Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1910-06-20

Grand Canal, oonfiscated several cen
turtles ago, are the archives of Venice,
the most extensive and the most com.
plete collection Of official records in
/! the world, including about 100000
documents The oldest was filed in
the year SS3, and each successive year.
month and day for thousand and
twenty-seven years the records of pub
lie affairs are arranged in their proper
sequence in 29S different rooms OF all
sizes. They comprise municipal, ma
iional and ecclesiastical records of ey-
cry description. accounts of battles
fought by the fleets of Venice; the
reports of crusaders in the Holy Land;
| the invoices of foreign exports and
| imports OF the days of Marco Polo,
when Venice carried on direct trade
with India and China across the Black
and Caspian seas, over the Roofs OF
the World" x
The Italians have always been pune
tillious about the registration of births
marriages, deaths. the transfer of
property and the testimony and de-
cisions of courts. Every will that was
ever filed in Venice, every Indictment
or legal proceeding that was ever
taken here. sffdayjts. dispositions,
pleas and processes in litigation and
| the judgments OF the courts may be
found filed away under the dust of
centuries. While undoubtedly there Is
an immense amount of rubbish that
ought to he sent to the paper mills,
nevertheless no such collection of his
ltorical material exists anywhere else,
and the files have frequently been
consulted bv historians. If every na-
lion had kent its records as carefully
history would he more accurate.
The house of Marco Polo. the cele.
brated traveller. whose description of
India and China fred the ambition
of Columbus 10 discover a new pas,
sape Inv the westward ocean to those
countries stands in the center OF the
oldest mart of Venice. and bears a tab,
LET in inform the public of its dis.
t;nguished tenant 600 wears ago. Mar.
co Polo crossed Asia which was not
much more of a task then than now.
because caravans of camels have been
coming and going for thousand wears
and the road they followed passes
through Asia Minor on its yay TO Con.
lstantinople
Marco Polo was Venetian mer.
chant. and was looking for trade He
was what we would call n drummer
tbese DAYS or n commercial commits.
sioner. and sought in the far east a
market for Venetian merchandise
which 500 wears ago was sent to every
corner of the civilized earth. His book
was written when he was a prisoner
turn from China. He occupied the
long months of his confinement by
committing his experiences to paper.
Tasso's house is also pointed out,
n part of the library of st Marks.
They also show VIM a house in which
Loyola. in 1876. propoeed the organi.
zation of the Society of Jesus. and
from here went to Rome to gain the
sanction of the none for his enter
prise.
Venice is no longer a cheap place
TO live. AS in Rome, Florence and
other Italian cities. rents and food
The wages of servants and every neces.
sary of life have gone up tremendous
ly. Apartments on the Grand Canal,
which used to rent for $500 francs a
year. are now held at 1000 francs, and
there has been an advance of % per
cent within the last three or four
years. The value of property and the
prices at which the palaces and villas
are held are also so to 100 per cent
above what they were ten years ago
These advances are due. in n measure.
to the demand, and also to increased
taxation, but as everywhere else in the
world. the fundamental cause of the
increase is the universal increase in
the wages of mechanics and laborers
and the prices of everything that Is