'We continued our route through a plain. The vines here are trained in the manner usual in Italy, that is, in festoons from tree to tree, and form a very rich picture. Crossing several fine bridges, over rivers that are nearly dry in summer, but swell to torrents in the winter, we passed through Castel Guelfo, whence the party of the Guelfs, and the present royal family of England, are said to have taken name. The Alps, now lying far behind us, still were at so short a distance in appearance, that we seemed almost at their feet. On our right was the chain of the Apennines, which, though it accompanied us to the end of our journey, we shaped our course to avoid as much as possible. I had heard of the beauty of the Italian peasantry, of their fine figures, elegant mode of dress, &c.: but though I saw some good-looking girls, the women in general, worn and disfigured by the scorching sun, and hard labour in the fields, were not such as I was blessed with the taste to call handsome.-We breakfasted at Parma, a fine city, celebrated for its theatre, but more interesting to the bibliomaniac as the residence of Bodoni, the printer, whose productions are among the most magnificent that ever issued from the press of any country or any age.

Entering the dominions of the Duke of Modena, and very speedily arriving at his

capital, we honoured him so far as to dine at a very handsome inn, his property. On the stair-case was an inscription, (not, I hope, intended to be addressed to the English,) warning the guests that the laws of the country prohibit water from being thrown from the windows. Modena possesses a noble library, and a university: a fine collection of pictures, which formerly embellished it, was sold to the King of Poland. The territory of this mighty Duke did not afford us a very extended journey: long before evening we reached its boundaries, marked by several large square buildings, at which his dignity and finances require the establishment of corps-de-garde, douane, passportoffices, &c. It is really ludicrous to see these little states, with their pomp, their armies, and all the other encumbrances of great nations, distressing their subjects for the maintenance of a body of troops, who might serve a detachment of an English or French army for breakfast. But the armed force is the only instrument for keeping order, of which the least idea exists on the continent: I am only astonished that their judges do not wear swords on the bench.

A Dogana, bearing the Keys and Triple Crown, announced that we were entering the temporalities of the successors of St. Peter; which, however, we should very soon have

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learned, from the increased number of priests and beggars, and from the appearance of the in habitants, even more ragged and miserable than that of any we had previously seen. Pursuing our journey, through a country growing more rich and fertile as we advanced, we reached Bologna late in the evening,-the most learned city in Italy, large, old-fashioned, with piazzas on both sides its streets, and, it is said, a very agreeable place of residence for strangers. The brother of the king of Naples had arrived here in the morning, and was to take the road to Florence next day. He required sixty posthorses; so that the stations on the other roads were deprived of theirs', to reinforce those by which he passed. No private traveller was allowed horses that day from Bologna, but an exception was made in favour of couriers. There are various remarkable objects in this city, such as one looks to meet with in Italy; towers, churches, tombs, pictures, &c. The cathedral contains the celebrated meridian drawn by Cassini. Leaving the place, I was astonished to find myself accompanied on both sides of the road by an arcade, three miles in length, leading from the city to a monastery.

We passed in the night through several handsome-looking towns-Imola Faenza, Forli, &c.-and reached Rimini in the morning,

Here are considerable remains of antiquity, which I vainly sighed to examine. Our road now lay near the Adriatic Sea, and we reached Pesaro to dinner;-a decent town, but greatly infested with beggars. Near this place we passed the villa for some time occupied by the late Queen of England; a noble mansion, with fine grounds, and charmingly situated; close by is a house inhabited by Bergami. Farro, now a dirty and poor-looking sea-port, would have repaid a short stay, had that been possible, by its vestiges of ancient Roman splendour.

We could no longer avoid the Apennines. Our road lay to the right, quitting the sea, by the ancient Via Flaminia. Ere long we reached the heart of the mountains, by the tremendous pass of the Furlo, a prodigious monument of the power and enterprise of the Romans. The rock is cut by the chisel to a vast extent; and although the mountains could not compare in point of altitude with the Alps, there was a boldness in the entire scenery, which produced almost as great an effect on me as the passage of the Simplon. There was generally a parapet between us and the precipices, which skirted the road, with every where a torrent at their feet: but, parapet or no parapet, the postillions, (four horses being necessary through the mountains,) all drove like madmen, up hill

and down hill, in the bottoms, round huge projecting rocks,-almost constantly at full gallop. This lasted the whole night. We changed horses at some wild-looking towns, and in the morning reached Foligno.

Here we got something they called coffee, but which we could by no means drink, being happy to procure sour wine in its place, together with good bread, for breakfast. We were in a fine country, wild, but containing rich plains and delightful prospects; every where, too, presenting objects of interest to the antiquarian I had for some distance past remarked the beauty of the oxen, which alone were employed in drawing the carts and heavy carriages: they were all of a kind of grey, or whitish mousecolour, and most of them had horns of extraordinary size. I forgot to mention the immense number of glow-worms, which, during the night, covered all the banks; as well as the fire-flies, that were darting in all directions, like scintillations from fire-works, producing a most brilliant appearance. I was not before -aware that the fire-fly existed in Europe.

We passed Spoleto, and, with the assistance of two oxen, climbed the highest mountain of this part of the Apennines, the Somma: whence we descended into a rich plain, covered with olive-trees, and reached Terni. At this place