Charitable institutions are numerous, including hospitals for the infirm, foundling hospitals, orphan asylums, workhouses, monti-di pieth, infant asylums, and societies of charitable persons who assist the sick poor, relieve prisoners, give portions to poor girls being married, afford instruction to children, distribute clothes nud other necessaries to the iudigent, and bury the dead. The Jewish population at Leghorn have their own charitable institutions and schools.
The principal states of Europe and America have representatives at Floreuce, and consuls from all the great commercial nations and cities of the Christian world reside in Leghorn. Railways connect Florence with Pisa—ono running through Pistoja and Lucca, the other through Empoli and Poutedera. From Pisa a line runs down the coast to Leghorn, and from Empoli another line runs south-east to Sieua. Steamers ply from Leghorn to Naples, Marseille, and other ports of the Mediterranean.
sketch of the ancient history of the country is given under ETRURIA. After the fall of the Western Empire, Etruria became A province of the kingdom of the Goths, and afterwards of the Lon gobards. Under the Lougobards it was divided into Tuscia Regni, which included the duchies of Lucca, Florence, and Clusium; and Tuscia Longobardorum, which comprised the duchy of Castro, the present papal province of Viterbo. Gradually the name of Tuseia, or Tuscany, became restricted to the former division only. Under Charlemagne and his successors Tuscany was admiuistered by mar quises, from whom was descended Matilda, daughter of Count Bouiface III., who during a long life was a strenuous supporter of the Holy See agaiust the German emperors, and enriched it by large donations of territory. Matilda died in 1115, leaving no issue, and the series of the marquises of Tuscany ended with her; for though the emperors of Germany as kings of Italy continued for a time to appoint imperial vicars in Tuscany, their authority was little more than nomival, as the republics of Florence, Pisa, Sieua, Arezzo, Pistoja, and Lucca divided the country nmoug them. [Ftortexce ; Pisa; Susie.] Florence, having conquered Pisa, became the pre dominant power in Tuscany. After the fall of the republic in 1530, Charles V. appointed Alessandro de' Medici, an illegitimate son of Lorenzo, duke of Urbino, to be duke of Florence. Alessandro was murdered by his cousin Lorenzino do' Medici in January 1537; but the party of the Medici, headed by Guieciardini, the historian, pro claimed Cosmo de' Medici, son of Giovanui. Cosmo was the fouuder of the graud-dueal dynasty of Tuscany, having united Siena to his other domiuions.
1574. Cosmo died, and was succeeded by his son Francis I. 1587. Frauds died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother Fer dinand I., who was the great benefactor of Leghorn. 1609. Ferdinand died, and was succeeded by his son Cosmo II., who, in defending the coast, against the Barbary corsairs, obtained various successes at sea.
1621. Cosmo H. died, and was succeeded by his son Ferdinand II., whose long reign was an age of decline for Tuscany. 1670. Ferdinand was succeeded by his eon Comm III., under whom the condition of Tuscany continued to docliue. 1723. Cosino was sueceeded by his son Glen Gastone, a debauebee, who died without issue, and with him ended the grand-ducal dynasty of Medici. He was succeeded, accord ing to an agreement between the great powers, by Francis, duke of Lorraine and Bar, whose territories were given to Stanislas Leczinski (ex-king of Poland). Francis married the archduchess Maria Theresa, daughter and heiress of Charles VI. of Austria, emperor of Germany. Tuscany was governed by a regency, while Francis and Maria Theresa resided chiefly at Vienna.
1765. Francis II. of Tuscany and I. of Germany died. His eldest son Joseph succeeded him as emperor of Germany, and his second son Leopold succeeded him as grand-duke of Tuscany. The reign of Leopold L will ever be memorable in the history of Tuscany as a period of revival of industry and prosperity, of improvement in every department of administration, of order, peace, and an enlightened legislation.
1790. Leopold having succeeded his brother Joseph II. as emperor of Germany stud sovereign of the Austrian dominions, and his eldest eon Francis being thereby hereditary prince of the Austrian monarchy, the grand-ducal crown of Tuscany devolved upon his second son, Ferdinand 111., who followed the wise and liberal system of adminis tration pnraued by his father. In the war of the French revolution ha strove to remain neutral, but Bonaparte (1796) disregarded the neutrality of Tuscany. The grand-duke however retained a precarious possession of Tuscany till 1799, when the French Executive Directory ordered the occupation of Tuscany by its troops, and the grand-duke was obliged to withdraw to Germany. By the peace of Luneville (1801). between France and Austria, Ferdinand renonnced Tuscany, which Bonaparte gave to Don Ludovico Bourbon, hereditary prince of Parma, with the name of 'kingdom of Etruria. In 1S03 Ludovico died, and his widow, Maria Lnisa of Spain, became regent of Tuscany in the name of her son, a minor.