CHARACTERS. 
finally, eat up by disease and ver- 
min,—who would have imagined 
it possible ? but so it is; and such 
is the imbecility, the infatuation, 
the misery of human nature at 
Genoa! 
The character of the nobles too, 
has a leading feature in it that is 
seldom found in other countries, 
They affect a superiority to those 
prejudices which so frequently and 
so \foolis!:ly exist against commerce ; 
yet this mask of wisdom is only the 
result of avarice, as no race of men 
are prouder and more ignorant. But 
the commerce carried on by the 
noble Genoese is that of money, 
or, in other words, usury, as they 
supply the needy of France and 
Italy with sums at the most exor- 
bitant interest. They are in pos- 
session of this money from the ex- 
ercise of the most rigid parsimony 
in domestic life ; for instead of us- 
ing the noble palaces which they 
owe to the ostentation of their an- 
cestors, they inhabit only the attic 
stories: fathers, uncles, brothers, 
with all their female relatives and 
servants, are stowed in different 
apartments; and their tables, in- 
stead of being served in a style ade- 
quate to their opulence, are (as I 
am well informed) most pitifully 
supplied. In the article of dress, 
as they always wear black, they in- 
cur but little expence: and for hos- 
pitality, it is a virtue unknown 
to them, even among each other. 
Their general amusement is conver- 
sazioni, where they entertain them- 
selves at cards, and are refreshed 
with coffee, lemonade, and biscuits. 
The women are pretty; but their 
sable dress, and manner of wrapp- 
ing up their heads in a veil called 
Il Messero, are, in my opinion, 
very unbecoming. Their whole 
365 
time is taken up in play, intrigue, 
and the observance of church-cere- 
mony. They never appear from 
home, either with their husbands, 
or without their cecisbez, the latter 
of whom are always the objects of 
their choice, and often the fathers 
of their children. From the general 
imputation which the Genoese lie 
under from ignorance, I am not at 
all surprised to find no university 
here; but from that partiality to 
music which they entertain in com- 
mon with all the Italians, I did not 
expect to see so vilea theatre. The 
singers were what I should have 
been out of humour with, even at 
Novi, and the band was still more 
despicable: this is the consequence 
of their parsimony, as the managers, 
from the Jittle encouragement they 
receive, are not able to employ the 
best voices and music. 
Commerce at Genoa is reduced 
to its lowest ebb, having declined in 
proportion to its rise at Leghorn. 
Few of these noble usurers would 
risk a cargo in a vessel of their own 
state, as they know how entirely 
their flag is unprotected, and there- 
fore make use of British bottoms as 
their best security. In these they 
export their velvets, silk, oil, dried 
mushrooms (which are famous) 
wines, Parmesan cheese, and Carrara 
marbles. Their imports are various; 
English cloth is a considerable art- 
ticle: their chief trade, however, is 
with Spain. But that on which the 
existence of this republic as an in- 
dependent state, as well as the pro- 
perties of many of its citizens have 
long rested, is the celebrated Bank 
of St. George, established since the 
commencement of the fifteenth 
century, It is less dependent on 
government than government is on 
it, being managed exclusively by 
1{s 
