ITALY. 



373 



different kinds of cotton stuffs, which are succeeding 

 well, but still very interior to those of France and Bri- 

 tain. There are also several glass-works in these states, 

 which the go\\ ry exertion to encourage 



and protect. 



Commerce. 



The commerce of Italy, both between its own pro- 

 vinces ami with foreign nations, is extremely limited 

 and fettered. Along the coast of the Adriatic, where 

 the towns, though numerous, are all jealous of each 

 ?rirted by their privileges, and averse from 

 :ly intercourse, trade lias long been in a very lan- 

 guid state. In the Neapolitan territories, it is still more 

 even ly cramped by feudal prerogatives, revenue exac- 

 tions, and impolitic taxes ; while nothing in done for its 

 encouragenii nt by the improvement of roads, harbours, 

 or other public works. It is chit-fly along the coast of 

 the Tuscan sea that commerce can be said to po-sess a 

 free scope- :.< rations, and that some remains of 



it* a. arters are still found to 



exts' 1 in the different 



town* an ' must be referred, with many other 



topics, to the separate articles in this work <lt-\ . 

 these places ; and, the present short account be con- 

 fined to the more general views of the subject The 

 principal export* of Italy are silk, wool, and cotton in 

 the raw &tate, cattle, com, wino, fruits, and a variety 

 of native product'. The official value of the exports 

 from Italy to Great Britain alone, in the year 1800, 



Into England 355,1.02 10 9 



Into Scotland 2,544 1111 



Total 



357,737 * 



Consisting of books, drawings, &c. ; barilla, brim- 

 stone ; cork ; cream of tartar, essence of lemons, man- 

 na, senna, liquorice-iuice, and other drug* ; juniper 

 berries ; perfumed oil ; argol. galli, madder, Mimach, 

 valnia, and other dye-itutis ; anchovies ; almonds, fig*. 

 prune*, nuts, currant*, raisins ; ordinary and tallad 

 oil ; cheese, 439 cwt. ; chip and straw hats ; filk, raw, 

 thrown, and waste ; rags, 6<# tons ; Iamb-skins, un- 

 dressed ; goat and kid okins, raw and dressed ; brandy ; 

 marble ; cotton ; statue*, valued at 1 368. 



The value of its imports from Great Britain during 

 the ame year, was 



Bribih Merchandize. 



From England . . 425,241 8 4 

 Fran Scotland . . 16,776 16 4 



440,018 4 8 



From England . . 147,675 4 9 

 From Scotland . . 1,039 17 6 



Total 



128,715 2 3 

 568,723 6 11 



j of alum ; wrought brass, iron, and silver ; 

 plated ware ; woollen goods of all sorts ; cotton good* 

 to a considerable amount ; a few linens ; earthen ware ; 

 glass; hard- ware; tinned plates; pilchards, 32,881 hhds.; 



red and white herrings ; dry cod ; tanned leather ; StaUitics. 

 wrought leather. Foreign goods ; namely, cochineal, """ "~Y~~"' 

 indigo, fustic, logwood, and other dye-stuffs ; cinna- 

 mon, cloves, pepper, ginger, &e. ; cocoa ; coffee, sugar ; 

 b.ir and plate iron ; Indian piece goods ; ox-guts ; rum ; 

 tar ; tobacco ; whalebone. T 



There are imported also from France great quantities 

 of ribbons, laces, and embroidered silks, particularly from 

 Lyons and Tours, besides wines from Languedoc and 

 Provence. A considerable part of the traflic with that 

 country is carried on by means of mules over the Alps ; 

 and a new communication has bet-n opened between 

 Trieste and Mesola, to facilitate the commerce with 

 Austria. 



Arts and Antiquities. 



The productions of the arts, and the specimens of 

 classic antiquities, which i.lxmml in Italy, have furnish- 

 ed ample materials for volumes to describe ; J and we 

 can here only present a few general hasty notices on 

 the subject, to excite rather than to gratify the curiosi- 

 ty of the reader. 



Italy stands pre-eminent above every country in the Muaic. 

 world, both as* to the composition and the execution of 

 music ; Init this delightful art, in the hands of the mo- 

 dern Itnli.in s, has lost both its strength and dignity, 

 and become" alii .vi-ly devoted to the purpose 



of licentiousness, or, at beat, of effeminacy- The- people 

 of this country evince an ardent and universal sensibi- 

 lity to the power of music ; and the Neapolitans parti, 

 cularly are accounted the most refined and correct 

 judges of the art. 



In painting and sculpture, Italy furnishes the most Painting 

 abundant opportunities of improvement to the artist, or and sculn- 

 of gratification to the amateur. " The enormous collec- ture. 

 tion of statues, inscriptions/busts, and bas-reliefs, amas- 

 sed together in this palace, by the care of the late popes," 

 ays Barthelenoy, referring to the Roman capitol alone, 

 " exhausts admiration. \Ve live in an iron country as 

 antiquaries ; it is in Italy alone that we must make re- 

 searches. Figure to yourself vast apartments, I will 

 not sty ornamented, but filled, filled even to thronn-. 

 ing, with statues and all .sorts of remains ; a cabinet full 

 of bust* of philosophers ; another of busts of emperors ; 

 gallery after gallery, corridors, stair-cases, in which no- 

 thing is to be seen but grand statues, grand inscriptions, 

 grand bas-reliefs, consular calendars, an ancient plan 

 of Rome in mosaic, colossal Egyptian statues in bnsal- 

 thus, or black marble. But why mention particulars ? 

 We find here ancient Egypt, ancient Athens, ancient 

 Home." Notwithstanding all that the French carried 

 away, (and which, though now restored, yet, as suffi- 

 ciently known, need not be specified,) Italy is full of 

 such objects of art. The fresco paintings, especially of 

 Pis*, Florence, and Rome, still remain uninjured, and 

 also the master pieces of Bologna. Besides immense 

 numbers of statues, relievos, and oil-paintings in the 

 churches and palaces, there are museums and galleries 

 alino-t in every town. Of these, the most celebrated 

 are the gallery in the Vatican ; in the villa of Aldobran- 

 dini ; in the villa of Borghese at Rome ; and those of 

 Florence and Milan. Portrait painting alone is a 

 branch of the art which is rather in low estimation in 

 Italy. The inhabitants in general regard such per- 



ls* salhrfailj FLOBKVCC, GEBOA, I.r.onoitx, NAT-IE*, PIEDMONT, VENICE. 



IVnon't Amitmli of Camtmi it, voL tv. 



t 1st pMrubH} Ma*Mi>-| //I.ATV tfKomft 1 



4itw I ii, E*q. ; and Fonrtb'i Hcmtrki * 4 



DOMM lUmntn it* Routtt it FEwroft ; Rrmtrki <m OK AntiquMti of Rome, by An- 

 A**l*ttt*, Art,, md Utlcrt, durtmg an ucunio* in July. 



