ance.

and being built of white stone make a beautiful appearThe population is estimated at 350,000, and 44.000 houses. The second city in this kingdom is OPORTO, which is computed to contain 40,000 inhabitants. The chief article of commerce in this city is wine: and the inhabitants of half the shops are coopers. Braga is a considerable town. In the city of Coimbra is an ancient university. Travira has 4770 inhabitants.

Curiosities. The lakes and fountains which have been already mentioned, form the chief of these. The remains of some castles in the Moorish taste are still standing. The Roman bridge and aqueduct at Coimbra are almost entire, and deservedly admired. The walls of Santareeu are said to be of Roman work likewise. The church and monastery near Lisbon, where the kings of Portugal are buried, are inexpressibly magnificent, and several monasteries in Portugal are dug out of the hard rock. The chapel of St. Roch is probably one of the finest and richest in the world: the paintings are Mosaic work, so curiously wrought, with stones of all colours, as to astonish the beholders.

History. Portugal was anciently called Lusitania, and inhabited by tribes of wandering people, till it became subject to the Carthagenians and Phenicians, who were dispossessed by the Romans 250 years before Christ. In the fifth century it fell under the yoke of the Suevi and Vandals, who were driven out by the Goths of Spain, in the year 589, but when the Moors of Africa made themselves masters of the greatest part of Spain in the_beginning of the eighth century, they penetrated into Lusitania, where they established governors, who made themselves kings. It became subject to Spain 1580: but in 1640, the people rebelled, shook off the Spanish yoke, and elected for their king the duke of Braganza, who took the name of John IV. in whose family it has ever since remained, independent of Spain. The prince regent and royal family of Portugal emigrated to Brazil in 1807. Lisbon was taken by Bonaparte, and nearly the whole kingdom overrun by French troops, and since retaken by the British: and is still (1812) at war with France.

BB

ITALY.

Situation, &c. ITALY, according to its former limits, lies between 82 and 94 degrees east longitude, and 38 and 47 north latitude. North and northeast, it was bounded by Switzerland and Germany; east by the gulf of Venice; south by the Mediterranean; west by that sea and France. Its figure bore some resemblance to that of a boot; its length from Aousta, in Savoy, to the utmost verge of Calabria, was 600 miles ; its breadth was unequal, from 25 to nearly 400 miles. The kingdom of Italy now embraces 30 departments, including St. Marino, which have a population of 6,389,000 inhabitants.

General Description of the Political State. Italy is the most celebrated country in Europe, having been formerly the seat of the Roman empire, and afterwards of that astonishing universal usurpation, the spiritual dominion of the Pope. It has been divided into a great number of states, which differ in extent and importance. Between the confines of France and Switzerland, on the west and north, were the continental dominions of the king of Sardinia, viz. Piedmont, Savoy, Montserrat, part of the Milanese, and Oneglia. Northeast, were the territories of Venice. South, were the dominions of the emperor of Germany, viz. part of the Milanese and the Manfuan; and south of these were Modena, Mirandola, and Reggio, belonging to the duke of Modena. West of these were the dutchies of Parma, Placentia, and Gaustalla. South of Parma, was the republic of Genoa ; and southeast of this, that of Lucca. Hence extended along the coast of the Mediterranean, the grand dutchy of Tuscany. The Ecclesiastical State, or the territory of the Pope, lay northeast and east of Tuscany, between the gulf of Venice and the Mediterranean; and south, the kingdom of Naples, with its dependent islands, of which Sicily was the principal. Such were the divisions of Italy before the late wars in Europe, which wrought great changes in this part of the world. The whole of Piedmont, including Nice and Savoy, was absolutely annexed to, and became an integral part of the French empire, as follows: Savoy

was made a department under the title of Mount Blanc ; Nice, another department, with the name of Maritime Alps; and Piedmont was divided into six departments, the Doiee, the Po, Marengo, Sesia, Stura, and Tanaro. The Milanese was erected into a kingdom called the kingdom of Italy, of which Bonaparte was crowned king, and to it have been added the city and territory of Bologna, the Venetian states, the republic of Genoa, Modena, and Ferrara. The republic of Lucca was erected into a principality, and, joined with Piombino in Tuscany, was given to Bonaparte's eldest sister. Tuscany was erected into a kingdom, by the naine of Etruria, and given to the duke of Parma in exchange for his dukedom, which for a season remained in full sovereignty to France, and was annexed to that empire. In 1807, Etruria was annexed to the kingdom of Italy. The papal states, with the exceptions above stated, remained nominally to the Pope, till erected by Bonaparte into a new kingdom, called Latium; which was of short duration. Naples and the two Calabrias were erected into a kingdom, and given to Joseph, the eldest brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who afterward was transferred to the throne of Spain. Sicily, unconquered, remains to the king of Naples. The precise state of this complicated country at present is unknown.

Climate. The air on the north side of the Appennines is temperate; on the south it is very warm. The air of Campagna di Roma, and of the Ferrarese, is said to be unwholesome; owing to the lands not being duly cultivated, nor the marshes drained. In the other parts, the air is generally pure, dry, and healthy.

Rivers and Lakes. The principal rivers are, the Po, Trebbia, Tesind, Gerigliano, Volturno, the latter in Naples, Tiber, Arno, Adige, and Var. There are several fine lakes, as the Maggiore, Lugano, Como, Garda, Perugia, Bracciano, and Celano.

Mountains. The chief mountains of Italy are the Alps and Appennines, which are extensive; Mount Vesuvius, a celebrated volcano near Naples: and Mount Algidus, famous in the ancient history of Rome.

Soil and Productions. The soil in general is very fertile. It produces a great variety of wines, and the best oil in Europe; excellent silk in abundance: corn of all Sorts, but not in such plenty as in other countries; oranges,

lemons, citrons, pomegranates, almonds, raisins, sugar, figs, peaches, apricots, pears, apples, filberts, &c. This country also yields good pasture, and abounds with eattle, sheep, goats, buffaloes, wild boars, mules, and horses, The forests are stored with game; and the mountains have not only mines of iron, lead, alum, marble of all sorts, alabaster, jasper, porphyry, &c. but also gold and silver; with a great variety of aromatic herbs, trees, shrubs, and evergreens.

Commerce. Wine, oil, perfumes, fruits, and silks, are the principal articles of exportation; and great sums of money are expended by travellers, in the purchase of pietures, curiosities, relics, antiquities, &c.

Literature and Science. No country has produced better politicians, historians, poets, musicians, painters and sculptors; that is, since the revival of the arts and sciences, exclusive of those of ancient times.

Religion and Language. The established religion is the Roman Catholic. Their language, which is a corrup tion of the Latin, is said to be spoken in its greatest pu rity at Florence.

Cities and Antiquities. ROME, anciently the capital and mistress of the world, was founded, it is said, by Romulus, its first king, about 748 years before Christ. Its ancient history, splendor, and power, are much celebrated. In its present state it may still pass for the most beautiful in the world. Its streets, public squares, churches, palaces, and multitude of public edifices, built in a style of elegance and solidity; its obelisks and vast columns; its fountains decorated with noble taste, dispersing water in every part of the city; the neatness of the streets; its chef d'œuvres in sculpture, painting, and architecture, ancient and modern; its delightful climate; the taste of its gardens, and the splendor of its public festivals, (the fruits of a mistaken bigotry ;) form a picture so varied and so delightful, that it may, without question, still be regarded as the first city in the world. It is situated on both sides of the Tiber, on seven hills. Its position is exactly the same with that of ancient Rome. It is about 15 miles in circumference, and contains 35,900 houses and 163,034 inhabitants, of which about 7,000 are ecclesiastics, and of religious orders of both sexes, who live in celibacy. Many of the streets are

long, straight, and very regular in their architecture. The objects of curiosity and interest, of taste and grandeur, are so numerous, that it would exceed the limits of a work of this kind, even to insert a list of them.

NAPLES is a large and commercial city, the capital of the kingdom of Naples. It is seated at the bottom of the bay of Naples, and is built in the form of a vast amphitheatre, sloping from the hills to the sea. The houses, in common are five or six stories in height, and flat at the top, on which are placed numbers of flower vases or fruit trees, in boxes of earth. The inhabitants are computed at 412,489. There is not a city in the world, perhaps, with the same number of inhabitants, in which so few contribute to the wealth of the community, by useful and productive labor, as in Naples; for the number of priests, monks, fiddlers, lawyers, nobility and footmen, surpasses all reasonable proportion; the Lazzaroni alone are above 30,000; they are the only common laborers, and are a very industrious, laborious and useful class of men. Here is the famous grotto of Pansillippo, which perforates a mountain just out of Naples, on the side of Baia, near half a mile in length, cut through the solid rock, and through which the road to Baia runs. The tomb of Virgil is said to be placed just at the entrance of this grotto. The baths of Nero are placed at Baia, about six miles from Naples. Naples, from its vicinity to Vesuvius, and to several extinguished volcanoes, has been always subject to earthquakes; the last took place in the year 1806, and is said to have destroyed, or shaken so as to injure, 4000 houses in this city. FLORENCE, for many ages the capital of Tuscany, is, at present the metropolis of the new kingdom of Etruria. It is pleasantly situated on the river Arno, about 30 miles from the Appennines, which seem to overhang the city. The river divides the city into two equal parts; on each side of the river are most beautiful quays extending through the whole length of the city, and connected by magnificent stone bridges. The private edifices are in a fine style of architecture, and the public buildings are inferior to none in magnificence. They reckon 17 public squares; fountains, constantly playing; 6 pillars, or columns; 2 pyramids; 160 beautiful statues, placed either in the public squares or in the streets, or in the front