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pus is the largest of all, but so completely in ruin as to suggest strong doubts whether it ever was finished. Among the remarkable exaggerations of antiquity, may be classed the current opinion that Agrigentum possessed a population of 800,coo; a number nearly equal to half of the present inhabitants of the island.

The introduction to this volume, which, as well as the letters, proceeds from the pen of Mr. Vaughan, contains, in a somewhat graver style, observations of similar import on the character of the Sicilians. In adverting to their slow process in improvement, considerable stress is laid on the uncertainty under which the inhabitants have remained with regard to the continuance of their present political situation. Notwithstanding their respect for the British army, a general apprehension prevailed till of late that the means of defence would prove inadequate whenever Bonaparte should plan a serious attack. It is to this temporary feeling, and not to inherent indolence, that Mr. Vaughan is desirous of ascribing the present inertness of the Sicilians; who, he,maintains, are not only highly temperate, but possessed of considerable intelligence and industry. The Englishman (he adds) who, in walking abroad in the middle. of the day, finds the shops shut and the people asleep, must not suppose that they are indolent and listless, since they universally rise with the sun, and will work, if necessary, half the night. A hatred of the French exists among every class, but is more particularly conspicuous in the peasantry. The remembrance of the Sicilian Vespers, in which every Frenchman in the island was assassinated, remains fresh in their recollection, after the lapse of five centuries, and was revived by a recent massacre, happily of less extent but equally shocking in its circumstances; - we allude to the catastrophe at the town of Augusta in the year 1800, in which 300 French invalids were sacrificed. In the attempt of last summer by Murat, the peasantry, though rudely armed, came forwards to take an active share in the defence: but the inhabitants of the towns were not equally on the alert.-The disaffection of the Sicilians to their present sovereigns, and the question of supporting them in their demands of reform, are points scarcely touched by Mr.Vaughan; and still less by the Abbate Balsamo, who professes himself the warm panegyrist of His Sicilian Majesty. It appears, however, that the only military force of the court consists of 8000 Nea. politans; and that they are carefully stationed at the royal resi dence of Palermo, instead of standing in the front of battle at Messina. These two cities are by much the largest in the island; Messina containing 80,000 inhabitants; and Palermo, or,

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as the Abbate calls it, the great, the rich, the salubrious Palermo,' having a population of 150,000.

We shall conclude our extracts from Mr. Vaughan's epistolary compositions with his account of the restraints on the Sicilian press, and his directions to those of his countrymen who propose going to that island:

At two o'clock I arrived at Caltagirone, which is a large and fine town, of 20,000 inhabitants: upon my arrival in the market-place I was surrounded by a crowd, with cries of" Viva l' Inglese,”—all anxious to hear the news from the coast, at this interesting periodfor it is inconceivable how little intercourse of information there is to the inland towns of Sicily, that are not immediately in the high read from the capital to Messina, &c. I conceive there is the same sort of information of what is doing at Petersburg, in the deserts of Siberia---that is to say, by the arrival of a traveller, who says what he pleases. They absolutely know nothing - there are no newspapers published in Sicily, where the press is severely restricted, except the Gazetta" of Palermo, which has only a few extracts from foreign papers, and no domestic news whatever, except the arrival and departure of the royal family; and the "Gazetta Britannica," established lately at Messina, since the English have been there, which of course only gives military and circumscribed details.'

You ask me for memoranda of what travellers to Sicily, parti.cularly as residents, ought to take with them.

All that relates to their personal comforts of every description, and dress, both for ladies and gentlemen-except silks- they are cheaper and excellent; and ladies shoes and gloves, which are made from English patterns, both cheaper and good.

All that relates to the table, linen, china, glass, &c. most certainly, not only for the comfort of them while there, but, upon returning to England, so far from losing any thing by them, they will sell for from 50 to 100 per cent. (supposing the island to remain as it does) more than they cost - consequently they cost near 100 per cent. more to purchase.

All household furniture that can be conveniently carried (for the reason above mentioned.) except beds, chairs, and Turkey carpets : the latter are got from Malta (from Smyrna) cheaper and handsome; chairs of the country are four or five shillings, and the bedsteads in use are uniformly iron-feather beds never: therefore mattrasses may be taken, although they are made most excellently in the countrythe Sicilians use nothing else.' ---

For servants-personal and tried servants of course are necessary and useful in all countries; but it is of infinite importance to have at least one who can speak the language, and is used to the countrya cook must by no means be taken. There is no female cook throughout the country-and the method of cooking, the materials, and whole style of the kitchen, are totally different what can an English cook do where the kitchen is at the top of the house; and no kitchen fire, for it is all charcoal and stoves; no suet, &c.? The English housekeeper is also completely posed neither milk, nor

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cream,

cream, nor butter for pastry-nor a stock kept of any thing; for the man-cook (and one will present himself immediately on landing) goes to market and purchases every day "for the evil thereof," and no more---and so on again.So that you have in one view the whole of your expenses day after day, that is, if you choose to look at your bills---but it is in the cook's bills that you are most dreadfully plundered, and for which there is scarce any remedy ---- and that is your chief head of expense. The art of cookery itself throughout Italy (and perhaps the Neapolitan stands next to the French,) is held in high estimation, as well as in Sicily, where the cooks amongst themselves are called by much higher titles than we are accustomed to hear of. The great man himself is styled a professor, and the youths who attend upon him (answering to our cook's maid), are all Adjutantes. Nevertheless the style of their cookery is exceedingly unpalatable to the English country gentlemen at first, who have been accustomed at home to good roast and boiled. All is stewed and compounded--no wholesome-looking English brown.' ---

Upon the whole we may say, the fewer English servants the better. They are, in fact, helpless as the family is itself at first, and extremely expensive, if they happen to dislike it and think fit to come home. The wages for Sicilian servants are; for a good cook about fifteen dollars a month (or three pounds fifteen shillings,) a tolerable man-servant, who clothes himself, about ten or twelve (or three pounds;) a female servant, four dollars a month (or one pound.) I speak of Messina, where every thing is doubled, as is unfortunately the case wherever the English reside abroad: in other parts of the country, and amongst the natives, it may be taken at about half. All these payments are made by the month, as well as rent for your house, and a month in advance. Take a cow if you can, both for comfort on ship-board and use when you get there.'

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In summing up the evidence for a critical verdict on the volume before us, our attention is naturally directed to two parties, the Abbate and Mr. Vaughan. The former should be considered as a servant of the crown, and accordingly not likely to come boldly forwards and "instruct his monarch where his error lies." Though his anticipations are sometimes sanguine, we deem it less necessary to caution our readers on that score, than on his silence in regard to those abuses in the tem of government, which constitute the fundamental cause of the evils of Sicily. It is proper, also, to keep in mind that both the style and the matter of his journal bear the marks of haste. In one of his grandest effusions, indeed, we mean that in which (p. 195. and 223.) he exclaims on the beauty of the plain of Catania, and calls it the antient Campi Leontini, —he is contradicted, ore rotundo, by his translator. Mr. Vaughan writes (p. 224.) a long note to shew that the plain of Catania, at certain seasons of the year, is very far from being intitled to the Abbate's eulogium; and that the real site of the Campi Leontini was to the southward, in a tract of land which, though

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now totally neglected, continues to bear evident marks of former fertility. Making these deductions from the Professor's accuracy, and pronouncing that his journal is devoid of interest to general readers, we have pleasure in stating, on the other hand, that his views are always benevolent; and that his information, even in regard to foreign countries, qualifies him to rank in a respectable class. Of Mr. Vaughan we have little to add to what has been already mentioned of his performance, both as a writer and an editor. He has prefixed to his book a good map, and a clear table of contents; and had he confined the printed matter to his own compositions, and to extracts from select passages of the Abbate's journal, he would have given to the public a much more acceptable book in half the size. Our chief objections to his notes and letters regard the introduction of common-place quotations; and we must not omit to notice, both in his and in the Abbate's part of the book, a superabundance of typographical errors. The Abbate's tour, for example, is said in one passage (Introduction, p.2.) to have taken place in May 1808;' and in another (beginning of Chapter 1.) in May 1809.' In one place (p. 180.) we have render' for rendering;' and in another, (p. 249.) 6 or 7 oz.' for what should probably be 600 or 700 oz. Mr. Vaughan animadverts rather pointedly (p. 224.) on the quaint and incorrect expressions of his friend, the Abbate : but what has he to say, in his own behalf, for such elegancies as (App. p. 66.) tall houses;' or (p. 78.) a robustious landlady?' His whole composition, indeed, is remarkably inelegant and incorrect.

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ART. II. Magna Britannia; being a concise Topographical Account of the several Counties of Great Britain. By the Rev. Daniel Lysons, A. M. F.R.S. F.A. and L.S. Rector of Rodmarton in Gloucestershire; and Samuel Lysons, Esq. F.R.S. and F.A.S. Keeper of His Majesty's Records in the Tower of London. Vol. II. Part 1. containing Cambridgeshire, and Part 2. containing Cheshire. 4to. pp. 889. 51. 15s. 6d. Boards.

Cadell and Davies. 1810.

THE

HE first volume of this elaborate work was introduced to our readers, with general commendation, in M. R. Vol.53. N.S. p. 370. With regard to its design, however, we have heard it remarked by some persons who have paid attention to general topography, that the plan was not particularly happy, because in the present era the subject is become so extended, and the materials so copious, that it is scarcely possible for any individuals, however industrious and experienced, to do justice to such an undertaking. When the study of topography was in its infancy, they have said, all that was interesting might well be contained

in a narrow compass; the celebrated Camden acquired great reputation by writing a moderate-sized volume of this description; and as farther information was obtained, considerable additions were made, and at length a voluminous edition was published by that industrious antiquary, Mr. Gough. Here then, it has been observed, alł general publications of the kind might have ceased; since, as knowlege grew more diffused, and new sources of information opened, the topography of single counties was recorded by separate writers; and it could not be supposed that individuals, strangers to the district, would undertake what had already been treated by those who were long resident on the spot. The objection certainly is not without reason: yet we before thought, and still think, that it is possible for persons of talent and industry, by minute researches, to supply information in cases in which former accounts are defective; and, by the exercise of their judgment, to condense those details which had grown tedious and prolix. We are of opinion, therefore, that such a work as the present, proceeding from such competent hands, may be of no small utility, and that its appearance may be hailed by the public with considerable satisfaction.

In our former article, we mentioned that this account of the provinces proceeded alphabetically; and we then were, as we now are, at a loss to conceive why that mode was adopted, since no advantage seems to be derived from it, and the compilers are in consequence liable to considerable inconvenience. When the information is contained in one or a small number of volumes, as in Camden's book, and those of his successors, such a mode was eligible because it facilitated reference: but in this work, which will extend to a great length, such a method is useless. Almost the only semblance of benefit, that readers derive from this mode, is that they know before-hand which county is to be next described; whereas the compilers bind themselves to proceed in it, whether the materials for the county that comes in its turn be all collected or not. Indeed, this evil has been already felt; for it is announced that an Appendix to the first volume, containing additions and corrections, and several supplementary plates, is in forward

ness.

While we were perusing the first volume, we could not help perceiving another disadvantage to which the compilers were exposed; viz. that they designed to bring their accounts within an equal compass; though several of the counties, being of much greater extent and importance than others, would necessarily (if justice were done to them) require much greater detail of information. Of this objection, also, the compilers soon

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