THE TRUTH ABOUT VENICE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 50, 13 October 1911, Page 3

THE TRUTH ABOUT VENICE.

Mr. Richard Davoy draws a-.flowing picture of \ onice to-day in the “Saturday Review,” and he does it to remove some criticism which he alleges halve been made by her rivals in Switzerland. “'I he fact is,” ho says, “that Venice has been abominably exploited and calumniated by her rival summer resorts beyond the Alps, in Switzerland and Austria, determined to withdraw from -her the wealthiest of her habitues. “Venice is absolutely free from auv kind of epidemic, and has a quite clean bill of health,” declares Mr Davoy. “It is, of course, hot—very not—ant, behove me, it'is move easily cndurnole than Was tlie heat in London when 1 left. Tiio thermometer nas never exceeded 85 •in tire shade. Hero nobody ‘expects you to do anvtning at noon, and as there is always plenty of fresh sea air it is casv enough to keep eool indoors., Italian 'Mights.

I lie n ights are ideally beautiful lor gondola rides—the moon is nearly at the fim, add the 1 sea hroez.es exquisite. Rain is sadly heeded; my garden, usually a small Eden of flowers, is now a small desert of drv reaves and withered blooms. It siniply not rain, and tho Madonna and the saints remain deaf to tho voice of their supplicants. Ifc will rain by-and-nye— -at tiro proper time, uoo before. Hie fruit is'consequently poor; but the grape crop promises web. In September and October 1 can assure you, Venice will bo herself again, and ideally lovely! “She was marvellous the other night, when we all lived, back for a few hours in tire;Serbn’issinia \cenico ol the days of the.'Roges. Who can"desenbe the scene :oh 'the Grand Canal? Iho wondrous elf bets of brilliant Ikht and deopest j shade,' the 'sparkle of thousands of. tuvifikli-ng lights, or the subdued glow of -lAn 'thousand Chinese lanterns, multiplied tenfold by the reflections in the waters of the Grand Canal. So dense was the throng of illuminated barges and' •gondolas that it took an hdur.:to get! through the crowd of them agglomerated between the Ca I oscan and the Rialto. “They were of all . sorts and sizes. o r ere was one bedecked to resemble

the iiistonc Bucontaur of old; under a canopy of roses, intermingled with nttlo lamps of many-colourcd glass sat their serenities the. Doge and Dogoress, on gilded thrones and wearing their robes oi state. Close by came a. boat with a dirigible balloon floating aoqve her. Here was another, with a group of women drawing water from a well on board, a significcnf allusion to the ieccnt water famine. A group of fine young fellows, all in white represented the National RuvimClub. They had gilded oars, and their barge blazed with various coloured electric lamps. ~()n a thousand barges, at the, very feast,- under bowers of. grape ' vipes l anti oleander boiifrhs, wore as. many gay - -f.r.rjpor parties. Many of, the .supper tanks wore sumptuously, set, out with lace and hue linen, and silver plate anti ancient Venetian:; tGndclabra. The gondolas vied with the barges in tiio joyous character of ,their decorations. “Tliemass of moving fire (for such it was) passed between the stately rows of palaces, many of which were effectively illuminated, although, owing U their owiieys,lmping in the couuOthbrs wore ,p)oped, tiiereby adding 'greatly' to flic weird effects of contrasting light and gloom. Venice Herself.

■ >'PA>s- tho-Sahito wu's-'-nearcdhahcl the long series 6f hotels came in sight, the fyiVid light became almost toobrilliiUit, and the climax of good-nat-ured'joviality was reached. At times the shouting and' singing, tho playing on guitars and "mandolines, and all sorts of musical.' j instruments, was deafening; and yet it never exceeded the bounds of good behaviour. The courtesy of the enormous crowd that thronged every window and balcony and tlie stop.s of the palaces and churches, was admirable; and as most of tiic men were in white, ahd the women 100, the grouping, of the spectators was worthy of tho brush of a Guardi or a Canaletto. V onice was her magnificent self for a few hours.”