The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-12-13
Venice.

Bill Nye, in New York Mercury.l
 We arrived in Venice fast evening, latitude 45 deg. g min. N., longitude, | 2 deg. Io mn. E.
 Venice is the home of the Venetian, and also where the gondola has its nest and rears its young. It is also the head quarters for the paint known as Venetian red. They use it in painting the town on festive occasions. This is the town where the Merchant of Venice used to do busi- ness, and the home of Shylock, broker, who sheared the Venetian lamb at the corner of the Rialto and the Grand canal. He is now no more. couldn't even find an old neighbor near the Rial,o who remembered Shylock. From what can learn of him, however, am led to believe that he was pretty close ID his deals, and liked to catch a man in a tight place and then make him squirm. Shy lock, during the great panic in Venice many years ago, 1t is said, had chattel mortgage ou more lives than you could shake stick at. He would loan a small amount to merchant at three per cent a month, and secure it on a pound of the merchants liver, or by cut-throat mort gage on his respiratory apparatus Then, when the paper matured, he would go up to the house with pair of scales and a pie knife and demand foreclosure
 Venice is one of the best watered towns in Europe. You can hardly walk block without getting your feet wet, unless sou ride in gondola-
 The gondola is long, slim hack with out wheels and is worked around through the damp streets by a brunette man whose breath should be a sad warning to us all. He is called the gondolier. Some times he sings in low tone of voice and in a foreign tongue. do not know where have met so many foreigners as have here in Europe, unless it was in New York at the polls Wherever go, 1 hear foreign tongue. do not know whether these people talk in the Italian language just to show of or not. Per- haps they prefer it. London is the only place l have visited where the Boston dialect is used. London was originally settled by adveniureIs from Boston. The blood of some of the royal families of Massachusetts may be found in the veins of London people.
 Wealthy young ladies in Venice do not run away with the coachman. There are no coaches, no coachmen and no horses in Venice. There are only fosr horses in Venice and they are made of copper and exhibited at St. Marks as curiositie
 The Academia delle Belle Art of Venice is large picture store where went yesterday to buy few pictures for Christmas presents. A painting by Titan, the Italian Pfang, pleased me very much, but couldn't beat down the price to where it wcald be any object for me to buy it. Besides, it would be nuisance to carry such picture around with me all over the Alps, up the Rhine and through St. Lawrence county. finally decided to leave 1t and secure something less awkward to carry and pay for.
 The Italians are quite proud of their smoky old paintings. 1 have often thought that if Venice would run Legs to art and more to soap, she would be more apt to win uy respect Art is all right to a certain extent but it can be run in the ground. It breaks my heart to know how lavish nature has been with water here, and yet how the Venetians scorn to investigate it's benefits When a gon- dolier gets drop Of water on him, he swoons. Then he lies in kind of coma till another gondolieT comes along to bIeath in his face and revive him