COMACCHIO, a fortified t. of central Italy, in the province of Ferrara, and 3 m. from the Adriatic. The lagoon, or marsh, in the midst of which it is situated, is about 140 m. in circumference, and is shut out from the Adriatic by a narrow belt of mud. Its position is very favorable for the manufacture of salt, of which 2,000,000 lbs. are said to be obtained annually. C. is also the scat of a curious branch of industry—viz., eel culture, which forms the principal employment of its inhabitants, who number about 8,000. A series of canals have been constructed leading from the Adriatic to admit the fry of the eel, the mullet, the sole, and other fishes into the lagoon, where they aro fattened, and speedily attain a marketable value. The fishery is carried on chiefly in the late autumn, when the waters of the lagoon are excited by storms. The fish, then seeking an outlet to the sea, find their way into certain labyrinths leading into reser• voirs constructed at the termination of the canals, where they are caught in immense quantities. Religious ceremonies inaugurate the commencement of the season, and when any body of fishermen in one night capture 48,000 lbs. weight of fish, a feast of fish is held, and great rejoicings take place. The eel-harvest .oceupies from 12 to 15
weeks; and some idea of its extent may be formed from the fact, that .from the years 179S to 1813 the annual "take" averaged close upon 2,000,000 lbs. weight. From 1813 to 1825, the average was about 1,612,600 lbs. per annum. An accident for some years greatly reduced these quantities, but the supply is again increasing, being upwards of a million pounds weight per annum. The fish are prepared for the market by partial cooking in a large kitchen built for the purpose, the eels of moderate size being roasted alive, in order to their better preservation. The larger fish are chopped into lengths, the heads and tails being sold for the benefit of the poor. Large quantities of the eels are also salted and dried. The workmen, who are lodged in barracks, and submit to a strict discipline, are allowed one and a half pounds of fish per diem. The money-value of these fisheries may be estimated from the fact, that 1 lb. weight of eel-fry will, in the course of three or four years, be worth to the cultivators of the lagoon a sum of .E41 sterling.