Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-07-18

~~--NN 1890 W ~
l4O feet from the floor. The interi-
or of the vast hall is gloomy, and
the whole is closely covered with
strange mystical paintings. There
are several great libraries in Padua;
one of them has 10000 volumes and
several manuscripts of the fifth cen
tury. Some of the churches have
been standing 1000 to 1900 years,
and are 'tfearfully" old looking
Gietto's Chapel contains some pic
lures of considerable celebrity. There
is enough of this old city well wor-
thy of observation for couple of
days sightseeing.
Half an hours run brings one to
the long causeway across the lagoon
uniting Venice with the main land.
1t is nearly 8 miles long, consisting
of 222 low stone arches, resting on
10000 piles, driven deep into the
muddy bottom of the lake. 1t was
built by the Austrians, and cost ST.
100000 in this cheap labor country.
As Venice had ever been poorly and
scantily furnished with fresh water,
this bridge was utilized to convey a
supply from the neighboriug Alps
into the city which now, with num-
Der of artesian wells, gives it abun-
dance, and adds greatly to the com
forts and cleanliness of life. As
soon as we reach the head of the
causeway,
RENOWNED VENICE
floats, as 1t were, INTO sight. Tow
ers, domes, pinnacles, and masts
loom above the white walls and red
roofs, which emerge from the sea.
Soon we are at the station facing the
Grand Canal, and are quickly trans
ferred, with straps" and "luggage,"
to the conveyance of a gondola-
and long black, canal shaped boat,
with a canopy over the middle to
shelter the passenger from sun or
rain. One rover takes his position
on the deck, near the stern-another
through the high arched, steel-clad
bow-both standing erect, facing
forward; and away we glide down
THE GRAND CANAL,
accompanied by company of gon-
dolas, and passing scores of others
at every turn of the "raging ca
nawl." This water-highway winds
through the heart of the city, in the
form. of letter S for a length of
miles, to the head of the harbor
in front of St. Mark, the winged IL
ons, and the Palace of the Doges.
1t is just about the width and depth
of the Chicago River between Mad
ison street bridge and the light
house. 1t is closely built on both
sides with tall, stately, massive
structures, mostly of marble. Many
of them had beautiful pi1Iared fronts.
Some of the palaces have 'handsomer
exteriors than any buildings in the
Garden City; and, from the stri-
king similarity of architectural ap-
pearance one would be led to be-
lieve that the Chicago architects
copied their finest blocks from these
old palaces of the Venetian mer-
chant princes, reared centuries ago.
The Grand Canal was the street of
the ancient nobility, the aristocracy,
rich merchants, and great bankers
of Venice. As one floats along, the
gondoler, as he swings his oar car
lessly, in parrot-style calls out the
names of each old palace or grand
mansion, each with its special TO-
nance or history. Many of these
stately structures are occupied
as hotels or boarding houses
their spacious marble halls and fres-
coed chambers being cut up by
shabby wooden partitions, and
pervaded by an aspect of tawdry
fnery and mouldy splendor. About
equi-distance between the extremi-
ties of the Grand Canal, the Condo
liers take especial pains to point out
the palace in which
LORD BYRON
resided for a long time, and give one
a sketch of his career in Venice, de-
scribed in a dialect which will defy
any Italian, or any one else except a
Venetian, to understand word of
what they are saying. By the way,
1 have noticed that, all over Italy,
the Italians of every rank and class
lay claim to Byron. They say he
was discarded by his own, cold, fog
gy, Puritanical islanders who could
not appreciate his glowing genius,
but was adopted by: the children of
sunny Italy, who could. His works
are translated into Italian, and uni
versally read, and, next to his COM
positions of the 'sdivine Dante" are
most admired of the productions of
the ''Italian poets" His busts and
pictures are often met in Italy
There is not only sarcasm, but truth
in the observation of the Italian in
regard to the English lack of appre-
citation OF their great but disowned
poet.
Parallel with. the coast, and a few
miles distant, sketches for 80 miles
a strip of land, which commences
south of the mouths of the Po, and
ends north of Venice. 1t was form
ed by the sediment and sand wash
ed down from the Alps by the Po,
and the Adige in the course of ages.
Behind this natural sea wall, which
is covered with vegetable-gardens
and dwellings, lies Venice, which
was built on cluster of
SEVENTY TWO LITTLE MUD BANKS.
The whole city is supported on piles
driven deep into this deposit. About
the middle of the fifth century, a
few thousand fugitives from massa.
ere, fleeing from the insane wrath of
the monster Attila, settled on those
islets in the lagoon, like flock of
frightened sea-birds, and there be.
gan to rebuild their habitations, and
follow fishing and navigation for a
livelihood.
Such was the beginning of Venice
which next, to Rome, fills the larg-
est space in Italian history. Ven
ice, for the first three or four centu-
rias. GREW slowly In 6o7 AnabeStO, |