Page:Three Years in Europe.djvu/126

96 blood of the victims ran down to the waters, and the small gate through which the carcasses, were thrown down. I shall never forget the feeling of horror which oppressed my mind as I went through these scenes of cruelty.

Near this place and prison is the famous St. Mark's Square, a large open space, and by it is St. Mark's Church, a splendid edifice decorated with fine pictures within, some of them by celebrated painters. There, too, we saw beautiful sculpture works, as well as pillars brought from different parts of the world by the victorious Venitians, from Egypt, Constantinople, Jerusalem, &c.

Outside the church are the celebrated brass horses, which Constantine took from Rome to Constantinople, whence they were brought to Venice by the victorious Venitians; from Venice they were taken to Paris by the Great Napoleon, and thence they have been brought back to Venice again. There too is the golden lion,—the winged lion of Venice. Besides this church we saw several other churches all splendid, as Italian churches generally are, and containing sculpture works by Canova and other noted artists.

From Venice a steamer took us to Brindisi, whence we are steering for Bombay. We left Venice on the 2nd September and expected to reach Bombay on the 22nd.