VKNICE. 



VERA CRUZ. 



1000 



Venice, The mercantile ahipping of Venice aaeumed a DAW activity ; 

 u<) traded all over the M t- liteminean. In consequence of iU rebellion 

 rtini Atntria in 1848-9 (when the city wai long besieged by the 

 Austrian* by tea, and land, and at last capitulated), tho returning 

 prwperity of the city reoeired a new check; it lost its privilege* aa 

 free port, and the entrepot of foreign commerce was confined to the 

 bland of San Giorgio; bnt in 1851 the freedom of the port waa 

 I>ni1 Since that time railways hare been completed nearly to Milan 

 IB one direction, and to beyond Pordenone, on the way to Udiuc and 

 Trieste, in another, but the atreun of commerce that so long flowed 

 into the laguons of Venice baa turned away into other channels, and 

 BO change of goTemmont could reatore Venice to it* former prosperity. 

 Among the ialand towns in the neighbourhood of Venice tho follow- 

 lag dnerve notice : 1. jafanmo, about a mile N. from Venice-, is a town 

 of about 6000 inhabitant*, and baa manufactories of glass and plate- 

 glaM, and alao of mock pearls and beads. The principal churches are 

 thoM of Ban Michele and San Donato. Tho latter, which is called 

 the Domo di Murano, ia of Byiautine architecture of the 12th cen- 

 tury, with moaaios and columns of Greek marble. The church of 

 Bt Peter and St. Paul ia rich with paintings. 2. TorceUo, farther dis- 

 tant to the north-east, ia remarkable for its ancient and splendid 

 church, built A.D. 1008 by the bishop Oraeolo; it is covered with 

 mosaics, and adorned with marble, a testimonial of the wealth of 

 Venice in that re mote age. The neighbouring church of Santa Fosca, 

 of the 9th century, ia built with remains of structures of the Roman 

 time*. These islands were peopled with the fugitive inhabitants of 

 the neighbouring towns of Altinum and Julia Concordia, on the main- 

 land, which were devastated by the northern barbarians. Martial 

 (IT. 35) speaia of the shores of Altinum as rivalling in his time those 

 of Baiie in attractions. 3. Sanf Elena, with a church dedicated to 

 tiie mothe r of Constantino, whoso remains were carried thither from 

 Constantinople in the 12th century. 4. Lazaretto Nuovo and Vecchio 

 with the quarantine establishment 5. Malamocco, the residence oi 

 the dogea in the early ages of the republic : it gives its name to the 

 port of Malamocco, one of the principal entrances from the sea into 

 the lagoons. G. San Lazaro, an island south of Venice, with a cele- 

 brated monastery of Armenian monks, who are in communion with 

 Borne and acknowledge the supremacy of the pope. They have a 

 library of 10,000 volumes, and about 400 manuscripts, mostly in the 

 Armenian language, a printing-press for works in the same language, 

 and a college for clerical students. 7. San Andrea del Lido, with a 

 fortreas which ia considered a masterwork of the architect and engineer 

 Sen Miebeli, and which commands the entrance into the lagoons on 

 that aide. 8. Palatrina, a small town south of Malamocco, on the 

 Littorale. Near it are the ' Murazzi,' or breakwater, made of large 

 blocks of marble laid on piles driven into the sand : it rises ten feet 

 above high water. 9. Chvxjgia, a well-built town and a bishop's see, 

 situated at the southern entrance of the lagoons, has a good harbour, 

 a fine cathedral, a theatre, and about 16,000 inhabitants. The salt- 

 pans in the neighbourhood are very productive. To the south o] 

 Chioggia ia the port of Brondolo, at the mouth of the Adige. 



The metropolitan province of Venice, formerly called II Dogado, 

 contains an area of 1050 square miles, with a population of 298,425. 

 It comprises, besides the islands in the lagoons, a long strip on the 

 mainland from the statuary of the I'o to that of the Tagliameuto, with 

 the small towns of Ariano, Loreo, Dolo, Fusina, Mestre, Son Dona, 

 and Porto Gru.iro. The area and population of the Crowulaud o; 

 Venice are given in the article LOMBARDO- VENETIAN KINGDOM. 0: 

 the whole of the dioceses in the old Venetian states the archbishop o] 

 Venice, who is styled patriarch, is metropolitan. 



In A.D. 421 the inhabitants of Aquileia, Padua, and other Italian 

 dtiea, in order to escape from the fury of the savage followers of 

 Attila, fled for refuge to the islands at the mouth of tho Brcnta 

 There they founded two cities, Rivoalto and Malamocco, which were 

 incorporated in A.D. 897, under one magistrate, entitled Doge, or duke 

 The first doge was Paolo^ Lucio Anasesto. Pepin, as king of Ituly 

 granted to the riing town some territory along the Adiue, and llivo 

 alto (Itialto), united with neighbouring islands (now also built upon) 

 took the name of Vaulia from the province Venetia (territory of the 

 ancient Vcneti), of which these islands formed a dependency. The 

 ecure position of the city, its facilities for trade, and the commercia 

 enterprise of its inhabitants, had already in the 11th century raisec 

 h to great prosperity. Its fleets were powerful, and its flag respectec 

 in all parts of the Mediterranean. In the 12th century tho fleet o 

 Venice conveyed the Crusaders to the Holy Land, the crafty republi 

 baring first inoiln them help her to conquer the coast of Dalmatia, 

 Tb end of the 1 4th century saw Venice conquered by her rival Genoa 

 which however declined in consequence of the efforts she had mad 

 daring the war ; while, on the contrary, Venice rose to a higher pitch 

 xrww. Jealous of the power of the Republic, almost all tb 

 atate* of Christendom, suspending their quarrels with each other 

 united in the league of Cambray in 150S for the destruction of Venice 

 By the battle of Agnadel, the republic lost all her continental terr 

 tone*, bnt her fleet, her wealth, the courage and firmness of he 

 ettisena, and the disunion that soon broke out among the allies, save 

 the city and prolonged the term of her greatness. Venice joine 

 lie crusade against the Turks, and shared in the victory of Lepanto i 

 1671. A conspiracy, formed by the emissaries of Spain in 1618, place 



ic city on the brink of destruction ; but the senate obtaining informa- 

 nt! in time seized the accomplices, and had the greater number of 

 liem drowned in the canals. Venice continued a great flourishing 

 tate till the capture of Condia by the Turks. This war, which lasted 

 rom 1611 to 1669 (for nearly 20 years of which the siege of Candia 

 ontiuued), exhausted the resources of the republic. From this time 

 Venice began to decline, not however entirely owing to the war. 



The greatness of Venice originated in the commercial spirit of her 

 iittzeus, which mode them early cultivate the art of navigation and 

 hip-building, which for centuries were neglected in Western Europe, 

 ["he products of the east reached tho coast of tho Levant (as in tho 

 ime of the Phoenicians), and the ships of Venice transported them 

 o the island city, whence they were distributed over Europe. The 

 crusades threw into the city enormous sums for the mere transport of 

 roops, and helped to render her mistress of tho Moiva, tun vUgeau 

 Islands, and other parts of the Greek empire. But after Vosco di 

 3ama showed the way to India by doubling the Cape of Good Hope, 

 and ships were able to convey the produce of the east to Western 

 Burope without breaking bulk, the commerce of Venice naturally and 

 gradually declined, and with it her political importance also gradually 

 dwindled away. By the treaty of Campo Foriuio in 1797, Venice, 

 which hod been taken by the French, was ceded to Austria. In 

 1805 it was included in the kingdom of Italy. Lastly, in 1814, it 

 fell again to Austria. 



In its earliest period Venice was governed by an elected council 

 which shared the legislative power with the Doge. The council after- 

 wards obtained a preponderance of power, and its members even 

 appointed their successors, so that the government became a close 

 oligarchy. In the course of time a senate was instituted to settle 

 questions of peace and war. The senate, as well RS tho councillors 

 of the Doge, were appointed by the great council. Tho discontents 

 and frequent revolts that broke out in the 14th century led to the 

 appointment of the Council of Ten, which by degrees sapped the 

 foundations of republican government, and established a system of 

 espionage, assassination, and terror. 



VENLOO. [LIMBUBG, Dutch.] 



VENOSA. [BASIUCATA.] 



VENT1MIGLIA. [NiCE.J 



VENTNOR. [WIGHT, ISLB OF.] 



VERA. [GRA.NADA.] 



VERA CRUZ, a sea-port and commercial town in the republic of 

 Mexico, is situated in 19 11' N. lat., 96 8' W. long., on the south- 

 western shores of the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico ; popu- 

 lation about 11,000. The town is built on a level and arid shore, 

 consisting of sand, and almost entirely destitute of vegetation. At 

 the back of the town are shifting sand-hills from 25 to 36 feet high, 

 which it is supposed owe their origin to the gales of the nortcs. 

 The high temperature which these sand-hills acquire in summer, and 

 the reflection of the solar rays from them, are regarded as the principal 

 causes of the great heat then experienced in the town. During the 

 summer mouths, from May to September, both inclusive, the me'au 

 temperature of Vera Cruz is 81'5 Falir., or somewhat higher than the 

 mean annual temperature of the equator. During three of these 

 months (July to September) the rains are very abundant. Water is 

 scarce and of bad quality. The water used by the poorer classes for 

 drinking is brought by an aqueduct from a lake about 6 miles from 

 the town ; but the water collected in the tanks is much better. 



Vera Cruz is the port of the city of Mexico, and tho most 

 important commercial town of the republic, though its harbour is in 

 fact only a roadstead formed by several shoals, which inclose in a 

 semicircular form a tract of sea which in many parts oilers good 

 anchorage. The largest of these shoals, called La Gallega, lies 

 opposite the town ; and at its western extremity is a rocky island, 

 on which the fortress of Sou Juan de Ulua is built. The strait which 

 separates the fortress from the town, and is the most secure portion of 

 the harbour, is less than 700 yards wide, and about 1000 yards long. 

 Vera Cruz is always dangerous to navigators. From October to April 

 the nortes blow with incredible violence ; the air is filled with sand, 

 and the sky darkened with clouds ; whilst the waves ore driven with 

 such impetuosity on the beach, that the whole line of coast is one 

 sheet of foam. All communication between the shipping and the 

 town is suspended, even when vessels are at anchor under tho walls of 

 the castle, or secured to the rock on which it stands by iron rings 

 fastened there for the purpose; but these gales purify the atmosphere, 

 and tend to abate or remove the vomito prieto, a kind of yellow fever, 

 which during the summer proves fatal to foreigners along the whole 

 eastern coast of Mexico. During the prevalence of the vomito prieto 

 the wealthier merchants and others retire to Xalapa. [MEXICO, vol. iii. 

 col. 790.] 



Vera Cruz is inclosed by walls, and has straight, wide, and well- 

 paved streets. Many of the houses are excellent, and erected at great 

 expense, on account of the scarcity of materials. They are constructed 

 of a porous white coral, which composes the cliffs on the coast ; and 

 their flat roofs, covered with cement, receive the rain-water tor the 

 tanks, or algibes, with which every good house is furnished, and which 

 hold sufficient water for two or three years' consumption. The public 

 buildings are not distinguished by beauty. There are several churches 

 and hospitals. 



