MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 297 



not far distant from the bridge, we stopped a few minutes to watch an auction 

 sale, principally of old clothing. The female part of the audience were by far 

 the most numerous; and it was laughable to observe how eagerly they examined 

 each article, and how they outstrove one another in bidding. What tempta- 

 tions are to be met with at an auction sale, when the idea of meeting with a 

 cheap bargain, whether wanted or not, hurries one away into expense ! 



" We were fully as much pleased with the church dedicated to St. John and 

 St. Paul as any place in Venice. In the open space before it is the noble 

 equestrian monument of the famed general Colleoni, one of the first who 

 made use of cannon. The interior of the building, with its numerous side 

 chapels, is crowded with magnificent monuments in memory of the most noted 

 names in the chronicles of Venice : the families of the doges 'Mocenigo, Valier, 

 Morosini, Vendramin, and a host of others, as well as scores of generals, ad- 

 mirals, &c. We could barely devote one hour to it : three or four might well 

 be spent there. Mention of several paintings of considerable merit by Bassano, 

 Bonifacio, Tintoretto, Padovanino, Palma, and Paul Veronese, must not be 

 omitted. One by Titian, " The Martyrdom of St. Peter," was honoured by 

 a journey to Paris. The most extraordinary production of art is six bas reliefs 

 in bronze, pourtraying scenes in the life of St. Dominique, executed with 

 amazing skill. The pillars of the church are covered with crimson damask, 

 and the curtains are of the same material and colour, the whole throwing a 

 very effective and vivid hue on the numerous works of art. Our ramble had 

 given us a good appetite for our five o'clock dinner, to which we now wended 

 our willing way, calling on the route home to see a manufactory of those highly 

 finished gold chains, for which Venice is so famous. The manufacture of the 

 very minute watch guards is certainly worthy of inspection : quite a liliputian 

 process. The man we called upon was a Jew in principle : he valued a chain 

 of good gold which we submitted to his verdict, at one-fourth of its value, and 

 asked for one which did not weigh half so much twice the amount of the 

 valuation. John Bull would not be bamboozled by him. 



" In the cool of the evening we took a gondola to the Lido, wishing to 

 relieve our eyesight with a view of the rolling sea, and our heated frames with 

 a cool breeze. Having crossed the Jews' burial ground (of which more else- 

 where), we were rewarded for our trip, by the desired gratification of the senses 

 before mentioned. Having determined that we would, before leaving Venice, 

 enjoy a morning plunge in the brine, we returned to the gondola : our guide 

 pointed out the place where the doge was annually in the habit of wedding 

 Venice to the Adriatic, by dropping a ring into the sea from the prow of his 

 splendid barge. We were put ashore at the public gardens, which are merely 

 a collection of trees and walks, and were almost tenantless. Adjoining them 

 is a fine street which Bonaparte made, by having the canal which ran through 

 it filled up, and literally making land of it : it is a favourite promenade. 

 Taking boat again we were soon landed at the Piazetta, and proceeded to the 

 Cafe Florian, where we took some of the delicious ices made there. What an 

 enjoyment we had in gazing upon St. Mark's, the Palace, and the Square, &c., 

 lit up by the silvery splendour of the moon, and feeling the cool evening air 

 upon our cheeks ! Numerous were the parties scattered about in front of the 

 cafes. The hawkers of sweet meats, biscuits, &c. were busy in their vocations : 

 tempted by the offer of slippers at one shilling per pair, we became purchasers. 

 To close the day, which we had not idly spent, we again embarked on the 

 waters, and made a pilgrimage to the palace which Lord Byron inhabited when 

 a resident of Venice the Palazzo Mocenigo, on the grand canal. Having 

 feasted our eyes with a view of the shell which once contained so great a 

 genius, we returned to our hotel and had no lack of food for reflection. During 

 our sojourn in Italy we never saw or felt a musquito : I am very much mis- 

 taken if I did not this night hear one buzzing in our room. No matter, he let 

 us alone." 



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



