ITALY. 579 



Ual marshes and quagmires ; and the Campagna di Roma, that for- 

 merly contained a million of inhabitants, would afford, at present, of 

 itself, but a miserable subsistence to about five hundred. Notwith- 

 standing this, the pope is a considerable tempora, prince ; and it is 

 supposed that his annual revenue, notwithstanding the great diminu- 

 tion it has suffered of late years, may be still estimated at about 

 1,300,000 dollars. 



Modern Rome, which stands on the Campus Martius, &c. is thir- 

 teen miles in circumference ; and contained in 1797, 163,000 inhabi- 

 tants. Within its circuit there is a vast number of gardens and vine- 

 yards. It stands upon the Tiber, an inconsiderable river when com- 

 pared to the Thames, and navigated by small boats, barges, and 

 lighters. The castle of St. Angelo, though its chief fortress, would 

 be found to be of small strength, were it regularly besieged. The 

 city, standing upon the ruins of ancient Rome, lies much higher, so 

 that it is difficult to distinguish the seven hills on which it was origi- 

 nally built. When we consider Rome as it now stands, there is the 

 strongest reason to believe that it exceeds ancient Rome itself in the 

 magnificence of its structure. Nothing in the old city, when mistress 

 of the worid, could come in competition with St. Peter's church ; and 

 per. laps many other churches in Rome exceed, in beauty of architec- 

 ture, and value of materials, utensils, and furniture, her ancient tem- 

 ples ; tnough it must be acknowledged that the Pantheon must have 

 been an amazing structure. No city, however, in its general appear- 

 ance, can unite more magnificence and poverty than this, as adjoin- 

 ing the most superb palaces we see the meanest habitations : and 

 temples, the boasted ornaments of antiquity, choked up by sheds and 

 cottages. From the drawings of this city Mr. Watkins expected to 

 see the streets at least as broad as in London, but was disappointed. 

 II Corso, the principal and most admired, is but little wider than St. 

 Martin's lane ; but this mode of building their streets so narrow, is 

 done with a view of intercepting, as much as possible, the sun's heat. 

 The inhabitants of Rome, in 1714, amounted to 143,000. 



The cities of Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, and Rimini, formerly a 

 part of the papal territory, are included in the kingdom of Italy. 

 Ancona, situate on the Adriatic, is a place of considerable trade, and 

 contains about 20,000 inhabitants. It was made a free port by Cle- 

 ment XII, who formed a mole on the ruins of the ancient one, raised 

 by the emperor Trajan, above 2000 feet in length, 100 in breadth, 

 and about 60 in depth, from the surface of the sea. Near this stands 

 the triumphal arch of Trajan, which, next to the Maison Quarree, at 

 Nismes, is the most entire monument of Roman magnificence exist- 

 ing. Urbino, the capital of the legation of that name, is famous for 

 being the native city of the celebrated painter Raphael. Sinigaglia, 

 in the same legation, has about 12,000 inhabitants. The rest of the 

 ecclesiastical state contains many towns celebrated in ancient history, 

 and even now exhibiting the most striking vestiges of their flourish- 

 ing state about the beginning of the 16th century ; but they are at 

 present little better than desolate, though here and there a luxurious 

 magnificent church and convent may be found, which is supported by 

 the toil and sweat of the neighbouring peasants. Loretto, in the mean 

 time, an obscure spot, never thought or heard of in times of antiquity, 

 became the admiration of the world, for the riches it contained, and 

 the prodigious resort to it of pilgrims, and other devotees, from a 

 notion industriously propagated by the Romish clergy, that the house 



