',1 
 
.1 
 
 1 
 
il 
 
NOTE f ON ITALY, 
 
 REMBRANDT PEALE. 
 
 WRITTEN DURING A TOUR IN THE YEARS 
 1829 and 1830. 
 
 CAREY & LEA* 
 1831. 
 
EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA, To wit; 
 
 BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the eleventh day of April, Anno 
 Domini one thousand eight hundred and thirty-one, 
 
 CAREY & LEA, 
 
 of the said district, have deposited in this office the title of a book, the 
 title of which is in the words following-, to wit: 
 
 " Notes on Italy, by Rembrandt Peak. Written durinpr a Tour in the 
 "Years 1829 and 1830." 
 
 The right whereof they claim as proprietors, in conformity with an Act 
 of Congress, entitled, " An Act to amend the several Acts respecting- 
 Copy Rights." v 8 
 
 D. CALDWELL, 
 Clerk of the District. 
 
 GRIGGS & DICKINSON, FKIXTERS. 
 
The following Remarks were written, immediately after the 
 observations were made, of which they were intended to be 
 the records, and they possess at least the merit of originality 
 and conciseness. As far as time and occasion permitted, I 
 examined whatever peculiarities were of a nature to excite 
 my attention, and I have carefully endeavoured to convey the 
 exact impressions they produced, as if the remarks had been 
 made immediately to some friend who might be amused with 
 my sentiments or disposed to rely on my judgment, general- 
 ly expressed in the fewest words, and involving no specula- 
 tions that did not actually occur. Instead of a heated and 
 visionary series of exaggerations or quotations on affairs of 
 church and state, in which I might have indulged as many 
 preceding travellers have done, or affecting to be wise at the 
 expense of other men's thoughts, I have preferred the simple 
 task of describing only those things which I saw, as they may 
 be seen by other persons in my situation, and have pretended 
 to no opinions or judgments but such as forced themselves 
 upon me. 
 
 ■ . 
 
 The reader, therefore, who is willing to bear me company 
 in this excursion will not object to begin our acquaintance 
 on the road ; to become a little accustomed to my gait and 
 manner, and, perhaps, to feel a greater interest as he prose- 
 
4 
 
 cutes a journey which he thus commences. If the scenes be 
 not entirely new to him, he may at least be amused with my 
 first impressions, and the similitude or diversity of my views 
 and judgments, when compared with those of others. 
 
 The first Collection of Pictures that appeared in the United 
 States was a consignment made to John Swanwick, an emi- 
 nent merchant of Philadelphia, about the year 1786. My 
 father, Charles W. Peale, then the only well known artist in 
 the western world, was the first to build an exhibition room 
 expressly for paintings. There the Italian pictures were de- 
 posited, and displayed to a public but little prepared to ap- 
 preciate them; for they were less disposed to admire some 
 really excellent memoranda of fine art than to censure their 
 deep shadowings. It was probably this Collection that in- 
 spired me, though but a boy, with an unquenchable love of 
 painting, as it made me first acquainted with the names of 
 Italian artists, and excited a desire to visit Italy. 
 
 Having studied the elements of the art under my father, I 
 went to England, on the return of peace in 1802, with the 
 design of visiting France and Italy; but the renewal of hos- 
 tilities disappointed my purpose. I received, however, some 
 advantages from the Royal Academy and the friendship of 
 Mr. West, with whom my father had likewise studied. 
 
 In 1-807 I again crossed the Atlantic, but, occupied in Pa- 
 ris in painting the portraits of distinguished characters, I de- 
 layed my departure for Italy, until repeated intelligence of 
 the disturbed state of that country, and the return of many 
 American travellers from its confines, rendered it imprudent 
 
5 
 
 to proceed. But I enjoyed the almost daily contemplation 
 of the great Gallery of the Louvre, which Napoleon was en- 
 riching with a selection of the chef d'oeiwres of the old mas- 
 ters, the spoils of Italy, Germany and Holland. 
 
 On returning to America, I flattered myself that I could be 
 contented with what I had seen of European art, and the 
 prospect of that which was arising in our own country, where 
 the number of excellent artists, and the patronage of them, 
 had much increased. But the greater attention which was 
 now bestowed on this subject only served to revive my for- 
 mer longings, and Italy, which was my reverie by day, be- 
 came the torment of my dreams at night: I, therefore, re- 
 turned to Paris in 1810, having made arrangements with my 
 father to paint, in continuation for the Gallery of the Phila- 
 delphia Museum, portraits of the most distinguished men of 
 Europe. This occupation detained me so long in Paris, that 
 I was induced not to expose my "family to the horrors of ac- 
 cumulating war, and General Armstrong, our ambassador, 
 persuaded me to return with him to America. He coolly 
 reasoned me into a belief that I would be contented with the 
 general prosperity enjoyed in our peaceful country. But if 
 the vast extension of our commerce and agriculture, the pro- 
 lific establishment of successful manufactories, and the rapid 
 growth of our cities, already in possession of the knowledge 
 and luxuries of Europe; if these prospects were calculated 
 to confirm a predilection for my native home, they could not 
 allay the fever that still burned as in the ardour of my youth. 
 The idea that'my dreams of Italy were never to be realized, 
 seemed to darken the cloud which hung over the prospect of 
 death itself. 
 
6 
 
 For a number of years the duties required by a large fami- 
 ly forbade a separation from them. These, at length, per- 
 mitted my wish to be gratified, especially as several gentlemen 
 of New York and Boston liberally patronised my plan, and, as 
 my only son evinced a disposition to study the profession of his 
 father and grandfather. I may, therefore, well be pardoned for 
 seeking this enjoyment at the age of fifty-one, particularly as 
 I made it an essential point to select, for the employment of 
 my pencil, some of the most excellent pictures of the great 
 masters, which are preserved in Rome and Florence ; and 
 the copies, which I have carefully made, I may without vani- 
 ty consider as calculated to advance, among our artists and 
 amateurs, a correct knowledge of the Fine Arts. 
 
 In noticing the works of art, which always constitute the 
 chief objects of curiosity to travellers in Italy, I have endea- 
 voured to avoid the tediousness of catalogue quotations and 
 the prejudices depending on names of authority, which 
 would serve only to prolong injurious errors. But my re- 
 marks are not confined to works of art, as I could not shut 
 my eyes to the scenes among which 1 had to pass, being in- 
 fluenced by a general curiosity, and a love of all truth, as 
 well as of all good art. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to visit Italy without catching a little 
 of the enthusiasm which has inspired so many, by whom it 
 has been already described; and some persons are unwilling 
 to deny themselves that indulgence of their imaginations, 
 which must influence them to associate the interesting inci- 
 dents of past times, with the mouldering monuments that re- 
 main, as confirmations of history. The researches of anti- 
 
7 
 
 quarians are not without their utility, though not much re- 
 lished by the ordinary and unpretending traveller, whose 
 purpose is to see things as they now are, and only to value 
 them as they evince taste, talent, knowledge and power. If 
 my views are found to be too restricted in these respects, at 
 least I shall be excused for not pretending to do again what 
 has been, by various travellers, so often well done, whether 
 their views were directed by political, moral, or antiquarian 
 notions. I am contented to have made a few notes of the 
 things which I saw as a transient observer, and to offer them, 
 incomplete as they certainly are, to the indulgence of the 
 candid reader, who may rely on their sincerity, as well as on 
 their simplicity and general correctness. 
 
 I had taken with me to Italy my portrait of Washington, 
 which represents him as seen through a perforated screen of 
 ornamented stone work, beneath the Phidian head of Jupi- 
 ter. Unwilling to pay a duty on it at Naples, it was held 
 a rigorous prisoner in the custom-house during my stay 
 there, and was liberated only after the exchange of consular 
 petitions and state papers. It was better received at Rome, 
 where the arts are more respected, and, in my painting room ) 
 procured me the advantage of an acquaintance with the 
 most distinguished professors. Here the descendants of the 
 renowned champions of liberty beheld the Cincinnatus of 
 America, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of 
 his countrymen. The more commercial city of Florence ex- 
 acted a small duty, but ample recompense was made by its ex- 
 hibition in the Royal Academy, where the grand duke and his 
 court, followed by the best informed of Florence, had an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing the features of him whom they called the libe- 
 
s 
 
 rator of America. Having repassed through Paris unpacked, 
 it was again opened in London, where it was seen with some 
 interest by several distinguished artists and other persons. But 
 remaining here a short time, it was again committed to its 
 package, and fortunately has arrived with me uninjured to our 
 home. I cannot withhold this anecdote of a portrait which is 
 so well known to my countrymen. Washington himself, al- 
 though he was very desirous of visiting Europe, had denied 
 himself that gratification, governed by motives of the purest 
 patriotism. Born on Washington's birth day, I had in a mea- 
 sure chosen him for my tutelar saint, and in my pilgrimage 
 to Rome, I could not deny myself the pleasure of taking 
 with me this memorial of that great and good man. Had I 
 died in Rome, which was nearly the case, this picture, ac- 
 cording to custom, placed over my coffin, would have borne 
 evidence of the veneration which is felt by every American 
 for the father of his country. 
 
 Rembrandt Peale. 
 
 Philadelphia, April 8th, 1831. 
 
NOTES O Hi ITALY, 
 
 Pass we the long-, unvarying course — the track 
 
 Oft trod, that never leaves a trace behind; 
 Pass we the calm, the gale, the change, the tack, 
 
 And each well-known caprice of wave and wind* 
 Pass we the joys and sorrows sailors find, 
 
 Coop'd in their winged sea-girt citadel; 
 The foul, the fair, the contrary, the kind, 
 
 As breezes rise and fall, and billows swell, 
 Till on some jocund morn — lo, land! and all is well. 
 
 BTROX, 
 
 Havre, November 26, 1828. 
 
 After the comparative stillness of our existence on ship- 
 board, the sudden entrance, with several other ships, into 
 a bustling harbour; bringing the vessels to an anchor in a 
 narrow channel; the visitation of the health and custom 
 house officers; the operation of hauling through the massive 
 gateway at high water into the capacious basin; the crowd 
 and bustle on shore; the grotesque figures of the pilots, with 
 woollen caps and loose petticoat breeches; the women and 
 children in caps of every kind, and the clattering of their 
 wooden shoes; — all elicited the liveliest attention. 
 
 Having engaged seats for Paris, to start early next morn- 
 ing, the first business was to pass our trunks through the 
 custom house examination, which was polite, and without 
 any scrutiny, with only the inconvenience of waiting, amidst 
 piles of baggage and groups of anxious passengers, the arri- 
 val of the officer, and our turns for inspection. We then 
 # 2 
 
10 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 deposited our passports at the police office, and obtained 
 each a provisionary one to Paris. The rest of the time 
 was employed in taking a hasty view of this old town, of 
 which the most singular features were the massive fortifica- 
 tions and double ditch, or canal, filled with water, to protect 
 it on the land side. Beautiful rows of trees cover the whole 
 extent of the elevated bulwarks, which would form delight- 
 ful promenades if they were kept clean. From these walks 
 you look round on a well-cultivated country, and a hill rising 
 from the city gate, covered with houses and numerous coun- 
 try seats. 
 
 The market place is filled with stalls loaded with the 
 finest fruit and vegetables, and gay with the flowers of au- 
 tumn. The streets, without foot pavements, and muddy, 
 are alive with a healthy and rosy population, clinking along 
 on their wooden shoes, talking loud and laughing amidst the 
 screaming of numerous parrots, whose cages are hung out 
 at the shop doors and upper windows. Very few coaches 
 or carts are seen, and most of the porterage is performed on 
 jack-asses, or by men and women with hand carts, on which 
 they carry enormous loads, — many of the streets being so 
 narrow as not to admit of any other conveyance. At one 
 of the public fountains I counted fifteen washerwomen in 
 a row, with benches upon which they rub the clothes, 
 and pound them with wooden bats. 
 
 We left Havre before day lig^ht, and therefore for some 
 hours did not know the construction of our vehicle, in 
 which, however, we were comfortably seated. At day-light 
 it was found to consist of a coach of large dimensions, one 
 of smaller size behind it, and another in front with side and 
 front glasses, on the top of which was a sort of gig or chaise; 
 the aggregated mass capable of containing about twenty-one 
 passengers. All the baggage and much merchandise was 
 on the top, surrounded by an iron railing, and covered with 
 painted linen, under the especial charge of a person called 
 the conductor, who gets to his lofty seat by mounting on 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 11 
 
 projecting irons at the left side of the carriage, assisted by 
 a leathern strap — a manoeuvre which he performs with great 
 dexterity, even when the coach is in motion. 
 
 The whole route between Havre and Rouen was interest- 
 ing to us, chiefly by the singular and varied appearance of 
 the huts of the peasantry. They are of all sizes and shapes, 
 and thatched with straw, which is mostly green with moss. 
 Some of the best of these habitations were surrounded with 
 an embankment, planted with close-set and tall trees, form- 
 ing a live fence, which often enclosed the dwelling, out- 
 houses, and hay -stacks. 
 
 Although it was the latter part of November, the fields 
 presented the appearance of spring; the grass and many 
 plants were green along the road side; and gardens, without 
 fences or hedges, were filled with cabbages, lettuce, and 
 flowers. 
 
 On approaching Rouen, a magnificent scene suddenly 
 opened upon us. At a great distance below lay an exten- 
 sive city in a verdant valley. The river Seine, studded 
 with numerous islands, winding to a great extent, and the 
 city rising on part of the hill, which, on the opposite side, 
 corresponded with that from which we were about to de- 
 scend by means of a beautiful road, winding circuitously to 
 lessen the steepness of the descent. After this we rattled 
 through many streets filled with manufactories, which seem 
 to constitute the wealth of the place, and as night came over 
 us we entered the city, whose narrow streets, in imitation 
 of the fashion and splendour of the metropolis, were bright 
 with illuminated shops. 
 
 Deposited in the court yard where the stages stop, with- 
 out any one to attend us, or any means of discovering 
 where we should procure a dinner, we had to choose for 
 ourselves one of the many cards which were eagerly thrust 
 into our hands by the boys of the various hotels, each as- 
 serted to be the best. Through several miry streets we 
 were hurried on to the Hotel de I 9 Europe, and arrived just 
 
12 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 in time to sit down to the table d'h£te 9 or ordinary, with 
 all its ceremony and succession of dishes, which so con- 
 sumed our time, that we had to leave the dessert and hurry 
 back to our diligence, or berline, as it was called. Here 
 we were told, that the coach had started without us; and 
 the porters of the hotel where we had eaten, together with 
 the people of the office, commenced a most vociferous up- 
 roar, crying out to each other to run after the coach, as the 
 gentlemen had paid for their seats to Paris; but, before they 
 could decide which street to take, or who should go, it was 
 discovered to be all a mistake, our coach standing quietly 
 in a dark corner, whilst the postilion had gone for his horses. 
 These little incidents are only worth mentioning, as they 
 show that travellers in Europe frequently suffer more ne- 
 glect and inattention than are experienced in America. 
 
 Scarcely had we driven out of town, when the conduc- 
 tor requested us to get out and walk in the dark, without 
 informing us of the muddy condition of the road, occasioned 
 by a recent shower. But our labour in trudging through 
 the mire up the circuitous road, which soon rose high above, 
 without leading us far from the city, w T as amply compen- 
 sated by the prospect which, by the light of the stars and 
 the illumination of the town itself, was presented to our 
 sight, as we frequently stopped and turned round to look 
 down on the habitations of the living below. In summer 
 and in sunshine it must be an enchanting scene. Of the 
 rest of the way we could see nothing — riding all night, 
 dozing, waking, and suffering, till day-light brought us to 
 the vicinity of Paris. 
 
 Already at Neuilly, we had a foretaste of its magnificence, 
 by the style of building in houses and bridges, and the 
 breadth of the main road, with its double row of great trees 
 on each side. But when we passed Napoleon's triumphal 
 arch, and the elegant gateway into Paris, my fellow passen- 
 gers, none of whom had ever been there, could scarcely 
 find terms to express their astonishment and delight. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 13 
 
 I parted with them in the spacious court yard of the di- 
 ligences, yielded to a porter's solicitations to go to the Ho- 
 tel de Lille, and afterwards took a stroll to the magnifi- 
 cent palace of the Duke of Orleans. Passing through his 
 court yard, I entered the extensive arcades which surround 
 the garden of the Palais Royal, and again gazed with won- 
 der at the matchless circuit of shops, where every thing ele- 
 gant, convenient, or curious may be procured, and visiters 
 and purchasers of all nations may be seen jostling together. 
 Passing out at the farther end, through the Rue Vivienne, 
 rich in stores, and the covered Passage des Panorames, 
 lined with little shops for the especial temptation of travel- 
 lers, into the spacious and extensive Boulevards, where no- 
 ble trees, elegant palaces, rich equipages, and amusements 
 and business of every description, give a character and 
 interest quite peculiar and really fascinating. I walked on 
 to the Place Vendome, where still stands the superb column 
 of brass erected to the military glory of Napoleon, though 
 divested of its statue, which represented him holding the 
 globe in his hand; and thence to the great open square 
 where the unfortunate Louis was beheaded, and where now 
 a statue is erecting to his memory. 
 
 Here are seen, around the palace-like edifices, called the 
 Gardes Meubles, the beautiful stone bridge, recently orna- 
 mented with colossal statues of distinguished Frenchmen; 
 the delightful plantation of woods called the Elysian Fields; 
 and the beautiful garden of the Palace of the Tuilleries, 
 whose smooth and spacious walks, close-set and towering 
 trees, fountains and basins of water with graceful swans, 
 profusion of statuary, and parterres gay with the flowers of 
 the season, are deservedly the boast of the Parisians. 
 
14 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Paris, November 29. 
 
 Oh, but this Paris is a muddy world! at least at this sea- 
 son, and for those who hunt for places they know not how 
 to direct a coachman to. Well may the inhabitants delight 
 in the comforts and magnificence of their interiors, and 
 glory in the grandeur of their public works; and much does 
 it need the charms of social intercourse, the song, the dance, 
 and,, above all, the fine arts, as a recompense for such en- 
 durance. 
 
 With difficulty the banker's residence is ascertained — 
 No. 14, Rue du Sentier Montmartre. The drivers of 
 the cabriolets know all the streets. The cabriolets are a 
 kind of chaise or gig, have better horses than the ordinary 
 hacks, and therefore go faster; the driver sits on the seat 
 with you, and you confer with him, mount and dismount 
 with great facility. I jump into one which conducts me 
 to No. 14. — No such person there as Hottinguer. Does 
 he live in this neighbourhood? The porter knows no 
 one of the name. We drive to No. 14, Boulevard Mont- 
 rnatre, and find it an unfinished house. At length a book- 
 seller suggests the idea of an almanac, in which we find 
 Hottinguer & Co., No. 20 Rue du Sentier. Again to 
 the street, and three doors from No. 14 lives M. Hottin- 
 guer. My draft is presented, but it must be stamped; 
 and I am directed to the public office, about half a mile 
 off. Arrived, 1 wait my tuna to be served, and after pay- 
 ing a duty to the government for the registry, return to 
 the banker, who receives my bill, and will account with me 
 next week. Thus commence the embarrassments to which 
 strangers are subject in a great city. 
 
 Now to the Louvre. Seventeen years ago I had seen it 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 15 
 
 as established by the munificence of Napoleon, making Hol- 
 land, Germany, and Italy tributary to it. His bust no long- 
 er appears over the door of entrance, — that of Louis XVIII. 
 has taken its place; and the gallery, although deprived of the 
 chef d'ceuvres of Raphael, Domenichino, and others, has 
 lost none of its general beauty, and still retains some of its 
 most precious objects; while the Luxembourg gallery has 
 yielded its treasures from the pencils of Rubens and Vernet 
 to fill the vacancies occasioned by the restitution of those 
 works of art, which were deemed too sacred to remain as the 
 trophies of war. 
 
 I cannot help thinking, as at my former visit to the Lou- 
 vre, that David's picture of the Sabines merited the great de- 
 cennial prize of ten thousand crowns, rather than the scene 
 of the Deluge, by Girodet, which obtained it, much to the 
 chagrin of David. It must have been the boldness, not to 
 call it extravagance, of the conception which influenced the 
 board of artists who awarded the prize. In the same man- 
 ner is extravagance in acting preferred to that which is natu- 
 ral and chaste; what seems is praised beyond what really is 
 difficult, that is, to be exactly true to nature and . just ex- 
 pression. Girodet's colouring is better than David's, which 
 is much too cold ; but the admiration of Girodet's novelty is 
 passing away, and the productions of David are more and 
 more esteemed for their classic beauty. 
 
 Few of the works of Raphael remaining in the gallery 
 are worthy his great name; but two or three of Titian's 
 possess, the richness and mastery of his pencil, as we are 
 taught to conceive it; and none of Davinci's exhibit any other 
 qualities to distinguish them than a high finish, darkness, 
 and a wretched expression of countenance. Yet still this 
 noble gallery, a quarter of a mile in extent, contains some of 
 the richest treasures of art from the Italian, Flemish, and 
 French schools. 
 
 In the hall of the statues the Apollo Belvedere has 
 left his throne to Diana a la biche; and you look round 
 
16 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 without finding the glorious group of the Laocoon! Beau- 
 tiful statues, however, surround the walls, and numerous 
 additional apartments of surpassing splendour swarm with 
 a marble population, that will require many more visits be- 
 fore I can feel as if I were sufficiently acquainted with them. 
 The eye and the imagination are overwhelmed with the 
 vast display, and acknowledge .the influence of the colossal 
 power, which could create such a spot — could thus assemble 
 the monuments of so much genius and art, and render such 
 homage to the talents of one class of men. 
 
 This whole series of halls is indeed in a style of mag- 
 nificence surpassing any conception I could have formed 
 as to what may be effected in a basement story by archi- 
 tectural skill, by means of columns, pilasters, arches, walls 
 of marble and porphery, carved and painted ceilings, pan- 
 nels of basso relievo, pedestals, statues, vases, candelabra, 
 sphinxes, busts and mosaics. It possesses some of the most 
 esteemed statues: the fighting gladiator, Germanicus, Cin- 
 cinnatus, the Venus Victrix, &c. 
 
 In another quarter of the city the Museum of Arts and 
 Trades — an immense display of machines, models, and ma- 
 nufactured articles — occupies the large halls, extensive cor- 
 ridors, and numerous chambers of an ancient monastery, 
 together with some additional buildings, into which you 
 ascend by a noble stone stairway. Here may be seen eve- 
 ry variety of ploughs, rakes, and harrows; wheelbarrows, 
 carts, and wagons; coffee-mills, and grist-mills; carding, spin- 
 ning, and weaving machines, — in short, all the models for 
 which patent rights are granted by the government, as well 
 as those which have been executed to show the state of ma- 
 nufactures in France and other countries. This valuable, 
 interesting, and instructive institution is open, two or three 
 days in the week, to the public without charge. 
 
 From the gate of St. Martin, we pursued our way on 
 tiptoe, which is the method practised by the experienced 
 Parisians to avoid throwing up the mud behind them, the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 whole length of one long street, which terminated at the 
 river side and near to the cathedral of Notre Dame; whose 
 old and grotesque carvings, turrets and painted windows,* 
 were deserving of more attention than our time now per- 
 mitted. The front, with its square towers, which are truly 
 towering, being 200 feet high, appears more modern than 
 the trussed body of the Gothic edifice. The grand cen- 
 tral doorway, large enough for a castle-loaded elephant to 
 enter, was closed. I had seen it open in 1810, to receive 
 Napoleon in his coronation robes, under a canopy of gold 
 and velvet, borne by marshals of the empire, and accom- 
 panied by tributary kings. A side door led us into its grand 
 but simple interior. A walk through its centre, under the 
 lofty roof, around the aisles and behind the altar, amidst a 
 multitude of pious women, could not but inspire respect 
 and awful admiration. 
 
 In our walk thence towards the Garden of Plants, we ob- 
 served numbers of people gazing at some workmen, who, 
 though it was Sunday, were finishing a new bridge across 
 the Seine, suspended by wires, which were elevated mid- 
 way by passing over a handsome stone archway erected on 
 a pier foundation in the centre of the river. 
 
 It was late before we reached the Garden of Plants; and 
 as the air was cool, most of the wild beasts were shut up 
 from sight; but the garden was gay with flowers and herb- 
 age and every species of evergreen — especially the little 
 mounts, covered with trees and shubbery. Again I passed 
 under the magnificent and venerable cedar of Lebanon, in 
 whose great age the additional growth of seventeen years 
 could not be perceived. From the brazen temple on the 
 top of the mount, Paris was hid in all its distant parts by 
 a hazy atmosphere, which only permitted the elegant dome 
 of St. Genevieve and a few other prominent objects to be 
 seen. I have been there when the whole city on one side 
 and a highly cultivated country on the other, lighted by an 
 evening sun, formed a brilliant panorama. 
 
 3 
 
IS 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 A dinner at one of the most frequented restaurateurs 
 in the Palais Royal is quite an interesting scene to a 
 stranger. A splendid range of apartments, open into each 
 other between columns; the walls are adorned with mir- 
 rors and lighted by gas lamps suspended from the ceilings, 
 and the floors are covered with neat tables of various sizes, 
 to accommodate three hundred persons at once, in parties 
 from two to twenty at a table. As usual, in such places, 
 two female deities, selected for their beauty and elegantly 
 dressed, preside at a throne-like counter, to make out bills 
 and receive pay; whilst the master assists his numerous 
 waiters in serving the company with whatever articles may 
 be selected from an extensive bill of fare — from the most 
 simple and cheap to the most refined and costly dishes — 
 and wines from twenty sous the bottle to Tokay at forty- 
 eight francs. Here may the bachelor economise without 
 being solitary, and the Epicure and the Gourmand indulge 
 their palates and appetites with the utmost refinement and 
 abundance of cookery. 
 
 The Pasage des Panoramas, contrived and in part exe- 
 cuted by the American Fulton, to open a short cut into 
 the Boulevards, was the first of this species of shops en- 
 closed from the weather and lighted by sky-lights. They 
 are now numerous in various parts of Paris. That of the 
 Gallerie Vivienne, near the Palais Royal, is of surpassing 
 splendour from the style of its architecture; — its illumina- 
 tion at night and the beauty, richness, and value of the ob- 
 jects which are exposed for sale. The gallery consists of 
 two passages, which run from two streets at right angles,^ 
 uniting in a spacious rotunda, with shops all round, having 
 in the centre colossal and richly carved and bronzed Can- 
 delabra, bearing a number of great globes of light, like a 
 constellation of moons, each being a large globe of ground 
 glass, surrounding an Argand or patent lamp. At the base 
 of the Candelabra, in the evening, six Italians, two women 
 and four men, with rich and well according voices, and 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 19 
 
 their violins, guitars and bass viols, execute a delightful 
 piece of music, during which a few sous are collected. The 
 crowd is then suffered to disperse and another soon assem- 
 bles, to whom the box again goes round. Music so cheap 
 and so excellent cannot but give, even to the common peo- 
 ple, a taste for its enjoyment. 
 
 For many years a temporary gallery of patched up shops, 
 or rather stalls, connected the two sides of the Palais Royal 
 at one end. These have been removed, and a most splendid 
 gallery of stone, in the finest style of architecture, is now 
 built in its place, which, though not quite finished nor yet 
 occupied by shops, was just at this time opened to the pub- 
 lic, splendidly lighted with gas lamps) having large globu- 
 lar cut and ground glasses, — the whole of its wide and ex- 
 tensive roof being glass, composed of 3260 large panes. 
 The bases of all the windows and doors are of polished 
 brass, as well as the sashes, with intermediate pannels of 
 large mirrors. When filled with rich merchandise and ad- 
 ditionally lighted in the stores, it will make a princely show 
 and delightful promenade. 
 
 The new bank, exchange, and tribunal of commerce, is 
 an extensive and magnificent quadrangular structure, en- 
 tirely surrounded by columns with a flight of steps the 
 whole breadth of the building. For the erection of this 
 edifice, which now stands in the centre of a spacious open 
 square, a number of houses have been removed and seve- 
 ral streets obliterated. Strangers are admitted into an im- 
 mense gallery surrounding the vast central hall or exchange, 
 into which, between columns, you look down; or up to the 
 sky-lighted ceiling, which scarcely rises above the cornice. 
 It is ornamented with sixteen paintings in imitation of 
 sculpture in basso relievo, so excellent as to produce a per- 
 fect illusion in the midst of the greatest profusion of real 
 ornamental carving. One of the galleries at the side has 
 a double range of twenty columns through its centre and a 
 
20 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 grand stone stair-way rising to it. The whole is warmed 
 by hidden furnaces, to a summer temperature. 
 
 The allegorical paintings representing the life of Mary 
 de Medecis, executed by Rubens for the Luxembourg gal- 
 lery, and the series of seaports by Vernet being removed 
 to the Louvre, the galleries of the Luxembourg palace 
 are filled with the works of living artists of the French 
 school, and contain some splendid, but perhaps rather too 
 splendid productions: — especially Guerin's picture of Cain 
 after the death of Abel, and of iEneas recounting to Dido 
 the misfortunes of the city of Troy; and Horace Vernet's 
 massacre of the Mamelukes in the castle of Cairo; but es- 
 pecially his rich and highly finished piece of the battle of 
 Toloza between the Spaniards and Moors. Several beau- 
 tiful statues decorate the halls. 
 
 The celebrity of the music and the dancing of the grand 
 opera, renders it necessary to visit that immense temple of 
 gaiety. Its style of architecture is imposing and its carved 
 ornaments and fluted columns are all gilt. About a hun- 
 dred musicians fill the air, curdle the blood and overwhelm 
 the imagination with their stupendous utterance. Excel- 
 lent as the music is, there is too much of it, without a mo- 
 ment's pause during each act. The air should be permitted 
 to enjoy some calm, some moments of rest,-— but musical 
 composers are impatient of applause, and dread the imputa- 
 tion of want of fluency. It is the same with the dancing — 
 it is too continuous, and the difficult is applauded more than 
 the beautiful. 
 
 Among the few churches which I have visited, two, after 
 the great cathedral of Notre Dame, are most worthy of no- 
 tice — those of St. Genevieve and St. Sulpice Of the last 
 mentioned, the front consists of two high towers connected 
 by two stories or ranges of magnificent and massive fluted 
 columns, which it is impossible to contemplate without an 
 emotion that belongs to sublimity. The interior is vast, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 21 
 
 simple and beautiful; decorated as usual with many paint- 
 ings and statues; but what is most worthy of notice is the 
 sculpture and stucco which decorate the altar behind the 
 grand altar. Above and behind it is an alcove, with a hid- 
 den sky-light, to illuminate a beautiful statue of the Holy 
 Virgin standing on a large globe, and surrounded with 
 clouds and cherubs which fill the whole alcove and termi- 
 nate among the columns on the altar. The alcove itself is 
 supported by groups of rich columns. On turning your 
 back to this alcove, standing on its steps and looking upon 
 the great altar, the body of the church and its aisles in per- 
 spective is one of the most beautiful I have seen, from the 
 combined effect of a small domed sky-light, the lofty cir- 
 cular arcades, and the extensive straight ones that skirt the 
 body of the church, which is itself terminated by an im- 
 mense organ decorated with numerous statues. 
 
 The beautiful church of St. Genevieve during the revo- 
 lutionary ferment was appropriated to the tombs of distin- 
 guished men and was called the Pantheon. It is now re- 
 stored to the purposes of religion. It may be called the 
 church of columns; besides those of the portico, the cupo- 
 la has thirty-three around it above the roof, and the inside 
 of the church in every part is filled with them, — support- 
 ing a great variety of light arches, galleries and cornices. 
 The magnificent dome consists of three cupolas, one within 
 the other, all built of stone, the lower one with a central 
 opening, through which you look up to the splendid ceiling 
 painted by Le Gros on a surface of more than 3000 square 
 feet. Between this and the outer cupola are four beautiful 
 stair cases which lead to the top of the dome; from which 
 you have a most interesting view of Paris, at an elevation 
 of three hundred feet from the base, which is itself on very 
 high ground. 
 
 Situated where it is, in the old part of the city, and sur- 
 rounded by ordinary buildings, the front of the Hotel de 
 Ville, with its highly ornamented gilt iron gate-way and 
 
22 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 lofty steps, is worthy of notice. The great hall is celebrated 
 for its size, the roof being supported by eolumns in the 
 centre, which divide it into two parts. Of a sentinel, 
 who was on guard in this hall, I asked what was the name 
 of the building, but he could not inform me, never having 
 cared to learn. 
 
 In crossing the Pont Neuf, the bridge which is the most 
 frequented thorough-fare connecting the island of the an- 
 cient city, at its lower point, with each side of the river, I 
 beheld the same appearances as when I had last seen it, se- 
 venteen years before. The same shopkeepers seemed to 
 occupy its niches with their nicknackeries, the same boot 
 cleaners, calling themselves artists, and the same dog-shear- 
 ers, with their cages of little lap-dogs and cats for sale, ap- 
 peared to be occupied at the edges of the curbstones. It is 
 true I did not precisely recollect their faces, and those of 
 seventeen years of age would certainly have puzzled me, 
 but I felt as if I had seen them only a few months past, — 
 yet, the greater part of them had passed away, and another 
 generation was now before me! One improvement had 
 taken place: — At one side of the centre, on the point of 
 the Isle, the JPlace, whose deep and solid foundation was 
 built by Napoleon, was now finished; but, instead of bear- 
 ing a high granite obelisk, an equestrian statue in bronze 
 of Henry IV. has been erected to commemorate the legi- 
 timacy of the reigning dynasty. The floating baths to 
 which you descend from the bridge by commodious stairs, 
 descending to the base of this enormous foundation, and 
 through a beautiful garden on the point of the Isle, were 
 somewhat increased in size, splendour and commodious ar- 
 rangement; and the number of similar establishments was 
 augmented and intermingled, as usual, with towering piles 
 of charcoal in large flat-bottomed boats, and long ranges of 
 floating conveniences for washing and drying large quanti- 
 ties of cloths. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 23 
 
 Notwithstanding the many attractions and the number of 
 objects that deserved attention, the lateness of the season 
 prevented my longer stay, and compelled me to defer all 
 farther examination till my return from Italy, to which I 
 was anxious to hasten. I therefore passed through the ce- 
 remonies which are required at the police office before you 
 can leave Paris, and engaged a passage for Marseilles by the 
 way of Lyons. 
 
 December 6 th. 
 
 Awakened before day and conducted through the desert- 
 ed streets to a distant court yard, from which diligences 
 depart for all parts of France, we took our seats in one be- 
 longing to the establishment of Lafitte Co., and com- 
 menced our journey to Lyons. This coach was marked 
 86: the number employed by their contractors with the re- 
 quisite horses and postilions must be great. 
 
 The days being short and cloudy, afforded us little enjoy- 
 ment or subject for remark, except that the villages through 
 which we passed were ill looking and dirty; although many 
 at a distance from the road seemed to be, and might have 
 been more pleasant. It was not until we entered Burgun- 
 dy that we saw any vineyards; — at first only young plan- 
 tations, — but, as we advanced to the hilly country surround- 
 ing the rivers which carry their waters to the Mediterra- 
 nean, they were of larger growth and better arrangement; 
 the tops of every double row of vines being tied together 
 in arches about four feet high. The habitations of the pea- 
 santry, likewise, indicating a better style of living, though 
 far removed from the comfort and cleanliness to which we 
 are accustomed. It is a matter of continual surprise to an 
 
24 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 American how so vast a population, in so rich and beauti- 
 ful a country, can bear to live unnecessarily in the midst 
 of mud. The country was in the' highest state of cultiva- 
 tion, and exhibited in December the appearance of Spring, 
 by various fields of greens, especially a kind of turnip, from 
 the seeds of which we were informed, is made an oil for 
 burning in lamps. 
 
 On arriving at a dirty little village, which was as gay as 
 they could make it in celebrating their patron, St. Antho- 
 ny, we were struck with the grandeur of the hills, and chose 
 to walk up the winding road. This, during a course of 
 about three miles, every moment brought to view, with in- 
 creasing beauty, a magnificent display of mountain and val- 
 ley, rocks, villages and plantations, surpassing any thing 
 we had ever seen. 
 
 A cold wind, drizzling atmosphere and long dark nights, 
 prevented our seeing a great part of the country between 
 this and Lyons, into which city we rattled at three o'clock 
 in the morning. The conductor having deposited us and 
 our trunks at the stage office, where nobody cared what 
 might become of us, we found our way to a hotel some dis- 
 tance off, and enjoyed the comfort of a bed to stretch out 
 our swollen legs, after the confinement of four days and 
 nearly four nights in the diligence. 
 
 Lyons, December \Oth. 
 
 We attempted to walk on the quays, but the excess of 
 mud rendered it a walk of no pleasure. The broad and 
 muddy stream flowed through the arches of the bridges, 
 like a mighty mill race; and is so rapid that mills along the 
 shore are worked by floating wheels which are turned by 
 the current. These and boats loaded with charcoal and 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 35 
 
 washerwomen, as at Paris, lined the shore. The narrow 
 streets of Lyons are paved with pebbles, which are painful 
 to the feet, there being no footways, and at this season so 
 very muddy as to excite surprise that any one who could 
 afford to get away should consent to live here. But we 
 are told that summer amply compensates them. 
 
 The old cathedral is an interesting building, rich in win- 
 dows of stained glass, and possessing some good pictures 
 without frames and an excellent animated statue of St 
 John. 
 
 Time did not permit us to visit the rooms devoted to 
 natural history, but we enjoyed a treat in the great hall 
 or gallery of pictures, in the same building. This is an 
 immense edifice, constructed in the time of Louis XIV. 
 where a small number of choice Nuns, thirteen or four- 
 teen, lived like queens in a pala.ce. The conductor directed 
 our attention to a number of beautiful pictures, the work of 
 Lyonese artists. Some of exquisite nature and finish by 
 JBiard, equally good in composition, drawing, expression, 
 and colouring; some pieces of great beauty by a native ar- 
 tist named JBonfond, now at Rome — one by Dreland, re- 
 presenting eleven artists of Lyons, all habited and occu- 
 pied as on a sketching excursion, with cattle, &c. and a 
 beautiful piece, representing Tasso receiving a visit from 
 Montaigne, with a splendid effect of stair case, down which 
 the light streams. The only work in silk which we saw 
 in Lyons w r as in this picture gallery. It is the will of 
 Louis XVI. — a beautiful imitation of letter press, and was 
 entirely executed in the loom. Each specimen, (one is 
 disposed to say impression,) costs about two hundred francs; 
 the machinery to produce it, 12,000. Here are some ex- 
 cellent specimens of Mosaic' pavements; a vast quantity of 
 curious and beautiful antiquities; a Last Supper by Jouve- 
 net; and a rich and vigorous picture by Rubens, of the ado- 
 ration of the Wise Men. The statues in bronze at the Ho- 
 tel de Ville, representing the Rhone and the Saone, are 
 
 4 
 
26 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 great pieces of work; some parts of which are good, but 
 too heavy. 
 
 The large open square called the place of Louis XV. 
 with its beautiful bronze statue, is worthy of especial ad- 
 miration. The horse struck me as being more elegant, spi- 
 rited and natural, than any I had seen in Paris. It is the 
 production of a native artist. 
 
 In the afternoon we made a random effort to get on one 
 of the eminences which rise out of the city, themselves 
 mostly covered with houses, and were fortunate in find- 
 ing our way up a steep and singular street of steps, con- 
 sisting of great blocks of stone; afterwards winding its 
 course between garden walls and solitary places, till it led 
 us to the burial ground of the city. Here we might have 
 spent a pleasant and profitable afternoon, had the walks 
 been dried by a summer sun. Some of the tombs are ele- 
 gant and costly specimens of architecture and sculpture. 
 Many were decorated with garlands of fresh flowers and 
 evergreens, others with vases of artificial flowers in glass 
 cases. 
 
 From a spot still more elevated, the city below, the two 
 rivers uniting, the distant mountains, the bridges and the 
 heights around us, formed a spectacle of surpassing beauty 
 and grandeur, and made us wish for the decoration which 
 summer must ■ spread over them. From this elevation, 
 Mont Blanc and a long range of the Alps, distant about 
 one hundred and forty miles, exhibited an effect of aerial 
 persective, intermingling with the clouds and illuminated 
 by the setting sun, such as I had never seen and could not 
 have imagined. 
 
 Descending by the step-formed narrow streets which led 
 into the busy parts of the city, every house, up to its fifth 
 story, sent out the echoes of the shuttle, rattling through 
 many an old window, the glass of which was replaced with 
 paper. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 27 
 
 December Wth. 
 
 Leaving Lyons two hours before daylight, and travelling 
 the whole of the two following nights, left us little to see 
 during the short period of daylight. We possibly might 
 have passed through some decent villages in the night time, 
 but none of those which we saw exhibited any signs of 
 cleanliness or beauty till we approached Marseilles. 
 
 From Lyons we continued a long way on the border of 
 the rapid Rhone, upon which we saw but one vessel, whilst 
 the road presented a constant succession of wagons. Such 
 a stream in America, between two great cities, would be 
 covered with steam-boats. It is contemplated to establish 
 one here. The road, as we advanced to the south, passed 
 through more abundant vineyards and the verdure of the 
 fields was more extensive; almost the whole course being 
 through a valley bounded on each side by high mountains, 
 some miles distant. We remarked along the road, vast or- 
 chards of mulberry trees, for the support of silk worms; 
 tributary to the great manufactories of silk at Lyons. 
 
 On reaching Avignon, its ancient and noble wall, with 
 its alcove cornice, parapets, towers, buttresses and gate- 
 ways, produced a lively impression on us, being the first 
 objects of the kind which we have seen; but it was nearly 
 dark as we entered the gateway, advancing only a few paces 
 to an inn where we took a hasty meal, without a minute to 
 look farther into this ancient residence of the popes, and 
 returning as we went, we could, by the light of a young 
 moon, merely again see the wall around which we drove, 
 amidst a fine public promenade near the river. 
 
 I was somewhat amused in passing through the village of 
 Vienne before reaching Orange, and on our way to Avignon, 
 
28 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 in listening to the enthusiastic recitals of an antiquarian, 
 who was in the diligence with us, of the vast number of Ro- 
 man antiquities which had been dug up in the fields here- 
 abouts; coins, medals, vases, statues, columns: — pointing 
 out to us where there had been an aqueduct, fragments of 
 antique walls incorporated with modern buildings, and an 
 old ruined bridge of unquestioned Roman workmanship. 
 He had, however, by judicious purchases and fortunate sales, 
 made a considerable profit by means of these relics; and 
 was probably sincere in his respect for them. A plain 
 ploughed field particularly delighted him, as many antiqui- 
 ties had been found there, and he had no doubt it was still 
 rich below its surface, with precious remains, totally disre- 
 garded by the peasants who trod over it, as well as by its 
 incurious owner. 
 
 At the entrance of Orange our attention was invited to 
 a beautifully proportioned Triumphal Arch, left by the 
 Romans, and a good deal injured by time; yet now under- 
 going an entire repair, by the restoration of new columns, 
 and portions of the cornice, and scraping all the old parts. 
 This meddling with the sacred remains of antiquity was 
 quite offensive to the antiquarian taste of my stage compa- 
 nion, who preferred to see them, dark and moss covered, 
 with all the picturesque dilapidations of time. We saw 
 nothing else in Orange but the remains of some old walls 
 and towers to indicate this favourite residence of the an- 
 cient Romans. 
 
 The vineyards now appeared of larger growth, and plan- 
 tations of olive trees covered the summits and sides of the 
 hills — willow trees, poplars, and even the elm, showed a 
 large remnant of their summer clothing — the grass was 
 green and long at the sides of the roads, and the gardens 
 and ditches were gay with flowers. A wintry wind, which 
 had chilled us after leaving Lyons, had died away — and 
 before we saw Marseilles, we were in a new atmosphere. 
 The roofs of the houses were flatter in their construction, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 29 
 
 as we were leaving the regions of snow; and the costume 
 of the women, showed that we were getting among ano- 
 ther people. To the caps, which were common after leav- 
 ing Paris, was added a small article of black silk, in size 
 and shape resembling a breakfast plate, stuck on the top 
 of the head. In the immediate vicinity of Marseilles, the 
 women appeared in black hats, with small round crowns 
 and broad rims. 
 
 As we approached Marseilles, the buildings to accommo- 
 date the farmers were more respectable and comfortable, 
 and more frequently to be seen on the lands which were 
 cultivated. Hitherto we had in general found the cultiva- 
 tors collected together in villages which were disgustingly 
 filthy. 
 
 Throughout the whole route we remarked quantities of 
 Lombardy poplars, planted very close together in rows so 
 as to form hedges, having the branches cut off at both sides 
 and growing to their full height. 
 
 The elevated ground we had gradually been attaining, 
 at the distance of five miles from Marseilles, brought us 
 suddenly in sight of the city, which, from its size, and the 
 quantity of country residences spreading to the bases of 
 the rocky mountains, that surround it to the north and 
 east, was itself very beautiful; but as the morning "mist, 
 which had left the land, was just at that moment rising 
 from the water, the Mediterranean sea, now for the first 
 time seen, after thirty-five years of desire, produced a sin- 
 gular sensation of pleasure; the more so, as it appeared in 
 its proper character, calm and brilliant under a mild at- 
 mosphere and soft blue sky, with light and stationary clouds. 
 The groves of olive trees were more abundant and of larger 
 growth, and rows of cypress and cedar added to the sem- 
 blance of summer. 
 
30 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 From the time we arrived at Havre, the atmosphere had 
 been constantly damp and the road muddy; but as we ap- 
 proached the Mediterranean, all was dry, the sky serene, 
 and the sun comfortably warm. 
 
 Marseilles, Dec. 13th. 
 
 From the high grounds which give you the first sight of 
 Marseilles, the postillion seems disposed to compensate for 
 past slowness by an exhilarating speed down a fine road 
 which leads to a magnificent arch of gray stone, erected to 
 celebrate some royal visit, and now finishing as the grand 
 entrance to the city. It is in the style of the ancient Ro- 
 man triumphal arches, and is richly ornamented. This 
 soon conducts you to the best portion of the city, where 
 the streets are wide, straight, and well paved with flat 
 stones, the houses handsome, and the numerous public 
 walks ornamented with columns, fountains, and rows of 
 lofty spreading elms. 
 
 These modern improvements contrast widely with the 
 older parts of the city, whose narrow, crooked and muddy 
 streets you can scarcely believe could ever have been in- 
 habited by people of the best taste and greatest opulence; 
 but that you are convinced it was so, from the costly style 
 of those ancient residences, now prostituted to the uses of 
 the lowest dregs of the people. — The streets are generally 
 furnished with side walks, which, however, are usually 
 paved with rough blocks of stones; but in most parts the 
 middle of the streets is preferred to walk in from being 
 more worn, and therefore more even, and from the little 
 interruption occasioned by few carriages. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 31 
 
 To obtain a general idea of the situation of the city, 
 strangers are recommended to an old fortress on the sum- 
 mit of a mountain of white rock or marble, which rises 
 out of the city towards the sea. The view from this spot 
 is of great extent and grandeur, showing the Mediterra- 
 nean to the west and south, smooth and level as an inland 
 lake, with a long line of indented rocky coast, a spacious 
 outer bay, with its rocky isles, and a great oblong square 
 inlet which constitutes the singular and beautiful harbour 
 of Marseilles, walled up with regular masonry, surround- 
 ed with warehouses and shops, and filled with shipping. 
 On this fortress, which is curious from its massive walls, 
 turrets and parapets, unaltered for ages, are stationed signal 
 poles and telegraphs. Here is a curious subterranean cha- 
 pel, dedicated to the Virgin, where prayers are especially 
 offered for the protection of seamen. It is filled with vo- 
 tive offerings for their safe return, consisting of pictures, 
 models of ships, &c. A story is told of an old woman, 
 who, her son being long at sea, prayed here in vain for his 
 return. At length, impatient of the delay, she secretly 
 bore away the image of the Virgin from the little chapel, 
 probably with the view of coercing her by constant impor- 
 tunity. After some months, when her son fortunately re- 
 turned home, the image was found restored to its place, 
 and the author of its removal only suspected from the co- 
 incidence of circumstances. 
 
 Our ascent was up a wide paved road, which was fa- 
 shioned somewhat like broad steps, and our descent in ano- 
 ther direction by a beautiful winding pathway, ornamented 
 with shrubs and flowers, as a promenade for the citizens, 
 connected with a long straight street, decorated with trees 
 and handsome buildings. 
 
 The quays, which are wide, and paved with large flat 
 stones, were filled with a swarm of people of all nations. 
 The greater part, however, are natives of dark complexions 
 and coarse features, both men and women; ragged, patched, 
 
32 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 and dirty, but indulging in much broad garrulity and good 
 humour, apparently contented with their condition. The 
 quay is broadest in front of the Hotel de Ville, and is the 
 chief rendezvous of merchants. Here terminates the walk 
 of the fashionables, intermingling, in the true spirit of 
 commerce, with all the rest of the world. 
 
 A number of Greeks are seen walking on the quays, 
 some of whom are very splendidly dressed in rich cloths 
 and silks — always wearing white turbans over an interior 
 crown-piece of red. They all have mustachios, and are 
 of very various expressions of countenance and feature. 
 Those of the poorest class wear slippers, but no stockings. 
 
 Sunday we were invited to attend service at an Episco- 
 pal church, recently built, in which the congregation is ac- 
 commodated with benches to sit on, and boards to keep 
 their feet from the cold stone floor. A Swiss congregation 
 of Protestants attend at a subsequent hour in the same 
 place. 
 
 From this neat modern building we visited the Cathe- 
 dral, which never by its external deformity would have in- 
 vited our attention, or raised a suspicion that it owned so 
 pompous a title. Altered from some old Roman building, 
 with irregular additions from time to time, it has scarcely 
 the appearance of a church outside; and within we found 
 it composed of various recesses for altars of little interest, 
 pictures of no beauty, and architecture of no taste or cha- 
 racter. But the great organ is a curiosity worth seeing. 
 It is profusely ornamented with sculptured figures and 
 other carvings, in walnut and oak, and was probably the 
 ne plus ultra of the art as it existed at Brussels in 1637. 
 It is said to be a \nery fine instrument — but it was silent 
 when we saw it. * 
 
 The Museum, or Gallery of the Arts, which is open to 
 the public, possesses some specimens of ancient Greek and 
 Roman remains, plaister casts of antique statues, and a 
 number of very bad pictures, among which a few very 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 33 
 
 good ones may be selected — One by Vien 9 of Christ heal- 
 ing the sick and the lame; a Madonna, by Guido; a Boar 
 hunt, by Rubens, and a few others. 
 
 At the Institution of the Board of Health, I was much 
 pleased with David's picture of the Pestilence of Marseilles, 
 which he painted at Rome for this his native city, in a bet- 
 ter style of colouring and composition than he afterwards 
 practised. Gerard's picture, representing Marseilles' good 
 Bishop relieving the sufferers in the same pestilence, is in- 
 tended for a companion to decorate the same chamber. As 
 he only charges six thousand francs for it, the board have 
 determined to give him a splendid silver vase, the design 
 for which was shown to me. It is about 16 or 18 inches 
 high, of beautiful proportion, and ornamented with figures 
 in relief. 
 
 The buildings in which the Board of Health presides, 
 under a great fortress, occupy the entrance of the harbour 
 on one side, in front of which, at anchor, lie the vessels 
 under quarantine. On the opposite side are the ruinous 
 fortifications of St. Nicholas— -Fort within fort, bastion 
 over bastion, to a surprising extent; but dilapidated during 
 the Revolution, and now only occupied as barracks. A 
 walk on the promontory beyond this gave us a fine view of 
 the bay and the islands, between which are stationed such 
 vessels as are compelled to perform a more rigid qua- 
 rantine. 
 
 Three quarters of an hour's ride, took us to the Chateau 
 Borelli, to visit which, it was necessary to procure a tic- 
 ket — the proprietor at present residing at Paris. It is a 
 peculiarity in the environs of Marseilles, unfavourable to 
 the pedestrian, that the roads are lined on each side with 
 stone walls, with but few openings through which to see 
 either the gardens or country. We could scarcely look 
 over them from our carriage. The entrance to Borelli 
 through its gateway, over its broad terrace, past its ever- 
 green woods and pond with living swans, to this little pa- 
 
 5 
 
34 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 lace of gray stone and simple but handsome architecture. 
 All are in accordance with the rank of its owner as a peer 
 of France. 
 
 The whole stairway, ceilings, halls and chambers .are or- 
 namented with architectural and other paintings, basso re- 
 lievos, &c. executed by Chat, of Marseilles, who received, 
 instead of a fixed sum, for his labour, a pension for life of 
 three hundred and sixty dollars per annum. He died late- 
 ly at Paris at a very advanced age. 
 
 A fine bronze gladiator stands in the hall, besides other 
 pieces of sculpture. A large room, contains fourteen pic- 
 tures, comprising the history of Tobit, painted by Paro- 
 cel, in which 1 found some agreeable composition and 
 colouring. In another room was a large picture by Pietro 
 de Cortina, of the Rape of the Sabines — rich and ani- 
 mated. In the upper hall the Plague of Marseilles, paint- 
 ed by Jean de Troy, is a large, spirited, and warmly co- 
 loured composition. 
 
 In extensive suits of rooms, which are elegantly orna- 
 mented with pictures, are some by Mignard, Teniers, 
 Rembrandt, Vernet, Puset, &c. But the picture most 
 valued, is a small altar piece, in a little chapel, in a wing 
 of the building. It is a holy family by Andrea del Sarto. 
 The sky light, by which it was seen, was rather dim, but 
 I did not hesitate to acknowledge that it is a more beauti- 
 ful than any by the same artist which are at present in the 
 Louvre. In front of the altar is a most exquisite piece of 
 Sculpture, in alto relievo, by Fillippo Valle. Four basso 
 relievos over the doors representing the life of St. Louis 
 by Fonco, and four beautiful little cherubs, supporting ba- 
 sins of holy water, besides two good paintings on the side 
 walls, which are of rich marble — complete its decoration. 
 If only two objects were to be selected by the visiter to 
 Marseilles, the panoramic view from the elevated fortress, 
 and this chateau, with its precious little chapel, should be 
 chosen. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 35 
 
 During our ride to Borelli, I remarked effects of atmos- 
 phere, such as I had never seen in nature before, but re- 
 cognised as true in the pictures of Claude and Vernet — a 
 hazy horizon— masses of mountains resembling clouds in 
 colour, pale and gray — the front objects more and more dis- 
 tinct — and all this without the disagreeable sensation of 
 fog or dampness. The branches of the trees here are not 
 covered with green moss as they are between Havre and * 
 Lyons, the shapes are less wild and fantastic, and the gar- 
 dens exhibit the same style of cultivation as with us in the 
 summer. 
 
 The Hotel de Ville, designed and executed by Puget, 
 who, as sculptor, painter and architect, is the boast of Mar- 
 seilles, is now a respectable, and must formerly have been 
 considered a magnificent edifice, when the prevailing taste 
 was not to be surfeited with a profusion of sculpture and 
 ornaments. The great stairway, leading to the rooms of 
 the City Councils, is a noble structure of white marble, 
 ornamented with a statue of the Liberator, grasping an 
 iron sword. 
 
 In the great hall are two pictures, both representing the 
 memorable pestilence of 1720, when 50,000 persons, out 
 of a population of 90,000, perished by disease and want. 
 The pictures were painted five years after the event, by 
 Puget, who was an eye witness of the distressing scenes, 
 in representing which he appears to have displayed his ut- 
 most talent. The good Bishop de Belsunse, magistrates, 
 and other pious persons, are represented performing the 
 last offices of kindness to the sick and dying, in all imagi- 
 nable situations, amid the putrifying carcasses of their friends 
 and fellow citizens. It is an awful and most distressing 
 scene, and appears to be the only historical subject chosen 
 by the artists of Marseilles, or paid for by the public au- 
 thorities. 
 
 In the mayor's room is a whole length portrait of Louis 
 XIV. » by Mignard, with a sad distressed countenance; 
 
36 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Louis XVIII. and the Duchess de Berri, by Gerard; and 
 the good Bishop de Belsunse, by Langlois, with pestilence 
 again in the back ground — a good and animated picture. 
 
 The Marsellois attach great interest to 'four portraits 
 painted by Mademoiselle Duparc, a peasant in this neigh- 
 bourhood, who, about one hundred and thirty-two years 
 ago, without the advantages of instruction, painted the like- 
 nesses of herself, her sister, father and mother, which at 
 her death she bequeathed to the city, and which are pre- 
 served in an adjoining room as a testimonial of extraordi- 
 nary talent in humble life. 
 
 In the harbour here we see, for the first time, those ves- 
 sels peculiar to the Mediterranean, with two masts and 
 great oblique yards, which it is said, are managed more 
 quickly than ours to suit the sudden changes of wind which 
 occur during winter. 
 
 The vessels in the harbour are all moored in rows, side 
 by side, with their bows towards the quay or wharf, which 
 runs in a straight unbroken line, so that boats are required 
 to approach the vessels. The middle of the basin is an un- 
 interrupted sheet of smooth water, over which the expert 
 boatmen, from their station at the head of the quay, are 
 ready in light boats with cushioned seats, for a sous or two, 
 to take you to any ship or part of the dock below. It is 
 not uncommon to see boats managed entirely by women 
 and even by very little girls. 
 
 But there cannot be a better proof of the general mild- 
 ness and certainty of fair weather here, than the number 
 of tinmen, workers in sheet iron, cobblers, &c. who have 
 at once their stalls and work benches in the open streets, 
 without any covering — the most industrious working with 
 their backs to the passing throng. Multitudes of women, 
 likewise, go without bonnets; although some, in the style 
 of the neighbouring peasantry, wear over their caps a wool- 
 len hat, like a man's, with small crown and large rim. 
 
 At the moment of my making these remarks on the mild- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 37 
 
 ness of the climate I cannot forbear mentioning, that oppo- 
 site my window, on a tiled roof, reclining in a snug corner 
 against a chimney, is a stout hearty man, with his blacking 
 pot and shoe brushes, dozing and basking in the sun, en- 
 joying, in luxurious solitude, a respite from his labour. 
 
 I have remarked but few carriages in use, either public 
 or private. Almost every thing is carried about the city 
 on asses; even firewood, which, in long branches trailing 
 the ground, rests on each side of the animal, supported upon 
 wooden trusses or hooks. 
 
 Enormous loads of baggage and merchandise are carried 
 about the city by men. A rope passes under the goods and 
 is tied to a stick, which is supported between two men, the 
 goods being raised very little above the ground. 
 
 A fashion prevails among the carters to curry the hair of 
 their horses in a straight line from their ears to the shoul- 
 ders above the joint, and along the flanks to the tail; so that 
 all the back and sides are smooth, whilst the lower parts 
 are shaggy. 
 
 Abundance of fruit is to be had here, and grapes of a fine 
 quality at three sous a pound — every thing being sold by 
 weight, even apples and potatoes. Immense quantities of 
 chesnuts are seen in every street, and wagon loads of them 
 are piled up in stores and even in the streets, upon one of 
 which I observed an old woman who had them for sale, 
 stretched out asleep, high and dry, as on a great bank. 
 
 A species of echinus or sea-egg, covered with brown 
 spikes are sold at the fruit stalls. They are cut open with 
 scissars and spread out, exposing a delicate looking red flesh, 
 which I had not the curiosity to taste. 
 
 Vine trimmings are so abundant that large quantities of 
 them, tied up in bundles like fagots, are sold very cheap 
 to kindle fires. They produce a quick and lively flame. 
 
38 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 December 1 3th. 
 
 We had taken our seats to go by Aix to Nice and Genoa, 
 but suddenly concluded to take passage in a Neapolitan ship 
 which is to sail in a few days for Naples, rather than en- 
 counter the fatigue of travelling by land at a season so un- 
 favourable to the enjoyment of landscape scenery. A few 
 weeks earlier this route would not have been chosen, as 
 the Algerines were at war with Naples, and still are with 
 France. 
 
 •In Marseilles and its neighbourhood we saw, for the first 
 time, herds of goats — though neither the goat herds nor 
 the shepherds we have yet met with, at all resemble the 
 interesting creatures of the novelists. 
 
 Marseilles being celebrated for its soap, it was desirable 
 to visit one of the many extensive manufactories of an ar- 
 ticle which is taken to all parts of the world. On enter- 
 ing it, instead of the offensive odour which always prevails 
 in such establishments in America, where tallow with pu- 
 trid matter is often employed, I was surprised by quite 
 an agreeable perfume; instead of tallow, nothing but sweet 
 olive oil being employed, combined with barilla. Even 
 the soap itself, in quantities, has but a slight and not disa- 
 greeable odour, especially in such vast halls as those in 
 which the work is carried on. Beneath the pavement are 
 capacious cisterns, holding thousands of barrels of oil, from 
 which it is pumped up as it is required, to be mixed with 
 the barilla in ranges of square boilers along the wall, and 
 afterwards conveyed to capacious circular brick boilers for 
 concentration; then spread out in extensive shallow vats to 
 harden. It is afterwards cut into great square blocks, like 
 building stones, before it is taken into the upper rooms, to 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 39 
 
 be weighed and cut into smaller blocks, then stamped and 
 packed up. It is curious to see masses of soap cut so quick- 
 ly and easily by merely drawing a wire through them. Both 
 ends of the wire are fastened to a short stick, making a loop 
 of the wire, which is put over the block of soap into notches 
 at the corners; both hands of the workman grasping the 
 stick, and his foot placed against the soap, and throwing the 
 weight of his body back, in one moment a cut is made 
 through a square of fourteen inches diameter. The olive 
 oil which is destined for these manufactories of soap, as 
 well as the salt, which is used with sulphur in making a fac- 
 titious barilla, are prevented passing into commerce as arti- 
 cles of food, by the mixture of a small quantity of tar, which 
 spoils their taste, but does no injury to the soap. Salt and 
 olive oil otherwise pay a heavy duty. 
 
 The calm mild weather w T hich we have so long enjoyed 
 here has given place to a strong north wester, which is com- 
 plained of, with good reason, as extremely "disagreeable 
 from its violence, coldness and the dust it raises; but it is 
 esteemed wholesome in drying up the mud, blowing out 
 the foul air from narrow streets, and especially for setting 
 in motion the water of the harbour, which does not rise 
 or fall by any tide, and becomes charged with impurities 
 from the neighbouring houses. After two days' blustering, 
 the atmosphere settled again to the mildness of spring, 
 when the cobblers, tinmen and other workmen, resumed 
 their stations in the streets. 
 
 December 25th. 
 
 Nothing has served to distinguish Christmas but the unu- 
 sual display made in the cake and toy shops, and the quan- 
 tities of evergreens, which have been selling for some days} 
 
40 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 except that (Thursday as it is,) all the stores are closed, no 
 business is doing on the quays, and the women in the streets 
 appear with clean caps and washed faces. A walk on the 
 quay at this time was more agreeable, as it was less dirtily 
 thronged, and the long ranges of vessels were gay with the 
 flags of every nation. At the church of Notre Dame du 
 Mont, we heard mass with a body of military, who marched 
 in to the beat of twenty drums, and were stationed in two 
 rows down the body of the church; the officers advanced 
 in the central opening; and the band, stationed at one side 
 near the altar, performed a fine piece of music. It was cu- 
 rious to witness the soldiers manoeuvring their guns at the 
 word of command, with their bear skin caps on; yet, at 
 the elevation of the host, dropping on one knee and bow- 
 ing the head for some moments, during a roll of the drum; 
 after which the music again struck up, and finished with a 
 joyous animated strain. 
 
 A crowd of people were collected on the quay to see a 
 handsome Turkish horse which was just landed, elegantly 
 caparisoned with gold or gilt plates, tassels, trappings, hol- 
 sters and appendages to the curious saddle which was co- 
 vered with purple velvet. I was particularly pleased with the 
 beauty and spirit of his head, and his graceful movements, 
 which reminded me of the horses in Vandyke's pictures. 
 
 A party of Egyptians have just arrived from Navarino, 
 on business relative to the frigate which is building here 
 for the Pacha. They are the first human beings I have 
 seen to authenticate the character which we observe in the 
 ancient Egyptian sculpture — High aquiline noses, retreat- 
 ing foreheads and thick lips ; their complexions varying from 
 a pale brown to a dark copper colour, and some of their 
 servants nearly black. Their costume is scarlet cloth much 
 ornamented with gold lace; ample petticoat breeches, orna- 
 mented leggings and slippers. One of them wears a rich 
 cashmere shawl, wrapped into the form of a turban; the 
 others plain red cloth caps with blue tassels. The servants 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 41 
 
 are in cloth of various colours, ornamented with silk lace, 
 and some with appendages resembling a second pair of long 
 sleeves, cut open at one side and hanging behind their shoul- 
 ders. Their chins are shaved, but they all wear mustachios, 
 and have a shrewd and intelligent aspect. 
 
 December 21th. 
 
 Having embarked and set sail at dusk, and reconciled our- 
 selves, as well as we could, to the want of accommodation 
 and cleanliness, we had the pleasure of waking in the 
 morning opposite the port of Toulon, which appears sur- 
 rounded by rocky mountains. The aerial perspective of 
 these, in the light and vapoury atmosphere of the Mediter- 
 ranean, was beautiful, as they long lingered on the sight: 
 whilst a great extent of snowy Alps, resembling masses of 
 white but angular clouds, showed their distant heights at our 
 left. The whole extent too of the island of Corsica, at thirty 
 miles distance, with its snow-capped mountains shining bright 
 in the sun, now began to occupy our attention in front; not 
 without some recollections of that fertile genius who was 
 born amid its barren rocks, to dominate over human ener- 
 gies. 
 
 When the steep shores of Sardinia appeared to the right, 
 showing us the passage between the two islands, and pro- 
 mising a speedy termination to our voyage, the ignorance and 
 timidity of our captain induced him to prefer the broader 
 course of the sea, by going entirely around the island of Sar- 
 dinia, although the wind was less favourable ; and we slowly 
 skirted the long line of that uninteresting shore, during four 
 
 6 
 
42 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 tedious days. At length, the celebrated rocks called the 
 Bull, the Cow, and the Calf, which stand out beyond the ex- 
 treme point of .the island, made us rejoice at the prospect of 
 soon doubling them, and then bearing away with a fair wind di- 
 rectly down upon Naples. But just as we were about to ac- 
 complish this pleasant purpose, the mistrale, or north-west 
 wind, so much dreaded by Mediterranean navigators, struck 
 us, and continued to increase with so much force, that after 
 making more than half our way to Naples, where in imagi- 
 nation we were already enjoying ourselves, the captain, on 
 the seventh night, having scarcely any command of the ves- 
 sel amid the angry wind and waves, and in total darkness, 
 talked of turning the ship about and seeking a port at Paler- 
 mo in Sicily. This unwelcome intelligence, after some dis- 
 cussion among the passengers, was first tolerated, and then 
 fancied ; so that they were quite disappointed before mid- 
 night to learn that we could keep our course, as the gale was 
 moderating. 
 
 This desire of seeing Palermo, was less to enjoy its anti- 
 quities than to get on shore; provoked by the want of com- 
 fortable accommodations, and disgusted with bad provisions, 
 worse cooking, and filthy attendance. The storm at length 
 subsided, and though no land was in sight, we were glad to 
 rise from our sick beds and walk the deck in the grateful 
 beams of the sun. 
 
 We were not without amusement on board, having four 
 grinning monkeys, four screaming parrots, two fat lazy cats, 
 and one ill-natured growling dog. With these, the captain, 
 mate, and sailors promiscuously amused themselves, as if 
 there was no subordination among them. Yet the captain 
 and mate contrived to get their wishes executed, without the 
 noise of command, or the semblance of authority ; and, what 
 was more unexpected to us, without the least reliance on the 
 Virgin Mary; to whom none of them offered even an ejacu- 
 lation during the greatest perils of the gale. 
 
 Late in the afternoon, the island of Ischia, which lies across 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 13 
 
 the entrance to the bay of Naples, was perceived like a cloud 
 in the horizon, about forty miles distant. A favourable breeze 
 having arisen, we had the pleasure next morning of approach- 
 ing, and soon of passing the island, which appeared like an 
 immense barren rock, sprinkled over with white stones, 
 that, on approaching nearer, were discovered to be houses. 
 The rocks hold sufficient soil to support numerous little vine- 
 yards, which produce an abundant harvest of a peculiar 
 wine. 
 
 On entering the bay of Naples, unfortunately the atmos- 
 phere became foggy, the sun disappeared, and nothing but 
 the general forms of objects could be perceived, till we had 
 advanced midway : a few gleams of sunshine then showed 
 us on every rock, promontory, and hill, numerous habitations, 
 which, through the mist, at a distance, and on elevations 
 greater than we imagined, had appeared like oyster-shells 
 sprinkled on the ground. Vesuvius, all the while, was co- 
 vered with a cloud, which veiled its peculiar character. But 
 when we approached the city, for a few minutes it brightened 
 up a little, Vesuvius showed its double head, though not the 
 extreme summits, and consequently we still saw no smoke to 
 produce the conviction of its identity. Castles, forts, towns, 
 villages, the opening prospect of Naples itself with its colos- 
 sal fortress frowning over the city — a splendid convent be- 
 neath, on a beautiful eminence, apparently an extensive gar- 
 den, — and on a more distant hill, a palace of the king; — all 
 these objects gradually brightened into realities, with the full 
 charm of novelty. 
 
 Peace being concluded with Algiers, our cannon on the 
 deck had not been loosened from their fastenings; but, elated 
 by the prospect of soon landing, and considering that all the 
 gunpowder on board must be consigned to the king's maga- 
 zine, it was determined, in mere gaiety of heart, to announce 
 ourselves by a few discharges. The sailors with great glee 
 made the necessary preparations, and six guns gave notice of 
 our ajrrival, but contributed, by exciting some notoriety, to 
 
44 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 embarrass our measures to debark without performing a need- 
 less quarantine. 
 
 We approached the inner harbour as the wind increased 
 to a gale, and were scarcely attached to our station opposite 
 the health office, when it blew with such violence as to 
 drive us from our fastenings, and we were in great danger of 
 striking on the rocks. During three hours, we laboured in 
 this peril, until, with the assistance of some additional hands, 
 and the people on shore, we were at length safely moored 
 with half a dozen cables' abreast of a man of war, in spite 
 of this most terrific hurricane — our decks entirely covered 
 with ropes which had been used in heaving in. But no 
 health officers appearing, we were obliged to remain on 
 board, and partook at a late hour of a welcome collation of 
 fresh provisions, which the owner sent us from the shore. 
 
 This must certainly be an unusual entrance into Naples ! 
 No glowing sunset — no placid surface on its capacious bay, 
 now a rolling sea — its islands dim and gloomy — all distant ob- 
 jects lost in mist — the air, a blast as offensive as that on the 
 banks of Newfoundland — the harbour itself a place of danger 
 — and shipwreck scarcely prevented within its mole. Instead 
 of the sounds of gaiety in a city of pleasure, nothing but a 
 confused cry of rough voices, mingling with the angry and tre- 
 mendous rush of the winds and waves under a stormy sky of 
 driving clouds. Can this be lovely Italy into which I have 
 entered ? Can this be Naples ? 
 
 Naples, Jan. 6 th, 1829. 
 
 We endured much delay and anxious expectation, with the 
 dread of being sent down to the quarantine ground, because 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 43 
 
 our ship had been to the West Indies, though she had per- 
 formed thirty days quarantine at Marseilles, and was fur- 
 nished with regular bills of health. During all this time we 
 were surrounded by a swarm of boats, filled with men voci- 
 ferating in every possible manner the harsh Neapolitan dia- 
 lect, which conveyed no idea of the musical language of Ita- 
 ly; and when we obtained permission to land, these half na- 
 ked, brown skinned brawlers, boatmen and porters, by their 
 numbers and officiousness, incommoded us much more than 
 they served us. 
 
 I have not read any description of Naples which did not 
 begin with a fascinating account of its bay, its palaces, gar- 
 dens and walks. We certainly have entered it at the wrong 
 end. Better is it to see the bay by going out from shore on 
 a fine day, and best it must be to enter it by land, for those 
 who would not experience the purgatory of its custom-house. 
 A whole day was consumed in fatiguing exertions, and te- 
 dious suspense, before we could enjoy the privilege of pos- 
 sessing our trunks. 
 
 The custom-house officers having taken charge of the ves- 
 sel, and sealed up every trunk, instead of landing the bag- 
 gage themselves, required us to get a permit from the shore. 
 As I undertook this office, I had the opportunity of witness- 
 ing a scene I should never otherwise have conceived. On 
 entering the vast vaulted hall, in which goods are received, 
 the noise of porters, weighers and packers, calling out to 
 each other at the highest pitch of the strongest voices, min- 
 gling with the shrill cries of cake women, idle boys, and beg- 
 gars, suggested the idea of a besieged city, destined to imme- 
 diate ruin, and that it was the riot of escape, despair and des- 
 peration. Through every vaulted arch the open offices rang 
 with the din from below 5 the clerks themselves, from time 
 to time, vociferating in the general chorus, in sudden bursts 
 of apparent rage and impatience, yet in a few moments set- 
 tling down into a steady calm ; like their own Mediterra- 
 
46 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 nean — its pleasant surface suddenly whipped into rage and 
 fury, and as suddenly subsiding. 
 
 I will not attempt to describe the curious, minute, and 
 formal examination of the contents of each trunk to the 
 bottom — every package, hole and corner. They were final- 
 ly given up to us, with the exception of our books and 
 pamphlets, which must undergo an ecclesiastical as well as 
 political examination. Three hours next day were consumed 
 in efforts to regain our books, which was effected by fees, 
 duties, and patient attendance through much explanation and 
 many signatures. 
 
 I cannot forbear making this memorandum on the custom- 
 house transactions, because it is evident that if a milder 
 and more inviting conduct were pursued, the commerce of 
 the place would be greatly promoted. 
 
 Indeed the whole business of landing at Naples, with the 
 police and custom-house examinations, signatures, permits, 
 duties, re-examinations, fees and impositions, is so trouble- 
 some and vexatious, that it constitutes a serious drawback 
 to any advantage there may be in coming to Naples by wa- 
 ter. I should never recommend this course, and chiefly as 
 it is desirable to see as much as possible by land, taking 
 different routes in going and returning. 
 
 Naples, at the head of its bay, is built on a level shore, at 
 the foot of a high hill, which partly hides it in the approach 
 by water; except that portion which is built on the hill itself, 
 crowned by the great square fort or castle of St. Elmo, from 
 which a ridge descends to a street at the water's edge, and 
 projects into the bay, to form the rocky foundation of the 
 castle of the Egg. The city chiefly consists of narrow, 
 crooked, but well paved streets, lined with stupendous masses 
 of buildings, reaching five, six, and seven stories high. One 
 grand, though not very broad street, the Toledo, stretches 
 its whole length at the base of the hill, and is the great tho- 
 roughfare of the city, running from the square on which 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 47 
 
 stands the King's palace to the other end of the city where 
 are the spacious buildings of the Royal Academy, which con- 
 tain the galleries of paintings and statues, and the precious 
 relics of Herculaneum and Pompeii. With a population of 
 three hundred and fifty thousand persons, crowded into a 
 small compass, a large portion of whom live and lounge or 
 work in the streets, the continual visitation of strangers, the 
 motion and noise of numerous carriages, and the bustle every 
 where — Naples possesses the character of being the most 
 animated and lively city in Italy. 
 
 A stranger's first walk is through the Toledo to the Great 
 Square, which is occupied by the Royal Palace on one side, 
 opposite to an elegant new church, while the Queen's Palace 
 is at one end, and that of the Prince at the other. After passing 
 the palace, a low wall permits you to look over on the immense 
 courts, houses, and roofs below, constituting the King's Arse- 
 nal, and affording him protection by land and the means of 
 escape by water. In pursuing the street, along the water's 
 edge, the other extremity of Naples is seen, curving round 
 the head of the bay, to the long line of public granaries, 
 and opposite rises Vesuvius — now, just clear of clouds, the 
 crater filled with smoke, and the Outer edges with snow or 
 hail, of which in the morning there was a sudden and vio- 
 lent shower. A long line of houses, most of them fitted 
 up for the accommodation of strangers, here fronts on the 
 bay, with the advantage of the public walk which com- 
 mences just beyond them. This pleasure ground, called the 
 Villa Feale, is beautifully laid out, with smooth and va- 
 ried walks, which are ornamented with fountains, statues, and 
 columns, the last of polished lava, each in a single piece, 
 twenty feet long. The grounds are covered with delightful 
 groves, various species of trees, shrubbery, and flowers, to 
 the extent of a mile; the whole extends along the very edge 
 of the bay, and midway is a semi-octagonal projecting ter- 
 race, from which you have a fine view of the city, Vesuvius, 
 and the bay. We had reason, also, to be delighted with the 
 
48 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY, 
 
 performances of the royal military band, consisting of forty 
 musicians, who execute daily on this promenade a number of 
 pieces with unusual taste and skill. 
 
 In returning towards our quarters, we met a great throng 
 of carriages going to the Villa for an airing before the hour 
 of fashionable dinner; and in the train we were shown the 
 queen and princess, in an open barouche, and without any 
 guards — a good looking lady, gaily drest in the French fa- 
 shion, with a large bonnet. 
 
 The Museo Barbonico or Studio is a vast building, dedi- 
 cated to the fine arts, with a magnificent front and door way, 
 consistent with the reputation of Naples and the importance 
 which is attached to the objects of art. An immense hall, 
 into which carriages sometimes enter, conducts you past the 
 galleries of antique statues on both sides, and high arches, 
 beneath which stand two colossal equestrian statues, modelled 
 by Canova, to the grand massive marble stair-case, ornament- 
 ed with antique statuary, which leads to the picture galleries 
 and the treasures of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 
 
 Three hours spent here, which is time enough for one vi- 
 sit, only, enabled us to take a cursory view of the paintings. 
 One of the rooms was rich in possessing, and I Was delighted 
 in seeing, several pictures of the highest order of merit. 
 Titian's Danae, one of the few pictures of this master which 
 is bright and fresh; a beautiful Infant Angel by Schidone; a 
 fine portrait of Columbus by Parmigiano; an admirable one 
 of Leo X. by Raphael, or copy by Jlndrea del Sarto; a 
 holy family by Raphael; and a beautiful picture of a Venus, 
 Child, and Satyr, by Jinnibal CaraccL 
 
 This was the only room in which we saw any artists co- 
 pying — but it is large and well-lighted, and the few good pic- 
 tures it possesses are worth more than all the rest of the col- 
 lection together. The most beautiful copies made in this 
 gallery are those done on ivory in miniature, — often beauti- 
 fully drawn, richly coloured, and remarkably cheap. 
 
 In the adjoining room is one of the most beautiful little pic- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 49 
 
 tares I have seen by Raphael — a Holy Family — in which the 
 landscape possesses the singular merit of harmonizing with 
 the figures and being natural at the same time. 
 
 In another series of rooms I remarked a fine and wonder- 
 fully painted head of Rembrandt, by himself, the roughest 
 and most singular application of paint I have ever seen; ex- 
 cellent portraits by Vandyke and Mirveld; an uncommonly 
 well-painted St. Sebastian by Ribera; a beautiful Holy Family 
 by Massino; the Annunciation by Francesco Curio; an ex- 
 traordinary and very excellent picture by Salvator Rosa, of 
 ten figures, half length, representing Christ disputing with the 
 Doctors; some spirited battle-pieces by Luca Giordano, and 
 two large altar-pieces, by the same artist, with numerous 
 figures of great animation ; one of which he painted in five 
 days. It is said, that Luca early showed great facility with 
 his pencil, yet his avaricious father urged him to greater speed, 
 so that he went by the name of his father's daily salutation, 
 Luca fa presto, (Luke make- haste.) It is to be lamented, 
 that from the vanity to preserve the reputation of a rapid 
 painter, when he was no longer urged by his father, he has 
 slighted the finish and perfection of his animated composi- 
 tions, in a manner inconsistent with the talent and ability 
 which it is evident he possessed. 
 
 There are here many other pictures of merit, but I have 
 named all that most powerfully arrested my attention, and 
 which I could not forbear noting. The various rooms con- 
 tain specimens of all the schools ; but, although such objects 
 are interesting in tracing the progress of the arts, it required 
 some effort to look at them in the neighbourhood of those of 
 better periods and of greater masters. Yet, such is the di- 
 versity of tastes, that a gentleman in the gallery declared to 
 me, that the picture which pleased him most, in the whole 
 collection, was one which represented the blind leading the 
 blind, the foremost falling into a ditch; and the rest, a gro- 
 tesque succession of figures, holding on to each other, and fast 
 
 7 
 
50 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 following — a production of the Dutch school, but little above 
 ordinary carricature. 
 
 As the Museum closed at two o'clock, and finding ourselves 
 at one extremity of the city, we determined to walk out- 
 wards to the country. On arriving at the Bridge of the Sa- 
 nita, built under the administration of Murat, by which a 
 perfect level is made of that part of the city and neighbour- 
 ing hill, and a valley is enclosed, thickly built, with several 
 streets of tall houses, whose tops do not reach the height of 
 the bridge, or rather road built on arches — we looked down 
 upon a multitude of flat terrace roofs, upon which the inha- 
 bitants dry their clothes and perform other domestic business. 
 Raising our eyes from this singular set of objects, we were 
 struck with the grandeur of Vesuvius, which was seen to its 
 very base, and to a great extent on each side. The upper 
 portions of the mountain, covered with snow, received the 
 brightest rays of the afternoon's sun, distinctly showing the 
 edges of the crater and large volumes of smoke, as white as 
 the clouds which hung immediately over it, hiding a portion 
 of its summit. It presented a beautiful effect of aerial per- 
 spective, in the bluish colour of its shadows, and the still bluer 
 forms of the more distant mountains, as they were contrasted 
 with the nearer objects and villages at the base of the moun- 
 tain. 
 
 Perceiving a stranger leaning on the parapet with his 
 guide-book, similarly engaged, I questioned him in French 
 concerning some of the surrounding objects ; for a while he 
 replied in French, but at length, in native English, said, that 
 he presumed he could give me more satisfaction in my own 
 language. Such accidental meetings frequently occur to di- 
 versify and improve the traveller's route. We, therefore, 
 agreed to join him on an unpremeditated visit to the Cata- 
 combs of Santa Maria delta Vita, which were near this 
 spot. Descending into the valley of houses, and then rising 
 to the foot of a neighbouring hill, we entered the court yard 
 of a vast hospital for the poor; an establishment made by 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 51 
 
 the French, in which are men, women, and girls, each class 
 being kept separate and made to work. Here an old man 
 presented himself who officiated as an experienced guide, fur- 
 nished with a lantern and great flambeau made of ropes im- 
 pregnated with some kind of resin. A little back lane con- 
 ducted us to a kind of grotto, containing an altar ornamented 
 with several marble medallions, which are said to have been 
 sculptured by the early Christians. This chapel served as 
 an entrance to the chambers of the dead, which consist of 
 long, winding, and intricate passages, cut out of the tufa 
 rock; in procuring which, for the purposes of building, these 
 vast subterranean excavations were originally made, and af- 
 terwards used as depositories of the dead. During the per- 
 secutions against the early Christians they were occupied by 
 them either secretly as places of residence, where they might 
 practise their worship unmolested, or, by the permission of 
 their pagan persecutors, as abodes of the most humiliating 
 kind, secluded from the light of day. Here our guide, pre- 
 ceding us with his smoking torch, which he occasionally struck 
 on the walls, so as to scatter off a radiating flood of sparks 
 which left him a brighter flame, showed us the little lateral re- 
 cesses in which the humble believers were contented to lie, and 
 shelves, excavated in the rock, in which their mortal remains 
 were deposited after death. He pointed out the larger cham- 
 bers, somewhat decorated with columns and arches in faint 
 relief, in which the priests resided ; the places where altars 
 stood; and, in a higher excavation, raised his torch to a rude 
 recess, or sunken balcony above the arched passage, whence 
 the word was preached to the faithful below in a hall of great 
 width. The chambers occupied by the most distinguished 
 characters were denoted by better sculpture, Mosaic incrus- 
 tations, and fresco paintings. We followed the windings of 
 these subterranean corridors to a great extent, till we reached 
 a hall which was said to be a quarter of a mile in height; but 
 whether contrived for the purpose of ventilation, or as a shaft 
 for raising the stone, we could not ascertain, any more than we 
 
52 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 could the accuracy of our guide's information, that the bodies of 
 hundreds of martyrs were thrown down there by their pagan 
 murderers, whence they were conveyed by their surviving 
 friends into the niches prepared for them. From these re- 
 mote parts passages now closed were formerly open, which 
 communicated with other Catacombs and villages for sixteen 
 miles round, affording the inmates, it is said, the means of 
 escaping the persecutions which from time to time fell upon 
 a sect so obnoxious to the pagan priesthood. 
 
 In some parts of this subterranean abode, steps cut in the 
 rock lead to an upper story or series of passages and cham- 
 bers. 
 
 We found the bones in these Catacombs in excellent pre- 
 servation, and on many the flesh of fifteen hundred years was 
 still of such tenacious though pliant fibre that it required a 
 sharpe knife to cut off a piece. The guide showed us the 
 heads of some of those early Christians with the tongues still 
 remaining in them, but would not permit us to take one away. 
 Here lived the venerated St. Januarius, whose particular cell 
 was pointed out to us; and to these retreats was his dead body 
 borne after his martyrdom ; though some ancient painters re- 
 present him walking back with his head in his hands. 
 
 Returning to the Ponte Sanita, we again looked down 
 on the moss-stained roofs and little cupolas of the church of 
 Santa Maria della Vita, from which I had been invited 
 to the Catacombs. I now persuaded my companion to visit 
 it contrary to the opinion of his cicerone or guide, who 
 said it contained nothing interesting. A monk of the Fran- 
 ciscan Monastery, with which it is connected, admitted us 
 from the level of the bridge, and passing through his corri- 
 dor, lined with cells, we descended an extensive series of 
 steps into the church, which rises from the valley below. It 
 is an old and curious edifice, rich in marbles, and remarka- 
 ble for the style of the grand altar, which is constructed over 
 another one, as on a bridge, to which you rise by two lateral 
 flights of steps, ornamented with elegant ballustrades of 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 53 
 
 costly marbles. The old monk showed us, behind the altar, 
 an ancient painting of the Madonna, resembling an Indian, 
 and a precious door to a case containing some sacred relic; 
 but as we did not seem interested in these, he proceeded to 
 open a door in the side wall, and requested us to walk in. 
 To our surprise it was the entrance to another series of Ca- 
 tacombs, in which were deposited the dead within the last 
 two hundred years. These were placed in perpendicular 
 niches in the rock, and plaistered up, leaving only a part of 
 the head projecting; the men with their faces out, the wo- 
 men with their faces in, only exposing the backs of their 
 heads, from which the hair had long since fallen. By scraping 
 away the plaister, some of the skeletons appeared in their 
 whole extent, among which was an extraordinary one of a 
 man about eight feet tall. The plaister which covers these bo- 
 dies, thus showing only one half of the head, was painted so 
 as to imitate the entire figure, clothed as men or women and 
 sometimes representing them as skeletons in part covered 
 with drapery, with various inscriptions above' them. The 
 deeper recesses of these vaults led to chambers where we 
 saw two carcases of men, deposited only six months since ; 
 the flesh not decaying, but gradually drying up. They were 
 naked and seated in niches in the wall, with their heads and 
 arms hanging forwards in very grotesque postures. In the 
 catacombs which we first visited, the dead were generally 
 placed horizontally, whereas here, all that we now saw were 
 standing erect. We entered some chambers, however, with 
 numerous empty horizontal recesses. 
 
 From a groundless apprehension that these catacombs are 
 damp, they are not often visited, nor are smoking torches used 
 to blacken and destroy the ancient fresco paintings and mo- 
 saic decorations. Our monk informed us that a passage con- 
 necting with the other catacombs has been closed up. 
 
54 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 January 10 th. 
 
 Visited the galleries devoted to statuary and the antiquities 
 of Egypt. These last objects, most of which are of small 
 size, are of great interest as the production of so ancient a 
 people, and as exhibiting the state of the arts prior to their 
 introduction into Greece, where they were afterwards car- 
 ried to much greater perfection. A few, however, which 
 are in marble, are in pretty good taste, and might be mistaken 
 for Grecian works. The greatest number are of red por- 
 phyry, of extreme hardness, upon which the elements have 
 not made the slightest impression to impair the beauty of the 
 workmanship. In this cabinet are several mummies, exhi- 
 biting their various appearances with and without their vo- 
 luminous wrappings of linen. One of them is entirely di- 
 vested of the linen, perfectly clean, smooth and glossy ; black 
 as a negro, with all the flesh dried up to the bones. A neck- 
 lace and inscription were round her neck, by which it ap- 
 peared that she was the daughter of some king that lived 
 three thousand four hundred and fifty years ago. Another 
 personage, a male, we were informed belonged to a period 
 so long back as five thousand years. 
 
 The Gallery of Bronzes contains some good busts, and 
 amongt the statues a few that are interesting, particularly a 
 Drunken Faun. He is lying on a skin and a bag of wine, 
 the countenance expressive of great glee ; one foot raised, 
 and the right hand in the act of snapping his fingers and 
 thumb. A Wearied Mercury is also good — and a Horse is 
 beautifully executed. In this room there is a vast basin or 
 vase of porphyry, about twelve feet in diameter, which, with 
 its pedestal and various ornamental carvings was made of 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 55 
 
 one solid piece. It was used for religious purposes in sacri- 
 ficing bulls. 
 
 Among the busts the front face of Celts Caldo struck 
 me as much resembling that of Alexander Hamilton, and that 
 of JlugustiLS, might be mistaken for Napoleon. 
 
 One chamber contains a vast quantity of tombs, monu- 
 ments,, inscriptions, broken statues, &c, but is distinguished 
 by possessing two precious objects, the colossal statue of 
 Hercules Resting, known by the name of the Farnesian Her- 
 cules ; and the celebrated group called the Farnesian Bull, 
 which represents two men in the act of seizing a bull, to 
 whose horns their mother Dirce is tied by the hair. The 
 whole group, consisting of the bull and five, human figures, 
 a dog, and various little animals, was cut out of a single piece 
 of marble. 
 
 These two rare objects were found at Rome in the baths 
 of Caracalla, and at great expense removed to Naples, where 
 the Bull long ornamented the promenade of the Villa JReale, 
 but it began to suffer from the weather, and this wonder 
 of the Sculptor's art, with great labour and cost, has been 
 safely removed to its present place of preservation, where 
 it is seen to more advantage. 
 
 In another series of rooms, there are many interesting sta- 
 tues, vases and other sculpture. I was particularly pleased 
 with the statue of the Venus Victrix, and that of the Anti- 
 nous, of which the shoulders and bust are very beautiful. 
 The draped statue of Aristides is much admired, and the 
 spot which Canova chose, as the best point of view, is worn 
 by the tread of visiters. One of those rooms contains seve- 
 ral curious, and certainly very beautiful statues of coloured 
 marbles, chiefly representing rich drapery. A black Apollo 
 also is very beautiful. 
 
 I take occasion, during one of the frequent showers of 
 rain which occur in Naples at this season, and interrupt the 
 visiter in his excursions, to notice a few peculiarities. In- 
 
56 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 stead of the rattling carts filled with tin vessels of milk which 
 are heard and seen in every street in New York, morning 
 and evening, the Neapolitan is waked from his slumber by 
 the low dull tinkling of little bells at the necks of goats, 
 asses and cows, which in droves of various sizes, supply the 
 inhabitants with fresh milk, received in pots, or more gene- 
 rally in glass decanters. I believe that very little milk is sold 
 any other way. 
 
 I have remarked that at Marseilles carts are seldom used. 
 This appears to be the Italian practice, as it prevails still 
 more extensively here; so that very few carts incommode 
 the throng of people in the streets, whose attention is suffi- 
 ciently required to guard against the rapid approach of nu- 
 merous carriages. Almost every thing is carried about on 
 asses, not only loads of provisions, coal and wood, but sand 
 and large stones for building; which are packed in panniers 
 at each side of a huge saddle. These panniers are made 
 of straw, coming to a point, at some distance from the ani- 
 mal's body, and are kept out by a stick which passes under- 
 neath from one pannier to the other. Immense bundles of 
 straw are carried by these poor creatures, one at each side, 
 and one across on the top, by which all but his head and tail 
 are entirely hidden — the driver either leading him by the bri- 
 dle, or directing his course by pulling at his tail, which they 
 manage as a rudder. 
 
 Naples is abundantly accommodated with carriages for 
 public use, and at a cheap rate ; twenty grains, (about six- 
 teen American cents) being the charge for carrying one, 
 two, three or four persons from one end of the city to the 
 other; adding two grains, according to custom, as a gratu- 
 ity to the coachmen. But they often endeavour to get, 
 from strangers three times that sum. The carriages in 
 general use are entirely open in fair weather, with nothing 
 but a falling top, like that of a chaise, in case of rain, to 
 protect as many as can sit on the back seat. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 57 
 
 Numerous as these carriages are, in case of a sudden 
 shower they are all in requisition; because very few houses 
 having gutters, the water, from long projecting spouts, is 
 thrown into the streets precisely where you would walk. In 
 some narrow streets, the stream from the lofty spouts is 
 poured upon the carriages, falling in succession on the 
 horses, coachman, umbrellas, and falling top. But the 
 coachmen appear to delight in splashing through the water, 
 as it incommodes those who walk. 
 
 The vehicle most used in the skirts and neighbourhood 
 of the city is a sort of one horse chaise called a curricola, 
 whose shafts are elevated above the saddle. The seat is a 
 singular fantastic thing somewhat resembling a saddle rest- 
 ing on its end, gaily painted and, profusely studded with 
 brass nails. On this sulky seat sits one person, whilst the 
 driver stands behind flourishing a long whip. Frequently, 
 however, is this machine seen carrying seven, and even nine 
 persons, clinging to it in various modes, and seated in rope 
 nets which hang front and back, drawn by one poor horse, 
 which the merciless Neapolitan driver keeps in full trot, and 
 whose miseries make no impression on the merry riders. 
 
 When unemployed, coachmen eagerly offer their services, 
 and have in their employ men at the frequented passages, 
 who press the passenger to take a coach. In these cheap, gay, 
 and sometimes elegant vehicles for conveyance, it is com- 
 mon to see five or six servant girls, without bonnets, enjoy- 
 ing a ride in the motley throng. These hacks, together 
 with the private carriages which are in constant use, give an 
 extraordinary appearance of gayety to this city. 
 
 In some streets, after a heavy fall of rain, it is necessary 
 to cross on a moveable bridge, which consists of a kind of 
 wagon placed in the middle of the street, where the torrent 
 is deepest, with planks rising to it from each side of the 
 way. But in almost every street, after a copious shower, 
 such as is very frequent at this season, it is difficult to cross; 
 yet I have just seen a large fat old lady get over the rapid 
 
58 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 torrent without wetting her shoes; by riding a-straddle on 
 the back of a barefooted little boy. 
 
 The streets are populous with beggars, who beset you in 
 every guise of mild entreaty or earnest solicitation; with a 
 Madonna-like simplicity, or with the picturesque and for- 
 cible expressions of countenance and attitude, which belong 
 to each particular species of misfortunes; the blind eagerly 
 pointing to his closed eyes, and the maimed putting forth 
 his injured limb in the most advantageous point of view. 
 The windows and glass doors of the coffee rooms are beset 
 with them, where they watch every mouthful you take, 
 and when your repast is over, stop and snrround you as you 
 go out. Yet it is not often I remark any one give them any 
 thing. Friars of the mendicant orders, make less ceremo- 
 ny in entering, but generally beg of you with a pleasant 
 countenance. 
 
 In the Cast el Nuovo, there was but little to interest us. 
 It is a large quadrangular fortress, within a broad ditch, at 
 the head of the port — formerly the residence of kings, now 
 occupied as barracks. The only object of art it contains 
 worthy of any notice, is a tall marble arch which connects 
 two old towers, curiously and elaborately ornamented with 
 minute sculpture ; of which the taste is less to be admired 
 than the quantity. The gates of this arch are of thick brass, 
 highly ornamented with raised figures — and such is the vene- 
 ration for historical circumstance, that a large cannon ball is 
 suffered to remain in this door, which in some war had burst 
 almost through, bulging and tearing open the thick brass by 
 which its force was exhausted. 
 
 Although the church of San Martino is situated within 
 a short distance back of Toledo or the main street, yet it is so 
 high up the mountain, and difficult of access, that to reach it 
 by means of a carriage, we had to perform a very long course 
 out of town, and then back again up the mountain to the gi- 
 gantic masses of rock and masonry which compose the Cas- 
 tle of St. Elmo; thence, descending a little, we arrived at the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 59 
 
 monastery and church of St. Martino, situated immediately 
 below the castle, and overlooking the city and bay. 
 
 This church, which on the outside might be mistaken for 
 a poor house, in the inside is, perhaps, the richest and most 
 beautiful thing any where to be seen. It was built two hun- 
 dred years ago, and is entirely covered with paintings and the 
 richest incrustations of marble. The marble floors, walls, al- 
 tars, and arches, in which the colours of yellow and brown 
 prevail, are all inlaid with the most precious stones and mar- 
 bles of every colour, in various fanciful figures ; the whole 
 highly polished, and as fresh as if just finished, uninjured by 
 smoke or neglect. The church abounds in sculpture, all by 
 Vacari; statues, busts, groups of angel children, and bassi re- 
 lieve One altar-piece of the latter is the most extensive and 
 beautiful composition in this way I have yet seen. In one of 
 the chapels are three exquisitely beautiful pictures by Guido, 
 the last of his works, and surpassing all others by the glow 
 and harmony of the colouring. In another chapel are some 
 beautiful frescos by Finoglia, as clear and fresh as if just 
 executed, which probably is not the case with any others in 
 all Italy, 
 
 From a terrace, overlooking the convent garden, and from 
 a balcony at the end of the corridors of the convent, in two 
 distinct views, you look down upon the city, which appears 
 like a rough mass of stones, divided by several cracks, which 
 are narrow streets: the unseen bustle in these openings sends 
 up a confused rumbling of intermingled sounds. The dis- 
 tance is diversified by Vesuvius and other mountains, castles, 
 palaces, and the extensive bay. 
 
 From this height we descended a street, formed chiefly of 
 broad steps in a zigzag course, which required half an hour 
 to reach the bottom — overlooking, as we descended, a num- 
 ber of terraced houses and delightful gardens, fronting on the 
 bay. 
 
 Again, entering the ever-green and ever-delightful walks of 
 the Villa Reale y and, passing its farthest iron gate-way, we 
 
GO 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 remarked, for the first time, a number of the kind of poor idle 
 people answering the description of Lazzaroni, chiefly men 
 and boys, with a few women, without stockings or shoes, 
 lounging in groups along the pathway and amusing themselves 
 with various games and careless gossip. But during our whole 
 stay in Naples, and in all our walks, notwithstanding the won- 
 derful accounts of the eighty thousand Lazzaroni, who live 
 in the streets and public places, we could never be sure, 
 among the various groups of ragged idlers, which, or whether 
 any of them, were of the class called Lazzaroni. 
 
 Not much farther out we reached the subterranean passage 
 called the Grotto of Posilippo, above the entrance of which, 
 built on the very edge of what appears a cleft in the rocks, 
 stands the tomb of Virgil. To see this we had to ascend the 
 mountain by a steep zigzag paved street, escorted by a troop 
 of boys with naked feet and uncombed heads, each offering 
 his services as guide or cicerone ; but we encouraged only the 
 first applicant, who showed great anxiety that we should 
 drive away all the others. When we reached the old bat- 
 tered gate, within which our object lay, by repeated knocks, 
 inflicted by a lump of lava, an old woman was called, who 
 unlocked the premises to us and our little cicerone, to the 
 great disappointment of the noisy and envious urchins who 
 were excluded. She conducted us up and down a romantic 
 garden, on the tops and in the cavities of the rocks, among 
 cabbages and cauliflowers, lettuce and radishes, mulberry 
 trees, fig trees, and grape vines, down winding paths and steps 
 cut out of the solid rock; till we reached the precipice before 
 mentioned, on which stands the old circular chamber sup- 
 posed to be the tomb of Virgil. It appears certainly to have 
 been a tomb, both by the external and internal formation. 
 The country seats on these rocks, so singularly romantic, and 
 commanding so fine a prospect of the bay, were, it is said, the 
 favourite resort of the rich, and may have been the residence 
 and burial place of Virgil. Before leaving the garden we 
 were conducted to a projecting spot, furnished with conve- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 6i 
 
 nient seats, whence one of the most beautiful views of Na- 
 ples is obtained. 
 
 After descending to the road again, we branched off a 
 short distance to the subterranean passage, improperly called 
 a Grotto. It is really a tunnel cut through the mountain, 
 about three quarters of a mile long, in some places fifty or. 
 sixty feet high, and wide enough for three carriages to pass 
 abreast, the whole well paved with large masses of lava, and 
 constantly lighted with eleven lamps, which are suspended 
 in this vast galjery. It was, no doubt, a work at first intend- 
 ed to effect a passage through the mountain, and at the same 
 time to obtain stone for building; but was not originally so 
 deep, as may be proved by the evidence of furrows, made by 
 the wheels of carriages, in successive rows, descending in 
 proportion as the excavation was made lower, to the level of 
 the streets on the water's edge. Several carriages rolled their 
 thunder through these arches whilst we were within; but we 
 had no difficulty in avoiding them, as we could distinctly see 
 them on the bright openings at either end, and by the lamps 
 midway. Two herds of goats likewise passed through, and 
 some rough Neapolitan songsters, who made the arches echo 
 with their boisterous harmony and coarse laughter. 
 
 In the church of Trinita Maggiore I was gratified by see- 
 ing a fine and most extensive fresco painting' by Solimene, 
 representing Heliodorus driven out of the Temple. This 
 church is extremely rich in coloured marbles and sculpture. 
 In the open square opposite stands a high, quadrangular, and 
 grotesque obelisk, elaborately carved with scrolls, medallions, 
 bassi relievi, cherubs, and statues, all in marble, but in a bad 
 and costly style. 
 
 In rambling from this, we passed through some of the busy 
 streets, but little frequented by travellers, which afforded us an 
 opportunity of seeing the people, as they live and work in dirt 
 and darkness, though apparently healthy and happy. Here 
 a poor ass fell down under a heavy load, cut its side, and dis- 
 located its hind leg. As soon as the poor man, who led him, 
 
 4 
 
62 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 saw this, he looked sadly, then sobbed aloud, and burst into 
 the most piteous grief and lamentations, crying like a child, 
 as he perceived that his fellow labourer was unable to move 
 his limb. 
 
 Passing out of one of the gates of the city, between two 
 great round towers, which occur at sliort intervals, intermin- 
 gled with buildings which hide all the walls, we saw several 
 carcases of dogs, and were told that persons are employed 
 by the police, at night, to kill every dog they find at large, by 
 knocking them down with thick clubs ; and that recently a 
 poor child, who was lying asleep at one of the corners, was 
 thus killed by being mistaken for a dog. 
 
 Here we saw about a hundred merry washerwomen, on a 
 stone platform or gallery a little raised from the side of the 
 street, washing their clothes in a stream which flowed in a 
 broad stone channel, as wide and as rapid as an ordinary mill 
 race. 
 
 The Neapolitans speak with great gesticulation, and make 
 use of many actions and signs, which have a known meaning 
 even without the aid of words. In a wide street we re- 
 marked two women conversing by signs, obliquely across, 
 having a string passing from one window to the other, and at 
 each end a bell, with which to announce their desire to con- 
 verse, which they effectually do, notwithstanding the noise be- 
 low and the distance above. This sort of intercourse is com- 
 mon here. Another, from her little balcony at her fifth story, 
 for almost every window has its little iron balcony, was raising 
 something up in a little basket which she had lowered to the 
 ground to save herself the trouble of descending. 
 
 Macaroni and Naples are almost synonymous. It is sur- 
 prising how much of this food is manufactured in the skirts 
 of the city. Your attention is invited to the article by the 
 quantities, of all diameters, cut into lengths of three feet, 
 which are hung out on sticks to dry like thin candles. The 
 filthy streets and houses in which this singular, tough, wire- 
 drawn, tubular dough was thus exposed, effectually sup- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 63 
 
 pressed all desire to eat of it myself, but I was amused in 
 seeing it eaten in the streets at stalls, where it is cooked 
 and given out in platters to humble purchasers, who take 
 it up with their fingers; and, stretching out their necks, 
 with open mouth suck it in, in a most amusing manner. 
 
 It is amusing to see molasses candy manufactured in the 
 streets at little portable stalls, where a man is seen drawing 
 out and plaiting his yellow wax, until it acquires the bright- 
 est colour, and a delicacy and brittleness of texture to tempt 
 many an urchin purchaser. Molasses is one of the rarest 
 articles in Italy, and seldom can be found in the shops. 
 
 After witnessing the masses of beggary and wretched- 
 ness which constitutes a great proportion of the population 
 of Naples, you are not surprised that there should be some 
 institution for its alleviation; but when you find yourself 
 in front of the Mbergo dei poverty you see it a bright and 
 magnificent palace. Its broad front covers a most extensive 
 back foundation and court yard. Only a part is finished; 
 but that part is a vast building, containing several thousands 
 of poor men, women, boys, and girls; who are fed, clothed, 
 and taught to read, write, and cipher, and some useful art 
 or trade. One school room that we entered was filled with 
 boys who were learning the elements of drawing. A num- 
 ber of rooms were severally devoted to spinning, weaving, 
 tailoring, shoe-making, &c; the young learning from the 
 old, and the whole under the charge of head workmen as 
 directors. Immense corridors intersect the building, and 
 afford ample space for air and exercise, and there are great 
 halls to eat and sleep in. Neater rooms, better beds, and 
 good blankets are given to those boys, who by their con- 
 duct merit such a reward. 
 
 From the windows of this hotel of the poor, we looked 
 down into the beautiful walks of the Botanic Garden, which 
 is open at times to the public. 
 
 We had some difficulty in finding the Capella di S. Severo, 
 which externally has nothing of the appearance of a church, 
 
64 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 and within is only, a small room; but one filled with notable 
 objects, some of which have gained extraordinary reputation. 
 The figure of Modesty and that of the Dead Christ are cer- 
 tainly objects of some merit, in as much as they are produc- 
 tions of considerable art, and great difficulty; yet I am im- 
 pressed by them as imperfect efforts to accomplish what is 
 entirely beyond the province of sculpture. The figure of 
 Modesty, notwithstanding the extravagant praise it has re- 
 ceived, appears to me to be a vain attempt to represent the 
 transparency of gauze. The dead body of Christ is some- 
 thing better, as represented covered by a fine drapery. It is 
 a nearer approach to nature, and in some parts excellently 
 represents the form of the human body as perceived under a 
 thin and wet drapery, some parts of the figure being hid by 
 the folds, while it adheres to others, so as to show the form 
 as if nothing were on it; but it is fanciful to talk of the 
 sweat of death. It is said that Canova offered to buy this 
 statue for its weight in silver. It is not probable, as he could 
 easily have made one quite as good. 
 
 The statue by the sculptor Queirola, however, is one of 
 the rarest productions of the chisel. It represents Vice, 
 enveloped in a net, looking earnestly at a little boy, the Ge- 
 nius of Reason, who is about to relieve him. The face, bo- 
 som, and one arm of the man are exposed ; the rest of his 
 figure is covered with a net, which represents a cord little 
 more than a quarter of an inch thick, tied into knots, and 
 forming meshes about an inch and a half wide. The entire 
 form of the man is represented beneath this network, and 
 the net itself is completely cut out with all its folds, in some 
 parts touching the figure, and in others detached, waving, or 
 accumulated in masses as it hangs from the head, back and 
 arms; altogether forming the most elaborate and singular 
 piece of sculpture that can be imagined. 
 
 The Cathedral of St. Januarius is generally described 
 with great minuteness as being founded on an ancient temple 
 of Apollo, of which it preserves some records in various co- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 C5 
 
 lumns, that support the rich ceiling of the chapel heneath 
 the great altar, and on each side of the chapel called the 
 Treasury. An antique vase of basalt, about four and a half 
 feet diameter, is used as a baptismal font, being placed on a 
 modern pedestal of granite, and covered with a hood of 
 marble. 
 
 This church, called Gothic, is very slightly in imitation of 
 that style, but it retains some portions of an older church 
 which was Gothic. A statue in the subterranean chapel is 
 said to be by Michael Angelo, of which the head is good, but 
 the drapery so bad, that I should doubt its authenticity. 
 
 From the body of the church, the archway which opens 
 into the chapel of St. Januarius, is about twenty-five feet 
 high, and is entirely filled up with immense brass work, 
 the lower part opening as doors, which cost thirty-five thou- 
 sand ducats. As soon as the mass was over, a priest prof- 
 fered his services to show us the paintings, and precious ob- 
 jects, which are kept under cover, or locked up. Four altar 
 pieces, much valued as the work of Domenichino, are, like 
 almost all his oil paintings, so very brown and dark, that we 
 could perceive very little more than some good heads and 
 bad hands; the figures and countenances, however, are ani- 
 mated by great expression. The ceiling, by Lanfranco, is 
 much damaged, but the other frescos, by Domenichino, are 
 very fine and fresh. 
 
 In addition to the antique columns taken from the Temple 
 of Apollo, the numerous bronze statues, the sculptured and in- 
 laid marbles, and the highly wrought, beautiful gates which 
 lead to the three great altars, — the chief wealth of the cha- 
 pel consists in splendid silver candelabra and lamps, silver 
 angels, and a silver frontispiece to the altar which cost twen- 
 ty-four thousand dollars. This piece is a deeply sunken ta- 
 blet, containing figure behind figure in full alto relievo, on 
 a ground of basso relievo, of most curious and elaborate 
 workmanship. Only a part of these silver ornaments of the 
 great altar was uncovered to us. Behind the altar we were 
 
 9 
 
66 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 shown the silver doors within which, secured by four locks, 
 are preserved the head and two phials of the blood of the 
 guardian saint of Naples. 
 
 From this chapel we were conducted through the rich and 
 gorgeous sacristy into a chamber, lined with large cases, 
 which were opened to us. The veils were withdrawn, and 
 by the light of a candle we were shown two entire statues, 
 thirty-six colossal busts or rather half statues, having the 
 hands, and supported on great allegorical bases, all of silver; 
 which are displayed around the great altar on particular fes- 
 tivals. 
 
 Directly opposite this chapel, across the body of the ca- 
 thedral, we entered the old church of St. JRestituta, where 
 we were shown other columns of the temple of Apollo and 
 the ruinous mosaic on the ceiling of the baptistry, which, it 
 is said, represents historical events; but their history to our 
 eyes was nothing more than dark illegible blotches. 
 
 These churches and chapels are rilled with ancient tombs 
 and curiosities, which it would require a long time to examine; 
 but with our guide, of whose Italian we understood but lit- 
 tle, it was difficult to make out what they were. I could not 
 but be surprised that among the priesthood, we had found 
 none acquainted with the French language. The priest who 
 had acted as cicerone, did not refuse to receive our parting 
 gift in return for his politeness. 
 
 For the purpose of visiting the Royal Palace, Capo di 
 Monte, we again crossed the noble bridge of the Sanita ; as- 
 cended the road, cut by order of Murat through great masses 
 of the rocky mountain, winding delightfully on its sides; and 
 enjoyed the view of Naples with its country seats in the dis- 
 tance. This beautiful road reaches to the top of the moun- 
 tain in front of the palace. That edifice is delightfully situ- 
 ated directly above the head of the bay, which, from this 
 spot, in calm weather, presents its noblest aspect. The pa^ 
 lace, chiefly built of lava, is not entirely finished ; but the 
 apartments, occasionally used by the king, are elegantly fur* 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 67 
 
 nished and embellished with some paintings by modern ar- 
 tists, particularly two large historical pieces by Camucini 
 and Landi of Rome — but I thought the colouring too gay 
 and unnatural, and the compositions disfigured by the extra- 
 vagances of the theatre, and the peculiarities of ancient bas- 
 so relievo. Here is a beautiful picture in tapestry from the 
 manufacture of the Gobelins at Paris, representing Admiral 
 Coligny before the massacre of St. Bartholomew's day. In 
 one of the rooms is a case filled with birth-day presents to 
 the king; and an elegant table supporting a sumptuous bird- 
 cage, with globes for fishes, and grates for charcoal fires. 
 The room in which stands his writing table is filled with 
 English prints of hunting scenes. 
 
 The observatory is situated on this mountain, where, from 
 a balcony, we enjoyed a most delightful view of Naples ; 
 comprising the body of the town below, Vesuvius on the left, 
 and the mountainous castle of St. Elmo on the right. In the 
 garden attached to the observatory, on the summit of the 
 hill, we remarked some excavations, which showed, in the 
 depth of six feet, with intermediate strata of soil, no less 
 than six layers of fine pumice stone deposited from the ir- 
 ruptions of Vesuvius in some remote periods of time. 
 
 Another rainy day was well employed in the Museum^ ex- 
 amining the antiquities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. We 
 commenced with a collection of gold bracelets, chains, ear 
 and finger rings, &c, most of them rudely massive, particu- 
 larly the bracelets, some of which consisted of a double row 
 of rounded masses of gold, like sections of bullets. In one 
 case, by themselves, were the elegant bracelets, ear and fin- 
 ger rings, and neck chain of a lady whose skull and bones 
 are shown in another room, together with impressions of va- 
 rious parts of her figure in the matter by which she was 
 smothered, in the villa of Diomedes at Pompeii. She had 
 taken refuge in a cellar from the falling ashes or fine pumice 
 of the burning mountain, but by a reflux of the sea, which a 
 torrent of lava had driven back, the pumice became a wave 
 
68 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 of mud, and, pouring down the windows of the cellar, over- 
 whelmed her and some others of the family. 
 
 Another case contains a curious collection of eatables, 
 which, having been suddenly surrounded with melted red hot 
 lava that flowed into the stores, chambers, and kitchens of 
 Herculaneum, were converted into charcoal. The atmos- 
 pheric air being excluded till the lava cooled, prevented the 
 articles being reduced to ashes. In no other manner could 
 such delicate substances have been preserved for such a 
 length of time. Here is seen the charcoal form of a loaf 
 of bread, neatly fashioned into radiating lobes, on one of 
 which is impressed the baker's name ; a plate of eggs, or 
 rather egg-shells, some of which are not broken, retain their 
 natural whiteness ; preserved in glass vases are samples of a 
 great variety of carbonized articles, found in stores and pri- 
 vate houses; a thread net for boiling cabbages; figs, prunes, 
 olives, dates, nuts of various kinds; retaining the most mi- 
 nute characteristics of their external forms, though all re- 
 duced to one quality of imperishable charcoal. 
 
 In the room where those articles are, is a magnificent Ca- 
 meo, said to be the largest in the world, wrought out of a sin- 
 gle piece of agate, about nine or ten inches in diameter. It 
 is a composition of seven figures, representing the apotheosis 
 of the first Ptolemy — white figures on a brown ground. The 
 piece of agate was so selected as to enclose a white vein 
 down to which the artist had to cut, leaving a circular border 
 as a frame, and working his figures out of the white, relieved 
 by the deeper mass of brown. The brown base continues 
 to the back, on which is wrought a fine Medusa's head. The 
 frame part consists of the most beautiful veined agate. I 
 never could look at this splendid combination of nature and 
 art, without an extraordinary emotion of delight. It was 
 found at Rome, in the tomb of Adrian. It stands in an erect 
 position, in the middle of the room, under a glass case, and 
 has a screw and pinion to turn it round. 
 
 A bucket, mortar, basins, skellets, mugs, cups, &c, all of 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 69 
 
 silver, richly ornamented with bassi relievi, fill another case. 
 Among the ornaments of gold, is a beautiful little model of a 
 lady's reticle, like those of the present day. Here are, also, 
 a variety of colours, such as were used in fresco painting, 
 which were found in pots in a painter's shop at Pompeii. 
 
 One chamber is filled with a vast variety of articles made 
 of glass, of which substance it was supposed the ancients 
 were ignorant, consisting of plates for window lights, bottles, 
 jars, mugs, phials, dishes, cups, lamps, &c. Some only blown 
 into their shapes, others moulded, and some afterwards ground. 
 These -glasses are of every possible form, and have a beauti- 
 ful mother-of-pearl appearance, occasioned by the heat to 
 which they have been subjected. One of them has been 
 carefully cleaned, and is found to be precisely like our com- 
 mon green glass ; yet there are some articles of perfectly 
 white, or rather colourless, glass, and others of a fine deep 
 blue. There is a great assortment of little glass phials, of the 
 kind which it is customary to call lacrymatories, which were 
 found in a shop in Pompeii. An attempt to catch the tears 
 of grief in these slender-mouthed vessels, would effectually 
 disturb the sentiment and restrain the flood. It is much 
 more reasonable to believe that these little vessels, whether 
 of glass or earthenware, which are found in sepulchral vases, 
 were used for odoriferous liquids. Here, also, are several 
 large glass vases, of a globular form, found in tombs contain- 
 ing bones and ashes of the dead — a rude kind of caster, made 
 of lava, containing two bottles — several glass vases of mixed 
 colours, black and white, the white being in oblong blotches 
 — tumblers of a long shape, with raised knobs or depressed 
 grooves, or else indented at four opposite sides into great ca- 
 vities — and a hexagon plate with flat edges, the bowl resem- 
 bling our soup plate, moulded and perfectly well ground. 
 Altogether there are two thousand six hundred specimens of 
 glasses. In the same room a case contains a variety of objects 
 of wrought rock crystal, a spoon, necklace, &c. A series of 
 rooms is appropriated to articles of kitchen furniture; there are 
 
70 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 various portable fire-places, most of which have hollow bor- 
 ders to contain water, which was kept hot by the fire (proba- 
 bly charcoal) used in cooking, and, at the same time, prevent- 
 ed the fire-place from becoming red hot, while the water was 
 drawn off, by a stop-cock, at one side ; cylindrical furnaces, 
 also double, to hold water, with a kettle, fitting into the top, 
 for boiling and stewing ; brass stew-pans, lined with silver, 
 and pots of every size and shape, many of which are of so- 
 lid silver, but generally of brass, lined with silver, as if the 
 unwholesbmeness of brass and copper was known ; one hun- 
 dred and forty bronze candelabra about four feet high; con- 
 fectionary moulds of various and beautiful forms ; strainers 
 with silver bottoms, finely and beautifully pierced ;■ an ele- 
 gant hand-lanthorn ; a variety of bronze scales and weights 
 of stone; and steelyards, the weights of which represent busts 
 of men and women ; and lamps of every size and pattern, 
 suspended on tripods, in groups of various forms, and larger 
 massive lamps that were hung in halls and passages. 
 
 The next room contains about two thousand articles of 
 bronze, many of which were found in temples, and used in 
 the ceremonies of sacrifice, consisting of large and elegant 
 vases and dishes, inlaid with silver; a multitude of little domes- 
 tic or portable gods ; a tea urn, exactly like those of our times, 
 with a tube in the centre to hold a hot iron, surrounded by 
 the water ; a handsome consular chair, couches, and seats of 
 honour, which have served as patterns for the modern fa- 
 shions of Paris ; a water bucket, the handles of which, in 
 two segments, hinged at the centre, constitute an ornamental 
 rim, studded with silver; and a great variety of mugs, &c. 
 
 A dark room contains many curious and some elegant spe- 
 cimens of armour-^-helmets, breast-plates, shields, axes, 
 spears, locks, nails, hinges,, &c, of iron and bronze; and iron 
 stocks, in which were found the legs, with the skeletons, of 
 three men, who must 'have been suffering this punishment 
 when the city of Pompeii was destroyed. A splendidly 
 wrought helmet, found in Herculaneum, and weighing thirty- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 71 
 
 three pounds, too large and heavy for use, is supposed to have 
 been made for some ornamental purpose; the high-raised 
 figures on it represent the Trojan war. 
 
 Beyond these are various musical instruments, of bronze, 
 ivory, and bone; tables of laws deeply cut in brass; ivory tic- 
 kets of admission to the theatre; dice; brass fish-hooks; re- 
 ticles of ivory and bronze, belonging to a lady's toilet table ; 
 bronze mirrors, &c. 
 
 Finally, other apartments are filled with an immense, 
 elegant, and varied collection of vases, made of baked clay, 
 of all sizes, and in every imaginable form, ornamented with 
 figures, many of which are beautifully outlined, and descrip- 
 tive of histories, fables, and festivals. These vases served as 
 articles of decoration in dwelling-houses, and were afterwards 
 entombed with their owners, as represented in small models 
 of tombs, in the same apartment. Two of these vases are 
 very large, and the figures on them drawn with great beauty 
 and accuracy; they were purchased for this cabinet for ele- 
 ven hundred dollars, and one other for no less than four thou- 
 sand five hundred dollars. Here are various drinking cups, 
 shaped like the heads of sheep, horses, and birds. 
 
 The walls of two large apartments, on the ground floor, 
 are covered with fresco paintings taken from Pompeii. One 
 of the rooms contains such pieces as were procured on the 
 first discovery of the mysterious city; which, happening to 
 be in a part inhabited by tradesmen, did not furnish the most 
 elegant specimens of the arts. The judgments which were 
 consequently propagated from one antiquarian critic to ano- 
 ther, were unfavourable to the ancient painters, who were 
 pronounced inferior to cotemporary sculptors, and ignorant 
 of grouping, foreshortening, and perspective. Later, and es- 
 pecially recent excavations, or rather disinterments, have for- 
 tunately been in a direction across the vineyard to a more 
 sumptuous portion of the city, where splendid temples, halls 
 of justice, theatres, and spacious dwellings gave occasion for 
 the best employment of the arts. Here not only the finest 
 
72 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 statues have been found, but fresco paintings of great excel- 
 lence and beauty; particularly four of a square form, on a 
 circular ground, (forming part of a circular room,) which are 
 of uncommon merit, and most decisively indicate the high 
 state of painting, as it was practised in Greece and Italy at 
 the same period when these statues were executed, which 
 evinced such perfect knowledge of the human form and the 
 principles of grouping. The best of these paintings have been 
 only recently discovered, and prove that the ancient paint- 
 ers were perfectly acquainted with the rules of perspective 
 and foreshortening. I have no doubt, from these beautiful 
 works, done on walls, mostly by inferior artists, that, on other 
 occasions, as in moveable pictures, their best painters must 
 have painted in a manner to correspond with the high rank 
 of their sculpture, and the extraordinary accounts given of 
 them by cotemporary writers. 
 
 These specimens of ancient fresco painting have been cut 
 out of the walls, where they were executed, with great care, 
 and transported here in strong cases, which serve as frames. 
 When first found, they are pale and dull j but, on being var- 
 nished, their colours are brightened up to their pristine hues, 
 and exhibit to the astonished eye every stroke of the brush, 
 slightly indenting the fresh mortar, which was given by hands 
 that perished, with the genius that directed them, nearly eigh- 
 teeen hundred years ago, yet appearing as the rich and mel- 
 low pencilling of yesterday. Most of them are taken from 
 shops and ordinary houses, and represent all kinds of objects, 
 drawn with remarkable spirit and truth. Many of the better 
 kind served to decorate apartments in which there were no 
 windows, where they must have been executed, and after- 
 wards seen only by lamp-light. But the best were found in 
 the porticos of open court-yards, or on the walls of dining- 
 rooms or saloons. In looking closely into these, I was sur- 
 prised to find such spirited execution and knowledge of ana- 
 tomy, combined with the most exquisite beauty, perfection of 
 drawing, colouring, and expression of character. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 73 
 
 January 20th. 
 
 This being the first clear day, when we could depend on 
 the continuance of fair weather, it was decided to go at an early 
 hour to Pompeii. We, therefore, took carriage and proceed- 
 ed along the water side, describing a semicircle round the head 
 of the bay, on a well-paved road, through a continuous succes- 
 sion of houses which served to connect the villages of Resina, 
 Portici, Torre del Greco, and Torre del Annunciata. On one 
 side, the morning sun glittered from the broad surface of the 
 tranquil bay, and, on the other, rose to the volcanic mountain 
 a soil of great fertility, in the highest state of cultivation, and 
 producing the greatest abundance of every kind of vegetable, 
 as if it were summer. 
 
 Great droves of fat black hogs were on the road to Naples, 
 and a multitudinous succession of peasants, brown as Indians, 
 and ragged and patched as beggars, were merrily driving their 
 provision-loaded asses to market. In every village, swarms 
 of lazy, idle people filled the streets and market places, and 
 the most importunate beggars beset the carriage, scampering 
 alongside to a great distance, affecting the greatest misery un- 
 til they discovered we were aware of their artifices ; when 
 they would still run on, and strive, by amusing tricks, to ex- 
 tort some contribution. 
 
 At Portici the road passes through the court-yard of the 
 palace ; but we could not stop to see the apartments, which 
 are still preserved as they were furnished and occupied by 
 the unfortunate Murat and his tasteful queen. The curiosi- 
 ties of Herculaneum and Pompeii were preserved and exhi, 
 bited here, before they were removed to the noble depository 
 of the arts, established by the policy of the present king. 
 
 10 
 
74 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 At length we approached Pompeii, covered, as it still is in 
 great part, with the cinders of Vesuvius, and coated with a 
 cultivated soil, resembling a regular and extensive bank or 
 elevated plain. This is surrounded by a lower plain, not 
 much above the level of the sea, which formerly flowed to 
 the walls; but the ashes, which made one great mound of the 
 city, filled up the neighbouring waters, and over them there 
 is now a rich and productive soil. 
 
 The excavation, or rather uncovering of Pompeii, com- 
 menced on the side next to Naples. Here live a soldier and 
 his family, employed by the government as guardians of the 
 city and guides to those who visit it. We entered on a level 
 with the road, fifteen or twenty feet lower than the hill or 
 bank which has been removed to clear out the streets and 
 houses. This removal has been effected to scarcely one-third 
 of the whole extent. The residue is still a vineyard with 
 farm houses over streets and buildings yet to be explored. 
 
 The first house which was shown to us was the Villa of 
 Diomedes, of considerable extent, comprising a variety of 
 apartments and gardens. We descended into his wine cellar, 
 where there still remain some of the jars that contained his 
 wine. In this spacious cellar seventeen skeletons were found, 
 probably persons of his family who had sought this place for 
 safety. They were smothered and entombed, with all their 
 ornaments of gold upon them, by the flood of hot water and 
 ashes, which had evidently flowed in through the little win- 
 dows where light had been admitted, and where the traces of 
 the fluid may still be seen. 
 
 We passed through the suburbs, on each side of whose 
 narrow streets are walls with doors leading to small enclo- 
 sures, as burial places. Some of these having elegants tombs 
 of sculptured marble, rising high above the walls, and cover- 
 ing little chambers, where, in small niches, were found the 
 vases of glass and porcelain which are now preserved in the 
 Museum at Naples. 
 
 We entered the gate-way of the silent city, and remained 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 75 
 
 some moments ourselves in sympathetic silence ; we occu- 
 pied the pavement of the deserted street, and examined the 
 furrows made in the hard gray lava, by carriage wheels, 
 nearly eighteen centuries ago ; we stood on the raised foot- 
 way, and could not forbear looking up and down, as if to 
 be assured of the fact that there remained no inhabitants to 
 be thus "accommodated ; we stopped at the fountains which 
 were conveniently situated where several streets meet; we 
 looked into the shops where wine and oil or other com- 
 modities had been sold ; we entered the rooms where still 
 stood the hand-mills for grinding corn, and the ovens, close 
 by, for baking bread, and saw the very jars which contained 
 the meal. 
 
 The houses were generally of only one story, though, in a 
 few instances, we found a small stair-way leading to some upper 
 apartments. They consist of a great many small rooms sur- 
 rounding a court-yard, with a kind of piazza all around, as a 
 protection against the sun and rain. This shed must have 
 very much obscured the light, which Was not admitted from 
 the streets, unless sky lights were used, which was probably 
 often the case; though it is commonly believed that as no signs 
 of windows appear, outside or inside, that the light was only 
 admitted by the door. In the shops, the whole front was 
 open ; a fashion which still prevails in the old cities of Italy. 
 
 Some of the streets which appear to have been subject to 
 overflow by sudden showers, are furnished with broad oval 
 stepping stones, worn smooth by crossing on them. We felt 
 an impulse to tread in the footsteps, apparently so recent, of 
 the ancient Pompeiians; and to examine the marks of carriage 
 wheels between these stones, which attracted little notice 
 when they were made, but which now serve to prove that 
 the wheels of the ancient carriages, or cars, were only four 
 feet apart. 
 
 Many private houses were accommodated with conveni- 
 ences for hot and cold bathing; but we were conducted 
 through two which were for the public use, one of which 
 
76 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 must have been very elegant, the arched ceilings being richly 
 decorated with paintings and bassi relievi in stucco. Beneath 
 a sky-light opening, the broken window glass was found, 
 which, I believe, was the first evidence of glass being used 
 by the ancients for that purpose. Here are convenient fur- 
 naces for boiling the water, and tubes to conduct it into the 
 various chambers, places to undress in, and steps to descend 
 into the cisterns. The walls are hollow, probably for the 
 passage of hot air, the inner lining being made of thin bricks 
 built up on their edges; and there are passages under the Mo- 
 saic pavements for hot water or steam. 
 
 In two private court-yards we were shown gaily decorated 
 fountains, in alcoves or niches, curiously and elaborate]^ or- 
 namented with mosaic and shell-work, the shells being in per- 
 fect preservation. The leaden pipes, by which these foun- 
 tains were supplied with water, afford satisfactory evidence \ 
 that the ancients were not ignorant of the fact that water 
 seeks its level, as was for a long time supposed, from the cost- 
 ly aqueducts which they constructed over valleys and plains. 
 
 We were conducted to a spot where workmen are now 
 busy in the labour of excavation; but they work like men in 
 the public employ, slow and sure. The street is first cleared 
 out, and the fine pumice stone, resembling wet ashes, care- 
 fully scraped out of the houses, that nothing may be injured, 
 and then carted away. When the walls are found damaged, 
 they are repaired with the old materials, but fresh cement, 
 and roofs are constructed over such portions as require to be 
 protected from the weather. 
 
 The most extensive and elegant dwelling-house was unco- 
 vered about four months ago, in the court-yard of which 
 stand the remains of a great chest, which was of wood cased 
 with iron. It contained gold and silver. Over one of the 
 door-ways is a beautiful painting of an Hermaphrodite and 
 Satyr. This house has three courts, two of which are sur- 
 rounded with halls, eating-rooms, bed-rooms, kitchens, baths, 
 &c. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 77 
 
 We looked into many shops, the counters of which were 
 incrusted with bits of marble of various colours fitted around 
 the narrow mouths of large earthen jars, which were imbed- 
 ded in solid brick work, to hold oil and wine. Sometimes 
 there were little shelves, like steps, covered with marble, 
 upon which small articles were displayed close to the win- 
 dow. 
 
 We were now conducted to a more splendid part of the 
 city, where halls of justice, temples, theatres, and public gar- 
 dens, demonstrated the wealth and taste of the inhabitants. 
 Here we were shown the Temple of Fortune; its steps were 
 clean washed by a recent shower ; the rusty vestiges of iron 
 showed that it had been enclosed with a railing and gate-way, 
 which was the case with other buildings. The Pantheon, 
 the Temple of Mercury, the Temple of Jupiter, the Temple 
 of Venus, were all ascertained by statues found in them. 
 The basilica, or great hall of justice, was an oblong hall of 
 great size, surrounded inside with noble columns, which, from 
 their size, must have supported a lofty roof. At the farther end 
 was an elevated throne, on which the judges sat; and beneath 
 it a chamber, where three skeletons of men were found, fas- 
 tened by their legs to the iron stocks which we had seen in 
 the Museum at Naples. 
 
 One of the most interesting of the temples was that of Isis, 
 with its three altars for sacrifice; its receptacle for the sacred 
 ashes of the burnt-offerings, and its interior chamber which 
 contained the idol. In the back part of the building is a large 
 room where was found a table spread out with various arti- 
 cles of food and the decorations of a feast, of which the 
 priests had not time to partake when the irruption of- Vesu- 
 vius interrupted them ; though all did not escape, as several 
 skeletons were found in the room. 
 
 From the public promenade we entered the tragic and the 
 comic theatres ; walked over the stone seats, now moss- 
 atained ; looked on the shallow stage, which allowed no sce- 
 nic effect ; stood in the prompter's central niche, and read 
 
73 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 the names of the managers recorded in mosaic letters on the 
 pavement in front of the orchestra; but its best sculptural de- 
 corations had been removed to the museum. 
 
 From this spot, to conclude our survey, we ascended to, and 
 were conducted over extensive fields, through vineyards and 
 plantations of trees, no doubt covering the most wealthy, and 
 it is supposed the most populous portion of the city, to the op- 
 posite extremity, where stands the great Amphitheatre, from 
 within and around which the earth is entirely removed, show- 
 ing its external arches and entrances, its interior passages and 
 stairs, and its ranges of seats for the accommodation of ten 
 thousand persons, all surrounding an immense oval arena for 
 chariot races and the combats of gladiators and wild beasts. 
 
 We found our carriage waiting at the extremity of the 
 Pompeiian mound, opposite to that at which we had entered, 
 surrounded by a crowd of beggars, who, as soon as we had 
 settled with our extortionate guides, commenced their claims 
 by the display of every deformity, accompanied by all the 
 notes of unharmonious misery, resolutely standing in front of 
 the wheels or holding on by the doors to compel us to a con- 
 tribution. 
 
 In passing on the level road, around the mound, it was very 
 apparent that the whole elevation was occasioned by the mass 
 of houses. The surrounding plain must have been raised in 
 a corresponding degree so as to encroach upon the water, 
 which, instead of reaching the walls, is now a mile distant. 
 
 The destructive shower of ashes or cinders which fell on 
 this spot was not accompanied by lava, which was prevented 
 flowing so far by an intervening hillock. As we returned to- 
 wards Naples, and again approached Vesuvius, we looked 
 with renewed wonder at the rugged masses of black lava 
 which had poured from the mountain and spread over the 
 plain below, having overwhelmed every thing in its course to 
 the depth of fifteen or twenty feet, and sometimes terminating 
 in abrupt promontories projecting into the sea. Where these 
 masses of lava have been quarried, to use it for building or 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 79 
 
 paving stones, we perceived the solid and uniform texture of 
 the lower portion to commence a foot or two from the sur- 
 face, which is of a black, rugged, and wild aspect. This up- 
 per crust is used in the neighbourhood in making walls or di- 
 vision fences, whilst the lower masses have furnished paving 
 stones for Naples and all the neighbouring country, and solid 
 foundations for many buildings. The king's palace is chiefly 
 composed of it, even in its interior and ornamented parts. 
 
 It was impossible to remain long in Naples without an in- 
 creasing astonishment at the quantity of lava employed for 
 paving and building. Nor could we travel over Hercula- 
 neum, a city buried beneath a rock of lava, which had flowed 
 out of Vesuvius in liquid red hot streams; or trace the 
 dark ridges of it which marked the sides of the mountain, 
 spread over the plain below, and projected into the sea; with- 
 out wishing to examine so tremendous. an engine of destruc- 
 tion, and to look into the mountain, out of which had flowed 
 more matter than would be required to heap up one yet 
 greater. 
 
 For several days a greater appearance of smoke than usual 
 was remarked on Vesuvius, but the rains which had pre- 
 vailed since our arrival, prevented our undertaking the ex- 
 cursion. But another clear day occurring, our party started 
 at eleven o'clock, and following our former course around the 
 head of the bay, soon arrived at Resina, where we were be- 
 set with a crowd of asses, all saddled for the mountain, upon 
 which their owners in a most ludicrous and boisterous man- 
 ner tried to force us from our carriage, whilst one of our 
 party was in search of a guide whom he knew; in the mean- 
 while the rest of us were so hemmed in that we could scarce- 
 ly extricate ourselves. It was thirty years since I had been 
 mounted on the back of any thing like a horse, my son was 
 therefore much diverted to see me on a ragged jackass, which, 
 however, with an occasional hint from my heels, or a thump 
 from the guide, and the grunt which is addressed to asses, 
 carried me very well up a rough and winding road, interrupt- 
 
30 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ed by steps, and too much covered with rugged stones, al- 
 though not too steep to answer as a carriage way. 
 
 About half way, our guide stopped at a farm house, the 
 last at that elevation, and supplied himself with some bottles 
 of wine and torches. 
 
 Between two side walls, enclosing vineyards, and through 
 deep gullies in the mountain, the asses, with steady backs 
 and quick moving feet, wound their way for four miles to 
 the Hermitage; a curious rough old building situated on a 
 small flat surface of the ridge so elevated as to be above the 
 floods of lava which have surrounded its base. On this spot 
 there are a few large trees, which is not the case with any 
 other part of the mountain, and a small burying ground, con- 
 taining the remains of those who have in times past officiated 
 for the accommodation of the curious traveller. 
 
 No person appearing to receive us when we had hitched 
 our asses, our guide conducted us into the stone structure, 
 which had borrowed neither regularity, beauty, nor comfort 
 from the design of an architect; we mounted the steep nar- 
 row steps of rude stone, passed through a small hall where 
 several large tables serve companies to eat from or to sleep 
 on, into a small rough paved chamber, where a map and 
 some poor prints spotted the wall, and a bench and some 
 rush bottomed chairs enabled us to sit round the coarse table 
 to partake of a fresh made omlet, some brown bread and 
 cheese, a few little apples, and a bottle of the famed wine 
 called lacryma christi, of no peculiar merit. Under the 
 orders of the resident monk, these things were furnished by 
 a soldier who acted as waiter — no female residing on the 
 premises. The hermit monk has no other companions than 
 some soldiers who are stationed here, for the protection of 
 visiters against robbers amid the wildernesses of lava. 
 
 In half an hour w T e again mounted our beasts, and ad- 
 vanced along the ridge, which narrowed to a point as we 
 approached the cone of the mountain. At this point a cross 
 is erected, to which, in times of eruptions, the head of St. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 31 
 
 Januarius is carried in solemn procession, and from it are 
 seen the barren masses of lava/diverging on each side, which 
 at different periods have poured in red hot slow-rolling cur- 
 rents from the caldron mountain. Some of these masses 
 had abruptly terminated in the midst of cultivation, carrying 
 horrid waste and desolation in their course, as you might 
 judge by those portions of the rich fields, which the flood 
 did not reach, terminatingin black rough rolls, in every tor- 
 tuous shape, to the thickness of six feet. The guide pointed 
 out the currents of the various celebrated eruptions, which 
 could be distinguised by their colour, the most ancient being 
 of the palest gray, and the most recent of the darkest hue. 
 From this the guides and asses found their way through a wil- 
 derness of lava and ravines of cinders, till we reached the 
 base of the cone; frequently passing by huge rocks which 
 had been thrown out of the crater; and one spot, where 
 smoke issued from among the small stones, too hot to- be 
 borne, on thrusting the fingers in. 
 
 There we dismounted to commence the task of climbing, 
 which, though not so bad as is generally represented, was 
 sufficiently fatiguing, and required more than half an hour. 
 It was like climbing a hill, composed of small gravel, sloping 
 in the degree in which it would naturally rest if heaped up. 
 These loose dry particles gave way beneath the short steps 
 which it was necessary to take; but the ascent was rendered 
 comparatively easy by numerous firm stones, upon which we 
 could occasionally tread, the whole way up. 
 
 As we ascended the cone, the view of Naples and the sur- 
 rounding country became more and more extensive, com- 
 prising all the islands, the remote coast, the distant moun- 
 tains, and numerous villages.. But when we reached the 
 top, what was our disappointment to find the crater filled 
 with mist and smoke, which became more dense every mi- 
 nute. A raw wind blew against the mountain, from which 
 we found a shelter by lying down on the inner declivity, 
 which had a gentle slope of ten or twelve feet in breadth to a 
 
 11 
 
82 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 rock which overhung the perpendicular precipice of the 
 great crater. The moment we had attained the summit, the 
 noise which issued from the cloud-covered abyss became 
 most singular and awfully grand, resembling the combined 
 sounds of thunder, cannon, musquetry, the surges of the sea 
 among rocks, and the rattling of sheets *of copper violently 
 shaken. These noises w T ere produced by an incessant irrup- 
 tion from a small cone at the bottom of the great crater — 
 from time to time a more copious eruption of red hot stones 
 would disperse and dissolve the cloud for a moment or two, 
 and show us the interior cone from which it issued, and the 
 streams of lava running around its base. 
 
 One of our company had boldly descended with a guide 
 into the crater by winding round the edge, some distance 
 from the low rock on which we were placed, to a spot where 
 a passage could be effected among the perpendicular cliffs 
 down to the shelving and more level surface within the great 
 crater, and around the inner cone. We heard his voice from 
 beneath the misty veil far below us, under a precipice of 
 rocks on the edge of which we remained, whilst the -cloud 
 grew more dense and night was fast approaching. We be- 
 came alarmed for his safety, and the guide who remained 
 with us exerted his utmost voice, contending with the roar 
 and rattle of the fiery crater, to call him back. At length 
 our friend returned bringing with him three pieces of lava, 
 into each of which he had thrust a dollar, and separated 
 each portion with his stick from the stream of lava which 
 flowed at his feet. 
 
 His delay prevented our earlier descent from the region of 
 cloud. In the meanwhile two other companies had arrived 
 with whom we lingered a little longer, and just as we were 
 giving up all hopes of having a satisfactory view, the cloud 
 suddenly passed away, disclosing the whole circumference of 
 the crater. We found it to consist of vast perpendicular rocks 
 on all sides, with some oblique slopes winding under the 
 cliffs, permitting a dangerous descent into the crater for the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 83 
 
 few who are so adventurous as to attempt it. Not far with- 
 in these cliffs is the deepest part of the crater, about fifteen 
 hundred feet, from which rises the inner cone, made by small 
 but continual irruptions of red hot stones and lava. The 
 outer crater is said to be about a mile and a third in diame- 
 ter — while the inner one is about fifty feet. From this we 
 witnessed a rapid succession of discharges, from sixty to 
 eighty in a minute, accompanied by the noise I have before 
 described; and every four or five minutes a great explosion 
 which threw up quantities of red hot stones and liquid 
 lava, nearly as high as the top of the outer crater, falling on 
 the inner cone; — during the whole time the lava was running 
 down the sides, in four distinct streams, poured out like 
 melted iron, and spreading over the whole extent of the in- 
 ner crater. 
 
 These sublime fire-works illuminated the whole circumfe- 
 rence of the crater, and, with the vast volumes of smoke 
 whose immense column rose far above it, produced a most 
 magnificent and impressive spectacle, from which we were 
 reluctant to part, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour. 
 Our guides at length struck a fire, lighted their torches, and 
 selecting a part of the cone the most yielding to the feet, ran 
 jumping down followed by the whole party in a string like 
 a parcel of wild boys — the gravel filling our shoes, and even 
 getting into our boots. It is the general custom thus to hur- 
 ry down in two or three minutes a slope that takes more 
 than half an hour to ascend — but it is a foolish and unsafe 
 practice, on account of the occasional large stones, by which 
 1 was several times thrown down and my ankles were strained, 
 embarrassed as I was with a cloak, and following in the sha- 
 dow of those who rushed before me after the torches. 
 
 At the foot of the cone, we found the soldier that accom- 
 panied us from the hermitage, and one who had come with 
 the other parties, together with a boy who had charge of the 
 asses — all round a little fire. The whole party being mount- 
 ed, preceded by the guides, and escorted by the gens-d y - 
 
84 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 armes, we gave loose reins to our sagacious beasts, and re- 
 turned safely through the wilderness of lava, passing to the 
 right and left, up and down, as the asses thought best; and 
 holding in our toes for fear of being dismounted by projecting 
 crags of lava. When we reached the shelter of the hermit- 
 age, we warmed ourselves by a good fire, inscribed our names 
 in the great album, paid our fees to the soldiers and the priest, 
 and then continued down the long-winding rough way, not to 
 say road, to Resina; where again our purses were called forth 
 for guides and torches. 
 
 As our carriage rattled over the pavement of Portici, and 
 we reflected that a great city lay buried beneath us, we could 
 not forbear a solemn silence, while we occasionally caught a 
 view of the red cloud which hung over the awful mountain. 
 
 " Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof." The trouble at 
 our arrival, with trunks and passports, was as much as could 
 well be borne at the time. After recovering from this vexa- 
 tion, we were better prepared for that of obtaining permission 
 of residence; first, for five days, then for one month; and, 
 now that we are desirous of getting away, we find the pro- 
 cess of recovering our passports, and getting a new one to 
 leave the kingdom, with the signatures of our consul, the po- 
 lice officers, the minister of state, and, finally, the Roman ec- 
 clesiastical consul, — demands an additional sacrifice of time, 
 fatigue, and money. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 85 
 
 January 28th. 
 
 Having seen in Naples as much as the long succession of 
 bad weather would well permit, we engaged seats in a vetu- 
 rina, a coach returning to Florence, to take us to Rome. But 
 the driver, who was owner of the carriage and three horses, 
 and who spoke French, which was a motive with us for go- 
 ing with him, had sold his carriage and horses, and we found 
 ourselves at daylight, on the road from Naples, under the gui- 
 dance of the new purchaser, a snug, young, leather-breeched 
 postillion, who spoke nothing but broad Italian, and knew no- 
 thing of the country but the course of the road — yet he turned 
 out to be quiet, careful, and obliging. 
 
 From Naples to Capua and St. Agatha, we passed over a 
 a country generally level, highly cultivated, and covered 
 with trees, between which, like ropes suspended on high, 
 were abundance of grape vines. The road was lined 
 with a numerous succession of asses, with ragged, patched, 
 and grunting drivers, carrying provisions to the city. We 
 slept in a good inn, and were well treated at St. Agatha, 
 whence, to Terracina, our road lay through a level country, 
 having the Mediterranean on one side, and a ridge of moun- 
 tains near us on the other. We enjoyed our meridian break- 
 fast at the Villa of Cicero. It has been an elegant country 
 seat, and commands a beautiful view of the bay and the neigh- 
 bouring villages. The great stair-way is of black marble, and 
 a lage upper hall is painted in the style of the buildings at 
 Pompeii. A large garden is filled with luxuriant orange trees, 
 with whose fresh fruit we concluded our repast. 
 
 Before our carriage was ready to start, we walked forward 
 over a very pleasant road, enjoying the rare treat of a warm 
 sunshine and fine prospect, on both sides of the road, of de- 
 lightful valleys, till we came to the ruins of an ancient tomb, 
 
86 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 supposed to be that of Cicero. An old gardener gave us en- 
 trance from the road into the field where it stands. We 
 walked through the slippery mud, among humble cabbages, 
 to the foot of this dilapidated monumental tower, whose cre- 
 vices were filled with the roots of picturesque shrubs and 
 vines. The old man showed us how we might climb the 
 broken and massive stones of the pedestal to an upper cham- 
 ber, constructed chiefly of very small bricks, the arched roof 
 being supported by a square pillar in the centre. The lower 
 apartment had a modern wooden door, of which he had not 
 the key. 
 
 The marshy lands began long before we reached Terracina, 
 where we eat and slept, after two hours detention at the cus- 
 tom-house, occasioned by the examination, weighing, and 
 plumbing of a quantity of commercial articles belonging to a 
 carriage .which had previously arrived; our examination was 
 then prompt and polite. 
 
 From Terracina to Villetri our road lay across the cele- 
 brated Pontine Marshes, with a range of mountains on our 
 right. The road, which is a very fine one, is made, for the 
 most part, on the solid ground; sometimes, however, crossing, 
 between two points, a portion of the marsh: at our left hand 
 was a canal, with a rapid stream of water, made by embank- 
 ments, raised above the level of the marshes, and passing into 
 the sea by a transverse canal. Numerous canals and ditches 
 have rendered the greatest portion of these marshes capable 
 of cultivation, especially the higher parts towards Rome. 
 The tracts unreclaimed present a desolate scene of what is 
 called with us drowned lands. Near the termination of these 
 Pontine Marshes, in a large massive rough building, called 
 Tre Ponti, we rested some tedious hours, and tried to amuse 
 ourselves looking at the herds of black buffaloes which were 
 grazing on the marshes. Some English travellers who had 
 stopt here, accoutred as sportsmen, were better enjoying them- 
 selves with dog and gun in ranging the muddy fields. From 
 this to Velletri, where we slept, we saw little to interest us. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 87 
 
 We found the whole road from Naples protected against 
 the depredation of robbers by military guards, stationed at 
 short intervals. This precaution appeared most necessary in 
 the Neapolitan territory, where the grounds on each side of 
 the road were rough and wild^ and the wretched inhabitants, 
 as the Irish would say, most desperate-looking. But we had 
 no sooner entered the papal territory than we perceived a 
 people of much better appearance, scarcely any beggars, and 
 the peasants decently and comfortably clad — men and wo- 
 men, eight or ten in a row, promiscuously employed in the 
 fields digging the soft soil. We were no longer -troubled with 
 our passports after passing the papal frontier. 
 
 From this inn of the three bridges the road was excellent, 
 and became extremely picturesque and delightful. At Alba- 
 no we passed through a heavy shower of hail, but, as it cleared 
 up, and we descended its romantic heights, we perceived 
 Rome, as made evident by the dome of St. Peter's, thirteen 
 miles distant, which was lighted by the only rays of sun that 
 just then broke through the distant clouds. We passed many 
 ruins of ancient tombs, on each side of the road, very few of 
 which retained the appearance of monuments, as they were 
 totally divested of their outer coatings of marble. 
 
 As we approached the city a long horizontal line of an- 
 cient aqueducts displayed their wonderful succession of lofty 
 arches, still in surprising preservation, except where demo- 
 lished for the sake of the building materials of brick and 
 stone. Shortly after, we entered Rome by the gate of San 
 Giovanni. Here our passports were taken from us to be re- 
 turned next day. Having at Naples procured from our con- 
 sul at Rome a lascia passare, or permission to pass, we were 
 not detained at the gate, but a custom-house officer accom- 
 panied the carriage to our lodgings. The first objects that 
 presented themselves were objects of magnificence and gran- 
 deur; the venerated basilica of St. John and its neighbouring 
 churches, palace and hospital ; and very soon after the stu- 
 pendous remains of the mighty Colosseum, whose noble arches 
 
88 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 echoed to the whip of our excited postillion as we rapidly 
 drove under its broad shadow. Thence traversing a long se- 
 ries of narrow streets, to the Forum of Trajan, we strained 
 our necks to survey the celebrated column, which still stands 
 on its original base. A few more turns conveyed us to the 
 Corso, rich with palaces, and by the renowned column of An- 
 toninus, to the Piazza di Spagna, which abounds in houses for 
 the accommodation of strangers. Here our custom-house of- 
 ficer civilly left us on the receipt of a small fee ; and after- 
 wards our trunks were scarcely looked at by officers of a 
 higher rank, sent from the custom-house to perform that ce- 
 remony. 
 
 Borne, January 3ls£. 
 
 Behold me seated in the wonderful city, which I am to 
 see with my own eyes, and judge with my own understand- 
 ing. I shall examine it without system; governed by the fan- 
 cy which may be uppermost, or the facilities which may pre- 
 sent themselves. From my lodging-room J look out upon the 
 habitations of the people, and perceive the moss-covered tiles 
 of massive houses, built some hundred years back, and re- 
 paired and altered to the latest taste and convenience. They 
 are inhabited by a race descended from the ancient heroes of 
 Rome ; but they live on the curiosity of strangers, and eco- 
 nomize in nooks and corners, whilst their best apartments, 
 new painted and modernized, are announced for hire at al- 
 most every door. The postillion's vigorously flourished whip 
 cracks loud in the street below — another and'another arrives 
 — it is the season when Rome begins to be filled. But, in the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 09 
 
 little daylight which remains, I am impatient to sally out, and 
 the first attraction is the Piazza di Spagna. 
 
 This is a large central space, so called because the palace 
 of the Spanish ambassador fronts on it. It contains a num- 
 ber of convenient lodging houses and shops for the accommo- 
 dation of strangers, with books, prints, mosaics, cameos, &c, 
 A singular fountain in the centre, in the shape of an antique 
 galley, pours out its copious streams of excellent water, direct- 
 ly in front of a magnificent flight of white stone steps, varied 
 with landing-places and terraces, which ascend to the front 
 of a church built by Louis XV. A delightful walk, on the 
 brow of the hill, overlooking the tops of the houses and gar- 
 dens, extends from this church, under rows of trees, to the pa- 
 lace of the French academy of the fine arts, and so on to the 
 terraces, groves, walks, and carriage-ways at the termination 
 of the Pincian hill, which overlooks one extremity of Rome. 
 There the eye is cast directly down upon the noble circular 
 place, just within the Gate of the people, with its mighty 
 Egyptian obelisk and fountains in the centre, and fountains, 
 statues, churches, and palaces on its circumference. To these 
 a descent is afforded by a road constructed in the style of a 
 double stair-case — a beautiful work, commenced when the 
 French ruler governed Rome, and now finishing, by the well- 
 advised policy of the popes, to embellish a city which owes 
 so much to the visitation of strangers. These walks and rides 
 are greatly resorted to, especially by the English; and the 
 prospect at sunset is indeed beautiful, commanding a distant 
 view of the dome of St. Peter's and the neighbouring hills 
 on the borders of the Tiber. 
 
 Having at last arrived in Rome; breathed its mild air; eaten 
 of its excellent food, prepared by the cunning of a French 
 cook, and presented in all the ceremony of successive courses, 
 as prescribed by the gourmand code; and tasted, not to say 
 drunk, of its pleasant wine — it only remained to sleep in 
 Rome, to lie on beds of wool, and over mattresses filled with 
 
 12 
 
90 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 corn-husks, elevated on an iron bedstead; to think, if not to 
 dream, of its ancient glories; and wake to the wonders of 
 art which render it the centre of attraction to artists, and to 
 the curious of all nations. 
 
 The ruinous vestiges of ancient power — the fragments of 
 magnificent architecture, lie chiefly towards the gate by which 
 I entered. The proud altar of ecclesiastical dominion — the 
 matchless perfection of the Christian temple, was to be found 
 at an opposite extremity of the city. My taste led me first 
 to enjoy the beauties which are unimpaired by time; and 
 seldom, indeed, does a stranger arrive in Rome without feel- 
 ing an impatient curiosity to hasten to the cathedral of St. 
 Peter's, because it is universally considered the wonder of 
 modern architecture, and the central point of the whole ca- 
 tholic world. 
 
 From the Piazza di Spagna, to go to St. Peter's, it is neces- 
 sary to pass down one or two streets filled with little shops, 
 outside and inside of which are displayed, for the especial 
 temptation of strangers, (forestieri^) a vast variety of real 
 and fictitious antiques, gems, cameos, mosaics, bronzes, paint- 
 ings, and prints. These lead into the Corso, the fashionable 
 course of carriages, the only long straight street in Rome, in- 
 tersecting it from the base of the capitol to the gate of the 
 people, la Porta del popolo, a mile distant. Then turning 
 down by the Borghese palace, and a few other buildings of 
 note, you are obliged to traverse a long course of wretched 
 streets, crooked, narrow, and often dirty, till you reach the 
 ancient Pons JElius, built by Adrian, but mended by mo- 
 dern restorations, and flanked, if not ornamented, with mar- 
 ble angels, and hence called the Bridge of the Holy Angels, 
 Santf Jlngeli. This great thoroughfare, across the rapid 
 and muddy Tiber, leads directly to the front of the Castle 
 of St. Jlngelo, once the tomb of Adrian, whose vast circu- 
 lar base has been crowned with battlements and surround- 
 ed with military works — the papal barracks and prison. Di- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 91 
 
 verging from this, through a street of little consideration, you 
 presently enter the open space, at the farther and most ele- 
 vated end of which stands St. Peter's. 
 
 Here let us stop to take a survey of the scene which is 
 presented within the immense piazza or place of St. Peter's — 
 ten hundred and forty feet in length. Midway, within two 
 semicircular ranges of magnificent colonnades or porticoes, 
 the copious waters of two elegant fountains glitter in the air, 
 and a towering obelisk of Egypt marks the meridian of 
 Rome. Beyond these, a grand flight of steps, at the foot of 
 which stand two statues, one bearing the keys of St. Peter, 
 the other the sword of St. Paul, — conducts the eye to the 
 broad front of the sacred basilica, which rather resembles a 
 palace. Above is imperfectly seen the more distant dome, 
 partly hidden by the perspective obtrusion of the deep ad- 
 vancing front. Covered galleries or corridors, connected 
 with the two semicircular porticoes, rise to each end of the 
 vestibule of the mighty temple. Behind the left corridor is 
 seen the princely palace of the officiating canons and sa- 
 cristans, and beyond the corridor, at the right, rises the Va- 
 tican, presenting externally no architectural beauty, but com- 
 prising within its stupendous masses, the splendours of the 
 pontifical palace, and the consecrated treasures of ancient 
 art. 
 
 Advancing, midway, over the flat stone pavement, we ap- 
 proach the semicircular colonnades, which, commencing wide- 
 ly distant, and presenting oblique fronts, resemble the porti- 
 coes of two churches. From this spot the perspective effect 
 of the retiring sweep of the colonnades, brings the apparent- 
 ly diminished columns of the remote parts into close decep- 
 tive comparison with those of the front. As you approach 
 them they seem rapidly to grow in size, till you touch their 
 shafts, of about forty feet in height and five in diameter. 
 Then turning round, and looking across to the commencing 
 front of the opposite colonnade, which you know to be of the 
 same proportions, such is the deception among objects of un- 
 
92 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 known magnitude and space, that they appear to be scarcely 
 half the size. Forty-seven of these immense marble or tra- 
 vertine columns, supporting a suitable entablature and ba- 
 lustrade, and decorated with colossal statues, constitute the 
 semicircular face of each portico, and three other corres- 
 ponding ranges of columns make up the breadth, comprising 
 three ample covered carriage ways which lead to the corri- 
 dors. In various situations, behind, within and in front, the 
 perspective effects of these three hundred and seventy-six 
 columns, with their pilasters, entablatures, ballustrades, sur- 
 mounted by one hundred and ninety-two colossal statues, the 
 fountains, obelisk, and the apparently diminished forms of 
 the cathedral and the Vatican, as seen beyond the columnar 
 spaces, are beautiful and curious. For the pleasure of this 
 sumptuous array, we are indebted to the architectural taste 
 of the sculptor Bernini, whose statues, with those of his pu- 
 pils, ornament this and many other places in Rome; and to 
 the genius which enabled him to fascinate those who held 
 the public purse-strings, into such schemes of costly magni- 
 ficence. 
 
 This spot was once the circus of Nero, and was distin- 
 guished by an immense obelisk of red granite, which Cali- 
 gula had brought from Egypt. Overthrown by the barbarians 
 who pillaged Rome, it lay buried for ages, was discovered 
 where the sacristy now stands, and two hundred and forty- 
 three years ago, at an expense of forty thousand dollars, 
 was removed to and erected in its present situation on the 
 backs of four bronze lions which crouch on the corners of a 
 high pedestal. It is the only unfractured obelisk in Rome, 
 but is without hieroglyphics, and measures seventy-seven 
 feet, exclusive of the pedestal. 
 
 The fountains on each side throw up a picturesque group 
 of jets from an assemblage of pipes. This copious and un- 
 ceasing eruption of water falls into a series of basins, pro- 
 jecting below and beyond each other, to one of fifty feet in 
 circumference, made of a single piece of granite, and thence 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 93 
 
 into a larger reservoir on the ground. In a calm atmosphere 
 it falls uniformly, hut its streams are scattered by a breeze 
 into a fine shower, and then exhibit the splendid hues of the 
 rainbow. 
 
 Passing the marble keys of St. Peter, and the iron sword 
 of St. Paul, and ascending the wide steps or the gently rising 
 central slope, contrived for the stiff knees of the aged cardi- 
 nals when they pass in processions, we reach the platform; 
 and advancing to the eight columns which support the front 
 entablature, are astonished at their unparalleled magnitude, 
 resting on bases twelve feet in breadth, and rising eighty- 
 eight feet to the top of their capitals. This front is often 
 censured as too much resembling a Palace, but more 
 justly so as deformed by the inter-columniatiohs being 
 filled up with balconies; but though not exempt from cri- 
 ticism, nor so perfect as the rest of the edifice, it possesses 
 unusual grandeur. The sensation of astonishment excited 
 by the outside does not diminish on entering. Three 
 high gate-ways, decorated with marble columns, and two 
 intermediate arches open into the vestibule, which is an 
 immense vaulted hall extending the whole breadth of the 
 church, and terminating at both ends in recesses containing 
 each an equestrian statue — one of Constantine, the other of 
 Charlemagne. The ceiling is richly stuccoed, and the pave- 
 ment is inlaid marble, four hundred and thirty feet long, and 
 sixty feet high. 
 
 Of five door-ways, two remain open to the public. The 
 central one, which is opened only on high festivals, is of 
 bronze enriched with sculpture — all green from the opera- 
 tion of the atmosphere, except the lower part, where the 
 figures are polished by the hands of the curious and the kisses 
 of the pious; and another, which is called the holy door, is 
 only open at the remote periods of the great jubilees. Be- 
 fore you can enter the temple, it is necessary, as is usual in 
 Italy, to raise, or suffer some of the beggars who stand ready, 
 to raise a great quilted leather, an inch atfd a half thick, 
 
94 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 which hangs heavily against the opening to exclude the cold 
 air. Once within, you enjoy the mildness of a summer at- 
 mosphere. 
 
 After reading the various accounts of this edifice, it is im- 
 possible to forbear fashioning in the imagination a building, 
 according to some prevailing notions, which scarcely ever 
 are found to agree with the reality. The first sensation is 
 that of surprise at the brightness and elegance of the whole 
 interior, and, in part, of disappointment at the apparent want 
 of magnitude, occasioned, I think, chiefly by the colossal sta- 
 tues which, being proportioned to the vast pilasters, arches 
 and columns, seem to reduce the whole to an ordinary scale; 
 until by a change of place, walking over fields of pavement, 
 and comparing the human beings before you, who seem 
 dwindled into pigmies, with the stupendous masses which you 
 are approaching, — you are convinced of its mighty magni- 
 tude, and experience an increasing emotion of wonder and 
 delight. 
 
 The body, or nave, is under one vast arch or vaulted cei- 
 ling, with richly gilt mouldings, and arabesque carvings, on a 
 white ground. This ceiling rests on a noble cornice, which 
 is supported on each side by four arches, opening into the 
 side aisles. These masses of combined pilasters are built on 
 bases twenty<four feet wide and thirteen thick, which look 
 slender compared with the width and height of the inter- 
 vening archways. Each pier is ornamented with a colossal 
 statue in a niche, facing the nave. The pilasters of the 
 arches are composed of the richest marbles and ornamented 
 with beautiful groups of angel children, of white marble, 
 supporting medallion portraits of the popes. 
 
 At the base of the first pilasters, on each side, is a holy- 
 water font, of rich yellow marble, supported by two chil- 
 dren, of polished white marble, which at first seem no more 
 than the natural size, while the men and women who are in 
 contact with them, and raising their hands to touch the wa- 
 ter, seem of a Half grown race. Thirty-four paces from the 
 
 It 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 95 
 
 centre door bring you up to the group, which then astonishes 
 you with its magnitude — the children being about six feet 
 tall. 
 
 The side aisles are a succession of lesser arches, supported 
 by the richest marble columns, and decorated with all the 
 arts of painting, sculpture, mosaic, stucco and gilding. Within 
 every archway, built up against the sides, and projecting, by 
 means of sarcophagus, statue and basso-relievo, are magnifi- 
 cent monuments to the memory of various popes. 
 
 Passing down the body of the church, about midway, you 
 perceive on each side a splendid chapel, in one of which the 
 regular service of the church is performed. The other is 
 generally closed, but appears to contain something precious 
 from the number of people who are kneeling in front of it. 
 Its portal is decorated with two great columns of extraordi- 
 nary beauty. 
 
 At the extremity of the nave sits the venerated statue 
 in bronze of St. Peter — a plain, straight-forward-looking 
 figure, holding the never to be omitted keys. The toes of 
 one foot project beyond the pedestal, and are bright from 
 frequent contact with the lips and foreheads of the faithful. 
 You now walk on the circular pavement beneath the lofty 
 dome, one hundred and thirty-one feet in diameter, and 
 approach the high altar which is under a sumptuous baldi- 
 chino or canopy of gilt bronze, made from the spoils of the 
 Pantheon— about ninety feet in height. Because twisted 
 columns are inappropriate to support great weights, it is 
 customary to censure those of the baldichino; but if ever 
 the spiral column was in a situation to be admired, I think 
 it is here, especially enriched as it is with an encircling 
 vine, because it has nothing to support but light ornamen- 
 tal objects. These columns are of enormous magnitude, 
 yet look light and beautiful. Against this altar, a splendid 
 marble balustrade surrounds an opening, within which a 
 beautiful flight of steps leads to the subterranean church, 
 which contains the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul. On 
 
96 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 and about the balustrade a hundred lamps burn day and 
 night. 
 
 We are now beneath the mighty dome, raised by the ge- 
 nius of Michael Angelo, and we look up to the mosaic de- 
 corations on its vault, three hundred and ninety-three feet! 
 From this spot the eye ranges with wonder and delight 
 over the matchless scene, on both sides and beyond the 
 altar, through arches, broad and high, upon which the dome 
 seems to rest, into spaces so vast, surrounded with walls so 
 rich in coloured marbles, columns so bright and beautiful, 
 statues so animated, mosaic paintings so large and excellent, 
 that it is like a vision of enchantment. But they cannot 
 be seen at once; and the altars, monuments, bassi relievi, 
 and bronzes, combined with all the beauties and wonders of 
 architecture, and the unspared gold which enriches the 
 vaulted ceilings, must be visited again and again. The 
 eye never tires in surveying such perfect elegance and 
 symmetry. 
 
 When you enter the church, the grand altar and baldichi- 
 no in the distance, and all that is under and about the dome 
 appear small; and when you are under the dome, the space 
 around you is so vast, that the nave seems of inconsiderable 
 size. When you are in one of the transepts, and see nothing 
 of the great hall through which you have passed, what you see 
 is in itself a mighty temple. A similar one exists at the other 
 extremity, and when you attempt to go round behind the 
 great altar, you pass through other divisions, each of which 
 might constitute a church. 
 
 The tribune, a great semicircular termination beyond the 
 great altar, besides two monuments, is emblazoned with an 
 immense assemblage of towering gilt bronze figures and rays 
 of glory, radiating from a bright painted window representing 
 the descending dove, in honour of the pontifical chair of St. 
 Peter, which is said to be preserved here. 
 
 In this region of enchantment, surrounded by the most mag- 
 nificent columns and glowing marbles, that once embellished 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 97 
 
 the palaces of the Roman emperors, the attention is powerful- 
 ly invited to the great mosaic pictures which decorate almost 
 every altar, — pictures which neither damp, nor smoke, nor 
 time can injure — so wonderfully executed, with semi-vitreous 
 porcelain, that every line and tint of the original pictures are 
 indelibly expressed; and possessing lustre by polish, which is 
 given to the surface when the work is finished. The best 
 known are the Transfiguration by Raphael, and the Com- 
 munion of St. Jerome by Domenichino; but the most excel- 
 lent is the St. Petronilla, which is more beautiful than the 
 original picture by Guercino, preserved in the museum of the 
 Capitol. 
 
 Canova's monument of Clement XIII. is of unequal merit, 
 but is distinguished by two noble lions which are universally 
 admired. The most perfect work of sculpture in St. Peter's 
 is the Piety, as it is called, by Michael Angelo — the dead body 
 of Christ on the lap of the Virgin; but it is in a dark situa- 
 tion, much too high to be seen to any advantage, and looks 
 diminutive in comparison with the other statues in the church, 
 which are all colossal. The exquisite beauty of the dead body 
 may be better appreciated by examining the plaster cast of 
 it in the French academy on the Pincian bill. 
 
 Except the tribune, which is elevated two steps, the whole 
 of the vast extent of pavement in St. Peter's is one perfect 
 level, composed of marbles of various colours and figures, 
 beautifully inlaid, and kept perfectly clean. Several small 
 grated openings admit light into the chapels and cemeteries 
 below. 
 
 A clerical guide, with wax candles, conducted us into the 
 subterranean chapels. We did not enter the magnificent cor- 
 ridor, but descended by a small private stair at the base of 
 one of the great pilasters of the dome — and took only a rapid 
 glance at the holy chapels below the high altar, enriched with 
 every art, and approached with reverence as the depositories 
 of the mortal remains of St. Peter and St. Paul. From these 
 we passed through extensive circular galleries, the sides of 
 
 13 
 
98 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 which are lined with curious antiquated pieces of sculpture 
 which had profusely decorated the ancient cathedral built on 
 this spot by Constantine, part of the pavement of which still 
 remains. The rest of the dark region, through which we ranged 
 from vault to vault, sometimes stooping to pass the low arches, 
 was a solemn succession of tombs, from that of Junius Bassus, 
 prefect of Rome, who died in the year 359, to those of popes 
 and monarchs of modern date — all cemented in huge sarco- 
 phagi and massive boxes of granite. As we rose from this 
 gloomy dungeon, the vastness and splendour of the superstruc- 
 ture contrasted with it wonderfully and delightfully; and we 
 were ready to agree with Forsyth, that " in magnitude, ele- 
 vation, opulence, and beauty, the church of St. Peter has no 
 rival, and bears no comparison — uniting the perfection of art 
 with the beauty of holiness — and justly claiming the affection 
 and reverence of the traveller, both as the temple of taste 
 and the sanctuary of religion. " 
 
 For the purpose of visiting the top of the temple, a little 
 side door was opened to a stair-case, or rather inclined plane, 
 winding round a wide well, of so gentle an ascent that load- 
 ed mules mount it to the roof: when at the top you are sur- 
 prised in looking down at the depth of this well. You now 
 walk out upon the extensive roof which is entirely covered 
 with stone and metal, comprising a singular variety of terrace, 
 ridge, and parapet, cupola, turret, and shed — no less than ten 
 small cupolas rising like so many little temples around the 
 great dome, which from here looks particularly beautiful. Its 
 external diameter is one hundred and eighty -three feet: the 
 colossal statues, eighteen feet in height, on the parapet of the 
 front, are found to consist of great blocks of rough stone, 
 clamped together with irons, and wrought to produce an ef- 
 fect only at a distance. A fountain, above the roof, pours out 
 a constant stream of pure water, of which I drank; but there 
 was no one to tell me from what source it was derived. 
 
 From the roof we entered the dome, which is built of stone, 
 and double; the inner one open at top, permitting the great mo- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 99 
 
 saic figure of the Deity in the lantern of the outer one to be 
 seen from the pavement near the high altar. Between these 
 two domes, a flight of white marble stairs conducted us to 
 the gallery which rests on the top, affording a commodious 
 situation for a view of Rome and its environs, which occu- 
 pied and delighted us for a long time — till the guide was evi- 
 dently impatient to complete his task. We, therefore, fol- 
 lowed him to a small door, and up a narrow stair-way, without 
 being informed where it was to lead us, till we reached a per- 
 pendicular ladder, within a narrow circular shaft; through this 
 I followed my companions, whom I found standing in the cop- 
 per ball, now palpably eight feet one inch in diameter, though, 
 to the spectators on the earth, it looks no bigger than a bomb- 
 shell stuck on a gun-barrel; yet we had crept up through that 
 barrel, and there were six persons in that ball, which is capa- 
 ble of holding sixteen. From this extraordinary aerial situa- 
 tion, four hundred and twenty-three feet high, we looked 
 through little openings in the copper upon the world below, 
 with singular sensations ; but the confined air, heated by the 
 rays of the sun and our bodies, made it desirable before long 
 to abandon our exalted situation, though others, before us, 
 have stopped to sing Hail Columbia or God save the King. 
 In returning, the guide conducted us to the opening at the 
 top of the inner dome, through which we looked down 
 upon the diminished baldichino and the atoms of men and 
 women who were moving on the pavement below — and 
 then, descending to the base of the dome, entered a gallery 
 within, and saw, with surprise, those rude gigantic mosaic 
 incrustations, which from below resemble well painted che- 
 rubs and apostles. 
 
 After witnessing the wonders, and enjoying the beauties 
 of St. Peter's, the harmonious result of the talents of so 
 many distinguished architects, sculptors, and painters, during 
 one hundred and fifty years of labour, at an expense exceed- 
 ing fifty millions of dollars, — the visiter feels little dis- 
 
100 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 position, in the same day, to tolerate any thing el'se, and 
 goes away with a resolution soon to return. 
 
 We had entered Rome by the unusual route from Naples 
 — a gentleman, who had long resided here, was desirous of 
 showing us its aspect as it opens upon the traveller who 
 arrives, as more frequently happens, from Florence — for 
 this purpose he took us to the Porta del popolo, to which 
 the Flaminian way leads. This gate-way, though designed 
 by Michael Angelo, with its high arch, papal arms, columns, 
 and statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, offers nothing to ad- 
 mire but its appearance of strength; and the soldiers who 
 guard it are only the agents of the police and custom-house. 
 It opens immediately into a great circular space, with an 
 Egyptian obelisk in the centre, and fountains, statues, 
 churches, hotels, and terraces all round — a magnificent en- 
 trance worthy the character of Rome. The red granite 
 obelisk, seventy-four feet long above its pedestal, and co- 
 vered with engraved hieroglyphics, is the first that was 
 brought to Rome by Augustus after the conquest of Egypt. 
 Directly in front are two ornamental twin churches, be- 
 tween and beside which three streets diverge into the heart 
 of the city — that on the left, leads to the Piazza di Spagna 
 — that on the right, towards St. Peter's — and the centre 
 one, the Corso, rich in palaces, towards the hill of the Ca- 
 pitol. This street, being the greatest thoroughfare, is best 
 supplied with shops of every kind; but, even to an Ame- 
 rican eye, they seem petty, and are strangely intermingled 
 with churches, palaces, and dirty vegetable, meat and gro- 
 cery stalls. 
 
 With a liberality corresponding with the character of 
 Rome, the government has built a spacious room in the 
 elegant place at the Porta del popolo, for the sole purpose 
 of affording artists an opportunity of exhibiting their works, 
 by paying a fee of only twenty cents a month. The pic- 
 tures are placed on easels, in suitable lights, and the room 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 101 
 
 is open gratuitously to visiters under the care of a respect- 
 able person. Thus, from the obscurity and retirement in 
 which a young artist has been studying, amid privations 
 only to be endured by a devotee, more eager to nourish his 
 art than his body, — may the fruits of his genius be drawn 
 forth and be made known, that he may prosper under some 
 fortunate patronage. 
 
 Not far from the end of this main street, after passing 
 through some crooked and dirty little avenues, you arrive at 
 the magnificent ascent, ornamented with ancient sculpture, 
 which terminates on a square where the modern capitol, or 
 senatorial palace, court-house, and jail stands, on the base 
 of the ancient capitol. The two sides are decorated with 
 buildings in which are preserved a noble collection of . sta- 
 tues and some paintings, and in the centre is the eques- 
 trian statue of Marcus Aurelius — the only large equestrian 
 statue of bronze which remains of ancient work. The 
 horse's limbs are particularly worthy of admiration. 
 
 Crossing the square, you descend another sloping way; 
 stop, as you go down, to feel, look, and wonder at the enor- 
 mous stones which remain of the foundation of the ancient 
 capitol; then enter the ruinous precincts of the Roman fo- 
 rum. The traveller whose early studies have made hirn fa- 
 miliar with the history of Rome, and whose memory can 
 recall the circumstances which distinguished her most emi- 
 nent characters, is strongly excited on entering this re- 
 nowned spot: but the artist who has chiefly thought of the 
 ruins of Rome, fancying them to be crowded groups of 
 picturesque beauty, the charms of ancient art in mighty 
 ruin, combined with the romantic decorations of overgrow- 
 ing moss and hanging ivy, will be disappointed in finding, 
 in fields of dirt and rubbish, the scattered monuments of 
 ancient power — the half-buried arch, the isolated column 
 or solitary portico, and masses of brick and mortar; whilst 
 the carved -altars, graceful statues, beautiful vases, and ele- 
 gant columns have been all removed, for safety and more 
 
102 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 useful purposes of study, into the vast repositories of the 
 Vatican. The first object that presents itself is the trium- 
 phal arch of Severus, cleared out to its foundation, and 
 looking as if it were built in a cellar. Its fractured and 
 dark-stained arches, shattered columns and mutilated bassi 
 relievi, carry the mind back more than sixteen hundred 
 years, when the people and senate of Rome commemorated 
 the victories obtained over the Arabians and other barba- 
 rous people, by erecting this arch, which was surmounted 
 by the victor in a triumphal car with six horses — now gone, 
 no one knows where. 
 
 Near this, close under the steep rocky base of the capitol, 
 stand the six front columns of the Temple of Concord, with 
 its shattered pediment and solid foundation exposed to view 
 by the pick-axe and spade. Not far distant, rising from its 
 pedestal, which you approach to see, in the bottom of a deep 
 excavation down to the surface of the ancient forum, recently 
 dug at the expense of an English lady, is the column of Phocus, 
 now no longer a riddle to disputing antiquarians; and farther 
 on, tall and isolated, the three beautiful columns supporting 
 part of the cornice of the Temple of Jupiter Tonans. Op- 
 posite these, the portico, also looking as if it were built in a 
 cellar, with ten splintered Cipollino columns, of the Temple 
 of Antoninus and Faustina, whose pagan foundations have 
 been consecrated by a Christian superstructure, thus pre- 
 serving the portico and its elegant cornice for the admiration 
 of antiquarians. Near this is a little antique church, once 
 the Temple of Remus, of which there yet remains the mar- 
 ble door-case, bronze doors, and circular vestibule, on whose 
 marble pavement was engraved a plan of Rome — portions of 
 which are preserved in the museum of the capitol. 
 
 These are the fragments of antiquity that constituted a part 
 of the proud magnificence of imperial Rome, and served the 
 purposes of her multiform religion, and that now meet the 
 eye as it wanders over a field long since degraded into a cow- 
 market ; and you pass amid carts and piles of dirt, and deep 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 103 
 
 excavations, till you reach, on a spot formerly explored, a 
 central avenue of small trees, whose shade and verdure, in 
 summer, is equally desirable amid this waste and desolation. 
 Here you may take a seat, and contemplate, on one side, the 
 enormous brick walls and arches of part of the Temple of 
 Peace, once deemed the most magnificent of Rome, in which 
 Titus deposited the richest spoils of Jerusalem ; and, on the 
 opposite side, a bank, raised on the Palatine hill by the ex- 
 tensive foundations of the palace of the Caesars. 
 
 On leaving the avenue you come to the arch of Titus, the 
 sculpture on which still commemorates the plunder of Jeru- 
 salem. This little arch is renovated with modern additions 
 which restore its entire form, and will preserve the old por- 
 tions, much to the displeasure of the lovers of ruins, who pre- 
 ferred it in its crumbling state, covered with ivy, and over- 
 whelmed with an ancient massive wall. At this spot a num- 
 ber of labourers, lazily occupied in the schemes of excava- 
 tion, have cleared a considerable distance down, exposing to 
 view, at the depth of fifteen feet, the pavement of the ancient 
 Via Sacra, which leads towards the Colosseum and the arch 
 of Constantine. Fragments of enormous granite columns are 
 discovered, lying in all directions, to increase the wonder 
 which is excited by the surprising quantity of earth and rub- 
 bish which has accumulated over the ancient surface, not only 
 here, but in almost every other part of Rome. The most 
 beautiful statues have been found beneath this rubbish — thus 
 fortunately preserved, though unaccountably covered. 
 
 The earth which is thus removed, in very small wheel- 
 barrows, from one place is only piled up in another, to be 
 again removed. to a third place; for Rome has been so com- 
 pletely filled up by the ruins of the ancient city, and has so 
 little now that requires filling in, that the ingenuity of her 
 engineers cannot find use for this superfluous earth — other- 
 wise, with the labour which is now wasted, the whole forum, 
 from the Capitol to the Colosseum, might be entirely cleared 
 out. The workmen employed here were recently beggars, 
 
104 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 thus forced into unwonted occupation by the government; or 
 convicts, with chains round their ankles, guarded by lazy 
 soldiers sitting and lounging all day in the sun, or playing 
 cards on a stone. But in making these changes in the soil 
 that partly covers the ruins of ancient Rome, the desire of 
 finding some treasure or curiosity induces the workmen, per- 
 haps, according to the orders of the superintendants, rather 
 to scratch than dig it away. Recently a pot of money was 
 found in the forum; and the shops throughout Rome are sup- 
 plied with ancient coins, medals, bronzes, lamps and broken 
 marbles which are picked up in these excavations. You 
 are soon accosted either by one of the workmen, or some 
 imposter who is concerned in the manufacture of antiques, 
 and tempted to buy a cameo, coin or earthen lamp. — Rather 
 than not sell, the antique monger with unblushing modesty, 
 will frequently fall in the price from two dollars down to 
 four cents. 
 
 In passing down the Via Sacra, you may be told that at 
 the left hand is the Temple of Venus; but nothing remains 
 to interest you, except one alcove or high niche handsomely 
 indented with reticulated pannels; the rest is a plain wall, a 
 part of the pavement and some foundation stones. Deeper 
 down into the centre of the cleared space, which now ex- 
 poses the original pavement and water courses, stands what 
 is said to have been an elegant fountain; but all that remains 
 of it is a small ugly pile or hollow core of bricks. This 
 cleared ground leads you to the arch of Constantine, which 
 you may contemplate with pleasure on its original level, still 
 retaining all its features of magnificence, except the trium- 
 phal car and bronze horses, which have disappeared. Its 
 bassi relievi and statues, though not in the best taste, give it 
 an aspect of great richness; but its fluted columns would not 
 be suspected to be of the beautiful yellow antique marble, 
 but for a small portion of one which is cleaned at its base. 
 
 Let us now advance to contemplate the Colosseum, or 
 Flavian amphitheatre, as it is seen in the usual approach to- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 105 
 
 wards one end; being an oval one thousand six hundred and 
 forty-one feet in circumference. The left hand external 
 wall rises to its original height, whilst that to the right is en- 
 tirely taken away, exposing the interior arches of stone and 
 brick-work, variously mutilated. The colour of the whole 
 mass of building is of a russet hue, diversified by stains and 
 patches of gray and green, so that there is little distinction 
 between the brick arches, intermingled with stone, and the 
 external arches, which are of travertine, originally white. 
 In a height of a hundred and fifty-seven feet are comprised 
 three circuits of arches, eighty in each circuit, one above the 
 other, surmounted by a fourth story; the arches, columns, 
 pilasters and cornices are beautifully proportioned to produce 
 the impression of grandeur and elegance; especially when 
 viewed on one side where the vast perspective of the oval 
 sweeps round in unbroken lines^ and you might imagine the 
 whole edifice to be entire — stupendous and magnificent! At 
 one extreme of this outer wall several new arches have been 
 built to protect the old; and at the other an immense but- 
 tress, to support large portions which were ready to falL 
 
 On entering the arena, two hundred and seventy-eight feet 
 long, which is now cleared out to its ancient level, you look 
 round upon a mighty scene of ruin and devastation — not a 
 single seat being left where eighty-seven thousand were ac- 
 commodated; and the whole gallery demolished where twen- 
 ty thousand more could stand. The broken arches, upon 
 Which the seats rested, are supported by new timber and 
 brickwork, and every passage cleared out, among which you 
 may pass and see with astonishment the huge stones which 
 were employed by consummate skill to give strength to the 
 foundation arches of this enormous structure. Some spots, 
 however, are left neglected and covered with plants and 
 shrubs, as a sample of its former guise. My old friend, as an 
 artist, is among those who regret the change; for he remem- 
 bers seeing the Colosseum a beautiful wilderness of ruins, 
 vines and shrubbery. But though the total amount is re- 
 
 14 
 
106 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 duced, the variety, in its exposed points, and warafnooks and 
 corners, is not less than it was; for Sebastiani, a Roman bo- 
 tanist, in his Flora Colossea, describes two hundred and 
 sixty plants which grow there; and the number has since 
 been found to reach three hundred. 
 
 A consecrated cross stands in the middle of the arena, 
 which is kissed in remembrance of the Christian martyrs 
 who suffered here; around the circumference is a series of 
 holy stations at which prayers are said; and at one side are 
 a desk and benches where the eloquence of a bald-headed 
 Dominican occasionally excites the sympathies of a casual 
 audience. . 
 
 In this arena, during a hundred successive days, at its de- 
 dication by Titus, no less than five thousand wild beasts with 
 one thousand gladiators, were sacrificed in mutual combats 
 to gratify the sanguinary taste of the warlike Romans, in- 
 cluding, no doubt, a full proportion of females — sisters, wives, 
 and mothers — who were to influence the minds of the rising 
 generation. These bloody spectacles were not abolished till 
 the sixth century. The amphitheatre was still entire in the 
 eighth century, but in the eleventh it was converted into a 
 fortress by a Roman baron, and taken and retaken, till the 
 fourteenth century, when it became a hospital. Its barba- 
 rous demolition commenced in the sixteenth century, by the 
 nobles, cardinals and popes, who remorselessly tore down 
 immense portions of the noble structure and all the interior 
 marble and columns, which they employed in the fabrication 
 of their palaces, especially that of the cardinal Farnese; and 
 it was not till the middle of the last century that its destruc- 
 tion was arrested by its consecration to religious purposes. 
 
 An obliging monk, on the approach of strangers to his sen- 
 try box, at one side within the arches, opens a gate, which 
 enables you to ascend a temporary flight of wooden steps to 
 the upper galleries. A noble corridor or gallery, with lofty 
 arches, surrounds the exterior part, and permits you to look 
 out of every archway on the country around — for the Co- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 107 
 
 losseum stands detached from all other buildings, and at one 
 extremity of modern Rome. In some places the marble 
 stairs still remain which lead to the upper galleries. There 
 we found, in an impressive solitude, an artist with his paint- 
 box on his lap, devotedly imitating a beautiful effect of light, 
 which broke through the fractured vault, concentrated upon 
 a small flight of steps. 
 
 The upper galleries or circling corridors, which led to 
 ranges of seats, and supported others which rose above, though 
 robbed of all their ornamental columns, still retain some of 
 the original plastering on the walls, and great portions of 
 the pavements which consist of small bricks (four inches 
 long, one and three-fourths wide, and three-fourths thick) 
 laid edgewise. Some of the pavements, in places exposed 
 to the weather, have been carefully relaid in cement, and 
 gutters and pipes are made to throw off the rain and prevent, 
 as much as possible, the farther process of decay. From 
 these pavements, which resemble terraces (having lost their 
 vaults and super-incumbent seats,) it is interesting to look 
 round upon the vast internal oval, and to indulge the imagi- 
 nation with the contrast between its present desolation and 
 what it must have been in its perfect state, brilliant with 
 spectators in rich costume and glittering armour, moving to 
 the excitement produced by desperate combats. 
 
 Hours may be spent in ranging through the solitudes of these 
 vast corridors and mutilated arches; and a regret is felt when 
 other engagements require the visiter to seek the wooden 
 stairway, still wondering as he descends. The Dominican 
 monk who unlocks the latticed door, politely receives a part- 
 ing fee, which, 1 believe, is seldom given with regret. 
 
 The Baths of Titus are near the Colosseum. A stone 
 wall encloses the field to which you are directed, and an in- 
 scription assures you that you have not mistaken the garden 
 gate that remains open for visiters, who are received by a 
 person residing on the spot. 
 
108 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 What was at first the Palace of Nero, appears to have 
 served only as a foundation for the Baths of Titus, who 
 hid the front by a great semicircular building and por- 
 tico, the basement story of which is the only portion now 
 remaining. There was formerly a garden cultivated on the 
 ruinous top of these imperial chambers, where the grass and 
 trees are still suffered to grow; but the government has for- 
 bidden the ground to be worked, by which prevention less 
 water penetrates through the subterranean vaults, which, in 
 one part support a public magazine of gunpowder. We 
 were first conducted into a great arched hall, where there is 
 kept under lock and key a quantity of fragments of bases 
 and capitals of columns of the most exquisite workmanship; 
 oil and wine jars, and bits of various sculpture, recently found 
 in clearing out the rubbish with which the chambers were 
 entirely filled. These consist of a great number of vast halls 
 and corridors, formerly open to the light, when used as the 
 dwelling of Nero; but entirely built over by Titus, who 
 mounted his baths and gymnastic halls in proud majesty over 
 them. In one of the halls we were shown the niche where 
 stood the master-piece of sculpture, the Laocoon — after- 
 wards removed to ornament the baths above, where it was 
 found. The custode carried with him a little fixture of wax- 
 tapers attached to a very long reed, which he held at arm's 
 length, to show us the arabesque paintings on the vaults of 
 several rooms, executed with fresco colours and gold, and 
 still in excellent preservation. These are said to be the 
 only documents which remain, to show the style in which the 
 houses of the ancient Romans were adorned. Some of the 
 walls of the inner courts, which had never been plastered, 
 were of the most exact workmanship — the bricks of equal 
 size, neatly made and well burnt — and apparently of recent 
 erection. From the Baths of Titus you have a fine view of 
 the most perfect side of the Colosseum. 
 
 Returning to the arch of Constantine, and stopping a few 
 
NOTES ON ITALY, 
 
 109 
 
 minutes again to admire its numerous sculptures and fluted 
 columns, we proceeded quite into the country, though still 
 within the walls of Rome, to the immense ruins of the Baths 
 of Caracalla. On approaching them you are astonished at 
 the bulk and extent of these walls, which form a great square 
 one thousand one hundred and fifteen feet on each side. 
 The high arches of the front entrances were boarded up, a 
 small door in one of which was opened to us by an old wo- 
 man who gave us no information, but suffered us to range 
 through this astonishing wilderness of brick and mortar. Few 
 vestiges of the covered ceilings remain, but spacious walls, 
 arches and niches astonish the eye and bewilder the imagina- 
 tion. Room after room, hall after hall, of such extent and 
 height produce a singular impression of the power and mag- 
 nificence of ancient Rome. Some of the most beautiful sta- 
 tues were found here — among them the Group of the Far- 
 nese Bull, the Hercules and the Flora, which are now at Na- 
 ples, and indicate the high character of its decorations, when 
 its halls and courts were frequented by poets, philosophers 
 and heroes, and its chambers below by one thousand six hun- 
 dred bathers at once. Piles of rubbish and rank weeds give 
 a wild aspect to the whole interior; and the ivy grows un- 
 molested on the walls. We picked up amongst the rubbish 
 some beautiful little specimens of serpentine porphyry and 
 marbles. Remains of great granite columns, and fragments 
 of pure white Corinthian capitals were lying about. 
 
 Returning into the place of the forum, and near the arch 
 of Titus, we entered the Farnesian gardens. A gray bearded, 
 round-shouldered gardener received us, and remitted us to 
 the guidance of his little son, who conducted us up a flight of 
 weed-covered steps into a couple of small rooms, where it is 
 customary to admire some very indifferent fresco ornaments, 
 because their colours remain bright. Near these, nearly hid 
 among the tall grass and weeds, we were shown fragments of 
 beautiful sculpture, in white marble, which had belonged to 
 the Arcadian temple of Apollo. This elevated plain, on the 
 
no 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Palatine mount, was the spot where Romulus built his hut 
 and commenced his city. Here Augustus erected his palace, 
 which was augmented by succeeding emperors, till Nero 
 proudly surpassed them all in an edifice so vast, that its por- 
 ticos alone contained three thousand columns, and so rich in 
 decoration, that it was called the Golden House; whose gar- 
 dens, theatres, baths, and subordinate buildings extended over 
 all the neighbouring grounds. Succeeeding emperors, in- 
 vading barbarians, and, finally, ambitious popes, gradually de- 
 molished these extensive buildings, which furnished materials 
 for the Colosseum, the Baths of Titus, and other great works. 
 A large portion of the main building was entire in the eighth 
 century. The levelled ground, much of which is over unseen 
 ruins, is now cultivated as a kitchen garden or farm, and many 
 of the subterranean chambers, that are accessible from a ter- 
 race, are used as stables and barns. From this terrace, to- 
 wards the capitol, is a beautiful view of part of Rome and 
 the country down the Tiber. 
 
 With the mind still occupied by desolated monuments of 
 ancient magnificence, we return into the busy streets of mo- 
 dern Rome, occasionally passing some antique wall, battered 
 gate-way, or shattered portico, forming parts of modern struc- 
 tures, till we reach the open square within which rises the 
 elegant column of Trajan, composed of thirty-four blocks of 
 marble, upon which runs up a spiral band of sculptured his- 
 tory in basso relievo. During the French government of 
 Rome, the space around it was cleared out, and fragments of 
 numerous granite columns were found prostrate. These, of 
 various lengths, are now erected on the foundations where 
 they served to ornament the basilica or public hall. The 
 sunken space is handsomely walled up, and large steps per- 
 mit a descent into the forum for a closer inspection of the 
 fragments of sculpture, which are built in the walls or placed 
 around. It is probable, that the two churches which stand 
 near this column cover other portions of Trajan's forum. 
 
 We pass the fountain of Trevi, and leave its copious wa- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Ill 
 
 ters, sculptured rocks, and river gods for another examination, 
 and hasten to take a glance at the Pantheon, which is to be 
 found still deeper in the busiest part of Rome; but, in ap- 
 proaching it, we pass the immense portico of the temple of 
 Antoninus Pius, before mentioned as the site of the central 
 custom-house or dogana. The eleven Corinthian columns 
 which compose its single front, each forty feet in height, 
 though all their flu tings are fractured, and scarcely a vestige 
 remains of the mouldings of their bases, occasioned, doubt- 
 lessly some contiguous conflagration, yet spread out so broad 
 and high, and support so elegant an entablature, that they 
 must be often seen to be sufficiently admired ; although much 
 of their beauty is injured by walls and windows which fill up 
 the intercolumniations. When you pass the lazy beggars who 
 lounge upon the basements, and enter the court-yard of the 
 dogana, you may see a portion of the vast vaulted roof re- 
 maining, and the enormous rocks which have been wonder- 
 fully raised upon these high columns — rocks, as seen behind 
 in their native rough state, yet so elegantly wrought into beau- 
 ty and apparent lightness on the front surface. 
 
 A little farther on, we enter an open square, the middle of 
 which is decorated by a modern fountain and a small Egyp- 
 tian obelisk, many feet above the ancient level. Here, in 
 sober majesty, stands the venerable Pantheon, surviving the 
 injuries of time and the violence of barbarism. Of the se- 
 ven steps which rose to its portico, only two are above ground, 
 and to them you descend on the sloping pavement, which 
 considerably impairs the grandeur of its aspect. The whole 
 building is of so dark a hue that you might imagine it had 
 been for ages surrounded with blacksmiths' shops. This broad 
 front of eight columns, and four in depth, (though really only 
 containing eight others,) forms the vestibule to the circular 
 dome-covered temple. The columns, forty-two feet high 
 and fourteen in circumference, are each of one piece of 
 red oriental granite, but of the same black colour as the rest 
 of the building, not excepting what should be the white mar- 
 
112 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ble of the capitals. Lamentable fractures are perceived un- 
 der the eaves of the pediment, as the eye ranges along the 
 mouldings of the cornice, until it reaches the body of the 
 building, which, externally, is an ugly circular wall of brick, 
 supporting a dome, the grand simplicity of whose aspect is 
 injured by two misplaced modern belfries. 
 
 On entering the portico the dark columns seem to swell 
 into greater dimensions — you approach one of them, that you 
 may compare the size of man with the towering mass of mor- 
 tal workmanship — you strike your hand against it, but the co- 
 lumn, which has stood unmoved for nineteen centuries, does 
 not vibrate to your blow. You must indulge in these emo- 
 tions of astonishment before you advance to the magnificent 
 doors of sculptured bronze, and enter the temple of Jupiter 
 and the gods, now consecrated to the Virgin and the mar- 
 tyrs. 
 
 The interior is a circular hall, one hundred and forty-nine 
 feet in diameter, the walls of which, eighteen feet thick, are 
 indented with niches for statues, but now filled, with gaudy 
 altars, and the intermediate spaces, rich with the most pre- 
 cious marbles and columns, the beauty of which can scarce- 
 ly be seen for the coat of dirt which shamefully veils them. 
 The panel indentations of the noble vault, which were once 
 covered with silver, are now rough and apparently unfinished. 
 A central opening, twenty -five feet in diameter, admits both 
 light and rain ; but the light no longer falls on statues of first 
 rate excellence, and the rain only serves occasionally to bright- 
 en the hues of variegated stones which in part compose the 
 ancient pavement. The statue of a vestal with a little girl, 
 which was found in the subterranean part of the temple, 
 now occupies one of the altars as a St. Ann, and is worthy 
 of some attention, being singularly in the style of Michael 
 Angelo; but the other altars, which are tawdry and crowded 
 with puerile ornaments, exhibit nothing interesting. 
 
 This temple was despoiled of its bronze covering by Con- 
 stantine II. It is now protected with lead — and the massive 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 113 
 
 bronze which enriched the ceiling of the portico, was taken 
 away in 1632, to be converted into the sumptuous baldichino 
 of St. Peter's, and one hundred cannons for the Castle of St. 
 Angelo — so enormous was the quantity. 
 
 The proportions of the portico and dome — the grandeur 
 and simplicity of the cornice and vault — and the beauty of 
 the marbles and columns, within the-vast circumference — are 
 of such rare excellence that, in despite of spoil, decay, and 
 dirt, they are contemplated with untiring admiration, and jus- 
 tify the taste which pronounces the Pantheon a model of per- 
 fection — the only entire specimen which is left to us of the 
 magnificence of ancient Rome. 
 
 It was said of one of the emperors, that he found Rome 
 built of brick, but he left it of marble. This expression con- 
 veys a very false idea, both of ancient and modern Rome ; 
 for the most magnificent edifices, temples, basilicas, aque- 
 ducts, baths — were generally built of brick, and only cased 
 with marble; very few of the temples are entirely of mar- 
 ble, or even Travertine, which is a species of marble, hard, 
 and of a fine texture, but disagreeably cavernous, so as to ex- 
 hibit a rotten appearance when seen near; it is, however, 
 strong and durable, and of an agreeable light cream colour. 
 Nothing can more satisfactorily prove our assertion than the 
 fact, that most of the modern palaces, which are only in part 
 marble, were built out of the materials afforded by the de- 
 struction of the ancient temples, palaces, baths, arid amphi- 
 theatres, which would not have been so lamentably demo- 
 lished, but that the Travertine could only be procured at Ti- 
 voli, with the labour and cost of eighteen miles transporta- 
 tion. Many of the most elegant palaces of Rome, with walls 
 of. plastered brick, have no other stone than their basement 
 and the casings of the windows and doors. With but few 
 exceptions the whole city of Rome is built of brick, but all 
 the houses are plastered, with great skill and dexterity, to re- 
 semble stone, outside and inside — pilasters, capitals, cornices, 
 
 15 
 
114 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 and other decorations. The puzzolana earth, or Roman ce- 
 ment, with which this is effected, is a most valuable posses- 
 sion. I have seen a rough piece' of brick work in a few weeks 
 converted into a splendid palace, and old ruinous edifices me- 
 tamorphosed by the trowel into buildings of the most modern 
 taste. Ordinary workmen readily construct terraces through 
 which the water cannot penetrate. Families who live in up- 
 per stories are thus accommodated with yards and gardens on 
 the tops of their houses. 
 
 Travellers have described the streets of Rome as badly 
 paved and dirty. It is true that in rainy weather they are 
 muddy, as all streets are that have no raised side walks; but 
 the best streets are certainly well paved with small flat square 
 stones which are placed diamond fashion — the less frequented 
 streets being paved with pebbles in the manner of our Ame- 
 rican cities. They are frequently swept by convicts, who are 
 guarded by soldiers, and the dirt is immediately taken away, 
 and not suffered to be again spread over the stones by neglect. 
 Indeed, in dry weather — and months of it occur together— 
 the bare stones are somewhat unpleasant to walk on, from 
 the want of dirt, which sometimes is spread over them when 
 certain grand processions are to take place, expressly for the 
 purpose of lessening the noise of the carriage wheels. But 
 there is always abundance of dirt about the miserable dwell- 
 ings of the poor, who inhabit the ground floors, which are 
 the stables, bed-rooms, and shops of every sort of industry, 
 as well as poverty and wretchedness. Not unfrequently do 
 you see the smoke issuing out of the door or window of one 
 of these shops or manufactories, there being no other chim- 
 ney; but the tenants of these dark, frequently damp, and al- 
 ways dirty places, instead of being squalid, as some travel- 
 lers have represented, are the very pictures of brown health; 
 men, women, and children, as fat and dirty as they can well 
 be— and amongst them more very old, but very merry old 
 men and women than I ever saw in any other place. Dread- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 115 
 
 fill as the malaria may be to the imaginations of the travel- 
 ling valetudinarian, these poor veteran Romans have not been 
 the victims of it. 
 
 Very few of these streets are straight, though they are 
 often continuous in a winding manner. But, however 
 crooked they are, you are generally directed to go straight 
 on, which means that you must go on as straight as you 
 can. The Corso is the longest straight street in Rome, be- 
 ing nearly a mile. It is narrow, but well paved, and has a 
 singular kind of side-walk, which in some places is only a 
 foot above the street, in others as much as three and four 
 feet, where it is indented with steps to the different stores, 
 and others to rise and descend at every cross street. These 
 side elevations are very convenient in the afternoon, about 
 sunset, especially on Sundays and holidays, when the Ro- 
 mans take their fashionable ride in open carriages, going in 
 a string down on one side and up on the other — at one ex- 
 tremity turning round the column of Antoninus, and, at the 
 other, round the Egyptian obelisk at the Porta del popolo. 
 During the hour of this fashionable drive, it is often difficult 
 to find an opportunity to cross the street; for on these, as 
 indeed on all other occasions, no Roman coachman seems 
 to have the least consideration for any person on foot — 
 he never either stops or moves an inch out of his direct 
 course, contenting himself with crying out " guarda" — 
 equivalent to "take care." I have often enjoyed the com- 
 mon privilege, in studying the aspect of the ladies who fill 
 these lounging carriages, though they are sometimes accom- 
 panied by gentlemen, and have been astonished at their se- 
 riousness and silence; as if their whole thoughts were en- 
 gaged in the deep consideration of their own importance; 
 or, perhaps, from the frequency of its occurrence, indiffe- 
 rent to the whole scene, and silent to avoid the fatigue of 
 talking amid such a noise of wheels, and hoofs, and cries of 
 "guarda." It has been called, and it appeared to me, a 
 stupid amusement. 
 
116 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 While the rich are thus lolling in their coaches, the poor, 
 having ended their day's work, in which they never over 
 exert themselves, may be seen in warm weather lying and 
 sitting on the ground by scores in the neighbouring streets, 
 eating a piece of bread or a fresh head of lettuce — in gene- 
 ral silent and serious, like their betters — but, occasional- 
 ly bursting into a roar of laughter at some coarse joke, and 
 often manifesting their approbation by a general clapping of 
 hands. 
 
 The houses, as they are observed by the stranger in pass- 
 ing along the streets, or as he enters them to accommodate 
 himself with lodgings, are extremely irregular in height, 
 breadth, and style; many of them the merest masses of 
 plastered brick, but others, though now used for the most 
 ordinary purposes, were the habitations of wealth and taste, 
 indicated by grotesque, and sometimes elegant sculptured 
 ornaments over the doors and windows. These masses of 
 buildings, occupied below as stores, work-shops, or sta- 
 bles, above are divided and subdivided into every sort of 
 lodgings, from the best furnished suites of carpeted apart- 
 ments, with fire-places expressly prepared for the English, 
 to double or single rooms for the sojourning of the curious 
 stranger; the family that let out the rooms often occupy, 
 the least comfortable part of the premises. Such are the 
 buildings that are intermingled in close contact with the 
 most splendid palaces — their broad fronts enriched with 
 sculpture, and the high arched gateway opening into mag- 
 nificent courts, ornamented with columns, statues, and foun- 
 tains, and leading to sumptuous apartments and delightful 
 gardens. Besides these objects of architectural luxury, 
 churches abound in every street, often fantastic — some- 
 times elegant — whose portals are open all the morning to 
 the pious or the curious, who may soon be satisfied with 
 their uniform richness, if not with their occasional treasures 
 of fine art. 
 
 A striking feature in the appearance of Rome is found at 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 117 
 
 the corners of many streets, where there are devotional 
 decorations of emblematic stucco, and sometimes of good 
 marble sculpture, surrounding a picture or statue of the 
 Virgin Mary; calculated in a peculiar manner to impress 
 the stranger with the conviction of ecclesiastical influence, 
 which so profusely displays the emblems of its power. 
 
 In many thoroughfares temporary benches and shelves are 
 seen piled up with vegetables, chiefly lettuce and radishes, 
 which are very cheap, and constitute a great part of the food 
 of the poor. It is curious to see them eating a long compact 
 head of lettuce, as they walk along the street, without salt or 
 bread. The shops for the sale of provisions are well filled with 
 bacon, sausages, fish, &c., and the windows are generally lined 
 with columns of cheese, of which the Italians seem fond, 
 though we consider them tough and insipid. In some of the 
 narrow thoroughfares, where the height of the houses and 
 the smallness of the shops, render them very dark, samples 
 of goods for sale are placed outside in little glass cases, which 
 often form a continuous line for a great distance. As an ad- 
 ditional proof how badly the Romans are furnished with 
 stores, you see every where, even in the best streets, numbers 
 of portable shops, consisting of large trays or flat baskets, 
 each carried by two men, who cry out the kind of goods and 
 their prices, and sometimes display them on the pavement. 
 The owners of these basket shops may, therefore, live in the 
 most unfrequented situations. Yet stores are to be found 
 containing large assortments of every kind of goods, espe- 
 cially of French and English manufacture. At the doors of 
 many shops you see little children picking the dirt out of 
 grain, which they dry in troughs when the sun happens to 
 shine in their favour. 
 
 As the warm weather advances, every kind of workman 
 who can get out his little bench, apparatus or chair, is at 
 work in the street close up to his house. I have counted 
 nine shoemakers, with their stalls, in front of one house, 
 for the purpose of enjoying light and air. Benches and 
 
118 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 chairs are likewise occupied by the idle, chiefly old gentle- 
 men, in front of the coffee-houses, especially in the Corso, 
 where they are amused by the continual movement of car- 
 riages and pedestrians. In the evening, especially on holi- 
 days, tables are spread out with white clothes, and brilliantly 
 illuminated and decorated with flowers, containing various 
 articles of food, whilst a cook is busy on one side with his 
 portable kitchen, cooking dough-nuts, or other articles which 
 are eaten on the spot. 
 
 Every thing that is not measured by the yard stick is sold 
 by weight; even apples, cherries and strawberries. The 
 scale and steelyard, therefore, are carried about the streets 
 with these articles. But the most singular market in Rome 
 is one that occurs every Wednesday morning in the great ob- 
 long square called Piazza Navona. There, spread out on 
 the ground, or arrayed on benches, you may find every kind 
 of old or second-hand articles of cloth, wood, iron, or brass; 
 old pictures, books, coins and antiquities, as well as cheap ar- 
 ticles of earthen ware, tools, &c. — and at one extremity of 
 the piazza, all sorts of vegetables. The shops around the 
 place partake of the miscellaneous and second-hand style of 
 the market, although it is the largest place in the city, and 
 decorated with no less than three costly fountains, of which 
 the centre one by Bernini, is a singular assemblage of great 
 rock work and colossal sculpture, surmounted with an Egyp- 
 tian obelisk. 
 
 Even carpenters and wheelwrights often work in the 
 streets — indeed their shops are frequently too small for them 
 conveniently to carry on their business; and I have seen a 
 coach building in a place where the workmen had scarcely 
 room to get round it. Carpenters and cabinet makers saw 
 many of their boards out of the. logs, which are fixed in front 
 of their shops on forked trusses which hold the timber slant- 
 ing upwards, so that it may be sawed by two men, one on 
 it, the other below, at first standing, then kneeling, and at last 
 sitting flat on the ground. But the timber is knotty, and the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 119 
 
 boards generally are narrow and rough; they therefore glue 
 several together, and fill up all crevices with plaster of Paris 
 and glue. Their cabinet work presents but a tolerable ex- 
 ternal finish, while the inside is not only coarse, but frequent- 
 ly bad and weak. It is otherwise with their works in stone, 
 in which they excel, furnishing vases, sarcophagi and imita- 
 tions of antique remains to the curious of all nations who 
 visit Rome. 
 
 Immense quantities of eggs a*re for sale at the provision 
 shops, especially at Easter; but a more extraordinary spec- 
 tacle occurs in many parts of the city, even in the most gay 
 and fashionable streets. I have seen, sometimes, a hundred 
 hens feeding in and around the door of one of these shops, 
 by which you are aware that fresh eggs may be procured 
 every day. The shop-keeper may be deceived in those 
 which are brought him from the country; but, if he be an 
 honest man himself, with his own hens he can assure his 
 customers, at double or triple price, that his eggs are just 
 laid. 
 
 The English and French style of dress, both among men 
 and women, prevails not only in the higher classes, but 
 through all others, and in every part of the city. Huge 
 Parisian bonnets, full set with broad ribands, are seen in 
 every street; contrasting widely with the fashion of the coun- 
 try, which covers the head with a white linen cloth, folded 
 square, and either hanging loose, or kept flat by sticks within 
 them, or long pins like skewers, which bind up the hair. 
 Long waists and stays are universal — the rich wear the fa- 
 shionable corset of France — the poor, the stays of the coun- 
 try, thick set with bone, covered with gay velvet, and worn 
 outside of their gowns, when they have any on, and tied at 
 the top and back of the shoulders with long bunches of gay 
 ribands. An apron skirted with many coloured bands hangs 
 in front of a short petticoat with similar bands ; and the shoes 
 have great silver buckles. The taste for large ear and fin- 
 ger rings is universal, and heavy rolls of beads encircle al- 
 
190 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 most every neck — the dark red coral being calculated, by 
 its contrast, to improve their brown Italian complexion. 
 False hair is not so much worn as with us, and the gray locks 
 of many a Roman dame curl out beneath her head dress, in 
 correct accordance with the number and depth of her wrin- 
 kles, which are never insulted with rouge— a disgrace which 
 even the palest beauty abhors. The labouring men of the 
 city always appear in coarse white stockings, which they 
 pride themselves in keeping smooth and tight ; velvet bree- 
 ches, rarely buttoned at the knees ; and, on holidays, enor- 
 mous buckles in their shoes — their round-about jacket thrown 
 across one shoulder. The peasants, as they appear in town, 
 differ from these, in wearing coarse pointed wool hats, deco- 
 rated with ribands or flowers ; wretched, old, ragged, or 
 patched clothes; breeches without buttons or strings at the 
 knees; sandals which they make out of raw hide, turning up 
 a little above the sole, and with strong cords bound to their 
 feet, the cord passing around their legs and up to their knees, 
 encircling coarse linen or rags, which they wear instead of 
 stockings. On Sundays and holidays, certain streets, as the 
 Repetti, Vire the rendezvous of labouring men, who are then 
 a little, but very little, better dressed than on other days; al- 
 ways displaying their stout legs in coarse white stockings, 
 their knees still unbuttoned, and their shirt collars open even 
 in cool weather, and, if warm, their jacket across one shoul- 
 der, one sleeve hanging in front — the other behind, and shift- 
 ed to the other shoulder, should their exposure to the wind 
 or current of air require it. I have often stopped to notice 
 these groups, and have been surprised to find them generally 
 silent, but with an expression of content. Occasionally, when 
 a joke would circulate, it was managed with the fewest words. 
 It is only when much excited, that a Roman displays any vo- 
 lubility of tongue or extravagance of gesticulation to disturb 
 his usual air of dignity — whether above or below contempt 
 — whether with much thought or with no thought at all. 
 Great as are the privileges of a Roman lady of some rank, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 121 
 
 the women in humble life are often degraded by the most 
 servile slavery, whilst their lazy husbands are basking in the 
 sun, or engaged in idle gossip. I have seen women carrying 
 bricks and mortar, and even scraping with their fingers the mud 
 which had accumulated in filthy sewers; and they appear in 
 general to labour cheerfully. It is equally remarkable that the 
 men are disposed to assemble on holidays, to play their fa- 
 vourite games of bowling in the gardens of public houses, 
 without any intermingling of the other sex. The Romans 
 in these respects resemble our North American savages, the 
 lords of the forest. 
 
 But there is a custom common here worthy of admiration, 
 that of servant women riding in open carriages with their 
 mistresses, especially on holidays, even when they have not 
 the charge of nursing; it indicates domestic harmony and 
 great kindness of heart. 
 
 The Romans are certainly a sober people, but the lower 
 classes, though they are not afflicted by Irish, Scotch, or Ame- 
 rican whiskey, Holland gin, or English porter, yet often in- 
 dulge to excess in the cheap wine of the country. Every 
 body drinks wine, and to offer water to a beggar would be an 
 insult. It is only used occasionally with lemons in hot weather. 
 At a late hour in the evening, in many streets, may be heard 
 the noise of Bacchanalian merriment proceeding from some 
 deep cavernous chamber, which, seen by lamp-light, shows 
 nothing but coarse plastered walls, a greasy brick pavement, 
 and benches and tables, around which, in the absence of all 
 other comforts, the most miserable enjoy their principal, or 
 only meal of the day, and freely circulate the bottle as a so- 
 cial bond. Besides, on holidays, the wine shops are frequent- 
 ed by groups of men and women, who sometimes exhibit 
 around the door a noisy and licentious crowd. But wine is 
 not always deemed sufficient, and those who are disposed to 
 take a walk about sunrise, may every day see persons with 
 little baskets of aqua vitse, which is swallowed by artificers 
 between their beds and their work-shops. 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 In the morning, herds of goats, from ten to thirty, are 
 moving in all directions to supply the inhabitants with milk; 
 and in the evening they are seen going out of the city gates, 
 concentrated in large herds of hundreds together, in the charge 
 of a small number of goatherds. A few asses perform the 
 same domestic service, but I have seldom seen any cows in 
 the city; indeed in the country they seem scarce, though the 
 most beautiful gray oxen, with large horns, are every where 
 at work, and bring loads of provisions into Rome ; at that 
 fane their horns are tied with strong ropes to the pole of the 
 \vagon to prevent mischief by the motion of their necks. 
 After the goats are milked, their keepers permit them to rest 
 in some unfrequented or wide street, where they exhibit a 
 remarkably mild and inoffensive character, though they pos- 
 sess a sober aspect which our little mischievous and timid 
 goats have not. I never looked at goats with pleasure be- 
 fore, and my pleasure, as an artist, was increased by the con- 
 sideration, that these objects of picturesque beauty furnish 
 the excellent and cheap material of the Roman goat-hair 
 pencils. 
 
 In searching for the arch of Janus, I passed through some 
 of the dirtiest and busiest streets of Rome, beyond the Ca- 
 pitol, thronged with a population of sturdy mechanics, exer- 
 cising their trades with a vigour and activity, totally unlike 
 the indolence which prevails in other parts of the city fre- 
 quented by strangers. In this quarter are many blacksmith 
 shops, where I saw, around a central fire place, nine or ten 
 men, with naked bodies, vigorously but gaily clinking their 
 hammers. But in vain did I inquire of them for the arch 
 of Janus or Quadrifrontis. Still, at every corner where I 
 stopped, I was directed to go straight on, which ever way 
 I happened to be looking — so that I entirely encircled the 
 spot, where at last I found the massive arch, which is com- 
 monly supposed to have been built as a market place or pro- 
 tection from the sunbeams. Clumsy as it is, I rather think 
 it was intended as an ornament at the intersection of cross 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 123 
 
 streets, though it is now divested of ornaments, and there 
 are no streets crossing at it. During the civil wars it was 
 converted into a fortress. 
 
 Near this we found and looked into a broken section of 
 the Cloaca maxima, or great ancient sewer of Rome, still 
 conducting a muddy and stinking stream into the Tiber. 
 From a little archway at one side issues a clear rivulet, 
 which turns the foul water so effectually aside, that even in 
 the sewer you may venture to drink it and be assured of its 
 unrivalled purity, whether it proceeds from the fountain of 
 Juturna or not. A branch of it, a little higher up, furnishes 
 a situation within a dark cavern for a washerwoman. An- 
 tiquarians are wonderfully excited by the solidity of this 
 sewer, which has continued, for upwards of two thousand 
 three hundred years, to answer the same purpose for which 
 it was constructed by Tarquin, though it is nearly filled with 
 gravel up to the keystone. 
 
 In perambulating Rome, the variety of fountains both sur- 
 prise and delight the stranger; for this city is more profusely 
 supplied with them than any other in the world. Of these 
 the fountain of Trevi is the most magnificent, being an im-. 
 mense structure of the last century, consisting of artificial 
 rocks, built up against the palace Buoncompagni ; among 
 which a colossal statue of Ocean stands in a great scallop 
 shell drawn by sea-horses, which are led by Tritons, The 
 cascades, winding streams, and jets of water that issue from 
 a most copious source, fall into and fill a large marble reser- 
 voir. The sound of its falling waters may be heard some 
 distance from the place. This vast supply of water is brought 
 to Rome by means of an aqueduct, built by Agrippa for the 
 use of his baths. 
 
 The Fontana Paolina, situated on the brow of Monte Gia- 
 nicola, was erected more than two hundred years ago, and is 
 supplied by an aqueduct built by Adrian, which brings the 
 water to this great height from a distance of twenty-five 
 
124 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 miles. It is an ornamental building, out of which the water 
 falls into a large marble reservoir, and, passing under ground, 
 supplies not only the city below, and the roof of St. Peter's, 
 but furnishes an abundant stream, besides, for the use of a 
 forge and various mills, which you pass in ascending to the 
 fountain. I stopped at the grist-mill to examine the water 
 wheel, the noise of which attracted my attention. It was 
 horizontal, and its shaft, unaided by modern improvements, 
 and in primeval simplicity, bore the stone which was grind- 
 ing in the room above. The w 7 ater, as it issued obliquely 
 from the lower end of a long tube, struck against vanes on 
 the wheel, and turned it with great velocity in a cloud of 
 spray. From the site of this fountain, and the beautiful ter- 
 race of the church of St. Pietro in Montorio, you have a de- 
 lightful view of Rome. 
 
 The two fountains in front of St. Peter's are seldom men- 
 tioned without the epithet of beautiful. Each consists of a 
 pyramidal succession of basins, projecting from a central shaft, 
 which, at the top, throws up a number of copious jets; the 
 water falling from basin to basin — the last of which is a single 
 piece of granite fifty feet in circumference. When the air is 
 calm, the white heads of the concentrated jets and the regu- 
 lar fall of the water from the edges of the basins, and finally 
 into the great reservoir at the base, are certainly beautiful. 
 But it is idle to talk of the atmosphere of Rome being re- 
 freshed by these fountains : no one approaches them in the 
 broiling sun to enjoy their spray, while the air is always suffi- 
 ciently cool under the shady passages of the circular corri- 
 dors. A heated imagination, however, may possibly be cooled 
 by the refreshing and rural noise of the falling water. When 
 a strong wind blows, the water is dispersed like rain, ex- 
 posing to view the basins, darkly covered with dripping moss, 
 as soon as your attention can be withdrawn from a beautiful 
 rainbow, which is seen if the sun be shining from behind 
 you. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY, 
 
 125 
 
 I have before spoken of the Fountain in the Piazza di 
 Spagna, made in the form of a large antique bark, which is 
 filled and surrounded with water, continually pouring in 
 and out of it, in various streams — one of the conceits of the 
 inexhaustible Bernini. In warm weather a number of le- 
 monade stalls, making great display of glasses and thick- 
 skinned lemons, are stationed around this Travertine bark, 
 borrowing their miniature fountains by means of temporary 
 tin tubes, and affording their lemonade which is made with- 
 out sugar at one cent a glass. I have likewise alluded to 
 the three great fountains in the Piazza Navona. The cen- 
 tre one is especially worth describing. Within a circu- 
 lar reservoir seventy-three feet in diameter, rises a great 
 mass of artificial rock work, forty feet in height, widely 
 perforated through its four sides at the base, on the top of 
 which an Egyptian obelisk of fifty feet rises from a pedestal 
 of ten feet — making a total of one hundred feet. On the 
 rocks, which discharge large streams of water, are four co- 
 lossal figures, by their emblems denoting the rivers Danube, 
 Nile, Plata and Ganges. Coming out of the cavernous 
 openings at one side is a River Horse, and, at the other, a 
 Lion. I did not remain in Rome late enough to witness 
 the sport of walking and driving around these fountains, in 
 the month of August, when the whole place is flooded with 
 water every Saturday and Sunday afternoon; but, for the 
 purpose of showing the Grand Duchess of Russia the inge- 
 nuity of Roman artificers of fire-works, there was an extra- 
 ordinary display which I did witness in this place, consisting 
 of every species of rockets, wheels, snakes, bees, wreaths, 
 garlands, crowns, ciphers, inscriptions, temples, fountains, 
 and irruptions, that could be effected by gunpowder and the 
 chemical agents of light and colour. Besides the spectators 
 in all the neighbouring windows, and standing in every va- 
 cant space, there were probably not less than twenty thou- 
 sand rush-bottomed chairs, in regulated rows, hired out for 
 the evening all around the piazza. This brilliant spectacle. 
 
126 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 which lasted half an hour, concluded by the most singular 
 effects of fiery fountains around the obelisk, the cavernous 
 rocks at the same time being illuminated with a glowing red 
 light, as if the infernal Pluto had suddenly taken mysterious 
 possession of the premises. 
 
 In short, go where you may in Rome, fountains are seen 
 in most of the public places, in front of churches and pa- 
 laces ; besides a vast number which are constantly playing in 
 private court-yards and gardens. The little garden of the Bor- 
 ghese palace is so encircled with them, in the midst of rich 
 sculpture, that it maybe called the Garden of Fountains: 
 and the extensive grounds of the Villa Borghese, which are 
 always open for the public enjoyment, near the Porta del 
 popolo, alone possess as many elegant fountains as would 
 serve for the embellishment of a city. All these fountains, 
 in and about Rome, are supplied from three ancient aque- 
 ducts which have been kept in repair — five others have fallen 
 into ruins, which fed the fountains, and especially the public 
 baths of ancient Rome. But the modern Romans are so lit- 
 tle addicted to the lustrations of their predecessors, notwith- 
 standing the aqueducts which are left them, that there are now 
 no public baths, and only two small establishments at hotels, 
 where a hot bath may be procured at a high price. In a less 
 refined manner, dirty artificers may sometimes be seen, below 
 the last bridge, on Saturdays, bathing in the muddy stream of 
 the rapid Tiber, 
 
 The vast supply of water which scours and sweetens the 
 sewers of Rome, does not induce the inhabitants to scrub 
 their houses, as is customary in America with a less supply, 
 because the floors are generally paved with rough bricks, 
 which from age are frequently very open in the interstices: 
 nor do they scrub down their stair-cases, which only serve 
 as streets to get up into their mountains of houses, inhabit- 
 ed by many families. But they are enabled, at a mode- 
 rate cost, to have their clothes well washed, either at home 
 or at washing establishments, where you may see, in a front 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 127 
 
 room or shop, a great cistern of stone, with a continual stream 
 of fresh water, and around it a dozen brawny armed women, 
 merrily at work, every day from morning till night. The 
 clothes are dried either on the tops of houses or on cords 
 which are stretched high across the least frequented streets. 
 But, still to speak of water, as the water of the aqueducts 
 only flows to the fountains, and as every house is inhabited 
 by many families, you may frequently see one well of wa- 
 ter, in the court-yard, serve them all, by means of iron 
 rods or wires which go up from it, in various angles, to the 
 kitchen window of every inhabitant. By means of a rope 
 and pulleys, a copper bucket slides down the iron rod; 
 the pulley being stopped directly over the well, the bucket 
 continues to descend into it, till it rests on the water, when 
 its heavy iron handle upsets and fills it, to be drawn up. 
 The waste water from every house is conducted under co- 
 ver into the sewers, which are in every street, and which 
 are essentially sweetened by that which flows through them 
 from the fountains. 
 
 The bridges in Rome are so distant from each other, that 
 it is found convenient to employ a ferry-boat, which is sta- 
 tioned at a populous point of the city, whence, in a sort 
 of scow, half roofed, moving obliquely by the action of 
 the current, and by means of a stay-rope and pulley, 
 running on a rope which crosses the river, I have often 
 passed over to the country paths that lead behind the green 
 ramparts of St. Angelo to the ever-attractive regions of St. 
 Peter's and the Vatican. But, when the high summer sun 
 becomes insupportable, without the shelter of trees, I was 
 glad to seek the circuitous shade of the narrow streets which 
 form the accustomed route by the bridge of Sant' Angeli. 
 
 Having rambled in all directions to glance at the exter- 
 nal appearance of Rome, to understand its ground plot, and 
 to become a little acquainted with its characteristics; we 
 are now at leisure to enter its magnificent palaces, to exa- 
 mine the treasures of modern art which they contain; and 
 
128 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 which, in connexion with the ruins of ancient splendour, 
 and the remains of ancient art, constitute the chief wealth 
 of Italy, by means of the visiters who are attracted from 
 all parts of the world. 
 
 In the demolition of ancient edifices, and in the excava- 
 tions among their ruins, many of the beautiful works of art 
 became the property of the nobles and cardinals; some 
 serving to ornament their own palaces, and others, by vari- 
 ous means, falling into foreign hands, by which they are 
 lost to Rome — as the Farnesian statues at Naples. But, 
 during the government of a long succession of popes, the 
 specimens of ancient art that could be procured by purchase, 
 by actual excavations, and, finally, by exclusive right, have 
 been deposited in galleries constructed in the pontifical pa- 
 lace to receive them — forming a wonderful series of collec- 
 tions in a connected range of the most splendid galleries and 
 halls. 
 
 The principal entrance to the apartments of the Vatican 
 is by pursuing the corridor which rises in a sloping direc- 
 tion at the right hand corner of St. Peter's to the statue 
 of Charlemagne, where the stair-case begins which was de- 
 signed by the sumptuous Bernini. Under richly ornament- 
 ed vaults.and cornices, beautiful yellow marble columns rest 
 on the steps, detached from the walls on each side. This 
 magnificent colonnade of steps conducts you to the regal 
 hall, profusely enriched with sculpture, painting, and gild- 
 ing — more curious and interesting to see than to be de- 
 scribed. Besides leading to the guard room of the pope's 
 apartments, out of this hall the Pauline and Sistine chapels 
 open. 
 
 The Sistine Chapel is a large, high, oblong box of a room, 
 without a single architectural projection; but the flat plas- 
 tered ceilings and walls are entirely covered with fresco de- 
 corations that were intended to supply that deficiency. The 
 walls, painted by various artists of merit in their time, and 
 now much injured, offering nothing worthy of notice; but 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 129 
 
 the ceiling, designed and executed by Michael Angelo, is 
 eminently worthy of admiration, as exhibiting the best 
 productions of his pencil, and the only paintings by that 
 colossal genius not yet destroyed by smoke, and which 
 display the grandeur of his invention and the boldness 
 of his execution. But the Last Judgment, on the farthest 
 end wall, in the dark, stained with damp and mould, and 
 blackened by smoke, fails to excite astonishment and admi- 
 ration, and would not for a moment arrest attention, but 
 for its former celebrity. Indeed, it now retains its reputa- 
 tion only by right of ancient usage — being as completely in 
 ruin as are the baths of Caracalla. It is difficult and painful 
 to trace out the nature of the composition; which can be 
 better understood by a common engraving, and infinitely 
 better by the small cotemporaneous copy which is in the 
 museum at Naples. 
 
 The Pauline Chapel, adjoining, was originally enriched 
 by two paintings by Michael Angelo; but they are hidden 
 beneath the smoke of countless wax candles which the pa- 
 geantry of the church requires annually. 
 
 From this place you may pass through some apartments 
 into the lodges or open galleries of the Vatican; but the 
 usual mode is by a passage or road which winds up to a 
 large square court-yard, surrounded by arcades and lodges, 
 or open galleries, three stories high, and communicating 
 with the museum of statues, library, and picture gallery. 
 Numerous great stair-cases, a wonder in themselves, lead 
 to various parts of these lodges, and the first to which you 
 are directed is the Loggia di Bafaelle, the ceilings of 
 which were painted by Raphael and his scholars. Whilst 
 the French were in possession of Rome, this gallery was 
 entirely enclosed with glass to prevent any farther injury, 
 by the weather, to these relics of the genius of Raphael. 
 They consist of small tablets with figures, apparently not 
 more than two feet high, and command but little attention, 
 except from students of the art. The simple and chaste 
 
 17 
 
130 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 style of their composition is sufficiently rendered in the en- 
 gravings which have been made from them, as the pictures 
 themselves possess little merit of colour, and from their 
 height are seen with difficulty and pain. The walls are 
 tastefully decorated with arabesques, which Raphael conde- 
 scended to compose, in imitation of the dwellings of the 
 ancient Romans, as seen in the baths of Titus. 
 
 But the neighbouring stanze, or rooms of Raphael, are 
 the chief objects of attention and veneration, commencing 
 with the hall of Constahtine, on whose immense broadside 
 is his Victory over Maxentius near Rome, designed by Ra- 
 phael, but executed after his death by his scholars. This 
 work shows great variety and vigour of composition, but 
 has evidently been executed in haste. The other three 
 rooms are chiefly painted by Raphael himself, or his scho- 
 lars under his direction. Besides pieces of inferior merit, 
 in which, however, there are always fine heads, figures, 
 and draperies to admire, the most distinguished are the 
 School of Athens, the Conflagration, Heliodorus, and St. 
 Peter in Prison; which are best described by referring to 
 the engravings from them. These frescos are so much in- 
 jured by time and smoke, and the lances of Hessian sol- 
 diers, when these rooms served them for barracks, that 
 they excite but little pleasure at first sight. Artists of all 
 nations are continually copying them — some mounted on 
 scaffolding up to the ceiling — some drawing, others paint- 
 ing, and all seeking out, with almost idolatrous, or rather 
 superstitious admiration, the beauty of every head, hand, 
 limb, and fold of drapery. I could not help thinking that 
 some of the large drawings, made from them in black and 
 white crayon, were more beautiful than the originals; be- 
 cause they give us all the merit of form and composition 
 without any colouring, which is better than what is bad, 
 and without the deformities of scratches and smoke. When 
 they were first painted and seen in all their freshness, they 
 were doubtless calculated to delight and astonish; especially 
 
 •4 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 131 
 
 when compared with the formal, inanimate, and laborious pro- 
 ductions of preceding artists, and even of Raphael himself, 
 as he issued from the rigid school of Perrugino. At that time, 
 too, the character and occupation of an artist, supposed to be 
 born with a superior genius, and patronised by all the wealth 
 and power of the church and state, were objects of constant 
 attention and excitement. Every church and palace was to 
 be decorated, and not a wall or ceiling was permitted to re- 
 main without the embellishment of the pencil. The frescos 
 of Raphael, therefore, when they appeared, after he had felt 
 the invigorating influence of Michael Angelo's works in the 
 Sistine Chapel, were admired as the productions of inspired 
 genius, and their author was venerated as the divine Raphael. 
 But these works are now faded, dirty, defaced and repaired, 
 to such a degree, that a just conception of them cannot 
 be formed without the assistance of careful drawings made 
 from them. From the example of Camucini, the celebrated 
 historical painter of Rome, these drawings are frequently 
 made of single figures or groups, at a time, of full size, and 
 carefully shaded on gray paper with black and white crayon. 
 
 One of the devoted admirers of Raphael, who would copy 
 nothing in Rome from any other master, told me that he had 
 lately been in conversation with an English gentleman, who 
 remarked, that if such a genius as Raphael was now living, 
 when the arts are more advanced, and better understood than 
 they were in his time, what a wonderful advance he would 
 make. " My God !" said the copyist, in his imperfect Eng- 
 lish, " if Raphael is alive now, he shall die to laugh at them 
 that will teach him to paint." 
 
 The idea of the English gentleman, however, is not with- 
 out reason. It was the happy genius of Raphael to improve 
 upon what went before him, and his great characteristics were 
 taste and judgment He was not singular in drawing well ; 
 it was the distinction of the school in which he was edu- 
 cated ; but he had the good sense to design his groups with 
 few figures, which were carefully studied, according to the 
 
132 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 best principles then known; and he particularly succeeded in 
 giving them grace, propriety of action, and expression. The 
 invention, composition, drawing, and colouring of many ar- 
 tists of the present day, are such as would command the ap- 
 plause of Raphael were he now living; and if his genius 
 could enable him to make an advance beyond them, corres- 
 ponding with what he did beyond the dry performances of Per- 
 rugino and Massacio, great as his reputation is, and excellent 
 as the works are upon which it is founded, they would un- 
 questionably have been greater and more deserving the un- 
 qualified praises which are devoted to him. 
 
 What is called the Gallery of Pictures, is found by still 
 farther ascending immense flights of steps to the highest story, 
 where there is a range of six rooms, the windows of which 
 open to the north. These are large, square, plain, brick- 
 paved, unornamented rooms, entirely devoted to the preser- 
 vation, exhibition, and copying of twenty-nine choice and ce- 
 lebrated pictures, which are placed expressly to suit the con- 
 venience of artists. 
 
 The most celebrated of these are, the Transfiguration, by 
 Raphael; the Communion of St. Jerome, by Domenichino; 
 a Pieta, by Michael Angclo Caravaggio; St. Romualdo's 
 Vision, by Andrea Sacchi; the Incredulity of St. Thomas, 
 by Guercino ; and the Madonna di Foligno, by Raphael. 
 
 Most of these pictures are of large size, and all of them 
 are worthy the especial study of the artist. Permission to 
 copy them is readily obtained by application to the pope's se- 
 cretary, when the places are not occupied, or whenever a va- 
 cancy may occur: but the applicants for the Transfiguration 
 are so numerous, I am told, that it is engaged for several years 
 to come, by artists of various nations. A good copy of this 
 picture, therefore, cannot be easily had, even at a high price. 
 The Italian artists complain that while it was in Paris it was 
 retouched and injured. This is not probable; as, under the 
 direction of Denon, David, and other great artists, the opera- 
 tion of repairing valuable pictures was effected in the most 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 133 
 
 cautious and correct manner, as laid down in a report to the 
 National Institute. During its lamented absence from Rome 
 it existed in the improving recollections of the admirers of 
 Raphael as a perfect work. Now, that it is restored to them, 
 when they are better judges, and when the art itself has made 
 advances, they are sensible of defects which it always had; 
 for it was left unfinished by Raphael, and Julio Romano filled 
 up the blanks with less harmony and skill than would have 
 been shown by his master. 
 
 The other picture by Raphael, the Madonna di Foligno, 
 is a formal and unpleasant composition, made to the fancy of 
 a tasteless customer; so that the extraordinary refutation it 
 enjoys must be understood only to apply to the natural colour- 
 ing and high finish of the heads. 
 
 These rooms are always open for the inspection of the cu- 
 rious, who derive additional pleasure from witnessing the ope- 
 rations of the artists at work, many of whom are of the high- 
 est respectability, notwithstanding the wish of Lady Morgan, 
 " that the whole tribe of copyists, with all their lumber, were 
 kicked out!" 
 
 After having seen the magnificent mosaics in St. Peter's, 
 and several of the original pictures from which they were 
 executed, I was desirous of knowing the manner of perform- 
 ing this extraordinary imitation of painting. The Studio of 
 Mosaics is in a lower apartment of the Vatican, into which 
 there is no difficulty in obtaining entrance. Various rooms 
 are occupied by mosaic workers, some copying small pictures 
 for the purpose of learning and practising the art; and others, 
 who are more experienced, occupied with larger works for 
 the churches. Beyond these is a great hall, the walls of 
 which are covered with shelves, containing, in store, the ma- 
 terial for the mosaic work, which consists of semi-vitreous 
 porcelain or coarse enamel, melted and poured into cakes half 
 an inch thick and several inches in diameter. These cakes 
 are of every colour that may be required, all arranged, num- 
 bered, registered, and weighed out, by an accountant, to the 
 
134 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 workmen as they are wanted, to be afterwards broken into 
 bits. Some of the cakes consist of two or more colours, gra- 
 dually blending into each other. This great magazine of mo- 
 saic stones, the keeper assured me, contains sixteen thousand 
 assorted tints. In one of the rooms you are shown some beau- 
 tiful tables and mantel-pieces, ornamented with flowers, fruit, 
 animals, and landscapes ; and, hanging on the walls, several 
 small pictures, from Guido and Caracci, the ordinary size of 
 portraits, so finely executed as to resemble rich oil paintings 
 at the distance of a few feet. 
 
 Before I had an opportunity of witnessing the operation of 
 mosaic woYk, 1 had imagined that the great pictures must be 
 wrought lying flat on the floor. Not so — they are placed 
 nearly erect, with the one to be copied, so that the effect 
 may be compared from time to time. Pictures three or four 
 feet long are each done on a sheet of copper, stiffened with 
 strong iron bars within a rim of metal. The interior irregu- 
 lar surface is then nearly filled up with a level mass of ce- 
 ment; upon which, when dry, the design is correctly traced. 
 Larger pictures, and especially such as are intended for per- 
 manent fixture in churches, are executed each on one great 
 slab of stone, from eight to twelve inches thick, which is ex- 
 cavated to the depth of about one inch, to receive the ce- 
 ment, leaving a raised border all around. 
 
 The artist, having carefully traced the contours of his pic- 
 ture on the smooth surface of the cement, procures from the 
 adjoining magazine an assortment of tints to suit the part he 
 purposes working at; and is furnished with a little table, on 
 which is fixed a chisel, with the edge upwards, in the manner 
 of an anvil, on which, with a hammer, he breaks the semi- 
 vitreous composition into small squares or other shapes, to 
 suit the part to be copied. Along side of this is another ta- 
 ble, furnished with a horizontal grindstone on a vertical shaft, 
 made to revolve rapidly by a cord which passes round a lar- 
 ger wheel, turned by a pin at its periphery. This is moved 
 with the left hand, while the right is employed in fashioning 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 135 
 
 the bits of stone into squares, triangles, circles, crescents, 
 &c. of various dimensions. The artist then chisels out of 
 his composition, within the lines of his drawing, any spot he 
 chooses to fill up with his mosaic; which, being inserted, stone 
 by stone, with fresh cement, enables him either to pursue the 
 continuity of an outline, or the masses and directions of si- 
 milar tints; so that he can work at any spot, and fill up the 
 intervals, or take out any portion of what he has done, and 
 do it over again. The stones are from half an inch to three 
 quarters in depth, and in breadth, of all sizes, from an eighth 
 to half an inch in diameter. 
 
 After the picture is finished, and the surface of the stones 
 ground down to a level and perfectly polished, the white ce- 
 ment is carefully scraped out of the interstices to a little 
 depth. A variety of painters' colours, in fine powder, are 
 then each mixed with a small portion of melted wax, and 
 put on a palette. With these, by means of a hot pointed 
 iron, like a tinman's soldering-iron, the artist melts a little of 
 the coloured wax to match the stones, and runs it from the 
 point of his iron into all the crevices — then scrapes off the 
 superfluous wax, and cleans the surface with spirits of tur- 
 pentine. 
 
 Nothing can be more appropriate in churches which are 
 lined with precious marbles, than these kindred pictures, 
 which rival the beauty of oil paintings, and defy the injuries 
 of damp and smoke, which have been so destructive to many 
 fine pictures. Camucini is now the director of these works, 
 and is zealous in endeavouring, by means of this curious art, 
 and the great skill of those artists who at present execute it, 
 to preserve the best paintings of the great masters, which 
 are now imperfectly seen in several churches, and are in dan- 
 ger of perishing. 
 
 The cakes of enamel composition are prepared at a che- 
 mical laboratory, not only for the government mosaic manu- 
 factory, but for the numerous artists who execute mosaics of 
 a small size, which are bought by strangers as specimens of 
 
136 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 an art almost peculiar to Rome. I knew one artist who em- 
 ployed thirteen hands, and he informed me that not less than 
 two hundred persons were constantly employed in Rome. The 
 consequences of this increasing competition are, not only 
 that these works are produced at a cheaper rate than for- 
 merly, but, occasionally, are executed in greater perfection. 
 These workers of miniature mosaics arc furnished with the 
 enamel in slender sticks, which they heat in the flame of a 
 lamp, and draw out as fine as may be required; and some- 
 times combine rods of several colours. These filaments are 
 broken by a pair of pilars into lengths of an eighth or quar- 
 ter of an inch, and put together in the same manner as the 
 large works. 
 
 It was formerly supposed that the ancient mosaics were 
 always executed with real stones. This was certainly the 
 case with some of their beautiful pavements, many of which 
 are preserved in the chambers of the Vatican; but in their 
 mosaic pictures on walls you can find nothing but a semi-vi- 
 treous composition exactly like iliat which is now used; only 
 comprising a more limited extent of colours, and displaying 
 less perfection in the workmanship. 
 
 A great portion of the palace of the Vatican, which is 
 said to be seventy thousand feet in circumference, and to 
 contain a thousand rooms, is devoted to the preservation and 
 display of every thing interesting which has been found in 
 the ruins of ancient buildings in and around Rome; besides a 
 similar but less extensive collection which forms the Museum 
 of the Capitol. 
 
 The entrance to these vast repositories of art is from the 
 Loggia di Raffaelle, opening into a long gallery lined with 
 monumental and other inscriptions, altars, architectural 
 fragments, &c. At the end of this, twice a week, the iron 
 grating is opened to visiters, who are permitted to range 
 through a wonderful succession of princely galleries, halls, 
 and rotundas, constructed by celebrated architects with a 
 splendour that rivals imperial Rome, and enriched with mar- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 137 
 
 ble columns of every colour, fresco paintings by celebrated 
 masters, and mosaic pavements taken from the ancient edi- 
 fices. The whole series filled with a collection of statues, 
 vases, baths, altars, tombs, tables, &c, numerous and inte- 
 resting, beyond the conception of any one who has not wit- 
 nessed the astonishing display. 
 
 Here are to be seen the beautiful statues of the Jlpollo Bel- 
 vedere, the Meleager and the Mercury, and, above all, the 
 unrivalled Laocoon, statues which, with many others, the 
 monopolizing spirit of Napoleon transported across the Alps 
 to Paris, and which, at a great expense, have been restored 
 to Rome; that of the Apollo to the same spot where it was 
 placed by Michael Angelo. 
 
 In short, the student and the amateur of the arts, in the 
 investigation of form and all that relates to costume and cha- 
 racter, may find inexhaustible resources for the purposes of 
 study, in these precious relics of the taste and genius of the 
 ancients, the boast of Rome and the glory of the Vatican. 
 
 " Its ceilings richly painted in fresco, its pictured pavements 
 of ancient mosaics, its magnificent gates of bronze, its po- 
 lished columns of ancient porphyry, splendid spoils of impe- 
 rial Rome — its accumulation of Grecian marbles, Egyptian 
 granites, and oriental alabasters, the very names of which 
 are unknown in transalpine lands ; its bewildering extent 
 and prodigality of magnificence ; but, above all, its amazing 
 treasures of sculpture, have so confused my senses, that I 
 can scarcely believe in its reality, and am almost tempted 
 to ask myself if it is not all a dream. 1 '* 
 
 It is indeed a delicious dream, but a dream that must be 
 repeated by the artist until its impressions are confirmed into 
 records of truth and usefulness. 
 
 My only visit to the Vatican library happened to be when 
 the librarian was absent; so that I was conducted by men 
 
 * Rome in the nineteenth century. 
 
 18 
 
138 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 who merely showed the rooms, explained the various paint- 
 ings, and opened a few cases of curiosities and antiquities. 
 Except in a small department fitted up in the modern style, 
 the books, entirely out of sight, were enclosed in low cases, 
 being ornamented on their tops with Etruscan vases. A 
 suite of chambers crosses the end of the great hall, opening 
 into each other through elegant columns of alabaster and por- 
 phyry, to the extent of a quarter of a mile. All the rooms 
 are profusely decorated with fresco paintings, commemora- 
 ting interesting circumstances concerning the arts and litera- 
 ture, as they have been advanced by successive popes, and 
 distinguished men. 
 
 Among the private palaces, whose collections of pictures 
 constitute one of the greatest attractions of Rome, that of 
 the Prince Borghesc is the most frequented, as it is the most 
 regularly open. The owner of this splendid palace, as well 
 as the extensive pleasure grounds and villa behind the Pincian 
 hill, has long resided at Florence, and seldom visits Rome; 
 yet these places are kept in repair and open for the enjoy- 
 ment of the public. The Borghese gallery of pictures, so 
 long celebrated, occupies eleven rooms on the ground floor, 
 which are entered within a quadrangular court beneath ar- 
 cades of ninety-six columns. The pictures entirely cover 
 the walls, and consist of specimens of a great variety of 
 masters, many of which are of great celebrity, particularly 
 the Diana and her Nymphs, and the Cumxan Sybil, by 
 Domenichino; the Graces by Titian; and the Da?iae, by 
 Corregio. The whole of these rooms are open for the use of 
 artists, on a written application, which is seldom refused; so 
 that every day, except Sundays and holidays, a number of ar- 
 tists may be seen copying pictures, or parts of pictures, which 
 are under the care of persons who always attend in the rooms 
 for this purpose, and to show the collection to strangers. The 
 fees which are given to these custodi by visiters and artists, 
 afford them a comfortable income. These rooms are fitted 
 up in a style of the utmost magnificence, being furnished, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 139 
 
 besides the paintings, with a profusion of the most costly and 
 splendid tables of precious stones, supported on carved and 
 gilt figures and ornaments; chairs and sophas of satin, velvet 
 and gold; the vaulted ceilings painted by various masters, and 
 decorated with every species of device that has been imagined 
 for such purposes, in fresco, stucco and gilding. Here the ar- 
 tist may place his easel before the picture he has selected, and 
 take what pains he can in making his copy; surrounded by 
 other inspiring works, on which he may recreate himself, as 
 he rests from his labour, or go round and observe the progress 
 of other artists. The doors are opened at nine in the morn- 
 ing, and closed at four or five in the afternoon. Places are 
 appropriated for putting away his easel, and for drying his 
 pictures. 
 
 Mr. Ervine, a Scotch artist, who has resided forty years at 
 Rome, informed me that twenty-one statues and bassi relievi 
 still remain in France, besides some paintings, that ought to 
 have been restored to Italy. The Borghese collection of 
 marbles was bought by Napoleon, and the Prince Borghese 
 was paid for them in lands in Piedmont, of which he was 
 made governor. On the restoration of the Bourbons, the 
 lands were taken from him, and he demanded back his sta- 
 tues, which were arranged in magnificent halls, fitted up ex- 
 pressly for them in the Louvre. The government, however, 
 made an arrangement to retain them, and pay him eight hun- 
 dred thousand francs. About forty-five pictures out of the 
 Borghese palace were sold, during the French government, 
 for the payment of exactions; and most of the best paintings 
 in the galleries of Rome were likewise sold on the same ac- 
 count, and lost to Italy; leaving in the hearts of the reduced 
 nobility a bitter animosity against the conqueror. 
 
 The Doria palace, of vast extent and great magnificence, 
 is one of the most striking ornaments of the principal street, 
 from which two great archways open into its spacious court. 
 Its numerous halls, corridors, and galleries are crowded with 
 paintings by artists of the greatest celebrity. The first room 
 
140 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 is filled with large water colour paintings by Gaspar Pous- 
 sin, composed in his grand style, but executed in a light and 
 airy manner that I did not expect ; they are probably faded. 
 The adjoining room is chiefly filled with large oil paintings, 
 by the same master, so black and confused as to appear quite 
 disadvantageously; these have probably grown darker. Some- 
 thing between the two may have been the taste of the living 
 Poussin. Some of the rooms contain very fine pictures, but 
 in such a wretched state of neglect and decay, dull, dirty, 
 and in want of varnish, that they can with difficulty be seen. 
 Among them are several fine landscapes, by Claude. The 
 rooms are in general very dark, and so cold, as to make one 
 impatient of lingering in them. 
 
 After many attempts to see the Sciarra palace, 1 at length 
 gained access, when the rooms were not occupied by the fa- 
 mily, and found it to be as represented, a small but choice 
 collection of paintings; I particularly admired a fine Magda- 
 len, by Guido, a splendid Portrait of a Lady, by Titian, 
 and an excellent copy of Raphael's Transfiguration, by 
 Valentin. 
 
 The approach to the Barberini palace through a ruinous 
 brick archway into an unpaved court-yard, the broken grounds 
 around it, the neglected garden, once ornamented with fine 
 statues, now dirty, moss-covered, broken and fallen down, 
 and the moss-dripping fountains, all impress you with an 
 idea of the reduced fortunes of its proprietors. A spacious 
 hall serves as an entrance to the apartments inhabited by 
 the family, to which you rise as usual by an ample and mas- 
 sive stair-way. The ceiling of this hall, for its neatness, rich- 
 ness of colouring, and variety of invention, is considered the 
 greatest work of the kind ever executed by Pietro da Cor- 
 tona, being an allegorical homage to the glory of the Bar- 
 berini family. Some wretched old paintings do not hide the 
 nakedness of the lofty walls. The first room contains a 
 number of old and curious pieces of sculpture, the best of 
 which is a Satyr, lying on his back, said to be the work of 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 141 
 
 Michael Angelo — its breast is polished by the touch of the 
 numerous visiters who pass the rounds of the palaces of 
 Rome. In the other rooms are many pictures, large and 
 small, that only provoked my impatience to pass them, with- 
 out hearing their names from our communicative attendant. 
 But in some deserted rooms in a lower story, we were shown 
 several pictures much more deserving of attention. 1 was 
 charmed with the little boy's head and arm in a Holy Fami- 
 ly, by Andrea del Sarto; a beautiful head by Guido Reni, of 
 the wretched Beatrice Cenci; a fine St. Peter, by Raphael 
 Mengs, with a strong and rich effect; and some others, 
 which were interesting, as the careful works of the early 
 masters. 
 
 To see Guido's celebrated */2arora> it was necessary in 
 this neighbourhood to find the Palace Rospigliosi. Some 
 loud knocking at a gate brought out an old woman who 
 gave us entrance, by moss stained steps, ornamented with 
 headless busts, to a handsome garden, which we crossed to 
 reach the Casina, a beautiful little building, the ceiling of 
 which contained our picture. Morghen's excellent engraving 
 gives almost a perfect idea of it; for though the colour of 
 many parts is good, yet the effect of the whole, from inju- 
 dicious repairs, is harsh and dissonant. The limbs are hea- 
 vy, and the hands lifeless — but the left hand figure possesses 
 a beauty of face that is not rendered in the engraving. A 
 young man, with his easel on the pavement, was straining 
 his neck to finish a small copy of it Two adjoining rooms 
 are filled with pictures; but, notwithstanding the names of 
 Guido, Domenichino, Rubens and Caracci, which are rapidly 
 mumbled by a toothless old woman, who is anxious to get 
 your money, and send you away; I found little to admire or 
 detain me. Repeated visits failed to procure us a sight of 
 the pictures in the principal building belonging to Prince 
 Rospigliosi. 
 
 The Corsini palace, at another extremity of Rome, by- 
 its extent, architecture, courts, stair-cases, galleries, and 
 
142 
 
 NOTES OX ITALY. 
 
 gardens, presents a princely show of grandeur and elegance. 
 The collection of pictures is very great, but not many of 
 them pleased me much. One of the most celebrated is an 
 Ecce homo, by Guercino, an oil painting, but preserved 
 from the touch by a glass covering. It is exquisitely 
 finished, and natural in the colouring, representing a Head 
 of Christ crowned with Thorns. The eyes are blood-shot 
 with pain and grief, and large drops of blood are pouring 
 down the forehead. I cannot but consider it a most igno- 
 ble, disgusting, and unfortunate exhibition of the Sayiour; 
 and almost lament its excellence as a piece of painting. 
 
 From this, directly across the street, we regularly pro- 
 ceeded to the Farncsina, built as a country house by a rich 
 banker in the time of Leo X. It is now the property of 
 the king of Naples, and appears to be preserved only be- 
 cause it contains soine fresco paintings by Raphael. An 
 impatient custode unlocked a door which opened directly 
 into a hall, divested of all furniture. The compartments 
 of the ceiling contain a series of compositions representing 
 the history of Cupid and Psyche, designed by Raphael, 
 but executed by his scholars, except one of the Graces, 
 whose back is presented with a richness of colour sur- 
 passing any thing I have ever seen from his pencil. This 
 figure is said to be entirely his own work. On the wall of 
 the adjoining room is the faded and much damaged Gala- 
 tea, which is venerated as being entirely the work of Ra- 
 phael's own hand; but it possessed so little charm to. me, 
 that I hastened to take another gaze at the glowing back of 
 the beautiful Grace; not, however, without stopping to look 
 at a Head, sketched with charcoal by Michael Angelo on 
 the rough plaster, whilst he was waiting for one of Ra- 
 phael's scholars to show him the paintings in the next hall. 
 The compartment of. the frieze containing this sketch was 
 left unfinished rather than obliterate the manuscript of the 
 sublime Angelo. 
 
 The Farnese palace stands in front of an ample piazza, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 143 
 
 or place decorated with fountains. Externally it is a heavy 
 ugly building; but within, its square court, its arches, co- 
 lumns, pilasters, and sculpture have an imposing grandeur, 
 though it cannot be seen without a regret that the materials 
 of which it is composed were torn from the devoted Colos- 
 seum. The building now belongs to the king of Naples, 
 and is the residence of his ambassadors. I found the cor- 
 ridor crowded with wretched tatterdemalions. They were 
 Neapolitans seeking permission to return home; each being 
 worthy of a passport. Some of the superfluous chambers 
 are occupied by antiquities found in the Farnese gardens 
 and the palace of the Caesars, and as painting rooms for a 
 Neapolitan artist. The servants politely open some of the 
 rich apartments; but the chief attraction is the magnificent 
 saloon, the walls and ceiling of which were painted by Lu- 
 dovico Caracci and his brother Agostino, Domenichino, 
 and Guido. These mythological compositions are well 
 known by a volume of engravings called the Farnese Gal- 
 lery; but they convey no idea of the beauty of the draw- 
 ing, the careful finish, and the airiness and freshness of the 
 colouring. Hitherto I have not seen any thing by Caracci 
 that at all equals them: but the figures by Domenichino 
 and Guido fajl short of some of their separate works". The 
 quantity of excellent art lavished on this ceiling is truly 
 astonishing. . 
 
 The Palace of Cardinal Fes ch is the only one I have seen 
 which seems to possess any thing like comfort in the rooms; 
 yet they contain a great collection of paintings,' which I found 
 in better condition than those of any other palace in Rome. 
 The guide books, which minutely describe the contents of 
 other galleries, only mention this in one short paragraph, by 
 saying that this great collection of pictures, both for the quan- 
 tity and the quality of the works of the best masters of eve- 
 ry school, and especially of the Flemish, is one of the richest 
 and most esteemed galleries of Rome, and would require a 
 volume to describe it. Besides other works of my namesake, 
 
144 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Rembrandt, I was struck with the singular beauty and fresh- 
 ness of the Head of an Old Wom an, said to be his mother, 
 painted in a much lighter manner than was customary with 
 that artist. For this head, on a canvass not more than six- 
 teen inches long, we were told the cardinal paid thirty-six 
 thousand francs. Besides the pictures which are hung up, 
 vast quantities are stowed away in other rooms and passages. 
 
 The Colonna palace contains a number of pictures, every 
 one of which having a name, you must hear it pronounced 
 by the custode, or servant, who accompanies you through the 
 rooms, though but few are deserving of any particular atten- 
 tion. I was most pleased with a cabinet or book-case, orna- 
 mented with twenty-eight beautiful little ivory pieces, in alto 
 relievo, from the compositions of Raphael, in the Loggia at 
 the Vatican, executed by F. and D. Steinhart, two brothers, 
 Germans, who resided thirty years in this palace, under the 
 patronage of the Colonna family. During that time they ex- 
 ecuted this extraordinary work, whose beauty delighted me 
 more than the paintings from which they were conceived, and 
 to whose excellence they bear the most noble homage. The 
 centre-piece, somewhat larger than the rest, represents Mi- 
 chael Angelo's Last Judgment, in the Sistine Chapel. These 
 exquisite little works, executed two hundred ye^rs ago, when 
 the frescos of Raphael and of Buonorotti were uninjured, are 
 as perfect as when they were first done. It is a cabinet that 
 should be preserved in the Vatican library. The great hall 
 of this palace, two hundred and nine feet long, decorated at 
 each end with splendid columns and twenty antique statues, 
 and enriched with paintings, stucco, and rare marbles, is the 
 most magnificent in Rome. 
 
 We were a long while ranging the vast court and long ar- 
 cades of the Quirinial Palace, in a fatiguing search for the 
 custode; yet not without something to admire in a fine mo- 
 saic copy of a Madonna by Carlo Maratti, to ornament a 
 clock at one end of the court, which is three hundred feet 
 long. The soldiers at the gate knew nothing, only that they 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 145 
 
 themselves were guards. At length the keeper arrived, with 
 whom we ascended the plain stone stairs to the principal sto- 
 ry, and were conducted through a magnificent series of rooms, 
 fitted up in the modern taste for the accommodation of royal 
 visiters — the walls covered with silk, the furniture richly 
 carved and gilt, and the door-cases of polished porphyry and 
 fine marbles. Two rooms were ornamented with elegant 
 friezes, the Triumph of Alexander, by Thorwaldsen, and 
 the Triumph of Trajan, by Pinclli, ceilings splendidly de- 
 corated, guard-room, saloons, bed-rooms in the gayest style 
 of Paris, library, billiard-room, halls for the ladies of ho- 
 nour — all this adjoining the plain apartments of the pope, in 
 which the custode told me there was nothing to be seen. 
 Some of these rooms are decorated with good paintings — a 
 fine large battle-piece by Bassano, the original Study of the 
 Transfiguration by Raphael, a beautiful Marriage of St. 
 Catherine by Battone, extremely rich and bright. In a pic- 
 ture of the Holy Family, by Baroccio, I was especially de- 
 lighted with the head of a Child holding up some Cherries 
 — the most beautiful thing I have yet seen by that artist — rich, 
 bright, and delicate, and of surpassing animation of counte- 
 nance. In a great hall of entrance to the pope's apartments, 
 and to the chapel, there is a large semicircular alto relievo rest- 
 ing over two doors, which the custode assured me was done by 
 Michael Angelo, but my guide-book informs me it is the work 
 of Landini, representing Christ wash ing the feet of his Dis- 
 ciples. It is well grouped, and perhaps not unworthy of An- 
 gelo. The chapel is very small, but entirely painted by Gui- 
 do. I could, however, recognise this lovely artist only in the 
 graceful turn and character of some of the heads and the 
 easy flow of the drapery. They are much faded and injured. 
 
 Torlonia, the banker's palace, is among the most elegant 
 of Rome. One portion of the apartments consists of a num- 
 ber of halls which cross and combine in an unusual style; 
 rich in columns, marbles, mosaics, statues, and paintings. In 
 one there is a colossal work in marble byCanova, Hercules 
 
 19 
 
146 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 throwing Licas into the sea ; and, among the pictures, there 
 is a beautiful Cleopatra by Guido, and many excellent pieces 
 of the Flemish school. The ceiling of one room is decorated 
 ■with a painting by Camucini. 
 
 The churches of Rome are so numerous, that, in Vasi's 
 guide-book, out of three hundred and sixty, one hundred and 
 twenty-nine are selected as worthy of notice.; yet, from the 
 similarity of their structure, the repetition of splendid objects 
 of ornament, and the sameness of materials, the eye soon be- 
 comes sated with the gorgeous entertainment, and finds a per- 
 manent pleasure only in such as are distinguished by the pos- 
 session of the finest works of the painter's and the sculptor's 
 art: travellers, therefore, generally agree in saying, that it is 
 necessary to visit only about thirty of the whole number. 
 Although in their external structure they are said to possess 
 but little beauty, and in general are absolutely ugly, yet they 
 are finished edifices, and a few have some claims to grandeur. 
 This is the case with the front of St. Carlo, on the Corso, 
 whose high pediment and towering columns, though not iso- 
 lated, continued always to please me. But many of these 
 interiors are truly magnificent, with marble columns, pilas- 
 ters, walls, and pavements; ceiling, angles, and walls covered 
 with paintings; arches enriched with gilt stucco, and a pro- 
 fusion of statues, cherubs, and angels in every spot where in- 
 genuity could devise a resting place or occupation for them. 
 All the arts, indeed, have been enlisted, cherished, and re- 
 warded, but required to contribute their influence in support 
 of the established religion — and especially painting. 
 
 The great altar-piece of St. Carlo is an extensive and beau- 
 tiful painting by Carlo Ma ratti, the Virgin in the Heavens in- 
 troducing St. Carlo to Christ. In this strange subject, and dif- 
 ficult task, Maratti has contrived to introduce the most beau- 
 tiful groups and masses of clouds, draperies, and figures; but 
 it is in so bad a light that the whole effect of it cannot be 
 seen at once, and you are obliged by change of place to study 
 it in detail. 
 
/ 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 147 
 
 The great temple of the Jesuits, built with ample means 
 in the time of their greatest power, possesses extraordinary 
 grandeur, both externally and internally. On entering the 
 church of St. Ignatius, I found the whole pavement was co- 
 vered with little boys, between ten and twelve years of age, 
 on their knees, attending mass which was saying at the grand 
 altar, each boy having his hat and school books on the pave- 
 ment before him. Although there were many hundreds of 
 these little urchins, there was no noise nor appearance of in- 
 attention till the close, when they rose in military order and, 
 double file, marched out to their respective schools, conduct- 
 ed by their clerical teachers, who are doubtless all good Je- 
 suits, and capable of giving the young twigs the requisite in- 
 clination. The spacious ceiling is painted to represent the 
 architectural continuation of the edifice, arch over arch, co- 
 lumn beyond column, till they are lost in the distant heavens, 
 into which St. Ignatius is ascending, accompanied by groups 
 of other saints and angels, and a great variety of figures fill- 
 ing the immense expanse. The two side altars of the cross 
 are decorated with magnificent columns of verd antique, and 
 one of the altar-pieces is a great composition by Le Gro#, 
 sculptured in marble in high relief, and of great beauty, re- 
 presenting St. Luigi Gonzaga on a cloud, ascending to hea- 
 ven. The strong relief of this figure, the graceful attitude, 
 and heavenly character of the head and hands, gave me more 
 pleasure than I ever received from this species of art, and 
 made it difficult to avert my eyes, even as I retired from a 
 long admiration of it. 
 
 In my early rambles through Rome, without book or 
 guide, among many churches which I entered at hazard, 
 there was one whose delightful fresco paintings drew me 
 into repeated visits. Afterwards when, at the recommen- 
 dation of several artists, I eagerly inquired for the church 
 of St. Andrea della Valle, I was surprised to find it an old 
 acquaintance and Domenichino the unknown cause of my 
 admiration. His splendid fresco paintings occupy the an- 
 
148 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 gles between the arches that support the dome. The most 
 esteemed is the one that represents the inspired St. John 
 about to write in a book held by an angel. The attitude, 
 drapery, and countenance are sublime, and the colouring 
 fresh and beautiful, and worthy the rival of Guido. 
 
 In this neighbourhood is to be found the large and ele- 
 gant church of St. Carlo ai Catinari, which contains some 
 fine works by Sacchi, Lanfranco, and Brandi. The angles 
 of the cupola, representing the four cardinal virtues, are by 
 Domenichino, but they are inferior to those of St. Andrea 
 della Valle. 
 
 I had made several unsuccessful attempts to see the rival 
 works of Guido and Domenichino at the distant Church of 
 St. Gregory. At last I found the door open, and followed 
 some workmen who were employed within; they knew, no- 
 thing either of pictures or painters, but found for me a 
 young ecclesiastic who conducted me through a garden into 
 three adjoining chapels; in one of which is a noble statue of 
 Pope Gregory, begun by Michael Angelo, and finished by 
 one of his scholars, and a large marble table, at which St. 
 Gregory used every day to entertain twelve pilgrims. In 
 the second chapel is a statue of St. Silvia, the mother of 
 Pope St. Gregory, by a scholar of Angelo's; and, in the 
 third, the two large frescos, on opposite side walls, which 
 are said to have been painted in friendly competition — for, 
 though rivals for public fame, they were not enemies. But 
 in neither of these pictures could I find much of the merit 
 which distinguished these great masters. That of Dome- 
 nichino is very much injured and faded, and appears hastily 
 executed; though certainly the countenances of the various 
 persons who witness or engage in the flagellation of St. An- 
 drew are distinguished by his usual force of expression, 
 which, probably, was the highest praise of Domenichino. 
 In the painting by Guido, he appears to have laboured to 
 introduce as many figures as he possibly could, to show his 
 command of action and grace; but his countenances are un- 
 
 * 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 149 
 
 animated and devoid of interest, and only a few subordi- 
 nate parts can at all remind us of Guido. 
 
 The baths of Diocletian were of such extent that three 
 thousand two hundred persons could be accommodated at 
 once. It is curious to see the immense halls and arches 
 which remain of them, converted into churches, granaries, 
 and dwellings. The Chartreuse Monastery occupies its 
 centre, in connexion with the Church of St. Maria degli 
 Jingeli. As it was not an hour for the church to be open, 
 we sought admittance at the gate of the monastery, and 
 were conducted through the silent cloisters; the confrater- 
 nity being reduced to eight members. We passed through 
 many rooms and passages, contrived for the convenience of 
 the monks, and entered the church through a little back 
 door. The walls are the same which formed the great hall 
 of the baths, within which there, remain eight columns of 
 granite forty-two feet high. - Among the pictures, which 
 formerly belonged to St. Peter's, but were placed here after 
 some of them had been copied in mosaic, I was most pleased 
 with the extraordinary spirit and animation of that which 
 represents the Fall of Simon Magus, painted by Battoni. 
 Having entered the church at the back, we finished our sur- 
 vey by advancing to the elegant circular room which serves 
 as an entrance, containing two rich little chapels, or altars, 
 and four monuments— two to the memory of cardinals, 
 whose names are learned and forgotten, and the other two 
 to the honour of the artists Carlo Maratti and Salvator 
 Rosa — names which are never forgotten. 
 
 The solitude and silence reigning in many places, even 
 in the midst of great masses of buildings, is a characteris- 
 tic of Rome which frequently surprises., and sometimes em- 
 barrasses the stranger. It was not difficult to find the street 
 which leads to the church of St. Pietro in Vincoli, on a 
 little mount. Arrived on the summit, you find yourself in 
 an open space surrounded by garden walls, great houses 
 which seem uninhabited, and something like two churches 
 
150 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 — the entrance to one of them barred with iron railings. 
 The few poor people that passed that way, though they 
 knew of St. Peter, could tell me nothing of the church in 
 Vincoli. My knuckles became sore with knocking at doors 
 and gates to no effect, and it was not till a third visit to the 
 spot that I succeeded in finding a door opened to me by a 
 clerical guide. 
 
 The church of St. Pietro in Vincoli, erected fourteen hun- 
 dred years ago, to preserve the chain which St. Peter wore in 
 prison, though to some it may be interesting from its antiquity, 
 as it appears in its pavements and columns taken from the 
 baths of Diocletian and some gothic mosaics, as well as from 
 the simple style of its architecture, possessed only one object 
 of interest to me- — the sublime statue of Moses, the last work 
 of Michael Angelo ! It is of colossal size, seated, in an action 
 of great dignity, becoming the rank and influence of the He- 
 brew commander and lawgiver.; and, being but slightly ele- 
 vated above the floor, is seen to the greatest advantage. The 
 countenance has a most impressive expression, the naked 
 arms and hands wrought to an effect of living flesh and circu- 
 lating blood, beyond any thing I have yet seen ; the drapery 
 arranged in folds the most simple, grand and natural, and ex- 
 ecuted, even into the deepest cavities, with the most extra- 
 ordinary skill. 
 
 In the Church of the, Capuchins is the celebrated picture 
 by Guido, representing St. Michael subduing Satan, which was 
 uncovered for my inspection by an obliging monk of the bare- 
 foot fraternity, who spoke on the beauties of the painting with 
 much knowledge and taste. The colouring of the head and 
 shadowy neck, and the celestial tranquillity of the face, sim- 
 ply regarded as beautiful objects, are worthy of much praise; 
 but I cannot agree with those enthusiastic admirers who com- 
 mend it for wanting an expression suitable to the action, and 
 applaud that action, because it is deficient in the energy of a 
 mortal form, since the painter chose to represent nothing but 
 a mortal form. Neither is it an excellence in the Demon that 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 151 
 
 he makes no signs of resistance. Energy of expression was 
 not the talent of Guido. Still, however, we must return to 
 the head and neck, and admire the softness of its colouring 
 and the mild but steady look of the angel. 
 
 The picture, over the opposite altar, byPietro da Cortona, 
 of Jinnanias restoring sight to St. Paul, strikes me as 
 being the most agreeable of any of that artist's work that I 
 have seen. 
 
 The celebrity of Granet's picture of the Capuchin Chapel, 
 which has been exhibited every where, made me desirous of 
 seeing the chapel or oratory itself. It is behind the great al- 
 tar : through a curtain, I perceived the monks, who had just 
 commenced their sonorous vespers ; but as I advanced, the sa- 
 cristan rose from his knees to tell me I could not enter till 
 they were done. When he conducted me in, there still re- 
 mained some of the glossy bald heads, white beards, and bare 
 feet that give such effect to Granet's painting; but I found the 
 room smaller and of less height than the picture represents it, 
 — which indeed is the general fault of architectural views, 
 occasioned by the artist representing the whole interior, as if 
 the wall, against which he stands, was removed and him- 
 self in fact a little, and sometimes a great deal beyond it. 
 
 The old church of Santa Maria del Popolo, just within 
 the gate, is full of curious monuments and ancient sculptures, 
 especially in basso relievo; and one chapel, incrusted with 
 marbles, is said to be among the richest in Rome. But an op- 
 posite chapel contained the objects which especially invited 
 my visit — two statues designed and in part executed by Ra- 
 phael; one representing Daniel, the other Habakkuk. The 
 limbs are wrought with great beauty and nature, and the dra- 
 pery cast in simple and elegant folds: but the heads are gross 
 and vulgar, and seem a coarse imitation of those most fre- 
 quently seen' in ancient Roman statues. In the same chapel 
 are two statues by Bernini, the gay and fantastic style of which 
 forms a striking contrast with the more quiet and simple taste 
 
152 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 evinced by Raphael, which in these statues reminds one in a 
 slight degree of Michael Angelo. 
 
 On entering any of the churches of Rome, whatever pic- 
 tures are hidden with curtains you may be sure are works of 
 established celebrity, and which strangers are required to see; 
 covered not so much to preserve them from injury as to ex- 
 tract a fee from the curious. In the Church of St.JIgostino, 
 there are two covered ;.one by Guercino, dark, dirty and un- 
 interesting; the other by Raphael hung on one of the pilas- 
 ters^, an Isaiah which it is said was painted in emulation of 
 those by Angelo in the Sistine chapel, and much commended 
 by him. It betrays laborious care in the finish and an effort 
 to display his best powers; — it is well coloured and the dra- 
 pery in a grand style; but the head of the prophet is ignobly 
 sunk between his shoulders, corresponding with a similar de- 
 pression of the body. 
 
 In this church there is a marble Madonna and Infant 
 brought from Constantinople by Greeks when that city was 
 taken by the Turks. I have no where seen a statue which ap- 
 pears to be more venerated by the pious. The motherand infant 
 are crowned with gold; beads and precious stones are profuse- 
 ly hung around their necks, and costly rings cover her fingers 
 — besides cases full of similar articles which are placed high 
 on the wall, out of the reach of pilferers; and an astonishing 
 quantity of votive offerings and little pictures, celebrating the 
 cures which have been effected by her intercession. Lighted 
 candles are displayed all around, and several massive silver 
 ever burning lamps hang before her. Crowds of devotees 
 are always pressing to her feet, which they kiss and touch 
 with their foreheads. A glass lamp burns on one side, near 
 which is a supply of cotton and paper, in constant requisition 
 by a succession of persons of both sexes, who dip a little piece 
 of cotton into the sacred oil and wrap it up in a bit of paper 
 to take away with them. 
 
 The church of La Trinita de Monti, built by the French 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 153 
 
 King Charles VIII. and re-established by Louis XVIII. which 
 so conspicuously and delightfully stands on the Pincian hill, 
 at the head of the noble flight of steps, rising from the Piaz- 
 za di Spagna, has lately been in the possession of a monas- 
 tery of nuns, and shut to the public, except during a few 
 days in the year. On the feast of St. Peter's it was to be 
 opened; and, being desirous of seeing a celebrated descent 
 from the cross by Daniel de Volterra, I waited at the door 
 till the bolt within was drawn, when quickly entering with a 
 crowd who pressed at the door, a nun whose delicate hand 
 had just removed the great iron bolt, was hastening away, 
 and escaped observation in the recesses of the postern arches; 
 but another nun, with her long wand, safe behind a high rail- 
 ing, was lighting the candles on the altar, who staid to finish 
 her task; whilst melancholy voices from the choir above, un- 
 seen, moaned out what I suppose must have been the ves- 
 pers. The side chapels contain several pictures of mode- 
 rate merit, chiefly by French pupils, who resided at Rome, 
 and study at the French Royal Academy, the grounds of 
 which adjoin the church. Volterra's picture, however, being 
 in the sacristy, could not be seen, and a copy of it in damaged 
 fresco, offered no attractions to detain me. 
 
 In the church of St. Maria della Pace, though its an- 
 cient sculpture may not be interesting, nor a black altar- 
 piece, by Maratti, be worth looking at, is to be seen a trea- 
 sure from the pencil of Raphael — a sublime composition, re- 
 presenting the Sibyls predicting the birth of Christ. It 
 is a large semicircular picture in fresco, which has been well 
 restored, and is now in good condition. The curtain which 
 covers this from profane eyes, is removed by an obliging sa- 
 cristan, whose eyes sparkle at the praise of Raphael, and to 
 whom you cheerfully pay your curtain fee. 
 
 The magnificent basilica of St. Maria Maggiore has the 
 advantage over all the churches of Rome in its situation, be- 
 ing in the centre of a vast open space, on the summit of the 
 Esquiline hill, to which several streets converge. In front 
 
 20 
 
154 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 of it, the beautiful fluted column, formed of one pice of white 
 marble, and measuring forty-four feet without the pedestal or 
 capital, which was taken from the Temple of Peace, remains 
 to give some idea of the grandeur and elegance of that edi- 
 fice. On entering the Basilica, the eye is charmed with the 
 long perspective of forty beautiful antique columns, the sim- 
 ple horizontal cornice which they support, the range of win- 
 dows and decorations above them, and the richly panelled 
 flat ceiling above all. Besides the Chapel of the Sacra- 
 ment, distinguished by a tabernacle supported by four an- 
 gels of gilt bronze, the splendid Borghese chapel is particu- 
 larly rich in sculpture, painting, and precious stones, and 
 therefore, as usual in such princely chapels, is enclosed with 
 iron railings. The Basilica of St. Maria Maggiore, outside 
 and inside, ranks next to St. Peter's for elegance. 
 
 The Basilica of San Giovanni, the first that presented its 
 elegant front, crowned with statues, on entering the gate from 
 Naples, is the last on our short list. On approaching this 
 church, the first object that invites attention is the great 
 Egyptian obelisk, covered with hieroglyphics. That which 
 is in front of St. Peter's is the only unbroken one; that at 
 the Porta del Popolo is the first; and this, in the piazza of 
 St. John, is the last that was brought to Rome, and measures 
 one hundred and fifteen feet without its pedestal. Passing 
 round to the front of the edifice, on a terrace which com- 
 mands a fine view of the country beyond the walls, and the 
 ruined arches of Nero's Claudian aqueduct; you rise a few 
 spacious steps to the great portico, within which you see a 
 statue of Constantine, taken from the ruins of his baths, and 
 the great central doors of sculptured bronze which belonged 
 to an ancient temple. On entering, you find yourself in a 
 vast hall, unusually light, and well calculated for the splendid 
 ceremonies which are performed in it. The aisles are di- 
 vided from the nave by massive arches, between which, in 
 great sunken niches, are colossal statues of the Apostles, ex- 
 ecuted )}y the best artists of the time. There are several 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 155 
 
 elegant chapels opening from the aisles, but that called the 
 Corsini chapel, is the most beautiful in Rome; decorated 
 with the most costly and exquisite productions of all the arts, 
 and containing, among other excellent sculpture, two figures 
 near the door, of enchanting little children, which are among 
 the most delightful objects I have ever beheld. 
 
 Nearly in front of the Basilica is a building externally 
 of little note, and within of no beauty. It is, however, high- 
 ly venerated as containing twenty-eight marble steps that be- 
 longed to the Palace of Pontius Pilate, sanctified, it is said, 
 by the blood of Christ, who was conducted up them when 
 crowned with thorns to be shown to the people. These 
 holy stairs (scala santa) are the centre of five parallel flights 
 from the portico to the landing place. The curious visiter 
 may walk up and down any of these steps ; but the central 
 flight, which is never ascended but by the faithful on their 
 knees, although entirely cased over with wood, with perfo- 
 rations through which the white marble steps, much worn, 
 may be seen and touched. Sometimes very picturesque groups 
 of pilgrims, peasants, and citizens, including even little chil- 
 dren, may be seen performing this difficult, and, to some 
 knees, painful march, pausing on each step to repeat a prayer. 
 At the head of the stairs, a grated window, like that of a 
 prison, looks into a dark chapel containing a great quantity 
 of precious relics. It is surrounded by other chapels, inte- 
 resting to none but pious and penitent persons. 
 
 On the opposite side of the Basilica is a plain octagonal 
 building, the baptistry of St. John, which, in the holy week, 
 becomes of primary interest by the baptism of a Jew and a 
 Turk. 
 
 A long walk out of the Salarian Gate took us to the Villa 
 Albani, where two hours were scarcely sufficient to examine 
 this highly decorated little palace of the Cardinal Albani. 
 The gardens and grounds, in the Italian style, with fences of 
 cut evergreens, terraces, balustrades, fountains, and canals, 
 are of great extent, variety, and beauty. This Casina was 
 
156 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 the splendid and costly toy of an enthusiastic and extrava- 
 gant lover of ancient statuary. It is constructed of the 
 richest marbles and columns, with niches, recesses, and pe- 
 destals for the display of a most extensive and choice collec- 
 tion of statues, busts, and vases. Bassi relievi are inserted 
 in the walls ; fresco, and every kind of decorative painting, 
 are in studious accord with those objects. Ranges of small 
 rooms in the style of the ancients, are profusely decorated 
 with busts and other sculpture. In one of these, there is a 
 beautiful fluted antique column of oriental alabaster, which 
 is about twenty feet long. It is said to be unique, but the 
 architect has selected from the Italian marbles, one that 
 resembles it in colour, to serve as a companion in the ar- 
 rangement of this beautiful room. In the grand saloon, 
 which is exquisitely enriched with incrustations of precious 
 stones and inlaid arabasques; the ceiling is ornamented by a 
 highly finished fresco, representing Jlpollo and the Muses, 
 by Raphael Mengs, one of the best works of the last great 
 painter in this style. 
 
 The collection of antique statues which are preserved in 
 the public buildings on the Capitoline mount, is called the 
 Museum of the Capitol; and consists of a valuable assem- 
 blage of statues, busts, vases, sarcophagi, bassi relievi, &c. — 
 Egyptian, Greek, and Roman. The court yard is full of co- 
 lossal objects; the halls, corridors, and stairways are lined 
 with them; and, above, a magnificent series of rooms contain 
 a most interesting collection; among which are to be found the 
 Dying Gladiator, the Jlntinous, Cupid and Psyche, the 
 Faun, and the Venus of the Capitol; and busts of Socrates, 
 Seneca, Homer, Demosthenes, &c. The rooms of the ob- 
 solete senate, likewise, contain many similar antiquities and 
 curious fresco paintings on large walls. 
 
 In the same building two halls are appropriated to the dis- 
 play of what is called the Picture Gallery. This collection 
 is more numerous than that of the Vatican, but contains few 
 pictures of much merit — Guercino's St. Petronilla, The 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 157 
 
 Rape of Europe, by P. Veronesse, Guido's St. Sebastian, 
 and a few others are among the best. But the artist is inte- 
 rested in examining several unfinished pictures by Guido, 
 which sho\v his manner of proceeding from a slight sketchy 
 dead colouring to his most exquisite finish. In a series of 
 rooms on the ground floor, recently fitted up with taste and 
 great public liberality, is a growing collection of busts of mo- 
 dern painters, 'sculptors, poets, philosophers, &c. 
 
 In coming out of the Gallery of statues a group of little 
 beggar children beset me, Conceiving it needless to encou- 
 rage this idle imposition on strangers, I took no notice of them ; 
 when one of them, with great vivacity, proposed that if I 
 would follow him he would show me " all the antiquities of 
 Rome." Being at leisure I followed the urchin, to know what 
 he might be able to show me, behind the Capitol. He car- 
 ried a little brother on his shoulder, and, trotting fast on, 
 looked back, often to see that I was following him, through 
 passages I should not have thought of tracing, into an ele- 
 vated street of old buildings inhabited by poor people. At 
 the end of this street he stopped at a door, where 1 perceived 
 an inscription indicating that it was the " Entrance to the Tar- 
 peian rock." After paying my little beggar for his usefulness, 
 a flight of stone steps brought me to a room which opened 
 into a small kitchen garden, the owner of which conducted 
 me through it to a low wall, and showed me the steep preci- 
 pice below, as the spot where criminals were formerly thrown 
 down. In every description I had read, the elevation was de- 
 scribed as very inconsiderable, but I thought it very great, 
 looking down upon the tops of houses. Whether or not this 
 be the Tarpeian rock, the view from the garden is quite in- 
 teresting, showing the Temple of Peace, the Colosseum, the 
 foundations of Caesar's palace on the great square hill op- 
 posite to us, formerly comprising all the Rome of Romulus, 
 and his own straw-roofed cottage, the baths of Caracalla, the 
 winding Tiber, and the hills in the distance. But, on the 
 other side of the Capitol, I was afterwards conducted by a 
 
158 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 friend to a wall, immediately adjoining the Capitol, which by 
 some is more assuredly considered the spot of execution, as 
 here the rocky precipice is more apparent, and the base is 
 more directly opposite the Tiber, into which the dead bodies 
 were subsequently thrown. 
 
 An application to a barber whose shop adjoins the door, 
 and who is custode of the gallery called the Academy of 
 St. Luke, gave us access to this hall, which is rilled with a 
 great variety of small pictures. The first object to which 
 your attention is invited, is the Skull of Raphael, preserved 
 in a small glass case, which enables you to see it all round. 
 The forehead and temples, though not large, appear to me of 
 a much more beautiful conformation than any of the portraits 
 I have seen of him. The most valued picture in the room 
 is one executed by Raphael himself, representing St. Luke 
 painting the Portraits of the Virgin and Saviour, who 
 appear to him on a cloud close to his easel. It is highly 
 finished, and is certainly interesting; but it is quite imaginary 
 to suppose that there is the head of St. Luke " all the fire, 
 the glow, and the inspiration of commanding genius. 5 ' On 
 the contrary, it is devoid of all expression — a mere ordinary 
 portrait of a painter looking off from his work, at the spec- 
 tator, regardless of his celestial sitter, who betrays no more 
 expression nor interest than himself. 
 
 The room contains a great many Heads of Artists, co- 
 pied from the Florence Gallery, and Portraits of Modern 
 Artists who have resided at Rome, and presented them on 
 being elected members of the academy — among these, that of 
 Madame Lebrun, painted by herself, pleased me best for 
 the beauty of the colour and the animation of the counte- 
 nance. Two good landscapes by Salvator Rosa, and a few 
 otherSj the names of which our barber custode did not know, 
 amused me for half an hour. The drawing department of 
 this academy has been removed to a larger building in ano- 
 ther part of the city. 
 
 The French Academy of the Fine Arts, founded at Rome 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 159 
 
 by Louis XIV. is in the Villa Medici, delightfully situated 
 on the brow of the Pincian hill: the most agreeable prome- 
 nade of Rome, passes in front of it from the top of the steps 
 of the Piazza di Spagna to the public walks which over- 
 look the Porta del Popolo. The terrace in front of the aca- 
 demy is at an elevation above the tops of the houses, on which 
 you look down from the pleasant shade of an avenue of ilex 
 or ever-green oaks, ornamented by a fountain. On entering 
 the great portal of the palace, you ascend to the principal 
 story, which is on a level with the extensive grounds behind, 
 laid out in spacious walks, both open and shaded, and orna- 
 mented with fountains and statues .within the circumference 
 of a mile. Various buildings in the gardens, and in the main 
 edifice, afford accommodations for twenty-four students, who 
 are sent here to complete their studies at the public expense. 
 Here is a valuable library of the arts, and a choice collection 
 of the most perfect impressions in plaster from celebrated sta- 
 tues, for the use of students. A fine cast of the exquisitely 
 beautiful figure of the Dead Christ by Michael Angelo, may 
 be examined in a clear light below the eye, as well as other 
 precious objects, An elegant hall in the main building con- 
 tains some excellent works in marble, executed by artists who 
 have finished their studies under this royal patronage ; and 
 several of the rooms, lined with good but ancient tapestry, 
 are occupied by the director of the academy. The amiable 
 and celebrated Guerin had just completed his six years resi- 
 dence on this delightful spot, in the honourable office of di- 
 rector; but I was grieved to see that Rome had failed to re- 
 store him to the activity of health. His successor, Horace 
 Vernet, had but recently arrived, in the vigour of health, re- 
 putation, and enterprise ; and was surrounded, every Thurs- 
 day evening, by artists of all nations, who assembled at his 
 converzationi, which were often enlivened by excellent 
 music. 
 
 From the top of this building, which is conveniently con- 
 structed with covered places and open balustrades, you com- 
 
160 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 mand the most beautiful panoramic view of Rome, com- 
 prising every interesting object, except the Colosseum, which 
 is hid behind the long line of the Quirinal Palace; and, on 
 the other side, an extensive and delightful view of the sur- 
 rounding country, especially the hills of Albano, Tivoli, and 
 Frascati. 
 
 The circular tower of the Castle of St. Jlngelo, about a 
 mile distant, is distinctly seen ; from which an expert engi- 
 neer, on a wager, so well directed his artillery, that the bul- 
 let struck his mark,- the front door of this building, then un- 
 occupied — you are shown the indent which still remains in 
 the iron casing, for every thing is preserved that can be 
 shown or talked of. 
 
 The vast circular tomb of Hadrian, nearly two hundred 
 feet in diameter, constitutes but a small part of what is now 
 the fortress of St. Angelo. Yet this tomb was of such im- 
 mense size, that, after being divested of its precious objects 
 of art, it was converted into a fortress by battlements erect- 
 ed on its top, and afterwards surrounded with walls, bas- 
 tions, and other military appendages by successive popes. 
 A soldier conducted us to the upper part of the building, 
 where we found a dirty but civil tailor at work, who laid 
 down his unfinished regimentals and escorted us through 
 the remainder of the edifice. The whole interior is built 
 up with rooms and stair-cases of the most ordinary kind, 
 except one large and splendid chamber, in the upper part 
 of the building, occupied -by the pope when he visits the 
 castle. The walls of this are covered with excellent fres- 
 cos by Julio Romano, and the ceiling by a pupil of Ra- 
 phael's. From the stone terrace on the top, we had a good 
 view of the front and dome of St. Peter's, but intervening 
 houses hid the noble place in front, except a small portion 
 of one of the piazzas. It was the intention of the French 
 government to have removed all those buildings. Here 
 we advantageously saw the bronze angel which crowns and 
 gives name to the castle, a figure so much abused by the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 161 
 
 author of "Rome in the Nineteenth Century," who could 
 only have seen it from the ground in some unlucky points of 
 view. She appears to have a particular aversion to angels. 
 It is true the marble ones on the bridge are mottled and 
 dirty, but they by no means offended me with their varied 
 actions of somewhat mannered grace which Bernini delight- 
 ed to give, or knew not how to avoid. And when new and 
 clean, and before such quantities of fine Greek statues were 
 found, they must have been considered very beautiful ob- 
 jects. The court-yards contain stores of iron balls, besides 
 heaps of stone balls, wrought by the soldiers themselves 
 from motives of industry and economy. 
 
 Desirous of seeing the port of Rome, we followed the 
 winding course of the Tiber downwards, from the bridge 
 of the Holy Angels, passing through many dirty and nar- 
 row streets, the residence of the poorest classes of labour- 
 ing people, who were cooking their dinners in the streets, 
 knitting, sewing, and gossiping. They were much more 
 decently and comfortably clothed than the same class at 
 Naples, and appeared quite happy and healthy, knowing 
 nothing of any malaria. Occasionally we got to the edge 
 of the muddy river, and had a view of the old bridge, {pons 
 palatinus,) one half of which remains projecting into the 
 river, and supports a garden. At last, at the extremity of 
 the city, we reached a large range of warehouses and a small 
 quay, where lay half a dozen little vessels and a miniature 
 steam-boat, which plies between this and Civita Vecchia 9 
 the real port of Rome, at thirty or forty miles distance on 
 the sea. 
 
 Shortly after my arrival in Rome, the death of the Pope, 
 more effectually than Lent, put a stop to all theatrical exhi- 
 bitions — yet, before they closed, I had an opportunity of 
 seeing the tragedy of Desdemona performed in the highest 
 style of Roman taste; the chief female character by a ce- 
 lebrated actress who is said to be the 66 best in the world." 
 She certainly performed her part to the very last limits of 
 
 21 
 
162 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 expression, in voice, countenance, and action, totally re- 
 gardless of any injury that her beauty might sustain by 
 turgid veins and distorted features. This scenic exhibition, 
 though I could not understand much of what was said, I 
 found very interesting, as it was in strict correspondence 
 with the exaggeration which the Roman painters practice 
 in their historic compositions, and displayed a powerful 
 and simple system of gesture. The actor passed from one 
 expressive action to another, without any intermediate and 
 unmeaning actions; and studied to exhibit the very attitudes 
 and fingering which we are accustomed to see every day in 
 the works of the great painters and sculptors. 
 
 For the purpose of seeing the interior of the vast circu- 
 lar wall which remains of the proud tomb of Augustus, 
 now converted into a theatre for the exhibition of bull 
 fights and equestrian performances, I went to an exhibition 
 of the latter. I found the seats, fashioned like those in the 
 ancient amphitheatre, covering a large portion of the dia- 
 meter; a row of sixty-one boxes around its sides, and the 
 terrace on the top of them, all filled with spectators of eve- 
 ry rank, to the amount, it is said, of thirty-five thousand 
 persons. The circle for the horses, temporarily erected in 
 the centre of the arena for the bull fights, was not large, 
 and the performances not better than are usually given in 
 America. The costumes, however, were more correct, and 
 the imitations of the contests of gladiators marked by more 
 vigorous muscular efforts, and by stronger picturesque ex- 
 pression; the spectators testifying their approbation by loud 
 applause and the waving of handkerchiefs. The building 
 is so high that the arena, two hundred and twenty feet in 
 diameter, is two or three stories above the ground, with 
 rooms below, which are used for various purposes. Except 
 the boxes, which are covered, all other parts are exposed 
 to the weather and the rays of the sun, and the occasional 
 drenching of a shower; as the performances are in the day 
 time. Yet the Roman multitude waited patiently for hours, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 163 
 
 many of them in the broiling sun, and many hundreds with- 
 out seats, for the commencement of an entertainment that 
 with us could have enticed spectators only during the lei- 
 sure of the night. 
 
 Pulchinello, as exhibited in the streets by a man who 
 stands in a narrow upright box, where he talks and squeaks 
 to the action of little puppets on his elevated hands, appears 
 to be a favourite amusement with the people. I have seen 
 some of these, however, where the coarse monotonous voice 
 of the operator, and his vain efforts to be droll, failed to de- 
 tain the smallest audience from the passing throng — but at 
 other times, around a happier genius, of more flexible voice, 
 producing witty repartees with rapid and animated inci- 
 dents, a thickening crowd have united in bursts of laughter 
 and some remuneration to the compendious manager, as 
 soon as he issued, in copious perspiration, from his closet. 
 
 But a more perfect puppet show is frequented near the 
 Corso, where, in a little theatre of stage, orchestra, boxes, 
 and pit, a regular tragedy or drama is performed by figures 
 about fourteen inches high, moved by wires and strings, so 
 well dressed, and with actions of head and hands so very 
 natural that to some persons they appear the size of life — 
 each figure having a distinct man or woman behind the 
 scenes to speak for it. I have been very much amused with 
 the true Italian energy and action of some of these little 
 things; but the auditors appeared to be much more diverted 
 with the wit of one of them, or rather the wag behind the 
 scene. 
 
 Serious as the Romans certainly are, the least unusual oc- 
 currence in the streets arrests attention, and a curious crowd 
 is collected, sometimes nobody knows why. A little carica- 
 ture drawing, a new lithographic print of moderate merit, or 
 a specimen of gay paper hangings from Paris, is sure to at- 
 tract the attention of all classes. They appear to lounge 
 away half their time in the streets, which are thronged with 
 them, except in the middle of a hot day, or during a shower, 
 
164 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 when their total absence shows how little business is doing. 
 At two o'clock in the warm weather I have found it impossi- 
 ble to get a carriage, none being on any of the stands, and the 
 busiest streets, in their whole length, without the sign of a 
 horse, carriage, or living creature, except an occasional shop- 
 girl crossing the street, or labourers dozing on the church 
 steps or side walks. At this time they have taken their lun- 
 cheon, and with closed windows to keep out the flies, are 
 agreed in one general doze. Even the shop keeper, if his 
 door is not locked, has the great curtain, which hangs before 
 his door and window, pinned close; and, if you enter, is pro- 
 bably aroused from his slumber in the dark. But in the even- 
 ing all again comes to life, and the streets are a little merry 
 till eleven o'clock, though empty and quiet in the winter at 
 nine. But the songs of merriment, which are then to be 
 heard from young companies going home, are more loud than 
 musical, and each stanza of a melancholy air, in the prevail- 
 ing taste among the populace, ends with an intolerably long 
 drone, gradually dying away. 
 
 In the dearth of amusements for the evenings at Rome, 
 where there are but few theatres, and all are shut during 
 Lent, several distinguished persons have adopted a device, 
 invented,! am told, at Venice, which accords very well with 
 the taste of Rome, where pictures are so often the subject 
 of conversation, as they are a motive with foreigners in 
 coming here. This consists in the contrivance and exhibition 
 of living pictures. I was invited to see the exhibition of se- 
 veral of these " Tableaux Vivans" at the residence of a 
 Scotch gentleman of fortune. According to custom, the 
 company did not begin to assemble till near nine o'clock; but 
 soon, the magnificent apartments, once the habitation of the 
 Cardinal Albani, who had profusely covered the walls with 
 pictures, which are let with the house, were filled with a 
 company of Scotch and English. After tea, we moved to- 
 wards a long gallery, at the farther end of which a screen 
 was erected, with a crimson banner, having the coat of arms 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 165 
 
 in gold, of the cardinal on it, now serving as a curtain to the 
 scene. When tfye company was seated, and the lights re- 
 moved, the curtain was drawn aside, and the picture which 
 lived before us was a female in the costume and attitude of 
 the Medea of the Borghese Palace'. For a half minute she 
 sat motionless, when the curtain was replaced, to allow a 
 minute's rest; and a second and third exposure permitted us 
 to examine the details of the composition. Each time of 
 closing the curtain, the company, in the manner of the coun- 
 try, applauded by clapping hands. In about ten or fifteen 
 minutes, another subject was prepared, consisting of two 
 figures from a picture by Vandyck, splendidly dressed in the 
 ancient costume of England. Another picture was person- 
 ated by a little boy as a St. John, with his fur mantle and 
 cross. One composition consisted of five figures — Desde- 
 mona about to receive the poison. These parts were sus- 
 tained by the family of a celebrated artist, Mr. Wilson: — 
 himself, wife and children, who have a particular taste and 
 fancy for this thing. The figures, elevated on a platform, 
 are illuminated by patent lamps and reflectors, arranged to 
 suit the composition and concealed behind the partition, 
 through which an opening is left, which may be made larger 
 or smaller by a change of frames. A double black gauze 
 covers the opening, and has the effect of softening the too 
 great reality of the scene — but even so, no painting could 
 compare with the richness and force of the effects of light, 
 shadow and reflection, especially on the fine complexions of 
 the amiable daughters of our host, who took parts in the ex- 
 hibition. 
 
 I had seen at Naples two paintings by the Chevalier Ca- 
 mucini, which did not strike me very favourably — but I had 
 often admired the prints from his Death of Virginia. A visit 
 to his studio, consisting of a great number of rooms and gal- 
 leries, filled with beautiful plaster casts and his own pictures, 
 cartoons and studies, served to raise him very much in my 
 estimation. Here we saw his original cartoons, executed on 
 
166 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 gray paper with black and white chalk, of the same dimen- 
 sions as the pictures which were afterwards painted from 
 them — his Death of Virginia, Assassination of Csesar, 
 and many others; of which there are likewise small copies 
 in colour, and various original sketches, besides fine studies 
 made from the works of Raphael. Some of the small stu- 
 dies, which give his first composition in oil colours, possess a 
 merit in colouring which generally disappears on being ela- 
 borated on his large canvass. 
 
 At his dwelling-house, on Sundays, visiters are permitted 
 to examine a choice collection of pictures by the old mas- 
 ters, among which is a beautiful Sunset by Claude Lor- 
 raine. 
 
 The Chevalier Landi, who occupies excellent apartments 
 in the Colonna Palace, politely shows to visiters a number of 
 his large historical pictures, which exhibit great variety of 
 invention, and extreme care in the finish, especially of the 
 draperies; but his colouring partakes too much of the pre- 
 vailing taste of modern Italy, chiefly defective in the tone of 
 the shadows and grounds, which should be more negative 
 and brown. 
 
 But I found in the Portuguese Chevalier Sequiera, an ar- 
 tist of an extraordinary taste for colouring. Although seven- 
 ty-one years of age, he possesses the ardour and amiable vi- 
 vacity of youth. His composition, in small figures, repre 
 senting the eastern monarchs and wise men coming to adore 
 the Infant Saviour, possesses a most magical effect of light 
 and colour, comprising an astonishing variety of most inte- 
 resting, singular, and expressive groups, rich in the colours 
 of eastern costume, and illuminated by the magic rays of 
 the guiding star, which has stopped over the heads of the 
 mother and child. It is the enchantment of painting, conse- 
 crating its luxurious dreamings to the homage of religion. 
 
 A great number of other foreign artists, residing at Rome, 
 are distinguished for their talents in painting, and are the 
 most esteemed for colouring — English, Russians, French, and 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 167 
 
 Swiss. Mr. Eastlake, Mr. Severn, Mr. Williams, are cele- 
 brated for their taste in groups, characteristic of the coun- 
 try — peasants, pilgrims, robbers, beggars, &c. 
 
 Many of these pictures, which command great admiration 
 for their beautiful execution, convey, however, to other coun- 
 tries erroneous impressions of costume and peasantry. Stu- 
 dies are sometimes made from real peasants and actual cos- 
 tume; but in general they are finished from persons in Rome 
 who only act in character, and are apt to be too well ar- 
 rayed. In the via Sistina on the Pincian hill, I have often 
 seen one of these city maidens affecting the guise of moun- 
 tain peasantry, whose business it was to sit to artists residing 
 in the neighbourhood. But her dress, in which her vanity 
 and coquetry appeared to be exceedingly delighted, exceed- 
 ed the utmost finery of village splendour, by the most costly 
 materials of velvet and silk, gold and silver, unsoiled by la- 
 bour and unrumpled by rustic hands. 
 
 Keiserman, a Swiss landscape painter, whose ardour and 
 enthusiasm, made him an untiring student of nature, pos- 
 sesses in his portfolio a great collection of delightful scenes, 
 executed in water colours, with unusual taste and spirit. 
 
 When he first came to Rome, a poor boy, about thirty- 
 five years ago, the Colosseum, then a picturesque ruin, 
 overhung with foliage, was his daily resort and chief place 
 of study. Architectural drawings, which he executed with 
 great beauty, afforded him the means of living; till Denis, a 
 celebrated Swiss landscape painter, persuaded him to ac- 
 company him in his picturesque excursions, which soon en- 
 chanted the enthusiastic youth. His portfolios are rich with 
 the studies he made from nature, spending, as he did, whole 
 days among trees and rocks, contented with the dinner which 
 he carried in his pocket. When it was determined to re- 
 move the adjacent and superincumbent walls, and repair the 
 Arch of Titus, Keiserman began a drawing of it, which re- 
 quiring several weeks to finish, the government, from respect 
 to his talents, ordered the repairs to be suspended — and his 
 
168 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 drawing records, as it was seen in the days of our forefathers, 
 the arch of Titus, now renovated to preside over the via 
 sacra, recently uncovered, descending towards the Colos- 
 seum. It is delightful to listen to this artist's account of ex- 
 cursions in search of picturesque scenery, and to watch the 
 variety of powerful expression that plays among his glowing 
 features. 
 
 It was unfortunate for me that Canova's statues were al- 
 most all packed up to be sent to his native city, Venice; so 
 that only a few of them could be seen in their boxes. But 
 in his extensive studios, there are a number of casts from his 
 most beautiful and exquisitely graceful female figures. 
 
 The Danish sculptor, Thorwaldsen, who was considered 
 the rival of Canova, is chiefly commended for his works in 
 basso relievo, which are altogether in the antique taste, 
 and for the great simplicity of his colossal statues; but his 
 Graces, though executed subsequently, are inferior to those 
 of Canova. 
 
 Thorwaldsen was originally in Denmark a ship builder. 
 He studied at Rome to become an artist with singular assi- 
 duity, although contending with the most distressing poverty, 
 till the age of thirty. His practice at the academy was to 
 draw from the life only those parts of the figure which 
 chanced to please him. He modeled in clay numerous spi- 
 rited compositions which he was obliged to destroy for want 
 of the funds which were necessary to put them into marble 
 or even plaster of Paris : and it was owing to the taste, 
 judgment, and liberality of an English gentleman, that he 
 was at last enabled to execute his first work in stone. 
 In his work shop we were shown a basso relievo to the 
 memory of his patron, who is represented supplying the 
 lamp of genius with oil. He sat to. me for his portrait, 
 which records his mild blue eye, his kind countenance, and 
 his patriarchal locks.* 
 
 * The most graceful figure by this artist which I have seen, is a Fenus, 
 in fine marble, in the possession of Mr. Craig, of Philadelphia. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 169 
 
 And here, again, the English artists are conspicuous for 
 their taste and skill; and the beautiful statues of Gibson, 
 Wyat, and Gott, gave me greater pleasure every time I saw 
 them. The studio of Campbell was not open. 
 
 Besides those who may be considered professors in the 
 arts, Rome abounds in students from all parts of the world, 
 to the number, it is said, of three hundred. I have frequent- 
 ed eating houses, where they assemble in great force, when 
 the close of day puts an end to their studies, and they concur 
 in the practice of dining by candle light, even after the long 
 days of summer. It was amusing to hear the babel of tongues — 
 the merry voices of the French rising from one table; the 
 eager contention of yellow haired Russians bursting from 
 another; the sober gutturals of the patient, investigating 
 Germans, mingling from a third; and occasional interjections, 
 in every dialect, enlivening the clatter of the knives and 
 forks. After dinner, a neighbouring cotFee-house, called the 
 Cafe Greco, is thronged with the mixed multitude of the 
 sons of paint. In the cloud of tobacco smoke, it was diffi- 
 cult to distinguish the whiskers, mustachios, and chin tufts 
 of your acquaintance from those of strangers; and the din of 
 voices, that had been reserved all day, made it necessary to 
 bellow into the ear of him who would listen to you. As I 
 found that neither the smoke nor noise were pleasant to my 
 senses, and the increasing din could not be mistaken for con- 
 versation, I was always glad to escape after a few minutes' 
 observation of the scene. 
 
 Charles Bonaparte, the American ornithologist, here bet- 
 ter known as the Prince of Musignano, possesses a villa near 
 the Porta Pia, enjoying within the city walls the advantages 
 of a delightful country residence, where he politely receives 
 his American friends. He showed me much kindness, and 
 was willing to render me more service than my leisure and 
 recluse habits permitted me to enjoy. Though not occupied in 
 any particular work, he gives much of his attention to natural 
 history, which may be perceived in his connexion with Profes- 
 
 22 
 
170 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 sor Riccioli,a naturalist, who resided with him in America, 
 and who now lives almost packed up with objects of curiosity, 
 through which you can scarcely find him in one corner of his 
 room. Natural history is scarcely known amid the unnatu- 
 ral histories of Rome, and therefore the professor Riccioli 
 is an oracle in his way, and is really an active, intelligent, 
 and obliging man. 
 
 Preparations for celebrating the merry carnival were com- 
 menced shortly after my arrival, and the city was filled with 
 strangers, who had come chiefly to enjoy it, when the sad 
 news circulated that the pope was not expected to live, and 
 in fact he died after a few days. His corpse was exposed in 
 state in the Sistine chapel, where multitudes flocked to see 
 it; and afterwards in a chapel at St. Peter's. I went among 
 the crowd and witnessed how the soles of his slippers were 
 stained with the kisses of the devout multitude who could 
 approach them, by protruding their mouths through the bars 
 of the grate. 
 
 During several days the cardinals performed mass at 
 St. Peter's, on account of the late pope; and crowds of peo- 
 ple flocked to see the great temporary cenotaph, erected at 
 an expense of fifteen thousand dollars, in the body of the ca- 
 thedral. It was composed of timber work, covered with 
 frames of painted canvass, in imitation of granite, forming an 
 immense pyramidal obelisk^ resting on a square base, and 
 elevated on a flight of steps, which went all round — the 
 whole ornamented with statues, bass reliefs, and inscriptions. 
 At the corners rose immense candelabra, or pyramids of can- 
 dles. When mass was over, it was amusing to see the man- 
 ner of extinguishing the lights on these towering candelabra; 
 it was effected by a man seated on a block, through which a 
 rope passed up to the cornice of the church on each side, 
 where men were stationed to raise or lower him to every 
 part of the candelabra, and ropes, on each side, were held 
 by men on the pavement to prevent his swinging. At first 
 sight he appeared to be flying in the air. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 171 
 
 Eight days after the death of the pope, a great crowd of 
 people surrounded the Quirinal palace to witness the cardi- 
 nals enter what is now called their prison, where they must 
 remain, until they shall agree, by a majority of two thirds, in 
 the election of one of their own number, who must be an 
 Italian. They walked from a neighbouring church, amidst a 
 throng of people, who were kept off by long lines of soldiers, 
 and accompanied by a military band. As soon as they had 
 passed in, the multitude quietly dispersed. 
 
 Here they remained thirty-four days, voting ineffectually 
 twice a day. Their provisions were sent to them daily in 
 their own coaches, and introduced by means of a revolving 
 closet; as no one was permitted to see them, except through 
 a small hole, or to hold any private intercourse with them, 
 the military occupying and surrounding the premises. A sin- 
 gular state of things during the interregnum of pontifical 
 despotism. 
 
 At length the looked-for signal was given, by the cardinals 
 breaking open a window leading to the balcony, which was 
 walled up. Here the news was proclaimed that Pius VIII. 
 was duly elected, and confirmed by the discharge of cannon. 
 Although it rained in copious showers, there was soon a 
 countless multitude on the square in front of the palace, ex- 
 hibiting the most compact array, arid a perfect sea of swelling 
 umbrellas. 
 
 Next day the pope proceeded to St. Peter's, was borne 
 through the church in his chair of state, supported on men's 
 shoulders, and deposited at the grand altar, where he re- 
 ceived the humble devotions of the cardinals, recently his 
 equals, who first knelt at his feet, then rose and were em- 
 braced in tiresome succession. After this he passed out by 
 a back door to his carriage of state, rich with massive gilt 
 ornaments, and drawn by six long-tailed black horses in gold 
 harnesses, caparisons, and trappings. We hastened out of 
 the church, and took a station to look down upon the pro- 
 cession of the officers of church and state, with their ban- 
 
172 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ners and staves, followed by the pope; who, as he passes 
 among the people, is continually making on them the sign 
 of the cross, a benefaction which he bestows in return for 
 all the worldly power he receives from them. An immense 
 succession of cardinals, in rich coaches, each with two, three, 
 or four footmen in livery, was followed by a company of 
 horse-guards. 
 
 The coronation was to take place on the following Sun- 
 day morning, and at an early hour I hastened to St Peter's. 
 A close double line of soldiers guarded a wide passage from 
 the grand door of entrance to the altar; but they suffered us, 
 as strangers, to pass beneath the dome, where distinguished 
 princes and ambassadors were provided with temporary gal- 
 leries. All the gold lace, ribands and stars which they pos- 
 sessed, were called into requisition. The most magnificent 
 in the number of their attendants were the Grand Duchess 
 of Russia, and the French ambassador, Chateaubriand. A 
 band of music indicated the approach of the Pope; who, en- 
 tering the church, seated in a crimson chair, and borne on the 
 shoulders of men, was preceded by the clergy. After at- 
 tending a mass in one of the side chapels, his escort was in- 
 creased, candles were carried before him, a silk canopy was 
 held over his head, and a showy fan of feathers waved on 
 each side, till he reached the grand altar under the dome, 
 where he was lowered and permitted to walk to his throne. 
 The procession of cardinals was in all the splendour of cloths, 
 of gold and silver, velvet, ermine and lace; but the most in- 
 teresting, was the appearance of two Greek bishops, in their 
 peculiar and magnificent drapery. At the elevation of the 
 host, the vast multitude, whose shuffling feet and buzzing 
 voices pervaded the edifice, were in a moment hushed, and 
 all bent or rested on their knees. Four trumpeters, from 
 a balcony over the front door, blew a soft and animated 
 strain, which, through the extensive vaults, and at such a 
 distance, sounded as soft as flutes in an ordinary room. At 
 the close of the mass, I hastened out to the front of the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 173 
 
 church, where a countless multitude were waiting the cere- 
 mony of coronation, in the front balcony. As soon as the 
 tiara was placed on the head of the new pope, and he had 
 given his benediction, all the bells of the church began to 
 ring at once, so loud, that we could scarcely hear the thunder 
 of the neighbouring cannons of St. Angelo. The crowd im- 
 mediately dispersed with a quietness and order which seems 
 peculiar to Rome. In the evening, the city was illuminated, 
 which was repeated the two following evenings, much to 
 the enjoyment of the young part of the population, who fro- 
 licked around bonfires in every street, procured at the ex- 
 pense of many wine casks, old baskets and chairs, and bright 
 blazing reeds and grape vines. 
 
 A sad occasion for the assemblage of the few Americans 
 who were in Rome, occurred to cloud the cheerfulness of 
 spring by the death of Mr. Hone, of New York. It is not 
 easy to express the loss thus sustained by his relations and 
 friends, nor to say how much the fine arts have suffered by 
 the early death of one whose taste, zeal, and liberality were 
 so favourable to their cultivation in America. He was in- 
 terred in the ground allotted for strangers, close to the Py- 
 ramid or tomb of Caius Cestus. A number of curious 
 Italians followed the unusual procession of carriages, to wit- 
 ness the solemn ceremony as performed by an English epis- 
 copal clergyman; during which they respectfully remained 
 uncovered. I could not repress a most melancholy feeling on 
 finding myself in the midst of so many tombs, bearing in- 
 scriptions in all the languages of Europe, over the remains of 
 many amiable and distinguished persons, who had died so far 
 from their homes. 
 
 Every traveller speaks of the miserere, by Allegri, as sung 
 at St. Peter's during the holy week. Not being able to crowd 
 myself into the Sistine chapel, I placed myself in the chapel 
 of the cathedral, where I suffered all the misery of hearing 
 the long and discordant chanting of the ordinary vespers; in 
 which all the choir above, and the sacerdotal cannons below, 
 
174 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 made as much noise as they could, apparently for the 'exer- 
 cise of their lungs ; being a dreadful combination of all sorts 
 of tones in rapid utterance and dismal repetition. At length 
 the music peculiar to the day commenced by a solo, uttered 
 by a voice which I mistook, in its highest notes, for that of a 
 female, till I perceived his station, and heard him descend to 
 the ordinary scale of the male voice. Between the intervals 
 of the chorus, two other singers successively took the same 
 station, one displaying a fine manly voice, and a second eu- 
 nuch emulating that of the softer sex, less clear indeed, but very 
 tender, and resembling the hautboy. The discordant chant- 
 ing was then resumed, and I should have gone away disap- 
 pointed, but that I found the crowd of auditors still assem- 
 bling and overflowing the chapel to a great extent outside the 
 door. I, therefore, patiently waited till it was nearly dark : 
 two great candles were lighted in the choir, the singers took 
 new positions, the leader waved his paper scroll, and the 
 feminine voice of the first singer commenced a pathetic 
 strain; the choir gradually combining their varying and su- 
 bordinate tones, to produce the most affecting and delightful 
 harmony that was ever heard from human voices. The voice 
 which thus resembled a female one, seemed to be that of a 
 penitent Magdalen, scarcely breathed at first, and swelling, as 
 from a bursting heart, into a thrilling, and at times a quiver- 
 ing note of distress, which became lost in the midst of fellow 
 lamentations and deeper bursts of moaning, through which, 
 from time to time, might be perceived the heart-moving voice 
 of the Magdalen, again to be lost in the varying sighs, moans, 
 and convulsive sobs of fellow penitents. It is impossible to 
 describe the effect produced by this wonderful composition, 
 as sung by a choir who take especial pains and pride to give 
 it the utmost perfection. Tedious as it was to endure the 
 chanting of fifteen psalms, noted by the successive extin- 
 guishment of fifteen candles, one after every psalm ; yet the 
 excellence of the concluding piece was a full indemnifica- 
 tion. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 175 
 
 For several days we had noticed an increasing number of 
 pilgrims, who arrive from all parts of the country to partici- 
 pate in the celebration of the holy week. They are distin- 
 guished by a peculiar dress ; some wearing a kind of gown 
 and sandals; but, in general, carrying over their ordinary dress 
 an oil cloth cape, decorated with real scallop shells. On 
 some of the young men these were arranged with much taste. 
 A scrip or bag hangs on one side, and a long staff with a ri- 
 band at the top is carried by women as well as men. We 
 found our way one evening to the Church of the Pilgrims; 
 which, being in a distant and unfrequented part of the city, 
 does not seem to be much noticed by strangers; we, there- 
 fore, enjoyed a convenient opportunity of witnessing a sin- 
 gular scene. Contiguous to the church was an apartment in 
 which the feet of pilgrims, just arrived, are washed by hum- 
 ble and devout persons, who are all dressed in coarse, red, 
 uniform gowns. Around the room is a ledge, from which 
 rises a seat or bench against the walls. Beneath every seat 
 are two stop-cocks — one for letting out cold, the other hot 
 water, into a small tub. The pilgrims were at this time in 
 the church ; but, on coming out, they were placed on their 
 elevated seats, and after the signal of a short prayer, one of 
 these waiting gentlemen penitents knelt down before each pil- 
 grim, assisted him in taking off his dusty shoes and stockings, 
 then washed his feet in the warm water, and wiped them 
 dry with a towel. Two bishops were amongst these humble 
 servers, and cardinals and princes are sometimes seen per- 
 forming this act of hospitality and humiliation. The Prin- 
 cess Doria has been seen thus employed in the apartment al- 
 lotted to female pilgrims. A little side table, however, sup- 
 plied with slices of lemon, clean water, and towels, enabled 
 the servers to cleanse their own more precious hands in silver 
 basins. 
 
 From this room the pilgrims proceeded into the dining- 
 room, a hall of great length, containing tables and seats for 
 two hundred persons. Before each pilgrim stood a mug of 
 
176 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 wine and a drinking cup, with abundance of bread, two ap- 
 ples, a handful of figs, and a plate of lettuce. All being 
 seated, every pilgrim was served with a plate of hot maca- 
 roni soup, and another of dressed boiled meat. After grace 
 was said by a priest, the pilgrims in good earnest began to 
 eat; whilst the middle of the hall, separated from them by a 
 hand rail, was filled with lookers on like myself, and a cler- 
 gyman from a little balcony read aloud a short discourse 
 upon the nature of the institution and its utility. The self- 
 appointed waiters, served with the greatest assiduity and 
 attention. I walked round to look at the countenances of 
 these peasants, assembled from various districts, and could 
 perceive in their low narrow foreheads, small noses, large 
 mouths, and strong jaws, but slight marks of human intel- 
 ligence; yet among them there were a few good looking 
 respectable men. 
 
 Each pilgrim at table was presented with a copper tic- 
 ket, which entitled him to a bed; and I am told the esta- 
 blishment can accommodate five thousand. They are still 
 flocking into the city, and proceeding in groups to their 
 caravansera. The walls of this hall are covered with large 
 tablets, engraved with the names of all the benefactors to 
 the institution; some having given five hundred dollars, or 
 two hundred and fifty dollars, some a house, others two and 
 three houses, or part of a house. Another hall was filled 
 with busts of benefactors and monumental inscriptions. In 
 ranging through these extensive halls, we got into a room 
 lined with shelves and filled with plates, into which room 
 a great copper kettle is brought, whose contents are here 
 portioned out and delivered to the waiters at a door mid- 
 way in the hall. The kitchen is remarkably neat and clean, 
 with immense copper boilers. 
 
 I did not go to the Sistine and Pauline chapels to see the 
 ceremony of the removal of the sacrament by the pope, 
 but I afterwards went to the Pauline chapel, which, on that 
 occasion was illuminated in the most extraordinary man- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 177 
 
 ner; appearing, as you entered it, to be avast and magnifi- 
 cent grotto, and lighted by thousands of wax candles, in 
 the most tasteful, varied, and beautiful manner, up to the 
 ceiling and within the dome. On first entering, the glare 
 of light and atmosphere of smoke only permitted the ge- 
 neral form of the room to be seen, which resembled the 
 arches, recesses, and ledges of a grotto; but, after a few 
 minutes, you might perceive the architectural forms, and, 
 finally, the gilt ornaments and paintings on the walls, and 
 the statues in the corners, each, with outstretched arms, 
 bearing a lighted torch or candle. These are the ceremo- 
 nies which have nearly destroyed the paintings by Michael 
 Angelo, and many of the good altar-pieces by the old mas- 
 ters. The mosaics of St. Peter's will for ever be free from 
 this objection — as they can be washed and renovated with 
 soap-suds. 
 
 Although a number of Jews and Turks are occasionally 
 converted to the Catholic faith, as lately a whole family of the 
 former, yet it is customary to select two for the ceremonies 
 of the Saturday before Easter. Having obtained admittance 
 into the baptistery of St. John, where the soldiers who guard 
 the doors permitted very few but strangers to enter, I found 
 it difficult to see much of the ceremonies by reason of the 
 crowd that surrounded the Octagonal balustrade, within 
 which stands the great baptismal font, an antique Urn of 
 Basalt. As I waited the arrival of the converts and dig- 
 nitaries of the church, I contemplated the venerable an- 
 tique columns which support a fantastic roof; and viewed 
 the faded frescos of Andrea Sacchi and Carlo Maratti, and 
 the indifferent battle-pieces which have been irreverently 
 painted here. The ceiling is rich with golden ornaments. 
 The font and balustrade around it, as well as the varie- 
 gated marble floor, were covered with flowers. A cardinal 
 bishop officiated at the baptism, assisted by a number of 
 other ecclesiastics. The converts were dressed in white 
 silk gowns, and bore the tedious ceremony with great pa- 
 
 23 
 
178 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 tience. From the baptistery they proceeded to the basilica 
 of St. John, where countless ceremonies were performed, 
 in the changes of dresses, prostrations, and chanting, which 
 became so tiresome that I was glad to escape out of the 
 crowd, and still better pleased to get into the Corsini chapel, 
 there to gaze upon its lovely children of unspotted marble. 
 
 About noon, the bells, which had been totally silent 
 throughout all Rome, began at once to ring, and the cannons 
 to thunder from St. Angelo. In my way homewards I found 
 the children in all quarters firing off little cannons. This 
 firing away the Lent resembles the firing away the old year 
 with us. 
 
 Having already seen the pope and cardinals in grand cos- 
 tume in the first procession, and at the coronation, I did 
 not covet the fatigue of standing again for several hours in 
 the cathedral, for all the pleasure which their clothes of 
 gold and silver, and all the formalities of their processions 
 could afford. I, therefore, hired a chair in a window of one 
 of the galleries, where I amused myself in viewing the 
 multitude, especially the peasants and pilgrims. Among 
 the latter, it was curious to see the women, with coarse 
 woollen petticoats, and shifts with sleeves to their wrists, 
 carrying on their heads each a coarse bag containing changes 
 and provisions. Dozens of these together, conscious of 
 equal right, would saunter into the magnificent temple. The 
 peasant girls were decked out in a profusion of gay ribands, 
 green velvet, and red flannel, and with white linen on their 
 heads. 
 
 When the pope appeared in the balcony, borne in his 
 chair of state, these peasants dropped on their knees, and 
 remained so till the blessing was given; but a very small 
 proportion of the vast multitude did the same. After hours 
 of tiresome waiting, in the piazza, balcony, and window, 
 on foot and in coach, many persons paying high prices for 
 seats, the ceremony of blessing the people, described as so 
 very impressive, was at length performed, and in one minute 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 179 
 
 was over. I could just perceive that hats were taken off, 
 the soldiery and some others dropped on one knee and rose 
 again, and the crowd began to disperse. Two cardinals re- 
 mained in the balcony, and, after reading two written pa- 
 pers, threw them down for an amusing scramble amongst 
 the rabble below. 
 
 Scarcely was it dark when I found the whole dome, and 
 the principal features of the cathedral most beautifully illu- 
 minated, even to the top of the cross. We took our stations 
 at the bottom of the piazza, so as to command the perspec- 
 tive of the colonnade, and the front. An immense concourse 
 of people from all parts of the city filled the place and neigh- 
 bouring houses. I had been prepared to expect a sudden and 
 additional illumination ; and, in fact, had just time to glance 
 over and admire the tasteful arrangement of the lights, when 
 the whole edifice appeared to burst out into flowers of flame. 
 In one quarter of a minute a new set of lights, blazing in me- 
 tal pans each a foot in diameter, by their superior brightness, 
 rendered the former lights nearly invisible. It was the most 
 brilliant and extraordinary illumination perhaps ever seen, 
 accomplished by means of four thousand four hundred of the 
 lesser, and eight hundred of the greater lights ; and, yet, but 
 a few minutes were sufficient to see it, and the multitude 
 moved off, to view it at a greater distance. Even at mid- 
 night the magic dome was still in full splendour, visible to all 
 the country around. 
 
 The fire-works at the castle of St. Angelo, which common- 
 ly are shown on Easter Sunday, were deferred till Monday 
 evening; and, in honour of the arch duchess of Russia, were 
 more costly than usual: the price of the materials amount- 
 ing, I am told, to fifteen hundred dollars, and being made 
 by the soldiery in the castle. I was fortunate in procuring a 
 seat on a small building close to the bridge and river, in front 
 of the castle, where an hour's waiting was rendered amusing 
 by looking down upon the great but orderly crowd that was 
 still pressing from all parts, and occasionally compelled to 
 
180 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 open a passage for coaches that were carrying company to 
 the neighbouring houses, of which every window was rented 
 out. Directly opposite us was a rich suite of rooms, and bal- 
 cony decked with crimson velvet and gold, prepared for the 
 grand duchess. A band of military music was stationed in 
 front of the house, of whose performance we shared the be- 
 nefit. At nine o'clock, cannon announced the commence- 
 ment. Immediately an irruption of rockets drew the atten- 
 tion of all, and in an instant the whole front of the building 
 was illuminated by white lights in the most tasteful forms, 
 crowned with the cross-keys and papal tiara. Rockets, that 
 burst into numberless white falling stars, were continually 
 rising from different places. A variety of revolving wheels, 
 and floods of hissing snakes, and streams of white ball rock- 
 ets, succeeded; occasionally a large one rose, and, as it 
 burst, its noise was augmented by the well-timed discharge of 
 a cannon from the ramparts. Mock musketry, from various 
 parts of the battlements, resembled an actual engagement, in- 
 termingled with the deep roar of the real cannon. Cones or 
 fountains of fiery sparks spread on all sides, and produced 
 volumes of smoke, which became variously illuminated, co- 
 vering and hiding the whole castle, whilst the most beautiful 
 effect was produced that could be imagined. Those bright 
 rockets, or rather slow moving globes of light, now were seen 
 bursting through the clouds; being directed from the back of 
 the castle, and, breaking into innumerable stars of the purest 
 brightness, fell in front. The whole concluded by a tremendous 
 and surpassing irruption of rockets from the centre, front, and 
 sides of the castle, with the sound of cannon from every ram- 
 part. It lasted about half an hour, and certainly by its variety, 
 extent, and skilful arrangement, together with the advantage 
 of situation, the splendour and grandeur of the spectacle were 
 beyond what even the imagination could have conceived, and 
 perhaps have never surpassed by any similar attempt. 
 
 It was not till the latter end of April that spring was fairly 
 confirmed. Its approach has been more gradual than any 1 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 181 
 
 » -. 1 • . ■ • -i. 
 
 have ever experienced. Though there has been ho frost 
 since the middle of the winter, it is only now that the forest 
 trees are in leaf, and the country begins to invite the land- 
 scape painter to the neighbouring mountains, with his paint 
 box and white linen umbrella swung on his back, and his fold- 
 ed stool and umbrella-staff in his hand. The nights have 
 been cool, and still in the morning you may remark the wo- 
 men in the streets going about with little earthen fire pots. 
 Now, the streets are daily becoming more populous, with 
 whole families sitting at work in front of their doors, thus en- 
 joying light, air, and social intercourse, and a release from 
 the confinement of their dark, dirty, and crowded shops. 
 The warm sun has brought out of their retreats great num- 
 bers of lizards, which steal across your path, or dart into the 
 crevices of old walls. The rose bushes are in full bloom, 
 but have scarcely any odour ; the fields are bright with but- 
 ter-cups, which resemble those in America, and have a slight 
 agreeable perfume; but the woods sparingly produce a deli- 
 cate, and scarcely perceptible violet of high odour, which is 
 eagerly collected into bouquets, and offered for sale by chil- 
 dren in the streets; who shortly afterwards assail you in all 
 quarters with the powerful odour of an ill-looking, leafless 
 water tulip. The Pope's Garden, into which you look from 
 the public gallery of statues, is gay with flowers of every co- 
 lour. Green peas are becoming common, though they were 
 to be had all the winter, as gardening was carried on, with- 
 out any interruption, under the protection of white walls, 
 during the little cold weather that froze the water, but not 
 the soil to any depth. 
 
 In the latter part of May the Pope was to make his grand 
 procession from the Quirinal Palace to the church of St. 
 John Lateran. It was Sunday, and the crowd of people as- 
 sembled in front of the palace, and in all the neighbouring 
 streets was immense. In the streets through which he was 
 to pass, every window was filled with spectators, and orna- 
 mented with crimson or yellow damask hangings, some with 
 
 \ 
 
182 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 canopies richly ornamented, besides a display of much old 
 tapestry and faded silk bed-quilts, the whole giving to the 
 houses the gayest appearance. Thousands of chairs and 
 benches, on hire, were ranged on both sides of the streets, 
 and occupied by people collected from every quarter of 
 Rome — all in their gayest attire and happiest countenances, 
 and affording a fine opportunity of examining the variety of 
 character, complexion, and costume. The streets were filled 
 with a moving throng, pressing on towards St. John's, till 
 their ranks were opened by the advanced guard of the Pope, 
 who followed in a new and splendid coach, of great size, and 
 as rich as carving and gold could make it, and which was thus 
 exhibited for the first time. It is said to have cost twenty 
 thousand dollars. His whole passage was greeted with cries 
 of " Viva il papa" and the waving of handkerchiefs, a part 
 of the people dropping on their knees. 
 
 Hastening in advance, I took a station in the church near 
 the great altar, where I could see the aged cardinals enter 
 and take their seats, dressed in their richest clothes of silver 
 and gold, preceding the Pope, whose canopy of cloth of sil- 
 ver, trimmed with gold, and borne by eight men in crimson 
 silk damask robes, was the signal for all to fall on their knees 
 that could, or were willing. On this occasion, the church 
 was most extensively decorated. All the columns and pilas- 
 ters were covered with crimson damask, and the arches hung 
 with festoons of crimson, white, and gold, in accordance with 
 the princely dignity of the ecclesiastical chief magistrate, 
 and sovereign pontiff of absolute power. Stooping in the 
 meek and humble posture which is recorded in all the por- 
 traits of the popes, he proudly moves amid an escort of sol- 
 diers, from the palace to the church; where, from the great 
 door, which is never opened but for him to enter, raised 
 above all, and under his sacred canopy, he advances between 
 his ranks of soldiers, whose muskets glitter in the church, 
 up to the altar which is crowded with priests and surrounded 
 still with soldiers. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 183 
 
 Such is the orthodox compound of spirit and matter, di- 
 vine power and mortal purpose. During the dull chant of 
 the church service, I went out amongst the multitude as- 
 sembled on the piazza in front of the church, and waiting 
 for the benediction. The balcony over the great door was 
 sumptuously decorated with crimson and gold; and an im- 
 mense awning of sail cloth, from the cornice of the edifice, 
 was extended by means of ropes reaching to poles erected 
 at a great distance. A great display of military, exclusively 
 occupied the centre. 
 
 The Pope soon appeared, borne high under his canopy, 
 and as usual attended by his great fans. When he rose to 
 give his benediction, the vast multitude knelt, spontaneously. 
 His pure white dress of silver cloth, his outstretched arms, 
 first slowly raised to heaven, and then extended over his peo- 
 ple, this time certainly constituted an impressive scene. The 
 cannon, which was stationed near, echoed by those at the 
 castle of St. Angelo, completed the ceremony by their re- 
 joicing roar. The carriages, the crowd, the military corps, 
 made it difficult to get away from the spot. But it was a 
 quiet, good-natured Roman crowd, slowly returning to their 
 homes, and I was contented to move slowly with them. As 
 we approached the Colosseum, dimly seen in the misty twi- 
 light, its immense magnitude was more impressive than I had 
 ever witnessed. When we reached the centre of the city, 
 it was quite dark, and accident favoured us with a concluding 
 sight of the Pope, coming from the Quirinal to the Vatican 
 in his private carriage, escorted by his guard and horsemen, 
 bearing great flaming torches in advance and aside, amid the 
 renewed cries of " Long live the Pope." 
 
 From the descriptions which are always given of the cam- 
 pagna surrounding Rome, as being desolate, uncultivated and 
 unhealthy, I was quite surprised to find the road to Tivoli 
 winding through a country almost entirely cultivated, though 
 not embellished with many trees, and but few houses. And 
 though level in comparison with the hills of Rome, and the 
 
184 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 mountains of Tivoli, yet it was a continual undulation of hill 
 and hollow; the road frequently passing between steep banks 
 and crossing streams of water. One of these is a canal con- 
 ducting a rapid torrent from the sulphureous lake of Tarta- 
 rus, which filled the air with a strong stench. About twelve 
 miles from Rome, we entered a plantation of olives, which 
 continued as we ascended the mountain, where they were 
 of great size and of antiquity beyond record. No one who 
 has not seen these aged trees can imagine their singular and 
 fantastic shapes, their trunks frequently resembling rocks, 
 with arches and numerous perforations; sometimes, in sha- 
 dowy places, with but little assistance from the imagination, 
 they resemble strange animals and human figures in terrific or 
 fantastic attitudes, twisted and turned in every possible shape, 
 and yet their upper branches. are solid, verdant, and prolific. 
 
 The entrance to Tivoli is embellished with a large monas- 
 tery, but the town itself, with tortuous, hilly, and narrow 
 streets, is an assemblage of the oldest and ugliest houses that 
 could be piled together; subdivided, from generation to gene- 
 ration, into the smallest portions that can be inhabited by a 
 swarming population; which, as we passed, lined the streets, 
 or, as they may more properly be called, the mule paths. 
 
 Stopping at the inn of the Sibyls, usually resorted to by 
 artists, and where there were already several, we hastened to 
 a small terrace which forms its little court yard, and bears on 
 its precipitous edge the famous square fragment of the Tem- 
 ple of the Sibyl, and the circular Temple of Vesta, 
 which is a beautiful specimen of ancient art, and a pleasing 
 and important object in the views which are taken from the 
 neighbouring points. From the terrace you look down on 
 wild and broken rocks and foaming streams of water, whose 
 unceasing noise is the evening lullaby of the artists who 
 sleep at this inn. 
 
 From a neighbouring garden an admirable pathway has 
 been constructed down the precipices, towards the falls, and 
 to the Grotto of Neptune^ through which you may view 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 185 
 
 the external cascades, whilst a wild and roaring torrent falls 
 into the dark recesses of the Cavern of Neptune, and rushes 
 out to unite with the other torrents. The fantastic shapes 
 of the rocks and caverns, the uproar of the foaming waters, 
 and the brilliancy of the green foliage, constantly wet with 
 spray, render it a most extraordinary scene. The rocks 
 are curled into every shape, being all formed by deposite 
 from the petrifying quality of the waters, and are perfo- 
 rated with numerous cavernous openings. The visiter is 
 surprised to see a door-way and pigeon holes, wrought in the 
 wall of the perpendicular rock, at an immense height, ap- 
 parently inaccessible. 
 
 Reascending and passing through part of the town, we 
 descended to the Anio, whose water supplies these cataracts, 
 and a still greater number at the opposite edge of the town. 
 Two or three years ago, about twenty houses were under- 
 mined by the waters and fell into the abyss, together with 
 an old picturesque bridge, whose abutments remain a hun- 
 dred feet above the present stream to excite a regret for the 
 total disappearance of what used to be called the great falls. 
 The stream now flows quietly over a new dam, across which 
 a low safe bridge passes, and above, the green water of 
 the Jlnio forms a beautiful winding lake, skirted with ver- 
 dant mountains. Crossing the bridge, a long winding road, 
 called the circular terrace, conducts the visiter round the 
 rocky valley, into which the cascades fall, and appear from 
 several points in varying and increasing beauty, until the 
 whole side of the mountain is seen streaming with the foam- 
 ing rivulets, and the atmosphere above them whitened with 
 the vapour which rises from them ; these are the famous 
 Cascatelles of Tivolii The brow of the mountain is crowned 
 with the Temple of Vesta, the town of Tivoli, and the 
 Villa of Maecenas; the river having passed through its 
 rocky labyrinths, winds in the gravelly bottom, and the long 
 line of the Campagna and Rome itself are in the distance — 
 while the fore-ground is diversified with groves of pale olives, 
 
 24 
 
186 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 the bright green of luxuriant vines, and herbage brilliant with 
 flowers, of yellow, red and purple. 
 
 To witness this delightful scenery, our guide, a sturdy, 
 sunburnt, bare headed little boy, conducted us down rugged 
 hills, through grass and bushes wet by a recent rain, to situ- 
 ations distinguished by the sketches of artists; but the beau- 
 ty of the landscape was a sufficient compensation for wet 
 and fatigue. We continued our circuit through groves of 
 ancient olives, and passed the scarcely visible sites of seve- 
 ral villas of ancient Roman heroes, crossed a repaired rem- 
 nant of one of their own bridges, and ascended a paved 
 road to the Villa of Maecenas. This immense palace sur- 
 rounded three sides of a great court, all in ruins, except one 
 side which has been preserved — once the splendid halls of 
 the courtly patron of the arts, but now the blackened resi- 
 dence of iron founders, who have introduced torrents of 
 water through the rooms and corridors, which, after serving 
 their purposes, pour, from a window at an immense height, 
 foaming into the valley below. We were conducted by a 
 smoky-faced forgeman up the great staircase, through ancient 
 galleries, and over floodgates in the upper chambers, to the 
 ample terrace of the roof which has been kept in repair. 
 From this there is a delightful view of the neighbouring 
 country and of distant Rome. 
 
 Still rising into the town of Tivoli, we entered the gate 
 which leads to the Villa of Cardinal d'JEste — now desert- 
 ed and falling into decay, with all its princely magnificence of 
 fountains, walks, terraces, grottos, and groves. It is the pro- 
 perty of some foreign prince, but the gardener did not find 
 it necessary to know whom. 
 
 Tivoli, which, according to antiquarians, was founded five 
 hundred years before Rome itself, preserves its ancient style 
 of building, with the exception of a few of modern erection; 
 so that the visiter may here see shops still in use, fashioned 
 exactly like those of Pompeii. I rambled through the town, 
 which, though built on the ragged summit of a hill, is sur- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 187 
 
 rounded by hills still higher; but saw nothing to admire in 
 its mule path streets, winding up and down, but swarms of 
 children, men and women, ragged and dirty, lounging about 
 in extraordinary idleness; which excites a wonder how they 
 come there, and how they can subsist. But nearly all classes 
 mingle begging with their regular occupations, if they have 
 any; and as Tivoli is so much visited by strangers, the inha- 
 bitants have the habit, not only in the streets, but in the 
 stores, not only in rags and on foot, but well dressed and 
 riding on asses, of addressing every visiter with the regular 
 salutation of " Date mi qualche casa" give me something. 
 I met with a pleasant artist who has travelled much about 
 this neighbourhood, who good naturedly says, that it is not 
 from want that they beg, but that they love to enjoy the 
 agreeable emotion which results from receiving something to 
 indicate a fellow feeling in the bosom of the traveller. 
 
 Having the convenience of a landscape painter's travelling 
 apparatus, I descended with some difficulty the steep side of 
 the mountain, holding on to clusters of rushes, till I found 
 among the rocks and bushes, on the precipice below, a mule 
 path, leading to a small cultivated spot, whence I could com- 
 mand a fine view of the Cascatelles, which tumbled from the 
 opposite mountain to a midway projection, green with eter- 
 nal showers of spray, and thence fell foaming deep among the 
 brown rocks below. Seated on my three legged stool, the 
 paint box in my lap, I hastened to record in colours the scene 
 of enchantment before me ; Whilst the little bare-headed vil- 
 lage boy, with my umbrella, kept off the bright and burning 
 rays of the sun, and, occasionally, the spray from the falls. 
 I was amused to hear this spray called polvere del acqua, or 
 dust of the water. In America such cultivated spots would 
 have had their inhabitants, in whose huts the artist might seek 
 some occasional refreshment, or leave his materials till the 
 next day, or during a shower. Old as the country is, it is 
 otherwise here. The olive trees which are cultivated on the 
 hills, and the grain that is made to grow on the level spots, 
 
188 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 are tended by labourers who live in the town, and who ne- 
 cessarily waste much time in going and returning. Artists, 
 therefore, who study in these solitudes suffer many inconve- 
 niencies. I painted another view of the falls, near the Tem- 
 ple of Vesta, from a little spot on the point of a precipice, 
 among bushes trodden down by many an artist before me ; 
 for they are constantly coming here, of all nations, to study 
 the luxuriant scenery of the winding valley, into which the 
 Jlnio falls. The walls of my bed-room were inscribed with 
 columns of their signatures, and exclamations of delight at the 
 charms of Tivolu 
 
 Four days were spent here with increasing admiration of 
 the natural scenery, and undiminished disgust at the filth of 
 the town; but, though fatigued by the day's excursions, I was 
 unable to sleep during half the night from the leeching de- 
 predations of beggarly fleas. I had heard much of the beau- 
 tiful costume of the peasantry, but saw little to admire. The 
 observation may be true, applied to villages farther in the 
 mountains; but in Tivoli all the senses are offended, and I 
 was glad to get to Rome for one night's sound sleep. I re- 
 entered the gate of San Lorenzo, with my paint box and 
 some change of clothes, which might have been taken unmo- 
 lested in a handkerchief, bag, or box; but from the fact of 
 their being in a trunk, it was deemed necessary to execute a 
 formal statement and record, for which 1 had to pay, besides 
 suffering the delay. With this paper a soldier accompanied 
 me to the custom-house, in the centre of the city, instead of 
 permitting the carriage to be driven to my lodgings at the 
 Porta del popolo. The custom-house officer, however, made 
 a polite examination, received his expected douceur, and I 
 was permitted to go home with my little trunk. These are 
 some of the inconveniencies which an American sensibly feels 
 out of his own country, where there is such entire liberty of 
 locomotion. 
 
 In the early part of June, great baskets of the coccoons of 
 silk worms were to be seen in every street, where they were 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 139 
 
 cleaned, washed, and dried; whilst the women and girls were 
 reeling it off, both in the streets and shops. 
 
 In a warm moonlight evening I took . occasion, according to 
 custom, to visit the Colosseum. Besides various parties of 
 pedestrians we found eight carriage loads of company, some 
 of whom were curiously exploring the corridors and arches 
 with torches. The dim light of the moon, which only exhi- 
 bits the great architectural masses without the minute details 
 that during broad daylight disturb the attention, produces its 
 effect, by merely permitting ' the spectator to be fully im- 
 pressed with the simple perceptions of bulk and proportion. 
 A similar effect is produced by a fog or mist ; and, in a de- 
 gree, by the device employed by artists of looking with one 
 eye nearly closed. 
 
 An American, at home, has little opportunity of seeing the 
 human physiognomy in its original state. The savages, from 
 one end of our continent to the other, pluck out their beards, 
 until they entirely eradicate every symptom of what they 
 consider deformity to the human countenance. Whiskers and 
 mustachios, however, are not unknown in the United States, 
 and the beards of the Dunkers or Shaking Quakers are occa- 
 sionally seen. But here, in Rome, every size, colour, and fa- 
 shion of the natural beard may be daily beheld in the streets, 
 from the cardinal to the beggar, and on travellers from all 
 parts of Europe and Asia. Various confraternities of monks 
 wear them in different shapes, modified by the scissors and 
 razor. Beggars consider them a valuable property, especial- 
 ly when they have become long and gray, But there is ano- 
 ther class of persons who cultivate this antique fashion and 
 patriarchal appendage for the express use of artists, who may 
 hire them of all ages and modes for a paul, (ten cents,) an 
 hour. 
 
 The practice of binding up the limbs of children in swad- 
 dling clothes continues here, not only from an indisposition to 
 abandon old customs, but probably more from the liberty it 
 allows the parent or nurse. Wrapped up, somewhat like a 
 
190 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 mummy, the little creature, as if all of it were dead but the 
 head and hands, can be carried about like a stick of wood, 
 and laid on a shelf without the danger of falling: and those 
 who have the care of it need only to quiet its occasional cries, 
 and sometimes to clean it. Yet this rigorous confinement of 
 the limbs does not seem to impair their final developement, for 
 the Italians have generally very stout legs. Raphael, Andrea 
 del Sarto, and other artists took the liberty of unswaddling 
 all the Bambinos they painted, and threw their little legs 
 about with all the energy of infant Herculeses; probably con- 
 sidering it, by the force of contrast, a divine privilege. 
 
 Processions to the sick are often met in the streets, pre- 
 ceded by a little bell — on hearing which, the pious may stop 
 and do homage to the passing sacrament; or the military 
 guard, at the word of command, present arms and kneel in a 
 goodly row, till the chalice-bearing priest, in full dress, walk- 
 ing under a canopy, and surrounded by persons bearing can- 
 dles, has passed. These are seen to stop at the house of some 
 dying person, who submits to the last ceremonies of the 
 church, and is doomed to hear his death-song loudly chanted 
 at his door. Haply he may recover from such a shock; if 
 not, his corpse is surrounded with candles which give him 
 no light, and speedily he is carried to the tomb, without one 
 attending relation, being committed wholly to the custody of 
 the priesthood, who form a long procession of monks, clad 
 in white hoods, with holes to look out of, like grim death's 
 heads. The number of these sturdy troopers is always re- 
 gulated by the money which may be found to pay their stipu- 
 lated fees ; and the rich think it essential that the barefooted 
 Dominicans should always be of the number. 
 
 The corpse, lying on a shallow trough, which exposes the 
 whole figure, with naked head and hands, is borne on men's 
 shoulders. 1 have seen thus passing, in the charge of stran- 
 gers, a lovely girl of fifteen; her face transparent as wax, 
 and the red still lingering on her cheeks ; but the transient 
 and rapid passage of this celestial form, scarcely attracted an 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 191 
 
 eye, or suspended a sentence among the throng. Custom has 
 prescribed that her friends should weep unseen. 
 
 After the corpse is deposited in front of the altar, surround- 
 ed by lights and chanters, it is left in the twilight to be depo- 
 sited by the servants of the church, either in its private tomb, 
 or pitched unceremoniously into one of the great vaults be- 
 neath the pavement. I have sometimes been nauseated with 
 the stench that rose through the crevices. 
 
 Since the hot weather has commenced, scarcely a day 
 passes without some religious procession from the church, 
 which is dedicated to the saint of the day, and whose anni- 
 versary is noted in the holy calendar. There is a great si- 
 milarity between them, and I found but little to interest 
 me in the parade of wax candles, painted banners, and coarse 
 military music. A more extensive one has recently oc- 
 curred at St. Peter's, in which the pope himself performed 
 the rare ceremony of walking. Several bodies of men car- 
 ried candles, crucifixes, flags, banners, and immense crosses. 
 Each great cross was of the full size, made of light materi- 
 als, and hollow, being balanced by one man. The banners, 
 which are great pictures like altar-pieces, painted on both 
 sides, are carried on poles by two men, and kept erect by 
 ropes extending front and back. Then followed a little 
 crucifix under a canopy, accompanied by a military band of 
 music. This procession at St. Peter's differed from all 
 others I had seen, by the introduction of a number of fe- 
 males as vestals, in white flannel dresses and • ample white 
 veils curiously pinned over their heads, across their mouths, 
 necks, and bosoms, and floating behind them; each bearing 
 a candle. At last, a canopy, with the holy sacrament, held 
 by a bishop, was followed by the pope and cardinals, each 
 bearing, like soldiers trailing arms, a large wax candle. It 
 is certainly curious to observe this intermingling of reli- 
 gious and military ceremonies. Soldiers are stationed every 
 where, and march in the processions, and there is little 
 else than military music. The soldiers, with their own 
 
192 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 caps on, crying, out to the people when the crosses pass, to 
 take off their hats, which they sometimes strike with their 
 muskets. I perceived that this order was obeyed only 
 within musket reach; for beyond this military enforcement 
 of religious duty, the people generally kept their hats on, 
 and only took them off on the approach of the sacrament 
 itself. The path through which it passes is strewed with 
 flowers and green leaves, and flowers are thrown from the 
 neighbouring windows. 
 
 The people appear to regard these processions merely as 
 amusing spectacles; and they certainly, in a degree, arouse 
 them from that dull monotony of existence which would be 
 their fate during the heats of summer, when Rome is de- 
 serted by all strangers, life and fashion. When it is known 
 that a procession is to take place, the streets through which 
 it is to pass, late in the afternoon, are lined with chairs, 
 which are hired out; and every house makes a display of 
 its red or yellow silk hangings, with which they appear to 
 be provided expressly for these purposes. The amusement 
 consists in the military display, the band of music, the ban- 
 ners, flags, and canopies, the glass lustres, and the long suc- 
 cession of lighted candles; but the most lively interest is 
 excited by the difficulty of carrying the great banners in 
 varying currents of air; and in preserving the balance of 
 the great cross, and the critical and dexterous shifting of it 
 from one red-faced and fatigued Hercules to a fresh one, 
 into whose belted socket it is lifted. It is only at the mo- 
 ment when the sacrament passes, that the spectators resolve 
 themselves into the attitude and perhaps the feeling of de- 
 votion. 
 
 The frequency of religious ceremonies, like the hack- 
 neyed custom-house oath, seems to lessen the sentiment of 
 reverence; but amusement is furnished to the people, and 
 occupation to the clergy, as well as business to the manu- 
 facturers of wax candles, of which the consumption is very 
 great. Streams of melted wax pour from the blazing can- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 193 
 
 dies of four wicks; all of which falls on the ground, except 
 what can be caught by ragged urchins, who eagerly hold up 
 their paper funnels for that purpose, which is permitted by 
 the meekest of the torch-bearing monks, whilst some of 
 prouder mien frown away the little meddlers. 
 
 Amid all the ceremonies which I have attended at St. 
 Peter's, devotion certainly does not appear to constitute 
 the principal part. The edifice itself is a sumptuous pa- 
 lace to display the power and wealth of the church; pro- 
 fessedly a consecration of the genius and labours of man to 
 the Divine Being. Satisfied with having thus a temple erect- 
 ed above all other temples, as the expression of homage, 
 his devotion is lost in wonder at the work of his own hands. 
 Seldom is the penitent discovered in the confessionals, and, 
 though numbers are seen kneeling before the various shrines, 
 their eyes may be observed wandering with the groups of 
 admiring strangers. In the obscurity of some humbler 
 sanctuary may the most penitent and pious be found, where 
 there is little to distract their devotions. The pilgrim, 
 however, who has travelled far to visit Rome, hastens to 
 kneel in this palace of churches, and enjoys the pride of 
 belonging to a faith which has manifested such magnificence 
 and power. 
 
 Preparatory to leaving Rome, and before the pictures I 
 had painted could be packed up, it was necessary to have 
 them inspected and certified by various officers, whose duty 
 it is to prevent any valuable picture of the old masters being 
 taken out of Rome, without being first presented to the 
 option of the government to purchase at a fair valuation. 
 This being, with some difficulty, accomplished, the pass- 
 ports obtained, and a carriage hired for Florence by the 
 way of Sienna, we started on the third of July. 
 
 The Campagna on the side of Rome which leads to Flo- 
 rence is even less level than on that towards Tivoli, being 
 altogether hilly, and only seeming like a plain when seen 
 from some distant mountain. It is imperfectly cultivated, 
 
 25 
 
194 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 and has but few habitations; being reputed extremely un- 
 healthy. A hut on the road-side, rudely constructed of 
 reeds and straw, serves as the residence of one solitary man, 
 whose business it is to furnish refreshments to the poor who 
 travel that way. 
 
 We breakfasted at the post house, on a plain which ap- 
 pears to be within the crater of an extinct volcano. On 
 passing out of it, there were to be seen the traces of im- 
 mense torrents of lava, which had flowed into the valley 
 below, but deeply covered with ashes and soil. After pass- 
 ing this volcanic region, the country became more pictu- 
 resque, till we reached our resting place, Ronsiglione, a 
 curious old town built on a mountain. A stream passes 
 through it, working a number of wire mills, in a deep roman- 
 tic fissure of the rocks, which rise perpendicularly opposite 
 the old black and ruinous masses of stone and mortar, which, 
 by the perforations resembling doors and windows, you dis- 
 cover to be houses. The town contains the ruins of some 
 fine edifices, but all elegance has departed from a spot that 
 was once the residence of much taste and wealth. Some 
 venerable oaks and pines remain, as beautiful objects, con- 
 trasting well with the surrounding plains and distant barren 
 mountains. But the narrow valley between the town and 
 the opposite cliff is noted for its beauty. 
 
 From Ronsiglione we gradually ascended a high moun- 
 tain, which commands an extensive and beautiful prospect, 
 and, descending suddenly to the foot of it, entered the town 
 of Viterbo, the ancient metropolis of Etruria. The shops 
 and workmen gave it more an air of business than any thing 
 I had seen in Rome; but, as we drove through the town 
 from one gate to the other without stopping, we could see 
 but little. We passed several handsome old fountains, and 
 remarked that the predominant fashion with the females was 
 to wear a piece of red worsted with a black border on their 
 heads and shoulders. ^ 
 
 Nothing interesting appeared till we entered Montefias- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 195 
 
 cone, a curious assemblage of wretched stone houses, built 
 on a conic mountain; which, however, is worth the trou- 
 ble of ascending, to enjoy a delightful view of the Lake of 
 BoZsena, seen over richly cultivated "fields, high moun- 
 tains terminating the distance. 
 
 Although it was the full season for apricots, the market 
 place afforded only one man who had a few to sell. It was 
 so rare a thing to see a customer buy three pounds of 
 them, that a crowd of children surrounded me, and the apri- 
 cot merchant himself bowed as I passed him on my return. 
 A German lady, who was of our party to view the lake, 
 seeing a little girl knitting slowly, took the stocking and 
 exhibited such an activity of fingers, that a large crowd of 
 little knitters, as well as their mothers, soon gathered round 
 in astonishment and admiration. 
 
 From the wretched inn, which pretended to afford us ac- 
 commodation, in this region of indolence, we descended a te- 
 dious road till we approached the lake ; which with its two 
 islands and diversified shores continued long our only objects 
 of interest: at the head of it, the town of Bolsena rises high 
 above the shore. We did not enter it, and saw nothing of its 
 ancient temples, amphitheatre, and ruins; nor what inherit- 
 ance of taste remains in a city which furnished to Rome in 
 her splendour twelve hundred statues. Not far from Bolse- 
 na, we passed a great mass of basaltic columns, very distinct- 
 ly split into regular angles, standing obliquely. 
 
 An extra horse had accompanied us from Montefiascone to 
 assist us up the mountain to the village of San Lorenzo. We 
 passed the enormous ruins of a castle situated on a steep ridge 
 of rocks projecting into a beautiful valley. From this we 
 wound up the steep mountain, and gained a delightful view 
 of the lake. On a neighbouring hill is a fine estate owned 
 by Lucien Bonaparte, from which he derives his title. San 
 Lorenzo, among the villages of Italy, is singular in its regu- 
 larity. Though on the topjpf a mountain it is perfectly level. 
 It consists of uniform buildings, of two stories, surrounding 
 
196 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 an octangular place, with four short streets proceeding from 
 it at right angles, two of them terminating with churches. 
 
 On leaving San Lorenzo a most beautiful valley burst upon 
 our view, continuing some distance. Hitherto we had passed 
 through a volcanic country, and saw no streams of water. 
 Now irregular rocks jutted out from the sides of the moun- 
 tains, and little rivulets sought the valleys below. Men and 
 women, armed with spades, rakes, and sickles, were assem- 
 bling in the market places of. the villages, through which we 
 passed, and moving out in parties to their respective fields 
 of labour. Their appearance suggested to us the reflection 
 that painters improperly represent them in their holiday suits 
 at work, never as they really are, dirty, ragged, and beg- 
 garly, twenty and thirty together in a group. The roads and 
 fields are gay with flowers, especially the red poppy, and a 
 variety of yellow, white, and purple flowers. 
 
 Passing the last village in the Roman territory, we tra- 
 velled over a tedious length of barren and wild hills, till we 
 reached the custom-house of JRadicofani, on the frontiers of 
 Tuscany. This custom-house, like a great barn, stands on 
 the side of a hill below the town, and comprises the conve- 
 nience of a large hotel, which is necessary during a deten- 
 tion of several hours. Having breakfasted, we took the usual 
 guide, an old man of seventy, and occupied an hour and a 
 half in rising to the top of the mountain, which is capped 
 with the ruins of an ancient and stupendous fortress. We 
 examined all its dilapidated gate-ways, bastions, and towers; 
 looked down on the town to which we had before looked up, 
 and which was built two thousand five hundred years ago, 
 and surveyed a vast circumference of country, comprising 
 many villages, a volcanic mountain, and the hot baths of San 
 Filippo. The old fortress was built of solid masses of lava, 
 and an immense quantity of the red spongy kind. 
 
 A person generally attends at the hotel with a collection of 
 medallions of Travertine, made in the waters of San Filippo. 
 Moulds of wax or sulphur are laid in the water, and soon re- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 197 
 
 ceive a deposite of fine, white, and hard stone, producing 
 the most beautiful and perfect impressions, which are sold at 
 moderate prices. 
 
 The road for a long distance, in a singular manner, passed 
 over the ridges of wild and barren mountains, commanding 
 extensive prospects, and crossed the dry channels of the moun- 
 tain torrents, which in rainy seasons are difficult to pass ; nu- 
 merous castles crowned the distant hills, and patches of cul- 
 tivation marked the valleys. The country as we advanced 
 improved in cultivation, till we approached the white clay 
 hills of Sienna. Soon after, the neat country seats which 
 skirted the settlement, showed that we were entering a city 
 of elegance and taste. 
 
 Sienna. 
 
 During the few hours which we were to remain here, it 
 was necessary to hasten over the principal objects of curiosi- 
 ty, beginning with the cathedral, a singular edifice, composed 
 of alternate layers of black and white marble, but with a cu- 
 rious and richly carved Gothic front. The black and white 
 layers of stone, wrought into clustered columns and arches, 
 within the church, where both are cleaner than on the out- 
 side, appeared at a little distance to be covered with check 
 curtains of a large pattern. 
 
 Near the great altar is the celebrated mosaic pavement, ex- 
 ecuted in a manner peculiar to Sienna five hundred years ago, 
 by Beccafumi Meccarino. It is in imitation of large draw- 
 ings or cartoons, consisting of a free and vigorous outline, as 
 if done with a brush, some strokes being darker than others, 
 and heightened by judicious touches of white. The out- 
 line, shadows, and lights consist entirely of sections of stones, 
 
198 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 inlaid on a gray ground, executed with great spirit and beauty, 
 and worthy the care which is taken to preserve them, for they 
 are covered with panels of wood which are raised in sections 
 to show the pictured. The ceiling of one of the halls in the 
 palace of the municipality is decorated by this artist, but show 
 him to less advantage in his gay colouring than he appears on 
 the pavement of the cathedral, and in some cartoons which 
 are preserved in the Dominican church, executed in black 
 and white chalk. In the sacristy the walls are covered with 
 historical pieces, designed by Raphael, and executed by Pin- 
 turichio, among which are many fine heads and curiously 
 finished costumes. 
 
 In one of the chambers of the municipal palace is a col- 
 lection of the Portraits of all the popes and cardinals who 
 were natives of Sienna. In the same room are several other 
 pictures, especially the Judgment of Solomon, by Luca 
 Giordano. The principal chambers of this curious build- 
 ing were decorated by all the best painters of Sienna, when 
 Sienna was the seat of the arts, and her artists the most cele- 
 brated and excellent in the world: they were the rude pre- 
 cursers of more modern excellence. The inhabitants are 
 very proud of the square tower, which has been recently in- 
 creased in height, by projecting stone turrets, which make it 
 larger at top than at bottom. It is surmounted by a large 
 bell which hangs on iron rods arching from the four corners. 
 
 In front of this building is the market place, decorated with 
 a fountain, profusely covered with ancient marble sculptures. 
 The market people sit under triangles, consisting each of 
 three poles uniting at the top, to one side of which is at- 
 tached a piece of sail cloth, which they shift from side to 
 side as the sun advances. 
 
 The church of the Dominicans is a large edifice in the 
 form of a capital T, and contains, among many others, the 
 much venerated works of Guido of Sienna, painted in the 
 year 1221. They do credit to the early school of Sienna, 
 and possess very natural heads, and well studied draperies, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 199 
 
 but the figures are formal, and of emaciated anatomy. In 
 the same church is a painting by Giotto, on a large cross. 
 The most distinguished artist of modern times (as Giotto was 
 in his) would not condescend to occupy his pencil with such 
 a device, but it is preserved with a twofold veneration. 
 
 The Gallery and Academy of Fine Arts, contain a most 
 curious and interesting collection of the works of the early 
 painters, arranged according to the ages in which they flou- 
 rished. They consist almost entirely of small altar-pieces of 
 stiff figures amid floods of gold, but in many of ihe heads 
 you find an extraordinary appearance of nature and careful 
 finishing. 
 
 From Sienna to Barberino, where we slept, the road was 
 very fine over a country of delightful scenery, which conti- 
 nued till we reached Florence, winding at last through pic- 
 turesque mountains, and entering by a suburb, the extent, 
 neatness and activity of which, indicated a more flourishing 
 state of society, after leaving the dignity and dulness of Rome. 
 Accustomed to the rags and patches of Naples and Rome, 
 it was pleasing to see the peasantry of Tuscany better clad, 
 and more industrious; the country in the most perfect state 
 of cultivation, and the habitations neat and commodious. It 
 was full harvest time, and men and women were labouring 
 in the fields in nearly equal numbers, apparently happy as 
 they were cheerful. Their practice in reaping is to cut a 
 handful of the wheat and immediately tie it up, before cut- 
 ting another. These little bundles are afterwards piled toge- 
 ther in long ridges resembling corded wood, and then made 
 up into large stacks like hay, or put away into granaries. 
 Not only the young girls, but the old women, wear hats, ge- 
 nerally of black straw, which, in proportion as we approached 
 Florence, became more and more decorated with ribands 
 and ostrich feathers. 
 
200 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Florence, July 7th. 
 
 However slow may be the general movement of the Vet- 
 turino, on entering a city he appears desirous of showing 
 off his skill, and rattles through the narrow streets so rapidly 
 as scarcely to permit any thing to be distinctly seen. In 
 this manner we passed the dark rustic mass of the Ducal re- 
 sidence, and, crossing a bridge of jewellers' shops, soon found 
 ourselves deposited at a hotel overlooking the river — a small 
 but rapid stream, raised and spread out by means of a dam 
 at the lower end of the city. This broad sheet of water is 
 crossed by four stone bridges, one of which is remarkable 
 for its beauty and lightness, and one for its excrescences of 
 irregular shops. A great portion of both sides of the river, 
 consists of fine streets, the most airy, light, and elegant situ- 
 ations in the city; but, in other parts, on both sides, the ill 
 aspect of many towering and irregular masses of habitable 
 stone, perforated with all sorts of holes for windows, rise out 
 of the water, and enable the occupants, with hook and line, 
 or net, to practise the business or amusement of fishing. 
 Men, too, are seen wading in the river up to the waist, pa- 
 tiently bearing the burning sun, and its dazzling and em- 
 browning reflection, and at long intervals, catching a few 
 little fish, which are kept alive in huge calabashes of water 
 hanging at their sides. The Jlrno here is a river without 
 boats, except occasionally when one may be seen in the em- 
 ployment of scooping up sand and gravel, to be unloaded on 
 the adjoining street, by throwing it from stage to stage, over 
 the high wall which lines or forms the embankment of the 
 river. For the little commerce carried on, tow boats are 
 used, which may be seen some distance below the last bridge 
 and dam. 
 
 Impatient to visit the far-famed Florentine gallery, I has- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 201 
 
 tened to the great square Piazza Granduca, and glanced over 
 its characteristic traits. An ancient castellated palace filled 
 one corner, square and high; near it was an open portico, 
 whose lofty arches, a shelter for dealers who frequent the 
 square, were ornamented with the master works of John of 
 Bologna, and Benvenuto Cellini; in front was a fountain, 
 whose ample basin and centre are profusely arrayed with 
 bronze and marble statuary; — a colossal equestrian statue of 
 bronze stood in the centre of the piazza, and around its sides 
 were a massive custom-house, a great post office shed, and 
 various other buildings, all ugly, with the exception of Fenzi, 
 the banker's, and a few lodging houses. 
 
 Adjoining the old palace, reaching to the river, and form- 
 ing three sides of a long open court or street, is a great build- 
 ing, of which the lower arcades are used as a Bazaar, the 
 principal apartments for the mint and public offices, and the 
 whole of the upper story, where the light is unobstructed, for 
 a gallery of the fine arts. To this floor, you ascend by one 
 hundred and twenty steps, the upper flight of which, leading 
 exclusively to the gallery, is especially handsome. You 
 pass on the landing place a beautiful Bacchus, and in two suc- 
 cessive vestibules, a number of statues, and busts of the foun- 
 der, Lorenzo the Magnificent, and those of the sovereigns 
 who have since continued it. 
 
 The gallery commences with one continuous corridor, light- 
 ed from the court, extending round its three sides for eleven 
 hundred feet. It contains a series of pictures, arranged by 
 Vasari, to show the origin and progress of the arts in Italy, 
 gradually advancing from the painters of the thirteenth, to 
 those of the seventeenth century. Five hundred and thirty 
 little portraits of distinguished men, poorly painted, occupy 
 the cornice; a row of statues on each side, at moderate dis- 
 tances, divides your attention between the rival charms of 
 the pencil and the chisel. The collection of statues at Rome, 
 in the Vatican and the Capitol, with many first rate and per- 
 fect works, comprise a vast number of inferior merit, and in 
 
 26 
 
902 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 mutilated fragments; whilst this smaller collection at Florence 
 consists almost entirely of the most select and beautiful ob- 
 jects; with but few that are mutilated, and some very cele- 
 brated. 
 
 In -one of these long corridors, a number of artists had 
 their easels copying pictures, which they were permitted to 
 have taken from the walls, and placed near them at the win- 
 dows. An octagonal room, called the tribune, is an excep- 
 tion to this rule. It contains a few of the most esteemed 
 statues and pictures, crowded into so small a compass, that 
 only three or four artists are permitted to paint in it at a 
 time, and none of the pictures are removed from the walls. 
 But what is worse, the little windows that surround the cor- 
 nice, afford an imperfect or injurious light upon most of the 
 objects. 
 
 The tribune is said to contain nothing but the most es- 
 teemed master pieces. T-his is true in regard to the statues 
 of the Venus of Medicis, the Dancing Faun, the Young 
 Jlpollo, and the Boxers; and so it is in regard to Andrea 
 del Sarto's well coloured picture of the Madonna, with St. 
 Francis and St. John, and the bright and exquisitely co- 
 loured Venus, by Titian. The name of Raphael generally 
 carries fascination with it, and those who enter with a de- 
 termination to be charmed with every thing that bears his 
 name, are prepared to cry out in raptures at his exquisitely 
 finished portrait of the Fornarina, although it represents an 
 ugly and vulgar woman, without any charm of colouring. 
 
 Before this picture was deprived, by cleaning, of its sunny 
 hue, it was ascribed to Giorgione; till Mr. Smith, an old Ame- 
 rican artist, still resident here, assigned it, with the consent 
 of the connoisseurs, to Raphael. It bears the date of 1512. 
 Its fine colour and high finish, (as I saw it in Paris twenty 
 years ago) gave it a reputation which it never could have ob- 
 tained from its contracted forehead, heavy eyes, pointed jaw, 
 and large unarticulated neck. The eyes and mouth are not 
 parallel, and the nose, which, between the eyes is high and 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 203 
 
 square like marble, is flattened on one side, and seems to pro- 
 ject not more than a quarter of an inch beyond the upper 
 lip. The badly designed folds of the sleeve do not accord 
 with those around the bosom, and a wreath of real gold on 
 the hair and string of gold on the neck, are without lights 
 and shadows. The mouth alone is beautifully painted; the 
 head is in a great but masculine style; and the fur is exqui- 
 sitely finished. Let the unprejudiced observer judge how 
 correct are these criticisms, before he becomes a slave to 
 popular prejudice. To praise this picture more is injurious 
 to the progress of truth and art. 
 
 The Two Holy Families, by Raphael, are in the hard 
 manner of his master, and certainly would not be much ad- 
 mired under any other name, though one of the faces is of a 
 beautiful form. His St. John sits out of balance, and his 
 strongly defined muscles, for a youth, are of a disagreeable 
 tan colour. Corregio's little Madonna, notwithstanding 
 her affectation, is beautiful. As for the Holy Family, as- 
 cribed to Michael Angelo, few artists believe the hard drawn, 
 flat, unmeaning thing to be at all worthy of him. 
 
 The Magdalen, by Carlo Dolce, which is in the hall of 
 Barocchio, differs from the Fornarina, in having sufficient 
 jaw and projection of nose; but the eyes roll out of sockets 
 too low in reference to the brows and cheek-bones, and the 
 forehead projects disagreeably. The neck is well articulated, 
 but all the shadows of the skin are too leaden. The pearls 
 and drapery are fine; and in his picture of St. Galla Pla- 
 cida, nothing can be more exquisite than the right hand which 
 holds the cross, as well as the jewelry, and the book at the 
 bottom of the picture; but the head, hair, and neck, are 
 wretchedly bad. The best thing I have seen by Carlo Dolce — 
 for I can only admire the nose in his Head of Poetry, in 
 the Corsini palace — is a picture in the Pitti palace, Saint 
 Peter about to be crucified, in which the colouring, exe- 
 cution, and expression, are exquisitely beautiful; particularly 
 of the fine group at the right hand of the picture. Admi- 
 
204 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ration too often grows out of the wonder excited by the 
 highly finished labours of Carlo Dolce, but they are seldom 
 admired by artists, unless they are well paid for copying 
 them. 
 
 This gallery is open to all those who choose to enter it, 
 prince or peasant, every day except Sundays and holidays, at 
 nine o'clock, and closed at three. But at eleven, one of the 
 keepers unlocks a numerous succession of apartments adjoin- 
 ing these corridors, and containing Etruscan vases, and other 
 pottery, Grecian, Roman, and Egyptian statues and antiquities; 
 and, arranged in distinct classes, specimens of the French, Fle- 
 mish, Dutch, Italian, Tuscan, and Venetian schools of paint- 
 ing; and two rooms filled with the portraits of artists, all 
 painted by themselves, of various sizes, often with the hands 
 and other accompaniments. Many of these pictures are ex- 
 cellent, curious and interesting, but they are crowded into ill 
 lighted rooms. In the range of these apartments, the visiter 
 is taken into one which contains a collection of the most 
 precious gems and stones, wrought into the most beautiful 
 forms, and enriched with the most exquisite sculpture, both 
 on the stones and their mountings of gold and silver, by Ben- 
 venuto Cellini and other celebrated artists. The eye is de- 
 lighted, and the mind astonished with the variety, size, beau- 
 ty and workmanship of these objects, which are displayed 
 in a small apartment of the utmost beauty, ornamented with 
 columns of alabaster and verd antique. 
 
 The first survey of this magnificent collection occupied 
 me during five hours; a greater length of time, than it is judi- 
 cious to bestow at once, as the mind becomes fatigued and 
 incapable of correct judgment, and dull to the enjoyment. 
 
 As three o'clock closes the gallery and allows the various 
 keepers the liberty of escaping to their dinners, and no pub- 
 lic institutions are open at that hour, the stranger is disposed 
 to fill up his time by looking at what may be seen out of 
 doors. Returning into the great square, it is worth while to 
 stop and examine more at leisure some of the statues which 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 205 
 
 distinguish it, perhaps above all other places. The Statue 
 of David, though really done by Michael Angelo, was a 
 youthful production, and exhibits none of his characteristic 
 greatness. The bronze statue of Perseus holding out the 
 head of the Medusa, whose limbs hang over the pedestal, 
 is the master work of the hot-brained Benvenuto Cellini. 
 The pedestal, besides its bronze basso relievo, is covered 
 with a profusion of minute work, evincing his professional 
 taste as a Florentine goldsmith. The colossal group, in 
 marble, of the Rape of the Sabines, by John of Bologna, 
 deserves the praise it receives as the master piece of that 
 esteemed artist, although it is disfigured by dirt. The foun- 
 tain is decorated with a number of bronze figures, by the 
 same artist; by whom also is the colossal equestrian bronze 
 Statue of Cosmo, in the centre of the place. These ob- 
 jects of fine art are daily seen without emotion by the greater 
 part of the people who pass or frequent this place, occupied 
 with bales of goods near the custom-house; bargaining for 
 straw hats or horses; surrounding a foolish buffoon, or set of 
 dancing dogs ; gaping at an eloquent quack doctor, who pro- 
 claims his skill from the seat of his carriage ; or witnessing 
 the dexterity of a dentist, who, on horseback, draws teeth by 
 way of advertisement, for the information of customers who 
 cannot read the gazette. 
 
 This piazza is the greatest thoroughfare of Florence, lead- 
 ing, on one side, to the river and bridges, and on the other, 
 to the ample space which surrounds the cathedral or duomo. 
 Narrow as are the streets in this thoroughfare, they are lined 
 with shops of all kinds, and, being well paved and clean, are 
 frequented by all classes of citizens. 
 
 The streets are paved with broad flat stones, in some 
 places regularly squared, and placed obliquely from the cen- 
 tre; but in general consisting of stones of all sizes from one 
 to five feet in length, and of every shape that accident can 
 offer, only cut at the edges into angles. A Chinese, accus- 
 tomed to be amused with his box of triangles, would be de- 
 
206 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 lighted in tracing out the endless variety of figures which 
 the geometrical paviours of Florence have effected in their 
 streets. Those of Pompeii, and the ancient Roman roads, 
 though composed of irregular stones, present a very different 
 aspect, consisting of stones of nearly one size. 
 
 The streets are kept remarkably clean, both by the resi- 
 dents sweeping before their own houses, and by men who 
 maybe seen going about every day with a brush in one hand, 
 and a shovel in the other. It is amusing to see a man in this 
 compendious manner dragging his car, with both arms em- 
 ployed in gathering up the dirt, without stopping, and dexte- 
 rously throwing it into his basket without looking back; yet 
 carefully separating into different baskets the old shoes and 
 rubbish from the more precious manure, which goes to en- 
 rich the gardens in the vicinity. 
 
 The houses, with eaves projecting two and three yards, 
 are generally good substantial looking buildings, but less or- 
 namented with sculpture and stucco than those of Rome. 
 The public buildings are more remarkable for massive strength 
 than architectural beauty; looking more like fortresses than 
 palaces, and black with smoke and time acting on a stone 
 which is naturally dark. External appearances seem to be 
 less regarded, but the internal economy is much more com- 
 mendable than at Rome, where comfort cannot always be 
 purchased. 
 
 Florence is supplied with numerous fountains) many of 
 them of elegant sculpture; but, amidst abundance of orna- 
 mental bronze and marble, you can scarcely perceive the 
 slender stream that issues from them, in quantity merely 
 sufficient for use, but not for beauty, except in the gardens 
 of the grand duke. The most splendid fountain, before 
 mentioned, though ornamented with a colossal Neptune and 
 eleven bronze figures, throws out a dozen or twenty little 
 streams, each not larger than a goose quill. 
 
 The coffee-houses are fitted up in a better style than at 
 Rome, well served both with coffee and ices, and at a small 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 207 
 
 charge, so that they are much frequented. At Rome they 
 use dirty snow, which is brought in compact masses from 
 the distant mountains; whereas, here, they have abundance 
 of clean ice, and you are supplied with cool water, a luxu- 
 ry seldom to be enjoyed at Rome, though the water is more 
 pure and abundant. The stranger who visits Florence, and 
 spends much of his time in the coffee-houses, is confirmed 
 in the idea that this is the region of flowers; for those places 
 are not merely frequented; but beset with men who carry 
 baskets filled the most gay and odoriferous flowers, which 
 are offered not only to the ladies, but are presented, bunch 
 after bunch, with the most persevering assiduity, to gentle- 
 men who are sipping their coffee, eating their ice creams, 
 or reading the papers. Their gay appearance and the agree- 
 able odour which they diffuse are a sufficient recompense 
 for the intrusion of these petty merchants, who are less ob- 
 noxious than a still more numerous class who pester you 
 with knives, razors, and combs; linens','* silks, and cloths; 
 cravats, shawls, and rugs; alabaster carvings, and every 
 thing that can be carried about by hand, which they perse- 
 cute you to buy in spite of your no, no, which means no- 
 thing to them. Experienced Italians send off the dirty fel- 
 lows with a u caro mio,"—" no, my dear, I am not in want 
 of it." 
 
 The palace of the grand duke, called the Palazzo Pitti, 
 is situated on the other side of the river, on the edge of a 
 considerable hill, the sides and undulations of which are laid 
 out in most extensive and delightful gardens and walks, which 
 are ornamented with fountains and a multitude of statues. 
 The dark brown front of the palace looks like an immense 
 prison, being built in the rustic or Tuscan style, in great bosses 
 of roughly broken stone. A central archway opens into the 
 court which consists of brighter stone, but in a singular massive 
 style. Here a livery servant, with his long gold-headed cane 
 of office, met and conducted us up the great stair-case into 
 a large hall, where a number of persons, rich and poor, were 
 
208 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 waiting to transact business with the grand duke, who is said 
 to be an excellent man, and very accessible. We were con- 
 ducted through a long series of rooms for private use, to one 
 of an octagonal shape, in the centre of which stands Cano- 
 va's celebrated Statue of Venus coming from the bath, 
 whose beauties are multiplied by several mirrors into endless 
 perspectives. Through saloons, cabinets, and bed-rooms, fur- 
 nished in the richest style, we retraced our steps, finding no 
 other object to see — an evidence how much this 'modern 
 work of art is esteemed. 
 
 Then commenced another series of chambers or halls, the 
 lofty ceilings of which, above magnificent cornices of gold, 
 were painted by Luca Giordano, Sabatelli, and others; and 
 the walls covered with a vast collection of pictures, by the 
 old masters, of great value and beauty, before several of which 
 artists were occupied in making copies. Here is the far- 
 famed Madonna delta Seggiola of Raphael, the last picture 
 reluctantly restored by the French on the dissolution of Na- 
 poleon's Gallery. Andrea del Sarto, whose pictures in 
 Rome look black and gloomy, here appears in splendid co- 
 lour, for he was a native of Florence, and executed his 
 best works for the Medici family and various churches. 
 
 The splendid Judith and the miracle of The drowned 
 Youth, by Christopher Allori, and the Ecce Homo, by Ci- 
 goli, prove that Florence possessed two masters in colouring 
 whose names are scarcely known elsewhere. Here, too, the 
 Conspiracy of Catiline, and great battle-pieces and land- 
 scapes, show the master-genius of Salvator Rosa : Rubens, 
 Titian, Vandyke, Paul Veronesse, Guido Reni, Fra Barto- 
 lomeo, and a long succession of great names whose works en- 
 tirely cover the walls of about twenty rooms, justify the 
 traveller in the conclusion that this is the richest gallery 
 of pictures in the world. During six months that 1 was oc- 
 cupied in copying there, I had opportunities of hearing this 
 judgment pronounced by travellers of all nations. 
 
 In a small room we were shown eight pictures, executed 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 209 
 
 in the kind of mosaic which is peculiar to Florence ; being 
 composed of sections of stones, selected for their tints and 
 shades, appropriating the accidental stains, splotches and 
 veins of all kinds of agates, jaspers, and precious stones, as the 
 materials for representing colours, lines, lights and shadows, 
 in the composition of pictures; comprising groups of figures, 
 furniture, buildings, &c. which have been wrought with great 
 taste, skill, arid patience; but with materials so rare and cost- 
 ly, selections so tedious, and execution so elaborate, that they 
 are placed beyond the reach of ordinary purchasers. The 
 greater number, and probably the very best, have been exe- 
 cuted for the rich princes of Tuscany. Besides these pic- 
 tures, there are many large tables, in the various rooms of this 
 palace, representing shells, flowers, and arabesques, executed 
 in this style, enriched with lapis lazuli, rubies, emeralds, 
 and other precious stones — all ground to one level, highly po- 
 lished, and supported by sculptured brass. One of these ta- 
 bles is in the National Gallery, which occupied twenty men 
 during sixteen years in making, and cost eighty thousand dol- 
 lars, exclusive of the materials, the value of which cannot be 
 estimated. 
 
 Although this is distant from the old palace, which is on 
 the opposite side of the river, the two are connected by a co- 
 vered gallery, which you may trace along the quay and over 
 the bridge above the shops; whence it proceeds unseen amidst 
 the houses until it reaches the ducal residence. 
 
 The Boboli Gardens, back of the palace, are open to the 
 public every Sunday and Thursday, and are extensive enough 
 to accommodate the whole population of Florence, though 
 but a small proportion seem disposed to enjoy the privilege, 
 preferring the concentrated passages of the city, where they 
 can make a more effective exhibition of themselves. No 
 part of these walks possesses the charm of scenery which is 
 produced by the picturesque manner of laying out the grounds 
 in England; but they are so extensive, comprise such noble 
 avenues of aged cypress and hemlock, terminating in grand 
 
 27 
 
210 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 perspectives of fountains and statues, and command such a 
 delightful view of Florence and its neighbourhood, sprinkled 
 with villas, and the rich level valley of the Arno bounded by- 
 distant blue mountains, among which the sun is often seen to 
 set in all its golden glory, that they are much resorted to by 
 artists and persons of taste, who rejoice in their vicinity and 
 delight in their solitudes. A part of the grounds is devoted 
 to extensive and well arranged botanic gardens and green- 
 houses connected with the Museum of Natural History. 
 
 The entrance to the Museum of Natural History is not 
 far from the royal palace, and has nothing striking in its ex- 
 terior, as it seems to be a variety of old houses gradually im- 
 proved into commodious and well-lighted chambers and gal- 
 leries, most of which have excellent skylights. 
 
 The first rooms into which you enter exhibit a complete sys- 
 tem of human anatomy, of the natural size, executed in wax. 
 Most of these models of anatomical preparations are of the 
 greatest perfection, in scientific knowledge and accuracy of 
 imitation, showing every bone, muscle, tendon, artery, vein, 
 nerve, and organ, separately and collectively, up to the whole 
 form; of which there are six entire figures. One of these, 
 exhibiting the external muscles, veins, arteries, and nerves, 
 is an object of the most extraordinary beauty and perfection; 
 not only by reason of its anatomical accuracy, but the exqui- 
 site proportion of its parts, and the sublimity and grace of its 
 posture, appearing as if it were a living man, divested of his 
 skin and fat, and enabled by the Divine Power to display, 
 with consciousness of knowledge, the wonders of his own 
 conformation; the ease and grace of his posture banishing all 
 idea of pain in the object, and exciting no disgust in the be- 
 holder. He reclines on a purple silk mattress, with drapery 
 of white silk and gauze, beneath a case of large sheets of 
 glass. 
 
 In adjoining rooms, which are opened to such as request 
 it, are several female figures which exhibit the mysteries of 
 the human developement down to the period of birth. A 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 211 
 
 series of preparations likewise show the anatomy of other 
 animals, the calf, fishes, &c, and especially the common 
 fowl, with the whole progress of the egg, into the perfect 
 chicken. 
 
 Another department contains birds of all nations in glass 
 cases, the small ones, besides, being in bell glasses, have 
 their nests and eggs in drawers in front of each. There 
 are well arranged collections of fishes, snakes, lizards, 
 shells, corals, seeds; fruit preserved in spirits, represented 
 in wax and in painting, flowers in wax, mushrooms, woods, 
 and an extensive and elegant collection of minerals; some 
 Indian and African curiosities; one room of quadrupeds; 
 and in two others below stairs, not always shown, the ele- 
 phant, hippopotamus, camel, zebra, lion, &c. 
 
 From the descriptions which I had read, I expected to 
 find the wax works representing the plague which depopu- 
 lated Florence, large and anatomically correct. On the con- 
 trary, they are in three small boxes, each with a sheet of 
 glass in front, and containing figures only a few inches 
 long, arranged in groups to produce the effect of pictures, 
 and expressly calculated to excite horror in the imagina- 
 tion rather than to represent truth. It is a disgusting ex- 
 aggeration, the toy of a demon and a gossip's tale, in 
 comparison with the magnificent exhibition of the human 
 anatomy in the adjoining rooms. 
 
 The back door of the Cabinet of Natural History opens 
 into the Botanic Garden, which is beautifully located on 
 the side of a hill, affording every variety of situation for the 
 plants, shrubs, and trees of every country; and embellished 
 by terraces, statuary, and fountains. 
 
 The great Cathedral or Duomo is a heavy and enormous 
 mass of building, composed of alternate layers of black and 
 white marble, enriched with a profusion of curious and fine 
 Gothic work around the doors, windows, and cornices. 
 The Church of St. Peter's at Rome is not merely larger, 
 but infinitely more elegant; but it is of later construction. 
 
212 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 This of Florence, when it was finished two hundred and 
 thirty years ago, stood unrivalled for magnitude and exter- 
 nal magnificence: with the exception of the front, which, 
 like most of the churches in this city, remains unfinished. 
 The interior, without good pictures, statues, or monuments, 
 is heavy, dark, and uninteresting. The white-washed walls 
 and dark stone pilasters, contrasting badly with the rich 
 windows of coloured glass. At the celebration of high 
 masses, the organ and band of musicians, high on one of 
 the octangular sides, produce a mighty but unmusical noise, 1 
 owing to irregular reverberations. 
 
 Near it stands the Belfry ', called the gem of architec- 
 ture, designed by Giotto the painter. It is forty-eight feet 
 square, and two hundred and seventy-six feet high; as large 
 at top as at bottom, built of variously coloured marbles, 
 and exquisitely ornamented to the very top, where the 
 marble, remaining clear, shows its beauty. 
 
 Opposite the Cathedral is the Jintient baptistery of St. 
 John, an ugly, octagonal building, five hundred and thirty- 
 six years old, of black and white marble. It is ornamented 
 on three sides, with bronze statues; and three pairs of mag- 
 nificent sculptured bronze doors; of which the central pair, 
 by Ghiberti, is so beautiful, that Michael Angelo said they 
 were worthy to be the gates of paradise. In panels about 
 three feet square, the sculptured histories are represented 
 by figures, some of which project in full relief from the 
 base. They have been modelled with much spirit and cha- 
 racter; but, being generally covered with dust, are seen to 
 less advantage than the plaster of Paris copies which are 
 preserved in the Academy of drawing. These doors, weigh- 
 ing, probably with the casings, thirty-four thousand pounds, 
 cost forty-six thousand two hundred dollars. The interior 
 is ornamented with ancient mosaics of no beauty, and poor 
 statues in stucco, except one in marble of St. John, above 
 the baptismal font, at which all the children are baptized 
 and registered. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 213 
 
 Near this spot commences a series of little streets, ex- 
 tending in all directions, which are used as market places; 
 many of the houses serving permanently as market shops, 
 and the streets are lined on both sides with little stalls and 
 baskets, for the sale of every thing that can be eaten. These 
 streets, convenient as they may be at an early hour of the 
 day, yet are always wet and muddy; and exhibit towards 
 noon, a scene of garbage and filth equally offensive to both 
 capital senses, and tending to prejudice the purchaser against 
 such articles as remain unsold. Yet in the same neighbour- 
 hood, there stands a noble market house, whose lofty roof, 
 around and within, is supported by stone columns, which 
 would afford an airy accommodation to a great number of 
 food mongers; but it is occupied by venders of crockery and 
 wooden ware. Here may be purchased, neatly tied up in 
 small bundles, the straw prepared for making bonnets, 
 which females, every where, even in the streets, are plait- 
 ing and sewing into form. Every Friday the hats are 
 brought here for sale, and especially Good Friday, the 
 place is thronged with country people, with their hands 
 full of hats. 
 
 The Church of Santa Croce is a vast, unfinished build- 
 ing, and considered as the Westminster Abbey of Florence, 
 from its possessing the tombs of a few distinguished men. 
 Although it was designed to ornament a large square or 
 piazza, its whole front remains a rude mass of unfashioned 
 brick, which it was intended to incrust with black and 
 white marble. The interior is a plain hall, with timber 
 ceiling of great height. As you enter, the distant altar of 
 golden tabernacles, the pilasters and arches, rising in front 
 of a lofty recess, filled with carvings and paintings, and 
 lighted by tall windows of coloured glass, produce a singu- 
 larly rich effect, and show the superior style of magnifi- 
 cence in which it was intended to have completed the edi- 
 fice. Many other windows on the front and sides are of 
 coloured glass of the richest hues, executed to represent 
 
214 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 scripture scenes. But they shine on plaster walls, unfi- 
 nished pilasters, and a rough pavement of brick embedded 
 with marble monumental slabs. The church is full of cu- 
 rious old chapels and altars, painting and statuary; but the 
 objects which chiefly attract visiters, are the monuments 
 which cover the mortal remains of Michael Angelo, Gali- 
 leo, Alfieri, and others. A monument to Dante, paid for 
 by subscription, is now erecting. That of Angelo, beneath 
 his bust, shows the honorary tribute of three sculptors, by 
 means of figures, sitting on the edge of the pedestal, which 
 represent painting, sculpture, and architecture. The other 
 monuments possess little interest, and the one by Canova to 
 the memory of Alfieri, is a specimen of his early, stiff and 
 formal manner. Connected with the church are extensive 
 buildings and courts of the Monastery of St. Croce. I 
 ranged through the silent cloisters, containing some curious 
 old carvings, but no paintings — entered an open door, which 
 led into a great corridor, flanked on both sides like a hos- 
 pital, with doors opening into the cells of the monks, not 
 one of whom was seen gliding through the twilight gloom — 
 and felt no disposition to linger amid such solitude. 
 
 The piazza is ornamented with a fountain, and the cen- 
 tral enclosure accommodated with a vast circuit of stone 
 benches. On certain holidays, it is the fashion to drive 
 round this square. Fronting this place is a house, which 
 being in the year 1619 the residence of the chief of the 
 academy of painting, was covered over its whole front with 
 fresco paintings, done by seven of the best artists of the 
 time, and sixteen of their pupils. Though faded and da- 
 maged, they still exhibit some excellent work, consisting 
 of distinct pictures between, above and below all the win- 
 dows. Many other houses in Florence show the faded re- 
 mains of this species of decoration, which was adopted soon 
 after the introduction of the arts from Greece. At one 
 corner of this piazza, I remarked the name of Via del Di- 
 luvia, and a horizontal line about twelve feet above the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 215 
 
 ground, with an inscription stating that on the 13th of Sep- 
 tember, 1557, the water had risen to that height; by which 
 the greater part of Florence must have been inundated. 
 
 The streets in this part of the city are generally straight, 
 but narrow and ill-built; presenting irregular masses of rough 
 plastered brick work, without any architectural character, 
 and not at all calculated to confirm the reputation which 
 Florence has obtained as the " Beautiful." This title, in- 
 deed is entirely owing to the beautiful appearance of the 
 neighbouring hills and country seats, and the interior splen- 
 dour of her palaces and gallaries of pictures. 
 
 In returning towards the Duomo, my attention was arrest- 
 ed by an old dark wall, about forty feet high, forming an en- 
 tire square, with a curious little entrance in the centre of one 
 side; this was a doorway of massive, dark, and greasy stone, 
 about four feet high, and only wide enough for one person 
 at a time, stooping, to enter; a melancholy Bust of Christ 
 is on one side, and a dolorous Bust of the Virgin on the 
 other, with the inscription oportet misereri. It is now a 
 prison for the confinement of wretched debtors, but in the 
 time of the republic, the inhabitants of a neighbouring cas- 
 tle, having rebelled, were all confined within these walls; 
 and as they entered, being compelled to stoop, received on 
 their backs the humiliating blows of a guard. 
 
 Near these walls is a strong, dark, iron coloured prison, 
 which was formerly the castle and residence of the eight go- 
 vernors of Florence. The walls of the building within the 
 court, are oddly covered with the coats of arms of successive 
 governors, cut in stone, and fastened up with irons for the 
 gratification of heraldic antiquarians. 
 
 I had heard that there was a fine organ in the Church of 
 San Spirito, which discoursed eloquent music every Sunday 
 morning. With this expectation I entered that edifice, which, 
 for its architecture, is considered one of the finest iA Flo- 
 rence. During the performance of high mass, the organ, 
 struck by a vigorous hand, was sending forth loud peals, and 
 
216 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 thundering sounds, which rolled and reverberated among 
 the vaulted aisles and cupolas. The organ evidently was 
 good, and its situation in the church favourable for the length- 
 ened propagation of its tones; but the performer struck the 
 keys with a rapidity which may be necessary on the forte- 
 piano, to produce a continuity of sound, but is totally incon- 
 sistent with the steady utterance of the organ, when its keys 
 are pressed by fingers instructed in the nature of its breath- 
 ing chords. It was the ordinary style of rapid and noisy 
 fingering which it was my misfortune to hear so generally in 
 Italy, but the enchanting strains of the heavenly Miserere, 
 in St. Peter's at Rome, had taught me that there was better 
 music sometimes practised, and I patiently waited the change. 
 I amused myself in examining the granite columns which 
 support the numerous arches of the vaulted aisles; the im- 
 mense height of the nave; the brilliant draperies of the 
 humble apostles on the painted glass; the richly carved ca- 
 nopy of the high altar; the copy of Buonarotti's Mother 
 and Christ, from St. Peter's, lamenting the wretched taste 
 which could spoil the simplicity of this beautiful work, by 
 crowning the virgin with glittering silver, and hanging around 
 her neck a quantity of beads and silver hearts. Meanwhile, 
 the number of expecting amateurs had increased, and at the 
 elevation of the host, we were gratified by a most enchant- 
 ing strain, from another and more feeling hand; combining 
 the speaking tones of the vox humana, the hautboy, clario- 
 net, and trumpet stops, in extraordinary perfection; their 
 fine, deep, and varying pulsations, agitated the bosom with 
 the most delightful sensations. 
 
 In the church of the Carmine, it is not difficult to pass 
 the numerous dingy altar-pieces which line its sides, to reach 
 a remote corner, where there are preserved two fresco paint- 
 ings by Massacio. The heads in this picture, of five hun- 
 dred years preservation, show great truth both of character 
 and of colouring; but little skill or knowledge is to be dis- 
 covered in the drawing and arrangement of the figures. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 217 
 
 They are venerated as the early efforts of the art; but it is 
 too common to praise them and study from them as if no- 
 thing better had been done since. 
 
 The grand duke is said to be the richest sovereign in Eu- 
 rope, and yet he is contented to increase his revenues by the 
 disgraceful operation of a lottery, which draws every three 
 months. As this occurs directly under the windows of the 
 National Gallery, I could not but remark the pomp and ce- 
 remonies which were employed to give importance to the 
 transaction. Preparations had been several days making, in 
 erecting a temporary .balcony, decorated with paintings of 
 figures and draperies. At noon, a great concourse of people 
 had assembled in the place, military guards formed a semi- 
 circle around the throne, a band of musicians struck up a 
 lively air, and the judges took their seats, the principal 
 clothed in a rich robe of yellow and red. Clerks on each 
 side presented and exhibited the numbers as they were put 
 into the wheel by two little boys, gaily dressed in white with 
 an antique frock of scarlet, which gave them the appearance 
 of royal pages. The five important tickets were drawn by 
 one of the little pages, blindfolded, out of an oval vessel of 
 wire work, which was made to revolve by cranks with an 
 eccentric motion. The people received the communication 
 of each drawn number with acclamations, and the band per- 
 formed a lively tune. As soon as the five numbers were 
 drawn, which settled the hopes and fears of so many idle ad- 
 venturers, the whole multitude, whose faces had been direct- 
 ed towards the important tribunal, in an instant turned round 
 and quietly- dispersed. In a few hours the whole scenery 
 was removed, to be replaced after another three months. 
 
 The church of San Lorenzo, whose rough unfinished 
 front of ragged brick is most uninviting, is a large, venerable, 
 and privileged church, well filled with ceremonious offi- 
 cers. The sacristy, though of a plain and barren architec- 
 ture, is highly interesting, as containing several of the works 
 of Michael Angelo. At. opposite sides of the chamber are 
 
 28 
 
218 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 two monuments, one to Guilielmo de Medici, and the other 
 to Lorenzo de Medici j each represented by a noble statue 
 seated, and in correct costume, displaying the dignity, grace, 
 and nature, for which Buonarotti was so justly celebrated. 
 Below these statues lie great colossal figures, intended to re- 
 present Day and Night, without repose in one or brilliancy 
 in the other; Day -break and Twilight, which are indeed 
 dimly seen, are unfinished, and though displaying bold out- 
 lines and vigorous execution, not calculated to add any thing 
 to the reputation of their author. In front of a third side 
 of the room, seated on a pedestal, is a colossal figure of the 
 Madonna and Child, blocked out in a rough way, but de- 
 signed with such simplicity, grace and dignity, as to justify 
 the belief that it was intended to have been his master piece. 
 The sprawling and common place figures, attached to the 
 two beautiful statues of the Medici, had scarcely any power 
 to arrest my attention, only as they were really from the 
 hands of the great sculptor; but this unfinished Mother of 
 the Saints and the Infant Saviour, it was impossible to 
 gaze upon, without continual exclamations of admiration. 
 
 With some difficulty having found the custode, I obtained 
 entrance into the unfinished Chapel of the Princes, which 
 it is intended to open into the body of the church behind 
 the great altar. It is a large octagonal edifice, begun two 
 hundred and twenty-six years ago, and only now advancing 
 to a finish. It is lined with dark, rich marbles, and precious 
 stones, exquisitely wrought, but producing a melancholy im- 
 pression, in accordance with the heavy sepulchral decorations 
 to the memory of its founder, Ferdinand I., and his suc- 
 cessors. At present it has only a rough brick pavement, 
 upon which is erected a scaffolding, reaching to the lofty 
 dome, nearly two hundred feet high, which Benvenuti is now 
 engaged in painting, al fresco, from subjects in the old and 
 new testaments, in figures twenty feet in height. This scaf- 
 folding is a beautiful piece of work, consisting of a great 
 central column, composed of numerous timbers, bound toge- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 219 
 
 ther like an immense mast braced from the bottom, and 
 branching out to the top, where it supports a substantial 
 flooring across the entire base of the dome. To this exalted 
 station the artist ascends in a box like a watchman's, moving 
 between two upright series of timbers, and raised by a wind- 
 lass and strong ropes. It requires three minutes to as- 
 cend and two to descend. Benvenuti is to receive from 
 the axand duke forty thousand dollars, exclusive of the scaf- 
 fold, which cost several thousand dollars. 
 
 On the feast of San Lorenzo the streets appeared to be un- 
 usually thronged, and as evening approached, the tide of po- 
 pulation moved towards a long street which led from one of 
 the city gates to the church of San Lorenzo. This street 
 was gaily hung out with silk drapery from the windows, as 
 is customary for holy processions; but now it was in antici- 
 pation of a favourite race, of horses without riders, and 
 decked with fire crackers and balls with points to spur them 
 on. The race itself was but a momentary excitement, as 
 the poor ill-looking horses passed rapidly down the opening 
 made for them by the people who crowded the street, whoop- 
 ing and waving their handkerchiefs as they passed. The 
 most interesting part of the spectacle consisted in the vast as- 
 semblage of people, all dressed in their holiday suits. There 
 was no appearance of gay and singular costume, as at Rome, 
 but the greatest neatness and propriety, derived from the 
 Parisian modes. A little before the race commenced, for 
 about half an hour, those who were in carriages moved 
 regularly up and down the street, to exhibit themselves, ex- 
 change salutations, and to see the concourse. There is much 
 less of female beauty here than at Rome, and for the first 
 time, I saw some agreeable deviations from the prevailing 
 moon faces and square jaws, both amongst the middling 
 classes in the streets, and those who filled the carriages and 
 windows. 
 
 But the English are permitted to treat themselves and the 
 Italians with a show of true English horse racing, which takes 
 
220 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 place near the city on a beautiful green lawn ; and, though 
 got up entirely by the English, the grand duke's horse guards 
 are stationed all around the grounds, not only to preserve or- 
 der, but to give importance to the entertainment. Besides 
 the display of choice horses which were to run, it offers an 
 opportunity for seeing all the fine horses of Florence, as well 
 as their owners. An elevated stage, on the green, contained 
 a brilliant concentration of English ladies, besides those who 
 lined the road in open carriages ; and, to complete the show, 
 the family of the grand duke and that of the king of Naples, 
 in six splendid carriages, each with six horses, took their sta- 
 tions near the goal. The performance of the horses and 
 their gaily drest jockey riders, was such as to give great sa- 
 tisfaction to the connoisseurs ; and the whole scene was an 
 animated display of movement and fashion, surrounded by 
 princely groves, and under the influence of a mild and bright 
 sky. 
 
 Besides the theatres which are in the city, there is a tem- 
 porary circus without the walls, where horsemanship and 
 feats of strength and agility are occasionally shown. It is 
 open to the weather, but in the fine season there is little dan- 
 ger of a shower. The order and decorum observed in these, 
 and all other popular places of meeting, is remarkable, and 
 highly honourable to the temper and habits of the people ; 
 they applaud with great vivacity, but seldom express any dis- 
 approbation, except by inattention or talking. At the break- 
 ing up of any meeting, the people quietly disperse, although 
 they are always ready to collect in crowds upon the smallest 
 excitement which occurs in the streets, whether from an ac- 
 cident, a juggler, or a mountebank. 
 
 In the public square it is common, once or twice a week, 
 to see a quack doctor, seated in his chaise or gig, haranguing 
 the crowd, with the most impassioned language and gestures: 
 at one corner of his carriage is a banner consisting of a hideous 
 portrait of an old monk, from whom he professes to have 
 learned his precious secrets in the healing art; occasionally he 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 221 
 
 displays a book of botanical engravings, gaily coloured, to show 
 his knowledge of nature, and his reliance on the bounty of 
 Providence, invoking- frequently the name of the Blessed Vir- 
 gin, and reverently taking off his hat, in which he is imitated 
 by the faithful around him. At the end of his discourse he 
 produces his medicines, which are eagerly bought by the cre- 
 dulous. 
 
 Occasionally, too, a dentist appears, on horseback, with an 
 attendant, likewise on horseback, who, in a similar manner, 
 but with an eloquence more voluble, and language more re- 
 fined, expatiates on his well known skill and experience ; and 
 then, to suit his action to the word, proceeds to draw the 
 teeth gratuitously of any that may present themselves at the 
 left side of his horse, to the amount of five or six. It is sur- 
 prising with what dexterity he performs the act, without 
 moving from his saddle. Afterwards, if any one wants the 
 assistance of the accomplished dentist, he must be sought at 
 his lodgings. 
 
 Every Friday a great number of peasants assemble in the 
 public square, which then resembles a rustic exchange, and 
 also at the mercato nuovo, each country man with two, 
 three, or half a dozen undressed hats, besides straw in little 
 bundles, prepared for plaiting, which is sold to the citizens, 
 who work them in their private lodgings, and even as they 
 walk the streets. 1 have seen poor women and their children 
 industriously plying their fingers at this work, whilst they were 
 gratifying their taste with the spectacle of the horse races. 
 
 Yet there are many poor persons in Florence who prefer 
 begging to plaiting straw ; and a certain class, of blind or 
 lame, are licensed by the government, and wear a stamped 
 medal badge. Upon this authority they make their ap- 
 proaches and demands with great assurance, which, however, 
 is calculated to defeat their purpose, at least with strangers, 
 who are not accustomed to such a peremptory imposition. 
 Every blind or lame beggar, however sturdy his frame, or 
 sufficient his voice, acts by an associate, who shares in the 
 
222 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 profits of the business ; and these agents, who are of sound 
 and active limb, as well as of observant eye, thus authorized 
 by the grand duke, and encouraged by a religion that sancti- 
 fies beggary, thrust out their brawny arms across the passen- 
 ger, as if to compel him to purchase a free passage by drop- 
 ping something into the tin box which is rattled before him. 
 On particular festivals they collect in great numbers in the 
 frequented passages ; where they affect the greatest misery, 
 and utter the most horrible moans. But, on Saturdays, they 
 exercise the privilege of going from store to store, and even 
 ascend to private apartments ; it being customary to bestow 
 alms in anticipation of the wants, and to promote the pious 
 purposes, of the approaching Sunday. A French baker who 
 serves me, informs me that she is obliged to cut up into pieces, 
 to distribute to the beggars who call at her shop on Saturdays, 
 at least three pauls (thirty-two cents) worth of brown bread, 
 besides the white bread which she is obliged, in conscience, to 
 give to the fat Capuchin and Benedictine monks and other 
 religious orders, who make their regular calls. 
 
 Compared with Rome, the number of beggars is, indeed, 
 small, yet it is greater than might be imagined from the in- 
 dustry and prosperity of Florence, and can only be account- 
 ed for by referring the encouragement of it to a religious im- 
 pression, that it is one of the duties which the good Christian 
 must perform, who would wish that treasures should be laid 
 up for him in heaven, and who is readily taught to believe 
 that he cannot put out his money to better interest. Perhaps 
 it is this consideration that induces the beggar so confidently 
 to obtrude his services. 
 
 At the Feast of the Madonna, and on some other occa- 
 sions, the place around the Duomo, and the whole length of 
 the street leading to the Church of the Annunciation, exhi- 
 bit a great display of furniture, dry goods, and toys, spread 
 out on the ground and on stalls. Several of these fairs are 
 held during the year in different parts of the city, and the 
 goods being sold at prices lower than usual, attract great num- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 223 
 
 bers of customers, besides the throng of idle spectators. But 
 the evening before the festa, as if the Madonna took plea- 
 sure in such sport, the young population appeared licensed 
 to make as much noise as they could, with thousands of dis- 
 cordant whistles, earthen ware bells ; roaring, whooping, hal- 
 looing, and singing, as they paraded the streets with paper 
 lanterns attached to long reeds, little illuminated houses, men 
 of straw, and illuminated baskets, &c. 
 
 On another fair on St. Martin's day, besides the ordinary 
 display of goods, the coppersmiths make a great show of cop- 
 per ware, which is much used here; the stores being deco- 
 rated in a singular taste with columns, arches, turrets, &c. 
 which are ingeniously constructed by curious combinations of 
 pots, buckets, and pans. 
 
 St. Simon's day is the feast of the shopkeepers, who then 
 make an unusual display of their wares. The bootmaker 
 has hundreds of boots arranged in arches and festoons around 
 and over his shop door, as high as his ladder can reach. A 
 manufacturer of oil cloth umbrellas, near my residence, has 
 removed his work-benches, covered all his walls with um- 
 brellas, suspended them in close contact from the ceiling, 
 faced the whole shop with them, and displayed them by scores 
 on projecting poles. These coarse umbrellas are used by 
 the peasants and the poor. They are strongly made of var- 
 nished linens of various colours, and, instead of whalebone, 
 have tough w r ood and wire ; costing from one dollar to a dol- 
 lar and a half. During the frequent rains of the autumn and 
 winter you see but few poor persons without them ; other- 
 wise, a shower of rain, coming unexpectedly, in a minute 
 clears the streets. 
 
 The eve of the Epiphany is noticed in a singular manner. 
 It is supposed to be the remnant of a heathen custom, in ho- 
 nour of Bacchus. The smut-faced labourers of the glass- 
 houses had been all day supplying the youngsters with glass 
 trumpets, nearly a yard in length, with which a noise might 
 
224 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 be made not unlike the braying of an ass. To these was add- 
 ed, as night approached, an ample supply of rope and can- 
 vass torches. The mercata nuova was the focus of flame, 
 smoke, and noise. Piles of torches were still selling by 
 torch-light, and hampers of trumpets, with loud invitations, 
 were surrounded by purchasers, blowing the blasts of trial, 
 or mixing in the thickening throng of discordant trumpeters 
 of all ages, whose din was mingled with the cries of cake and 
 cordial women, and the screams and yells of those who had 
 not six cents to pay for a trumpet. From this central spot, 
 in all directions, the torches, trumpets, and yells spread over 
 the whole city, and seemed to afford great delight to the po- 
 pulace, who were permitted this temporary uproar, under the 
 strict observance of military patroles, whenever a hand car, 
 drawn by boys, a cart moved by a jaded jackass, or a coach 
 and pair of horses, decorated with evergreens, paraded the 
 streets, in the glare of torches, and with the din of discordant 
 trumpets and savage yells, the riders personating the charac- 
 ters of Bacchus and his bottle companions. We had been 
 told that the lower order of women took part in these mad 
 scenes, but were gratified in finding that the orgies were en- 
 tirely performed by men and boys, sometimes dressed as wo- 
 men. The whole ceremony consisted in blaze and noise, 
 and calmly subsided at the usual bed-time, about eleven 
 o'clock. 
 
 Florence, which boasts of being the Athens and the Paris 
 of Italy, is so decidedly devoted to the arts, that Lord Burg- 
 hersh, the British ambassador, seeks distinction from his ta- 
 lent in musical composition; and his lady, with her black silk 
 apron, bearing marks of her occupation, is not ashamed of 
 being a student of painting in the public gallery. His lord- 
 ship has recently composed a grand mass, which was per- 
 formed at his house in elegant style. As is usual on such oc- 
 casions, the royal guards stood sentinels at the door, and the 
 visiter, as he mounted the ample flight of stairs, profusely bor- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 225 
 
 dered with flowers and shrubbery, might have thought it a 
 garden, and was strongly reminded, even in winter, that he 
 breathed in the city of flowers. 
 
 At an early hour the company moved into a large hall, fit- 
 ted up as a theatre, the scenery, on this occasion, represent- 
 ing the interior of a cathedral. The ladies and gentlemen, 
 amateur singers, to the number of twenty-nine, were seated 
 on the stage, the orchestra was filled with musicians who were 
 employed, and the company occupied benches that rose in 
 front. Six large chandeliers illuminated this theatre, and 
 showed the company to advantage. The performance was 
 excellent, and the style of the music appeared to me to com- 
 bine the graces of the plaintive Italian with occasional bursts 
 of German grandeur, ending in a peculiarly impressive man- 
 ner. The applauses from the connoisseurs in music were fre- 
 quent, and the bursts of bravo, at the conclusion, must have 
 been highly gratifying to the noble composer. 
 
 The company dispersing through numerous apartments 
 decorated with a profusion of statues and paintings, had 
 the liberty of enjoying themselves either among the crowded 
 halls, in the quiet card-rooms around the billiard-table, in 
 the lively scene of the ball-room, or at the tables which 
 were profusely furnished with every delicacy that could gra- 
 tify the palate. The style of dress here, like thaf at Rome, 
 is in the French fashion, and the ladies practise the same con- 
 fident air and movement of the opera dancer. 
 
 Although the structure of the Italian language is said to fa- 
 vour the art of extemporaneous versification, the powers dis- 
 played by improvisatori of the highest rank, are considered 
 by literary Italians as among the most interesting exhibitions 
 that occasionally take place, for it is but occasionally that 
 this enjoyment is offered. Rosa Taddei, of Naples, is the 
 most distinguished improvisatrice of the day. Her perfor- 
 mances take place at the principal theatre, two or three times 
 on a visit, with the interval of several days. 1 was fortunate 
 in adding one to a very full house, whose sole expectations 
 
 29 
 
226 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 of entertainment were derived from her engagement to utter 
 unpremeditated verses. 
 
 When the curtain rose, the scene was that of a parlour, 
 with an open piano, at which a professor of music was seat- 
 ed. On the entrance of Rosa Taddei, she was greeted with 
 loud applause by her old friends and confiding expectants. 
 She appeared to be about thirty years of age, and, though 
 small, her uncorsetted chest gave ample space for the impor- 
 tant action of her powerful lungs. She was dressed as a pri- 
 vate lady. Her pale face indicated a studious life, but her 
 forehead was low and narrow, though her head was broad; 
 her little sunken eye was quick in its movements, and when 
 it looked intently out, to fashion the measure of a thought, 
 was accompanied by a slight contraction of the brow that 
 banished all suspicion of coquetry. Her nose was small, and 
 her mouth would be called ordinary; but when it was about 
 to speak, it quivered delicately with the rising emotion, and 
 varied its expression according to the passion of her dis- 
 course. 
 
 A servant now advances to the front of the stage, holding 
 a little casket, destined to receive the papers which are hand- 
 ed from different parts of the house, containing subjects pro- 
 posed for recitation. When about forty of these are received, 
 the casket is placed on a side table. Without reading them 
 she folds and returns them to the casket. This is an operation 
 of some time, and serves to give the appearance of business 
 and, perhaps, composure to the performer. Advancing to 
 the side boxes and orchestra, she offers successively to diffe- 
 rent persons the casket, out of which, each time, a paper 
 is drawn and presented to her. With a grave, deliberate, 
 and emphatic voice she reads the theme proposed. If the 
 subject is hackneyed, dull, or unfit, a lamentable and deep- 
 toned ah ! synonymous with our bah ! is heard from various 
 parts of the house; on which she tears up the paper with 
 an impressive look, which seems to say — such is your plea- 
 sure. When six or seven subjects are approved by the cries 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 227 
 
 of yes, yes, she places them on her side table, selects one, 
 and, advancing to the piano, decides upon a musical harmo- 
 ny, which the professor immediately begins to play, and con- 
 tinues delicately ; during which she walks in measured steps 
 across the stage backwards and forwards, looking earnestly 
 down, occasionally pausing, sometimes raising her hand to 
 her mouth or forehead. The crowded house is silent as 
 death, and she is only influenced by the measure of the mu- 
 sic and the arrangement of her unseen materials of thought. 
 This being completed, she suddenly advances, and begins w r ith 
 a burst of language, in which she continues with unhesitating 
 volubility and moderate action, occasionally uttering some 
 fine expression that draws forth from experienced critics an 
 approving bravo ! It was to be remarked, that as she ad- 
 vanced to the termination of every line, couplet, or stanza, 
 according to the compass of the sentiment, there was a dwel- 
 ling on the syllables and a monotonous chanting, very much 
 resembling the cadence of a quaker preacher; thereby per- 
 mitting her thoughts to advance and fashion the commence- 
 ment of the following line, couplet, or stanza, which was al- 
 ways eagerly and expressively pronounced at its commence- 
 ment, and as regularly terminated in the thought-resolving 
 chant. 
 
 Among the subjects which she treated, some of which she 
 began with little preparation, were the following: — The dis- 
 coveries of Galileo and Columbus, and the ingratitude of 
 their country; two Doctors, a Lawyer and Jealous Woman ; 
 a Lawyer's Inkhorn ; and a Dialogue between the Dome of 
 St. Peter and the Dome of Florence. This last appeared to 
 perplex her a little, and it was some time before she could 
 fashion it to her mind ; indeed, there was an expectation, 
 from the frequency of her turns across the stage, and her con- 
 tracted brow, that she would be obliged to acknowledge a 
 failure ; but when she advanced, and began in elegant strains 
 to state the difficult nature of the singular task imposed on 
 her, to give tongues to the domes so long silent, and listen to 
 
228 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 so distant a dialogue between the Duomo, the boast of Flo- 
 rence, and the Dome of St. Peter's, suspended in mid air by 
 the divine Buonarotti ; and then, with increasing enthusiasm, 
 made them recount, in strains of honourable emulation, the 
 great events of which they had been the witnesses, the de- 
 light of the audience knew no bounds in the thundering repe- 
 titions of bravo ! 
 
 Some of the pieces she composed with terminating words, 
 suggested by acclamation from the audience as she proceed- 
 ed ; other pieces were so conceived as to introduce a parti- 
 cular word into every stanza, proposed by any voice at its 
 commencement. It was a singular and interesting exhibi- 
 tion, in which a little feeble woman, during a whole eve- 
 ning, could afford the most refined entertainment to a crowd- 
 ed theatre. Such is the homage paid to mental superio- 
 rity. 
 
 The carnival at Florence is said to be inferior to that at 
 Rome. It is certainly less gay, but more noisy than at Paris. 
 During forty days previous to the commencement of lent, 
 many persons enjoyed the privilege of going about masked ; 
 but the amusement became general only during the last three 
 days, when the whole city, with a vast increase from a popu- 
 lous vicinity, gave themselves up to the follies and extrava- 
 gancies of fantastic dresses and pasteboard faces, and, what 
 the Florentines seem to enjoy above all things, outrageous 
 noise. The fashionable walk on the river-side, and the ar- 
 cades under the National Gallery, were the chief places of 
 resort, and attracted such crowds that it was difficult to move 
 against the current, notwithstanding its good humour and de- 
 corum — military guards preventing the ingress of the popu- 
 lace. As usual, the opera house, disembarrassed of benches 
 and scenery, and arranged in splendid style, with abundant 
 illumination, was opened to dancing and masking. The royal 
 family were present in their boxes, and the grand duke, to 
 show his confidence in his people, made a circuit of all the 
 rooms. It was worthy of remark, during this royal squeeze, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 2€9 
 
 that, although the grand duke was not masked, and literally 
 elbowed through the crowd, that by a general sentiment of 
 propriety he was considered incognito; and men that were 
 accustomed to bow at a distance to their sovereign, were now 
 privileged, with their hats on, to stare at him unceremoni- 
 ously. 
 
 The highest ground within the city of Florence is that on 
 which rises the fortress called Belvedere, whose extensive 
 ramparts immediately overlook the Boboli gardens, the Ducal 
 palace, and all the city. The streets on this hill are very 
 steep, but the rest of the city is a dead level. A beautiful 
 view of Florence is to be found from the Mount of Olives, 
 outside of the gate leading to Leghorn. It is covered with 
 villas, gardens, vineyards, and olive plantations, and over- 
 looks the city, commanding a distant view of the palace, the 
 Duomo, and other principal buildings, and in the distance 
 the mountain village of Fiesole and its neighbouring hills. 
 
 The Gate of St. Nicholas leads you directly up a steep 
 road to the church and convent of St. Francis. Every 
 few paces there is a stone pedestal and steps to sit or kneel 
 on, surmounted with a cross. Perhaps it was judicious to 
 establish these stations, as they are called, as breathing 
 places, to rest or pray at, in ascending the steep mount, es- 
 pecially for the convenience of old persons. These crosses 
 reach entirely to the church, surround the door, and line 
 the aisles within. It belongs to a confraternity of Fran- 
 ciscans, whose mendicant occupation gives countenance to 
 several old women who cross your way on the hill, and 
 demand your alms with a pious resolution of compelling 
 you to the purchase of grace. Near this, stands an an- 
 cient wall, enclosing a monastic establishment, which pos- 
 sesses a square tower, said to be designed by Michael An- 
 gelo. We approached the antique gate, overgrown with 
 ivy; its iron-covered doors were wide open, and where 
 was formerly a portcullis, is now only a peaceful archway. 
 Loop holes still remain open at each side, but there was 
 
230 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 nothing to molest our approach, nor visible signs of mor- 
 tal habitation. From these places the eye commands beau- 
 tiful views of Florence, which lies close below; the level 
 vale through which the Arno winds, spreads out in the dis- 
 tance to the boundary of mountains that encircle the whole 
 horizon. 
 
 Immediately outside the gate that leads to Rome, a long 
 avenue of aged cypress and other fine trees invite attention 
 to one of the many country seats of the grand duke. The 
 road is a gentle ascent for nearly a mile, perfectly straight, 
 and kept in the most careful repair; so that it is much fre- 
 quented as a promenade. A low stone wall, or border, 
 finishes the bank, where it is cut away on both sides. Be- 
 fore reaching the top, on turning round and looking down, 
 you have a brilliant view of part of the city, with the 
 mountain rising beyond, beautifully contrasted with the 
 dark cypresses which form the towering sides of a descend- 
 ing perspective. The villa is in an elegant style of con- 
 struction, but unfinished, and contains some good paintings 
 and statuary. 
 
 At an opposite extremity of the city, the Castle of St. 
 John is a regular fortification, but dismantled of almost all 
 its cannon. You enter a dark, antiquated, central tower, 
 and walk under immense vaults, lighted by distant open- 
 ings or passages, till you reach the interior level, which 
 contains quite a town of barracks, all occupied by soldiery. 
 The walls on the bulwarks, overlook a delightful country 
 of gardens, vineyards, country seats, and ranges of moun- 
 tains; and all around the beautiful level of the fosse or 
 ditch, affords excellent places for athletic games, shaded by 
 rows of trees and paths for walking. 
 
 But the fashionable place of resort, especially for the 
 equipages of the Florentine and English nobility, is on the 
 grounds laid out for a promenade, both for walking and 
 riding, at the lower end of the city, commencing outside 
 the gate, and extending a great distance down the river; 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 231 
 
 with all the delightful embellishments of groves, avenues, 
 shrubbery, terraces, lawns, hedges, roads, paths, fountains, 
 and seats. In the midst of these is a neat building for the 
 grand duke, when he chooses to spend any time here. It 
 is called the cascina, or cow-farm, and really produces, for 
 the royal benefit, the finest milk and butter in the Floren- 
 tine market. I have met the sovereign Duke in his usual 
 plain suit of black as a private gentleman, and the Duchess 
 as a plain gentlewoman, walking in these grounds, without 
 any guards or attendants, except three servants in livery, 
 who followed at a distance. He appears to be much es- 
 teemed by the people, who uncover their heads as he 
 passes, and to whom he takes off his hat and bows in re- 
 turn. 1 have at other times met him going to the same 
 place in a coach and six, followed by another coach and 
 six, attended by out riders, in which style he often moves 
 about the city, joining in the course of carriages on holi- 
 days; though he sometimes rides in a plain coach. 
 
 Travellers from Bologna enjoy the most magnificent en- 
 trance into Florence, descending a fine road, passing a large 
 public promenade, which reaches to the gate, the deformi- 
 ty of which is veiled by a grand triumphal arch. From 
 this gate, another road leads to Fiesole, which, for about 
 two miles, is not too steep for a carriage, beyond it is 
 so much so as to require an effort in walking up it. It is 
 well paved, passes through a highly cultivated country, 
 often between stone walls, and occasionally reaching the 
 edge of the mountain as it winds its way up, presenting 
 delightful prospects of Florence sunk in the valley below. 
 But when at last you reach the highest spot, which we did 
 after two hours walking, you are well compensated by the 
 prospect, which is very extensive, Florence being almost 
 lost in the mass of verdure in the plain, through which 
 the course of the Arno is but slightly traced. We stood 
 on one of the mountains of the Appennines, which rose 
 still higher behind us, and continued their rugged banks 
 
232 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 around in all directions, but cultivated to their summits 
 and sprinkled with habitations. Fiesole was a city before 
 Florence had any existence, though now only a few ves- 
 tiges of the ancient buildings remain. The whole top of 
 the mountain is covered with monasteries, churches, an 
 episcopal palace, and private dwellings which are inhabit- 
 ed entirely by stone-cutters, who go every morning to 
 Florence to work, returning up hill in the evening. It 
 was Sunday evening, and from the church of the Francis- 
 can convent on the hill above the village, there was pour- 
 ing down the healthy old women of the mountain in black 
 veils, and a few city dressed ladies. Here we sat upon a 
 little terrace, till the glowing sun dipped behind the misty 
 forms of the purple mountains, presenting, for a few mi- 
 nutes, a scene of extraordinary beauty. 
 
 A fair is annually held in the autumn, which attracts mul- 
 titudes of people from Florence, and all the country round. 
 We found the roads crowded in all directions. As carriages 
 can ascend only half way, we were much amused to see se- 
 veral companies of ladies, seated in coarse baskets or crates, 
 which were open behind like an ancient car, and fixed on 
 branches of trees, forming a kind of sledge, and slowly drawn 
 up the steep road by oxen. The public square was filled 
 with dry goods brought from Florence, copper, tin, wood 
 and straw work. The houses around were occupied with 
 eating, drinking, and exhibitions of various sorts. I have 
 seldom seen such a merry meeting, particularly at dusk, 
 when the greater part were returning to the city, singing, 
 roaring, whistling and slapping each other with long wooden 
 spoons or ferulas. 
 
 An annual exhibition of the works of living artists takes 
 place at the academy in the month of September, but re- 
 mains open only one week, unless it happens to possess some 
 extraordinary interest to prolong it another week. The first 
 visiter is the grand duke, whose carriage we found at the 
 door; where a crowd of persons were waiting the moment 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 233 
 
 of his departure. The exhibition is made in various rooms, 
 (only one of which is sky-lighted) temporarily disembarrassed 
 of their benches, drawing boards, easels and students, and 
 open to the free passage of all that choose to range through 
 them: this affords a fine occasion to see the collection of 
 plaster casts from the antique and the series of paintings by 
 the early masters. The work which commands the chief at- 
 tention is a large picture, by Bazzoli, representing Charles 
 VIII. of France, with a haughty aspect entering one of 
 the gates of Florence. The front ground is occupied by 
 Machiavel, and other distinguished citizens, who express to • 
 each other their indignation and grief. The groups of horses, 
 men, women and children, evince an excellent talent for 
 composition and colouring. Indeed the colouring strikes me 
 as much superior to that of any other of the first painters of 
 Italy. One altar-piece and some small histories attract su- 
 bordinate attention. Venuses, portraits, landscapes, and 
 drawings, generally placed low, in a single row, conduct you 
 from room to room. And, finally, for public inspection, are 
 the studies from the academy figure, an historic subject, 
 and architectural and other drawings, done in competition 
 for the prizes annually awarded by the academy. Models 
 of fruit in wax, specimens of engraving, penmanship, &c, 
 and a list of the names of those who have gained the prizes 
 in music, and the other branches of science which are gra- 
 tuitously taught in this princely establishment, completed the 
 round. 
 
 Every artist, who sends his works to this exhibition, is en- 
 titled to the privilege of placing his pictures in. any situa- 
 tion he may prefer, which is not previously cccupied. Of 
 course the professors of the academy possess the first right. 
 My Portrait of Washington had a conspicuous situation 
 and was as honourably noticed as it had been in Rome. 
 
 During the months of July and August, although the sun 
 is intensely hot, and the shade is carefully sought by those 
 who walk out, the streets are not so deserted in the middle 
 
 30 
 
234 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 of the day as they are at Rome; but the people indulge still 
 more in the coolness of the evening, sitting in the streets, 
 around the coffee-houses, and lining the bridges, where seats 
 are provided by the government. The theatres do not open 
 till nine o'clock, and continue long after midnight, which, it 
 is common to say, is the most lively hour at Florence. This 
 is true only as it relates to those who have filled the theatres, 
 for the greater part of the population are sound asleep at that 
 hour, and I have generally found the streets deserted and 
 quiet at eleven. 
 
 As the season has been advancing, the quantity, variety, 
 and excellence of the fruit is such as to surprise even an 
 American. The apricots are the size of our peaches, and 
 plumbs as large as hens' eggs. The peaches, though less 
 rich than ours, are more juicy, and the pears are of every 
 kind. I attempted to taste the early fig of a purple colour, 
 but found it watery and slimy. The white fig, which suc- 
 ceeds it, is much firmer, and an excellent article of food. 
 Cantelopes and musk-melons are abundant and cheap, but 
 water-melons appear to be the popular fancy; for, in all parts 
 of the city are stalls, covered with vine leaves spread out as 
 a table cloth, upon which are arranged slices of them, or 
 sections ready to be sliced, to accommodate even the poorest 
 customer, who presents his quattrino, a little copper coin, 
 four hundred of which go to make the Florentine dollar. 
 From my balcony in the Piazza Granduca, I often look down 
 upon two sturdy men, with a little boy to give change, busily 
 engaged with long broad knives, dealing out their bits of me- 
 lons to a crowd of customers, each melon being chipped 
 into about forty slices. 
 
 As the season still farther advances, and the melons be- 
 come more abundant, they are spread out in halves upon the 
 tables, and shelves formed like a step ladder. And men go 
 about, delegated from these stalls, or adventurers on a small- 
 er scale, each with a cut melon, held in front of a leather 
 apron, flourishing his long knife, and crying out loudly for cus- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 235 
 
 torn. Such a stout able-bodied merchant would be thought 
 an idle fellow in America. 
 
 Of figs there are several kinds, purple, white, and green, 
 which are brought to market in great quantities, and sold at 
 a low rate, from four to sixteen for a cent; grapes are at 
 two cents the pound of twelve ounces; and chesnuts, which 
 suddenly appear in October, are sold in all parts of the 
 city boiled and roasted, large copper pans over portable 
 furnaces being used in the streets, not by Florentines, but 
 Swiss, who come at the season expressly to roast ches- 
 nuts. When roasted, they are kept hot under thick quilted 
 cloths, and measured out in great clumsy wooden cups, at the 
 rate of about eighteen for a cent. They are as large as our 
 horse chesnuts. We are told that they constitute a great 
 article of food with the poor, as they are esteemed a luxury 
 even by the rich, being often introduced in the dessert with 
 more costly articles. 
 
 The mild atmosphere of early autumn is frequently in- 
 terrupted by violent storms of wind and rain, and early in 
 October we found the north wind unpleasantly cold. But 
 when the storms of November deposite their snows upon 
 the neighbouring mountains, though neither ice nor snow 
 may be seen in the city or valley, the vapoury atmosphere 
 becomes chilling cold, and the sharp blasts of wind out- 
 rageously rude. Extensive level basins are made outside 
 the city walls, which are filled with water and suffered to 
 freeze for the use of ice-cream houses. As soon as the wind 
 changes, it immediately becomes mild, the air thickens, 
 clouds accumulate, and the rain falls; but soon the north 
 wind returns with redoubled fury, to render Florence the 
 most inclement spot that a valetudinarian could have the 
 misfortune to choose for the restoration of his health. 
 
 Strangers from colder climates complain that in Florence 
 they suffer more from the cold than in their own countries. 
 This is partly owing to their being here unprovided for 
 much cold weather. The doors and window sashes are badly 
 
236 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 hung, the brick floors cold, fire-places either badly construct- 
 ed or entirely wanting, and fuel expensive, so that it is diffi- 
 cult to warm the houses. In default of this, the inhabitants 
 make use of little earthen or copper fire-pots, which they car- 
 ry with them, like baskets, wherever they go, either through 
 the house or out of doors, where you see the women and 
 children holding them with both hands under their aprons. 
 They are supplied with charcoal made of small branches 
 and twigs which they imagine less unwholesome than large 
 charcoal. These fire-pots, without any air holes in the bot- 
 tom, and filled with coals and ashes, consume the coal very 
 gradually, but require to be stirred occasionally, when the 
 heated charcoal instantly brightens into red, and emits the 
 desired heat 
 
 For the supply of such a necessary article, every part of 
 the city abounds in shops, which are filled with fire-pots of 
 every size and quality. In the morning you may observe, 
 at the doors of the public offices, a large provision of them, 
 equal in number to the clerks and officers employed in the 
 great paved halls, which are without fire-places. At the 
 public galleries the custodi or guides move about, each 
 with his fire-pot, with which, occasionally, the visiter is 
 permitted to warm his fingers. In the ordinary domestic 
 economy, whilst the cookery is chiefly performed with 
 charcoal in small grates, the housewife works with her 
 fire-pot beside her or under her clothes, the servant girl 
 carries one from room to room, the little children, as 
 they run to school, carry them as well as their books, 
 and, finally, the beggars, who pour out on Saturday with 
 their irresistible claims, not only carry their umbrellas 
 when it rains, but the comfort of their fire-pots in cold 
 weather. At the same time when these pots appear, may 
 be seen a great display of hemispherical frames, made of 
 segments of flat hoops, the use of which is not immediately 
 to be guessed. They are furnished each with a hook on 
 the inner part of the top, on which one of these fire-pots 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 237 
 
 may be hung. With this apparatus, placed in bed between 
 the sheets, the business of a warming pan is effected. 
 
 Conflagrations are rare in Italy. In Rome I once saw 
 soldiers posted round a cellar, whence some smoke issued; 
 but the public firemen soon subdued the flame, which w T as 
 among some fire wood. The only instance besides this, 
 occurred here, in my own premises. Stone houses, brick 
 passages and brick floors afford a satisfactory assurance of 
 safety in houses which contain a variety of lodgers whose 
 apartments connect from the first, by means of stone steps, 
 up to the fifth story. The excessive cold weather which 
 prevailed in December and January, induced me, as an Ame- 
 rican, to enjoy the comfort of a good fire with some friends 
 on New Year's eve, without apprehending any danger, in 
 rooms where nothing but the doors and window shutters 
 were of wood. At break of day, however, I was awakened 
 by the smell of smoke, and found my sitting room filled 
 with it. As the cloud dispersed on opening the door and 
 window, it was perceived to issue through the cracks of 
 the brick pavement, apparently from the room below, in 
 which its proprietor transacted business only at noon. In 
 this room the fire was heard to crackle, but no one must 
 break open the door till the police were notified, firemen 
 called, and persons placed in front of the house and on the 
 stairs. The firemen then, with great resolution, in defi- 
 ance of smoke and fire, proceeded to their duty, with 
 hatchet, pick-axe, fire-buckets and syringe. As there was 
 no fire-engine called, I was much pleased with the. opera- 
 tion of this last instrument, which was about three feet 
 long and held the contents of a bucket of water, which was 
 squirted into every opening where the fire was perceived. 
 Entirely to extinguish it, it was necessary to break up my 
 hearth and floor, which was in danger of falling in, from the 
 timbers which supported them being burnt through. We 
 were surprised to see, amid such apparent security, so much 
 dangerous arrangement of timber, passing entirely under 
 
238 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 the fire-place. Boards were nailed across these timbers, 
 upon which a thin pavement was laid in mortar; whilst the 
 ceiling below was made by plastering upon a matting of 
 split reeds, which were nailed to the lower surface, leaving 
 openings for the circulation of air and the extension of fire. 
 The better method, in France, is to fill up with mortar and 
 stones every cavity. During the operations of the firemen, 
 the police officers wrote their statements of the facts, for 
 the regulation of justice between the occupant, his land- 
 lord, and the proprietor of the house. It will surprise an 
 American who has not witnessed the deficiencies of social 
 intercourse in Italy, to be informed, that, thus driven from 
 the comforts of my own fire-side in the most inclement 
 weather (there being no other fire-place in the rooms I oc- 
 cupied,) no tenant in the same house, or any other, even 
 pretended to offer me a temporary asylum; this, however, 
 in a distant part of the city, I received from the hospitality 
 of an American, who had not lived in Italy long enough to 
 be spoiled. 
 
 In works of peculiar interest, while Paris has reason to 
 boast of the incomparable pictures which are wrought in 
 worsted tapestry at the Gobelins, while Rome, without a ri- 
 val, has attained the highest excellence in the production of 
 mosaic pictures;* and while Sienna shows the admirable imi- 
 tations, by means of inlaid stone, of masterly sketches, in 
 a manner no longer practised; Florence is distinguished by 
 a manufacture, originally of very limited pretensions, but 
 gradually rising in importance till it has now reached an 
 extraordinary perfection. It is the art of making pictures 
 in pietro duro, and consists entirely of inlaid segments of 
 coloured and precious stones. Strangers are permitted to 
 examine in detail the operations of this singular and costly 
 art, which is carried on at the public expense in a suite 
 
 * Recently the French government has established a similar manufac- 
 tory at Paris, the works of which I have not been able to see. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 239 
 
 of rooms at the Academy of Fine Arts. Pictures are 
 first painted or procured as models for imitation; outlines 
 of these are traced on paper; which, being cut into sec- 
 tions, is divided among the workmen. For each leaf, each 
 petal of a flower, &c, the artist has to seek in the magazine 
 of stones the requisite colours, lights and shades, in large 
 or small portions, which he cuts, fashions, combines and 
 cements on a base of stone; filing with tools of copper dipped 
 in wet emery, and refining his outlines, filling in his grounds, 
 and extending his design, till the whole composition is com- 
 pleted; it is then ground to a perfect level and polish. 
 
 A number of splendid works in this manner are now finish- 
 ing for the altar in the magnificent chapel of the princes in 
 the church of San Lorenzo; but some portions of the design 
 are executed in basso relievo, representing fruit, and wrought 
 of the most beautiful stones. Among several precious tables, 
 I remarked one which represented a pipe or hautboy, with a 
 group of flowers, recently finished, in which the white lilies 
 composed of calcedony, as well as the contours, lights, shades, 
 and shadows of all the objects rivalled the perfection of na- 
 ture. Exclusive of the materials, the labour on this little 
 table cost eighteen thousand dollars. Several rooms are filled 
 with shelves in cases under glass, exhibiting an astonishing 
 variety of coloured flints, pebbles, jaspers, and every spe- 
 cies of white, clouded, mottled, spotted, veined and co- 
 loured stones, in sections and slabs, from all parts of the 
 world; forming a collection of those beautiful objects of 
 larger dimensions, more exquisite beauty, and of greater va- 
 lue than I could have conceived. The octagonal table, in 
 one of the rooms of the national gallery, executed in this 
 manner, is composed of an incalculable amount of precious 
 stones, and occupied twenty men, from the year 1633 to 
 1649, sixteen years, in making it at a charge of eighty thou- 
 sand dollars. 
 
 Some of the guide books speak of the Palazzo Buona- 
 rotti, in which are preserved the rooms occupied by Michael 
 
240 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Angelo. It is no palace, but a very plain three story house, 
 recently repaired in the modern taste. An elderly servant 
 or housekeeper conducted us to a series of four small rooms, 
 but little altered since they were inhabited by the sublime 
 sculptor. The doors of his rooms are composed of sections 
 of curly walnut roots, of various shades of colour, inlaid to 
 represent figures the size of life, which resemble grotesque 
 paintings; others were painted with figures, in perspective, 
 entirely filling up the doorways. The first room was his 
 parlour, but may now be considered his mausoleum, the 
 walls and ceilings being divided into panels, within which 
 are recently painted the principal events of his life. He is 
 represented in a marble statue at one end of the room, and 
 on an opposite wall is an unfinished fresco painting, by him, 
 and a small basso relievo of marble inserted in the wall. 
 The second was his bed-room, where there is a bronze bust 
 of him by John of Bologna; old walnut cabinets surround 
 the room, containing a variety of shells and antiques which 
 belonged to him; on the walls, in little frames, are hung 
 some of his original drawings; the cornice is painted with 
 various coats of arms of the family, and very heavy old 
 fashioned chairs stand around. The third room was his 
 chapel, the ceiling of which is ornamented and gilded, with 
 a miniature cupola, in the taste of the times. On the little 
 altar hangs the rosary which he probably used. The fourth 
 room, which he could not enter without passing through the 
 chapel, was his painting room, cased round with walnut ca- 
 binets; some of which were opened to show us his bottles 
 of oil and varnish, and paint pots of curious shapes; his 
 cross-handled canes, long Indian arrows, which the simple 
 housekeeper says he used as brush handles, and an Indian 
 bow, which she says was his mall-stick, a pair of slippers, 
 and many other articles which belonged to him two hundred 
 and sixty-six years ago were shown us. No use is made of 
 these rooms, but they are preserved in this state by the family, 
 who pride themselves in being his descendants, merely to show 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 241 
 
 to strangers. ' The last male descendant, bearing the name of 
 Buonarotti, is now at Rome, studying as an artist. 
 
 The Studio of Raphael Morghen, in part of the exten- 
 sive premises of the royai academy, has its walls covered 
 with choice impressions, under glass, of the best engravings 
 from the hand of this celebrated veteran of the graver, and a 
 portfolio on the table contains the residue of his w r orks. The 
 most perfect of these are, his well-known Last Supper, from 
 Davinci's picture, and the Transfiguration, from Raphael. 
 This last and most beautiful engraving was executed about 
 sixteen years ago, and has become so rare, that proof impres- 
 sions are sold by him at two hundred dollars each, a good 
 price for one sheet of paper. But his Madonna delta Seg- 
 giola, though esteemed the best in its time, has been sur- 
 passed by a recent one of Garavaglia. 
 
 At one end of an ample square, the Church of Santa 
 Maria Novella, once the admiration of all Florence for the 
 beauty of its chequered front, and called by Michael Angelo 
 his spouse, possesses no external attractions, and its Gothic 
 arches, which are praised for their lightness, are of the plain- 
 est kind. ' Its altar-pieces are ancient pictures in bad condi- 
 tion. A Christ, wretchedly painted by Giotto on a paneled 
 cross, hangs over the door: and the Madonna, by Cimabue, 
 which astonished and delighted the Florentines, who marched 
 with it in solemn procession to this church, is just such a 
 thing as might be supposed in the first production of a coun- 
 try genius; for though he had learned from the Greeks, then 
 employed in decorating the church, how to lay on gold and 
 paint, he had not learned to draw human fingers so well as 
 he succeeded in making Chinese faces. The towering walls 
 of the choir, behind the grand altar, are covered, picture 
 above picture, with the ruins of frescos, wonderful in their 
 time, by Guirlandaio, the master of Michael Angelo ; they 
 contain, as was usual in the works of that period, a great 
 many very good portraits. The extensive cloisters of the 
 adjoining convent contain in their vast circuit a succession of 
 
 31 
 
242 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 decayed frescos painted by the best artists of Florence, two 
 hundred years ago, representing miracles wrought by Do- 
 minican saints. The only miracles now performed are by 
 furnishing the poor with excellenUmedicines from a pharma- 
 ceutic laboratory established in the convent. 
 
 Ricci, a distinguished sculptor of Florence, having finished 
 his Monument to the Memory of Dante, which has long 
 been surrounded with a screen, it was opened for public in- 
 spection with the solemnity of a grand funeral mass. AH the 
 twenty-five altars of the church of Santa Croce, in which it 
 is erected, contiguous to the tomb of Michael Angelo, were 
 illuminated. Before the great altar a rich cenotaph was 
 placed, covered and surrounded with great wax candles, as if 
 he had recently died. A temporary orchestra was construct- 
 ed below the organ, where one hundred excellent musicians 
 delighted a respectable multitude who filled the vast edifice ; 
 whilst the new monument, surpassing all others in magnitude, 
 was advantageously seen by a ray of light which descended 
 from an opposite window, all the others being obscured to 
 heighten the effect. Such is the present veneration for the 
 exiled poet, and such the honour paid to the production of 
 a citizen artist. The monument represents the genius of po- 
 etry, in deep grief, at one corner of a sarcophagus, and at 
 the other the figure of Italy, with extended arm, pointing out 
 the venerable form of Dante seated on the top of a pe- 
 destal. 
 
 Bartolini is the fashionable sculptor of portraits. A se- 
 ries of rooms in one of his studios, for he has several, is filled 
 with busts of beautiful English women and noblemen. He 
 is celebrated for the exquisite finish of his marble; but boasts 
 of never having been to Rome, and despises the idea of fol- 
 lowing the antique whilst he has eyes to see nature. Yet it 
 is manifest in his most beautiful works, that he has not glanced 
 on the Greek statues without catching a portion of their sim- 
 plicity, grace, and character. 
 
 Horatio Greenough of Boston is a favourite pupil of Bar- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 243 
 
 tolini, and distinguished as the first and only American who has 
 studied sculpture scientifically. He is executing a beautiful 
 Group of Two Jingels, at the request of Mr. Cooper the 
 novelist, who thus appears as the liberal patron of a kindred 
 genius. 
 
 The historical painter Benvenuti, who basks in the sun- 
 shine of royal favour, is known to visiters as the author of 
 the splendid fresco paintings which cover the walls of an apart- 
 ment in the Pitti palace. His painting rooms are at the royal 
 academy, where we saw the large cartoons prepared for the 
 ceiling of the Chapel of the Medici, which at present en- 
 grosses all his attention. His great oil picture of the Death 
 of Priam, at the Corsini palace, may exhibit more finished 
 details of drawing than the pictures of his Roman rival Ca- 
 mucini, but unquestionably less of general truth, expression 
 and propriety of action. 
 
 In the painting rooms of Colignon I found the same style 
 of composition, drapery and colour which prevails at Rome, 
 although he professes to pursue a different mode, and does 
 not draw large cartoons, which he believes to be injurious to 
 the spirit of composition. Some parts of his pictures are 
 well coloured, because he makes in oil distinct studies of eve- 
 ry head, hand and foot; but he finishes very highly a small 
 drawing on paper, and then transfers to his large canvass the 
 whole outline, which he rigidly retains. By this means er- 
 rors are confirmed in large, which escape detection in small, 
 until seen by some less prejudiced eye. In his pictures of 
 the Death of Sophonisba and the Death of Lucretia, 
 there are many beautiful parts, especially in the arrangement 
 of the drapery. 
 
 As the carpenter is packing up my boxes of pictures, I can- 
 not forbear noticing a peculiarity in the make and use of the 
 gimlet, which I had likewise remarked at Rome. The thread 
 runs the contrary way, and requires a motion of the arm the 
 reverse of our practice. An Italian gimlet would, therefore, 
 suit a left-handed man. 
 
244 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 It was again necessary, as at Rome, to obtain permission 
 from persons appointed for that purpose, to export my own 
 paintings. Two custom-house officers took an inventory of 
 the pictures as they were packed up, and then affixed their 
 seals to the packages, which will exempt them from farther 
 scrutiny. This not only prevents precious pictures being 
 smuggled away, but produces fees for government depen- 
 dants. 
 
 The road from Florence towards Pisa, along the Arno, 
 passes through numerous villages, only two of which are re- 
 markable : one as being entirely composed of brick and tile 
 makers, and the other for the beauty and neatness of its houses 
 and new marble bridge; the rest ^are disgustingly dirty, and 
 abounding with beggars. With the exception of a few who 
 were engaged in the labours of the field, almost every wo- 
 man we met on the road was occupied in making straw hats, 
 sitting on the sunny side of the way to economise their scan- 
 ty fuel. The peasant women who, when they visit Florence, 
 always go in their black hats and ostrich feathers, gold ear- 
 rings and pearl necklaces, I perceived every where around 
 their homes with their heads and shoulders simply covered 
 with a shawl. The river banks, being without trees, possess 
 no charm to an American eye; but the neighbouring hills 
 are covered with beautiful villas and farm-houses. Before 
 reaching Pisa the road branches off to Leghorn across an im- 
 mense expanse of land, level as a meadow, highly cultivated, 
 but little inhabited, till we met the road which leads from 
 Leghorn to Pisa, lively with carriages. Leghorn being with- 
 out any high ground or steeples, nothing could be seen of it 
 till we passed the moat and entered the fortified walls. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 245 
 
 Leghorn, April KM, 1830. 
 
 A considerable portion of the city is intersected by ca- 
 nals, with streets on each side, and large warehouses, afford- 
 ing great facility for receiving and transmitting goods. The 
 streets are straight, wide and well paved, and the houses have 
 a clean, respectable and sometimes elegant appearance. 
 
 Outside the wall, and next to the sea, is an inner harbour, 
 formed anciently by the sweep of a mole, beyond which a 
 greater one now projects and stretches in front of the har- 
 bour, terminated by a fortress ; so that a person arriving at 
 Leghorn by water passes the outer harbour, where sometimes 
 a quarantine is performed, into the inner harbour in front of 
 a health-office, a beautiful new building of white marble. A 
 space of ground between the harbour and city wall is thought 
 to be ornamented with a colossal statue of a proud-looking 
 Ferdinand I. of white marble, standing fiercely erect on a 
 high pedestal ; at the four corners of which, in attitudes of 
 submission and terror, sit four bronze Asiatic slaves, whose 
 chains descending from the corners of the pedestal, were in- 
 tended, by a graceful sweep, to ornament this disgusting mo- 
 nument. 
 
 On entering Leghorn from the harbour, the narrow and 
 crowded gateway opens into a long, wide and somewhat ele- 
 gant street, rich in stores of foreign goods, chiefly English, 
 which are here sold so cheap, Leghorn being a free port, that 
 many persons from Florence come down sixty miles to make 
 their private purchases* This street, where are the best 
 hotels and coffee-houses, is the chief promenade of all classes; 
 Christian, Turk, Jew and gentile : the noise which they make, 
 intermingled with the popular cries, more than their slow 
 movement, has given to Leghorn the character of being live- 
 ly and bustling. 
 
246 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 What is called the Cathedral stands at the end of a large 
 public square. Its ceiling is rich with massive carved gild- 
 ing, but its altars possess none of the attractions of painting; 
 and its bells, swinging out of the windows of its square tower, 
 make such a clamour, that an American just landed would 
 suppose the town to be on fire. 
 
 Near it is to be found the Jews' Synagogue. Evening ser- 
 vice was performing at early candle-light. A portion of the 
 multitude of chandeliers which fill its firmament being light- 
 ed, illuminated its whole interior of white marble, upon 
 which were spread out numerous Hebrew inscriptions. A 
 priest, or rabbi, in a cocked hat, with a white linen which 
 covered it, and hung from its sides and back, was chanting 
 from a splendid rostrum, or pulpit, of variegated marbles ; 
 whilst the responses were chanted, mumbled, muttered and 
 screamed by a motley assemblage of men and boys, sitting on 
 oak benches, or standing with their hats on. At a splendid 
 altar, probably containing the sacred ark, hung a crimson cur- 
 tain, which some of the congregation in going out approached 
 and kissed. The chanting was in Hebrew, and resembled the 
 singing of some of our North American Indians. A fine ve- 
 nerable old man who sat before me, in the Armenian dress, 
 and with a long beard, intermingled his prayers with jocose 
 conversation with a friend, as if well assured that the Being 
 he was addressing was equally gratified with the practice of 
 the social virtues and direct solemn worship. The galleries, 
 reaching three stories high to the ceiling, for the separate ac- 
 commodation of the women, were faced with lattices. 
 
 For the convenience of exportation there are several ma- 
 gazines of works in alabaster, executed at Volterra, where 
 the finest alabaster is quarried. I was surprised to find 
 some of these works rivalling the best executed at Flo- 
 rence. In these magazines, likewise, are sold tables of ar- 
 tificial and painted stone, called Scagliola, which are very- 
 beautiful, and a cheap substitute for marble and mosaic. 
 
 Leghorn and Pisa are both situated on a great plain, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 247 
 
 which must formerly have been an immense bay, reaching 
 across from the mountains beyond Leghorn, on the sea, to 
 those beyond Pisa, on the Arno, six miles above its mouth. 
 The land is drained by canals and ditches, and in fine cul- 
 tivation, but it was distressing to- see the women of this 
 district more than usually degraded, as beasts of burden, 
 carrying enormous bundles of wood on their heads. The 
 loaded canal boats were drawn, each by two harnessed wo- 
 men, instead of horses. 
 
 Having deposited my boxes, containing the copies I had 
 made at Rome and Florence, in the safe keeping of M. de 
 Youngh, who kindly engages to remit them to my order, I 
 was at liberty to engage a vetturina for Pisa. 
 
 Pisa, April 24th. 
 
 The canal from Leghorn terminates at Pisa in commo- 
 dious walled docks, some parts of which are covered with 
 buildings, under which the boats may be loaded and unload- 
 ed without regard to weather. 
 
 The first object to which the attention of strangers is in- 
 vited, is a beautiful green plain, containing the Cathedral, 
 the Baptistery, the Campo Santo, and the Leaning Tower. 
 All these buildings are a little out of the perpendicular, 
 the Baptistery and extreme part of the Cathedral percepti- 
 bly, and the tower or Belfry, most surprisingly. Notwith- 
 standing such a disadvantageous circumstance, this circular 
 tower of arcades and columns, eight stories, and nearly one 
 hundred and ninety feet in height, deserves its usual epithet 
 of beautiful. The guide who has waylaid you in the street, 
 and caught you in the act of coming to this place, and who 
 hurries to show you the spot from which the declination of 
 
248 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 the tower, its greatest deformity, may be best seen, will 
 scarcely allow you time to admire its light columns, graceful 
 arches and ornamented cornice, before he gets you with- 
 in the massive marble walls, and mounting the marble steps 
 which are worn into deep hollows by centuries of visiters. ' 
 A great circular opening reaches from the bottom to the top. 
 Between the thick wall of this well, and the outer wall, a 
 circular flight of steps winds to the top; opening, as you rise, 
 out upon every story or arcaded gallery. In ascending this 
 flight of steps I was affected by the varying obliquity of them 
 as by motion on shipboard. The upper story, though nar- 
 rower than the rest, forms on the top a great expanse of so- 
 lid stone work, upon which you may walk round, within iron 
 railings. From this spot you enjoy a beautiful map of the 
 city, plain, river, sea and mountains; the arches of an aque- 
 duct stretching to the hills ; the villages at their base where 
 the hot baths are situated, and the pale distant light-houses 
 of Leghorn. 
 
 The Cathedral and Baptistery are beautiful specimens of 
 the Saxon Gothic architecture. Originally of white marble, 
 interspersed with other colours, they are now stained brown 
 and yellow. The front of the Cathedral, composed of ar- 
 cades supported by little columns, gallery above gallery, is 
 enriched with much minute sculpture, especially on two 
 large columns at the principal door, which are supposed to 
 be the work of Greek artists residing in Egypt. The grand 
 duke having bestowed a sum of money to clean and repair 
 this church, it was filled with scaffolds and workmen; and 
 the marbles which have been scoured, though of five and 
 six hundred years standing, look as fresh as if they were just 
 erected. The whole of this elegant and singular interior 
 will be restored to its original freshness. The walls are co- 
 vered with large pictures by ancient and modern painters, 
 some of which are in an agreeable taste of colour and group- 
 ing; but those by Benvenuti and Colignon, of Florence, are 
 not the best, having been executed many years ago. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 249 
 
 The Baptistery forms a beautiful temple, externally co- 
 vered with Gothic ornaments, but within it has rather a na- 
 ked appearance, and possesses nothing interesting except its 
 pulpit, which is richly covered with marble sculpture, and 
 its baptismal fonts, formerly used for immersion, according 
 to the Greek rites. 
 
 Near these edifices is an enclosure for the dead, which is 
 usually called Campo Santo. It is a quadrangular court of 
 open colonnades of beautiful Gothic work, and possesses some 
 interesting monuments, and much ancient, but bad and da- 
 maged fresco paintings, some of which may please the anti- 
 quarian. The earth which fills the interior of this building 
 was brought as precious ballast from the Holy Land. 
 
 The Botanic Garden, open to the public at certain 
 hours, is tastefully laid out within the city, and contains 
 many beautiful trees and plants ; among others, a cork tree 
 twelve or fourteen inches in diameter, and a large magnolia 
 grandiflora of Florida, and a beautiful cedar of Lebanon, 
 which the Professor Savi lives to see fifty years after plant- 
 ing them. His son, who is now professor of natural history, 
 with much industry and taste, has extended the establish- 
 ment to a most respectable size. I was particularly pleased 
 with his preparation of a wild boar, wounded with a spear, 
 and in fierce combat with two dogs ; and that of a wolf at- 
 tacking a dog; they are works truly artist-like. 
 
 The land around the city being on a dead level, drained 
 with canals and ditches, and with few trees, furnishes no plea- 
 sant walks or rides. The most agreeable is one planted on 
 each side with trees, and leading in straight lines to a royal 
 farm or cascina. This affords an easy ride for luxurious in- 
 dolence, but a dull though shady walk; it was compensated, 
 however, by the interesting sight of seventeen camels to- 
 gether, fifteen others being on another part of the farm. 
 This is a breed of camels, kept up since their introduction 
 by the Medici. The females are not suffered to labour, 
 but range the forest with their young; whilst the males car- 
 
 32 
 
250 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ry wood, and perform other work. They are brought to 
 the well every evening, and appear to drink very heartily. 
 Whilst I made sketches from them in various attitudes, the 
 old man who takes care of them, enjoyed himself in talking 
 much about them. 
 
 The semicircular course of the Arno through the city, 
 well walled up, and with handsome bridges, a wide street on 
 each side, and elegant buildings, constitutes the most beauti- 
 ful feature of Pisa. Indeed, after this and the public build- 
 ings before mentioned, there is nothing worth notice except 
 the Palace of the Cavaliers, or knights of Pisa, ornament- 
 ed with a statue and busts of their grand masters, and the 
 Church of the same cavaliers, in the same piazza, which is 
 decorated with ninety-six flags of infidel nations, taken in 
 battle by the Pisan knights, whose galleys were said to be 
 the terror of unbelievers. 
 
 Although the population of Pisa has dwindled from one 
 hundred and fifty thousand down to sixteen thousand, it 
 swarms with beggars of the most obtrusive kind; and the 
 better sort of the inhabitants, who walk the quays and fre- 
 quent the coffee-houses, exhibit manners disgustingly rude 
 and vulgar ; otherwise they may be civil enough, as they are 
 said to be. 
 
 The road from Pisa to Massa di Carrara, with the excep- 
 tion of one projecting point of a high mountain, passes over 
 nothing but plains, or alluvial grounds, between the moun- 
 tains and the sea, and through few villages, only one of which 
 was beautiful. During the whole distance we were assailed 
 by only two beggars. We remarked that the women and 
 children retired into their houses as we approached, for fear 
 of being suspected of the Pisan practice of beggary, every 
 woman being engaged in spinning, even those who were tra- 
 velling. On approaching Massa, we skirted the indentations 
 of the mountains, on some of whose pinnacles remain the 
 ruined battlements of ancient fortresses. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 251 
 
 Mass a di Carrara. 
 
 We entered Massa as the young duke 'pi Modena came 
 out of it, and saw on the great square a temporary arch of 
 triumph, and other decorations for a general illumination^ 
 which took place on the occasion of his first visit. The 
 buildings have a neat appearance by their ornamental parts 
 being made of marble, as well as the bridges, causeways, and 
 even footways. Immense fortifications, the work of warlike 
 times, crown one of the mountains which rise from the city. 
 They are now used as a prison, and the visiter who passes 
 through the court, without noticing the clamorous appeals 
 from wretches within the barred windows, is assailed with 
 the most shocking imprecations. The steep ascent termi- 
 nates in a terrace, surrounded by battlements rising from a 
 precipitous ridge of rocks, and commands a beautiful view 
 of the valley, sea, and mountains, and even of Leghorn. 
 
 My guide informed me that a woman, being rudely chased 
 on this terrace by a brutal soldier, rushed over the battle- 
 ments. It made me giddy to look down to the rocks on 
 which she fell; and I instinctively shrunk from my ruffian- 
 looking guide, and the dangerous parapet. 
 
 The road that leads from Massa, four miles to Carrara, 
 winding on the sides of the marble mountains, is of gentle 
 acclivity, and in the most perfect condition, as it should be 
 for the transportation of statuary. As soon as Carrara pre- 
 sents itself to view, it is perceived to be down in a little val- 
 ley or plain entirely surrounded by mountains, some of which 
 are covered with plantations of dingy olive trees; but those 
 which rise beyond the village in the bottom of the basin, 
 are barren peaks of marble, which time has so stained, that 
 they seem to be smoked; yet, when quarried, they are in 
 many parts as white as the purest loaf sugar. 
 
252 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Carrara. 
 
 The oldest walls in the village are of a thousand years 
 standing, but as the population in the last eight years has 
 increased one third, there are many new houses of a neat 
 and modern structure. Including another village situated 
 nearer the quarries, the entire population of stonecutters, 
 marble sawyers, and sculptors, with their wives and chil- 
 dren, and the requisite bakers, butchers and tradesmen, in 
 the valley, amounts to fourteen thousand. There are two 
 or three churches, one of which, one thousand years old, is 
 incrusted within with the most beautiful coloured .marbles of 
 other countries. But the largest building in the place, for- 
 merly a royal residence, has been for the last eight years oc- 
 cupied as an academy of the Fine Arts, where instruction is 
 gratuitously given in drawing, modelling, anatomy and archi- 
 tecture, under professors appointed by the sovereign. 
 
 Having letters to some of them, 1 enjoyed the opportunity 
 of examining their various studios or workshops, and was 
 surprised at the beauty and finish, not only of vases and or- 
 namental mantel-pieces, but of entire statues and busts. 
 
 The sculptor of the present day is scarcely required to 
 touch his marble, or even to know how to cut it. First 
 modelling his figure in ductile clay, which is kept moist by 
 wet cloths, during any length of time, he may give it the ut- 
 most perfection of form. It is then trusted to the careful 
 hands of a mere mechanic, whose art is to make a mould on 
 it and produce him a fac simile in plaster of Paris. The 
 sculptor, now in possession of his model in white plaster, in- 
 stead of dark clay, can more readily judge of its effect, and 
 may improve it at his leisure; and at any future time either 
 copy it himself in stone, or employ workmen, who generally 
 do nothing else all their lives. Many such reside at Rome 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 253 
 
 and Florence, where blocks of marble are received from Car- 
 rara. But to save the expense of transporting large masses, 
 it is becoming more than ever customary to transmit the mo- 
 del carefully packed up, to Carrara, where it is accurately 
 copied or roughed out for the sculptor to finish. 
 
 It is surprising with what accuracy these workmen copy 
 the model which is given them. Thorwaldsen, whose mo- 
 dels are seldom remarkable for the delicacy of the finish, is 
 so well satisfied with the general accuracy of the work done 
 here, that statues which he is making for his native country, 
 will be boxed up at Carrara and sent to Denmark, without 
 being once seen by him. 
 
 This mode of statuary has been reduced to a perfect method, 
 only in modern times. The genius of Michael Angelo was 
 frequently fatigued before he could approach the forms, which 
 his imagination conceived, in his blocks of marble, and he of- 
 ten hastened to chisel out a part as a guide in the develop- 
 ment of his whole figure, which sometimes was spoiled by 
 his impatience. The Carrara workmen proceed, with more 
 Saturnine temperament, mathematically to lay out and mea- 
 sure their task. The model is marked all over with numerous 
 spots, which are transferred by the compasses to the block 
 of marble ; two well defined points always serve as a base 
 for finding the position of a third; and the workman continually 
 measures as he advances to the completion, in which he is ex- 
 pert or excellent in proportion to the attention he has paid 
 to his studies in drawing, modelling, and anatomy. Beauti- 
 ful busts are finished and packed up here at fifty dollars each; 
 and elegant copies of the Borghese and Medici vases, about 
 thirty inches tall, at the same price. 
 
 The upper village is chiefly inhabited by persons who 
 work for architectural purposes, such as cornices, columns, 
 and slabs. This employs a great number of hands, be- 
 sides the work done by a long succession of mills, moved 
 by a copious stream of water. In one of these I observed 
 one saw frame with sixteen saws cutting a block of marble 
 
254 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 at once into seventeen broad slabs, each about an inch thick. 
 Here was executed the marble work for the University of 
 Virginia, besides other buildings in America. 
 
 The marble is quarried in the ravines of the mountains 
 from two to five miles distant. It is generally taken from 
 the bases of the mountains, but frequently great masses are 
 tumbled from situations many hundred feet high, to which 
 the labourers are an hour in ascending, and where they 
 work with cords, around them to assure them against the 
 danger of falling. The whitest marble is found only in oc- 
 casional layers; some at the base of the mountain is of the 
 most beatiful whiteness. 
 
 Excellent as is the road to Carrara, for the safe convey- 
 ance of the original model sent, and the marble copy in 
 return; yet the road (if it deserves to be so called when 
 formed only by dragging along it blocks of marble) down 
 which the smaller masses are drawn by oxen, on strong 
 wagons, is covered with stones which are scattered over it 
 by the falling blocks. Such is the labour of contending 
 with the impediments allowed to remain, that one hundred 
 and twenty oxen were required to drag down, without 
 wagons, each block of marble for Thorwaldsen's colossal 
 statues. 
 
 All the industry of the place is devoted to this marble; so 
 that for some of the necessaries of life the inhabitants of the 
 little valley are indebted to Massa and other distant places. 
 I perceived a number of women, on the sides of the moun- 
 tains, collecting leaves and weeds, bearing them in baskets on 
 their backs like beasts of burden, for the purpose of being 
 used as fodder for the oxen. 
 
 From Massa the road continues to pass through an uninte- 
 resting country to Spezzia, whose beautiful bay is often men- 
 tioned. Thence it winds up and down the mountains, cross- 
 ing desolate gravel beds, the course of mountain torrents. It 
 afforded no relief to this dull scene to enter the wretched old 
 town of Borghetta, built of pebble stones, and swarming 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 255 
 
 with half-naked children, where we were compelled to wait 
 more than an hour, whilst the only blacksmith of the place, 
 having no stock on hand, made and put on a horse-shoe for 
 us. The only two decent houses are called hotels. The 
 keeper of one of these, who speaks broken English, and 
 boasts of knowing all languages, having seen all the capital 
 cities in the world, not excepting Pekin, now contents him- 
 self in sitting down in this Borghetta, which every traveller 
 must pass through. I asked him when this old town was 
 built ? He replied, " Before God — an English lord ask me 
 ze same question — I give him ze same answer, an he laugh 
 like ze devil, because he say God never make any sing so 
 bad." From this rude sample of his genius, I resisted the 
 persuasion of my vetturino to enter his house and suffer his 
 suspicious hospitalities, but hurried away to pursue a tedious 
 and solitary course, over a new road across the mountain, to 
 a comfortable inn at Bracchio. I was not, indeed, without 
 some unpleasant sensations on the road, which wound around 
 a desolate mountain; for it was dark, and no places could be 
 better chosen by the desperate robber to tumble the passen- 
 ger, carriage and horses, over the unguarded precipice, into 
 the deep ravines below. Scarcely was the idea formed in my 
 mind, before the appearance of some gensdarmes showed 
 that it was not merely an imagination of my own. 
 
 An early ride in the morning brought me to Chiaveri, 
 thus completing about fifty miles over a road which a blind 
 man might say was beautiful, for it is excellently made, but 
 one of the most desolate I ever travelled; the savage moun- 
 tains are without inhabitants, the valleys without a resting 
 place, and there was nothing but the grizzly decoration of dingy 
 olives on every spot of soil that could be scraped together, look- 
 ing as if they had scarcely survived the universal deluge, and 
 were not yet washed from the mud. My judgment is satis- 
 fied that these " olive-crowned mountains " are very interest- 
 ing to the proprietors, and possess all the beauty of utility, 
 but nothing of the picturesque, at least to one accustomed to 
 
256 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 the magnificence of an American forest. These Italian moun- 
 tains, which seem barren with the culture of the olive, are, 
 nevertheless, beautiful objects in the distant landscape, when 
 tinged with the blue, the purple, and sometimes the orange 
 hues of an evening atmosphere. But the landscape painter 
 is compelled to hunt with extraordinary industry and skill to 
 discover and put together the materials for an agreeable fore- 
 ground. 
 
 At Chiaveri, which is a handsome town on the edge of the 
 Mediterranean, I remarked extensive enclosures for the ma- 
 nufacture of salt. From wells, communicating with the sea, 
 water is raised by means of balance poles, two of which to 
 each well are pivoted on a wall that rises from a little cistern 
 close to the well; the water is thrown into the cistern, under 
 which a fire is made to boil away the water. Perhaps in no 
 other country but Italy can be found such an imperfect patri- 
 archal method of making salt. 
 
 Soon after leaving Chiaveri, the road, still improving in all 
 its good qualities, ascended the mountain which projected to 
 the sea, and afforded extensive prospects of points and pro- 
 montories of the indented coast ; and winding above deep 
 and now cultivated valleys, till presently again reaching the 
 coast, Genoa appeared bright in the distance at the head of 
 her beautiful bay. Our course was a constant ascent and de- 
 scent, winding to the right and to the left among the crags 
 or on the brow of the mountain, passing several tunnels 
 in the rocks, and rattling through village after village, till 
 the serpentine movement became extremely tantalizing and 
 tiresome. The excellent buildings which lined the road, 
 and were scattered on the hills, and the new ones erecting, 
 evinced an activity and prosperity which I had not before 
 seen in Italy. 
 
 On approaching the gate of the city, its bossy columns and 
 peculiar style of architecture reminded me of Rubens, who 
 lived several years at Genoa, and has often introduced them 
 into his pictures. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 257 
 
 Genoa, April 29th, 
 
 At a short distance from the gate, we reached a public 
 square, the chief ornament to which is an elegant new Gre- 
 cian frontispiece to the Theatre. This conducts you to a 
 course of streets of moderate width, but of great magnifi- 
 cence, being lined with palaces of much grandeur; among 
 them is that of the king, on a line with the rest. As we 
 entered the city gate, the dowager queen arrived from the 
 country in all the pomp of royalty; and, as we extended 
 our walk, we witnessed a fine military display, called out 
 to receive the king from a more distant journey at the op- 
 posite gate, accompanied by a guard of horsemen and many 
 carriages. The city troops, after he had entered the pa- 
 lace, kept possession of the street till his majesty had rid 
 himself of the dust of the roads and condescended to ap- 
 pear at his window, where hung a crimson velvet curtain to 
 which the eyes of the multitude had long been directed. 
 I was surprised to hear all the military orders given in 
 French. 
 
 Travellers who enter Genoa from France, necessarily 
 drive through those streets which concentrate all the pomp 
 of Genoa, and erroneously agree to call it a City of Palaces. 
 With but few spots excepted, to which the breadth of some 
 streets permits the approach of carriages, the rest of the 
 city, consisting of plain houses, five, six and seven stories 
 high, is intersected by passages of communication for per- 
 sons on foot, through which sedan chairs only are occa- 
 sionally seen to move in proud luxury of rank, or for the 
 convenience of the infirm. Even where the streets are 
 broad enough for a carriage, and sometimes three carriages 
 to pass, none are permitted to incommode the inhabitants, 
 who traverse them with great convenience and comfort; in 
 
 33 
 
258 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 some measure atoning for the evil of too little space. It is 
 said that Genoa was founded by a band of pirates, — they 
 certainly were a compact set, and of a sociable disposition. 
 
 It is customary to take a boat and go out of the harbour 
 to judge of the aspect of the city in approaching it by wa- 
 ter. Projecting into the basin, or harbour, is a handsome 
 pier, or wharf, on which no goods are landed, and surround- 
 ed by sail boats in waiting. A noisy crowd of boatmen 
 here surround you, offering in a jargon of all languages to 
 convey you to the light-house, to the British frigate, or to 
 the American brig. 
 
 Assisted by projecting moles, the harbour is made almost 
 into a perfect circle. Advancing to the mouth of it, and 
 looking back upon the city, with all the advantage of sun- 
 shine, it certainly appears handsome; but not, as it is com- 
 monly described, an amphitheatre of palaces, for only one 
 palace on the water's edge can be seen. The city lies chief- 
 ly on level ground, and the palaces are hidden by very or- 
 dinary buildings between them and the water; but the hills 
 which rise at one side are sprinkled with a goodly sight of 
 white houses, quite unornamented with trees. Some large, 
 and a great number of small vessels give to this port the 
 appearance of more business than any other I have seen in 
 Italy. 
 
 The churches, which are less conspicuous externally than 
 the palaces, are richly ornamented inside with the goldsmith 
 and filligree taste which prevailed here between two and five 
 hundred years ago. They are overloaded with parts, and 
 profusely gay with colours. The Cathedral, with its Egyp- 
 tian columns, and the Jlnnunciata, gay with coloured mar- 
 bles, have nothing else worthy of remark. In the ancient 
 Church of St. Stephano, the chief altar-piece is a picture, 
 begun by Raphael, and finished by Giulio Romano, and, 
 therefore, kept carefully covered. I thought it a dark and 
 heavy picture, possessing but little of the grace and charac- 
 ter of Raphael. But the church most renowned for its pic- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 259 
 
 tures, in all Genoa, is that of St. Ambrogio. The sacristan 
 hastened to unveil the Assumption, by Guido; it possessed 
 something of his grace, but none of his good colour; espe- 
 cially when contrasted with the picture directly opposite to 
 it by Rubens, representing St. Ignatius relieving a Demo- 
 niac, and restoring a dead Child. This picture I thought 
 deserving all the praise it has received, for even the Italians 
 commend it as a most extraordinary production of art; com- 
 bining excellent composition, good drawing, fine expression, 
 careful finish, and the subdued richness of Rubens' best co- 
 louring. It is deservedly the boast of Genoa. 
 
 The ancient residence of the doges is externally like a 
 great square fortress, but, within, its court is renewed by an 
 elegant modern front of white marble. This building is oc- 
 cupied by the police and other public offices, but strangers 
 are conducted into the hall of the council of war, which is 
 ornamented with a large painting on the wall, by the Cheva- 
 lier Piatti, intended to represent the Landing of Columbus 
 in the Neiu World; the artist, however, did not take the 
 trouble to find out that the Indians were not white, and dis- 
 plays Columbus and his companions as splendid as princes of 
 the opera. The adjoining room, the great council chamber 
 of the doge, is ornamented with elegant marble columns and 
 the pedestals of twenty statues, which, during the French re- 
 volution, were knocked down and broken to pieces. Their 
 places are supplied with temporary figures, composed of stuc- 
 co heads, hands and feet, and real linen for drapery, arranged 
 over bodies and limbs stuffed with hay. They are remark- 
 ably beautiful, and precisely such as would be proper for the 
 sculptor to imitate in marble, if his vanity and his genius 
 would permit him to pursue such a course. I have seen se- 
 veral such figures in Rome (especially in the Farnesian pa- 
 lace) prepared for temporary purposes, and often exhibiting 
 a beauty of drapery that I have seldom seen equalled in the 
 best statuary, ancient or modern. This can be accounted for 
 only by the artist being led astray in his desire to show his 
 
260 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 anatomical knowledge of the limbs, which induces him to em- 
 ploy imaginary folds. 
 
 The Durazzo Palace, which you enter by most magnifi- 
 cent flights of marble steps, under noble arches supported by 
 marble columns, contains the finest collection of paintings, 
 chiefly the works of Vandyck and Rubens; and, especially, 
 an exquisitely beautiful one of Three Children, painted by 
 Vandyck in his best and most substantial manner. Here is, 
 also, a good picture by Guido, The Roman Daughter, but 
 rather slovenly in the finishing. 
 
 The Palazzo Rosso ranks next for the value of its pic- 
 tures, and contains several by Vandyck, especially that of 
 The Tribute Money; a beautiful small picture of the 
 nunciation by Ludovico Caracci; a whole length Cleopa- 
 tra by Guercino; a beautiful harmonious little Carlo Dolce 
 without the staring offence of his eternal blue drapery; a 
 Bacchus by Rubens; and some good paintings by a Genoese 
 youth at the age of seventeen, Pcllegrino Piola, who, at the 
 age of nineteen, was murdered by the envious Carloni, whose 
 inferior works offend the taste and dishonour the piety of se- 
 veral churches. The last work of the ill-fated youth, Piola, 
 is a most exquisitely beautiful Holy Family, which he paint- 
 ed for the company of goldsmiths, and which, covered with 
 glass, still remains as a pious decoration against a house in 
 the street of the goldsmiths. 
 
 In the Palazzo Spignola is a whole length portrait of the 
 Doge Spignola, by Vandyck, very much superior, in my es- 
 timation, to his more celebrated one of the Cardinal Benti- 
 voglio, in the Palazzo Pitti at Florence, which enjoys the 
 advantages of travel and a royal residence. In one of the 
 rooms is a large silver dish, hung up in a frame as a picture, 
 representing in basso relievo, in its centre, Columbus about 
 to embark on his voyage of discovery, executed by Benve- 
 nuto Cellini. 
 
 The pictures in the Serra Palace are of very moderate 
 pretensions, chiefly by an artist named Gragetlo; but it is vi- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 261 
 
 sited on account of a saloon, whose fluted marble columns, 
 bases, capitals and friezes are all gilt ; immense mirrors fill 
 up the intervals between the columns on every side, and mul- 
 tiply the rich perspective to an interminable length. It is 
 not large, but it is said to be the richest thing of the kind in 
 the world. 
 
 The dowager Queen's Palace we visited, throughout its 
 whole extent, as she was at her country residence; but the 
 old lady is not a patroness of the fine arts, for she suffers no 
 pictures to stain the damask of her walls. Our attendant, 
 with much satisfaction, uncovered a rare and costly table, 
 entirely incrusted with beautiful pearl, which appears to be 
 much valued by her and her two maiden daughters, whose 
 separate bed-rooms we passed through, each possessing, un- 
 used on the mantel-piece, a great silver Noah's ark inkstand. 
 
 The Doria Palace, outside the city gate, is a handsome 
 edifice, which, from its garden terrace, commands the most 
 beautiful view of the city and harbour. The prince, who 
 chooses to live at Rome, does not leave his keys behind, 
 and we could ; see nothing but one painted corridor by Pietro 
 del Vanni, in which are to be found some well grouped 
 heads. 
 
 In passing under a high old archway, now in the centre of 
 the city, but formerly its boundary, I remarked several links 
 of a great chain, hung up as a trophy, which was taken from 
 Pisa, where it was stretched across the harbour. Near this 
 an old house is honoured with four links of the same chain 
 hanging from the corner; it was the residence of the admi- 
 ral who commanded the expedition against Pisa : and on ano- 
 ther house, beneath a marble carving representing the three 
 towers of Pisa, hang two other links of the same chain, to 
 distinguish the residence of the locksmith, whose files and in- 
 trepidity effected a passage into the harbour. It was the vic- 
 tory of the locksmith over the blacksmith, and the boast of 
 the goldsmith. 
 
 Genoa is enclosed within double walls, and surrounded 
 
262 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 with fortifications at every point, and on the neighbouring 
 eminences. One of these fortified points, high above the 
 sea which washes its base, affords a very beautiful prospect 
 of the bay and the distant promontories, villas and gardens, 
 spread over the neighbouring hills, and a zigzag line of for- 
 tifications stretching up the green valley. One of the most 
 interesting objects seen from this spot is an elegant and ex- 
 tensive building, beautifully situated on a hill outside the city, 
 in which two hundred poor females are employed in making 
 artificial flowers; the establishment was commenced by a 
 noble family, and always continued by their descendants, at 
 their private charge, and under their direction. 
 
 On this high ground there is a handsome church, to which 
 a bridge leads, crossing over a valley of houses, to an oppo- 
 site hill, which subsides into the heart of the city. Immense 
 piers support two arches, which compose the bridge, high 
 above the tops of houses, though they are seven stories 
 Formerly many persons committed suicide by throwing them- 
 selves from this elevation, but at present, a sentinel, day and 
 night, is stationed to prevent such an act. Desirous of look- 
 ing over the parapet, I stepped for a moment on a seat against 
 the wall, which the sentinel immediately commanded me to 
 leave. 
 
 Connected with the walk on the ramparts is a fine public 
 promenade, recently made, which is much frequented in the 
 evening; though the quiet streets, undisturbed by carriages, 
 are themselves agreeable promenades, especially on Sundays. 
 From this promenade is seen,, in a commanding situation, a 
 large country house built for Oliver Cromwell. 
 
 A beautiful avenue, the only one I saw in Genoa, rises to 
 the splendid Jllbergo dei poveri, which is really the hotel 
 of the poor. Broad marble steps conduct you to a spacious 
 hall, ornamented with a number of statues, of Doges, and 
 other persons who have contributed funds to endow a hospi- 
 tal, which now supports upwards of eleven hundred females, 
 and seven hundred males. This hall opens into a handsome 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 263 
 
 church, containing on both sides a continuation of the sta- 
 tues of benefactors, and on its altar a Group of Angels 
 and a Madonna, by Puget. A medallion basso relievo, by 
 Michael Angelo, which is preserved near the altar, would 
 attract little notice with any other name. It shows nothing 
 but the heads and shoulders ; those of the Christ are good, 
 but the Mother not only wants beauty, but expression. 
 
 The poor never enter the body of the church, but remain 
 in large halls, on each side of the altar, which they see 
 through a spacious window; the men on one side and the wo- 
 men on the other; and they are divided into distinct classes, 
 the unmarried having no intercourse with the married. The 
 men are permitted to go out twice a week, the women never. 
 A pious lady, whose statue is in the hall, representing her 
 with pots at her feet overflowing with money, left a fund for 
 marrying, annually, twenty-four women out of this institu- 
 tion, with a gift of thirty-one dollars each. This marriage 
 portion, besides the money which they usually have saved 
 from their earnings, makes them desirable objects to respec- 
 table peasants or farmers, who state to the directors what 
 kind of wife they desire, and choose from those which the 
 directors may select Our guide, a respectable old man, 
 long resident in the institution, says, they are generally glad 
 to get out in this manner, without the ceremony of court- 
 ship, or any share in choosing their partners for life. 
 
 In all these extensive walks, and throughout all the streets 
 of Genoa, during Sunday afternoon, among thousands of wo- 
 men, I did not see more than three bonnets; the universal 
 custom with young and old being to wear white or coloured 
 shawls over their heads and shoulders, leaving their faces, 
 and sometimes their necks exposed. Their dress, otherwise, 
 is French, except that black silk prevails with the rich, and 
 coloured cottons among the poor, who generally carry their 
 little fortunes of gold in great filligree bunches at their ears, 
 or wrapped in heavy folds of chain around their necks. 
 
264 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 The nobles are said to be fond of rich jewelry, which is too 
 evident in their portraits by Vandyck. 
 
 The fine arts are not patronised by the government, and 
 there is no public gallery in Genoa; yet on a small scale the 
 nobility have maintained a school of the arts, which is now 
 about to acquire more consequence, as a building has just 
 been erected for this purpose, at the expense of the city, on 
 the public square adjoining the theatre. There is no artist 
 of any celebrity established here, and the Genoese painters 
 have been obliged to go to Florence to study. Among the 
 works of the old painters who have decorated the churches 
 and palaces, I saw nothing that pleased me so well as the 
 pictures of the unfortunate Piola. Yet a vast amount of to- 
 lerable art has been employed in covering the outsides of 
 houses and court yards, with historic compositions and archi- 
 tectural imitations. One of the most extensive of this kind 
 is a large house inhabited by the British consul, entirely co- 
 vered with paintings. In an open hall leading to the court 
 yard, the walls are occupied with paintings imitating yellow 
 bronze statues of fourteen distinguished men, among whom 
 the most conspicuous is Columbus. But few of these paint- 
 ed houses remain, having given place to a neat ornamented 
 style of building, which is called the English taste. 
 
 In order to get out of Genoa, there being only two gates, 
 it was necessary to make the entire circuit of the harbour to 
 the very light-house itself, which is a sort of fortress. The 
 peasants along this road, which skirted the sea for some dis- 
 tance, appeared with heads, necks, and bosoms exposed, and 
 so brown, that they might be mistaken for dark mulattoes or 
 negroes. I noticed, at every mill we passed, a smooth stone 
 terrace for drying wheat, after it has been washed; which 
 they do first in a copper bucket, pouring off what floats, and 
 then in a sieve, removing all dirt. This remarkable nicety 
 induced me to buy a loaf of coarse bread, at a neighbouring 
 miller's; and I ate it with a conviction of its purity, which, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 265 
 
 I am sorry to say, I never had at home, where many things 
 are ground up with the wheat, repulsive, at least, to the ima- 
 gination. 
 
 Several hours were passed in winding up and down an 
 apparently never ending mountain. The road was excellent, 
 but there was little in the scenery to interest the eye, though 
 more agreeable than the other mountains I had crossed, be- 
 cause here were some farm houses and little patches of gar- 
 dens and trees. We at length opened upon an immense 
 plain, highly cultivated, and pierced by roads of tedious 
 length and straightness. 
 
 After entering the Duchy of Parma, the surface became 
 more varied, and so much resembling America, that I might 
 have imagined myself at home, but for the brown inhabi- 
 tants, and the white and cream coloured oxen, which, in 
 great numbers were yoked to loaded wagons; these would 
 be stared at for their fantastic clumsiness, as they were com- 
 posed of small wheels, immense massive carved timbers and 
 trusses supporting a bed of planks which rise from the centre 
 over the wheels at each side. 
 
 A little leisure before dark was sufficient to survey the 
 city of Piacenza, a fortified city of thirty thousand inhabi- 
 tants, in the midst of an immense plain. The public square 
 is ornamented with two bronze Equestrian statues of Par- 
 mesan dukes, presenting the greatest -amount of bronze in a 
 w T hirlwind of motion that I ever saw fixed in statuary. 
 These statues were in front of an old Gothic, town-hall-like 
 looking building, the name of which I in vain inquired of 
 the shopkeepers who had it before their eyes every day. 
 Several of the old churches show that the arts were former- 
 ly not unknown here, some of the frescoes being executed 
 with much spirit. The cathedral is a Gothic building, the 
 inside of which possesses great grandeur from the height of 
 its arches, and the magnitude of its columns. It is profuse- 
 ly ornamented with paintings. 
 
 34 
 
266 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 Another long course over the plain brought us to the dull 
 town of Borgo San Domino, which is said to be seated on 
 the Stirona, a gravel bed for a mountain torrent, without a 
 rill of water in it. After a glance at the cathedral, which 
 is a curious ancient Saxon Gothic structure, it is only neces- 
 sary to say that the residences of all the inhabitants look like 
 poor-houses, and the poor-house, built by Napoleon, resem- 
 bling a palace, is the only ornament of the town. 
 
 A repetition of the long straight level road brought us to 
 Parma, after crossing a magnificent bridge of twenty arches, 
 ornamented at each end with marble statuary. It stretches 
 over a wide, dry gravel bed, which is said to be sometimes 
 a dangerous torrent, and may then be called the Taro, as 
 permanently marked on the maps, and resounded in the 
 guide books. 
 
 Thus for three days have we been travelling over the sun- 
 ny plains of Italy, with dim mountains perceptible only on 
 one side, and not a cloud to mitigate the fervour of a burn- 
 ing sun; whilst clouds of dust, which has not been wet since 
 February, entirely hide the carriages that pass us. These 
 well cultivated plains are no doubt very pleaasnt to their pro- 
 prietors, who care so little for the idle travellers on the road, 
 that the cropped trees are not suffered to shoot out their 
 branches with a little shade, as in France; but they possess 
 no picturesque beauty, and may well be passed post haste. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 267 
 
 Parma, May 6th. 
 
 Parma is enclosed by a wall, which within is embanked 
 and planted with trees and shrubbery, with various addition- 
 al avenues and groups, together with the royal gardens, con- 
 stituting delightful walks and rides for the inhabitants, who, 
 otherwise, in the burning plain around, could have little to 
 enjoy. The streets are paved with pebbles from the torrent 
 course, but are furnished with side walks. The buildings 
 generally are old and plain. In the centre of the city, a 
 large paved square, surrounded by small shops and a portico 
 as an exchange, serves as a market place in the morning. 
 Another open space is embellished with an elegant new 
 theatre, lately built by Maria Louisa, adjoining her resi* 
 dence, which is remarkably plain but neat, and which she 
 prefers to a more splendid palace, at the extremity of the 
 city, surrounded by elegant gardens. This palace of the 
 gardens was inhabited by Napoleon, and contains some good 
 frescoes by Agostino Caracci, and fine old tapestry from the 
 gay compositions of Boucher. 
 
 The churches are the principal decorations of the city, 
 and, unlike those of Florence, are, with some exceptions, 
 finished outside. Within they are generally of a grand 
 and simple style of architecture, but the pilasters, walls, 
 ceilings and arches are too profusely covered with paintings 
 and gildings in a crowded and confused style, in which it 
 is a difficult task to hunt out the best designs of Parmigiano 
 and his scholars. To one who has visited Naples and Rome, 
 it is no novelty to find the marbles in these churches rich 
 and well wrought; but the statuary is evidently too much 
 affected by the Parmigianino taste. 
 
268 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 The painting by Corregio on the cupola of the Cathedral 
 I did not find so much damaged as I expected; but so small, 
 (being only about thirty-six feet in diameter) so high and so 
 dark, that it was impossible to distinguish any thing well 
 from the pavement of the church, and therefore it appeared 
 to me a gross misapplication of extraordinary talents. It 
 was only when I ascended the old spiral stairs which led 
 behind the base of the cupola, and with difficulty stooped 
 to look through little openings like loop holes, that I could 
 distinctly see some of the beautiful figures of this elabo- 
 rate and boasted composition of Corregio. The painting 
 on this cupola is not only badly lighted, but much injured 
 by circular windows which pierce it in the midst of the 
 figures. The perspective effects, when viewed from the 
 pavement, are certainly false, as they are generally true 
 from these little loop holes; where, if the accommodation 
 were better, there would be much enjoyment in unravelling 
 a design which evinces the greatest knowledge of colour, 
 light and shade, form and grace of expression. 
 
 In the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista is another 
 cupola painted by Corregio, so entirely unilluminated, that 
 I could distinguish neither form nor colour; but the alcove 
 over the altar, likewise by Corregio, is well lighted. The 
 principal figure, the Madonna, was cut out of the wall, 
 and is preserved in the public library, and its place filled 
 with a copy, matching the rest of the painting, in fresco, 
 by Parmigiano; but a copy by lumbal Caracci, which is 
 to be seen in the Royal Academy, gives a much better idea 
 of Corregio, and is more beautiful than even the original in 
 its present damaged state. 
 
 The church called the Stoccata is excessively overloaded 
 on its vast expanse of plastered walls, arches and ceilings, 
 with the studies of Parmigiano and his scholars, among the 
 bewildering mazes of which I was a long time hunting for 
 the figure of Moses breaking the Tables of the Law, which 
 at last I discovered on the narrow edge of the great arch 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 269 
 
 that spans the altar. It struck me that this artist must have 
 acquired his vicious habit of drawing his figures too long 
 and slender, by working on these narrow pilasters and 
 arches. This sublime figure of Moses, however, although 
 false when literally copied on a plane level with the eye, 
 becomes rightly foreshortened on its curved surface when 
 it is viewed from below. It should be copied as it appears 
 from the pavement. 
 
 In the suppressed Monastery of St. Paul, where still a 
 number of old nuns are eking out their span of life, is a 
 room called the Camera di Diana, who is represented on 
 a car, ( The Triumph of Chastity,) painted on the chimney 
 wall; and there are sixteen lunettes or ovals on the coved 
 ceiling, representing children in various sports, with other 
 decorations, all by Corregio. His high reputation seems to 
 have satisfied these daughters of chastity to be brought un- 
 der the influence of the heathen goddess, by an artist who 
 was notoriously fond of painting Danaes and Ledas. There 
 is some beauty in parts of these pictures, and they help to 
 make out the sum total of Corregio as he is to be known at 
 Parma. 
 
 But the chef d'ozuvre, of Corregio, at least here, is his Holy 
 Family, called the St. Gerome, who with his lion deforms 
 the left hand side of the picture, where he was placed by 
 Corregio, either for contrast or because he did not know 
 how else to balance his group and gain force of colour. 
 This picture, which, it is said, cost the government fifty 
 thousand dollars, was one of the most valued ornaments of 
 the Napoleon Gallery at Paris; and is probably the more 
 esteemed since its restoration. Corregio's bust is placed 
 over the picture. There are in the academy some other 
 pictures by this artist, but very inferior to this exquisitely 
 beautiful group. 
 
 The Royal Academy contains but few good pictures: — 
 A bad Raphael; two bright but hard Schedones; a dirty 
 Titian and colossal Caraccis. Here are two fine broken 
 
270 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 statues of Egyptian basalt, particularly one of Bacchus; 
 and several statues dug out of the ruins of Velleia. Some 
 other rooms, in another part of the building, contain, beside 
 other antiquities, a great number of articles of brass, stone, 
 &c, found in the recent excavations of that city, which was 
 overwhelmed by the fall of a mountain of the Appennines 
 fourteen hundred years ago, and only recently discovered. 
 Among them is a plate of copper about nine feet long and 
 four wide, covered with an engraved contract for the nou- 
 rishment and care of three children of the Emperor Trajan. 
 One case contains a number of beautiful gold coins of an- 
 cient Rome, which were found in digging the foundation 
 for the New Theatre. 
 
 The rooms containing these paintings and statues, are fit- 
 ted up in a noble style and are part of a great ancient pa- 
 lace, which, besides the cabinet of antiquities, contains an 
 elegant and valuable library, and the ruinous remains of a 
 great theatre. That building was large enough to hold nine 
 thousand persons: the seats are in the style of the ancient 
 amphitheatres, rising from the arena to the wall, which is 
 ornamented with architectural devices and statuary; but the 
 whole being of wood, is in a perishing condition, and not 
 used since the erection of the New Theatre. 
 
 I suffered my guide to introduce me into a part of the 
 palace occupied by the Arch Duchess, where strangers are 
 shown a beautiful model of the bridge which Maria Louisa 
 has lately built, and the splendid toilet presented to her by 
 the city of Paris, with the cradle of the young Napoleon. 
 These articles, chair, wash-stand, mirror frame, table, &c. 
 are of solid silver gilt, enriched with lapis lazuli, and cost 
 two millions five hundred thousand francs for the mere ma- 
 terials, and seven hundred thousand francs for the fashion or 
 making. 
 
 At the house of the widow of the celebrated Bodoni, we 
 were shown the steel stamps of his surprisingly extensive 
 sets of alphabets, and splendid editions of classic works in 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 271 
 
 several languages, printed with his types. Among others, 
 several large works descriptive of the paintings in Parma, 
 with an etching of each. 
 
 In a visit to the studio of Toschi, the celebrated en- 
 graver of Gerard's Picture of Henry IV, entering Paris, 
 we found him engaged in finishing two large plates of Ra- 
 phael's Christ bearing the Cross, which is at Madrid, 
 and Volterra's Descent from the Cross. These he is en- 
 graving from beautiful drawings made by himself from the 
 original pictures; an advantage not always possessed by the 
 engraver, and seldom practised by those of Italy. 
 
 The old Saxon Gothic Baptistery of Parma, adjoining 
 the cathedral, looks as if it had been soaked in dirty lamp 
 oil. Passing by it when the door happened to be open, I 
 found its inside uglier than its outside; yet perhaps it might 
 delight some antiquarian. 
 
 Parma offered no temptations to prolong my stay; nor 
 does the road to Modena present any thing to be remem- 
 bered. Modena might have occupied a longer time, but a 
 change of horses and a short rest only permitted a hasty 
 glance at the pictures in the Palace of the Duke. Many of 
 them are by the oldest painters, some by names that sound 
 well, such as Guido, Garofolo, Guercino, &c. ; but the only 
 thing that rewarded me for my trouble was a copy by Che- 
 valier Nogari, of Corregio's master-piece called The Night, 
 which is at Dresden. In no other picture that I have seen, 
 where the idea'has been adopted, did the light really appear 
 to proceed from the child. 
 
 From Modena the road, still level, passes through fields 
 with thickset rows of trees, from which the grape vines are 
 suspended in festoons, giving it a more agreeable character. 
 The Appennines, which we had so long seen only at a dis- 
 tance, were now close by, and Bologna enjoys the advan- 
 tages of the plain on one side and agreeable mountains on 
 the other; on one of which appears the Church of the 
 Madonna delta Guardia with its covered passage winding 
 
272 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 down the mountain to one of the city gates; and on other 
 mounts the Church of St. Michael in Bosco, and various 
 elegant villas. 
 
 Bologna, May 6 th. 
 
 Bologna presents the singular character of a city com- 
 posed of streets, with few exceptions, lined with arcades, 
 many of which are of lofty and elegant proportions,, and the 
 arches supported by stone columns, with handsome bases 
 and capitals, though generally they are of plastered brick. 
 Contrary to expectations derived from the guide books, I 
 found the streets wide enough for two three, and four car- 
 riages to pass. When to this breadth is added the wide 
 footways, from ten to fifteen feet on each side, it must be 
 affirmed that it is an elegance of accommodation superior to 
 any thing I have seen in Italy. A very few ignoble streets, 
 by the ordinary style of building and clumsiness of the ar- 
 cades might "suggest to a captious temper an unfavourable 
 judgment; but in the best portions of the city, the neat ele- 
 gance in the style of the buildings and the magnificence of 
 the long ranges of columnated arcades, impressed me with 
 more pleasure than all the useless trumpery of ostentatious 
 decoration, which characterise the palaces of Rome and Na- 
 ples, with the exception of some of their noble court yards. 
 
 The great square is ornamented by a fountain which ranks 
 as one of the greatest works of John of Bologna. It is a fine 
 colossal figure of Neptune standing on a high pedestal, on 
 the corners of which children are seated. The corners of 
 the pedestal are rounded off, with athletic, yet graceful wa- 
 ter nymphs, each pressing jets of water from her breasts; 
 the whole enormous pyramid is of highly finished bronze, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 273 
 
 but, by the action of the air now resembling stone, for 
 which it is generally mistaken. 
 
 The Academy of the Fine Arts, called the Pinacoteca, 
 is in a spacious building. Several small, and two large ele- 
 gant halls contain the paintings, which commence with a col- 
 lection of little Gothic altar-pieces by the early masters, and 
 conclude with the most esteemed works, all altar-pieces, by 
 the Caraccis, Guido, Domenichino, and others. 
 
 The largest and most vaunted picture by Guido, is that 
 called The Pieta. It represents a number of monks in the 
 lower part, whilst the upper portion consists of a curtain or 
 banner, on which is represented a painting of the Virgin 
 grieving over the dead body of Christ. It is more care- 
 fully drawn than was usual with this artist, but the colouring 
 is cold, and the shadows are black, A smaller picture, though 
 of a more horrible and revolting subject, the Murder of the 
 Innocents, pleased me infinitely more in the soft glow and 
 harmony of its colour, and its forcible expression, particular- 
 ly in one child, near the centre of the picture, richly sha- 
 dowed, and crying most admirably. The Crucifixion, by 
 Guido, is black and disagreeable; and a large picture called 
 the Pallione, by the same painter, though highly finished, 
 offends me by too great an expanse of lead colour and pale 
 flesh. But, again, a smaller picture, Sampson triumphant 
 over the Philistines, is of unusual richness and harmony of 
 colour, and more in the style of the latest and best works of 
 Guido which are at Naples, 
 
 Several large pictures by the Caraccis, particularly the 
 Nativity of the Virgin and the Transfiguration, exhibit 
 the grand style of this school, in vigorous form and depth of 
 tone ; though deficient in richness, which might occasionally 
 have been permitted without degrading them into the orna- 
 mental style, as some able critics have feared. Ludovico's 
 Assumption of the Virgin is one of the most rich and har- 
 monious. Domenichino's barbarous Martyrdom of St. Ag- 
 nes and his Madonna del Rosario, composed of savage 
 
 35 
 
274 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 murderers, distressed saints and crying angels, exhibits his 
 most elaborate skill and the mechanism of his industrious in- 
 genuity. In Guercino's St. Gulielmo, the Virgin and chil- 
 dren, and the clouds and angel at her feet, are the most beau- 
 tiful things I have ever seen of his work, for grace, spirit of 
 composition and beauty of colouring. And in the St. Ceci- 
 lia, by Raphael, though some barbarian brush has repainted 
 his clouds of a most injurious blue colour, yet the heads and 
 draperies are among the most rich and powerful things he 
 ever did. Here is an elegant Portrait of Clement XIII. 
 by Raphael Mengs; one of the best works of Vasari, his St. 
 Gregorio; and some excellent pictures by Elizabeth Sirani, 
 particularly her St. Antonio. 
 
 The young artists who were at work in the rooms, were, 
 as is usual in Italy, copying the worst things; governed by 
 the prejudices of blind writers and affected connoisseurs, ra- 
 ther than by their own eyes or the judgment of impartial ar- 
 tists. 
 
 The Palazzo Zamhaccari contains a great number of old 
 pictures, which are curious in the early history of the art, 
 but as little interesting as old black-letter legends. The nu- 
 merous rooms contain the names of the most celebrated ar- 
 tists, particularly of Bologna; but few of the pictures made 
 me desire to dwell on them or see them a second time. They 
 are, besides, in bad dirty condition, and dull for want of var- 
 nish. 
 
 The Palazzo Mareschalchi, though less celebrated pos- 
 sesses some pictures that are more agreeable. The count 
 had just finished reading Cooper's last novel ; spoke of the 
 advances we were making in refinement and taste in Ameri- 
 ca ; and presented me with a manuscript catalogue of all his 
 pictures, with a respectable price annexed to each. 
 
 I had the curiosity to walk through the covered way which 
 winds up to the Church of the Madonna delta Guardia. 
 This portico, or covered passage, composed of six hundred 
 and forty arches, is nothing more than a side wall with seve- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 275 
 
 ral series of arcades, supported on square columns, all of 
 brick, exactly like the covered ways in the city, sometimes 
 open at one side and sometimes at the other. The first por- 
 tion of it being level, forms a long and agreeable promenade; 
 but the latter portions, steep and occasionally rising with 
 steps, become in the length of three miles, extremely fatiguing, 
 except to those who, not satisfied with the pious stations 
 which occur in the route, deviate at certain distances into 
 wine shops and rest over a bottle. You are, however, at 
 last well compensated by the extensive view from the top, 
 looking down on the entire panorama of Bologna, brown with 
 brick tiles, brick steeples and square towers, and, almost en- 
 circling it, the sea-like level of the plain as far as the distant 
 horizon towards Venice. The church, circular outsiders of 
 the shape of an elegant Greek cross within, but contains no- 
 thing extraordinary. 
 
 A more picturesque walk is obtained to a smaller and near- 
 er hill, on which stands the suppressed church and convent 
 of St. Michaele in Bosco, as it looks down into beauti- 
 ful valleys and on hills, decorated with elegant villas. This 
 church, library and convent were used by the French as bar- 
 racks, and the soldiers nearly destroyed all the frescos by 
 Guido and the Caraccis which covered the walls of an inte- 
 rior portico. Just enough remains to show the hand of the 
 masters. The unfinished church contains four beautiful groups 
 of children, painted by Cignani, which were out of the reach 
 of bayonets ; and the ceiling of the library is rich with fes- 
 toons of fruit and flowers, and some most animated and vigo- 
 rously executed figures by Canuti. No furniture remains but 
 a fine organ, reposing in melancholy silence. 
 
 The Cathedral possesses a fresco by L. Caracci, said to 
 be his last work; it is the Virgin on the top of one house 
 and the announcing Jingel on the top of another; and 
 another picture, the Delivery of the Keys to Peter. Many 
 other pictures in the churches of Bologna are equally worthy 
 
276 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 of examination, but they are in general badly lighted, dirty 
 and in want of varnish. 
 
 A great concourse of young men occupied the arcades, or 
 piazza, of the extensive buildings of the Pontifical University, 
 waiting for the hour of lecture. I entered the room where 
 the professor of physiology was to lecture. Being a few mi- 
 nutes past the hour, the students were as noisy as the boys in 
 one of our theatres, though they were to receive gratuitous 
 instruction. The professor, when he entered, seemed to con- 
 sider the noise as complimentary. Having found the custode, 
 I was conducted into the various halls, or cabinets ; of natu- 
 ral philosophy, which are supplied with an extensive and ele- 
 gant apparatus for demonstration; of anatomy, which are 
 only inferior to those of Florence in the wax preparations ; 
 of antiquities, which possess many articles of peculiar inte- 
 rest; and of natural history, enriched with specimens from 
 all the kingdoms of nature. The library occupies exten- 
 sive and commodious halls, which presented the unusual spec- 
 tacle in Italy of eighty or ninety persons engaged in silent 
 study at the various tables. The walls are covered with the 
 portraits of learned men and benefactors to the institution. 
 In one of the lodges is a monument to the memory of Gal- 
 vani, and, in one of the rooms, a fine mosaic portrait of Be- 
 nedict XIV. Among the philosophical apparatus was a nu- 
 merous series showing the progress in the improvement of 
 barometers, thermometers, air-pumps, galvanic apparatus, &c. 
 Among the antiques is a large case of beautiful works in ivo- 
 ry, and specimens of the early porcelain of Urbino, with the 
 first compositions of Raphael painted on some of them when 
 he was but a youth. The animals, though sufficiently nume- 
 rous, in the department of natural history, are not well pre- 
 served; and the minerals are less splendid than those of Flo- 
 rence. Here is a mass of native load-stone from the island 
 of Elba which weighs eight hundred and thirty-five pounds. 
 
 Leaving Bologna to proceed to Venice, we passed over 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 277 
 
 level straight roads, between fields well cultivated, but thin- 
 ly inhabited, except, as usual, in ill-looking villages. Here 
 the trees are suffered to grow taller, and the grape vines 
 hang between them in large festoons. As we approached 
 Ferrara, its old broken brick walls, in part covered with ivy, 
 gave an indication of tife desolated condition of the city 
 they once protected. 1/ e idle inhabitants stared as much 
 at us, as we at their old cathedral and decayed palaces. A 
 number of importunate cicerone followed us, but as the ma- 
 nuscript of Tasso had no charm beyond the last edition of 
 his works, and the prison where he was confined could furnish 
 no pleasure to our imaginations, we refused their proffered 
 services, and returned to our inn of the Three Moors; con- 
 tenting ourselves with a plain repast, and the consoling re- 
 flection that various crowned heads had likewise dined here: 
 facts which are well attested by painted coats of arms, in- 
 scribed with royal names and the dates of their visits, and 
 put up within the front door in sight of every passenger. 
 After seeing these, it would be needless to complain of the 
 fare. 
 
 From Ferrara, as we advanced to Francolino, the fields 
 became more marshy and difficult of cultivation; and the few 
 houses which appeared on the dryest spots were generally 
 built of matted reeds and rushes. We drove rapidly through 
 the old town, which did not invite a better survey, and were 
 deposited on the banks of the Po, a wide and rapid stream, 
 the only thing like a river that we had seen since we left the 
 Arno at Pisa, and greatly surpassing that. A row-boat took 
 us across the river, and committed our baggage to the rigo- 
 rous examination of the Austrian custom-house officers, which 
 was alternately amusing and vexatious by the minuteness of 
 their scrutiny and detention of our passports; though we were 
 yet eighty miles from Venice. It was quite dark before we 
 started in the mail-boat, taking with us a few cakes, the only 
 food we could procure at this frontier of Austria, containing but 
 two or three houses. We contented ourselves as well as we 
 
278 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 could, by lying wrapped up in our cloaks on leather cushions 
 spread among our baggage and other goods in a midway store- 
 room ; because an ingenious painter had begun to paint, and 
 still continued to paint the births of the little cabin, from 
 which the powerful smell of white lead reached us in our 
 store-room, and rain prevented our remaining on deck. But, 
 as it was a little boat, and six oars were going all night to as- 
 sist a strong current, at sun-rise we had descended forty miles 
 to a canal which communicated with the Adige, a still more 
 rapid river. From this we soon passed, by a short canal, 
 rising by means of a lock into the Brenta, only to cross it 
 into another canal, whose irregular course passed through 
 low grounds and dirty villages, till it reached the wide spread 
 and shallow waters of the lagunes, which resemble a deluged 
 plain streaked with mud banks and water plants. Into this 
 lagune the muddy rivers carry a deposite of tough lead-co- 
 loured clay, which being scooped out of the channels and de- 
 posited on the side next the sea, in the course of ages, has 
 formed a continuous strip of land or embankment from the 
 sea which heaps it up on the other side. This crooked strip 
 of made land is covered with a surprisingly long succession of 
 brick houses, the residence of fishermen, extending four or 
 five miles, including a bridge of forty arches, and accommo- 
 dated with several handsome churches. It is called Pales- 
 trina. 
 
 At night, a head wind compelled us to stop at one of the 
 fishermen's stakes. Unpleasant as this was, it prevented our 
 reaching Venice that night, and enabled us the next morn- 
 ing to see the queen of the ocean, at the extremity of 
 the lagune, stretching across, and almost united with this 
 mole of fishermen's dwellings. The steeples and domes of 
 Venice were relieved by an extensive range of gray moun- 
 tains, rising high in the distance, upon the tops of which the 
 snow was bright with the rising sun. For many miles our 
 boat was towed by a boat with oarsmen, who often got out, 
 with naked legs, and dragged the tow lines, sometimes knee- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 279 
 
 deep in water, and at others labouring through the mud and 
 resuming their oars in the boat whenever a deep channel 
 crossed their way. All around us, except in channels which 
 were indicated by ranges of piles or stakes, fishermen were 
 seen in the shallows of this great expanse of water, wading 
 for crabs and shell fish. 
 
 At length we reached some old walls and ruinous houses, 
 the outskirts of Venice, and passing these, opened into a mag- 
 nificent harbour, resembling a great river, lined with good 
 houses, and animated by a variety of shipping and boats in 
 motion. Crossing this great harbour, we approached a point 
 of land embellished by a beautiful edifice at the Porto Franco, 
 and then opened into another great but less spacious canal. 
 In front, the singular but beautiful palace of the doges, and 
 the lesser place of St. Mark were close by, with a fine ter- 
 race or wharf extending along the water's edge. As our boat 
 pursued its way to the post-office, down the great serpentine 
 canal or river, the magnificence of the palaces, and their pe- 
 culiar style of architecture, rich in bold ornaments, balconies 
 and sculptures, excited us to frequent exclamations of admi- 
 ration. What must have been their beauty when Venice 
 was in her full glory, and these marble palaces were new or 
 in bright repair? From many which were built of brick, 
 the plastering was falling off, and others, with broken win- 
 dows, were uninhabited : yet, as an evidence of renovation, 
 since Venice has been made a free port, we passed a large 
 new edifice, rising from an old foundation, and others under- 
 going repair. 
 
 The Gondola, about which so much is said and sung, is a 
 ferry-boat, very much resembling an Indian canoe, floating 
 lightly on the water, and rising pointed at each end, the front 
 being ornamented with a large sharp-edged piece of iron, 
 something Ijke a battle-axe. In the centre are cushioned 
 seats, with an arched covering of black cloth, where two 
 grown persons and two children may conveniently sit, or, on 
 an emergency, six grown persons may squeeze together, either 
 
280 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 with open door and side windows, or closed with glass or 
 black Venitian blinds. The boatmen, without a rudder, and 
 only one oar at his right side, stands on the little deck of his 
 narrow stern, and bearing his weight on his oar, which sel- 
 dom rises out of the water, not only urges the gondola straight 
 onwards, but by dexterous movements, which are practised 
 from infancy, turns it in all directions with surprising facility 
 and accuracy. 
 
 Having reached the post-office, and assorted our baggage, 
 we entered one of these gondolas and returned to the Hotel 
 de l'Europe, which we had passed on entering the port. I 
 found that the use of one oar produced an unpleasant rock- 
 ing of the boat, to which those are not subject who employ 
 an additional boatman at the front of the canoe, whose oar* 
 striking simultaneously with the other, at opposite sides, cor- 
 rects the evil, and it affords the advantage of greater speed 
 when long excursions are to be made. We landed on marble 
 steps rising a few feet out of the water to a vast hall, in which 
 the light gondola, when only for private use, may be deposited ; 
 first divested of its covered chamber, which two men lift off 
 the seats and carry up. 
 
 It had begun to rain before we entered Venice, and a mist 
 obscured the magnificent mountains which we had seen at 
 sun-rise stretching beyond and extending far over the low 
 lands of the adjoining continent. As it cleared up, however, 
 the view from our elevated balcony, of splendid edifices 
 stretching in various directions into the broad expanse of wa- 
 ters was as delightful as it was novel. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY, 
 
 281 
 
 Venice, May 14th. 
 
 I was impatient to visit the Academy of Fine Arts, to 
 which a rocking gondola soon conducted me on the main ri- 
 ver, for it conveys an imperfect idea of this wide channel, 
 which in a serpentine form divides the city, to call it a ca- 
 nal. A little back from the water's edge, a great mass of 
 an old and altered monastery presented a small, new and 
 handsome front as an entrance to the Accidentia delle belle 
 Arte, denoted in large letters across the front, whilst on 
 the top of the building, in colossal proportions, and newly 
 sculptured in white marble, the genius of the arts sits grace- 
 fully at the side of the Venitian lion. 
 
 Inscriptions over various doors, around the court and in 
 the; corridor, indicate the entrance to the schools of draw- 
 ing, anatomy, perspective, sculpture, &c. above which we 
 found the halls for the preservation of the most esteemed 
 pictures belonging to the government, most of which are 
 altar-pieces. Two of these halls are of great. size, and fur- 
 nished with skylights; and two others are to be added, for 
 the display of six hundred pictures now hidden in a store- 
 house. 
 
 The first large room, badly lighted by side windows, be- 
 sides several other pictures of inferior merit, contains the 
 Miracle of St. Mark, by Tintoretto, the Assumption of 
 the Virgin, by Titian, the Marriage at Cana, by Padua- 
 nino, and the Fisherman, presenting the ring to the doge, 
 by Paris Bordonone. The Assumption of the Virgin, which 
 was only of late rescued from total destruction behind the 
 candles of an altar, is much injured, and badly restored, in 
 parts, by black masses of colour, abhorrent to the palette of 
 Titian; but the best preserved portions, especially the an- 
 
 36 
 
202 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 gel children who encircle the Virgin in the upper part of 
 the picture, have a tone and powerful depth of colour, espe- 
 cially in the shadows, which belong alone to Titian, and 
 above all in this picture. There is nothing athletic in them, 
 but they are animated, vigorous, sun-burnt mortals, miracu- 
 lously sporting among the clouds; and owing more to Ti- 
 tian's pencil, than the peasant girl, representing the Virgin, 
 who stands in the midst of them, astonished at the prospect 
 that opens before her. The lower part of the picture is 
 filled with rather a wild mass of apostolic men, among whose 
 black heads and sooty draperies, some finely finished parts 
 and some folds of rich colour may be selected. 
 
 At the opposite end of the room, the miracle of St. Mark, 
 which, if seen first, astonishes by its force of colour, truth 
 of drawing, and vigour of expression, loses something of its 
 wonted effect, when compared by alternate glances, with the 
 unrivalled force of the Assumption. 
 
 A room beyond this contains some interesting bronzes, 
 some fine studies of cherub heads, by Titian, and a vase con- 
 taining the right hand of Canova. His left hand is preserved 
 at Rome, his heart embalmed in the church of the Fratri, 
 and his body at his native village of Pasagno. Thus proud 
 is Italy of the celebrated sculptor whom she claims as her 
 son. 
 
 Passing through long corridors, lined with prize drawings 
 of the academic pupils, and a great collection of architectu- 
 ral designs, by Queringhi, a Venitian artist who died in Rus- 
 sia, we entered the two great new halls, in which, I think, 
 the most interesting picture is the Presentation of the Vir- 
 gin, painted by Titian, at the age of eighty. It is some- 
 what less forcible, but apparently not injured, and much 
 more harmonious than the Assumption. The rooms contain 
 other excellent pictures by Paul and Charles Veronese, Pa- 
 duanino, Bonifacio, &c. 
 
 A small room preserves a number of framed original draw- 
 ings, by the old masters; and commodious sky-lighted halls 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 283 
 
 contain plaster casts of the finest antique statues for the use 
 of students. 
 
 Returning from the academy, instead of re-entering the 
 gondola (by which practice travellers go away with the idea 
 that Venice is all canal,) I traversed a great number of little 
 streets, remarkably clean, and crossed many neat little bridges, 
 built of marble, just high enough for a gondola to pass under; 
 and remarked that the canals which penetrated all parts, 
 were perfectly sweet and clean, having scarcely any thing, 
 and nothing at all offensive, floating on their surfaces. When 
 I arrived again at the edge of the great canal, opposite my 
 lodgings, a gondola took me across. 
 
 Numerous as the canals are, and they amount to one hun- 
 dren and forty-seven, besides the two great ones, the number 
 of solid, convenient, flag-paved streets, that penetrate the 
 compact assemblage of houses, amount to two thousand one 
 hundred and eight, and afford the utmost facility for walking 
 to every part of the city. These cross the canals by bridges 
 which connect the streets; with these exceptions, that the 
 great serpentine channel which divides the city into two near- 
 ly equal portions, can only be passed at one spot, on the Ri- 
 alto, a bridge of about one hundred feet span; and that the 
 great harbour, where ships of war, and merchant vessels lie, 
 can only be crossed in boats, to a smaller section of the city, 
 and to various islands. 
 
 The chief objects of interest are situated on the borders 
 of the broadest waters, where they give magnificence to the 
 city, and enjoy the advantages of air and light; and these be- 
 ing most conveniently visited by water, the stranger who 
 wishes to hurry away soon, more readily accomplishes his 
 purpose by hiring a gondola by the day, and remains with 
 the impression that all the houses rise out of the canals. 
 Originally built on seventy-six mud banks, or islands of va- 
 rious extent, the houses gradually encroached on the water 
 till it was reduced to the mere convenience of a canal for 
 the removal of heavy articles, for no horses nor carriages of 
 
284 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 any kind are used in Venice. These mud-banks, which form 
 in the lagunes, and appear at low water, between the navi- 
 gable channels through which the waters circulate, are of 
 tough clay, into which piles are driven, and these being cut 
 off below low water mark are sufficient to bear the most 
 solid structures of stone. Yet it may be perceived that 
 many of the old buildings are out of the perpendicular, as 
 well as the great tower in the public place. It is, however, 
 surprising with what solidity the great palaces have been 
 built, which have stood uninjured for centuries. 
 
 The stranger is generally prompted to pay his first visit to 
 the Place of St. Mark, and the more so, as the hotels most 
 frequented are in the vicinity, whence he can conveniently 
 visit it and the adjoining objects of interest on foot. It is a 
 large enclosure, resembling the Palais Royal of Paris, but 
 paved with smooth flags in the centre, surrounded at three 
 sides with buildings of uniform and noble architecture. The 
 arcades, paved with marble, are lined with shops and coffee- 
 houses, only inferior to those of Paris. The fourth side of 
 the place is ornamented by the cathedral, which fronts it, 
 leaving broad communications to other places, buildings, 
 courts, quays and streets. The Cathedral, a low building, is 
 a beautiful and singular assemblage of Arabic and Gothic 
 architecture, enriched with a multitude of small columns, 
 Saxon arches, pointed turrets, and Turkish domes, entirely 
 built of coloured marbles, and mosaic pictures, which fill up 
 the front arches. Above the door stand the four bronze 
 horses, still retaining a great portion of their original Greek 
 gilding, which were brought from Constantinople, when it 
 was conquered by the Venitians, in 1204; they were taken 
 to Paris by Napoleon, and, after nineteen years absence, re- 
 stored to their consecrated stations in 1816. The interior 
 of this church has a gloomy and antiquated aspect, though it 
 is entirely lined with rich marbles, or coated with mosaic 
 gildings, and pictures; some of these are from the composi- 
 tions of celebrated painters, and not badly executed, but in- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY". 
 
 285 
 
 jured in their effects by barbarous golden grounds. It is 
 tilled with curious bronzes, and marble statues, columns, &c. 
 
 A richly sculptured archway, at the side of the church, 
 connects it with the Ducal Palace, which fronts the Piazetta 
 or little place of St. Mark at one angle, and the open har- 
 bour on the other; presenting a singular and rich effect of 
 low columns supporting Gothic arches and galleries, and 
 walls richly decorated with Gothic windows, openings and 
 sculptures. The court within this immense palace of the 
 doges we found crowded with merchants, among whom were 
 some fine looking groups of Armenians. Two wells, like 
 circular altars, of sculptured bronze, in the centre of the 
 court, are frequented by sturdy women who carry its water 
 about for sale in copper buckets, but the best water is 
 brought in tanks from the main land. 
 
 A flight of marble steps, called the Giant's Stairs, from 
 the two presiding statues of Mars and Neptune, conducts 
 to a landing place, where the doges were crowned in pre- 
 sence of the people, and to the magnificent golden stair case, 
 which rises to the great council, senate, and audience cham- 
 bers, and other rooms and vestibules to a prodigious extent, 
 and in a surpassing style of grandeur. The ceilings are en- 
 riched with bold carvings and stuccoes gilded, which serve 
 as frames in numerous compartments, to precious paintings, 
 the best and noblest works of Paul Veronese, and Tintoret- 
 to, infinitely superior to any thing by those artists which are 
 elsewhere to be seen.' They possess, indeed, a majesty of 
 composition, a boldness of contour, and richness of colour- 
 ing, that astonished as much as they delighted me. Besides 
 these glorious works of Veronese, Tintoretto, and Titian, 
 the walls are covered with great pictures representing the 
 battles and other interesting events in the history of Venice,* 
 painted by Vigentino, Zucchero, Palma, and other inferior 
 artists. These pictures are valued, not for their beauty, but 
 as recording the portraits of distinguished personages, modes 
 
286 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 of warfare, costume, and other peculiarities among the an- 
 cient Venetians and Turks. 
 
 Several of these great halls are now used as the depository 
 of a valuable library of eighty thousand volumes, and many 
 marble statues, busts, and pieces of ancient sculpture, for 
 which there is not room in the Academy of the Fine Arts. 
 In the senate chamber, and the hall of audience, the cushions 
 remain on the seats where the doges, senators, and ambassa- 
 dors sat, preserved only to be stared at. 
 
 From these scenes of proud pretended republican magni- 
 ficence, we returned to the court yard, and descended into 
 the dungeons which served as the foundation of this splendid 
 palace, and which were thrown open by order of Napoleon. 
 We stooped through the low openings, now divested of their 
 double doors of iron, and entered several of these dark little 
 cells, on the walls of which still remain the writings scratched 
 by various prisoners. We were shown the chamber where 
 victims were strangled, and the passage, now walled up, 
 through which their bodies were conveyed in the night to a 
 boat which bore them away on a silent and trackless path. 
 The upper chambers, lined with thick planks, appeared to 
 be very dry; but the lower ones were damp, and others still 
 lower, but now closed up, were said to be quite wet. We 
 returned to the day light, quite satisfied that no secret infor- 
 mation, nor mysterious council of ten could now detain a 
 fellow mortal in such wretched abodes. 
 
 The fine oblong Place of St. Mark is deformed at one 
 corner by a tall, square tower, buift of brick, but orna- 
 mented at its base and near its top by works of marble, es- 
 pecially the elaborate sculptures on the lodge which embel- 
 lishes one side of its base. The ascent within the tower 
 is a gentle slope, with but few steps in the angles, to a bel- 
 fry, a spacious open kind of piazza, built of massive mar- 
 ble columns, pilasters and balustrades, very little more than 
 half way to the pinnacle, which was added to this tower to 
 increase its useless height, whilst it deforms its character. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 287 
 
 They boast of it being three hundred feet high, but the vi- 
 siter can only reach about one hundred and seventy feet to 
 the belfry, whence he may look down upon the spacious 
 piazza, the roofs of the royal palace and its six interior 
 courts, the four domes of the cathedral, the immense quad- 
 rangle of the Palace of the Doges and the Piazzetta which 
 connects the great place of St. Mark with the beautiful 
 quays, at whose edges the water scarcely ever rises or falls 
 more than a foot. 
 
 From this elevation the city of Venice appears little else 
 than one compact mass of brown tiles, among which not a 
 single street nor canal can be distinguished, except a small 
 portion of the opening into the great canal or rather chan- 
 nel, immediately below the eye, and in connexion with the 
 broad harbour extending to a long strip of buildings, which, 
 with the island of St. George, nearly encircle it. Around 
 this dense mass of Venitian tiles, fantastic chimneys, little 
 wooden terraces with a few green flower-pots, Gothic spires 
 and Turkish bell-shaped domes, were spread out the tran- 
 quil waters of the lagune, chequered with numerous spots, 
 called Islands, covered with houses, and forming in their 
 irregular lines almost an uninterrupted communication with 
 the distant land. Beyond the level shores appeared the 
 hills near Padua and the magnificent mountains of the Ty- 
 rol, among which the sun was gloriously setting, so that at 
 one moment they presented the resemblance of a sublime 
 volcanic irruption. 
 
 Although nearly every thing in Venice may be visited 
 on foot, yet to save trouble and the time that would be lost 
 by inquiry and search, we commenced our visitation of the 
 churches and palaces with the luxurious movement of a gon- 
 dola. In this excursion it was very evident that, with few 
 exceptions, such as the grand canal and a few others which 
 pass in front of good houses and are sometimes skirted 
 with a foot pavement, they must be considered only as pri- 
 vate alleys or back passages, in which the rough ill-looking 
 
288 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY* 
 
 houses rise immediately out of the water, with doors and 
 passages to communicate with boats for domestic or manu- 
 facturing purposes. 
 
 In making the prescribed round of churches, according 
 to the best guide-book, composed by " Antonio Quadri, Se- 
 cretary of the Imperial and Royal Government and Member 
 of the Venitian Athenaeum," we entered many churches, 
 and walked the rounds of their altars, but found little to 
 admire in their dingy pictures, Gothic sculptures, dismal 
 tombs, wax madonnas and painted statues with golden 
 crowns. 
 
 In the Church of St. Peter, though I could not admire 
 its black Tintoretto, it was not amiss to look at St. Peter's 
 marble chair, of Arabic workmanship, and to admire a 
 very beautiful marble figure of Christ attached by copper 
 nails to a strong wooden cross. The only objects in the 
 Church of St. George the Greater worth visiting are the 
 stalls or seats of the canons round the semicircular choir be- 
 hind the great altar, which were carved in oak by Flemish 
 artists in a style of great richness and elegance. The Greek 
 Church of St. George may be very solid, but we did not 
 think it elegant, nor did we admire its interior ornaments; 
 but we were much interested in witnessing some peculiarities 
 in the priesthood. Mass was performing at an altar hidden 
 behind a screen, whilst a bearded priest, with long hair 
 flowing over his shoulders and down his back, offered in- 
 cense first to the altar, then to the priests and members of 
 the congregation, and, finally, with much politeness saluted 
 us, strangers as we were, with his smoking censor and an 
 inclination of his head: it would have been unpolite not to 
 bow in return. 
 
 The church which concluded this Sunday's excursion, ex- 
 ternally one of the brightest ornaments of Venice, at the en- 
 trance of the great canal, is that of St. Maria delta Salute. 
 It is a-singular composition of orders and fancies, and loaded 
 externally with ornamental scrolls and statues. Within, it is 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 289 
 
 of plain plastered walls, but its lofty arches and dome pos- 
 sess a character of simplicity and grandeur. The altar, of 
 white marble, is a composition of various figures and a group 
 on the summit, representing Venice interceding with the Ma- 
 donna, whilst a beautiful angel boy, with a flambeau is driving 
 away a hideous pestilence. At one side of the altar stands 
 so large and rare a candelabrum of bronze that they have 
 been unable to find a companion for it. It is composed of the 
 richest sculpture, and terminates with a beautiful Group of 
 the Three Graces supporting the socket for the light. The 
 good priest who showed me these things seemed to be as 
 much delighted with the Graces as I was. Behind the altar, 
 the stalls for the canons, though less extensive and elaborate 
 than those of St. George the Greater, are very beautiful, an- 
 gels and children composing the arms of the seats. The sa- 
 cristy possesses a ceiling painted by Titian, representing the 
 Death of Jibel, which shows astonishing vigour of compo- 
 sition and colouring; particularly as the figures are not hid- 
 den with his usual masses of drapery. In a large picture by 
 Tintoretto, finely coloured, he has introduced a beautiful per- 
 spective row of Venitian ladies, who are honouring with 
 their presence The Marriage Supper at Carta in Galilee. 
 A fine picture in the body of the church is by Titian, repre- 
 senting the Descent of the Holy Ghost. But the especial 
 boast of this church is in possessing three large altar-pieces 
 by Luca Giordano, the Presentation, the Assumption, and 
 the Birth of the Virgin Mary. In these magnificent pic- 
 tures, Luca succeeded in restraining the ordinary fury of his 
 brush, and produced pictures that will bear a comparison 
 with the best of his cotemporaries. 
 
 In the leisure and excitement of a Sunday afternoon the 
 place and arcades of St. Mark became lively with the fashion 
 and curiosity of Venice; among which the gay modes of Pa- 
 ris were less to be admired than the fine features and rich 
 complexions of the descendants of those men and women 
 
 37 
 
290 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 who served as models to the glowing pencils of Titian, Ve- 
 ronese and Tintoretto. In the evening the crowd still thick- 
 ened, enjoying the soft mildness of a sea atmosphere, and 
 basking in the blaze of patent lamp-light which attracted them 
 around the coffee-houses; whilst a fine band of military mu- 
 sic, stationed in the centre of the place, with music books 
 and lamps, greatly increased the popular enjoyment, at the 
 expense of the government. 
 
 Pursuing the regular survey of Venice, and commencing 
 with the grand canal from the Piazza of St. Mark, and the 
 royal palace with its little garden on one side of the water, 
 and the ornamental temple, transit custom-house, and the 
 magnificent Church of Santa Maria della Saluta on the 
 other, we passed in review on both sides of the river-like ca- 
 nal, in a length of two miles, a great number of elegant pa- 
 laces, intermingled with some ordinary buildings, all in a de- 
 gree blackened and injured by age and neglect. Some of the 
 palaces of the ancient noble families are in a grand style of 
 architecture, enriched with a profusion of bold sculpture, ac- 
 cording to the taste of the times and the peculiar propensity 
 of the Venitians to this exuberance of decoration. 
 
 One of the palaces of the Giustiniani family belongs to the 
 artist Schiavoni, who, with his sons, all painters, occupy and 
 ornament it with a number of their own paintings and a col- 
 lection of the works of ancient masters which are for sale. 
 
 At the Palazzo Pisani visiters are shown into a hall ce- 
 lebrated for possessing a noble picture by Paul Veronese, re- 
 presenting the Family of Darius before Alexander, by 
 which it would seem that they were all Venitians in costume 
 and complexion, in the midst of Venitian architecture; yet 
 this picture is beautifully composed, and of surprising rich- 
 ness of colour and depth of shadow, without blackness. Op- 
 posite to it is a picture of the same size, as a companion to 
 which it must have been painted, representing the Death of 
 Darius and his White Horse, painted by Piacetta in a sin- 
 gular but forcible style of light, and shade. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 291 
 
 The Barbarigo Palace, in which it is said that Titian 
 died, is reputed to be rich in pictures by him. It is true there 
 are many that bear his name, extremely dirty and in bad con- 
 dition, that were possibly done by him in sickness or sorrow, 
 infancy or imbecility; but I was glad to escape from such a 
 profanation of his name, notwithstanding the guide-books. 
 
 Branching off into a smaller canal, and passing a beauti- 
 ful balustraded bridge, we stopped at the Manfrini Palace, 
 where an extensive collection of pictures and curious works 
 of art are open to visiters twice a week. We found the rooms 
 occupied by several companies, chiefly English and French. 
 The picture most esteemed here, by Titian, the Dead Body 
 of Christ borne away, did not much please me, as being 
 too rigid in the drawing and unharmonious in the colour- 
 ing. The various rooms are filled with curious pictures by 
 ancient painters who led the way to greater excellence and 
 more pleasing productions. Here are some good Flemish 
 paintings; a fine Portrait by Rembrandt; a beautiful St. 
 Cecilia by Carlo Dolce; and the richest specimen of the 
 glowing pencil of Giorgione I have yet seen. It represents 
 himself, his son, and the head and neck of a female, said 
 to be his wife, but which is instantly recognised as the 
 Flora of Titian, presenting an enigma not easy to unra- 
 vel, for the wife of Giorgione was not the mistress of the 
 Medici, nor could Giorgione have copied his wife from the 
 Flora of Titian. The probability is, that Titian, the pu- 
 pil of Giorgione, justly admiring this Head of Giorgione's 
 Wife, adopted it not only for his Flora, but the figure im- 
 properly called the Mistress of Francis L in the National 
 Gallery at Paris. 
 
 The marble steps, landing place and fair front invite you 
 to enter the church of the barefooted Carmelites, which 
 surprises you by the richness and grandeur of its interior. 
 The chief altar and six side chapels were built by seven no- 
 ble Venitian families, who enriched them with the most 
 costly marbles, elegant sculptures and fresco paintings, pro- 
 
292 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ducing a combination of surprising richness — the loan of 
 ostentatious wealth to swell the pride of beggars. 
 
 It was necessary to obtain a written permission from the 
 police to visit the Arsenal at one of the extremities of Ve- 
 nice. The entrance is by a marble gateway, embellished 
 with several statues in marble, and guarded by two enor- 
 mous and various other lions. A colonel commandant having 
 countersigned our order, we were escorted by a stupid old 
 man over the extensive but little occupied premises. Only 
 one small tender floated in its basin, and a brig of twenty 
 guns and a schooner were on the stocks. Enough work 
 was going on in the various departments to keep up a know- 
 ledge of the different operations, and even two brass can- 
 non had been cast only the week before. The accommo- 
 dations for preparing timber and building, making cordage, 
 anchors and other iron works, turning, &c. were in spa- 
 cious buildings. The Giardino delle balle, or the Garden 
 of Bullets, is an enclosure with gravel walks and various 
 shaped beds, with fancy piles of iron balls. But. the most 
 interesting parts of the establishment were, the hall con- 
 taining, among other models, that of the Bucentaur, the 
 magnificent galley of the doge, and two halls curiously de- 
 corated with ancient and modern armour, including many 
 articles taken from the Turks, the armour worn by Henry 
 IV. of France, and other complete suits, among which was 
 one for a little boy, found under the ramparts at Pavia. 
 Here, too, are the bows and arrows, battle-axes, maces and 
 great double-handed swords, used by various nations living 
 on the Mediterranean before the invention of gunpowder; 
 and many curious and elegantly ornamented guns, pistols 
 and cannons, such as were used after its invention, together 
 with a leathern mortar. All the hard work at the arsenal 
 is performed by prisoners, coupled in heavy chains, whose 
 horrible clank can never harmonize with reformation. 
 
 On leaving the arsenal we landed at the public garden, 
 delightfully planted with trees and shrubbery, and laid out in 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 293 
 
 walks, commanding fine views of the town, sea, and islands. 
 Then re-embarking and crossing a considerable expanse of 
 water, beyond an island where a poor-house is established, 
 we reached the Island of St. Lazarus, where there is a 
 convent of learned Armenian monks. We were conducted 
 into the church where they were assembled at mass, the vo- 
 cal music of which resembled the chanting of the Jews at 
 Leghorn. Some of the old men had venerable beards. Af- 
 ter service, a young monk, of polite manners, who spoke 
 English, conducted us over the establishment into the library, 
 which possesses ten thousand books; showed us various an- 
 cient manuscripts, particularly in the neat Armenian charac- 
 ters; their printing office, the work of which is done by Ita- 
 lians, who have learned the Armenian alphabet; and the 
 school rooms, where a few youths are educated, making, to- 
 gether with the monks, a total number of sixty persons. We 
 were shown various elegant editions of books, in different 
 European and Eastern languages, which they particularly 
 study for the purpose of translating and publishing such 
 works as have a tendency to improve the condition of their 
 nation, depressed under the Turkish government. It took 
 our gondolier an hour to return to. the place of St. Mark. 
 
 The Church of St. John and St. Paul, whose piazza is 
 ornamented with an Equestrian statue of Colleoni, a cele- 
 brated Venitian general, and one of the first who made use 
 of cannon, is remarkable for the number of curious, old, 
 and magnificent monuments it contains to the memory of 
 distinguished men; Morosino, who took Constantinople, and 
 refused the crown of the eastern empire; Valiari, &c. This 
 church possesses the celebrated picture by Titian, called Pe- 
 ter the Martyr, which was taken to Paris, and restored to 
 the church after Napoleon's abdication. This picture, in 
 the dark recess of a side chapel, appears to less advantage 
 than it did in the gallery of Paris. The lower part of the 
 picture never much pleased me, but the upper portion, 
 though rather dark, possesses great grandeur and beauty. 
 
294 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 The Church of the Jesuits, whose walls, columns, pave- 
 ment, and draperied pulpit, are curiously fashioned of white 
 marble, inlaid with verd antique, likewise possesses a cele- 
 brated picture by Titian, the Martyrdom of St. Lorenzo, 
 whose athletic forms and rich colouring appear dark and dir- 
 ty in contrast with the white candles which malevolently 
 stand in front of it. The Tabernacle of the great altar is 
 composed of white marble, and much lapis lazuli, under a 
 canopy supported by eight elegant twisted columns. Under 
 the steps of this altar lies the body of Mansini, the last doge 
 of Venice. A rich chapel, and part of the church are 
 wainscotted with carved walnut, of a bold and striking cha- 
 racter. 
 
 Palladio is the boast of Venice, and his skill in architec- 
 ture no doubt contributed largely to its embellishment ; for 
 it required some knowledge of building to convert the mud 
 banks of the lagunes into noble palaces and churches; yet 
 the Church of the Redeemer, which is called his master- 
 piece, in no respect pleased me, except for solidity. It con- 
 tains, however, one good painting by Tintoretto. 
 
 The Church of St. Sebastian, besides a good picture 
 by Titian, and a beautiful one by Palma, is filled with the 
 works of Tintoretto, dark, dirty, and uninteresting; except 
 one in the centre of the sacristy ceiling; yet here he chose 
 to be buried, and above his tomb-stone is a fine bust of 
 him. 
 
 The magnificent halls and Church of the Confraternity 
 of St. Roch, are profusely covered with the labours of Paul 
 Veronese, which occupied him eighteen years. It appears 
 to have been the school in which he was practising to fit 
 himself for better works. They are boldly, but less carefully 
 executed than his fine performances in the palace of the 
 doges. Here is a fine Presentation, by Salviati, and a St. 
 Catherine, by Palma. But this church, so rich in curious 
 old monuments, is chiefly interesting to a lover of the arts, 
 as containing the elegant monument erected three years ago, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 295 
 
 to the memory of Canova; opposite to that it is intended to 
 erect one, designed by Canova to the memory of Titian, 
 whose plain tombstone, inserted in the pavement at present, 
 only bears this inscription: a Qui giace il gran Tiziano 
 Ucelli emulator de Zeuxi e degli Apelle" Here lies the 
 great Titian Ucelli the rival of Zeuxis and Appelles. As I 
 stood over this inscription, and was contemplating the noble 
 monument to Canova, the great organ poured out a strain of 
 magnificent melody, that harmonized with my feelings, and 
 increased the thrill of melancholy admiration. 
 
 Nothing among the articles manufactured at Venice strikes 
 the visiter so much as the vast amount and beauty of the 
 bags, purses, shawls, scarfs, &c, made of coloured beads. 
 It was therefore interesting to visit the manufactories of this 
 article on the island of San Muriano, where glass of all 
 kinds is manufactured. I was astonished to see a lump of red 
 hot glass on the end of an iron rod, after being opened into 
 the form of a thick cup by one man, and its mouth stuck to 
 a mass of hot glass on a rod held by another man, immedi- 
 ately brought near the ground, and the men rapidly receding 
 from each other, converting it in a few moments into a thin 
 tube one hundred and twenty paces long. A slow walk 
 leaves the tube thick, whilst a rapid movement extends it 
 finer; and the finest is made by running. This cord of 
 spun glass rests on strips of wood, three or four feet apart, 
 to which the hot glass adheres sufficiently to prevent its 
 bending to the ground; so that it cools perfectly straight. 
 The workmen, as they return from drawing it, raise it with a 
 hook of the remaining glass on the rod, from its attachments, 
 and remove it a few inches back, where the long range of 
 threads resemble a ropemaker's. 
 
 These tubular threads are afterwards cut into lengths of 
 about thirty inches, and taken into rooms where they are 
 chopped into bits suitable for beads. These are assorted into 
 sizes by sieves, after which they are rubbed in a moist mix- 
 ture of powdered flint and charcoal, which fills up the holes 
 
296 
 
 I 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 in them to prevent their closing by heat, and put into cylin- 
 ders of iron, which are kept revolving in little furnaces, un- 
 til they are sufficiently rounded, when they are thrown out 
 to cool in sand. These beads are of all sizes and colours. 
 It appeared to me that all the inhabitants of the island, which 
 is very populous, as it contains several churches, are engaged 
 in the manufactory, stringing and working of these beads. 
 It is only by such an extent of the work tlvat articles of this 
 manufacture can be afforded so cheap as they are at Venice. 
 
 After observing the modes of living in this most singular 
 of cities, it is natural to inquire how the dead are disposed 
 of. In a remote insular situation of the water-bound city, 
 we were conducted by our gondolier to the Campo Santo, 
 where, instead of a watery grave, dry vaults of solid mason- 
 ry in holy ground, raised above high water mark, are pre- 
 pared for those who can purchase them; but our dull gondo- 
 lier could not inform us where the vast multitude were bu- 
 ried, nor what became of those w 7 ho died without means. 
 This Campo Santo being new, was not yet enriched with 
 sculptured monuments. 
 
 Having engaged seats in the diligence for Milan, we assem- 
 bled at an office on the water's edge, and at midnight in a 
 large covered row boat, proceeded across the lagune to 
 Maestre on the main land, five miles distant, where, at day- 
 light, we found the stage ready to receive us. Here travel- 
 lers leave their horses and carriages, which would be useless 
 in Venice, though Lord Byron enjoyed the luxury of his 
 horse, by short rides in one street which leads to the public 
 garden. The level grounds about Maestre, which are drained 
 with ditches, seem to offer little enjoyment of rural life, yet 
 we passed many country seats to which the nobility of Ve- 
 nice still resort for the pleasures of riding and gardening. 
 The statuary which decorates the gateways of many of these 
 villas is often of a singularly burlesque and vulgar cha- 
 racter. 
 
 Our pause at Padua was only sufficient for us to remark 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 297 
 
 that it resembled Bologna, but with less elegance, in its ar- 
 caded streets; that the court yard of its famous university 
 was singularly lined with the coats of arms of its titled stu- 
 dents; and that its hall of justice was indeed an immense 
 room, being three hundred feet long, one hundred wide, and 
 one hundred high. 
 
 At Vicenza, we had scarcely put our feet to the ground, 
 before we were assailed by several ciceroni, who offered to 
 show us all the buildings constructed by Palladio, who was 
 born here, and who indeed has much embellished the city 
 with palaces and goodly rows of columns. 
 
 We entered the strong fortifications of Verona, before 
 sun-set, and had time to run over some of its ancient streets, 
 on one of which, as summer houses in a garden, stand the 
 Gothic tombs of the Scaligeri. The old amphitheatre, in- 
 ferior in size and beauty to the Colosseum, is of extraordina- 
 ry strength and massiveness. Only part of the high outer 
 wall remains, and the arches all around are used as shops 
 and manufactories. To see the interior, we had to buy tick- 
 ets of admittance to a play that was then performing in a 
 little theatre, temporarily fitted up within the arena. The 
 seats within this immense oval are huge blocks of marble, 
 and the whole kept in perfect repair, giving a good idea of 
 the nature of these structures. 
 
 The country, insensibly rising as we advanced, becomes 
 more agreeable to the eye, by the greater variety of trees 
 and better cultivation of the soil, and a nearer prospect of 
 the Alps, which bound this immense plain on our right hand. 
 Along the whole road, men, women and children, were busy 
 in collecting bags full of mulberry leaves to feed their silk 
 worms, stripping the trees entirely naked, and afterwards 
 trimming the branches. 
 
 As we approached the Lake of Garda, we met num- 
 bers of military with their baggage wagons as in time of 
 war, and shortly after were surprised to find that the high 
 road conducted us over draw-bridges, and through gates into 
 
 38 
 
298 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 the walls of the strong fortress of Peschiera, whose ditches 
 or canals are filled with the waters of the lake into which 
 the fortress projects. A little beyond this, at the village, 
 we enjoyed the full expanse of this beautiful lake which ap- 
 pears to terminate in the midst of stupendous mountains di- 
 rectly opposite. 
 
 At Brescia we had time only to hasten to the Church of 
 St. *ftffra, to see a good picture by Titian, of the Adulte- 
 rous Woman brought to Christ-, and a splendid one by 
 Paul Veronese, of the Martyrdom of St. Jijfra. A sen- 
 sible priest, of his own accord, kindly removed some candle- 
 sticks and flowers which injuriously hid the lower part of the 
 picture. 
 
 As night approached, we drove along the fine canal which 
 leads from the Lake of Como. Many fields were over- 
 flowed for the culture of rice. Along the canal we remarked 
 with admiration posts of granite on which bars of granite 
 rested, about nine or ten inches square and six feet long, 
 making a beautiful rail fence. We entered Milan through a 
 long broad street, gay with numerous coffee-houses, passed 
 the shadowy grandeur of the great Cathedral, and were glad 
 to rest at the Hotel Suisse. 
 
 Milan, May 22d. 
 
 The short stay which 1 permitted myself here, allowed 
 but an imperfect opportunity of comparing it with other Ita- 
 lian cities. It is well built, smoothly paved, and kept remark- 
 ably clean, and there is an air of activity and content among 
 the inhabitants. Sunday afternoon the streets were thronged 
 with people paying social visits, or going in families to the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 299 
 
 public walk, which is situated near the city gate, to enjoy its 
 delightful shades and the gambols of their children, or to see 
 the parade of carriages, which pass up and down the broad 
 street which makes the corso of Milan. Here are nume- 
 rous coffee-houses; but neither coffee nor ice cream appear 
 to be so much called for as beer, which is very cheap, and 
 perhaps innocent. 
 
 The Cathedral, though I had seen good engravings of it, 
 much surpassed my expectations in the beauty of its Gothic 
 ornaments, and the profusion of its bright towering pinna- 
 cles; on each of these stands a statue of full size, besides a 
 vast number of historic statues on trusses around the whole 
 of its vast circuit. The interior is less beautiful, though of 
 grand proportions; and its walls, of mottled marble, are pos- 
 sessed of few ornaments and no pictures of any value. 
 
 Four hundred and sixty-eight steps conduct you nearly to 
 the top of the great spire above the cupola. The roof is a 
 surprising work of marble covering, balustrade, pinnacle, 
 statue, and Gothic work, so well finished, as to bear a close 
 inspection, throughout the wonderful extent and number of 
 its parts. Several spires are wanting to complete the plan, 
 which is still in progress, from the example of Napoleon. 
 
 The Palace of the Arts and Sciences is a vast building, 
 but the apartments appropriated to the collection of pic- 
 tures can boast of little more than the names of great paint- 
 ers. I was best pleased with one large picture by Dome- 
 nichino, and Guercino's Abraham dismissing Hagar, 
 which is universally admired for its expression. 
 
 It was necessary to see with our own eyes the famous 
 Last Supper by Davinci, which we found more visible than 
 was expected; but barbarously injured and as barbarously 
 repaired. Contrary to what is generally said, I thought 
 the figure of Christ much the best of the picture, and some 
 of the merit of the original still to be discernible in the 
 groups on each side of him. Morghen's beautiful print of 
 this composition, and the large drawings of the heads which 
 
300 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 are published, derived from collateral sources, such as Bos- 
 sio's copy which is in the academy here, and an early copy 
 which is at Dresden, are much more satisfactory and beauti- 
 ful. An Italian artist had just completed a large copy of this 
 picture for the king of Sardinia, and, in presence of the so- 
 ber tones of the original, had exhausted all the splendours 
 of his palette to convert the humble apostles into rich gen- 
 tlemen, with much good wine in their complexions. 
 
 At the Ambrosian Library we were shown a great num- 
 ber of pictures of very moderate merit. Perhaps the car- 
 toon of Raphael's School of Athens, alone, may be worth 
 the trouble of visiting it. 
 
 The frescos on the angels of the cupola of La Chiesa di 
 St. Cielso, painted by Appiani, who lately died here, are re- 
 puted to be good samples of solid fresco painting, but they 
 fall much short of the qualities belonging to Domenichino 
 in the Church of St. Andrea della Valle at Rome. 
 
 The historical painter Palazzi showed us some fine spe- 
 cimens of colour. His vast apartments, besides some good 
 examples of his own skill, are filled with plasters, ancient 
 armour and a large collection of antiquities of which he is 
 passionately fond. 
 
 Although all Italy is a school of art, yet Rome is the most 
 favourable spot for an artist to study the highest excellencies 
 of composition and character. The Museums of the Vatican 
 and Capitol are filled with the treasures of ancient sculpture, 
 composing the richest materials for studying the human figure 
 in the most diversified and elegant forms, with drapery, ani- 
 mals, vases, columns, bassi relievi, &c. Besides the chef 
 d'ceuvres of painting in the Vatican, the churches abound in 
 sublime works, executed by tha greatest masters, which, as 
 productions of art, must be studied without prejudice against 
 them, on account of the absurd or disgusting scenes which 
 they represent. It is for modern artists to employ the prin- 
 ciples they may study here, in recording nobler subjects, whe- 
 ther of imagination or history. Not the least, too, among the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 301 
 
 advantages and enjoyments of Rome is the stimulating in- 
 fluence created by its being the residence of so many artists, 
 and frequented by amateurs of all nations. At Florence, 
 however, greater facilities are offered for copying and study- 
 ing some of the finest easel pictures in the world. The gal- 
 leries of the palaces in Rome may be occasionally seen, but, 
 with the exception of the Borghese, seldom admit the ea- 
 sel of a painter. The National Gallery and Ducal Palace at 
 Florence are only rivalled by the Louvre at Paris in the fa- 
 cilities which are enjoyed by artists. 
 
 But neither Rome nor Florence, nor any other city of Ita- 
 ly, possesses a school of painting. Their academies teach 
 nothing but-drawing, which is, indeed, exquisitely fine, and 
 productive of the most beautiful engravings; but painting is 
 learned without any established practice, or in vicious imita- 
 tion of that which is erroneous. There is not even a good or 
 honest colourman in Rome or Florence, and artists use, with- 
 out system, pigments of which they know not the true names. 
 The best painters in Italy are foreigners, who more eagerly 
 seize upon the excellencies they have come so far to study; 
 and without them the art would be in danger of being total- 
 ly lost where it has so gloriously flourished. 
 
 In regard to the peculiar excellencies which certain pain- 
 ters of past time have shown in their works, nothing has 
 more puzzled the professors and critics of art. It has ap- 
 peared to me that although a great deal must have depended 
 upon the capacity of the artist and his means of information, 
 and a vast deal on the nature of his employment and encou- 
 ragement, almost as much advantage has been derived from 
 accidental circumstances. The Italians, who enjoy a clear 
 sky, and witness in their sun-sets the most glowing colours, 
 are surprised that the Hollanders, living in an atmosphere of 
 gray mist, should have produced so many excellent colourists. 
 I conceive it to have arisen chiefly from that circumstance 
 that they were so. A vapoury atmosphere, that reduces all 
 colours at a distance to one hue of gray, serves, at the same 
 
302 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 time, to render every colour which is near, not only more 
 distinct, but more agreeably illuminated; but, under a blue 
 sky the shadows are necessarily tinged with blue, and the eye 
 becoming accustomed to vivid colours, too easily rests satis- 
 fied with the most violent contrasts, both in nature and the 
 works of art. 
 
 The atmosphere of England, in like manner, has contri- 
 buted to produce a good taste in colouring which was con- 
 firmed by the example and authority of Reynolds, who so well 
 understood the principles of the Flemish masters. Giorgione, 
 Titian and Paul Veronese were, it is true, Italians, and rank 
 at the head of good colourists; but the situation of Venice, 
 built in the water, essentially softens its atmosphere and com- 
 bines the advantages of Holland and Italy. The happy ge- 
 nius of Coreggio derived his theory of light and colour certain- 
 ly not from his visit to Rome. 
 
 Accidental circumstances have probably influenced seve- 
 ral distinguished artists. Vandyck happened to learn the use 
 of a certain brown colour from Germany, called Terra de 
 Cassel, by which he softened and harmonized his shadows; 
 hence the English artists call it Vandyck brown. Holland, 
 enjoying the commerce of the East Indies, which furnished 
 her with a variety of pigments, likewise produced from her 
 own soil the best quality of madder, from which her che- 
 mists and manufacturers procured the richest and most dura- 
 ble dyes ; and although madder lake is supposed to be a re- 
 cent invention, and certainly is only within a few years a co- 
 lour that may be purchased in the shops, I think it very pro- 
 bable that Van Huysum, and other painters of that country, 
 must have known the use of this and other rich pigments, the 
 knowledge of which they could not entirely keep to them- 
 selves, but which were probably known to Andrea del Sarto 
 and the good colourists of Florence. It is not improbable that 
 the fashion of wearing changeable silks, reflecting opposite co- 
 lours in different angles, may have influenced the old paint- 
 ers to represent their blue draperies with red shadows and 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 303 
 
 yellow lights, as in Raphael's picture of the Transfiguration: 
 certain it is that such things being found in the master works 
 of the great painters, which are copied with the most scru- 
 pulous exactness, even to the most palpable fault, the paint- 
 ers of the present day in Italy pursue the same system of 
 colouring with as much pertinacity as they display in their 
 hard-earned accuracy of outline. 
 
 Besides, the revival of the art in Italy was by fresco paint- 
 ing, the peculiar nature of which required that the artist 
 should first prepare his compositions in finished cartoons. At 
 all events, it was the practice of painters, derived from each 
 other, and passing from generation to generation, to bestow 
 their chief study on a cartoon executed in black and white 
 chalk of the full size of the intended fresco. Many of these 
 are preserved in the galleries and churches of Italy, and are 
 to be considered among the most precious relics of the art; 
 displaying the finest skill of the master, in composition, draw- 
 ing, light and shade, and execution. Of these original and 
 spirited drawings, what are called the original pictures are 
 but copies in colour, sometimes executed by the master him- 
 self, but more frequently by some of his pupils. This is the 
 process employed by Camucini and Benvenuti, as it is well 
 known to have been by Raphael. The numerous portraits 
 of Julius II. each claiming to be the original, were all paint- 
 ed by some of the thirty artists who worked for Raphael, 
 from the beautiful original drawing in chalks of the full size 
 which is in the Corsini Palace at Florence. 
 
 When oil painting was introduced into Italy, and adopted 
 by those who had practised in fresco, the habits which they 
 had acquired led them to practise the methods with which 
 they were most familiar. Their oil paintings were therefore 
 generally painted from drawings, and, hence, the colouring 
 was often from imagination or recollection, which sufficient- 
 ly accounts for its deviation from nature; although it is fre- 
 quently spread out with great beauty and airiness. Those 
 painters who, it is agreed, excelled in colouring, almost al- 
 
• # t A 
 
 304 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ways painted their studies in colours, by which they had 
 a double chance of success, without vitiating their own 
 powers of vision by the continual contemplation of highly 
 wrought colourless forms, or transcripts in fanciful hues. 
 
 In leaving Milan I may bid farewell to the arts of Italy! 
 An Italian, not exempted from bigotry, discovered a new 
 world for the emancipation of man. May America in pa- 
 tronising the arts, receive them as the offspring of enlight- 
 ened Greece, transmitted through Italy, where their mira- 
 culous powers were nourished in the bondage of mind. Let 
 them in turn be emancipated and their persuasive and fas- 
 cinating language be exalted to the noblest purposes, and 
 be made instrumental to social happiness and national glory! 
 
 We left Milan, not through, but in sight of the elegant 
 triumphal arch begun by Napoleon, now finishing by the 
 Austrian government as the arch of peace. We thence 
 passed over a fine road and through an agreeable country to 
 Sestro, a wretched old village at the head of the beautiful 
 lake Maggiore. Three or four miles before we reached 
 Sestro we were shown a cypress tree which bears the repu- 
 tation of being five thousand years old, and near the spot 
 where Scipio met Hannibal after crossing the Alps. What- 
 ever may be the error of those assertions, the tree is an in- 
 teresting object from its extraordinary size and the freedom 
 with which it has been suffered to spread out its venerable 
 branches; a privilege rarely granted to any tree in Italy. 
 
 Embarking on the placid lake in a coarse boat, conduct- 
 ed by three rowers, our purpose was to anticipate the de- 
 parture of the steam-boat, in order to gain time enough for 
 a visit to the colossal Statue of S. Charles Borromeo. In 
 our course we enjoyed the green banks of the lake, villages 
 to which distance gave an air of neatness, groups of un- 
 dipped trees and mountains that skirted the distant bor- 
 ders. We landed at the village of Jirona and walked 
 around the neighbouring hills, up to a considerable emi- 
 nence, where a church and convent stand, under the pro- 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 305 
 
 tecting genius of San Carlo B or ro??ieo y whose colossal sta- 
 tue towers above them. It is made of sheet copper and 
 stands on a pedestal about forty feet high, and judging by a 
 ladder which was placed at one side and the proportions of 
 the persons who ascended it, I computed the height of the 
 statue to be about seventy feet. This agrees with the state- 
 ment of my companions who ascended under the skirt of 
 his tunic, and climbed the iron bars which united the cir- 
 cumference of the bishop's garment with the brick core 
 that rises through it. The head, they agree, is about eight 
 or nine feet in height, so that only a boy or a very small 
 man can stand in the nose. Yet it is not only a very stu- 
 pendous, but I think it rather an elegant statue. My com- 
 panions were amused with the singular animation which 
 they found in the head of the saint, the dark asylum of a 
 vast number of bats, which darted past them to escape out 
 of a trap-door in the neck. 
 
 Our visit to the statue occupying more time than we had 
 computed, the steam-boat had arrived at Arona and gone 
 on without us, and we were obliged to employ a vetturino 
 to take us to Domo d'Ossola: we devoted a part of the af- 
 ternoon to an excursion by water to the celebrated Isola 
 bella, whose terraces resemble a pyramidal mount, floating, 
 on the water. As we passed this terraced end of the island, 
 we were surprised to find a dirty little village which in part 
 separated the gardens from the palace, whose broad foun- 
 dations rose out of the water at the other end. Here we 
 landed to be conducted through its fantastic suites of peb- 
 ble coated rooms, and halls covered with bad pictures in 
 stupendous gold frames. 
 
 The terraces which appear so beautiful at a distance were 
 found to be all built on arches, faced w r ith stone walls, and 
 rendered green by the branches of orange and lemon trees 
 spread over them. The whole circuit of the little island 
 domain, comprised a great variety of garden, terrace, grotto 
 and grove, the successive improvements of one hundred and 
 sixty years. That too is the age of a large laurel tree 
 
 39 
 
1 
 
 306 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 which was amongst the trees first planted on a soil brought 
 from the main shore to cover the wild rocks chosen for this 
 fairy creation. The gardener showed us a favourite planta- 
 tion of American pines of twenty years growth. In return- 
 ing to the boat and rowing round the island, we were much 
 more pleased with the side next the centre of the lake, as it 
 was more wild and exhibited a forest of luxuriant trees be- 
 tween the garden and the mansion. 
 
 From Domo d'Ossola, where we were saluted with a hea- 
 vy hail storm, our course was nearly level between two 
 mountains of increasing height, for a considerable distance; 
 and then from Gondo we began to ascend the Alps. As 
 we rose, we had beautiful but not extensive views of the 
 little valley of Altrona which we were leaving, and which 
 was soon lost sight of in the bends of the mountain. On 
 this road we met six huge columns of marble, thirty-five 
 feet long, which were quarried on one of its sides. They 
 were conveyed down on wagons the wheels of which were 
 moved by cogs working with a hand wench, without horses. 
 
 It was matter of surprise to me, but absolutely manifest, 
 that travellers arriving from the other side here into Italy, 
 instead of looking down upon her extensive sunny plains, 
 .which is an idle dream of the imagination, can only look 
 down on this little narrow and nearly level valley of Al- 
 trona, and thence pass out to the mountain encircled Lake 
 Maggiore. Our road through this vale and up the sides of 
 the mountains was constantly by the side of a rapid current 
 of water, which sometimes curled and foamed on one side 
 of us and sometimes on the other, as we crossed by bridges, 
 according to the facilities which had been found for con- 
 structing a road on the steep sides of rocky mountains 
 sometimes rising almost perpendicularly. The first portion 
 of this road may be called beautiful, as it presented views 
 of various villages, hamlets and green cultivated spots; but, 
 as we advanced, the torrent of water, rushing over rougher 
 stones, roared deeper below our feet, as the cliffs and peaks 
 rose higher above our heads; many of these were covered 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 307 
 
 with snow, and the surface of the rocks, blackened by 
 streamlets and slender cascades, exhibited little vegetation 
 but dark hemlock and pines. The ascent was gradual but 
 constant, and our entrance among these cliffs was quite as 
 sublime as when we had gained the greatest heights, for our 
 prospect was always limited by the surrounding cliffs, 
 which to the eye seemed to rise no higher in relation to the 
 torrent and the road; though the mind was satisfied of their 
 increasing altitude by reflecting on the road we had passed, 
 and the continual descent of the torrent flowing from pin- 
 nacles of eternal snow. 
 
 A bridge and some parts of the road were nearly de- 
 stroyed by the mountain torrents; and, at one spot, were 
 almost impassable, although many hands were employed in 
 removing the rocks which had fallen from the mountain. 
 The road otherwise was excellent as well as the bridges, 
 which in general were of wood, level and supported by stone 
 abutments. These, occurring among the deepest passages 
 of the mountains, were the spots at which we felt the most 
 violent blasts of wind, rendered doubly offensive by the 
 spray of cascades and the cold from the snow-tops. What 
 is called the Grand Gallery ; is a perforation of the other- 
 wise impassable projection of rocks, large and wide enough 
 to answer the purpose; but these perforations are by no 
 means elegant as they are sometimes described, being in 
 general extremely rude, with great ruptured openings to 
 afford light in the longest and something like windows in 
 others. We found two of them so muddy from water 
 streaming through the top, that we could not comfortably 
 walk through them. 
 
 On the road, occasionally, we reached the habitation of a 
 family with a large building to shelter horses and carriages, 
 and houses of refuge with chimneys for the comfort of tra- 
 vellers whose passage may be impeded by snow or acci- 
 dents. The roof of one of these shelters was nearly all 
 broken in by stones which had fallen from the mountain. 
 We passed many loaded wagons and foot passengers. Oc- 
 
308 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 casionally, where the openings of the mountains afforded a 
 few habitable slopes, were to be seen little huts which are 
 occupied by cowherds during the summer. 
 
 Hitherto we had undeviatingly pursued the course of the 
 torrent, which had originally indicated this route; we now 
 left it, and winding to the right between mountains more 
 open and less precipitous, we soon arrived at the village of 
 the Simplon, and many houses scattered among the hills, 
 where there is a considerable quantity of ground, not too 
 steep for cultivation, and some fields of grass. On stopping 
 at the snug inn of the village, the jolly and kind landlady, de- 
 lighted us with the sound of melodious French, and satisfied 
 us with an honest hospitality. 
 
 We continued still to ascend the mountain for more than 
 two hours; altogether, we were about nine hours, till we 
 reached the summit. Here we found snow on all the hills 
 around us, and on the banks of the roads, whence it had re- 
 cently been cleared, as was evident by the marks of the sho- 
 vels still remaining. Poles of twenty feet in height were 
 fixed along the outer edge of the road, to indicate its course 
 in sudden falls of snow, and the tall and friendly hospice, in- 
 habited by the monks of St. Bernard, with its steeple and 
 alarm bell, stood in sight. A little farther, in a more eligible 
 situation, rose the elegant new edifice, intended as the con- 
 vent and barracks, which is not yet finished. A temporary 
 saw mill is constructed near it. 
 
 We were now descending into Switzerland, and soon 
 opened into a magnificent valley, around whose vast circuit 
 we swept our rapid course, passing a gallery constructed as 
 a protection against avalanches from the mountains, and a 
 fine water fall which issued from the glaciers to unite with 
 other streams descending to the Rhone. Immense forests of 
 close crowded larch and hemlock looked darkly below us, 
 contrasting with many beautiful spots of distant verdure and 
 habitation, with the white summits of Mont Blanc, and the 
 chains of glaciers. Looking directly down the immense 
 opening between these mountains, at once more sublime and 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 309 
 
 beautiful than any thing we had hitherto seen, at a great dis- 
 tance we could perceive the village of Brigg touched by the 
 last rays of the sun; but it was a transient, though beautiful 
 gleam, for suddenly the clouds thickened on the heads of the 
 mountains, and stretching across the valley, involved us in a 
 driving snow storm, which anticipated the effect of night in 
 veiling the beauty and grandeur of the scenery till we reached 
 the comfort of a bed at Brigg. 
 
 Next morning the sun shone bright upon the white caps of 
 the Green Mountains which we had left, and we continued 
 our course through the Valley of the Rhone, whose rapid 
 and turbid waters are progressively increasing by torrents 
 from the mountains, some of which descend in cataracts. 
 These are frequently praised beyond their merits, and repre- 
 sented by artists beyond their actual dimensions; but though 
 we found the cascades, neither u transformed into a thin 
 sheet of gauze," nor decorated with Madam Stark's " terres- 
 trial rainbow," yet they were really very beautiful. 
 
 In pursuing the course of the Rhone, too rapid to be na- 
 vigated, the valley, occasionally narrow and barren, some- 
 times afforded broad fields for cultivation, and situations for 
 numerous villages. In the vicinity of these, every side of 
 the mountains, that could admit of it, was cultivated; parti- 
 cularly at the old fortified town of Sion. A little delay at 
 this celebrated military bishopric, enabled us to visit the for- 
 tified rocks which rise high out of the town, in the midst of 
 the valley, and furnish commanding and beautiful views of 
 the rich plains above and below, and the neighbouring moun- 
 tains studded with settlements. Here, as well as through all 
 the valley, the inhabitants, young and old, politely bow to 
 strangers. But they are in general an ill-looking race of 
 unfortunate beings, deformed with hideous goitres and idiotic 
 countenances, and remarkable for an uncommon breadth be- 
 tween the eyes. 
 
 Near the town of Martigny the valley presented a shock- 
 ing scene of desolation, being covered not only with vast 
 quantities of stones, but great rocks which had been hurried 
 
310 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 down from the mountain gorge, with a destructive flood, 
 which overwhelmed the village some years ago. Our pas- 
 sage through this was as rude as on the worst roads in Ame- 
 rica, but many workmen were engaged in repairing it. 
 
 The valley now opens wider, the villages appear much 
 neater, and though the men smoked the same German pipes, 
 the fashion of the peasant women's head dress suddenly 
 changed. In the upper section of the valley they wore little 
 hats, rolled up at the rim, and ornamented with cloth or 
 silk; here the hats of thick straw resembled the roof of a 
 Turkish mosque. At length the town of Villeneuve re- 
 ceived us at the head of the lake, where we rested and 
 slept away the jolting sensations of carriage motion. 
 
 The wine of the country, which costs but a few cents, was 
 the worst I had tasted in France or Italy, resembling bad ci- 
 der and water. But here, as in every part of France and 
 Italy, the traveller finds, hung up in his bed-room, a list of 
 foreign wines, from which the host derives his best profit. 
 Many that will not drink these wines whilst passing through 
 the countries which produce them, because they are then 
 called common, either from ostentation or perverseness, will 
 pay high prices for them, in some distant place, under the 
 title of foreign wine. Thus at Paris the wine which I think 
 so poor in this cold ravine of the valleys, under the name of 
 Cote Rotie, as a foreign wine, is charged six franks the bottle, 
 whilst the common Burgundy, which is despised at Paris, is 
 here rated high as a foreign wine. 
 
 Next day we were conveyed to the steam boat, which lay 
 at anchor, there being no wharf. The gay and well-known 
 aspect of this vessel, so entirely American, required that we 
 should reason ourselves into the conviction that we were 
 really on the lake of Geneva or Leman. Before us was 
 Lord Byron's castle of Chillon, and Rousseau's village of 
 Clarens, and other Swiss towns on the borders of the beau- 
 tiful lake, whilst magnificent mountains encircled the horizon, 
 having their nearest slopes finely cultivated, and their distant 
 peaks covered with snow. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 311 
 
 The boat suspended her course to convey and receive pas- 
 sengers to and from the chief villages, but remained a longer 
 time opposite Lausanne, whose neat and elegant houses, in- 
 termingled with groves and luxuriant trees, appeared to me 
 the most beautiful settlement 1 had ever seen. At Lausanne 
 we had accomplished about one third of the length of the 
 lake, whose crescent form then tends to the left, and becomes 
 less picturesque, though always beautiful, and not unlike the 
 shores of the Delaware. Among the variety of our passen- 
 gers, there was scarcely any peculiarity of Swiss costume, 
 which must be sought for in the remote intricacies of the 
 mountains; but a travelling songstress with her harp, accom- 
 panied by her happy husband and his violin, joined us at 
 Lausanne, and proved, by our willing contributions, that her 
 songs were sweetly sung, and the accompaniments harmonious 
 and effective. I was not fortunate in Italy to meet with any 
 music of that class so good. There, it was noise and diffi- 
 cult execution; here, sweetness and expressive melody. As 
 the scenery became less interesting, amusement was procured 
 in the cabin by newspapers and a good little library; and re- 
 freshment by breakfasts and dinners which were furnished 
 when ordered at separate tables, there being no ordinary. 
 
 At length, after eight hours navigation, we approached the 
 termination of the lake, and perceived the ancient city of 
 Geneva, situated where the waters of the lake rush out in 
 two rapid streams, soon uniting to continue their course, as 
 the river Rhone, into France. 
 
 Geneva, May 29th. 
 
 The streams which pour into the head of the lake, are 
 turbid with the particles of white rocks, which are reduced 
 in their violent passage down the Alps. These are chiefly 
 deposited in the tranquil basin of the lake, which resembles 
 the pale green of salt water; but it is remarkable that the 
 
312 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 small remaining quantity, or what the water holds in solution, 
 gives it a tincture so blue, as it appears in its outlet under 
 the city bridges, that it seems impregnated from dyers' vats. 
 
 The houses on the water's edge are old and ugly, but are 
 about to be embellished with elegant fronts. The streets are 
 paved with pebbles, painful to feet affected with corns, and 
 stores abound, furnished with mixed assortments of articles, 
 useful to all the surrounding country. But rising into the 
 newer portions of the city, some elegant shops, in the taste 
 of Paris, tempt the sojourner, especially with souvenirs, 
 and paintings of Swiss scenery, as well as clothes, jewelry, 
 and all sorts of conveniences, real and imaginary. On ad- 
 vancing towards the public walks, you may enjoy one long, 
 broad, and smooth stone pavement in front of an uncommon- 
 ly elegant row of houses, built of light gray stone, termina- 
 ting at the Academy of Fine Arts. 
 
 In this neighbourhood are many elegant residences, public 
 walks, delightful groves, and a botanic garden. The ram- 
 parts which surround the city, are laid out as gardens and 
 walks, and are shaded with luxuriant trees, from whose co- 
 ver you look abroad upon the plain, lake and mountain. On 
 the highest part of the city stands the Cathedral; on entering 
 its Gothic aisle, somewhat resembling the cathedral of Mi- 
 lan, but smaller, it produced at first a similar impression; 
 but no holy water was to be found near the door; no altars 
 numbered its side arches; no hideous martyrdoms nor choice 
 paintings were hung up for the edification of pentitents or 
 painters; no gorgeous altar of precious stones, gold, silver, 
 and blazing wax, was to be seen under its dome; and no 
 Madonna nor crucifix, to concentrate the devotions of the 
 pilgrim or the beggar. But there was a large, respectable 
 congregation, comfortably seated, listening, not to the mysti- 
 cal assertions of a bald head, and bearded monk, in a sooty 
 garment, but to the moral instructions of a good looking gen- 
 tleman, with white bib and black gown, who had possession 
 of the pulpit, and spoke in French. In short, we were now 
 in a protestant country, somewhat improved and moderated 
 from the violence of Geneva's celebrated reformer. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 313 
 
 When the stranger goes to the Hotel de Ville, or Hall of 
 the Municipality, to attend to his passport, he may either 
 walk up stairs, or ascend by the gradual slope of a pavement 
 reaching to the highest chambers, contrived, it is said, for 
 the aged magistrates to ascend on horse-back. Within the 
 square of this ascent, is a cistern, to which the water is 
 forced by machinery, worked on the river, and from thence 
 conducted to the public fountains. 
 
 Opposite the City Hall is the Jirmoury, where, besides 
 the modern arms for actual use, are preserved a great 
 quantity of ancient armour, shields, swords, war-clubs, &c. 
 and the scaling ladders of a body of two hundred enemies 
 who had entered Geneva at midnight, but were all taken 
 prisoners, about two hundred and fifty years ago. Near 
 some petards or short cannon for forcing open gates, was a 
 massive helmet of extraordinary weight, worn by those 
 who managed these petards, to protect them against the mis- 
 siles of the besieged. Here also is a variety of ancient guns 
 and curious pistols with match locks, and other locks of 
 singular construction, in use before those instruments of 
 murder were brought to perfection. The keepers were 
 preparing to distribute the muskets to young militia men, 
 who, in a few days, are to encamp for several weeks under 
 military discipline, from which none are exempt but teachers 
 and clergymen. 
 
 In the same neighbourhood is a large building appropri- 
 ated to literature and the sciences, containing a library, 
 reading rooms, and a Museum of Natural History. Here 
 we saw, for none appeared on the mountains, the hooked 
 horn chamois, and the chamony with great dentated horns, 
 the great vulture or griffon of the Grisons, and the gray 
 w r olf and black bear of the neighbouring mountains. The 
 Museum, in several rooms, contains a scientific display of 
 the productions of all countries, not excepting the elephant 
 and the giraffe. I was especially pleased with a beautiful 
 specimen of the argus pheasant. This collection was com- 
 
 40 
 
314 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 menced by M. Pictet and other gentlemen ten years ago, 
 but has become public property within one year. An up- 
 per hall is filled with antiquities, Indian curiosities and a 
 good collection of medals, many of which are of Genevese 
 workmanship. 
 
 The schools of drawing, painting, modelling and archi- 
 tecture, and the gallery of statues and paintings, occupy the 
 beautiful building near the botanic garden, called the Rath 
 Museum, from General Rath, who left his fortune to his 
 sisters with a request that they would bequeath enough to 
 build a foundation of this sort. Six years after his death 
 they chose to do it in anticipation, and live next door to en- 
 joy the reputation of their taste and liberality. The school 
 rooms are in the basement story, above which are four ele- 
 gant and well lighted halls, containing plasters of the best 
 statues, and a number of pictures presented by the citizens 
 of Geneva. Among them are unusually good copies of Ra- - 
 phaePs School of Jlthens and Titian's Danae. Two his- 
 torical pictures by Berghem, good landscapes by Salvator 
 Rosa, and Van Goyen, and two pictures by Rubens and 
 Jordaens. 
 
 The watch-making business of Geneva has been long ce- 
 lebrated. Its work in jewelry is now rising in reputation 
 and value, especially that of enamelled gold, and its musi- 
 cal boxes and ingenious machinery are worthy of especial 
 notice. Some of these musical boxes, at the elder Mou- 
 linie's, are very true and sweet. He showed us a little 
 bird that came out of a case like a snuff-box, whistling and 
 chirping like a real bird, and then dipping under cover; 
 but this elegant toy was not to be purchased for less than 
 forty Napoleons. 
 
 The language universally spoken is French, uttered with 
 a peculiar musical cadence, which, from the mouth of an old 
 woman, seems like the affectation of girlishness. 
 
 Geneva is amply supplied with hackney coaches and car- 
 riages of every kind for the purposes of travelling and visit- 
 ing the neighbourhood. But the vehicle most in use in the 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 315 
 
 immediate vicinity is what is called a char a banc, which 
 is a light four wheeled carriage, with a seat lengthwise, for 
 three persons, covered like a gig, endwise, and a step near 
 the ground for the feet to rest on, admirably contrived for 
 the facility of mounting and dismounting. 
 
 Desirous of hastening to Paris, I took my seat in one of 
 Lafitte and Go's, four hundred and twenty diligences, which 
 in a little time conveyed us over the beautiful plains of Ge- 
 neva to the foot of the Jura mountains. To enjoy the last 
 opportunity of looking back on the Alps, Geneva and its 
 lake, we walked in advance of the carriage, which took 
 three hours before it reached us at the top of the mountain. 
 Our winding course around a beautiful mountain valley, the 
 survey 'of the lake, from which a slight fog was just clearing 
 away, Mont Blanc and its rugged neighbourhood, whence a 
 bright sun had dispersed every cloud, formed altogether a 
 most interesting spectacle. 
 
 From the other side of the mountain we looked down 
 into a beautiful and deep valley, of which we made a great 
 circuit as we descended. We crossed a less elevated ridge 
 of mountains and then passed through a country but little 
 incommoded by hills or embellished by beautiful villages. 
 We had left Italy advanced into the full heat of summer, 
 but we found the northern side of the mountains with the 
 dress and atmosphere of early spring; yet it was pleasant 
 to look once more upon trees which were suffered to grow * 
 in their natural shapes, instead of being stripped of their 
 branches to the tops or clipped into geometrical forms. 
 
 On entering the frontier of France we were detained un- 
 der the arches of the custom house by a rigid examination 
 of the contents of our trunks and persons, and every little 
 musical box from Geneva w T as made to contribute to the 
 national treasury. 
 
 At Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, we found four hours 
 detention tedious from the little interest which the place 
 afforded. The public walks are delightful, but the churches 
 appeared poor, and two that were once esteemed beautiful 
 
316 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 and sacred are now used for stabling horses and other mili- 
 tary purposes. 
 
 Four long days and three tedious nights, in a heavy di- 
 ligence, creeping up every ascent and rolling along perhaps 
 the least interesting road in France, which presented nei- 
 ther prospect of landscape nor beauty of village, at last 
 brought us to the vicinity of Paris; which was evident by 
 the neatness and elegance of the buildings, and the taste in 
 the gardens and groves. The Seine was covered with rafts 
 of fire wood and wine barrels, and boats loaded with better 
 wood and better wine and other merchandises, which were 
 also spread out in piles and rows upon the shores: the whole 
 presenting a picture of business beyond any thing we had 
 seen in Italy. 
 
 Paris, June 5th. 
 
 In a city of such vast extent and interest as this, repeated 
 visits are necessary to form a just idea of it. With the ex- 
 ception of the wonderfully clean streets of Venice, where 
 there is neither dust nor mud, the level pavements of Flo- 
 rence, and the covered foot-ways of Bologna, the cities of 
 Italy are in general so dirty and incommodious, that to re- 
 turn to the noble quays of Paris, the Boulevards, the Gar- 
 dens of the Luxembourg, Tuileries and Palais Royal, gave 
 us increased enjoyment. The splendour of the shops, the 
 gaiety, cleanliness and animation of the multitude of all na- 
 tions, were never failing sources of wonder and amusement. 
 
 It was now a better season for visiting the public institu- 
 tions, although daily showers of rain, during the whole 
 month of June, kept the streets continually muddy. From 
 these it was a great relief to get into the elegant covered 
 galleries, passages and arcades, or on the fine gravel walks of 
 the gardens, or, above all, on the dry walnut floors of the mag- 
 nificent museums. 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 317 
 
 I was curious to ascertain what effect the Royal Gallery 
 of the Louvre would produce on my judgment, after the 
 course I had made through Italy. I found the specimens of 
 the Italian painters had sunk a little in my estimation, as they 
 might be compared with the best works in the galleries I had 
 visited; but I was better pleased with many of the produc- 
 tions of the old French school than I had been ; especially 
 with those of Poussin, Subleyras and Vernet. 
 
 In addition to the gallery of paintings and halls of antique 
 statues, an extensive series of elegant rooms in the Louvre is 
 now nearly finished, with a display of choice and valuable an- 
 tiquities. The ceilings are splendidly decorated with paint- 
 ings by the best Parisian artists, and the costly cabinets, be- 
 neath large sheets of plate glass, set in brass, contain select 
 specimens of articles of curiosity found in Pompeii and Her- 
 culaneum, and from Egypt, besides porcelain vases -and pre- 
 cious stones. This is called the Museum of Charles X. An- 
 other set of rooms was to be fitted up as the Museum of the 
 Dauphin, which are now merely stored with a curious and 
 interesting collection of models of ships, guns and military 
 engines, Indian curiosities and the pictures of the sea-ports 
 of France, by Vernet, which had disappeared from the Lux- 
 embourg Gallery. 
 
 I visited the Garden of Plants with renewed pleasure, 
 and found its Museum of Natural History enriched with vast 
 additions in the course of twenty years, especially in the de- 
 partment most interesting to Cuvier, comparative anatomy. 
 But the splendid collection of insects, comprising specimens 
 from all parts of the world, had all disappeared — demolished 
 by dermestes, against whose ravages no effective measures 
 have been taken; and the stuffed animals, although increased 
 in number, exhibit no improvement in the style of preserva- 
 tion as practised twenty years ago. In this respect the Phi- 9 
 ladelphia Museum, with the skill and taste of my brother 
 Titian Peale, has greatly the advantage; the insects, being 
 perfectly preserved between perpendicular plates of glass, in- 
 accessible to the dermestes, are seen on both sides; and the 
 
318 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 quadrupeds and birds, preserved with the knowledge of an 
 artist in drawing, modeling and anatomy, by a method im- 
 proved upon Watterton's, possess all the beauty and charac- 
 ter of the living animals. 
 
 Baron Cuvier himself is one of the most interesting ob- 
 jects in this garden of the sciences. I had formerly painted 
 his portrait, thin and pale, bearing Napoleon's single badge, 
 the legion of honour. He sat to me now, again, his legion- 
 ary star lost in a brighter blaze of honours, and his coun- 
 tenance fresh with the best health of prosperous old age. I 
 felt it an honour again to be invited to his table, and to enjoy 
 the charms of his domestic circle and the distinguished visit- 
 ers who frequent his Saturday evening soirees. Here I 
 learned that the exhibition of the Royal Academy at London, 
 and of the assembled works of Sir Thomas Lawrence in the 
 British institution, were to be continued longer than usual; 
 and the intelligence influenced my decision to hasten my de- 
 parture for London. 
 
 The royal establishment of Sevres, a few miles below Pa- 
 ris, is one of the most perfect for the manufacture of white 
 porcelain; but for its productions in painted work surpasses 
 all others. A note from Mr. Warden renewed my aqcuaint- 
 ance with the director of this establishment, the celebrated 
 Brogniart, whose chemical discoveries have greatly improved 
 the arts of enamel and porcelain painting. To his politeness 
 I was indebted for an explanation of every process. The 
 visiter is conducted through various apartments where the 
 finely prepared cjay is turned into shape, suffered to become 
 nearly dry, and then turned again and cut with the greatest 
 accuracy into the most elegant forms. It is curious to see 
 cups, vases, busts and little statues still retaining their just re- 
 lative proportions after having shrunk in baking one-eighth of 
 their size. The first operation after baking is the gilding; the 
 gold, which resembles brown paint, being put on with a hair 
 pencil. It is then again baked, each article being placed in 
 a muffle or box of baked clay. The plates, dishes, vases or 
 pictures are now ready to receive the labours of the artist, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 319 
 
 who applies his colours in the manner of oil paints, except 
 that the work is held horizontally, as the pigments are used 
 very liquid ; being put on in dots or stipples which do not ad- 
 mit of retouching until baked. The piece is now subjected 
 to a third heating, after which it receives an additional charge 
 of paint, to deepen and enrich the colours and shading, and, 
 being heated the fourth time, is sometimes retouched and again 
 heated; but each of these heatings is somewhat critical, 
 though the degree of heat is diminished each time. 
 
 Several rooms are appropriated to the display of an exten- 
 sive collection of pottery and porcelains of all ages and coun- 
 tries, terminating with specimens of the course of improve- 
 ments in the French manufactory. A large hall is filled with 
 the most perfect and splendid patterns of the Sevres esta- 
 blishment. The exquisite work lavished on plates, dishes, 
 cups and saucers, excited a regret that so much fine art should 
 be wasted on such toys; and even the vases appeared unjust- 
 ly to possess on their circular surfaces exquisite pictures that 
 should be flat. Flowers, shells and arabesque ornaments ap- 
 pear most proper for such objects. 
 
 The most extraordinary and beautiful works of the artists 
 of Sevres are in pictures, executed on flat porcelain tablets, 
 the largest of which, between three and four feet long, is a 
 beautiful copy of Gerard's picture of Henry IV's. entry into 
 Paris. The price of this picture, elegantly framed, is forty 
 thousand francs, about eight thousand dollars. A copy of 
 Raphael's Madonna del Gran Duca, at Florence, costs 
 twenty-two thousand francs; besides various other pieces, 
 such as Gerard's C lipid and Psyche, landscapes, flowers, 
 &c. But the most beautiful and perfect work of the art, in 
 my opinion, is the portrait of Richardo, copied of the full 
 size from a painting by Rubens. This is like the most ex- 
 quisite enamel. 
 
 The season was now advantageous for visiting the burial- 
 grounds of Fere la Chaise and Montmartre, just without 
 the walls, both situated on rising ground. That of Pere.la 
 Chaise, although but recently established, contains a vast num- 
 
320 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 ber of monuments, some of which are very costly, and ex- 
 tremely diversified in their architecture, sculpture and bo- 
 tanic decorations. These elegantly laid out gravel walks and 
 plantations of trees, shrubbery and flowers, intermingled with 
 the most picturesque mausoleums, obelisks, columns and tombs 
 are much frequented, not only by the mourner who comes to 
 hang a fresh chaplet of flowers over the grave of some rela- 
 tion or friend, but by the gay and careless. Although the go- 
 vernment refused to suffer the body of David the painter, who 
 died in exile at Brussels, to be interred here, yet his friends 
 have erected a handsome monument to his genius. 
 
 The cemetery of Montmartre, though seldom mentioned in 
 competition with the more fashionable Pere la Chaise, is, ne- 
 vertheless, more picturesque and romantic, in consequence of 
 the greater age of its trees and the irregularity of its grounds. 
 Some of the oldest tombs have been so long. neglected as. to 
 be almost lost in the thickets of the little valleys. All about 
 the entrances to these gardens of the dead, are to be seen 
 stone-cutters whose shops display a variety of tomb-stones, 
 and the passages to the gates look gay with wreaths and chap- 
 lets of flowers which are sold by women and children for the 
 decoration of tombs. 
 
 It was impossible to think of leaving Paris without sensa- 
 tions of regret. A political storm was rising which had not 
 yet affected the enjoyment of any of the sources of amuse- 
 ment or study. The readers of the journals were confound- 
 ed by the obstinacy of the king and his ministers. The new 
 members of the legislative body were arriving, re-enforced in 
 patriotic principles, and Lafayette was 'expected every day. 
 I hesitated whether I should not stay a little longer, and take 
 his hand probably for the last time; but the season hurried 
 me away and saved me from the sight of the horrors which 
 soon followed. At a distance from the commotion and blood- 
 shed, I could duly appreciate the merits of a glorious revo- 
 lution. 
 
 Permission being obtained from the police office to quit 
 France, I was soon on the road ; but, after leaving Paris, 
 
NOTES ON ITALY* 
 
 321 
 
 saw little to arouse my attention in passing through Bcauvais 
 and Abbeville, till we arrived at Boulogne, delightfully situ- 
 ated on the coast, possessing all the neatness and beauty of 
 an English settlement. Besides the numerous English resi- 
 dents, most of the inhabitants speak the language of those who 
 come here to economise by living luxuriously at a cheaper 
 rate than the taxations of England will permit. Night spread 
 her veil to prevent any examination of the town beyond the 
 inn which afforded us refreshment; the gate out of which we 
 passed to the quays where lie the shipping; and the long pier 
 aside of which we found the little steam-boat that was to con- 
 vey fifty or sixty passengers, five carriages and ten horses at 
 midnight across the British channel. 
 
 The morning found us entering the broad mouth of the ri- 
 ver Thames, concentrating the courses of numerous vessels 
 arriving and departing. We rapidly passed Gravesend, to 
 which steam-boats were conveying crowds of Londoners; 
 Woolwich, remarkable by its floating hulks and extensive 
 ship-yards; and Greenwich, with its elegant hospital. I had 
 been on this river twenty-seven years before, when it was co- 
 vered by an amazing forest of masts; but now, although many 
 miscellaneous vessels are spread over its surface, its immense 
 fleets of East and West Indiamen float retired in the commo- 
 dious docks which have borrowed many acres from the land, 
 and are screened by spacious warehouses. 
 
 London seems to commence with the tower, a castle which 
 was once its protection, and a royal residence. Beyond that, 
 presenting its noble front on a broad terrace at the water's 
 edge, the custom-house received us, for the ceremony of an 
 examination of our packages, which was accomplished with 
 as little delay and as much politeness as could be desired. 
 Here the stranger who possesses no directions on which he 
 can rely, experiences some inconvenience in deciding to what 
 hotel his baggage is to be conveyed ; but they all vie with 
 each other in the perfection of the accommodation which they 
 afford and the extravagance of their charges; till the visiter 
 
 41 
 
/ 
 
 322 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 may suit himself with furnished apartments in whatever part 
 of the city he chooses to reside, either to economise in great 
 comfort or luxuriate in expensive style. 
 
 London, July 6th. 
 
 The atmosphere in the busiest parts of London is loaded 
 with the smoke of bituminous coal, which provokes the unac- 
 customed throat to frequent fits of coughing; but the feet en- 
 joy the comfort of a smooth side path in every street, and the 
 protection of a curb-stone against the rude rights of cart and 
 carriage. The dark brown brick houses remind one of New 
 York ; but the bustle in the great thoroughfares far exceeds 
 that of Broadway. It commences with day-light, increases 
 like a tide to its height at noon, and slowly subsides at the ap- 
 proach of midnight, after the disgorgement of the numerous 
 theatres. 
 
 Although the dusky Cathedral of St. Paul's suffers by 
 a comparison with the splendid Temple of St. Peter's at 
 Rome, it remains a truly elegant mass of building, and is pos* 
 sessed of much external beauty and character of design. Af- 
 ter being accustomed to the rich decorations of Italian 
 churches, the interior appeared naked and desolate ; yet a 
 few monumental statues, of moderate merit and recent intro- 
 duction, serve to diversify the monotony of the cold white 
 walls. I had seen it to greater advantage, when ten thou- 
 sand charity children, amphitheatrically arranged under the 
 dome, united in one angelic strain of devotional psalmody, in 
 the presence of many thousand spectators, who, in entering, 
 had added their gold and silver to the heaping plates before 
 which they passed. 
 
 The buildings which were formerly the boast of London 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 3<23 
 
 are now blackened with smoke and generally in a heavy style, 
 which appears the more so when contrasted with the mo- 
 dern edifices of better taste and brighter materials, such as 
 the palace for the accommodation of the Post-office. The 
 greatest improvements by which London astonishes the 
 visiter after an absence of twenty-seven years, are in the 
 Vast amount of buildings and ornamented squares erected 
 in the place of green fields, and the improvements effected 
 in opening and widening many streets. Regent Street, 
 lined with splendid shops and dwellings like palaces, 
 including its circular sweep of fluted cast-iron columns, 
 and connecting St. James's Park with the Regent's Park 
 encircled with splendid mansions, is altogether perhaps 
 unequalled. While these improvements have been making, 
 London has increased in population from twelve hundred 
 to fifteen hundred thousand inhabitants. Additional bridges 
 have been erected across the Thames, and coaches constant- 
 ly plying between all the neighbouring villages, effectually 
 unite them with London, the queen of cities! 
 
 In arriving at the Custom-house we had sailed over the 
 Tunnel, which is half finished, intended to connect the two 
 sides of the river where the navigation will not permit a 
 bridge. The work being suspended for want of funds, the 
 expense of its preservation is secured by admission money 
 received from visiters. An easy stairway conducted us to 
 the bottom of the great well or shaft from which the tunnel 
 commences. A steam-engine, continually at work, pumps 
 up the water which leaks through the masonry and would 
 otherwise overflow the subaqueous road. It is in fact a 
 double tunnel, of eliptical form, connected by arches, which 
 separate two nearly level roads, only one of which is 
 finished and lighted with gas, producing a singular and beau- 
 tiful effect. This road is finished as intended for the pas- 
 sage of carriages, and a raised pavement of flag stones, next 
 the central division, conveniently accommodates two per- 
 sons abreast. The portion which is finished appears so sub- 
 stantial that it dissipates all doubt of its competency to an- 
 
324 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 swer the purpose intended. I could not learn whether 
 there was any probability of money being obtained to com- 
 plete this extraordinary enterprise. 
 
 It is impossible to form a just idea of the state of the arts 
 in London without visiting the annual display at Somerset 
 House, and other simultaneous exhibitions. Complaints, as 
 usual, were made that historical compositions constituted too 
 small a proportion; and indeed serious history is but little 
 patronised in England; but pleasant domestic scenes, such 
 as come from the fancy and pencils of Wilkie, Leslie and 
 Newton, are always received with interest and well re- 
 warded. Sir Thomas Lawrence being only recently dead, 
 the saloon contained a few of his elegant portraits; but the 
 public judgment seemed divided between the rival claims 
 of Jackson and Phillips as his successor. Jackson is pre- 
 ferred for the delineation of character, and Phillips for the 
 richness and beauty of his colouring. Wilkie has sur- 
 prised his friends by his bold and rich execution of por- 
 traits in large, but time must be allowed him for a more ef- 
 ficient demonstration; meanwhile his works of imagination 
 are assuming a more imposing aspect; the subject on which 
 he is now engaged being the preaching of John Knox. 
 
 In possessing the advantages of visiting this and many 
 other artists and galleries of pictures, out of the regular sea- 
 son, I was indebted to the politeness of Mr. Leslie, who is 
 not less distinguished for his talents as an artist than he is 
 esteemed for his moral excellence and urbanity. His last 
 picture, the Dinner at Pagers House, was not finished in 
 time for this year's exhibition. He has embodied the cha- 
 racters of Shakspeare's pen in such appropriate forms and 
 individuality of expression that they must remain no longer 
 a fiction. His picture of Sancho Panza relating his ad- 
 ventures to the Duchess, which is one of the most delicate 
 in its humour, elegant in its composition and splendid in 
 its colour, is now in the hands of Mr. Humphreys, who is 
 engraving a large plate of it. 
 
 It was one of the greatest treats the lovers of the fine 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 325 
 
 arts enjoyed, when, soon after the death of Reynolds, the 
 gentlemen who nobly manage the British institution, co- 
 vered their walls entirely with a choice selection of his 
 works. A similar conduct was supposed to be due to the 
 reputation of the late president of the Royal Academy, and 
 the pictures of the elegant Lawrence, perhaps too hastily 
 collected, attracted crowds of admirers, and produced for 
 the benefit of his family about two thousand pounds, nearly 
 one-third of the amount received at the Royal Academy by 
 this year's exhibition. 
 
 On the death of Lawrence, the Royal Academicians, in 
 electing Sir Martin Archer Shee as their president, were 
 doubtfully influenced by his talents as an artist, but were 
 almost unanimous in preferring one so accomplished as a 
 scholar and so conciliating in his manners. His poems and 
 notes on painting have done much to establish the fine arts 
 in the minds, hearts and mansions of his countrymen. In 
 a long conversation with him in his painting room, some 
 beautiful portraits serving as a back-ground, I was much 
 pleased with his frankness and modesty. 
 
 Sir William Beechy, who has recently received the ho- 
 nourable appointment of painter to the king, appeared to 
 be restored to new life, and probably to improved energies. 
 He was less disposed to talk with me on the excellent por- 
 traits which I saw in his room, than on the subject of Ame- 
 rican artists, and related several characteristic anecdotes of 
 our eccentric Stuart. 
 
 1 found Mr. Chantry in his spacious apartments, afforded 
 by the ample precincts of Pimlico, surrounded by a host of 
 fine busts, statues and subordinate workmen. A cast of his 
 Washington stands near the middle of his principal sky- 
 lighted room. His chief attention now appears to be di- 
 rected to the execution of bronze statuary, which he has 
 brought to great excellence. He finds little difficulty in 
 casting a colossal statue, and I have examined with surprise 
 the unity and perfection of the metal. My visit concluded 
 with a survey of his elegant foundry and well contrived 
 
326 
 
 NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 furnaces. Desiring me to follow his example in putting on 
 a pair of wooden over-shoes, he led me into a chamber 
 where his clay moulds for casting were baking. The iron 
 doors were closed and bolted upon us. From every pore 
 of our skins the perspiration immediately started, the con- 
 stant evaporation of which prevented any sensation of ex- 
 traordinary heat, except on touching our clothes and metal 
 buttons. After a few minutes, when the doors were opened, 
 Mr. Chantry showed me that the thermometer stood at two 
 hundred and ninety degrees, and assured me that his man 
 had often been in with the heat of four hundred degrees. 
 
 The venerable Northcote, whose unsold labours, picture 
 against picture, scarce left him room to move or receive a 
 visiter, was himself one of the most interesting pictures I 
 have seen; and his animated conversation on art and the 
 artists of past times, almost compensated for the defects of 
 his impaired vision. His mind's eye, however, was bright 
 as ever, and it delighted in retracing the merits of his mas- 
 ter Reynolds. 
 
 Besides the exhibition at Somerset house, which com- 
 prises a variety of paintings in oil and in water colours, 
 miniatures, architectural elevations, engravings and statu- 
 ary, artists are farther accommodated with the opportunity 
 of an annual exposition of their works in the elegant rooms 
 of the Society of British Artists in Suffolk street, which con- 
 tain some excellent landscapes in oil and water colour paint- 
 ings. The Exhibition of the Water Colour Society was 
 spoken of with the greatest approbation. It was closed, 
 but I saw some of the best pieces which had been in the 
 exhibition. This is a style of painting peculiar to Eng- 
 land, and but recently brought to extraordinary perfection, 
 uniting much of the richness of oil painting with a superior 
 airiness and variety of colour. 
 
 The National Gallery, a mere beginning, and imperfectly 
 accommodated, possesses some valuable pictures of the old 
 masters. The landscapes by Claude Lorraine, though al- 
 ways elegant in composition, offend me by their weight of 
 
NOTES ON ITALY. 
 
 327 
 
 foliage; but his sea ports here, as at Rome and Florence, 
 possess all his magic glow of colour. Rembrandt's little 
 picture of the Woman taken in Adultery, which cost 
 five thousand guineas, is esteemed as one of his most highly 
 finished works, but is of colder colouring than usual. Here 
 is one of the finest heads by Vandyck, the portrait of Ge- 
 vartius, and several charming pictures by Wilkie. West's 
 first picture of Christ healing the Sick and Lame, des- 
 tined for the Pennsylvania Hospital, but purchased by the 
 British Institution for three thousand guineas, appears to me 
 inferior to the repetition of the same subject which is in 
 Philadelphia,, 
 
 The Duhuich Gallery, about five miles out of London, 
 is a choice collection of pictures; among which the glowing 
 landscapes of Cuyp are chiefly to be distinguished. 
 
 The private galleries of the Marquis of Stafford, and of 
 Earl Grosvenor, which have cost immense sums in their pur- 
 chase, and are displayed in noble suits of apartments, comprise, 
 especially The Stafford Gallery, most interesting and valu- 
 able pictures, which are liberally open to artists and persons 
 of taste at stated times. 
 
 At Lord Egremont's, at Mr. S. Rogers's, and at his bro- 
 ther's, there are some excellent pictures by ancient and mo- 
 dern artists. A longer residence in London, and at a more 
 favourable season, would have made me acquainted with 
 many other valuable cabinets, such as those of Mr. Hope, 
 Mr. Baring, &c. In these private collections, England pos- 
 sesses a great number of the finest pictures of the best 
 masters, purchased out of foreign galleries, or brought here 
 by dealers who were certain of the most liberal remuneration. 
 By means of such selected examples of art, influencing both 
 artists and patrons, the knowledge of painting in England is 
 divested of injurious local prejudices, characterised at once 
 by good taste and good sense; and steadily advancing to the 
 highest perfection. 
 
 I could not take leave of London without visiting West- 
 minster Abbey, whose style of Gothic aschitecture pos- 
 
328 
 
 NOTES ON TTALY. 
 
 sesses an elegance and charm beyond any thing 1 had seen in 
 France or Italy that bore the name of Gothic. Besides this, 
 the number of monuments of distinguished persons who are 
 buried within its walls, render it peculiarly interesting. 
 These occupy the whole circuit of its vast circumference, 
 so as not to allow room for any more. Hence the necessity 
 of erecting such memorials of great men elsewhere. Lord 
 Nelson was the first in the new series, and the last is Sir 
 Thomas Lawrence, who lies beside Mr. West, and Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, in the Cathedral of St. Paul's. 
 
 By deciding to return home in one of the London packets, 
 I had an opportunity to see Portsmouth, to which the ship 
 proceeded for the purpose of taking in her last provisions 
 and passengers. Old as is this sea-port, we found no wharf 
 at which to land, being obliged to get out of our broker's 
 tender into a row-boat, and land on the gravelly beach, as in 
 a new country. Portsmouth is little else than a harbour for 
 vessels of war, which float in safety in a noble inland basin, 
 well protected next the water, and surrounded by sufficient 
 fortifications, which afford delightful promenades; yet it is 
 not without some good dwelling houses and well appointed 
 stores, although they are chiefly such as are necessary in fur- 
 nishing ships. 
 
 The good ship Hannibal bore me safely across the wide 
 Atlantic, and the skill and politeness of her captain divested 
 a long passage of much of its tediousness, especially to such 
 of us as were anxious to reach home. After an absence of 
 nearly two years, I arrived at New York on the last of Sep- 
 tember, 1830. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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 CONVERSATIONS-LEXICON. 
 
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 Assisted by EDWARD WIGGLESYVORTII, Esq. 
 
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2 
 
 ENCYCLOPAEDIA AMERICANA. 
 
 and cumbrous, being usually elaborate treatises, requiring much 
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 furnished by Mr. Walsh, who has long paid particular atten- 
 tion to that branch of our literature, and from materials in the 
 collection of which he has been engaged for some years. For 
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 confined to deceased individuals : the European biography con- 
 tains notices of all distinguished living characters, as well as 
 t hose of past times. 
 
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 present edition by Dr. John D. Godman ; those on Chemistry 
 and Mineralogy, by a gentleman deeply versed in those de- 
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 In relation to the Fine Arts, the work will be exceedingly 
 rich. Great attention was given to this in the German work, 
 and the Editors have been anxious to render it, by the necessary 
 additions, as perfect as possible. 
 
 To gentlemen of the Bar, the work will be peculiarly valua- 
 ble, as in cases where legal subjects are treated, an account is 
 
ENCYCLOPAEDIA AMERICANA. 
 
 3 
 
 given of the provisions of American, English, French, Prussian, 
 Austrian, and Civil Law. 
 
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 and our libraries will be enriched by the most generally useful encyclopedic 
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 * * * The Encyclopaedia Americana is a work without which no library 
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 A compendious library, and invaluable book of reference. — JV. Y. Americans 
 
4 
 
 ENCYCLOPAEDIA AMERICANA. 
 
 This cannot but prove a valuable addition to the literature of the age.— Mer 
 advertiser. 
 
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 an event not less creditable to its enterprising publishers, than it is likely to 
 prove lastingly beneficial to the public. When completed, according to the 
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 of all the best Encyclopedias, since it comprises whatever is really desirable 
 and necessary in them, and in addition, a large proportion of articles entirely 
 original, or expressly written for its pages. This is the condition of all the 
 articles of American Biography, by Mr. Walsh ; those on Zoology, by Dr. God- 
 man ; and those on Mineralogy and Chemistry, by a gentleman of Boston, 
 distinguished for his successful devotion to those studies. The work abounds 
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 the editors have thus far completed their task, it is impossible, in the course of 
 a brief newspaper article, to speak with adequate justice.— Boston Bulletin. 
 
 We have looked at the contents, generally, of the second volume of this 
 work, and think it merits the encomiums which have been bestowed on it in 
 the northern papers. It continues to be particularly rich in the departments 
 of Biography and Natural History. When we look at the large mass of mis- 
 cellaneous knowledge spread bef ire the reader, in a form which has never been 
 equalled for its condensation, and conveyed in a style that cannot be surpassed 
 for propriety and perspicuity, we cannot but think that the American Ency- 
 clopedia deserves a place in every collect ion, in which works of reference form 
 a portion."— Southern Patriot. 
 
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