MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



473 



tions, and many of them have 

 funds arising from legacies and 

 donations. 



Account of Ragusa. From 

 Essays Geographical, Commer- 

 cial and Political. 



Ragusaisasmall but independent 

 state, which forms a part of Dal- 

 iTiatia in European Turkey : it is 

 bounded by the Gnlf of Venice on 

 the west ; by Venetian Dalmatia 

 on the north and north west ; by 

 Turkish Dalmatia on the north 

 east and east ; and by Albania on 

 the south and south east. Its 

 length from north to south in a 

 ; direct hne is about 100 miles, and 

 its breadth from east to west 18 

 or 20. It is surrounded on the 

 I land-side by a ridge of mountains, 

 which separate it from the adja- 

 cent country, over which are seve- 

 ! ral passages of easy access to men 

 t and horses ; the interior of the 

 country is also very mountain- 

 ous, and the surface of the moun- 

 tains barren and unproductive ; 

 but tlie valleys produce corn and 

 various kinds of delicious fruit, 

 ns apples, pears, plums, grapes, 

 figs, pomegranates, &c. though no 

 oranges. 



It should seem, however, that 

 the country is not remarkably fer- 

 tile, or the inhabitants but little 

 skilled in agriculture, since, not- 

 withstanding the thinness of its 

 population, they are frequently un- 

 der the necessity of importing corn 

 from Turkey. 



It has most of the fowls com- 

 mon in England, and all our qua- 

 drni)eds, as horses, oxen, sheep, 

 goats, hogs, &c. plenty of hares 



and rabbits, and a few foxes. 

 Bees too are kept in a domes- 

 ticated state amongst them, as with 

 us. 



The Raguseans have but one 

 harvest and vintage in the year ; 

 the former commences about the 

 20th of June, and the latter the 

 10th of September, and the wines 

 whicli they make are cheap and 

 plentiful, and the common drink 

 of the inhabitants. — Yet notwith- 

 standing the temperature of the 

 climate, the mountains are fre- 

 quently covered with snow in 

 winter, though ice is very rarely 

 seen. 



The country is frequently visit- 

 ed by earthquakes : about 140 

 years ago half the town of Ragusa 

 was destroyed by one, and a year 

 seldom passes without some symp- 

 toms of them. 



Many villages are scattered up 

 and down the country, containing 

 from 3 to .500 inhabitants each ; 

 but it has no considerable town 

 except Ragusa, the capital, which 

 is 1| miles in circumference, and 

 contains about 9,000 inhabitants, 

 or, with the suburbs, 12,000: the 

 houses are built of a very fine 

 stone, and remarkably strong, to 

 resist the effect of earthquakes. 



The coast is all along full of 

 harbours fit for large fleets, with 

 very secure anchorage, and the 

 sea well stored with fish. About 

 twelve small islands are scattered 

 along it, which form a part of the 

 Ragusean territory : the principal 

 of them are Augusta and Meleda. 

 Augusta is about 25 miles in cir- 

 cumference, containing 200 inha- 

 bitants, and has a fishery estab- 

 lished on it for anchovies and 

 sardines, which are exported to 



Venice, 



