﻿<>X 
  THE 
  FLIGHT 
  OF 
  LOCUSTS. 
  [65] 
  

  

  Aliui. 
  which 
  overflowed 
  the 
  vast 
  provinces 
  of 
  the 
  Soman 
  Empire 
  to 
  find 
  thorn 
  ra< 
  ana 
  

   of 
  sustaining 
  life 
  which 
  wen 
  denied 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  sterile 
  countries, 
  and 
  the 
  fre- 
  

   quent 
  invasions 
  of 
  Southern 
  Asia 
  by 
  the 
  Tartars, 
  of 
  whiofa 
  history 
  is 
  foil, 
  l>< 
  

   many 
  other 
  invasions 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  obscurity 
  of 
  antiquity, 
  all 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  sin, 
  

   elusion. 
  Just 
  like 
  the 
  wandering 
  bands 
  of 
  foxes 
  ami 
  wild 
  boars 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  which 
  

   red 
  themselves 
  over 
  vast 
  spaces 
  to 
  gather 
  prey 
  in 
  greater 
  abundance, 
  so 
  much 
  

   more 
  naturally 
  have 
  those 
  terrible 
  Bwarms 
  of 
  Locusts 
  taken 
  np 
  their 
  course 
  from 
  Tar- 
  

   tary 
  ami 
  Arabia 
  to 
  inundate 
  tin- 
  plains 
  of 
  India, 
  of 
  Palestine, 
  of 
  Poland, 
  of 
  Spain, 
  and 
  

   of 
  Italy, 
  devouring 
  all 
  vegetation 
  in 
  their 
  path. 
  Traveling 
  in 
  such 
  comrtl 
  

   destm 
  j 
  table 
  Bustenance 
  thronghout 
  an 
  entire 
  region, 
  and 
  the 
  need 
  of 
  alimen- 
  

  

  tation 
  compelling 
  them 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  new 
  places 
  to 
  find 
  fresh 
  food, 
  they 
  thus 
  migrate 
  from 
  

   land 
  to 
  land. 
  

  

  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  # 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  governments 
  of 
  Europe 
  strive 
  to 
  protect 
  their 
  people 
  from 
  the 
  famine 
  and 
  

   pestilence 
  which 
  these 
  insects 
  cause. 
  Living 
  or 
  dead: 
  and 
  Spain 
  especially, 
  whoso 
  

   southern 
  provinces 
  appear 
  to 
  he 
  permanently 
  infected, 
  has 
  always 
  promulgated 
  stand- 
  

   ing 
  orders 
  to 
  gather 
  boxes 
  full 
  of 
  eggs, 
  and 
  cause 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  consigned 
  to 
  commissions 
  

  

  charged 
  with 
  burying 
  them 
  in 
  deep 
  ditches. 
  And 
  in 
  the 
  "Bicrfatunu 
  fin',, 
  <h 
  Vhittoire 
  

   naturelle 
  d* 
  we 
  read 
  that 
  upon 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  into 
  France 
  in 
  1613 
  

  

  they 
  swept 
  completely 
  over 
  fifteen 
  arpeuts 
  of 
  grain 
  in 
  the 
  environs 
  of 
  Aries, 
  and 
  even 
  

   penetrated 
  the 
  granaries, 
  when 
  many 
  hundreds 
  of 
  birds, 
  and 
  especially 
  of 
  starlings, 
  

   as 
  if 
  commissioned 
  by 
  Divine 
  Providence, 
  began 
  to 
  labor 
  for 
  their 
  diminution: 
  not- 
  

   withstanding 
  which 
  happy 
  event, 
  orders 
  were 
  issued 
  by 
  the 
  government 
  requiring 
  that 
  

   their 
  eggs 
  should 
  be 
  collected, 
  of 
  which 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  thousand 
  measures 
  wero 
  

   gathered, 
  each 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  estimated 
  to 
  be 
  capable 
  of 
  producing 
  nearlv 
  two 
  

   million 
  locusts. 
  

  

  At 
  another 
  migration 
  of 
  locusts, 
  which 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  Bautzhida, 
  in 
  Tran- 
  

   sylvania, 
  in 
  17&U, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  preventing 
  the 
  terrible 
  consequences 
  which 
  might 
  

   ensue, 
  orders 
  were 
  issued 
  to 
  fifteen 
  hundred 
  persons, 
  each 
  of 
  whom 
  was 
  required 
  to 
  

   gather 
  a 
  full 
  sack 
  of 
  locusts, 
  which 
  were 
  in 
  part 
  crushed, 
  in 
  part 
  burned, 
  or 
  buried: 
  

   and 
  yet 
  the 
  diminution 
  of 
  their 
  numbers 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  scarcely 
  noticeable 
  but 
  for 
  

   a 
  sharp 
  frost 
  that 
  supervened. 
  Iu 
  the 
  following 
  spring 
  there 
  were 
  millions 
  of 
  boxes 
  

   of 
  eggs 
  disinterred 
  and 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  people, 
  who 
  gathered, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  en 
  masse 
  for 
  

   this 
  operation 
  : 
  and 
  yet. 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  this, 
  there 
  were 
  very 
  extensive 
  districts 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  soil 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  young 
  locusts 
  so 
  completely 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  leave 
  a 
  single 
  snot 
  

   bare. 
  ° 
  x 
  

  

  The 
  desolations 
  sometimes 
  occasioned 
  by 
  locusts 
  in 
  our 
  Puglia 
  Daunia 
  at 
  different 
  

   epochs 
  are 
  very 
  remarkable. 
  Omitting 
  the 
  more 
  remote 
  periods 
  of 
  antiquity, 
  and 
  

   passing 
  by 
  the 
  less 
  destructive 
  ravages, 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1231, 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  most 
  

   pernicious 
  insects 
  compelled 
  the 
  wise 
  Emperor 
  Frederick 
  II 
  to 
  promulgate 
  a 
  special 
  

   law-, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  ordained 
  that 
  every 
  agriculturist, 
  during 
  the 
  invasion 
  of 
  these 
  

   little 
  animals, 
  should 
  collect 
  every 
  morning, 
  at 
  the 
  rising 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  four 
  measures, 
  

   and 
  present 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  magistrate, 
  who 
  was 
  required 
  to 
  "have 
  them 
  burned. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   year 
  1541, 
  wrote 
  Rovero 
  Pontano: 
  "In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  this 
  year 
  a 
  great 
  armv 
  of 
  locusts 
  

   flew 
  through 
  Germany 
  into 
  Italy 
  towards 
  our 
  region. 
  Wherever 
  this 
  swarm 
  extended 
  

   it 
  devoured 
  everything 
  in 
  its 
  path, 
  for 
  the 
  locusts 
  were 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  numerous." 
  

  

  So 
  great 
  were 
  the 
  injuries 
  caused 
  in 
  1571 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  bv 
  the 
  locusts, 
  that 
  the 
  

   \ice-Duke 
  of 
  Alcala., 
  D. 
  Perafante 
  de 
  Ribera. 
  was 
  obliged 
  'to 
  put 
  forth, 
  bv 
  the 
  vote 
  

   and 
  advice 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Council, 
  ou 
  the 
  8th 
  of 
  October, 
  1572, 
  the 
  first 
  pragmatic 
  de- 
  

   cree, 
  De 
  Bruchis, 
  Title 
  23, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  ordered 
  that 
  the 
  communes 
  should 
  appoint 
  

   experts 
  and 
  practical 
  men 
  to 
  explore 
  their 
  territories, 
  and 
  to 
  search 
  out 
  all 
  the 
  places 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  locusts 
  had 
  deposited 
  their 
  eggs; 
  and 
  when 
  found 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  dig 
  

  

  [ 
  trenches 
  in 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  October, 
  through 
  which 
  operation 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   might 
  be 
  destroyed. 
  And 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  April 
  the 
  swine 
  are 
  turned 
  loose 
  to 
  devour 
  

   the 
  locusts, 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  gluttonous. 
  The 
  housewives 
  also 
  spread 
  sheets 
  

   or 
  pieces 
  of 
  cloth 
  at 
  convenient 
  times, 
  long 
  and 
  large, 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  locusts 
  alight- 
  

   ing 
  are 
  folded 
  up 
  aDd 
  entrapped. 
  

  

  I 
  The 
  proviuce 
  of 
  Puglia 
  was 
  inundated 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1662, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  cultivated 
  fields 
  

  

  I 
  destroyed; 
  insomuch 
  that 
  VicerS, 
  the 
  Count 
  of'Penerauda. 
  not 
  only 
  accorded 
  to 
  the 
  

   tenants 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  a 
  general 
  release 
  from 
  the 
  rents 
  due 
  that 
  year, 
  but 
  also 
  deducted 
  a 
  

   portion 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  following, 
  an 
  indulgence 
  which 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  to 
  grant 
  

   tor 
  several 
  subsequent 
  years. 
  Puglia 
  Daunia 
  was 
  again 
  invaded 
  in 
  the 
  vear 
  v 
  1727, 
  and 
  

  

  I 
  the 
  whole 
  country 
  ravaged. 
  And, 
  finally, 
  thev 
  appeared 
  again 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  in 
  1759, 
  

   when 
  D. 
  Antonio 
  Belli 
  was 
  governor 
  of 
  the 
  customs; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  14th 
  of 
  August 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  year 
  appeared 
  orders 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Duke 
  of 
  Alcala. 
  above 
  referred 
  to, 
  

   to 
  which 
  was 
  added 
  a 
  command 
  to 
  burn 
  the 
  straw 
  in 
  all 
  places 
  infested 
  bv 
  the 
  locusts. 
  

   In 
  the 
  years 
  1770 
  and 
  1771 
  they 
  frequented 
  the 
  provinces 
  of 
  Bari, 
  Matera, 
  and 
  Lecce, 
  

   and 
  the 
  governor 
  ordered 
  that 
  the 
  magistrates 
  should 
  adopt 
  the 
  most 
  efficacious 
  meas- 
  

  

  '» 
  ures 
  for 
  their 
  extirpation, 
  and 
  especially 
  those 
  prescribed 
  bv 
  the 
  president, 
  Belli, 
  and 
  

   that 
  handsome 
  rewards 
  should 
  be 
  paid 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  should" 
  use 
  the 
  greatest 
  diligence 
  

   [51 
  

  

  