278 COUNTRY PRODUCE. [1698. 



have been incomparably better when exposed to the Sun, 

 than those that lay hid under the Leaves/ 



They have their Vintage about the end oi Fehruary : To 

 this Article I must add, since the occasion presents for it, 

 that the Gomimny buys all the Wine at the rate of twenty 

 Crowns the Legre,^ which contains about a thousand Miiigles, 

 only furnishing the Cask, so that there is none sold out but 

 what comes from them, as is the practice at Genoa? The 

 First Offence against this Law is punish'd with a Fine of a 

 hundred Crowns, the Second with Wliipping, and the Third 

 with Banishment : This makes the Wine very dear. It is 

 worth twenty Soiia the Minnie, which is near the Paris Pint, 

 and English Quart. You have likewise in this Country 

 Ananas, Water and Land-Melons, Pulse and all sorts of 

 Eoots, so that the Inhabitants would have nothing to com- 

 plain of, were they not incommoded with those bad Winds 

 before-mentioned. 



They have in this Country a prodigious number of Deer, 

 many Oxen, Sheep, Ptoe-Bucks, and Apes. There are also 

 Elephants, Ehinoceros's, Elks, Lions, Tigres, Leopards, Wild- 

 Boars, Antilopes, Porcupines, Horses, Asses, Dogs, and Wild- 

 Cats. But tlie most fierce of these Animals retire into the 

 Country, so soon as the Countrymen begin to till the Ground. 

 The Lions and Tigres are boldest in coming to search for Prey 

 near the Habitations. 



1 Iiiorig. : '• Ou peut ce me semble juger que ce defaut de maturite 

 dans uii pais fort pres du Soleil, ou on ne conno;t ni neige ni glace, 

 doit etre cause par les raisons que j'ai dites," omitted by translator. 



2 The Dutch kjiger of wine contains 4 aams, or 126 1-lOth imperial 

 gallons. (Theal, op. cit., Pref.) 



3 ♦' The Traffick of Genoua consists chiefly in Vehet.t, Points, Gloves, 

 dry Coiifections, A ncliovies, and divers sorts of Fruits, but is much 

 decay'd in Trade ; for tho' some private persons are exceeding rich, yet 

 t|ie generality is poor ; the Government monopolises the Trade of Wine 

 and Corn, so that the Tavern and Innkeepers must buy their Wines out 

 of the Cellar of the State, and the Bakers fetch their Corn from the 

 publick Granaries." (Misson, Voyage to Jtali/, Letter xxxii, written from 

 (ieuoa, 1688.) 



