LECTURE ON "VENICE"

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXII, Issue 5288, 23 September 1876, Page 5

LECTURE ON "VENICE"

THERr was a Luge attendance at the Young Men's Chiistmi Association Rooms last night, ■when the Rev. A R Tomlinson delivered a shoit lectuie on " Yei'ice " Colonel H.iult.un occupied the ch.ui, and intioduoed the lectmei to his audience iftei ])iayei had been offeicd up by Di. Maunsell. Tho lectmei commenced by mentioning tint in the yeai 1872 he was 111 Bavuu, wheie he witnessed the peifoimance of the famous Passion Play. Fiom Havana he tiavelled to Venice. Oldei tiavelleis say that much of lom.uice is lost in <i])pioaching Venice m a laihvay cainige, and nothing could deface fiom his mind the delight he felt when he m ide a voyage along the Giand Canal in a gondola. Venice to bo seen to advantage must be seen by moonlight The grand old palaces h u e, in d lyhglit, in spite of theii beautiful uchitoctiue, t, dissipated appeaiance, but at night even the putly mined condition of some of the buddings lends them an additional chaim. He then pioceeded to sketch the histoiy of Venice fiom its foundation in i~>2 At that time Attila and his Huns weio ovei limning Italy, .ma laige nuinbcii ot the nihabitints of Vincenza, Veion.i, and Pulu.i fled foi lefuge to the islands on which Venice is built. At fust each island foitned a sepeinte st.ite, and this was the cause of much petty jealousy, but aftei a time they weie all united. St. Mark was then pation, and they claimed to have piocmed his body and brought it to their city m 997. Tho city giadually piogiessed until at the end of the HUi cental y she was able to send a lleet of J.JOO vessels to the Ciusides. At the conquest of the Gieek Kmpiie, Venice gained possession of seveial impoitnnt islinds. Tlie lectmei tiaced the use of the nobility in Venice, shown. g how .it l.i«,t the Go venment became an oppiessive ohgaiehy and the people depnveed of then nguts. He lelited the stoiy of the Foscui family and then suffeungs, and lefened to the gtowth of comiption amongst the nobility. At tin- end of the 15th centiuy, Italy was eaten up by feuds, and Venice wis the onlj St ite tint pieseived a Kejniblican foim of government, and even that was only Republic, in in n vine. Aftei this time the powei of Venice began to decline. Its Greek possessions were soon io-t'.ikeii. The Council of Ten bought the suthages of the poveity stucken nobles ind iuk'<l the >St ite as they willed. When N.ipoleon was can} ing on his I tali in camp ugns Venice was too weak to give assistance to oithei side. It was ultimately occupied by the 'Yustnans, who, aftei a time, had to give way to tho Fiench It was agiin seized by the Austiians, and kept by thorn till the battles of Solfeiino ami Mxgonta, when it was united to Italy. The lectiuer then spoke of the aichitectuie of the city, and desenbed the Ductl Palace and the Chinch of St. Muk. He tei initiated his lectuie by sayingthat is long as the governing power of a State is animated by.ispnit of self saciifice, the countiy would prospei ; but when u set of place Imutois weie at tlie head of iff airs the piosperity would giadually decline, and finally disappear. — After the lectuie was concluded, Mr. Crook showed in his lunt. in seveial views of Venice, including St. M.nk's, tlie Ki.ilto, Doge's Palace, and the enti niuu to the Oiand Canal. He ilso exhibited views of othei cities, ami three c\cel!ent poiti uts of tlio Duke ind Duchess of Edinbuigh •md the Queen. At vanoivs intervals during tho evening Mr. Call Kutschkow performed selections of music on the piano. — On the motion of Mi A. Uoaidnnn, -\ vote of thanks was accoided by acclamition to tile k'ctuici, to Mr. Ciook Mi. Butschko v, .md to the ch.mnian - -Tho chinln.ui announced that the next lecture would be given by Di. Ellis on ''Tennyson. ' Seveml ladies and gentlemen would sing some of Tennyson's songs as lllustiations to the l«ctine. — The Rev, Mi. Tomhrson pionoiniced the Benediction, anil tho meeting separated.