ITALY. LETTER X. 11^ 



ing to the mother. There may be fome truth in 

 that. Thefe medufas and feveral white and red 

 corals, which fell at Naples, are catched on the 

 coafts of Sardinia, and thence brought hither. 



The pinna marina, yielding a brown filk or 

 byfius, which is manufactured into gloves, purfes, 

 and fuch milliners goods, are filhed in the Golfo, 

 near Naples; but in fmaller quantities on the 

 Calabrran more. 



The petra fongaja is a white calcareous and 

 ftalactite tuph-ftone, dug in the lime-ftone-hills 

 bordering Romagna, and endowed with the qua- 

 lity to produce in every feafon of the year efcu- 

 lent mulhrooms, if kept in a moid cellar, and 

 now and then fprinkled with water. This qua- 

 lity is owing to a great many roots and vegetable 

 fibres, together with the mufhroom-feeds inclofed 

 in its fubftance. They uie them in fome great 

 houfes at Naples and Rome. I faw an indurated 

 mould, from the fame place, which had the fame 

 quality. It was kept by Mr. Fabrini in the mint 

 at Florence. 



I have feen, a fecond time, the Herculanefe 

 and Pompejan antiquities at .Portici. Jt is in 

 every refpect an excellent inftructive collection, 

 The lacrymatoria prove the Hull of the ancients, 

 to produce a fine, white glafs. 



At 



