of giving us any material informa tion on this head.

Whateverweight,however, thefe. anfwers may be thought to carry with them, it is as much incumbent upon thofe who maintain the migration of fwallows from Europe to Africa, to inform us where and when they moult, as it is upon thofe who deny that they pafs from one continent to another.

An Account of the Island of Corfica; from the Appendix to the private Life of Lewis XV. Tranflated from the French by J. O. Jufta mond, F. R. S.

TH

HE iland of Corfica is fituated in the Mediterranean, between 39 and 42 degrees latitude, lying between the island of Sardinia to the fouth, and the coafts of Italy to the north. Its greatest length is from Capo Bonifacio to the fouth, as far as Capo Corfe to the north; this makes 160 Italian leagues. Its breadth comprehends 75 of the fame leagues, from Capo Galien to the weft, as far as the lake Urbino to the east; itswhole circumferenceisreckoned to amount to 225 Italian leagues.

This ifland is divided in ten jurifdictions, and four fiefs, compofing 68 pieves.

By pieves we are to understand a certain number of leagues included under the fame adminiftration, although they are dependent on feveral parishes which compofe each jurifdiction.

Of thefe, ten jurifdictions, fix are on this fide the mountains ; thefe are Capo Corfo, Balagna, Calvi, Baftia, Certo, Alleria; and

three fiefs, namely, Nouza, Brande, and Canary.

The other four jurisdictions are fituated beyond the mountains; they are Vico, Ajaccio, Sartene, Bonifacio, and the fief of Iftria.

There are five bifhoprics in this ifland, Mariana, Nebbio, Alleria, Ajaccio, and Sagorne.

The interior part of the lands is covered with mountains, feve ral of which are planted with olive and chefnut trees, and furnish pafture for the flocks; between thefe heights there are many fertile plains; they abound in vines, orange, bergamot, citron, olive, and feveral other fruit trees. Upon the highest of thefe mountains, which is called Gradanio, are the lake of Cremo and of Dino, at no great diftance from each other. From the first, iffue the rivers of Liamono and Tarignano, one of which flows towards the weft, and the other in a contrary direction; that of Gaulo, iffues from the lake Dino, and discharges itfelf into the fea near Mariana. Befide these three rivers, the most confiderable in the island, and which, with fome expence, might be rendered navigable, there are feveral others; there are only fmall streams, interfecting almoft all the plains, and which would render them still more fertile, if their channels were multiplied.

The little province of Balagna is in every refpect the most abundant of Cortica; that of Capq Corfo, although the most exposed, is very near as good; and all, or almost all of them, require only the labour of the cultivator.

As for the productions, befides the vines I have mentioned, which yield a white and red wine, that

might with care be made comparable to the wines of Candia, Cyprus, Syracufe, and Malaga; corn might alfo be produced there in great plenty, if the territory were fertilized in a small degree; and, notwithstanding the idlenefs of the inhabitants, nature, in fome measure too luxuriant, fometimes deceives their indolence, and presents them with a very abundant harvest. There is no want of cattle; birds of all kinds are to be feen here, and quantities of game, efpecially the red-legged partridge. During the winter a fufficient quantity of them are caught with a net, to furnish feveral towns in Italy. This feafon likewife produces a quantity of black birds, which are in no estimation any where else, but are here very delicate, and much fought after.

There is therefore nothing wanting in Corfica, with respect to eatables, except good cooks to drefs all these provifions. But, independent of the articles of primary neceffity, the arts and commerce would alfo find opportunities to exert themselves.

There are in this country feve ral baths, as well hot as cold; mineral waters, ferviceable in all kinds of difeafes; olive trees, which would furnish a confiderconfiderable oil trade, and fit to supply France; mulberry-trees and filk worms, which, with induftry and activity, would enable us to do without the filks of Italy; timber for mafts, and fhip-building,which would indemnify us for the lofs of that of Canada; gold, filver, copper, and iron mines; quarries of marble and porphyry; a cryftal of the greatest beauty, by the diverity of its colours, and which

is formed in the mountain of Borgnano.

In general, the climate of the island is the finest in the world. The sky is never darkened two days together. There is fcarce any winter: the heats of the fummer are moderated in the mountains by the north winds; they are more violent in the towns of Baftia, St. Fiorenzo, la Gagliola, Calvi, and Ajaccio. The illneffes to which the troops are subject, are attributed to the heat of the air; and I believe they proceed rather from want of good water, which thofe places are very deficient in during the fummer, but which might be easily brought down from the mountains.

From this fhort account, Sir, you will readily judge of the truth of my fpeculations. I will not diffemble, that these advantages are counterbalanced by the enormous expences which must be incurred in that island, to secure it from the infults, not only of the natural inhabitants, whom I fuppose to be fubdued, but of foreigners. The extent of its coaft, and the facility of landing in several places, would require labours, the calculation of which is alarming. Moft of the towns are dismantled, or very imperfectly fortified; the ports either filled up or in bad condition. Corto, formerly the capital of the island, and which ftands almost in the center of it, at prefent resembles more a village than a city. Baftia is the most remarkable town: several works have already begun to be erected there; but the port, in which frigates and armed barks cannot enter, ought to be cleared. On returning to the western coaft,

We

we find Fiorenzo, a town in the moft ruinous condition. Its gulph is immenfe, and night contain a prodigious number of fhips; it is more than a league over, and runs three leagues deep into the lands. It is bordered with high mountains, which shelter it from all kinds of winds except the north-eaft. The harbour is filled with rocks near the surface of the water, which only admit boats to land. We meet next with la Gagliola, which has a bad road, where none but tartans and feluccas can land: after this comes Cavi, the port of which, though very large, can only receive frigates of a moderate fize: the port of Ajaccio is more convenient, and deeper: fhips may caft anchor there in the midst of the bafon. Bonifacio terminates the point of the western coaft, where there is a little port, good and fecure. At the eastern coaft we find Porto Vecchio, the most beautiful port of the Mediterranean; the largeft fhips can enter it; but an unwholesome air prevails in the city, which has occafioned it to be quite deferted, fince which it has not been poffible to repeople it. Along this coaft, as far as Bastia, which terminates it, we find nothing more than Alleria, almoft destroyed.

You may conceive, Sir, how much money it would abforb to render fo many towns and ports, all effential ones, of any ufe; and at which, with more or lefs danger, a foreign enemy might land, and convey fuccours to the revolted natives.

The villages are infinitely more valuable than the towns; they are almost all built upon little moun

tains, and in fituations fortified by nature; all the houses are furnifhed with battlements, arched ways, and terraces, and, being contiguous, flank and defend each other; fo that each of these places would feem to require a fiege, of which we have had a small specimen in the villages of Barbagio, and of Patrimonio.

Another unavoidable expence, which would likewife be enormous, is that of the roads; whichit would be neceffary to open throughout the whole ifland: in a word, our engineers, upon a grofs calculation, reckon that two hundred millions must be facrificed to put the island of Corfica in the most flourishing fituation. There is no doubt but that it would one day repay the expences with intereft; but are we able to form fuch projects at this period? This is a matter that must be referred to our good and wife minifters; it is certain that every thing announces the defign of preferving this country, by the troops which arrive here every day, and by the eftablishments of all kinds that are forming, as well maritime, as military, and municipal.

You

The magiftracy will find employment enough here. In 1739, at the time of the firft reduction of this island by the late Marshal Maillebois, there were already reckoned 28,000 affaffinations committed with impunity. may judge how many have happen-、 ed fince that period. It is true that Paoli has established a kind of judicature among his people, but he is not powerful enough to be able. to exert it with all the rigour which the ferocity of this people would require. Accordingly, po

pulation

pulation diminishes here daily. At that time the number of inhabitants amounted to 116,c00 men; but at prefent we fhould not certainly find an equal number there. It would be neceffaryto re-establish harmony in all the orders of the ftate, confounded together. The right of nobility has been taken away by the Genoefe from the moft ancient families, fo that there is now fcarce any difference between those who have formerly been gentlemen, and the peafants. There were no more offices, no kind of education for children; and the republic would not admit them, to any ecclefiaftical or military dignities. Their new chief has repaired all thefe diforders as well as he was able, that is to fay, he has prevented them from increafing as much as they otherwife would. His precarious authority, ever tottering--his life even every instant in danger have not permitted him to do all the good he wished, and of which his genius and wisdom rendered him capable.

As for the reft, you may easily conceive, Sir, by this account, from whence arifes the invincible hatred of the Corficans against the republic: the latter feems to have exerted every effort to deftroy these people; they had even forbidden them every kind of trade annually seized upon their ails and other commodities at a very low price, and made them pay very dear for falt, iron, copper, and the other articles they might want. In a word, they were treated more like favages, whom it was intended to exterminate, than like fubjects who were to be protected. It is to be

TH

to have three degrees. The firit fixes our attention to the outfides, and teaches us to collect external characters, in order to enable us to distinguish various natural bodies; and this is the proper object of natural history. If we penetrate ftill deeper by our contemplation, and examine the general qualities of matter (its extenfion, impenetrability and vis inertia) in regard to its peculiar relations; it is that which is commonly called natural philofophy (Phyfica). But chemistry is the innermost part, fince it examines the material elements, their mixtures, and proportions to one an other. The first teaches us the elementary rudiments, the alphabet of the great book of nature; the fecond inftructs in fpelling; and the third, to read diftinctly. The two first therefore are no more than fubfidiary fciences. which conduct us to the laft, as the proper great object.

Since all fingle qualities of