Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-09-20
VENICE.

Ell VENICE, EkHE
conR.srospExcr or THx NEWARK (s. ~ ABv.sr1nn.
But are approaching vrrIcs--the terminus Of our
travel the destination Of desire the heart is pspitsns,
and the eye teaching behold the reality Of lsdream-
But Is ii not still dream Surely those domes,
and Spires and palaces and columns rising slowly Of
the very boom OF the waters speces Of the glorious past
And what gre those nnumsrabe black objects moving to and
fro in the distance tina, floating hesrses bearing the illus
tous dead Of other ages the sepuchrs sea sLook at the
gondolas says fslow-aveler What! can those fune-
real barge be g0ndos2 And enough we are rumbng
the eong, grantebut bridge which unites Venice
with terri 6rma and exchange the railroad car
rsge for in of these gondola which SCENE
any thing but hesrse bears much Of life and lively
curiosity along the lampghted the very steps Of
our hotel tU
No rafting wheels cracking whips, no oahs,
beating and banging of sded animals disturb the ssn
gers morning nap Venice the eyes open lsisuely
ndoeny the gondos floats along uader The chamber win
dow and the first halfwsking thought is Of Sabbath in
dear America In short, il il only by looking the
liquid streets, and seeing the gondoss skimmng the
like seafow in every direction that begins to realize
oneself n city Of life and motion, though even then the
eyes ns.nctvsly rubbed If to shake of morning
dream that seems still deluding the senses. I
But who describe first voyage in pleasure sondols
give those who have seen one any idea of this float
ing cradle Byron has certainly failed do H. and tells
story bscker than the gondola itself the 18th and Goth
sanzas Of his Bsfso Imagine long, SLIM grsceulbuiit
boat painted black and highly vnished having brass rail-
ings each side, and at prov weapon
know for which steel somewhat resembling
ancient battle in the centre decorated with
black trimmings and pumes like hearse, having windows
on each side and highly onamented door in 'front.' which
has also glass opening the interior cpeed and cushion
ed luxuriously and the and PROV stand the two
gondoe popeing the boat by ordinary rowing, bat
each holding peculiar oar, which be gives sweeping
motion, that moves the gondoa as noisebes snd rapidly
might enchanters wand Let 6sttsr himself 10
have ssDed the ideal Of luxury buried in the cushions
Of armchair after dinner dozing the dnIcs toBes of
female voice reading Moores Laie Rookh i: the
quntessence of luxury yet untased dill be has yielded
body, SOUL thought and to the plant lounges thu luug
motion, the liquid RIPPLE and the dreamy n,oxicaion of
veable gondoa We have DESIRE however, to rock the
reader to sleep one, and beg him to dsmbsrk ST.
Marks Place, tho stretching rendezvous of the Vene
tans where thought grows wide awake again. and naveses
rapidly from the present to the past from the past the
present. that the distance Of sgss seemssannhiiated
The piazza Of ST. Mark says certain Frenchman, has not
its like IN the world The East and the West there
brought into each others presence side the Ducsl
Palace, with it's ndened architecture, the balconies and
galleries Of Arabian monuments and the church Of 81 Mark
with its angular front and esdcovered cupols remind the
holder Of mosque Conaan.inope Cairo and the
other side regusr srcades with shops similar the Palas
Royal PARIS The be found among the
there Turks, Greeks Armenians some lying down,
feren brilliant colorr, resembling tents some smoking per-
fumes in their long amber tipped pipes Of rosewooda crowd
Of INDECENT and majestic automata-hle European travel
es and Others occupied with business. huriedy passing
TO and fro Venice still papitates in the piazza Of 81 Mark.
This brilliant decoration costa annually large sum in
pairs; while other distant quarters Of which possess
magnificent palaces, left to fall into ruins This corpse
Of city, the expression Of Cceros friend is already
cold at the eItremes, the life and heat remaining
fined to the heart" 1t as 1854 ,ta
And the church Of ST. Markthis wonder Of ages-with
its countless mosacs sculptures basso reevo rabesques
its golden arched ROOFS M pavement Of jasper and pophery,
its five hundred columns Of black white and veined MARBLE
Of bronco aabaster antique, and sepentine might
the realization Of the New Jerusalem temple, did
the arnsh Of time bespesk it's human origin. Yet 10
templating it's yasnes its richness its cunning workman
ship, might be forgiven for feeling that here humanity
had been omnipotent How majestic its exteror-how
lemnly In the religious moonlight There stand again
the four famous bronze Steeds of travelled horses
they should be caed-awakening BY their colossal pre-
changeul histories and seeming ready leap any
| future lot that may await them.
/ But how can letter touch upon the nunbeess
objects Of interest concentrated round this heart of Venice
TO say nothing of the different members Of its whole body
Here the Duca palace with it's giant starway-where rolled
down the CORY head Of Marina Fsero-opens its
Of ART It's volume Of tragic histories its cadaverous dungeons
and the chilling passage Of the Bridge Of Sishs Shall we
ever forget it where every ootstep seemed stae
haiEstAsd shrek frqW the murdefous past
Let return 10 The present. TO pity Venice IL u wssa
the precious balm any one viii believe "ho sits once
under the arcades OF 81 Mark by night and watches the fiji
volous throngs who sing, saun and sip The hours away
with thought beyond ice, cigar, coquettes smile
the music Of the Austrian bands which is quite enough 10
reconcile them 10 Austrian letters The only wonder ia now
these enevated Venetans stood manuy against the
starving siege Of 4s and 49 for certain il is az far a. one
judge from present appearances that resignng last
their beres they resigned with them all regrets r the past
hopes for the future Verify the glory Of Venice IS d.
parted But only the stranger that sghs to rec the
Austrian mounted everywhere, even on the very
Of their door that sadly on the mouderng
palaces the desoaed Rsloths scene Of the three thou
sand ducats and the pound Of eh where only the ghost
of old Shyock hauns the maginaon-and the sights and
signs decay that meet every side The Vensans
themselves care for Of these things The very gun
boats their Austrian yrants stationed all around the har-
Dor and poptng day and night the doomed city, serve
their turn of amusement, and by wasting little powder on
stedays to tickle the Yenetians into
slavery. II III .uiN a15g w 81 3sf#e1s g13g 4f9E +
Perhaps place in the world gives the visitor once %
much pleasure and much pain Venice There are
times however, when il be seensuch in the excite
ment offs the stranger IKE the in
habitant loses all melancholy associations and sives up me-
mory and thought to the hosr of dreamy s,ity5 The
chief Venetian es of the year happened fortunately during
visit and presented which, ihoheh too aryke
to be painted in words must have at hast passing notice
Venetian Incidence itself reused by any thing like
and for several dsys previous to the
ate oil sorts Of projects set in motion for It's celebration
bridge Of boats built the port Of the Cru
pEccA-half mile in ength-and the grand canal at sun
down Of the evening, which the tte commenced began 10