Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-13
THE BRIDE OF THE SEA"

AAAl O&e&A42 VC AAI 0GAas
THE SILENT CITY MIs-NAMED-Two
TWO HISTORICAL BRTDGEs-AN An
GENT RALAcR-vENIoE AT NIGHT.
The Rev. Matthew Hale Smith,
now travelling in Europe, writes in
the Boston Journal, a graphic descrip-
ton of the wonderful insular city of
tho kdriatic, from which we quote:
THE MYsTERIEs OF THE ApRIATIc.
Venice is certainly unique city.
1t is by no means the city of silence.
1t is the noisiest city I ever visited.
The gondolas are convenience in
getting about Venice; they are by no
means necessity. If you ride they
afford only conveyance. But you can
60 over the whole city On foot as
readily as you can over Boston or
New York. The palaces on the Grand
Canal have water entrance, but they
have also one to be approached on
foot. The shops, tho market, the
churches, the theatres can oil be
reached without meddling with the
canals. The ore no teams, no horses,
mules or carts in Nenice. The
bridges arc crossed by steps, and
every that does not go by boat is car
ricd on the head or shoulders. The
gondolas are. the cabmen, omnibus
drivers and stevcdores Of other cities.
Their voices arc hoarse as ravens, and
they fill the ar with their loud calls
from one to other The streets rs
they are called, are mere lanes, from
three to twelve fcot wide, through
winch the busy throng tramps all day
long. The grand promenandes are
crowded with idlcrs, coarse women,
untidy girls, unwashed men, and the
unemployed, who are counted here by
thousands. The band plays every day
at 2 o'clock, on the Grand Square, and
around it gathers q groap of as indo-
lent, i'll clothed and forlorn set Of hu-
man boings as I ever saw on the face
of the earth. Monks 60 in platoons
from church to church and beggars
meet ono everywhere. The poor in
the city are very numerous, and are
very poor. Their tattered clothes
are pierced with every variety of col
or; they wear large wooden slippers :;
their sallow and wan compilations,
their untidy appearances, disgnsts,
while it excites eympathy. The Rial
to, which is the Exchange Of Venice
where the markets are, the stores,
and where the unemployed crowd
meet is a sight on morning. The
breakfast eaten out of doors, poor
fare, unwholesome soup, q handful of
snails and food that turns ones stom-
ach to look at, with the crowd partak-
ing of it, takes much Of the poetry
out Of the canals and gondolas away.
In cool weather Veniece is quite tolc-
rable, but in warm weather the smells
from the unwhoIesome canals, with
the vermin that abounds, takes much
eff tho romance Of q visit to this place
away. Little patches of green are
seen in all parts of the city. Trees
planted in boxes are placed on the
marble pnvements, window gardcs are
common, and plants and flowers are
cultivated ON the house-tops.
VENICE AS A CITY.
The city is built on III islands.
The Grand Canal was cut over the
fats and makes the Corso of the city,
or the grand boulevard of Venice. It
cuts the City into two equal parts and
is serpehtine in it's conrse. From
these start ont o great number oi
smailer canals which correspond to
streets b other cities. There are $50
email canals; add to these small roads
or streets Of the city, and the whole
amounts to $3.50. Religiously, ve.
nice ls;dtpiqeo into 80 parishes, with
1000 churches. There are over 200
squares. The churches and palaces
are bdlt on piles which number many
millions. The canals are crossed by
400 Bridges. q
| v BRIDGE OF signs.
1 The remarkable bridge is little
off ffom the Grand Canal. It con.
nects tho Imperial palace with the
fearm prison, SO renowned in the his
tory Of Venice. The ingenuity o.
ma1eah devise nothing more torriblt
that the cells reserved fog poiitica
I prisoners. After tho Judgment pro
nou9sed by the Council Of Three, th,
I prissner passed 70 his tomb over th,
I, BriA Of sighos. !. 4 email tgradin,
enat the prisoner, a. he passes, t,
ios MT once Tor al 90 the ,busy .lif
HIM. Eight be. L. never TO se
& agaI s Haffied throagh . dsrk: psa
q saga "a, ,ths axe Or the garrot;sg ehai,
md laH he hurled through 4 eiicss
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