Delaware State journal and statesman., 1867-08-06
ILLUMINATION OF ST. PETERS AT
ROME.

A correspondent of the American Presby-
terian, writing from Rome, under date OF
July, 1867, thus describes the grand ilumi-
nation of the cathedral, on the 2Sth ult.,
upon the occasion of the feast of st. Peter
The circle in front of St. Peters, over two
hundred yards in diameter, around which
run two semi-circular colonnades, the street
leading to the castle of st. Anglo, and the
splendid bridge of St. Anglo over the Tiber
with its colossal angels in marble--were
filed with people and carriages. Every
space from which St. Peters could be seen
was crowded with humanity. One hundred
thousand persons at least, were quietly
waiting for the sight. The pope's splendid
| ly dressed dragons, and his fine Zouaves
and infantry were everywhere, keeping car
rlages in line, and preventing jam. Paper
lanterns were hung along the top of the semi
circular colonnades, along the pilasters,
windows, entablatures and roof of the church
and upon the dome. They were all lighted
and presented splendid appearance but
a high wind blew many of them against the
flame inside, and they burnt up and blew
out. This was but the prelude to the real
display. AT quarter before nine O'Clock the
immense bell of st. Peters doomed out a
single peal. Then a second stroke, and in
stantly ten thousand brilliant flames blazed
up, each one brighter than hundred of the
little paper lamps combined. The dome, the
cross-45O feet above the groundAthe roof
all burst into living radiance. The great
front, the long colonnades all flashed with
brilliant fire from hanging basins of iron
each showing flame larger than your hand.
Thousands of men stand in readiness, and
at the signal, each one lights three lamps.
The place was, in an instant, as light as day.
The bells of st. Peters and those of all the
churches, rang out glad peal. The grand
band of the Pope's grenadiers, probably fifty
instruments, pealed out glorious harmonies;
but there was no wild huzza, as there would
have been in America. The immense crowd
looked silently on, and soon began to move
homeward. The illumination lasted till mid
night, and all Rome was out to see it, rich
and poor, great and small.
On the evening of the goth, closing the
grand feast of st. Peters, display of fire.
4 "NAA1 sum 40 NC III 1AmoiACu uCfGI NuChiu-
ed of, was made in the fine open space OF
the Plaza del Popolo-a circular area two
hundred yards in diameter and at the north
end of the city. On the west side of the
Plaza, rises abruptly the Pincian hill, on
which the present Pope has laid out a beau
tiful garden. On the slope of this hill the
fireworks were displayed. All Rome came
out 10 see them. The sight was more grand
than can possibly describe to you. The
laundering discharge of packs of immense
tire-crackers, each one as loud as a musket,
eliminated in the firing of the Popes g.
Founders stationed on the Pinoian, and this
opened the fete. Instantly hundreds of
rockets fill the air, shooting up In a shower,
long continued, Kissing up all the time and
opening their stars high up in the sky. In
an instant all is dark then a single rocket
darts up, and spreads to an immense width
its discharge of not less than 1000 white
stars dazzlingly brilliant After a second
discharge of booming torpedoes and the ar
tillery, suddenly appears in one blaze of
fire, an immense temple, 800 feet high, cov-
ering the side of the great plaza, and rising
far above the side of the hill The Pope's
tiara, surrounded with rays of dazzling
white light, covers the summit. Below it
In green letters motto: Rome, the home
of Christ and st. Peter" At different heights
on the front of the temple blazed the words,
Europe pe-Asia-Africa. Further down
on the side structures were, "America-
Oceanica. "-and twenty feet from the ground,
in letters two feet high, "Romanum spatium
est urbis ct orbis ldem." The immense
framework was lighted in less than o second
from the extreme top TO the ground, and
blazed in white, red, violet blue and green,
for fifteen minutes. This sublime display
was followed by immense wheels, twenty
feet in diameter, ten revolving at time ;
colossal baskets of flowers, bound together
with wreaths of every hue, fifty feet long,
blazing in every color; rockets in clouds,
1000 at time, filling the air with stars of
glorious brillianey. Then serpents by the
thousands whirled and whizzed through the
air. Between each change of scene the tor
pedoes and cannon deafened our ears. At
the close, a bird of fire shot from the hill
along an unseen wire to the obellsk in the
centre of the square thence twenty birds
started along other wires, radiating to posts
stationed round the open plaza; and in
stantly brilliant red lights blazed all around,
revealing such sea of upturned faces as l
never saw before. A star of white light,
thirty feet in diameter, at the top of the
obelisk, closed the display, and the tens of
thousands began to disperse. At the first
changes of scene they had clapped their
hands but not once had they cheered or
shouted huzza. Twice year, this display
is given to the people of Rome, though on
this occasion, they tell us, it was grander
than usual.
During these feast days large curtains of
satin damask are hung outside of the win
; dows of the wealthy houses, and the streets
are illuminated at nights, particularly the
fronts of the churches and public buildings.
The stores are mostly shut during the day.
Priests by the thousand and people too,
crowd the streets and everything wears a
holiday aspect.
The Pope keeps $4,000 soldiers in Rome :
nearly all of them are foreigners-swiss,
, Belgians, French, &c. There are about
/ 5000 of them dressed as Zouaves in grew.
trimmed with red. They are all young men
Q and present fine appearance. The cavalry
r are richly dressed. There are three or -four
= hundred of them, and they are made NJ
g largely of the better classes of Rome, many
o of them of noble blood, whose interest it il