young’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.

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nufa&ures *, at prices that ought to mark the direct influence of iinmenfe induflry; forit rifes from 3d. to icol. an acre, through a territory not comparable for foil naturallyto many others. I will venture to affert, that the fame land in England, would not fellfor half, perhaps not for one third of the money. And it is worthy of remark, that thecities which polfefs moll trade at prefent, as Leghorn, Genoa, and Venice , have littleinfluence on the lands which fell at the prices here noted. It is not the competition ofVenetian merchants that raifes the prices on the terra firma ; and what have thofe ofLeghorn and Genoa to do with the Milanefe and Piedmont ? If Leghorn has not cul-tivated the Maremma, how was it to water the Lodizan ? Bologna is perhaps the moftmanufacturing town in Lombardy ; but has it drained the Commachio ? If you recurnot to prefent, but to ancient wealth, you mufl turn to Florence f, Pifa, Genoa , andVenice ; the two firft are in one of the word cultivated countries in Italy : of Genoa Iknow nothing but by reading ; but I have read no author that fpeaks of great cultiva-tion in the Ligurian territory, free from fmall prefent proprietors : and let it be remem-bered, becaufe it is a circumftance that merits it, that great commerce and fabrics,efpecially when depending on a city that governs a territory, have a diredt tendency notto eftablifh, but to annihilate fuch properties.

The effedt of great wealth flowing from induflry, is to extirpate little properties by theprofits from trade being inverted in their purchafe ; one country gentleman, with half al'core farmers, and a hundred labourers, takes the place in countries, where the progrefsof wealth is in its natural courfe, of a number of little proprietors, who eat up all theirproduce, and yet are half ftarving for want. Is this the cafe in the Genoefe territory ?

I am fure it is not at Venice .

The fureft proof of the want of difleminating wealth in the country, is the almoft uni-verfal practice of cultivating the land by metayers; if trade and commerce did muchfor Italy , which cannot be doubted, you mufl look for their effects, not in the country,but in towns. Thofe cities that poffefled much induflry (which I have named), carryfure proofs of former profperity: go out of their gates, and you meet with none—fromwhat did this arife ? Probably from thofe cities being fovereign ones, and fhackling thecountry with every fpecies of monopoly, in favour of themfelves. What is it thereforethat will diffufe wealth through all the clafles, and give verdure to the fields, as w'ell asluflre to the towns ? An equitable government. Whatever we polfefs in England, weowe to this origin ; and it highly deferves notice, that it is not a cultivation fuperior tothat of other countries, which diftinguiflies our ifland fo much, as the eftablifliment ofa race of men generally found no where elfe; a fubftantial and wealthy race of tenantry;a race found in every corner of England : in Lombardy , you mufl go for fuch, not toFlorence and Genoa , but to the Lodizan.

* Every one knows, that, ftridlly fpeaking, there are both trade and manufadlures in all parts of Lom-bardy ; converting raw to organized filk, is certainly a manufadlure ; and making a few velvets at Genoa ,or glafs beads at Venice, are manufadlures ; but, for all the purpofes of argument, Lombardy , when com-pared to fuch countries as England and France , mull; be faid to be almoft deftitute of them.

+ I'or the immenfe manufadlures and wealth of Florence in the fourteenth century, fee Giovanni Villani ,lib. ii. cap. 93. “ In Firenze le Botteghe (anno 1330) dell’arte della land erano dugento epiu e facevano da Jet-

tanta in ottanta villa panni^di valuta di piu di mille dugento migliaja at forini d’oro (fono a feudi fiorentini22,860.000) che bene il terzo e piu rimaneva nella terra per ovraggio fenzs il guadagno de'lanajuoti. Del deltaivraggia vivevano piu di 30,000 perfonne. ?e per tutti i prodotti e manifatture dell’intera Tofcana pre-lentemente non entra piu di un milione due centomila feudi; chiaro e, che tempo ta la lola arte della lanain Firenze produceva venti volte piu utile di quello, che prefentemente ne faccia tutto lo ftato. Car/i Saggiotiepra la Tofcana, op. i. p. 34.8.

A raeft Angular law paffed during the republic of Florence , that no man fhould make proof of nobility,who was not able to deduce it from the manufadfure of wool or ftlk, Carli, tomo v. p. 335. A morecommercial idea couldno where root itfelf.

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Chap.