nging coast
line, the Lido and the Laguna. The Lido, founded upon the masses of
rock, is a long, thin slip of the _terra firma_, which form a sort of
advance guard of the land.

The Laguna, occupying the interval between the Lido and the true shore,
is a wide expanse of waters, generally very few feet in depth, with a
bottom of fine sand, and with a few channels of deeper water, the
representatives of the forming rivers winding intricately among them. In
such a configuration of land and water the state of the tide makes a
striking difference in the scene. And unlike the rest of the
Mediterranean, the Adriatic does possess a tide, small, it is true, in
comparison with the great tides of ocean--for the whole difference
between high and low water at the flood is not more than six feet, and
the average flow is said not to amount to more than two feet six
inches--but even this flux is sufficient to produce large tracts of sea
which the reflux converts into square miles of oozy sand.

Here, between sea and land, upon this detritus of the rivers, settled
the detritus of humanity. The Gothic and the Lombard invasions
contributed probably their share of fugitives, but fear of the Hunnish
world-waster--whose very name, according to some, was derived from one
of the mighty rivers of Russia--was the great "degrading" influence that
carried down the fragments of Roman civilization and strewed them over
the desolate lagoons. The inhabitants of Aquileia, or at least the
feeble remnants that escaped the sword of Attila, took refuge at Grado.
Concordia migrated to Caprularia (now Caorle). The inhabitants of
Altinum, abandoning their ruined villas, founded their new habitations
upon seven islands at the mouth of the Piave, which, according to
tradition, they named from the seven gates of their old city--Torcellus,
Maiurbius, Boreana, Ammiana, Constantiacum, and Anianum. The
representatives of some of these names, Torcello, Mazzorbo, Burano, are
familiar sounds to the Venetian at the present day.

From Padua came the largest stream of emigrants. They left the tomb of
their mythical ancestor, Antenor, and built their humble dwellings upon
the islands of the rivers Altus and Methamaucus, better known to us as
Rialto and Malamocco. This Paduan settlement was one day to be known to
the world by the name of Venice. But let us not suppose that the future
"Queen of the Adriatic" sprang into existence at a single bound like
Constantinople or A