IN THE ISLAND OP CORSICA. 391 



wretched village, notwithfcanding it is honoured with 

 the title of a city. 



Bonifacio is lituated on an eminence on the fouthern 

 point of the hland, overagainft Sardinia, and is tole- 

 rably well fortified. Hard by are feveral caverns, re- 

 markable for their petrifactions : they remind me of 

 Claudian's fine defcription of thefe natural productions, 

 in one of his epigrams, though they properly do not be- 

 long to that department of poetry : 



Poffedit glacies naturae iigna prioris : 

 Quae fit parte lapis, frigora parte negat. 



Sollers lufit hiems, imperfedloque rigore 

 Nobilior, mittis gemma tumefcit aquis. 



Sartena carries on a commerce in wine and corn, but 

 the cultivation of either amounts to no great matter. 

 We meet here with chefnuts. This province lies con- 

 veniently for trade, as the gulf of Valinco extends far 

 into the country. The inhabitants of Sartena have ta- 

 ken it into their heads, that they are all of noble race, 

 and ever fince they have given admifiion to this charm- 

 ing dream, they pafs their lives in idlenefs, and have 

 filled the whole diftridt with proud and poor inhabi- 

 tants. The neighbouring hills abound in marble. 



The province Ajaccio poffeffes all the advantages of 

 an eafy traffic, as its golfo is very deep, its circum- 

 ference coniiderable, and its foil well watered and co- 

 vered with forefts. At the fame time this province is 

 among thofe that are the word built upon. The city of 

 the fame name is very elegant ; the ftreets are all in 

 right lines, and tolerably well built. It is the only 

 one that has the look of a french city. 



c c 4 Vice 



