One case of the labors of an Ambassador may be cited. 

 More has been learned, from the Reports of the Ambassador 

 to England, of the secrets of the English Government and the 

 most obscure events of the private life of Queen Elizabeth dur- 

 ing her reign, than can be obtained from any English writer 

 of thai day or even from the most private official records of 

 the Kingdom. 



These reports, with the immense mass of manuscripts upon 

 History. Music, the Theatre, early Geographical research, Com- 

 merce and the judicial and legislative Departments of the Gov- 

 ernments constitute the wonderful Archives of Venice. They 

 were formerly scattered or stored in various buildings and 

 small Libraries, but during the time when Venice was annexed 

 to the Austrian Empire, these documents were all collected to- 

 gether ami deposited in the Monastery of the Frari and ar- 

 ranged in a fairly convenient order, under the designation of 

 "Imperial and Royal general Archives of Venice." "hide 

 fortuna et salus." 



Second only to the Basilica of St. Mark, the Church of the 

 Frari. which dates from 1250, is the noblesl building of Venice. 

 No one with the love of the beautiful can view its exquisite 

 interior without being most profoundly moved, and, as Michael 

 Angelo said that the bronze doors of the Baptistry at Florence, 

 by Lorenzo Ghiberti, were worthy to be the gates of Paradise. 

 so may one. standing beneath the vaulted glories of this 

 Church, lose himself in the thought that its grand proportions 

 and exquisite decorations have been transplanted from the 

 architecture of Heaven itself. 



This is not the place to enter into any detail of that struc- 

 ture, and I should fail most woefully should 1 attempt it. bul 

 I may refer to the tombs of Doges. Artists and Condottieri 

 erected around its walls, undoubtedly the most beautiful and 

 impressive in Venice. Among them are two by Canova, one 

 to Titian and the other his own famous monument designed by 

 himself, and closely resembling his tomb in the Augustiner- 

 kirche a1 Vienna, erected to the memory of the beloved Arch- 

 Duchess < 'hristine. 



Upon my lirst visit to the Library, and presenting my cre- 

 dentials. I was received with the greatest kindness and courtesy 

 by Hie Director, and upon the several subsequent occasions of 

 my calls, that gentleman not only extended to me a most cor- 

 dial welcome, hut he threw open to me many places to which 

 there is no open sesame for the idle curious, ami he exhibited 

 to me autographs of immortals in History. Art and Son<:. and 

 exquisitely emblazoned manuscripts on vellum and parchmenl 

 above all price, to which few have access 



There are oearly 300 vast rooms, chambers and alcoves of 

 all sizes from that 'of an ordinary office to the two immense 

 halls which were the refectories of the Convent, capable of 



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