The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-12-02

lowing extract fion,~a letter OF friend now
4 travelling IN Europe, believing it win be read
with interest. Ed. REcoRD.]
yEStcE, IrALy. Nov. I'm, 1874.
lam here In Venice some
what unexpectedly. hurried through Eng
land and Franco in two weeks, thinking my
friends wished to start for Egypt at once, but
when 1 arrived here, found that they would
not be ready for two weeks yet. That will
give me three weeks in this grand old city Of
Venice. For in spite of all its darkness,
gloom and fading ruins, it is grand. and beau
tiful too. expect to see everything in these
three weeks, and am taking notes very large
", expecting to turn them to account
when Iget home again. But am talking so
much about myself that will leave no space
for Venice. You are Of course, conversant
with its history and geography, so | will not
stop to write of them. Let me write a little
of how it looks now, and, perhaps if have
time, will wfiteof its churches aud wor-
ship, or Whatever may strike me as OF possible
interest to you. Fancy yourself on the top
of the campanile in the piazza Of st. Mark.
This campanile is as it's name indicates, q
belfiy it is ;3sa feet high, and in its top four
or five huge bells arc swinging, one Of which
rings out the quarters Of the hour. From IL
top, as we look off in the distance the chains
of the Alps grid the hor'zon,a deep hazy blue
wall they seem to be enclosing a circlet of
emerald, and then again, n sea of silver With
in this apparent sea, but really lagoon,
Venice sits queen. Off to the east, matshy
islands rise out of the lagoons when the tide
is low. On many of these, large houses are
built, and of course, are always above water,
Fold churches, old forts, warehouses and pal
Faces, with bitsof green, cropping out to view
by the side of some. Garry this aspect around
to the vest to where the eyes rest again on
the Alps, and you may form some small idsa
of the view, but small and very meagre it
must be from such a trfling account. Let us
now descend to the city itself, and take n walk
through it. After one has ridden in u Condo
Ia the length OF the Grand Canal, walking is
by far the most preferable for seeing the city.
The streets are .nam1ow, seldom more than 0 or
feet wide, croolSed rs one Of Swedenbourg's
dreams. They seem to lead everywhere, and
nowhere in particular. 1t is as easy to get lost
as TO fall into temptation. One starts for a
definite point, he thinks Inc is all right, but
suddenly high wall confronts him, or, If he
takes a dozen more steps, he will walk into a
canal. He is not, however, more than 100
yards from main tboroughfare, but hopeless
ly lost, SO far as Ills own wisdom may direct.
One learns soou to trust to'providenee here.--
II he tries to lctrice his steps he may have
made three or four times in the 100 yaids
which he does not remember he is just as like
ly to make three or four more in different di-
rections, in his search backward. That does
the bu siness. There is no noise to be heard,
nothing to indicate a busy street near. If he
is in hurry, the only thing left for him to do
is to call small boy and inquire of him the
name Of yon point, and let him pilot you to
the given point for reward of or 10 confess
fmi, about 1 ! cents. Ii in no hurry, the best
way is to sannter around trusting to chance
to bring you to some familiar spot In the end,
and generally she will, and If worse comes to
worse, you have at any moment gondola to
fall back on. But you will find being lost in
Venice is most delightful you forget you are
lost, in the cverchanging views you obtain
Here is a beautiful bit of co'oring in the old
walls, ON which the light and shade are play
ing you stop to admire q slight turn on the
heel discloses piece Of sculpture set in a wall,
lion frowning, woman smiling, warrior
armed cap in hand, looking almost lifclike,
or a wreath of flowers or vines, delicately
chisselled. Or it may be the face OF some
oh, ,y,f 81. Van ID Ito
name, and to your delightyon remember that
in this very church is a painting of which you
had in other days read of, but never hoped to
see. You snatch off your hat, brush aside the
faded curtain at the door, and there is the
painting OH which you feast. SO the hours
glide by, the little narrow streets grow dark,
you feel hungry, and calling a boy for guile,
step to the side Of a canal, take gondola, and
arc off for home. On another day you start
out to see the people, rather than the houses.
Queer people you find them dirty, ragged,
and happy poor flesh as in pocket, the
masses are, yet you will see them passing
along as though they never were troubled with
q body that must be clothed and q stomach
that needed filing. Take one of them in the
morning and watch him. His trousers, his
coat and his hat are patterned after Joscph's
coat of many colors. counted twenty-four
patches of different colors on one of these
hobby customers, yet he walked along, break
ing out into little snatches of love song,
stopping tohave chat with an acquaintance,
slapping the ears of some small urchin WAC
puts out a foot to trip him, and when he gets
hungry, goes into shop and buys his break
fast or dinner for about s cents, eats it as he
COOS and is happy. And these.sbops. There
are many where cooked food is sold great
piles Of small. fish cooked without being open
ed are displayed in the window which fills the
whole front Of the building, big oyergrown
pumpkins that look like some sort Of fellow
that has grown up with screw lcose-and
who would not mature though he were to live
1000 years, SO green are they /; they are cut
lengthwise in slices about three inches thick
and then roasted piles Of bread that are made
like Pats cannon, hole with hard crust