The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-02
European Correspondence Of the Bulletin.l
FLORENCE, November, 1875.

European Correspondence Of the Bulletin.l
FLORENCE, November, 1875.
Dear B,lletia-We arrived in Florence few
hours since by gaslight, and as we found our
selves tired, besides the hour being already
late for expedition and discovery in strange
CITY. we have retired to our roomS to write up
Journals, for we are proud to say that as yet
we have kept regular record OF our expe-
riences, filling in page after page with faithful
industry, despite fatigue and incidence, which
latter complaint is found to be serious one
in this warm, relaxing climate.
So have chance to add parting word
about Venice Of which I am glad, as the two
brief letters which l wrote from that city do
but slender justice to the varied and extern
siye nature of our sightseeing experience in
the CITY of romance. Venice contains num-
Der of churches that to MS seems simply
marvellous, and no traveller can claim to have
seen the city without having at least gone
through with the form OF visiting some Of the
most important of these sacred edi6ces,
though I must confess that the amusement
soon grows very tame, even though every
temple one visits has its own curious sights,
its monuments of distinguished mon, its
peculiar architecture, its special historical
association, or some such inherent quality of
interest that is pompously paraded in the
guide-books to allure strangers to visit them.
Brown and I devoted the better part of
one day to these church expeditions, the
Co int or N N "a m Mt
ter to accompany us; and after we had done
two or three we began to get careless and |
Indifferent, for there is great sameness in |
all these Italian churches, and one gets
easily surfeited with them. First on the list
we had the Church Of Santa Maria del Friari,
of which our oracle Of the New Pilgrims
Progress has written, and having found the
precise square of Baedecher's map in which
the place was situated, we traced o line from
our hotel there through the maze of narrow
lanes, upon which pavements take the place
OF canals, we discovered to our satisfaction
that we could 60 the entire distance on foot,
as we wished to do, in order to get closer
view into the life of the Venetian populace
than is practicable from gondola.
The distance might have been not more
than mile; but it took us nearly forty-fve
minutes to accomplish it, owing to the difficulty
we found in finding our way through the
fearful network OF lanes and canals that we
had to traverse. But We found the walk in
structlve more instructive, perhaps, than
agreeable, for we threaded our way through
narrow, filthy alleys, occupied by the very
meanest order of shops aud teeming with the
dirtiest and most epulsive-looking people
These little streets seemed to be everywhere
pervaded by smell of burning grease, such
rs the wick of q lard oil lamp emits just after
the flame is extinguished, and while the COM
bustible gas yet rises
On the whole think I can safely speak Of
Venice as a bad smelling place. arising from
sundry causes, of which none is more conspi-
cuous than the filthy condition of the canals
After q series of questions and innumerable
references to the map, we reached the church
We sought, and at once fastened to interview
its attractions. The noted monument of the
Doge Foscar, with its gigantic Nnbian figures
upbearing the sarcophagus Of the Doge, its
general striking grotesqueness OF design and
ingenuity Of construction, Of which we had
all read, claimed our first attention. The
picture given in the "Innocents Abroad, OF !
this work, is not faithful one, and leads one
to think that the artist who drew it must
have conceived his idea Of its appearance
from the text Of the book, rather than from q
conten plation Of the thing ITSELF
We notice such little incongruities with re- :
greet, for our ideas and anticipations Of what I
various things are to look like, are largely q
ormed from attentive study Of the work