A bright, clear morning, the air mild and temperate as the month of May - in company with Mr. Simos, Bouba & Rische. Hired an open gondola and four rowers to carry us to the islands of Malamocco & Pellestrina - eighteen miles distant for 12 lire - to see the gigantic walls constructed the last century for the defense of the lagoon & city of Venice against the encroaches of the sea. These islands are long narrow slips of land that extend along the coast - between three and ten miles below the city is an entrance between them, and the deepest of the three entrances to Venice, and through which all large vessels come it is called the port of Malamocco, and from here along a narrow channel proceed to the city.

We met a large dutch brig in the channel which was being towed by oared boats - it would seem the commerce of Venice cannot afford to employ steam tugs. The succeeding island Pallestrina along which we rowed is thickly populated by fishermen and seafaring people - at the extremity, where we landed it is very narrow and here the sea threatened to break through when the remedy was applied by building these large sea walls commenced in 1738 called Murazzi and built of large squared stones brought from the adjoining coast of Istria at great labour and expense, and bound together with mortar & pozzolana - they extend three Italian miles in length


(breadth of mason work about. 30 ft.)
(height of back wall - about 20 ft)

We walked along the top of the wall and had a view of the island and port of Chioggia that lay to the south us - were glad to leave Pallestrina, for immediately on landing were beset with women and children, beggars, who did not cease to torment us during the hour we remained on the island - nearly dark when we landed from the Gondola on the steps of the steps of the Suropa -