Foreign Correspondence

It is always difficult to close up onc's notes upon a place like Home, for among Uae multiplicity of objects not before noted there will always arise new incidents recalled and new details omitted, which seem entitled to attention but which servo to embarrass the proper termination of a story, often too long already. There is the ascent to the Heaven aspiring dome of St. Peter's, omitted heretofore but which cannot be erased from the tablet of memory. We made it but onoe, for ampie as are the accommdations it is on the whole rather a " hard road to travel," for though the first part of the way, about one-third, is made upon an inciined plañe, more like a city street in width and paveraent than aught else, still it was up-hill work and when we came to the entrance upon the ruof it brought a sense of relief. How little does one realize that he is 150 feet above the surrounding street when wandering ibout, with perhaps a hundred or inore sthers, upon the acres of this vast roof, imoug the various chapel domes, parapets, and artisan domiciles which make Lt uppear ahnost like a little village with its pavement of solid blocks of stoncs or ot bricks set on edge. And how uncouth appear the rough backs and iron clamped monstrosities which from below appear to take on the seniblance of those grand old apostles whose words and lives form the very bulwork of the Christian's faith. But fine as is tne view and exhilerating the scène from the ampie roof, we ascend somewhat fuither and look with even greater interest from the splendid circular gallery which runs inside the dome and completely around it, protected by a 8troug balustrade just at the poiut where the dome leavea the nave. Everything below is dwurfed by our great height, and though a service is being held n.nd there are hundreds walking about upon the shining mirble below scarce a Bound is audible, and our own conversation forms no disturbance to the religious exercises below. Here, too, we could look down iuto the closed tr inscept where sat thu colebrated Ecurueuical Council wbich reuched so unhappy a termiuation, and by its daring assumptions so shook the real power of the Pope. as to establish, beyond controversy, tliat fallibility wbich it was to have been its main purpose to controvert. Again we ascended : this timo in the more narrow interspace between tbe outer and the inner shell of the dome to a point hall' the distance up the entire height, and again we emerged into a sacond gallery, similar to the other but enciicliiig the inside of the domo half way up its vast concave, where we wen brought into the closest fellowship with those charniing little ángel figures and noble evangelista and prophets, of inosaic, which form such attraotive objects seen from the floor below, but which, in fact, were now found to be of the grossest clumsine.-s and roughness of material and objects of admirution no longer, or until again " distance lends enchantment." lu illustration of the scale whicn tlie artists nad te; adopt, in order to overeóme the effect of the great height at vvhich all these objects wjre to be seen, it may be meutioned that one of the prophets whose position, seen from below, appears to be most natural and easy one. with the hands siinply extended lutward from the elbows and but littie ibove tbe natural size, yet in actual faot paus a space from the end of ona hand ;o that of the other equal to 21 feet, and ;he mosaio are incredibly rough and :oarse. But there was something really jxciting as well as uovel in thus calmly ■valking about the inner eircumference ot ;he world renowned dome, and the mind n this way only could take in the vastness of the noble work. Our next upward advance was also between the shells, as before ; but aa we approached the central portion fiom which the lantern sprung, we were compelled tó have sidewibe, in part supported by one hand resting upon the inner side ; finally, however, we emerged into the open air again, and this time it was at the lantern, which is surrounaeo oy a heavy balustrade and columns and furnishes room about its circuit for as many s 150 persons. To say that this lookout was a cotnmanding one would be waste f words. When on the roof we were 150 'eet above the streets and now we are 00 feet above the roof. No obstacle cut ff the viow on either side, except the far off mountains and the more distan t hori on resting on the wide campagna and be sea. It was a splendid pamorama and greatly did we enjoy it. üur desire to go up the narrow stair case, and with sixtfeu others crowd into the copper bell 'oiming tbo summit of the lftutern, did not incline us to wait an hour iu order to get a chance at so véry doubtful a priviege. In descending we made the stages is before in reversed order, and ns vo canie to the spacious incüned plano amused ourselves with reading the namea ot' those other ïllustrious personages who had preceded us in tho ascent. Marble tablets are set in the walls along the passage recording the date and name of each of the royal and seuii-royal visitors who have perforuied this act of herowm. Day after day we had passed by the Ortstle of Bt. Angelo and as often spoke of visiting it, and this constant resolve fiually ripened into parformanoe. Paciug o hundred soldiers we bravely march - ed into tho outer gateway and would doubtless have gone on triumphantly but for the fact that an officer crossed our path, as they always do about these ' military p'osts, ód demanied the meso which we liad not. But be chanced to be une ot' those who like a joke, and so after enjoying our disappointment a moment he grunted us the opportunity wo sought. Nor did his kindness stop here, but he consented to be himself our escort about the grand oíd mausoleum of Hldrian. lie was communicativs and mingled history, legend, and a running commentary upon tho Papacy question all together. Crossing the outworks and ascending somewhat we entered the circular structure which was erected about 150 years after the beginning of the Christian era by Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, and became the burial place not only of Hadrian himsolf but of Antoninus Pius, Commodus, Marcus Aurelius, Septiinus Severus, and others. It is of great massiveness in every part, being some 300 feet in diameter with passages between the outer and inner walls and into the inner chamber, which is not less than 50 feet in diameter and 100 in height, and in which are to be seen the empty niches where were placed the cinerary urns and where also the sarcophagi were placed with their Imperial remains. There is now used in St Peter's, as a font in the Baptistery, the porphyry cover of an ent sarcophagus found in this ehamber. We crossed directly through this old burial vault upon a bridge, and ascending stiil further and above were shown a large saloon ornamented with. frescoes, in which it is said Bratrica Cenci and her relations were tried, ör rather tortured, to extract a confession of the murder of her father. Upon a door panel is a rude but expressive sketch of her voluntary advocate and defender before that merciless tribunal, made by -Guido Reni In another portion of the immense struc ture we were furnished with lights anc conducted into the dungeons where thpso were confined whose extinction becamo desirable for any cause. In ono of these it is said that Bratrice, and in another her step-mother, was confined. When inside with the heavy, low door-ways closed there were but two apparent openings in the solid rock, one about four inches in diameter fpr lettiug down the food, ana me omei uul iilliü igci wi . apology for ventilation. Other chambers with but little better accommodatious were shown and we were glad to escape again into the fresh air. After reaching the top of the castle we could sae there the havoo made by formor soldier oocupants from the earliest tiuies to tbs present. The occasion of its being called the castle of S. Angelo is said to be the apparitiou of the Archaugel Michael to i Greeorv the Great, A. D. 589, when praying for the cessation of lbo1 plague then raging. The angel appeared in the act of shoathing his swoid and the plague instantly ceased. In commcinoration of the event a sinall chapel was ereoted on the sumuiit of the mausoleum, aftorward the figure of an angel, and finally the present conspicuous bronze statue of St. Michael sbeathing his sword. Various interesting works of art have been found in the cxcava'.ions about the castle, the Barberini faun at Munich, the dancing faun at Florence, the porphyry urn in the Lateran and others of less note. It is believed to have been once enoased in uiarble but if so it has entirely disappeared, leaving a structure of vast proportions and amazing strength, which will vie with any of the ancient remains of the old city in proving the durability and perfeotion of their edifices. Whatever they built, be it a temple, a theater or thermso, a triumphal arch, a highway or touib, it was made to defy time and decay as far as h.unian skill could do so. All the old statues which once adorned the balustrade around tho summit of the castlo have been broken down and cast below ceuturies ago, leaving nothing but their positions iraceable. It is now used as a citadel, lor whiuh it is well adapted, and three regiments find comfortable quarters there. Extensive outworks have been constructed' adjoining the castle, so that it is and has been for ten or twelve centuries more of a fortification than a tomb. Our wanderings one day took us into the vicinity of S. Stephano Rotundo. It is in quite an out of the way pl&ce, beyond S. Gregorio, on the farther side of the Ccelian hill. Just before reaching it ve cross the Piazza della Navicella which lerivKS its nainè frorn the keel of a marlo ship which stands upon a pedestal in ts center. In early times a similar ship ibout 10 feet long adorned the open jortico to the adjoining church S. Maria n Dominica and the one we saw is a :opy of the foriner, being about 225 years oíd. A glimpse from this point ,nto the grounds of the celebrated villa Mattie afforded a strong contrast with the wide spreading, unkempt vineyards and cane fields in the vicinity. We now took 3 survey of the exterior of S. Stephano Rotando, a very singular ecclusiastical edifice, indeed looking much like the winter quartrs of some great circus or hippodrome, circular in form, lower story 20 feet high, with the central portu.ii ivlso circular, raised one story above and admitting light for the interior. It K .Í 1 J____ _x Trt . 4_- l is saicl to be the largesc owouuw ui in existenee, and yet ita present exterior walls occupy the pLice of' an interior colonnade, wbile the outer wall at first (öth century) extended around a cir cuit 34 feet distant- the remains of which are still visible. Occupying a position in the then crowded population of this now nearly deserted quarter, it is said to have been gorgeously decorated with fiue marbles and mosaics, and with its immense expanse must have formed a grand scène when au y great occasion filled its ampie área with auditors. There is no display of its foruier magnificence, being rather plain for the most part, somo of the recessed altars only presenting any cominendable show of fine marbles and mosaics. The central circular space or nave is surrounded by 56 granite col{ uttins anda oanopy of no great beauty occupies the'conter. The most ] able feature of the church aro the : ooes which ocoupy the entiro wall spaco, consisting of the most feafful ropresentations of scones of torturo and ruartyrdom, vividly portrayed in panels of about 20 feet in width. Sorae purport to be historical, and if there be any possible forra f infiieting pain and death not here dis)layed, our imagination aided by the arly reading of Foxe's book of martyrs 'ailed to recall them. It formed a ooinilete gallery of horrors, and ttie artists - Tempesta and Pomeraneio - must have ainted them with a sort of infernal genius. It must have boen a remarkable age whioh sought to adorn a ohurch with jiotures of such unexoeptionable blood,hirstiness and malignity. And there they are to-day, stretching in a circuit of unmititigated agonies fully one thousand feet, with the names, dates and places of martyrdom inscribed with legendary if not actual truth. The Italians, and indeed all Eomanist communities, are fond of their fasts and festivals, and Beldoin fail to give their personal attendanco to every holiday. iingularly enough it so happens that the airthday of Viotor Emanuel and of Huraíert, bis son, the Crown Prince, falls on ;he samo day, March 14th, and all Eome iurned out to honor the event and witaess the grand military review. It was i benutii'ul day and the display of flags a,ll over the city frotu the windows and balconies, not from flag staffs above the roof as with us, made a very gay scène, and the immense numbers that flocked to the Piazza de Termini and beyond, where the military were to assemble, seemed incredible. Finally everything was ready and a long cavalcade ot' gaily dressed rank and file swept before us for over an hour in an unbroken succession, preceded by Prince Humbcrt and his staff. There was a repreeentation from all branches of the land 6ervice - the ancers, carbineers, artillery, borsaglerie, aud conscripts and sub-divisions we couid not name. The troops made a good ap pearance- were well dressed and wel] armed, and robust, hearty looking men though rather below the stature of ican troops of similar kinds. There is, however, something wanting in a " Eoman holiday " to make it as joyous and spirited (and boisterous ifc must be added) as our own gala days. There is a sort of quiet business air about it - the enjoynient is not vociferous or demonstrative. We did not hear a grand uproarious cbeer, or evon a gentle one, during the day. And when the Prince rode by we should have been unconscious of it but for the raising of the hat by way of reoognition. ïhis samo impressiveueea was apparent even amid that grand cliinacterio of Italian enjoyraent, tho Carnival. All was lively and antio and funny, but there was no exuberance of relish at a good joke or happy hit which found expression in a general uproarious laugh or shout. The arrival of our kind friends and 'ellow-citizens, Prof. F. and party, gave o out last week in Rome an additional jleasure, and with them we reviewed ome of our previous work in the sightioeing line, and it was particularly agree ible to observe the zest with which the Professor hunted up the antiquities, his ald familiar friends of the study and of former travel. But the time of our soourn in the Eternal City was approaehing its close, and though we had not been idle still thfire were rnany things yet to be seen. There is no end to objects ol real interest in this fainous old place, and long as has been the time we have thus apportioned to it we do not feel that we could have passed the winter elsewhere more profitably. But how many things are necessarily omitted from these hurried letters, which seemed of interest to us and which if written out would require far too much space and time for the non-professional writer. Abandoning all hope of filling up these notes of Rome further, amiu the new scènes which occupy our attention as we journey elsewhere, we will bring our " winter at Rome" to a close. Living aniong a people for several nionths, even when unable to see them behind the scenos and amid their inner houses, will necessarily leave impressions as to their condition and prospecta. It seems manifest that the Italian peole, and especially the Roman people, ïave suffered much from a government ictuated rither by its eoolesiastioal aspiations than by any well ordered systein f civil rule - one in which the temporal luthority, so much prized now that it aas passed into other hands, was wholly subordinated into a mere useful contingent of the spiritual jurisdiction. A fepe and Cardinals and priesthood made but an indifferent substitute for an active and pervading supervisión by officeis with special qualifications suited to develop the industrial capabilities of the people - the agricultural, commercial, iind maritimo interests of the 8tate, and there has grown up a kind of national indolence and beggary which is deeraed respectable, or at least not looked upon as disgraceful, so that any sudden enfranchisoment from old habits and inclinations ought not to be expected. But not all Italiana are thus degraded. There is plenty of vivacity and sprightliness among the people, and with the new petus to improveineuts in and about the city whioh the location of the Court here has induced, there uppears to be n real mniffstation of wiüingness to work and with plenty of work and its incentive, fair wages - with a. better development of her resources and the opening of favorable channels for fresh enterprise - it yet may be the fortune of this sunny land to evoke from her encroaching wastes aud her pauper population, soinethiug of that anoient wealth and national activity which placed her forsmost among the European 8tates. Sotnething of this auspiciona awakening may b aeen in the nsore northeru oitics uven i now, and the trasy multitudes and eat nestness apparcnt in tho streets of Turin, Genoa, Hilan, Bolognft, Florence, and other places furnish a great contrast to the general low standard of Italian enterprise. TÍiero can be no question as to the fact that the days of Papal temporal authority have passed forever, and with reasonablo -pnideaca od tae part of tha present governtaont a brighter future 18 dawning upon thia country. For year there will be a crafty, unscrupulous aud vigilant foe to tae new civil authority and iíslegislatioi!, which et times may unite with that opposition eíeuient wLioh pervades all governmontíf and thus cause Frequent embarrafsment end perhaps checJc progresa eomowhat ; but -with nn entira rcligious freedom and an nnshackled system of education ether reforins will come. Leaving many tliings unnoticod for want of spaoe and time in these burrietl notos, we must for tho present iass on otber scones. We sball not soon forget Rome. Very truly yours, J. M. WHEELEE.