Ossian Collection > Gentleman's magazine, and historical chronicle > Volume 66, Part 2

I796-]
Revievj of New Puhli:at'ions,
665
178. Trcn>eh through var'wui Piovi/Kes of
' the Kingd'm of Naples, in 1 789, /')• Charles
L'lyflesi of Salis Marfclilius. Tranjlated
from the German by Anthony Aufrere,
Ff<]. illrif rated ivith engrax!ings.
THOUGH thefe tiavels were fome-
w'hatin the track of tlie Wanderer
of Idiaca, ih^y liave not th it variety
of adventure anaciied to liis. Our read-
ers will recoiled vvliat we faid of the
original work, vol. LXV. 1035. The
tranflator expreffes his hope that this
will f;.rm a copious and ufeful fupple-
nient to Mr. Swinburne's excellent ac-
count of his travel'^ in the Two Sici-
lies j snd that the obfervatlons of sb! e
Fortis, and M. de Salis's amcle de-
fcription of the l?ke of Celano, and of
the Ciaudian Emillaao, will render it
additionally acceptshle to the publick.
Mr. A. apologize!: for his unaccjuaint-
ance with natural hiftory and ccncho-
]ogv, &c. for tire maRv provincial ex-
preliions peculiar to Switzerlapd, and
the multitude of erraia with which the
original abounded, and with which he
had^to contend. V\'t are furry to lee fo
many errata in this tranflation.
Our traveller fet out from Naples,
March 26, 17S9, in cornpiny with the
archbliliop of T iranto and ?.bhe Fortis,
and travevfed the fruitful Cainpagna
Felice, the mofr populous, beft culti-
vated, and molt produGive, traft of
land in Eurcpe. In the great.ft part
of the Terra di Lavoro there is not a
foot of land that is not in the higheft
ftate of cultivation. Its fertility is a-
fcribed to tiie volcanic foil; and in-
deed the whole trafl prefents the idta
of a volcanic o; igin. Of Benevtnto it
is obferved, that it is icarcely poflible
to imagine how the king of -Naples
can permit iuch a foreign (overeignty
in the centre of his dominion. The
mifchief to the crown from fmuggkrs,
and the alvlum it affords to criminals
of every deicription, would be a fufn-
cient motive for feizing it and its dif-
trifit. It is but very laieb that the
high-roads in ihe kingdom of Naples
have been attended to; but, being done
by contra£V, improvement makes bet-
ter progrefs. The privilfgr of keep-
ing an inn in the b;;r ier towns is dif-
puled of to the higheft bi.ider, who
mud indemnify himiclf from bis guefts.
The mineral faltpetre cavern at Mo!-
fatta was attentively examined by our
traveller. The exiftence ot this mine-
ral is not believed at Naples ; but it
is now proved beyond a doubt that
Gjent. Mag. Jugujl, 1796.
native faltpetre d..es a£Vually exifl here
in great piirlty and quantity; yet,
though it might be made a profitable
revenue to the king of Naples, it is fo
ill managed, by means of a refinery, as
to cofi more than double. At Mci-
fatta, which is dill a confulcrib'e com-
mercial town, and formerly formed a
kind of Hanfearic league with Ama'fi,
our traveller quitted jbhe Fortis, and
proceeded, by Giovennazzo, to Bari,
through a country rcfembling a kitch-
en-garden, full of all kinds of vegeta-
bles; among which the fallad of Mil-
fatta is famous for its tenderntfs, ftr-
ved up with the deftrt, "nd eaten wi:h
fait. Beyond Giovennazzo the (oil is
poorer, but produflive. This town has
ftill a coDfiderablc commerce in oil, al-
monds, fennel, and various feet'.% carr
ried on, no: by its inhabitants, but bv
ScvUitans, who inhabit the Weft coilt
of farther Calabria. The fea -ports of
Apulia might carry on a more flourifh-
jrg trade, if it were not for the want
of regular management of it; the va-
riety of weights and meafures, and of
taxes on the feveral commodities; the
wsnt of encouragement from pro-
prietors ; and the ignorance in which
the governors keep the king. Al-
monds are the chief and mofl profitable
produftions of the interior of tbiS pro-
vince, but do not always fucceed.
Thele plantations terminate one mile
beyond Bari j and the counttv, one
level field, producing corn, and a few
artichokes, and cotton trees, an ex-
tenfive plain, ten miles acrofs, termi-
nated by the oak foreft ot Gioia, 5.0
miles in circumference, and 29 in
breadth. St. Bifil is a country refi-
dence of the duke of Martina, and h's
vener.ble mother, aged 90, and pof-
felTing all her faculties. The duke
bears an excellent mora! eharafler, anfi
prefers a country life, and agriculture,
to the plea'ures of the court and citv.
He fent eight or nine miles for his
fliepherds and cowherds to be at his
hcufe by break of day to fhew their
flocks and herds. The' travellers were
awckened with the ruftic mufic of the
fhcpherds ; and, nesr the folds, weie
met by thtir chief, a venerable o d
man, who welcomed them with a
hearty fluke of the hr.nd, Ihewed them
the dairy, folds, r.nd milkinghoufes, of
3000 (aeep of the 'white breed, cal'ed
Pecore Gentili, or fine-wooUed, which
the duke prefers to the black, though
Other proprisicrsj for want of encou-
lagetncnt