Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-03-13


Of footpassengers The pedestrian who has escaped the
pels Of street walking In Italy win appreciate this inn
provement upon Italian Cities for it is rather rare plea
sure 70 walk sidewalk in this part Of the world The
c divided into four equal parts by two large Streets
which cross at rghtanges the called the Strada
Cassaro or the Toledo mile length and goes from the
Pora Felca to the Pora Nuero in right line and after
passing the gate continues in the form of avenue for
three Males to Morreale The other, named the Strada
Nuora, or Maqueda is not long the first but tits
larger and extends from the Porta San Antonne to the
Perta Maqueda The point of intersection Of these two
streets called the Quatro Canon and of octagonal
FORM ornamented by picturesque very remarka
Bile edifces comprising the Dorc Ionic, and Corinthan
orders of architecture These edfces of dngy and
antique appearance, and onamented by statues of
Charles the v Philip the H. ILL., and w. of Spain, and
by four curiousy fountains This may be
sdered the central point of the city, and is usually throng
ed with gay dlers especially night when all the cafes
crowded, and the streets lit up from the shop windows
With respect to the fine in Palermo of which the
Marquis Of Artaa speaks in enthusiastic terms, must
confess saw nothing Of high order Of excellence He
dwells with particular admiration the magnificent
tuary which he says adorns the public promenades.
believe thoroughly explored Palermo and its environs
but saw magnificent statuary; and was at length
obliged to come to the conclusion that great allowance
must be made for the ford magnations of gentlemen
who write gude-books. Often have walked for miles
through the dusty streets of Italian city, baking myself
into Egyptian mummy undera burning sun,
exquisite gem of art and when reached the place found
stick or stone, old daub of painting, that lam
free to confess would have recognised the work
Of masterhand had not been told The satuary in
the churches Of Palermo generally exceedingly bad the
paintings are of very little merit most Of them being dis
gushing illustrations of that existed in the
scriptures any where else badly drawn badly painted
and in the worst possible taste In of the churches
was introduced with great solemny to picture Of the
Madonna which carefully covered preserve it from
the vulgar gaze paid two carni for the privilege of
seeing it. Judge of my establishment when the grave old
sexton drew back the curtain and revealed my wonder
ing eyes the dngy features Of old black woman with
silver her forehead, that made the backness
ofher skin striking The pupils of her eyes
gilt with god and her eyebrows radiant with pre-
cious stones Her dress Of tawdry lace glowing with
little patchwork of silver paper and altogether she
the most disagreeabe object ever saw yet the old
ton bowed to her reverentaly and said she was great
work Of art
Passing the Porta Felicia you enter along the shores of
the bay, handsome promenade called the Marina,
Forum Borbonco, which presents of singular beau
ty 1t paved with white marble is pleasantly shaded
with trees and is much fequented fashionable place
of recreation In concerts given in the public
gardens, which illuminated in fine style, and the sta
tuary though equal that which adons the Tueres
in Paris the round garden in Padua, has pleasing
effect presented in outline against the green shrubbery
The Botanical Garden said be Of the richest in
Europe 1t founded in $780, and includes botanical
school and collection Of rartes which render it place
of considerable interest to travellers.
Among the many curosities of the city is establish
ment for foundings The institution is designed pre-
vent infantcde is large gloomy old building in
obscure part of the town. and must be approached with
circumspecon lest the inhabitants of the neghborhood
should indulge in suspicious threw all the
responsibility my guide however, and went to it in
open daylight There is hole in the wall large enough
to admit of good-sized bundle, inside of which is
volving machine such they in post Offices for the
delivery of letters with four compartments each large
enough to hold banbuo. The unfortunate mother who
is either unable unwilling to support her offspring, rolls
it in small package which she carries to the pigeon
hole at night thrusts it in gives the revolving baby
holder turn and departs with all possible spood bell
is connected with the machine to the
on the floor above. BY pulling string the whole esa-
blishment whired up aoft and the piccoa ban5tna
umbled out of the package into the of the maron
who duly nspects it. labels it Angelo, Francesca,
Antonio her taste may dictate records the date of its
admission in register, its sex, &C. and
the founding life of the debutante The mother is per-
nted to take it away whenever she chooses, but it is
seldom the little unfortunate is called for. What the
moral effect of this institution is it for nexpe
nenced person like myself to determine
So life often commences in Sicily let see how
il ends Chief among the wonders of Palermo are the
Caacombs Of the Capuchin Convent the Porta dos
1t is said to be place Of great antiquity many
Of the bodies have been preserved in it for centuries and
still retain much of their original freshness had heard
Of these catacombs in Paris and my visit Palermo
induced chiefly the extraordinary given of them
Entering the ancient and runous Of the Convent
distant about mile from the city, conducted by
ghosty-lookng monk through some dark passages to
the subterranean apartments Of the dead TWAS my
first visit to place of this kind but confess the
sgh rather startling. II like n revel of the
deada horrible grinnng CHASTITY exhibition Of skeleton
FORMS sghtess eyes, and shining teeth jaws dstended
and bny hands outsretched heads without bodies and
bodies without headsthe young the DID, the brave, the
once beautiful and gay all mingled in the CHASTITY hrong
We walked through long suberranean passages lined with
tread stepped for they seemed to the ntru-
sion, and their skeleton fingers vbraed if yearnng
grasp the living in their embrace Long of upright
inches cut into the walls each sde in every niche
skeleton form stands erect in life habed in robe
of black the face hands, and feet Naked vthered and
Of an ashy hue the grzzcd boards still hanging in tufts
from the jaws and in the the hair still cling
ing to the skull but matted and dry To each corpse
attached n label which written tho