Naples is far richer in arelheological than in architectural interest. The Musen Nazionale con tains an immense and unsurpassed collection of frescoes, paintings, mosaics. sculptures. antiqui ties, coins, medals, and inscriptions, including objects excavated at Herculaneum and Pompeii. Among its rarest, most celebrated possessions arc the Farnese Bull, the Farnese Hercules, the Alo sale of the Battle of Alexander, the Pompeiian frescoes, and a valuable collection of bronzes and vases.
The splendid Calleria Umberto Milan was completed in 1890 at great expense.
At the head of the educational system is the university (q.v.). There are also an engineering school, an Oriental institute, an astronomical observatory, a botanical garden. several unions for the study and diffusion of many leading branches of knowledge, a marine school. and a royal conservatory of musk. The charitable in stitutions are numerous. on an extensive scale, and ri(Illy endowed. Besides that the uni versity there is the National Library, with over :350,000 volumes, 200,000 pamphlets. and about 8000 manuscripts, Naples has many good play houses. The San Carlos is one of the largest and most famous of opera lionises. The marionette theatres and the theatres where the famous Neapolitan Pulcinella is to be seen are a never failing source of entertainment.
Naples is one of the most important manufac turing centres in Italy. Ships. liwomotives and ears, and stationary engines are built ; and glass. cotton, wool, gloves, perfumery, linen and silk products are manufactured. The extensive steel works are chiefly in the hands of English firms. Copies of ancient vases and bronzes, lava articles. and (-oral and tortoise-shell goods an- also largely dealt in. The commeree of Naples is even more important than are its industries. It has regular communieat ion ht steamers with nearly all imots of the world. The harbor has been much improved in the last decade. The tonnage of vessels entering was 3,3:,6.4:15 in 1900. an in crease of nearly 1,700,000 tons during the decade. The chief articles of import are coal, iron and steel (Great. Britain. Germanv, and Belgium).
grain ( Russia and India 1 lumber (Anst ria-1 fun gory), cotton (United States 117111 ludin1, word, leather. oils, and wines (F ranee), and ehemieal4 (Germany and (treat Britain), The leading ex ports are wine and brandy, (hied and sub ropieal fruits, nuts, paper. and hemp. The total value of the imports in 1900 was 311.591,507, showing an increase of nearly $2,800,000 since 1S98. The exports for 1900 were valued at 320.916.631.
Half of the population of Naples, including the countless lazzaroni and trovatori, were hud dled together in the slums in ancient unsanitary buildings that crowded narrow, crooked streets, until the cholera epidemic of 1884 aroused the whole country. In 1835 the Italian Parliament voted $20,000.000 toward a systematic renovation which, when entirely completed, will cost city and nation not less than $100,000,000. A new water supply was at once introduced from the mountains near Avellino. 50 miles away, and plans were elaborated for a new sewer system, for new streets, new squares, and new buildings. Of 271 old streets 144 were to be abolished and 127 widened; the habitations of 90,000 people were to be destroyed, and the density of the population reduced from 045 to 280 per acre. The work so far has Leen done on contrael by private cam parties, and the resale of street frontage on the new business streets has to some extent reim bursed the Government. The water-works are owned by a private company. The population of Naples in 1901 was 503,731.
Consult: Colletta, History of the Kingdom of Naples, translated by Horner (Edinburgh, 1858) ; Beloch. Kompanirn. Geschiehte wind Topographic des anlIkea .Vcapel (2d ed., Berlin, 1890) ; Balzo, Napoli c i .Vapolitani (Milan, 1884); ; Forbes, Rambles in Naples (New York, 1880); Hare, Cities of Nouthern !tally (London, 1883) ; Waters, Naples (Boston, 1S94); Pellet, Naples , contemporain( Paris, 1894) ; Rolfe, Naples in the Nineties (London. 1897) ; Whitehouse, The Col lapse of the Kingdom of Naples (New York, 1899) ; Norway, Naples Past and Present (New York, 1901); Rispoli, La prorineia e la cilia di Napoli (Naples, 1902).