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Street of Venice. The numerous gondolas, which are constantly gliding on at a rapid speed on the fine and open expanse of water in front of the hotel, leave one no occasion to regret the absence of the omnibus, coach, or cab. There are no coaches in Venice, nor even horses, none being necessary. Every street is accessible by water, and the gondolas, of which there are thousands, form a delightful, easy, and swift mode of communication. The distant land of the Lido, the barrier of the Adriatic, was pointed out to us on the left, and the church of St. Marie de la Salute with its beautiful cupola on the right; many other pleasing objects are seen from the hotel. The absence of the stench, so unpleasant from the canals, renders an additional reason why such a situation should be chosen as the temporary abode of visitors, who wish to have a central situation, and one divested of the many drawbacks which must be found elsewhere.

"The far-famed Piazza of St. Mark presents at one view a very interesting combination of objects. From the centre of the open space on entering it are seen the following objects:-In the piazetta, or smaller place, are the two lofty granite columns brought thither by one of the doges on his return from the Holy Land, in the twelfth century; one is surmounted by the figure in marble of St. Theodore, high in repute in the calendar, and the other by the winged lion, removed to France in the wars of the republic, and at Paris ornamenting the Hôtel des Invallides: at the restoration of the Bourbons it was RESTORED to Venice. The restoration of the lion has been more permanent than the other. The ducal palace and the cathedral of St. Mark, in themselves a host, will have further mention. In the larger piazza is the Campanile, rendered immortal by the observations of the star-gazer, Galileo.

"Around three sides of the extensive area of the piazza, are the buildings now converted into shops, &c. screened by a covered gallery, which is the lounge of the city. The principal cafés are the Florian and the Fenice. Milliners' shops (I beg their pardon), artistes des modes, are in such abundance as to convince one that the fashions are not neglected by the Venetian fair ones. The print shops furnish their quota of amusements: the specimens of art displayed there are, in general, of a superior description. We entered the ducal palace, which flanks the quay and the smaller piazza. It was built in time of the doge Marino Faliero, of Byronic fame. From the bronze cisterns in the court some noisy girls were drawing water of a questionable quality. A multitude of statues adorn the exterior. We ascended the giant's staircase, and STARED at the colossal figures (the Gog and Magog of Venice) from which it derives its name. On the landing-place at the top of the staircase, in days of yore, the doges of Venice were crowned by the senior councillor. The council-hall, now the library, is a very large apartment, tenanted by statues, paintings of Venetian exploits, portraits of their rulers, a great number of pigeons, which fly about at pleasure, students, bookworms, and visitors from all parts of the world. My space will not allow me to descant upon the treasures of art contained in this and the adjoining room, about which a volume might be written. Near the entrance is Tintoretto's largest easel-paining "the Glories of Paradise," containing a vast number of figures in various postures, depicting pleasure and adoration: the whole in a good state of preservation. Our guide did not fail to draw our attention to that strange morçeau of sculpture, the Leda: in no public collection in our own land would such a work be allowed to remain exposed to public gaze. Many other strange freaks of art there exhibited will reward the curiosity-seeker. The walls of the apartment are adorned by upwards of twenty paintings by Tintoretto Paul Veronese, Palma, Bassano, &c.; the pope blessing several of the doges on their departure on warlike missions is the subject of many of them: the conquests of the Venetians at Constantinople, and over the Genoese, and the Emperor Otho and Barbarossa his son are strikingly depicted. I shall only particularize two paintings of great merit; one is the veteran Doge Henri Dandolo, at the siege of Constantinople, in 1203, then above ninety years old,

fighting at the head of his soldiers, and though nearly blind, performing prodigies of valour, painted by Palma; and the other, the assault of Zara by sea and land, painted by Vicentino, containing one of the finest horses that can be found on canvas. Above these heart-stirring reminiscences of the olden exploits, are the portraits of the Doges of Venice, upwards of seventy in number. The portrait of one is wanting, that of Marino Faliero; the space which it should have occupied presents a black tablet, on which is painted in white letters, "Hic est locus Marini Falethri decapitati pro criminibus," The apartment adjoining to the council-hall contains a great number of paintings on the walls and ceiling, of a similar cast to those before mentioned. We made a cursory survey of the council-chambers appropriated to the sittings of the select ten, and the more powerful three, in whose hands were placed the lives and fortunes of the whole population of Venice. In passing through these chambers, how many thoughts came over us of the modes of accusation, the forms of trial, and the blood-thirsty decisions of which this place was the scene. The lions' mouths, into whose jaws of stone were dropped the anonymous accusation sufficient to cause the arrest of the suspected parties, the small chamber hung with black cloth, and the three masked and robed inquisitorial judges seated in their chairs of office, whilst their secretary crossquestioned the unfortunate, and in many cases, innocent victim of a malignant secret foe, the decisions too often guided by views of state policy and expediency, will always cause this once-dreaded place to be entered with a feeling of sorrow by all subjects of free states. In the hall of the senate is the throne of the doges, placed in the centre of the seats reserved for the ten seats for the subordinate members of the senate are placed on each side. Such inscriptions as the following, which are inscribed in large letters, are a species of mockery: CUSTODES LIBERTATIS-NUMQUAM DERElicta.'

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"In the cathedral of St. Mark are the veritable bones of the evangelist. The five domes give the exterior an air of oriental grandeur. Externally and internally the walls are laden with hundreds of columns of porphyry, and variegated marbles. The floors, ceilings, and compartments, are inlaid with mosaics, gilding, and bronze. There are no fewer than fifteen gates of brass, -spoils brought from Constantinople nearly seven hundred years ago. The columns most thought of are eight, supposed to have come from the Temple of Jerusalem. When I looked up at the four bronze horses, the glory of Venice, which adorn at a high elevation the front of the cathedral, I thought of a remark made to me by a gentleman who was present when the allied armies, in 1815, caused them to be taken down from the triumphal arch in the Place du Carrousel at Paris, whither they had been taken in 1797, when the republic of Venice was prostrated by the republic of France. When the blocks and machinery by which they were removed were first put in motion, volleys of sacres, pestes, and other ejaculations of anger burst forth from the enraged spectators, who, in their indignation at the removal of the trophies of the victories of the French army, were almost induced to oppose the proceedings. The presence of the allied forces caused them at last, on more mature REFLECTION, to swallow the bitter pill. As the Venetians have no living horses, no wonder they should be proud of these, whose symmetrical proportions are pronounced to be faultless. Corinth, Rome, and Constantinople, have been by antiquarians named as the places from whence they were brought.

To the Rialto ho! where " Signor Antonio had many a time and oft" rated the Jew Shylock about his moneys and usury. When there I thought of Shakspeare and of Kean, and looked at the bridge, and was disappointed. Twelve shops, six on each side of the bridge, betwixt which is a narrow space for the passengers, contain "the jewellers of the Rialto," now few in number who sell their wares in places more like booths than aught else. Having imagined a spacious elegant place, where the merchants of Venice at hour of 'change resorted, we were not prepared for the reality. It is now a muchfrequented place. In passing through an abundantly-supplied fruit market,

not far distant from the bridge, we stopped a few minutes to watch an auction sale, principally of old clothing. The female part of the audience were by far the most numerous; and it was laughable to observe how eagerly they examined each article, and how they outstrove one another in bidding. What temptations are to be met with at an auction sale, when the idea of meeting with a cheap bargain, whether wanted or not, hurries one away into expense!

"We were fully as much pleased with the church dedicated to St. John and St. Paul as any place in Venice. In the open space before it is the noble equestrian monument of the famed general Colleoni, one of the first who made use of cannon. The interior of the building, with its numerous side chapels, is crowded with magnificent monuments in memory of the most noted names in the chronicles of Venice: the families of the doges Mocenigo, Valier, Morosini, Vendramin, and a host of others, as well as scores of generals, admirals, &c. We could barely devote one hour to it: three or four might well be spent there. Mention of several paintings of considerable merit by Bassano, Bonifacio, Tintoretto, Padovanino, Palma, and Paul Veronese, must not be omitted. One by Titian, "The Martyrdom of St. Peter," was honoured by a journey to Paris. The most extraordinary production of art is six bas reliefs in bronze, pourtraying scenes in the life of St. Dominique, executed with amazing skill. The pillars of the church are covered with crimson damask, and the curtains are of the same material and colour, the whole throwing a very effective and vivid hue on the numerous works of art. Our ramble had given us a good appetite for our five o'clock dinner, to which we now wended our willing way, calling on the route home to see a manufactory of those highly finished gold chains, for which Venice is so famous. The manufacture of the very minute watch guards is certainly worthy of inspection: quite a liliputian process. The man we called upon was a Jew in principle: he valued a chain of good gold which we submitted to his verdict, at one-fourth of its value, and asked for one which did not weigh half so much twice the amount of the valuation. John Bull would not be bamboozled by him.

"In the cool of the evening we took a gondola to the Lido, wishing to relieve our eyesight with a view of the rolling sea, and our heated frames with a cool breeze. Having crossed the Jews' burial ground (of which more elsewhere), we were rewarded for our trip, by the desired gratification of the senses before mentioned. Having determined that we would, before leaving Venice, enjoy a morning plunge in the brine, we returned to the gondola : our guide pointed out the place where the doge was annually in the habit of wedding Venice to the Adriatic, by dropping a ring into the sea from the prow of his splendid barge. We were put ashore at the public gardens, which are merely a collection of trees and walks, and were almost tenantless. Adjoining them is a fine street which Bonaparte made, by having the canal which ran through it filled up, and literally making land of it: it is a favourite promenade. Taking boat again we were soon landed at the Piazetta, and proceeded to the Café Florian, where we took some of the delicious ices made there. What an enjoyment we had in gazing upon St. Mark's, the Palace, and the Square, &c., lit up by the silvery splendour of the moon, and feeling the cool evening air upon our cheeks! Numerous were the parties scattered about in front of the cafés. The hawkers of sweet meats, biscuits, &c. were busy in their vocations: tempted by the offer of slippers at one shilling per pair, we became purchasers. To close the day, which we had not idly spent, we again embarked on the waters, and made a pilgrimage to the palace which Lord Byron inhabited when a resident of Venice-the Palazzo Mocenigo, on the grand canal. Having feasted our eyes with a view of the shell which once contained so great a genius, we returned to our hotel and had no lack of food for reflection. During our sojourn in Italy we never saw or felt a musquito: I am very much mistaken if I did not this night hear one buzzing in our room. No matter, he let us alone."

Mr. Barlow is rather prosy; but his book may be useful to travellers.

FINE ARTS.

Beattie's Switzerland. Nos. 23 and 24. Virtue.

THE engravings of this work are not all executed with the same ability; but, on the whole, the work is well worthy of the notice of those who are fond of mountain-scenery. We notice more particularly the Wildkirchlein (or chapel of the wilds), in Appenzel, as conveying a good idea of the mistiness incidental to scenery in the higher regions of the Alps. The effect, although produced at infinitely less cost of labour, conveyed to us nearly the same notions as Brockedon's beautiful delineations' of the same district. The fall of Handek is also given with much spirit. With the Hofbrücke, at Luzern, we were certainly disappointed, as we have ourselves seen the bridge from the other side, which is by far the most picturesque point of view.

The engravings are, on the whole, creditable to the artists employed; and the letter-press descriptions are given with considerable accuracy, as far as we have had leisure to examine them, except in the German names, which are occasionally mis-spelt; and we certainly disapprove of giving letter-press in the respective numbers unconnected with the engravings inserted in them. This is not creditable to the publishers of such engravings, and ought to be reformed. This hint is necessary to others also.

Stanfield's Coast Scenery. Parts I.-X. Smith and Elder. Mr. Stanfield's celebrity as a marine painter is such that we need not say that, so far as his duties in the work were concerned, the work must merit public approbation. The draughtsman has been assisted by able engravers ; and it is not too high praise to say that these views ought to attract general attention. We instance particularly the Needles-the Hamoaze-HastingsWreck off Boulogne-Dover Pier-and the Eddystone. The letter-press is not inferior to that usually accompanying books of engravings.

Finden's Ports and Harbours of Great Britain. Parts I. & II. C. Tilt.

This work, if we mistake not, is one of the very best that we have seen of the cheap engravings. The drawings are executed with spirit, especially the two views of Bamborough, in the second number; and the engraver has used his burin to good purpose. We wish Mr. Finden's work all the success which it undoubtedly deserves.

Winkle's Continental Cathedrals. V., VI., VII. C. Tilt.

Winkle's Illustrations of Winchester and Lincoln Cathedrals. Effingham Wilson.

Winkle's Ground-plans of the Cathedral Churches. Effingham Wilson.

No drawings require laborious engravings more than those of ecclesiastical buildings. There are perhaps only one or two artists of our own day who have succeeded in furnishing to the public satisfactory engravings of our cathedrals. We need not say, however, that we do not expect in the cheap numbers before us such highly-finished engravings as those of Le Keux. "What could have been done, considering the low price of the publication, has been done; but we do not think that the subject of architecture is at all calculated for plates on which only a very limited degree of the engraver's art 'can be bestowed withdue reference to economy.

Fisher's Views of Syria, the Holy Land, &c.; with letter-press by J. Carne, Esq. Parts I.-III. Fisher.

No country in the world is more rich in scenery, interesting by its novelty to a European and a Christian, than Syria and Palestine. These countries,

in which most of the scenes were enacted which must ever be interesting to the believers in holy writ, present certain features which must be well understood by the intelligent student of the scriptures. We pity the individuals who can read his bible and study the lives of Abraham, Samuel, and others of the Hebrew worthies, and yet be indifferent respecting the manners of the people and the scenery of the country in which such important transactions have occurred. The view of Tripoli is, perhaps, the best in the numbers that we have seen. Mr. Carne's illustrations ought not to be passed unnoticed. They are elegantly written, and well worthy of the author of "Letters from the East." An extract or two would not be out of place, but space does not allow a more extended notice.

NOTES OF THE MONTH.

CLOSE OF AN UNPRODUCTIVE SESSION.-Parliament was prorogued on the 20th of August by the King in person. His Majesty went in the usual state to the House of Lords, soon after two o'clock, and delivered the following speech :

"My Lords and Gentlemen-The state of the public business enables me at length to relieve you from further attendance in parliament; and in terminating your labours I have again to acknowledge the zeal with which you have applied yourselves to the public business, and the attention which you have bestowed upon the important subjects which I brought under your consideration at the opening of the session.

"The assurances of friendly dispositions which I receive from all foreign powers, enable me to congratulate you upon the prospect that peace will continue undisturbed.

"I lament deeply that the internal state of Spain still renders that country the only exception to the general tranquillity which prevails in the rest of Europe and I regret that the hopes which have been entertained of the termination of the civil war have not hitherto been realized. In fulfilment of the engagements which I contracted by the treaty of Quadruple Alliance, I have afforded the queen of Spain the co-operation of a part of my naval force; and I continue to look with unabated solicitude to the restoration of that internal peace in Spain, which was one of the main objects of the Quadruple Treaty, and which is so essential to the interests of all Europe.

"I am happy to be able to inform you, that my endeavours to remove the misunderstanding which had arisen between France and the United States have been crowned with complete success. The good offices which for that purpose I tendered to the two governments, were accepted by both in the most frank and conciliatory spirit; and the relations of friendship have been re-established between them in a manner satisfactory and honourable to both parties. I trust that this circumstance will tend to draw still closer the ties which connect this country with two great and friendly nations, with which they have so many important relations in common.

"I have regarded with interest your deliberations upon the Report of the Commissioners appointed to consider the state of the Dioceses in England and Wales; and I have cheerfully given my assent to the measures which have been presented to me for carrying into effect some of these most important recommendations.

"It is with no ordinary satisfaction I have learned that you have, with much labour, brought to maturity enactments upon the difficult subject of tithes in England and Wales, which will, I trust, prove in their operation equitable to all the districts concerned, and generally beneficial in their results.

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