Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-08-01

him. The interior walls Of the palace are
| very magnificent, and are covered with i'm
| mense paintings, frescoes and carving, but
| We will not weary you with their description.
The palace is separated from the prison by a
! narrow canal, which is crossed by the Bridge
! of Signs, which, according to doubling critics,
/ is famous only in name, being really mod
| ern bridge through which cut throats and
/ thieves pass to prison. 1t is a small covered
structure, elevated (unlike the other brdpes)
high above the canal. The top and bottom Of
the palace were used as places of torture and
confinement of prisoners up to the 18th CEN
fury, and we were shown the terrible cells OF
the condemned, which are beneath the palace
very small, perfectly dark rooms, with a
little round hole through which the food was
pushed The prisons at the other end of the
bridge are still used for the confinement of
criminals, and we did not visit them.
we went into many fine churches, Of which
there are not less than sixty In the church
OF the triars we saw the splendid tombs of
Canova and Titan. That of Cancvais yery
striking, aud is in the form of a marble pyra-
mid, the entrance guarded by an immense
lion, opposite TO which draped female figure
bears vase toward the door of the tomb !:
close behind her is n nude torch bearer, fol
lowed by two female figures with garlands of
flowers, two more torch bearers bringing up
the rear. On the left, behind the reclining
lion, is an angel leaning upon staff In an
urn within the tomb is the heart only of
Canoya. His body and limbs are scattered
about. the former in his native town Of Pos
saane0, his right arm in Rome his left arm in
the Academy Of Fine Arts in Venice The
monument to Titan, opposite, is quite as
elaborate, but not so striking as that of Can
oVa, winch, we believe, was designed by him
self. sitting statue OF the Great Painter
no e
on either side by two fine columns supporting
an arch above, upon which stands the favorite
sign of the Venetians, the winged lion of ST.
Mark, which is seen on all their PRINCIPAL
buildings. On each side of the columns are
two draped female figures, while below are
two classic statues of youth and old age.
probably intended to represent Titan in his
youth and old age. He lived to be 90 years
OF age. and was then carried off BY the
plague. In the Academy of Belle Arts Zone
Of the finest collections of paintings in Eu
! rope), we saw two Of Titians most celebra-
ted pictures, the Assumption" and sSt.
John in the Desert" The latter he was en-
gagged upon at the time of his death, and
close beside 1t is smaller painting, supposed
! ito be the first of his productions. painted
when he was fifteen.
| We visited the magnificent church of San
| Maria de la Salute, built upon one million
two hundred thousand piles. At the time of
| the terrible plague which swept off nearly
| half Of the city, VOW was registered By vote
that as soon as the pestilence ceased they
would erect most splendid edifice to the
Virgin Mary, and it is said that Immediately
upon the declaration of tina. vote, the plague
subsided, and Venice breathed freely once
more 1t is really an imposing temple, with
lis numerous mosque cupolas and its great
size. Over the high altar is marble group
| in which the Virgin Mary is represented as
driving back the plague. in the person of an
emacated old man.
In front of the National Arsenal we saw
/ three famous antique marble lions of gigantic
size. One Cor more) of these is said to have
been taken from the field of Marathon, at the
! great battle there between the Greeks and
| Persians, to Piraeus, whence it was brought,
upon the capture of that place by the Vene-
tians, in the fifteenth century. A second was
brought from Corinth, and a third has '.At-
tica" cut upon it. These lions are supposed
TO be among the most ancient of Greek an
tiquities. The arsenal is a conspicuous mon
ument TO the departed power of Venice. 1t
has six miles of streets and buildings, aud in
the time of the Republic, employed 5000
msn; now 1900. In the museum of the ar
senal we saw many very curious and interest
| ing objects of the past ages among them the
model Of the golden barge in which the cere-
mony OF the wedding of Venice and the Sea,
was annually performed by the Doge and the
| Senate, who sat in state in the stern, with
musicians around them. The barge was pro-
| PEELED by les rowers, towards whom were
| pointed two murderous mitraleuses to keep
| the slaves to work. If any were mutinous
they were compelled to stand up and be shot
down. The French destroyed this barge to
| get the gold, 250, 900 ounces of which they
nj ~ 10 raft
once year, rowed out into the Adriatic,
where it remained one hour, during which
the Doge performed the marriage cere-
mony, by taking the ring of st Mark, given
him for the occasion by the Pope, and in the
name of the Senate of the Republic of Venice,
throwing it into the sea, whence it was safely
drawn out by string or chain. During this
| hour, all persons who had patents for inven-
tons were allowed the royal privilege of
coming money. That privilege it would
hardly do to grant in these days of paper cur
rency. This famous ring Of ST. Marks has
| wonderful traditional history; Once upon a
time Venice was threatened with destruction
| by the Sea, but down came st. Mark from the
| clouds and babe the waves 60 back, and back
they went Some fishermen who witnessed
the miraculous intervention by the Saint were
told by him to go to the city and tell what they
had seen, and warn the people that they must
repent OF their SINS, Tor they were SO wicked
that he could not hope to save them again
| The fishermen said the people would not be-
lieve them; then to show that they spoke the
TRUTH st. Mark took from his finger this ring,
and told them to give that to the Doge, which
they did, and the miracle was established, for
this ring had been on the skeleton fingers of
st. Marks remains, buried where no one but
the Pope or Doge could get at them.
In the Museum we also saw models of the
ancient Venetian ships fwar, or galleys;
great stone cannon balls, and rope mortars
covered with leather. from which these balls
were fired; cross bows, arrows with poisoned
barbs, and quivers, armor, a small rifled gun
or cannon of the sixteenth century, revolv-
ing mitraleuse, composed of ten rifle barrels
and ten pistol barrels, one of each being fred
at single discharge; a combined sword and
| pistol, and bow and pistol; revolver of the
fifteenth century, on the same plan as Colts
famous weapons; Internal machines used by
the tyrant Francesca Carrara, such as n key,
which, when he wants TO destroy friend or
covert enemy, he handed them with polite
request to unlock door, the key having a
poisoned needle concealed within, which
sprang up into the unsuspectng victims hand
| and sent him into commissions almost inmed-