Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1853-07-07
LETTERS FROM EUROPE.
No XIV

BERLIN, (PRussiA) May %, 1853.
MY DEAR SIR Venice is a city peculiar to
ITSELF 1t is built on seventy two islands, which
are elevated but little above the water and are
connected by more than five hundred bridges.
All the original channels between the islands
are walled up on either side, and serve as canals
for traversng the city The grand canal is one
hundred and twenty feet wide, the others quite
narrow A large number of boats ply on these
canals both for the transportation Of freight and
passengers. being used for all the purposes that
carts and carriages are in other cities. The
streets are very narrow and serve as side walks,
neither carriages nor horses are ever used on
them. The Gondolas, which Of old were so
celebrated, have fallen from their high estate
and TO prevent extravaganza, are all compen-
ed to wear an awning or cover of black and in
appearance bear striking resemblance to an
, ordinary hearse; and the race Of Gondoa Must
clans seem to have passed away with them, the
present ones being only qualified to perform tho
drudgery Of the business. Venice has changed
less within the last two centuries than any other
+ city: the Venice of Shakspeores day is the We
nice of the present, with the exec puon that 1t
has gradually been sinking from It's ancient
spendor until it has become extremely rusty.
saw several views painted by artists who have
been dead for two centuries, that were as readi-
3 " recognized as if taken last year. The Dog
es and nobility and the spendor of their day has
disappeared, but the the canals, the streets, the
Rialto and the Bridge Of Signs are still there,
but the latter has now no terrors for The guilty.
The city was taken by the Ausuans in 1913 af
ter a long and bloody serge and is still retained,
twenty thousand troops being stationed in and
around il. 80 much has been said and writ
ten in reference to the treatment which Ameri-
can travellers have received in Austria, that it
was with some hesitation ! entered the coun
try. ! expected to be questioned and examined
and my baggage overhaued at every station;
but arriving at Trieste the principal sea port
Of the country, was met neither by custom
house or police officers. After arriving at an
Hotel, gave my passport to the porter TO have
t vsed for Vienna. and before leaving sent my
| baggage to the Custom Station to be pumbed
10 prevent utltnNlon AZ Nuclbui tlhiloU Oh Ic
way, and while in Austria my baggage was ne
yer afterwards examined. To Americans
passport seems but an annoyance, but IN Aus
tria and other European Kingdoms it is looked
upon quite differently. Their own citizens both
male and female all carry them. If only going
twenty miles from city. Its to them cert
fcate OF good character which they are required
e to take with them, and ought foreigners TO COM
plain If they are required to do the same; Many
2 persons have been much annoyed by the sys-
D tenn and not unireqendy put to great mcouyen-
I lence but that almos, invariably arises from
Z their own neglect in not getting thelr passport
a properly vised as they passed along. The ex-
e pense is generally very trding unless it is ne
$ cessary to apply to one of our own consuls, who
charge very exorbitanty. The traveller need
give himself no farther trouble on the subject.
m than ON arriving at an Hotel to give his passport
toa porter and inform him whore he is going,
10 and he will attend to all the rest Trieste con.
talns $4,000 inhabitants, and has an extensive
! commerce Here is the principal office OF
a Loyd's Australian Line of Steamers the larges,
sixty steamers ahoat The completion of the
0 railroad 10 Lebeck, seventy-ive miles in the In
. teror,wil form continuous line from Trieste Ia
? Paris and the English channel, and will give a
y new impulse 10 commerce. The lumber trade
e of Trieste s a very important one. In three
h hours travelling by diligence on the afternoon |
, lett the city, met more then ihaa two hundred
1t wagons loaded with lumber alone .Ou leaving
T. the city high range OF mountains has to be
:, passed and for the first hour and an half il was
IS gradual ascent, at the end OF which time the
city was in PLAIN sight and almost under our
feet. For the first one hundred and fifty miles
y the country was lily and broken, and altho' il
. was the sixth of May saw snow banks on the
J. bill sides. The remaining two hundred miles to
I. Vienna was through a st delightful country:
y indeed do not know where an equal extent of
Il so beautiful country can be found Ii was very
level and under high state of cultivation often
g diversified by groves of young timber. The in
n habhants live 10 villages aud cultivate the fields
5, which are all in common, there being no fences
All the villages appeared neat and comfortable
and the people were warmly clothed,io the wea-
= ther was still cool, though the villages were fra.
grant with the blossoms of spring. Vienna bas
,e population of 100000, and is strongly forll
fed, being surrounded by wall thirty feet higl
IS with broad ditch, the centre OF which is plant
ed with trees and lorms pleasant drive. The
buildings are generally very plain bat substan
tally built, and the whole appearance is that OF
n. independence and comfort. bad expected 10
> see IN Vienna the few living IN splendor, while
m the mass were sunk in poverty aud degradation,
but my expectations were only IN part realized.
Every thing Indicated wealth WITH but little ex-
he teanal show; as Tor poverty, saw nothing of il
!" there. During weeks stay, saw not beg.
m gar, not even crippled or blind person seated
by the way side, who, though not asking charity,
h seemed to demand it by his very appearance.
Every person seemed comfortably clothed and