Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-08-01
LETTER FROM VENICE.
To the Editor Of the Journal:
VENICE. July 9th, 1873

H'AN--' - 10y NtA't 4G'S-
To The Editor Of the Journal:
Venice, like other places, loses much of its
LONELINESS by night, when daylight doth ap-
pear Moonheams and gaslight cover with
veil of shadosy luminousness. the defects
alike in the features Of fading humanity ard
palaces, and after two days stay IN Venice
much Of its charm has disappeared with lis
novelty. Blu; even in its decay, Venice is q
beautiful city. and shows plainly that at the
hight OF is power she must have been mag.
nihcent almos; beyond conception. 0ne OF
her own lllGsirioas navigators, Marco Polo,
must needs in al adventurous mood discover
the passage to India, around the Cape of
Good Hepe, and thus seal the doom of his fair
city. Since that time Venice has waned
more and more. Under the Aus.rians she
fourished for time, but when they were
compelled 10 relax their grasp by Napoleon
III, they transferred their shipping to Trieste
and made that the grea. port OF the Adriatic
so that between her friends and her foes Ven.
ice has been served badly during the last three
hundred years. In the sixteenth century
under the Republican Doges she numbered
over 100000 souls, now she cannot coun
half that number, and one quarter of her PEG.
pie are said TO he panpers Some effort il
however being made TO revive her commerce
and steamship company has been formed
for that purpose, which now has a fine fee,
engaged in the coast and foreign trade. 1t is
a sad sight 10 see her old splesdor slowly, but
surely, disappearing, and we would be re-
Joiced to witness her prosperity.
The city was built on the marshes by the
inhs bitants of the surrounding country, who
fed thither for safety, and is entirely sur
rounded by water. II is composed OF several
islands, separated from each other by large
nan oil nd in tvrp 4
by smaller ones. These canals are the prin-
cipal highways of the CITY, and the buildings
rise abruptly from the water; but in modern
times many bridges and foot pa sages have
been built, so that now the people are not alb
solutely dependent upon boats to get about,
though they are generally the speediest meth
cd of locomotion. There are also many mar
row and generally very short streets, travers-
ing the city, most of wi ich might be available
for horses and vehicles, were it not for tie
fact that the bridges connecting them are
obliged to be built with arches high enough
to allow the gondolas to pass underneath thus
causing the ascent and descent of the bridges
made by steps to be too steep. We saw no
horses in the city.
The principal center of business and
amusement is the magnificent Square of ST.
Marks, which has at one end Of it the Cathe-
dral Of st. Mark, Immediately 10 the right of
phich is the famous Palace of the Doges, the
;vo most remarkable monuments of the an
Gent splendor OF Venice. The architecture
Of these buildings, like that of the city gen.
orally, is mixture Of the Oriental and West
ern styles, but the general appearance is very
fine. The roof Of ST. Marks Gas also of most
Of the large churches in Venice, Is covered
with mosque-like cupolas, some larger, some
smaller, and rows of flying arches, which give
strange richness and magnifcence to the
building. 1t is covered inside and out with
old mosaics in gold and colors, and over the
portico stand four famous bronze horses said
TO have been presented to the Roman Emperor
Nero, who caused them to be harnessed to the
chariot of the Sun, which surmounted his
trlumphal arch in Rome They were remoy.
ed to Constantinople by Constantine, and at
the conquest of that city by the Crusaders,
they fell into the hands of the Venetians as a
part OF their spols. When Napoleon Bona
parte occupied Venice he took many valuable
works OF art to Paris, these horses among
them, but after his fall, by the provisions Of
the peace of 1914, these objects were restored
to the city.
The Dogs palace is building which we
VIII not attempt to describe in detail Its
general shape Is square and heavy, but this is
renewed by the richness of its columns and
the marble mosaic with which the outside is
covered. /, was originally built in the first
part Of the 9th century, but has been five
times destroyed and as often rebuilt. in even
greater magnifcence than at first The pres
ent building, in the interchangeable style
dates from the l4th century. Here was the
residence of the Doges, the Senate and Hall,
of the famous Councils of Ten and Three
who were Star Chamber Inquisition, and
woe to the unhappy mortal who fell into
their terrible clutches and incurred their sen
tenee. Secret information furnished by an
enemy, and conveyed through the medium OF
lions mouth in the wall communicating with
box on the inside, might hasten poor fell
low before the terrible tribunal of Ten. II
he was believed to be guilty but would not
confess his crime, he was turned over to the
tender mercies Of the Council of Three, who
amused themselves with torturing their victim
IN various ancient ways, snch as hauling him
up and down by the thumbs or the neck by
means of pulley in the ceiling; or if that
would not suffice, they would put terrible
weight OF iron breastplate and helmet upon
him, with projection on one side, on which
| one OF them would rest his arm and bear down