344 GENOA TO SPEZIA. 



in 1812 from Lerici to (jenoa in a boat.- He tells us that he 

 chose the sea route because of the faticfuc entailed hv the 

 land journe\'. But he had reason to regret his choice later; 

 not because he suffered from sea -sickness, but because 

 of the dangers to which he found himself exposed. For 

 he learnt during the vo'N'age that ^Vlgerian freebooters 

 and renegades were in the habit of Wing in wait in the 

 deep recesses of this coast and tailing upon vessels suddenl\- 

 as they rounded some headland. The sea journey from 

 Spezia to Genoa occupied from twent\-lour to thirty hours, 

 and those who reached (jeuoa witlioui luishap considered 

 themselves luck^• indeed. 



It is ditlicult for us now, when the express train 

 covers the distance between Genoa and Spezia in two 

 and a half hours, to imagine in what a rondition the means 

 of communication were l()rinerl\ along the T^igunan coast. 

 Two vSwedish noblemen, who tra^'ellcd in Itah' in 

 I7S8, clescribe their experiences on this part of the coast 

 in the "iSi^eue Nachrichten oder Anmerkungen i'lber Italien 

 unci liber die Italiencr", a (jerman translation of which 

 was published in Leipzig in 17')'> b\' "Hernhard Christoph 

 Breitkopt lv Sohn". The\' had engaged a vessel at 

 Leghorn tor themselves and their ser\ants. It had been 

 stipulated that the Padrone should take no other passengers. 

 But in spite of this the\' found, when the\- came to em- 

 bark, that the vessel \vas not only laden with goods but 

 crowded \\ith other passengers - Moors, sailors, and 

 a Dominican accompanied b\' a doubtful looking lad^■. 

 A storm compelled them to seek shelter in the harbour 

 of Portoliiio, and there the)' had to spend their Llirist- 



