[wrong] ELBA, A HUNDRED YEARS AFTER 213 



I drove the score of miles to Marciana in a little two-wheeled cart 

 behind a gaunt but strong horse. My driver I found to be a keen poli- 

 tician, a Radical who would go so far in his reconstruction of society 

 as to start with anarchy. When I tried to find out what he meant by 

 anarchy and how it would pave the way to a better order his answers 

 were not illuminating; but this at least was clear, that he was pro- 

 foundly discontented with things as they are. "There are too many 

 thieves at Rome," he said with conviction. He declared that in a 

 recent election in this constituency the government had spent corruptly 

 three hundred thousand francs on behalf of their candidate. The 

 taxes are an ever-growing burden and nearly everything is taxed. 

 On a four-wheeled vehicle the tax is sixteen francs a year, on one of two 

 wheels eight francs, on each horse six francs, on a donkey or a mule 

 four, on a cow two, on a goat one and a half, and so on. I suggested 

 that modern governments do much for the people by way of educa- 

 tion, building roads, and preserving order, and need, therefore, a large 

 revenue; but this explanation did not satisfy him. "It is kings that 

 are costly," he said, "what we need in Italy is a republic." I told 

 him that I thought I could name two great republics in modern times 

 which are even more costly than monarchies; but he would not be 

 convinced. He had words of approval for the policy of Napoleon. 

 The Emperor, he said, was right in trying to build Europe into one 

 great realm. There should be but one state. In this all men would 

 be united; that vile thing patriotism would disappear; and there 

 would be no more war. I do not think that this Elban Radical repre- 

 sents a powerful section of his countrymen, for the monarchy is gener- 

 ally popular in Italy, even surprisingly so when we consider that the 

 reigning house has been for so short a time connected with most of 

 the people over whom it rules. But the republican propaganda is 

 open and avowed. Perhaps this fact only shows that the monarchy 

 is so strong that it does not fear attack. 



We met on the road the great motor omnibus now in use for 

 mails and passengers; there are no private motor cars in Elba. A 

 primitive mode of conveyance is still general. The donkey is tradi- 

 tionally a patient and strong little beast and in Elba he has need of 

 both qualities. We passed a donkey with only his legs visible; the 

 rest of his body was concealed by his burden of an old man, an old 

 woman and two immense paniers. Sometimes a couple of children 

 are added. It is wonderful that the slim little legs can patter along 

 under so heavy a load. The people whom one meets are invariably 

 well dressed. The women are surprisingly handsome; in the faces of 

 most of the old women even there are traces of earlier beauty ; Cupid 

 must be busy in Elba. 



