―61―For the Literary Magazine.
REVIEW.
Letters from Europe, during a
Tour through Switzerland and
Italy, in the Years 1801 and 1802.
By a Native of Pennsylvania.
2 vols. 8vo.
Continued from vol. IV, p. 470.
THE greatest part of these vo-
lumes is occupied with Italy. The
author makes no considerable halt
on his journey from the summit of
the Alps to Florence. We meet, in
this course, with some useful re-
marks upon the best mode of tra-
velling in this celebrated country; a
few travelling anecdotes; rapid
sketches of the plains of Lombardy,
the borders of the Po, of the cities
of Placentia, Parma, and Modena, of
Bologna, its cathedral church, with
its pictures and sculptures; a domi-
nican monk; the passage of the Ap-
pennines, and a view of Tuscany.
The author then enters Florence,
where he appears to have staid some
time, and to have been very indus-
trious in examining the monuments
of arts, of which, notwithstanding
the depredations of the French, it
still contains a vast number. The
squares, streets, temples, palaces,
libraries, museums, and pictures of
Florence, are briefly enumerated
and described. The cathedral
church, being the principal curio-
sity, detains the author's attention
longer than any other object. Then
follows a short political and econo-
mical view of Tuscany. We have
also a curious sample, in a note, of
the mode in which religious ideas
are employed for popular conve-
nience. Though this passage may
be liable to objection, on one ac-
count, yet the information it con-
tains is highly characteristic, and
every judicious reader will regret
that these pages have so few of such
original and direct observations upon
manners; particularly as, in these
he gives us, the writer's style is
agreeable and interesting.
―62―Some remarks are made upon im-
provisatori. The author makes
light of the merit or difficulty of this
impromptu poetry. The facilities
afforded by the nature of the lan-
guage, and the little intrinsic merit
of these performances, will, he
thinks, naturally and fully solve this
poetical mystery.
In the journey from Florence to
Rome, the author stops at Sienna
long enough to take a hasty view of
the cathedral. A continued journey
affords some observations which,
though few, are not without value.
Rome at length appears, and here
the author makes an abode of con-
siderable duration, and gives us a
view of this great city, principally
confined to its monuments of archi-
tecture, sculpture, and painting: a
view which, in most respects, is
brief and scanty. This brevity, how-
ever, arises from the multiplicity of
objects compared with the limits to
which the author confines himself.
In so small a space, such numerous
objects could not fail to be crowded,
and no single one could expect a
very large share of attention. The
author's taste and judgment, howe-
ver, merits no small praise for se-
lecting and arranging his subjects,
and for placing them in interesting
and instructive points of view.
On St. Peter's church he has
dwelt longer and more minutely than
on any other monument. In this he
has shown his judgment, since this
is not only the most important ob-
ject at Rome, but former travellers
have given us no adequate or intel-
ligible account of it. They furnish
us, in general, with cold and frigid
details, which, as they flow from
vague and indistinct ideas in the
transcriber, make no other impres-
sion on the reader. This author, on
the contrary, gives us a picture, full,
particular, and glowing, and such a
one as is pleasing and intelligible to
the popular reader, while it is in-
structive to the connoisseur and art-
ist.
Our traveller makes a tour through
this church, in which he conducts
us through its principal recesses,
and from the pavement to the sum-
mit of the lanthorn. The enthusi-
asm with which he is inspired by
this deliberate and successive sur-
vey of this stupendous edifice, com-
municates itself to his style, which,
on this topic, has an unusual por-
tion of splendour and elegance. The
description of the building termi-
nates with a brief history of its erec-
tion.
The account of this church is all
eulogy. We have no critical re-
marks upon the style or the mate-
rials of this edifice. The writer, no
doubt, intended a general and popu-
lar description, in which such re-
marks would, perhaps, have been
unseasonable. There is, however,
some observations in a note (vol. 1,
p. 223), which may be deemed ex-
ceptions to this remark, and which
are liable to some objection.
He says, “Travellers have re-
marked, as a fault, the monotonous
simplicity of the front of St. Peter's;
and they have compared it, with de-
rogation, to the variegated facade of
St. Paul's; overlooking the sublime
idea of Paul V, and Charles Ma-
derne, to render the cathedral of
Christendom a monument of Christ
and his apostles. This obliged them
to divide the frontispiece by a regu-
lar intercolumniation, upon the
twelve piers of which should stand
the twelve apostles, thus emphati-
cally indicated as the pillars of the
church.”
The architectural travellers whom
we have met with have invariably
condemned the facade of St. Pe-
ter's, for the want of simplicity: in-
stead of twelve columns, regularly
intercolumniated, and proportion-
ally surmounted, which was the
grand idea of the first architect, we
have eight half columns and four
pilasters, forming only nine inter-
vals, no two of which, on the same
side, are correspondent in their
breadth. Four of the central co-
lumns support a most diminutive
and contemptible pediment, and the
whole colonnade, if such a motley
range of columns and pilasters me-
rits that name, is surmounted by a
―63―
huge and disproportioned attic. The
facade of St. Paul's has infinitely
more simplicity and regularity,
though consisting of two stories, and
of columns and pilasters. The sim-
plicity lies not in number, but in
arrangement.
We have, in the next chapter, an
account of the appendages of this
temple. In a short digression, the
author attacks the catholic interpre-
tation of scripture, on which the pa-
pal authority is founded. He gives
an account of the chief mosaic paint-
ings of several tombs.
From St. Peter's, the author leads
us to the papal palace of the Vati-
can, whose galleries, chambers, cha-
pels, libraries, and museums, are
agreeably and circumstantially de-
scribed.
After bestowing suitable attention
upon these principal objects, the tra-
veller proceeds, with more haste
and brevity, through the remains of
ancient edifices, some modern tem-
ples and palaces. Having taken a
rapid, but particular view of these,
he retires, in fancy, to a convenient
eminence, and gives us a general
view of this famous capital, in which
modern appearances are combined
with reliques of antiquity. This
sketch has considerable merit.
After this comparatively long de-
tail of architectural wonders, the
author gives us sketches of life and
manners. They appear to be drawn
from immediate observation, and
are characteristic and amusing. A
good deal is said about the Roman
mendicants, and pleasing anecdotes
occur respecting them.
We have next a chapter on the
ceremonies of the Roman church,
in which are more particularly de-
scribed the papal functions at the
celebration of Christmas; and the
author relates an adventure which
befel him in a nocturnal ramble,
among the ruins of the Coliseum,
which is followed by a lively picture
of the ceremonies used at the conse-
cration of the reigning pope: with
this concludes the first volume.
To be continued.