SARDEONA. 



RARDEGNA. 



438 



.boat 400,000 .tar.lH (1J bushels each) ar. 



barUv u inferior in ouli'y M compared with the wheat ; about 200.000 

 unlli an exported. Maiie. though it thrive* well, U not very exten- 

 siT*ir grown. One hundred thoiuand sUrolli of beana, 200,000 starelli 

 of pw, and 1000 fUralli of lentils, are al*o exported annually. 



CVnee U a great object of rural economy ; it in made chiefly from 

 abeep and goaU' milk, and being; stepped in brine, it haa a salt bitter 

 MM. A treat quantity is abipped for Naples, where it is in (Trent 

 demand, being much uad when grated to eeaton maooaronL Little 

 butter U made, M the treatment of cows is not well understood, and 

 fodder k scare*. 



Salt ia a monopoly of the government, and a profitable branch of 

 the royal revenue, the continental itatee of the house of S.ivoy being 

 supplied entirely from Sardinia. Sweden and other states take many 

 cargoes of salt from Sardinia. The saltern*, both natural and rti6cml, 

 are round the Gulf of Cagliari, at Oristano, Terranova, and on the 

 northern oost west of Porto Torres. The salterns are worked by 

 convicts sentenced to the galleys. Tobacco is also a royal monopoly. 

 Tkis plant, which was introduced in 1714, thrives well 



Flax is cultivated, and used in the linen manufactories of the country. 

 The finer sort of linen is made at BusacM. Wool is coarse ; it is manu- 

 factured into coarse cloth for the peawntry. Cotton grows very 

 well in the Campidano. Madder grows wild, and ia used by the 

 peaMtnts for dyeing their coarse cloth. Some rock-mosses are also 

 gathered for dyeing. Bullocks' hides, sheep and goat skins, and kid 

 or lamb skins, are exported in great quantities. Leather is imported 

 from Marseille and other places. Among the exports are fox skins, 

 martin skins, rabbit and hare skins. The forests abound with stags, 

 small deer, wild boars, and mufioni, or murvoni, a species of large 

 sheep, clothed with hair instead of wool. 



The tunuy fisheries on the north and west coasts are very produc- 

 tive. They are mostly in the hands of foreigner)). The tunnies 

 generally weigh from 100 Ibs. to 800 Ibs. each, but some of them are 

 above 800 Ibs. All the parts of the fish are turned to account ; most of 

 them are salted and shipped to various ports of the Mediterranean, 

 and a comparatively small proportion is used in the island. The 

 fishery of anchovies and sardines, which once used to be very produc- 

 tive, is much fallen off. Coral is taken off the west and south const*. 

 This branch of industry is curried on by the Neapolitans and Genoese. 

 Pearls D( an inferior quality are obtained from the Pinna nubilii, 

 which abounds in the shallow bays. The shell measures from 15 to 

 27 inches in length, and U sought chiefly for the tuft of silky hair, 

 the Byaut of the ancients, which is attached to it The filaments 

 are of a gUsy brown colour, about 8 inches iu length, and are easily 

 spun into gloves, stockings, Ac. 



Sardinia was noted in ancient times for its mines, which were worked 

 to a great extent, as is attested by vast excavations and remains of 

 foundries. Sou'.h-west of Iglesias is Monte d'Oru, which appears to 

 have derived its name from the gold formerly extracted from it ; the 

 mountain has been reduced by excavation to a mere shell. Iron- and 

 lead-ore are found in abundance in mauy places, as well as copper, 

 silver, and quicksilver. In the eastern mountains are found porphyry, 

 basalt, alabaster, and marble. Chalcedonies, jaspers, carneliaus, sar- 

 donyx, turquoises, and rock-crystal are found iu the districts of Sulci 

 and other mountains of the west. Other mineral products are fossil- 

 wood, lignite, and inferior coal ; alum, nitre, amianthus, asbestos, and 

 a mixture of carbonate of lime and alumina, which is used by the 

 natives in washing. There are numerous mineral springs. They are 

 however unprovided with buildings or any sort of accommodation for 

 invalids. Vestiges of ancient thermic exist at the sulphureous springs 

 of Fordongianns. 



The population of Sardinia amounted in 1833 to 491,973; in 1848 

 to 647,112. The island is divided into 3 administrative districts : 

 Cagliari, which comprises the south and south-west parts of the 

 island ; Nuoro the east ; and Sassari the north and north-west. The 

 administrative division of Cagliari contains the following provinces : 

 Cagliari, poplt'n 106,388; Iglesias, 42,598; Isili, 48,958; and 

 Oiittano, 78,189. The administrative division of Nuoro contains the 

 provinces of Nuoro, population 58,882; Cuglieri, 87,522; Lanusci, 

 27,530. In the administrative division of Sassari are the provinces oi 

 Sassari, population 65,821; Alghero, 34,108; Ozieri, 24,456; and 

 Tempio, 22,660. For ecclesiastical purposes the island is divided into 

 eleven dioceses : Cagliari, Oristano, Sassari, Galtelli-Nuovo, Iglesias, 

 Ales, Algbero, Ampuriase Civita, Bosa, Bisarcio, and Ogliastra. Cag- 

 liari, Sasanri. and Orintano are archbishops' se -a. The Roman Catholi 

 U the only religion of the country. Over each of the administrative 

 divisions there is an intendant general, appointed by the king. 



The earliest inhabitants of the island were Celts, among whom the 

 Phoenicians formed settlements; to these Iberians and Ligurians 

 Greeks and Etruscans were succesively joined; and afterwards at 

 infusion of Carthaginian and of Roman blood was added. In later 

 times Pisans tad Spaniards settled in the towns and lower country 

 but in the highlands the population has remained almost pureli 

 Celtic, and may be considered as the real descendants of the ol< 

 Sards, who struggled hard against both Carthage and Rome. The 

 Sards are of a middle stature, and well formed, with dark eyes ant 

 coarse black hair, though fresh complexions and blue eyes are also 

 seen in the mountains. In the Campidano they are more swarthy than 



n the north part of the island, and have generally a large mouth and 

 hick lips. They have strong intellectual faculties, though mostly 

 mcultivated, and an enthusiastic attachment to their country and 

 their native district, in consequence of which families seldom remove 

 or disperse. They are kind and hospitable, but easily offended and 

 excited to revenge. If the family of the sufferer in a blood feud has 

 nfluenoe enough to stir justice into active measures against the offender, 

 ,he latter flies to the mountains, where he joins others of a similar 

 description, and becomes a robber. 



Italian ia the language of the government, and is also spoken by all 

 educated persons in the large towns. The native tongue is derived 

 rom the Latin, with an admixture of words of Greek and Arabic 

 origin. The natives of the Barbargia district pride themselves on 

 ;he number of Greek words which they retain, and their distinct 

 rat harsh and guttural enunciation, which is with difficulty attained 

 the rest of the Sards. At Alghero the Catalouian is generally 

 spoken. 



The villages are generally large and well situated, but with unpaved 

 narrow streets, mean houses, and a general want of comfort. Large 

 dunghills disfigure the principal avenues. The villages in the Gallura 

 are built of granite blocks, and in the other northeru districts of free- 

 stone ; but in the southern division of the inland most houses in the 

 country are built of sun-dried bricks. The dwellings of the peasants 

 aave generally only oue story, without windows, or if they have 

 windows, they are not glazed. A whole family often dwells in a single 

 room, with their chickens, dogs, and kids, whilst the patient ass turns 

 the mill iu a corner. Throughout the island the cittadini, or inhabit- 

 ants of walled towns, hold the contadini, or villagers, in utter contempt, 

 a feeling which is cordially returned by the rustics, besides which the 

 people of Cagliari and those of Sassari mutually hate each other. 

 Kissing on meeting is an indispensable custom among men of all 

 ranks. 



The Sards are fond of feasting ; they drink wines and cordials, rarely 

 to excess. Fine wheaten bread is in general use, except among the 

 shepherds of the eastern highlands, who eat a coarse kind of bread, 

 and sometimes acorns. The Sards eat more butcher's meat than the 

 Sicilians or South Italians. Poultry ia rather scarce, but game is 

 plentiful. The only mode of travelling for both sexes is on horseback. 

 There are few coaches, and those only in the large towns, and the 

 country people regard them as articles of effeminate luxury. A high 

 road, 125 miles in length, runs from Cagliari to Sassari, passing through 

 Oristauo, and keeping as much as possible along the western plains. 

 There are branch roads to the most important towns in the interior. 

 The eastern highlands still remain difficult of access. 



The law is the chief profession for young men of respectable con- 

 nections. The highest legal rank is that of a member of the Real 

 Consiglio for the affairs of Sardinia, which consists of seven members, 

 and sits at Turin. It is a supreme court, and decides finally upon all 

 important matters, appeals, &c. The high court, called Reale Udienza, 

 sits at Cagliari for civil and criminal cases. There is an appeal from 

 it to the Real Consiglio at Turin. In every towu or considerable 

 district of the island there is a magistrate called Vicar, in some places 

 Podesta, or Consul in others, who, with an assessor and secretary, 

 judges in the first instance for the town and surrounding territory. 

 The prefects in each of the eleven provinces are also judges in civil 

 matters. There is a commercial court at Cagliari, which decides all 

 commercial suits. Sardinia furnishes by voluntary enlistment one 

 regiment to the royal army, besides which it has a militia, an irregular 

 force of about 6000 cavalry and 1200 infantry, the officers of which 

 wear a uniform, but receive no pay. There are only three regularly 

 fortified towns : Cagliari, Alghero, aud Castel Sardo. The coasts are 

 defended by a line of stout towers, garrisoned by a body of coast- 

 guards called Torrari, under the superintendence of a council of three 

 members, chosen for three years. 



Scientific education is given by the universities of Cagliari aud 

 Sassari. The university of Cagliari has faculties of theology, mediciao 

 and surgery, law, and philosophy, with a full list of professors in each. 

 Among the accessories are a library of above 15,000 volumes and a 

 cabinet of natural history and antiquities. The university of Sassari 

 has likewise five faculties. The accessory establishments consist of 

 a cabinet of natural history, and a library. In the head town of 

 every province there is a Latin school, aud most villages have au 

 elementary school for boys, in which reading, writing, and arithmetic 

 are taught, besides the doctrines of religion aud the elementary 

 principles of agriculture. In almost every town there is an hospital 

 for the sick, the insane, and foundlings. 



The mechanical arts are in a very low state ; the guns of Tempio 

 are in some repute, but the cutlery is of the commonest sort ; the 

 potteries are very coarse, and wooden platters are used by the country 

 people ; builders and carpenters are very indifferent workmen, besides 

 which all artisans are extremely indolent. Superior workmen come 

 from Piedmont or Genoa. 



The principal towns of Sardinia are the following: CAGLIARI: 

 Scutari, the head town of the north part of the island, situated on a 

 gentle declivity, in a pleasant and fertile country, about 9 miles from 

 the coast. It has a good main street, which is the only one paved ; 

 fine public walks, shaded by trees, outside of the walls ; twenty-four 

 churches, ten convents, three nunneries, a clerical seminary, a uni- 



