I Think The Pride Or Ostentation Of The Italians In General Takes
A More Laudable Turn Than That Of Other Nations.
A Frenchman lays
out his whole revenue upon tawdry suits of cloaths, or in
furnishing a magnificent repas of fifty or a hundred dishes, one
half of which are not eatable nor intended to be eaten.
His
wardrobe goes to the fripier; his dishes to the dogs, and himself
to the devil, and after his decease no vestige of him remains. A
Genoese, on the other hand, keeps himself and his family at short
allowance, that he may save money to build palaces and churches,
which remain to after-ages so many monuments of his taste, piety,
and munificence; and in the mean time give employment and bread
to the poor and industrious. There are some Genoese nobles who
have each five or six elegant palaces magnificently furnished,
either in the city, or in different parts of the Riviera. The two
streets called Strada Balbi and Strada Nuova, are continued
double ranges of palaces adorned with gardens and fountains: but
their being painted on the outside has, in my opinion, a poor
effect.
The commerce of this city is, at present, not very considerable;
yet it has the face of business. The streets are crowded with
people; the shops are well furnished; and the markets abound with
all sorts of excellent provision. The wine made in this
neighbourhood is, however, very indifferent; and all that is
consumed must be bought at the public cantine, where it is sold
for the benefit of the state. Their bread is the whitest and the
best I have tasted any where; and the beef, which they have from
Piedmont, is juicy and delicious. The expence of eating in Italy
is nearly the same as in France, about three shillings a head for
every meal. The state of Genoa is very poor, and their bank of
St. George has received such rude shocks, first from the revolt
of the Corsicans, and afterwards from the misfortunes of the
city, when it was taken by the Austrians in the war of 1745, that
it still continues to languish without any near prospect of its
credit being restored. Nothing shews the weakness of their state,
more than their having recourse to the assistance of France to
put a stop to the progress of Paoli in Corsica; for after all
that has been said of the gallantry and courage of Paoli and his
islanders, I am very credibly informed that they might be very
easily suppressed, if the Genoese had either vigour in the council
or resolution in the field.
True it is, they made a noble effort in expelling the Austrians
who had taken possession of their city; but this effort was the
effect of oppression and despair, and if I may believe the
insinuations of some politicians in this part of the world, the
Genoese would not have succeeded in that attempt, if they had not
previously purchased with a large sum of money the connivance of
the only person who could defeat the enterprize. For my own part,
I can scarce entertain thoughts so prejudicial to the character
of human nature, as to suppose a man capable of sacrificing to
such a consideration, the duty he owed his prince, as well as all
regard to the lives of his soldiers, even those who lay sick in
hospitals, and who, being dragged forth, were miserably butchered
by the furious populace. There is one more presumption of his
innocence, he still retains the favour of his sovereign, who
could not well be supposed to share in the booty. "There are
mysteries in politics which were never dreamed of in our
philosophy, Horatio!" The possession of Genoa might have proved a
troublesome bone of contention, which it might be convenient to
lose by accident. Certain it is, when the Austrians returned
after their expulsion, in order to retake the city, the engineer,
being questioned by the general, declared he would take the place
in fifteen days, on pain of losing his head; and in four days
after this declaration the Austrians retired. This anecdote I
learned from a worthy gentleman of this country, who had it from
the engineer's own mouth. Perhaps it was the will of heaven. You
see how favourably, providence has interposed in behalf of the
reigning empress of Russia, first in removing her husband:
secondly in ordaining the assassination of prince Ivan, for which
the perpetrators have been so liberally rewarded; it even seems
determined to shorten the life of her own son, the only surviving
rival from whom she had any thing to fear.
The Genoese have now thrown themselves into the arms of France
for protection: I know not whether it would not have been a
greater mark of sagacity to cultivate the friendship of England,
with which they carry on an advantageous commerce. While the
English are masters of the Mediterranean, they will always have
it in their power to do incredible damage all along the Riviera,
to ruin the Genoese trade by sea, and even to annoy the capital;
for notwithstanding all the pains they have taken to fortify the
mole and the city, I am greatly deceived if it is not still
exposed to the danger, not only of a bombardment, but even of a
cannonade. I am even sanguine enough to think a resolute
commander might, with a strong squadron, sail directly into the
harbour, without sustaining much damage, notwithstanding all the
cannon of the place, which are said to amount to near five
hundred. I have seen a cannonade of above four hundred pieces of
artillery, besides bombs and cohorns, maintained for many hours,
without doing much mischief.
During the last siege of Genoa, the French auxiliaries were
obliged to wait at Monaco, until a gale of wind had driven the
English squadron off the coast, and then they went along shore in
small vessels at the imminent risque of being taken by the
British cruisers.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 94 of 141
Words from 94684 to 95692
of 143308
