‘could obtain. 
‘boat with the tri-coloured-flag. 
To the villa Danzilikewife belongs a beau- 
tiful garden; but the Pliniana is fcarcely 
remarkable, excepting on account of the 
celebrity of its ancient proprietor. It, 
however, has to boat a natural curiocfity, 
which is, a fporing whofe water regularly 
ebbs and flows. We likewife heard of 
the Orrido di Bellano, according to the 
defcription, a tremendous cavern, the re- 
fidence, as a countryman fignificahtly in- 
fermed us, of many a frightful goblin, 
whofe manceuvres are probably of great 
advantage to the neighbouring clergy.— 
In different. parts of the mountains. in- 
clofing the bafin of the lake, iron is pro- 
cured. At ten at night we landed by 
moon-light at a folitary inn, where fifh 
and four wine were al] the refrefhment we 
Near it is fituated a vil- 
lage entirely inhabited by filhermen, The 
next morning we pafled a {mall dock, 
where we faw feveral barks on the ftocks; 
after which we arrived at the harbour of 
Domafo, where we found a French gun- 
Here, 
while we refrefhed ourfelves with lemons 
and wine, we waited for the fouth wind, 
“to which the north, which prevails in the 
early part of the day,’ was foon expected 
to give place. In the mean time we pro- 
ceeded with the help of our oars, but very 
flowly, as we were protected from the 
burning rays of the fun only by a linen 
awning, and the bark was full of paflen- 
gers. It was now pait noon; a brifk 
fouth wind {welled our fail; we deiied 
from rowing, and the veilel rapidly glided 
along the liquid mirror, woen we foon 
perceived, on the right, Fort fuentes, 
erecied in 1610 by Fuentes, Governor of 
the Milanefe, in {pite of the preteftations 
of the Envoys of the Grifors. It is fitu- 
ated in the midit of inacceilible moraffes, 
and completely commands the adjacent 
country. Nothing but the ruinous walls 
are now fianding, as it was demolifhed by 
the French in 1709. We now pafled the 
mouth of the Adda, which difcharges it- 
felf into the Jake. ° The Adda ts a river 
of confiderable breadth, is navigated by 
veffels with fails, and és fed by the melr- 
ing of the fnows on the mountains’ of the 
Valteline. A thicket of reeds, through 
which, fome hours afterwards; our bark 
forced her way, indicated our near ap- 
proach to the fhore, and in half an hour 
we landed at Riva. This village, which 
is principally.inhabited by fithermen, and 
contains 2 cuflom-houfe, is remarkable 
for its climate; the air, during the fum- 
mer-months, is fo unhealthy at night as to 
produce fevers ;.0n which account not 
& 
‘drained. 
Tour through Lombardy and the E affern Grifons, (May ts 
only travellers avoid paffing the might at 
this place, but even the inhabitants move 
in the evening higher up the hill, and re- ° 
turninthe morning. This quality of the 
airis probably occafioned hy the adjacent 
morafles, which might, however, eafily be 
in feveral other diftriéts border- 
ing on the lake of Como, the air poffefles 
the fame quality, but in other parts it 
extremely pure and falubrious, © 
From Riva to Chiavenna, a diftance of 
twelve miles, a tolerably good road leads 
through a narrow valley. The foil pro- 
duces abundance of grapes and chefhuts, 
and the villages and detached houfes {cag- 
tered over the fides of the mountains, give 
the country the appéarance of a Swifs 
land{cape. Chiavenna is completely fur- 
rounded by mountains; the inhabitants, 
who are induftrious, have a confiderable 
trade in filk and rice, and are alfo em- 
ployed in the conveyance of commodities 
over Mount Splugen. They likewife raife 
for fale great quantities of very fine chef 
nuts, wine, figs, and peaches. Their 
number amounts to about three thoufand. 
‘As lately as the year 1790, the Caivin- 
ifts who refided in this place, to the number 
of feveral hundreds, were obliged to emi- 
grate on account of the religious perle- 
cution commenced againft them. The grot- 
tos hewn in the rocks near Chiavena, in 
which wine is kept in fummer, are like- 
wife woithy of notice. ‘Ibis beverage is 
a real refrefnhment in that feafon, and.more 
innocent than fherbet orices. Part of the 
company now turned to the north-weft, ° 
towards the Splugen, but we proceeded in 
a north-eaft direction. 
The road through 
Caftafegna, Vicafoprano, and Caflaggia, . 
‘continues gradually afcending the dreary 
rock of the fteep Mount Maloya. About 
four miles from Chiavenna was formerl 
fituated the village of Piuro, which ts: 
fill laid down om the'maps, and near it 
the mountain of Conto. This mafs, com. 
pofed principally of earth, muft have been 
"gradually penetrated arnd-* undermined’ by. 
‘inow and rain, and thus prepared for the - 
On the 4th of | 
tremendous cataftrophe. 
September, 1618, the Conto overwhelmed 
the unfufpecting village, burying in a mo- 
ment both the houfes and their inhabitants. 
The traveller fill {ees with horror the {pot 
where nature has placed its monument of 
hills and rude fragments of rock. A 
little beyond thefe melancholy memorials, 
a charming cafcade, known by the name 
of the Aqua Fraggia, precipitates itfelf 
from the rocks on the left ‘in two broad 
eryftal fireams. The diftrict extending 
from the boundaries of Chiavenna to the 
Maloya, 
“ 
us 
con 
car 
