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from their shores, and they lie now like stranded hulks on the sands. The decline of Pisa owes its origin to internal strife. Florence hated Pisa, and as no love was lost, one of them went under. It is the Leaning Tower, one of the wonders of architecture, which exists for Pisa, for without it Pisa would be shorn of all interest. It always gives a curious sensation to any one who has mounted the Tower to look down from the receding side and to feel that he is standing on nothing, and that the next moment he may slide off into space. There is a campo santo here made up of original dirt brought from Palestine, but Pisa is such a dead place that to the vivacious Americans in the party the campo santo had few special allurements.

Our stay at Florence, though short, was a delightful one, rendered doubly so by the constant attention of the authorities. Our departure from Florence took place under the most happy auspices, all our countrymen having assembled at the depot, and amid loud huzzas and the best of wishes the Ex-President and the party sped on to Venice.

On the 23d of April, General Grant reached Venice by railroad from Florence. The route was an agreeable one, passing through the most picturesque portions of Italy. Crossing the superb bridge which connects "the Queen of the Adriatic" with the mainland, at the station the General was greeted by John Harris, Esq., the United States Consul, and by a numerous party of Americans. No sooner had a hearty welcome been proffered to the General by his own countrymen, than the officials of the city pressed forward, and the usual congratulatory speeches were made. Escorted to a comfortable hotel, our first evening was passed in needed rest, as all of us save the General felt the fatigue of constant traveling and sight-seeing. From the windows of the hotel, however, there was ample opportunity for amusement. The city of canals lay stretched before us, and on the waters were plying the gondolas. Early next day visits were planned to the most notable places of interest. It has been said that one of the most lasting impressions a traveler can receive is that derived from the first visit to the Piazza San Marco. Here it is that

stand those two famous columns, one bearing the statue of St. Theodore, the other the famous winged lion of St. Mark. The buildings which surround this place are of the most imposing character. Nothing is wanting to complete the grandeur of the picture, for as a background stands the famous church of St. Mark's, the most perfect type of Byzantine work. Inside this church is a mass of verd-antique, marble, jasper, and porphyry,

its gorgeousness even further heightened by innumerable pictures of the saints, executed in mosaics. It is impossible to spend an hour in Venice without recalling its former grandeur. Here was once cenHere was the starting place of Marco Polo. It was the Venetian merchant who gathered here the riches of unknown countries. It might have been the greatest despotism that ever existed, but it was the cradle of all that was beautiful in the arts, and to Venice was due the awakening of literature. Its own exclusiveness destroyed

tered the commerce of the world.

VENICE.

373 Venice after a time. But let us hope that under brighter auspices its commerce may once more revive.

Some of us took to the gondolas and threaded the canals, and were never weary of the wondrous sights which were ever appearing. Here was an old palace, famous as the residence of some old doge, whose name was coeval with the earliest history of the city-here was another that recalled honors culled at the great naval battle of Lepanto. Some were dreary piles, somewhat crumbling and desolate, others looked fresh and inviting. Evidently the presence of the General was known, for from many a window appeared a fair lady, who waved her kerchief. Of course the Rialto was visited, and the Bridge of Sighs. We admired the wonderful skill of the gondoliers, and the ease with which they propelled their boats. Much of our time in Venice was spent on the gondolas. Of course one cannot get along without them, as they answer the purpose of cars or cabs in other cities. It is the perfection of locomotion, and has the advantage of being noiseless. We did not fail to visit the Arsenal, one of the relics of Venice, telling of her past grandeur. Here it was that were equipped the armaments of the republic, those galleys which she sent forth to fight Turk and Moor. Here, too, was the "Bucentaur" built, which bore the doges, who, dropping a ring into the sea, were wedded with the Adriatic. Shakespeare has made all English-speaking nations so familiar with Venice that when on the Campo del Carmine we passed the residence of one Cristoforo Moro, some of us were even inclined to believe that here Othello dwelt, and that in that gloomy first story poor Desdemona met her fate. The churches of Venice are all famous, and most especially is the one called the Santa Maria Gloriosa de' Frari. Here is the monument erected to Titian, as a tribute from a king to the greatest of painters. In fact all Venice seems to pay honor to its two greatest artists, Titian and Tintoretto. The church of Santa Giovanni e Paolo was also visited, famous for its tomb of one of the best of the old doges. We were fortunate in having but a single day of bad weather in Venice. Though she may be "Queen of the Seas,' American residents complain of the disagreeable character of