The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-12-14

sculptors, and surmounting hundreds of
ornamented pyramids. From every an
gle of the temple beauty leaps forth to
greet the observer, here the numberless
cutters, there the surprising, creeping
arches; on this side magnificent galleries,
and by that, astonishing ogees on the
storied parapets. The whole set in order
with such a symmetry that amid all this
seeming madness of architectural display
one cannot escape the consciousness of a
consonant method withal. Turning the
bewildered eye from the immense roof, a
most imposing view of the whole city and
plain is presented, surrounded by the
chains of snow-capped mountains which
form girdle on the horizon To at
tempt to describe the sublimity of the
Cathedral of Milan is useless. Better to
see, feel admire-and be silent 1t is
unequalled in the world
Leaving the Cathedral we visit hastily
the ancient Convent of the Dominicans,
celebrated for
The Famous Painting of the Last Sup
per, by Leonardo Da Vinci.
1t is not fresco, but an oil painting on
the wall of the refectory, and occupying
whole side of the low hall, in other
words, about thirty feet in length by fif-
teen in height. But it has been so much
disfgured by time and. vandalism, that
it is difficult to trace Sorrowtul is it
that the two greatest paintings in the
world, that of the Last Supper by Da
Vinci, and the Last Judgment in the
vault of the Sistine chapel, are so injured
as to be almost undiscernable This in the
Dominican Convent has had an outrage
Gus history. 1t could hardly be credited
that the Milanese authorities, at the be-
ginning of the century, changed the con-
vent into prison where French soldiers
guarded their prisoners of war. French
soldiers used as a target the painting
which had been the greatest ornament of
Milan for three hundred years. An old
woman who lived near the refectory has
related that soldier of the French hus-
sars told her he himself had fired at the
picture when guarding prisoners in the
hall, not knowing what it was, and that
the confined prisoners, alike ignorant,
threw stones and brick bats against it by
way of amusement. Bonapalte te, who had
a genius for art in the midst of his mighty
schemes, on coming to Milan, visited the
picture, and finding the hall used as a
place of confinement, "he shrugged has
shoulders and stamped 4Oith his foot" ac-
cording to the relation of the aged wo-
man, and ordering the prisoners away,
had door walled up and balustrade
extended across the room in front of it.
Milan has always held high, distin-
guished rank in the arts of useful char
acter. The trade of the city is perhaps
the greatest of Italy, and its manufactures
are numerous and hourishing. For evil
dence of this fact, we visited before its
close
The National Exposition,
which owed its existence to the initiative
of Milan, and bore special witness to the
commercial energy of the Milanese.-
From May until the first part of Novem-
ber, more than million persons passed
through the turnstiles. Was the Expo
sition worth seeing? Well not worth
coming from America expressly to see,
but by no means an uninstructive lounge
when one is actually at Milan. Of the
Exhibition itself, the Italians are very
proud, and well they may be, as it be-
tokens for the first time that Italy is
awaking from the apathetic industrial
sloth that has pervaded the peninsula
everywhere. The OK and the ass are to
be relegated to the rear, and the cycle of
steam is to emerge. The Exposition does
not prove that Italian industry is full
grown, but that it is a child fairly born,
and is an armful of immense probabilities
Their machinery is not better than ours,
but it is prettier externally. One diff
Guilty, however, is that if an engine is
wanted, or any other species Of machinery,
the element of time is not taken into con-
sideration, and it requires months to com
plete the order. Their carriages are light,
but yet strong, and in finish surpass the
world, although considerably cheaper
than our own. In silks they are run
ming the Lyons manufacturers closely.
The silks for dresses are of excellent quail
ity, and there is considerable expectation
Of them for England and America. The
French manufacturers could scarcely
maintain their ground but for the advan-
tage of Paris being the centre of fashion,
and they are thus able to secure a market
for inferior goods by manufacturing pre-
cisely the thing that is the want Of the
season. The silk worm is reared with
great success in Lombardy, and one of
the most attractive features in the Exhi-
bition was the processes Of the whole pro-
duction lwavs oraat orovyds No.,