Gondola

(gon'do-lah.) [It.] (Naut.) A peculiar kind of boat used on the canals of Venice, being the conveyance used in pa ing from one part of the city to another. It is abt.30 ft. in length, and in the centre, where there Goomtee, Gooseberry, Fig. 358. GONDOLA. is a small cabin for pa engers, 5 ft. wide. G. are sharp pointed both fore and aft, and are rowed along with great velocity and skill by 2 men who are called gondoliers. An anc. sumptuary law requires them to be furnished with black curtains, which give them a rather funereal appearance. Those used by foreign envoys, ., are, however, exempted from this provision. [s. 415]