ng place: The vast Columns, Pictures, Fonts, Confessionals, etc.: The Vatic

ere appointed, and these also died during the building. Michael Angelo, who was then between seventy and eighty years of age, was selected to superintend the work. He is credited with the designing of that marvellous dome and cross, but did not live to

ight seemed to bring me into the very presence of the great Creator, God. And now, to gaze upon works of such a colossal magnitude and of such a costly character, made us feel subdued and reverent. I may safely assume, I think, that every one will not see it just as we saw it; I mean they will interpret its meaning differently. We were some time before we came to realize the fact that it was of such extraordinary proportions. Looking at the cherubs which support the fonts that contain holy water, at first you think they are models of children, but when you come beside them you find they are much larger than ordinary grown-up people. On the floor we noticed there are stars or marks telling the length of the building as compared with other large cathedrals. St. Paul's in London, is here given as 516-feet long, the Cathedral in Milan as 440-feet, the Cathedral in Florence is given as 495-feet, St. Peter's, at Bologna, 440-feet, and St. Sophia, at Constantinople, 364-feet, while this St. Peter's is 619-feet in length. On your

la, and over these are sixteen richly gilded pillars, between each of these are beautiful mosaics representing Popes and Bishops buried in the church, also of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles. Over the High Altar under the cupola, where the Pope alone has the right to say Mass, rises a very costly canopy of bronze, supported by four spiral columns of richly gilded bronze about 60-feet high, including the cross. The Altar is placed in such a position that the Pope saying Mass, faces the people. Under the Altar is St. Pet

; such as one to Pope Innocent XII., with fine bas-reliefs in marble. The Pope Gregory's monument which has some fine sculpture on it in marble. Another wing of this huge building designed by Michael Angelo contains an altar enriched with alabaster, amethyst, and other precious stones. Over the altar is an image of the Madonna that is greatly venerated, as it is supposed to have been brought here from one

e. In the library are 26,000 manuscripts, about 19,000 are in Latin, 4,000 in Greek, and about 2,000 in the Eastern and Oriental languages, besides about 50,000 printed volumes. In one of the halls there is a bible of the fifth century, which is a great rarity. The gifts from kings, emperors, princes, presidents of almost all lands, which have been sent to the Pope are too many to name or specify. We left St. Peter's, pleased with some things, grieved with others. The greatness of Rome's intellectual power; her art in sculpture and painting; proofs of this we saw on all hands. She had, at one time, over 400 temples, most of them with floors of marble, great domes with wonderful frescoes, gorgeous beyond anything we could conceive if we had not seen it. Walls of marble, porphyry, jasper, precious stones, stones polished till they shine like a mirror. Pictures, priceless and innumerable. All this, side by side with the degradation of the people, as seen in their daily visit to the confessional; or to the holy water; or to seek a mass from the priest for some friend in sickness; or a more important one for the soul of some brother, sister, or friend in the agony of purgatory, and who must remain there until certain masses are said. All this means the lowering of the poor to the enriching of the rich. Rome, I say, is to be pitied in this thing, under the heel of the Pope. Her wealth is lavishe

e he is ready to read or write letters for the unlearned, and they are by no means few in the city of Rome. Many a declaration of passionate love must have been whispered into the ear of this old Italian, to be transmitted to some village maiden on the mountain heights, or in some sequestered village. A rustic approaches the old scribe as we watch him, he has received an epistle from some Italian beauty far away. As he waits his turn he looks over the precious documents with wandering eyes. Oh! if only he could himself spell out its sacred contents. His cheeks are flushed, his heart throbs as he hands the paper to the scribe; a

Sights seen that we had never dreamed of. Pictures, sculpture, arch, column, colonnades, so pro

self. It is said that Clement VII. took refuge in it in the year 1527. To-day it is a beautiful temple. The floor is very largely composed of Italian marble; on the staircase, on our right on entering, is a fine statue of Michael the arch-angel, in a niche. In another room are some fine paintings by Pierin; another room still retains some of the implements of torture of the Inquisition. On the top stands the bronze statue of the arch-angel Michael, placed there in 1770; it is said it is placed there in memory of a vision of St. Gregory the Great. According to tradition, when Rome was severely visited by a pestilence, and while the Pope was going in procession to St. Peter's, to obtain the cessation of the scourge, he saw, on arriving at this bridge, an angel on the top of the mausoleum, in the act of replacing his sword

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y-feet. There are four beautiful columns of Corinthian marble which support the pillars upon which stand some fine statuary representing some of the "Dacian prisoners," "Trajan's entry into Rome after his victory in the east," "The rest on the Appian Way," "Trajan bringing help and succour to the poor children," "Trajan speaking to his soldiers." Under these are bas-reliefs which represe

ut when we got inside we found it to be a perfect museum of painting and sculpture; also, there are many tombs of celebrated cardinals. The guide showed us a picture said to be the work of St. Luke, and in all seriousness, told us it was supposed to have the power to work miracles still. We did not stay to ask whether that power was ever evoked. There is a chapel inside, the architecture of which was planned by Raphael. The design of big mosaics on the vault of the dome is simply marvellous. There is a representation of the heavenly bodies in their fullest splendour; also a fine statue of Jonah by Raphael. There is attached to this church a monastery, in which reside the monks of the Order of St. Augustine. It is said to h

the Doctors of the Church," by Dürer; "The Holy Family," by Andrea; "The Annunciation," by Bronzine; and many others that we considered marvels of the artists' brush. There is also within this gallery a very large room as a library in which, we learn