Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-26
dungeons where prisoners we're con.

poets, particularly of Byron, has
| clothed everything about the palaces
and prisons with an interest which
the places themselves are entirely
unworthy.
| From an upper story Of the Palace
we cross the canal te the prison on
the famous bridge of Sighs," which
Byron has immortalizsd BY the lines
beginning,
II stood in Venice on the Bridge of Signs,
A palace and prison on each hand"
The keen-s,ghted Howells, in his
"Venetian Life" refers to tho Bridge
of Signs as shat pathetic swindle'.
and indeed, one might pass 1t doz-
on times and never suspect anything
of it's greatness unless it is pointed
out to him. To hear the story OF
horror which the guide tells (and by
the way Antonio's English is funny
enough to start the vest buttons on
. mummy one would think that the
building was planned and built en-.
tirely for the purpose of seeing how
many criminals it would be possible
to put through in q day. 1t is gener
ally conceded now that the horror of
the punishments inflicted by the
Doges consisted largely in tho fact
of their secrecy, the accused man be-
ing suddenly arrested and never
more seen or heard of after he
entered the gates of the Palace.
The city has large number of
churches. many of them very fine Of
which we visit only a few; one for
Tlutorelto's master. piece, she MAR.
riage OF Cana" another for the stri-
kirg monuments of Titan VIII died
in Venice of the plague. and of Car
nova, the greatest of modern scuIp.
tors. a third for the vast literary ar.
chives 10 an adjoining monastery,
one OF the largest collections 10 the
world. 1t fills three hundred rooms
and ia said to have the almost incred.
ible number of 1900, 900 documents
some of them dating back thous-
and years.
In one of the numerous palaces OF
the city are two gigantic figures by
Carnova, Ajax and Hector, which 70
my unprofessional eye are the finest
pieces of statuary in Europe. Our
countryman, A. 7. Stewart, in vain
! offered 100000 dollars for them.
One of the most interesting places
in the city and the last place to
| which we shall take the reader Is
the old Arsenal, which at one time
employed 16, 900 men. On each side
of the imposing entrance are two
granite lions brought from Athens.
one believed to have been from the
battle field of Marathon. 1t is said
that when Napoleon l conquered
Venice he broke the heads from the
lions and cast them into TIE caral.
Three of them were after ward re-
covered and replaced but the fonrth
was not found aud go the other lion
was furnished with new head.
The various rooms of the Arsenal
are filed with models of galleys. in
struments of torture, ancient weap.
ons armor and various memen-
toes of the former greatness and su-
periority of the Republic. There is
q model of the Doges' state galley,
broken up by Napoleon for the gold
with which it was richly ornamented.
1t bad crew of 1913 rowers and was
used on all state occasions. particu-
larly when the Doge performed the
ceremony af wedding the sea. The
first mortar ever used, 1868, made of
coiled rope spiked together, which
threw stone ball ono hundred
pounds weight is preserved in the
Arsenal.
| The Venetiaus were tho earliest
European nation 10 use FIRE arms and
the Arsenal has from the 16.h con
fury Eve shot revolver which
would make Col Colt blush for his
reputation as an inventor. breach
loading guns and cannous, Calling
guns Of twenty shots. and a two
mile range gun made of eleven parts
screwed together Among the nota.
HE things are the iron helmet of At
lila, king of the Huns, and Othelio's
srmor. The OrheIlo of Shak esrearc's
NJ ,or of V nic"," was not a Moor
a. all but Vsnatian, named Carlo
Moro, governor Of the island of
Morea.
or course eveTv one makes the
tour of the Grand Canal in a Condo
la by daylight aud also by moonligh,
If possible. The boatmen point ou,
the various palaces which form an
almost continuous line on both sides
of the canal. Most Of these are dill
apdated and show prominently the
chronic decay frem which the city il
suffering. Noticing the gondolie
seemed never to be at a loss to name
any buildirg pointed out to him, one
of our party inpoceutly asked for the
palace of Mark Twain. After a mo-
ment's hesitation be pointed his long
dirty finger towards tumble down
old palace, and was greeted with q
perfect shout Of laughter. I doubt if
to this day he sees the point to the
game played on him.
The Grand Canal, the aristocratic
street,if we may call it street, winds
through the city not unlike gigan-
tic letter S 10 form and near the cen
ter ia crossed by the celebrated
bridge called the Riaho. This name
was first applied to the main island
on which the city was commenced,
and this island has always been the
center of the city. This Is probably
the sense 10 which Shakespeare uses
it in the Merchant of Venice" when
Shylock says,
"Signor Antonio miny time and oft
In the Rialto have you rated me-"
The bridge to which the name is
now applied is single arch across
the canal and consists of foot pass
age with rows of cheap chops on
each side of II.
| Our visit to the city was Fortunate
lyat the time when the young king
and queen were making their tour Of
the Italian cities at the expiration of
the ceremonial time Of mourning for
their father, Victor Emanuel. At