The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-12-20

5ea Venice is collection of IL, isfets,
DIVIDED by IA canals, connected by
$50 bridges, and pierced by 1850 ina
inftely narrow and labarinthine streets.
Almost every foot of the city lis built
upon piles.d Each of its Il, 600 houses
As is washed by the sea water,g and ofits
10000 people not one. ever, rode upon
wheels down the n mainland of his city.,
Making a broad spiral ribbon Of blue sea,
three timeeas wide as Broadway through
the longest diameter of Venice, passes
the Grand Canal, the most wonderful
water panorama In the world--in no
degree like the dull brick facing of the
Flemish and Datch city canals, but a
highway, to 9palaccss into which are
| burned the dyes of southern sun, and
all the foridness of the Goth blossoms
in their architecture Three bridges
only cross this grand canal, two Of them
practicalaa and modern; the middle bridge
famedFi in. all lands, is the. Rialto, a high
archway of shops and multitudes, un!
der which like docile crocodilcs, gon-
dolas Shoot their beaks Of steel.
| Upon the surface Of this peopled
archipelago there are 195 open places
or eampi. .1aI Most of them we're spaces
to give some church perspective; but
two;thirds of the way, down the city,
where it narrows to almost its smallest
girth, lies the only square of greater
length than sling's throw, the won
drous Piazza of San Marco, "a This qpiaz-
"a is like nothing in America. From
the days Of Petrarch, who loved it, il
has been a marvel. 1t is a great g,
long square, 600 feet long by 230 feet
wide, paved with hewn blocks of mar.
bic, bordered on three sides; by mar.
| bic palace, faced with long arcades
which show silded cafes aud splendid
shops of jewelry beneath them; and on
| the third side, OF rather at the head oi
it, the Cathedral of St. Mark the pa,
tron of Venice, rises venerable and
plentiful Of domes, the richest, If not
the7qpurest,i religious ediGcel in the
world. Eoir39s 9aU II gaoI sg ytlHf Y
Before its acareef, the bronze horse Of
St. Mark, part of the Crusades, ! and
from the paved space before them, set
aside, SO as not to mar the perspective,
rises the great Campanle or bell-tower
Epearly a1thousand a years old, and to the
height of three hundred and fifty feet
| about twice that, if | do not mistake,
Of Utility Church on Broadway, A
second tower near by holds d zodiacal
clock, rung by Moorish giants, and fa-l
fcing it from the opposite corner efgthe
piazza, reaches at right angles quite
down to the harbor side, the piazetta of
ST. Mark, smaller area, fanked with
the Doges palace, grand edifce, ma
my -hued, built on pointed arches, and
reaching on its farther end along the
splendid quay. f.g :... 3
This piizeatta is closed, almost to the
water edge, by two granite columns, each
ola single, stone, crested, the one with
a statue Of Saint George, the other with
q winged lion. Going. down, between
them, in past times, the hoary Admirals
have been escorted to their gondolas,
followed by the anxious Doge, and sail
ed from the very shadows of these COL
umns to fight out the quarrel of the re-
publicgon distant seas.
Behind the ducal palace are the pri-
soners, Of State, whose outlet is the
famed Bridge Of iSlghs, Of late the
sepulchres of the Italian patriots
From, this i1lo1o,. or State quay, the
view is wonderful of. the domes and
campaniles on three opposite islands,
and the broad Blue paths of the canals,
ploushed with swift gondolas. Far
down the island is the arsenal where
the Yenetiansf fitted out their fleets, as
Dante describes them. ..arv 7dI
This is Venice, a labyrinth of is
lands palaces, churches, founded by
ifhgitiyes who grew up seadogs, and are
now to be ushered into the first day Of
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