The New Orleans bulletin., 1875-12-19

the original gliding and colors were fresh
but is far from being pretty now. When one
enters the church he treads upon moor o.
rich mosaic work, which is worn and sunkeI
in spots until it is like battered tile pave
ment; he sees great pillars OF marble iairi1
worn in grooves by the myrIads OF nands ano
| shoulders that have rubbed against them
There is verde antique and tdpis lazth on every
hand; bonze, gliding and gaudy colors; bul
everything locking SO ancient ana worn oo'
| that it seems pitifnl.
Over the portal without stand the re-
nowned bronze horses, which have adorned ID
succession the triumphal arches OF Nero and
TRAIN, in ancient Rome, that of Constantine
in Constantinople, the portal OF 81. Mares ID
Venice, the arch of the Place de Carousel IN
| Paris, and they no = prance agan whore the
victorious Doge Dandolo placed them when
be returned from his conquest Of Constant
nople What q void Of history those horses
have seen One sees q great deal IN the
| Palace of the Doges, but somehow it does not
make much OF story when you come to re-
late what you have seen.
There are vast halls filled with historical
pictures all showing forth the departed glo-
res Of Venice and the victories Of her ar
mics on land and sea- of captive princes and
conquered emperors paying homage to her
Doges, Of the presentation OF these DogeS at
the Court of Heaven, and SO on ad intinltum.
These pictures are mostly from the hands Of
the most celebrated masters, the names of
Paul Veronese and Tintoretto figuring most
conspicuouzly in the list The frescoes Of
the ceilings are no less remarkable than the
regular canvas paintings, and in our rounds
we saw two American fellows who, in order to
be enabled to study the designs of these cell
ing pictures to The best advantage. had
-. Al full fhaip
backs on the floor, where they presented a
most exraordinary appearance as they
proceeded to study out the various subj acts in
their catalogues and TO point out prominent
figures to each other by gestures. Commend
me 10 my own countrymen for taking thing,
easy and making themselves at home N for
eign countries. Here were two who made
themselves ridiculous before hundreds Of peo.
pie, by their conduct undaunted alike by The
portraits of hundred frowning Dages, and
the solemn historical memories OF the room
they were in, where kings had humbied them
selves and the fate Of nations had been decld-
ed, and they cared no more than If they had
been in country school-room in the back:
woods of Kentucky or Georgia. These are
the sort of people who have won for Ameri-
cans the reputation our countrymsn have
abroad for cool 'cheek" and upstertishness
generally.
| thiuk we were mora interested in seeing
the chamber of the Council Of Three than any
other room in the palace, and when we did
see it, We we're disappointed. 1t was not the
terrible place it has been pictured, except as
far as his orical association make it terrible.
There is nothing IN the mere looks of the room
that would suggest any unpleasant ideas, and
these stories about its being hung with pic
lures representing every conceivable form Of
human suffering and torture are exaggerated.
We looked carefully and in the ante room
found one small picture, in which host OF
hideous demons, half human, half monsters,
were represented tearing men limb from limb,
and inflcting cruelties too terrible to describe,
and this was bad enough, but it was all.
Then there seems to nave been some mis-
conception about the locality of the particular
Lions Mouth" into which the secret COM
munications addressed to the Council OF Three
were thrown. There are two Sits at the head
of the "Giant's Staircase" as has been de-
scribed, but the government! official in charge
assured US that the particular lions head was
the one OF which we aw the slit looking ont
upon the corridor that runs Immediately by
the Chamber of the Council OF Three, and he
showed us, in proof of his statement. an iron
letter box, just in the rear Of the slit, which,
from its situation, curious key-holes and
strength, seems as if it might have been the
genul 1e box.
But | dare say an anonymous communic9-
tlon placed in either OF the three would have
done the work for any poor fell low who was
accused. We went with guido who carried
a bad smelling, smoky lamp through long
dark passage, torturous and narrow, down
into the Pozzi prisons, where political and
criminal prisoners were placed pending their
conde demnation-I had almost said trial-and
execu ion. These dungeons were about ten
feet long and seven in breadth and height,
with no opening but the door and little hole
through which the guide said food was passed
in. These apertures both open on a passage
as dark as death, and when we were all in the
den, the guide went out with the light just to
show Us how cheerful it must have been in
there for captive noblemen.
Then we saw the window, now bricked up,
from which the ladies were dropped into the
canal, and ,the hole with grooves leading to it
through which the blood used to trickle. We
went upon the Bridge of Sghs and sighed
deeply as We looked through its grated win
dows, just to be in keeping with the spirit Of
the place. The prisons under the lead roofs
across this bridge which achieved such fear
tul notoriety, have been destroyed, but there
are still dungeons over these, and as prisoners
are at press mt occupying them, the public is
not admitted, but we saw quite enough to sat-
isfy us. The air of these dark passages is
very oppressive, and the smoke of the iaiiers,
l mean the guides, lamp did not tend to rem
der it more wholesome, SO we We're not sorry
to get birk into daylight again. This com
pleted our tour of the Ducal Palace.
STAHLFEDER.
Creole eggs in abundance at ]. k. Remand &
Co.'s.