Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-08-06

Correspondence Of the Free Press
LETTERS FROM EUROPE.


ly'h'iHu''''l
The Grant Coai-T. Mork's--Thc Com-
panii,.
ENICE. -----
As | have before said, the Grand Canal
passes quite through the city in the form OF
an :. it is hrond aud dccI--the great tho
rourhfare of business and fashion and pleas
ure--the Broadway Of Venice. 1t srpanned
bv but one bridgc-the bridge Of the lidlt,,
crossing the Canal at the famous l;ialto,
where merchants most did congregatc,'
and where Antonio, many time and DIT,
rated Shylock about his money and his usu-
res The island of Rialto was the largest
and the first Of the islands ON which the city
| was built, and, centuries ago, was coiS| red
the city proper was the centre OF
commerce, manufactures and exchange, anu
in the days Of Venetian glory, was crowded
| from morning to night with her royal MGR
chants. Its commercial glory is gone. 1t is
neglected and dlapidatcd, and che merchants
come there no more.
Besides the Grand Canal there ar, one
hundred and forty-siX other and smaller Ca
| mails running through the city Ia all dlrec-
| tons. like the streets Of city on the land,
| and these canals are cross Il by upwards OF
| three hundred bridges. The bridges are all
very steep, that they may be 50 high as t,
allow the gondolus and boats to pass. The
bridge Of the Ralto, by q single segmcntal
| arch Of ~ feet span, crosse. the ''rnd Canal
at sufficient height t, allow oats to past
feet above the water. 1t, Of course. Is very
steep. These bridges are cut in easy steps
rs they are only u b1 used by loDt-plSs N
gers. The Riilto Bridge is - feet Wild.
4 Ill e.. ,,.1tl
feet wide through the middle, on each side
of that is row Of twelve shops or retail
stores, extending the whole length of the
bridge, and outside of the stores, on each side,
is another pathway | feet Wild. The littlc
shops on this grand bridge are greatly in the
way, as they prevent the fine panoramic view
which might otherwise be taken from the
bridge as it is, we got two fine views from
each side OF tine bridge, taking in the bcauti-
full water views, lively with gaiety and bust
ness ON the water, and, coming down to the
waters edge, magnificent with palaces and
other noble piles of striking and imposing
architecture.
When Venice was in her glory and pros
perity, this only bridge over the Grand Canal
was SO thronged with passengers that it was
almost impa sable; but now YOU will never,
ON ordinary occasions, be- clbowed or jostl ID
| ny "a crown. - IL - " il4l 'Ntl tt'lLif 'A9'
here. Venice, in her glory her power, hel
f wealth her commerce, her art was enicc
, in her freedom. Venice dilapidatad and worn
with little commerce and NJ power, no artists
but in their graves, no glory Of the present
no dawning twilight of hope FOR the future
no honor but in history, is Venice conquered
| and subducl and humblcd-thc vassal of {
tyrant
| hundraI
OF wealth and glory turned to dust and tears:
9 | And every monument the stranger meets,
Church, palace, pillar, as a stranger grects.
e The Dogcs hang, in portraits, in tn,
magnificent old palace halls, where, in thu
days of their Ii,', they were the equal
; Of the proudc,t monarcAs. The portrait
are the trophies of the conQuerors Of Venice
| left hanging there as the most striking re
| cord Of her humiliation \ simple rec
lozengc of marble in the floor Of the vestibul
of St. Marks, is the monument of one of hel
e | proudcst trumphs of peace placed there
= almost 100 years ago, when by her media
tory intervention, Pope Alexander III an'
the Emperor Frederick the First after then
bitter hostilties We're reconcied at a person
al interview The Emperor Frustrated him
, self in submission on the spot marked by tn
) lozengc, and the Pope placed his foot Ur"l
| MS Hcti anu Ttptdlcu Tue IIOlncllc WIZ
J of the Psalmist, . Thou shalt tread upor
the lion and the adder, words of humilia
f, tian to the Emperor-pcrhars of warning t.
,, the proud lion of Venice.
On the Place St. Mark is the church o
st. Mark-for the last forty years thu
cathedral Of Ncnicc-unlike anything w
have before seen,; being in the Byzantin
style Of architecture and enriched by tn
plumber Of St. Sophia of Constantinoplc-
, | 500 pillars OF oriental marbles ,verd antique
j porphyry and scrpentnc, two of transluccn
oriental alabaster, huted in spirals, from
the temple at Jcrusalcm. ancient Armenian
and Syrian insert ptions,- old mosaics anc
sculptures in bronze and marble, are tn
various tributes which were levied upon tn
} East by the then proud republic for tn
Communication of her favorite chapel-fo
: originally it was only the Ducal chapel
: While it was building, it took about 20'
. years-cvery vessel that cleared for the Eas
was compelled to bring back pillars an,
marbles for the growing pile which was t
cover the last resting place of the bones o
St. Mark. II i, badly lighted and within
+ there is but dim religious light, which
gives only a dusky visibility to the interior
whose vautcl roofs are covered with mosaic'
in gold ground, whose walls are veneeret
, with precious marbles and whose tesselateC
t payements and quaint curious marquetry are
filled with arabesques and symbols anG
allcgories-and in inches and in brackets ant
on pcdestals about the baldaqurln and the
, affairs and elsewhere are, too dimly seen, the
statues of God and man and beast, angels and
| patriarchs and saints and artists, lions and
eagles and horses and chariots-strange
beautiful and nteresting-tranqulliz anc
sacred in its repose and in its dusky and ever
light.
Near the cathedral stands the Campanile
lofty tower which you ascend by a winding
path within its walls, not stairs, but d
smooth pathway of so gentle ascent that you
might 90 up ON horseback The view from
it, taking in the city with its towers and
palaces and canals and the sea and the land
and the lagoons and the islands and the YES
sells is said to bet must be-of great inte-
rest. did not go up, | was always too
weary.
On three sides of the square and in its i'm
mediate vicinity are the fashionable shops of
Venice. The buildings projecting over the
sidewalks shelter them and make of them
arcadcs, brilliant with the snowy fancy
goods of the city retail trade many of which
are manufactured in the city and are very
tasteful.
In a court which communicates with the
square are two public wells from which the
Venetian water porters of both sexes are con-
tinually carrying water all through the sur
rounding houses. They are unique
and peculiar race, devoted to this oc-
cupation, with Il costume adapted to it,
| and with their two buckets, one on each end
of a bow hanging over the shoulder fore and
aft from the wells they pass to and fro
the livelong day, from cellar to garnet of those