222 CALABRIA. 



is very scarce, and sells in general very high. The 

 allowed to eat as much as they please 



1 gatherers are allowed to eat as much as tney please 

 in the woods, but if the smallest quantity of the juice 

 is found in their houses, they are severely punished, and 

 tometimes even incur the penalty of death. Many of 

 the vallies are covered with the most luxuriant pastu- 

 rage, upon which are fed numerous flocks of sheep, 

 which form the principal wealth of the northern part of 

 the province. Their wool is esteemed equal to that 

 of Spain. It is strong and curled, and is very much 

 employed in the manufactories of Venice. The cul- 

 tivation of this country, however, is most miserably 

 neglected. Every exertion is paralyzed by the hand 

 of power. The peasant sees no amelioration to his 

 condition from his efforts ; and is discouraged from 

 the apprehension, that increasing activity and pro- 

 duce on his part, would only expose him to an addi- 

 tional weight of taxes and oppression. " The hus- 

 bandry of this province," says Mr Swinburne, " is 

 slovenly, and the skill in gardening very superficial. 

 Both betray a want of emulation and intelligence. 

 Climate and soil do more than half the work, and 

 the hand of dispirited man is sluggishly applied to 

 the task ; partial Nature empties the horn of plenty on 

 his head ; but, from many fatal causes, her bounty 

 contributes little to his welfare ; whilst we see, in 

 more northern and less happy regions, the active en- 

 terprising labourer able to extort favours from her, 

 and with the least gaudy of her riches, raise himself 

 to comfort and independence." The Calabrian far- 

 mer, instead of manuring and cleaning his ground, 

 thinks he does well if he ceases to plough it for two 

 or three years, and leaves the pasturage to make its 

 way through the rank weeds which surround it. In 

 some districts, the common course of husbandry is 

 to take a crop of wheat, and then let the field lie 

 fallow for two years. The mode of letting farms in 

 this country is also a complete obstruction to every 

 kind of improvement. In all the baronial and eccle- 

 siastical estates, a lease of only two years, loaded with 

 many clauses and restrictions, is allowed; and ( the term 

 is extended by the plebeian landlords to six years. Some 

 of the barons are not content with a short lease and 

 an exorbitant rent; but they encroach upon the com- 

 mons and cultivated grounds for the sake of extend- 

 ing their chace ; and thus the poor peasants have 

 sometimes neither room nor opportunity to raise suf- 

 ficient food for their support. On the eastern part 

 of the peninsula, however, the state of agriculture 

 is much better, and consequently the ground pro- 

 duces much finer crops. The low lands are extreme- 

 ly rich in herbage, producing spontaneously rich 

 crops of sainfoin ; but half of the grass is suffered 

 to rot in the ground for want of cattle to consume 

 it. 



The fertile plains around Reggio appear like one 

 rich and delicious garden, shaded by groves and ave- 

 nues of poplars and mulberry trees, and divided by 

 hedges of pomegranates, inclosing vineyards and or- 

 chards of various kinds of aromatic fruit. All sorts 

 of vegetables abound under their shade, and copious 

 streams distribute life and vigour through these de- 

 lightful fields. Hemp is the principal production of 

 this district, as being the most lucrative ; and the 

 essence of citron, orange, and bergamot, of which 

 .not less than 100,000 quarts are annually exported, 



affords them a considerable article of traffic with the Calabria. 

 French and Genoese. Great quantities of oranges are 

 also exported from theenvirons of Rossano, in Calabria 

 Citra, to Taranto and Gallipoli. But the principal ar- 

 ticle of Calabrian commerce is silk, and it ; s said that 

 silk worms were first introduced into this country by 

 Roger, king of the two Sicilies ; though, according 

 to Procopius, they had been brought into Italy in 

 the time of Justinian. This new branch of industry 

 increased so rapidly, that, in the 16th century, the 

 produce of Calabrian silk exceeded that of all the 

 rest of Italy, and amounted to 300,000 crowns ; 

 when a duty of five grana for every pound was im- 

 posed upon it by Charles V. in 1542. This imposi- 

 tion was afterwards gradually augmented, till, in the 

 17th century, it paid 36 grana per pound ; which 

 yielded annually to the treasury of Naples nearly 

 400,000 ducats. The quantity of silk obtained waa 

 estimated at three millions of pounds ; which, after 

 deducting all expences, brought into the country 

 three millions of ducats. But this advantageous 

 commerce has of late years very much fallen off, and, 

 indeed, must necessarily decrease, on account of the 

 extortion and vexatious imposition of the govern- 

 ment. All the silk pods must be carried to the 

 public cauldrons, where they pay a duty of four 

 carlini a pound for boiling and winding off. Forty- 

 two grana and a half are then exacted for every 

 pound of marketable silk ; and one grana a pound 

 for the refuse and unprofitable pods ; and, to com- 

 plete the measure of their hardships, two carlini, or 

 twenty grana, must be annually paid for every mul- 

 berry tree which they possess. All the profits are 

 thus eaten up by these odious exactions ; and the 

 farmers have been so discouraged, that many hun- 

 dred of valuable trees have been cut down to save the 

 duty. The peasant can have no interest in the ex- 

 tension or improvement of this manufacture. New 

 improvements only draw upon him new burdens ; 

 and, consequently, he looks upon the trade with in- 

 difference, and would rather allow it to perish than 

 exert himself for its revival. From such causes the 

 quantity has been reduced to less than one-third of 

 its former product ; and it is reckoned, that not above 

 800,000 pounds of raw silk are now annually export- 

 ed to Naples from this province. The inferior sort 

 brings 1$ carlini per pound, and the best silk 25 car- 

 lini ; so that the mean price may be estimated at 20 

 carlini, or two ducats of Naples. The principal 

 manufactories of silk in Calabria are at Monteleone, 

 Reggio, and Catanzaro ; that of the latter city is 

 the most important. The. other manufactures and 

 exports of Calabria are, silk, woollen and cotton 

 stuffs, iron and earthen ware, hides, honey, and wine. 

 Calabria possesses some very valuable mines of sil- 

 ver, lead, iron, copper, marcasite, vitriol, sulphur, 

 antimony, salt, and coal ; none of which are at pre- 

 sent wrought, except the iron mine at Stilo, which 

 is farmed at 6806 ducats. 



The woods of this country are well stocked with 

 game, which are a great annoyance to the farmers, 

 as they are prohibited from killing them, the ba- 

 rons having the exclusive right of hunting. Among 

 the mo&t delicate of these are dormice, which are 

 smoked out of their nests in hollow trees, and caught 

 with sharp hooks. They are eaten at the tables of 



