Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-12-06
Entrance Of King Victor
Emanuel into Venice.
A Sketch of the Great Carnival OF
Independence.
Special Correspondence Of the N. Y.ThJune.

meet him. AT the result Of the Plebiscite,
| If perfect agreement had not prevailed be-
fore, perfect contentmeHt and sentleness fol-
lowed. All we're resolved to 70 deal with
the King that he should have no reason to
remember any greater moment in his life
than their hopeful reception Of him. There
fore, when be stepped upon the quay, a
grand arch rose over him, flowers wreatbed,
capped With his crown, bearing the human.
living eiiey of Venice asa Sea--Qaeen, st.
tired in bridal robes. reaching down to him
her hand, with the ring clssped in it where
with she used to wed the Adriatic; behind
her train Of waiting ladies' and sea nymphs
fingered, aud the motto stood
'welcome 10 our elected King, Victor Emanuel
The pillars of the arch were inscribed
With the names Of the heroes of the war Of
independence, and the battles they had
fought. The railway platform shelved down
to the canal, where the splendid gondolas
were waiting, and as the King received the
welcome Of the Podesta here, every house.
top and window end foot of standing room
supported some human being waving the
tri-color, whether in flag or handkerchief,
and the multitude of them making loud
rivds. The day was bright on city and canal.
The King, with sort of bluff stolidity,
looked steadily into the Podesta's face he
bowed with grave graciousness to balcony
and barge, and behind him came the bray
Of drums, borne by the National Guards,
whose close ranks made an aisle of citizen
gray, tipped with crimson. The space was
very contracted, but to counteract the mar
rowness Of the land, the canal was deep
with gondolas, all Of them having their
canopies Withdrawn. and holding in the
naked shells thrice their usual compliments.
The whole surface of the water, even to
far rccesses under the shadows of strange
churches and tenements. was an expectsnt
humanity, outstretching hands. They
crowded the iron bridge before the depot,
so that none dared pass; they climbed upon
the flying buttresses of an opposite church;
tall scaffold, near by. was one great frame
work of boys and men; some roofs and
palaces afforded precarious foothold for
those adventurous even to death. Yet no
stone quays the guards beat vociferous
drums, and the King, uncovered. in the
midst OF his cabinet and the royal house.
| hold, followed by the ambassadors of al
most every civilized State, walked court.
eously down the margin to the Royal barge.
| This was constructed upoH the amended
model Of the famous Bucentdur, wherein
the Doges went solemnly to wed Venice to
the Adriatic. 1t was grand gondola, pro-
PEELED by IL rrowers, dressed in straight
nautical hats, wearing crimson sashes, slip
pered. in blue trousers, and at their threats
the tri,colored tie. pinned with the royal
crown. They had been selected with refer
ence to their power and facility of stroke,
all tall Venetians, of better class than the
hack gondoliers, aud when they stood to
their oars the genius and discipline of muscle
was manifest. No swan on the water'guided
herself more gracefully. nor put more un-
conscious power into her stroke. i --r
The gondola itself was the most gorgeous
craft that ever sailed the lagoon. Forty
feet IN length, perhaps, built high yet light.
| fat bottomed, high at the poop, whereat a
canopy of tri.color velvet, looped with gold,
covered throne, supported by couchant
lions and horses, wondrously carved
Around it were similar chairs tor the Roya
Princes. Here the King, with quiet grace
seated himself. His family crown made the
peak of the canopy, plated with frosted gold
and set with precious pearls and brilliants
The oars were washed with silver; the oar
locks were ringed with gold at the beakeG
PROV. built high and meHaciDg, the lion o.
ST. Mark, with fore. paws advanced, wings
spread for fight, hard on its launches, anC
tail and name raging to the wind, held des
p6rately in its jaws the crown of Italy. The
whole gondola was living, carnivoroui
thing, light and savage. in perfect taste, ye
of richness unparalleled and behind i
came the Cabinet, the provisional and per
manent Mayors of Venice, the Royal house
hold, the Generals of the army and th'
naval heroes, the En- AMBASSADORS. and the dis
tinguished represe natives Of sister cities :
1t took half an hour to arrange them, TIL
whole landscape ringing ripds meantime
and when they started, to the blowing o
trumpsts, a gun doomed from the irel
bridge. 1t was answered by score of re
sponsive canuons in every part of Venice
Then the great brass band played the Mdrci,
Reale. or Royal March, and the corteg
kept down the Grand Canal.
PANORAMA OF THE GRAND CANAL.
Now the long line. of palaces on eithe
, side begins to drift past. The railway. sta
tion ia almost at the Western end of tn
Grand Canal, aud between it and st. Mar
there are l5o palaces arranged on the water
edge, their great carved portals hardly abov
the line Of the tide and at no place is til
width Of the Canal greater than 200 feet, il
! length between the points specified being
, miles. For this distance every palace show
ed flowers and colors, mottoes and chara
terizations. Venice has been called ii
/ most Gothic city which exists, and the ori
0 inal variety of the Gothic is to be studie
5 here in every civil. and domestic develop
ment., The only building in New York
q remind you of these palaces is the ne
Academy of Design on Fourth-ave. Fro
this you can CLEAN some notion of the te
selated marbles that make the fronts
these palaces, the tall, slim windows thi
opeu in them. the window in the cent
y through every story, being six or ten z
2 these tall windows interlaced, and und
. each of these central windows balcony,
G architecture to match, looks down upon Il
d Canal. Every palace is, rooted with r.
tiles; many are pinnacleda and checkers
= with statues ! some seem to be bodily v
s held by great sea green caryatides. who
a knees are in the sea before all Of the
= huge painted BARRIERS poles are drive
I'd whereto TO secure gondolas, as well as
break the force Of their concussion agaiI
!. the palaces. Here and there along Z
y Grand Canal q strip Of Sidewalk reaches
y rod or two; hut most of the houses ri
9. boldly from the brine, and on the Gre
. Canal there are many buildings that are Va
IA far from ranking az palaces. Ils . \ N i.,. i