ITALY. 



387 



Como being the great centres of manufacture, 

 and that the annual produce of the throwing 

 mills is about 2,721,759 kilogrammes, the value 

 of which is computed at 196,500,000 lire. The 

 production of wool is small, as it is estimated 

 that there are in the country less than 9,000,- 

 000 sheep. The total quantity of woollen 

 and worsted yarn made annually is reckoned 

 at 8,950,000 kilogrammes, and about 240,000 

 persons are employed in the woollen manufac- 

 ture. Italy contains 200 cotton-spinning mills, 

 producing annually 143,767 metrical quintals 

 of yarn, valued at 34,900,000 lire. The annual 

 produce of flax amounts to 135,000 metrical 

 quintals, and of hemp to 500,000 quintals. A 

 great quantity of lace is made at Genoa, in 

 parts of Lombard y, at Venice, and in the south- 

 ern provinces. There are 34 iron-mines now 

 worked in Italy, producing an annual average 

 of about 1,500,000 metrical quintals of ore; 22 

 copper-mines, from which are extracted yearly 

 about 32,010 tons of ore; 15 lead and silver 

 mines, producing about 160,447 metrical quin- 

 tals of ore ; four mercury-mines, and one zinc- 

 mine. About fifteen varieties of marble are 

 quarried in Italy, and the annual value of that 

 exported from Carrara amounts to upward of 

 1,000,000 lire. There are now 536 paper-mills 

 in the kingdom, the annual consumption of rags 

 being 367,034 quintals, and the value of the 

 paper manufactured 28,040,000 lire, while the 

 value of the paper exported may be set down at 

 4,385,000 lire, and that of the importations at 

 2,117,000 lire. The coral fishery employs be- 

 tween 300 and 400 boats, and upward of 2,500 

 men and boys, and most of that obtained is 

 wrought at Naples, Leghorn, and Genoa, from 

 8,000 to 9,000 lire being realized yearly by the 

 trade. The total produce of wine in Italy is 

 estimated at 28,879,000 hectolitres, the coun- 

 tries to which these wines are exported being 

 England, Austria, Switzerland, and America. 

 The agricultural statistics show that the super- 

 ficial extent of the productive soil of Italy is 

 23,017,096 hectolitres, more than 11,000,000 

 of which consist of arable land. The institu- 

 tion of savings banks in this country dates from 

 1822, and at the present time the proportion of 

 depositors to population is 1 in 61, the average 

 amount to the credit of each person being 521 

 lire. The ship-building business in Italy is ac- 

 tive. In 1862 there were but 56 ship-yards, 

 which launched 215 vessels, with a tonnage of 

 25,271 tons. In 1866 the number of ship-yards 

 had increased to 91 ; that of vessels launched 

 to 675, with a total tonnage of 59,522 tons. 



At the close of 1867 there were over 2,500 

 miles of railroad open in Italy. At the close 

 of 1870 there will be nearly 4,500. The rail- 

 road which unites France to Italy, over Mont 

 Cenis, was opened in 1868, and the tunnel 

 which is to pierce the mountain is two-thirds 

 completed. 



The King in March signed a decree insti- 

 tuting a new order, to be called the " Crown 

 of Italy." 



On January 5th anew Cabinet was formed, as 

 follows : General Menabrea, President and Min- 

 ister of Foreign Affairs; Senator Cadorna, 

 Minister of the Interior; Count Cambray 

 Digny, Minister of Finance; Major-General 

 Bertole Viale, Minister of War; Deputy De 

 Filippo, Minister of Justice; Signer Broglio, 

 Minister of Public Instruction and Commerce ; 

 Count Cantelli, Minister of Public Works ; Ad- 

 miral Eibotti, Minister of Marine. In Septem- 

 ber Count Cantelli was appointed to the Min- 

 istry of the Interior, and Signer Pasini, in his 

 place, to the Ministry of Public Works. On 

 October 9th Signor De Yicenzi was appointed 

 Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. 



In no country of Europe have the finances 

 been, of late, in so unfavorable a condition as 

 in Italy. The Minister of Finance, Count 

 Cambray Digny, in January submitted to the 

 Chamber of Deputies his report on the nation- 

 al finances. He anticipated a deficit for 1869 

 of 240,000,000 lire. He proposed to cover this 

 by the imposition of a new tax, the develop- 

 ment of existing taxes, and by the reorganiza- 

 tion of the principal branches of the public 

 administration. The only new tax proposed 

 was a tax upon grinding, which would apply 

 to all substances subject to that process, 

 whether comestible or not. On cereals this tax 

 would only amount to 2 centimes per kilo- 

 gramme ; the total net profit of which to the 

 state was estimated at 76,000,000 lire. The 

 millers would be empowered to collect the 

 tax. The development of existing taxes would 

 include the extension to all the provinces of 

 tire tax upon Government concessions, which 

 would produce an increase of 4,000,000 lire. 

 The registry and stamp taxes were to be 

 more regularly collected. The tax upon bills of 

 exchange was to be reduced. From these two 

 measures the increase to the revenue was 

 estimated at 19,000,000 lire. The reorganiza- 

 tion of the Government tobacco manufactories 

 would effect an economy of 7,000,000 lire, 

 and yield in future an annual revenue of 

 2,000,000 lire. The income tax being much 

 greater than in England, the minister proposed 

 to abolish it, and in its stead to substitute a 

 general tax on all incomes, whether from 

 earnings or property, thereby producing a 

 benefit to the state revenue of 42,000,000 lire. 

 Eadical changes were to be effected in the 

 method of collecting the taxes, the present 

 system being both vexatious and expensive, 

 and offering facilities to fraud. A reorganiza- 

 tion of the public administration on this sub- 

 ject would be introduced. A bill would be 

 brought in, transferring the service of the 

 treasury to the National Bank, which would 

 not, however, have any concern in collecting 

 the taxes. One uniform law for the whole 

 kingdom would be introduced relative to the 

 collection of taxes, according to which all 

 direct taxes would be collected by the muni- 

 cipalities under the control of Government 

 inspectors. These reforms, it was estimated, 



