New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-05-31
ITALY.
HOLY WEEK AT ROME.

From Our Own Correspondent
ROME, Thursday, April II, 1856.
Holy Week must come like Goals to Newcastle
TO many Of your readers, but there are others per.
hsps innocent DO was, to HON some details may
not be drug.
IL came over me like dream aud look back
upon it now ne myth. Its groupings and glitter
ings, its music, penitence ponp; its crowds aud
cannon and soldiers and st. Peters; its benedic-
tom, illumipatons and fire works; it's grand finale
Of night and rest loom up in the past like things Of
fancy than of reality.
LsDguor succeeds safety. Now Rome is still
ing, friends are gone st Peters is silent, the great
blue sky is growing higher and purer, lifting up its
everlasting gates for the King Of Glory-an Italian
Spring to come IN The re2Ose, the light and air
iDefable have changed the scene, but the dream
continues; from this, Heaven knows when may
wakes but of the other let me tell you one tells
A dream, mneling its own reality with his own
bewilderment
At first, before Palm Sunday, there was great
anxiety les. We might not wake early-lest the
breakfast should come late; but finally we found
ourselves in an open carriage, for close ones haa
dissppraIed and all had struck for the most ex-
orbitant prices. We were in black, win oniy
walls or lace scsrfs ON our heads feeling a. one al
WAYS feels in dreams when caught OUT OF doors
half dressed We arrived at the bridge st. An
cello. where horse guards were stationed, and
where we were refused passage. Only privileged
carriages with passports could cross it. OPP
pressed with our ignObility, We continued on u
quarter Of AN hour down the Iiber to Ponte Sisto
fell into long line Of carriages as little cardinal
as our own, and finally, out one gate and IN an
other, beneath the walls Of Rome, and between
her mounted guards and among her pnestly
pomps, we arrived at St Peters before 9 o'clock
Guarding our walls from the wind, and hutterine
out the ol6s of our ounces in it, for it was raw
breezy day, we hurried up the steps, made endless
from our eaQerness, and through the lofty p0r-
tico and lifted the heavy mattress curtain before
one door and waited our dodge under it, and stood
in the immense nave. Soldiers fanked IT up 70
the altar. before and beside which stood hopeless
crowd. We had tickets to the tribunes raised on
each side of the altar; so had scores OF other
ladies who had arrived as late as We. / asked
one of the guards how long all the places had
been taken He replied in German: You slept
too long; since halfpast seven o'clock.
Tie tomb of st. Peter IL beneath the dome,
sunken below the present pavement ana below
that Of the ancient basilica OF Constantine. A
circng balustrade enolOses the space on when a
hundred and twenty bronze lamps burn continually;
:
Bernino's monstrous bronze baldschin. Ii is high
as the Palace of the Tuleries, and yet seems
only capacious canopy, supported BY tour spiral
columns all Of bronze torn from the ancient ran
theon. On great occasions the space around tnis
tomb is reserved for gentlemen IN evening dress;
However the guards turned their backs and nei1
their bayOuets tranquil while few feminlnes nled
I'D in front of the filled tribuses within the iorola
| den SPACE. An English lady headed our Column,
oh I'd ,ha nurr of A.
because they could not find seats for their ladies'
AGAIN. q bound for victory looking officer would
force his way through the crowd from behind US,
| elude the guards with his lady, and when on the
point Of placing her before us sll, halt and Con
found it -being refused the little prayer OF Il"
inches only Of space for the little feet OF her ied
| She would look mplorDg tOo-"iedy, she must see-
| some sid tley were Catholics; others that they
had come all the way to Rome OF purpose to see
all 10 no avail The Swiss, though they may melt
| little are as unyieldipg as the Alps. ours en-
| tered into lsagce of amity with our chleftaln.
| guaranteeing her position on condition sne w0uic
not advance step, though be left her moment 70
perect our line for We were constantly tending 70
TAIL into rank.
! Just where we were, little aside from be
| meath the dome seemed tie most advantage I'd
| site for taking the ensemble OF ST. Peters HE
vista opens down the nave and up the CHOIR; the
| eve flies from one arm OF the transept 70 the
other. towers along the vaulted arches, sweeps II
circles around ard up the dome, and up snl to the
| eddy ball beyond The dome is ike SKY over
US, with prophets and angels and bright mosaic
pictures on il. The arched ceilings Of the nave
and trapsspt are little lower than the angels
but stupendouslv hish, and bright with gold. M
chid's dream of golden gates and heavenly street'
exceeds tee reality of 81. Peters. besm o.
light breaking in through one Of the done win
dSws is falling like pillar OF mist sero-. the gid
ing sud pictures and down the glitterins shrine
of St Peters fsnes illusion. 1t may be jacob
Ladder. or Iris Bridge, or something else tina
IONS heaven aDd earth. The crowd blsohsos al
below: there are beautiful women in vaihI viii
every oppression; sOne reading their prayers
come counting their besdA, cone 10 sfost Adcrs