YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

From the Library of
WILLIAM M. ODOM

ITALY, AND
THE ITALIANS IN THE
( NINETEENTH CENTURY : \
OR, LETTERS ON THE
©f bU, political fcittoral &tate of tfiat ©ountrg,
WRITTEN IN 1818 AND 1819.
WITH
AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING
EXTRACTS FROM MODERN ITALIAN LITERATURE.
BT
A FOREIGN OFFICER IN TIIE BRITISH SERVICE.

E il piil gentile

Terren non sei di quanti seal da il Sole?
D'ogni bell'arte non sei madre, o Italia ?
Polve d'eroi non e la polve tua ?
Francesca da Rimini, tragidia.

ILondon :
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR,
BY PEWTRESS, LOW & PEWTRESS, 30, GRACECHURCH STREET.
SOLD ALSO BY
SIMPKIN AND MARSHA!,, STATIONERS1 COVRT, LVDGATB HILL.
182l7

LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

No. of Copies
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Miss Georgiana Bromfield 
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Mr. J. Ball 
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The Right Hon. the Earl of Carlisle 
The Right Hon. the Countess of Carlisle.
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LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. No. of Copies.

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William Evans, Esq. M.P.
Rev. Dr. Evans ............

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A.- E. Gregory, Esq. Jesus College* Cambridge
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LIST OP SUBSCRIBERS. vii
No. of Copies.

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VIII LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. No. of Copies.
Messrs. Ripley's  ,  2
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The Right Hon. Lord Stanley 
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John Thruston, Esq,
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C. B.T  r 

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Miss Wodehouse 
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John Walker, Esq  „,
Mr. Wood ...................  ,
Mr. J.'Wiss.  ,  ',' 

PREFACE.

I HE materials of which the following Letters are
composed, have been collected, partly from my
correspondence, and' partly from the memorandums
which I took during a residence of several years
in Italy. The advice of some friends having in
duced me to venture them before the Public, I
have reduced them to their present form.
Fondly attached to the country where I passed
my early years, a country celebrated for its beauties
and for its misfortunes, I feel a desire to make its
inhabitants better known to British readers ; and I
think I am placed in a situation rather favorable for
this purpose. Acquainted from my infancy with
the language and manners of the Italians — brought
lip under their sky— nursed in their homes — I
quitted their country before early impressions could
ripen into prejudices — and at that period of life
when the powers of the mind begin to expand. Cir
cumstances connected with the affairs of the time,
having induced me to leave the continent, I joined
what I considered the common cause of mankind,

PREFACE.

against a system of universal oppression, and I was
present at some of the momentous events of that
awful contest now happily terminated ; and during
a period of several years spent in some of the most
interesting countries of Europe, a variety of scenes,
of manners and of people, afforded me ample means
of comparison. After the last peace, I returned to
the land of my childhood : I found- every thing
altered, and myself almost a stranger in my own
country. I wandered then about Italy, adding
fresh information to old recollections ; and1 from
both, I now exhibit a sketch, I hope not altogether
uninteresting. It has not been so much the material part of Italy,
that is to say, its antiquities, ruins, and buildings,
which have been so often described by abler pens
than mine, as the moral state of its inhabitants, that
has engrossed my attention. I think the Italians
are but imperfectly known, and often unjustly
abused, and are generally included by foreigners
in one common description of character, while, in
fact, the inhabitants of the various states of that
much divided country, form so many distinct na
tions. A Tuscan and a Neapolitan, a Lombard
and a Genoese, a Venetian and a Roman, are as
different from one another, as the Germans are from
the English, or the Dutch from the French.
Well acquainted with the religion of Italy, I
have spoken of it with respect, and I hope also with
impartiality : I ha.va onAoovnnroA in Ava\*r ihf> linp>

PREFACE.

between its . avowed tenets as they are explained
from the pulpit and from the chairs of theology, and
the abuses which popular ignorance and credulity
have engrafted upon them. I feel convinced be
sides, that in all the divisions of Christianity the
same virtues are to be found ; they all trust in the
same promises, and entertain the same hopes ; they
all acknowledge the same Book and the same
Teacher ,- and from all the different Christian tem
ples, the same prayers and wishes are daily wafted
to the throne of the Almighty. I ardently wish the
mild and truly Christian principle of toleration to be
generally diffused among brethren, whatsoever be
the forms of their worship. This spirit of charity
and union is particularly desirable in this age, when
cold and selfish incredulity and gloomy scepticism
threaten on all sides to undermine the foundations
of religion, and to bury in one common ruin the
virtues, the affections, and all the best feelings of
mankind. I have noticed the subject of Italian politics in a
general sense, abstaining as much as possible from
party questions, and endeavouring to be as impar
tial as a human being can, who courts no smiles
and fears no frowns. A friend to rational liberty,
I have been taught by experience to mistrust and
to fear that mania for violent changes, and those
schemes of perfectibility, which have in our times
deluged Europe with blood, and filled it with misery.
A revolution is, at best, but an exchange of a certain
evil for an uncertain good, and nothing but a state

PREFACE.

of intolerable oppression, which fortunately is very
rare in modern times, can reconcile an honest man
to so doubtful a chance. Since the writing of these
Letters, and while they were already in the press,
a great political change has taken place in one of
the finest and most important divisions of Italy.
Far from the scene of action, I can hardly presume
to form an accurate judgment of the spirit which
has presided to those measures, and of the springs
which have been put in motion to effect them ;
much less can I foretel the ultimate result of this
extraordinary transaction.
The present moment is one of awful crisis for
Italy ; her geographical position — the clashing in
terests of her several governments — and the con
fused state of the public mind increase her difficul
ties ten-fold, and any person acquainted with these
circumstances, and who feels an interest in the wel
fare of nineteen millions of human beings, must
look forward with anxious expectation to the ap
proaching catastrophe, and wish it had not been
rashly precipitated. Unfortunate Sicily has already
dearly paid for her ill-judged attempt: the mind
turns with horror from the repeated massacres of
Palermo, which might have been in great measure
prevented by conciliatory measures, and one cannot
but regret, at least, that want of moderation which
would have well become a government pro
fessing to be liberal, particularly at a moment
when they themselves appeal to the equity of the
other powers.

PREFACE.

My sentiments are expressed as I have felt, them ;
my conceptions may be wrong, but I can consci
entiously say, that my intentions are right. I
profess myself an admirer of all that I have found
amiable and good under every climate ; and I hate
malice and wickedness under whatever disguise
they may lurk.
" Les Italiens (says Madame de Stael) sont plus
remarquables par ce qu'ils ont ete et par ce qu'ils
pourroient etre, que par ce qu'ils sont maintenant."
Assenting, as I do, to this general proposition of
that illustrious writer, still, I think that the Italians
are, even now, remarkable and interesting in many
respects, and deserve more attention than the gene
rality of travellers seem inclined to bestow upon
them. Italy is still the land of genius and enthu
siasm, and many warm and generous hearts are
to be found under its glowing sky.
The following Letters contain an account of two
different journeys made through Italy during the last
two years, united with recollections of my former
residence in that country : they embrace the greater
part of Italy ; Naples, Tuscany, Lombardy, Pied
mont, and Genoa. I have crossed the Alps by the
two most celebrated roads, the Simplon and the Mont
Cenis ; and I have made several voyages along the
delightful shores of the Mediterranean sea, and in
sight of its numerous islands.

PREFACE.

I have also spoken of the literature of Italy.
This subject must be interesting to the British pub
lic, now that that elegant,, yet powerful language,'
forms one of the branches of polite education. I
have added in the Appendix a few extracts from
modern Italian poetry for the entertainment of
amateurs. The compass of this work and its title page, will,
I hope, prevent the Reader from expecting any fur
ther details, or deeper information than I have been
able to compress in these Letters. I must, however,
ask his indulgence Tor my attempting to write in a
language not my. own, and for the imperfections he
will find in the idiom. Having said so much, as an
apology for my intruding on the Public, I rest
satisfied, and commit myself to the liberality which
is so truly characteristic of the British people.
I cannot conclude this Preface without expressing
niy grateful acknowledgments to the Subscribers to
this little work, for the encouragement they have
afforded me. A list of such respectable names as
those which appear at the head of this Volume, could
not but stimulate my efforts to produce, at least,
nothing unworthy of them : should the following
pages meet with their approbation, it will be to me
the greatest reward for my labours.

ITALY,

AND

THE ITALIANS, ire.

LETTER I.

Voyage from Malta to Naples. — Mount Etna. — Arrival at
Naples. — Description of the Carnival. — Turkish account
of it. — Theatre of San Carlo. — Theatre de1 Fiorentini. —
Affecting Drama of Adelaide and Comminges. — Teatro
Nuovo and Prose Performances. — Policinella, the Neapoli
tan Clown. — View of the Bay qf Naples and its surround
ing Scenery. — Description qf the City. — Strado Toledo. —
Villa Reale. — Lent succeeds the Carnival. — Quaresimale,
Neapolitan Preachers. — Visit to the Sepulchres on Holy
Thursday. — Neapolitan Women. — Procession del Corpus
Domini. — Excursion to Pozzuoli. — Grotta di Posilipo.~
Quarantine Establishment.. — Temple of Serapis. — Solfu-
taru. — Baths of Nero.—Bajce and Cuma. — Pr.ocida and
lschia. — Lago d' Agnano. — Convent of Camaldoli.—Mala*
ria, terrible effects of it. — Grotta del Cane.
Naples, May 31, 1818.
I ARRIVED at this place in the month of February, in a vessel
from. Malta ; our passage was short and pleasant. We sailed
along the eastern coast of Sicily, and saw Mount Etna, that.
formidable volcano, covered with eternal snow, and which the
Sicilians emphatically describe as /' Ardprete de' monti che in
cotta bianca al Ciel porge gV incensi : the high priest of the
mountains, who, in his white surplice, offers incense to heaven.
We passed the Faro of Messina, and admired the beautiful situ-

8 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
ation of that city and the fine view of the Apennines, which
terminates the Italian peninsula. We passed the Lipari islands,
close by Stromboli ; we saw at night the flames of the volcano,
and at last entered the bay of Naples through the straits of Capri.
Shortly after, I found myself again on Italian ground, after an
absence of nine long years.
I arrived here in the middle of the Carnival ; which is the
Bairam of the Italians, with this difference, that with them it
precedes the fast or Lent, whilst among Mussulmen it follows
the Ramadan. The Carnival is a time of mirth, pleasure and
folly ; it is kept in most Catholic countries, but more particu
larly in Italy. - It begins on the seventh of January and continues
till Ash Wednesday, but its public diversions are in many places
restricted to the last ten days, in which masks are allowed to go
about the' streets from two in the afternoon till dark. During
that time, the whole city, but particularly the principal streets
of it, exhibits a scene of noise and confusion. The very children
of the, lowest classes assume an easy and cheap sort of disguise ;
putting a shirt over their clothes, a high pointed white cap, and
a paper misk, which elegant costume is dignified with the
name of Policinella, the dramatic title of the Neapolitan clown.
Masks of all descriptions are sauntering about the streets, making
strange noises ; stopping and addressing one another ; saying
now and then some witty jokes, but more often uttering coarse
and vulgar nonsense ; teazing and annoying the passengers, who
have no power of checking them : for it is positively forbidden
by government, to molest or offer any violence to the masks. If
these, however, should carry the joke too far, and take improper
liberties, the police then takes them up and punishes them se
verely. I often thought of the impression which the appearance
of this people during the Carnival would make upon the mind
'of a stranger totally unacquainted with this custom, who might
land here in the midst of this mad revelry. It puts me in mind
of an anecdote which I heard at Malta. A Turk, who had been
for sometime prisoner in that island, during the dominion of the
Knights of St. John, after having been exchanged and sent back
to Constantinople, was examined before the Divan, as to the

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. '!)
strength of La Valletta, and the most probable means of taking
it. He said he thought it almost impossible to conquer it as long
as the Christians were on their guard, but, added he, " there are
three days in the year when the Infidels are subject to a fit of
insanity, (meaning the last three days of the Carnival, which was
the only time allowed^by the Grand Master for that popular di
version) and should the Capudan Pacha contrive to be there at
hand with his fleet and a body of troops, I have no doubt but he
could easily take the place by surprise, as all order and discipline
are at an end during that period. But the business must be
done quickly ; for on the fourth day a priest applies a pinch of
ashes to each man's forehead, which has the wonderful power of
restoring him instantly to his senses and rational faculties." Se
non e vero e ben trovato, as the Italians say. The name of
Carne-vale is originally Latin, farewell to flesh, meaning, pro
bably, that these are the last days for eating meat, as the follow
ing Lent forbids either totally or in part the use of that kind of
food. Some pretend it is the remains of the Roman Saturnalia,
which were accompanied With the same scenes of dissipation
and folly, only indulged to a much greater extent, and which the
Christian rulers, who succeeded the Roman Emperors in Italy,
thought it wise to retain, under some restrictions, for the satisfac
tion of the populace — addicted in every age to noisy and giddy
diversions. The Carnival has not been very brilliant at Naples
this year, on account of the bad weather ; we had almost con
stant rains during that period, which prevented, in a great mea
sure the display of masks in the streets. The festini or masked
balls at San Carlo, however, were much crowded, but few mas-
chere di carattere or interesting disguises were to be seen. This
is to be attributed partly to the change in the national character
produced by the events of late years. The Neapolitans have lost
much of that harmless gaiety, and that openness of disposition,
which were formerly some compensation for the want of more
solid qualities. A gloomy diffidence and sullen dissimulation,
the results of civil dissensions and foreign invasions — of political
inquisition and bloody retaliation, have pervaded the ranks of
this naturally thoughtless and careless people. They are as fond
of pleasure as ever, but they take care not to shew their minds in
B

10 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
public or to strangers. I saw a great number of common masks,
as black dominos, white policinellas, richly dressed Turks, &c.
Some females in the fanciful and rich costumes of peasant girls
of the different provinces of this kingdom, appeared to great ad
vantage. I saw one day in the street of Toledo, Prince L- ,
the king's youngest son, in a car, with a numerous suit in the
garb of ancient warriors with shields and a kind of shovels, which
they filled out of buckets full of confetti, discharging the contents
against the company in the balconies. This is a favorite pastime
of the season, although sometimes attended with unfortunate con
sequences ; for, as sugar confections are expensive, many sub
stitute imitations for them, made of clay, which are very hard,
and some as large as common nuts, so that a shower of them be
comes a very unpleasant compliment, and serious disputes origi
nate in this absurd custom.
Soon after my landing, I paid a visit to the celebrated theatre
of San Carlo, the first in Europe. The interior of it is shining
with gold. The blue ground scarcely appears between the nu
merous gilt basso relievo ornaments : these, however, are said
to be unfavorable to the effect of the singing, and whether this or
any other fault in the construction of the house be the reason, it
certainly requires a most powerful voice on the stage of San Carlo,
to be heard by the further part of the audience. There are six
rows of boxes, all private, and closed like so many apartments,
as is the case in every theatre in Italy. Ten five-branched giran
doles are fixed under each row, and on gala days they are lighted
up, and the effect is dazzling. A superb chandelier suspended
from the ceiling adds to this blaze of splendour, which, however,
in my opinion, weakens much the effect of the performance and
destroys the theatrical illusion. But they are not very nice here
upon these matters. They do not come to the opera to take an
interest in it, to have their feelir., i affected, or their senses de
ceived, but merely to admire the music. The house is seldom
full. The seats in the pit -are numbered and are very commodi
ous. The price of admission is six carlini, about half-a-crown,
except on illumination days, when the price is raided. For two
pence mpre you have an additional cushion brought to you. No

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 11
entrance is paid to go to the boxes, so that many persons, par
ticularly young men of fashion who have many acquaintances
among the nobility, frequent the theatres all the year round with
out paying any thing for it. The boxes are very spacious, and
occasionally suppers are given in them by some of the nobility.
The king's box fronts the stage, and occupies two rows in height ;
it is most richly, though not elegantly adorned with crimson
silks and gold, reflecting mirrors, &c. : the insignias of royalty
are suspended above it. The whole is gorgeous and heavy. The
curtain is finely painted with allegorical subjects alluding to the
restoration of the theatre after the fire of 1816, under the au
spices of Ferdinand I. I observed a want of perspective in some
of the scenic decorations, particularly in those which represent
streets and buildings. The orchestra is very respectably filled,
and the first coup d'archet of the overture is truly imposing.
La Colbran, a Spanish woman, is now the first singer, she has a
fine voice, and understands music well, but she wants delicacy
and grace. The ballet is the favorite part of the performance
with the Neapolitans. They have a chosen company of French
dancers ; amongst whom are Vestris, Duport, Henry, Taglioni,
&c. The dance seems to engross chiefly the 'attention of the au
dience, and the opera is comparatively neglected. It must be
confessed that an Italian grand Opera Seria is destitute of all
illusion, and has no attraction but that of the music. The libretto
or play, is generally a compound of nonsensical words, chiefly
about love and revenge, put together just to run with the music ;
besides which, owing to the size of the house and the deficiency
of the secondary singers, one cannot understand the third part of
it ; so that with the exception of a few ariettas or duos, which
attract the general attention, the performance is allowed to go on
as well as it can ; while part of the audience are whispering,
simpering, or yawning, and the rest sauntering about, paying
visits to the ladies in the boxes, or resorting to the adjoining
gambling table, or to the coffee room, until the time of the ballet
arrives. The subject of the- present ballet is Barba blit, Blue
beard.

!2 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
I have been several times at the theatrede' Fiorentini, the third in
the city : La Canonici, a sweet singer, and a handsome woman with
an interesting countenance, and a voice full of expression, is the
chief attraction at that house. She is at present performing the
part of Adelaide in the historical dramas of Adelaide and Com-
minges. The affecting tale of those unfortunate lovers has fur
nished three dramas, which are performed by turns : the music
is by Fioravanti : they are called, 1st — Gli amori di Adelaide
e Commingio ; 2nd — Adelaide maritata e Commingio Pit-
tore ; 3rd — La morte d' Adelaide. The story is in a few words,
as follows : — Adelaide is beloved by a young nobleman of the
name of Comminges, with whom she had been acquainted from
her infancy ; but her father, either through pride or avarice,
compels her, during the absence of Comminges, to marry a
haughty baron, who takes her, a sad but resigned victim, to his
feudal mansion in the province. She fulfills all the duties of a
wife ; but cannot entirely stifle her sighs, nor subdue a feeling of
melancholy, which is soon perceived and closely watched by her
jealous husband. Meantime Comminges discovers her retreat,
. and assumes the disguise of a painter, under which he is intro
duced to the unsuspecting lord, who engages, him to work at his
gallery : Comminges submits to this humiliation to obtain a sight
of his beloved. The surprise and the fright of Adelaide in dis
covering him, is the more distressing, as she is under the watch
ful eye of her husband ; however, she recovers herself, and in a
second interview entreats hiin to respect her virtue — to forget the
past, and to leave her to her duty and to death ; but while the
fond lover, despondent although resigned, is on his knees takin°-
a last farewell of the object of his affections, the husband sud
denly appears : Comminges rises and boldly discovers himself —
they fight, and the unfortunate Adelaide, while intent on prevent
ing them from their deadly purpose, is stabbed by her furious
husband ; upon which, Connninges growing desperate, kills his
antagonist. He is carried off from that scene of horror by a
faithful attendant, who conceals hiin in a neighbouring forest,
and returns to the castle to learn the fate of Adelaide. He is
apprised of her death in consequence of the wound received, and

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTUEfc. 13
of the orders given to search for, and apprehend Comminges.
With these melancholy tidings he returns to the forest — the des-<
pair of Comminges is easily imagined ; meantime a terrible
storm arises, and while they are looking about for shelter, the
tolling of a bell is heard at a short distance amongst the trees.
Comminges follows in that direction, and finds himself at the gates
of a solitary convent belonging to the rigid order of La Trappe.
With that feeling but too common to an ardent mind which is
bereft at once of all hope and happiness on earth, he thinks he
hears the voice of providence calling him to repentance ; and
despair and religion throws him into that convent as a last refuge
for afflicted humanity, and a necessary scene of preparation for
that better world, where he will meet again his beloved Adelaide.
He conceals his real name and is admitted by the superior to the
noviciate. While this is passing at La Trappe, Adelaide, con
trary to expectation, recovers from her wound, and proceeds with
a fictitious name and under a man's attire, to make enquiries
after her lover ; and as these prove fruitless, she gives him up
for lost and resolves upon taking the veil. While intent upon
that plan, she enters by accident into the church of the convent
where Comminges is secluded ; the fathers are singing vespers ;
she hears his well known voice, and she soon after recognises his
features, though disguised under the cowl. In the struggle of
contending passions, her purity of mind prevails ; she thinks him
bound by everlasting vows ; she feels she can never be united to
him in this . world ; but having found him again, she will no
longer part with him : her resolution is formed at once ; she
presents herself to the superior of the convent as a young man,
willing to enter their order ; after some difficulties occasioned by
her youthful appearance and superior manners, she is admitted to
a preparatory trial, and she assumes the dark uncouth attire of
a Trappensis Monk, which effectually conceals her lovely features.
A silence, which can only be broken by the permission of the
superior, is one of the rules of the order, and Adelaide, although
daily in company with her Comminges, remains unknown to him.
She follows constantly and silently his faltering steps ; she assists
him in the performance of his several duties and even in the task
of digging his own grave, which is imposed upon every brother

14 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
by the laws of La Trappe. She never utters a word, but she
cannot entirely suppress her sighs nor conceal her tears. Her
whole behaviour strikes Comminges, however, as he can never
conjecture the truth, he attributes it to sorrows similar to his
own ; but the delicate frame of Adelaide cannot long resist the.
anguish of her mind and the fatigue and privations of I'.er situa
tion ; she visibly decays and totters towards the grave. The
superior perceives the weakness of the youth, and exhorts him
to leave, while yet there is time, that mode of life not suited to
his weakly constitution, but he persists in his resolution. Mean
time the expiration of Comminges' noviciate approaches, and he
is determined to take the vows and bid an eternal adieu to the
world. The day of the ceremony arrives, and owing to the illness
which prevents her from attending the church and the silence
which surrounds her, Adelaide learns from the superior, only
when it is too late, that a few hours before, Comminges was free,
but that now he is for ever divided from her. This last blow
destroys her remaining strength, and she sinks exhausted under
the pressure of grief. The dying novice (Adelaide) is at last,
according to the custom of the order, carried on a bier to the
chapel, where the immortal soul will take its departure from its
earthly frame, soothed by the orisons of the assembled commu
nity. The funeral bell is tolling, the friars, and Comminges
among the rest, are singing the last prayers for the agonised
brother ; at last the venerable superior allows the youth to speak ;
approaching death frees him from his vow of silence ; he is at
liberty to utter his last sentiments, and to bid adieu to the com
panions of his earthly pilgrimage ; with a faint voice he calls
Comminges, uncovers his pale forehead, and the recognised
Adelaide expires in the arms of her distracted lover.
Such is the interesting drama, founded on such facts, as are
not uncommon in the records of Catholic countries. It is easy
to imagine the effect that the last scene especially, must have on
the stage, attended by all the insignia and awful accessories of
La Trappe. Sobbing and crying were heard, particularly from
the female part of the audience. I had then an opportunity of
remarking that these people are not wanting in feeling; the

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 15
crowd of young men and elegantes who attended these perform
ances which have been repeated for more than a month, is a
proof of it. It is generally supposed that the Neapolitans, like
other southern nations, have strong passions ; I think, however,
the definition is not accurate ; they feel acute sensations ; but the
impression is fleeting like that which the wind traces on the
surface of the water. Sincerely affected by the sufferings of
Adelaide at the moment, they will an hour after feel as truly
delighted with the splendour and the bustle of the conversazione
or of the ball room. Before I leave the subject, I must mention
an inconsistency of the Neapolitan stage. In all the three dramas
of Adelaide, even in some of the most affecting parts of the last,
a buffo appears in the character of Adelaide's brother-in-law, and
by some coarse ill-timed jokes, sets the audience in a roar of
laughter. Casacciello, an excellent buffo of the Neapolitan cast,
performed that part ; but I would rather see his talents employed
on a fitter subject.
I have been several times at the Teatro Novo, a small neat
house, where the prose company generally performs. They have
some good actors, particularly De Marini, a first-rate per
former. It is not very common in Italy to hear a good prose
performance, although their language is so beautifully adapted
for it : Goldoni has furnished them with a store of comedies,
many of which are excellent, but seldom performed. The dramas
of Metattasio afford also a plentiful supply ; the tragedies of
Alfieri, Pindemonti and others, are a treasure upon which they
might draw, and thereby encourage others to follow -the steps of
those great writers. I look upon a good prose theatre as a great
desideratum in Italy ; it would help to form the'character of the
nation, to inspire them with noble sentiments, and to accustom
them to the genuine taste and the sweet sounds of the pure Italian
language, so often grossly and barbarously smothered under pro
vincial jargon and pronunciation. Perhaps the too free senti
ments of some of the dramatic writers are a great obstacle to the
production of their works on the stage ; still I have occasionally
heard the Saulle of Alfieri performed at Rome, and his Filippo
at Genoa, under the present governments of those countries, so

16 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
that I don't know whether the fault lies with the rulers or with
the taste of the people.
There are two other theatres in this capital, the Royal Theatre
del Fondo, a very fine house, next to San Carlo in size, and at
which occasionally the same company performs, and that of San
Ferdinando which is not so much frequented, being at the other
end of the town, far from the fashionable world. Besides these
five theatres there are two inferior ones, La Fenice and San
Carlino, both in the Largo del Castello, and chiefly devoted to
farces and pantomimes for the amusement of the lower classes : the
performers speak the broad Neapolitan dialect. There you see the
Policinella in his genuine colours. This Neapolitan clown, is some
thing similar to the Arlecchino of Bergamo, pantalone of Venice,
&c. but is not an honorable specimen of the national character of
his country, of which it is intended as a caricature. Policinella
is a servant from Acerra, a village in the neighbourhood of
Naples, and he is so highly gifted by nature and accomplished
by education, that he is at once a thief, a liar, a coward, a
braggart, and a debauchee ; still the facetious way in which he
relates his various feats enraptures his grovelling countrymen.
He delights in licentious double entendre, gross jokes, and
dirty tricks ; there is not a single good quality in him ; his cun
ning is very low, and he is always outwitted when he meets with
any person of sense, so that in the end he is generally disco
vered, imprisoned, whipped and hanged. Such is the celebrated
Policinella. '
There are many houses for puppet shows, where, at any time
of the day, one may go in for a few grains, provided one's olfac
tory nerves are not too keen for the smell produced by the crowd
of dirty fellows who resort to them. There are also ambulatory
puppet shows in the streets.
As for the general appearance of this country, 1 have found
it what I knew it already to be, the Eden of our world, but
un paradiso abitato da diavoli, as the Italian proverb says.
The climate is delightful) the views are magnificent. I live on

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 17
the sea shore, at one end of the town, where I enjoy a full view of
this beautiful bay, the waves of which lave the sandy shore in
front of my habitation. Before me I see the picturesque island
of Capri ; to my left, this vast city, commanded by the green hill
of Sant 'Elmo ; farther on, the fertile plains of Campania felix,
between which and the sea, rises the conical form of Vesuvius
with its furnace of perpetual fire and smoke : at the foot of that
formidable mountain I can perceive the white hillocks which sur
round the remains of Pompeii, farther on the mounts of Stabia
and Sorrento, the country of the immortal bard of the Gerusa-
lemme. What a display of classical scenery ! What memories
of sad tales or of brilliant history equally portentous ! Close by
me is the lovely coast of Mergellina, the verdant hill of Posilipo,
with the tomb of Virgil rising on it, and lower down, the church
where Sannazaro is buried. I have been looking for the castle
of Paluzzi, described to be about this neighbourhood by Mrs.
Radcliffe in her Italian ; but I could find no traces of it : no
such name is known to have existed. The church of La Madonna
del Pianto, however, is to be seen near the Campo di Marte or
reviewing- ground, but its modern appearance does not agree with
the account of the awful solemnity of its capacious aisles so finely
described by that writer. The sketches she gives of the scenery
of the country, however, are beautifully true to nature.
Naples is an open irregularly built city ; its greatest length is
along the sea shore, where it extends in a curving irregular line
for nearly four miles from north east to south west facing the
south, ln the centre of this range stands the king's palace, and
near it. is the harbour, which is small and not very convenient.
The breadth of Naples is very unequal : at the west end it is
much contracted between the hills of Vomero and Belvedere and
the sea, so as only to contain the breadth of one or two streets ;
it widens then towards the centre, and there it extends to the
north inland as far as the hills of Capodimonte and Capodichino,
between which and the sea the principal and most populous part
of the town is built, including the old city, which is still partly
surrounded with walls and ditches, and the extensive additions
made to it in course of time, and now blended with it. Several
c

1# ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
of the old gates are still existing, such as the gates of Nola,
Capua, San Gennaro, &c. Its greatest breadth from the sea to
the barrier of Capodichino on the road t6 Rome, is nearly three
miles from south to north. The street of Toledo which runs in
the same direction across the city for three quarters of a mile, is
the principal street in Naples, although not exactly in a straight
line, nor sufficiently broad comparatively to its length. -It begins
from a fine semi-circular square, called Largo dello Spirito Santo,
and ends in the square before the king's palace. It was built by
a Spanish viceroy of that namey who predicted that it would be
come the most frequented street in the city, as it has happened
in fact. It is always crowded to excess with people, carriages,
horses, asses, &c. and being destitute of pavements like all the
other streets, is rendered a very uncomfortable place, especially
for foot passengers. The number of retailers selling provisions
and goods of every description in the street ; the people working
and cooking iu front of the open shops for the benefit of the air ;
the quantity of curricoli or two wheeled chaises drawn by one
horse, and driving furiously along ; the swarms of vagrants and
beggars infesting the place at all hours : all these mixed with the
gay and splendid equipages of the nobility ; the appearance of
well dressed females at the balconies ; the lustre and elegance of
Ihe numerous coffee and ice shops, exhibit an ensemble of con
trast, confusion, and life, to which 1 have seen nothing equal in
any other part of Europe. The naturally clamorous habits of
the Neapolitans are strengthened by the continual noise which
obliges them to vociferate in order to be heard by their immedi
ate companions. With all this, Toledo affords a very curious
appearance to a stranger by the variety of motley groups with
which it is thronged : priests in black ; friars in white and grey ;
officers in gay military uniforms ; paglietti or lawyers in their
professional costumes ; sober citizens dressed in suits of a variety
of colours, blue, green, brown, yellow, grey, &c. ; women, some
in the old Neapolitan black silk dress ; others in the modern
which they have adopted from the French ; those of the lower
class, either with a handkerchief tied round their heads, or with
the Sicilian peddeme or manto, a piece of calico thrown loosely
over the head and shoulders ; and half naked lazzaroni having-

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 19
merely their shirts and trowsers on : I can hardly think myself
in a civilized country, but feel at times as though transported to
some of the European settlements on the coast of Africa.
The new structure not quite finished, which is intended for the
bank of the two Sicilies, and for the finance or treasury offices, in
Strada Toledo, is remarkably elegant. Very inferior habitations,
however, scattered here and there, form a disagreeable contrast to
the splendour of the neighbouring piles. The finest part of the
city of Naples, is, without question, along the quay from the
Castel dell' Uovo to the western extremity towards Posilipo.
The range of buildings which lines it on one side, is composed,
with very few exceptions, of elegant modern struetures, whose
stuccoed exteriors, contrasted with the spacious iron balconies and
green Venetian blinds, form a brilliant coup d'ceil seen from the
bay. In front of them for the space of a mile along the sea shore
runs the Villa Reale, a beautiful walk, consisting of several ave
nues of trees, adorned with fountains, stone benches, and marble
statues. But the principal beauty of that delightful spot consists
in its unrivalled situation, commanding a view of the whole bay.
When the trees are in full blossom, it realizes all that the imagi
nation can conceive of this kind. This walk was considerably
extended and improved by Joachim Murat. Towards the middle
of it, there is a small projection running into the sea, which they
are going to secure with an iron railing and to surround it with
seats, so as to make a pretty terrace ; the idea of this improve
ment was suggested, I am told, by a German princess who lately
visited Naples. In the middle of the central avenue, is placed
the famous group of the Toro Farnese or Farnesian Bull, for
merly in the gallery belonging to the family of that name at
Rome, to whose inheritance the king of Naples succeeded. The
Toro Farnese and the statue of Hercules, which is now at the
Museum of gli Studj, formed the chief value of the gallery.
This group was injured in the carriage, and restored by modern
hands. The head of the bull, and the figure of one of the men
holding it by the horns are peculiarly fine. But as these sub
jects of the fine arts have been so well and so often described by
much abler pens than mine, I shall not presume to intrude with

20 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
any further observations upon them. I will endeavour to give
some account of the inhabitants of this country, and of their
manners and character in a future letter.
The Carnival was succeeded by the Lent ; the penance and
fast prescribed to this time, are now but loosely observed. The
Pope, in consideration of the scarcity of provisions, and perhaps
on account, also, of the diminution of fervour, gave this year an
indulto or permission to eat meat as usual ; however, the zealots
did abstain from it and contented themselves with only one meal
in the twenty-four hours. This is the way Lent used to be kept
in former times by all Catholics. But now, O / tempora ! 0 .'
mores ! the greater number eat meat even on Fridays and Satur
days, which is actually a sin against the commandments of the
Church of Rome. The lower classes are the strictest in the ob
servance of their religious practices.
During the Lent there are preachers appointed to the principal
churches, to deliver a new sermon every day on the most impor
tant topics of religion and morality. The principal dogmas of
the church ; the commandments ; the sacraments ; the seven
mortal sins ; death and judgment; hell and paradise; the most
striking passages of the gospel ; the passion of our Saviour : all
these furnish subjects for the quaresimale, which is the name
given to this collection of sermons. Two or three distinguished
preachers are sent for on this occasion from Rome, Tuscany, or
the north of Italy, and paid handsomely to deliver a series of ser
mons in some of the principal churches of Naples. The church
of Santa Maria la Nova, belonging to the monks of St. Francis,
has generally one of the best. There one may hear a good spe
cimen of sacred eloquence delivered in pure Italian. Some of
the sermons are really beautiful, although sometimes too flowery,
and too much ornamented with figures of rhetoric. The manner of
delivering them would also appear too pantomimic to a northern
audience, but this is the taste of the country, and orators who
wish to make an impression upon the minds of the people, must
accommodate themselves somewhat to their dispositions. It is
at Rome that I have heard the finest sermons during Lent, many

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 21
of them have been collected and printed. Italy, however, cannot
vie with France in this respect — there is no Italian Bourdaloue,
Massillon, or Bossuet. Father Segneri's quaresimale is one of
the best specimen of the kind, although its style is rather old.
As for the common sermons that one 'hears on Sundays in the
churches of Naples, they do not give, in general, a great idea of
the learning and oratorial powers of the Neapolitan clergy. They
either bewilder themselves iu attempting to explain some of the
mysteries of our religion ; such as the preacher I heard in the
church of Lo Spirito Santo, who in order to render the idea of
Trinity intelligible to his audience, employed comparisons drawn
from the ancient mythology, such as that of Jupiter, Neptune,
arid Pluto ; or if they preach upon morality, they often enter into
details either indelicate or degenerating into the burlesque. One
of them preaching before a numerous audience, chiefly composed
of females, and descanting against the evil consequences of the
passion of love, described in very lively colours the beginning
and progress of it, the ogles, billets doux, assignations, &c. by
way of warning his auditors against the danger of such practices.
A stranger, and even an Italian from any other part of Italy, is
scandalized at the grossness of the Neapolitan sermons, but I
have heard some of the clergy pretend that it is the only way to
make them palatable to the greater part of their audience. The
itinerant preachers and missionaries who are often to be seen
preaching in the streets of Naples mounted on a bench or stool,
and addressing themselves chiefly to the lazzaroni, often reach
the extreme of vulgarity in their expressions, to which their rude
hearers listen with the greatest attention ; and I have often seen
these at the close of the exhortation fall on their knees, beat their
breasts, and shed penitential tears : the consequence is, that many
of them follow the priest to his lodgings, confess their sins, and
make amends for their past misdeeds as far as lies in their power.
We should not, therefore, in a foreign land condemn rashly what
ever is not consonant to our own ideas of propriety, but rather
look. to the effects of such'things, and judge from them of the
methods employed. It is unnecessay to add that the sermons I
have alluded to, are delivered in the Neapolitan dialect, and are
consequently unintelligible to most foreigners.

22 ITALY", AND THE ITALIANS
In the afternoons of Holy Thursday and Good Friday the city
of Naples affords a striking sight : people of all ranks go about
visiting the different churches, where the lower part of an altar
is fitted up with more or less splendour to represent the sepulchre
of our Saviour. By an order from the police, which is regularly
issued at this time every year, carriages are forbidden to pass by
the Strada di Toledo, so that the people may quietly walk along
without fear of being trampled upon by some careless or impru
dent driver. The dress customary on these two days is black,
both for men and women. Such a mixture as Toledo affords
then, is not to be seen any where else. Young and old, ugly and
handsome, rich and poor, elegant and shabby, beggars and lords,
servants and masters, are all seen walking along promiscuously,
with an air of decorum and sedateness very different from their
general character. The King, Prince Leopold and the Princess
his consort, went on foot, accompanied by the Court, through
the same pilgrimage. The band of the grenadier guards was
playing a dead march, and the soldiers carried their firelocks
reversed. No bells are allowed to ring, no clocks to strike for
forty-eight hours, from Thursday morning to Saturday. A
wooden rattle is employed to mark the hours. All this is iii
commemoration of the death of our Saviour ; mixed with devo
tion, there is a certain dose of worldly spirit in this ceremony,
which reminds one of Goldsmith's description of Italy : 
" Processions formed for piety and love."
I saw on that occasion, a greater display of female beauty than I
had ever seen in this metropolis, and I acquired a better opinion
of the Neapolitan fair sex. The fact is, that a great number of
pretty women, particularly of the middling classes, very seldom
are granted the indulgence of a walk through the city except on
some great occasions, among which that of the holy week is
never neglected. On the other side, the nobility, who, at other
times, seldom go out but in their carriages, deign, on this solemn
occasion, to mix with the pedestrians.
The Neapolitan women are generally short, and inclined to
enbonpoint, their beauty is that of the rose in its full expansion,

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 23
no timid half-opened bud, but a proud full spread blossom, warn
ing the admirer of its approaching decay. Their complexion is
very sallow, with a strong tinge of yellow in many, fine eyes,
black hair, noses generally aquiline, prominent chins, ' and
mouths rather wide. There are few regular beauties to be seen,
but those few are of the finest cast.
On the 28th instant there was a grand procession on account
of the festival of the Corpus Domini. It was led by the band of
the regiment of guards, then came a man carrying a great stand
ard ; the officers of the different corps of the garrison followed
two deep, in their best uniforms, bareheaded, each holding a
lighted torch, and accompanied by a dirty lazzarone who was
carefully collecting the falling drops of wax on a kind of shovel
made of brown paper, which these fellows afterwards sell to the
candlemakers. Next to the officers came a company of Fran
ciscan friars with lighted tapers in their hands, they were fol
lowed by the canons of the cathedra], and a band of church mu
sicians with fiddles, bassoons, &c. playing at intervals, and last, a
priest carrying the host and pacing along under cover of a- white
canopy carried by four assistants. It was not very brilliant on
fhe whole, but rather an odd mixture of conditions and characters,
and a strange contrast of devotion and show, of pomp and paltri
ness. Of all the ceremonies of the Catholic church, these pro
cessions are certainly the least edifying. The windows and
balconies along Toledo - were ornamented with old-fashioned
tapestry, and crowded with gaudily dressed females.
I have begun my excursions in the neighbourhood of Naples'
by gdingto Pozzuoli and Bajse ; passing by the grotta or tunnel
through the Mount of Posilipo, which forms a promontory divid
ing the Gulph of Naples from that of Bajse, a fine carriage road
leads to Pozzuoli. The grotta is about half a mile in length, and
in the middle of it the objects around are scarcely discernible,
and people are warned of the approach of carriages only by the
rattling of the wheels, which is echoed along the sides of the
rock. A pavement would be here of the greatest advantage, as
it would place the pedestrians in safety ; as the road is now, I

24 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
am surprised we do not hear of many accidents. Curricoli or
two wheeled carriage, of which there is a great number for hire
at Naples, drive furiously in opposite directions and in the midst
of darkness along this subterraneous passage, which is always
thronged with persons on foot, and it requires the expertness of
Neapolitan drivers and the docility of Neapolitan horses to pre
vent mischief. A pleasant coolness prevails in the grotta, and
it would be a delightful retreat in the middle of summer. I often
thought it might be made a pleasant place for lounging, by being
well lighted up, and by having seats cut in the sides of the rock ;
people might, after walking through the villa, resort to this
subterraneous arcade to take shelter from the burning heat of
Naples. On emerging from the grotta, you pass the village of
Fuori grotta, and leaving to the right the road leading to the
lake of Agnano, proceed through a fine avenue of trees straight
towards the sea shore to the place called Bagnoli, which is oppo
site the little island of Nisita. At this island vessels perform
quarantine, and there is a lazzaretto for expurgating suspected
goods. They seem to be very particular here, but from what I
have heard of the manner in which the quarantine regulations
are enforced along the extensive line of coast of this kingdom, I
think it is almost a piece of good luck that this country has
hitherto escaped the contagious diseases which always rage in
some part or other of the Mediterranean. In 1816, however,
they had the plague at Noja near Bari, on the coast of the
Adriatic, but it seems that the disease was not of the most ma
lignant kind, and a cordon of the Austrian troops who then
occupied the kingdom of Naples, prevented it from spreading
beyond the place where it first broke out. I have often shuddered
in thinking of the havoc the plague would make in a city like
Naples, where such swarms of people, poor, ignorant and filthy,
are huddled together ; it would rage in the same manner as in
the Levant, and scarce any human efforts could put a stop to its
ravages. How could government] prevent these people from
communicating with one another ? how separate the different
families ? how support that part of the population, perhaps more
than one hundred thousand, whose means of subsistence depend
upon their daily labour ? and yet the least neglect of the qua-

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 25
rantine regulations might suddenly bring this dreadful calamity
upon the country, and change these enchanting shores, now
the abodes of gaiety and pleasure into a region of horror and
death. From Bagnoli we proceeded along the shore to Pozzuoli, a town
finely situated, rising above the sea. Here there is a fine view of
the Gulph of Bajse, the scene of Roman greatness, luxury, and
profligacy. Here we are on classic ground, surrounded by me
morials of the rulers of the world ; we see the remains of their
villas, their temples, and their baths ; we see the harbour where
their fleets lay at anchor ; we walk as it were in their pleasure
grounds, and are as much among Romans as we should be if we
were at Rome itself. But, alas ! how the scene has changed !
These once delightful shores are now uncultivated and deserted !
These abodes of pleasure and of continual spring are now covered
with wild vegetation ! scarcely any human habitation is to be
seen; and in the course of another month, the malaria will as
sume its dominion over the whole country and drive away, until
the month of October, the few wealthy inhabitants of Pozzuoli.
The magnificence of the decaying monuments, renders the pre
sent desolation more striking ; but on considering them atten
tively, what do we see ? An amphitheatre disgraced by the
blood of the gladiators ; a prison ; and a tomb which reminds us
of an imperial parricide ; and far to the south, stands the rock
of Capri, the lair of the infamous Tiberius. The unprincipled
ambition, the want of feeling, the ferocity and the base corrup
tion of the ancient Romans, with which so many pages of their
history are polluted, reconcile us to their fall. We admire, but
we cannot love them. They strove to elevate themselves above
nature ; but nature, which always vindicates her rights, plunged
them at last into the lowest degradation and the most debasing
slavery. *
The most important remains of antiquity at Pozzuoli, are the
extensive ampitheatre, which is now in a great measure filled up
* See the Appendix, Note I.
D

26 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
with earth and rubbish, and the temple of Serapis. The latter,
built in honour of the Egyptian Jupiter, after remaining several
centuries buried under the waters of the sea, was covered by an
eruption of the Solfatara, which drove the waters away, and it was
discovered again and excavated about a century ago. Of this
fine specimen of ancient architecture, three columns of fine cipol-
lino marble only remain standing, and upon them one can per
ceive the height to which the waters once rose ; the remainder
are thrown down and broken and perforated throughout by the
dattili di mare, a kind of shell fish which have made their bur
rows even in the Egyptian granite ; the latter circumstance proves
that the edifice must have remained a long time under water.
The pavement is almost entire, and the whole plan of the temple
may be distinctly traced. Its form was square with a portico
before it, the altar and the place for sacrifice were in the centre
on a raised ground. There were forty-eight cells constructed for
the priests and their families in the outer wall which enclosed
the temple. There were also baths and closets appropriated to
their use, and great attention seems to have been paid to cleanli
ness and comfort. The altar and the steps are of Parian marble.
It is singular to see a temple dedicated to an Egyptian deity in a
city of Campania, and to think of the changes that this country
has undergone.
There is a tolerably good inn in Pozzuoli at the farther end
of the town towards Bajce, where we took some refreshment on a
terrace raised just above the beach, and enjoyed at the same time
the cool sea breeze and a view of the whole coast. He who has not
visited this country, can form no idea of the charms of such a
situation on a fine day in the spring. An old Cicerone, of the
name of Toby, came to offer his services, making a great parade
of a few phrases of broken English, which he had picked up dur
ing sixty or seventy years intercourse with travellers of that na
tion. We went with him up the Solfatara. This extinguished
volcano rises immediately behind Pozzuoli ; on its summit there
is a plain about a mile in circamference, which seems to have
been made by the falling in of the top during some eruption.
The soil consists of calcareous earth, and is broken into crevices

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 27
whence issues a very hot stream strongly impregnated with sul
phur, of which mineral, thick incrustations appear around. The
ground seems by the noise your steps produce to be hollow un
derneath. Only one kind of bush grows in this region ; the yel
lowish green leaves of which form a contrast with the whiteness
of the soil.
We descended from the Solfatara, and proceeded along the
coast towards Bajse on foot, there being- no road for carriages be
yond Pozzuoli. We passed the temples of Venus and Mercury,
and leaving on our right the lake of Averno, went to the baths of
Nero. A steep descent of considerable length leads to the hot
wells ; the heat however is so great, that few persons can descend
to the bottom, and most of the visitors return before they have
reached half way down. The water in the well is sufficiently, hot
to boil an egg hard in a minute or two. A guard with torches
should always attend on strangers, to prevent accidents. In the
month of June, many people resort from Naples to make use of
these natural steam baths ; they half undress and descend until
the heat becomes insupportable, then after a copious perspiration
they return, and rest themselves in the upper part of the grotto;
where, at that season, some accomodations are provided for them.
This treatment is found to be beneficial in several disorders. At
other times the baths are deserted, and there is merely a kind of
keeper who shows them to foreigners, and gets what he can for
his trouble.
From the baths of Nero, we ascended the hill and passed by
the castle of Bajse, which commands the roads where ships lie at
anchor sheltered from the fury of the lebeccio or south west wind,
which blows very hard in the Bay of Naples, and is always accom
panied by a heavy sea. Bajse consists of a few scattered houses
besides the castle, in which there is a garrison. The neighbour
ing country is completely sheltered from the northern winds by
surrounding hills, so as to be a most desirable residence during
the winter ; it' was, on that account, the favorite retreat of the an
cient masters of the world. The Appian way ran thence straight
across the country to Rome. That road once so much fie-

28

ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

quented, now runs through a marshy desert ! From Bajse, there
is a cross road to Cuma, where an arch and some other remains
of antiquity are still existing. This place, famous for its sybil,
was built on the coast of the Tyrrhenian sea, opposite to the island
of lschia. Near it is the lake called del Fusaro, a famous place
for oysters, which are the best that can be procured at Naples ;
and in the neighbourhood, there is one of the king's caccie riser-
vate or places preserved for sporting.
Leaving Bajse, we passed to the other side of the hill, and de
scended to the shores of the Mare Morto, a marsh formed by the
water of the sea, with which it communicates by a narrow chan
nel ; it seems to have been once deep enough to receive the
Roman gallies, which were stationed here in perfect safety. We
had a fine view of the islands of lschia and Procida. The Cape
Miseno, abruptly projecting into the sea, terminates the land.
Procida is a complete garden ; its inhabitants are chiefly sailors
or fishermen ; and its women are reckoned the prettiest in the
neighbourhood of Naples. Many of them resort to that city,
where they employ themselves as servants. lschia is a large
island, containing several towns : a very high mountain, called
Moute Epomeo, occupies its centre, and from its summit there is
a very extensive view. The wines of lschia are remarkably
good ; its baths are celebrated for their medecinal qualities, and
are frequented in summer by people from Naples. The Ischiajole
or women of lschia, have a peculiar costume, which somewhat
resembles that of the Greek women.
From the Mare Morto, we reascended the hill to see the
Piscina Mirabile, which appears to have been formerly used as
a reservoir of water for the use of the Roman fleet. The vaulted
roof is supported by four rows of massive pillars, forty-eight in
number, made of brick, and encrusted with the hard cement
which was so much in use among the ancients; It is a singular
building, and in pretty good preservation. Thence we weut to
the Cento Canierelle, a kind of prison divided into many cells,
from which it has taken its name : some of the dungeons are
ret Uy frightful. There is at the entrance a kind of guard room,

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 29
where soldiers were probably stationed for the security of the
place. x
We now returned to the shores of the Gulph of Bajse and
reached Baulis, close by which is the building called the tomb
of Agrippina, where some remains of ancient rilievos are still
to be seeu. Here we hired a boat, and proceeded accross the
Gulph to Pozzuoli ; we saw on our left the conical hill called
Monte Nuovo, which was raised in one night by an earthquake ;
and we passed close to several pillars of masonry built in the
sea, which are said, I believe without foundation, to be the re
mains of a bridge which Caligula intended to build across the
bay from Pozzuoli to Bajse. That maddest of all the mad
rulers of the world, did indeed construct a bridge, but it was a
temporary one of boats. This is certainly a strange country ; a
land of volcanoes and earthquakes ; of sulphur and hot springs ;
fertile, yet uncultivated and deserted ; encumbered with the ruins
of former greatness and with memorials of the crimes and follies
of mankind.
Leaving Pozzuoli, we went to the lake of Agna.no, a fine bason,
about a mile in diameter, embosomed in hills rising immediately
around, It is a very sequestered place fit for meditation and
melancholy. The greatest silence prevails here ; the hills are
covered with wild shrubs, and high above the rest rises the Monte
Camaldoli ; on its summit stands a convent of the order of that
name, which is among the most rigid of the monastic institutions ;
one of its principal rules enjoins a rigorous silence. The pious
Cenobites who inhabit those " deep solitudes and awful cells,"
were deprived by the French government of their lands, which
lay round the convent ; and they are now possessed by one of the
former ministers of Murat, who assumes the title of Count of
Camaldoli. The banks of the lake of Agnano are very unwhole
some during the summer, and the poor monks, notwithstanding
their elevated situation, are not secure from the baneful effects
of the atmosphere. Scarcely a year passes but some of them
catch the fever and die of it : their convent is certainly not the
abode of luxury. As I sat on the peaceful banks of Agnano,
the calm waters of which were rippling against the shore, I

30 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS
thought of the Roman conquerors who once lived in this very
country, reclined in the lap of luxury and surrounded by almost
eastern splendour ; and then turning my eye to that lonely con
vent, that asylum where all terrestrial passions are forgotten,
and where man only waits for death, I compared the .two extremes
of human condition, and as I weighed them in my mind they
appeared to poise one another in the balance.
The malaria is a terrible phenomenon ; it is an invisible fiend
that extends its curse over that vast and beautiful part of Italy,
which lies along the shores of the Mediterranean, and like the
plague, changes some of the finest regions of the world into
deserts. Is the want of population the cause of the malaria, or
is it vice versa ? Hbwever that may be, as the evil stands now,
the thing most important to be ascertained is, whether any effort
of man can destroy its influence. Several partial attempts have
been made to colonize and cultivate the maremme, but the malaria
has not decreased, and sooner or latter the settlers have become
its victims. Its effects are various according to different con
stitutions and habits. Sometimes it is a violent fever which
carries a man off in a few days, but more commonly it is an in
termittent which destroys all the energies of the body, and
emaciates the wretched sufferer, making his breath labour and
his body swell. Some linger this way for years ; the winter
generally decreases the paroxysms of the fever, but they return
with the returning heat, and at last, at the falling of the leaves,
the helpless victims wither away and die. The appearance of
these poor creatures during the summer is very distressing. The
common traveller has a specimen of them at the post houses in
the pontine marshes between Velletri and Terracina, on the road
from Rome to Naples.
The natural unwholesomeness of the Lake of Agnano is in
creased by the quantity of flax put in it to steep during summer.
Close to it is the well-known Grotta del Cane, a fissure in the
rock, in which a vapour arises so noxious as to take away the
senses and even the life of any animal which is compelled to
inhale it for a length of time. The poor dogs upon which the

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 31
experiment is repeated for the satisfaction of every new traveller
that arrives, are perfectly disciplined to this state of transition
between life and death, and come whining to every stranger,
offering themselves as it were to the torture. But when they are
put to the trial the keeper is obliged to hold them down ; they
recover their strength on being restored to the open air. I feel
a dislike for this exhibition ; the satisfaction of one's curiosity
is not worth purchasing at the price of the violent, however
temporary sufferings of an innocent creature.
We left the peaceful solitude of Agnano with the last rays of
the setting sun, and returned to Naples, having well employed
our day in one of the most interesting excursions that a foreigner
can make in the neighbourhood of Naples.

32 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

LETTER II.
General remarks upon national character. — Striking features
of the Neapolitans. — Want of decency and decorum. — La
ziness of the people, and misery arising from it. — Imprudent
marriages. — Personal appearance of the Neapolitans. —
Scarcity of beauty in the sex. — Character of Neapolitan
women, contrasted with that of the Sicilian fair. — Thought
lessness a general characteristic of this people. — Influence
of the French upon them. — Fair side of the Neapolitan
character. — Charitable institutions. — State of the sciences
and literature. — Lawyers. — Literary characters now living.
— Naples the country of music. — Neapolitan painters. —
Mechanical arts neglected. — Yearly exhibition of national
manufactures. — Concluding remarks on the preceding sub
jects.— Excursion to Castellamare and to the Monte San
Michele. — Popular tradition about this mountain. — Mag
nificent view from the summit of it. — Chapel dedicated to
the archangel, — Return to Castellamare — Excursion to Sor
rento. — Beautiful mountain scenery. — Piano di Sorrento. —
House of Tasso. — Opera Seria at San Carlo. — Ballet
of Hamlet. — Matrimonio Segreto at the Fondo. — Ballet
de M. des Chalumeaux. — Strange scenes at Naples. — Re
markable Churches. — Palaces belonging to the Sovereign. 
Caserta. — Ancient Capua. — Palaces of the Nobility. 
Visit to the Chinese College. — Padre Giovanni. — Grand
review of the Neapolitan troops. — Villeggiatura.
Naples, September, 1818.
THE character of the Neapolitans has been described by several
travellers of note, so that I shall confine myself to a few general
remarks I have made during my residence in this country. If
a correct outline can really be traced of the moral features of the
whole of a population, so as to distinguish them from other na
tions, still so many exceptions are to be found, that one ought
to be extremely cautious in expressing his opinion. Foreigners
visiting Naples are mostly introduced to persons of the upper
classes, who are (to appearance at least) pretty much alike all

IN THB NINETEENTH CENTURY. 33
over Europe, or to mercenary people, who have evidently an
interest to show only the fair side of their character, and have,
besides, that general desire natural to the Italians, of pleasing
and captivating the minds of strangers : these two classes cannot
therefore give a correct idea of a nation. For my part, ac
quainted as I am with the dialect and manners of this country,
and having had frequent opportunities of mixing familiarly with
persons of all classes and stations, I shall endeavour to sketch
faithfully what I have collected from actual observation. 1 in
tend in this letter to speak chiefly of the capital and its neigh
bourhood. A peculiar feature which strikes me in the character of Nea
politans, is their indifference to the opinion which strangers may
entertain of them. The- first expressions I heard from the na
tives on entering the harbour, and which I have since frequently
heard repeated were violently abusive of their own nation, accus
ing their countrymen of want of honor, faith, charity, &c. A
Neapolitan will often express his disdain of his own countrymen
in the presence of strangers so as to puzzle these about the manner
how to behave on such an unexpected occasion. I had a friend',
who, finding himself in this awkward position, and not knowing
what to say in compliment to his over modest guests, attempted,
at least, to extol their sobriety, but he was immediately contradict
ed, by an assurance, that even this virtue, so generally ascribed to
the Italians, no longer existed at Naples. My friend seeing his
officious civility so bluntly rejected,, now joined in abusing the
whole nation, as he perceived it to be agreeable to the senti
ments of. his hearers. This disposition is not to be found, I be
lieve, amongst any other people ; for in general we see that men
of all countries, from the lowest and most contemptible hordes,
up to the greatest nations, are eager to assert the superiority of
their countrymen. The only explanation of this phenomenon
seems to be, that these people are really persuaded of their de
graded moral state, by the daily experience they have of it in
their intercourse with their countrymen, and that by comparing
their behaviour with that of the numerous strangers who visit
their country, they cannot help expressing what they feel with
E

34 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
all their natural vivacity. Shame, that last loitering attendant
of virtue, seems to be lost in the general corruption, and pa
triotism has fled from the polluted soil. There is a strong pre
judice in other parts of Italy against the Neapolitans ; the latter
are so convinced of this, as to appear unwilling, when abroad, to
acknowledge themselves as such. A young gentleman, a native
of this country, but of Tuscan extraction, while travelling in
Lombardy, was introduced into a company where the usual
question was put to him, " what countryman he was ?" He
answered that he was a Florentine, which rather surprised his
hearers, as he did not pronounce Italian with the Tuscan accent ;
upon which he added that by an accident ( combinazione ) he
was born at Naples. Brutta combinazione, a most unlucky
accident, was the immediate reply. It happens, unfortu
nately for them, that of all Italians the Neapolitans are most
tenacious of their broad accent, of which they very seldom divest
themselves, even after a long residence abroad, so that they are
generally found out on speaking a few words.
Decency and delicacy are not conspicuous in the manners of
the inhabitants of this country. Every thing is done in public,
the conversation runs upon the most extraordinary topics and
with as little disguise as possible. Boys are seen running about
the streets especially near the sea, in a state of nakedness or
nearly so. The entrances and stairs of the houses and palaces
are filled with every kind of nuisance. The windows and bal
conies are generally thrown open, so that every thing is to be
seen which is going on in a neighbour's house. Neapolitans of
every class, when they come home, during the summer, that is
to say six months in the year, take off their coats anjl neckcloths
and sit down at dinner with a night gown on, or with their shirt
sleeves tucked up to their elbows. Ladies perform their toilette
with the doors of their dressing rooms ajar, in sight of servants
and strangers. All this, however, admits of some excuse, as
the heat of the weather is in a great measure one of the principal
causes of such indelicate customs.
The greatest familiarity often prevails between masters and

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 35
servants. The former often joke and laugh with the latter, they
talk confidentially of their affairs and intrigues before them, some
even play at cards with them ; it is natural, therefore, tq expect
no reverence nor subordination from domestics who are the con
fidents of all their master's foibles and vices. This renders Nea
politan servants perhaps the very worst in the world. They are
dirty, lazy, and careless, insolent and unfaithful. They are
great thieves, some of them will steal the paltriest things that fall
in their way. Most of them, especially when out of livery,
would think it beneath them to carry a bundle, or any thing
in their hands through the streets, and will actually refuse to do
it, or employ a porter for the purpose. Gambling, sleeping, and
defaming their masters, are the pastimes in which they spend
the greatest part of the day while loitering in idleness in the anti-
rooms. By their means, all the secrets of their masters and
mistresses are made known to the world. Still the difficulty of
getting better, and the danger of falling into worse hands, make
their employers put up with them. If threatened to be turned
out they will answer with the greatest impudence that their
masters will not be the better by the change ; it is a general
saying amongst them that they give the law to their masters.
Foreigners generally provide themselves with servants from the
north of Italy, who have a better reputation for honesty ; most
of the custom house porters are also from that part of the country.
A disposition to laziness prevails in the inhabitants of Naples,
and it is a source of vice and indigence : In otio nata Parthe-
nope. Work is done in a bad and slovenly manner, the princi
pal object of workmen seems to be to cheat their masters, and
labour as little as they can for their wages. A Neapolitan goes
to dinner regularly at twelve o'clock, and scarce any prospect of
gain will make him delay that most important business ; after
dinner he generally goes to bed for a couple of hours ; most of
the shops are shut from one to five o'clock during the greater
part of the year. Thus these people slumber" away their life,
and they are consequently enervated and effeminate. Even the
exercise of speech seems to be at times burthensome to them ;
and when not impelled by his passions or some other strong

36 . ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
motive, a Neapolitan prefers expressing himself by gestures. A
stranger enquiring his way, or any other question, can hardly
bring them to articulate a monosyllable in answer. I have seen
a barber sitting gravely in his shop and dozing while his work
man attended to business, and a boy was fanning him and driving
the flies from his face. This general inclination to indolence and
to the dolce far niente accounts in a great measure for Ihe misery
of the lower classes, which is greater here than I have seen it in
any other country, and is particularly striking on holidays, and
at their numerous festivals and processions, where thousands of
ragged people are to be seen, with scarce a well dressed person
amongst them. Another source of poverty is the thoughtlessness
with which they contract marriages, without having any means
of subsistence. The little money the parties can bring together,
is often barely sufficient to defray the expences of the marriage
ceremony and of the nuptial dinner, and to provide them with a
straw pallet, after which they are left to meet the morrow as well
as they can ; and it must be. observed that they have not the
resource of parish relief. The women are very fruitful and give
birth to swarms of little wretches, who run about the streets
half starved, half naked, and dirty, and of whom those that
escape death, marry in their turn as soon as of age; and thus a
mendicant generation is continually perpetuated. . The mothers
carry their little ones in their arms from house to house, eudeav-
ouring to excite pity and to support themselves by begging. A
man earning a tari a day, about ten-pence English, will think
of marrying without any scruple. All women, young- and old,
handsome or ugly, maids or widows, think of nothing but marry
ing, it is the only scope of their actions, the goal which. they all
have in view. How might this propensity be checked in a
country like this, or rather, how could its fatal consequences be
prevented without incurring greater evils, is a very difficult ques
tion for pplitical economists ; connected as it is with so many
natural and moral considerations, it seems to baffle human
wisdom to resolve it. It is perhaps one of the most striking-
instances in which one can hardly doubt of the existence of
moral evil.

IN.THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 37
The peevishness arising from bad diet, want of comforts, and
all the other sad effects of the thoughtlessness and imprudence of
these hasty connections) shews itself with all the violence of sou
thern temper, and the poor children are often sufferers by it.
Capricious rebukes, imprecations and blows, are profusely dealt
to them by their wretched parents. A stranger can hardly form
an idea of the misery which the interior of poor Neapolitan fami
lies affords. Several generations are huddled together on the
naked floor in a garret or stable ; old and young ; healthy and
infirm ; males and females, to the utter destruction of health,
morals, and all remains of rationality. Some live actually in the
streets, many, in boats, and these are the best off. Such is the
staj^ of the lowest classes, including most of those who live by
daily labour, and who constitute perhaps one third of the inha
bitants of this city. There is nothing here to be compared to
the middling classes of England. There are few intermediate
steps between indigence and riches; between want and. luxury.
It is really distressing to see such a number of wretched beings,
and appalling to think how easily they might be led astray to com
mit any crimes, as has been the case in times of political convul
sions. The wonder is, how they keep quiet at all, and it must be
said, that amongst all their vices, these people are not naturally,
malignant nor sulky ; and are, on the contrary, rather good na-
tured when riot provoked by immediate want or temptation.
Women, particularly, have a look of carelessness and joviality in
the mjdst of all their miseries which is truly astonishing. They
are fully susceptible of a better condition, and the greater pity
it is that they should be left in such a state of degradation; But
many causes conspire to keep them down to it, and perhaps ori
ginate in part with the climate and nature of their country, and
with their own physical and moral qualities.
The men of this country are a stout good looking race. As
for the women, there is much less beauty among them than
in any other part of Italy. One sees but few pleasing counte
nances among the young women ; the expression of their features
is in general far from agreeable ; their looks are too bold and
daring ; their voices coarse and masculine ; and their complex-

38 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
ions unhealthy. Corpulence seems to be here an appendage of
beauty. One of the first observations upon a woman is about
her being bella chiatta. This is also the Moorish idea of beauty,
for which mothers in Barbary cram their daughters with rous-
koustou, that they may attract some day the notice of their lords.
I am tempted to believe, that in this as well as in other instances,
one might trace at Naples the influence of the vicinity of Africa.
The scarcity of beauty, and especially of grace in Neapolitan
women, may be attributed to the joint effects of their gross diet ;
their want of comforts ; the violence of their passions ; their se-
dantry life ; and their want of refinement and taste, especially in
their dress and carriage. All these feelings are particularly
striking to a foreigner coming from Florence, Rome, or Genoa,
these three nurseries of fine women. The Neapolitans, however,
find no fault with their countrywomen, on the contrary, the latter
always find admirers, whether young or old, good looking or
ugly ; and in that respect, Naples might really be called the
paradise of women. It is but fair to observe, that the heat of
the climate and -the volcanic and sulphuric atmosphere of Napless*
must have their share in spoiling the complexion of females, in
giving them that sallow hue that they all have, and in relaxing
their fibres, so that a woman may be considered old at the age of
thirty, while at fourteen girls are already full-grown. But, nei
ther climate nor their mode of living can take away from them
their dark shining eyes ; their naturally pretty mouths, when
not distorted by their broad lengthened pronunciation ; and
their delicate hands and feet, which almost rival those of the
Spanish beauties.
The women in this country do not mix in general much illu
sion and spirituality in their tender passion. Love is not here 

• A light from Heaven

A spark of that immortal fire
With Angels shar'd, by Alia given
To lift from earth each low desire." *

* See Appendix, No, 2.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 39
The Neapolitan Cupid is of a lower cast ; he is the blind child of
nature — the offspring of the earth and of the climate — he is ter
restrial, undisguised, and bold. The want of instruction and of
education in women ; the idleness in which they loiter away their
time; the indecent scenes they have continually before their
eyes ; the bad example from their early youth ; and the corrupt
morals of the men : all these causes, united to the heat of the
climate and the common use of wine and spices, are more than
sufficient to account for the relaxed manners and loose behaviour
of the sex in general : angels alone could remain pure in such an
atmosphere of corruption. But, what I find particular in these
women, is their want of that soul, which females of other nations
equally corrupt, still preserve. Their neighbours and half-coun
trywomen, the Sicilian fair, living under the influence of a still
hotter climate, and in the middle of a nature more luxuriant, are
equally amorous, but they mix with their passion a great dose of
feeling and enthusiasm. Their national songs are full of pathos
and tenderness ; their pastorals * breathe the fire of real affec
tion exalted by a burning imagination. Nothing of the -kind is
to be found at Naples. The gallantry of the Sicilians rather re
sembles that of the polished Athenians ; the gallantry of the Nea
politans is more like that of the Asiatics. The Sicilian women
are bewitching dangerous creatures, susceptible of all the ten
derness, the self-devotedness, and the madness of love : there is
often a romantic generosity in them, and they are capable of the
greatest sacrifices for the object of their attachment. Absence
is the only rock against which their constancy is wrecked ; for,
as they shortly but frankly express it : Lontano dagli occhi,
lontano dal cuore.
Marriages at Naples among the upper classes, are, as every
where else, decided by considerations of rank and fortune, but
the rest of the population run into the opposite extreme. Matches
are imprudently made in consequence of capricious and sudden
inclinations, the nuptial vows are soon forgotten, recrimination
and disgust follow close, and thence to infidelity there is but a step.
* See Appendix, No. 3.

4Q ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
A striking circumstance often to be observed in Neapolitan-
families, is the great difference of complexion and features of
children of the same parents ; it is a remark I have made myself
and heard. of ten repeated by others.
Indolence and carelessness are prevailing features of the Nea
politan character. They only live in the present, they drive
away the idea of futurity as an unwelcome monitor, and what
ever they do, is marked with thoughtlessness and want of foresight.
If a funeral passes by, although it be that of a friend, salute a
noi, long life to us, they exclaim, shrugging up their shoulders
with a revolting selfishness. They pass by the most wretched
objects of distress which abound in the streets of this capital,
without, paying the least attention to them ; the sight of misery
and disease does not in the least damp their spirits, and they
hurry unfeelingly on by the starving beggar to go and squander
their money at a party in the country or at the gambling table.
If they are in want of cash they contract debts which they have
neither the means nor the intention of acquitting, without reflect
ing that this course of life will lead them ultimately to a prison
or an hospital. They eat as if they were taking their last meal ;
it is a common occurrence on Christmas eve among poor people
to pledge or sell their clothes, their scanty furniture, and even
their bed, to be able to regale themselves on fhe following day.
All their desires are concentrated in the enjoyment of the mo
ment ; carpe diem seems to be the universal precept. The same
disposition renders them fond of gambling ; that exercise, by
rousing their dormant energies, possesses great charms for them,
and the deceiving hope of making their fortune in one night,
attracts crowds to the fatal table, where they generally complete
their ruin. It is a common practice among the people of this
country to promise any thing to captivate the friendship of a
person present, without giving themselves the trouble of con
sidering whether they will be ableto perform what they have
engaged themselves to do ; consequently little trust is to be put
in their words. When Vesuvius thunders aloud, or an earth
quake threatens them with destruction; when fiery streams
vomited from the roaring mouth of the volcano roll on, carrying

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 41
devastation over the plains below ; when the air is darkened by
clouds of smoke and showers of ashes, the Neapolitans fall on
their knees, fast, do penance, and follow the processions bare
footed ; but as soon as the roar has ceased, the flame has dis
appeared, and the atmosphere has recovered its wonted serenity,
they return to their usual mode of life, they sink again into
sloth and corruption, and the tinkling sounds of the tamburrello
calls them again to the lascivious dance of the tarantella.
A want of decorum and of good breeding is observable in their
manners. They are noisy and disorderly in their parties, indis
creet in their questions and reflections, indelicate and vulgar in
their language, vain, boastful, and exaggerating. Their broad
stare in the streets is peculiarly offensive to a stranger. The
shopkeepers of Naples are the rudest and the least complaisant
I have met in all my travels ; they will hardly give themselves
the trouble of reaching a package for a customer, nor of answer
ing civilly his questions. Another of their customs is that of
over-rating all their goods and asking you double and sometimes
treble the real price. The natives are used to it and chaffer with
them in consequence, but a stranger is often imposed upon ;
indeed it is almost impossible ever to judge at Naples whether
one has paid no more than the real worth of any thing.
From what I have said, it will appear that I look upon Naples
as one of the most corrupt cities in Europe ;,it is, however, a
corruption quite different from that of other capitals, such as
Paris or London ; it is a mixture of the rudeness of a people
half savage, for such is the state of the lower classes, with the
vices of luxury and civilization fostered among the upper ones.
It is a sad remark that the Neapolitans seem to have copied from
the various nations that have successively ruled over them, rather
their bad than their good qualities ; and this observation is par
ticularly applicable to their intercourse with the' French their
late masters. From these the young gentry have imbibed an
ignorant contempt for the religion of their country, a restless
disposition, with an additional dose of selfishness and vanity,
without having been able to acquire at least the elegance of

42 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
manners, and the easy and pleasing address, which, althongfa
diminished since the revolution, are still qualities in great mea
sure belonging to the French.
Having been obliged by a regard to truth, to trace such
unfavourable features of the Neapolitan character, I think it
but just to state what I have collected on its fair side. And
first, I must say there is a great quantum of good nature and
gaiety of temper in these people, especially in the middling
classes. When not under the immediate pressure of want or
grief the Neapolitan is good tempered, communicative, and social.
Considering the state of ignorance and misery of the lower
classes, heinous crimes may be said to be rare in Naples ; the
murders you hear of now and then generally originate in the
passions of jealousy and revenge ; and a man who does not make
Nhimself the object of these passions has nothing to fear. I have
often passed late at night through some of the most solitary streets
of this city without ever meeting an accident. They are more
likely to pick your pocket in the streets than to assault yon
daringly, and they seldom add robbery to murder. Avarice is
not the prevailing vice of this country, the people are rather
inclined to its opposite extreme, and most of them live beyond
their income. They are very fond of parties and of meeting
their friends at the social board. The Neapolitans are possessed
of natural good sense, penetration and humour ; their shrewd
and expressive eyes are often the only vehicles of conveying their
sentiments, and a mute conversation is often carried on between
two persons, of which a bystander who is not initiated in the
mysteries of this telegraphic communication, has not the least
suspicion. Their pantomime is excellent ; they always acconf-
pany their words with gestures expressive of their ideas. Their
repartees are .generally ready and appropriate— even their lazza-
roni shine in them. Under Murat's reign, a French general just
arrived at Naples, had his trunk carried to the hotel by a porter,
on the fellow's asking for a remuneration, which the Frenchman
considered too much, the latter said he was well aware that Naples
was a den of thieves ; the lazzaroni shrugged up his shoulders,
and with a half sly half simple look, turned to one of his comrades

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 43
who was standing by " Non te V aggio ditto,7' said he, " che
non ce ne stanno chiu a Parigi de mariuoli, so» tutti benuti
cd." Did I not tell you that there are no longer any thieves
at Paris, for they are all come here.
Naples abounds with charitable institutions : many hospitals ;
an immense workhouse called the Reclusorio or Serraglio, where
more than a thousand poor are provided with shelter and food ;
an establishment for the blind at San Giuseppello at Chiaja, which
well deserves the attention of the philanthropist ; several colleges
and seminaries for young men ; conservator) or charitable houses
for poor girls, among which that of the Miracoli, instituted by
Caroline, Murat's consort, is one of the best managed; the
asylum for repentant women at. L' Angelo Custode, and many
others which it would be too long to enumerate. All these are
possessed of revenues given to them either by government or by
charitable individuals. I am sorry to say that the French rulers
or the persons employed under them, did not always respect this
sacred property ; when pressed for money, they did not scruple
to seize upon a fund destined for the orphans, the blind, the aged
and the infirm.
In point of science and literature, the Neapolitans, although
generally speaking, they are behind the rest of the Italians, still
can boast of many illustrious names among their countrymen.
Some of their literary characters are unknown beyond the limits
of their native country.; among those whose names have passed
the Alps, are Giannone, the author of the history of the two
Sicilies, Filangieri, who wrote on the science of legislation,
Cerloni, tfhe author of several comedies, Cavalier Filomarino,
and the Padre della Torre, both celebrated naturalists, Nicola
Valettaan eminent jurisconsult and poet, who has written a very
curious work on the fascino or " evil eye," the two well known
physicians Cirillo and Cotugno, and many others. The most
learned class in Naples is that of the lawyers, among whom are
to be found many who besides a deep knowledge of their own
profession, have also cultivated the muses to advantage, and who
claim an acquaintance with the literature of other nations. The

44 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
law is the only profession at Naples in which a man of abilities
may hope to advance, and to reach the highest stations. The
Neapolitan lawyers chiefly excel in availing themselves of the
intricacies and subtilties of their own profession ; they have in
a certain manner the best part of the property of the kingdom
in their hand, as there is not perhaps a landholder but what has
two or three suits pending before the courts. This is one of the
greatest evils of this country ; a lawyer and a suit are indispen
sable appendages of property ; some of the principal families
have suits which have been continued for a century, and for
which a certain sum is yearly appropriated, although the busir
ness never advances, and at last the expences swallow up the
whole capital.
There are at present several literary characters in this country
whose acquaintance is worth cultivating. Among the rest the
astronomer Padre Piazzi, who, although not a native, is as it
were, naturalized in this country ; a naturalist of the name of
Lippi, who has written a clever dissertation upon the manner in
which the city of Pompeii was buried ; Cocco, a man of distin
guished literary merit, the author of I viaggi di Platone in
Italia and of an eloquent account of the revolution of Naples in
1799 ; the Prince of San Giorgio, an antiquary and poet ; the
Marquis Berio, an elegant poet, and well acquainted with English
literature ; the Marquis Montroni, a distinguished literary cha
racter ; the Marquis Canetto, and several others. The last-
mentioned gentleman has just written an imitation of Othello in
blank verse, the language of which is eloquent and powerful.
The song of Desdemona " Fui felice un giorna anch' id," is
particularly fine, and written with all the softness and pathos of
which the Italian language is susceptible*.
Naples is well known as the country of music ; its conserva-
torii are nurseries from which many eminent professors of that
Science are produced. The list of the Neapolitan composers is
very long ; the names of Cimarosa and Paisiello shine above the
* See the Appendix, Note 4.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 45
rest like two stars of the first magnitude. Among the living
ones a young nobleman of the name of Caraffa, has composed
several operas, which have been received with considerable
applause. Naples has produced many eminent painters, among which
Salvator Rosa (who was also an excellent satirical poet) Solimene,
Luca Giordano, and Cavalier Arpino, are the most distinguished
names. Mechanical1 arts have made little progress at Naples ; although
they boast of the china of their royal manufactory, the cutlery
of Campo Basso, the woollen cloths of Arpino, their guitars and
musical strings, their carriages, which are certainly the best
specimens of their workmanship ; still generally speaking, the
arts are here in their infancy, and people who can afford to pay
for the refinements of life are obliged to get them from France,
-England, and Germany. The articles of furniture made at
Naples are clumsy and unfinished ; it requires hands of brass to
make use of them ; their doors, window frames, and shutters
never close well, and admit the air through innumerable inter
stices, so that on a rainy or chilly day one is obliged to run out
of the house to warm oneself. The best jewellers, milliners,
taylors, and shoemakers, are all foreigners ; the best restaura
teurs are Milanese, the only circulating library is kept by a
Frenchman ; in the same manner the architect who is erecting
the- colonnade in front of the King's palace is a native of Lombardyj
a German has established a cotton manufactory at Piedemonte,
a small town about fifty miles from the capital ; some of the best
officers in the Neapolitan army are foreigners, and the principal
merchants and bankers at Naples are also strangers ; all which
is certainly not to the credit of the natives.
The best specimen of the state of the arts and manufactures
in this country is the yearly exhibition of the produce of national
industry, which is open to the public in the month of May, in
the lower apartments of the National Palace de' Studj. This

46 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
was first instituted by the French in imitation of their own ex
hibition of the Louvre. This kind of display has been looked
upon by some, more as a show to gratify national vanity, than
as a useful encouragement to industry ; but in a country like
Naples which is so backward in all things of this kind, and
where foreigners monopolize all the credit and profit of the
mechanical arts, I think an exhibition of native workmanship
must be productive of good effects, by stimulating the self-love
and rousing the dormant energies of the people. I saw this year
some good woollen cloth, from ten to twelve ducats the canna
(which is a Neapolitan measure, something more than two yards
English) some good silks of the royal manufactory at Santo
Leucio near Caserta, some good tanned leather, some good hats,
fine china ware, mathematical instruments, articles of furniture,
&c. This people seem in general rather better imitators than
inventors. There was also an exhibition of paintings by living
artists, among which some good landscapes by Cali, and some
historical pieces and portraits by Falciani ; I saw also some very
good miniatures by M. Comte, a French artist. Zuccarello, an
eminent miniature painter, a native of Calabria, died a short
time ago. There is now resident in Naples M. Huber, a land
scape painter, and a Swiss by birth, a young man of great
genius. From all that I have said it will appear that the Neapolitans
are possessed of many good natural qualities, which either are
slumbering in them, or are not directed towards proper and
beneficial objects ; yet the elements exist with which many things
might be effected : and the mass of the nation, particularly in
the provinces, is rather below civilization than advanced to the
extreme of corruption, and their minds are like an unbroken soil,
which contains all its primitive strength and fertility, and which,
with the help of a skilful labourer, would bring forth an abund
ant and valuable harvest. If this country continue to enjoy
peace, if government apply itself to the encouragement of educa
tion and industry, and if the laws be found sufficient to protect
property, Naples will certainly improve every year; and the

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 47
presence of foreigners of every description who resort to this
place, will nurse the new-born spirit of emulation and patriotism
in the hearts of its inhabitants.
On the 1st of August 1 set off with a party of friends to visit
the peninsula opposite to Naples, which divides this bay from
the Gulph of Salerno. We embarked in one of the lancie or
long boats which set off every day about noon from Naples for
Castellamare. This was the cheapest passage I ever had ; the
fare is only one carlino, about four-pence English for each
person, besides which one is expected to give a few grains per
le anime del Purgatorio : * the distance is about fourteen miles,
and we went across in three hours, chiefly by rowing, as there
was scarcely any breeze. We had in company with us a party
of strolling musicians who were going to a little town called
Gragnano, to attend a festival. They played some tunes when
we were in the middle of the gulph, gliding through its blue
waves in sight of the most delightful scenery in the world. On
arriving at Castellamare, we proceeded to the inn on the marina
or walk along the sea shore. This inn is the best in the neigh
bourhood of Naples. The accommodations are good, the charges
reasonable, and the prospect which the house commands is beau
tiful. Castellamare is a place much resorted to in summer ; its
various mineral waters, which are beneficial in many complaints,
and its fine cool situation, sheltered by the mountains from the
Scirocco, are the chief attractions of the place. The most cele
brated waters at Castellamare are the acqua media, which is im
pregnated with sulphur, the acqua rossa, which is chalybeate,
and the acqua acetosella, which resembles the acqua sulfurea
of Santa Lucia at Naples. The common method prescribed by
the physicians here is to drink half a bottle of the first in the
morning, a tumbler of acqua rossa mixed with wine at noon, and
as much of the acetosella as one can drink in the evening. This
treatment, assisted by the salubrity of the climate, a wholesome

* It is a general custom in Italy to -collect money from charitable and
religious persons for the purpose of having masses and prayers said for
the relief of those souls which are doing penance in purgatory.

48 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS
diet, and the romantic quietness of the place, is considered suffi
cient, when persevered in for a month or six weeks, to relieve a
person from the liver complaint, if it be not too inveterate. The
expence of the waters is a mere trifle. A person may live at
Castellamare cheaper than at Naples.
On the morning of the 2nd of August we set out an honr
before day-break, preceded by a guide, who carried some pro
visions, to ascend the Monte San Michele, which rises just be
hind Castellamare, and is the highest mountain -in the neigh
bourhood of Naples, being more than four thousand feet in
height. It takes its name from a chapel built on its summit,
in honor of the Archangel St. Michael. We began to ascend
by a very fine road, which winds up the hill between two rows
of trees, and we passed a country house belonging to the King,
about a mile distant from Castellamare. The gardens are exten
sive, but they seem neglected, as the King seldom comes here ;
grass grows in the courts, wild plants obstruct the walks, and
every thing bears the marks of abandonment. We saw on our
left Monte Coppola, so" called because its shape somewhat resem
bles a sailor's cap. Beyond the villa, the road becomes steeper
and more difficult, until at last it is lost in the woods and is suc
ceeded by a path scarcely discernible. Owing to the presump
tuous ignorance of our guide, who probably had never been up
the mountain before, we lost our way, and lengthened our jour
ney thereby about one half. The sun grew intensely hot, and
as we emerged out of the woods, we found ourselves exposed to
all its violence, which in the month of August, and in the lati
tude of Naples, is by no means inconsiderable. Two of our
companions were disheartened by the disappointment of missing
the road, and returned to Castellamare, while three of us pursued
our journey. At last, at eleven o'clock we arrived at the top of
the first ridge, whence we saw at once the Gulph of Salerno on
one side, and that of Naples on the other, with the open sea be
yond Capri. We were then higher than the summit of Vesuvius,
and we beheld at our feet the rich plains of Nola, and the towns
.of Sarno, Nocera, and Gragnano. We turned to our left through
a chasm in the rocks, and descended into a valley that separates

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 49
this first ridge from the upper summit, which is a naked cliff of
calcareous stone almost perpendicular, and shaped like a fortress
with two cavaliers, on one of which stands the ehapel. Ex
hausted and thirsty as we were we thought of resting ourselves
before we attempted to proceed, and to our great satisfaction
we found a kind of recess or shelter under a rock with a cool
spring issuing from it. Then we lay on the ground, and having
recourse to our basket of provisions, we made a heartier meal
than we ever did at the most epicurean tables in Naples. We
were surrounded by a few sheep and goats, the only inhabitants
of those wild regions. The spring is called L' acqua santa,
from an old tradition which reports, that the devil having once
established a school on the summit of the mountain, was driven
from it by the Archangel, and that while satan was scampering
down the hill as fast as he could, Michael threw his spear at him,
which, missing its aim, fixed itself in the rock where it made the
cleft from which the water, springs. Without entering into the
merits of this legend, one material objection to it struck me,
arising from the circumstance of a projecting part of the rock
situated so as to be in a line between the summit of the moun
tain where the Archangel is supposed to have stood, and the
cleft in the rock said to have been formed by his spear, which
could not well reach it without going round the corner : Credat
Judceus Apella. i
Some beautiful chesnut trees grow around this spot. A
solemn stillness prevailed in the air, only interrupted now and
then by the distant tinkling of the little bells fastened to the
necks of the goats which were grazing in the valley below. A
wretched object of distress, lying on the ground at a few paces
from us was a sad drawback on this peaceful and happy scene ;
this was a poor man whom a swollen knee rendered incapable of
moving from that uninhabited spot. He had come, he said,
from Castellamare to carry provisions for some foreigners who
went up the mountain, but the disease in his knee growing
worse by the fatigue of the journey, he was obliged to halt and
lie down where we found him. There he had remained for two
days and nights, without any other food than what he acci-
G

50 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
dentally got from the charity of some straggling shepherd or
traveller, and there he seemed to be calmly waiting for the
breaking of the abscess, which would take, he said, two or three
days more. He seemed contented to pass this time in that de
serted place, where he might however die of hunger and illness,
or be devoured by the wolves. Such scenes of wretchedness and
helpless distress are frequent in this country, and perhaps they
are not so severely felt by a native as we are apt to think. There
was no means of having him conveyed down the mountain ; but
we gave him a share of our provisions, for which he expressed
his gratitude with the warmth of a Neapolitan.* After an hour's
rest we left the Acqua Santa to climb the upper ridge. We
ascended the naked rock by a flight of steps hewn in it, among
stupendous masses detached from the mountain and hanging over
the precipice, at the bottom of which the waves of the Gulph
»of Salerno were seen clashing against the shore. At last, at
about one o'clock we arrived at the chapel, the goal of our ex
cursion. There a most magnificent view rewarded us for all our
past fatigues. An extensive horizon presented itself id our view ;
we saw to the east the whole Gulph of Salerno, about thirty miles
in breadth, stretching towards Cape Palinuro, beyond which
the distant mountains of Calabria terminated the view. To the
west we saw the Bay of Naples, with the islands of lschia and
Procida, and beyond it the greater part of Campania Felix, the
plains of Capua, and the low grounds towards the Garigliano as
far as Gaeta. To the north, the view extended as far as the great
chain of Apennines which divides the Terra di Lavoro from
Puglia and Abruzzo ; that majestic ridge, the spinal bone as it
were of Italy, running in a south easterly direction till it joins
the Calabrian mountains, bounded the prospect. Many inferior
ridges detach themselves from the parent cKain and extend in a
sloping direction towards the sea. Tp the south, the whole
peninsula of Sorrento and Massa, which divides the two gulphs,
lay spread like a map ; beyond it was the rugged island of Capri,
and farther on, the Tyrrhenian sea terminated the view. We
saw Parthenope and its palaces reduced to a miniature, and the
eminences which surround it appeared like ant-hills. The dark
head of Vesuvius lay far below us, and it did not appear to be

IN THE NINETSENTH CENTURY. 51
more than two thirds of the height of San Michele. The Bay
of Naples encircled with a brilliant zone of towns, hamlets,
"ind villas, contrasted in a striking manner with the Gulph
of Salerno on our left. On the shores of the latter, nature is
rude and wild ; here steep craggy rocks, there marshy desolate
plains, in the middle of which stand the solitary remains of an
cient Poestum : the plains- are inhabited by herds of buffaloes,
the only animal which thrives in those unwholesome regions.
The Gulph of Salerno has a much wider entrance than that of
Naples, its scenery is grand and romantic, but gloomy ; there is
much solemnity but little variety in it. The only spots that
break through the broad surface of that immense bason, are two
or three small rocks called I Galli, which were notorious places
of resort for privateers during the last war. Opposite to them
stood the little town of Positano, apparently almost under our
feet ; it seemed as though we could have thrown stones on the
terraces of its houses. The city of Salerno was concealed from
our view by some hills. The stillness of the air and the clearness
of the deep blue sky on which the glorious sun was shining in
its meredian splendour, gave an indescribable grandeur to the
scene. The busy world and all its bustle, its pleasures and its
cares appear insignificant, when contemplated from these heights.
After having feasted my eyes with one of the most extensive
views 1 ever saw, which embraces perhaps the sixth part of the
kingdom of Naples, I and my companions went into the chapel to~
shelter ourselves from the heat of the sun, the good friar gave
us admittance and regaled us with a draught, of water as cold as
ice from the well. The chapel is very 'small, and a little dwel
ling house is annexed to it for the use of the friar who comes
here every Sunday to say mass. What recommends this sanctu
ary to the popular devotion is the shrine of St. Michael, over
which there is a statue of the Archangel, which is said to per
spire regularly every year on the first of August ; the fri ar col
lects the drops of this holy dew by rubbing cotton on the stone,
fills a vial with them, and parsimoniously distributes them to the
devotees. A large crowd of people collects on that day in the
chapel, and naturalists have from this circumstance explained the

52 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS
phenomenon. An inscription attests the miracle ; but in spite
of this puerility, the simplicity of the poor chapel of St. Michael,
and the solitude of the airy region in which it is built, struck
me with a certain awe, and I entered its precincts with more
reverence than I had felt under the gilded roofs and marble aisles
of the gorgeous churches of Naples. Such a spot as this reminds
one of that elvation from which satan displayed the pomps of the
world to our Saviour. *
As we came out of the chapel we saw the vapours rising from
the sea and the plains, and forming themselves into clouds ; they
ascended and spread very fast, and soon concealed the base of
Vesuvius. At the same time the sky was beautifully clear above
our heads, but it was rather hazy towards the edge of the horizon.
I sat myself on the highest point of the rock to behold, once
more, the magnificent landscape around me, and many classical
recollections crowded to my mind. The scenes of the Eneid and
of the Roman history stood present before my eyes ; on one side,
Cape Palinuro, the grave of Eneas' pilot ; on the other, Gaeta,
where Eneas' nurse was buried ; Torre di Patria, memorable on
account of Scipio's exile and death ; Parthenope, Pozzuolo, Bajae
and Cuma, all places of resort and pleasure for the masters of the
world ; Pompeii, Stabia, Herculaneum, and Torre del Greco,
famous in the annals of the terrible volcano ; Psestum, celebrated
for its wonderful monuments ; Salerno and Amalfi, cities well
known in history. The latter claims the honor of the invention
of the mariners compass for one of its citizens, Giovanni Gioja.
At last we thought of returning, and we started about three o'clock
to that effect. I could not help regretting the necessity of
descending from such scenes of sublimity to the haunts of men.
The mind feels a pure satisfaction in being elevated, as it were,
above the world, and in approaching the ethereal regions. I
consider this feeling as one of those mementos which providence
gives us, to remind us of our better destiny. Opportunities of
this kind occur but seldom in the course of life, but they remain
* The chapel St. Michael was struck by lightning and in part destroyed
a few months after the date of this letter, but it has been rebuilt since.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 53
impressed on the memory, and serve as bright landmarks through
our earthly pilgrimage, as palm-trees scattered through the
African waste.
We were about three hours and a half in reaching Castella
mare, where we arrived about sun-set, weary and hungry, but
unfortunately, being Sunday, the mistress of the house had gone
to church ; an old servant that remained at home with a mulatto
girl, could, or would do nothing for us, and to crown our mis
fortunes, Teresina, the landlady's neice, a stout dark-eyed lass
that had attended us the day before, had eloped that very morn
ing with her lover, the waiter of an adjoining coffee-house, so
that we could obtain nothing to satify the cravings of appetite.
We patiently adjourned to our bed-room, which was also our
parlour, and there waited until our padrona returned ; we had
at last a good supper, and after a good night's rest I and a friend
proceeded next morning to Sorrento by land, and the rest of our
company returned to Naples.
The road, or rather path to Sorrento, leads over the mountains,
which form the peninsula between' the Gulph of Salerno and the
Bay of Naples. We passed the church of Pazzallo, about a
mile from Castellamare, where a telegraph is placed, which com
municates on one side with the one on the hill of Camaldoli, above
Torre dell Annunziata, and on the other with Nocera. It forms
part of the telegraphic line between Naples and Palermo, by
which I am told that in the former capital they receive news
from Sicily in eight hours. From Pozzallo, we began to ascend
by a rugged half-traced path over the broken crags, until we
reached half-way up the mountain, where the path turns in an
horizontal direction, winding round the side of the hill, and sus
pended as it were over a deep precipice, the foot of which is
washed by the sea waves. The stillness of the air, only inter
rupted by the faint report of the distant surge, the solitude of
the place, and the wildness of the scenery around, contrasting
with the distant view of the opposite coast of Naples, lined
with buildings glittering in the rays of the sun, all these
reminded me forcibly of Lord Byron's beautiful lines.

54 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
" Where rose the mountains, there to him were friends,
Where roll'd the ocean, thereon was his home ;
Where a blue sky, and glowing clime extends,
He had the passion and the power to roam."
The effect of mountain scenery in Italy, although less awful and
striking than that of Switzerland, is, in my opinion, more ro
mantic and pleasing, owing to the charm of a lovely climate, to
the brilliant colour of the southern sky and sea, and to the gay
aspect of nature.
The appearance of Vesuvius from this place is very grand, its
side towards Ottajano rises more boldly than that towards Naples,
it stands opposite like a frowning giant, dark, terrific, and
alone. I would recommend this excursion from Castellamare to
Sorrento, to all lovers of beautiful and sublime scenery, and
especially to landscape painters, who will find here an abundance
of subjects for their art. We saw the clouds- gathering on the
other side of the gulph, and the loud roar of the thunder, re
peated by the echoes of the mountains, added to the solemnity of
the scene. After three hours walk we arrived at Vico, a consi
derable, but straggling town built on several hills ; it is the see
of a bishop. From Vico we ascended again through a thick
plantation of olive trees, among which we lost sight of the sea ;
but on arriving at the highest part of the ridge, which forms on
this side the boundary of the plain of Sorrento, we had another
view of Vesuvius through an opening between the mountains
and at the end of a long vista of trees. Descending the hill, we
arrived at Meta, a large village in the plain. This lovely region,
" II piano di Sorrento," embossomed between the mountains
and the sea, and secluded as it were from all the rest of the world,
is a complete garden planted with orange and lemon trees,
through the foliage of which are seen glimmering the white tops
of the houses, and the spires of the churches : this sequestered
spot seems to realize all that has been sung by poets of the valley
of Tempe, or of the gardens of Armida. The plain is about five
miles in length, it contains eighteen thousand inhabitants, and
is divided in three districts, called Terzieri, from the Spanish
word Terceiro. Besides the city of Sorrento, placed at the far-

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 55
thest extremity of it, there are three large villages, Meta, Carotto,
and Sant' Aniello.
There is a striking difference of manners and morals between
the inhabitants of this spot, and those of Naples, although the
distance is so very short. Two hours sail across the bay, car
ries you from a busy, noisy, and corrupted city, into a kind of
Eden, where tranquility reigns ; simplicity and hospitality are
still to be found ; where no crimes are heard of ; and where
young men and girls appear gay, innocent, and happy. The
men repair to the capital now and then only for the purpose of
commercial intercourse, but their stay in town is short, and solely
devoted to business. They talk, however, now of making a car
riage road from Castellamare to Sorrento, which would prove a
great misfortune to this district ; the Neapolitans would then be
enabled to drive to it, and bring with them their luxury and their
other vices, to contaminate these peaceful inhabitants, and they
would besides raise the price of necessaries, which is now ex
tremely moderate.
We proceeded to Sorrento, an ancient town surrounded by
walls and ditches, and famous as the birth-place of Tasso. The
house in which that child of genius and feeling came into the
world, is situated on a cliff that rises perpendicular from the sea.
Its present owner, a Neapolitan nobleman, has had it repaired,
and the keeper admits strangers to visit it. The bust of Tasso
remains as a memorial of its former inmate.
Many strangers of distinction repair to the Piano di Sorrento
in summer, as to a cool and pleasant retreat from the heats of
the season. Apartments are to be found on very moderate terms.
In rambling over the country we saw the villa of Mariano Stinca,
an extraordinary man, who, from a captive slave, rose to be the
favourite of the Bey of Tunis, where he made an immense for
tune, with part of which he had the good luck to repair to his
native country, but afterwards returning to Barbary, he was
murdered in one of the revolutions so common in that country.

56 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
After spending two delightful days in the Piano di Sorrento,
we reluctantly departed in one of the boats that sail every day
for the capital.
The opera which is now in vogue here, and which has been
repeatedly performed at San Carlo, is the Tancredi, by Rossini.
La Malanotti performs the part of Tancredi, and La Festa that
of Amenaide. They are both first rate singers ; the former has
a fine contralto voice, which at first is not pleasing, but which,
after the ear gets accustomed to it, becomes very attractive, and
is full of pathos and expression. She sang beautifully the
arietta di tanti palpiti, which is her favorite. The first night
she appeared on the stage of San Carlo she did not please, but
now she is always applauded. I observed, on this occasion, that
the voice, unless very powerful, is lost in this immense theatre^,
perhaps less on account of its size, than of some fault in its con
struction. The persons who have the misfortune to get back
seats, can, with difficulty, make .out a few words of the whole
opera. The grand Opera Seria is, after all, a dull performance ;
people generally go there to hear only one or two fine airs, and
the rest passes on unheeded by the majority of the auditors.
The Opera Buffa is more adapted to the Italian music and the
taste of the people. We had also a ballet, the title of which was
Hamlet, but the subject was sadly disfigured. The ghost appears
to Hamlet in his palace, and to explain the circumstance of the
murder, points to a sort of mirror on which the horrible tran
saction is reflected ; this contrivance has certainly a very striking
effect. Hamlet becomes raving, and attempts at once to kill
his uncle ; the king is prevented by his wife from putting him
to death, but has him confined in a dungeon, where he and all
his court pay Hamlet a visit, and where a repetition of the same
violence takes place. But the last scene is full of noise and
confusion ; peals of thunder are heard, clouds of smoke arise,
the king is frightened, and Hamlet avails himself of this oppor
tunity to stab him. The queen swoons, and to crown the whole,
the ghost appears again surrounded with phosphoric light to
testify his satisfaction, and to give, as it were, his blessing to the.

IN- THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 57
audience. This is the substance of the plot ; the piece is inter
mixed with dances and grotesque exhibitions, which have little
to do with the story. The dresses are gaudy, according to the
taste of the country. The music however is very good, and
atones in part for the silliness of the performance.
I went the other evening to hear the Matrimonio Segreto of
the immortal Cimarosa. The delightful music of that opera,
is just what I conceive music ought to be, not merely a scientific
art, but a soft recreation calculated to affect the feelings of any
man who has ears and sensibility. The Matrimonio Segreto is
truly an Italian composition ; it speaks the language of nature,
it is by turns gay and affecting, serious and burlesque ; it ex
presses the different passions by which the characters are
actuated, so as to make one forget they are the works of fancy,
and mixes with its charming sounds the theatrical illusion which
music has always a tendency to destroy. The Italian recitativo
resembles so much common conversation that we almost forget
people do not talk in music. David, Porta, and La Dardanelli
performed the principal parts : the first sang with exquisite
feeling the celebrated air, " Pria che Spunti in ciel 1' Aurora."
Porta excelled in the duo " Se m' ascoltate un poco un poco."
After the opera we had for a ballet *' Le retour de Monsieur de
Chalumeaux," which I had heard much praised, but which dis
appointed me. Tognino, a famous clown, a native of Bergamo,
who accompanied the manager Barbaja in his journey to Paris
and thence to London, has composed a kind of pantomime in
which he pretends to mimic English and French manners ; but
his caricatures are strained and exaggerated. He appears on
the stage with his wife, as just arrived from London, both dressed
a I' Anglaise, at least according to the ridiculous notions enter
tained here of the English fashions. He affects to imitate
English customs, but rather unsuccessfully, except that of shak
ing hands, which he repeats every moment, whether to the
purpose or not. He changes his dress on the stage, and makes
a dandy toilette, pulls on his buckskins by means of a pulley,
and goes through a great deal of disgusting farce. Then he gets
into a quarrel, and being challenged to fight, he refuses at first,
H

58 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
and offers to box, and when presented with pistols he appears
not to know how to handle them. At last all is settled amicably,
and he goes down an English country dance in a ridiculous and
affected manner. This precious composition was intermixed
with dances periformed by the eleves of the royal school. A
sense of respect /or Prince Leopoldo, who was present, prevented
the audience from hissing the performance, which, however,
they did heaytily as soon as his Royal Highness left his box,
and the hisses accompanied Monsieur de Chalumeaux in his
Apotheosis which terminated the farce. There was, however, a
certain party, that seemed pleased with these gross and false
allusions to the English, which agreed with their splenetic senti
ments against that nation, and. they attempted to applaud this
miserable performance, but to no. purpose ; the greater part of
the audience had already expressed their dislike of it. The
Neapolitans, although accustomed to very low buffoonery, felt.
this to be too much even for their not over nice palates.
Naples is the land of contrasts. There are strange sights in
this place which are not to be met with elsewhere. We meet
with spots in the skirts of this town where nothing reminds one
of being near a great European capital. Houses of good appear
ance are contiguous to ruinous walls. On one side of the road
you see fine gardens and an open country, and on the other a row
of hovels crowded with swarms of the poorest people. Proceed
ing on, you ascend a steep flight of broken steps, through a
Chasm between rocks almost perpendicular — a most solitary
place, which you might mistake for a recess in the Apennines
— you ascend a hundred steps, and you immerge into a large and
fine street well paved and lined with convents qnd churches,
whence you see at once Vesuvius, the city, and the bay. These
scenes are frequent iu that part of the city which rises on the
slope of the hills of Sant' Elmo and Capo di Monte, in the dis
tricts called I Monti, La Salute, Lo Scudillo, I Cinesi, Le Ver-
gini, &c. Another peculiarity of this town is, that nothing is
finished. You see a vast palace, that for instance near the Mer-
catello, at the beginning of Toledo, the first floor of which is
built with a princely magnificence, underneath there are many

IN TIIE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 59
shops all occupied — -but the building has., been for some years
stopped — the second floor is only half raised", no lastrico or roof
covers it ; the rain stagnates in the half-built apartments, and pe
netrates through the ceiling into the first floor; the beams are
already rotten, and in a short time, the tenants of the shops be
low will be driven out of them : the building is falling to ruin
without ever having been completed. There is an extensive
square, //¦ largo delle Pigne, of which only a small part is paved,
and the houses on one side of it present the appearance of a city
which has been bombarded. The Largo dell Spirito Santo is
decorated with a colonnade, in the centre of which it has been in
tended these twenty years, to place a statue of Charles III. of Spain,
the conqueror of Naples, and the head of the present Neapolitan
dynasty. The unoccupied pedestal stands there surrounded by
all kind of filth and nuisance. In the docks of Castellamare
there is a two-decker, the frame of which was built by the French
several years ago, but to which nothing since has been clone,
and the lower timbers are. already decayed, so that nothing now
remains for them to do but to break it up. In the fine street of
Toledo you often see in the same line, magnificent carriages, and
dung carts, and asses laden with vegetables ; princes and beg
gars ; friars and lazzaroni ; elegant ladies and common trollops
jostling one another in the same crowd. At the entrance of a
splendid palace, stands a porter covered with lace and embroi- -
dery, and close by his elbow under his master's windows, you
see ' a paltry chandler's shop, with a cobler's stall before it.
There is also a strange mixture of oddity in the appearance of
the people : you are walking quietly through the streets— all of
a sudden you hear piercing screams and a dreadful yell, and
you see seven or eight half naked lazzaroni with inflamed eyes
and clenched fists running after, one of their comrades ; you
think they are going to murder him ; no, it is merely fun that
shows itself in such a threatening form. But the effects of the
anger of this people when their evil passions are stimulated, have
been seen in the revolutions of their country,
Naples contains a great number of churches ; few of them
are remarkable for their exterior architecture, but their interior

60 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
is generally splendid, and rich with marbles, gilding and paint
ing. The principal are, the cathedral dedicated to San Gennaro,
the church of the Annunziata, annexed to which is the esta
blishment for the foundlings; the churches of the principal
religious orders, such as II Carmine, St. Apostoli, S. Domenico,
S. Maria la Nova, I Gerolimini and Gesu Nuovo ; Santa Chiara,
belonging to a convent of noble nuns, a fine church, but too
rich and gay. Most of the above churches contain valuable
paintings, chiefly by Solimene, Luca Giordano, Domenichino,
Santafede, Lanfranco, and Spagnoletto. The church of San
Paolo, built on the remains of an ancient temple dedicated to
Castor and Pollux, of which two fine columns remain in front of
the modern building, particularly deserves attention on account
of the fine works of Solimene which it contains. But one of
the finest churches of Naples is that of San Martino, situated
on the hill above the city and close by the castle of Sant' Elmo.
It belonged formerly to the Carthusian monks, and was reckoned
the richest church of this capital in paintings. It suffered dur
ing the late invasions of this country ; now the convent" is appro
priated to the military invalids who there enjoy a salubrious air
and a quiet retreat. From a terrace at one of the angles of the
convent facing the south, there is a magnificent view of the city
and Bay of Naples.
The King of Naples has perhaps more and finer palaces than
any monarch of Europe. Besides the Reggia or Royal Palace
of Naples, he has in his possession in the neighbourhood of the
capital, the palace of Capo di Monte, that of Portici, and the
immense and splendid mansion of Caserta, which has few rivals
in Europe. Its great staircase is particularly magnificent. The
palace of Caserta is situated in a plain near the foot of some
inconsiderable hills, about fourteen miles from Naples, and about
five from the city of Capua. The gardens annexed to it are
very extensive, but except the Giardino Inglese, and the Bosco,
which is an enchanting place, are in a bad taste ; and so is the
artificial cascade, the water of which is brought over a superb
aqueduct, which crosses a valley near Maddaloni, and which
rivals in its kind the works of the ancient Romans. Three miles

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 61
to the west of Caserta, is the place where stood ancient Capua,
the capital of Campania, where the star of Hannibal first began
to wane. The remains of the amphitheatre and of a triumphal
arch which stands over the road, are the only things to be seen ;
" Sic transit gloria mundi." The little town of Santa Maria
di Capua, which is built close by, has not inherited any of the
splendour of its proud predecessor ; it is a dirty ill built place,
and were the Carthagenian warriors to visit this spot again, its
attractions would certainly not prove dangerous to them.
Besides the palaces we have mentioned, belonging to the King
of Naples, he has at his disposal a number of delightful country
houses and hunting seats, as those of Carditello, Persano, near
the ancient Psestum, that of Castellamare, and the Castle of
Procida, &c.
The palaces belonging to the Neapolitan nobility are very
numerous and some of them spacious and lofty, but their archi
tecture is in general deficient in regularity and taste ; and the
same remark may be applied to all the buildings in this city ;
they make but little impression upon persons accustomed to the
elegant proportions of the edifices in Rome. After feasting the
eye on the churches and palaces of the latter city, a person
becomes cloyed and difficult to please, and is obliged to resort
to the ancient monuments to feel any satisfaction. The obelisks
and fountains of Naples are particularly offensive to any man of
the least taste, and form a wretched contrast to the fine works
of that kind with which Rome abounds. One need only have
a glance of the obelisk opposite the church of Gesu Nuovo, to
feel the truth of this remark. The palace of the Duke of Gra-
vina, in the street of Monte Oliveto, those of the Marquis Berio
and the Prince of Stigliano, in Toledo, and that of the Marquis
del Vasto, near Chiaja, are among the best. The palace of
Francavilla, in Chiaja, is a stately building, singular for its
Moorish architecture, and for its insulated situation, almost sur
rounded with gardens.
I went lately to visit an Institution in Naples, which is the

62 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
only one of its kind in Europe— the Chinese college, where
young natives of China are brought up for the ecclesiastical
profession, to return afterwards to their country, to propagate
the Christian religion. The founder of this establishment was
D. Matteo Ripa, a Neapolitan missionary, and a companion of
the blessed Alfonso de Liguori, a name well known in the annals
of the Catholic Church. Ripa went to China, and resided
several years at the missionary-house at Pekin, where his skill
in painting recommended him to the Emperor and Court. While
living in that remote land, he conceived the plan which he
afterwards executed, of establishing a college in Europe for the
education of young Chinese. Several trials were made, and at
last Naples was the place fixed upon for this institution, as the
climate appeared to be the most favorable and congenial to these
children of the east. The youths destined for this place are
smuggled out of their country at the age of thirteen or fourteen,
by means of the missionaries, who send them first to Macao,
and thence they are conveyed to Europe, generally in Portuguese
vessels bound to Lisbon, from which place they proceed to
Italy. The expenses are defrayed partly by this institution, and
partly by the College de Propaganda Fide, at Rome.
The Chinese college is situated on the slope of the hill of
Capo di Monte, in a quiet retired spot, which commands a fine
prospect of the bay. The house and the adjoining church are
simply but neatly constructed ; the apartments are comfortable
and airy, and the whole place is kept remarkably clean, and in
the best order, so as to form an agreeable contrast with the
generality of Neapolitan establishments. The rector, a Neapo
litan missionary, and a sensible well-informed man, politely
shewed us every thing deserving attention. We entered first the
hall, which is hung round with the portraits of the Chinese who
have resided in this house since its establishment ; they are
about forty, and among them is that of Ripa, the founder. It
is the custom before any of the inmates of this college depart, to
have their likenesses taken. They are all dressed in the garments
of the institution, which is a loose black robe, with a red sash
round the waist, and a crucifix in their hands. There is a strong

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 63
national likeness among them. Under every portrait there is
an inscription, which states the name of the individual, the
province he was born in, the year in which he came to Naples,
that in which he departed again for China, and the epoch and
mode of his death, when known. Those who suffered martyrdom
are represented with the instruments of their supplice, others
have chains round their necks, as a sign of having suffered
imprisonment. Such a collection, in such a place, is apt to
make a solemn impression on the mind, and to raise a train of
new and awful ideas. I thought of the singular destiny of these
children of a distant region, of these young men snatched from
their native country, their homes, and their friends, and hurried
away by religious zeal to a country, the people, manners, and
language of which are unknown to them, there to spend the
best part of their youth in study and retirement, and who after
wards, when in the noon of life, recross the ocean to revisit the
scenes of their birth, as apostles of that faith, whose propaga
tion is the sole business, of their lives : on account of that faith
they are hated, and often persecuted, by their own countrymen ;
they fall under the intolerance of the laws, are scourged by order
of a haughty and cruel Mandarin ; and they at last finish their
career of privations and pain, either in a dungeon or on a
scaffold. There is something sublime and imposing in religious
enthusiasm, and in that disinterested spirit of abnegation and
self-devotedness, which sees nothing but the glory of the Creator,
and the welfare of his creatures. An air of calm resignation,
an interesting sadness, are spread over all these, portraits, that
express at once. the feelings by which the originals have been
actuated in this world.
There are now six Chinese in the college, one of them is
insane, and another blind. I had a pretty long conversation in
Italian with the latter, who appeared a very sensible man, and
superior to the others ; his address was genteel and prepossessing,
his disposition appeared easy and obliging, his answers to my
questions were appropriate, and he showed himself well informed
of European affairs. I understood afterwards from one of the
attendants, that he was the son of a Mandarin of rank of Pekin.

64 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
He said that his voyage from Macao to Lisbon had lasted nine
months ; that the vessel was a very long time in passing the
Straits of Malacca ; that his sight suffered severely during the
voyage, and that latterly he had the misfortune of losing it
entirely. He cannot therefore return to China ; he will never
see again his country, his home, or his kindred ; he will die in
a foreign land, unknown, and uumourned ; he cannot even
aspire to the crown of martyrdom, nor can he pursue the accom
plishment of his apostolic duties ; his career is closed on this
side of the grave. Hard is his fate, indeed ! and this man, in his
own country, might be perhaps now enjoying wealth, honor, and
happiness. Still he did not seem dissatisfied ; he was cheerful,
and resigned to his lot; he spoke of his country with calm
remembrance, mentioned with veneration the name of the great
Kang-hi ; he talked of the present emperor, and of his court : I
asked him about the diversity of dialects in his own country ; he
said that every province, and almost every district, has a parti
cular one ; that the farther -he went from Pekin, the more
difficult it was for him to understand the common people ; that
the language of the Mandarins is the same throughout the
empire ; and he contended that it is not very difficult. He
appeared to have correct notions of geography ; among other
questions, he asked me whether the differences between America
and England were entirely made up. He said that Pekin,
although under the same latitude as Naples, is much colder than
the latter city, which he attributed to the immense plains that
surround the former, and to its distance from the sea. I was
much pleased with his conversation ; he spoke pure Italian with
a very good accent ; I felt towards him that sympathy which
approximates all persons of feeling, whatever be the spot of their
birth. The hour for shutting the gates of the convent was
approaching ; I parted with regret from Padre Giovanni, the
blind Chinese, and his remembrance will remain impressed on
my mind as long as I live. We held our conversation on a
terrace, a fine view of the bay and of the mountains opposite lay
before us ; but all this magnificent scenery was lost on the poor
Chinese, and was hardly heeded by me ; my fancy was soaring
all the time over the plains of Pekin.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 65
The College for a long time has received no new inmates, on
account of the war : some young Chinese are now, however,
expected from Macao, and, as soon as they arrive, the four who
are now here will take their departure for China ; one of them,
a good looking man, was brought over to Europe by Sir George
Staunton, of whom he speaks highly. I asked him whether
they ever receive letters from their friends in China, and he
answered, " but veiy seldom." They were lately apprised of
the death of two of their predecessors, who suffered martyrdom.
What will be the fate of those four who are now preparing
to go ?
The good rector showed us a few curiosities from China, such
as silk tunics, and robes, some earthenware of the imperial
fabric, several tea services, some of bamboo, and some of tin ;
other utensils, made of tortoiseshell, cocoanut, and ivory ; some
wind instruments, paintings of men, women, and masks, some
Chinese prints, representing the emperor's country-houses near
Pekin, with the usual deficiencies of perspective, and a large
Chinese map of the Celestial Empire, which unfortunately was
placed too high to be attentively examined. The rector told us
that the young Chinese who are brought to Europe, are generally
born of Christian families, and that it requires great secrecy to
get them out of the country : when they leave Naples, they pro
ceed first to Rome, to be examined and approved as missionaries ;
after which the college of Propaganda furnishes them with the
means of returning home, by the way of Macao, where they
assume again their native dress, to be enabled to penetrate into
the empire. To my question about the natural abilities of the
Chinese students, the rector answered, that in general they are
possessed of moderate capacities ; but that there are now and
then some superior minds among them ; that they are in general
patient, phlegmatic, and submissive, and excel chiefly in any
thing mechanical. They are taught Latin, rhetoric, philosophy,
and theology. They talk Latin to their masters, and Chinese
among themselves ; Italian is purposely avoided, to prevent
their communicating with the Neapolitans, for fear that it
should lessen the hig-h opinion which they are taught to entertain.

fe6 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
of Europeans. The institution is possessed of a revenue of six
thousand ducats, which has always been respected. Leaving
the Chinese college, with a feeling of sympathy for its inmates, 1
found myself again amidst the Lazzaroni of Naples.
On the ninth of this month we had the grand annual review of
the Neapolitan troops, called the Parade of Piedigrotta. The
infantry was drawn in a line three deep along the Marina of
Chiaja, facing the houses, and turning their back to the sea.
There were about twelve thousand men under arms, in general
good looking fellows, well dressed and equipped : how far they
might be depended upon, should circumstances require their
services, is rather an awkward question to resolve ; especially if
we look to the history of the last twenty years. However, I am
of opinion, that if properly commanded, and under good
discipline, the Neapolitans, and especially the natives of
Abruzzo and Calabria, would prove, as good soldiers as any.
At five in the afternoon, Captain General Nugent, commander
in chief, rode along the line, and shortly after the King drove
slowly along in his state carriage, followed by his Court
When his Majesty had arrived at the beginning of the right
wing, the troops began to retire, marching off by divisions from
the left. This was the grand review so mtich talked of in
Naples, for which some of the regiments came from the most-
distant parts of the kingdom. The King appeared as stout and
healthy as usual. The balconies of all the houses on the
Riviera di Chiaja were filled by the gay and the fashionable :
there was on this occasion the usual display of music and mar
tial pomp. The Captain General gave a dinner to six or seven
hundred officers, at one of the restaurateurs.
. This is the season here for the villeggiatura, when the peo-
,ple repair to their country-houses, where they remain until the
month of November. The Neapolitans, however, have no idea
of true country life ; what they call by that name is a sad
misnomer. The country-houses to which the Neapolitans resort
are in the immediate neighbourhood of the capital ; some on the
hills of Vomero, Arenella, and Capo di Monte; and these are by

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 67
far the best ; but the fashionable resort is Portici, where people
are almost as much in town as if they lived in Toledo. The
seats of the nobility are there situated chiefly on the high road,
and exposed to all the inconveniences of dust, noise, and intruding
curiosity : ladies dress in their gayest apparel, drive about in
their carriages, receive visits, and give parties : to see and to be
seen is the only object. There is nothing attractive in the
residence of Portici except its fine view ; you see splendid
palaces, few gardens, and nothing of the country. What a
difference from the delightful villas of the Tuscan gentry, with
which the hills in the neighbourhood of Florence are covered !
As I am going shortly to repair to the banks of the Arno, I
shall then speak more particularly of that country, the real
garden of Italy.

68 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

LETTER III.
Arrival at Leghorn. — Pisa, a desirable residence. — Journey
to Florence. — Remarks upon the political changes jn Italy.
— Situation of Florence. — Churches. — Santa Croce. — Tomb
of Alfieri. — San Lorenzo. — Michel Angelo.— Gardens of
Boboii. — Delightful walks in the neighbourhood of Flo
rence.- — Character of the Tuscans. — Appearance of the
women. — Country houses around Florence. — Government of
Tuscany. — Grand Duke Leopold. — Elisa Baciocchi. — Feel
ings of the Italians towards the Austrians. — Florence an
agreeable city to live in. — Tuscan language and pronuncia
tion. — Gallery. — Journey to Bologna. — -.Velturini. — Apen-
nine scenery. — Arrival at Bologna. — Digressionuponltalian
women. Bologna, October, 1818.
I SAILED from Naples in a Genoese vessel, which brought me
to Leghorn after a voyage of eight days. Leghorn is a place
entirely mercantile. The town is neatly built ; the people have
an air of affluence and comfort ; the streets are crowded and
busy ; it is the town of Italy which bears the greatest re
semblance to England. The shops are fitted up almost like
those in London ; but a stranger, who has nothing to do with
mercantile concerns, soon gets tired of Leghorn, as he. cannot
find many resources for the mind. The country about is flat
and heathy ; the hill of Montenero is the place of resort for the
wealthy inhabitants, who have there their country houses. There
is a pleasant walk round the walls of the town, and it leads by
the, English burying-ground ; among the tombs in the latter,
that of Smollett claims the attention of the English traveller.
From Leghorn I proceeded to Pisa, in one of the open
coaches called timonclle. The distance is about fourteen miles,
the road is beautiful, and the fare is bnt a trifle. Pisa, one of

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 69
the most celebrated cities in the history of Italy, is now depopu
lated, and melancholy ; the grass grows in its fine streets, and
at the very entrance of its marble buildings. This city is
renowned for its mild and salubrious climate, especially in win
ter ; living is cheap ; the people are sociable and courteous ;
the place is quiet ; it is altogether a residence well adapted for an
invalid, or for a studious man. There are several of the nobility
who have conversazioni, and give parties, to which strangers
may easily get admittance. The Cathedral, ihe Campo Santo,
the famous bell tower, have been so often described by travellers,
that I shall say nothing about them. The view from the sum
mit of the tower is remarkably fine. The tower of Ugolino is
still to be seen.
From Pisa I went to Florence, by the diligence. The road
runs along the beautiful banks of the Arno, and offers some of
the most beautiful prospects of Italian scenery. The peasantry
look cheerful, the country girls dress neatly and smartly. I
arrived at Florence in the evening. So much has been written
upon this celebrated city, that I shall content myself with a few
remarks I made during the short time I remained in it. I had
known Firenze la bella in better times, before the rapacious
hand of the conqueror had pressed hard upon its peaceful
citizens ; before exotic vices and follies had wofully swelled the
catalogue of their national failings, and impaired their sociable
and elegant manners. Whether ' the intellectual state and civil
condition of the Italians in general, and of the Tuscans in parti
cular, have improved or deteriorated during the years of French
dominion, may appear a question to some ; but to me it seems
evident, that foreign invaders, military despotism, conscriptions
and contributions, increase of taxes, and annihilation of maritime
commerce, could not promote the welfare of a nation ; and that
they must, on the contrary, have been the ruin of domestic happi
ness, as well as of private fortunes, which is an evil not easily
compensated by refinement in the luxuries of life, nor by the
construction of a few roads and public buildings ; nor even by
' some improvement in the laws of a country, especially when the
government remains arbitrary. The French have at last derived

70 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
some real advantages, though dearly purchased, from their sue?.
cessive revolutions ; but the unfortunate Italians have lost by the
last changes even those* scanty compensations which palliated to
their eyes the miseries of a foreign yoke ; they have for the most
part returned to their ancient system of government and laws,
without that tranquility of mind, and that unimpaired wealth,
which made Italy a happy country, even under its divided and
imperfect political system, before the French invasion. Con
tented with their humble destinies, although a faint sigh now
and then escaped them at the recollection of former glories,
the Italians wisely turned the efforts of their genius to the
peaceful pursuits of the arts and sciences ; a lovely nature, and
all the wonders of man's creation, were to them a happy com
pensation for the loss of turbulent liberty and bloody triumphs ;
their governments, secure in their comparative insignificance,
held with gentle hands the loosened rein ; opposite parties had
blended together, in consequence of long peace ; despotism
existed more in theory than in practice ; even the inquisition
was stripped of its terrors, and travellers who visited Italy bore
witness to the freedom which was enjoyed in that happy land.
By the French invasion all was changed. Discord revived
ancient feuds under new names ; political dissentions ran
higher perhaps in Italy than in any other country of Europe ;
and these are still far from having subsided. Military habits,
while they took away that elegance and suavity of manner for
which the Italians were so remarkable, added a grosser load of
corruption to their already loose morals, and by destroying the
principles of religion, removed that salutary check, remorse,
which often leads to repentance and amendment. The open
gaiety of the Italian character sank under the miseries they
suffered ; its softness was Ipst, and even the delicacy of their
language was impaired by the encroachments of a foreign
domineering tongue, ill adapted to the genius and to the feelings
of the children of music and love. The French introduced their
multifarious and captious system of civil laws, where forni
eternally obstructs the march of justice ; they established their
oppressive inquisitorial police ; they loaded the people with taxes
unknown before ; they sowed discord between the different classes

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 7l
of society : the French, their armies, and their generals, are gone;
but the evil remains, a sad memorial of their baneful visit.
And what have the Italians acquired in exchange for peace,
happiness, pleasure, and wealth ? Alas ! nothing : for it
had never been the intention of their invaders to re-establish
the ancient independence and power of Italy. Its sun has
set long since, and its glories are gone, beyond recall. The
Italian youth, it is true, distinguished themselves in the ranks
df the French armies, by their bravery and abilities worthy of
a better cause ; but on all occasions the profit turned entirely
to the advantage of their oppressors, and the loss alone was theirs :
Italy fought " per servir sempre, o vincitrice, o vinta." And
well the French knew hov* to stimulate the noble passions of
the Italians; they addressed themselves even to the vanity of
the weaker sex, and Bonaparte gravely said in one of his pro
clamations that in future the Italian fair should only listen to
lovers covered with honourable Scars— scars received in fighting
for a foreign despot! What a perversion of sense! This
reminds me of the impressive lines of a great modern
poet, addressed to the Greeks, but equally applicable to the
Italians :¦ —
" Hereditary bondsmen ! know ye not
Wh'o would be free themselves must strike the blow .'
By their right arms the conquest must be wrought ?
Will Gaul or Muscovite redress ye ? no !
Greece, change thy lords, thy state is still the same ;
Thy glorious days are o'er, but not thine years of shame."
May the truth of the above sentiments be impressed on the
Italians by their last misfortunes, arid may they never in
future seek to better their condition by means of dear-bought
foreign assistance ! But now to my journal.
Florence is" beautifully situated. That verdant amphitheatre
of smiling hills, surmounted by the frowning dark Apennines,
those fertile vallies watered by the Arno and its tributary streams,
and strewed with elegant villas and neat cottages, the air of

72 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
cleanliness and gentility by which the inhabitants distinguish
themselves from the rest of the Italians, the purity of their lan
guage; that city, full of statues, monuments, and remarkable
buildings, which have acquired her the name of the Athens of
Italy ; all these render it a most delightful residence. The
churches of Florence do not generally appear to advantage on
the outside ; the coarse appearance of the bricks in front ill
corresponds with the magnificence of the interior. The cathe
dral of Santa Maria in Fiore is a vast building, the facade of
which has never been finished, and the interior appears naked,
when compared with the magnificent churches of Rome. The
square detached steeple is, striking, by its bold structure and the
profusion of marbles of various colours with which it, as well as
the outside of the church, is entirely covered. In Santa Croce,
the Pantheon of Florence, are the mausoleums of Galileo,
Machiavelli, Michel Angelo and Alfieri. That of Michel Angelo,
ornamented by the statues of the three sister arts, architecture,
sculpture, and painting, is particularly beautiful. The tomb of
Alfieri, a name dear to Italians, is by Canova, and made of
fine white marble : the statue of Italy, with the mural crown
on her head, is leaning upon the tomb, in the attitude of lament
ing the loss of her favorite son. This monument was erected
during the time the whole of Italy was under the dominion of the
French : the figure of Italy is dressed in a fine drapery ; a wit
wrote on the pedestal the following epigram : —
" Canova, questa volta 1' hai sbagliata ;
Fai 1' Italia vestita, ma e spogliata."
The church of Santa Crocec contains also a fine fresco paint
ing, which represents the limbo or place of penance where, ac
cording to Catholic theology, the righteous of the Old Tes
tament were detained until Jesus rescued them, and where the
souls of infants unbaptizedare confined till the day of judgment ;
some of the figures are beautiful, although damaged by time ;
the painting is kept covered, but by application strangers may
see it.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 73
1 shall not describe here the finery of the sepulchral chapel
©f the Medicis in St. Lawrence, too rich and gaudy for the
object of its. erection, but I must pause in the sacristy to admire
Michel Angelo's works. Reclining on one side of a tomb, her
left arm supporting her head, sits the statue of Night ; she
sleeps, but breathes as if she were going to awake the next mo
ment ; her bosom and legs are bare and beautiful : anatomical
perfection was the forte of Michel Angelo, but here he has added
softness of features, gracefulness of form, and an exquisite polish,
not surpassed perhaps by any. Unfortunately he left it unfi
nished, and no one has attempted to try his chissel on it after
that of Buonaroti. Some verses which were written at the time
about this statue, alluding to its expected awakening, gave
occasion to Michel Angelo's reply in the following verses, which
he put in the mouth of Night, and which relate to the political
dissensions of his age : —
" Grato mi e il Sonno c piil l'esser' di Sasso,
Mentre l'inganno e la vergogna dura ;
Non veder' non sentir' mi e gran' ventura ;
Percio' non mi destar' : deh parla basso."
The gardens of Bobpli, annexed to the palace Pitti, which is
the residence of the Grand Duke, are very extensive, and are
inclosed within the walls of the town : all is art in them, nothing
is left to nature ; the avenues are straight, the trees cut into
walls and ornaments ; the two basons are surrounded with mar
ble ; all is symmetrical, rich, and pompous ; but how inferior to
same of the Roman villas, particularly to the villa Borghese, and
to its delightful groves and its beautiful lake, such at least as they
were some years ago ; for now, I understand, they have made
sad alterations in them. The gardens of Boboli are adorned
with many statues ; the group of Adam and Eve, by Bernini, is
particularly admired.
Florence abounds with beautiful walks in its neighbourhood ;
every gate leads to some of them ; there is the Prato, out of
Porta San Gallo, or Bologna Gate, Poggio Imperiale out of that

74 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
of Rome ; but the Cascine, out of Porta di Prato, is the most
delightful of all. While the central avenues are crowded with
splendid equipages glittering through the foliage of the trees,
how pleasant it is on a fine summer eve to ramble on the solitary
path which follows the bank of the peaceful Arno, while the sun
is setting beyond the woody hills of the west. The hill of Fiesole,
out of Porta Pinti, affords also some romantic walks ; the tribu
tary stream Mugnone has its source thence, and forms some
pretty cascades in miniature ; the view of the country about
Florence, from the ancient town of Fiesole, on the top of the
hill, is very grand. In short, the neighbourhood of Florence
affords an inexhaustible supply to the pedestrian, and to the
admirer of nature, with the advantage, above other Italian
countries, that he may ramble at any time, or to any distance,
without being afraid of unpleasant rencounters.
The Tuscans are the gentlest of the Italians ; they seem well
calculated to inhabit their fine country, which is justly called the
garden of Italy. Their superiority above the other Italians is
striking. They are sociable, polite, and courteous to strangers,
and their conversation is both instructive and attractive. They
are lively and witty, especially the Florentines, and rather
inclined to satirical effusions. There is no real populace in
Florence ; the lower classes are as cultivated, as polished, as the
middle classes of other Italian cities. Their dress is neat and
becoming, and they have greater taste for cleanliness than any
of their neighbours. Crimes of a black dye, such' as murder
and highway robbery, which disgrace the southern states of
Italy, are very rare amongst them : their natural mildness had
probably a share in the determination of the late Grand Duke
Leopold, to abolish the pain of death. I was assured, that in
the course of many years under his reign, only one instance of
murder occurred in his dominions, and that was committed by a
foreigner, belonging to the Papal territories. Criminals were
then sent to work at the ferriere iron mines', in the maremme,
or low lands of the province of Sienna, a very unwholesome
country in the summer, and that punishment was perhaps
greater than death itself.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 75
As a balance for their amiable qualities, the Tuscans are
accused, it seems not without some reason, of having an ample
share of the vices which often attend a highly refined state of
society. Effeminacy, libertinism, dissimulation, selfishness,
and avarice, are imputed to them by the other Italians. Tus
cany being a small state, under an arbitrary though mild, govern
ment, obliged to keep peace, and to court the friendship of its
more powerful neighbours, it is not extraordinary that the
Tuscans have not been renowned for military character ; but the
history of their republics, and of their wars in the middle ages,
sufficiently shows what a great share the form of government has
in modelling the character of a nation. The same causes may be
assigned for their insincerity and craft ; and corruption of morals '
is a natural consequence of a long peace upon a gay people,
living under a lovely climate in one of the finest regions of the
world. As for their excessive parsimony, which is proverbial
in Italy, it may in great measure have originated from necessity,
and from the smallness of their income ; few families in Tuscany
are possessed of large fortunes, but a moderate competence and
eomfort are generally spread throughout the land, which I think
is the happiest state of society.
The Tuscans are a well made race of men ; their women are
remarkably handsome ; they have , generally fine complexions,
and are rather inclined to embonpoint : the country girls are sun
burnt ; but they have fine figures, and brilliant eyes, and the
whole play of their expressive physiognomy is very attractive'.
They are spirited and witty, and it is not safe for a man to enter
the lists with them, for they have such a fluency of speech, and
their memory is so stored with sayings, proverbs, and bon mots,
that they generally get the laughers on their side. There is
an appearance of comfort, and a cheerful look amongst the
peasantry, one does not meet frequently with in the rest of
Italy. Their manufactories of straw hats, which are very com
mon amongst the country people, and at which the females work,
is»an additional resource to them. Straw hats are the common
headdress amongst them, and the addition of a few flowers or

76 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS
showy ribbonds, tastefully arranged, sets off to advantage the
pretty features of the country fair.
The upper classes, although living economically in the inte
rior of their houses, make a great display of their carriages ; and
they show a great taste in their country-houses, which, if not
magnificent, are certainly very elegant : It is astonishing to see
the number of these in the neighbourhoood of the capital ; they
amount to several thousand, scattered over the beautiful hills
which surround Florence ; which made Ariosto say, that if
they were all collected within walls, they would make a city
twice as large as Rome.
" Se dentro un mur sotto un medesmo nome
Fosser racchiusi i tuoi palagi sparsi
Non ti sarian da pareggiar 'due Rome."
The Tuscans are a people easily ruled by a gentle sway. They
are still gratefully mindful of the reign of Leopold, the prede
cessor of the present Grand Duke ; he was really a liberal-
minded despot, and strived to render his people as happy as he
could. He diminished the influence of the Court of Rome,
without breaking with it ; he suppressed several convents, without
annihilating the monastic orders ; he distributed the taxes equally;
encouraged trade ; allowed a reasonable degree of freedom to the
press ; in short, he deserved the title of the father of his people.
Many anecdotes are related of him. One day he was speaking
to some Mussulman envoy from the Levant, about the Saints or
Fakirs of Egypt, who are held in veneration often for the sole
reason of their being supposed to be mad. In our country,
says he, we have also those kind of madmen, but we shut them
up in buildings like that, pointing to a convent which was
over the way.
The present Grand Duke Ferdinand seems to have inherited,
jf not the abilities, at least the softer virtues of his predecessor ;
the people at large are attached to him, as they are to all his
family, whom they look upon as Italians, as born and brought

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 77
up^in Tuscany. They were pleased with his restoration, although
they complain of his having been since too much influenced by
his relatives of the House of Austria. The great mass of the
Tuscans, and in general of all the Italians, were never friendly
nor heartily attached to the French. Elisa Baciocchi, Napo
leon's eldest sister, ruled Tuscany for several years, with the
title of Grand Duchesse, although she was in reality no more
than a subordinate agent of her brother. As such she cannot
perhaps with justice be made accountable for the arbitrary acts
which she enforced, in obedience to her imperial relative ; but
she displayed a haughtiness and a harshness which disgusted the
gentle Florentines. She took frequent opportunities of humbling
the nobility, who in this country are more unassuming than in
other parts of Italy ; and many anecdotes are related of her
haughty overbearing disposition, by which, as well as by her
features, she appears to resemble her brother Napoleon more
than any of her sisters. Abundance of scandalous reports also
circulate about the manners of her court. She certainly did not
conciliate the minds of the inhabitants, who at her departure in
1814, gave her unequivocal marks of dislike. Her husband,
Baciocchi, originally an Italian, and formerly a commissary in
the French armies, was a mere cypher, and had no share in the
business of government, for which he did not seem calculated,
and of which, happily for him, he was not ambitious. He,
however, on his being appointed Prince of Lucca, was persuaded
to change his christian name of Pascal, which in Italy is vulgar,
and subject to ridicule, being often used as synonymous to
dunce, into the more dignified one of Felix the First ; upon which
occasion some Tuscan wit produced the following epigram :
" Quando tu eri Pasquali, noi eravam tutti felici ;
Or che tu sei Felice, noi siam tutti Pasquali."
He was a harmless insignificant bon vivant, and seems to have
fully understood his own mediocrity, for when the gentlemen of
Lucca apologized to him for their possible deficiencies in their
new capacity of courtiers, saying that they were not accustomed
to the situation (Lucca having been until then a republic), he

78 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
good-humouredly replied t " We will excuse one another mutu
ally, gentlemen, as I am also a novice in my present pro
fession." The Austrians, who succeeded the French in the temporary
possession of Tuscany, did not, however, know better than them
ho* to win the affections of this people. The Florentines were
glad to gtf; rid of them, although they say that their Grand
Duke paid several millions to the Court of Vienna as a compen
sation. The Austrians seem to have disgusted the Italians in
general, by their moroseness, parsimony, and pride ; and by
their living at discretion upon them, not as deliverers, but as
conquerors. The following sonnet was circulated at Florence
some time ago, on the last peace :< —
Tradito, o vinto, da virtil, o da inganno,
Chi vinto ha molti, chi tradito ha tutti,
Cessan' -de 'troni vacillanti i lntti,
Ogni Prence potfe' farsi tiranno.
I Russi artigli sul Polono stanno,
Prussia vuol'd 'Elba dominare i flutti,
Britannia ha i mari in servitu ridutti
L'ltalia a gotizzar' gli' Austri sen vanno.
Di Francia al trono un Re Borbone riede
Acclama'to dal popolo, che ardio.
Torre vita e corona al vero erede.
I Fiat i a generar ritorna Pio ;
Spagna ai dotti minaccia Auto da fe ;
Quest' e la pace che ci ha data Dio.
The angry feeling displayed in the above verses is in great
measure founded upon misconceptions and exaggerations ; but
still it is no incorrect specimen of the state of mind of many
Italians upon the present state of politics.
The government of Tuscany, like that of all the Italian States,
is arbitrary, but tempered with so much mildness and modera
tion, as to render this country the happiest of Italy. Besides
which, living is cheap, the climate temperate, the country

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 79
beautiful, and adorned with the monuments of the arts ; society
agreeable, an air of gaiety and satisfaction is spread on the
countenances of men and females ; amusement and instruction
are both easily procured ; what can a man wish for more ?
Although impoverished by foreign rapacity, this country will
soon recover from its losses, if left in peace : nature is so boun
tiful to it. The harbour of Leghorn, the only real free port of
Italy, is a source of wealth to Tuscany ; it is the grand depot.
of foreign produces, and the whole town is included in the free
dom. It is frequented by vessels of all nations, and its commo
dious lazzarettos, and wise quarantine regulations, afford secu
rity against the plague, that dreadful scourge of the Mediterra
nean. All religions are tolerated at Leghorn, and enjoy the
free exercise of their worship ; there are chapels of the different
Christian sects ; synagogues for the Jews ; and until lately even
the Musselmen had a mosque there. There are every day
diligences between Leghorn and Florence, in which one rides a
distance of sixty-seven miles in about ten or eleven hours ; the
charge inside is three dollars a head. This is the only establish
ment of the kind in South Italy, that is to say beyond the
Apennines, where the vetturini monopolize still the travelling
business. The language of the Tuscans is considered to be the pure
Italian, and it is spoken nearly as perfectly by the lower as by
the upper classes, an agreeable peculiarity not to be found in any
other part of Italy, where the dialects of the vulgar are quite
distinct from the Italian which is spoken in good company. It
must be observed, however, that the Tuscans employ many
words obsolete and recherches, which are discarded by the
Italian literati of other countries, who consider the use of them
as the effect of affectation, and of a too scrupulous adherence to
the dictionary of La Crusca. A striking and amusing contrast
between the jargon of a fanatical Cruscante, and the plain
elegant Italian of Tasso, is found in Goldoni's comedy, called
Torquato Tasso, one of the best productions of that celebrated
dramatist. Another strong objection against the Tuscan lan
guage, is its guttural pronunciation, by which the letter c, when

80 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
placed before the vowels a, o, u, is changed into a strongly
aspirated h, and which gives to their words a twang far from
agreeable to the ear, and certainly not consistent with the Italian
harmony and softness. It makes their conversation at first unin
telligible to a foreigner ; so much so, that an Englishman of my
acquaintance, who understood Italian tolerably well, said, on his
arrival at Florence, that he thought the people were talking
Spanish. Lingua Toscana in bocca Romana, is' an old hack
neyed proverb ; still I am of opinion that it is at Rome, amongst
the better classes, that one hears the genuine Italian Spoken in
its purity ; the Italian of Tasso and of Metastasio.
Florence is a most agreeable residence for a person fond of the
arts ; indeed such is the display of statues, relievos, &c. that I
almost think any man would acquire a taste for them in this
atmosphere. The gallery is one of the richest museums in
Europe ; the collection of busts of the Roman Emperors is the
most complete, in the best preservation, and arranged with great
judgment and taste ; those things, however, have been so often
described, and "are so well known, that I shall not dwell any
longer upon them.
I left Florence in a vetturino coach, and proceeded across the
Apennines to Bologna. The carriage was old fashioned and
uncomfortable, as the generality of them are, holding six
people inside, and drawn by four horses, which dragged us
along at the rate of thirty miles a day, making a halt of two
hours in the middle of the day, and stopping at night. The
horses are never changed during the journey, and they generally
keep on at an easy pace, which is seldom altered into a trot.
This is the only means of conveyance for travellers over the
greater part of Italy, unless they choose to ride post. This last
way is, however, preferable, and not very expensive, if two or
three people join together. There are good post-chaises to be
bought in almost every town of Italy, which, after carrying you
all over the country, may be sold again at a very little loss. The
vetturino is but a poor substitute for an English stage-coach, or
even for a French diligence. These vetturini are to be found in

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 81
every part of Italy ; some of them are possessed of considerable
property, having a great number of carriages, which they send
all over Italy, and often into France, Germany, Poland, and
even Russia. There is a man at Florence, of the name of
Pollastro, who does considerable business in that line ; he enjoys
a great reputation for his attention to travellers, the goodness of
his coaches, and the superiority of his mules (for such he mostly
employs), and the honesty of the drivers who are in his service.
Travellers generally bargain with the vetturino to carry them
and their baggage to such a place for a certain sum, by which he
is to provide them also with their dinner, and bed at night.
That makes it very convenient for people of moderate income, as
they are thereby free from any extra expense on the road. A
certain experience, however, is required, to make a good bar
gain with the vetlurini, as they will ask at first a great deal
more than the regular charge. They have no fixed days of
departure, but will set off as soon as they have engaged a suffi
cient number of travellers to defray their expenses, and to afford
them a moderate profit. The common charge of the vetturino
is about half a louis d'or, or ten shillings a day, every thing
included, which is very moderate.
The distance between Florence and Bologna is about sixty-five
Italian miles, and the road is entirely mountainous, as it passes
over the great ridge of the Apennines. These mountains, which
may be called the spinal bone of Italy, begin in the Genoese
territory, where they are joined with the Alps of Piedmont, and
continue in an uninterrupted chain down to the furthest extre
mity of Calabria, where they are only separated from the cor
responding mountains of Sicily by the narrow straits of Messina,
and they keep all along at a nearly equal distance from the Adri
atic and the Mediterranean Seas. The Apennines give to Italy
that variety of climate, productions and landscape, for which
this country is so remarkable ; so that the traveller departing
from any point of the sea shore may, in one day's journey, find
himself transported, as if by enchantment, from sultry plains
and sun-burnt fields, into cool verdant groves and cloud-capped
summits. These mountains have a sloping conical shape ; the
L

82

ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

highest part of them is mostly naked, and bears a dark cheerless
aspect ; but the vallies at their base are delightful beyond
description, and realize all we read of rural beauties in romance*
and fairy tales.
Between Le Maschere and Scaricalasino is the highest part of
the mountain, called the Giogo ; - and there the road is rather
dangerous, as it hangs over tremendous precipices, without any
kind of parapet ; the sudden gusts of wind, and the mists which
rise frequently in those upper regions are not apt to quiet the
alarms of the unexperienced traveller. At Scaricalasino we left
the territory of Tuscany, and entered the Papal States ; our
baggage underwent an examination by the custom house people,
and our passports were inspected by the military officer on
duty ; two tiresome formalities which one must put up with fre
quently in travelling through Italy, as they occur every time one
passes from one state into another, and sometimes twice in the
same day. We descended from the Apennines into the fertile
plains of the Bolognese, which have given to this city the epithet ,
of Bologna la Grassa. I have seen very little of this place, and
I shall state in my next letter the-few remarks I have made dur
ing my short stay in it. Meantime I will say something here of
the Italian women a subject particularly fertile and interesting-.
Much has been said of the grace and beauty of the women of
Italy, and much also of the levity of their conduct and of the
looseness of their morals. The latter, 1 am inclined to think, have
been often exaggerated ; many travellers form their opinion
merely from the inhabitants of towns, and of these from one or
two classes, of which they have only known a few individuals.
It is necessary to be well acquainted with the manners, language,
and humour of the inhabitants of a country ; to live with them
for a long time ; and to identify oneself with them, in order to^
estimate them properly. A stranger is apt to infer criminal con
duct from appearances of indelicacy, and to measure every thing
by the standard of his own land. The middling classes which
form a most numerous and respectable part of every nation, are

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 83
generally less known to him than the upper and tiie popular
ones. Italy and England are undoubtedly possessed of a greater share
of female beauty than any other country in Europe. But the
English and the Italian beauties, although equally interesting,
are very different from one another. The former are unrivalled
for their complexions, their bloom, the smoothness and mild ex
pression of their features, their modest carriage, and the clean
liness of their persons and dress ; these are qualities which strike
every foreigner at his landing. On my first arrival in England,
I was asked by a friend how I liked the English women, to
which I replied that I thought them all handsome. This is the
first impression they produce. There is something so calm, so
chaste about them, that to a native of the south they appear al
most more than terrestrial. They look
" With eyes so pure, that from their ray
Dark vice would turn abaih'd away v
» » * . * # * *
Yet till' d with all youth's sweet desires,
Mingling the meek and vestal fires
Of other worlds, with all the bliss
The fond weak tenderness of this."'
The Italian beauties are of a different kind. Their features
are more regular, more animated ; their complexions bear the
marks of a warmer sun, and their eyes seem to participate of its
fires ; their carriage is graceful and noble ; they have generally
fine figures ; they are not indeed angelic forms, but they are
earthly Venuses. It has been supposed that the habitual view of
those models of ideal beauty, the Greek statues, with which Italy
abounds, may be an indirect cause conducing to the general
beauty of the sex ; be that as it may, I think the fine features
and beautiful forms of the Italian fair have a great influence upon
the minds of young artists, and this is perhaps one of the prin
ciple reasons why Italy has so long excelled in figure painters.
A handsome female countenance animated by the expression of
the soul is among the finest works of nature ; the sight of it ele-

84 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
vates the. mind, and kindles the sparks of genius. Raphael took
the models of his charming Madonnas from nature. Titian,
Guido, Caracci, and others derived their ideas of female beauty
from the exquisite countenances so frequent in their native
country. In the north of Italy women are taller and fairer than in the
south, and the difference is particularly striking in the. peasantry.
The Tuscan country girls are in general handsome ; those of
Lombardy and Piedmont, are more homely, but still ruddy,
healthy, and gay ; while the female peasantry in some parts of
the Roman and Neapolitan states, worn out by a life of toil and
want — scorched by a burning sun, and labouring under the in
fluence of a poisoned atmosphere — sunk in ignorance, apathy,
and filth, are mostly remarkable for their pale looks and squalid
appearance ; yet, even amongst them, one may trace the fine
contour of the Italian features, and a vivid expression which still
lingers in the half-extinguished eye. But, if from the low and
unhealthy regions of the maremma, one proceeds to the moun
tains of Abruzzo, Sabina, and Umbria, a striking difference is
immediately perceived in the women, owing to the beneficial in
fluence of a wholesome air, and the Italian glance and the Italian
smile are expressed on every countenance.
With respect to their character, the Italian women have seve
ral qualities in common with other southern females, such as
those of Spain and Greece. Love is the predominating passion
in Italy, almost every other is subservient to it ; its influence
and power and the different shapes in which it affects its votaries
are shewn by the national poetry and songs, in which sentiments
are frequently found that to a foreigner seem exaggerated, but
which are perfectly natural to the Italians. Love with them is
the business of life ; it is the source of affection or hatred, gene
rosity or revenge, of joy or despair, of life or death. Young and
old submit to its sway, and no one is ashamed to confess himself
its slave. Fate Vamore ? chi e la vostra innamorata ? are com
mon questions in Italy, and ordinary topics of familiar conver
sation. What are the causes of this universal bias, especially

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. ' 85
among women ? Nature, climate, and education : the influence
of the first two cannot be doubted by any observer of mankind,
and that of the last is very powerful in Italy. Girls from their
infancy are in a certain manner taught to love ; the books that
are put in their hands are full of the tender passion, which forms
the chief interest and main spring of all their poetry ; they are
unacquainted with those more serious studies which strengthen
the mind ; their principal accomplishment is music, and they
learn to breathe their first half-suppressed sighs, in singing a
tender canzone accompanied by the soft tones of the guitar.
Kept under the watchful eyes of their parents or guardians,
debarred from the intercourse of men, their principal resource
is the balcony, which is thrown open during a great part of the
year ; there they pass whole hours, working and looking on at
the same time, at the people in the houses opposite, or at those
who pass in the street ; there they often make acquaintance with
some young man, and keep up a sort of mute dialogue with him,
from which begins the whole drama of courtship and love. The
Passeggio or public walk, which, in most Italian towns, takes
place in some, of the principal streets on Sundays and other holi
days, affords young women a good opportunity of seeing and of
being seen. The Corso at Rome, Toledo at Naples, Porta
Orientate at Milan, I Portici at Turin, Strada Nova at Genoa,
&c. are all famous places for the display of female beauty.
Devotion and love are often closely allied in an Italian woman.
A religion full of mysteries ; myriads of saints of both sexes,
whose images are painted in the churches with all the magical art
of Raphael, Guido, Correggio, and of other great masters ; but
above all, the idea of the Virgin, that mystical being, so pure,
so modest, and yet so lovely and so exalted : all these spread
over the Catholic worship a kind of poetical charm which softens
the hearts of its fair followers, exalts their minds, and often con
nects sentiments that the natives of colder climates, and the vo
taries of sects more austere would think incompatible with one
another. The character of Clementina in Grandison is founded
on nature, and by no means rare amongst Italian females. When
deprived of the object of their affections, they fade like reses de-

86 ITALY, AND TnE ITALIANS
prived of the dew of heaven, and they resort to the bosom of
religion, as the only consolation which is left them in this world.
They embrace with a romantic ardour the monastic life, and sub
mit willingly and almost cheerfully to its privations and tedious-
ness ; even the idea of death loses its terrors for them, and they
see in the next world an asylum of bliss, where, freed from all the
obstacles created by men and by men's laws, they will join their
lovers for eternity, and when they Will say with the poet : —
" Questi che mai da me non fia diviso."
This exquisite sensibility of the Italian women, is generally
allied to a certain degree of the melancholy which is character
istic of the natives of. the south, and which makes them some
times feel the emptiness of the pleasures of this world, and wish
for the purer and more exalted enjoyments which are promised
to us in the next. This disposition of the mind — this void of
the heart, is one of the sources by which nunneries are filled.
Several years ago a Neapolitan lady of rank ; rich and indepen
dent, and in the bloom of life, and who had led a life of pleasure,
and mixed in all the gaities of the world, assembled her friends
one day, and after entertaining them with a sumptuous dinner,
she retired apparently in high spirits. An hour afterwards,
having ordered her carriage she drove to the convent of Le Ere
mite, where, after dismissing her attendants, to whom she de
livered a sealed letter for her brothers, communicating to them
her final resolution, she entered the gates of the nunnery, which,
closing behind her, separated her for ever from the world. No
one knew the reasons which led her to this strange determina
tion. The convent of Le Eremite, is the strictest in Naples ; the
nuns have no communication with any person without their
walls, excepting with their confessor ; they are not acquainted
with any thing that happens in the world, and their friends are
not even apprised of their death. The house is enclosed within
the precincts of another nunnery, that of Suor1 Orsola, and it is
by means of the inmates of the latter, that they receive their
provisions and other necessaries of life. They enjoy, however,
from their grated windows, the splendid and animated scene of

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURT. 87
the Bay of Naples, which, it is to be hoped for the peace of their
minds, does not recall memories of past happiness, and that
longing after terrestrial pleasures, which would disturb the tran
quil resignation so necessary to a recluse. *
The sketch I have attempted to draw of Italian women may
appear fanciful and romantic, yet I can assure my readers. that
it is taken from facts, though I by no means intend to imply that
it is applicable to the generality. I have represented their minds
in a state of exaltation*, to which the females of this country have
certainly a natural tendency, but which is more or less developed
according to circumstances. • This disposition leads many of them
out of the regular path, it is true, yet even in their errors there is
often a spirit of generosity, which keeps them above total degra
dation. There is always a degree of refinement attending pas
sionate feelings, but there is nothing but mean baseness in self
ishness and vanity. An Italian woman when led on by passion
follows blindly the dictates of her heart ; she sacrifices herself —
her reputation — her all — to the object of her affection : woman
hood or fame are nothing more to her, and if she meets with
coldness and dereliction she is miserable beyond description.
We may bh ne, but at the same time must pity her, and leave
her failing to the mercy of that Being who can best read the
secrets of the human heart.
If, however, an Italian female is so favoured by circumstances,
as to meet with a worthy object, and to legitimate her attach
ment, then she becomes the most amiable of creatures. There
is a treasure of affection in her heart, her looks are so impas-
sionate, her language is so soft, her ideas are so glowing, her
manners so engaging, that she must actually be a blessing to the
man who knows how to appreciate her. She can put up with
any inconvenience and privation, and will cheerfully follow her
husband all over the world. The Italian women are in general
good natured, compassionate, and kind ; they are naturally gay,
more inclined to smile than to frown ; like pretty children, they
• See Appendix, No. 5.

88 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
wish to be amused ; their understandings being little cultivated,
they want something to occupy their thoughts, but this voidiasts
only as long as their hearts are disengaged, the passion of love
changes their character, and they become serious, thoughtful, .'4
and melancholy.
The southern nations are more inclined to enthusiasm than
those of the north; the contemplation of nature in all her beauty,
that kind of listless weariness which is the effect of the climate,
nights of calm and loveliness, the little want one feels for society,
in a country where an evening walk or a lounge on a terrace are
substituted for crowded assemblies and close parties ; all these
render solitude agreeable, and solitude produces pensiveness and
enthusiasm. The mind uninterrupted by the trifling cares of
vanity, and unfettered by the shackles of the world, has full
leisure to nurse and cherish one single idea, one remembrance,
which, by degrees, becomes an essential part of existence.
To those who are well acquainted with Italy, it is not unknown
that Italian girls, notwithstanding the temptations to which they
are exposed, come to the nuptial altar unspotted and unsullied.
As for married women, the custom of having a paflito or cava
lier servente (the name of cicisbeo has been long outVf fashion)
must be understood as confined to the inhabitants of cities, and
among these chiefly to the upper classes. The bourgeois, and
the lower people, even at Genoa, which is the very land of
cicisbeism, never adopted the custom, and husbands and wives
of those classes, live in as good domestic understanding as in
any other country. As for the inhabitants of the provinces, that
is to say, the three-fourths of Italians, they still entertain much
respect for marriage vows and marriage duties, and if instances
occur of their breaking them, the infraction is attended withas1
much disgrace, and as many evil consequences, as in any trans
alpine country. The provincial husbands retain much of the
old proverbial jealousy of the Italians, and their wives show
great submission and respect towards them. In this respect,
the occupation of the country by foreign military has, in a great
measure, increased the corruption ; but in the remote and inoun-

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 89
tainous provinces there is yet a great deal of patriarchal simplicity
and virtue. In the Riviere of Genoa, in the valleys of the Alps,
and even in many districts of the Roman and Neapolitan states,
the people are simple, virtuous, and religious ; attached to their
governments, regular in their conduct, peaceful, satisfied, and
happy. Resuming all what I have stated, I am really persuaded that,
with the exception of some great cities, as Venice, Milan, and
Naples, there is not much more corruption in Italy than in other
parts of the continent, and that it is chiefly owing to the free,
unreserved manners of the inhabitants, their mode of living as
it were in public, and their constitutional joviality and famili
arity, that strangers are apt to form hasty conclusions, to the
disadvantage of the Italian sex, of which a more intimate ac
quaintance would shew them the fallacy.

90 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

LETTER IV.
Description of Bologna. — Bolognese.— Their political feel
ings. — Modena, Parma, and Piacenza. — Superior appear
ance of the country about Milan. — Description of Milan. —
Theatre of La Scala. — Duomo or Cathedral.— Fine view
from the summit of it.'— Character of the Milanese. — Lite
rati at Milan; — Public walks and places of amusement. —
Basilica Ambrosiana. — Hospital. — Political sentiments of
the Milanese. — Murder ofPrina. — Country about Milan. —
Journey to the Lago Maggiore.—Borromean Islands. —
Alpine scenery. — Departure from Italy.
Isella, in the Val di Vedro,
at the foot of the Simplon, Nov. 1818.
MY last letter was written at the foot of the Apennines, in the
smiling plains of Italy ; the cheerful songs of the vintage were
then resounding around me, a brillant sun was vivifying all
nature, and calling every faculty of the soul and every sense
of the body into action. I write this in a humble village, situ
ated in a narrow valley enclosed by mountains coeval with
the world, which thrust their granite peaks here and there
through lakes of never melting ice ; the only music here is the
deafening noise of the foaming torrents ; the sky is cloudy and
gloomy, the cold rain pours down in streams and keeps me con
fined in a dark room of the inn, where we are to pass the whole
of this day to wait for better weather to cross the Alps. I can
not better employ this time than in finishing this epistle that I
began at Bologna.
That city is situated in a most rich country, watered by a
multitude of rivers which empty themselves in the neighbouring
Adriatic. The principal amongst them is the Reno, which flows

in the nineteenth century. 91
by the walls of Bologna. Industry has well improved those
natural advantages for the purposes of agriculture and commerce.
A number of canals have been cut to join the different rivers,
and there are packet boats called corriere, which go regularly
from Bologna to Venice and back again, and by which passen
gers may proceed in a pleasant and economical manner. They
pass from the Reno into the Po, from the Po into the Adige,
and from the latter river into the Lagune.
Bologna is a considerable city, containing above sixty thou
sand inhabitants ; the streets are narrow and dark, and ren
dered more so by low arcades with which they are lined on both
sides ; these are however convenient to shelter the pedestrian
from the rain in winter and the heat of the sun in summer,
although they certainly do not add to the beauty of the town.
There are in the middle of the city two towers remarkable for
their great height, the Asinelli and the Garisenda, the latter of
which, like the celebrated tower of Pisa, is so constructed as
to lean considerably on one side ; but the resemblance ends
there, for it cannot boast of the elegance of architecture of the
Pisan steeple, being built with brick and without ornaments.
I had not time to see any of the curiosities of Bologna ; the
churches contain many excellent paintings of the Lombard and
Venetian schools. The Institution or University of Bologna has
produced many distinguished characters, especially in physic,
medicine, and surgery, among whom are some ladies. Much
has been said of the famous Zambeccari, an intrepid aeronaut,
and a nobleman from Bologna. He has devoted his life to the
improvement of that modern discovery, and has been several
times in great danger in his aerial excursions, particularly once,
that his balloon was driven into the Adriatic sea, where he was
nearly lost. He was rescued from his perilous situation by some
fishermen. The Bolognese form a medium between their neighhours the
Tuscans and the Lombards or Milanese. They have something
of the fire and wit of the former, and much of the easy good
humoured disposition of the latter. Although long subject to

92 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
the Popes, they always enjoyed considerable privileges, and the
name of Libertas still continued to appear on their arms and
on their coins. A Cardinal Legate sent from Rome acted as
governor, and that situation was looked upon as one of great
trust and importance in the Papal administration. When the
French invaded Lombardy in the name of liberty, the Bolognese
could not resist the temptation ; they became enthusiastic ad
mirers of the new system ; their wishes were at last gratified, and
they became citizens of the short-lived Cisalpine Republic. I
rather suspect, however, they soon found out their mistake, and
began to see through the arts of their pretended liberators ; an
epigram that was circulated about that time, after a hail storm
which destroyed their harvest, seems to bear witness to the cool
ing of their sentiments towards the French and their General
Bonaparte, who is in it profanely but sarcastically alluded to as
a second Almighty. " L' Altissimo di su ci manda la tempesta,
V Altissimo di giu ci mangia quel che r esta ;
E' fra questi due Altissimi
Noi siamo poverissimi."
After the republican farce, followed first the consular and next
the imperial and royal systems of government. Bologna followed
the fate of the other states of Upper Italy, and became a part of
the kingdom of that name under the Viceroy Eugene. It con
tinued so until the unforeseen reverses of the French armies in
1813 caused Murat, then King of Naples, to think of profiting
by his brother-in-law's errors and misfortunes, in securing to
himself the friendship of the allies. He moved towards the
north,of Italy at the head of a fine army, and acted in concert
with the Austrians and English, in the campaign against the
Italian army under Eugene. Murat occupied Bologna in his
progress, and established his head-quarters there for some time
during that momentous crisis. His troops fought at Reggio,
between Modena and Parma, and for once in modern history, a
Neapolitan army gained a victory, and that, over Eugene's
veteran soldiers, the sharers of Napoleon's military fame. When

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 03
at last, after Napoleon's first abdication and Eugene's1 capitula
tion at Mantua, Murat returned to his own dominions, the Aus
trians occupied Bjlogna and the Whole country as far as tjie
Rubicon on the frontiers of the Marca d' Ancona. Those proJ
vinces were provisionally governed by Austrian military com
manders, who, it should seem, did not find the means of gaining
the affections of the Bolognese, for on Murat's secoftd advance
into Upper Italy in the spring of 1815, ho longer as an ally but
as a conqueror, pretending to re-establish the unity and indepen
dence of Italy, these magical words had again their wonted effect
upon the minds of the Boldguese, who showed With more eager
ness than prudence their zeal for what they looked upon as the
common cause of the country. Many young men of respectable
families, and even the students of the university enlisted them
selves in the ranks of Murat's army, and the consequence was,
that a few weeks after, when that army was thoroughly beaten
by the Austrians in the actions of Occhiobello and Carpi, and
obliged to retire precipitately towards Ancona, those Bolognese
who had so rashly compromised themselves, were left to the
cruel alternative either of expatriating or of remaining exposed
to the retaliation of an incensed conqueror. Many preferred
the first, and the families of Bologna will long recollect and
lament the mad attempt of Murat. That city is now restored to
the civil administration of the Pope,, its former sovereign.
From Bologna we proceeded by another vetturino through
Modfena, Reggio, Parma, and Piacenza ; the country is quite
flat all the way, although we saw almost constantly the Apen
nines of Tuscany at no very great distance on our left. Each of
the four last mentioned cities have had their times of political'
independence and splendor iii the middle ages, when they were
ruled by their native princes of the houses of Este, Farnese, &c.
At present Modena and Reggio are governed by the Archduke
Ferdinand of Austria, who is married to a princess of Sardinia ;
and Parma and Piacenza form the sovereignty which has been
bestowed upon the Ex-Empress Maria Louisa, as a compensa
tion for the thrones of France and Italy. I saw but little of
those cities, only stopping a short time in each of them. They

94 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS
appeared to me remarkably dull and gloomy ; although situated
in a fertile country, there seems to be but little trade and indus
try. The grass grows in several of the streets of Modena, and
even in the square in front of the ducal palace. But how can it
be otherwise ? little states encompassed on every side by a line
of custom houses, destitute of capitals, of resources, at a distance
from the sea, obliged to pay heavy taxes to maintain a court, an
administration, and an army ; their sovereigns under the para
mount influence of a foreign power ; such is the condition of
those inland sovereignties ; and can it be wondered at if the
people do not thrive ? From Modena there is a direct road to
Florence across the Apennines, without passing through Bo
logna. Parma is a large city, but very thinly inhabited, surrounded
by walls and ditches. The river Parma runs through it. Of a
great number of rivers which we passed in our journey, all of
which empty themselves into the Po, the most considerable is
the Taro, which we crossed in a ferry a few miles beyond Parma.
This river has its source in the Ligurian Apennines, and there is
a road from Parma which follows its course through the Val di
Tarro, and leads across the mountains into the Genoese territo
ries, and to the shores of 'the Mediterranean. It was, I believe,
through this road that General Macdonald, now Duke of Taren-
lum, led his army, coming from the furthermost part of the
kingdom of Naples, to fight against the famous Suwarrow, at
the bloody battle of La Trebbia, under the walls of Piacenza, in
1799. Piacenza is finely situated, on the right or southern bank
of the Po, being built on an elevated ground and in an open
country, it is seen at some distance ; that is not the case with
the other towns of Lombardy, which, being surrounded by gar
dens and trees, are not perceivable until one arrives at the very
gates. Piacenza is a fortified town, and it commands one of the
passages over the Po. The palace of the ancient dukes is a
remarkable building, with a covered gallery running all round
it ; the brass equestrian statues in the square before it of two
members of the Farnese family, are very fine. The Po forms the
boundary of the Austrian dominions in Italy. We passed that

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 9&
noble river on a bridge of boats, and after going through the
usual inspection of our baggage and passports, proceeded through
the Milanese territories. We passed by Lodi, an apparently
populous and bustling town, and arrived at Milan on the fourth
day after leaving Bologna. The whole distance is about one
hundred and twenty Italian miles. I thought I saw a great
improvement in the appearance of the country and of the inha
bitants after crossing the Po, and particularly in approaching
Milan. An air of neatness and comfort, cleaner houses, im
proved looks of the peasants, the roads frequented by people
going from one town to the other, wealthy farmers riding in
their cabriolets, fields well cultivated, canals cut in every direc
tion for the purpose of irrigation ; all this made an agreeable
contrast with the solitude, the squalid looks of the people, and
the gloomy towns on the south of the Po. The females too were
fairer and handsomer than those I had seen in the states Modena
and Parma. As for the language, it is all bad enough : since
I left the frontiers of Tuscany I have not heard any Italian
spoken ; a succession of the most disagreeable dialects, such as
the Bolognese, Modenese, Parmesan, and Milanese, all broad
and harsh, and differing only from bad to worse, have tormented
my ears. At Milan, the better people speak good Italian, but
still with an accent, of which they seldom can divest them
selves. Milan is a very fine city, the first in the north of Italy, for
its importance and population, the capital of the late kingdom of
Italy, and now of the Austrian territories in that country, which
are united under the name of Regno Lombardo Veneto, a deno
mination much inferior to the former. It is built in the middle
of the immense plain* of Lombardy, at an equal distance from
the Alps and the Po. The rivers Olona and Lario flow by its
walls ; besides which there is the canal called Naviglio which
runs through the town, and which affords a communication with
the Ticino and the Adda, and through these with the Po, and
with the lakes Maggiore and di Como. This canal is to Milan
a great source of commerce and wealth. The ancient city is
irregularly built, and is surrounded on all sides by the Naviglio,

96 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
beyond which are the suburbs or modern town, built in an ele
gant and splendid style. The whole is surrounded by ramparts
planted with trees like the Boulevards of Paris, and used as a
public walk. Milan is not a fortified city ; it had a citadel or
castle which was razed in the late wars ; a part of it still exists
and has been converted into barracks for soldiers. It stood on
the place where the Campo di Marfe or reviewing ground now
is. The avenues of Milan are fine ; the roads good, and lined
with double rows of trees ; every thing prepares you to expect
a great metropolis ; it is the gayest city in Italy next to Naples,
but at the same time much more civilized and refined than that
southern capital. Milan is remarkable above other Italian cities
in general, for, an air of wealth, splendour, and luxury, full of
bustle and life, participating of foreign taste, elegance, and im
provement, which may be ascribed to the long residence of the
French, who called it le petit Paris. The population of Milan
is above one hundred thousand inhabitants ; it was still more con
siderable when the Viceroy Eugene resided there. The princi
pal gates or rather barriers of Milan are the Porta Romana, the
Porta Marengo, which opens into the road to Pavia and Genoa,
the Porta Vercellina, which leads to Vercelli and Turin, the
Porta Sempione, so called on account of the famous military road
of that name, and the Porta Orientale, leading to Bergamo and
Brescia. The road leading through the latter gate, called il
Corso di Porta Orientale is much frequented as a walk by the
fashionables of Milan on Sunday evenings. Splendid carriages,
elegantly dressed pedestrians, all proceed there, to display their
finery. Many handsome females who resort here from every
part of Italy for no creditable purposes, mix in the crowd with
the citizen's wives and daughters. Women do not wear any
thing over their heads, but a great profusion of reaj and false
hair divided into tresses and ringlets. The women of Milan are
generally fair, they have full features, fine eyes, are much in
clined to embonpoint. Great dissipation, looseness of morals
and a thirst for pleasure, prevail at Milan, and every facility is
given to these propensities. Licensed public gambling houses
are daily opened at Milan, where people may go and ruin them
selves with the approbation of the legislature.

IN1 THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 97
I went to see the celebrated Theatre della Scala, one of the
finest in Europe, and which rivals San Carlo of Naples. There
are besides several other theatres for the Opera Buffa and prose
performances. The Duomo, or Cathedral of Milan, is one of the largest iii
Europe. It stands in the centre. of the town, and its spire, which
serves as a directing post to strangers, may be seen from every
part of it ; the exterior of this edifice is one of the most laboured
extravagances of Gothic architecture. It is a mountain of marble
cut for the most part into diminutive ornaments, obelisks,
columns and Statues of all sizes. The front has been built at
three different times and in three different styles ; the Roman,
the Gothic, and the modern are contrasted together. The inte—
rior of the church is grand and imposing, but not much orna
mented, and is kept very dirty. It is divided into five naves.
I ascended to the top of the church ; it is like a forest of marble,
if I may be allowed the expression. There are more than a
hundred spires or obelisks of various dimensions, with a dozen
or two of small statues placed in niches round each obelisk, so
that a great number of them are lost to the sight. One may
imagine what an immense labour and expense ! It is not yet
completed however on one side ; the revenues allotted for the
purpose of terminating this monument of bad taste, were seized
by Napoleon, who,'if he had only been guilty of such spoliations,
might have been easily forgiven. The stone used for this
colossal building is a kind of white marble, and has been taken
from the mountains which surround the Lago Maggiore^ There
are five hundred and twenty steps to ascend up the dome to a
small gallery that runs around the spire, from which I had a
most beautiful view of the plain of Lombardy and of the chain
of Alps which border it in a semicircle on the northern side.
This panorama is the grandest and most extensive I have seen,
and I would recommend to all travellers not to miss it in passing-
by Milan, for it is well worth the trouble ; but it must be seen
on a clear morning, a thing not very common in this city. Turn
ing to the north, I saw that barrier of mountains covered with
eternal ice, from the Alps of Savoy and Piedmont on the left,
N

98 ITALY, AND THE ITALIAN!
down to the Rhaetian and Tyrolean Alps to the east, a few peaks
such as. the St. Bernard, the St. Gothard and others, were
conspicuous by their towering height, and by the snowy waste
spread around their sides, which seems to forbid our approach.
Sublime in their wintry horrors, they frown on the world
below ; but their heads rise above the region of storms and share
the brightness of the ethereal skies.

Ces monts sourcilleui,

Qui pressent les enfers et qui fendent les Cienx."
At their feet, the fertile plains of Piedmont, Lombardy, and of
the Venetian States, lie spread like a vast parterre cut by rivers,
interlined with trees, and chequered with towns, villages, and
hamlets : far to the south the chain of Tuscan Apennines,
extending across the peninsula from the Mediterranean to the
Adriatic, appeared as a faint line, half lost in the horizontal
vapours ; still the imagination penetrated beyond that line, for
on the other side lies the sacred ground of Italy, the classical
land of Etruria, Rome, and Campania Felix ! While I was lost
in contemplation, a mist arose, and at once the Alps and the
Apennines, Lombardy and its towns, all vanished, as a momen-
mentary dream of bliss.
The Milanese are a good natured quiet race of men, fond of
ease and comfort, they like good eating, drinking, and all sorts
of pleasures. That disposition is the natural consequence of
living under a mild climate in a land of plenty, for such is Lom
bardy above all other countries, and of being deprived of the
stimulus of national spirit and ambition. Very few beggars are
to be seen in the streets of Milan, a pleasing exception from the
rest of Italy. All kinds of provisions are good, cheap, and plen
tiful at Milan ; the plains produce abundance of corn, rice, wine,
and vegetables, the valleys of the Alps afford excellent pasture
for cattle ; and meat, milk, butter, and cheese, are excellent in
this country. It is a matter of astonishment to a stranger how,
after such a period of wars and invasions as that which has just
closed, during which myriads of troops have lived at discretion

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 99
hi this devoted country, and enormous contributions have been
exacted by foreign rulers, how, 1 say, Lombardy is still one of
the richest countries in Europe ; a year or two of tranquillity
being sufficient to make up for all those calamities, so bountiful
has nature been to this land ! The tables of the Milanese are
copiously supplied ; they make at least three substantial meals
a-day ; they are therefore looked upon by the more frugal
Italians of the south as gluttons and epicures. Minestra or
soup, is not here, as beyond the Apennines, the first dish and
the sine qua non of an Italian dinner ; but they have a first
course composed of entremets, saussages, fried or boiled meat,
liver highly seasoned, &c. to whet the appetite, after which comes
the soup, bouilli, and the more substantial dishes. Their way
of dressing their victuals is also less Italian, oil is almost dis
carded, and instead of it they use a great deal of butter, which
makes me think myself almost out of Italy. Common wine is
very bad, but wines from Brianza and the hills near the lakes,
as well as from Piedmont and other provinces, are very pleasant,
wholesome, and reasonable. One of the most favorite dishes
with the Milanese is the risotto, or rice made up in a kind of
pudding with hashed meat, butter, eggs, saffron, &c. and highly
seasoned. I have heard the Italians of the south call Lombardy, and par
ticularly Milan, the Bceotia of Italy ; I think the appellation
unjust, particularly now, as that city is become the centre of
Italian literature. Lombardy has produced of late many names
illustrious in the republic of letters, and Milan, since it was
made the capital of the kingdom of Italy is become the general
resort of learning and genius. Cesarotti, Monti, Parini, *
Gianni, and other modern Italian poets made it their principal
residence. More books are published at Milan than in the rest
of Italy, and periodical publications on scientific, classical, and
literary subjects, a thing before unknown to the south of the
Alps, are now printed at Milan, Padua, &c. I went to the
university and academy at Brera, where I saw the Epinoteca,
* See the Appendix, Note 6.

100 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
or museum of the fine arts ; there are many paintings by Guido,
Titian, Andre del Sarto, Leonardo da Vinci, Caracci, Veronese,
Rubens, Vandyck, &c. a Raphael in his early style, representing
the marriage of the Virgin Mary, which shows how inferior are
those early specimens of that great master's powers to his subr
sequent works, particularly in softness and delicacy. In the
sculpture room there are a great number of casts, but few sta
tues. The library is a fine one, divided into several rooms ; I
was shewn editions of Dante, Horace, &c. of the first era of
typography. The Circo or amphitheatre, which stands on one side of the
Piazza d' arme or reviewing ground, is a modern building
erected during the French dominion, in imitation of the Roman
amphitheatres, and intended for the display of public games,
such as chariot races, bull fights, &c. It is of an oval form, the
arena is about one hundred and twenty French toises in length ;
on one side is the pulvinare or covered gallery, magnificently
ornamented with painted stuccoes, and where the sovereign and
his court take their station to see the games. The arena is so
constructed, as to be filled occasionally with water, and to be
transformed into a naumachia for rowing-matches, &c. On
some remarkable occasions under the French government, the
amphitheatre was opened to the public gratis ; this is the way
they contrived to lull the people asleep, by affording them amuse
ments and dissipation, much in the same manner that the Ro
man emperors gave fights of gladiators, to captivate the affection
of the populace, and make them lose sight of their oppressive
tyranny. At the farthest end of the Piazza d' arme, is the
triumphal arch intended for Bonaparte, but which has not been
finished ; the bassi relievi representing his victories, are hud
dled together under temporary barracks, and the whole arch is
surrounded by a wooden shed.
One of the finest walks of Milan is the Foro, in the neigh
bourhood of the Piazza d' arme, it is planted with trees that
afford a pleasant shade. Near the Porta Orientale there is a
palace with gardens, formerly called Villa Bonaparte, and now

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 1-0-1
the residence of the Austrian governor. By degrees the obnox
ious names are dropped and every thing modelled to the taste of
the present rulers.
The Basilica Ambrosiana, dedicated to Sant' Ambrogio,
Bishop of Milan, is a very ancient and extensive building, situ
ated in a romantic, solitary part of the city. One of the peculiar
charms of Italy is, in my opinion, that every part of it contains
monuments and buildings, which waft our imagination to times
and circumstances of uncommon interest, to ages of greatness of
which we can form but an imperfect and obscure idea ; our
curiosity is interested, and solemn reflections succeed. The
name of Ambrose, that undaunted defender of the orthodox
church, carries the mind back to the times when Milan was
the^apital of the western empire, when emperors and Caesars
kepr their court in that city, and thence ruled civilized Europe.
The library attached to the Basilica is rich in manuscripts;
among them I observed a copy of San Gregorio Nazianzeno,
of the eighth century, beautifully written : they had several
papirii, which were taken away by the French.
One of the most interesting buildings in Milan is the great hos
pital. It is a long parallelogram, of considerable extent, situated
close to the canal Naviglio. It has the disadvantage of being too
much in the centre of the city, an inconvenience common to
many ancient institutions of the same kind, formed in times
when the knowledge of medicine was still in its infancy. In the
middle of it is a spacious court surrounded by porticoes, under
which, on certain days of the year, are exposed the portraits of
the numerous benefactors who have contributed by liberal lega
cies to the support of this charitable foundation. A singular bnt
harmless distinction is made in these paintings. Those worthies
who have contributed below a certain sum are representfemstand-
ing ; those whose benefactions have been more consjflgraule, are
painted sitting comfortably at their ease. It is a plSfiant sight
to behold that offering of gratitude to those philanthropic minds
who have honoured their age and their country. Every town in
Italy had similar institutions, but the modern republican philan-

102 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
thropists seized the revenues of many of them. These philoso
phers of our days, wholly intent to enlighten the minds of their
fellow-creatures and to expel from them the darkness of ignorance,
its prejudices and superstitions, have sometimes forgotten that
men so spiritualized, are still encumbered with a body ; that they
are apt to fall sick , that they are subject to grief and misfor
tunes, that sometimes they are likely to wish for a quiet retreat
to meditate and study, and that, therefore, hospitals, churches,
and even a few . convents, are very useful institutions in their
proper place. In those dark ages which we are so apt to look
upon with a kind of horror, many a benevolent man thought of
alleviating the bodily sufferings of his fellow-creatures ; there is
then some good to be derived even from the example of our an
cestors. Every age as well as every nation, has its peculiar vices
and follies ; good is always to be found by the side of evilJi4and
I believe providence has balanced the good and bad things with
nearly an equal scale.
La Zecca or the mint of Milan, is a remarkable building. Its
distribution, the excellence of the engines employed in the pro
cess of coining, the number of workmen, and the regularity of
all the parts of its administration are admirable. It owes these
advantages to the French government, which generally carried
these national institutions to a great degree of perfection and
splendour. From the sketches I have given of what Milan was under the
late government, it is easy to conceive that the Milanese were
attached to it, and have regretted its fall. They are in that
respect differently situated from any other people in Italy. The
French made Milan the capital of a great state, a second Paris,
the residence of a brilliant court, the centre of arts and sciences :
they enmfejhed the city, they adorned it with magnificent build
ings ; tfllmflattered the vanity, the ambition, and the interests of
of its inhabitants. Milau was the place of resort for people from
all parts of Upper Italy, to sue for situations, promotions,
honours, and pensions. Nor did the advantage rest here. The
Milanese thought of their city becoming one day the capital of

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 103
the whole of Italy. Although placed under the paramount influ
ence of France, they fondly and credulously hoped that at the
death of Napoleon, the kingdom of Italy would become indepen
dent, under the sway of a separate dynasty, and that all the bril
liant dreams cherished by Italian minds for centuries past would
then become realized. All this glorious vision has vanished, the
gay structure has fallen to the ground, and Milan has returned to
the condition of a provincial city, under foreign rulers, whose
manners, language, and ideas are less congenial than those of the
French ; and the Milanese have no prospect of seeing their fate
altered. Can they feel satisfied ? The other great cities of Italy,
Turin, Florence, Rome, and Naples, have each a court, they
behold their ancient sovereigns, Italian sovereigns, residing
amongst them. Milan has none of these advantages, for the
retinue of the long expected Archduke, is not to be compared
to a kingly court. The Milanese are, therefore, looked upon,
and with foundation, as being generally partial (with the excep
tion of some of the nobility and' clergy) to the French system.
But they are a quiet sensible race of men, and they seem
thoroughly persuaded that any attempt to change their present
condition would only make it worse ; so they sit down contented,
eat, drink, and submit to their destiny. They are not by nature
either revolutionists or conspirators, although they talk willingly
and freely ; indeed, Milan has, during the late wars, constantly
and quietly submitted to the conqueror of the day. The only in
stance in which the people of Milanhaveshewn a mutinous and vin
dictive spirit, was in the murder of Prina, the minister of finances
under, Eugene. That ill-fated man was a Piedmontese by birth, and
he had rendered himself odious in the time of his power, by acts
of severity and oppression. When the Austrians approached
Milan in 1814, after the capitulation of Mantua, the people be
gan to shew symptoms of restlessness ; those individuals belong
ing to government, who had reason to believe themselves obnox
ious, seeing the storm gathering, thought prudent to conceal
themselves, until the Austrian army should enter and overawe
the populace, as few or none of the Italian troops had remained
in the capital. Prina was advised to take similar precautions,
but he affected to hold the Milanese in too great contempt, and

104 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
remained quietly in his palace. At last, the multitude assem
bled in front of it, demanding vengeance on the devoted minister.
He then thought of escaping, but it was too late. The incensed'
populace rushed into his sumptuous apartments, destroying every
thing in the house and throwing the furniture out of the windows ;
they did not, however, offer any personal violence to any of its
inhabitants, but looked into every recess for Prina, whom alone
they wanted. They found him at last concealed in a garret, half
undressed, and then the work of vengeance began. The wretched
victim was made to feel all kinds of abuses and humiliation, and
he, who three days before saw the whole of Milan trembling at
his feet — who disposed of the properties and liberties of its citi
zens, was now at the mercy of the meanest of the rabble. They
dragged him through the streets. General Pino came forward to
harangue the multitude arid to persuade them to give Prina up to
the proper authorities, but to no purpose ; and the General him
self was warned to retire ; the mob increased, but in the confu
sion Prina contrived to escape, but only to feel the bitterness of
death protracted. He took shelter in a shop, thence he passed'
info an adjoining house, but the people, who were resolved on
his destruction, had already surrounded every avenue. They
found him out a second time, as he was disguising himself in a
priest's dress, and then " mercy sighed farewell !" They beat
him, threw him down, dragged him by his feet along the pave
ment, upbraiding him with abuses and reproaches, and striking
him with the ferrules of their umbrellas, for many a well dressed
person was seen taking part in the horrid butchery* Night
added to the horror of the scene ; at last, one more violent, or
more merciful than the rest, gave him a final blow on the head
with a club, and thereby terminated his sufferings. Such was
the end of Prina, a terrible instance of popular revenge ! His
house was entirely demolished on the same day. I have seen the
place where once it stood. Throughout the whole transaction,
revenge and not pillage was the object, and the people accom
plished it with the most astonishing coolness and perseverance.
When Murat advanced to the Po in 1815, inviting all Italians
to take up arms for the independence of Italy, the Milanese re-

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, 105
mained quiet, as if they had foreseen the end of that rash expe
dition. When Murat's pompous proclamation, dated from Ri
mini, arrived at Milan, General Bellegarde, the Austrian go
vernor, published immediately a well written answer in refuta
tion of it ; and the two printed manifestoes were circulated
together through the city, that people might compare their con
tents. There were at that time very few Austrian troops in the
capital, still the theatres and public places continued open and
were frequented as usual, and the general tranquillity was not
in the least disturbed, although from Milan people might almost
hear the firing of the cannon of the Neapolitan army on the banks
of the Po.
The country around Milan is flat and monotonous, but well
cultivated ; some parts of it are unhealthy on account of the
risiere or rice fields, which require much water. The nobility
and men of wealth have their country houses at many miles
distance from the town, on the hills of Varese and Brianza, or
on the delightful shores of the lake Maggiore, or of the lake of
Como. Monza, a few miles from Milan, was the favorite resi
dence of the Viceroy Eugene ; it has a noble palace with fine
gardens annexed to it. The atmosphere of Milan.is thick and
misty, but not unwholesome ; it suits particularly people affected
by pectoral or pulmonick complaints, who are frequently sent
from Genoa and other maritime places, to try the air of Milan.
Milan being in a low situation, in the middle of -an immense
plain, the climate is very hot in summer, and as at the same
time it is too far from the Alps to be sheltered by them, the
cold northerly winds coming over the glaciers of Switzerland are
felt in their full force in winter. Upon the whole, it is an
agreeable place to spend a few weeks in, but it has not, like
the more southern Italian cities any lasting attractions for a
foreigner. I left Milan by the usual conveyance of a vetturino, to proceed
to Switzerland over the Simplon. This famous road was con
structed by Bonaparte's orders, to have at all times a free access

106

ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

, for his armies into the very heart of Italy, and to be able thereby
to say, il n' y a plus d' Alpes, as Lewis XIV. said, il «' y a plus
de Pyrenees. It is certainly the grandest work of the kind
effected by Napoleon, who employed in its construction many
millions, the labour of several thousands of people, and seven or
eight years of time. That part of the road which crosses the
great chain of Alps that divides Italy from Switzerland, is equal
to the greatest works of the ancient Romans. But to return to
my journal.
We travelled the first day's journey along the dusty roads of
the Milanese territory ; the country is fertile, the fields are
planted with corn, and crossed at equal distances by rows of
vines and mulberry trees. The latter is a very important pro
duce, as silk forms one of the principal revenues of Lombardy.
Travelling through this country is very dull, the long straight
avenues of trees which line the road, afford no prospect ; few
country houses are to be seen, and I was(glad when we approched
the lovely1 hills that border the Lago Maggiore. We arrived in
the afternoon at Sesto, a small town built at the place where the
Tesino comes out of the lake, there we had a beautiful view of
the St. Gothard and its adjoining mountain^, all covered with
snow: we crossed the river, and entered the territories of the
King of Sardinia, in which we now are. This province is called
il Novarese, from Novara, its capital, it chiefly consists of a
number of vallies branching in different directions between the
Alps, some as far as the foot of Mount Rosa, and others to the Furca
mountains. It is a land rich in pastures, and it participates of the
respective nature of Swiss and Italian countries. It has all the
bold romantic scenery of the former, while it enjoys the genial
sun and milder sky of the latter. The whole of this remote
part of Italy between the lakes and the Alps, is a most delightful
region. We slept that night at Arona, a neat little town very
prettily situated on the lake. I saw many boats and small
vessels before it, as a considerable trade is carried on with the
opposite coast of the Milanese, and the remoter one of the Swiss
Canton, of Tesino. On a hill above Arona stands a brass colossal

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 107
statue of St. Charles Borromeo, the patron of Milan ; it is
sixty Milanese braccia in height, including the pedestal, and is
seen at a great distance. Near it is a college founded by the holy
Archbishop. From Arona to Baveno, we followed on a fine level road the
shores of the lake ; the beautiful mass of waters, of an irregular
shape, about fifty miles in length, varrying from four miles to
eight in its breadth, is inclosed by hills covered with all the pro
duces of Italian vegetation, full of villages and cottages, while it
stretches its northern extremity to the very foot of the Rhaetian
Alps. The scenery is fine beyond description. At Baveno
we took a boat and went to see the celebrated Borromean islands-
belonging to the Milanese family of that name. The Isola Bella,
Where we landed, is certainly deserving that name ; its gardens
rise upon terraces one above the other in gay succession ; in the
middle of them stands the splendid palace of the owners ; the
apartments are richly and elegantly decorated ; those of the
ground floor have their walls incrusted with a curious kind of
mosaic, made of rough pebbles and shells of various colours ; the
gardens are laid out in the old unnatural style of geometrical
compartments and- ornaments, which form a most striking con
trast with the wild natural beauties of the opposite shores. There
is a fine grove with giuuchi d1 acqua. I saw a very fine laurel
tree, upon the trunk of which Bonaparte, in one of his first cam
paigns in Italy, cut the word battaglia ; some of the letters are
still to be traced out. While looking from the terrace in front
of the palace over the whole island, the wide lake around, arid
the amphitheatre of hills and mountains beyond ; here near the
shores the calm reflection of the woods and white walled cot
tages in the peaceful waters ; farther on, the. towering summits
of the Alps, with their ten thousand years qf snow, the stillness
of the scene, the singular beauty of this sequestered spot — every
thing carried the imagination to the enchanted gardens of Ar
mida, while the heart owned with a sigh, that nature is ever
beautiful, though man is often wretched.

108

ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

I left with regret the Isola Bella, and returned to Baveno.
The other two Borromean islands are called Isola Madre, and
Isola de Pescatori ; but they are scarcely noticed on account of
the superior charms of their fair neighbour. At a short distance
from Baveno, we left the Lago Maggiore, and turned to the left
into the deep vallies, following the course of the Toccia or Tosa,
a considerable river which rises in the Alps and empties itself
into the lake. Here we exchanged the Italian for the true
Alpine landscape. Black rocks. overhanging the narrow valley,
the foaming river below, fir trees covering the sides of the moun
tains, wooden hamlets scattered here and there, the distant noise
of the cataracts, and the tinkling of the cow bell ; such are the
characteristics of the Alps. We slept the second night at Domo
d' Ossola, a considerable town, tolerably well built, and finely
situated in the valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains :
this morning we left it, to enter the dark glens of the Val di
Vedro, the gloomiest defiles I have seen. We passed the Tosa
at Crevola, on a fine stone bridge, one of the many on this road :
there is a considerable glass manufactory near that place. These
vallies offer the most suitable spots for such' establishments.
Abundance of wood and water, a fine road, the convenience of
the neighbouring lake, and of the canals communicating from
it to the Po ; all these are strong encouragements to industry.
From Crevola to this place we have been continually ascending ;
the scene becoming still wilder and gloomier. Isella, whence
I write this, is the custom house of the Sardinian states en this
side, as the frontier of Switzerland is but a little further on.
The inn where I now am is built against the rock ; a foaming
torrent dashes itself at the bottom of the precipice several hun
dred feet deep, the noise is almost deafening, and the air is loaded
with vapours incessantly rising from the abyss below.
Eggs, cheese, and some fish from the river, with sour winej
have composed our dinner ; it is more than one would expect
in these deserts. To-morrow evening I shall be in Switzerland,
if the snow and wind allow us to pass the Simplon. This

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 109
mountain is about five thousand feet above the Lago Maggiore,
which is seven hundred feet above the level of the Mediterra
nean sea. These are the frontiers of Italy, how easily they
might be guarded by a brave and patriotic race ! *

* See'Appendix, No. 7.

HO ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

LETTER V.
Return to Italy. — Arrival at Pont Beauvoisin. — Piedmott'
tese custom house officers. — Smugglers. — Pass of les Echel-
les. — Chambery. — Savoyards, their character. — One of them
returned from India. — Montmelian, its important situation.
— Valley ofMaurienne. — Approach to Italy gradually felt —
Mont Cenis. — La Ramasse. — Hospice. — Italian side of the
Alps. — Change in the dress of the people. — Susa. — Sabbath
respected, — Plains of Piedmont. — Rivoli. — Turin. — Re
marks on the neglect of travellers about this city. — Advan
tages of Turin. — Its fine situation. — Theatre Carignan. —
Excursion to Superga. — Magnificent view from it.' — An
Italian holiday. — Great theatre. — Piedmontese ladies. —
Character and appearance of the people in general. — Ferti
lity of the country. — State of morals. — Religion. — Epide
mic diseases at 'Turin in 1817. — Processions. — Buildings
of Turin. — Royal palace and chapel. — Neighbourhood of
Turin. — University. — House of Savoy ; present King and
Queen. — Regularity of the court. — Reflections on the sub
ject. — Government of Piedmont. — Abuses complained of. —
Ministers. — Police of Turin. — Charitable institutions. —
State of the prisons, remarks on the subject. — Political sen
timents of Piedmontese. — State of the army. — Piedmontese
good soldiers. — Dialect qf the country. — Italian language.
Cheapness and goodness of living at Turin. — Commerce and
manufactures. — Conclusion,
1 Turin, September, 1819.
IT is with heartfelt satisfaction that I find myself once more on
this side of the Alps, in the beautiful plains of Piedmont, and
this too in a most delightful time of the year. 1 left Lyons in
the evening of the same day I had arrived from Paris, and I was
glad to avoid a delay in the former dull city. We travelled the
whole night, passed through Bourgoin and la Tour du Pin, two
small French towns, and arrived at Pont Beauvoisin, on the fron
tiers of Savoy, next morning by ten o'clock. There we were de
tained four hours by the Piedmontese custom house officers, who

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. HI
examined every part of the baggage. They are civil to passen
gers when they have no suspicion of their concealing any con
traband articles ; they do not empty their trunks, but merely
overlook the contents, taking great care not to injure them. I
have found the custom house officers of the King of Sardinia, the
best behaved of any I have met in the whole of my travels. They
are well clothed and well paid, and are little susceptible of bri
bery ; indeed, I have met with the same disinterested spirit in
the Piedmontese police officers, and in the gens d'armes, who do
their duty very well, and keep the roads perfectly Safe ; and I am
happy to be able to pay them this compliment ; they reflect
credit upon their government and upon their country.
Pont Beauvoisin is a small town divided in two by the river
Guiers, which forms the boundary between France and Savoy.
On the bridge which unites the two quarters of the town, there
are on each side sentries of the respective nations. The French
part is the best built. As I was standing in the middle of the
square near the post, I could read the inscriptions of eight or ten
inns, coffee-houses, and billiard rooms dignified by high sound
ing names. I suppose that the military, the custom house and
police officers, and the other people employed by government,
form the principal part of the inhabitants of the place, and that
they spend their frequent leisure hours in public places to kill
time. The situation of Pont Beauvoisin is low, and surrounded
by high ground, and I think it must be rather unhealthy in sum
mer. The part of it belonging to Savoy, seems poorer and of
less consequence than that on the French side.
While the custom house officers were visiting the goods with
which the diligence is generally loaded, we got our dinner, and
at two o'clock we started again. We soon arrived at the pas du
Chail, which is the first defile one meets in entering Savoy. The
road is narrow and cut out of the perpendicular rock on the brink
of a fearful precipice, at the bottom of which, runs the river
Guiers. It is over this frightful chasm that smugglers venture
often in the depths of night, climb the rocks at the risk of being
precipitated into the abyss below, and wading through the river,

112 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
they pass from one territory into the other, where the gens
d'armes are in watch for them, and where they run the chance of
losing their property, and with it their liberty, and sometimes
their lives. Still the temptation is so great on account of the
heavy duties by which the governments of Europe have now
thought proper to fetter commerce, that numbers of people are
known to live by smuggling all along the frontiers. Guilty as
they are of breaking the laws of the country, I cannot help com
passionating in some degree many of these people whom real ne
cessity and want of resources in these .inland districts lead to
follow this dangerous and illegal course of life. What nights of
watching, fatigue, and anxiety they must pass when engaged in
their expeditions ; the profits of which very often serve to enrich
their employers who rest secure at home, and who give them
such a poor share as is barely sufficient to support existence.
With what throbbing hearts must their families be waiting for
their return ! The subject is certainly very sad, and one of the
evils of the present system. The gens d'armes trace put the
smugglers, like hunters after their prey. I perceived the ma
noeuvres of some of them who had got scent of a dep6t of contra
band goods concealed in a solitary house situated on the Savoy
bank of the river, near the road ; those who were on foot sur
rounded the place at a distance, concealing themselves behind
the bushes, and then one who was mounted galloped to the house,
when all the rest rushed in. Our carriage driving on, I could
not learn any thing of the success, but I felt that the scene was
a most unpleasant one to reflect upon.
We arrived at sunset at the great pass of les Echelles, one of
the most romantic I have seen. A range of table mountains,
which I take to be a secondary chain of Alps, runs across Savoy,
between the Rhone and the Isere, and seems to forbid the ap
proach to Italy on that side, appearing like an outwork of the
great Alpine barrier. Formerly, the only way to proceed was
by steps cut in the rock, accessible only to pedestrians, and re
sembling ladders, from which, the pass took the name of les
Echelles. Charles Emmanuel II. Duke of SaVoy, had a road
opened by mines through this mass of rocks for a length of about

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 113
two miles ; a most useful and noble undertaking. An inscrip-.
tion remains in commemoration of the sovereign who had it
constructed. The road is winding, the cliffs are in some places
nearly a thousand feet high and almost perpendicular. A solemn
stillness reigns in this region. At a tremendous height above
your head, a few sheep and goats, scarcely distinguishable by
the sight, are straying on the crags which hang over 'the preci
pice, and higher up, the azure sky contrasts with the grey colour
of the rucks by which you are enclosed on every side, so as not
perceive any issue. The whole forms a most wild and dreary
scene. In the midst of these horrors, the singular appearance
of a beggar stationed on one side of the road, strikes the traveller.
This man lias lived twenty years in this place, in a kind of
wooden hut built against the rock, ten feet in length and six in
breadth, there he sleeps, works, cooks his scanty repast, and col
lects the alms of the passengers. A strange existence, which
still must have its attractions !
The ascent is very steep and fatiguing for the horses ; to
avoid it a gallery has been cut tiirough the rock, which will be
passable in a short time ; it is more than eight hundred feet in
length by twenty-five in breadth. It was begun by Bonaparte,
and has been finished by the present King of Sardinia, who seems
not to neglect these kinds of improvements in his territories.
After twenty minutes walk through the rocky glen, we saw
the sun again ; the pass became less steep and the moun
tains lower, and we began to descend towards Chambery.
Les Echelles forms on this side a natural defence to Savoy ; but
the country is open and accessible on the south, towards Greno
ble. We passed the night at Chambery. I had seen the town
on a former journey ; its situation is romantic, in a valley closely
surrounded by the lofty Alps ; the town itself is poor and indif
ferently built ; Count Andezeno, the present governor of Savoy,
resides in it ; it has a senate, which is the supreme court of jus
tice of the duchy. There are many noble families in this place,
but generally they have but small incomes ; they retain, how
ever, much of the pride of feudal times ; they were once over
bearing to the peasantry, but this is now over, and things tend
p

114 ITALY, AND THB ITALIANS
rather to the opposite extreme. The Savoyards are sincere, but
passionate ; honest and faithful, but headstrong ; charitable
amongst themselves, but the lower classes, notwithstanding this;
are much inclined to beg from the traveller, without even having
the excuse of real want. A great number of them leave their
country, and wander about Europe, subsisting by different kinds
of labour. The country women are the most submissive servants
of their husbands, as in all rude countries ; they stand waiting
behind their chairs while they are at table, and never take their
meals until their lords have finished.
The inhabitants of Chambery and of other towns of Savoy,
speak very good French. The men of letters write with great^
elegance and purity of style. One of them, Le Chevalier
Maistrt, published some time ago a curious little work, under
the title of " Voyage autour de ma Chambre ;" in which he has
imitated with success the style of Sterne's sentimental journey.*
The Savoyards have acquired much of French manners and
ideas during the last twenty years, and consequently a certain
prepossession in favour of their late masters.
On leaving Chambery, as I and my fellow-travellers were walk
ing before the diligence, we" met a young peasant carrying a
bundle of hay : — " Ah messieurs, si j'etois comme vozis, je ne
porterois pas cette botte de foin," said he, with a significant
look of envy, and an expression of ill restrained dissatisfaction,
at the supposed superiority of our lots.
A short distance from Chambery, I was struck with the ap
pearance of a fine country house and gardens ou the right of the
road, which belong to a native of this country, who made his
fortune in India. A curious story was told me of his having
been high in rank in the service of Tippoo Saheb, and of his
having betrayed his master into the hands of the English ; and
although I replied that Tippoo had perished on the breach at the
* Sec Appendix, No. 8.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 115
storming of his own capital, the Savoyard who related me this
tale, did not seem persuaded of its untruth. The nabob, as he
is called, has lived for many years at this place, in complete re
tirement ; his countrymen are prejudiced against him and avoid
his company. He succeeded lately in marrying a natural son of
his, to a young lady of Chambery, to the great disapprobation of
the people ; but money is as great a temptation in Savoy as else
where. It must be said in his favour, that he employs a good
part of his fortune in charitable purposes.
The country about Chambery is the most fertile part of Savoy.
On approaching Montmelian, I noticed the curious appearance of
a rock on the left, which resembles the. headof a sphynx, and
preserves the same resemblance on every side. The situation of
Montmelian is picturesque, and seems important in a military
point of view. It is built at the foot of a steep mountain on the
right bank of the Isere, and commands the pass of that river.
Four deep valleys open from it, the one by which you come from
Chambery, another to the left, leading into the high Alps of Ta-
rentaise, the third, to the right, following the course of the Isere
to Grenoble, arid the fourth, opening into the province of Mauri
enne, through which the road to Italy leads. The Austrians and
the French had some hard fighting at this place, in 1814.
The road after crossing the river, ascends slowly, winding be
tween two chains of Alps, which rise higher and higher, and
seem to close at Aiguebella. The situation of this town would
afford a fine subject for an Alpine landscape.
We dined at Aiguebella, and proceeding on our route, turned
round a mountain into the valley of Maurienne, a poor barren
country. The river Arc, which descends from Mont Cenis, runs
through the whole of Maurienne, and empties itself into the Isere
near Montmelian. The road keeps by the banks of this'stream
all the way to the foot of Mont Cenis. We passed in the even
ing Saint Jean de Maurienne, the principal town of the province.
The approach to Italy is here gradually felt ; the sounds of the

115 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
patois become more like the Piedmontese ; the appearance of
the people is more Italian ; there is more expression in their
countenance, and more warmth in their address. The sky was
pure and brilliant, and the moon shone brighter than I had seen
it for a long time. We passed the night at Saint Michel, a small
town with a tolerably good inn, where the diligence to and from
Italy regularly stops. Starting early in the morning, we passed
the forest of Bramant, and found ourselves in the very middle of
the Alps, some of their highest peaks covered with eternal snow
towering above the rest ; we saw to the left Mont Iseran, whence
the Isere takes its source, Mont Cenis before us and the Col de
Sestrieres on the right, over which in summer there is a passage
leading to Fenestrelle. After passing the village of Lanslebourg,
we began to ascend Mont Cenis, the road winds along the side of
the mountain, the ascent is easy, it was free from snow, and we
had a beautiful sunny day. In about three hours we' were at the
summit of the ascent. This is the place where in winter time
people slide down over the snow, on little sledges directed by a
man in front, and they reach the bottom in eight or ten minutes,
while it would take them an hour and a half by the carriage road.
There have been instances of English travellers, so very fond of
impetuous motion, as to repeat the experiment two or three times
following, reascending the mountain for the purpose of being
hurled down again from the top of it. De gtistibus non est
disputandum, is a, common proverb in Italy. This place is
called La Ramasse from ramasser.
The road striking across to the left, we lost sight at once of
the valleys of Savoy, and saw nothing but craggy summits co
vered with snow, and a few fir trees scattered round the sides of
the mountains. As we proceeded, however, towards the little
plain on the summit of Mont Cenis, the view became more
extensive and varied. A lake of the most brilliant azure, and"
of about a mile in length, occupies the centre of the plain ; its
banks are covered with green pastures mixed with wild flowers
and aromatic herbs, and the scenery is inclosed on all sides by
Alps rising upon Alps. We passed the post house and went to
nay a visit to the Hospice, which is an extensive building, for

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 117
the purpose of affording shelter and assistance to travellers. We
met two regular priests belonging to a house of their order at
Turin ; they regaled us with some excellent trout from the
neighbouring lake, some Mont Cenis cheese, stale bread, sour
wine and fruit. They make no regular charge for the refresh
ments they give, but those travellers who can afford it, leave a
small discretionary present for the benefit of the institution.
Poor people are sheltered and fed gratis. Napoleon supported
this establishment, which was useful to his troops passing con
tinually in this road, and the present government continues to
maintain it. There are revenues attached to the institution,
besides the monopoly of the fishery of the lake. We parted
very friendly from the monks and contiuu'ed our journey, fol
lowing the course of the Dora, which takes its rise in this moun
tain. We were now on Italian ground, but nothing was to be
seen as yet of the plains of that delightful country. Italy, like a
pretty coquette, seems to retreat before you ; you have a glimpse
of her in descending to Susa, but you do not see her in her loveli
ness until long after you have passed that town, and are arrived
in the plains of Turin.
The Italian side of Mont Cenis, as well as that of the Simplon,
is wilder and more abrupt than the opposite side. The rocks
are steeper, the precipices are more sudden and deeper ; nature
has surrounded her favorite Italy with these horrors, as so many
dragons watching the entrance of the garden of the Hesperides.
We passed the plain of Saint Nicholas, a deep valley, encom
passed on all sides by valleys almost perpendicular ; it is a dan
gerous pass in stormy weather, when the snow is drifted about,
so as to cover all traces of the road, and bewilder the poor tra
veller. To prevent these accidents, long poles are stuck in the
ground at short distances from each other, and refuges or shelter
houses of strong masonry have been built to afford asylum against
the fury of the elements. We passed the new fortress of Bra-
mante, constructed on the left of the road, on a rock surrounded
on all sides by dreadful precipices, the batteries of which
command the pass completely. The descent becomes steeper
and steeper ; it forms a zig-zag with very sharp angles. We

118 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
arrived at five o'clock at Le Molaret, the first Piedmontese
post-house. Here nature assumes a milder aspect, we leave
behind us the dreary horrors of Alpine scenery, and there remain
only the romantic, pleasing features of the valley. We noticed
also the different dresses of the postillions ; the embroidered
military jacket of the French gives place to the short Italian
jacket of striped velveteen, trowsers of the same, instead of the
enormous French jack-boots, and the red sash of the south,
begin to make their appearance. The language is the Piedmon
tese, and the better sort speak Italian.
We arrived at Susa about sunset. It was a Sunday evening,
and for the first time since I had left England, I perceived visible
signs of the Sabbath. The shops were shut, and numbers of
cleanly dressed females, in their holiday garbs, were returning
from church. I felt real pleasure in seeing this ; the Italians,
with all their frailties and follies, still preserve that respect for
the religion of their forefathers, which is connected with the
best feelings of the heart.
Susa is an ancient looking town, pleasantly situated on the
banks of the Dora, and at the very foot of the Alps, and sur
rounded by gardens and vineyards. It had an ancient castle,
called La Brunetta, which was considered very strong, but it
was razed by the French in the late wars. Here the climate, the
architecture, the appearance of the people — every thing is Italian.
We left Susa next morning early, and traversing a narrow
valley^ along the river Dora, we passed Avegliana, beyond
which the landscape becomes wider and the country finer, until
at last, on approaching Rivoli, you see at once the wide fertile
plains of the Po, opening before you, with the majestic Alps.
forming a crescent at a distance ; the fine avenue of Rivoli, the.
domes of the capital, and the stately sanctuary of Superga. The
whole constitutes a magnificent amphitheatre : this is real Italy !
this is the land
" Ch' Apennin parte, e '1 mar circonda e '1' Alpe."

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 119
The road between Susa and Rivoli is bad ; the King has given
orders to repair it, but government seems not to be seconded by
its subalterns, for instead of mending the old road, which might
easily be done, they are constructing, at a great expence, a new
one, at a short distance from the former, by which means the
commissioners enrich themselves, the people grumble, and all
parties complain, to the satisfaction of the ill intentioned. This
is the way in which most things at present are carried on in
Italy. Rivoli is a small town, about seven miles from Turin ; it has
a palace belonging to the king, where he spends a part of the
year. A superb, straight avenue, with double rows of trees,
leads to the capital. We arrived at Turin at eleven in the morn
ing, we entered by the Porta Susiha, and the fine street of
Dora Grossa.
Turin is perhaps of all the Italian capitals, the least noticed
by travellers, although, in my opinion, it deserves a distinguished
place among them. This unmerited neglect is probably owing
to the short stay that English and other travellers make in it.
A foreigner arriving by Mont Cenis, feels generally such a "strong
attraction drawing him towards the south ; Florence, Rome, and
Naples, are objects of such magnitude to his view, that he can
not linger on the very threshold of Italy, and after a day or two
spent in visiting the gallery of paintings in the king's palace, in
sauntering under the arcades in Strada Po, and in peeping in at
the theatres, he hastens to quit Turin, with few lasting impres
sions of it remaining in his mind. At his return, he either takes
the road by Milan and the Simplon, or if he retraces his steps
by Mont Cenis, he is so full of what he has seen in the classical
parts of Italy, that Turin is again disregarded, and he passes.
through it with the same listless indifference as before. For roy
part, having visited this city several times, and made some stay.
in it, I have learned to appreciate it, and I consider Turin as a
very interesting place, equal in point of situation, to any inland
town of Italy, and as a most comfortable residence for a stranger.
It is called II giojethdelV Italia ; and is, Upon the whole, the

120 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
best built city in that country ; the greatest part of it being on
a regular plan ; the streets are broad, straight, and cross one
another at right angles. The two principal squares, Piazza
Castello, and Piazza San Carlo, are magnificent, and the fine
lofty arcades around them, and those along the Strada Po, afford
a great convenience in bad weather : there every day after twelve
one meets the fashionable part ef the population, walking up and
down, there one finds the best shops, coffee-houses, inns and
restaurateurs, and after crossing in'this manner the greater part
of the town, and arriving at the end of the Strada Po, one sees at
once the river, the noble bridge over it, the verdant hills on the
o thr side covered with country houses, and their highest point
crowned with the splendid church of Superga.
The situation of Turin, is extremely pleasant, and the land
scape round it, bold and varied. The city is built on the left or
western bank of the Po, in a beautiful plain, bounded on the
north and west by the Alps, at the distance of fifteen or twenty
miles ; to the south it opens into the fertile province of Saluzzo,
and to the east, the view is agreeably terminated by a range of
hills rising immediately from the right bank of the Po, and which
afford during the summer, a pleasant retreat in their verdant
groves and well cultivated gardens. As soon as you pass the
bridge, you ascend to the church and convent of La Madonna del
Monte, and from the terrace in front of it you see to the greatest
advantage the whole amphitheatre I have mentioned. The city
of Turin is laid before you as on a map ; it is small, but elegant
and neat, and the country around is well cultivated ; you trace
the course of that noble river the Po, which takes its source
from the glaciers of Mont Viso, the highest and boldest peak of
the chain which divides Piedmont from Dauphin^ ; then turning
to the north the sight is bewildered in that formidable mass of
Alps that divides Switzerland from Italy. You easily distinguish
the hoary summits of Monte Rosa, the highest mountain in
Europe next to Mont Blanc, rising proudly above the rest. It
is a scene indeed worthy of admiration ; such a variety of yellow
plains, green hills, dark woody mountains, and white icy peaks :
you follow nature through all her gradations from the banks of

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY* 121
the Po to inaccessible regions beyond the clouds, from the heart
of genial summer to the depth of eternal, deathlike winter ; here
are seen united the wild boldness of the Swiss, with the softer
feature of the Italian landscape, the whole enhanced by a warm
sun and brilliant sky. The sight of this magnificent panorama
puts me in mind of a circumstance which happened here a few
years ago, when the French ruled this country. A general of
that nation, accompanied by his valet de chambre, the latter a
true Parisian, arrived at Turin in the dead of night, and went to
lodge with a friend who resided on the hill beyond the Po. Next
morning La Fleur gets up, throws open the windows of the
apartment, rubs his eyes, and sees before him the plain of Turin,
the city, the Po, and the Alps, C'est beau ! cela resemble au
Pare de V Empereur, cries out the astonished Frenchman, in
tending a compliment to the lovely and sublime country spread
before his eyes.
But to return to Turin ; in.the evening I went to the theatre
Carignano, situated opposite the palace of that name ; it is here
that the operas are performed during a great part of the year,
the grand theatre being only open during Carnival. The theatre
Carignano is small but neat; the subject of the opera was
" Messer Gianni," taken from the French of " Jean de Paris."
It is now the. predominating taste in Italy to borrow their dramas
and comedies from the French, English, and Germans, instead
of choosing Italian ones. This is another instance of the want
of national spirit.
Next day, 8th September, being the nativity of the Virgin, in
whose honor and under whose title the church of Superga was
built ; high mass was performed in that church, at which the
court attended. On that day the population of Turin and of the
neighbouring country flock to that sanctuary. The church is
built on the summit of a very steep hill, about four miles to the
north east of Turin. I descended the Pa in a boat for about two
miles, and landing at the foot of the hill, began to ascend by a
rugged path. Numbers of pedestrians, citizens, and rustics,
men and women crowded along the way. They were all in tbeis
«

122 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
best dresses, jogging merrily on ; an air of liveliness and con
tentment shining on their countenances ; the clear brown com
plexions of the females, were flushed by exertion and the heat of
the weather— it was a real Italian holiday. In little more than
an hour I arrived at the summit and proceeded to the church. It
is a neat and elegant temple, with a fine portico in front, and
crowned by a lofty dome, the interior of the church is covered
with rich marbles, and the whole is far superior to any of the
churches in 'lurin. It was built in consequence of a vow made
by Victor Amadeus, on the eve of the memorable battle, won by
Prince Eugene over the French, in the beginning of the last
century. The tombs of the kings of Sardinia are in the vaults
underneath. When I entered the church high mass was being
performed, at the end of which a statue of the Virgin covered
covered with a guady dress, was carried round in procession.
The King and the Duchess of Genevois followed, escorted by
their officers. The music was fine, and the whole ceremony
went off with much decorum and solemnity. The people seemed
to feel real respect and devotion ; and after all that has been said
against the introduction of images, and the forms of Catholic
worship, I doubt much whether the southern nations who are by
nature more sensual and less metaphysical than those of the
north, could do well without these emblems that strike the senses,
and thence find a way to the heart.
1 visited the adjoining cloisters, an extensive and well planned
building, from the windows of which I enjoyed a most splendid
view, far more extensive than that of La Madonna del Monte,
although perhaps less interesting on account of the- diminutive
appearance of the distant objects, owing to the greater elevation.
From the north-east side of the building I had a view of the
plains of Lombardy, and I was told that in very clear weather
the spire of the cathedral of Milan is to be seen. More to the
right the hills of Montferrat, covered with vineyards, closed the
view. The south-east prospect ranges over the plains of Ales
sandria, as far as the distant Apennines of Genoa. From the
corridor on the south-west I saw the fine plains of Saluzzo, and
the western Alps, with the peak of Mont Viso overtopping them,

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 123
and nearer, the city and plain of -Turin. To the north-west 1
observed the- remarkable opening in the mountains which leads
to the valley of Susa, and farther to the right the collossal chain
of the Swiss Alps, appeared like a massey wall, the summit of
which was lost in the clouds. This view is somewhat of the
same character as that from the Duomo of Milan, and the two
convey a pretty accurate idea of the immense plain watered by
the Po.
A little below the church, on a small flat, there is an inn,
where the joyous peasantry repaired after their devotions to -re
fresh themselves, and enjoy the rest of the day. Temporary
sheds were placed round, under which all parties sat indis
criminately at table, eating and drinking, talking and laughing.
Others were spread in groups about the neighbouring meadows,
and were busied in cooking the victuals they had brought with
them by a fire of branches and leaves hastily collected. Parties
of strolling, musicians went about, receiving as their fee a share
of the collation. After their frugal repast, the junior part cf the
assembly collected themselves in various clusters, and began
dancing their national monfredina, or rather monferratina (from
monferratoj a lively kind of country dance. All this scene was
so animated, so pastoral, and so full of innocent and genuine
gaiety that I felt its influence operating powerfully upon me.
A pure atmosphere, a fine country, a magnificent view ; surely,
this is happiness, if happiness can be found on earth. These
people are naturally good and generous ; no malignant passions,
no splenetic vapours were to be traced on their features. Italy
with all her ills, is a happy countiy still ; let peace be granted
to her, and nature is so bountiful, as to make her quickly recover
from all her losses ; and then her contented children may laugh
at all the wild reveries of gloomy philosophers^ who pretend to
better their condition by persuading them that they are unhappy,
and by depriving them of their peace and tranquility.
I had seen the great theatre of Turin on a former occasion,
and found it one of the finest in Italy, it ranks after San Carlo of
Naples, and the Scala of Milan. The entrance to it is under the

124 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
arcades at the eastern end of the Piazza Castello, close by the
Strada Po, , The interior is rather gloomy, owing to the ancient
appearance of the ornaments, the faded gilding, and also to a scar
city of light, there being no chandelier in the middle ; this
darkness, however, increases the effect of music, and I felt more
delighted in it, than in the dazzling briljiancy of San Carlo. A
great fault in Italian theatres is the pit being quite flat, by which
persons behind are deprived of the sight of the stage. This is
done to leave room for the lower order of boxes.
I saw at the grand theatre of Turin a greater display of female
beauty than I expected, from the general appearance of the sex
in the public walks. The Piedmontese ladies are rather fair,
they have generally a delicate and pale complexion, they are tall
and well made, their features perhaps have not that regularity of
contour to be found in more southern regions, but they have a
softness of expression, a certain langour and pensiveness intheir
looks, and an air of benevolence and openness which are peculi
arly interesting. The men are a stout race, tall and well made,
and fairer than other Italians. In some of the valleys of the
Alps, and particularly in th^Val d' Aosta, there are cretins with
very large goitres, or swellings in their necks, similar to those
who are met with in the valleys of Switzerland on the other side
of the Alps.
The whole appearance of Turin and of its inhabitants, is rather
solemn and sad ; the regularity of the buildings; the' width of
the streets ; the quietness that reigns in them — every thing in
spires a degree of melancholy more pleasing perhaps than the
bustle and confusion of Naples, or the barefaced dissipation of
Milan. The manners of the better sort of the Piedmontese are
genteel and dignified ; there is much solidity in their character ;
they are sensible and studious ; magnificent, and rather prodigal
in their taste, and fond of good living. The lower classes are
cheerful, open, and industrious. There is an appearance of ease
and comfort in the looks of the Piedmontese peasantry, which is
not to be found any where south of the Apennines, except, per
haps, in Tuscany. The females of the lower classes, are fond of

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 125
show in their ornaments, they wear necklaces rf large bea-'s of gold
in five or six rows. They wear a peculiar kind of high cap of white
muslin, somewhat resembling in shape the helmet of a cavalry
soldier. The bourgeoises of Turin, dress in coloured gowns,
black silk aprons, and caps, quite d la Frangaise. This class
of females consisting in Turin of shopkeepers' wives and daugh
ters, milliners, &c. are very free in their manners and address,
and have a good deal of French coquetry about them. The
Piedmontese ladies dress generally after the French fashion, but
of late many have rather adopted the English style.
The Piedmontese landholders are generally rich, as estates are
very productive in this country. Piedmont is one of the most
fertile regions of Europe. Its plains afford abundance of com
and rice, of fruits and vegetables of all kinds ; and the cultiva
tion of the mulberry tree, for the nourishment of the silkworms,
is the source of an important branch of commerce. The silks of
Piedmont are far superior to those of Naples : the organsins are
of the best quality. The system of irrigation by canals and
sluices from the numerous rivers which cross the plains of Pied
mont, adds greatly to their fertility. The hills cf Monferrato and
Asti, are covered with vineyards which yield various kinds of
excellent wines, consumed in the country, and little known out
of it. A rich proprietor of Asti made lately a trial by sending
some of the wine of his own growth by sea to Lisbon, whence it
returned much improved, which shows that the fault attributed
to Italian wines in general, of being unable to bear a sea voyage,
is at least,not applicable to those of Piedmont. The beautiful
valleys which branch in several directions from the plain to the
very foot of the Alps, are rich in pastures, and the cattle reared
in them are the finest in Italy : the whole of the Genoese terri
tory is supplied by them. This is the country which a French
writer described lately as un pays sterile et peu favorise- de la
nature. The Pfedmontese gazette contented itself with remark
ing that it was a pity the French had not made this discovery
while they were masters of the country, for then they would not
have loaded it so unmercifully with taxes.

126 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
t
The Piedmontese are rather fond of gambling ; they have a
national game called tarrocco, for which a peculiar set of cards
are used. The billiard rooms are much frequented. The Pied
montese gentry, especially those in the country, are hospitable,
sociable, and fond of strangers. Of late, however, some adven
turers having found their way to this rich country, thought it
well to lay it under contribution. They assumed names, and
pretended to rank, had a ready tale of some accident having
happened to them on the road, and contrived to live for some
time a discretion, and to get credit for clothes, &c. ; after
which, they thought proper to take French leave of their Pied
montese friends. One of those worthies, a native of the Ionian
Islands, succeeded in getting introduced to several persons of
rank, natives and foreigners, and to sit at their tables. This,
however, is easier in Italy than in other countries, on account of
the familiarity of manners and of the little formality and refer
ence required to make a new acquaintance, and it shows that
there is much less diffidence in the Italian character than
foreigners are apt to suppose. You make the acquaintance of an
Italian in a coffee-house, or in the diligence, and if he is satisfied
with your outward appearance and manners, he will immediately
invite you to his house and introduce you to his relations and ac
quaintance. This confidence has, however, rather decreased like
many other good traits of national character, since the late wars.
The state of morals at Turin, is not so loose as at Milan,
Naples, and other large Italian capitals. The good example and
strict regularity of the court, keep the upper classes, at least,
within the bounds of outward decorum and decency. Young
ladies are brought up very strictly either in nunneries or in their
own houses, until the time of their marrying. Gallantry to mar
ried women is practised among people of fashion ; but in the in
ferior classes is less frequent, or carried on with more caution
and secrecy. I think one of the reasons which renders this evil
so common in the upper classes, is the little attention paid to the
inclinations, tastes, and sympathies of the parties, in matrimo
nial alliances. Young blooming girls are often bestowed in mar
riage on old invalids, or worn out rakes, on account of their rank

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 127
and fortune ; such preposterous connections cannot be happy ;
nature has its rights, which all the contrivances of men cannot
destroy. In proposing a marriage to the relations of a young
lady, the first things to be settled, are, her portion, pin money,
carriage, opera box, number of servants, house in town, villa in
the country, &c. &c. ; the least important part of the whole is to
know, what kind of education the girl has received, what her
dispositions and tastes are, and scarcely any attention is paid to
her sentiments towards her future husband.
The Piedmontese profess the Roman Catholic religion, with
the exception of a little district in the Alps called the valleys of
Luzerne, the population of which is Protestant, who although in
former times have been persecuted are now protected and enjoy
the free exercise of their worship. Religious ideas, although
neglected by the young men of the cities, still preserve their
power on a great mass of the population. The solemnities of the
church always attract great crowds, and as the court and elder
part of the nobility are strictly religious, they oblige the young
fashionables to follow their example, at least, in appearance. I
think the Italian character naturally inclined to religion, on ac
count of its disposition to melancholy : passionate feelings and
enthusiastic devotion spring from the same source.
I was at Turin in the early part of 1817. The winter had
been very distressing to the poor in the north of Italy. The
badness of the harvest and vintage of the preceding year, the
dearth and misery which was the consequence, the rigour of the
winter, and the epidemic diseases which followed, rendered the
appearance of Turin exceedingly gloomy ; at every third or
fourth door I saw the insignia of death ; I met funerals in every
street ; and to add to the general calamity, a drought of three
months had parched up the earth and filled the atmosphere with
malignant vapours. Public prayers were put up to implore the
Almighty to send rain, and restore health to the afflicted people.
Ladies of the first rank followed the processions in mourning ;
these scenes were impressive and affecting. The idea of death
had become familiar to the inhabitants ; even young women

128 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
spoke of it without terror, saying with a sad but calm resigna
tion, " Our next door neighbour is just dead, next week perhaps
it will be my turn, I hope I shall see you again before that."
The other night I was walking through the street of Dora
Grossa, I saw a number of torches and many people assembled ;
I approached ; about twenty little girls dressed in black with
white veils thrown over their heads, and wax tapers in their
hands, were standing in two ranks before a house, some whis
pering ; others laughing with childish simplicity ; all at once a
priest comes out, a bier follows, carried by two men, the tapers
are lighted, the greatest silence prevails amongst the spectators,
the psalm Laudate Dominum omnes gentes is sung, and the
procession moves slowly on towards the grave. It was a .young
girl who had left the world before she could regret it.
The royal palace at Turin is a plain building, forming one of
the angles of the Piazza Castello ; the court seldom resides in
it, but spends the greatest part of the year at the royal seats in
the country or at Genoa. It contains a choice collection of paint
ings. ¦ There are gardens annexed to the palace, which are open
to .the public during the summer. I went from the palace through
a passage into the royal chapel del S. Sudario, which forms part
of the chathedral. This chapel is so called from a relick it
contains, viz. ; the sheet in which the body of our Saviour was
wrapped. The inside of the chapel is lined with black marble
brought from the mountains of Chablais. The solemn gloom of
the place harmonized with the impressive chaunt of psalms, and
the swelling peals of the organ in the church below.
The buildings at Turin are rather simple ; few are remarkable
for their architecture. The old castle which stands in the middle
of Piazza ' Castello, has a fine front facing the street of Dora
Grossa, the other sides of it are in a ' ruinous state ; the old
towers present an odd contrast with the -modern appearance of
the buildings and arcades round the square ; the effect it pro
duces is peculiarly-striking by moonlight. It was the intention
of the late government to have razed this castle, but I think it

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 129
would have made the square appear monotonous and dismal,
unless they had planted a garden in the centre of it : this how
ever is neither a French nor an Italian fashion. The streets of
Turin are washed every night by the water of the Dora, which is
let out through sluices for the purpose.
The environs of Turin abound in fine walks. One of the
pleasantest is that which leads to the Valentin, a pleasure house
of the king on the bank of the Po. The principal country resi
dences of the court are those of Stupinigi, Rivoli, La Veneria,
and La Villa della Regina. The last is charmingly situated on
the slope of the hill beyond the bridge of the Po, and contains
some good paintings by Carlo Maratti and others.
Turin was formerly fortified with ramparts and ditches ; the
latter are filled up and the former demolished, so that from al
most every part of the town you have a view of the country. The
citadel, however, is still remaining, it stands at the south-west
end of the town, and is considered of some strength, but certainly
could not protect the capital from an invading army, and its
vicinity to the city would prove fatal to both.
The university situated in Strada Po, has a good library and
a collection of a few antiques, dignified by the name of museum.
It possesses, however, one great curiosity, the famous lsiac table
of brass, covered with hieroglyphics, supposed to relate to the
astronomical observations of the ancient Egyptians. There are
also two mummies, in good preservation, and a very fine ancient
mosaic, found in the island of Sardinia. Sciences and literature
are cultivated at Turin ; this city has produced in modern times
many distinguished men of letters.
The house of Savoy is one of the oldest dynasties of Europe :
the ancestors of the present sovereign were Counts of Savoy as
far back as the beginning of the twelfth century ; they assumed
the title of Dukes of Savoy and Princes of Piedmont in the be
ginning of the fifteenth, and that of Kings of Sardinia about a
century ago. The sovereigns of this house, although absolute,
R

130 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
have in general been distinguished by their virtues and the
mildness of their sway ; several of them have been famous in
arms and politics. The present King, Victor Emmanuel, is
brother of Charles Emmanuel, who abdicated in 1798, and who
lives now in religious retirement at Rome. * Victor Emman
uel's consort is Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria, by
whom he has four daughters ; the eldest is married to the present
Duke of Modena. The King's brother, the Duke of Genevois, is
married to a daughter of the King of Naples, by whom he has no
issue. The Salic law being in force here as well asJn France,
the crown devolves therefore upon the young Prince Carignan^
of a lateral branch, and who has lately married a daughter of the
Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The present king is an upright, well-intentioned prince, and
loved by all who know him ; he is fond of his subjects, plain
and affable in his manners, and is very easy of access : the most
dissatisfied can say nothing against his personal character. He
has a partiality for the military profession ; he had the command
of the Piedmontese troops when Duke of Aosta, in the wars of
the revolution. When he is in town he is often seen drilling
his officers in the royal gardens. He is a very good equestrian,
and he generally takes an evening ride to the Valentin, where the
queen and princesses precede him in carriages. There is an air
of dignified simplicity, of regularity and order about the royal
family, which cannot fail to impress the people with respect ;
a few Frenchified coxcombs, or unprincipled men may sneer,
but the Piedmontese in general are attached to their sovereign.
Economy and regularity carried almost to monotony, are the
standing orders of the royal household. I have often met the
king walking under the arcades in Strada Po with a single at
tendant, and returning the salutations of the people with great
affability. The queen is remarkable for her elegant and digni
fied manners, and is possessed of abilities and information ; she
speaks Italian, German, and French, equally well ; the latter is
the common language at her court, but the king has a marked
* He has died at Rome since the date of this letter.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 131
predilection for the Piedmontese dialect. The Duchess of Ge
nevois is highly commended for her goodness and charitable dis
position. The Prince of Carignan is a young man who has
received a liberal education, and promises well.
There is certainly a great difference between the morality and
decorum of such a court, and the profligate conduct of the French
governors who were sent to rule over this fine part of Italy. One
of them had turned Mussulman in Egypt, another was famous
only for his debaucheries ; their example could only tend to
corrupt the people. It has been remarked by a late French
writer that the persons to whom Bonaparte delegated his civil
power in conquered countries, were generally men who had little
to recommend them to the people they were sent to govern, and
that they appeared like des pales satellites autour d' un aslre
malfaisant. The history of the French courts iu • Spain, Ger
many, and Italy, sufficiently illustrates this assertion ; it remains
to be decided whether this was on his part a measure of policy,
to be sure of his substitutes by their insignificance, or whether
he thought so meanly of the conquered as not to mind conciliat
ing their spirit, sure as he was of overpowering their dislike with
his bayonets.
The government of Piedmont is an absolute monarchy, and the
ancient laws and system of administration have been re-esta
blished perhaps with too great exactitude on the same basis on
which they stood before the French invasion. On this point
therefore the people have lost by the change, as the French civil
and criminal codes, with all their imperfections, were certainly
preferable, and more adapted to the present state of the human
mind ; for which reason they have wisely been preserved in most
of the other Italian states. There are several regulations in the
present system which are particularly complained of, and I will
briefly mention them.— 1st. The subjects of the King of Sardi
nia are, in a certain manner, attached to the soil, no one can quit
the country or sell his immoveable property without the permis
sion of government.— 2d. By the present code there is a marked
difference between the penalties applicable 'to the nobility, and

132 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
those applicable to the other classes, in cases of the same nature.
—3d. The judges of the different courts receive a fee for every
sentence they give, without the payment of which they are not
obliged to deliver the acts. These are certainly great faults, and
must give occasion to important abuses. The administration of
justice is left in a great measure at the discretion of individuals,
and rests chiefly upon their probity — a dangerous trust for all
parties. Another vice which prevails also in almost every other
state of Italy, is the indefinite procrastination in law suits, and in
criminal processes, by which a man is sometimes kept years in
prison before his fate is decided.
Two other great subjects of complaint in Piedmont, are the
salvo condotti, and biglietti regj. The former are protections
given by the king to persons hard pressed for debts, and which de
fend them against the prosecutions of their creditors for a certain
period. The biglietti, are orders also emanating from govern
ment, by which several noblemen have been authorized to take
possession of their estates which had been sold during the poli
tical changes, on paying the original sum disbursed by those who
had purchased them. These arbitrary acts appear so extraordi
nary that they require some explanation. The following is the
result of the enquiries I have made on the subject. During the
French invasion, many of the nobility who were attached to their
ancient government, were either deprived of their property, or
submitted to heavy contributions ; to pay which, they were
obliged to borrow money at an exorbitant interest, and to mort
gage or even to sell their estates, and, in short, to submit to all
the wrongs imposed on them by their merciless rulers. On the
return of the king they stated the grievances they had suffered ;
many cases of flagrant oppression were made out ; it was proved
"that many of acquirers of national property had come in posses
sion of it.unlawfully, or paid but a very trifling part of the value ;
upon which, the only means government could devise of arrang
ing matters in such a chaos of conflicting interests, was to adopt
the system of issuing salvo condotti and biglietti, which might
compensate in part the faithful adherents of their sovereign for
their losses, and which was in many instances punishing injustice

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 133

in a summary and irregular manner ; an arbilary but not an un
just retribution, similar to those wise, although peremptory
decisions we find so much praised in the history of some other
monarchs. This practice may have led to abuses ; the king's
conscience may at times have been misled and his power misused
in service of undeserving people, although his intentions were
good ; but it ought to be remembered, that the King of Sardinia
on returning into his dominions, was obliged, both by policy and
gratitude, to do something for those who had suffered in his
cause, and he could only do it at the expence of the persons who
had profited in an unprincipled manner, by the overthrow of the
ancient government, and who had shared with the invaders the
plunder of the country : it was at worst but paying them in their
own coin. These obnoxious concessions seem, however, at pre
sent subsided ; let us hope, that by degrees all these irregulari
ties will disappear from the administration of the Sardinian
states. The present ministry is composed of men of abilities. The
minister for foreign affairs, Count St. Marsan, is well known in
the diplomatic world from the missions in which he has been
employed ; the minister of finances, is Marquis Brignole, a
Genoese nobleman ; Count de Balbo, is intrusted with the port
folio of the interior, and he superintends, also, the important de
partment of the public studies and education ; he is highly
respected for his abilities, integrity, and amiable qualities. His
recent nomination to the high post he occupies, does great credit
to the sovereign, and has been a subject of satisfaction to all
honest men.
The criminal code of this country is very severe ; the dreadful
punishment of the wheel is still in use in cases of atrocious guilt.
An instance of it has occurred lately, by a sentence of the senate
of Turin (which is the high court of justice of the country),
against a man of the province of Varallo, who had been guilty of
several robberies, housebreaking, and murder.

134 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
The merchants complain that little attention is paid by govern
ment to the commerce of the country, and that the duties upon
importation and exportation are not laid on in such a manner as
to encourage national industry ; this subject does not appear to
be settled yet, as alterations continue to be made in this depart
ment. The present government has had plenty of business on
their hands since the restoration, and it cannot be expected that
every thing should be properly arranged in so short a space of
time. Very few beggars are to be seen in the streets of Turin ; the
police is good, the streets are well lighted at night, and great
order and regularity prevail. Travellers ariving at Turin, must
have their passports signed by the minister for foreign affairs,
for which they pay four livres. There is, however, no delay at
tending this formality, and the persons employed in the different
offices are remarkably civil.
The city of Turin is about a mile and a half in length from
Porta Susina to Porta Po, and is about half. as much in its great
est breadth ; it contains about ninety thousand inhabitants. The
population has increased since the return of the king, and the
town, in consequence, has increased in splendour. I was rather
surprised to see the city of Turin styled in public documents,
U illustrissima cittd di Torino, Contessa di Grugliasco,
Signora di Beinasco ; the latter are two fiefs belonging to her
ladyship. Among the philanthropic institutions of Turin, that of Le
Rosine is the most remarkable ; this is an asylum for orphan
girls, who. are brought up under the direction of matrons, in such
habits of industry, that they almost support the establishment by
the work of their hands. It is truly pleasing on passing by their
windows, to hear them singing cheerfully while at work — their
harmonious voices mixing with the noise of the loom and spin
ning wheel.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 135
Passing from this pleasing subject to a very different one, I
am sorry to say that the prisons and houses of correction are not
always conducted with that spirit of humanity and christian cha
rity, which ought to preside over, all such places, and which is
more to be found in England than in any other country. The
houses of confinement throughout Italy, seem in general more
calculated to strike terror and despair in the hearts of the
wretched victims of distress and corruption, than to recal the
misled, and console the repentant. The Ergastolo, at Turin,
where a certain class of females are confined, is a distressing
specimen of this want of feeling. The fate of these unfortunate
creatures is already hard enough, without the addition of unne
cessary severity and cruelty. This melancholy subject has claims
on the attention of the philanthropist and politician of every
civilized country.
With regard to their political opinions, tile Piedmontese, as
well as the other Italians, are divided into two parties. The
nobility are attached to their present government by principle and
by interest, and the peasantry by habit and religion. In the
middle classes, and especially among the junior part of them,
there are many dissatisfied spirits, who, however, have not.made
up their minds on what they wish for, but entertain a vague no
tion that something is wrong, and would be much at a loss to
explain what. There is, however, much less virulence even
among these in Piedmont, than among the Milanese, or their
other neighbours, and if government acts wisely and moderately,
this restless spirit will subside by degrees. The greater part of
the discontented people are, at the bottom, only regretting the
French, and that for many reasons. Interest is the chief: many
of these self-styled patriots held lucrative employments, . either
civil or military, under the late government, and have lost them
by the restoration. Besides, the late system was more analagous
to their taste in religion and morals ; relaxation in both, being
not only overlooked, but often encouraged by example, and such
a state of things had great attractions for persons of a certain
class. Ambition and vanity had a great share in the predilec
tion of young men(for the French government ; they were flat-

130 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
tered by the idea of forming a part of a great nation ; they were
dazzled by its military glory; their enthusiasm and passions had
taken this bias, and they have felt their disappointment severely.
It does not come into the head of theSe Italians, that they can
hope for real glory and advantage only from the independance of
their country, and that they ought to have no interest in common
with people beyond the Alps, from whom they are divided by
nature and character. I have heard some Milanese make an ap
propriate remark on the subject to their Piedmontese friends :
comparing the present situations of their respective countries,
they observed that the Piedmontese had at least an Italian sove
reign and court ; that they ranked as an independant state ; that
the taxes they pay are spent in the country, and circulate to its
profit ; that civil and military situations are all filled by natives,
and, in short, that the fate of their countiy is much preferable to
that of Lombardy, reduced to the condition of a distant province
of a foreign empire. The justness of these reflections must
strike every dispassionate mind, and may be favorable to the fu
ture prospects of the Sardinian government.
The military forces of the King of Sardinia are in a very re
spectable condition. Part of them are formed into a standing
army, in which soldiers are enlisted voluntarily, either for a cer
tain period or for life ; the guards, the cavalry, the artillery,
the royal regiments, and several regiments of cacciatori,
or light troops, belong to this class. The other and the most
numerous part of the army is formed of provincial regiments,
raised by conscription ; the. soldiers composing them are classed
in three divisions, one of which alone is under arms at a time,
while the rest remain at home,- and they relieve each other every
eight months, so that in the course of two years the whole have
performed their duty. This is a great economy to government,
as the soldiers off duty receive but a trifling allowance out of
their pay, besides which, there is a great saving in their dresses,
arms, and accoutrements. As it would be hard to turn away
those amongst them who perhaps have no home, or a miserable'
one to return to, they are allowed to remain or to serve in the
permanent army. This indulgence is however riot often required ;'

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 137
and it must be observed, that the country being small, the dis
tance of the different garrisons from the respective homes of the,
soldiers is but short, and it is for these a pleasant walk of at
most three or four days, through a fine country.
By these means, the King of Sardinia has an army of seventy
thousand men, well disciplined, and perfectly well dressed and
equipped, and which he can collect at ten days notice. The
provincial regiments, are named from their respective provinces
and towns, such as the regiment Aosta, regiment Saluzzo, that
of Monferra,to, Alessandria, A>sti, &c. The Piedmontese are fine
looking men and good soldiers, the best perhaps among the Ital
ians, they have enjoyed this reputation for centuries ; their
country being placed at the entrance of Italy has been often the
theatre of wars between France and Austria, in which the court
of Turin took sometimes one side, sometimes another ;' managing,
however, at every treaty of peace to be rather a gainer than a
loser. With its present army, and the passes of the country de
fended on the side of France, the King of Sardinia is by far the
most powerful sovereign in Italy, with the exception of Austria.
The spirit of the Piedmontese troops is in general good ; there
may be some remains of partiality towards Napoleon, in some of
the individuals who served under him, but, even they, are mostly
reconciled to their present government, which shows a particular
regard on its part to the army. There is, besides, in the Pied
montese army a good number of old officers, who have always
been attached to the king's cause, and who either followed him
in his exile to the island of Sardinia, or entered the ranks of the
allied armies and fought under the banners of Russia, Austria,
or England. The Russian army has several officers of rank who
are natives of Piedmont. The greatest part of the Piedmontese
officers who had served abroad returned after the peace, and
offered their services to their own sovereign, who has distin
guished them with his favour. There are several colonels of
regiments, who served in the foreign corps in British pay in dif
ferent parts of the Mediterranean. Upon the whole, there is a
national spirit and good harmony prevailing amongj them. There
s

138

ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

are but few foreign officers at present in the service of his Sar
dinian majesty.
Piedmont furnishes the greatest part of the King of Sardinia's
army. Savoy, Genoa, Nice, and Sardinia furnish their respec
tive regiments, but the difference of national character between
the natives of these various countries, is some obstacle to their
good understanding. The Savoyards and the Genoese do not
agree well with the Piedmontese ;- political recollections mix with
their national feelings. A serious instance of their antipathy
happened in the Easter holidays of 1816, when a quarrel broke
out between the queen's Piedmontese regiment and the regiment
of Savoy, both in garrison at Turin, which might have had very
serious consequences but for the prompt interference and decisive
measures of the governor. The dispute had originated among
some of the privates of the two regiments, who were supported
by their respective comrades, until at last it became a general
quarrel. The colonel of the queen's regiment, confined his men
(who were off duty) to their barracks, during the holidays, to pre
vent further mischief ; the Savoyards being at large, assembled
under the windows of their antagonists, and with taunts and
sneers, endeavoured to irritate them. The Piedmontese were
running to arms, and the result would have been fatal had not
their officers, and the governor and his staff" arrived in time to
interpose. They succeeded with some difficulty in dispersing
the Savoyards, who were marched off in the night for a distant
garrison. The Piedmontese tongue is a dialect of the Italian, in which
many corrupted French words have been introduced, and it is
very difficult to understand it. It has many nasal dipthongs of
the French, as well as their pronunciation of the letter u, but the
construction of the phrases, and the etymology of most of the
words, are Italian. The last syllables are generally dropped, and
the accent placed on the preceding one, with a lengthened drawl,
as in the words piemonteis, cA instead of casa, vin for vino, b6tt,
&c. Some of the words are completely disfigured, such as nen
for nienle, chiel and chilla for egli and ella, &c. Those verbs

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURT. 139
which in Italian end in are, change their termination into an
Italian e long, as ande, mangie, &c. and the first person plural
of the present indicative terminates in uma, as portuma, amuma,
auguruma, instead of portiamo, amiamo, auguriamo. Some of
the common phrases are almost entirely French, as mi non so
pas. A word frequently heard in the streets of Turin is the
common salutation ciau, which is a corruption of the word
schiavo, alias servo. With all its capricious irregularities, the
Piedmontese dialect is not unpleasant to the ear, and when
spoken by the better sort of females is remarkably soft and ex
pressive. The upper classes pride themselves upon speaking the
pure Piedmontese with as much affectation as a Cruscante dis
plays in the pronunciation of his pretto toscano. The Piedmon
tese dialect varies in the different provinces. Songs, fables, and
other light compositions have been written in Piedmontese, and
it is easy to trace in them the etymology of most of the words to
the Italian source.
The Italian language is now used in all official documents, in
the courts of justice, in the public acts, &c. and is the language
of the state throughout the King of Sardinia's dominions, even
in Savoy, where this regulation has created some dislike. This,
however, is not more extraordinary than the practice of the
French, who, when they had annexed the half of Italy to the
empire, established their language in it. The judges of Ital
ian countries, were obliged to write their sentences, and attornies
their documents, in French. These were, as one may suppose,
most miserable specimens of the French language, it was Italian
turned into French words, and I have been highly amused in
reading some of the public acts of that period.
The inhabitants of Turin, speak French fluently, although
with a bad accent, by which they can always be known, and
which is peculiarly remarkable in the letters j, and ch, the first
of which the Piedmontese pronounce like a z, and the second
like an *, for instance, j'avais,'z'avais, je chantai, ze santai ;
the dipthong eu is also another stumbling block, they generally
pronounce it like the French om, which latter fault they, however^

140 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
have in common with the other Italians. Several Piedmontese
litterati, however, write as good French as if they were born on
the other side of the Alps.
The daily newspaper of Turin, is the Gazzetta Piedmontese,
which is well written and neatly printed, but, like all /the Italian
Journals, it is but a short compendium from the French papers ;
the editors contribute little of their own towards the entertain
ment of their readers, and the task is^ therefore, not very labori
ous. The perusal of their short columns appears very, uninter
esting to persons accustomed to the freedom of English news
papers, and to the eloquent and instructive paragraphs many of
these often contain.
A company of Italian comedians perform at Turin almost every
evening throughout the year ; the Theatre d' Angennes, in the
street of that name, is generally allotted to them. I have seen in
iny different visits to this capital, the two companies Goldoni and
Perotti, both respectably composed. :Comedy is generally .well
acted in Italy, but there are as yet few tragic performers of merit,
although I think the nation highly susceptible of improvement/ in
this branch of theatricals. The performance of the Italian come
dies is an excellent school for learning the pronunciation and
phraseology of the language. The Italians in general have, be
come of late very partial to tragedy and comedy, which I think
is a good sign of the improvement of their intellectual faculties,
and the attention and interest shown by the audience, are very
unlike the listless indifference which prevails at the Opera-
house*. Living at Turin is remarkably cheap, and provisions of all
kinds are good. Their beef is the best in Italy, milk, butter,
and cheese, are excellent, which is to be attributed to the rich
pastures that cover :he lower regio*s of the Alps. The rivers
and lakes furnish plenty of good fish, especially exquisite trouts
and carps. Poultry and eggs are plentiful, as is also game of
every sort. Vegetables grow in great abundance in the well
watered gardens in the neighbourhood of Turin. The common

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 141
wine is rather poor, but the vineyards of Monferrato and Asti
furnish most gfenerous wines, red and white, which are sold at
Turin as cheap as common wine is at Paris. There are many
good restaurateurs at Turin, where, dinner is to be had d la
carte ;¦ besides which there are tables d' hote at the several
inns. A custom prevalent here, is that of itinerant musicians
coming into the room while the company is at dinner, who play
and sing ballads and canzoni for a trifling remuneration : some
of them sing in a good Style, with much pathos, very superior
to the crialleries of the French strolling musicians, whose songs,
I have heard remarked by Italians, always end in the tone of
ora pro nobis in- the litany.
Lodgings at the inns are to 'be had at two francs per day ; pri-
¦vnte apartments for about a louis d'or per month. One of the
comforts in which Turin is superior to other Italian towns, is
that every decent apartment has a fire-place. The floors are as
in the rest of Italy, paved with square bricks, varnished red.
There are a number of good coffee-houses, some very large, and
where coffee, chocolate, and other, refreshments may be had at
very moderate prices.
The Piedmontese manner of cooking is very good, 'and is a
sort of medium between the French and Italian. It is much
more agreeable to strangers than what they meet farther south.
Butter is a general ingredient, and oil is banished from the
kitchen. The Piedmontese have some dishes peculiar to them
selves ; their polenta, a pudding made of the flour of Indian
corn, seasoned with gravy and truffles, or with butter and cheese,
is a very wholesome and substantial food, and forms the principal
diet of the country people. Truffles are very abundant in this
country, they are different from those of France in colour and
flavour, their heart resembles that of a nutmeg : the Piedmontese
cooks use them in most of their dishes. Their sambajon is a
mixture of white wine, yelk of eggs, and sugar beat up together,
and warmed : a cup of it is very pleasant in cold winter days.
There is a peculiar sort of, bread used in Piedmont only, called

142 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
grissin, which is baked in the shape of long sticks, about the
thickness of the little finger ; it is very light and dry, and tastes
like biscuit ; the Piedmontese are very partial to it, and prefer
it to their common bread.
The current coin of Piedmont consists in livres and sous, of
the same value as the French money of the same denomination.
There are also some small bullion pieces of seven and a half
and eight sous and their fractions : these are very puzzling to
strangers. Piedmont has several manufactures of silks, velvets, &c. It
is supplied with woollen cloths by France, and with cotton manu
factures by England, through the way of Genoa. Turin has the
reputation of constructing good carriages, which, however, can
not be a subject of great admiration to Englishmen. The snuff
of Turin (a monopoly of government) is remarkably good. An
Englishman has lately established an iron foundery and a saw
mill at Mondovi, which, if encouraged by government, may prove
of great service to the country.
Upon the whole, the Piedmontese are yearly improving, they
have good notions of cleanliness and comfort, and are fond of
good and decent living. They are a rational, well disposed
people ; every real friend of Italy must feel an interest in their
welfare ; entrusted as they are with the important passes of the
Alps, they are likely to make a figure in the future destinies of
the Italian peninsula. *
English travellers at Turin are not looked upon with that envy
and animosity, nor with that impertinent curiosity which is often
shown towards them in other countries ; the court and the upper
classes are partial to the British nation, and the rest of the people
feel no dislike towards them. Piedmont not being a maritime
or manufacturing country, and the mass of the inhabitants being
less attached to the French than the Milanese, the national
interests and prejudices are not therefore at variance with Eng
land.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 143
This is what 1 have been able to collect during my residence
in this fine city, which, to my taste, is one of the most pleasant
in Italy, particularly for persons of quiet and sedate habits, as it
affords every reasonable indulgence of life, as well as sufficient
scope for intellectual enjoyments.

144 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS.

LETTER VI.
Bridge over the Po. — Roads, tyc. — Anecdote. — Asti. — Alfieri.
— Alessandria. — Marengo. — LaFragola. — Italian Peasants.
— Mondavi. — Novi. — Battle of Novi. — LaBocchetta. — New
road. — Genoa. — Neighbouring country. — Fortifications. —
Commerce, sailors, fyc. — Expediency of the cession of Ge
noa. — Improvements. — Dissentions of the Genoese and Pied
montese. — The theatre. — State of learning. — Churches. —
The Gregorian chaunt. — Devotional feelings. — Genoese wo
men, Ifc. Genoa, October, 1819.
ON leaving Turin, we passed the fine bridge on the Po ; it is
of white stone, and was constructed under the French, who, with
regard to works of public convenience and splendor, revived in
the Italians that taste for magnificent undertakings, which the
latter had shown in past ages, but which seemed for many years
to have been slumbering in them.
The present governments of Italy are encouraging this renewed
disposition, the plans of the French are being completed, and
new ones of consideration laid out. The King of Sardinia is
constructing fine roads through different parts of his dominions,
where no track of wheels had ever been seen before ; the Pope
has cleared out and displayed in much of their original magnifi
cence many of the remains of Roman architecture, which adorn the
city of the Seven Hills ; the King of Naples continues the excava
tion of Pompeii , and the roads in the neighbourhood of his capital ;
he has had the theatre of San Carlo rebuilt with more than its
original magnificence, and is now adorning the square in front of

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 145
his palace with a fine colonade, in imitation of that of St. Peter's,
at Rome. All this is a subject of rejoicing for the lover of the
fine arts.
The road follows for some time the right bank of the Po, until
it ascends the steep hill of Moncalieri, whence it strikes off at
once in an easterly direction, in which it continues as far as
Alessandria. Moncalieri is a little town remarkable only for its
fine situation, and its palace belonging to the Kings of Sardinia.
The French had made a military hospital of it, and they left it
in a ruinous condition ; it is now being repaired. From Mon
calieri we proceeded to Poirino, through a fine well cultivated
country. While changing horses at Poirino, we witnessed a
squabble between the conductor of our diligence, a Savoyard,
and the postillion, a sturdy Piedmontese, about some difference
on the subject of money, in which the former called the latter a
brigand ; the Piedmontese very coolly threatened to take him
before the justice of peace for insulting a faithful subject of his
majesty, animadverting at the same time on the impudence of
the Savoyards who come from their barren mountains, to live
and thrive in the fine lands of Piedmont, and in return abuse the
peaceful inhabitants. This is just like the French, said he, who,
while they were plundering our country, called brigands those
who were resenting their brigandage. This overbearing spirit,
which the Savoyards, who, in other respects are a good people,
have inherited from their late masters, is much to be regretted,
and it is a continual source of animosities between them and their
fellow-subjects the Piedmontese.
Upon the heights of Villanova, we had a last view of that fine
range of Alps we had so much admired at Turin. Between
Villanova and Asti, the country is hilly, and covered with vine
yards. This district called L' Astigiano produces the good wine
known by the name of Asti. It is of two sorts red and white,
the latter is a kind of muscat, having a fine flavour, and sparkling
like champagne. Asti is a large well built place, there is an air
of comfort here, as well as in all the provincial towns of Piedmont;
the peasantry have a cheerful healthy appearance, different from
T

146 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
the squalid looks of the country people in the south of Italy.
Asti is well known as the birth-place of Alfieri, the Italian
Sophocles, one of the most distinguished characters of modern
Italy ; his house is still to be seen near the main street, and his
sister now resides in it. The name of Alfieri is endeared to his
countrymen for many reasons ; he was passionately fond of his
native Italy, he regretted the state of weakness into which it had
fallen, but his discriminating mind soon perceived that no good
was to be expected from foreign interference, and he well knew
how to draw the line between liberty and licence : he often re
peated that he loved liberty, but not French liberty. In his
political meditations his stern mind and fiery temper led him to
seek for models among the ancient. Romans, whom he resembled
in character, but he found nothing like them in modern times.
The English were the only nation in Europe he esteemed, and he
was perhaps the first to hold them out as a bright example to his
astonished countrymen, and to kindle in them that feeling of
admiration which many Italians have since shown for British
institutions. His exclamation on first touching the shores of
England, expresses in a lively manner the enthusiasm felt by his
generous mind. " Dopo tanti sospiri, e voti tanti
Ti vedo, e calco al fin libera terra
Cui son di Francia, e Italia ignoti i pianti
Qui leggi han regno, e niun le leggi atterra."
Alfieri may be called the father of the Italian tragedy, and he
has imparted to his native language a strength and an energy of
which it was not before deemed susceptible. Alfieri had his
failings like all the children of men, but his genius, his honest
sincerity,' and the undaunted firmness of his character atone
largely tor his imperfections, and will secure him a distinguished
place in the memory of future generations.*
From Asti the road follows the course of the river Tanaro as
far as Alessandria. On approaching the latter city, the country
* See Appendix, No. 9.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 147
opens into a wide plain. We passed by the citadel, which is
one of the strongest holds in Piedmont, it communicates with
the city by a covered bridge over the Tanaro. Alessandria was
regularly fortified, and the French enlarged the lines, and out
works, so as to make it capable of holding a garrison of sixty
thousand men ; they considered it their central position in Pied
mont. The Austrians in their last conquest of Italy, destroyed
the fortifications, which had cost enormous sums, but in truth it
was no great loss to the King of Sardinia, such an extensive for
tification being disproportionate to the numbers of his army.
There is still however a strong garrison stationed in the town
and citadel. Alessandria has the gay military appearance of all
garrison towns ; it is well built, and has a fine square in the
centre planted with trees, which is a rare thing in Italy ; round
it there are a number of coffee-houses and billiard rooms, the
resort of officers during their leisure hours. The diligence from
Turin tp Genoa stops here for the night ; the inns are very good ;
passports are examined by the military commander.
Next morning we proceeded on our journey and passed the
Bormida, a river which takes its source near that of the Tanaro,
in the Apennines of Mondovi, and which joins the latter river
below Alessandria, whence their united streams flow into the
Po, a few miles farther. We entered the celebrated plains of
Marengo, where the fate of Italy was decided under the rising
star of Bonaparte. The country is flat and woody, the road
here divides in two, the one to the left leads to Tortona, Pavia,
and Milan, that on the right proceeds to Genoa. The French
army advanced from Tortona, and after passing the Scrivia,
proceeded to the villages of San Giuliano and Marengo : the
Austrians had come out of Alessandria to encounter them. The
Austrians fought bravely, and the day seemed lost for the French,
when at five in the evening the timely arrival of Desaix's corps
de reserve turned the fate of the battle. Still the Austrian army
remained strong, the greater part of its cavalry had not been
engaged, and the troops appeared competent to renew the fight,
but the Austrian commander in chief, overawed by the critical
position in which his army was placed, thought proper on the

148 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
second day after the battle to sign a convention at Alessandria,
by which he gave up the greatest part of Lombardy, .and twelve
important fortresses, on condition of being allowed to retire
unmolested to the Mincio. The battle of Marengo took place
on the 14th of June, 1800, and the convention was signed on
the 16th.
This district is called by the inhabitants La Fragola ; the pea
santry of it are represented to be daring and fierce ; they rose en
masse against the French on the first invasion of their country, as
did also the inhabitants of Carmagnola, Mondovi, and of other
places in the southern part of Piedmont. The Italian peasantry
have in general shown every where a great dislike towards the
French intruders, their ideas were unsophisticated by theories,
and they reasoned upon facts ; jhey had been for generations
contented and quiet in their humble condition, acts of oppression
were rare in the country, and they lived comfortably, particu
larly those of the north of Italy. They were attached to the
religion of their fathers, the corruption of cities had made little
progress among them, they were fond of their wives, and jealous
of the honor of their daughters. But as soon as the French
came, a most dreadful alteration took place. The generals and
commissariats extorted money and provisions from the inhabit
ants, the soldiers seduced and ravished their wives and daugh
ters, and they all joined in insulting their saints, their belief,
and the ministers of their religion, and if any one dared to
remonstrate he was brought before a military commission and
shot on charge of disaffection and high treason against liberty.
This is a short compendium of the behaviour of the republican
armies in Italy ; no wonder then, that the inhabitants revolted
in many places and revenged themselves on their oppressors.
Had they succeeded in driving them out of the country, their
conduct, like that of the Spaniards, in, later times, would have
been called heroism ; unfortunately they failed, and were looked
upon as banditti. Carmagnola, a nice little town to the south of
Turin, on the right bank of the Po, was taken and burnt by the
French. Mondovi, a large place situated farther south at the
foot of the Ligurian Apennines, made a long resistance. The

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 149
peasantry of the country around, a stout, spirited race, rose, to
the number of many thousands, and kept the French at bay for
sometime, but the jacobin party in the town who were in corres
pondence with the enemy, contrived to distribute to the peasants
cartridges made of , adulterated powder, so, that when they came
in contact with the enemy, their fire had no effect, and they were
easily defeated and massacred as usual. The invaders then en
tered Mondovi which they partly set on fire, plundering, ravag
ing, and murdering in every direction. There is still living one
of the jacobin leaders, whose wife was the first victim of the fury
of the French soldiery ; she was shot while looking out of a win
dow for her husband, who was coming along with them. After the
massacre, these lawless ruffians, joined by all the abandoned cha
racters, male and female, that collected to share the plunder,
went to dance pile mile, and committed all kinds of abomina
tions in the sumptuous halls of the fugitive nobility, and this for
honor of the goddess of reason. *
Such scenes were not rare iu Italy at that time, and those na
tions who have had the good fortune to escape the storm, will
hardly credit the account of these horrors. A number of people
however still live who witnessed them, and who relate them to
the disgrace of the perpetrators. The details are too horrid for
description. In later times the conduct of the French invading
armies (although better disciplined than their republican prede
cessors) in the ravaged regions of Calabria, in the mountains of
Tyrol, in the glens of the Sierra d' Estrella, at the taking of
Tarragona, and amidst the smoking ruins of Moscow, forms
such a mass of evidences, that, even allowing much to be exag
gerated, there remains enough to consign the memory of the
conquerors to the abhorrence of future ages. Some of their
officers have reluctantly confessed, that the demoralization of the
army had reached the highest pitch, and that having indulged it
at first, the chiefs had no longer power to restrain it. Courage
and abilities cannot atone for such an abuse of them. May the
remembrance of these foul deeds serve as a lesson for every na-
* See Appendix, No. 10.

150 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
tion not to trust in future, the fair promises of an ambitious
conqueror !
The plain of Alessandria is bounded on the south by the
Genoese Apennines, on the west by the hills of Monferrato, on
the nprtfi hy the Po, and it extends to the east along that river,
to Voghera. We entered the ancient Genoese territory at a place
called Pozzolo, and arrived at Novi, a considerable town at the
foot of the mountains. Here we felt we were approaching sou
thern Italy, by the alteration in the looks and dress of the people,
in their language and manners, and in the style of building.
The flat and broad brimmed hat of the Piedmontese peasant,
gives way to the sugar loaf hat, or to the hanging red cap of the
Genoese. A velveteen jacket thrown carelessly over the shoul
ders, short breeches unbuckled at the knee, the neck bare, a
red sash round the waist ; dark complexions, spare, bony forms,
raven hair, the wild penetrating glance of the children of the
south, and an indolent carriage ; these are the general charac
teristics of the male peasantry. The heads of the women are
uncovered, their hair plaited, powdered, and tied up behind with
a riband, plain calico gowns, a gaudy handkerchief tied across
the bosom ; sunny complexions, fine figures, bright, downcast
eyes, and a careless demeanour ; these are the striking features
in the appearance of the females.
Many of the buildings of Novi give a good idea of the taste
and magnificence of the wealthy Genoese, who have palaces in
this place. The Genoese style of architecture, and especially the
ornamental part, is of a peculiar kind ; the yellow or red paint
ing of the exterior walls — the white stucco ornaments contrasting
with the green lattices — the pillars and cornices in the Grecian
style ; all these announce your approach to the region of the
fine arts.
The broad chaunting pronunciation of the Piedmontese is
replaced here by the close unintelligible accent of the Genoese
dialect. It is the variety of people as well as that of landscape
which renders a tour in Italy so interesting, and which gives to

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 151
that country a charm of novelty not to be found in any other.
Every fifty miles you find yourself in another country, among
people quite different from those you have left, and every where
you find peculiar features and new curiosities which attract atten
tion. But this same variety is the misfortune of Italy, it resem
bles the trappings with which victims were adomtjd before sacri
fice : it prevents that similarity of character and that national
spirit, without which no country can be great.
On going out of Novi, we began to ascend the Apennines.
The country about Novi is fertile, gardens, orchards, and plea
sant green meadows surround the town. This place was the
scene of a sanguinary contest between the Russians commanded
by Marshal Suwarrow, and the French, by General Joubert, in
which the latter were totally defeated, and Joubert slain. The
battle of Novi took place in August, 1799.
As we continued to ascend, we observed that the scenery
assumed that wild and barren aspect peculiar to the Apennines,
and so different from the lower Alpine regions. We passed the
defile of Ga(fvi, through which flows the Lemmo, a torrent, which,
in the rainy season overflows the whole valley, and is rendered
nnfordable. The small castle of Gafvi, built on a commanding
hill, and almost impregnable by situation, defends the passage.
The country around is rocky and desolate. Continuing to
ascend, we come to Voltaggio, a large village, embosomed in
the mountains in the midst of the wildest scenery. Thence, in
about an hour, we arrived at La Bocchetta, the name of the
highest point over which this road passes. There a new and
brilliant landscape was spread before our eyes ; around us, the
rugged and barren Apennines with their uniform conical sum
mits ; down their sides, forests of chesnut trees, through the dark
thick foliage of which, glimmered white spires of churches, and
the greyish roofs of the houses covered with slates of lavagna ; at
the foot of the mountains, several narrow vallies were seen
branching in various directions, and beyond them appeared the
blue waters of the Mediterranean, bordering on the horizon and
sparkling with the reflection of the sun. The cool sea breeze,

152 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
the picturesque dress of the peasantry, the inexpressible magie
of southern nature and southern climate — every thing inspires
the spectator with a feeling of pleasing melancholy, somewhat
like the langour produced by soft music. As you descend into
the valley of Pofoevera, the magnificent villas of the Genoese
nobility, tell you of your approach to a great city, to Genoa la
superba, but that city is still concealed behind a range of steep
and lofty hills, crowned with fortifications, above which, rise the
three commanding summits of II Diamante and / due Fratelli.
It was under those inaccessible ramparts, that many a valiant host
was encamped during the late wars. There, the French, the
Austrians, and the English, have successively balanced the des
tinies of Italy. •
It is on this side of the Apennines that southern Italy begins :
that chain of mountains forms the natural division of the penin
sula ; it draws a line from west to east, beginning where the
Ligurian mountains join the Alps of Piedmont, and continuing
along the Genoese territories, and through the duchies of Parma
and Modena, thence along the northern limits of Tuscany, and
proceeds to the Adriatic Sea, through the province of Ancona,
which it separates from the kingdom of Naples.
The difference is as great between the inhabitants, as between
the nature of the two regions, which lie north and south of this
range. The beautiful shores of the Mediterranean from Nice to
the extremity of Calabria, belong evidently to one region, while
the rich plain from the source of the Po to the mountains of
Friuli, from the Swiss Alps to the mouth of the same river, form
but one immense valley.
We arrived at Campomarrone, a village so called from the
number of chesnut trees which surround it. This is the last
post to Genoa. We saw a little way farther on, the beginning
of the new road which strikes off to the east through a valley,
avoiding the mountain La Bocchetta, and which passing by the
village of Serravalle near the river Scrivia, will join the old road
on the other side near Novi. The ascent is much easier than

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 153
that of the Bocchetta. It will be passable next spring, and will
prove a great convenience to travellers, who at present are miser
ably jolted on the rough old paved road.
On leaving Campomarrone, the road proceeds along the rocky
bed of La Polcevera, which like that of all the Apennine streams,
is almost dry in summer. The habitations now become thicker,
village succeeds village, until at last the road is entirely lined on
one side by a range of houses, and on a sudden turn to the left
you find yourself in the magnificent suburb of San Pier d' Arena,
close on the beach. You pass the outer line of fortifications wUh
which Genoa is surrounded, you admire the noble light-house
built on an insulated rock, and enter at last the ampitheatre,
formed by the mountains and the sea, around which the city
proudly rises.
Genoa la superba, for this is the appropriate epithet which
was given it in the time of its splendour, and which it still de
serves on account of its stately buildings and commanding situa
tion, stands partly on the declivity, of several hills rising in a
semicircle round the harbour, and partly, on a narrow slip of
ground between them and the sea. The harbour is in the form
of a half moon, about a mile and a half in length ; its entrance
faces the south, and is protected in part by two moles running
across from the opposite extremities, but leaving between them
an open space of about half a mile, through which the sea rushes
tremendously when the wind blows from that quarter. Ves
sels, however, can lie in security, in that part of the harbour
which is behind the old mole. They talk now of stretching the
latter farther, over several sunken rocks, so as to approach
nearer to the Molo Novo, behind which, is the station for vessels
performing quarantine. The city seen from the light-house on
entering the gates, presents a most magnificent coup d' ceil. A
succession of fine buildings, more than two miles in length, lines
the shore. The loftiness and elegance of the houses in general ;
their painted walls and white roofs ; the numerous palaces and
gardens, churches and convents, rising one above the other on
the steep sides of the hills that rear, from behind, their dark and

154 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
barren heads crowned with formidable ramparts, forts, and bat
teries ; a noble harbour where thousands of vessels might lie at
anchor : the whole gives a grand idea of the former riches and.
power of this city, once the rival of Venice, and the mistress of
the Mediterranean.
As you proceed, you arrive at the inner line of fortifica
tions, which divides the old city from the new. You pass the
gate of San Tommaso, and arrive at the Piazza dell' Acqua Verde,
whepce that fine line of streets begins, which is the principal
boist of Genoa. These three streets, Balbi, Novissima, and
Nova, are lined with two rows of splendid palaces, belonging- to
the nobility, among which, those of Durazzo, Balbi, Brignole,
Lomellino, and Serra, are the most remarkable. The first of
these has a valuable collection of fine paintings, to which stran
gers are always allowed free access, according to the truly liberal
spirit of the Italian nobility. Servants are always stationed in
the atiti-rooms, ready to accompany the amateurs through the
splendid suite of apartments which contains the treasures of the
fine arts. The most remarkable painting in the Durazzo collec
tion, is that of the Magdalen washing the feet of our Saviour, by
Veronese, one of the best works of that great master. There are
in another room, three pieces by Luca Giordano, one of which,,
represents the death of Seneca. The Palazzo Durazzo, is really
a residence fit for a sovereign — its front is very fine. There is
another palace belonging to the same family, also in Strada
Balbi, which is remarkable for its magnificent marble staircase
boldly suspended, as it were, in the'air. This part of the archi
tecture of Genoese palaces, is perhaps the most remarkable, and
Well deserves the attention of strangers. The Palazzo Serra, in
Strada Nova, has a splendid saloon, rich with lapis-lazuli and
gold : it is lined with mirrors which reach from the ceiling to
the floor, and which reflecting one another, multiply the objects
ad infinitum, so that the spectator is at firsfapt to think himself
in the middle of a long vista of rooms. The ceiling is finely
painted to represent the triumph of a Genoese captain of this
family, over the Turks. I was told that the expence of this su
perb saloon amounted to a million of Genoese livres, about thirty-

In the nineteenth century. 155
five thousand pounds sterling. When illuminated on great occa
sions, it must be almost too dazzling for the eye to bear.
Between Strada Balbi and Strada Novissima, is an irregular
square, on one side of which stands the church dell' Annunziata,
one of the finest in Genoa. It was built by the family of Lomel-
lino ; its interior is rich in marbles and paintings.
At the end of Strada Nova you meet with another irregular
square, called dell' Fontane Amorose, thence ascending the hill,
and turning to the right, you pass by the grand hospital, a mag
nificent building, and you arrive at Strada Giulia, which leads
to the eastern gate of Genoa, and to the Fauxbourg of Bisagno.
This succession of streets which crosses the city from west to
east, is the only way through which carriages can pass ; the rest
of, the streets are, on account of their narrowness and steepness,
impracticable for any vehicle. They are all, however, well
paved and remarkably clean, and very convenient for pedes
trians ; and such are all the inhabitants of Genoa. Ladies going
to the theatre or evening parties, are carried iu sedan chairs, of
which there is a great number, private and for hire.
Genoa is, as may be supposed by what has been said, a very
quiet city, and a stranger arriving from a large capital finds it
rather dull on account of the stillness that reigns in it, particu
larly at night. The streets being very narrow and the buildings
generally five or six stories high, each story very lofty, the shops
and the lower part of the houses are dark and gloomy. The best
apartments in Genoa are generally the uppermost, but their ten
ants are subjected to the inconvenience of ascending more than a
hundred steps to reach them. This, however, is only the case in
the lower part of the city, for on ascending the hills, the houses
are lower, and being raised one above another, are airy and com
mand fine prospects of the town and the sea. The district of
Carignano situated on a high hill to the south east, between the
fortifications and. the sea, is the best in the city for its situation.
On the nighest part of it, stands the church of the same name,

156 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
dedicated to the Virgin. Its lofty dome forms a prominent fea
ture in the view of Genoa. Proceeding to it from the square of
Sarzana, you pass a bridge of one arch, built over the street
de' Servi, which connects the two opposite hills. This bold
structure was raised at the same time with the church, by a noble
Genoese family/of the name of Saulle, and the idea of it origi
nated in a pique between them and a rival house : so powerful
and rich were the lords of the little republic ! From the summit
of the dome, there is a fine view of Genoa and of the neighbour
ing country. On a clear day one can see the greatest part of the
Riviera di Ponente, or western coast, as far as Capo delle Mele,
and the Alps of Piedmont, towering from behind, but towards
the east the bold promontory of Porto Fino, advancing into the
sea closes the view on that side, to the south you can perceive
the northern mountains of the island of Corsica. The hill of Ca
rignano, behind the church, is covered with gardens, and there is
a pleasant walk along the adjoining ramparts, looking over the sea,
and round by the walls of Santa Chiara to the gate of L' Acquasola.
The prospect from this walk is beautiful. The valley of Bisagno
and the suburb of that name lie before you* and the hills of
Albaro covered with elegant country houses and gardens, con
trast with the abrupt barren mountains which terminate the
view. The neighbourhood of Genoa is rich in a variety of scenery.
To the north of the city rises a very steep hill, on the top of
which is built the fort of La Sperona, which commands the whole
town, and forms the summit of a triangle, of which the outer
lines of fortification are the sides, and the sea is the basis. The
city occupies but a small part of the extensive space enclosed
within, and the rest of the ground is in a great measure waste and
naked. That part of the fortifications of Genoa which overlooks the
valley of Polcevera, may be considered impregnable, but the
eastern side, towards the valley of Bisagno, is by no means so
• formidable. It was on the latter that the English army attacked
it in 1814, and in a few days got possession of the outer works,

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 157
by which they obliged the French to capitulate. It must be ob
served that the French garrison was very weak, and chiefly com
posed of conscripts. It requires a numerous army like that which
Massena had in this city in 1799, to defend a line of works of
ten or twelve miles in extent. The Piedmontese government
is now adding to the fortifications, and when the additional works
are completed, Genoa, garrisoned by a sufficient number of men,
may be considered as the strongest hold in Italy. A Frenchman
of rank who visited Genoa lately, showed some peevishness on
seeing these improvements, remarking with a sneer, that Le Roi
de Sardagne rive bien les clous aux Gcnois ; it is however but
what the French would have willingly done -themselves.
Genoa is essentially a commercial place ; the barrenness of
the soil, the small extent of its territories, and their favoured
situation along the shores of the Mediterranean, naturally turned
the attention of the inhabitants to maritime trade, in which they
succeeded so well, that their city became the emporium of western
Europe. The capitals its merchants had collected, enabled them
to retain much of their former influence, even after commerce
had taken another direction, in consequence of the discovery of
the passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope. The Genoese
became the bankers of Europe, and their harbour continued to
be the depot for foreign goods in the Mediterranean. Conve
niently situated within a few days sail of Spain, Africa, and
Sicily, vessels of every nation came into this port to deposit or
exchange their cargoes, and the Genoese were the consignees,
warehousemen, and brokers of all the Mediterranean merchants;
a number of them besides were established over all the different
coasts, and Genoa was the central point with which factors from
Lisbon, Cadiz, Malaga, Barcelona, the coast of Barbary, and the
Scale of Levant, corresponded. The Bank of St. George lent
money to the different governments of Europe, and the proud
Genoese nobility did not disdain to employ their funds in trade.
The character of the Genoese was peculiarly adapted to the mer
cantile profession. Sober, industrious, and parsimonious;
shrewd, active, and intelligent ; less fond of pleasure and shew
than the Venetian people, less ambitious and haughty than the

158 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
Venetian Patricians, they accommodated themselves better to
circumstances, and were more pliant in their eonnexions with
foreign powers, but they also knew in case of need, how to
defend their independence : interest and patriotism joined te-
gethel&on those occasions. But like all human prosperity, theirs
could not last for ever. They had resisted many shocks, but by
degrees they became weaker and weaker, and at last found them
selves wholly unprepared for the great earthquake which over
turned all Europe : the French revolution crushed them with
the rest.
When the republican armies began to attempt the conquest of
Italy, the Genoese, instead of perceiving that it was their interest
to join the other Italian states for repelling the common enemy,
the foreign intruder, seemed only awake to their petty jealou
sies against the Piedmontese ; they temporized with the French,
and let themselves be cajoled by the crafty democrats who then
ruled over France ; incited by the thirst of gain they supplied the
republicans with provisions, and allowed them to enter their
western territories : the French government was in their debt for
several millions, which tbey were afraid of losing. In the mean
time the population of Genoa, attacked by the disease of demo-
, cracy, began to dislike their aristocratical rulers ; the grey headed
pilots who were at the helm of the state, accustomed to long sea
sons of calm weather and smooth seas, were unable to steer
through such an unprecedented storm, and the frail bark after
being tossed about and buffeted for awhile by the contending
elements, was upset by the overwhelming waves.
Such was the fate of Genoa, and what was worse, it carried
along with it the fate of Italy. Had the western passes been de
fended by real patriots, by people worthy of the name of Italians,
the French would not have been able to encamp quietly on the
.line shoies of the Riviera, there to restore themselves with abun
dant supplies, and to watch for the favourable opportunity to
climb over the mountains of Mondovi and Montenotte, from which
they rushed like a sweeping torrent, over the prostrate regions of
JLombardy. Thus far the Genoese did not act like real patriots,

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 159
and they suffered for it. The short-lived Ligurian Republic
enjoyed only a mock independence, under the paramount influ
ence of France ; their treasures were laid open for the mainte
nance of the armies, their capital suffered all the horrors of war
and famine, and when the fate of the mother republic was mas
tered by an extraordinary and ambitious man, proud Genoa was
obliged, to send her own Doge and Senators to dance attendance
on the ruler of the day, and to beg the honor of being annexed
to the French empire ! Fit retribution for their want of national
character and principle.
The Genoese became French, and many of them imbibed all
the notions of their new compatriots, still the peasantry here*
as every where else, detested these pretended friends, and real
masters. The sea-faring people, who form a very important part
of the population of this country, saw their profession annihi
lated in consequence of the continental system, and the only
resource left them to avoid starvation was the honour of serving
on board the imperial fleet stationary in the harbour of Toulon.
But the greatest part of the Genoese sailors were too enterprising
and too fond of independence to allow themselves to be cooped up
in those magnificent hulks, where they had noteven achanceof see
ing the enemy; many of them therefore took French leave, repaired
to the English establishments in the Mediterranean, and entered
as sailors on board foreign vessels. Others formed associations
and scoured the seas as privateers, in which capacity they greatly
annoyed the British trade in the Mediterranean, and often cap
tured their own countrymen serving on board vessels under the
English flag. Some of their captains, such as Ludovico, Dodero,
Serra, and others, made a great number of prizes, which they
sold in the harbours of Barbary. Such were the beneficial effects
of the French prohibitory system upon a commercial and mari
time nation : love of plunder, dereliction of their country and
families, and total demoralization.
At last the star of Napoleon grew dim and disappeared in the
gloom of a Russian winter. The consequences of his reverses
were particularly felt in the foreign provinces of his empire.

160 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
The Genoese were by this time almost tired of the French, and
they became unruly. A year after, the English forces landed
in the Riviera di Levante, and encamped under the walls of
Genoa, The French garrison was weak, the people were enraged
against them, women and children abused the French officers in
the streets, the statue of Bonaparte in the Piazza dell' Acqua
Verde, was hurled down from its pedestal, and broken in a thou
sand fragments. The French commanders saw that the hour of
retaliation was come and that further resistance would prove fatal:
they capitulated, but probably on account of what they consi
dered as the rebellious spirit of the Genoese, they only made
terms for the garrison, and left the city at the mercy of the
victors. However, the Genoese republic was provisionally re
established, but shortly after the congress of Vienna disposed
otherwise of its fate, and Genoa was given up to the King of
Sardinia. I will not enter into the question of the right and
justice of this last measure, but I shall offer a few remarks on
its expediency : as it is. well known that governments in their
foreign politics are seldom directed by the same strict rules of
morality as individuals in their civil and domestic concerns.
The lesser evil must often be adopted, and political justice is
generally but comparative.
- The union of Genoa to Piedmont, however condemned by some
politicians and deplored by self-styled patriots, will, probably, if
considered on an enlarged scale and with regard to its effects, be
found more conducive to the future welfare arid independence of
Italy than the former state of that republic under its antiquated
oligarchy. On the other hand, Genoa could not possibly remain
under a democratic form in the present ¦ state of Europe : the
nobility are too rich, and the people too mercenary. It would,
besides, be a continual scene of cabal, for discontented Italians
and intriguing foreigners, and would fall an easy prey to any of
its powerful neighbours. As for the Genoese, they are now as
well off as most continential people, and better off than many.
Their flag is now free, and respected every where, while under
their ancient republican government they did not dare to lose sight
of their native shores, except in good armed vessels, for fear of

IN THE NINETEENTH CfeSluttY. 161
being taken by the Barbary Corsairs, and carried to Algiers and
Tunis to end their days in slavery and despair. The removal
of this evil, is alone a benefit of such magnitude as to over
balance their prejudice against their present government.
I was at Genoa in 1816, about the time of Lord Exmouth's
expedition against Algiers, and I witnessed the satisfaction of
the Genoese at the arrival of the British frigate which brought
the happy tidings, and restored their countrymen who had worn
so long the chains of the Moslems.* The sentiments of grati
tude and respect towards the English, which they had sincerely
professed when they were delivered from the French yoke were
then renewed, but that most essential and disinterested service is
now nearly forgotten, in consequence of the venom which an
anti-social faction takes all pains to instil in the minds of the
people of the continent against the English. They cannot deny
the beriefit, but they make light of it, they say that the forbear
ance of the Barbary powers is but temporary ; they endeavour,
against all common sense, to hint at the interested views of Eng
land, even on this occasion ; but it is useless to repeat here all
the sophisms which are well known to eveiy one who has travelled
on the continent. However, I am happy to say that the plain,
unsophisticated minds of the Genoese sailors see things in a
better light. I have conversed, travelled, and lived with them,
and found them sensible of the benefit conferred on them by the
English, and proudly confident of their future protection.
The Genoese sailors are the best in the Mediterranean ; and
resemble the British tars more than any others ; they are a hardy,
manly, and steady race, and were their vessels equal to those of
the English, they would be worthy perhaps of bearing a fuller
comparison with the latter, f Like all brave and simple people,
* See Appendix, No. II.
+ Since writing the above, a circumstance has happened, an official
account of which published in Italian papers, reflects high credit on Ihe
character of the Genoese sailors. During the heavy gales of last January,
1820, a Genoese pinco, (a vessel with lateen sails) Schiaflinn, master, was
W

1C2 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
they are open-hearted, attached to their religion without bigotry,
fond of their homes and their families, to whom it is their chief
satifaction to bring, on their return from their laborious voyages,
their hard-earned savings.
The territories of the old Genoese Republic now form part of
the states of the King of Sardinia, under the title of duchy. A
governor general who resides at' Genoa is representative of the
sovereign. Genoa has its separate senate, courts, and code of
laws. Much care is taken to conciliate the minds of the Genoese ;
the civil employments are filled by them, they have national re
giments, the commissions of which are given exclusively to'natives.
The Piedmontese troops in the garrison of Genoa are kept in the
strictest discipline, and severely forbidden to enter into any dis
pute with the inhabitants, and when such instances occur, the
decision is generally in favour of the Genoese. A new road is
now being constructed at a great expence along the mountain
ous coast of the Riviera di Levante, which, when finished, will
open a direct communication from Genoa to Leghorn and the
south of Italy, and will prove a great advantage to the inland
commerce of the Genoese. Many travellers going to Rome and
Naples, will then pass by Genoa, instead of going round by Milan
and Bologna. Until now Genoa has only been accessible on one
side by land, over the difficult road of the Bocchetta, but in fu
ture it will be open in two directions, by two fine carriage roads,
the one to Turin and Milan by Serra valle, and the other to Leg
horn by Lerici.
All these are no trifling improvements, and deserve to be duly
appreciated, when we consider that the King of Sardinia is in
riches and means, but one of the inferior powers of Europe. 1
have met among the Genoese, dispassionate men who are willing

wrecked on the Roman coast near Nettuno, a young sailor, native of
Camogli, near Portofino, Riviera di Levante, in his repeated endeavours
to save some English females who were passengers on board, lost his life,
after having succeeded in bringing several of them to shore. The Sardi
nian government has given a pension to his relations.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 163
to do justice to their present government, but they complain of
the bad effect of taxes upon industry and commerce. This,
however, is an universal complaint all over the continent ; much
might be said too, in justification of the present financial system
which was left by the French as a forced inheritance upon the
present governments of Europe, and which it would be injudi
cious, and perhaps impracticable for the latter to change entirely.
The French introduced the present system of taxation and admi
nistration iu Italy, and thereby produced an universal change in
every branch of political and civil economy ; the swarms of
people they employed in their numberless bureaux, and the host
of gens d'armes and custom house officers, who swelled the ranks
of their partizans, the great military establishment, all these are
benefits conferred by the French on the Italians. The govern
ments that succeeeded them could not turn all these people adrift,
as these would have then become their declared enemies, and
cried aloud against the injustice of the measure. The greatest
part of them have therefore been kept in office, and to give them
bread, most of the taxes have been continued, at which the popu
lation murmurs, and those very people who live upon this system
often join in the cry. This shows how difficult it must be in the
present times to govern mankind — how impossible to please every
body. But I think the principal source of the dissatisfaction of the
Genoese is to be attributed to their old prejudices against their
neighbours the Piedmontese. This is one of the precious con
sequences of the division of Italy into so many little states, which
some modern patriots wanted to perpetuate, by opposing the
only preparatory way of removing the evil, viz. ; that of uniting
those fragments into three or four grand divisions. But forsooth
it did not suit every one, and no political measure ever will.
The Piedmontese were for centuries the subjects of the house
of Savoy, and the house of Savoy was not always on the best
terms with the most Serene Republic of Genoa. The Genoese
and Piedmontese, therefore, although both Italians, and living
withima few miles of one another, detest, each other as cordially

.164 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS \
as the Spaniards and the French. Hence arose national abuse?
and nick-names, and the hatred was continued from father to
1 son. The Piedmontese happen to eat a pudding of Indian corn
flour, for which the Genoese called them mangia polenta ; the
Genoese are industrious and economical, the Piedmontese called
them Jews. — These, and other feuds equally reasonable, nursed
their hatred, just as Goldsmith's invalid hated the French be
cause they wore wooden shoes. Meantime the communications
between the two countries were very rare ; the inhabitants of
Turin and Genoa, although living only at a hundred miles dis
tance, knew one another as little as those of Paris and Petersburg.
By the union of the two countries this obstacle has been removed,
the two people mix, they learn to appreciate their good qualities ;
they have a common sovereign, common interests, and a common
language, as they, always have had a common country and a
common religion. A certain mistrust and dislike still exists,
; but if government pursues a moderate and conciliatory system,
. the piedmontese and Genoese, after a generation or two, will
. look upon each other as children of the same family, and those
among .them who may then read the debates upon the annexation
. of these countries, will smile at the instability of human opinions.
This is the case in all annexations ; surely Lorraine, Alsace,
Burgundy, Guienne, Poitou, and Brittanny, are not now the
worse for being united to France, although at the time of their
union, many interests were wounded, the result has been for the
general good. But the passions of men blind them to general
truths, and their ideas are narrowed by prejudices.
> The commerce of Genoa is not what it once was, still in the
, present stagnation of affairs, there is more business going on
hare than in any other port of Italy. There are great capitalists
in this. place eager to employ their funds to advantage. Genoese
vessels now trade directly with the West Indies, where their flag
had never been seen before. The Piazza Banchi or exchange,
and the Porto Franco, where goods are deposited in warehouses
without paying any duty, cffer lively scenes of bnstle and
activity.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 165
The Genoese in general, show no great taste for elegant pur
suits and amusements ; commerce is their grand occupation,
and their calculating spirit leaves them neither time nor money
to spare for the construction of public edifices dedicated to the
fine arts and literature. Genoa is worse off for theatres than any
other Italian capital. The theatre of Sant' Agqstino, which is the
principal one, is sufficiently large, but ill constructed and poorly
decorated. The performers are also in general very inferior. The
house is seldom filled, and the profits are too small to enable the
manager to engage first-rate actors. It is only during the winter
that the opera is performed here, in the rest of the year comedies
and tragedies are acted. The present company Granara, is
tolerably good, it has .one or two respectable tragic performers.
I saw the other night II Saulle, one of the finest tragedies of Al
fieri. The part of Saulle was well acted by a performer of the
name of Subotich ; the prima donna, La Vidari, gave no effect
to the character of Micol. I had formerly seen Filippo performed
in this theatre with great advantage. Gnudi and Verzura, two
of the best Italian actors, have lately left this company.
L' Avvocato Nota, a Genoese, has lately written several good
comedies. The young gentry of this place do not much frequent
the public theatres, but seem to have a taste for private acting,
and unite in companies of dilettanti, for the purpose. I was
present the other night at one of these performances at a house
on the hill of Albaro, and was pleased with their exertions ;
indeed it would scarcely be fair to criticise with severity, people,
who, with a social spirit, provide amusement at their own ex-
pence, and distribute tickets gratis to their acquaintance. This
liberal taste is more common in Italy than is imagined.
Genoa is not a city of learning, and that for the reasons al
ready stated. There is, however, an university, a Collegio de'
Nobili, and several public libraries. Among the men belonging
to the learned professions, some rhetoricians, poets, and beaux-
esprits are to be found. The state of medical science seems to
be, very low ; a curious correspondence between two medical men
has just been published, in which one of them (one of the first

166 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
physicians in the place) is accused by his antagonist of having
caused fh6 death of a patient by bleeding copiously in a case of
putrid fever. The Genoese have produced some good financiers ;
Count Corvette, late minister of finance in France, and the Mar
quis Brignole, the present minister at Turin, are both from this
country. The churches of Genoa are remarkable not so much for their
exterior architecture, as for the magnificence and taste displayed
in their interior. The most remarkable of them besides those
already mentioned, are, the cathedral of St. Lorenzo, the front
of which is constructed in a barbarous taste, the church of St.
Siro, which is the most frequented on Sunday by the upper
classes, that of LeVigne, and the church of St. Ambrose, belong
ing to the Jesuits, which contains a fine assumption, by Guido.
The church of San Stefano, near the eastern gate, possesses the
famous painting by Giulio Romano, representing the martyrdom
of St. Stephen. It was taken to Paris by the French, but has
been restored to its proper place.
The religious ceremonies, are performed at Genoa with great
splendour. On the twenty-third of last month I was present at
the great festival in the church of L' Annunziata, in honor of
the Madonna della Mercede, a ceremony instituted by the reli
gious order of that name, one of the most useful and interesting
of monastic establishments, and whose object was to ransom the
Christian slaves in Barbary. The church was full of people of
all classes, the illumination was brilliant, the ornaments splendid,
and the music fine, but somewhat too theatrical ; two orchestras
were raised opposite each other, and the motivi, resembled the
ariettas of an opera. The music of the mass was by Anfossi,
but the singers were not to be compared with those of Rome or
Naples. A short panegyric of the Virgin was delivered in pure
Italian, by Padre Giannotti, a Roman Jesuit. A boy twelve
years of age, sang the tantum ergo, with a good deal of effect.
The benediction followed and closed the ceremony, the whole of
which was conducted with great decorum. I do not, however,
much approve of the canto figurato, used on these grand occa-

IN THE NINETEENTH CESTURY. 167
sions in the Italian churches. How much more impressive is
the daily service and the singing of vespers throughout the year,
when the fine voices with which Italy abounds, arise in solemn
chorusses, accompanied only by the swelling peals of the organ.
The canto gregpriano, that simple primitive music, is so well
adapted to religious sentiments, so much in unison with the sub
lime effusions of sacred poetry ! it soothes the heart— it elevates
the mind above the selfish concerns of men -it gives us a fore
taste of joys more pure— of an existence far beyond the limits of
this visible world.
" C'est la que finiront un jour tons nos malheurs,
Et 1' habitant des rieux ne verse point de pleurs."
Man comes out from the sacred ceremony refreshed and reno
vated, his feelings softened by religious melancholy, and the
effects of this disposition must be beneficial to himself and to his
fellow-creatures. The churches in Italy are open to every body, and every day
in the year from morning to night. There is no distinction of
ranks : rich and poor, noble and plebeian, kneel down together
before the Supreme Being ; the elegant lady and the humble
menial are- seen by the side of one another, uniting their voices,
and joining in their supplications for that mercy of which they
equally stand in need : the beggar is not refused admittance into
the church of the house of that God, before whom there is no
distinction but that of the heart. At all times of the day people
are seen entering the churches for the purpose of praying, and
of seeking, consolation in devotion and quietness., I have often
seen in the busiest hours, when the churches are generally de
serted, some handsome well dressed female gliding silently along
the solitary aisles to a retired corner, there prostrate herself at
the foot of an altar, unconscious of being noticed by any one,
and praying with all the fervour of religious feelings, and shed
ding tears of repentance. There can be no hypocricy, no affec
tation in such a practice : it is the afflicted mother praying for
the welfare of her children, it is the tender wife supplicating the

168 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
Divine Goodness for the health of her husband, it is, in short, the
afflicted creature seeking for comfort in the bosom of her God,
through the intercession of those blessed spirits whom she consi
ders as standing next his throne. Whether her belief be right
or not, her faith is sincere, her intentions pure, and the All-
Merciful will not reject the tribute of an affectionate heart.
The climate of Genoa is pleasant and healthy ; this city, shel
tered in a great measure by the Apennines from the northern blast,
and refreshed in summer by the evening breeze so prevailing
in the Mediterranean, enjoys a pure and salubrious atmosphere.
The obnoxious scirocco loses its suffocating heat before it
reaches this latitude, and is merely the bearer of clouds and the
forerunner of rain, which falls at times very heavily, especially
about the equinoxes. The cold is sometimes severe in winter,
but it does not last. In the neighbourhood of Genoa, along the
coast, there are many places where the climate is still milder and
more genial than in the capital, such as Sestri and Pegli, in the
Western Riviera, and Nervi, on the eastern one ; these districts
being completely sheltered by the mountains rising immediately
behind them, the orange and lemon trees grow in them in full
luxuriance, and give to the country the appearance of a perpetual
spring. There several of the wealthy Genoese families have
delightful villas, in which they spend the greater part of the
year in a truly Elysian retirement. The climate of Genoa, how
ever, is reckoned too keen for persons having delicate chests
and the medical men advise the removal of such patients to the
plains of Lombardy.
Provisions are very reasonable, and lodgings are remarkably
so. A set of apartments for a family is let unfurnished for about
twenty pounds a-year ; furnished lodgings are in proportion.
Most of the nobility let out a whole floor of their sumptuous
palaces to merchants or to foreigners, while they themselves live
in the country. A person can subscribe for the whole year to
all the theatrical amusements Genoa affords, including the masked
balls or festone in the Carnival season, for the sum of one hun
dred Genoese livres, about three pounds ten shillings. Restau-

IN THR NINETEENTH CENTURY. 100
rateurs and coffee-houses are full as cheap as at Turin, but not
so clean nor -comfortable ; wine is the only article which is com
paratively dear. The common wine is imported from the south
of France, and is sold much adulterated. There is, however,
Montferrat wine from Piedmont, which is genuine and good.
The country wine or vino nostrale, as the Genoese call it, is
white and light, the best is made in the valley of Polcevera, in
the district called Murta, it is not unpleasant to the taste, and
is very inoffensive. Genoa is renowned for its paste or mac-
caroni of every size and shape, from the broad lasagne to the
th'mfedeli ; they are exported all over the Mediterranean and
are in great repute. The shops in which they are sold are re
markable for their cleanliness and tasteful apparatus. Mush
rooms form another article of great consumption and of expor
tation ; the mountains and vallies about Genoa abound with
them, great quantities are cut in slices and dried, and afterwards
sent abroad to the amount of a million of Genoese livres annually.
But the olive plantations with which the Riviera di Ponente is
covered, afford the principal branch of exportation. The fine
oil of Genoa is equal to that of Lucca or of Provence.
The hotels at Genoa are inferior to none in Italy for accommo
dations and comfort ; some of them are truly magnificent. They
are built in the lower part of the city, near the harbour, of which
they command -the view. The City of London, the Imperial
Hotel, and the Hotel de la Ville, are the most splendid. The
charges are very moderate both' for board and for lodgings.
The Genoese cookeiy is very different from the Piedmontese ;
it is south Italian, like every thing else. Oil is a common ingre
dient. The Genoese have several national dishes, such as ravioli,
lasagne, and risoarrosto which are good and wholesome ; the
capponata and the torta, which are composed of a mixture of
heterogeneous elements, and not very palatable to strangers, al
though they are a favorite treat to the natives : eggs, meat,
vegetables, saussage, anchovies, onions, bread, garlick, &c.
are all hashed together and form a kind of olla podrida. Mush
rooms are a common ingredient of a Genoese repast, they dress
x

170 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
them in many different ways ; I never heard of accidents having
happened from the use of them, the people are well acquainted
with their various kinds. In spite of the proverb mare senza
pesce, I have in general found that this city is well supplied with
good fish. Its ragoste, or large red lobsters, are remarkably
good. Meat of every kind and poultry are excellent ; vegetables
grow very fine in the gardens about Genoa ; fruit is exquisite,
although not so abundant as at Naples.
The houses of this city have the advantage, very rare in the
rest of Italy, of being supplied with spring water up to the high
est floor and to the very terrace. The vicinity of the mountains
has facilitated the means of extending this convenience, and the
inhabitants are thereby enabled to preserve a greater degree of
cleanliness than is observable in other Italian towns. The top
of the house is often converted into a terrace, or a kind of aerial
garden, where numerous flower-pots relieve agreeably the sight,
and where the family resort in the summer evenings to enjoy
the coolness of the air, and to take their coffee or their supper.
Those verdant spots in the midst of the grey slate with which
the houses are covered, afford a pleasing variety to a person
looking from an elevated point upon the city. The staircase
being common to all the tenants of the different floors, as is
the case all over Italy, the street door is generally left open, from
which circumstance a person has often the annoyance of having
to pass through filth and nuisance to reach the foot of the stairs •
these however, are clean, commodious, and well lighted.
The Genoese women are among the handsomest of Italy ; in
deed this city can boast of a decided superiority with regard to
female beauty, ln no other place have I seen such a number of
interesting countenances collected together as in the streets
churches, and places, of public resort at Genoa. They have in
general elegant figures, delicate complexions, dark hair and eyes,
and pretty features, and their carriage is remarkably graceful.
Their dress is also well calculated to set off their charms, it is
simple and neat : a white muslin gown well fitted to the shape,
and a white veil, called pezzotto, thrown tastefully over the head

-IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 171
and shoulders so as not to conceal but to shade their contour,
give them the appearance of so many Madonnas. This is the
national dress common to all classes, only varying by the fine
ness and costliness of the materials. These women are remark
ably clean in their persons and superior in that to the other Ita
lian females. Very few of them wear straw hats or bonnets ;
indeed it is to be wished for the sake of beauty and taste, that
they may never adopt foreign fashions which cannot suit them
better than their own costume. Often have I admired in the
streets of Genoa countenances not inferior to the fine models of
art left to us by the Greek sculptors, or to the enchanting pro
ductions of Raphael and Correggio. Often have they recalled
to my memory *• One of those forms which flit by us, when we
Are young, and fix our eyes on every face ;
And oh ! the loveliness at times we see
In momentary glidings, the soft grace,
The youth, the bloom, the beauty which agree
In many a nameless being we retrace,
Whose course and home we knew not, nor shall know,
Like the lost Pleiad seen no more below."
But alas ! there is no perfection in this world. If we approach
nearer these terrestrial Venuses, if we enter into conversation
with them, the charm fails ; we find their minds uncultivated,
their ideas narrow and common, and their hearts  but no !
their hearts are naturally good, and it is the deficiency of their
education and the influence of bad example that dry up or cor
rupt the finest feelings of these lovely creatures. Their mental
faculties are neglected ; while under the watchful eye of their
parents or guardians, they are debarred from any rational inter
course, as if ignorance were the best guardian of virtue. Marriage
is at Genoa a matter of calculation perhaps more than any where
else, it is generally settled between the relations, who often draw
up the contract before the parties have seen one another, and it
is only when every thing else is arranged, and a few days previ
ous to the marriage ceremony that the future husband is intro
duced to his intended partner for life. Should he find fault with

172 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS .
her figure or manners, he may break up the match, on condition
of defraying the expences incurred, &c. But this is seldom the
case ; the principal object, that of interest, being once settled,
the bride follows the portion as a matter of course, and is often
scarcely minded. There are in this city marriage brokers, who
have pocket books filled with the names of the marriageable
girls of the different classes, with notes descriptive of their
figures and of their fortunes ; these people go about endeavour
ing to arrange connections; if they succeed they get a com
mission of two or three per cent, upon the portion. The con
tents of their memorandums are often very curious.
The custom of hating a patito (such is the modern substitute
for cicisbeo now obsolete) is still prevailing among the Genoese
ladies. The patience of those individuals is truly astonishing.
They are the humble servants of their fair sovereigns, they ac
company them to church, to walk, to their evening parties, to
the theatre ; they keep them company at home, in short they
follow them as their shadows, and subuiit to their caprices ;
for which they have in return, a free access to the house,
and a cover at table. Strange as it may appear to foreign
ers, this custom is, in many cases, nothing more than a
matter of ceremony, the remains of a chivalrous feeling of gal
lantry, or the result of mutual convenience. The lady finds her
patito to be a very useful person, a sine qua non, while her
husband, absorbed in his commercial speculations, has little
time or patience to attend to her petty concerns. The patito
in his turn finds her society agreeable, and his courtship is
often nothing more to him than the means of killing time : he
is generally the friend of the husband, sometimes his partner in
business. It happens therefore that if a lady has a real intrigue,
she must keep it concealed from her patito as well as from her
husband ; and the object of her partiality, il favorito, as he is
sometimes called, is kept in the back ground. In the lower
classes, and among the peasantry, however, there is no patito
nor favorito, the husbands are jealous of their prerogatives, and
their wives are attached to them and submissive.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 173
The Genoese women have in general a great share of coquetry,
they are fond of being admired. In many families of the old
school, the custom prevails of having a clergyman, called il
prete di casa, who is a kind of governor to the children, and is
looked upon as one of the family. A certain degree of venera
tion towards ecclesiastics still remains among these people, espe
cially in the country, and I have had many occasions to see that
influence usefully employed for charitable and christian purposes.
The clergy have had no opportunity of interfering in political
matters in this country, and have kept clear from that ambitious
spirit -which has been reproached to them in other parts of
Europe. The citizens of Genoa are entirely mercantile people, and
generally speaking, nothing else. This spirit of industry, al
though praiseworthy in itself, is often carried too far, and de
generates into avarice and selfishness. Nothing is heard here
but calculations ; if two or three persons are conversing together,
one may be sure they are talking of money matters ; boys in
the streets are making rules of arithmetic, and even the fair sex
is by no means deficient in the practical knowledge of that science.
No opportunity of profit, however paltry, is overlooked by a
Genoese. It is astonishing upon how little they live ; they beat
even the economical Florentines in that respect. Their currency
is very small, their lire fuori banco is worth about eight-pence
English ; so that the high sounding sum of thirty thousand
lire, which here is looked upon as a fortune, is, after all, but
one thousand pounds. Salaries, profits, marriage-portions, every
thing is on the same scale. A person in the middling ranks
of society having six thousand lire, or two hundred pounds a-
year, is reckoned rich. It must be said that they live in general
but poorly ; and although they dress well and keep up a good
appearance yet the interior of their houses often presents 'the
picture of scantiness and poverty. Their food is very plain, and
their meals, except on particular occasions, are remarkably
frugal. The men are by, no means a good looking race, they
are sallow and thin, and have in general a vulgar appearance and
an awkward gait. There is a striking difference between this

174 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
city and Naples ; in the latter the men are handsome and
the women plain, while here it is precisely the reverse. I
cannot imagine to what causes this singularity is to be as
cribed. An inclination to gambling prevails among the Genoese ; it
is their chief relaxation from business. Charity and even com
mon affection between relatives are not conspicuous amongst
this people ; all the generous feelings are repressed by interest.
I have seen a poor man actually begging at the door of his opu
lent brother, who had some food given to' him by his servant ;
instances of this sort are not rare, as by the chances of trade
individuals of the same family are often placed jn opposite cir
cumstances. From the same spirit a multitude of law suits also
spring, which, thanks to the subtleties of the Genoese lawyers,
are drawn on to the greatest possible length. The civil code
has been altered, since the union of Genoa to the Sardinan states ;
the French commercial code, however, continues pro tempore
to be in vigour. But the difference of codes is but of little
consequence where the ministers of the law are not equitable.
Naples has preserved the code Napoleon, and yet there is no
country in Europe where it is more difficult to obtain common
justice. The men must be changed as well as the laws, in order
to effect a salutary improvement in the judiciary system of these
countries, and this must be the work of time, connected with the
gradual amelioration of education and of institutions, and conse
quently of sentiments and principles.
What I have already said of the character and morals of the
Genoese will be sufficient to convey a general idea of them.
Atrocious crimes are very rare ; robbers and banditti were once
numerous in the mountainous parts of the country, and under
the French their number had increased by the addition of the
run-away conscripts, so as to render the high road of la Bocchetta
unsafe to the very gates of Genoa, but they are now no longer
heard of. Beggars were swarming in this city, particularly dur
ing the scarcity in 1816 and 1817, but now very few are to be
seen. Instances of suicide take place now and then, chiefly at

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 175
the bridge of Carignano, from which the wretched victims throw
themselves headlong into the street de' Servi underneath.
The Genoese nobility is divided in two classes, called Portico
Vecchio and Portico Novo. The most illustrious names of the
republic, the Spinola, the Doria, the Negroni, the Balbi, the
Fiaschi, the Sauli, &c. belong to the first. Some of the lateral
branches of those great families live in a state of comparative
poverty, but the Genoese nobility, is, upon the whole, possessed
still of great wealth, and many of them employ their funds in
commerce. Under the ancient aristocracy, the patricians en
joyed great power and often abused it ; their haughtiness towards
the inferior classes was overbearing, and the least show of resent
ment from the latter, was punished in a peremptory manner ;
even in the church (contrary to the practice of Catholic countries)
the proud lady was preceded by her attendants carrying cushions
for her to kneel upon, at the sight of which the plebeian females
made room immediately and retired to a respectful distance. In
suits at law a common citizen had very little chance against a
nobleman, for althongh the courts might condemn the latter,
still he was generally able to bid defiance to the law. A shock
ing instance of this is remembered and talked of at Genoa to
this very day. In the valley called della Secca formed by one
of the branches of the torrent Polcevera, there lived a nobleman
deeply encumbered with debts ; a writ had been issued against
him by the civil court, but his fierce disposition being well
known, no officer was found bold enough to venture into the
lion's den, to communicate the sentence to him. At last an
usciere, a sort of bailiff, to whose child the patrician had stood
godfather, presuming upon the intimacy resulting from this
connection, went to him. The Genoese Tiberius dissembled his
wrath, and asked the man to rest and refresh himself, but shortly
after, having given his orders to his satellites, he had the uu-
suspecting victim seized, and, horrid to relate, had him thrown
into a heated oven, where he soon expired. The villa or man
sion where this deed of horror was committed stands near the
road or rather path leading to Piedmont.

176 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
These were the boasted liberties of the Genoese republic, the
loss of which has been so much regretted by people on both sides
of the Alps. Men are but too often deceived by words and mere
names, or led astray by party spirit : in this instance, let the
subject be closely examined, and it will be found that the Italian
republics were the most tyranical of governments, and that even
an absolute monarchy is preferable for the great mass of the
population. Genoa contained a great number of convents, which were sup
pressed by the French ; several of them have been re-established
by the present government. This is another great subject of
discussion amongst modern politicians. Unmodified judgments
upon human institutions are generally erroneous ; what is good
under one climate, is bad in another latitude ; and what was
useful at one time, becomes obnoxious iu another age. Among
the votaries of the monastic rules, some have done much good,
others have done much evil, and by far the greater number have
drudged through life harmless and unminded, and in this they
resemble every other society of human beings. We ought not
for the sake of a few vicious and mischievous characters, to con
demn millions of individuals who have filled in succession the
ranks of the orders of St. Benedict, St. Dominick, St. Francis,
or even of Loyola. It has been too much the common cant in
our days to find fault with every thing that existed before the
latter end of the eighteenth century. Monks at that epoch were
numerous, respected, and often powerful and wealthy ; are they,
therefore, to be indiscriminately condemned and abused ? But of
what use were they to society ? This is the hackneyed question
which every adept of the new school triumphantly asks. Suppose
the monastic orders, who, with the exception of the Franciscans,
were all possessed of considerable property, had done nothing
else but administer well their estates, and to make the yearly
produce of them circulate through society, giving thereby em
ployment to a number of servants, workmen, labourers, &c. they
were at least as useful as any other class of landed proprietors,
and it is a well known faet, in Italy at least, that no lands were
better cultivated than those .belonging to convents, that they

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 177
were kind to their tenants, and that at the end of the year the
income and the expenditure were generally balanced pretty
equally. But those lands, some will say, were either the gifts of
superstition, or the produce of crafty usurpation. This is rather
a bold assertion, and I doubt how far it would bear scrutiny ;
but even allowing that the greater part of monastic property had
been in former ages acquired by unlawful means, was it right to
dispossess the present owners ; and who was to succeed them ? It
would be very difficult to trace out the original proprietors, and
if such a measure be justifiable, it might, with equal right be
applied to all the landed properties of the country, most of which
would be found to have originated in rapine, murder, and all
kinds of violence committed during the foreign invasions or the
civil wars which desolated Italy for so many centuries. The
French, however, settled the matter : they spoliated the monks-
of their rich properties, the administration of which became a
most important branch of the financial department ; they sold
them often" for one third or one fourth of their value, and both
sellers and buyers contrived to make a very good business of it.
Under the care of the demanio (such was the name of this office,
which the Italians sometimes called demonio, i. e. the devil) the
greatest dilapidations were committed, and the principal object
seemed to be to make as much ready money as possible. A
property belonging once to the Carthusian Convent of San Mar-
tino, at Naples, and which brought twenty thousand ducats a year,
was sold for sixty thousand only. Many of the fine buildings
belonging to convents were destroyed merely for the sake of the
iron and timber which they contained. But it would be endless
to record the details of the spoliation and plunder which were
committed in the name, and for the welfare of the nation. Had
the surplus of the revenues of the monastic properties, after de
ducting a sufficient allowance for the decorous maintenance of
their former possession, had it been exclusively applied to the
advantage of the respective countries, to found schools and col
leges, to erect hospitals and workhouses, in short, for humane
and charitable purposes, then the violent usurpation might be
overlooked in the general good, and the planners and executors
of the new system might be looked upon as people animated
Y

178 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
by enlarged views of improvement ; but this was not the case ;
those who enriched themselves in tiie traffic of national property
were in general the most immoral of men — the nation derived no
advantage by the change, and the poor monks, even the aged and
the infirm, were scarce granted a nnserahle pittance barely suf
ficient to support existence, and irregularly paid. Yet many of
these individuals, particularly those of the wealthier orders, were
men belonging to the most respectable families of the land, who
had given up all their worldly prospects to spend their days in
studious retirement, and, who, in entering the convent, had
brought from their paternal house considerable sums to be added
to the funds of the order.
The above remarks apply equally to convents of nuns. Shall
I speak of the inhuman manner in which these helpless females
were in many places turned out of their peaceful retreats by in
solent gendarmes ? Young virgins were left unprotected in the
middle of that world they had abjured ; weak aged women, who
had not during half a century been out of the gates of their con
vents, were now thrust out, unable to walk, and their infirmities
exposed to the scoflings of an unfeeling rabble. Surely, had the
monastic orders done double the mischief which is attributed to
them, even by their bitterest enemies, still, their fall was accom
panied by such severities, as to deserve the pity of the most
cold-hearted philosopher.
But monks were not merely indolent proprietors living in sloth
and idleness. Many convents had schools for the education of
youth, others had libraries open daily to the public, many of
their inmates were professors at the different colleges and uni
versities, others went about preaching, the duties of religion ;
they assisted the sick ; they made numerous charities : even in
a political point of view, the monastic orders, as independent
bodies, formed a kind of barrier against the overwhelming power
of an arbitrary government. Are all these advantages to be
overlooked, and only their faults to be strictly scrutinized ahd
magnified ? Is this justice, is this liberality ? monks have been
more inoffensive and more respectable in Italy than in any other

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 179
country ; Italy, be it. said to its honor, has had no Auto da Ff,
no St. Barthelemy, no Smithfield burnings.
I am inclined to look upon the existence of convents under
certain regulations, as useful, if not necessary, in southern coun
tries. Their number might be limited, as well as that of their
respective inmates ; the age at which men would be allowed
to bind themselves by vows might be fixed ; their revenues might
be regulated so as not to exceed their wants. Under these and
other similar restrictions, these asylums for melancholy minds
and broken hearts, these retreats from the dissipation and the
vanities of the world, these nurseries of piety and learning, would
prove beneficial to the eommonwealth at large.
I rambled the other day up to the Convent of Le Turchine, at
Castelletto. The situation of the house is beautiful ; it com
mands a view of the city and of the sea. This convent of nuns
was re-established by the present Pope Pius VII. when he was at
Genoa in 1815. An inscription placedunder the porch, comme
morates the event. Over the gate, I read in large characters these
impressive words — Clausa homini, sed aperta Deo. The pious
consolatpry sentiment expressed in them, explains the feeling of
satisfaction with which the Italian nuns in general re-entered
within the walls of their monastries, after having been tossed
about in a world which they had renounced and in which they
found no proper place for them. The life of a recluse has also
its attractions, especially for persons of a certain turn of mind ;
I have known young women, perfectly free in their choice and
acquainted with the pleasures of the world, take the veil with
as much cheerfulness as others proceed to the hymeneal altar.
The inhabitants of Genoa are fond of the country and of rural
excursions. Most families leave town in summer ; the wealthy
repair to their ville in the Riviera, and those of a humbler
sphere hire apartments in some of the neat casini with which
the hills around Genoa are covered. On particular holidays, the
whole population proceeds to some of the sanctuaries in the val
ley of Polcevera, such as la Madonna di Belvedere, San Clemente,

180 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
\
la Madonna della Guardia, &c. and having heard mass, they
scatter themselves over the adjoining fields, where a. kind of fair
is held ; some adjourn to temporary sheds, others spread on the
grass the provisions which they have brought with them, and
spend the afternoon in mirth and contentment. Etiquette is
banished from those places, groups of handsome females in
their white robes are seen tripping merrily along. In the cool
of the evening they return to town in large parties, singing,
talking, and laughing. He must be splenetic indeed who does
not catch some spark of their harmless gaiety.
The Genoese dialect is one of the most difficult in Italy for a
stranger. Its pronunciation is very close and rapid, it sounds
rather harsh, but the fair sex know how to soften it so as to
render it graceful and pleasing to the ear. The Genoese curtail
most of the terminations of words ; they drop in general the letter
r, and commit many other irregularities ; they have preserved,
however, the Italian ceremonial of addressing in the third per
son, using, instead of the Tuscan ella the substitute uscid,
which seems to be a corruption of vossignoria, in the same man
ner as the Sicilian vossia.
The Gazzetta di Genova, of which two numbers are pub
lished weekly, is one of the best written newspapers in Italy.
Besides the political news, it contains often literary articles,
theatrical strictures, poetical extracts, &c.
Genoa has a commodious lazzaretto, outside of the walls, at the
mouth or foce of the torrent Bisagno. Near it is the dock for
building men of war. The Sardinian navy consists at present of
two fine large frigates, one corvette, and several smaller ships.
The King of Sardinia has also docks at Villafranca, near Nice.
The island of Sardinia, from which he takes his title, does not
contain half a million of inhabitants, although nearly as large as
Sicily. It is yet in a half savage state ; its inhabitants are wilder
even than the.Calabrese. The peasantry dress in sheep's skins
and aljpw their beards to grow ; they go out generally armed.
The nobility and clergy are wealthy and retain all their ancient

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 181
influence. The Sardinian dialect is a mixture of Italian and
Spanish, with some Moorish words. The soil is very fertile, but
the climate in many parts is very unwholesome. The island
produces in abundance all the necessaries of life, plenty of wine,
corn, and cattle. There are rich tunny fisheries on its coasts.
Cagliari, the capital, is a miserable town ; it contains twenty
thousand inhabitants. Sardinia presents a vast field for improve
ment, but it must be worked cautiously for fear of hurting the
rooted prejudices of an ignorant but spirited race of people.

182 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS

LETTER VII.
Departure from Genoa. — Fine view of the City from the sea.
— Sunset. — Evening Prayers. — Tale qf La Bordighiera. —
Coast of Italy.— Maremme.— Monte Argentaro.— Storm
off the Roman Coast.— Mouth of the Tiber.— Rome, its
present Inhabitants. — Porto d' Anzio. — Aspect of the La-
tium. — Recollections of Carthage. — Arrival in the Bay of
Naples. — Reflections on the beauty of that Country.— De
tails about Naples. — Late Improvements. — Museum, Li
brary. — University. — Christmas Holidays. — Government of
Naples. — Murat. — Kingdom of Naples, account of its Pro
vinces. — Sicily and Sicilians. — Approaching departure front
Naples. — Feelings of the Author. Naples, December, 1819.
I WRITE again from these delightful shores, where I landed
towards the latter end of October. I came on board a Genoese
brig of about eighty tons ; we left Genoa with a light breeze
from the north, which soon after shifted to the east, and we were
driven along the western coast beyond Voltri, in spite of our
tacking. At last, after beating up all day against the wind, and
the appearance of the sky threatening us with a gale from the
south, we entered the harbour again at night, not without diffi
culty. The country vessels in the Mediterranean are not suffi
ciently strong in general to resist a heavy sea for any length of
time, and their masters do not like to run too great a distance
from the shore, but prefer keeping as much as possible in sight
of the land. The sailors, however, especially the Genoese, are
well experienced, and acquainted by long practice, with the dif
ferent coasts, as well as with the appearances of the weather in
these latitudes.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 183
In this instance the forebodings of our captain proved true, as
during the night a storm arose from the south-east, which, had
we been at sea, would have driven us some hundred miles to the
westward. The weather continued stormy the whole of the next
day, but on the following one it cleared up, the sea was becalmed,
and we sailed once more with a favorable land breeze, steering
our course along the eastern Riviera. As we glided gently
through the smooth waves, I took a parting view of the fine
scenery we were leaving. The stately buildings of Genoa, its
gay villas, the two splendid wings of suburbs and villages extend
ing ten or twelve miles on each side, built as it were by enchant
ment, on a rocky sterile country, and backed by the naked frown
ing Apennines with their snowy summits, an azure sky and a
deep blue sea, the whole formed such a brilliant prospect, that,
although well acquainted with it, I was struck with new-felt ad
miration. Genoa has that effect upon me that it preserves the
charm of novelty ; and the impressions of pleasure on seeing it,
and of regret in quitting it, are always as powerful as they were
on my first visit.
The glorious display of wealth and magnificence in the midst
of the barren rocks of Liguria, is exclusively the fruit of com
merce and industry, reared up by national spirit. What a con
trast with the fertile but uncultivated plains of Latium, which
present an extensive scene of wilderness and of gloomy desola
tion. Genoa needs not to envy even the rich decorations of
Parthenope ; there is something purer and more bracing in the
climate of the former, more romantic and sublime in its scenery,
as there is more decency and activity in its men, and more love
liness and gentleness in its women. The numerous and neat
cottages scattered about the mountain slope, with the spires of
the parish churches rising in the middle of the different hamlets,
have an appearance of domestic comfort, of order, and of pleas
ing tranquillity, which charms the feelings of the spectator.
There are spots where a man, tired of the busy crowd, would
fain retire, forgetting the world and its illusions, and devote
himself to study and to the contemplation of the works of God.
I was expressing my admiration at the beauty of the scenery to

184 ITALY; AND THE ITALIANS
the Genoese sailors, a plain, unsophisticated race of men, and
they felt highly gratified by my praises of their country.
v The sun set in all its glory, and after it had sunk beneath the
western waves, the horizon continued to glotor with the richest
orange dye, and the mountains were tinged with a soft purple
colour ; a few fleecy clouds Were scattered about the azure vault
of the sky. We had passed the jutting cape of Portofino, a
gentle breeze speeding us along, and the calm waters were rip
pling against the vessel. At a signal from the captain, the sailors
knelt down on deck and began the rosary or evening prayers,
which they recited with unaffected devotion. They sang at the
end the litany or hymn to the Virgin ; their simple strains broke
through the stillness that prevailed over the vast solitude of the
sea, and seemed in unison with the voice of nature, which spoke
the glories of the Creator. Such scenes are most impressive,
and are well known to travellers who have frequented the
Mediterranean. After a frugal supper which consisted of salt fish and vege
tables, one of the crew, a kind of improvvisatore, began to sing
with a plaintive melody the affecting ballad of La Bordighiera.
The circumstances of this sad story took place a few years ago
at a village of that name, near San Remo, in the Riviera di
Ponente. A young man was in love with a girl in his neighbour
hood, whose parents were averse to the match. Being obliged
to leave his country for a time, he obtained from his sweetheart
a solemn promise that she would never listen to any other man's
addresses. During his absence, the poor girl, urged by her rela
tions, was reluctantly prevailed upon to receive the visits of
another admirer, and the marriage was nearly concluded when
the first lover returned on the wings of hope. He was soon ap
prized of the inconstancy of his fair one, and having brooded upon
her infidelity until his passions were worked up to frenzy, he
proceeded in the dusk of the evening to her cottage, and having
found her sitting with her aged mother, he rushed in and bitterly^
upbraiding her for her breach of promise, stabbed her to the
heart, after which he ran away to the neighbouring mountains.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 185
The unfortunate victim soon expired and her body was taken on
the second day to a solitary chapel, to remain there exposed to
view until next morning, when the last service was to be per
formed for the rest of her soul. The wretched assassin mean
time wandered about iu agitation and despair; he heard the
evening toll of the funeral bell in memory of her whom he had
so tenderly beloved and so cruelly sacrificed, he could bear no
longer his excruciating remorse, but ran to the chapel, and burst
ing open the door, he took a last sight of those well-known fea
tures now closed in death, knelt down by the side of the corpse,
and after asking her forgiveness, shot himself through the head.
The two lovers were buried together next day. These are some
times the fatal results of the violent passions which agitate the
children of the south.
" Oh ! wild as the accents of lovers' farewell,
Are the hearts which they bear and the tales which they tell."
While we were listening on deck to the mournful song, the
breeze freshened, we passed the fine spacious gulph of Rapallo,
and early in the morning we were off that of La Spezia. The
aspect of the land along this coast is the wildest that can be
imagined. The mountains are dark and desolate, few traces of
cultivation or of habitations are to be seen, it is the most barren
part of the Genoese territories. The inhabitants of the Riviera
di Levante, especially of that part between Chiavari and La
Spezia, are much poorer than those of the western coast. Their
mountains hardly produce any thing, the little wine they have is
sour, there are but few olive trees ; their villages are wretched.
This part of the Apennines is particularly called i monti liguri ;
they are very high and join the mountains of Parma.
The gulph of La Spezia is one of the finest in the Mediterra
nean, and is an excellent station for fleets. The French were
aware, of its importance, they built forts to defend the en
trance of the gulph, erected batteries on its shores and on
the neighbouring islands, established docks, and intended to
make it one of their great naval stations. Their works have
been since neglected, being of no use to the Sardinian govern
ment. The village of Lerici, on the eastern side of the gulph,
z

186 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
is the place where the feluche from Genoa land travellers going
to Tuscany. The road, or rather path along the eastern Riviera
is practicable for mules only ; the new road however is nearly
completed from Genoa to the town of Chiavari, but the remain
ing part between Chiavari and Lerici is by far the most difficult,
as it must be cut through mountains almost inaccessible. At
Lerici the carriage road begins, and vetturini are stationed
there, who take a person to Pisa for two or three dollars.
We passed during the day along the coast of Massa and Car
rara, a small principality, well known for its fine marbles, and
which is now governed by the Archduchess Beatrice of Austria.
The next state is that of Lucca, formerly a small republic, after
wards given by Napoleon to his sister Eliza, and bestowed since
by the Congress of Vienna upon Maria Luisa, Infanta of Spain.
This Princess was once Duchess of Parma, and afterwards Queen
of Etruria, whence having been driven out by the French in
1807, she received at the peace the principality of Lucca as a
compensation. Her son, Prince Louis, will, on the demise of the
Archduchess and Ex-Empress Maria Louisa, succeed to the do
minion of the Dutchy of Parma and Piacenza, of which his fa
ther was the sovereign. The country about Lucca is very fine,
and enclosed between the sea and the high Apennines of Modena
and of Tuscany.
Next day we were becalmed off Leghorn, we saw plainly the
hills of Montenero above the town ; in the evening a stiff breeze
arose and carried us past the shoals of Meloria, which extend
very far under water, and on which many vessels have been lost.
We passed closer to them than our captain seemed to be aware
of, and we saw the breakers on our lee-bow. The calculations
of the Mediterranean sailors are in general very inexact, their
maps are defective ; the piloto or scrivano, both which names
answer to that of mate, is the only man on board who has studied
a little navigation ; but all these deficiencies are made up by
their long practice of these seas. Another dangerous place in
this neighbourhood is that called Le secche di Vada, being
sunken rocks not many miles to the south of Leghorn, near the

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 187
shore, where it seems that a town formerly existed, which was
sunk by an earthquake under the level of the sea, and the tops
of the buildings are still to be seen in calm weather.
We passed during the night through the channel of Piombino,
between Tuscany and the island of Elba. The town of Piombino
is situated on the continent ; it was formerly a principality be
longing to the Roman family of Ludovisi, was taken from them
by the French, given to Baciocchi, the husband of Eliza Buo
naparte, and at the peace it was annexed to Tuscany ; the old
Prince of Piombino received a pecuniary compensation. The
island of Elba belongs now also to Tuscany ; it was before di
vided between three sovereigns, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the
King of Naples, and the Prince of Piombino. Another scrap of
territory farther to the south, and surrounded by the Tuscan
territories, belonged to the King of Naples, under the name of
Stato deJ Presidii / it has also been united to Tuscany. These
alterations are natural and wise ; those parcels of land under a
distant foreign dominion, were obstacles to the welfare of the
whole country. Porto Ferrajo and Porto Longone are the two
towns and harbours in the island of Elba, the former is reckoned
very strong.
Coming out of the channel, we continued our course along the
coast of the Maremme ; this is the general name given to the
marshy unhealthy country. The whole western coast of Italy,
from the mountains of Genoa to the extremity of Calabria, a tract
of six hundred miles in length, may be considered, with the ex
ception of the Bay of Naples, as one immense maremma, divided
in Tuscan, Roman, and Neapolitan. It is in general a low flat
country, extending ten, fifteen, and twenty miles in breadth, to
the foot of the lower ridges of the Apennines, intersected by the
numerous rivers and torrents which flow from those mountains,
and covered in some places with forests, but mostly with under
wood, and in other parts opening into immense meadows in which
large herds of cattle are grazing. In these desolate regions few
habitations are seed scattered about ; the people living in them
are as wild as the country they inhabit ; all those who can, leave

188 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS ,
the lowlands in summer and retire with the cattle to the moun
tains. The buffaloes alone remain the whole year, and thrive
in these pestilential flats, they enjoy to welter in the putrid
marshes, where their dark heads and tortuos horns are often seen
just rising above the green muddy water. The buffalo is origi
nally a native of Asia, but long naturalized in Italy, is a sullen
ferocious animal, and it is dangerous to approach it, as it will
run against the intruding stranger, throw him down, and crush
him to death with its head and knees. They are used for drag
ging heavy loaded carls, and for towing vessels up the rivers ; of
the milk of the female buffalo good cheese is made, and buffalo
meat is sold at a lower price than any other. The people who
guard the herds of buffaloes are in general. desperate characters,
' outlaws, and runaways from towns, who cannot return to their
homes on account of their misdeeds, and they remain concealed
in these solitudes where every summer many of them find their
graves. Buffalo fights by hunters and hounds are a common
sport in many parts of the Roman and Neapolitan states,. as well
as bull fights. The buffalo is a hardy strong creature, its body is
thicker- and its legs shorter than those of the ox, it is of a dirty
brown colour, its hide is bristly and remarkably hard.
The most obvious causes of the unhealthiness of the maremme
appear to be, the accumulation of stagnant water proceeding from
the rain or from the overflowing of the rivers in the wet season,
and which is left to exhale during four months of burning heat ;
and the great mass of decayed vegetables and animal substances,
such as wild plants, leaves of trees, insects, reptiles, &c. which,
mixed with the water, remain for a long time in a state of putre
faction. The latter cause must be the more powerful as vegeta
tion is very luxuriant in this rich and untouched soil. The ema
nations proceeding from the marshes are very strong and offen
sive to the smell, the atmosphere has a soporific effect ; sleep
proves fatal to a stranger, and is the sure means of his catching
the fever. The vapours rise in a thick mist over the plain, and
the wind blowing generally from the sea during the summer
months, spreads them further inland to the foot of the hills, so
that many districts which are not marshy, and even places

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 189
raised considerably above the plain are rendered very unhealthy
by it.
The Tuscan maremme are very extensive, they occupy a great
proportion of the province of Siena, and they extend far inland.
They are comparatively better inhabited and more cultivated than
the Roman maremme, they even contain some towns, such as
Grosseto, Castiglione, and Orbetello, the last two are situated
near lakes, which communicates with the sea, and the exhala
tions from which increase the malaria. The intermittent fevers
prevail all over the country, and all those inhabitants who have
the means, remove during the summer months. The Ombrone,
a considerable river, runs by Grosseto and empties itself into the
Mediterranean ; opposite to its mouth, a few miles off at sea
there are several rocks just above water, called Le Formiehej
which at night and in stormy weather are not without danger for
vessels sailing along this coast.
Towards the evening we were close under Monte Argeiitaro.
This singular mountain, rugged and barren, * projecting far into
the sea and almost divided from the continent by the lake of
Orbetello, is the most remarkable point on this coast. Round
its base there are two harbours, San Stefano pn the northern and
Port 'Ercole on the eastern side of it, and according to the wind
prevailing, either one or the other affords a very acceptable shel
ter in case of a storm. Monte Argentaro forms part of the Stato
de1 Presidii, it was chosen after the French invaded Rome in
1809, as a place of exile for those of the Roman clergy who
would not take the oath of allegiance to Napoleon ; others were
sent to Corsica. The sufferings of these victims of religious
duty, among whom were many venerable by their age, respectable
by their virtues, and distinguished by their learning, their pa
tience and resignation worthy of the first ages of the church, the
brutal treatment they were often submitted to ; all these circum
stances, although very interesting, are little known out of the
country in which they took place, the then ruling power prevented
* See Appendix, No. 12.

190 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
any notice being taken of them, and the magnitude of the suc
ceeding events covered all inferior details in oblivion ; still the
persecution of the clergy of Rome at that epoch offers many traits
worthy of the attention of the true philanthropist, whatever be
his creed. " La vertu demeure dans tous les temples, qu' ils
soient surmontes d' une croix ou d' un croissant, et meine sous
les chfenes sacres."*
Night came and a gentle easterly breeze wafted us along be
tween Monte Argentaro and the island of Giglio. The latter
belongs to Tuscany, and is inhabited by an industrious race of
people. We had all our sails up, the sea was calm, the sky
serene, every thing seemed to promise uS a fine night ; it was
about ten o'clock when I went down the cabin to rest, I had not
been asleep an hour when I was awakened by the roaring of the
sea, the howling of the wind, and the cries of the seamen. The
fact was, that no sooner had we cleared the high land of Monte
Argentaro and entered upon what these sailors call il Cornetano,
that is the beginning of the Roman coast about Corneto, that we
were assailed by a violent gale blowing through the passes of the
Apennines. Meantime the sky became cloudy, there was a
great swell from the south, the captain seemed afraid of the
wind coming to blow from that quarter, as we would then '
have found ourselves in a very critical situation close upon
a lee shore, without sea room to tack. I heard him call
out to the helmsman to steer off to the west, should the
wind change at all ; I jumped on deck, the night was
extremely dark ; looking at the compass, I perceived we
were steering our right course, but our frail vessel was terri
bly tossed and shaken about by the furious waves. Our Genoese
sailors were extremely prompt in lowering the sails ; two or
three minutes after it would have been too late, as the wind
would have carried them off : we only kept our fore top sail.
The deck was inundated with sea water, and I returned down to
the cabin, where I witnessed a scene of another nature : du sub
lime au ridicule il n'y a qu' un pas. One of my fellow-passen-
* See Appendix, No. 13.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 191
gers, a Neapolitan officer and an odd sort of man, unused to the
sea, was in a most deplorable state between sea sickness and fear ;
he was ejaculating prayers to the souls of purgatory, mixing,
however, now and then invocations of a more profane nature to a
certain Carolina, who appeared to be his earthly patroness. To
complete the scene, the trunks, bags, baskets of provisions,
bottles, &c. with which our little cabin was strewed, began to
roll and jostle about. This increased the consternation of the
Neapolitan : O mamma mia, mo si che simmo perduti, tutta la
barracca va peraria ! was the tragi-comical exclamation of
Carolina's lever, and at which I could not refrain from laughing,
in spite of the violent fits of sickness with which I was also as
sailed. The wind kept to the north, and we ran before it for the
rest of the night.
The welcome morn found us off the mouths of the Tiber. The
storm had somewhat abated and I could enjoy a view of that
classic land. The sun rose from behind the lovely hills of
Frascati, and by its light we could distinguish the ball which
crowns the dome of St. Peter's church. There lies imperial
Rome, that ancient mother of heroes, twice the capital of the
world, in all times the land of genius and the theatre of human
vicissitudes. The wilderness which surrounds her suits her
awful destinies ; she sits in the middle of desolation and ruins,
her trophies prostrate in the dust, yet she looks majestic, solemn
and sad. Rome is a fit residence for the children of imagination,
for artists and poets : even after she had been plundered of the
best works of the arts, the painter and the statuary repaired from
distant countries to admire the mighty ruins, by which they felt
their genius inspired more powerfully than by the splendid col
lection exhibited by vanity in the halls of the Louvre. The in—
invaders could not remove the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the
obehsks, the triumphal arches, and the numberless remains of
antiquity with which the ground is strewed ; they could not take
away St. Peter, nor the other temples, nor the magnificent palaces
of modern Rome, and above all, they could not remove the seven
hills themselves, the Tiber and all the recollections attached to
them, and which afford an inexhaustible mine of sublime ideas
and of poetical images.

192 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
The modern Romans, although they sink under the weight of
the glory of their ancestqrs, which renders their present condi
tion more humiliating, yet retain some sparks of that ancient
spirit which only requires a favorable opportunity to blaze forth
again. There is still a certain bold fierceness in the character of
the Roman peasantry which is not altogether contemptible. In
the narrow lanes of Transtevere also, many obscure individuals
exist, who, under an uncouth exterior, conceal a generous heart,
and who dare to be proud of their-country. The middling ranks
of society at_ Rome are far more polished in their manners and
better educated than the corresponding class at Naples : the lan
guage is proverbially elegant. The clergy are in general well
informed and really respectable ; a great number of learned men
are to be found amongst them. The nobility still retain an air
of feudal grandeur and ic>;»ch of the former dignity of their cast.
The Roman princes live like little sovereigns, they have a nume
rous retinue, at the head of which are some of the inferior
nobility, called gentiluomini ; their aged servants are all pro
vided for, and lodged in a part of the extensive mansions of their
masters, which is particularly allotted to that purpose, and called
il palazzo dellafamiglia.
Although there is certainly much corruption in Rome, still
an appearance of decency is preserved, preferable to the open
licentiousness of Naples and of Venice. The Roman women are
famed for their beauty ; their busts are remarkably handsome,
and their carriage is noble and majestic.
In the afternoon, the sea continuing stormy and the appear
ance of the weather uncertain, we entered Porto d' Anzio, where
I landed and wandered about that miserable place. The forzati
or galley slaves, and their guardians form the great majority of
the population. Besides these, a few miserable beings, looking
like so many walking skeletons, con squallidi, smunti, estenuati
volti, live under temporary huts ; the large buildings in the place
have been converted into barracks ; no provisions are to he found,
not even bread ; our sailors went over to Nettuno, a poprwld
looking town on the opposite side of the bay, whence they

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 193
brought some sour wine and chesnuts. The season of the malaria
was hardly over, and its effects were visible on the feverish coun
tenances of the natives.
This is the Latuim ! this is the country formerly divided into
several states inimical to Rome, and which, after their subjuga
tion", constituted for a long time the principal strength of that
proud republic ! These shores were inhabited by the warlike
Volsci, to whom Coriolanus repaired to carry revenge against
his ungrateful country ! Antiun was one of their principal towns,
farther north were, Ardea, the capital of the Rutuli, Laviniura,
built by Eneas, Laurentum the ancient residence of King Lati-
nus, and Ostia, the harbour of Rome. Of all these cities the
names alone remains ; such must be at last the fate of all the
works of men.
" Giace 1' alta Cartags : appena i segni
Dell' alte sue mine il lido serba ;
Muojono le Citta, muojono i Regni,
Copre i fasti e le pompe arena ed erba." Tasso.
Some years ago I landed on the coast of Tunis, and in my
journey to that capital I passed in the neighbourhood of Carth
age. I had just left Italy, and had recently visited the Cam-
pagna of Rome, I was struck with the resemblance of the ap
pearance of the two countries. Those two proud rivals who
fought so long and so desperately for the empire of the world are
now both sunk in the midst of solitude and of desolation. The
immediate territory of each is a cheerless waste, the roads are de
serted, the acqueducts of both are in ruins. Rome that triumphed
at last, rears up her head yet from her sacred hills, but the plains
of Latium are uncultivated and uninhabited, silence reigns around
the eternal walls and death has marked the whole region with
its seal. The lot of Carthage has been still more severe ; no
remains of that once great city appear now above the earth ; the
hill of Byrsa is unoccupied, the port is filled up, and the heed
less Moslem has converted part of the adjacent ground into a
vast church yard, an appropriate employment for the soil of
A A

194 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
fallen Carthage ! The only person 1 met in those solitudes was
an old Moorish woman who sat upon a tomb stone reciting verses
of the Koran, and who begged alms of us travellers.
After remaining a day at Porto d' Anzio, we sailed again
with a fair wind, and speedily passed Monte Circello, a remark
able mountain, advancing boldly into the sea, and joined to
the continent by the low land of the Pontine marshes ; soon after
we found ourselves off the Neapolitan coast. We saw the rugged
mountains of Itri and Sperlonga, which were the favorite haunt
of the famous insurgent chief Fra Diavolo and of his band, dur
ing the two French invasions of this kingdom in 1799 and in
1806. That extraordinary character, a mixture of the bandit
and of the patriot, after having waged for a long time a war of
extermination against the French, during which, by degrees, he
lost almost all his followers, and while finding his solitary way
through the wild mountains of Calabria to proceed to Sicily,
was betrayed to his enemies by one of his acquaintances to whom
he had applied for hospitality and after being tried by a military
court, was executed at Naples.
We passed close by the fortress of Gaeta, celebrated in the
history of the late wars, on account of the sieges it sustained ;
first, against the French, when the gallant Prince of Hesse Philip-
stadt commanded the garrison, and lastly, against the Austrians.
We had a violent squall off the mouth of the Garigliano, and
early next morning we entered the beautiful bay of Naples by the
straits of Procida. A stiff easterly breeze that arose with the
sun obliged us to tack the whole day in sight of the city and of
the harbour, which we could not enter till late at night. During
that day I had full leisure to enjoy the magnificent panorama
which lay around us. At every tack some new part of the land
scape which was before concealed by the projecting hills, appeared
to view. Pozzuoli and Bajse first, Camaldoli and the castle of
St. Elmo next, the King's palace at Capo di Monte, the beautiful
marina of Chiaja, the castle dell' Uovo and the whole city of
Naples, disclosed themselves in succession.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 196
What a magnificent display of all the pomp of nature and art !
Man should be happy here ; but no, the scorching rays of the
Southern sun engender vices as well as reptiles. The rocks of
Capri, the shores of Bajae, the plains of ancient Capua, the re
gions of Sibaris, and the walks of modern Naples attest the me
lancholy effect of a too luxuriant nature, and of a too genial sky.
Perhaps man cannot bear a perpetual summer with impunity, he
becomes enervated and debased ; the rough blast of winter is
requisite to rouse his mental energies as well as to brace the
nerves of his body. The farther one proceeds towards the south,
the more one perceives the want of this reviving principle. Na
ples stands in a moral scale, lower than Tuscany and Rome ; far
ther on is Calabria, next comes Sicily, where corruption has
reached perhaps a still higher point, although its geographical
situation has preserved in its inhabitants some sparks of energy ;
and the next step takes you to where ? to those shores the very
name of which appals the heart, to Barbary, to Algiers, and
Tunis, the land of tyrants and of slaves, of lions and of serpents :
beyond it the human race is lost in the sands of the desert.
Political institutions, education, and other causes have un
doubtedly a powerful influence on the character of nations, —
" When noble aims have suffer'd long controul,
They sink at last or feebly man the soul,
While low delights succeeding fast behind,
In happier meanness occupy the mind."
Still I am inclined to attribute a great share of it to the climate.
The people of Campania have been much the same since the
earliest times of history although under different governments,
institutions, and religions. This seems to be the land of effemi-
nancy, of idleness, and of forgetfulness. Naples is beyond the
river Lethe. The improvement of the human mind seldom reach
this region ; these shores resound but faintly with the report of
the noble deeds of the sons of distant lands. Man here is in
that state of torpid languor in which idleness is beautifully de
scribed by the French poet.
" Sonpire, etend les bras, ferine l'oeil et s' endort.'?

196

ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

Generation succeeds generation, and they pass on heedlessly -to
the grave. Music, the pleasures of the table, loitering about the
coffee houses of, St. Ferdinando, a Sunday passeggiata to Chiaja
and to the villa, a new actress, a new opera, a procession and a
parade, these form a succession of business which engrosses the
attention of the natives. Foreigners who live here for a consider
able length of time feel the contagion, so that I am tempted to
believe that there is a something in the air, as the Italians say.
These last remarks however do not apply to the other parts of
the kingdom of Naples, as I shall hereafter explain.
Since my return I have frequented again the theatres of this
capital. Soon after my arrival I saw a new tragedy, La Fratir
cesca da Rimini, performed at i Fiorentini, by the company
Fabbrichesi. The author of it, Silvio Pellico, a young man of
great literary acquirements, and now living at Milan, has treated
that affecting subject with a masterly hand. The performance
went through with considerable applause ; the actor who sus
tained the character of Paolo, showed a gieat knowledge; of his
art and of nature ; the character of Francesca was but indiffer
ently supported. Indeed, I have remarked since my return to Italy
a great deficiency in the female tragical- characters, which has
struck me the more as I had lately seen the present heroine of
the English stage. England seems to be the land of the tragic
muse. Our Italian actors do not study nature sufficiently ; their
expression is often forced, and their declamation is rather
monotonous. The present opera at St. Carlo is La donna del Lago, i. e.
the Lady of the Lake. There seems to be an Anglomania pre
vailing in the choice of dramatic subjects, which are now chiefly
taken from the works of the great English poets, and are tor
tured into operas, ballets and pantomimes. Hamlet, Macbeth,
Othello, the Lady of the Lake, Gulnare, &c. are quite fashionable
on the Neapolitan stage.
' I went to the Fondo to see my old acquaintance Casacciello,
in that pretty opera buffa, V Amor Marinaro, and was as much

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 197
pleased with hiin as ever : this kind of acting is indeed the fort
of this country.
Vesuvius has been of late in a state of great agitation. Towards '
the latter end1 of November a great eruption took place; the
explosion was announced in the middle of a stormy night by a
tremendous crash, which, by its hollow and lengthened report,
was easily distinguishable from the loud claps of thunder which
were heard at intervals. The next morning we saw the torrent
of smoking lava extending more than halfway down the mountain
towards Torre dell' Annunziata, whence it took the direction of
Pompeii. On the following night the sight was truly beautiful.
The red stream running aleng the dark slope of the volcano,
shone with a brilliancy, which was increased by the clearness of
the air produced by a keen northern breeze, and the distant
groaning issuing from the bowels of Vesuvius broke awfully
through the stillness of night. Several parties composed chiefly
of foreigners went up the mountain to examine the lava, the
torrent of which when orice its direction is ascertained, may be
approached without risk to its very brink ; the only danger is
that of a new eruption breaking out, or of a snowier of stones
being thrown up from the crater, of which last unpleasant occur
rence I had been a witness in a former excursion to this volcano.
The view from the hermitage, which is halfway up the mountain,
is particularly- striking by moon light.
The city of Naples is of late years considerably altered in its
appearance. The principal improvements are : First — The new
road to Capo di Monte, and the bridge forming part of it, which,
like that of Carignano at Genoa, connects two hills, passing over
the street of La Sanita. Beyond it the road is cut through the
rock and winds up to the palace. That extensive pile built on
the naked summit of the hill, with its red walls, and grey pillars
and ornaments, has rather a heavy appearance. Second— The
new road by Posilipo, which winds round the promontory of
that name,, and in some places appears suspended above the sea,
and is the finest ride in the neighbourhood of Naples. It is only

198 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
carried yet, as far as the summit of the hill, but will be continued
on the other side towards Bagnoli, so as to lead, to Pozzuoli
without passing by the Grotta. Third — The entrance of Naples,
coming from Rome, has been also improved, by pulling down a
heap of wretched old buildings which stood near the gate of St.
Gennaro, and the traveller now proceeds through a continuation
of fine broad streets until he arrives at i Studj, whence by a
brisk turn to the left, he drives on to Toledo.
Another embellishment, js the colonnade facing the royal
palace, and in the centre of which the church of St. Francesco di
Paolais to beraised, in consequence of a vow made by the present
king on his last return to his capital. The colonnade, however,
will lose much of its. effect on account of the buildings rising on
the hill immediately behind it.
*
On Christmas eve the city of Naples resembles a town taken
by storm. A quantity of rockets of various descriptions, some
weighing above a pound, are thrown out of the windows as a
sign of rejoicing, to the great annoyance of the passengers. A
continual noise is kept up in this manner till day break. Such
irregularity in a civilized country is a matter of surprise to
foreigners ; but the natives seem remarkably fond of boisterous
diversions, and at every festival of any particular saint a consider
able sum is laid out in fireworks. Government having the
monopoly of gunpowder, derives a considerable revenue from it.
During the nine days preceding Christmas, an evening service
is performed in the churches in commemoration of the nativity of
Christ, and which is known by the name of la Novena di
Natale ; that of the royal chapel in the palace, is distinguished
by excellent singing. On this occasion I saw the king and many
of the nobility attend with much devotion. His majesty is
known to be a regular- observer of the practices of religious
worship. A number of shepherds from the mountains of Abruzzo, and
from the neighbouring Apennine regions, come to the capital

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 199
regularly every year, two or three weeks before Christmas, and
go about the streets playing on their bagpipes, announcing the
approaching festivity. Most of the Neapolitan families engage
some of these itinerant musicians to play at their houses for a
quarter of an hour on each day of the Novena, for a trifling
remuneration ; the wild appearance of these mountaineers, their
uncouth dress, the simplicity of their manners, and the shrill
notes of their pipes, attract the attention of the traveller. At the
same epoch, groups of Calabrese peasants from the opposite part
of the kingdom repair to Naples with their harps, which are their^
national instruments.
It is customary here as well as in other parts of Italy at Christ
mas time to construct in the churches and in several private
houses, representations of the birth-place of our Saviour, with
appropriate figures, and which are known by the name of- pre-
sepio. Some of them are arranged with great skill, and exhibit
a variety of scenery in which the rules of perspective are very
well preserved. The natural taste of the Italians for the fine
arts is particularly remarkable on these occasions. The stable
in which Christ was born, and from which the name of presepio
is taken, forms of course the prominent feature of the scene, and
the landscape around it is a fanciful assemblage of groves and
meadows, streams and cascades, cottages and grottos, long
avenues and distant mountains. These models are made of a
variety of materials, such as cork, wood, turf, &c. the figures are
made of clay, very naturally painted, and in various costumes ;
shepherds with their flocks and cattle, travellers, soldiers, ice.
The details are generally elegant and picturesque, but the whole
often exhibits an odd mixture of inconsistencies, I have seen a
presepio in the house of a lawyer, in the street of Forcelle, con
structed on a large scale and in a magnificent style, containing
several hundred figures, which has cost the owner some thousands
of ducats, and in which the Virgin Mary appeared standing dressed
as a queen, under a beautiful Grecian portico, receiving, the
homage of kings accompanied by a brilliant retinue, while the
guards with their spears kept the intruding. multitude at a re
spectful distance. The Ottoman crescent and the imperial eagle

200 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
of Austria appeared on the banners of their majesties. Some of
the presepii are constructed on terraces in the open air, and
others in apartments and shown by candle-light. Free admission
is given gratis, according to the liberal custom of the Italian
gentry. The University or Scuole Pubbliche of Naples, was formerly
a college belonging to the Jesuits. In Italy these disciples of
Loyola had the public education of youth in their hands, and
they seem to have been well qualified for it ; their professors
were generally men of great abilities, the regulation of their col
leges were wise and more liberal than is commonly imagined, and
I think that, in this country at least, public education did not
gain much by the suppression of the order. Whatever the
faults of that institution and the ambitious views of its chiefs
might be, the individual members of the society were in general
highly respectable and useful, and they cannot, consistent with
justice, be accused of idleness, nor of a fanatical and persecuting
spirit. The sovereigns of Europe might think it politically wise
to abolish the Jesuits, but it certainly appeared little wisdom or
policy in the court of Rome to connive at their fall, and to treat
with such severity its best defenders and the champions of Ca
tholicism. Even to this day the opinions of Italians are much
divided about the expediency of that measure, and I have often,
during the political storms which have agitated this country,
heard the remark made, that " these things would not have
happened had not the Jesuits been suppressed." The reception
which Frederick II. and Catherine of Russia gave to the fugitive
fathers, and the bitter invectives which this conduct drew against
those two great sovereigns from Voltaire and his party, are
strong arguments in favor of the Jesuits. The present remains
of the order however give but a faint idea of its former greatness
and glory, and the re-establishment of the Jesuits by several of
the Catholic governments of Europe which is now taking place,
will probably prove inadequate to the expectations which may
have been founded upon it, and only serve to increase the clam
ours of the discontented party, without furnishing any additional
arms to oppose it. The vetefans of the order are all dead, and

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 201
the generality of the existing members, brought up in times of
humiliation and distress, have not had the means of acquiring
the qualifications of their predecessors. Stat magni nominis
umbra. I have of late attended the lectures at the University. Some
of the professors are really men of superior abilities ; others are
chiefly remarkable for the low wit and vulgar language with
which their instructions are seasoned. I heard some of the most
extraordinary explanations in this style that were ever delivered
from a professor's chair, and often too in pure Neapolitan jargon.
Perhaps they have for so doing, the same reason as the preachers
of this country, viz. : to accommodate themselves to the taste
of their, audience. The lectures are accessible to any decent and
orderly person. At the gate of the college a military guard is
stationed, which would appear rather a strange sight to an
English student, but such is the continental system of the day.
The people of this country are much addicted to the belief of
witchcraft and of other supernatural powers. I have often been
surprised to hear persons, very sensible in other respects, talk
seriously about these matters, and relate tlje most extravagant
stories. I was gravely told the other day by a Neapolitan ac
quaintance, that a witch had been found half dead lying on the
pavement in some obscure lane in the skirts of the city ; the poor
hag it seems while soaring through the air on her way to LaNoce
di Benevento, a favorite place of resort with these mysterious
beings, had ventured too near a church, the sacred atmosphere
of which had destroyed her spells, and she had fallen helpless to
the ground. This country is also haunted by a peculiar kind of
hobgoblin called by the natives il monacello, whom they describe
as a short thick figure of a; man dressed in the long dark gar
ments of a monk, with a very broad brimmed hat ; he is, how
ever, an inoffensive being, who takes pleasure in trying the
spirit of the people by appearing to them in the dead of night
and beckoning to them to follow him, which, if they have
sufficient courage to do he leads them often to some unknown
recess where a treasure is concealed : several persons are re-
B B

202 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
ported to have acquired a sudden fortune through his assistance.
Credulity with regard to these matters, absurd as it may appear
to foreigners, is not, however, confined here to the lower classes
only. A science upon which 1 have heard frequent dissertations, is
la magia bianca, a kind of lawful intercourse with invisible
spirits, by which adepts obtain a knowledge of the most secret
things : they have cabalistical calculations through which they
pretend to find out the prize numbers that will be drawn at the
next lottery. These people are chiefly monks and priests, who
live very retired, are difficult of access, and speak by enigmas.
I have frequently heard wonderful accounts of people winning
great prizes through their means, the circumstances of which
and the authority I had them from, would almost shake my in
credulity. Some of the most celebrated among these seers, have
been at different times exiled by the police as obnoxious persons.
A belief in the secret science of these people is very generally
spread among all classes of Neapolitans and of Sicilians, however
incredulous in other respects. A German professor of music
travelling lately through Sicily, arrived at Catania, where he had
some respectable introductions and was received very kindly.
Nature, however, had bestowed upon him an odd forbidding as
pect ; there was something mysterious in his deportment, and he
appeared fond of study and retirement ; all these circumstauces
persuaded some of his new Sicilian acquaintances that he was a
fit person to apply to for numbers of the lottery, they therefore
enticed him one day into some sequestered mansion, and when
they had him seated, they brought pen, ink, and paper before
him, telling him resolutely, at the same time, that they would not
allow him to go before he gave them a good terno, i. e. three
prize numbers for the next lottery. The astonished German
stared, smiled, argued, and remonstrated, but to no purpose ;
fearing the worst he was obliged to act unwillingly the part of an
impostor ; with much gravity he wrote down three numbers at
random, and hastened immediately after to leave the place secretly
before the result of the lottery cuuld be known.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 203
The Italian system of lottery is very simple. Tickets with the
numbers from one to ninety are put in an urn, out of which five
are drawn, and those persons who have been fortunate enough to
hit upon any of these receive a prize in proportion to the money
they have staked, and which is increased at every additional
number they have guessed out of the five ; an antbo, i. e. two
prize numbers affords a premium of more than twenty times the
money staked upon them, a terno, or three numbers, afford several
hundred times the amount, and so on in proportion ; the cinquina,
or the whole of the five prize numbers, is worth several thousand
ducats to the lucky guesser. The great evil of this place is?
that, as people are allowed to stake as low as a few grains, the
temptation is very great for the poor classes, who often deprive
themselves and their families of the first necessaries of life, and
sacrifice the scanty produce of their daily labour at the shrine
of cupidity.
I shall not speak here of the subterraneous cities, Herculaneum
and Pompeii ; the subject has been so often and so satisfactorily
treated by men of science, that it would be idle and presuming in
me to add any thing to their elaborate descriptions. The philo
sophical traveller, the lover, of antiquity, the artist, and the man
of feeling, find in these memorials of times gone by, an inex
haustible mine of useful knowledge. The solitary streets of
Pompeii, its empty dwellings and deserted temples, seem to con
nect us with past generations more familiarly than books can do,
and the mind wafted at once over eighteen centuries of the history
of mankind, becomes conversant with the manners, the virtues
and the follies of those distant races that have preceded us on the
great theatre of the world. The excavations at Pompeii are con
tinued, although slowly, under the present government.
The national palace, degli Studj, contains an invaluable collec
tion of works of the fine arts. In the sculpture gallery are to be
seen some of the finest productions of the Greek chissel ;.. the
Farnesian Hercules, the beautiful Venus, the Flora, the Bacchus,
the Orator, and several others rank high above the rest. In the
gallery of modern paintings the picture of Leo X. by Raphael, the

204 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
Danae, the Bacchante, several Correggio, Caracci, Murillo, Claude
Lorrain, &c. attract the attention. The collection of zncieatfresco
paintings taken from Herculaneum and Pompeii, which has been
till now at Portici, is particularly interesting as the best specimen
of the art among the ancients. The Etrnscan vases, the bronzes,
the ancient utensils and the papirj, form a mass of treasure un
rivalled in any other country.
The public library in the same palace, which is opened to the
public at regular hours every day in the week, affords a great
convenience to the studious youth of the capital. It is worthy
of remark, that Italy, although generally looked upon by people
beyond the Alps as behind hand in scientific and literary acquire
ments, affords the cheapest and easiest means of instruction of
any country. Every considerable town has public libraries and
public lectures, to which students are admitted gratis.
The present government of Naples although arbitary is mild.
The freedom of conversation upon political subjects, which is
remarkable even in places of public resort of the capital, would
surprise a foreigner who had formed his ideas of absolute monar
chies from the specimen of Spain, or even of France under
Buonaparte ; in this respect, therefore, the government of this
country cannot be taxed with oppression, and the king has cer
tainly kept the word he gave on his last return from Sicily, that
he would forgive and forget all past occurrences. Indeed, roost
of the situations in the civil and military departments, except
the very first ones, are filled by persons who were employed under
Murat, so much so, that the royalists as they call themselves,
who always remained attached to King Ferdinand in all his
vicissitudes, and many of whom followed him to Sicily and
suffered in their circumstances on that account, complain now
that their services are overlooked and that the Muratists, which
is the name they give to their antagonists, are preferred to them.
This system, it is supposed, is intended to conciliate the majority,
how far it has succeeded, time and opportunities alone can show.
Certain it is, that the king is not so popular as formerly with his
old adherents, and particularly with the lower classes, who are

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 205
in this country notoriously attached to the old forms of absolute
monarchy. The greatest subject of complaint against this government is
the one which is at present repeated in every country of Europe,
viz. : oppressive taxation. This evil, however, has certainly
been first introduced in Italy by the French conquerors, but the
present rulers are reproached for not having diminished it after
the restoration. But if one considers the general rise in the
prices, and the multitude of people which the governments are
obliged to support (another legacy of the French), the question
naturally arises whether it would be political or even possible to
lessen the burthens of the nation ? However opinions may be
divided upon the subject of the required amount of the revenus,
there is a more general and more plausible objection to the dis
tribution of the taxes. The fqndiaria or land tax; is particu
larly burthensome, being more than twenty per cent, upon the
estimated yearly income. Great complaints are also made of
unfair valuation of the lands in the provinces, and of the severity
with which the tax is collected. There are persons who have
nearly one-third of their income absorbed by this oppressive tax.
The iscrizione and registro or tax upon contracts, receipts, wills,
&c. is also much complained of, amounting in seme instances to
five per cent, of the capital. There are, besides, stamp and
license taxes. The duties of the dogana or custom house form
also a great source of revenue ; this department unites both the
offices of excise and custom house. All kinds of provisions pay
a duty in entering the town, and custom house officers are sta
tioned at the barriers for that purpose, who examine closely, all
carriages that pass and who have a right to cause persons to step
out' of them for that object. The post office duties, which are
very high, the lottery, the regia or monopoly of salt, tobacco and
gunpowder, and the produce of the demanio or national property,
are the other sources by which the treasury is filled. The present
revenue of the kingdom of Naples is more than triple what it was
before the French invasion, I was therefore surprised in reading
the other day in an English newspaper a bold assertion that the
governments of the continent had not materially increased their

206 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
taxes since the revolution ; this is one of the several gross mis
statements 1 have been in the habit of observing with regret in
some of the daily English presses with regard to Italian affairs.
The Chevealier de Medici, is at the head of the financial de
partment and ,is looked upon even by his enemies to be a man
of considerable abilities. He enjoys the full confidence of his
sovereign, and is in fact the ruling minister at Naples. He has
succeeded in restoring a certain degree of confidence : the-'
finances are said to be in a flourishing state, and government bills
and securities circulate freely and without loss.
The judicial system of this country, both civil and criminal,
affords matter for numerous complaints, and although a certain
allowance must be made for exaggeration and party spirit, yet it
can hardly be doubted by any man at all acquainted with the
private concerns of the natives, that a lamentable degree of cor
ruption prevails in some of the courts, and that pure hands and
upright hearts are not the general qualifications of the members
of the Neapolitan bench and of the Neapolitan bar. This is the
old and chief bane of this country which has not as yet been
removed by any political change ; it is a continual source of dis
content, of domestic unhappiness and of immorality, and it is
ardently to be wished that the attention of government during
fhe present season of peace, may be directed to this most essential
branch of internal administration. The evil is deeply rooted,
and it requires a hand discriminate and firm at the same time to
effect a gradual and permanent reform. Unfortunately, the
present system seems to be vacillating ; the laws and regulations
are all pro tempore. The,French codes are still in force although
new ones are daily expected to supersede them. Decrees follow
decrees upon particular points of political economy abrogating
the decisions of former ones. The administration is composed
of men of different parties, which prevents that union so desirable
in the councils of a monarchy.
The public opinion is generally favourable with regard to the
members of the royal family. The Hereditary Prince is re-

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 207
spected and beloved, and he has of late so conducted himself in
his administration of the island of Sicily, where he resides as
lieutenant general of his royal father, m ]as to conciliate the
affections of that high spirited but susceptible race of people,
whose feelings had been hurt by several recent measures of the
Neapolitan government.
Joachim Murat, a man of whom the eventful career and the
tragical end form a distinguished feature in the history of the
last war ; Murat has left behind him a name, which serves still
in this country as a rallying point for many. He had the quali
ties of a soldier of fortune, he was brave, frank, and naturally
disposed to generosity ; uneducated, but possessed of good sense
and penetration; he was vain of his person, fond of show, mag
nificence, and pleasure, but yet he preserved the manliness of a
warrior. Such a man could not fail to recommend himself to
the Neapolitans, a people easily dazzled by external appearance
and brilliant endowments. Appointed to the throne of Naples
just after the short but tyrannical reign of Joseph Buonaparte
and of his detested minister Saliceti, Murat appeared ' as a deli
verer. He flattered the prejudices of the people, listened to
their grievances even in the middle of the streets, he showed
mercy to many of the discontented who had openly committed
themselves, he pursued a moderate and conciliatory system in the
refractory provinces ; he had a fine army, a brilliant retinue,
and an expensive household',; in short, had he been independent
of his brother-in-law Napoleon, he might have been the regene
rator of this country. As it was, he certainly corrected many
abuses, he encouraged civilization and industry, and effected
considerable ameliorations in the different branches of internal
administration ; but his measures were partial, he was fettered
and cramped, and his general system of government being sub
servient to that of Napoleon, was arbitrary and violent. A French
military resident was stationed at Naples, as a representative of
the French Emperor, to watch all the steps of Murat, and to
thwart any measure that might be obnoxious to the sovereign
Umpire. French officers and greedy employes swarmed in
Naples ; Murat was obliged to submit, although unwillingly, he

208 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
had several serious disputes with his imperial relative, and his
consort Caroline went even to Paris to deprecate the wrath of her
brother. On his return to Naples after the battle of Leipzig, Murat
thought of availing himself of the golden opportunity to be at
last a real and not a nominal king. He opened his ports, made
friendly proposals to the belligerent powers, and seemed to be
sincere in his determination to abandon the continental system,
which, he publicly said to the assembled merchants, was not
suited to the position and to the interests of the Neapolitan king
dom. But he soon after began to show his incapacity as a
statesman :
" Tel brille au second rang qui s' eclipse au premier."
His policy was crooked and false, both towards his brother-in-law
who had been his benefactor, and to the allies who were to be
his protectors. In his campaign on the southern bank of the
Po in 1814, he appeared undecided, and after the treaty of Paris,
instead of being satisfied with the kingdom of Naples he con
tinued to occupy by force the province of Ancona, over which he
had no claim whatever, and he began to aspire to the sovereignty
of all Italy. He roused thereby the suspicions of Austria and the
other allied powers, whose good will it would have been his
interest to conciliate ; atad when, in the year following, he made
his rash and unjustifiable incursion in the north of Italy he found
himself sadly deceived in all his ambitious calculations. His
proclamation, dated Rimini, March 31, 1815, was turgid and fulj
of the revolutionary phraseology, but destitute of solid argument.
The answer of General Bellegarde was the best refutation of its
captious principles.*
Ater a short and disastrous campaign, in which he perceived,
too late that he had miscalculated his strength and resources, he
was obliged to fly from his capital, and to bid adieu to the splen-
* See Appendix, No. 14.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 209
dour of a throne, to the luxuries of Parthenope, and to the
endearments of his family to become a wretched wanderer by
sea and by land: he concealed himself first on the shores of his
native France and afterwards in the wild mountains of Corsica ;
yet a ray of hope beamed upon him, and had he listened to the
dictates of wisdom he might have again rejoined his wife and
children, and found domestic comfort and happiness to be still
some compensation for the loss of royalty, to the cares of which
he had shown himself unequal. His inconceivable attempt on
the coast of Calabria put an end to all his worldly prospects —
he died like a soldier such as he had ever lived. His fate, which
excited much commiseration, would deserve still more if the foul
deeds of the 4th of May, 1808, at Madrid, where he commanded
as lieutenant general of the Emperor, could be blotted out of the
page of history.
The kingdom of Naples is undoubtedly one of- the finest regions
of Europe. Its population, exclusive of Sicily, amounts to five
millions ; the capital alone contains four hundred thousand
inhabitants, and ranks thereby next to London and Paris, as the
third city in Europe. The surface of the kingdom includes
about twenty-three thousand square miles. The productions of
the soil are as varied as the appearance of the country and as the
character of the different races that inhabit it. The vast plains
of Puglia produce abundance of corn and a great quantity of
wool ; the Peninsula of Lecee and that of Calabria abound with
oil and fruit ; the mountainous regions of Abruzzo afford pasture
for numerous herds of cattle ; and the provinces of Naples, and
Salerno unite all these different produces. A greater variety of
excellent wines is made in this country than in any other of the
same extent. The immediate neighbourhood of Naples alone
produces ten or twelve sorts of fine wines such as Lagrima, Capri,
lschia, Procida, Gragnano, Piedemonte, Vino greco &c. Besides
these most of the provinces of the kingdom abound also with
excellent wine. Calabria produces a large quantity of raw silk,
which forms an important article of trade. The kingdom of
Naples therefore, notwithstanding the low state of agriculture and
industry, is able, not only to supply the wants of its population,
c c

210 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
but also to export a considerable snrplus which is exchanged for
articles of foreign manufactures.
If from the country we proceed to examine its inhabitants, we
find among them a remarkable difference of appearance and
manners. The mountaineer of Abruzzo in his course wollen
capote or wrapped up in sheep's skin tending his flocks on the
cloudy Apennines, used to a wild nature, to the noise of the tor
rent and the raging storm, and inured to the privations of a
severe winter, retains much of the pastoral simplicity ; like all
mountaineers he is attached to his country, to his government
and to his religion. The Abruzzese insurgents made an obsti
nate resistance on the French invasion. The people of Abruzzo
pride themselves in being the descendants of the ancient Sain-
nites, and are still reckoned the best soldiers in the kingdom.
Abruzzo is a very interesting country for a stranger to visit,
although little known, being remote from the main roads ; its
scenery is grand and picturesqe ; there is little danger to be ap
prehended from banditti in those regions ; the inhabitants are
good natured and hospitable. The province of Abruzzo con
tains some considerable towns such as Aquila, Chieti, Teramo,
Sulmona (the birth place of Ovid), Popoli and the fortress of
Pescara. Several rivers rise in its mountains and empty them
selves into the Adriatic; the principal ones are theTronto, San-
gro, Pescara &c. Next to Abbruzzo is Puglia, the richest of the
grand divisions of the kingdom ; its principal town is Foggia,
which ranks immediately after Naples. It is a new city, built
in the middle of the immense plain called il Tavoliere, which
renders it very hot and rather unhealthy in summer ; many of
the provincial nobility and wealthy landholders reside in it, and
live in a style of affluence and even luxury. Proceeding farther
towards the Adriatic, one enters that part of Puglia called
Pietrosa or " stony ;" the chief produce of which is oil. A
succession of considerable towns at a short distance from one
another lines the shore of the Adriatic sea on this side, Yiz. :
Manfredonia, a commercial place with a good harbour, Barletta
also, a large town, Trani, Bisceglia, Bari, celebrated for the shrine
of St. Nicholas, Monopoli, Brindisi, a famous harbour in ancient

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 211
times, Lecce one of the most considerable towns of the kingdom,
and whose inhabitants are remarkably ingenious and spirited,
Otranto once a town of some note, only fifty miles from the oppo
site coast of Greece and little more from the island of Corfu ;
then turning round the Cape of Leuca you meet Gallipoli, the
principal commercial town in this part of Italy, and farther on
Taranto, a bishop's see. From this ennumeration it will be seen
that Puglia is a country well inhabited and in a flourishing state.
* The Pugliesi, or people of Puglia, are the wealthiest, the
most civilized, and the most corrupted of the Neapolitan provin
cials. They are shrewd, quick, and intelligent. A great number
of their youth come to the capital to pursue their studies, many
of them apply themselves to the learned professions, in whkh
they generally succeed, and they often attain the highest stations,
in preference to the indolent and luxurious natives of the capital.
In the maratime districts of Puglia there is a mixture of foreign
races, Greeks, Albanians, and Sarrazins ; in several villages they
still retain the original dress and speak the language of their
forefathers : the Greeks are chiefly to be found in the province
of Lecce, and the Albanians farther north, towards the frontiers
of Abruzzo. Puglia has been of late years in a disturbed state ;
numerous bands of insurgents have infested that province ; they
were rather above common robbers, something of a political
spirit appeared to be mixed with their love of plunder. The
most famous among these bands was that of Gaetano di Martino
and his brothers, better known under the name of i Vardarelli ;
they were at one time so formidable that the Neapolitan govern
ment thought proper to enter into terms of accommodation with
them, by which their followers were organized into a regular
troop, received pay from the state, and were even intrusted with
the care of defending the country against the other bands. For
some months after the Vardarelli were faithful to their engage
ments, but their chief, Gaetano, having trespassed beyond the
limits of his jurisdiction proceeded to a village called Ururi, inha
bited by Albanians,' where he demanded in a summary manner a
supply of provisions ; a scuffle ensued, in which Gaetano and seve
ral of his followers lost their lives, and the rest of his band were soon

212 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
after, under some pretence, enticed to Foggia, where being sur
rounded by the regular troops, they were all destroyed or taken.
This occurrence happened last year.
The secret association, under the name of Carbonari, of which
little is known beyond the precincts of this country, is supposed
to be very numerous in the provinces of Capitanata and of Lecce,
which form part of Puglia. Many contradictory reports are
spread about the nature of this association, and of its principles ;
it seems certain however, that they are connected with some po
litical object not friendly to the present system of government,
for which reason the Carbonari are watched and even severely
handled in some of the provinces. On the late organization of
the judicature an oath was administered to the members of the
different courts that they did not belong to any secret society.
The third grand division of the kingdom of Naples is known
by the general name of Calabria, but it is subdivided like the
others in various provinces, having each its intendente or civil
governor. The principal towns of Calabria are Potenza, Cosenza,
Catanzaro, Monte-leoue, and Reggio. Calabria is by far the
wildest part of this kingdom ; some of its remote districts, par
ticularly those bordering on the Adriatic sea, although within
two hundred miles of Naples, are as little known to the inhabi
tants of the capital as the regions of Albania or Morea ; this is
owing chiefly to the want of roads and of the means of conveyance,
and to the low state of commerce and industry. An Englishman
can hardly form an idea of the difficulties and dangers attending
a journey through the interior parts of this country ; the few
diligences which run between the capital and some of the prin
cipal towns of the kingdom, are most wretched vehicles, and
appear so, even to persons used to French diligences and to the
vetturiui of northern Italy.
The Calabrese, a people to the name of whom unfavourable
impressions are commonly attached, are yet possessed of many
excellent qualities ; they are brave, constant, full of fire and
energy, they make the best friends but also the bitterest enemies.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 213
Kind treatment will bind for ever the heart of a Calabrese, and
their attachment can be depended upon under the most trying
circumstances. They may be said to understand better the na
tural than the social laws ; a Calabrese servant will perhaps
cheat his master out of a few carlini, but in the hour of danger
he will defend his life at the cost of his own. The peasantry
are as yet in a half savage state, and the calamities which have
visited their country during the last thirty years, such as earth
quakes, foreign invasions and civil wars, have not tended to im
prove their condition. The French armies, particularly under
the reign of Joseph Buonaparte, behaved with the greatest
cruelty towards the unfortunate Calabrese ; they burnt half of
their villages, cut down their plantations, and seemed to follow
that ruthless principle " That it is better to rule over deserts
than over a disaffected population." A good deal of information
is spread however among the middling classes, and Calabria has
produced several men of genius and learning.
Terra di Lavoro was the general name of the fourth grand di
vision of the kingdom, which lies between the Apennines and
the Mediterranean sea, and extends from the frontiers of the
Roman states to the borders of Calabria. Naples, Salerno,
Avellino, and Capua are the principal towns in it. Benevento,
although inclosed within the Neapolitan territories, belongs to
the Pope.
The island of Sicily which had always formed a separate king
dom, having its own parliament, civil government, and laws,
although often under the same sovereign as Naples, has of late
undergone a great political change. The King, since his retnrn
to his capital, has united the two kingdoms under the same
government, and assumed the title of Ferdinand I. King of the
united kingdom, of the two Sicilies ; this peremptory measure
may ultimately be productive of some good to both countries ;
for the present it has severely wounded the feelings of the Sici
lians, and especially these of the barons or upper nobility, who
derive their titles and feudal rights from the Norman conquest
of Roger and Tancred, and many of whom are wealthy and

214 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS
have a great influence over the peasantry. The Sicilians are a
race very distinct from those who inhabit the kingdom of Naples,
and among^ whom they resemble more their neighbours the Cala
brese, than any other ; they have an old and deep-rooted anti
pathy against the Neapolitans ; they are warm and high-minded,
shrewd and quick sighted, but irritable and tenacious. The
upper classes are splendid even to prodigality, hospitable to
strangers, and polished in their manners. A very great corrup
tion and looseness of morals prevail in the principal towns, but
mucb>simplicity of manners is still to be found among the inha
bitants of the interior. The Sicilian women are generally hand
some and very fascinating, they are fond of music and of plea
sure, but they are also spirited and intelligent, and susceptable
of real affection. The peasantry are mostly poor; the nobility
and clergy being possessed of the greatest part of the lands.
The present Sicilians are chiefly descended from the Greeks,
the Sarrazins and the Normans ; a difference of races is still
observable, among them ; the complexions of some are quite fair,
while others are as dark as the neighbouring Africans. In some
districts on the eastern coast about Catania the inhabitants
speak a dialect of the Greek. The island of Sicily includes a
surface of about eight thousand square miles, and its population
is calculated at one million and a half, of which the city of
Palermo contains nearly one hundred thousand ; Mesina, Catania
and Trapani are the other principal towns in the island. The
fertility of Sicily has been in all times celebrated ; but the little
encouragement given to industry — the total want of roads be
tween the different parts of the island — and the spirit of disunion
which unfortunately. exists between the inhabitants of various
towns, preyent the Sicilians from reaping the full benefit of those
advantages which nature has lavished upon their country. Much
good might be done in Sicily by a provident and enlightened
system of government, but the good will of the natives must be.
first secured ; their recollections and their prejudices must not
be trifled with. The annals of Sicily afford sufficient proofs of
their determined spirit. To this day, the account of the Sicilian
vespers is early related by parents to their children.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 215
The English, during their late military occupation of Sicily,
had succeeded in conciliating the friendship of the majority of
the natives, who, even at present, speak of them with expressions
of attachment and esteem, which form a striking contrast with
the illiberal spirit and envious feelings that are so frequently
shown in other countries of Europe towards them.
The brief account I have just given of the kingdom of Naples
and of Sicily, will, I hope, convey a general idea of its present
state and of the improvements these countries are susceptible of.
Much more might be said on the subject, but the limits of this
work and its professed purpose do not allow me to extend further
at present.Nothing can be more beautiful than the sight of the gulph of
Naples with its surrounding scenery on a fine winter day, if win
ter may be called what is more like a premature spring ; a pure
sky of brilliant azure, a vast expanse of blue water reflecting
like a mirror the objects around, mountains with the rich purple
hue peculiar to this country, a gay and magnificent city, shining-
buildings, luxuriant gardens, lovely villas, nature constantly
dressed in her holiday apparel, such is this country. But with
draw the splendid decoration — quit for a while the enchanted
shores of the gulph and repair to the dirty, noisy and crowded
streets of Naples, and your feelings will be sadly disappointed.
In leaving this place I shall not regret it : were I to choose an
abode for the remainder of my days I would prefer some peaceful
spot on the verdant banks of the Arno, or in some sequestered
valley at the foot of the Alps, there to enjoy an Italian sky and
Italian nature unpolluted by corruption and depravity.

216 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS

LETTER VIII.
Departnre from Naples. — Fine view qf that City from the
Bay, — Reflections thereupon. — Island of Ponza, its mili
tary importance. — Gale qf wind. — View 'of the land qf
Tuscany and of the neigbouring Isles. — Beautiful moonlight
nighh — Corsica, account of the character of its inhabitants.
— View of the Alps of Piedmont. — Historical recollections.
— View of the Genoese coast. — Gulph of Fr ejus. — Buona
parte. — Coast qf Provence. — Toulon. — Arrival at Mar
seilles. — Quarantine. — Description of Marseilles. — Cha
racter of its Inhabitants. — Notre Dame de la Garde.
Marseilles, February, 1S20.
VV E left Naples on board a French brigantine bound to this
place. As we sailed through the bay, the sun gradually arose
from behind Vesuvius and illuminated the magnificent landscape
I was beholding for the last time. Parthenope and its gay build
ings emerged from obscurity in all the pomp of Italian scenery.
The gilded dome and the pointed spire, the lofty palace and the
wide-spreading terrace, each appeared in succession : the lovely
hills of Vomero and Posilipo, adorned with their numerous white
walled casini intermixed with poplars, willows, and fruit trees ;
higher up, the castle of St. Elmo, exhibiting its grey walls and
battlements, which formed a contrast with the modern appear
ance of the adjoining Carthusian convent of San Martino ; Ca
maldoli rearing from behind its solitary head, crowned with a few
pine trees, and Capo di Monte displaying the massive structure
under which it groans ; at the foot of that range of hills, Naples
lay spreading itself widely along the embosomed sea, and stretch
ing one arm to the neighbouring town of Portici. The giant

IN THE NINKTE3NTK CEN TURY. 217
shape of Vesuvius rose in opposition to the charming prospect,
and the mountainous coast of Castellamare and Sorento, still
plunged in obscurity, added to the effect. To the south, the
rugged rocks of Capri, and farther west the pyrainidical mountain
of lschia closed the brilliant view. A gentle breeze played
** O'er tfee glad waters of the dark blue sea ;"
The sky was pure, only here and there some fleecy clouds relieved
with their white stripes the bright azure. Such was the aspect
of that fine country, when I bade it farewell, perhaps forever !
Meantime a stiff breeze sprung up and soon wafted us beyond
Cape Miseno ; we entered the straits between lschia and Procida,
and Naples, its palaces, its beauties, had fled from our sight ;
Vesuvius alone still reared its dusky shape from afar, frowning
upon us ; the first, the last beacon of that far-famed laud. We
soon passed the islands of Ventotene and Ponza, which are used
as presidj or places of exile, chiefly for state prisoners. The
latter has a very good harbour, into which I had been driven
some years before, during the late war. At that time several
hundred of Jacobins, as they were called, were confined in the
castle ; they had been sent there from Palermo by the late
Queen. It is a most dreary spot, a barren rock ; I saw only a
few goats on it ; the garrison and the prisoners Were supplied
with provisions by vessels from Sicily, as the neighbouring coast
of Naples was then in the hands of*the French ; so that when the
winds blew contrary for some time, the unfortunate exiles were
put on short allowance. It appeared to me a most miserable
abode, and the wretched looks of the prisoners I saw, agreed with
that appearance ; still theirs was happiness in comparison with
the fate of some who were thrown in damp dungeons cut in the
rock under the level of the sea ; for such exist both at Ventotene
and Maretimo, another presidio on the coast of Sicily. Ponza
was also a place af rendezvous for the partizans and emissaries of
the old dynasty ; there plots were formed and expeditions assem
bled against the French rulers of Naples ; the vicinity of the con
tinent rendering that spot peculiarly convenient for the purpose,
as boats could cross in a few hours during the night to and from
a a

218 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
the opposite shore. At one time communications were kept
therefrom with the insurgents in the mountains of Sperlonga and
ltri, at the head of whom was the famous Fra Diavolo, and with
the garrison of Gaeta, when that place was still in the hands of
King Ferdinand's forces under the command of Prince Hesse
Philipstadt. At last Murat, when once in quiet possession of
the kingdom of Naples, resolved to wrest from his enemies that
troublesome outpost, Ponza, and succeeded in the attempt, but
it was soon after retaken by a British force, and the French
commandant and garrison sent prisoners to Malta. The well-
known Prince of Canosa was for some time at Ponza at the head
of a royalist band. The possession of that island will always be
of importance to any power at war with the Neapolitan states, on
account of its situation, natural strength, and safe harbour.
The wind increased during the day and following night to a
strong gale, blowing from the south west, or lebeccio, which is
the dread of all Mediterranean sailors on that coast, as it blows
them directly on shore, and is always accompanied by a great
swell. The coast of Italy from the Genoese territories to the
farthermost point of Calabria, an extent of about six hundred
miles, has very few safe harbours ; but between Gaeta and Civita
Vecchia there is none at all, and the sea is very shallow for seve
ral miles off the land, which circumstances render the Spiaggia
Romana, as it is called, a very dangerous neighbourhood, par
ticularly for the frail country vessels, which are not able to live
long against the wind and sea. Many shipwrecks occur yearly.
The whole navigation between Genoa and Naples is perilous on
account of the number of islands and rocks which are spread be
tween the larger islands of Corsica and Sardinia and the Italian
continent, so as to form a complete archipelago. I would there
fore advise all persons sailing up or down that channel to be
careful of what vessels they trust themselves in, and to prefer
stout ships, such as the English, or in want of them, good French
brigs, of which there are several trading in that quarter, and
amongst the Italians to chose the Genoese or Venetians, as they
are undoubtedly the best Mediterranean sailors, but to avoid
carefully all small craft, such as Tuscan, Roman, Neapolitan, or

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 219
Sicilian vessels, under whatsoever denomination they are classed,
such as pinco, martingana, sciabecco, bombarda, feluca, tar-
tana, trabaccolo, &c. for they are all exposed to destruction,
besides which they are extremely deficient in accommodations
for passengers. — The gale lasted with the same violence for
another day and night, accompanied with frequent rain and
thunder, the sea running very high and frequently washing over
the deck, notwithstanding which, the master, a hardy Provencal,
never left it during all the time. He very properly stood off at sea,
and took in almost all the sails ; fortunately his vessel was stout
and newly built, so as to be able to resist the fury of the waves.
On the morning of the third day the wind had abated, but the
swell continued ; it was really awful to look at the mountain
billows rolling on and tossing our diminutive bark. We were
then in sight of Monte Argentaro, we saw farther off the island
of Monte Cristo, a dreary uninhabited mountain in the middle of
the sea, half way between Corsica and Italy ; before us we had
the fine island of Giglio, belonging to Tuscany, and the solitary
rock of Gianuti, once the resort and the watering place of the Bar
bary corsairs, who were the terror of those seas. We passed off the
western extremity of Elba, where the village of Marciana is situ
ated. In the afternoon we were off the island of Capraja, and steered
our course between it and Corsica, the lofty mountains of which
appeared in view. The little island of Capraja belongs now to
the King of Sardinia, a kind of outpost to his continential states.
He keeps in it a garrison composed of a detachment furnished
by one of the regiments at Genoa, and relieved every six months.
It must be a real exile for the poor officers, the place being
nothing but a barren rock ; the inhabitants are all either fishermen
or sailors ; the women cultivate what little soil there is. Next day
we were becalmed ; we could see at a distance the high land above
Leghorn and the mountains of La Spezia, the eastern extremity
of the Ligurian Apennines. To the westward we saw the craggy
coast of Capo Corso, the sides of its mountains covered with
dark woods and a few lonely habitations on the seashore. A
fine moonlight night succeeded as beautiful a day ; one of those
nights only to be met with in southern latitudes/" The wind was
hushed and the sea quite calm; a solemn stillness prevailed,

220 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
scarcely interrupted by the faint report of the distant surge beat
ing against the dark cliffs of Corsica. Now and then a porpoise
would dash in playful sport through the waters and ruffle for a
moment their even surface. The full moon threw its silvery light
on the distant scenery, while its beams were reflected in a bril
liant stripe over the liquid plain. The sailors lay stretehed on
deck unemployed ; the steersman still clung to the helm to avail
himself of the expected midnight breeze. Lovely climate, where
the elements are seldom at war with man, where winter is searce
deserving the name, where ten months in the year are blessed
with such nights and days ! On the following morning we wea
thered Capo Corso with a light easterly breeze ; but the wind
shifting all at onee to the north-west, the very point we were
steering for, we kept tacking all day in sight of the western coast
of Corsica, off the gulph of San Fiorenzo and the mountains of
Calvi, names well known in modern British history as the early
stage of exploits of the immortal Nelson. That bleak Corsica,
those craggy summits, have witnessed the valour of the English
arms : there is indeed scarce a spot laved by the waters of the
Mediterranean, which has not been consecrated by the blood
and made illustrious by the heroism of the sons of Britain !
Corsica wears a gloomy forbidding aspect, wild as the mind
and stern as the heart of its inhabitants ; but like them is highly
susceptible of improvement and worthy of a better fate. The
Corsicans are independent and free like the air of their native
mountains ; bold, aspiring and brave ; a man of genius might
make them what the Spartans once were. Under a succession of
weak foreign rulers, their ambition did necessarily turn to craft,
their courage to ferocity, their independence to idleness. This
,island,one hundred miles in length upon fifty in breadth, con
tains little more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, a popu
lation not greater than that of Malta. And yet even such a
scanty population, thinly dispersed on a large extent of ground,
cannot remain at peace ; but deadly feuds and bloody quarrels
continually originateubetween village and village, between family
and family, and between man and man ; and hatred, riots, and
revenge gluts itself in this ill-fated land. Instead of uniting their

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 221
efforts for the# common good — for the general interests of their
country, the Corsicans seem only intent upon injuring and de
stroying one another. Every year number of murders take
place. One crime breeds another. The relatives think them
selves bound to revenge the death of their murdered kinsman by
a similar act of violence ; it is to them a sacred duty dictated by
affection and honor, which, if they neglect, they see the ghost of
the deceased frowning upon them, like that whom Dante de
scribes in his Inferno. The widow treasures up the bloody shirt
of her lost consort, to shew it to her young offspring when ar
rived at an age to appreciate the dictates of filial duty which
those fatal stains are intended to convey. A hasty word, a spite
ful or contemptuous look, are often sufficient to ensure destruction,
and a well aimed shot pierces the breast of the imprudent victim
"before he has time to be aware of his danger. The people in
the country go about armed with daggers — a musket on the
shoulder, equally ready for attack or defence. Such is the moral
state of Corsica. Those of its inhabitants whose character or
education makes them turn in disgust from such a savage system,
emigrate to the continent and seldom return to their native land.
They carry their talents to the best or most convenient market,
and they generally succeed by perseverance. There are at the
present time many conspicuous characters, both civil and mili
tary, in the service of the principal powers of Europe, who are
natives of this land, and who do high credit to their country,
shewing thereby what the whole nation might be capable of.
The Corsicans, although proud of their countryman Napoleon,
were never much affectionate to him, and during the period of his
power he.had perhaps less partisans among his countrymen in
proportion to their numbers, than among any other people sub
ordinate to his sway. They complain bitterly of his having
totally neglected his native country, and that he did not direct to
have even a good road constructed to communicate through the
different parts of the island. The soil in Corsica is good, but
poorly cultivated, and owing to the difficulty of communications,
the scarcity of hands and the absence of commerce, landed pro
perty is worth very little, and the landholder gets scarcely any
thing beyond the supply of the primitive necessaries of life. The

222 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
Corsicans speak a dialect of fhe Italian, with a very broad unplea
sant accent. The island is in all respects an Italian country,
although now belonging to France.
The wind fell, again on the evening, and after such another
beautiful night as the one preceding, we steered next morning
with light winds from the westward, towards the Genoese coast,
hoping to fall in there with the land breeze with which to pursue
our regular course. As we advanced to the north, the Apen
nines of the Riviera di Ponente rose to view, backed by the
snowy Alps of Piedmont. A clear atmosphere added to the
effect of that impressive scene. Those icy summits, that eternal
barrier which nature seems to have set up to screen her favorite
garden, Italy, from the rude northern blast, and from the still
ruder hand of the foreign invader, that barrier, which so often
has proved ineffectual against mad ambition and lawless cupidity,
has been of late thoroughly rent, not by a foreigner but by an
Italian. It was there, on those snow-capped Alps of Mondovi,
in the famed defiles of Montenotte and under the ramparts of
Ceva, that Napoleon, at the head of his revolutionary bands, first
tried his military skill ; there he first put his lips to the madden
ing cup of ambition, which he afterwards quaffed to the very
dregs ; there fortune's deceitful smiles first encouraged him in
the brilliant and bloody career which led him to the first throne
of Europe, and thence to exile on a rock in the middle of the
Atlantic! And it was on his maternal country, Italy, lovely,
harmless and prostrate, that he cruelly tried the first experiment !
Ill-fated land, whose sons are either incapable of defending thee,
or if endowed with nobler spirit, turn the very gift to thy destruc
tion ! The idea of that strange man, the wonder and the riddle
of our age, led me to an approximation which was singularly
favored by the situation in which 1 then was ; I saw on one side
Corsica, the land of his birth — on the other Italy, the scene of
his military exploits, and further off, France, his adoptive coun
try, which he raised to the summit of glory to plunge her again
into humiliation and woe. It was perhaps in Corsica that the
happiest part of his life was spent, never to return ; there he spent
in peace and innocence his boyish years, unaware of his singular

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 223
destinies. Happy had he never trespassed the boundaries of his
native land ! *  But I am wandering too far from my journal.
On the next morning we were close to the land between Capo di
Noli and Capo delle Mele, and we had a fine view of the two Ri-
vieras of Genoa, the land of which rises in amphitheatre from the
sea to the sloping sides of the Apennines and then gradually to
the majestic Alps. The eye is led from the beach, lined with
numerous towns and villages, intersected with harbours, the
abodes of trade and industry, then through orange and lemon
groves and dark olive woods which deck the sides of the lower
hills, to the craggy naked secondary mountains, where hill rises
upon hill, rock overtops rock, until you reach at last the glaciers,
those silent regions, the boundaries of the living world. In the
centre of that beautiful crescent, in an opening formed between
the east and the west chain of Apennines lies proud Genoa, once
the mistress of the Mediterranean and the successful rival of the
Adriatic Queen. I could see with my glass the hill against
which it is built and the entrance of the two vallies of Polcevera
and Bisagno ; but to my regret 1 could not see the city itself.
Here I bade my last farewell to the lovely shores of Italy, which
appeared more charming than ever, now that I was on its very
confines. Adieu thou land of recollections, land of beauty and of
fancy ; fair Italy, adieu ! although fallen, like thy sister Greece,
still thou art lovely, as the cold marble sculptured on the tomb
of departed beauty, f «
A soft breeze sprang up in the evening from the land, and
wafted us gently along the coast through a sea scarcely curled.
The sails were only partly filled, the waters, rippled against the
sides of theVship ; we could hear the sounds of the human voices
and the barking of dogs from the land, interrupting the stillness
of the air. In this manner we passed Finale, Albenga and Capo
delle Mele. On the morning of the 15th we were off San Remo,
a populous place, the nursery of a great number of sailors. It
is wonderful what industry aided by liberty, has been able to do

* See Appendix, No. 15. + See Appendix, No. 16.

224 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
in this naturally barren country. The population is very great,
the sea is their resource. In many apparently insignificant places
on this coast, like Albenga, Lingueglia, San Remo, Port© Mau-
rizio, &c. there are mercantile houses which send ships to the
Black Sea, to Egypt and to Lisbon, and which have established
factories in various ports of the Mediterranean. The Genoese
have now lost their independence, but they have got some com
pensation in the freedom of their flag, which now flies over the
seas respected by the Barbary powers ; thanks to the English
protection and interference. We passed Monaco, a small prin
cipality, the sovereign of which is subordinate to the King of
Sardinia. He was deprived of his dominions by Napoleon, who
did not disdain such ah humble prey in the midst of his gigantic
aggressions ! Now the Prince of Monaco is restored to his dominions.
We saw the Col de Tende, , over which runs the road from Nice
into Piedmonte, an important passage, as it leads from the coast
over the Ligurian Apennines at once into the plains of Piedmont
and the heart of Italy. It was strongly fortified and well de
fended by the Piedmontese troops at the beginning of the revo
lutionary war ; the French did not attempt to force it, but
preferred the more eastern pass above Savona, by Millesimo and
Montenotte. We' passed in the night Nice and Villafranca. The
Comte de Nice, of which the King of Sardinia is the sovereign,
is enclosed between the mountains and the sea, and divided from
France by the river Var. It is a delightful region, sheltered
from the northern blast, and open to the beneficial influence of
the south. The lemon, orange$<and other fruit trees, grow there
luxuriously. Nice was renowned as a place of resort for con
sumptive and other invalids, as most beneficial to their health ;
it is not, however, so much frequented now by the ^English as
it was formerly : the neighbourhoods of Genoa, Pisa, and Na
ples, offering to them the same advantages, united to greater
resources for society and amusement. The inhabitants of Nice,
like those of Savoy, although having been submitted to an
Italian sovereign for centuries, are still more French than Ita
lian. Their language is a patois, somewhat resembling the
Provencal, a mixture of bad French and bad Italian ; the man
ners and the character of the inhabitants are French.

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 225
We made little progress through the night, owing to the
scarcity of the wind, and next morning we found ourselves, at
last, off the coast of France, and we saw behind us the last land
of Italy quickly retiring from our sight, enveloped in a dark
mist. We were then off the gulph of Frejus, and the towns of
St. Tropez and Cannes, three memorable places in modern his
tory. Frejus is the place where Buonaparte landed on his re
turn from Egypt, when he came to overthrow the Directory,
and to assume the supreme power. St. Tropez is the port where,
after his abdication at Fontainebleau, in 1814, he embarked on
board an English frigate to proceed to Elba ; and at Cannes he
landed again the year following, to carry war and desolation anew
to France and Europe. What scenes and changes this single man
has brought forth into the world !
The coast of Provence, particularly beyond the gulph of
Frejus, is far from being agreeable to the view ; it is a barren
rugged shore, consisting of chalky rocks, all the way to Mar
seilles. I saw nothing of the boasted fertility of Provence, and
found it very inferior to the delightful Riviera di Ponente, which
we had just left. We passed between the islands of Hyeres, and
the town of that name, on the main land. These islands were
strongly fortified with redoubts and other works by Buonaparte,
during the last war, to prevent the English from landing there,
as that was the station of the British fleet blockading Toulon.
There is a good anchoring place between the islands and the
main land. The works on the island of Hieres are now aban
doned, and dismantled of their cannon. We passed Toulon in
the night. As we went by these celebrated roads, I reflected on
the gallantry and perseverance of the English tars in remaining
for years, buffeted by the winds and waves, on an enemy's coast,
and on the privations and toils they must have undergone. I
do not think any other sailors in the world could have borne half
so much. Constancy in enterprise seems to me the peculiar
merit of the English.
Next day we were off Cape Sicio, but made little or no pro
gress beyond it, owing to the light and variable winds. The
E E

226 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
appearance of the land continued as barren as before. We were
becalmed in the night, and had our ship towed by the long
boat. Early next morning we found ourselves in the gulph of
Marseilles, when all on a sudden the wind rose from the land,
and it was with difficulty that our men succeeded in getting, the
vessel into the harbour, where we anchored at last at eight
o'clock. Our captain was so angry at the repeated disappoint
ments we experienced in our voyage from the wind, that he
swore a big Provencal oath that one of my companions (an
honest and quiet, but reserved man,) had brought us ill luck.
By the bye, this is a superstition very common amongst Medi
terranean sailors. As soon as we entered the harbour we were
visited by the quarantine boat, which came alongside, having
an health officer and a physician on board ; they looked at us
attentively-; the ship's papers were sent on shore to be smoked ;
after which a guard was sent on board, and we were ordered to
remain under quarantine for seven days.
Marseilles is a very fine city ; the streets are broad, and well
paved ; most of them run in a straight line, intersecting each
other at right angles ; the houses are uniformly and neatly built,
but they have not the shining whiteness of Italian buildings ;
the regularity of the plan of Marseilles reminded me of Turin,
the only specimen of the kind in Italy. It is a place of great
trade, and is singularly favored by its position : it is the
principal harbour of France in the Mediterranean, (Toulon being
exclusively appropriated to the royal navy,) and situated in a
central point of the coast, within a few days sail of Spain, Italy,
and Africa. Marseilles is the key of the commerce of France
with those countries, as well as with the Levant. Of late it has
also carried on a considerable trade with the French West India
islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe ; and it is also a market
for American, English, and northern vessels, which import colo
nial produce, and other articles that are allowed to be introduced
into France. Marseilles has also some considerable manufac
tures of soap, in which is consumed a great quantity of inferior
oil, imported for that purpose from Puglia, Morea, and the
Greek islands. English manufactures are either excluded or

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 227
subjected to such heavy duties by the French tariff, as to amount
to an entire prohibition ; and the custom-house officers are very
particular in searching the baggage of travellers on landing on
the quay. The quarantine laws are very strict ; they have been
so ever since the dreadful plague, which nearly annihilated this
city about a century ago, and of which they preserve an histo
rical paintingign the health-office. Ships coming from a place
with foul bills of health are not allowed to enter the harbour,
but they are sent to perform their quarantine on the opposite
island of Chateau d' If, which is situated in the middle of the
gulph of Marseilles. There are lazarettos, with accommoda
tions for the passengers, and also warehouses for the expur
gation of goods. The produce of the quarantine duties is
farmed to a company ; notwithstanding which, great impartia
lity, regularity and exactness, seem to prevail, as all the mea
sures are taken_under the inspection of a board of health, and
the superintendence of government. Of all the health officers
in the Mediterranean, those of Marseilles and Leghorn are
reckoned the strictest and most effectual in their regulations to
prevent the communication of contagious diseases. Although 1
highly approve of these beneficial restrictions, and wish they
were adopted, in every country, I cannot but animadvert on some
of those measures which, under the appearance of care for the
public health, seem only calculated to levy a tax on the naviga
tors, and obstruct the communications and commercial inter
course between the different countries bordering on the Mediter
ranean. Why, for instance, subject to seven, ten, and some
times twelve days quarantine, vessels from different ports of
Italy, when it is known that not the smallest suspicion of plague
exists ? Such is the practice, however, in the harbours of
France, with regard to vessels coming from Italy, and also in
all the Italian ports, with regard to vessels coming either from
France, or even from any part of Italy out of the territories of
the immediate government. A vessel from Leghorn, Civita
Vecchia, and Porto d' Anzio, in the Roman territories, on its
arrival at Naples, is put under seven days quarantine, and vice
versa ; likewise a vessel from the Tuscan or Genoese coasts
undergoes the same restrictions in entering the harbour of Mar-

228 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
seilles, although the post goes in a day or two from one to the
other of those places. Travellers meantime may come by land
without interruption in as short a time as vessels usually take ;
so that of two persons who set off at the same time for the same
place, one by land and the other by sea, the one is freely rang
ing ashore, while the other is confined for seven days on board
of his vessel. Besides, supposing that any degree of danger
really existed, these measures would be ineffectual, as the period
of quarantine is too short to allow the disease, in its general
course, to develope itself; and the precautions taken to prevent
communication between one vessel and another are so very
remiss, as to mock the purpose of the restriction. Vessels
under short quarantine, or observation, as it is called, lie in the
harbour close to one another, so that their cordages, sails, and
sides, often touch ; cats, dogs, fowls, run and fly from one to
the other freely ; and at night it is very easy for the crews to
communicate if they choose, while the guards on board are sound
asleep uiider deck : so that the vessel which goes out of quaran
tine to-morrow, may have intercourse with the one which has
arrived to-day. I can see nothing real in all this but the fees
paid by the owner of the vessel and cargo to the health-office,
the salary given to the guard on board, the high charges for
smoking letters sent on shore, and for receiving any thing while
under quarantine. But these are the least inconveniences at
tending this practice: the real mischief consists in the" delay
which it occasions to the ship and cargo, and which is often
longer than the time spent in the voyage ; so that a vessel
trading in the Mediterranean loses at least one-third of the year
in quarantines. It is strange that the different governments of
Italy and France do not come to a proper understanding on the
subject, and to a reform of a system, which disheartens the
traders, and often ruins the owners of small vessels, who are
generally possessed of very scanty capitals. One would almost
think retaliation to be a leading motive in the adoption of these
measures, for they regulate the quarantine of vessels by that
which is observed in the country they come from. The govern
ment of Naples carries the matter so far, as to oblige vessels to
and from various provinces^ its own kingdom to perform qua-

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 229
rantine, although, I am informed, it is enforced with very little

care.

The harbour of Marseilles is very spacious, and one of the
safest in the Mediterranean ; its entrance is so narrow1, that the
most violent storms cannot ruffle the calm of its waters, being
also protected from southern winds by a high hill ; but its ad
vantages are not unattended with inconveniences, as the water is
not renovated by the sea running into it ; and as there are no
tides in the Mediterranean, the harbour gets filled with the filth
from the vessels and from the town, so that it is like a stag
nant pool, and the offensive smell proceeding from it cannot
but be productive of unhealthiness to the place, particularly in
summer, although they clear it from time to time. There is a
dry dock for the construction of vessels, chiefly brigs, schooners,
and smaller craft. The Provencals are good Mediterranean
sailors, but not equal to their French brethren on the Atlantic.
While we were in quarantine I saw some large vessels coming
in, belonging to Nantes, Havre de Grau, 1' Orient, and other
ports of the north of France ; they were remarkably fine ships,
rigged nearly the same as the English, and unlike the vessels
built in the south.
The old town of Marseilles lies on the point north of the har
bour, and is irregularly built, like other ancient cities ; but the
modern town, which spreads to the east and south, is one of the
finest I have seen. The principal street is the Cours, running
from the Porte d' Aix, or northern gate, to the southern gate,
or Porte de Rome, as it is called ; a high-sounding name, which
it is rather striking to find at such a distance from that famed
city, but which still reminds us of its former power and influ
ence ! Marseilles is an open town ; the castle of St. Nicholas,
which stands on a hill commanding the harbour, was destroyed
during the revolution, and has not been repaired since. It is
almost a heap of ruins. It seems strange that Buonaparte
should have left such a populous and important place as Mar
seilles without a fortress to overawe and defend it. The light
house, with a small fort adjoining it, lies on the opposite, or

230 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
northern side of the harbour. After the first fanaticism of the
revolution, in which the populace of Marseilles acted such a
conspicuous part, had subsided, (if indeed they may be called
Marseillois, who were a mixture Of wretches from all parts of
the south of France, and of the neighbouring provinces of
Italy,) the people of Marseilles being wholly addicted to maritime
trade, from which they derive their subsistence and wealth, could
not be friendly to Buonaparte's administration, and he was well
aware of it ; he showed no affection for them, and threatened
even to fill up their .harbour. At the first restoration of the
Bourbons, the Marseillois were eager to show their royalism,
and if the national guards of that city had been allowed to
march against Buonaparte at his return from Elba in March
1815, they would probably have effectually stopped his progress
before he could reach Lyons, whereby France and Europe would
have been spared the disasters of another war ; but Massena,
then governor of Marseilles, detained them so long, under some
pretence or other, that when at last they were allowed to proceed
it was too late. After the battle of Waterloo an expedition from
Genoa, composed of English and Piedmontese troops, landed at
Marseilles without any resistance, and took possession of the
place in the name of Louis XVIII. ; they were received by the
inhabitants with demonstrations of joy, and a few months after,
when tranquillity was restored to France, the town was given up
to the king's officers. The Marseillois, and, generally speak
ing, tiie inhabitants of Provence, continue to be attached to the
king ; the Buonapartists are few, and despised in the province.
In the last changes, some acts of popular revenge took place
against several obnoxious persons, who had been in employment
under Buonaparte ; but they were few, compared to those which
happened in Languedoc, and other provinces of France. The
Mamelukes, a body of Egyptians who had followed the French
on their return from that country, and who were stationed at
Marseilles, were particularly marked out as the victims of the
popular fury, which they had drawn upon themselves by their
overbearing and insolent behaviour in the time of their, power.
Many pf them were killed ; and the fate of one of their women,
a black, was peculiarly distressing : with the obstinate and

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 231
stupid fanaticism of an African, she continued to cry Vive
VEmpereur, while all around her were in revolt against that
name, and she would never submit to be silent. Surrounded and
ill-treated by the enraged populace, she threw herself into' the
sea, probably with the intention of swimming across the har
bour, but while in the water she was aimed at and shot by one
of the mob, and her body drawn ashore amidst imprecations.
The respectable citizens, however, assembled in the ranks of the
national guard, and soon succeeded in restoring order ; and
those of the fallen party, who were prudent enough to conceal
themselves during the first explosion, are now peaceably living
in Marseilles. The merchants of this town have been for some
time in hopes of having it declared port franc, in the same way
as Leghorn is, but for some reason or other their expectations
have not. yet been realized. On landing at Marseilles our pass
ports were taken to the police, and sent to the minister at Paris.
Meantime they gave us a temporary French pass, to proceed to
the capital. That formality is observed with every stranger who
enters France for the first time. I must observe, that although
it took us a whole day to have the business settled, having to
call at three or four different places, still the whole transaction
was accompanied with a great share of that old French urbanity
of manners, which I have not always found amongst Frenchmen
of the modern school.
Before I quitted Marseilles, I went with two of my fellow-
travellers to visit an ancient church, called Notre Dame de la
Garde, from an image of the Virgin Mary, which is reckoned
miraculous ; it is situated on a high hill, to the south-east of the
town, commanding the country around ; it has the appearance
of an ancient castle, surrounded by walls and battlements.
While we were lying in the harbour, 1 had seen crowds of
people ascending to it in the morning, and my curiosity was
awakened by it. We went up a steep path, which at a certain
height is converted into a flight of steps hewn in the rock, and
we arrived at Jast at a small platform before the portal of the
building, where we enjoyed a very fine and extensive coup
d'ceil. We had a bird's eye view of the town and harbour of

232 ITALY, AND THE ITALIANS
Marseilles ; we could trace the principal streets and buildings ;
we saw the gulph, and the open sea beyond the island of Cha
teau d' If; and all the flat naked country around Marseilles lay
spread before us, surrounded at a distance by barren hills. The
whitish colour of the rock gives to the whole a resemblance to
the island of Malta. We saw many bastides, or small country-
houses, with gardens and orchards enclosed by stone walls, the
Sunday retreat of wealthy citizens ; but they are not sufficient
to enliven the cheerless prospect of the country, which, in my
opinion, even the splendid appearance of the town cannot over
balance. I, who had just come from the luxuriant regions of
Campagna Felice, thought I could never reconcile myself to live
in such a dreary spot, which appeared to me like a sunburnt
African waste ; still I can easily cbnceive how the good citizens
of Marseilles, accustomed to the sight, and wholly intent upon
commercial pursuits, can live happy and comfortable during six
days of the week in their commodious houses, and then, on a
Sunday, enjoy as a great luxury the shade of a few orange and
lemon trees, and the quiet retreat of their walled bastides. We
entered Notre Dame de la Garde by passing over a small draw
bridge, and at the end of a low corridor we found a small and
dark chapel, shut by an iron balustrade. We could scarcely
see, by the faint glimmering of a lamp, the ex voto offerings
of the devotees covering the walls, as marks of thankfulness for
some favor received from the blessed Virgin. I have seen so
many of these displays in Italy, and other Catholic countries,
and heard so many stories about them, that I cannot help saying
here a few words on the subject. I have heard men, who
thought themselves wise, rave against the superstition, or laugh
at the ignorance of the poor deluded people of Catholic coun
tries, while I felt more inclined to compassionate and respect
the weakness of afflicted humanity, which, forsaken by the
world, turns for assistance to those patrons whom their faith
has placed in heaven, near the throne of the All-merciful. The
practice of making offerings to the Divinity is of great anti
quity, and seems natural to the human mind. Some nations
thought their gods did really consume the holocausts ; others
less ignorant, allotted them to the use of the servants of the

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 233
temple ; in more enlightened ages the ex votos have been used
neither for the one nor for the other of these purposes, but they
have been intended as a sacrifice of a small portion of the wealth
of the person benefited, showing a spirit of mortification and
humility, and a readiness to resign those worldly goods, which
are but a gift of the Almighty giver of all things. The faith
that some people had in the efficacy of their prayers and offer
ings, probably often assisted in favoring a crisis in a sickly
constitution ; while even to those, whose cases were beyond
cure, it afforded some consolatory gleams of hope, which cheered
at least the last moments of their earthly sufferings. And are
these benefits to be torn by a rude hand from the sick, the lame,
the blind, and from all the other children of misfortune and
sorrow ? Can Providence be displeased at their heartfelt sup
plications and humble offerings ? There is something so sacred
in misfortune and religion united, that we ought to be careful
how we tread upon that holy ground, lest we render the suffer
ings of the devoted victim more acute, by bereaving it of those
hopes and consolations which, even if illusory, are not the less
beneficial in alleviating sorrow, and in softening the pillow of
sickness and agony. Until we have done something more for
the poor, the sick and the unfortunate of every description, let
us not deprive them at once of those comforts, whether real or
imaginary, which they derive from heaven ; but I think that,
with all due regard to the spirit of religious fervor, it might be
turned to a more beneficial purpose. Those sums which are
spent in ex votos, and offerings to the churches, the donors
might be persuaded to apply to some charitable institution ;
which, better to agree with their devotion, might be graced with
the name of, and placed under the tutelar protection of the Virgin
Mary, or some favorite saint. A double benefit would thereby
be derived ; a real one to the objects of the charity ; and an
imaginary one, though perhaps not less effectual, to the donors.
This beneficial turn of the tide of devotion might be effected by the
influence of government, or even "by the ministers of the church,
if animated by a true Christian spirit; and I merely suggest it
here to show how easily it would be, instead of proudly declaim
ing, and unfeelingly sneering at the weakness and credulity of
F F

234 ITALY AND THE ITALIANS, &C
our fellow-creafures, to make them subservient to the general
good. Many people can tear away and destroy, but few are
able or inclined to mend or rebuild.. The ex votos are either
paintings, models, or sculptures. The first represent the mi
racles effected by the intercession of the saint ; the others are,
either hearts, or other figures of silver or gold, sometimes of
wax, allusive to some circumstance ' of the miracle ; and they
are generally accompanied by a present of wax candles and
money for the service of the church. The ex votos are a sacred
property, and none but a violent hand ever dares .to dispose of
them. The sanctuary of our Lady of Loreto, in the Roman
states, was extremely rich, from an immense quantity of those
precious offerings ; but at the time of the French invasion, the
government of Rome foreseeing that they would fall into the
hands of the republicans, thought better to be beforehand, and
to employ the greater part of them to the service of the state, so
that the French generals found themselves bitterly disappointed.
I must observe also, that many of the ex votos we see in the
Catholic churches, would be much more decently kept in the
vestry, or in any other place appointed for the purpose, instead
of being hung up against the wall of a church. The sailors
have a great share in those of Notre Dame de la Garde, as they
vow them while in danger at sea.*
* I cannot better terminate this article than by quoting the following
impressive verses, so appropriate to the scene I have just described,
which some people would call a display of fancied holiness : 
Of fancied holiness ! Oh say not so,
Nor judge unkindly of another's creed;
The intent and motive God alone can know,
And these condemn, or sanctify the deed :
Ave-maria, crucifix, and bead,
Are nothing in themselves ; but if they were
Imagin'd helpful in the votary's need,
Although a faith more spiritual may spare
Such outward aids to seek, from blame it may forbear.
Barton's Leiston Abbey.

APPENDIX.

237

APPENDIX.

NOTE 1.
THE overbearing and encroaching system of the Roman re
public towards the other nations of the earth, and the hatred
it must have inspired to all independent and generous barba
rians, are well expressed by Alfieri in his fine tragedy of
Sofonisba. The unfortunate Syphax, a captive in the Roman
camp, addressing himself to Scipio, thus upbraids the Romans :
" Roma e tua culla, ed Affricano io nasco :
Tu cittadin d' alta cittade sei ;
Di numerosa nazlon possente
Io gia fui re. Frapposto mare il tuo
Dal mio terren partiva : io mai non posi
In yostra Italia il piede ; a mano armata
Stai nell' Affrica tu. Cartagin pria,
Foscia 1' Afirica intiera, e in voi lusinga
Di soggiogare. A me vicina, e quindi
Ora a vicenda arnica, ora nemica,
Cartagin era: e bene he abborra auch' ella,
Al par che Roma, i re; di orgoglio e possa
Men soverchiante il popol suo, che il vostro '
Men da me pure era abborrito. Offeso
£ il cuor d' un re tacitamente sempre
Da ognTlibero popolo ; qual ira
, Destar gli de quel ch' e con lui superbo?"

238 APPENDIX.
And the high-minded Sophonisba in the same strain : —

¦ " A chi in Cartagin culla

Ebbe, non men che a chi sul Tebro nacque,
La patria sta, sovra osjni cosa al mon do,
Fitta nell' alma, ln me, bench' io pur donna,
Femminili pensier non ebber loco,
Se non secondo. Amai chi meglio odiava
Voi, superbi Romani. Un dl uemico
Era a voi Massinissa ; e al suono allora
Di sue guerriere giovanili imprese
Io m' accendea. Siface, allor di Roma
Era non so se ligio, o anvieo."

NOTE 2.
The translation of the Giaour by Pellegrino Rossi, is the
only successful attempt that has been made as yet to Ita
lianise Lord Byron's poems ; yet I think most of his lord
ship's compositions so well suited to the genius of Italy,
that I am surprised the example of Rossi has not met with
imitators. The fourth canto of Childe Harold, in which the
noble bard assumes so truly the character of the poet of Italy,
in which he describes with such glowing colours ber former
glories and her present charms, and mourns in such pathetic
strains over the destinies of the " Dogeless city," and of the
" Niobe of nations ;" that beautiful poem ought to be trans
lated by a man inspired with the sublimity of the original, and
with the dignity of the subject. The, translation of the Giaour
made a great sensation among the Italian literati. I shall here
quote some of its finest passages. The beginning : —
" L' aer taceva, e il mar co venti in pace
Lambiva uinile il pie' del sacro avello
U del grande d' Atone il cener giace.
Dalla rupe ill che appar splendente e belle-
Par ch' ei primo saluti il buon uocchicro
Che rivolge la nave al dolee ostello.

APPENDIX. 239
Cosi dorme sublime il gran guerriero
Nel suol che invan salv6. Mondo infelice !
Quando fia che ritorni a farti altiero
D'un altro pari eroe ? ¦» * *
• ****«
Region della belta ! Mite e sereno
L' e sempre il Cielo, e all' eternal sorriso
S' innamora la terra, e infiora il seno.
Per entro al core audar ti senti un riso
Poi eh' all' altura di Colone giunto
Scopre il guardo quel dolce paradiso."
The following is the translation of those verses : —
" The mind that broods o'er guilty woes,
Is like the scorpion girt by fire."

" L' Alma, che i suoi pensier cupa ripiega
Sui mali ond' e per le sue colpe afflitta,
E' scorpion cui d' intorno il fuoco lega.
La cerchia delle fiamme ognor piu fitta
Lo stringe si che mille punte acute
Fin la midolla gli han cerca e trafitta.
D' ira egli impazza e sol nelle ferute
Del pungiglion che pei nemici ei serba,
Trov' or per se, nel suo martir, salute.
»#?*»» Si divien contr' a se cieco, inumano
L' uom ch' han stretto i rimorsi e lacerato,
O si per doglia orrenda e fatto insano.
Carco grave alia terra, in ciel daunato,
Del ben gli chiude Oscurita le porte,
La rea Disperazipn gli siede a lato,
Ha le fiamme d' intorno e in sen la morte."
The passage, " Yes, love indeed is light from heaven,"
is thus rendered : —
" SI I' amore e, per Dio, lume superno ;
Viva scintilla dell' immortal fuoco

240 APPENDIX.
Dei Serafini ; e fiamma onde 1' Eterno
Leva i nostri pensier di basso loco :
Anzi tanto fulgor sui nostri passi
Spande, che il Ciel ver noi par che s' abbassi.
Egli e favilla dei divini affetti
Largita all' uomo, perche il suo pensiere
Spicchi dall' esca vii de rei diletti.
E raggio del Fattor di' tutte sfere ;
E corona di luce eterna ed alma,
Che del mortale abbella e cerchia 1' alma."
In my quotations in the course of this work, I have drawn
freely upon Lord Byron's poetical treasury. Should they ever
meet his eye, I hope his lordship will consider them as a tribute
of admiration to his genius. I shall only add here an imperfect
attempt to an imitation of Medora's beautiful song : —
" Deep in my soul that tender secret dwells."
****** " Sepolti in fondo al petto
Teneri affetti miei :
Nascondervi vorrei
Alia luce del di ;
Ma dell' aiuat' oggetto
I dolci sguardi e accenti
In mezzo ai miei tormenti
Tutto mf fan balzar.
Poi di contento estatico
Passato un breve istante,
In sen tutto tremante
Rinchiudesi il mio cuor.
Ivi in oscura cella
Mesta funerea lampa
Lenta ed ignota avvampa
E si consuma in se.
Oggetto d' una fiamma
A me cara e funesta
Odi : 1' estrema e questa
Prece di chi t' ami.
Compassionar gli estinti,
Tu '1 sai, virtu non niega,
Colle passioni tregua
La tomba a tutti da.

APPENDIX. 241
Quando a mia tomba adunque
Tu passerai d' accanto,
Versa di dolce pianto
Versa una stilla almen.
Fra tante c tante smanie
A cui e il mio cuore avvezzo
L' idea del tuo disprezzo
Solo sofFrir non pu6."
NOTE 3.
The Sicilian dialect is very expressive, and adapted for
poetry : it abounds with diminutives, and with terms of endear
ment ; its pronunciation is soft, and the measure of its words is
well calculated for music. Several men of genius have enriched
the Sicilian language with their poetical productions ; 1' Abate
Meli is the most eminent amongst them : his pastorals, odes
and songs, are full of fire and tenderness, his images are taken
from a beautiful nature, and his expressions are delicate and
graceful. I shall subjoin a few extracts out of them : —
PASTORAL SONG.
" Sti silenzii, sta virdura,
Sti mnntagni, sti vallati
L' ha criate la natura
Pri li cori innamurati.
Lu susurru di li frunni,
Di lu sciumi lu lamentu,
L' aria, 1* ecu chi rispunni,
Tuttu spira sentimentu.
Dda farfalla accussi vaga ;
Lu muggitu di li tori ;
L' innocenza, chi vi appaga,
Tutti parrann a lu cori.
Stu frischettu insinuanti
Chiudi nn gruppu di piaciri ;
Accarizza 1' alma amanti ;
E ci arrobba li suspiri.
Cca 1' armuzza li soi porti
Apri tutti a lu dilettu ;
Sulu e indignu di sta sorti
Cui non chiudi amuri in pettu.
G G

242 APPENDIX.
Suln e reu, cni p6 gnardari
Dura, e immobili sta scena 5
Ma lu stissu nun amari
E' delittu insemi ; e pens.
Donna bella senza amuri,
. E' na rosa fatta in cira ;
Senza vezzi, senza oduri,
Chi nun veggeta ne spira.
Tu nun parri o Dori mia ?
Stu silenziu mi spaventa ;
E' possibili, ch' in tia
Qualchi afiettu nun si senta ?

* * •* #
E T amuri un puru raggiu,
Chi Iu Celu fa scappari.
E ch' avviva pri viaggiu
Suli, luna, terra, e mari.
Iddu duna a li suspiri
La ducizza chiu esquisita ;
Ed aspergi di piaciri
Li miserii di la vita.
Mugghia 1' aria, e a s6 dispettn
Lu Pastnri a Ii capanni
Strinci a se 1' amatu oggettn ;
E' si scorda di 1' affanni.

ODE.— Lu Petti;.
'.Ntra ssu Pittuzzn amabili
Ortu di rosi e sciuri,
Due mazzuneddi Amuri
Cu Ii soi mani fa.
Ci spruzza poi co 1' ali
Li fiocchi di la nivi;
'Ntriccia li vini e scrivi :
Lu Paradisu e cca.
Ma un importuna nuvula
M' ottenebra lu celu ;
Appena ntra lu vein
Na spiragghiedda c' e.

APPENDIX. 243
Armata d1 una spingula
Chi pari na laparda
Modestia si Iu guarda,
Ch' e rigurusa oime !
Un Amurinu affabili
L' ammutta 3 jiri a mia,
Ma 1' autra, o tirannia !.
Turnari poi la fa.
Pietusu a li miei lagrinvi,
Chiddu lu spinci arreri ;
Ma torna poi 'nnarreri
E sempri veni e va.
Si mai sintisti affettu
O zefiru amurusu
Lu velu suspittusu
Allarga un poco chiu ;
E si lu td non basta
Alitu dilicatu,
Pigghiati lu miu sciatn,
E servitinni tu."
The following song, set to music for the guitar, was com
posed ex tempore by a Sicilian lover, and addressed to a fickle
beauty : — " Quanno tu senza motivu
Mi Iasciasti ingrata Nici,
Sto mio cori di tia privu
Che non disse e che non fici !
Innamuratu, benche offisu
Io ti vinni preddo appressu,
Non fa a mia concessu un risu,
Ne fu un squardo a mia concessu.
Seguitannu co tia in paci
Li disprezzi non curai,
Ma pri tia Donna tinaci,
Io chiancivi e sospirai -.
Seguitannu coi tuoi amanti,
Avia perso la ragione,
Ti pregai come alii Santi,
Quasi missu in ginocchioni.
Ora Nici a poco a poco
Raffreddau lo cori miu,
E d' Amori alio tuo loco
Nova immagine scolpiu.

244 APPENDIX.
Quant' £ cara ed fi costanti
La Filli mia, lo miu tesorn,
Nici mia non so chiu amanti,
Ne pri tia perfida io moru.
Ora Nici, come mai
Tu pretenni a mia ingagghiari
Una auta vota 'ntra li guai
Nici no, non lo sperari.
Fusti tu che m' ingannasti
Lo mio cori datu a tia ;
Ora e tardu, la sgarrasti,
Nici, scordati di mia."

NOTE 4.

Fni felice un giorno anch Tio
Mi sorrise un dolce amor
E sincero in mezzo all' anima
Favellava un bel' desio
Sola gloria del mio cor.
E nel giorno in cui la sorte
Non turbava il mio piacer,
Mi dicea 1' amico tenero :
Non fara neppur' la morte
Che si cangi il mio pensier.
Ma col pianto io rispondea :
Se 1' afietto manchera,
Per calmar la donna misera
Che per te soltanto e rea
Resti almen' la tua pieta.
E venuto il mesto giorno,
E mancato il dolce amor j
Piu non provo un caro palpito,
Piu non viene a me d' intorno
Chi placava il mio dolor.
E arrivato il dl del pianto
E pttnito il mio piacer:
Non venir speranza perfida
Non venirmi pin d' accanto.
Ho finito di goder.

APPENDIX. 245

Voi che sol nel di felice
Siete fidi all' amista,
V involate alle mie lagrime,
E fuggite un' infelice,
Che non osa dir pieta.
II sospir di* donna oppressa
Pu5 il vicino avvelenar,
L' aura sua divien malefica
Ed ognun' che a lei si appressa
Gia si sente vacillar.
Un arnica a me d' accanto,
Sorridea nel lieto di,
Ma le sorti si cangiaro,
Giunse 1' ora del mio pianto
E 1' arnica ancor spar!.
Sia felice 1' uomo ingrato
Ch' ogni cosa m' invold,
Ma se mai sara quel barbaro
Da fortuna abbandonato,
Io con lui sospirerd."

NOTE 5.
There is a beautiful sonnet of Monti, describing the conflict
ing sentiments which must agitate the heart of a virgin when on
the point of taking the veil : —
" Fuggia Licori al Chiostro, e tutta in viso
Di santo zelo la bell' alma ardea,
E una luce gentil' di Paradiso
Tranqnilla dai sereni occhi piovea.
In questa parte Amor vinto e deriso
Sulle impotenti e rotte armi fremea,
E la sul crine verginal reciso
La calpestata liberta piangea.
II Piacer lusinghiero in questo mezzo
La sua tazza le offerse in su le parte,
E il vestimento le scotea con vezzo :
Sorrise acerbo la Donzella forte,
Chiuse le sacre porte, e con disprezzo
Ne consegnd le chiavi in mano a Morte."

246 APPENDIX.
„- NOTE 6.
Cesarotti's free translation of Ossian's Poems, is the best
amongst his productions. He has given a new energy to the
Italian language, and has enriched it with new words, particu
larly with compounded adjectives, after the manner of the Eng
lish and Germans, for which he has been blamed by some critics,
but approved of by many men of letters. He conceived that
languages ought not to remain stationary, but should follow the
progress of ideas, and that new words should be invented to sup
ply new wants. Cesarotti's Ossia^ is much admired and is
become very familiar with the Italians ; some of its passages are
truly sublime. The address to the Sun in Carthon is thus
rendered : —
" O tu che luminoso erri, e rotondo,
Come Io scudo de' miei padri, o Sole,
Donde sono i tuoi raggi? e da che fonte
Trai 1' eterna tua luce ? esci tu fuora
In tua bellezza maestosa, e gli astri
Fuggon dal Cielo ; al tuo apparir la Luna
Nell' onda Occidental ratto s' asconde
Pallida e fredda : tu pel Ciel deserto
Solo ti muovi ; E chi potria seguirti
Nel corso tuo ? Crollan le quercie annose
Dalle montagne ; le montagne istesse
Sceman cogli anni , 1' ocean s' abbassa,
E sorge alternamente ; in Ciel si perde
La bianca Luna ; ma tu sei
Tempre lo stesso e ti rallegri altero
Nello splendor d* interminabil corso.
Tu quando il Mondo atra tempesta imbruna,
Quando il tuono rimbomba, e vola il lampo,
Tu nella tua belta guardi sereno
Fuor 'delle nubi, e alia tempesta ridl.
Ma indarno Ossian tu guardi ! ei piu non mira
I tuoi vividi raggi, o che sorgendo
Con la tua chioma galleggiante inondi
Le nubi Orientali, o mezzo ascoso
Tremoli d' Occidente in su le porte.
Ma tu forse, chi sa ? sei pur' com' io
Sol per un tempo, ed avran fine, e Sole,

APPENDIX. 247
Anche i tuoi di ? tu dormirai gia spento
Nelle tue nubi, senza udir la voce
Del mattin che ti chiama. O dunque esulta
Nella tua forza giovanile : oscura
Ed ingrata e 1' eta, simile a fioco
Raggio di Luna, allor che splende incerto
Tra sparse nubi, e che la nebbia siede
Su la collina : aura del Nord gelata
Soffia per la pianura, e trema a mezzo
Del suo viaggio il pellegrin smarrito."
The following is Ossian's affecting address to the Moon : —
" Figlia del Ciel, sei bella, e di tua faccia
Dolce il silenzio ; amabile ti mostri,
E in Oriente i tuoi cerulei passi
Seguon 'le stelle ; al tuo cospetto, o Luna,
Si rallegran le nubi, e' 1 seno oscuro
Riveston liete di riflessa luce.
Chi ti pareggia o della notte figlia
Lassu nel Cielo > in faecia tua le stelle
Hanno di se vergogna, e ad altra parte
Volgono i verdi scintillanti sguardi,
Ma dimmi, o bella luce ; ove t' ascondi,
Lasciando il corso tuo, quando svanisce
La tua Candida faccia ? hai tu, com 'io
I tuoi palagj, o ad abitar ten vai
Nell' ombra del dolor ? eadder dal Cielo
Le tue sorelle ? o piu non son coloro
Che nella notte s' allegravan teco ?
SI si, luce leggiadra, essi son spenti,
E tu spesso per piangerli t 'ascondi,
Ma vejra notte ancor, che tu, tu stessa,
Cadrai per sempre, e lascierai nel Cielo
II tuo azzurro sentier ; superbi all or a
Sorgeran gli astri, ;u rimirarti avranno
Gioja cosi, come avean pria vergogna.
Ora del tuo splendor tutta la pompa
T'ammanta, o Luna ; o tu nel Ciel risguard a
Dalle tue porte, e tu la nube, o vento,
Spezza, onde possa la notturna figlia
Mirar d' intorno, e le scoscese rupi
Splendanle incontro, e 1' Ocean rivolga
Nella sua lucei nereggianti flutti,"

248 APPENDIX.
The Songs of Selma furnish also some beautiful extracts.
« Stella maggior 'della cadente notte,
Deh come bella in Occidente splendi !
E come vaga la chiomata fronte
Mostri fuor delle nubi, e maestosa
Poggi sopra il tuo colle ; e che mai gnati
Nella pianura ? i tempestosi venti
Di gia son cheti, e '1 rapido torrente
S'ode soltanto strepitar da lungi,
Che con 1' onde sonanti ascende e copre
Lontane rupi ; gia i notturni insetti
Sospesi stanno in su le debili ale,
E di grato susurro empiono i campi.
E che mai guati, o graziosa stella ?
Ma tu parti, e sorridi : ad incontrarti
Corron 1' oude festose, e bagnanliete
La tua.chioma lucente.
Raggio sereno addio ; tu augusta luce,
Sull 'anima d' Ossian 'omai risplendi !
Ecco gia sorge, ecco s' avviva; io veggo
Gli amici estinti. II lor congretto e in Lora ;
Come un tempo gia fii : Fingal sen viene
Ad acquosa colonna somigliante
Di densa nebbia, che sul lago avanza."

The next is the translation of that fine allegory of a flower
addressing the morning breeze in the poem of Berrathon.
" Venticello gentil' di Primavera
A che mi desti, Iusinghier dlcendo :
Di celeste ruggiada or io t" aspergo ?
E omai vicin' del mio languore il tempo,
E la negra tempesta e gia vicina,
Che abbattera furente ogni mia fronda.
Doman verranne il pastorel, coin!
Verra doman' che nel mio beF mi vide,
Gli occhi in cercarmi aggirera sul campo,
Ne potra riuvcuiriui. * * »

APPENDIX. 249
The plaintive lays of the Maid of Inishuna who had followed
unknown and disguised in a warrior's dress her beloved Cathmor,
the Chief of Erin, are expressed in the following song : —
" Breve gioja, ove se' ita
. Caro sogno, ove sei tu !
Inisuna e gia sparita
II mio suol non veggo piu.
Delia caccia in la mia terra
Piu non odo il lieto suon,
Falda orribile di guerra
Mi circonda : ove mai son ?
Guardo fuor, ne veggo un raggio
Che m' additi il mio sentier,
Ahi che speme altra non aggio
Ahi che basso e 'I mio guerrier '.
Presso e il Re dell' ampio scudo,
De' possenti atterrator,
Oime ! scende il ferro crudo
Ah tu cadi, o dolce amor.
Di Gomorre ombra diletta
Ove porti il mobil pie ?
Caro padre arresta aspetta,
Non andar lungi da me.
Stranie terre, altri paesi
Vai sovente a visitar,
La tua voce, o padre, intesi,
Menti io lassa ero sul mar.
Figlia mia tu corri a morte,
La tua voce parea dir ;
Tutto in van che amor piu forte
Nel mio cor si fea sentir.
Spesso i figli a. trar di pene
La paterna ombra sen viene
Quando afflitti e fuor di speme
Solo in duol vita gli tien.
H H

250 APPENDIX.
II mio caro ah se m' e tolto
Vieni o padre per pieta,
Strutio in pianto, in duol sepolto
Piu del mio qual cor sara ?"
The apparition of Cairbar to Cathmor on the eve of a battle ;
the reflections of the latter and his discovery of the Maid of
Inishuna, are thus described :
" Sul campo alfin 1' oste sdrajossi ; il sonno
Scese in Moilena : di Fonar soltanto
Seguia la voce a risonar : ' Catmorre
Sangue di Larto, il condottier dal Lumo."
Ma non 1' udia Catmor ; sopito ei giace
Lungo un fremente rio : sibila il crine
Gradito scherzo alia notturna auretta ;
Venne Cairba a sogni suoi ravvolto
Tra fosca nube, che per veste ei prese
Nel grembo della notte ; oscura in volto
Gli spuntava letizia ; inteso avea
Le funebre canzon che alia sua ombra
Carilo sciolse, e ne volo repente
All' aeree sue stanze : usciro i rochi
Accenti suoi col fremito confusi
Del mormorante riq. ' Gioja riscontri
L'anima di Catmor : Moilena intese
La voce sua ; Cairba ebbe il suo canto.
Or veleggia su i venti; e la sua forma
Nelle sale paterne ; ivi serpeggia
Quasi vampa terribile che striscia
Par lo deserto in tempestosa notte.
Generoso Catmor, alia tua tomba
Vati non mancheranno ; amor per vati
Fu sempre il prode : lusinghiera auretta
E' il tuo nome, o Catmor : Ma odo, o parmi
Un suon lugubre ; nel campo del Luba
Stavvi una cupa voce. Aerei Spettri
Inforzate il lamento : eran gli estinti
Carchi di fama: ecco si gonfia e cresce
II mesto suon, 1' aere se n' empie, il nembo
Ulula. Addio, Catmor  tra poco  Addio."
Fuggl ravvoltolandosi; 1' antica
Quercia senti la sua partenza e 'I campo

APPENDlSC. 251
Sibillante crollo. Dal sonno il Duce
Scossosi, impugna 1' asta, il guardo intorno
Desioso rivolge ; altro non vede
Che morte atro-velata. ' Ella d la voce
Disse, del Re : ma la sua forma e ita.
O figli della notte, i vostri passi
Non lascian orma : in arido deserto
Quasi dal Sole ripercosso raggio
Camparite talor, ma sparite anco
All' apparir dei nostri passi : or vanne,
Debole stirpe ; in te saper non regna.
Vane son le tue gioje ; a par d'un sogno
Che lusinga e svanisce, o quale all' alma
Lieve-alato pensier s' afiaccia e passa.
Catmor  tra poco  e che sara ? fia basso :
Scuro-giacente in la magione angusta
V5 co mal-fermi ancor socchiusi lumi :
Non arriva il mattin ? vattene o ombra
Battaglia e il mio pensier ; tutt altro e nulla
Gia sovra penne d' Aquila m' innalzo
Ad afterrar della mia gloria il raggio.
Giaccia sul margo a serpeggiante rlvo
In solitaria valle anima imbelle
Di picciolo mortal : passano gli anni,
Volvonsi le stagioni, ei neghittoso
Torpe in riposo vii: ma che? la morte
Vien sopra un nembo tenebrosa e muta
E'l grigio capo inonorato atterra.
Tal io non partird ? Non fu Catmorre
Molle garzon ad esplorare inteso
Covil di damme : io spaziai coi Regi,
Con lor venni a tenzone, e il mio diletto
Fu mortifero campo, ove la pugna
Spazza dal suol le affastellate squadre
Qual forte soffio aceavallate nubi.'
Cosi parlo d' Alnecma il Sire, e ferma
Serenita gli si diffuse in petto
Quasi fiamma vital ; valor gli serpe
Di vena in vena ; maestosi, grandi,
Sono i suoi passi, e gia sgorgagli intorno
11 raggio oriental. Vid' ei la grigia
Oste gradatamente colorarsi
Alia nascente luce, ed allegrossl
Come s' allogra un spirito del Cielo

252 APPENDlk.
Ch' alto su i mari suoi s' avanza e quelli
Vede seuz' onda, e senza penna i venti ;
Fallace calma e passaggiera; ei tosto
Risveglia i flutti imperioso, e vast!
Sonante spiaggia a flagellar gli spinge.
Lungo la ripa d' un ruscello intanto
D' Inisuna la vergine giaceva,
Addormentata. Dall' amabil fronte
Caduto era l'elmetto : ella sognando
Sta nelle patrie terre : ivi il mattino
Dorava i campi suoi ; scorrean dai massi
Cerulei rivi, e '1 venticel per gioco
De' giunchetti scotea le molli cime ;
Vivace suono che alia caecia invita
Spargesi intorno ; ai cacciator sovrasta
D' Ata 1' Eroe ; 1' innamorato sguardo
' Egli torce a Sulmalla ; essa la faccia
Rivolge altrove orgogliosetta, e 1' arco
Piega negli atti non curante, e in volto
Ferma : ah Sulmalla ! ah ! ma vacilla il core.
Tal' era il sogno suo, quando dappresso
Le si fece Catmor. Videsi innanzi
Quel caro volto, inaspettata vista!
E 'I ravviso : che far dovea V Eroe ?
Geme, pianse, parti' : n& Duce d' Ata
Non e tempo d' amor ; t' attende il campo'.
Ei disse, e 'lcerchio anunonitor percosse
Onde di guerra escia la voce. Erina
Sorsegli intorno, e ribombo : dal sonuo
La vergine si scosse ; arrossa e trema
Delle sparse sue treccie ; adocchia a terra
L' elmetto, e frettolosa e palpitante
Lo ricoglie, e s' asconde ; oime ! s' Erina
Sapesse mai che in queste spoglie e avvolta
. La figlia d* Inisuna ! Ella rammenta
La sua stirpe regale, e le divampa
La nobil alma di leggiadro orgoglio.
Dietro una rupe si ceI5, da cui
Scende garrulo rivo in cheta valle,
Gioconda solitudine sol nota
A pacifiche damme, anzi che quindi
Ne le cacciasse alto fragor di guerra.
Qui della bella vergine all' orecchio
Giungeva ad or ad or la cara voce

APPENDIX. 253
Dell' amato guerrier ; alia sua doglia
Qui s' abbandona, del suo mai presaga
L' anima Ie si abbuja : ella dal canto
Cerca conforto, ad amorosi lai
Sparge sul vento in suon flebile e fioco."
Ossian's beautiful comparison of the youth of man to the
hunter's dream, runs thus : —
" Sonno di cacciator sembra sul monte
Trascorsa giovinezza : Ei s* addormenta
Fra' rai del sol, ma si risveglia in mezzo
D' aspra tempesta : i rosseggianti lampi
Volano Intorno, e le ramose cime
Scotono i boschi : ei si rivolge, e cerca
II di del sol 'che gia s' ascose, e i dolci
Sogni del suo riposo. Ossian ? e quando
Tornera giovinezza ? il suon' dell' armi
Quando confortera gli orecchi miei ?
Parini, whose name is comparatively little known beyond the
precincts of his native country, is one of the most elegant among
the modern Italian writers ; his poetry Js full of simplicity, and
breathes the benevolent sentiments of an honest heart. The Ode
he wrote in 1795, reprobating the indecent fashion of dress called
d la guillotine, which was then spreading among the Italian
ladies, traces in frightful colours the gradual steps by which the
human heart can proceed after the first deviation from principle
and virtue, through the different stages of corruption and looseness
of morals, until it reaches the extreme of cruelty and crime,
which progression he illustrates by the example of the women of
Rome in the decline of the Republic and under the Empire.
" Perche al bel petto e all' omero
Con subita vicenda
Perche mia Silvia ingenua
Togli 1' Indica benda,
Che intorno al petto e all' omero
Anzi alia gola e al men to
Sorgea pur or, qual tumida
Vela nel mare al vento ?

254 APPENDIX.

• • • •
• • • •
• * * *
M' inganno ? o il docil 'animo
Gia de' feminei riti
Cede al potente imperio,
El'altre belle imiti?
Qual nome o il caso o il genio
Al novo culto impose,
Che si dannosa copia
Svela di gigli e rose ?
Che fia ! Tu arrossi ! e dubbia
Col guardo al suol' dimesso
Non so qual detto mormori
Mai dalle labbra espresso.
Parla. Ma intesi, O barbaro
Oh ! nato dalle dure
Selci chiunque togliere
Da scellerata scure
Oso quel nome, infamia
Del secolo spietato ;
E die funestl augurj
Al femminile ornato !
E con le truci Eumenldi
Le care grazie avvinse ;
E di crudele immaglne
La tua bellezza tinse !
Lascia mia Silvia Ingenua,
Lascia ootanto orrore
All 'altre belle stupide
E di mente e di cuore.
Ahi! da lontana origine
Che occultamente noce,
Anco la molle giovane
Puo divenir feroce.
Sai delle donne esimie
Onde si chiara ottene
Gloria I" antico Tevere,
Silvia, sai tit che avvenne?

APPENDIX. 255

Fuggi mia Silvia ingenua
Quel nome e quelle forme
Che petulante indizio
Son di misfatto enorme.
Non obbliar le origini
Delia licenza antica
Pensaci ; e serba il titolo
Di umana e di pudica."

Parini's Ode, all' Impostura, is written in very powerful
language.

" Venerabile Impostura
Io nel tempio almo a te s aero
Vo tenton per 1' aria oscura,
E al tuo santo sirnulacro
Cui gran folia urta di gente
Gia mi prostro umilemente.
Tu degli uominl maestra
Sola sei. Qualor 'tu detti
Nella comoda palestra
I dolclssimi precetti,
Tu il discorso volgi amico
Al Mon area ed al mendico
L" un per via piagato reggi
£ fat si che in gridi strani
Sua miseria giganteggi
Onde poi non culti pani
A lui frutti la semenza
Della flebile etoquenza.
Tu dell 'altro a lato al trono
Con la Iperbole ti posi :
E fra i turbini e fra il tuono
Di grali titoli fastosi,
Levergogne a lui cerate
Delia nuda umanhate.
Gia con Numa in sul Tarpeo
Desti al Tebro 1 riti santi
Onde 1' augure poteo
Co 'suoi voll e co 'suoi canti
Soggiogar le altere menti
Domatrici delle genti.

256 APPENDIX.
Del Macedone a te piacque
Fare un Dio, dinnanzi a cni
Paventando 1' orbe tacque :
E nell' Asia i doni tui
Fur che 1' Arabo profeta
Sollevaro a si gran meta.
Ave Dea ! Tu come il sole
Girl e scaldi 1' universo,
Te suo nume onora e cole
Oggi il popolo diverso :
E fortuna a te devota
Diede a volger la sua rota.

• *

NOTE 7.
The following apostrophe, and the subsequent reflections
which the sight of the bold and craggy ramparts of Italy drew
from the eloquent author of the Lettere di Ortis, are very ap
propriate to the scenery I have been describing.
" I tuoi confini o Italia, son quest! ; ma sono tutto di sormontati da ogni
parte dalla pertinace avarizia delle nazioni. Ove sono dnnque 1 tuoi
figli ? Nulla ti manca se non la forza della concordia. Allora io span -
derei gloriosamente la mia vita infelice per te : ma che pu5 fare il solo
mio braccio e la nuda mia voce ? Ov 'e 1' antico terrors della tua gloria ?
Miseri ! noi andiamo ognor memorando la liberta, e la gloria degli avi, le
quali quanto piu splendono, tanto piu scoprono la nostra abietta schiavitu.
Mentre invochiamo quslle ombre magnanime, i nostri nemici calpestano
i loro eepolcri. ••••••*
****•• * * .
" Cosl io grido quando io mi sento insupcrbire nel petto il nome Itali-
ano, e rivolgendomi intorno io cerco ne trovo piu la mia patria. Ma
poscia io dico : pare che gli uoinini sicuo i fabbri delle proprie sciagure,

APPENDIX. 257
ma le sciagure derivano dall' ordine universale, e il gcnere umano serve
orgogliosamente e ciecamente ai destini. Noi ragioniamo sugli eventi
di pochi secoli : che sono eglino nell' immenso spazio del tempo ? Pari
alle stagioui della nostra vita mortale, pajono talvolta gravi di straordi-
narie yicendc, le quali pur sono comuni e necessarj efietti del tutto.
L uni verso si contrabilancia. Le nazioni si divorano perche una non
potrebbe sussistere senza i cadaveri dell' altra. Io guardands da queste
alpi r Italia piango e fremo, ed invoco contro gl' invasori vendetta: ma
la mia voce si perde tra il fremito di tanti popoli trapassali : quando i
Romani rapivauo il mondo, cercavano oltre i mari o i deserti nuovi imperj
da devastare, manomettevano gl' Iddii de' vinti, incatenavano principi e
popoli liberissimi, finehd non trovando piu dove insanguinaro i lor ferri,
li ritorceano contro le proprie viscere." * * • •

NOTE 8.
That interesting little work, Le Voyage qutour de ma Cham-
bre, is, I believe, not generally known. The distinction which
the author traces between the soul and the instinct of man is
quaint and original.
" Ie me suis appercu par diverses observations que 1' homme est com
post d' une ame et d* une bete. On s' appercoit bien engros que V
homme est double, mais c' est, dit-on, parce qu 'il est compose- d' une
ame et d' un corps ; et 1* on accuse ce corps de je ne sais conibien de
choses, bien mai a propos assurement, puisqu 'il est aussi ' incapable de
sentir que de penser. C* est a la bete qu'il faut s' en prendre, a cet
£tre sensible, parfaitement distinct de 1' ame, veritable individu, qui a
son existence separee, ses gouts, ses inclinations, sa volonte, et qui n"
est au dessus des autres animaux que parce qu'il est mieux eleve et
pourvu d' organes plus parfaits. L' ame peut se faire obeir par la bete,
et par un facheux retour celle-ci oblige tres souvent 1' ame d' agir contre
sa volonte. Dans les regies, 1' ame a le pouvoir Iegislatif et 1' autre Ie
pouvoir executif ; mais ces deux pouvoirs se contrarieht souvent. Lors-
que vous lisez un livre et qn'une idee plus agreable entre tout a coup
dans votre imagination, votre ame s' y attache tont de suite et oublie le
livre, tandis que vos yeux suivent machinalement les mots et les lignes ;-
vous achevez la page sans la comprendre et sans vous souvenir de ce que
vous avez lu : cela vient de ce que votre ame, ayant ordonne a sa com-
pagae de lui faire la lecture, ne 1' a point avertie de la petite absence
II

258 APPENDIX.
qu' elle alloit faire, ensorte que I' autre continuoit la lecture sans que
votre ame 1' ecoutat. Le -plus etonnant tour de force metaphysique que
1' homme puisse executer est d' employer son ame a examiner la marche
de la bete et de la voir travailler sans y prendre part. L' on peut par-
venir a savoir faire voyager son ame toute seule: est il dejbuissance
plus flatteuse que ceile d' etendre ainsi son existence, d' occuper a la
fois la terre et les cieux, et de doubler, pour ainsi dire, son etre ? Le
desir eternel et jamais satisfait de 1' homme n' est-il pas d' angmenter
sa puissance et ses facultes, de vouloir etre ou il n* est pas, de rapeller
le passe1 et voir dans 1' avenir ? II veut commander aux armees, presider
aux academies ; il veut etre adore des belles ; et s' il possede tout cela,
il regretfe alors les champs et la tranquility, et porte envie a la cabane
desbergers: ses projets, ses esperances, echouent sans cesse contre les
malheurs reels attaches a 1' espece humaine ; il ne sauroit trouver le bon-
heur. Viens pauvre malheureux, fais un effort pour rompre ta prison,
et du haut du Ciel on je vais te conduire, du milieu des ombres celestes
et de 1' empyree, regarde ta bete lancee dans le monde, courir toute seule '
la carriere de la .fortune et des honneurs ; vois avec quelle gravite elle
marche parmi les'hommes : la foule s' ecarte avec respect, et crois moi,
¦persoime ne fappercevra qu'elle est toute seule ; ' c' est le moindre souci
de la cohue au milieu de laquelle elle se promene, de savoir si elle a
une ame ou non, si elle pease on non: Mille femmes sentimentales
1' aimeront a la fureur, sans s' en appercevoir ; elle peut mcnie s' elever,
sans le secoursde ton ame, a la plus haute faveur et a la plus grande
fortune. Enfin je ne m' etonnerois nullement si a notre retour de 1' Em-
pyree, ton ame, en rentrant chez elle', se trouvoit dans la bete d' un
grand Seigneur." • * * * * • •
****** *••
¦ The following sentiments are also finely expressed : —
" Non, Celui qui inonde ainsi 1' Orient de lumiere ne 1' a point fait
briller a mes regards pour me plonger bientot dans la niuit du neant. ^
Celui qui etendit cet horizon incommensurable, celui qui eleva ces mas
ses enormes, dout le Soleil dore les sommets glaces, est aussi celui qui a
ordonne a mon coeilr de battre et a mon esprit de penser. Non, mon ami;,
n' est point entre1 dans le neant, quelle que soit la barriere qui nous
separe, je le reverrai. Ce n* est point sur un syllogisme qui je fonde mon
esperance. Le void' un insecte qui traverse les airs suffit pour me per
suader ; et souvent 1' aspect de la campagne, le parfum des airs, et je ne
sais quel charme repandu autour de moi, elevent tellement mes pensees
qu' une preuve invincible de 1' immortality entre avec violence dans mon
ame et 1' oceupe tonte entiere." *****

APPENDIX. 259
The next passage is a description of the shocking contrast
between the dissipation of one class and the distress of another
during the Carnival season at Turin.
u Au lieu de me transporter par 1' imagination daus ce superbe Casin
ou tant de beautes sont eclipsees par la jeune Eugenie, je n' ai qu' a m'
arreter un instant le long des rues qui y conduisent. Un tas d' infor-
tunes, couches a demi nus/ sous tous les portiques de ces appartemeus
somptueux, semblent pres d' expirer de froid et de misere. Quel spec
tacle ! Ie voudrois qu' on scut dans tout 1' univers que dans cette Ville,
ou tout respire 1' opulence, pendant les nuits les plus froides 1' hyver, une
foule de malheureux dorment a decouvert, la tete appuye€sur une borne
on sur le seuil d' un palais. Ici c' est un groupe d' enfans, serres les iins
contre les antres, pour ne pas mourlr de froid. Li c' est une ferame trem-
blante et sans voix pour se plaindre. Les passants vont et viennent,
sans etre emus d' un spectacle auquel ils sont accoutumes. Le bruit des
carrosses, la voix de 1' intemperance, les sons ravissans de la musique se
melent quelquefois aux cris de ces malheureux et forment une horrible
disBonauce. Cependant il y a dans cette nieiue ville une foule d' homines
charitables qui dorment pendant que les autres s' amusent, qui se levent a
la pointe du jour et vont secourir 1' infortune sans texnoins et sans osten
tation. Apris avoir ainsi partage leur fortune avec leurs fieres ; apres
avoir vers£ le baume dans ces coeurs froisses par la doule ur, i Is vont dans
les eglises, tandis que le vice fatigue dort sur 1' edredon, offrir a Dieu
leurs prieres, et Ie remercier de ses bienfaits:. la lumiere de la lampe
solitaire combat encore dans le temple cclle du jour naissant, et deja ils
sont prosternes au pied des autels : et 1' Eternel, irrite de la duretf et de
1' avarice des liommes, retient la foudre prete a frapper." , * *
* * *#**#*?

NOTE 9.
The following Sonnet describing the person and character of
Alfieri, is reported to have been written by himself: —
" Sublime specchio di veraci detti
Mostrami in corpo e in anima qual' sono -.
Rari in fronte ho i capelli e rossi pretti ;
Alta statura e capo a terra prono,

260 APPENDIX.
SottiP persona su due stinchi schietti
Bianca pelle, occhio azznrro, aspetto buono,
Giusto naso, bel Iabbro, e denti eletti ;
Pallido in volto come Re' sul trono.
, Or crndo acerbo, ora pieghevol' mite,
Irato spesso non maligno mai,
La mente, il cor' sempre in perpetua lite.
Son' talor lieto e talor mesto assai,
Or stimandomi Achille ora Tersite,
Uomo set grande o vii ? muori e'l saprai."
His disappointment and disgust at the fatal turn taken by the
French revolution, is strongly expressed in a Sonnet written at
Paris in July, 1790 :—
" Preso ha il timon chi fu pnr dianzi al remo ;
E toga e mitra e spada e seettro e pehha,
Tutto in un fascio appiccasi all' antenna,
Scherno alia ciurma onde ogni capo e scemo.
La trista barca, ridotta in estremo,
Vele rinnuova all' arbor che tentenna,
E imberrettato Libertade accenna ;
Ma in preda lascia ai venti e prora e remo.
Ora i fianchi rintoppa, or con la tromba
A forza aggotta ; indi secura tiensi,
Tal che di gioja il grido al Ciel rimbomba.
Poco intanto e il biscotto, i niari immensi,
Tutto e sentina in quella viva tomba ;
E cosl ai lidi dl Fortuna viensi."
i
His indignation rose to a still higher pitch in consequence of
the events of the two following years, and vented itself in this
violent strain : —
" Di libertd maestri i Galli? Insegni
Pria servaggio il Britanno ; insegni pria
Umiltade 1' Ispano ; o codardia
L' Elvezio ; o il Trace a porre in fiore i regni.
Sian dell' irto Lappon gli accenti pregni
Di Apollinea soave melodia ;
Taide anzi norma alle donzelle dia
Di verginali atti pudichi e degni.

APPENDIX. 261
Di liberta maestri i Galli ? e a cui,
A noi fervide ardite Itale menti
D' ogni alta cosa insegnatori altrui ?
Schiavi or siam, si ; ma schiavi almen frementi ;
Non quali, o Galli, e II foste e il isiete vui ;
Schiavi, al poter qual ch' ei pur sla, plaudenti."
Count Alfieri had been a professed republican in his princi
ples, and had consequently shunned the court of his natural
Sovereign, the late King of Sardinia, while iu the meridian of
his power, but when this same King> Charles Emmanuel, being
driven ont of his kingdom by the French, sought a temporary
refuge in Tuscany, Alfieri, who had also retired to Florence,
went unexpectedly to pay his respects to the fugitive Monarch :
the King received him with a smile of benignity, and addressing
him in a tone of mild reproach — " Ebbene, Signor Conte,'"
said he, " eccomi qui uno di quel R^e come li vorreste veder
tutti."

NOTE 10.
Monti, another man of genius, and in general not unfriendly
to the modern ideas, reprobates in strong terms the hypocritical
patriotism of those demagogues to whom any name is wel
come provided it forward their malignant or ambitious purposes,
as a British poet expresses it : —
" Religion, freedom, vengeance, what you will,
A word's enough to raise mankind to kill ;
Some factious phrase by cunning caught and spread,
That guilt may reign and wolves and worms be fed." Byron.
In the first act of Monti's fine tragedy Cajo Gracco, Corne
lia, the mother of Gracchus, thus upbraids Fulvius : —

¦ Di libertade

Che parli tu, e con chi ? Non hai pudore,

262 APPENDIX.

Non hai vlrtude, e libero ti chiami ?
Zelo di liberta, pretesto etcrno
D' ogni delitto ! Frangere le leggi
Impunemente, seminar per tutto
II furor de' partiti, e con atroci
Mille calunnie tormentar qualunque
Non vi Bomiglia, insidiar la vita
Le sostanze, la fama ; anco gli accent!,.
Anco i pensieri incatenar : poi lordi
D' ogni sozzura, predicar virtude,
Carita di fratelli, attribuirvi
Titol di puri cittadini, e sempre
Su le labbra la patria, e nel cor mai ;
Ecco 1'egregia, la sublime e santa . .
Liberta' de' tuoi pari, e non de' Gracchi ;
Liberta di ladroni e d' assassin! ."

The fickleness of popular favor and the danger of trusting to
it, are thus forcibly described in the same tragedy, by the Consul
Opimio : — " E la plebe romanauna tal belva
Che, come manco il pensl, apre gli artigli,
E inferocita ciecamente sbrana
Del par ehi 1' accarezza e chi l'offende.
Oggi t' adora, e dimani t' uccide,
Per tornar poscia ad adorarti estinto,
• • * II suo tremar m' e caro
Piu d' assai che l'amarmi. Ma di plebe
Vedi natura ! o dominar tiranna,
O tremante servir. Liberta vera
Che fra servaggio e la licenza posta,
Ne possederla ne prezzarla seppe
II popol mai con temperato affetto.

APPENDIX. 268

NOTE 11.
The following Sonnet of Parini, written on a similar occasion
pourtrays the joy and the grateful feelings of men rescued from
Moorish slavery, worse than death : —
" Queste incallite man, queste carni arse
D' Africa al Sol, questi pie rosi e stanchi
Di servil ferro, questi igriudi fianchi
Donde sangue e sudor largo si sparse,
Toccano alfin la patria terra ; apparse
Sovr' essi un raggio di pietade, e franchi
Mostransi ai figli, alle consorti, ai bianchi
Padri, che ogni lor duol senton calmarse.
O cara Patria, o care leggi, o sacri
Riti ! Noi vi piangemmo alle Meschite
Empie d' intorno, e ai barbari lavacri !
Salvate voi queste cadenti vite,
E queste spirti estenuati e macri
Col sangue del divin agno nudrite."
A person who has not visited the coast of Barbary can hardly
form a proper idea of the sufferings to which the Christian slaves
were exposed, and cannot, therefore, appreciate the full value of
Lord Exmouth's expedition which put a stop to that abominable
practice. While I was . at Tunis there were several hundred
slaves at la Goletta or harbour, where they were employed in the
construction of the public works : carrying heavy burthens —
exposed all day to the scorching rays of an African sun — covered
with rags and vermine — allowed a scanty and bad diet — drinking
brackish water — ill-treated and beaten by their surly keepers ;
in this manner they passed their days : at sun-set they were
huddled together in a sort of barrack, there to lay their weary
limbs on a heap of bad straw — breathing in a suffocating and
corrupted atmosphere — to rise again with the next sun to fresh
torments : year after year passed without bringing any alteration
to their condition, and the best part of their life was spent in
unavailing regret. The fate of the female slaves was often still

264 APPENDIX.
more deplorable and dreadful. The mind recoils at the idea of
the horrors of their situation. *****
The benefit conferred by England, at the cost of her blood and
treasury, on the nations of Italy, is, therefore, inestimable, and
yet there are men calling themselves enlightened and liberal,
who strive to diminish the sense of it in the hearts of the Italians ;
these men are, however, feelingly alive to any instance of severity
on the part of their governments against any one of their party.
Their system of. philosophy is not so inconsistent as it appears
to a person unacquainted with their real principles. They
winked at the atrocities of the revolution — they approved of the
injustices of the Imperial government ; but they are always ready
to exclaim against the threatening power of Russia — the en
croaching system of Austria— the ambition of England — and
the fanaticism of Rome. They extol to the skies Buonaparte's
decrees against convents and feudal rights, but they make light
of the suppression of the slave trade, and of the abolition of
Christian captivity effected by England ; they very discrimi
nate^ point out the imperfections of these last measures and the
private views which they suppose have dictated them but
¦enough of these equitable and philosophic people. " Intelli
gent! pauca."

NOTE 12.
The whole of this interesting coast is so beautifully and so truly
described by Tassoni in his Secchia Rapita, canto 10, that I can
not resist the temptation of quoting some of his stanzas. The poet
introduces Venus embarking in a small vessel at the mouth of the
Arno, to proceed to Naples for the purpose of engaging Manfred
Prince of Taranto, the son of the Emperor Frederick II. to
assist the Ghibellini of the north of Italy and to rescue his na
tural brother Hentzius, King of Sardinia, who had been taken
prisoner by the Bolognese.

APPENDIX. 265
* • » « »
" Ma Venere frattanto in altro lato
Le campagne del mar liete scorrea
Un mirabil legnetto apparecchiato
Alia fobe dell' Arnoin' fretta avea
E movea quindi alia riviera amen^
Della real Citta della Sirena,.
Perincitar il principe, Tlovello
Di Taranto ad armar gente da guerra
E liberar- dt prigionia il fratello
Che ehiuso sta nello nemica Terra
Entra nell' onda il vascelletto snello
Spiega la vela un miglio o due da terra,
Siede in poppa la Dea, chiusa d' un velo
Azzurro e d' oro, agli uomini ed al Cielo.
Capraja addietro e la Gorgona lassa
E prende in giro alia sinistra .1' onda.
Quindi Livorno, equindi 1' Elba passa
D' ampie vene di ferro ognor feconda.
La distrutta Falcria in parte bassa
Vede e Piombino in su la manca sponda,
Dov' oggi il mare adombra, il monte e '1 piano
L" aquila del gran Re dell' Oceana.
Tremolavano i rai del Sol nascente
Sovra 1' onde del mar purpuree e d' oro ;
E investe di zaffiro il Ciel ridente
Specchiar parea le sue bellezze in loro,
D' Africa i venti fieri, e d' Oriente
Sovra il letto del mar prendean ristoro ;
E c6 sospiri suoi soavi e lieti
Sol Zeifiro increspava il lembo a Teti,
Al trapassar della bella divina
La fortuna d' Amor passa, e s' asconde.
L' ondeggiar della placida marina
Baciando va 1' inargentate sponde.
Ardon d' amore i pesci, e la vicina
Spiaggia languisce invidiando all' onde.
E stanno gli Amoretti ignudi intenti
Alia vela, al governo, ai remi, ai venti.
K K

266

APPENDIX.
Quinci e qnindi i delfini a schiere a schiere
Fanno la scorta al bel legnetto adorn o;
E le ninfe del mar pronte e leggierc
-Ton danzando e festeggiando intorno.
Co. * Ombrone ove sboccando ei pere,
Vede 1 ' "' Giglio a mezzo giorno ;
E 1' isola dt. -ninosa sede
E in dirupata e 1 . -nezzo all' onda vede.
Monte Argentaro in l. *ra mano,
Quindi s' allarga in su la desi. %-x» ;
E lascia il Porto d' Ercole a manci.
Vede Civitavecchia e di lontano
Biancheggiar tutto il lido e la marina :
Giaceva allora il Porto di Trajano
Lacero e guasto in misera rnina.
Strugge il tempo le torri, e 1 marmi solve
E le macchine eccelse in poca polve.
Gia la foce del Tebro era non lunge
Quando si risveglio Libeccio altero
Che n' Libia regna, e dove al lido giunge
Travalca sopra il mar superbo e fiero.
Vede V argentea vela." * •
* • * • •

Here a serious quarrel takes place between Libeccio, or south
westerly wind, and Zep'hirus, about which of them is to forward
the bark of Venus. Zephirus, too weak to resist his antagonist,
calls to' his assistance his elder brother Aquilone or Boreas ;
Libeccio is reinforced on bis side by Scirocco another southern
wind, and a furious tempest ensues which agitates the whole
surface of the sea. Venus is startled by the roaring of the
storm just when : —
" Gia s' ascondeva d' Ostia il lido basso,
E '1 porto d' Anzio di lontan sorgea ;"
The goddess gives a sharp rebuke to Libeccio for his presump
tion ; the African kneeling, begs her forgiveness ; calm is re
stored, and the vessel continues its voyage.

APPENDIX. 267
" Le donne di Nettun vede snl lito
In gonna rossa e col turbante in testa.
Rade il porto d' Astura ove tradito
Fu Corradin nella sua fuga mesta.
Or 1' esempio crudele ha Dio punito,
Che la terra distrutta e inculta resta ;
Quindi Monte Circello orrido appare
Col capo in cielo e con le piante in mare.
S' avanza, e rimaner quinci in disparte
Vede Ponza diserta e Palmarola,
Che furon gia della Citta di Marte
Prigioni illustri in parte occulta e sola.
Varle torri sul lido erano sparte;
La vaga prora le trascorre e vola,
E passa Terracina ; e di lontano
Vede Gaeta alia sinistra mano.
Lascia Gaeta, e su per 1' onda corre
Tanto ch' arriva a Procida, e la rade :
Indi giugne a Pozzuolo, e via trascorre,
Pozzuolo che di solfo ha le contrade.
Quindi s' andava in Nisida a raccorre
E a Napoli scopria 1' alta beltade :
Onde dal porto suo parea inehinare
La Regina del mar, la Dea del mare,"
The continuation of this beautiful Episode, containing Venus's
interview with Manfredi, is highly coloured, but I have only
quoted the description of the voyage, of which any traveller who
has sailed along this coast will easily perceive the accuracy.

NOTE 13.
The captious conduct of Napoleon towards the Pope and the
injustice of his unprovoked aggression on a defenceless country,
are seen in a strong light in the following Protest, published at
the time by Pius VII. the present Pope, one of the best men that
ever sat on the Papal throne : —

268 APPENDIX.
" Sono finalmente compiti i tenebrosi disegni di 'nemici della Sede
Apostolica. ,
«' Dopo lo spoglio violento della piu bella e considerable porzione de
nostri Dominj ; noi ci vediamo con indegni pretesti e con tanta maggiore
ingiustizia spogliati della nostra Sovranita temporale, con cui e stretta-
mente legata la nostra Spirituale Indipendenza.
" In mezzo a questa fiera persecuzione ci confbrta il pensiero che
incontrammo un cosi grave disastro nonper alcuna offesa fatta all*
Imperatore de Francesi od alia Francia, la quale e stata sempre 1' oggetto
delle nostre paterne ed amorose sollecitudini ; non per intrigo di inon-
dana politica, ma per non aver' voluto tradire i nostri Doveri e la nostra
Coscienza. " Piacere agli uomini, e dispiacere a Dio se non e lecltoachiunque
professa la Religione Cattolica, molto meno pud esserlo al Capo ed al
promulgatore di essa.
" Debitori per tanto a Dio ed alia Chiesa di trasmettere illesi ed
intatti i nostri Diritti ai nostri succssori, noi protestiamo contro questo
nuovo spoglio violento, e Io dichiariamo irrito e uullo.
" Noi rigettiamo con uno spirito il.piu fermo e deciso qualunque
assegnamento che l'linperator dei Francesi intende di fare a Noi ed agli
Individui del nostro Collegio. Ci copriremmo tutti d' opprobrio in
faccia alia chiesa, se facessimo dipendre la sussistenza nostra dalla mano
dell' Usurpatore dei beni della medesima.
" Noi ci abbandoniamo interamente alia Frovvidenza ed alia picta dei
Fedeli, e saremo content i di terminare cosi parcamente l'amara camera
dei nostri giornt peuosi.
" Adoriamo con profonda umilta gl' imperscrutabili Decreti di Dio,
invochiamo la sua misericord ia sopra i buoui sudditi nostri, che saranno
sempre il nostro gaudio, la nostra corona, e dopo aver fatto in questa
durissima circostanza tutto .cio che esigevano i nostri Doveri, l'esortiamo
a conservar sempre intatta la Religione e la fede ; ead unirsi con noi
per scongiurare coi gemiti tra il Vestibolo e l'altare il Padre Supremo
dei lumi, affincbl si degni di cangiare i pravl consigli de nostri Perse
cutor!. PIUS P. P. VII."
Data dal Palazzo del Quirinale,
10 Giugno, 1809.

APPENDIX. 269

NOTE 14.
Several passages of that proclamation are forcible in their
arguments and eloquently written :—
« Egli (Murat) tanto straniero all' Italia quanto nuovo nella categoria
de 'Regnanti, affetta con gl' Italian! un linguaggio che converrebbe
appena ad un Alessandro Farnese ad un Andrea Doria, ad un Magno
Trivulzio ; ei da se stesso si proclama Capo della nazione Italiana, la
quale conta nel suo seno dinastie regnanti da piu secoli, e che ha visto
nascere nelle sue piu belle contrade la famiglia augusta che regge tante
nazioni sotto il suo soettro paterno. Egli -Re dell' estrema Italia,
rorrebbe, con idee speciose di limiti naturali presentare agli Italiani uu
fantasma d' un Regno di cui non si potrebbe neppure fissare la Capitate,
glustamente perche la natura ha determinato con limiti precisi governi
particolari alle diverse parti d' Italia, ed ha mostrato che non sono ne
I'estensione del territorio, ne il numero della popolazione, ne la forza
dell' armi, ma bens! le buone leggi, la conservazione degli antichi
costumi, ed una amministrazlone economica, che fanno la felicita de*
popoli ; ed e percio che in Lombardia ed in Toscana si rammentano
ancora con sentimenti d' ammirazione edi riconoscenza i nomi immortali
di Maria Teresa, di Giuseppe e di Leopoldd. * * • •
* • *******

NOTE 15.
The party spirit which divides the opinions of the Italians on
public subjects, and the selfishness with which they overlook the
general good in the violence of their private feelings and interests,
so that there is no common standard around which honest and
moderate men can rally, has been lamented for centuries past by
all the real lovers of their country. The following. Sonnet, by
Maggi, a Milanese writer of the seventeentli century, paints this
evil in strong and gloomy colours :—
" Giace I' Italia addormentata in questa
Sorda bonaccia, e intorno il Ciel s' oscura,
E pur ella si sta' cheta e siciira,
E per molto che tuoni, uom non si desta.

270 APPENDIX. •'
Se pur taluno il palischermo appresta,
Pensa a se stesso e del vicin non cora ;
E tal si lieto e dell' altrui sventura
Che non vede in altrui la sua tempesta.
Ma che ? quest' altre tavole minute,
Rotta 1' antenna, e poi smarrito il polo,
Vedrem tutte ad un tempo andar perdu te ?
Italia, Italia mia, quest 'e il mio duolo :
Alior siam giunti a disperar salute,
Quando spera ciascun di cam par solo."

NOTE 16.
The following Ode addressed to Buonaparte after his abdica
tion, is remarkable for the beauty of its language and for the
moderation of the sentiments it contains, being equally distant
from blind admiration and from ungenerous envy.
" Astre resplendissant, fils altier de I' Aurore,
Comment du haut des cieux es-tu precipite ?
Qu'as-tu fait des rayons dont n'agueres encore
L eclat environnait ton front desenchante ?
Ton char brulant volait, guide par la victoire,
Et nos yeux eblouis se baissaient devant toi j •
L* univers en silence, accable de ta gloire,
Comme sons les destins, se courbait sous ta loi.
Tu tombcs ! 1' univers se relive et respire :
L' homme ose mesurer le geant abattu ;
D' opprobres impunis fletrissant ton empire,
L' audace sans peril croit etre la vertu.
Quoi ! de sa propre honte est-ce ainsi qu' on se venge J
Vous qui chantiez sa gloire en voslaches accents,
Est-ce ainsi que vos mains viennent souiller de fange
Les debris de 1' antel on f uma votre encens ?
Eleves pour les cours, formes a 1' esclavage,
Vous rampiez sous son aigle ainsi qu' autour des lys,
Vous osez aujourd" hui lui prodiguer I' outrage !
L' outrage est retombe' sur vos fronts avilis.

APPENDIX. 271
Mais vous, dont tout son or, dont tonte sa puissance
Ne corrompit jamais la Here liberie ;
Vous qui le poursuiviez d' un eloquent silence
Ou son ceil lut 1' arret de la posterite ;
On ne vous verra point, genereux adversaires,
D' un facile triomphe insulter son malheur ;
Ni de dieux inconnns adoratenrs vulgaires,
Leur porter de vos voeux 1' hommage adulateur.
Liberty, Verite, voila vos Rois supremes ;
Antour de leurs autels ralliez les humains ;
Aux peuples agites, aux monarques eux-memes,
Faites entendre encore leurs oracles divins.
" Arretez ! direz-vous a ce peuple enfurie ;
E pargnez un heros, meme en 1' osant punir :
La gloire de la France a sa gloire est unie ;
II faut le condamner et non pas le fletrir.
Ses palmes sont a vous ; ses forfaits sont vos crimes ;
De sa propre grandeur vous F avez enivre ;
Vous en fites un Dieu ; vous futes ses victimes;
II a du vous punir de 1' avoir adore."
Melas ! pour 1' abuser, pour corrompre sa gloire ;
*t lui prodiguant ses dons fallacieux,
* ia fois le trone et la victoire,
onjurai a. «mnonde et la favenrdescieux!
Et 1' hommage u. ¦'mitez la clemence!
Ah ! de ses grands rivaux .
B -'voir oppresseur,
Leur Constance a vamcu son pou *»nce;
Mais sa chute sufiit a leur noble venge*..
La pitie desormais traite avec le malheur.
Respect ez ce Colosse abattu par la foudre,
Tont convert des lauriers qu'il vous fit moissonner;
Songez qu'en le frappant le ciel vient de I' absoudre,
Quand les dieux ont puni, 1' homme doit pardonner."

THE END

ERRATA.
I may be allowed to observe that having been absent during the greater
part of the time these letters were in the press, I have not been able to
correct all the sheets.
Page 38 Line 4— -housJeouston read kouslcoussou.
38 11: — —sedantry reap sedentary.
38 17 — —in th a t respect read in ifiis'respeet. '
42 19  add robbery to murder, read add
• murder, to robbery.-,
53 30 — —Pazialto, read Pozzailo.
71 : 21— Rotation from' Lord Byron, « Thy
• i -, . glorious days are O'er,", read f Thy
..glorious day is o'er."
121 13 — —resemble, read ressemole.
141 11  in the tone, read in the tune,
149 ,16  t-for honor, read in honor.
151 19 & 21  -Gar«i,.read Gavi.
156 6-  -Saulle, read S'auli.
166 ¦ 25 La Sperona, read lo Sperone.
157 11  Snrdagne, read Sardaigne. ,
173 24  lire, read lira.
175 last  Piedmont , read Piedemonte a villagein
' the neighbourhood of Genoa. - ' ' !
193 4  Latuim, read Latium,
193 10  -Antiun, read Antium.
210 5— — —cowrie, read coarse;'
229 : 18— i-Havre de Grau, rea^ flavre de 6rac^
APPEKiyy
Note 5, Page 245, Line 4~— .-_ r-j i^^j^read in su le portt.

'ST:

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