of the Piedmontese Coast. 161 



graceful and varied forms of Nature, is not insensible to artistic 

 objects, although the angular works of his fellow-man cannot for 

 one moment be put into competition with the 'Heres atque 

 rotundus " which is the character of natural forms. 



While I was at Spezia, the land breeze or " vento di terra " 

 regularly set in from about 3 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the sea breeze 

 or " vento di mare '' blew inshore during the rest of the twenty- 

 four hours. The first enabled mine and all the other boats and 

 vessels to leave the little port and get a good offing, while the 

 other cooled and refreshed the parched land and its inhabitants. 

 Sometimes a sudden squall, caused by a wind called the 

 " borasco,^' would arise, especially under high land, and made 

 my short voyages not quite free from danger. 



Although I am not a botanist, I could not help being struck 

 with the prodigality of Flora in throwing her charms around this 

 beautiful country. The coast was fringed with myrtle; and the 

 olive-groves, being unpruned, had a much less stiff appearance 

 than in the South of France. The grape-crop had again failed, 

 but the vines, still faithful to their ancient husbands, spread 

 their festoons and garlands as of old. 



Through the kindness of my table-d^hote companion (for I 

 knew no one else, and did not meet with one of my countrymen 

 during my stay at Spezia), I had an opportunity of joining some 

 fishing-parties ; and, as it is indirectly connected with my sub- 

 ject, I will endeavour to describe one of them. My dredging 

 boat and crew (which were among the best in the place) were 

 selected for the occasion, and at 9 p.m. the party met on the 

 pier and embarked, having either a small lanthorn suspended 

 inside the awning, or the moon when she was up and propitious. 

 Our party consisted of half-a-dozen ladies and gentlemen. The 

 boatmen rowed slowly to the fishing-ground while the ladies 

 sung, and on reaching a cork buoy to which the lines were 

 attached (which sometimes it took a long time and a consider- 

 able circuit to do, owing to the small size of the object and the 

 difficulty of finding it), the sport commenced. There were about 

 150 hooks attached to lines about two feet in length, which were 

 fastened at intervals of about a fathom to the main line. This 

 was attached at each end to the buoy. The lines had been set 

 in the previous morning, the bait consisting of strips of fish and 

 small blennies. While the lines were being taken up by one of 

 the boatmen, the other holding water or rowing in the direction 

 of the main line, there was of course no little excitement, mingled 

 with disappointment when sometimes at every other haul a shell- 

 fish {Murex Brandaris or M. trunculus) was taken. These are, 

 like our Buccinum undatum, to which they appear to form ana- 

 logues, carnivorous and frequently take the fishermen's bait. 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. xvii. 1 1 



