Ancient Italy was divided by Augustus into eleven pro vinces; but, after his death, this division was no longer re garded, except that the name of Gallia Cisalpina was ge nerally discontinued, and that of Italy extended nearly to its present limits.
The progressive geography of Italy, since the fall of the Roman empire, cannot be accurately described, without a recapitulation of its eventful history; and to the preceding view of its political epochs and revolutions we must there fore refer for much of its civil geography. The following sketch of its principal divisions, previous to the French Revolution, is all that can at present be admitted on this part of the subject.
Upper or Northern Italy, called also Lombardy, contain ed several duchies, namely, Savoy, Piedmont, ,Montserrat, Milan, Mantua, Modena, Parma, and Placentia ; of which the three first, and part of the fourth, belonged to the King of Sardinia, and the other to the Emperor of Austria. These territories of Austria, together with part of the Vene tian dominions and the Ecclesiastical states, were formed by the French in 1797, into a new republic, called the Cis alpine, or Italian republic ; and were divided into twel% e departments, which were again subdivided into forty-five districts ; namely, Agogna, containing the districts of No varra, Vigevano, Domo d'Ossola, Varallo, and Arona ; Del Lario, containing Como, Variso, Londrio, and Lecco: Olona, containing Milan, Pavia, and Monza ; Serio, con taining Bergamo, Trevegliu, Clusone, and Breno ; Melia, containing Brescia, Chiari, Verona, A lghisi, and Salo ; Alto Po, containing Cremona, Crema, Lodi, and Casal ; containing Mantua, Revero, Verona, and Castiglione Belle Stiviere ; Crostolo, containing Reggio, and Carrara ; Pana ro, containing Modena, and Castclnovo di Garfagnana ; so-Po, containing Ferrara, Commachio and Rovigo; Reno, containing Bologna, Imola Cento, and Vergato ; and Rubi con, containing CeSena, Sot li, Faenza, Ravenna, and Rimini. Besides these, Northern Italy comprehended the republics of Genoa and Lucca.
Central Italy comprehends the Ecclesiastical State, con sisting of Campagna di Roma, Sabina, II Patrimonio di S. Pietro, Ducat() de Cas• ro, Contado di Runciglione, Peru gin, Contado de Citta di Castello, Umbria, or Ducato di Spo leto, La 'Marra d'Ancona, Ducato D'Urbino, Romagna, Te:Titorio di Bologna; the small republic of S. Marino, under the protection of the Pontiff; the Venetian dominions in Italy, namely, Dogado de Venezia, Il Paduana, il Pole sine cle Rovigo, it Veronese, il Vicentino,il Bressano, it Ber gamasco, it Cremasco, la Nlarca Trevigiana, Patria del Friuli ; Istria, Dalmatia ; Ragusa, an independent state, ge nerally under the protection of the Turks ; and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, containing il dominio Fiorentino, il ter ritorio Pisano, and il territorio di Sienna : This last portion of Central Italy, together with Parma, Placentia, and Guas talla, was formed under the French into the kingdom of Etruria.
Southern, or Lower Italy, comprising the ancient Sam nium, Apulia, Campania, Lucania, and Bruttium, forms the kingdom of Naples, which is divided into twelve provinces, called Giustizierati, or Jurisdictions, namely, Terra di La voro, Principato Ultra, Principato Citra, Calabria Citra, Calabria Ultra, Basilicata, Terra d'Otranto, Terra di Bari, Capitanata, Contado di Molise, Abruzzo Citra, and Abruzzo Ultra.
These different divisions have been again replaced near ly in their former political state. The King of Sardinia has recovered his dominions, such as they were in 1792. The Emperor of Austria has acquired the Venetian States, and all the territory between the Tessin, the Po, and the Adriatic, the Vallies of Valteline, Bormio, and Chiavenna. The Archduke Francis D'Este is made Grand Duke of Modena. The Archduchess Maria Beatrice d'Este be comes the hereditary sovereign of the duchy of Massa, and principality of Carrara, with the imperial fiefs of Lunigia na. The Archduchess Maria Louisa (late Empress of France) is sovereign of the duchies of Parma, Placentia, and Guastalla. The reversion of these states remains to be regulated by the allied courts; and is said to have been recently arranged in the following manner. After the death of her Imperial Highness, these duchies will be restored to the Infanta Maria Louisa (widow of the Duke of Parma and King of Etruria) and to her male descendants in a di rect line, with the exception of the districts situated on the left bank of the Po, and inclosed in the estates of the Em peror of Austria. In default of male issue, the rights of succession of the Emperor of Austria and of the King of Sardinia will be revived. The Infanta Maria Louisa, in the mean time, obtains provisional possession of the princi pality of Lucca, with certain arrears assigned to her by congress. The Archduke Ferdinand of Austria regains the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and also the principality (If Piombino, with that part of Elba which formerly belonged to the king of the two Sicilies. The pope receives again the Marshes and their dependencies, the territories of Bene vento, Ponto Corvo, Ravenna, Bologna, Ferrara, Comma chio, 6-.c. Ferdinand IV. King of the two Sicilies, is re stored to the throne of Naples, without any change of ter ritory or authority.
Aspect of the Country.
Italy may be regarded as a mountainous country.* The Alps, the highest range of mountains in the ancient world, form its northern boundary, separating it from France, Switzerland, and Germany ; and the Appenines, rising near Genoa, extend through the whole length of the peninsula in a southerly direction, dividing it into two parts, nearly equal, and branching out into various ridges in their pro gress, so as to form a number of districts and wallies differ ing from each other in climate and productions. (See