"payable half-yearly, in which he is likely to fucceed. He fecures them by a mortgage of "Chantilli. The Genoefe fend their money into

66

England, Holland, France, Spain, Germany, "&c. not having opportunities of employing it in "their own confined territory.

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Keyfler fays, p. 128, that the number of fer"vants are limited at Genoa. This is true, in

fome refpects; a Noble is not allowed to appear "with more than two chairmen, one valet de "chambre, and one footman. His wife may have "the fame allowance, with an additional footman. "His steward, butler, cook, and their rabble of "underlings, do not come within this fumptuary "law. In short, no one Genoefe has a fervant "the lefs for this law, and few, if any, can afford "to keep the number permitted them.

"Almost every article of life comes within the gabelle at Genoa: corn, wine, oil, coffee, falt, "butcher's meat, &c. all pay. exorbitantly; each "ox, which comes from Piedmont, pays 150 "Piedmontefe livres entrée, though worth, in the "whole, no more than 300, or 320; and this is

paid upon entering the territories of the Repub"lic. All mafters of wine houfes must take their "wine from the Prince, as alfo their bread and oil, "under fevere fines, imprisonments, and even the "galleys, The gabelle of Coffee pays 150,000 "livres yearly for the exclufive permiffion. A

thing almost incredible, unless it is confidered, "that no publican, nor coffee-house, can sell a

❝ dish

"difh of coffee that is not procured from the only "house where it is made in great caldrons, con

66

taining feveral gallons each, out of which they "fend it by pints and quarts; but each individual "(publicans, as above, excepted) may manufac"ture it for himself. All fifh is taxed by the ma'gistrate, to one-third of its value, the moment " of its appearance in the market.

"The Nobility of Genoa have no immunities, "as to receiving provifions of any fort duty-free, "as in France, &c. whence many of them pafs "much of their time at their country-palaces.

They remain out of town the months of Au"guft, &c. to December. Keysler afferts, p. 129. "that the new Nobility have a particular walk on "the left fide of the exchange, and the old on the right. The fact is, the old Nobility have a "room in a house, about fifty yards from the exchange, where they only fit in the fummer, and "where the new Nobility cannot enter, who can only have their chairs placed in front of the exchange. There is no diftinct walk for them "within the exchange or bank, as Keyfler men❝tions.

"The college of Jefuits contains at present "about forty members; and one-half of that "number are composed of noble Genoese, which "seems an abundant fecurity for the continuance "of this fociety. They educate about four hun"dred children; but none of the firft nobility,

"except

"except two families, have at this time Jefuit

preceptors.

"The Genoefe, from their commerce with other "nations, are very quick of apprehenfion, guess. "ing at what you would fay, however ill you may "express yourself. Nor do they think a stranger "ridiculous for not fpeaking their language "fluently, much lefs conclude him a fool, as the "French do; rafhly confounding words and "ideas, and fuppofing the want, or misapplica "tion of the former, to proceed from a defect, “or confusion, in the latter. In dealing with a "Genoese, the bargain is foon concluded; for they feldom ask more than they mean to take, "and are a people of few words."

Here I fhall quit the portefeuille t * but have ftill fomething to fay before I leave Genoa, having as yet taken no notice of their natural history. Before I begin upon this new fubject, I must not omit to mention their chairs, and the reverberating lamps for lighting the streets. The chairs are exLighting the streets, tremely well made; they are lined with velvet, chairs,&c. and finely varnished on the outfide. The com

mon hackney-chairs are perfectly neat and clean, and the chairmen as good as thofe in London. Their reverberating lamps hang in the middle of the streets, and by means of a high polish within, and the fufpenfion of the box that contains the oil in a particular direction, the light proceeding from them is not only extremely brilliant, but

feems perpetually increafing, or augmenting its rays from within. They have altogether a beautiful effect.

Marble is very well fculptured at Genoa. The Marbles. fineft marbles found in this country, are the alabafter of Seftri, the red and green of Polcevera, and the white marble of Carara.

and other

tions

The flate called lavagna, is extremely common Lavagna, here; it is brought from a very large quarry, natural about twenty-five miles from Genoa; and put to produca variety of uses, as tables, fhelves, &c. cold and disagreeable, both to the touch and view; rooms are paved with it, but it never appears clean. I obferved, as we defcended the buchetta, where the ground had been cut away for the road, several ftrata, chiefly consisting of various forts of schiftus, intermixed with quartz, here and there rocks of marble, veined with red, and a great deal of flate-like fubftance, of a brownish cast, with shining filvery particles; and at about fix miles from Genoa, on that fide called St. Pietro D'Arena, a black magnetic fand, which is found in plenty after ftorms on the fea-beach.

I fhall now acquaint you, that you have, in thefe long letters, fuch particulars as appeared to me most worthy of notice in this Republic. We are about to leave Genoa immediately. I fhall write to you from Piacenza (Plaisance). My letter is such a volume, that I fhall be obliged to dif pose of it in parts, under three or four covers. I have not the leaft intention to make an apology to

you

you for its tediousness. On the contrary, I think you should be very much obliged to me for the fatigue I have had (though perhaps to little purpofe) writing fo fully and circumftantially in obedience to your commands; for I affure you I have lived here in a very hurrying manner. News is juft brought us of an English shallop being arrived in the port; but she is too far off as yet to know who fhe brings. No paffengers on board; but there is a felucca come in, with two English from Antibes. Mr. M and his governor. Adieu. From, &c.

M-- has wrote to his banker at Florence, to fend all letters addreffed to us to Bologna, as we shall make fome little ftay there; and you may judge how impatient we both are to hear from

you.

LET

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