The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-09-11

lapse of nearly two thousand years is suf.
ficient to cause one to shudder at the hor'
rors of that dreadful night, when city,
teeming with life and prosperity was sur
prised and buried.
The National Museum at Naples con.
tains much of interest in its valuable and
extensive collection of ancient statuary,
bronzes, Egyptian antiquities, etc., but
by far its greatest attraction lies IN Its
vast exhibit of Pompeiian relics. We
find here beautiful mosaics; frescoes and
other mural decorations which in form
and color compare favorably with the
works of the renaissance; thousands of
articles of domestic utility, including
kitchen utensils, scales, lamps, stoves,
bedsteads, surgical and musical instru.
ments, chairs, toilet articles, vases, dishes,
agricultural implements and many other
things very similar to those in use in the
present day; glass amphora still contain
ing olive oil; several round black loaves
of bread bearing the bakers name, as
we'll as many other articles of food and
vast assortment "too numerous to
mention" OF articles taken from the
buried city.
We return to Rome by the same road
over which we travelled in going to
to Naples, and after few hours spent in
revisiting the Forum and few other
places of interest, we took the train for
Florence, q city Of about 100000 popula-
ton located nearly in the centre Of Italy.
Our route passes Lake Trasemenus,
memorable as the scene of Hannibal's
great victory over the Romans more than
200 years before Christ, as we'll as many
other places of historical interest.
The city of Florence is situated i'll an
extensive plain surrounded by cultivated
hills whose sides are studded with elegant
villas. It is divided into two unequal
parts by the Arno, stream which is per.
haps an Improvement on the Tiber, but
still does not possess any features which
should Justly give it the common appella-
ton of "the lovely ArDo." Florence has
suffered in every age from military incur
sions; but during the fifteenth century
it was the acknowledged leader in the
intellectual renaissance which followed
the darkness of the middle ages. Its
galaxy of illustrious names, including
Dante, Boccaccio, Galileo, Giotto,
Michael Angelo, Raphael, da Vinci,
Savonarolo and many others is unsur.
passed in modern times and well entities
the city to be known as the Italian
Athens. The Piazza della &gnoria is the
business as we'll as the historic centre of
the city. Here Savonarola was burned
and here stands the old capitol of the
republic. Adjoining this square is the
Uifzi gallery founded by the Medici
family and containing one of the largest
and choicest art collections in the world.
The hall known as the Tribune" is
located near the centre of the gallery and
is spoken of by Hawthorne as "the rich.
est room in all the world" 1t contains
the Venus de Medici, the Dancing Faun,
the Wrestlers and other masterpieces of
ancient sculpture as we'll as some of the
finest works of Raphael, Titan, Correggio,
Angelo and other great masters. Besides
the pictures and statuary the gallery
contains valuable collection Of gems as
we'll as many mosaies and other works of
art. Among the mosaics is table of
wondrous beauty, which represents the
labor of % artists for 25 years. On the
opposite side of the Arno, but connected
with the Ufizi gallery by a long covered
passage is the Pitt Palace, one of the
finest architectural structures Of modern
times and containing collection OF
about 500 paintings, including RaphePs
Madonna della Seggiola, Titian's Mag
dalen and many other choice gems OF
art
Among the churches of Florence the
cathedral is of course one of the most
interesting. 1t is 500 feet in length and
the exterior is coated with marble; but
the facade has never been completed. Its
interior is grand and impressive but ex.
ceedingly bare and cold. The church of
Santa Croce is spoken of as the "West-
minister Abbey of Florence. Here are
the tombs OF many CT Italy's famous sons,
and memorial tablets are here erected to
many Others whose remains are buried
elsewhere. In the square in front stands
a statute of Dante, 10 feet high, erected
in 1865 on the 600th anniversary of his
birth. The Medicean chapel in the rear
of the church of San Lorenzo is, with the
exception of the Tai Mahal in India,
probably the richest tomb in the world.
It was erected in 1904 at cost Of over
100000 as a receptacle for the Holy
Sepulchre but has never received its
expected deposit. Its magniicence is
beyond description. In the sacristy
adjoining are the tombs of the Medici,
with statues by Michael Angelo which
are the masterpieces of that great artist
and fully equal to the nobIest figures of
the best period Of Greek art. But the
pile of manuscript before US reminds US
again that we must not presume too far
upon the patience of the readers of the
INTELLIGENCER and consequently we
must leave many points of which, did
space permit, we should be glad to write,
and pass on to beautiful Venice, the
Bride Of the Sea"
TRAVELLER.