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all the characters were grouped in a spirited
manner, and brought the scene so forcibly
to the mind, that it was impossible to look
at it with indifference. The Catholics say,
that such representations serve as books to
people who cannot re a d ; and it must be
granted, that they are more likely to impress
the minds of those who are little
accustomed to reflection, with the truth of
any past event, than a mere verbal description.
Gilpin says, that “ coloured statues
do not affect the mind so strongly as
plain marble ; by approaching nearer to
life, they resemble death.” This may be
true with single figures ; but where a number
are grouped together, in natural and
spirited attitudes, the first impression they
make approaches nearer to that produced
by living figures than if they were plain
m a rb le ; and the mind does not stop to
enquire what the canons of good taste say
on the subject. The ancients painted the
statues of their gods, though carved or
sculptured by the first artists.
Ascending Mont Calvary, we came to
another building of a similar kind, representing
the scene where Mary and her
female companions are meeting the procession
on its way to Mont Calvary, when
Jesus addresses them, “ Weep not for me,
ye daughters of Jerusalem,” &c. There are
twelve of these buildings on the hill, containing
representations of the whole history,
to the time of the Ascension.
Our journey to Laggo Maggore the following
day was deprived of almost all its
interest by heavy rains, which continued
without the intermission of more than an
hour, during which we rowed upon the
lake to Isola Madre, and saw something of
the luxuriant richness of the surrounding
country. Orange trees were growing out
of doors in the island, nailed against the
garden walls, though a lew hours travelling
towards the higher Alps, would carry
the tourist into the climate of the arctic
circle. Near Baveno there is a mountain
of highly-crystalline beautiful red granite,
which is extensively quarried. This is the
only very perfect granite I have seen in the
Alps. A great variety of large crystals of
felspar, well formed, are found in the
fissures of this granite, and are known in
the cabinets o f mineralogists. They were
first discovered by Dr. Pini.
The common granite of the Alps, ox granit
veiné, is capable of being split into slabs of a
R 4