Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-03-07
mo. 81
what a. Merchant Saw In Europe.
NAPLES, ITALY,
Thursday, April Goth.

CHA, place of but little interest, and
chiefly noteworthy for it's port con-
structed by Trajan, and the general d.
lapidation of the old town
AT two o'clock we were glad to get
off to sea again. Sunset hour found us
not more than ten miles from shore,
while probably ten miles farther inland
we saw range of mountains so purple
hazed that one might think it more ideal
than real, more a dream of Utopia than
nature true to herself under highly fav-
ored conditions. Back of the range was
another more interior, which the part
ing rays of the sun glistened to cream
like whitenesS. The inner range COM
pletely snow covered, and its cones
looked as frosted pound cakes. Far
away up a mountain side we pronounced
thickly dotted white spots to be exposed
veins of marble, but powerful spy
glass revealed a village. We saw in the
dim distance the Isle of Elba. The pc
cullar blue water was fascinating to
look upon, and had | seen it week ago
transcribed to canvas should have I'M
hesitatingly pronounced it the hight of
ideality. Mark the wondrous contrast
of colors, bright blue sky with a few
rosy flecks of cloud, a rich blue sea,
gray sand shore, bright green undulat-
ing plain retreating to the mountains
yelled in gOssamer haze of purple, and
the white of the snow ranged far away
meeting the blue sky. These are Gods
dyes, may be borrowed from paradise.
Last night just as had gone to dream
land Sheldon broke Morpheus chain by
calling Judge, the captain will call us
at four o'clock in the morning to see
Vesuyius." Nesuvius? (Half awake J
Vesuvius? All yes The great vol
cano. The Almighty's own uninterrupt-
ed working, and then l went back to
dreamland, and true to promise the cap
tain called us at four o'clock when we
appeared in hasty attire, and as a mon
ster camp fire on the crest of "a far off
mountain we saw NeSuvius. Ny first
impressions were those which have
chung to me all Of to-day and this even
ing God has given to the world am
may be seen anywhere under the sun,
but here is the powerful, direct and
startling manifestation of the omnipre-
sent, OmnipOtent God. So early in the
morning the sky back of the volcano
was soon ablaze with the glory of a ris-
ing sun The surrounding hills for they
hardly rise to the majesty of mountains
are generally odd shaped and sparscly
dotted with rude cottages. We wonder
ed if their inmates realize the terrible
fate of Pompri and Herculancum. The
Vcssrian bay, calm as you may immag-
inc, made color in the grey of early
morning, it gently swclls and tendcrly
kisses and leaves its watcry imprint
upon the cliffs which thickly hem it..
At one time we seemed Shut in 10y lodges
of rock, yet Vesuvius was far away and
no Naples to be seen. From lOvelineSs
the scene gradually develops to gran
duer We were nearing the volcano
and could clearly see its ashy head.
Quite as dream we glide round a
prominence of land trcsAing its rocky
arm to the sea and turn our ships prov
toward Naples, yet sleeping. The pro
verbally clear sky of Naples over which
poets have exhausted language is this
morning clouded. At seven o'clock,
leaving..Vesuvius to our right, we drop
ped anchor in the harbor. After some
delay and yeXatiOn at the custom house,
we proceed to commodiOus and home
like apartments. 1t is racing week, and
Naples has on her best attire and liveli-
est of moods. We were content to rest
to-day, but saw enough to convince us
of its attractions to the host of frequent.
ers who pass a season here. The lords
and lOrdesses the snobs and snObbesses
from all civilized lands. Could our
plain old grandmothers look in upon the
highly dressed thrOng, riding in gay
equipages, they might pronounce them
from other than civilized lands. OF
Naples, billiard has truthfully written :
"The veil of the past is not here to be
uplifted slowly and with reverend hands
A single look from favorable position
puts the traveller in possession of what
is most striking and characteristic. The
entire outline is traced ineffacedly
and afterwards nothing more is re
! Quired than to cut the lines more
deeply. At one touch, the gates
of the mind are opened an(
the glorious pageant enters. Rome is
like fresco, in which only measured
| portion can be painted each day; but
Naples is a sun picture taken in an in
slant. The beauty Of Naples and its en-
yirons can as little be described as cXag
gerated. Over all the unrivallcd scenes
| Nesuyius towers and reigns: forming
the point of conveyance in which al
the lines of beauty and grandeur meet
The author of the book of Ecclesiasti
Gus seems to have described Naples whe1
he speaks of the pride of the hight, tn,
clear armament, the beauty of HEAVIER
with his glorious show-'Scc Maple
and then die" is well known Italian
saying; but it should read, See Maple
and then live. One glance at such
scene stamps upon the memory an mag,
which forever after gives new yalu,
to life.
The poet has said
This region, surely, is not Of the earth,
Was it not dropped from heaven Not ;
grove,
Citron, or pine, or cedar; not Il grot.
Sea worn and mantled with the gaddin.
/ vines,
But breaths cnchanmcnt. Yet here me
thinks
Truth wants no ornament. in her owl
shape
Filling the mind by turns with awe ant
love,
BY turns inclining to wild ecstasy