The fertile plains around Reggio appear like one rich and delicious garden, shaded by groves and avenues of poplars and mulberry trees, and divided by hedges of pomegranates, inclosing vineyards and orchards of vari ous kinds of aromatic fruit. All sorts of vegetables abound under their shade, and copious streams distribute life and vigour through these delightful fields. Hemp is the principal prods coon of this di: trio , us being thy most lucrative ; and the essence of citron, (Rang( , and bergamot, of which not le. s than lo0,( 00 (rents are an nually exported. affords them a considerable attic It 01 traffic with the French and Genoese. GI eat qiroaitii of ()ranges are also exported froth the environs of Hos saw), in Calabria Citra, to Taranto and Gallipoli. But the principal article. of Culalnian commen c is silk, and it is said that silk worms were first introduced this country by Rog( r, king cl the t.vo Sicilies ; though, ac cording to Procopius. they !etch been brought into Italy in the time of Justinian. This DPW branch of industr% in cr•ased so rapidly, that, in the I rith century, the prodin c of Calabrian silk exceeded that of all the rest of Italy, and amounted to 300,000 crowns; when a duty of fke grana for every pound was imposed upon it by Charles V. in 1542. This imposition was afterwards gradually augmented, till, in the 17th century, it paid ,6 grana per pound ; which yielded annually to the treasury of Na ples nearly 400,000 ducats. The quantity of silk ob tained was estimated at three milliobs of pounds ; which, after deducting all CNpences, brought ii.to the country three millions of ducats. But this advantageous com merce has of late years very much fallen off, and, incl. c (1, must necessarily decrease, on account of the extortion and vexatious imposition of the government. All the silk pods must be carried to the public cauldrons, where they pay a duty of lour carlini a pound for boiling and winding off. Forty-two grana and a half are then exacted for every pound of marketable silk ; and one grana pound for the refuse and unprofitable pods ; and, to com plete the measure of their hardships, two carlini. or twenty grana, must be annually paid for every mulberry tree which they possess. All the profits are thus eaten up by these odious exactions ; and the farmers have been so discouraged, that many hundred of valuable trees have been cut down to save the duty. The peasant can have no interest in the extension or improvement of this ma nufacture. New improvements only draw upon him new burdens ; and, consequently, he looks upon the trade with indifference, and would rather allow it to perish than exert himself for its revival. From such c uses the quantity has been reduced to less than one-third of its former product ; and it is reckoned, that not above 800,000 pounds of raw silk are now annually exported to Naples from this province. The inferior soft brings 18 carlini per pound, and the best silk 25 carlini ; so that the mean price may be estimated at 20 carlini, or two ducats of Naples. The principal manufactories of silk in Calabria are at Monteleone, Reggio, and Catanzaro ; that of the latter city is the most important. The other manufactures and exports of Calabria arc, silk, woollen and cotton stuffs, iron and earthen ware, hides, honey, and wine. Col, bria possess( s some very valuable mines of silver, lead. :roil, copper, marcasite, vitriol, sulphur, antimony, salt, and coal ; mine of which are at present w rought, except the iron mine at Stilo, which is farmed at 6806 ducats.
The woods of this country are well stocked with game, which are a great annoyance to the farmers, as they are prohibited from killing them,—the barons having the exclusive right of hunting. Among the most delicate of these are dormice, which arc smoked out of their nests in hollow trees, and caught with sharp hooks. They arc eaten at the tables of the greatest epicures, and their skin makes very fine leather. Besides sheep. horses, oxen, buffaloes, goats and swine are very abundant in Calabria. The horses are rather small, but handsome, spirited, and patient of fatigue. The breed might be greatly improved ; but the prohibition of exportation renders the owners quite indifferent about their perfec tion. The oxen are white, large, and long horned, ex cept those of the red breed, which have been introduced from Sicily. goats, sheep, and swine, are in general black.
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The inhabitants of this country are a brave and hardy race of men ; patient under penury, hardship, and hun ger ; and possessing symmetry and strength of limb, with an ardent and fiery spirit. His outward appearance
—his latticed and miserable garments—his long and black beard—his volubility of gesture—his irrascibility —and his violent declamation, point out the Calabrian mountaineer as the unpolished child of nature. He rises against every haughty demand ; but if you speak to him with kindness, he will shew himself complaisant, frank, and benevolent. The common upper dress of almost all classes, from the richest citizen to the lowest muleteer, is a short black vest, suspended from the left shoulder, and a bonnet. The women are in general very plain, and are treated little better than slaves. They are sel dom allowed to join in any of their festive amusements ; but must remain at home, and take care of their house hold affe.irs. When a Calabrian returns from his labour with his wife, he stalks proudly before, with his hands empty, while his wife follows behind heavily laden. Not withstanding this fierce and unbending demeanour, this people possess great goodness of heart, and a considera ble share of intelligence. Though they bear with cou rage the heavy impositions with which they are loaded, yet they often complain of the burden; and submit, not because the sword is suspended over their head, but that they may discover some means of relieving themselves from the yoke. " The country is filled with scoundrels," said an intelligent Calabrian to Mr Bartels, " because government invites them here. The king, they say, is a man of the best heart and the best dispositions, but great care is taken that he shall never know the true situation of his affairs. He is altogether ignorant of the manner in which we are governed, because those who surround him conceal every thing that may be injurious to their own particular interest. This is the reason why we cry out so much against Naples ; and this is the reason why we hate every one that belongs to that country. But we love the king as children love their father, because we hear nothing of him but what is good. We regret only that he never comes among us, as we have so great a desire to know him. Immediately after the earthquake in 1783, an agent was sent from Naples to alleviate the burdens of those who had suffered from this dreadful calamity ; but what was the result.? Government, it is true, remitted to them all imposts for four years ; this, however, was but a vain promise, for at the end of two years they were doubled, by imposing new taxes; and under this yoke we groan until this day." Filled with indignation, the Calabria!) finished with these words : Quciao a un grverno, chiamu bugiurone ! " Our go vernment is beneath all censure." This people are very superstitious. They have charms among them, which are frabricated by certain old women on pieces of parchments, which are supposed to render the wearer invulnerable. These are sometimes sold to the bravos fir eighteen ducats, who now, confident of safety, attack their adversaries without fear. They re pose also great confidence in judgments, and expect to sue eery person that jeers at another's defects afflicted in the same way. All kinds of convulsions are here at tributed to the influence of malignant spirits ; and nearly 1500 women, pretending to be possessed with these spi rits, go up annually to Loriana, to be cured by looking at a portrait of St Dominic. Every city swarms with monks, to whom are entrusted the education of the youth of the province, and whose whole learning generally con sists in reading their breviary, and saying mass. Many of them are scarcely able for so much, particularly those who have been driven, by the oppression of the barons, to assume the religious habit merely to procure a sub sistence. Numerous bands of Zingari or gypsies conti nually infest this country. This strange tribe have no fixed habitation, but wander wherever profit or conve nience dictates. They subsist by the sale of little handi crafts of iron, or by the exchange of horses and asses ; but chiefly by pilfering and theft. They are a most abandoned, dissolute, and faithless race of vagabonds. They can be bound by no promise or contract, if the least advantage can be gained by the breach of it ; and no cheats are more artful or impudent. They have a peculiar language of their own, which, in sound, seems to hear a great affinity to the oriental tongues ; and many of their ceremonies and customs resemble those of the heathens. In 1560, they were banished the kingdom as thieves, cheats, and spies. In 1585, the order was re peated ; but not being sufficiently enforced, they remain as numerous as ever.