YOUNti’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.

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made to the church ; every one affured me that they were next to nothing ; but that inthe Ferrarefe they are high.

Tuscany —In many of the countries of Europe , the feizure of edates and effects ofthe jefuits was a rapacious act, to the profit of the Prince or State ; in Tufcany it wasconverted to a more ufeful purpofe. The Grand Duke fet afide thefe revenues forforming a fund called the “ Ecclefiaftical Patrimony,” under the management of a newtribunal, thatfhould enable him gradually to abolilh tithes. This great reform, equallybeneficial to every clafs of the people, has been in execution for many years: as faff asthe prefent incumbents of the livings die, tithes are abolifiied for ever; their fuccefforsenter into pofiefiion of moderate falaries, payable out of thole funds, or raifed by anaddition to the land-tax ; and thus an impolf, of all others the moll mifchievous, isfpeedily extinguifhing, and the agriculture of Tufcany improving in confequence ; pro-portionably to fuch extinction of its former burthens. Many monafieries have been alfofupprelfed, and their revenues applied, in fotne cafes, to the fame ufe; but this hasnot been attended with effedts equally good : the lands are not equally well cultivated ;nor do they yield the fame revenue as formerly ; for the farms of the monks were inthe beft order, adminiitered by themfelves, and every thing carefully attended to. Thiswas not the cafe, however, with convents of women, who being obliged to employ de-puties, their efiates were not equally well managed.

A propofition was lately made by the court to fell all the glebes belonging to the liv-ings, and to add to the falaries of th ecurees in lieu of them; but at a public meeting of theAcademia di Georgofili, Sig. Paoletti, a cure in the neighbourhood of Florence , a practi-cal farmer, and author of fome excellent treatifes on the art, made a fpeech fo pointedlyagainft the fcheme, fraught with fo much good fenfe, and delivered with fo much elo-quence, that the plan was immediately dropped, and refumed no more ; this was equallyto the honour cf Paoletti and of Leopold. When good fenfe is on the throne, fubjebtsneed not fear to fpeak it.

The lightnefs ol the old tithes may be eftimated by the payment which forty farms atVillamagna yield to the fame Sig. Paoletti, the cure, which is 40 fcudi (each ^s. 8d.). andthis is only for his Ufe, to his fuccefior nothing in this kind will be paid. Having men-tioned Sig. Paoletti, and much to his honour, I muff give another anecdote of him, notlefs to his credit; after his Sunday’s fermon, it has long been his practice to offer to hisaudience fome infractions in agriculture, which they are at liberty to liften to or abfentthemfelves, as they pleale. For this practice, which deferved every commendation, hisarchbifhop reproved him. He replied, that he neglebted no duty by offering fuch in-ftruftion, and his congregation could not fuffer, but might profit, and innocently too, bywhat they heard. A fovercign that receives fo much merited praife as the great Leo-pold, can well afford to hear of his faults; firft, why did he not reprovethis prelate for hiscondudt, and by fo doing encourage an attention to agriculture in the clergy ? Secondly,why did he not reward a good farmer, and worthy pried, and excellent writer, withfomething better than this little redtory ? Talents and merit in an inferior fituation,which might be better exerted, are a reproach, not to the poffeffor, but to the prince.

The Grand Duke took the adminidration of the lands belonging to hofpitals and thepoor, into his own hands alfo ; but the effedt of this has not, in the opinion of fome per-sons, been equally beneficial; the poor remain as they were, but the revenue gone; this,in the diocefe of Florence only, amounted, it is faid, to three or four millions of fcudi :if this be true, the mifchief attending fuch revenues mud be enormous; and taking themaway, provided the really ufeful hofpitals be fupported, which is the cafe, mud be bene-ficial. Too many and great edablifhments of this nature nurfe up idlenefs, and create,

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