VALTELINE. 



is not lefs than a mile, exhibit a delightful variety of corn- 

 fields, meadows, vineyards, and orchards of chefnuts and 

 other fruits. The vineyards on the mountains towards the 

 north produce the be'ft wine in the whole country, and 

 atove them are corn-fields, meadows, and pailure-lands. 

 The hiUs on the fouth fide are covered with fine woods 

 of chefnuts, fields, meadows, and rich paRures, m which 

 graze numerous herds of cattle. This country abounds 

 alfo in excellent red wine, of a moft delicious flavour, and 

 of fo good a body that it will keep for a whole century, 

 improving both in tafl:c and wholefomenefs, and gradually 

 turning paler, till at length its rednefs totally difappears. 

 Great quantities of this wine are exported. The apples 

 and pears in moft places are not much elleemed ; but the 

 peaches, apricots, figs, and melons, are cxquilite. Here 

 is hkewifc plenty of lemons, citrons, almonds, ■pome- 

 granates, chefnuts, and other deUcious fruits. Its loil 

 alfo would produce all kinds of grain and pulfe ; but 

 the levels being intcrfperfcd with fwampy places, which 

 have hitherto remained without culture, and the wine-trade 

 chiefly eugrofiing the attention of the inhabitants, it does 

 not yield a fuffitiency for their confumption without import- 

 ation. Some parts grow hemp, and in the levels, par- 

 ticularly on the higher grounds and the mountanis, are fine 

 paftures. Bees and filk-worms are bred here in vail mim- 

 bers. The Adda yields plenty of fifh, and is noted for its 

 trout, which often weigh from fifty to fixty pounds. The 

 whole of their mine-works here confift in a few iron- 

 founderies. 



The chief commerce of the Valteline is carried on with 

 Milan and the Grifons. The principal exports are wine 

 and filk, which turn the balance of trade in its favour; they 

 enable the inhabitants to exift without any manufatlures, 

 and help to fupply the money which is exafted by the 

 governors. 



The wine is fent into the Grifons, Germany, the Venetian 

 ftates, Bormio, and occafionally to Milan. Upon a rough 

 calculation, 73,000 foma, or horfe -loads, are annually ex- 

 ported. The filk is fent to England, Zurich, and Bade. 

 The diftria of Delebio and Talomara produces tlie fineft 

 filk, the neighbourhood of Sondrio the next in quality, and 

 the diftrift of Tirano fupplies an inferior fort. Three thou- 

 fand pounds of the fineft fort, which is efteemed as good as 

 the filk procured from Piedmont, is fent annually to England 

 by way of Oftend. The greater part is wound in the 

 Valteline, for which purpofe there are filk-mills in the prin- 

 cipal diftrifts. 



Befides thefe commodities, the Valtehne exports planks, 

 cheefe, butter, and cattle. The inhabitants receive from 

 Milan, corn, rice, fait, filken fluffs ; from Germany and 

 Switzerland, cloth and linen ; from Genoa, fpices, coffee, 

 and fugar. 



There are no manufaftures in the Valteline, and almofl 

 all the menial trades are exercifed by foreigners. 



The population of the ValteUne may be eftimated from 

 the following rough iketch : 



Souls. 



Upper Diftria 

 Government of Teglio 

 Middle Diftria 

 Lower Diftria 



contains 20,000 



8,000 



- 1 8,000 



1 6,000 



Total 



62,060 



The cottages of the peafants, which are built of ftone, 

 are large, but gloomy, generally without glafs windows ; 

 and exhibit an uniform appearance of filth and poverty. 



Perhaps no part of Europe is more fruitful than the 

 Valteline, and yet there is no country in which the people 

 are more wretched. Many reafons may be affigned for the 

 mifery to which they are reduced. The firft and principal 

 caufe is the foi-m of government. The governors generally 

 abufe the exorbitant authority entrufted to them by the 

 l.tws ; the peafants are imprifoned upon the flighteft inform- 

 ation ; and as all tranfgreffions are punilhed by fines, an 

 accufed perfon is feldom acquitted ; fo that a coniiderable 

 number are annually ruined in the courts of juflice. 



Befide the individuals who are fuppofed to fuffer for their 

 own guilt, the parifhes are fubjea to continual affeffments, 

 towards defraying the expences for the trial and imprifon- 

 ment of the poor parilhioners : if they are unable to pay 

 the fum required, it is demanded from the parifti to which 

 the criminal belongs. In this cafe it frequently happens, 

 that the affeiTments, inftead of being laid upon the land- 

 holders, are impofed upon each hearth, by which means the 

 chief burden falls upon the poor. 



Another caufe of wretchednefs proceeds from the prefect 

 ilate of property. Few of the peafants are landholders ; as, 

 from the continual oppreffion under which the people have 

 groaned for above two centuries, the freeholds have gra- 

 dually fallen into the hands of the nobles and Grifons, the 

 latter of whom are fuppofed to pofFefs half the eftates in 

 the Valteline. The tenants who take farms do not pay 

 their rent in money, but in kind ; a ftrong proof of general 

 poverty. The peaiant defrays the cofts of cultivation, and 

 delivers nearly half the produce to the landholder ; the re- 

 maining portion would ill compenfatc his labour and ex- 

 pence, if he was not in fome meafure befriended by the 

 fertility of the foil. The ground feldom lies fallow, and 

 the richeft parts of the valley produce two crops ; the firft 

 is wheat, rye, or fpelt, half of wliich is delivered to the pro- 

 prietor ; the fecond is generally millet, buck-wheat, maize, 

 or Turkey com, which is the principal nounftimcnt of the 

 common people : the chief part of this crop belongs to the 

 pcafant, and enables him in a plentiful year to fupport his 

 family with fome degree of comfort. Thofe who inhabit 

 the dilfrias which yield wine are the moft wretched ; for , 

 the trouble and charge of rearing vines, of gathering and 

 prefiing the grapes, is very confiderable ; and they are fo 

 apt to confume the (hare of liquor allotted to them, in in- 

 toxication, that, were it not for the grain intermixed with 

 the vines, they and their families would be left almoft ' 

 deftitute of fubfiftence. 



Befides the bufinefs of agriculture, fome of the peafants 

 attend to the cultivation of filk ; they receive the eggs from 

 the landholder, rear the filk-worms, and are entitled to half 

 the filk. This employment is not unprofitable ; for 

 although the rearing of the filk-worms is attended with 

 much trouble, and requires great caution ; yet as the occu- 

 pation is generally entrufted to the women, it does not take 

 the men from their labour. With all the advantages, how- 

 ever, derived from the fertility of the foil, and the variety 

 of its produaions, the peafants cannot, without the utmoft 

 difficulty, and conftant exertion, maintain their families; and 

 are always reduced to the greateft diftrefs, whenever the 

 feafon is unfavourable to agriculture. 



To thefe caufes of penury among the lower claffes, may 

 be added the natural indolence of the people, and their 

 tendency to fuperftition, which takes them from their 

 labour. 



This country is without fo much as one city, but has 

 fome confiderable towns, with many thriving villages. Its 

 language is a corrupt kind of Italian. The Roman Catho- 

 lic IS the only rehgion. Their clergy are under the jurif- 



diftion 



