< 0R8ICA. 



CORSICA. 



coo 



7W. The chief towns are those which give names to the several 

 arrontiuuM'mrnts. Of these Aj.iccio and Bastia have been already 

 noticed. [ AJACCIO; BASTIA.] 



Saritite, or Sartcxa, the scat of a tribunal of first instance, is 

 ituU il in the southern part of the inland on a hill-ridge between 

 the valleys of the Valinco and the Ortulo, and ban, including the 

 whole commune, 3235 inhabitants. It is surrounded by old ruined 

 walls, and contains many well-built houses. The land in the neigh- 

 bourhood is very fertile iu corn, chestnut*, oil, and wine. 



Jiunifacio, a fortified sea-port town on the south coast of the island, 

 gives name to the Strait of Bonifacio, which divides Sardinia from 

 Corsica. The narrowest part of the strait, between Longosardo in 

 Sardinia and the southernmost point of Corsica, is about seven miles 

 acros*. At the east entrance of the strait are several clusters of 

 island! Near the Coreican coast is the island of Cavallo ; and 

 between that and Maddalena on the Sardinian side is Santa Maria, 

 with several other inlet* and rock*, which make the Mediterranean 

 sailors in general avoid passing through the strait. The land on both 

 aides of the strait is mountainous. The town is built on a level rocky 

 peninsula in the strait ISO feet above the sea, 20 miles S. from Sartena, 

 45 miles S. from Ajaccio, and has 3135 inhabitants, including the 

 whole commune. It originated in a fortress built by a Pisan noble- 

 man named Bonifacio in 830. The Genoese seized the fort in 1195, 

 and thus gained a footing on the island. The town and fortifications 

 are reached from the suburb built along the port by a very steep 

 ascent. It ia badly supplied with water. The harbour is formed by 

 a natural inlet of the sea, sheltered by the limestone rocks on which 

 the town is built, as by a mole ; the entrance for about 500 yards is 

 open to the south-west ; it then runs from west to east for about 1400 

 yards with a mean width of 1 50 yards. The principal buildings are 

 the churches of Santa Maria Moggiore, erected by the Pieans, and 

 richly decorated with marble and porphyry ; the church of San 

 Domenico, a gothic structure, formerly belonging to the Templars, 

 and erected in 1343 ; the church of San Francesco, which dates from 

 the close of the 14th century ; the fine barracks built by the French 

 government in 1T75 ; and the arsenal, which is the largest in the 

 island. The neighbourhood of the town is very fertile in corn, fruit, 

 and posture. In the islands in the strait are seen the granite 

 quarries worked by the Romans, who seem to have neglected the 

 mine* of the island. The force of the sea has formed many large 

 and beautiful caverns near the town. 



Porto Vucklo, a small fortified sea-port town of about 2000 inhabit- 

 ants, is situated at the head of a wide deep bay, which forms one of 

 the finest and safest harbours in Europe. The bay is everywhere of 

 great depth, and affords room enough for the largest fleet.*. During 

 the summer and autumn Porto Vecchio is an unhealthy place ; the 

 malaria from the marshy district round it forces the inhabitants 

 temporarily to desert it for the healthy highlands. A good deal of 

 salt is made at salt-works near Porto Vecchio. 



Calri, a small place on the west coast important for its fortifications, 

 is situated on a peninsular rock at the bead of the Bay of Culvi, iu 

 42 34' 7' N. lat, 8 45' 53' E. long. : population 1746. The rock is 

 occupied with a strong citadel which commands the harbour, but is 

 itself within cannon reach of a hill called Mozzello, on which there is 

 a small fort The citadel and the port of the town adjacent to it 

 are surrounded by strong walls built of blocks of granite. The rest 

 of the town is built along the shore.. The harbour of Calvi is deep 

 and well sheltered. The town was always faithful to the Oenoese 

 during their occupation of the island. The English took Calvi after 

 a stout resistance in 1794, but it was recovered by the Corsicans in 

 the following year. The old palace of the Oenoese governors is now 

 converted into barracks. The trade of Calvi has decayed greatly, its 

 commerce being transferred to Iiola Jtoua, orJle-Sotutt(u the French 

 call it), which is situated a few miles to the north-east of Calvi, and 

 is named from the red granite rock of which the island is composed, 

 and which abounds along this coast. In the 16th century the Genoese 

 joined the rock to Corsica by a bridge, and erected a tower upon it 

 for the defence of the coast against the Moorish corsairs. In 1760, 

 when the Oenoese held only the coast towns and the Corsicans were 

 masters of the interior of the inland, Pascal Paoli erected some 

 building, on the Isola Rossa, in order to carry on trade and to have 

 communications with foreign countries. The place soon increased 

 and became the chief emporium for this part of the island. The 

 French surrounded the town with walls, and built a mole to give 

 greater security to the harbour, which is deep enough for the largest 

 vessels: population, 1500. Alyajola, a small place on the coast 

 between Calvi and Isola Rossa, was formerly the residence of the 

 Genoese governor of the province of BaUgne, which included the 

 north-west of the island. 



OerU, formerly the 'patrol 1 capital of Corsica, is an ill-built fortified 

 town nearly in the centre of the island, a few miles north-east of Monte 

 Rotondo. It stand* on the left bank of the Tarignano at its junction 

 with another mountain stream, the Restnnica, and has a tribunal of 

 commerce and above 4000 inhabitant*, including the whole commune. 

 The town is built on the eastern slope of a hill above a lovely valley 

 laid out in gardens, vineyard*, and olive-grounds, and dotted with 

 country booses. It is abundantly supplied with good water by mean* 

 of an aqueduct nearly three miles in length. The citadel, the court- 



house (iu which the apartment occupied by Paoli is shown), r: 

 barracks are the most remarkable buildings. 



Of other places the following in the arroudissement of Bastia may 

 be mentioned : Sorgo, a small place on on eminence between the 

 Oolo and the Bevinco, not far from the ruins of Mariana, deserves 

 mention as the scene of the last victory gained by Paoli and the 

 Corsicans over the French in 1768. Luri is beautifully i-iiv. 

 the eastern side of the projection of Cap Corso, in a ricli 

 cultivated valley, screened by mountains and watered by a rapid 

 stream which is at times a furious torrent A wide avenue extends 

 from the town to the sea, which is three miles distant : the road is 

 protected from the torrent by a stout wall. The church of Luri is 

 handsome ; in the interior are five marble altars. Kogliano, near the 

 extremity of Cap Corso, has 1525 inhabitants ; they have many vague 

 traditions about Seneca, who probably spent part of his exile here- 

 abouts. St.-Plorent (Santa Fioronza), prettily situated at the head of 

 the bay of the same name, and at the extremity of a rich valley, is a 

 small town inclosed by a wall, and further defended by a strong 

 tower. The harbour ia shallow, fit only for fishing smacks, \> 

 sheltered. St-Florent is a few miles west from Bastia. It is an 

 unhealthy place during the summer and autumn in consequ. 

 the marshes near it. 



The only roads in the island arc the following : One from Bastia 

 to the village of Santa Fiorcnza on the wi-st coast, crossing the mountains 

 by the pass called Bocca San Antonio : a second runs south from 

 Bastia, then up along the left bonk of the Golo, which it crosses a 

 few miles north of Cortv ; having passed through Corto, it gains the 

 western side of the mountain chain by the fortified pass of Bocca dt 

 Bogognano, and, running along the right bank of the Gravona, 

 terminates at Ajaccio: and a third, which coincides with the pre- 

 ceding for a few miles south from Bastia as for as the river B<>. 

 having crossed this river, it runs along and within view of the east 

 coast all the way to Bonifaccio, where it turns north-west, and passing 

 through Sarterne and Olmeto, terminates at Ajaccio. The other 

 roads ore mere tracks. 



The island is called Kut-noi by Herodotus (i. 1G5 ; vii. 105) ; later 

 writers call it Kurs'n and Kortka. The last seems to have been the 

 native name, and was that adopted by the Romans. The earliest 

 inhabitants appear to hove come from Liguria. The Phocoeons found.-, 1 

 the city of Alalia on the eastern coast, B.C. 564. The Tyrrhi 

 and after them the Carthaginians, made themselves masters of thu 

 island. In B.C. 259, it came under the power of the Romans, who 

 took Alalia or Aleria, which was afterwards colonised from . 

 and became the principal city of the island under the Roman empire. 

 UK ruins exist about half a mile from the sea, though it was a sea-port 

 in the time of the Romans. At the decline of the Roman empire thu 

 island was seized by the Goths, who held it till the 8th century, when 

 they were dispossessed by the Saracens. In tin I'ope 



Gregory VII. it was annexed to the Holy See, by which it was given 

 first to the Pisans, and in 1297 to Jayme II., king of Arugon. Thu 

 Genoese, after many previous unsuccessful attempts, commiT, 

 island in 1481, and, notwithstanding the joint efforts of Hem i 1 1. of 

 France and the Turks in the lOtli century to deprive them of it, 

 held it till 1755. In this year the Corneous, headed by (, 

 Paoli, shook off the yoke of the Genoese. The latter, in 1 768, resigned 

 their claims to the island in favour of the French, who, after a 

 desperate resistance from the patriots, subdued it in 1701). On the 

 breaking out of the French revolution in 1793, the patriot.-, 

 mondi'd by Paoli and assisted by the English, swept the French lrm 

 the island, which was then placed under the protection of the British 

 crown ; but in 1790 the French again appeared, and drove out the 

 English in lesa than six weeks. Since then, with the exception of 

 a short occupation by the English in 1814, the island has rein 

 annexed to France, and this annexation was confirmed by the T 

 of Paris in the lust-mentioned year. 



The island forms the see of the Bishop of Ajaccio, is under the 

 jurisdiction of the High Court of Bastia and of the University of 

 Ajaccio, and forms the 17th Military Division, of which Bastia i- 

 quarters. It is now incorporated with France, of which it forms a 

 department 



The Corsican is frugal and indolent Tho peasant labours little ; 

 the listleuneas of the herdsman's employment seems preferable to a 

 calling which would render more exertion necessary; and of such 

 labour as there is the burden is thrown upon the women. One 

 predominant characteristic of the islanders is the spirit of jealousy 

 and revenge which divides the inhabitants of most of the village* 

 of the interior into hostile parties or tribe*. The love of personal 

 independence makes the Corsican prefer to be the executioner of 

 vengeance for his own wrongs, and assassination was until lately of 

 frequent occurrence. These blood feuds have been greatly checked 

 by the government of Napoleon III. Robbery is not uncommon, the 

 central part of the island being infested with brigands. Gendarmerie 

 and troops are posted in detachment* over the island, for the purpose 

 of preventing these outrage*. The dress of the peasantry of the 

 interior is simple : it consists, for the men, of a short jack, i 

 and gaiter*, all of chocolate-coloured cloth ; a neat pointed black 

 velvet cap, or a coarse woven cap of the same colour as the rest of 

 their dress, with perhaps a sort of cowl which goes over the head, or 



