Here there are not fewer than thirty convents for both sexes, which for the most part are very large, and highly ornamented with all the symbols of the Catholic faith.
The public hospital is a fine building, of re ceiving several hundred patients. It is supported by considerable revenues, arising from lands and houses, and is managed by a committee of noblemen. But, owing to prevalent abuses, there are few patients admitted, and even these arc not suitably treated, both from the want of necessary attendance, and from too rigid economy. The 'other charitable institutions, consisting of six asy lums for the poor, a house for the reception of found lings, and two nzontes di theta, labour under similar defects. These last are public offices under government, where money at a small per tentage is advanced on goods to the necessitous, and the profits applied to sup port seminaries for the education of youth. Such insti tutions subsist in various towns of Sicily, where they are productive of the most beneficial effects, and obviate the inconvenience which is felt in other countries front the loan of money by individuals on pledges. The public prison, which by a singular deviation from a real sense of its purpose, is exhibited in a very fine structure. in one of the principal streets ; it is spacious within, and superior to that of the capital in certain respects, but deficient in most of the essential requisites of such a place ; cleanliness, for example, and to the sexes being separated, which are precautions alike important to health and morals. Messina also contains two houses of correction for women. The royal palace and senate house are fine buildings.
There are four public libraries, but only two of them are of importance. The British residents in Messina, however, have established reading towns. A newspaper, said to be the only one in the island, is published here, in Italian, called the British Gazette.
The state of the drama is considered very low in Messina, and the theatre in every respect unworthy of so large a population. Friday is selected for the per formance of tragedy, on which evening the theatre was shut previous to the dissemination of the writings of Alfieri. From the scarcity of public amusements, gam ing tables arc frequently resorted to, especially the more fashionable Sicilians.
The city is defended by two forts, Gonzago and Mataglifone ; and the harbour is protected by a penta gonal fertilication, called the citadel, which was erected in the year 1679. This is the strongest place in the island, and it has casemates for 5000 men. Near to it
is a lazaretto, which, notwithstanding the prevalence of the plague in many parts of the Mediterranean, is the only one in Sicily ; and so little regard is paid to safety, that the restrictions both on landing goods and the crews of ships under quarantine arc very easily evaded.
The harbour of Messina is the best port of Sicily, containing not less than from 20 to 40 fathoms water, close to the quay, and its situation is esteemed superior to any other in the Mediterranean. Hence this city has been always a place of considerable trade. A large proportion of the produce of the island, affording no less than ninety-six articles of export, is to be found in the city. The produce of the environs is principally fruits and wines, and the chief manufacture consists of silks. What is called the Faro red wine, is in great repute with the British on account of its strength and resem blance to port, which it also equals in quality when kept three or four years. In addition to the quantity made for home consumption, about ten thousand pipes are exported yearly. The other exports are dried figs, citrons, oranges, lemons, lemon juice, manna, essence of bergamot, red tartar, goat skins, hides, mottled soap, for the American market, linen and rags, partly to England, partly to the Italian ports. Some time ago it was computed that there were exported 2000 chests of oranges, and 6000 chests of lemons, each containing 408 ; likewise 280 barrels of lemon juice. During several centuries silk worms have been successfully reared in the vicinity of Messina, and their produce is to be ranked among the first sources of its opulence. There are several exten sive manufactories of that article here, and many years since 1200 looms were employed in the city. The silks, however, are not highly esteemed, but by the recent in troduction of the machinery constructed in Britain, their fabric throughout Sicily is in a state of progressive im provement. An ample assortment of the produce of the Levant and the Morca is brought hither by the Greeks, consisting of carpets, silks, cotton, timber, fruits, gums, drugs, and other merchandize. During later years a number of British merchants have settled here, by whom an active commerce is prosecuted, yet it is supposed with less real advantage than their original prospects contemplated. Messina is a free port, but not in the full acceptation of that term : and the inhabitants, in consequence of the misfortunes of the city, have had an immunity from taxes for 25 years.