Foreign Correspondence

Venioe, Nov. 15, 1872. Friend Pond: The Molo, whioh, with the Biva dogli Sehivoni, oonetitutes the principal wharf of Venioe, is one of the places to which we always diroctucl 6ur steps beforo going to our rooms, whenever the evening was fair, for it was always animatod, and the glinting of lights on the water was so beautiful. And then if tirod we could seat oursolves on the pedestal oí' the column which bears the I.ion óf St. MarV, and recall some of the stirring scènes of which, Sttïing the oight centuries past, it las buen the silent witness. There is something in the long sweep of thë incurving bay, by day or by night, which always remiiids us of what we think the Bay of Naples must bo, and soine, indeed, say its beauties are far superior.- From the point occupied by tlio Salute church and the Dogwiia or Custoru House, to the southeast extremity of tho Publio Gardens oannot be less than two miles, and the entire distanoe at night appears like the segment of a vast circlo made brilliant with thousands of lights, nd all enlivened by the constantly passïg and ropassing multitude, less uniormly well-dressed than those who freuent tho Piazza, but moro varied iu na'ó'óal churacter and pursuits, and all ivil. The V hartas TÍ Venioe do not by any means íind a counterpart in those of New York. Vessels of various countries are always to be seen, but the number is small, there being seldoin more than two or three sea-going steamers. As for bustle the incossant cry of the sailor as he works at the task of lading or unlading. is altnost the only sound heard. The ships of the wVH'í no longar crowd into her ports, or fiad here a market for their merchandise. The maritiine glory of Venioe departed two centuries ago, and with it her days of prospeiity and power. We visited the arsenal, once the largest and busiost in the world. Now the hamin r is scarcely heard upon tho hulla of her ships, eithor in proeess of construotion or repair. But how intoresting and how nuitreretff the evidenoes of what sho once was, in every part of these buildings ! In hor prime it is said 16,000 men found constant omployinent there - now littlo moro than ono-tenth that number. And the extensive shops are inany of thein now oceupied by the pooror class of people. The cntrance to the arsenal ground is made interesting to the tourist by the sight of the four ancient liona which are couched on either side of the gate. After one of their victories over the Turks on the coast of Greece, in 1687, the fleet brougt back these lions. One of them is óöfsal afid covered with illogible insoriptions, aud all of them are finely executed. Being adinitted into the doorns for modela and the museum, wo wero muoh gratified by the well-ordered and beautiful arrangement of an exceediugly osting collection. Models of sevoral of the notable Vonetian vessels of war, of sections showing thoit construotion at varionB stages of the work, of various appliancGs for lauuching and for raising vessels, kc. ítiíf more ourioim itoin all was a complete miniaturo Bucentaur, about ten feot long by two wido, iinished and furnished in overy part, as the original historie and poetio ship of state usod on eertain great occasions, and always when the Doge weddod the Adriatic. If thie model is to be relied upon, and there is no occasion for serious doubt, sinco the original was only broken up b? Napoleon in 1797, the Bucontaur, must have boen a really gorgeous as wcll as novel craft. lts sidos were coTered with fine oarviugs an'l gilding, its deck was a mosaio of small white and black squares of wood, and a golden canopy was suspended above to turn off tho rayb of the sun. At the end froru which the ring was cast with the words, " Deaponmmu ée mare in signum ver perpetuique, domini," a smaller and more exquisitely decorated canopy, arranged like a throno was placed for the use of the Doge. Tho vessol was propollod only by oais ex tendifig froin the lower deck, and could never have been adapted to any uss except occasions of simple pptfade and display. This singular ceremony of wedding the Áiriatic, and thus makiag. Venico the "Brido of the Sea" had its supposed origin as early as tho tenth century when her maritime supremacy began to be devoloped. In the 14th cuntury oven the "Pope blessed the nuptials, and such was the hold whioh the gorgeous pageant had upon all that ii was annually kept up until noar the beginning of tho preaont century. "VVhen Napoleon I. took possossionof Venice, in 1797, he seemed to have thought that the usage savored of arrogant pretensión, although it had .ong before becomo tho morest popular festival, and to prevent its continuance he oaused the complete destruotion of the üucontaur,' and thus ieruiinated this innocent ceremonial, after its observance for nearly a thousand years. Only two specimens of the original vessol are noW to be seon. One is a piece of the carved ornamentation, about ton inches preserved under glass, and represonting a nu-mber of woll executed fignros playing upon musical inBtruments. The otter is the beam b? whioh the rudder was tumed. Among the interosting objects preserved in the musoum is the old Turkish Admiral'B fiag captured in the great naval battle of Lepanto, emblazoned vith the Musaulman creed, "There is but one God, and Mahoraet is his Prophet." The ihree hundred years eince elapsed has carcely dimmed its colors. A model of he vcssel iJolumbus sailfld in upon his tirst voyage for the discovery of America - a queor-looking craffc, but which an(wored the purpose well. Thero may b similar niodols in gome of our American naval museums - if not thero Bhonld be as objects of real historioal valué. The colleution of arma nd oíd armor wag very large, though the Austrians took good oare to bear away to Vienna somo of the choicest specimens, ïhe effigies of ineny of tho Doges in llhe real armor which thoy woro in the 14th; lüth and 16th oonturies, are still to be seen, and give ttlniost the interest of a porsonal presence. A perfect suit of mail, of oxcellent workmanship, found under the walls of Paria in tho lGthcontury, stands erected upon a pedestal, and the woarer oould not havo been moru thun four í'oet in height, though of good proportions otherwise. Tliu sword with which Faliero was docapitated is shown. The sword given to Christopher Moro in tho time of the crusades possesscs more thanordinary interest, as he is the accredited original of Shakespeare's üthello, aud whose resi, dence, (with Desdemona as tradition we nad seen, with the warrior a statue in a niche in tho wall. Revolvers, not exaotly Colt's, but certainly very suggestivo of tlie fhvention, are to be seen, aa well as the breoch-loadurs, as early as tho 16th century. Thero, too, was f.hfi noted ruitraileuse of' the modern French armg, but at least two hundred yoars oíd. A marble monument of Ádmiral Eino, in the armory, is ono of tho vory föw works in "Venice by Canova. A bust of Napoleon, of 1805, is in close proximity to soine formidable weapons of death, for though ho did some good thing" in Venice, he it was who virtually endcd tho career of the republlc. In the adju9tment of Europeau politics in 1814 Venico passed into the Austrian dominion, and so continued until its final annexation to Italy in 1860, tho atiempted revolution of 1818 having proved unsucoessfui. The new order of things was duly celebrated d uring our stay in Venice, it being the aixth aunivorsary of the departure of the Austrian trcops, who were nevor very greatly loved by the Venetians. The colebration was an exeeedingly quiet one, . principally consisting of a %níMeral?o display of small flags of the colora of the prasont kingdom, red, green, and yellow, along the most buay streets, and of the more gorgoous national oolors froni the threo fiagstuffs in the Piazza, without speeches, hurrahing, or even military display. In the eveniug, howover, the Piazza was brilliantly illuminated, and musie by the military band Was "oirewhat moro freely discoursed than usual. The house given to Petraroh by the republic, in 1362, is situated upon tho Eiva, being a palace of no purticular ïnei-it as to architecture, and not now presorved from contact with basor avocations of mercWs'ndise and wine selling. A tablet in the wall communicates the fact of the former o'Vnersbip bythe }oet. In fact Venice has so many of these places, hallowed by tho associations of genius and notable ñames, that soiuo of them are regarded as especially claimiug preservation at the hands of public or private bencflcence- as Gotho's at Frankfort, Shakespearo's at Avon.-'orWafiMagton's at Mt. Vernou. Titian, Tintoretto, Marco Polo, Paul Veronuse, Canova, and dozens of othors, all livod at Yenice as thoir home. Evorybody who visits Vonioe makes the tour of tho Grand Canal, that is, from tho depot to the Salute, and thonce to tho Piazotta, in tho góndola (acoont on the first syllable), the distönco being about two miles- and full of interest the ride is. From tho momíií of starting to the time of landing somo object of is be fore the eyo' Ch oithor side of the spacious canal which enehains the attention, and all the time a thousand "mqving incidents" aro onacted, a thousand strange tongues and unfamiliar cries aro heard, and all is new and strange and fascinating, no matter how ofteA secn and hoai-d. Tho old Vonetians loved to have their palacus front on this their greatest thoroughfaro, and from tho water gate or door they iould step diroctly into their floating carriagcs. It oarly bocame one of the privileges of tH noblea to erect from two to four posts of about eight inches in diameter and about eight feet above the water, which were so arranged about the water entraát as to protect their privato góndolas from passing viséis of any kind, and, no matter how poorthe noblus may now bc, those posts, duly painted in some gay color, with a coat of arms, are still kopt up by all the noble families who live upon the canal, and to the merly practical oye appeaf much inore of a nuis&fttö to the full ■ and free use of the canal than any ossen. tial convonienco to the nobles. As the voyageur quietly glides along, the grand old palaces bnaring ñames familiar in Vonotian history and made memorable by asüociations with art, commerce and woalth, or with pootry, science, or crime, pass in ago-begriuiod review beforo liim, the Vendramiu, now owned by tho Duehess of Berry; tho Correr, presented with its fine collection of picturus and suulpture, to the State ; the ïurkish depot, where in the olden time the rich merchandiae of the east was stored ; the Pesaro, co3ting 500,000 dueats, tho residenco of one of tho imist noted of tho wealthy families when woalth was conirnon ; the Casa d'Oro; one ömblazoned with golden froscoes ; the depot for the Germán morchants, once adorned with frescoes by the hand of Tifian ; tho mansion whcre tha last of the Ioges lired in L797 ; the Dandolu palace, where livod tho bravo old Dogo who bore the Vene;ian arms into Censtanjánople; the Txvedan, wliera lived the husband cf the submissive Queen oí Cyprus, Catharine Cornaro; the Grimani, ono of the best works of tho great architect Samecheli, now the post-ofUce, and uiuoh patronizod aocording to ího standard joke) by foroigners ; the Bialto Bridge, known to all he world ; thu Mocenigo, a once power'ul family, aDd one of tho palaces in I whioh Lord Byron spunt some of Lis ' months of dissipation whon in Venico and so on to the othor end of the canal But splendid as most of these palaces aha buildings evideuííy werü, ricH as they now are in column and balcony and sculptnre all appear covered with the rust incf mildew of uncounted Vears, and in uiany oasos a sad carelessnea and uncheckod dilapidation make the scène of inevitable decay too manifest to bo agreeable, were not the mind incessantly busy with the novelty and profusión of more attractive objeots. It seonis a little strange that all these old buildings, that havo so succes3fully battled with the ages, should bo almost without exception built of brick, the faoados and ornamenta tion only being of marble - yet such is tho case. But it is proper to make somo mention of particular objeets of interest visited bv us during our stay, and without any uítoinpt at dotailed -'íesrrip'tion or particular order, somo of the inoro prominent will now be briefly noticed. Searce any one of the churches is destitute of interest to the stranger, and in soino countries the poorost in art would be sought for heir j!étureé5r $falptéfe.'jJOf the. one hundrod ehurches in Venice we did not ttteiupt tho inspection of moro than one'ourth, though they are eaaily accessible, being open evory day from 6 A. M. to 12 noou, and at othor times admissiou can iuways De liad by nngmg the boll at the eiitrance. This, however, we seldom had a chanco to do for ourselvos, for as soon as a strunger appeara in jüíe' viciaity of a church door, froni one to half a dozen boys, or oldorly men or women, will rush ahoad aud givo tho pull, and as soon as tho door opeas expect a gratuity, no matter how small. One of the ínost irtterosting churehea is tlie 8t. María gloriosa dei Frari, a cUurch of tho Franciscana. It ia a vory largo ídiñbe, erected in tho 13th century, and has within it some of the finest and most expensiye monuments we have anywhere seen. Imniediately upon ontering the eyo resta upou the magnificont monumont erocted in 1852 by the Emperor Ferdinaud I., to Titian, for, strange as it appoars, up to that date thero had 'eon no suitable public memorial ereoted to one whoso unrivalled works enrich half the churcho3 and publio buildings of Venico. That portion of this magnificeut woik of art erected against tho wall is about thirty feot high, and roprosents the outlines of a Or'eóián temple, with heavy projections of pediment and pillara standing upon a platform base about twenty feet long, ten feot wide and fi ve feet high, all of the most beautiful Italian iri.-i.r!.l.i. The largo v.-all Epaco botweon tho two central pillars a very perfect and admirable copy in relief of "The Assumption." The spacea on either sido between the outer pillars are filled by similar renditions in marble of two of his otüer great paintings "The Martyrdom of St. Lawrenoe," and tho "Martyrdom of St. Peter," and in the corners of the square podiment above are roliefs of the "Entombment" and of the "Annunciation," the two latter being copios of the earlieat and last produotions of his penoil. On the projecting platform base stand boautifully executed ttatues, the group in the center repren-nting Titiau unvoiling a statue, with an angel standing ft his side. Emblematic itguréB of Sculpture, Painting, Architecture, and Xylogra'phy near the sidos,' and two other soated statues occupy the outer oorners of tho lower projecting base. Encircled by a wreath of flowes in roliof is the only inacription, "Titiano- FernandinusL- MDCCCLII." Had tho Emperor beon modest enough to havo omitted hia own name and date, it would have been botter. Altogother it oonstitutes a most splendid memorial of tho great artist - one seldom equaled in oxquisite finish or material. "Very appropriatoly the siinjtfb tablet wliich for 300 years was the ouly monument of marble, is inserted in the pavement within the enelosing rail. On the opposite wall, aeross the nave of the church, is another monument of a very different style, yet equally striking and impressive, erected to a great artist in another department - Canova. The general design is that of a largo . sepulcuml -pyrainid oreotod against the wall, perhaps twenty feet in height and nearly us much width, projecting thr;r or four foet from the wall, upon tho side platform baso, to which the ascont is made by four steps extondiug around the front and end. luto the open door of the pyraiaid a ?l';)W1 emblematic figure of Sculpture, bearing an urn, is about to enter, with hoad bowed ia griuf and followed by a smaller figure as toroh-bearer, behiad whom, upon u lower step, bearing a long wreath, come Painting end Arühitooture. Upon tho opposito sido of the door lies couohant the Wiuged Lion of St. Mark, as if guarding tho entrance, and upon a step near sits au' angol-fiuro holding a reversed torch. Two Gonii, with oufretchod armff, hold over the doorway a medallion head of (Janova, below which is the simple name "Canova." This monument is also oonstructed of tho finest Italian marble, and though differing so widely in style each seoms appropriate to the eharacter of the individual it commernoratos. Splundid as these are, thoy are not tho most extensivo or costly of the numerous monumenta in this church, that to Francesyo Fosoari.a name familiar to all readers of Rogéis or Byron, in the ohoir, and, also, that of tho Doge Nicholas Trono at the left of the grand altar, are very fine works. There are' upon the various projections of the lattex mausoleum no i leso than nineteen statuoe'finely exeoüted and nearly all of lifo-sizo, thö tpex is : seveaty foet above the level of the choir, and its width is about fifty feet. It detos back from 1-172. Benoath tho gus cf I'oscari a goldoa heart is rormed : in relief. That orected to the raemory of James Pesaro, is not so large but is partioularly worthy of notice ae ouo of tho i best, for it is oonstruoted not only with beautiïul atatuary, but combines also a sido crafel, which hal Ier an altar-piece one of the finest works of Titian, a Madonna with saints and. mombers of tho Posaro farnily. This Madonna and child aro very beautiful, and aro the best of tho great artiat, and this painting is made still more valuablo beoause of his introduotion of a portrait of himself as Joseph. It is a vory singular faot that in all of Titiun's representations of St. Mark we have founda somewhat striking resemblance to our own honorod and venerable fellow cititzen, the Professor Dr. W . But by far the most $ffgeona and at the same time most singular is the monument to the Doge Giovanni Peiaro, of 1659. It occupies a very largo space, and is formed by several serios or stories, each with its peouliur decoration, all of tho richeat dark and 'white marble. Upon the èlö-ated base stand six jet ÉÉlok negroos or Moors, with whi,to drapories, their black knees and limbs glistoning through the many artful rerits, and upon ;heir broad shoulders rests tho superim?osed struoturo. Above theso are two huge, ferocious dragons, whiob. reoall the monstrum horrcndum of "Virgil, supportmg a sculpturod sarcophagus, oa whioh stands the statue of the Doge in robes of state, with arms oxpandod as if addressng the audionco belov. Ovorho statue is thrown a gilded oar opy. Stalties of geiiii and emblematic! figures are distributed on oither sido at each sucoessivo elevatlon, and betwten the negro caiyatides, two figures in bronze, hidoous skoletons bear in their gaunt hands u tablet contaiuing, in largo letters of gold, a Latin iuscription. Öï all strange ïneniorials of the doad this appears the strangest, yet regarded giuiply as a worF of art it is one of the finest pieces of sculpturo in Venice- that is, of the 17th century. The artist was Longhena. Ka a fitting contribution to this litnrature in marble, the modest claims and merits inscribed on the monument to James, who was not only a member of the noted family of the Pesaros, but was a bishop at the time of hisdeath - though possibly he may not havo been the instigator of his ownepitaph : "James Pesaro, Bishop of Paphos, who conquered the Turks in var, himself in peace, transported trom a noble family among the Venetiana to another among the angels, laid here, expects tho noblegt crown whieh tho ÉSfiffí Judge shall givo to him in that day. He lived tho years of Plato : he died March 20th, 1547." But it is impossible to. speak of all the ambitious and besisti'ful designs with which the entire walls of this very large cVch are oovered, in commemoration of is notablo and noblo dead, yet with all this lavish expenditure of untold wealth upon the ohuroh and its monuments, and the profusión of its priceless stores of art, thero was a certain absence of that perfect neatness and espeoial care which loft an impression less agreeablo than we would like to be associated with the reoollection of so muoh beauty. In the immediate vicinity of this church is the splondid edifico known as the School of Ban Eocco. lts facade is thought to bo ono of the finest specimens of the so-called Lombard style of architecture in existence, and the interior is not less admirable. The spacioiis hall is docorated by the most eminent artists of the Venetian school, thefe boing no less than sixty-two large piotures by Tintorotto, including his masterpieco, "The Crucifixion," an "Annunciation," by Titian, eto. Tho stairway and arohed vaulting are enriched to profusión with tho most skillful sculpture, and around tho entire wall of the gfeat hall are arrayed side by side ourved wooded stalls and seats of tho most beautiful design and exquisito perfection of finish, each compelHïig the warmest admiration, yet these halls were but tho coúnóil chambers of a religious brotherhood. It was almost incredible. Yours over,