. heavy,
g shower Of rain made the ground SO that
II Il wa Impossible 70 commence the attack at
day break. Had I been able to commence