Italy has always been celebrated for the beauty of the articles
manufactured there; and the things it has sent us now are certainly
worthy of its fame. It is one of the loveliest countries in the world,
in the spring and autumn, and is ornamented with the richest foliage;
vines, mulberry, olive, and orange trees; and with high hills and deep
dales, towns, villas, and villages. The soil is extremely fertile, and
produces abundance of grain, the finest fruits and vegetables, with
flax, saffron, and manna. The climate is delightful, except in
summer, when the weather is dreadfully hot, and the winters are so
mild, that ice and snow are quite rarities, except in the mountains; I
wonder what my little-boy friends would do there, for a skate on the
ice, or a merry game of snow-balls?

Rome, the capital of Italy, is a splendid city, full of the remains of
ancient temples, pillars, arches, and fountains; but many of them
sadly ruinous and decayed. There are a great many Jews in it, who are
forced to live in a particular part, called the _ghetto_, which means
a place for Jews. The city of Rome and the surrounding country are
very unwholesome during summer, in consequence of the land not being
properly drained, as it used to be in the times of the ancient Romans,
so that it is dangerous to dwell near them at that season of the year.
The numerous vineyards in Italy, are not divided by hedges, but by
rows of rather fine trees, the vines clinging in graceful festoons
from one bough to another. In some parts of the country, there are
various picturesque corn fields and meadows, bordered by olive trees.

The Italians are not a very industrious people, but they make silk
stockings, soap, snuff-boxes of the lava of Mount Vesuvius, tables of
marble, and ornaments of shells, besides gloves and caps of the