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of a greater antiquity*: for which alfo P. Frifi feems to contend, when he fays exprefslythat the canal made by the people of Pavia was more antient than 1177!.

And here it may be worth remarking, that Pavia was the capital and refidence ofTheodoric, whence there refults, at lead, a prefumption, if he fent to Africa for a per-fon to indru£t the Italians in irrigation, that here was the field of his exertions, and thatthis very canal was the work of that fovereign, not the lefs celebrated for thus laudablyapplying himfelf in a barbarous age to works that would do honour to the politeft. Butto return from this long digreffion.

The fame law that has been fo effeftual in watering Piedmont, operates here alfo,and has done even greater things. He who difcovers a fpring, conducts it where hepleafes, paying a fixed compenfation J for cutting through the properties of others. Allrivers belong, as in Piedmont, to the fovereign, who fells the waters to fpeculators forthis mod beneficial purpofe of irrigation. In the didribution of it by fale, they do notmeafure by the hour, as in Piedmont, but by the ounce; twelve ounces are a braccio,or twenty-two inches : an ounce of water is a dream that runs one braccio long and oneounce deep ; and the farther the water has run, the higher is the price as being morecharged with manure.

As an example of the beneficial influence of this law', I was {hewn between Milan andPavia, a fpring that was difcovered two miles from the lands of the difcoverer, the pro-perties of many perfons lying between him and the fpring. He firft bought the pro-perty of the perfon in whofe land it was fituated, which was eafily done, as it was toolow to be there of any ufe; then he conducted it by a trench at pleafure the two miles,paying the fixed price for cutting through his neighbours lands; and, having gained itupon his own, prefently changed poor hungry arable gravel into a very fine wateredmeadow.

Near Milan a watered meadow fells at 800 livres the pertica (32I. 15s. the Englifhacre;) and the rent of fuch is about 30 livres (il. 5s. the Englifh acre.) This mutt not,however, beclalfed high ; for there are lands that rife to 4000 livres, (163I. the Eng-lifh acre.) In land at 800livres or 1009 livres, water often makes half of the value;that is, the rent to the owner of the land will be 15 livres to 20 livres, and as much tofome other perfon for the water.

In viewing a great farm fix or feven miles from Milan, in the road to Pavia, I foundthat all the watered meadow was mown four times ; and that what was watered in win-ter, prati dimercita , five times. Such is the value of water here, that this farm, whichwatered is rented at 20 livres the pertica, would not let at more than 6 livres withoutwater, the foil being gravel. The irrigation of the mercita begins in Oftober, and lads' till March, when it is regulated like all other meadows. All in general begin in April,and lad till September; and if there be no rain once in feven to fifteen days. An

* Stone di Milano, tomo i. p. 334.

f Con tutte quefio perb, fe impartial menteft vorrd avere riguarde al tempo, alle circon/lantce, alia maejlria dellavoro, il naviglio di Milano che forma la commutiicazione del Tefmo, e dell’Adda, potra pajfare per il capo d'opera,che ubbiamo in quejlo genere. Per quanto dice il Sigonio nel libro 14 del regno d’Italia tdl’anno 11 79, pare cbeil primo tronco dellojlejfo Naviglio, del ‘Tejino ad Abbiate Grajfo, fojfe gid dai tempi piu antichi incominciato ejini-to daipavefi per irrigare le vicine loro cumpagne. Fu nell'anno 1176 che i Milaneji condujfero lo JleJfo cavo daAbbiate a Cor/ico, e a Milano. Nuova Raccolta, vol. ill. p. 97.

f Thefe laws, relative to the condudt of irrigation, are as old as the republic of Milan ; firft compiledinto a colleftion of ftatutes and cuftoms in 1216. {Vtrri p. 239.) They were revifed and collected by orderof Charles V. and are in full force to this day. Confittutiones Dominii Mediolanenfis Decretit et Senatus Con •fvltis. Gab. Verri. Folio , 1747. De aquis etjluminibus, p. ltd.

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