Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-03
NO 81
What "a Merchant Saw in Europe.

of foreign letters-'tWhat a Merchant
Saw in Europe"-in THE HERALD, the
last of which (No. 30) appeared in the
Daily of March Goth, 1872, and the
Weekly of the 28th. Several consider
convenience of the writer,
the pressure of other matters, the presi-
dental campaign, ETC., induced their
temporary discontinuanoe. We, this
resume the publication of the
letters, and trust they will prove of in
terest to our readers. The writer, in
private note, says that "a multitude of
business cares have occasioned the long
interval which has elapsed since letter
No. 30 of ''What a Merchant Saw in
Europe was published in THE HERALD.
| have been influenced to renewed en-
deavor in the attempt to carry the work
to completion by the repeated and ur
gent requests Of numerous friends, with
whom, in the misgiyings of my future
letters, | expect the amplitude of large
charity, since they must needs be hur-
ried from my pen with an incompletion
cannot afford the time to remedy.']
ROME, Italy, April 26, 1872.
We left Naples Wednesday morning
not, however, until we had seen more of
that charmed city than | shall attempt,
with this sluggish pen, 10 portray. Guide
books and travellers, artists and lecturers
have dwclt with such impassioned elo-
quence upon the wonders and charms of
Italy, that even its commonplace haunts
have quite become by-words in America.
With a hurried glance, shall leave Italy
to ADLER descriptive talent. In doing
this, l must desert my notes of that
wonderful collection at the Naples Mu-
scum. the tower of st. Elmo and its
church San Martino where mine eyes
beheld the skull Of the deified Virgin
Mary. the finger of St Matthew, well
preserved in a bottle of turpentine, and
the bones of St Peter. We must also
leave the beautiful palace of King Victor
Emmanuel and its extended park. 'Tis
not without a deep-heaved sigh of regret
that we turn our backs on captivating
Naples of a radiant spring morning and
speed by railway through the gardens of
southern Italyt to haul up at Capua We'd
nesday noon. Here we met French az
tist with his beautiful young wife, and
they iourneyed with us IN the same
coupe to Rome. Her charming manners
put us i'll at ease. We were provokingly
slow to comprehend her voluable, sweet
sounding French. In the perpleXity of
our situation we took phrase book
which gave us hoEs the English and
French commonplace sentences and,
pointing to such as were applicable, we
made her understand that her charms
were not lost "Confound the Tower
Of Babel and the complexity of human
language, said Wilson, show much has
been lost to us by the attempt of those
silly people to climb heavenward. y In
the same coupe of our car German
lady, who speaks French fiuently, in
forms us that the artist and his lady
were married but two months ago; the
bride scarce twenty and her lubberly
husband past his two score and two.
They hail from besieged and fate-stricken
Paris The artist seemed pleased with
our admiration of his companion. ! dare
say the pride Of possession was the par
amount feeling of his heart All day
we passed through a most fertile and
enticing country, tarrying now and then
at towns and villages age-crusted and
traced by the marks of ancient Rome.
In tickle, fitful starts the clouds gather
ed and gave the thirsty earth drink,
then to disperse and fantastically float
from the face of the sun. Under the
enhancing richness of an Italian sunset,
we approached the eternal city seated
on her world-famed seven hills. After
leaving Albina we followed for long
distance that stupendous piece of mason
ry, the old Roman aqueduct, and at seven
o'clock we quit the cars in the eternal
CITY. 'eTarnal city," a disgusted Yam
kee has said of it. Fountains playing
water-iets and dashing upward their
liquid streams, call for admiring notice,
bnt great damp, mouldy stone walls, as
we wend our way through cramped
alley, detract seriously from our first ia
vorable impressions. After fruitless
search for apartments, we dined at the
N. Y. Hotel, and were joined by Shell
don at 8 p. m. This morning went to
the Vatican and sought permit to visit
that wonderful congeries of buildings.
I can't soon forget the feelings of
strangeness which possessed me as /
climbed the marble steps, passing
through great corridors emblazoned on
all sides with a countless array of pic
lures and statuary marked by unques-
toned evidence of untold wealth at
times in darkness and gloom. hearing
only my own tread on the cold marble.
Returning the salute of clownish, Papal
Zouaves in striped uniform, with viziel
and spear, one might think himself in
Sancho Panza's chosen haunt, until
after much twisting and turning | finally
reach the palatial apartment of his
ecclesiastical highness, Cardinal Anto
nelli, chief secretary of the Pope.
Here are a score of black-eappeC
priests in knee breeches, their white
/ stockings drawn tight over goodly calves
| French papal zouaves stand guard on al
| sides, and / am in the inviolable vatican
to seek permit to visit the hidden treas
ures of art in Gods vice-regent's palice
Shameful, shocking pretealsson. A dari
priest of lowering yisage takes my, a,p
plication and promises to forward Tn
permit to our apartments. he SAT-
ssBon .Jour'' with unexpected suaylty a
/ retreated to the relief of daylight. A
/ came down the long rows OF marbol
steps, passing scores of armed guards
the words of the meek and loWly Jesu
kept kept ringing in my ears, and wa
fain to mutter them aloud, "My king
dom is not of this world.