of some palaces; 1 metropolitan church, 12 collegiate, and 44 parochial; 35 convents for men, 60 for women; 37 hospitals; and about 9000 houses. The number of inhabitants in the year 1761, was 72,000; now they amount to 80,100.

VENICE stands on 72 little islands in the Gulf of Venice. The number of inhabitants is computed to be about 160,000. The houses are built on piles. The streets, in general, are narrow; and so are the canals, except the Great Canal, which is very broad and has a serpentine course through the middle of the city. There are nearly 500 bridges in Venice. The ducal palace is an immense building; besides the apartments of the doge, there are halls and chambers for the senate, and, the different councils and tribunals. The arsenal of Venice is a fortification of between two and three miles in compass; it contains arms for 60,000 foot, and 20,000 horse, arranged in an ornamental manner. The Venetians have a flourishing trade in silk manufactures, bonelace, and all sorts of glasses and mirrors, which make their principal employments. The handsome structure, called Il Fontica di Tedeschi, containing 500 rooms, is that where the German merchants deposite their commodities.

GENOA, the eapital of the former republic of Genoa, is about ten miles in circumference. Besides the cathedral, it contains 32 parish churches, many of which are magnifi sent, and adorned with sculptures and pictures by the best masters. The arsenal contains arms for 34,000 men, machines, models for bridges, the armour worn by a number of Genoese women in the crusades, a shield, containing 120 pistols, made by Julius Cesar Vacehe, for the purpose of assassinating the doge and senate at one time, &c. Other public buildings, as the Albergo, which serves as a poor house and house of correction; a large hospital for the sick of all nations and religions; the Conservatory, for educating and portioning 300 poor girls; and a great number of palaces belonging to the nobility. They reckon at Genoa, 69 convents of men and women. The number of inhabitants is estimated at 150,000.

MANTUA, the birth-place of Virgil, which has 20,300 inhabitants; MILAN, the ancient capital of Lombardy; LEGHORN, in Tuscany; and TURIN, in Piedmont, are all

celebrated cities.

MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS.

KINGDOM OF SICILY. This kingdom embraces the islands of Sicily, Lipari, Pantalaria, and Ægades, and is divided into six provinces as follows, viz.

Total inhabitants in the kingdom of Sicily, 1,656,000

Sicily is a beautiful island of the Mediterranean sea, almost in the form of a triangle, terminating in three points. It is separated from the kingdom of Naples by a narrow strait, called Faro di Messina. The two kingdoms of Naples and Sicily are under the same climate, and the productions are much the same. Sicily is 165 miles long, and 112 broad. In this island is the celebrated volcano, called Mount Etna. The people are melancholy, haughty, and jealous; wearing daggers in their shops and workhouses. The wealthy lead voluptuous lives; the lower class are wretchedly oppressed and poor. Their religion is the Roman Catholic.

The LIPARI islands take their name from their principal, about eight leagues from the north coast of Sicily. These islands were called by the ancients, Æoliæ, Vulcaniæ, and Insulæ Liparæorum, and feigned to be the residence of

olus and Vulean. Lipari, the largest is populous and well cultivated. It is about 15 miles in circumference, the air is healthy, and the inhabitants are industrious. In this island were formerly pits, which emitted fire and smoke. The other islands are, Stromboli, Panaria, Vulcano, Salini, Alicudi, and Felicudi, with one or two smaller ones.

EGADES are three small islands near the west end of the islands of Sicily, called Favignana, Lovenzo, and Maretania, constituting a province of the kingdom of Sicily.

PANTALARIA is an island making a province of the kingdom of Sicily, lying between that island and the coast of Africa, 17 miles in circumference. It is not far from the coast of Tunis, and abounds in cotton, fruit, and wine. Lat. 36° 48′ N.; and lon. 12° 30′ E.

KINGDOM OF SARDINIA. This kingdom consists of 4 provinces, viz.

1. Cagliari 2. Arborea 3. Logodori 4. Gallura

Number of Inhabitants in 1780.

115,541

130,974

133,544

71,428

Total inhabitants in the kingdom of Sardinia 451,487

The number now is about 520,000. Its militia amount to 4000 men. Its revenue to about one million guilders. SARDINIA IS 142 miles from north to south, and 80 from east to west. The soil is fertile in corn, wine, oranges, citrons and olives. On the coast is a fishery for anchovies and coral. The air is unhealthy, from the marshy land. Here are mines of silver, lead, sulphur, and alum. Cagliari is the capital of this island.

MALTA is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean, between Barbary and Sicily, in north latitude 35 30. This island, which has, for its basis, a calearcous rock, contains, according to several travellers, nothing interesting to the natural historian, except a few fossils. Its figure is irregular, composed of small vallies, defiles and hills; and may be represented as a plain inelining from the southwest to the northeast, so that the calcareous strata, of which it is entirely composed, are very nearly parallel to each other. A chain of low mountains, running from southeast to northwest, divides the island through the middle. It is seven leagues in length, three in breadth and twenty-one in circumference. The number of inhabitants is said to be 90,000. The common people speak Arabië,

but the better sort Italian. The institution of the knights of Malta, was in the tenth century at Jerusalem, for the care of the wounded in the Christian wars; they afterwards settled in the isle of Rhodes, but, being driven from thence in 1530, the island of Malta was given them by Charles V. king of Spain and Emperor of Germany. Malta was taken by the French in the summer of 1793; but was soon after captured from them by the British. Malta, Melita, or Citta Vecchia, an ancient and strongly fortified city, is on a hill in the centre of the island, and was formerly twice as large as at present. Near this city are the catacombs, which are said to extend fifteen miles under ground.

is

CORSICA, between 41 and 43 degrees north latitude, separated from Sardinia by the strait of Bonafacio, and is opposite the coast of France and Spain. It is 150 miles from north to south, and from 40 to 50 in breadth. It is mountainous, but has fruitful vallies and some fine lakes and rivers. Corsica in earliest times has been famous for its swarms of bees, and produces vast quantities of honey. After many revolutions, this island was taken by the French, in 1796, and is divided into two departments. Bastia is the largest town; but Corte, in the centre of the island, is reckoned the capital. The number of inhabitants on the island is about 166,000. It is the birth place of Napoleon Bonaparte.

TURKEY.

THE Turkish Dominions, or the Ottoman empire, is divided into three grand divisions, containing 80,000 square miles, viz.

No. of Inhabitants.

9,822,000

11,090,000

3,500.000

24,412,000

TURKEY IN EUROPE.

Extent and Boundaries. European Turkey extends 870

miles in length, from 34 to 49° north lat. and 680 in breadth from east to west. It is bounded by the territories of Russia and Austria on the north; west by the Adriatic and Mediterraneau; south by the Mediterranean; east by the Archipelago, the Euxine, and the sea of Mar

mora.

Divisions. It contains the provinces of Bessarabia, Moldavia, Walachia, Bulgaria, Servia, Bosnia, Romania, Macedonia, Janna, Livadia, Albania, part of Croatia and Dalmatia, and the Morea.

Climate, Soil, and Face of the Country. These extensive regions in general enjoy a delightful climate. The country is rather mountainous; but the soil is fertile, producing vines, melons, rice, wheat, and rich pasturage. That soil must be rich indeed, which supports its inhabitants with the lazy cultivation of the Turks.

Rivers. The Danube is for 4000 miles a Tarkish stream, being in some places a mile wide. The Save, the Niester, the Nieper, and the Don are the best known rivers in this country; though many others have been celebrated by poets and historians. The Maritz, or ancient Hebrus, rises in the mountains of Hemus, and falls into the Ægean sea, after a course of 250 miles.

Lakes. These are not remarkable. The Lago di Sentari lies in Albania. It communicates with the Lago di Plave, and the Lago di Holti. The Stymphalus, so famous for its harpies and ravenous birds, lies in Morea; and Peneus, from its qualities, is thought to be the lake from which the Styx issues, conceived by the ancients to be the passage into hell.

Mountains. These are the most celebrated of any in the world, and most fruitful. Mount Athos lies on a peninsula, running into the Ægean sea; the Mounts Pindus and Olympus, celebrated in Grecian fables, separate Thessaly from Epirus. Parnassus, in Achaia, so famous for being consecrated to the Muses, is well known. Mount Hæmus is likewise often mentioned by the poets; but most of the other mountains have changed their names.

Commerce and Manufactures. Situated in the centre of the eastern continent, the Turks might easily acquire the trade, as well as the empire, of the world, if not prevented by their indolence and the maxims of their government.