CALABRIA. 



22.3 



f.il..t)iM. the greatest epicures, and their skin makes Tery tine 

 " - v - li:itli<r. Besides sheep, horses, oxen, buffaloes, goaU 

 and swine are very abundant in Calabria. The 

 horses are rather small, but handsome, spirited, and 

 patient of fatigue. The bretd might be greatly im- 

 proved ; but the prohibition of exportation renders 

 the owners quite indifferent about their perfection. 

 The oxen are white, large, and long horned, except 

 those of the red breed, which have been introdu- 

 ced from Sicily. Buffaloes, goats, sheep, and swine, 

 are in general black. 



The inhabitants of this country are a brave and 

 hardy race of men ; patient under penury, hardship, 

 and hunger ; and possessing symmetry and strength 

 of limb, 'with an ardent and fiery spirit. His out- 

 ward appearance his latticed and miserable garments 

 his long and black beard his volubility of gesture 

 his irrascibility and his violent declamation, point 

 out the Calabrian mountaineer as the unpolished child 

 of nature. He rises against every haughty demand ; 

 but if you speak to him with kindness, he will shew 

 himself complaisant, frank, and benevolent. The 

 common upper dress of almost all classes, from the 

 richest citizen to the lowest muleteer, is a short black 

 vest, suspended from the left shoulder, and a bonnet. 

 The women are in general very plain, and are treated 

 little better than slaves. They are seldom allowed 

 to join in any of their festive amusements ; but must 

 remain at home, and take care of their household af- 

 fairs. When a Calabrian returns from his labour 

 with his wife, he stalks proudly before, with his 

 hands empty, while his wife follows behind heavily 

 laden. Notwithstanding this fierce and unbending de- 

 meanour, this people possess great goodness of heart, 

 and a considerable share of intelligence. Though 

 they bear with courage the heavy impositions with 

 which they are loaded, yet they often complain of 

 the burden ; and submit, not because the sword is sus- 

 pended over their head, but that they may discover 

 some means of relieving themselves from the yoke. 

 The country is filled with scoundrels," said an in- 

 telligent Calabrian to Mr Bartels, " because govern- 

 ment invites them here. The king, they say, is a 

 man of the best heart and the, best dispositions, but 

 great care is taken that he shall never know the true 

 situation of his affairs. He is altogether ignorant of 

 the manner in which we are governed, because those 

 who surround him conceal every thing that may be 

 injurious to their own particular interest. This is 

 the reason why we cry out so much against Naples ; 

 and this is the reason why we hate every one that 

 belongs to that country. But we love the' king as 

 children love their father, because we hear nothing 

 of him but what is good. We regret only that he 

 never comes among us, as we have so great a desire 

 to know him. Immediately after the earthquake in 

 1783, an agent was sent from Naples to alleviate the 

 burdens of those who had suffered from this dreadful 

 calamity ; but what was the result ? Government, it 

 is true, remitted to them all imposts for four years ; 

 this, however, was but a vain promise, for at the end 

 of two years they were doubled, by impoMiig new 

 taxes ; and under this yoke we groan until this day." 

 Filled with indignation, the CaJabrian finished with 



these word : Quftto t un govtrno, the ri cltiama bu. Calabria. 

 giaronf! Our government is beneath all censure." ' "* "' 



This people are very superstitious. They have 

 charms among them, which are fabricated by certain 

 old women on pieces of parchments, which are rap. 

 posed to render the wearer invulnerable. These are 

 sometimes sold to the bravos for eighteen ducats, 

 wh now, confident of safety, attack their adversaries 

 without fear. They repose also great confidence in 

 judgments, and expect to see every person that jeers at 

 another's defects afflicted in the same way. All kinds 

 of convulsions are here attributed to the influence of 

 malignant spirits; and nearly 1500 women, pit-tending 

 to be possessed with these spirits, go up annually to 

 Loriana, to be cured by looking at a portrait of St 

 Dominic. Every city swarm* with monks, to whom 

 are intrusted the education of the youth of the pro- 

 vince, and whose whole learning generally consists in 

 reading their breviary, and saying mass. Many of 

 them are scarcely able for so much, particularly those 

 who have been arisen, by the oppression of the ba- 

 rons, to assume the religious habit merely to procure 

 a subsistence. Numerous bands of Zingari or gyp- 

 sies continually infest this country. This strange 

 tribe have no fixed habitation, but wander wherever 

 profit or convenience dictates. They subsist by the 

 sale of little handicrafts of iron, or by the exchange 

 of horses and asses ; but chiefly by pilfering and 

 theft. They are a most abandoned, dissolute, and 

 faithless race of vagabonds. They can be bound by 

 no promise or contract, if the least advantage can be 

 gained by the breach of it ; and no cheats are more 

 artful or impudent. They have a peculiar language 

 of their own, which, in sound, seems to bear a great 

 affinity to the oriental tongues ; and many of their 

 ceremonies and customs resemble those of the hea- 

 thens. In 1560, they were banished the kingdom 

 as thieves, cheats, and spies. In 1585, the order was 

 repeated ; but not being sufficiently enforced, they re- 

 main as numerous as ever. 



The population of the two Calabrias, besides the 

 Italian inhabitants, consists of several colonies of 

 Albanese, who differ from the original inhabitants of 

 the country, both in religion, language, and in ap- 

 pearance. Large black eyes, a sallow complexion, 

 short curled hair, and strong and muscular limbs, 

 sufficiently distinguish them from the Italian Cala- 

 brese. Their language is peculiar to themselves, and 

 its roots are unconnected with all other European 

 tongues. Though it has been known in Europe up- 

 wards of 1000 years, it still remains without an al- 

 phabet ; and many of its sounds cannot be accurately ' 

 expressed either by Latin or Greek letters. It 

 abounds, however, with many words borrowed from 

 the old and modern Greek, Latin, Sclav oman, Ita- - 

 lian, French, German, and, what is very extraordina- 

 ry, with many English terms employed in their na- 

 tive signification. The men can spea.k the Cala- 

 brese ; but the women, who neither buy nor sell, un- 

 derstand no language but their own, which they 

 pronounce with great sweetness of accent. The AJ- 

 banese are dispersed over the province, occupying 

 whole villages and towns ; but many of their set- 

 tlements are wretchedly poor and much decayed. 



