ly not included in the statute; and
the fine, stalwart fellow, who was quite winning our admiration by his
graceful movements in propelling our gondola, was attired like a
Venetian sailor, with a blue scarf round his waist, trimmed with silver
lace. These gondoliers, for the most part, are a light-hearted and
obliging race. They certainly hand you to your seat with a very solemn
politeness, giving you somewhat the impression of being handed into your
grave; but such thoughts are but for a moment, and soon disappear as a
smile flits over the bronzed, sailor-like countenance, and as the boat
glides rapidly between rows of great houses and marble palaces, which
rise out of the water on your right and left, "Giacomo" obligingly
pointing out the objects of interest as you pass along.

The aqueous road to our hotel lay for some distance down the Grand
Canal, and then turned aside into some of the numerous narrow lanes of
water which branch off in every direction; and it seemed truly
marvellous to us how skilfully the rectangular corners were turned, the
gondolier uttering a brief guttural shout of warning as we shot round,
in case of another gondola approaching from an opposite direction. As it
was, we had several very narrow shaves, and more than once stood in
danger of colliding. We were amused at seeing some of the hotel gondolas
that had preceded us from the station, stopping at the water-side
post-office for letters--woman, the true letter-lover, generally being
the most conspicuous applicant. And now we reach the steps of our hotel,
and are soon comfortably housed.

I feel we are at last really in Venice, and the memory of all her former
glory and greatness flits through my mind as we come under the
fascination of her magical influence. First comes a faint echo from
distant ages, of those ancient Veneti, who were powerful almost a
thousand years before the present Venice came into existence; then a
vision of the old Paduans, fleeing from their once wealthy city before
the devastating conqueror Attila. Driven from the land, they seek the
sea, and take refuge on the long spits of sand lying in a vast lagoon
beyond the mouths of several rivers. Settling down on the Rivo Alto
(Rialto), they commence to build a city, henceforth to be the wonder and
admiration of the world. Then a thousand years of glorious and active
life. There is a thrill almost of amazement at the magnificent courage
and audacity of this wondrous city, r