The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-04-26
NOTES DnO19 2U1k0Rn.
NUMBER sIxr.
Roxr, March 10Th, 1865.

among the most pleasant places for Ameri-
cansin Europe, If we except Paris, on ac-
count Of the large circle of English and
American society, which it contains. The
climate is not considered very healthy how
ever, and the hotels are not very pleasant as
they do not open on fine squares, but gener- I
ally on narrow filthy streets. The Corso, the
finest street in the city, is very. little if any
wider than the narrow streets of st. Louis
between fourth and the river They are not
however generally so narrow as those of
Naples, nor the houses so high, and the whole
city is rather more open, being full Of very |
small open places, which however are all
paved, the idea of planting trees in them |
being entirely too modern for his excellency |
Pho Mono.
The sights in and about Rome are almost !
innumerable. One could remain here six
months. and work hard all the time and vet |
not see all the objects of interest enumerated |
in the guide book. There are three hundred
and sixty Churches. most Of which contain
some object worthy Of note. Many Of them
are very elegant as works of architecture,
and the interiors are many of them very
beautiful and they show so many different styles
of architecture and decoration, and such
multitude of paintings, mosaics and statuary
as to be always very interesting. | was dis
appointed in St Peters. 1t is fully as large
as I supposed, but one cannot gain good
idea of its immense size by looking at it
either ont side or in but only by comparison
with objects which are familiar, and this,
think. is not owing to any impertection in the
architecture aud harmony of proportion which
is preserved throughout. The church is built
of u stone called traverstine, which is not very
solid, in consequence of which. the columns
are so long as 10 preclude all views of the
int tior of the church from any one point,
save exactly at right angles, and the view of
the length OF the church is broken. by the
high altar which stands in the center of the
dome. 1t is large enough however, being
over six hundred feet long, aud four hundred
wide, that is covering a little more ground
then is included in two blocks in keokuk.
and the dome is little higher than from our
corner to General Reds.
The Coliseum is Of about the same size,
the outer wall being about as high as the bluff
above the river, on which our house is situa-
ted, without counting the basement where the
beasts we're kept, Ii and the Pantheon are
the objects most worthy of note in Rome.
The Pantheon is so covered un Nv other bull.
dings that not much Of it canaoe seen. and
there is scarcely room to get good view of
the portico, the best preserved specimen of
ancient architecture In existence. The in
terror of the Pantheon struck me as forcibly
as the dome Of St. Peters, it being of the
same diamater and but one third the hiphth.
The forum and the temples in that vicinity,
must have made however the elegant part of
ancient Rome. The columns and triumphal
arches that are still standing, being the mod.
els upon which everything of that character
of the present age is formed. The ruins of
the temples and buildings in that part of the
pIt have cd yhx, Al. - r
fifteen or twenty feet, and it is only within
the last hundred years that the bases of these
ruins have been brought to light. and the old
paved streets and ground plans of the houses
and temples exposed. The work is still
going on in the palace of the Caezar on the
Palatine hill, where at least the lower story
has been discovered filled up with the ruins Of
the upper stories; at least that is the only way
can account Tor a ruin on the top of hill
being completely covered up without volcanic
action. 1t is easy to imagine how, in the
dark ages. the country around the Coliseum,
and from there to the forum, filled up. as it
Is low ground; but how houses on the top of
hills should become so completely covered
that the surface is used for gardens and olive
orchardss is to me mystery. The Goths and
Nandals must have worked hard to DESTROY
Rome, asst would not have gone to ruin with
out help: the brick and stone work that re-
mains being apparently as solid as when first
erected. The ancient Rome cement is
worthlly celebrated as wherever found il
still seems to be as hard as stone
The great sewer is built without cement,
being composed of large blocks of stone
closely fitted into circle 1t is not so large
as supposed, being thirteen aud half feet
IN diameter at the largest place, and about a
thousand feet in length, but it is | believe
the most ancient work in Rome, being up
wards OF two thousand years old Rome was
the best watered city in the world, there
having been six or seven auueducts that
brought water to the city from the mountains
fifteen miles distant. Their ruins are still
seen stretching across the Campagna as firm
ana sohd, apparently as the day they were
buiit. he modern agueducts, in some in.
stances follow the old ones, and are built on
their old arches; but one or two of the old
aqueducts brought water to the CITY at a
height that even the Popes in the pienitude
OF their power, did not attempt to rival; not
wlthstanding the ground upon which the city
now stands, has been raised several feet by
the accumulation of the ruin of ages. With
only the modern aqueducts, the city is said to
pc the oest supplied with water of any in
Europe, ana Is full OF fountains, some Of
which are very beautiful, though in many of
them. there is too much old stone and not
enough water. Statuary in fountain, or out
OF eoors, soon becomes SO discolored as to
lose all its beauty for me.
In the various galleries aud studios here
one can see enough Of statuary and pictures
70 last them for life time, If such thing
were possible; and to undertake description
OF the various palaces, gardens, and galleries
would occupy too much of my time, as Won
may Judge from the fact that the descrinfion
q the laticap Palace alone fills fiftv pages Of
the guide book, an ordinary duodesimo
'o.ume, and only enumerates the objects Of
special interest. -
me palace is twelve hundred feet long. has
over four thousand four hundred rooms. some
OF winch are six hundred feet long, and to
merely go through the museum, one has Ia
walk nearly two miles. The museum CON
tains nothing but ancient statuarv. tomb.
stones, tapestry and maps. Here are tho
Apollo Belvidere, the LAGOON. the Torso
belvldere and many other pieces of ancient
s'nnuary, with thousands that are not so.
me Apollo Belvidere certainly has more A
roh pi lie than is generally given to marble.
80 ae olso i'elvidere was thought BY Michael
" pe The hnest specimen of statuarv
=! N lhe world, and therefore a great 5eai III
sne "oriu nave since continued Ia saw the
,a'hs' ~ Is simply the body Is a man. the
i heau' iegs and arms being broken off and
s toa. IN the Vatican IS. gallery Of ahont
~ pictures, said to be the finest collection
fc me worsss Ia one room are the tran.-t
g. Ia ION oy itaphael and the communion oft
~. Oh Jerome by Domenichino, said 20 Ia ~"
TWO hnest paintings in the world " Iea ne
~. appreciate them, there being othsr NJ |
lures ~ s an same gallery that !;Sed, mpch
peteer. Inc modern pictures in The aca.sn,r
OF st. Luke pleased me .~anb hs,sa. .a