city. In this city are 12,000 Jews; they have a magnificent synagogue, said to be the finest in the world.

From Leghorn to Pisa is only 12 miles. In company with a very intelligent silk merchant of Lyons, I left for Pisa; the road passes up the valley of the Arno, through a low, marshy country, which seems to be used only as pasture land. Cattle thrive well on these grounds: we passed immense herds of huge white bullocks, that seemed very fat.

Poor old Pisa! full of fleas and beggars. It has no commerce-no trade of any kind. The grass grows rank in all its streets, even up to the very door of her greatest curiosity, the "Leaning Tower." There is a population here of about 20,000 inhabitants, who seem to live, like some of the first families of Virginia, on past recollections. Pisa is rich in that species of wealth. The poet Dante often alludes to Pisa in his Inferno, and has told the sad story of Count Ugolino and his unhappy sons, in language that will never die.

The Duomo, (cathedral,) the Baptistery, the Campo Santo, (cemetery), and the Campanile, (Leaning Tower), are as interesting a group of buildings as any four edifices in the world. They group well together, and are seen to much advantage. They sometimes have quite an oriental appearance, when the large herd of camels belonging to the state, are seen feeding on the tall rich grass, in the shadow of these remarkable buildings.

The Duomo is one of the most remarkable monuments of the Middle Ages. It is 310 feet long, 230 wide, and is filled with the usual profusion of marble columns, mosaic pictures, tessellated floors, and silver altar-pieces. In it are a great many fine paintings, which are much prized for their great antiquity. One of these paintings is particularly beautiful, and possesses the very highest degree of true genius. It is the St. Agnes, by Andrea del Sarto. The Campo Santo is the ancient and classic burial-ground of Pisa and its surroundings. It was founded by Archbishop Ubaldo, in the year 1200. This prelate was expelled by Saladin from Palestine, and returned with 53 ships, loaded with earth taken from Mount Calvary. This sacred earth was said to reduce to dust, within 24 hours, all dead bodies buried in it. The Archbishop deposited this precious cargo in ground which he purchased in Pisa, and the present edifice was afterwards erected over it. It is an immense long building, 415 feet by 137, and contains a large collection of sepulchral monuments.

But the Campanile, or Leaning Tower, is the greatest curiosity of Pisa. Every schoolboy has seen a picture of it in his geography, and has often wondered why it did not fall down. It is, indeed, a remarkable structure. The tower is round; 53 feet in diameter, and 179 feet high. It is built of marble, and leans 13 feet out of perpendicular. You ascend it very easily, by a winding staircase of 294 steps. In going up, you feel very sensibly

the leaning side, and imagine that you are about to fall. It is, however, as firm as the rock of ages, having now stood for nearly 700 years, having been built in A. D. 1174. As I passed into the tower, I noticed two lazzaroni playing cards under the steps. It reminded me so much of West Baton Rouge, and was an evidence of civilization that I never dreamed of in poor old decayed Pisa! In the Accademia delle Belle Arti, I noticed a splendid group of statuary by a living artist, Themistocles Guerrazzi. It represents the Exile with his wife and child, just in the act of landing on foreign soil. The exile is raising one foot from a rock marked "Italia," and has put down the other foot on a rock marked "America." The husband stands in a bold and manly position. His face is turned to Heaven, which he thanks, while sadness seems to oppress his soul in leaving his native land. While looking at this group of statuary, an aged Italian standing by me said, "I take you, sir, to be an American." "Yes," I replied, "I am." With tears in his eyes, and in a tremulous voice, he exclaimed, "I would to God that Italia was as free and as happy as America." Yes, thank God, we have a free and happy country, and long may we have stout hearts and strong arms to defend it.

The Baptistery is a circular building of marble, 99 feet in diameter, and 179 feet high. It is, as its name imports, simply built for baptizing, and is erected close to the cathedral. The walls are eight feet thick. This is the great secret of the dura

bility of these old buildings. This is a building that has stood for nearly 600 years, for on one of the columns is the following inscription, "A. D. 1278. Edificata fuit de novo." The Baptistery possesses the echo principle in a most remarkable degree, and the Italians assemble here to sing for visitors, in order that they may listen to its magic powers. The notes of the human voice are here echoed four several and distinct times, and at last die away in the sweetest strains imaginable.

Adieu-I leave this evening for the loveliest spot on earth-that is, Florence-and shall write you what I think of it.

LETTER NO. XXVII.

EDITORS ADVOCATE :

HOTEL DE L'EUROPE, FLORENCE, ITALY,
Oct. 5, 1859.

I reached this delightful city day before yesterday, and am perfectly charmed with it. It has a population of 120,000 inhabitants, and is most beautifully situated in a valley of the Appenines. The Arno passes through it, and is spanned by four elegant bridges, ornamented with statuary. This celebrated river is a small stream, just 100 yards wide, and at present is very muddy, else I should be tempted to bathe in its classic waters.

My first act after arriving here was to call on our American sculptor, Hiram Powers. I found him in his studio, with apron and paper cap on, hard at work. He received me very kindly, and asked many questions about Louisiana, and particularly about his Washington; and when I told him how we all appreciated his labor of love, he seemed to feel it very much, and expressed his deep sense