680 



REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO. — 



KINGDOM OF NAPLES. 



be looked upon as a sort of 

 head of the Christian church. 

 The pope claims the absurd 

 title of successor of St. Pe- 

 ter, and God's vicegerent 

 upon earth. The supremacy 

 of the apostohc see at Rome, 

 dates from a remote period. 

 The pope became a tempo- 

 ral prince with the acquisi- 

 tion of the Exarchate of 

 Ravenna in the Stli centu- 

 ry. In the IJtli and 12th 

 centuries, those territories 

 were acquired which now 

 constitute the patrimony of 

 St. Peter ; Ancona and Ur- 

 bino were obtained in the 

 16th and 17th. Though the 

 papal territories were incon- 

 siderable, yet the popes maintained armies, and exerted great influence in the affairs of Europe. 

 Their power received a severe blow by the Reformation in the 16th century, and the papal au- 

 thority is now quite insignificant. One of the consequences of the invasion of Italy by Bona- 

 parte in 1796, was the overthrow of the Pope, and the establishment of a republic in Rome ; 

 but this government was of short continuance. The Roman States were annexed to Napoleon's 

 Kingdom of Italy in 1808, and in 1810 they were united to the French Empire. In 1814 

 the pope was restored to all his former possessions. 



CHAPTER LXXXVI. REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO. 



This little republic is an independent State, but is under the protection of the pope, and is 

 inclosed in the Papal States. It consists of a mountainous tract among the Apennines, con- 

 taining 22 square miles, and a population of 7,000. It is productive in wine and corn. The 

 town of San Marino stands on the summit of a mountain, and is accessible only by a narrow 

 path. The constitution is a mixture of aristocracy and democracy. The punishment of death 

 has never been inflicted within this territory. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII. THE KINGDOM OF NAPLES, OR KINGDOM OF 



THE TWO SICILIES. 



1. Boundaries, Extent, &c. This kingdom comprises all the south of Italy, with the 

 Island of Sicily, and a few small islands in the neighborhood. The continental portion is 

 bounded northwest by the States of the Church ; northeast by the Adriatic ; southeast by the 

 Ionian sea, and southwest by the Mediterranean. It extends from 37° 50' to 42° 55' N. lati- 

 tude ; and from 13° to 19° E. longitude. Its extreme length is about 360 miles. Its width 

 varies from 20 to 8 miles. The Island of Sicily is separated by a narrow strait from the 

 southern extremity of the continent ; it extends from 36° 40' to 38° 15' N. latitude ; and from 

 12° 30' to 15° 40' E. longitude; its extreme length being 250 miles. The continental part 

 contains 32,000 square miles, and the island 10,200. Total 42,200. 



2. JMountains. The continental part is traversed from north to South by the Apennines, 

 vi^nlch terminate at the Straits of Messina, separating Sicily from the continent. The highest 

 suirmit. Mount Corno, or Cavallo, reaches the height of 9,520 feet. Vesuvius, a. vohamc 

 mountain near the city of Naples, 3,450 feet high, belongs to this chain. The first recorded 

 eruption of Vesuvius was in A. D. 63, a few years after which it overwhelmed the 2 

 large and populous cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum with lava and ashes. Since that 

 period, it has been in constant activity, and has frequently caused great ravages. fts 



Jincient "Roman Wars. 



