Year: 1877

The Rialto-centre of old Venice, far away
from the fashionable centre of to-day-once
the centre of traffic, "the place where mer.
chants most did congregate"- e"-what sort of 9
place is it now? About fourteen hundred
years ago,the seventy-two islands upon which
the city stands were covered by the sea; but
in the region called the Rialto there rose q
small spot Of earth on which the refugees who
fled for protection to the Gulf of the Adriatic
established their little colony. An open
square was left for the purpose ofan Exchange,
and on one side church was built, which is
still standing-for in ancient days the free
towns and cities placed the house of worship
so that its shadow might fall upon the mart OF
business. Around this square, houses and
shops and warerooms grew up and gradually
spread abroad over the adjacent water-lots
amid much noise of pile.driving and brick
laying, and heaping up Of great marble blocks
in territory, every inch of it rescued from the
sea. The splendid palace of San Marco
has since become the favorite place of con-
course; but the original Rialto remains, with
its characteristic features for the most part
unaltered. The squat stone humpback that
bore upon his shoulders the platform on which
offenders were once exposed, has lost whatever
beauty of feature he may at first have possess
ed !; but he is still there, although his special
vocation is gone. In close, narrow street
Just at hand, you pass by Shylock's habitation,
with its narrow door and heavily-ironed win.
dows, from which poor Jessica once looked
out longingly and lovingly, and within which
the old usurer counted out his money, and
planned and plotted for his "pound of flesh"


As we walked over the broken pavement
of the square, dilapidated Venitian, who
was engaged in sweeping up the cabbage.
leaves and other vegetable and animal and
fshy rubbish, held out his hand for douceur,
for this is now marketable place, and there
are many odd things to be seen here. If any
thing can be imagined that ever swan in fresh
water or Salt, it is to be found here. The
Venitians will eat anything, whether it be
snails, stingarees, horn.pouts, dog-6sh, cutie
fish, or any other creature that ever wore
she'll, or a scale, or skin, and even that
which is too gelatinous to be clothed with
either. The multitudinous cries of the vend.
ers of these and other articles, which we do
not know how to classify, are appalling.
Men and women rush frantically about with
strings of onions or little bunch of carrots,
or the segment of cabbage, which they thrust
into your face and importune every passerby
to purchase; geese, ducks, turkeys and chick
ems are exposed for sale by the single joint;
a neck and head, a liver, gizzard, or any
other fraction of bird, may be had separate
ly; copper cauldrons bubble and boil from
which cooked vegetables are served, all hot
and smoking; immense baked pumpkins, also
hot and smoking, are sold in lots to suit pur-
chasers. We saw man dealing out huge
boiled rice pudding-they call it pole''ta-
which he sliced off rapidly with piece OF
twine, and accompanied by small handful
of cooked fish, all of which we we're told suf.
feed for family dinner, and could be had
for the moderate sum of five pence. Nothing,
is thrown away here which is capable of being
eaten.