large breed; their hair fiery red. The liqueurs, particularly thofe of the manufacture of Giachimo Gnudi, are famous, and fent, as alfo the faufages, to moft parts of Europe; the rofa fola, or roffelia di anefino is the beft. All kinds of confectionaries are made in great perfection; the cotognati, or jelly of quince, is particularly fine. I have got the receipts for all the kinds of faufages, the liqueurs, and the cotognati. Their grapes are excellent, which they have the art of preserving for eight or nine months, in fuch perfection as to appear newly gathered. I informed myself alfo in regard to this article of the menage. The best and most esteemed kinds are the Uva Paradifa, and the Uva Angola: the feeds are oval, and the skins of the fruit uncommonly thin and tender. They value themselves upon a species of melon, which they believe to be the beft in the world; but the feason is now over for them. The white truffles are as good as thofe of Turin, excepting that flavour of garlic, which the Piedmontefe admire in their own. The Bologna tobacco and fnuff is esteemed the best in Italy. The breed of lap-dogs peculiar to this country, are extremely beautiful. Madama Aldrovandi was fo very obliging as to fend me one of the most perfect I ever faw, upon a magnificent velvet cushion, trimmed with goldfringe*; but I found myself under a neceffity of

* It was curled (frisée), and ornamented with rofe-coloured fibbon round the neck and legs.

Natural curiofitics.

refusing this pretty creature; my chief reafon was, that I could not think of making my own dog uneafy, who has been my faithful companion and friend fince I left ***, and the fhewed such a visible jealoufy and difguft to this little ftranger, that I determined not to vex her; however, I did not venture to give this reafon for my refufal, left I fhould be laughed at, but alleged, that one dog was fufficiently embarraffing upon a journey, and that if any accident fhould happen from change of climate, &c. to this Bologna beauty, it would be a great vexation to me.

Many natural curiofities are found in the neighbourhood of this city; the moft remarkable are the rock-crystal, of which there is great abundance near the river Setta, and curious petrifactions near the Caftello Crefpellana; but there is nothing fo extraordinary as the Pietra de Monte Paderno, of which the famous phosphorus of Bologna is compofed; it is called il cuminabile, or Spongia di luce: they are found only in this mountain near the town; and require but a fimple calcination, when they immediately become luminous, cafting a red, fiery light in an obfcure place they retain this property three years, and then by a recalcination, become as luminous as after the first. I have got fome of this phosphorus, which one of the profeffors of the Inftituto was fo obliging to prefent me with, together with fome cryftallized petrified fhells found in this country, remarkably curious. If the old proverb is true,

that

that "a rolling stone will never gather mofs," yet reverse it, and rolling mofs may gather ftones; for, fuppofing me to represent the mofs; my collection of foffils, if they augment in proportion to what they have hitherto done, may, I fear, endanger the bottoms of our trunks. But to return to the phosphorus; in its natural, or brute ftate, it seems to be a fpecies of talc, with fhining cryftalline particles; no fhells are ever found in it, and it rarely happens, that a phosphorus stone is composed of a sparry substance. We propose reaching Florence the 17th or 18th, and have been told the inns are bad on the road, but the Cardinal Legate has been fo obliging as to give us a letter for the fuperior of a convent fituated on the Appenine: this is a very great favour; for it is a strong exertion of his power to prevail upon the monks to receive a woman (at least publicly) within their facred walls. I am quite charmed with the idea of fleeping in this convent, and furprifing the monks, for they are to have no previous notice; but the order is of fuch a nature, that they must admit and entertain us at whatever hour we may happen to arrive; his Eminence has fome humour in this affair. We have also letters of recommendation to Florence and Rome, which must be attended with pleafing confequences to us in those cities.

I have just received a fine pheafant, a present from la Contessa Orfi; it was accompanied by a beautiful bouquet, compofed of three great carna

tions; I am fure a large faucer would not cover the flower of any of them, and a great variety of fine ranunculufes: the bouquet and a note were tied with a rofette of rofe-coloured ribbon to the pheafant's feet: how graceful are these people in every trifle! These fine flowers are in the common beds at this feafon; and what is very furprising, fnow, though it lies on the ground, does not affect them. There is a fpecies of fennel here, which is excellent, eat as cellery; it has a fine fweet tafte, without the acrid flavour of our Englih fennel; is cultivated like our cellery, in ridges, but must be raised in a common hot-bed in the month of March; when it has been tranfplanted and earthed up, it blanches like cellery, but always retains a greenish caft; it is extremely tender, and breaks off fhort; they serve it in the deferts. There are great plenty of Maltese oranges fold here in the fruit-fhops, very cheap; they have the finest flavour imaginable; and as to their fize, it is too incredible to be committed to paper: le vrai, you know, is not always le vrai femblable. Adieu. I hope we shall have tolerable weather for our journey.

I fhall write again immediately on our arrival at Florence.

P. S. The streets, for these two or three days Jefuits. paft, have been crowded with Jefuits; their num

per in this town cply exceeds four thousand: they

are

are arrived from Paraguay and Spain, &c. many of them appear to be in extreme want and distress; the greater number are on their way to Rome, to fee what their holy papa will do for them. We were amazed to fee fuch a crowd of these new arrivals at the opera as almost filled the pit. These feemed to be in tolerable circumftances. They wear the habit of their order; and for the most part appear pitiable objects. The populace load them with maledictions as they pass, and refuse to beftow upon them the smallest affiftance.

LET.