Even The Stuff That Is Left After All
These Operations, Consisting Of The Dried Pulp, Is Sold For Fuel,
And Used In Brasieres For Warming Apartments Which Have No
Chimney.
I have now specified all the manufactures of Nice which are worth
mentioning.
True it is, there is some coarse paper made in this
neighbourhood; there are also people here who dress skins and
make leather for the use of the inhabitants: but this business is
very ill performed: the gloves and shoes are generally rotten as
they come from the hands of the maker. Carpenter's, joiner's, and
blacksmith's work is very coarsely and clumsily done. There are
no chairs to be had at Nice, but crazy things made of a few
sticks, with rush bottoms, which are sold for twelve livres a
dozen. Nothing can be more contemptible than the hard-ware made
in this place, such as knives, scissors, and candle-snuffers. All
utensils in brass and copper are very ill made and finished. The
silver-smiths make nothing but spoons, forks, paultry rings, and
crosses for the necks of the women.
The houses are built of a ragged stone dug from the mountains,
and the interstices are filled with rubble; so that the walls
would appear very ugly, if they were not covered with plaister,
which has a good effect. They generally consist of three stories,
and are covered with tiles. The apartments of the better sort are
large and lofty, the floors paved with brick, the roofs covered
with a thick coat of stucco, and the walls whitewashed. People of
distinction hang their chambers with damask, striped silk,
painted cloths, tapestry, or printed linnen. All the doors, as
well as the windows, consist of folding leaves. As there is no
wainscot in the rooms, which are divided by stone partitions and
the floors and cieling are covered with brick and stucco, fires
are of much less dreadful consequence here than in our country.
Wainscot would afford harbour for bugs: besides, white walls have
a better effect in this hot climate. The beds commonly used in
this place, and all over Italy, consist of a paillasse, with one
or two mattrasses, laid upon planks, supported by two wooden
benches. Instead of curtains there is a couziniere or mosquito
net, made of a kind of gauze, that opens and contracts
occasionally, and incloses the place where you lie: persons of
condition, however, have also bedsteads and curtains; but these
last are never used in the summer.
In these countries, people of all ranks dine exactly at noon; and
this is the time I seize in winter, for making my daily tour of
the streets and ramparts, which at all other hours of the day are
crowded with men, women, children and beasts of burthen. The
rampart is the common road for carriages of all kinds. I think
there are two private coaches in Nice, besides that of the
commandant: but there are sedan chairs, which may be had at a
reasonable rate.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 167 of 276
Words from 86167 to 86670
of 143308
