Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1861-03-01
CORRESPONDENCE.
No Is.
XfxIcE. IrALY. Feb q, lS6l

and romantic young lady has I5nScd u loob
upon the city which rises as if by magi'
from the Adriatic. Venice, by moonlight
sailing in gondola, listening to the swce
music from Italia's natural singers, is pic
ture which Imagination loves to form nnc
novclsts to weave in their romanccs.
We have now been here nearly two week'
and will e. dcavor to give you description
of lovely Venice as she appeared to US, II
her varied forms, giving little history t,
suit those who have inquistiye natures, ant
a few of the customs as you SIZE them ON the
large mole, where are Austrians, Italians
Greeks, Turks, Egyptians, French, Spanish
English and Americans, appearing in then
varied costumes and speaking their own Ian
guagc We arrived at Venice in the most
favorable time in the twenty-iour hours, but
not in the year 1t was in the first of the
! evening, and the half moon, gas light, clear
sky. busy hum of her people, the gondolaS
gliding spectrc-like across the Grand Canal
$500 feet wide, winding through the city IN
the form of an inverted 5 with now and
then one in which the gondolier would sing
a song, reminding the traveller of the days
when Venice was as gay as Paris in proper
ton to her population, while the tlme-worn
palaces by the union of gas and moonlight
would almost make you believe that the We
netian Republic was in all Of her glory, and
Kat the spouseless -Alriatie m9arns not
= her lord" Our gond)la trimmed III black,
painted in black, manned in black, makes
one think of hearsc. but their shape is the
same as an Indian canoe. Our first eve
min. seemed to us like the night our vessel
anchored off CadiH, but the morning sun re
ycaled different scene. We will ask our
reader to accompany us, as We - II TIC
] C4mpanilc or Bel tower of st. Mark, winch
wa. commenced in 902 and finished in Has.
1t is 323 feet high, aud stands on the piazza
of ST. Mark. Paying two cents to an old
woman that lives in small bulliins attach
cd to the loot of tho tower, we ascend on an
inclined plane which winds round an IN
ncr hollow" 1t is sail that UP this AaPo-
Icon rode on horseback From the top the
view Is magnificent, 1t the nth You catch
view Of the Tsrolese A'ps, covered with
snow. having the look OF clouds to the
West ven see the mainland Of Italy, tie
Railroad bridge two and one quarter mics
long. Costing about one million OF dollars
to build it, employing on an average one
thousand men daily fr years, AMI
was finished sixt en- years az y, to the South
and Est, the Adriatic. with its many isles.
and nearer YOU see the city with its myrials
If palaces, gaudolas, canals, bridges, AMI
sixty churches, many Of which are loaded
with riches brought from a!ar The build
inss on St Mary's SIuare are seen T. great
advantage. TIE Ioir1r of tie block, which
was made about the time America WIS dis
covered. and the Ct7ck soon after by the s5a
Of tie architect, Is in front Of u, with i ii
Al in the centre, respondent with gid and
azure, tie sun travelling round the z4diaeal
signs which decorate itand marking the time
Of twice twelve hours.
\ bronze figure Of female and a huge
lion are decorations. placed On the face or
pile Of tie block I5wr. Ca TIP of the
tower are two Moorish bronze figures VII.
strike the hours upon the bell.
The storytelling Italian accuses one OF
these M5ors Of killing A man by TIN swing
ing Of his hammer. Turning round litt.'
our eyes rest on the church Of St Mlrk bull
more than one thousand years asa. 1t il
one Of those buildings which hn;ua5c can
not perfectly selihe The style Is from
the Greek school Of architecture and the
general plan is Greek cross 1t is a dAz
zling sight to TX up5n-its statues Of mar
be its mosaics, which one can hardly 1c
ltye are not paintings-its rows Ct marhl'
columns which were brought from old ten
pies aud cities in the East, ny order Of Y
eminent which obliged every vessel saiia.
from port to bring home pillars and marbles
To make a rich receptacle FIR the remains o
St. Mark, which were stolen from Alexan
dra, Egypt about the year elo,and hrough
with great pomp to the Venetian city, am
made the patron saint instead of II. The
dore, of Republic which could bpas, Of be
ing the Queen Of the seas " Over tn
central door are the four celebrated brunz
horses which were cast in Corinth, and wer
brought from the IiipPoirome at CONSTANT
uaplc, lcins the share awarded to the Hrne
tins when that city was taken ~ the Cru
saders
Antiquariaus tell US they have been il
Athens, Egypt Rome, and we know the
hive been in Paris \ wonderful history
In front of the church are the three bronz
pe,lestals, " here once waved the " goufal9us
or flags Of silk and gold, - cmblematical 0
the three dominions of the republic" tn
Moor, Cyprus and Venice. Joining tn
church Is the Dueal Palace, that marble pill
whose name is ominDus and recalls cruelt
and oppression, such as makes the blood rul
COLI to think Of Il is work that speak
Of days when gold was thought no more Q
than copper Is now--whcn Austrian pape
money had not been heard Of. Opposite tn
Tower of the Clock. is the two granite col
umns. brought from the land Of the Sphynx
On the top of one is the winged lion Of ST
Mark and the other statue Of st. Theo
dore. You have now an idea Of some Of tn