lermo are, in some degree, appropriated to certain occupations: not that each trade exclusively attaches itself to any one part of the town, but, generally speaking, it has a local situation, where it may be considered as predominant. The Via Toledo seems to be the grand emporium of all the professions dependant on fashion. Another street is almost entirely occupied with brasiers; and there is perhaps not a more noisy spot in all Europe. la a third street I observed a number of female children, in almost every house, employed in tambouring and embroidering muslin. The college of the Jesuits in the Via Toledo, is the finest building in Palermo. It may not occupy so much ground as Christ Church in Oxford, or Trinity in Cambridge, but in architecture it excels them; and it is adorned with more costly ornaments. The stairs and galleries are spacious. The steps of all the former are made of large single blocks of marble, and the walls of the latter are bung with pictures and portraits, several of which are said to be very good. Among the extraordinary things in the frame of the society of this country, may be reckoned the exemption of articles of luxury from taxation. Neither carriages, horses, nor houses, are subject to assessment. Even foreign wines in Palermo are rated at little more than the wines of the island. But all those necessaries, of which the labourer requires as many and as much as the noblemau, constitute the means of the revenue. Here the monopolies of bread, fish, oil, &c. are annually farmed; and the privilege of selling ice, which in Palermo is as much an article of necessity as porter is in London, is disposed of in the same manner. It is hardly possible to imagine a fact more strikingly illustrative of the contempt with which the people of this island are regarded. carrying a basket, it is full of Indian figs. Every ass that is seen coming into the city in the morning is loaded with Indian figs. Every peasant that is seen in the evening counting his copper money on a stone, is reckoning the produce of his Indian figs. If any article be bad, it said not to be worth an Indian fig; and there is nothing in the world better than an Indian fig. It is the only luxury that the poor enjoy; and, like all other luxuries, it is exempt from taxation. In Palermo the population has exceeded the increase of houses, and, in consequence, it is exceedingly difficult to find an empty habitation. In the year 1809 the demand was greater than had ever before bɛen known, and was attended in many instances with much inconvenience. Persons who had given notice of removal, not being able to find houses, refused to quit at the term; and landlords, in order to avail themselves of the augmented value of their property, attempted to oblige the tenants either to remove or to pay a higher rent. This excited much conversation; and, as the Sicilians have a great deal to say on all subjects, their noise and clamour at length reached the ears of Government, and it was thought expedient to order that no person in the possession of a house should, for that term, be forced to quit, nor any increase take place in the rate of rents. This sudden influx of inhabitants in Palermo is supposed to be owing to Neapolitan and other Continental emigrants. The buildings erected during the early part of the last century are on a more magnificent scale than those recently constructed. The style, if I may use the expression, was then more spacious, and the interior ornaments more splendid. The walls and cielings of the apartments in the new houses are either stained with simple colours, or painted in imitation of paper hangings, while the doors and pannelling are commonly plain. But in the old houses, the walls are hung with satin and tapestry, the doors are gilded, and the pannels are often covered with mirrors or pictures. This alteration in the style of domestic accommodation, might lead one to conclude that Palermo had fallen from its ancient opulence. The quantity of Indian figs, or prickly pears, as they are sometimes called, consumed in Sicily, is almost incredible. In every part of the country you meet with plantations of Indian figs. In every village, stalls are seen covered with Indian figs. At every corner of every street in Palermo, are piles of Indian figs. If a Sicilian be observed eating any hing, it is certainly Indian figs. If he be "But the falling off, in point of state and shew, may be owing to the introduction of a taste for more comfort and convenience. The residence of the nobility in the capital, during the reign of the present King, bas diffused among the tradesmen so much wealth, that a middle class has begun to arise here; while the fashionable competitions of the nobility in their entertainments has impaired their inheritance, and forced them to incur debts which no longer permit them to maintain the splendour of their ancestors. If, therefore, no palaces be now building, but many falling into ruin, changes may be observed going on which more than compensate this disadvantage. The suburbs of Palermo begin to indicate something like the formation of that comfortable middle class, which is the preeminent boast and distinction of England. The Palermitans are certainly greatly addicted to cards and billiards. The number of gaming-houses adapted to all ranks and degrees is astonishing. So general and habitual, indeed, is the passion for play, that it manifests itself in situations where, previously, one should not expect to meet with it; it is the ruling passion of the Sicilians. In going one morning to the Tribunal of Justice, Isaw a groupe of card-players sitting on the landing place of the staircase, earnestly occupied with their game, although the bustle around them was as great as that of the Royal Exchange of London at high change time. On the Mariua, when the weather will not permit the boats to put to sea, I have frequently seen the fishermen at cards; nor is it unusual to observe bands of idle boys sitting on the steps of the church doors engaged in the same spendthrift occupation. One of the most puzzling things to an English stranger in Sicily is the mode of reckoning time. I was several days in Palermo before I understood it, or indeed suspected that it differed from ours, having either never heard, or forgetton, that the Italian mode of computing was different from that of the rest of Europe. Sometimes the public clock in the Piazza Marina, where I staid, pronounced the hours with much audible distinctness, and there was little difference between it and my watch; but it was in general so incoherent, that I began to think that the intellects of the steeple were deranged. The servants in the hotel, being acquainted with our way of reckoning the hours, never found any difficulty in understanding my orders or inquiries which respected time, and they always answered according to our practice. I know not how long I might have continued in this state of ignorance and error, had not I overheard a gentlemen observe jocularly that it was noon to-day at the seventeenth hour. This expression excited my attention; and, after I got home, and had thrown myself upon a sofa, I began to ruminate upon it. "Was it a scriptural mode of expression?" No: "for the Jews reckoned from the watches of the night :-What can it mean?"-At this interesting moment, the waiter happening to come into the room, was, just as he entered, asked by some one in the passage, "what o'clock it then was?"-" Twenty-one and a half," answered he. "Twenty-one and a half o'clock," echoed I: "why this is still more mysterious.” I immediately started upright, and began to examine the waiter on the subject. The result was a most satisfactory explanation of the whole mystery, and an ample vindication of the steeple from the suspicion that I entertained of its sanity. The Sicilians, it seems, begin to reckon their time from sun-set, an hour after which is one of the o'clock ; in consequence, as the declination of the sun alters, the time by the clock at which it is noon also changes. Part of my error as to the public clock had arisen, I found, in consequence of its superior endowments, for it told quarters as well as the bours, and the hours only by half dozens. The appearance of the Italian Theatre, and the interior arrangement, I think superior to ours. The boxes are snug little lodges, suitable for many purposes, as well as of seeing the performance on the stage. There is uo the gallery. But the pit is divided into two departments. The back division being at a lower rate, answers the purpose of a gallery equally well, and is more easily kept in order. Disturbances, indeed, are not likely to occur in the Theatres of Palermo; for the benches are subdivided into a certain number of seats each, and on paying the price at the door, a ticket, with the number of the bench and the seat, is given. One is not, therefore, exposed to any pressure, and a seat may be always secured by sending in time for a ticket. It is not the custom for persons to go alone to the boxes, because it is necessary to pay for the whole box. But, in taking a box, the number which may be carried with one is of no consequence; a good regulation for families where there are many unmarried daughters. The boxes are separated from each other in front by a division apparently about a foot broad, which gives them a much snugger appearance than the pigeon-holes of the King's Theatre in London, and adds greatly to the symmetry and beauty of the house. A great part of the audience in the pit generally consists of the Officers of the Guards and the Garrison, and some of the knacky little ones carry gimblets in their pockets, which they screw into the back of the seats before them, to serve as pegs for their hats. Females are not allowed to come into the pit; and, instead of the women that annoy one so much in the London houses with "Nice oranges, and a bill of the play," the servants of the company in the boxes attend their masters or mistresses with ices, &c. and one person has a monoply of the sale of refreshments in the pit. In the Theatres of Palermo there are two excellent customs for the public, the authors, and the performers. When a new piece is to be brought out, the Court generally goes to the Theatre, and, by its presence, insures a fair hearing to the performance. An actor, before the sovereign, rarely has presumption enough to sloven over his part, and conspirators are restrained in their designs, whether they be against the author or the public. The practice of applauding, by clapping the hands, is here as vehemently in use as with us; but singers are not obliged to repeat their songs at the will of ten or a dozen obstreperous encorers. When the applause continues so long and general as distinctly to show the wish of the audience, the Lord Mayor of the city, as we should call him, or the magistrate next in rank to him, when he happens not to be present, gives a sign to the actor, and the song is repeated. Certainly neither of these No. XXIX. Vol. V.-N. S. two customs does, in the smallest degree, in. fringe public liberty; on the contrary, by securing justice to individuals, they pro mote it. It is somewhat remarkable, that the gesticulation on the stage of Palermo is more moderate than ours: it is, at the same time, much more emphatic. The Sicilians, indeed, excel in this respect; and even in the streets, one sometimes sees an unstudied display of this tacit oratory equal to some of our best premeditated exhibitions. The apparatus of the Palermian stage is not for an instant to be compared to that of the smallest of the London houses, either in point of magnificence or of variety. But in some other things it is not inferior; for though the dresses are less splendid, and the scenery less various, the dramas are got up with mush minuteness and propriety of decoration. Of the character and condition of the Sicilian Nobles I have uniformly received but one opinion. The time of by far the greater number is spent in the pursuit of amusement, and of any other object than the public good. The most of them are in debt, and the incomes of but few are adequate to their wants: many are in a sate of absolute beggary. One evening, as I happened to be returning home, I fell in with a procession of monks and soldiers, bearing an image of St. Francis; and not having seen any thing of the kind before, I went with the crowd into a church towards which the procession was moving. While reckoning the number of the friars as they entered, and having reached one hundred and seventy, all excellent subjects for soldiers, a well-dressed gentleman came up to me, and, bowing, pointed to some of the ornaments as objects worthy of a stranger's curiosity; but perceiving me shy of entering into conversation with him, and the procession entering the church at the same time, he walked or was forced by the current of the crowd away. The idol being placed near the high altar, the crowd began to chaunt a hymn. As they all fell on their knees, and my tight prejudices and small clothes would not permit me to do the same, I turned into one of the side chapels, and, leaning against the railing of the altar, began to speculate on the spectacle be M the value of the poor man's stock (his strength) will also share in the general benefit. The Sicilians themselves are no great consumers of animal food. Sallads, macaronies, and olives, constitute the main part of their fare; and if the frugality that is the result of necessity were a virtue, their temperance would deserve great praise. Children and young people eat bread to breakfast; but adults seldom take more than a single cup of coffee. The dinner hour is early, and corre fore me, when the stranger again accosted me. Somewhat disconcerted by the interruption, and by the forwardness of the man, I abruptly quitted my place. But before I had moved two steps, he approached, and bowing, said, "I am the Baron M, and my palace is just opposite." At this instant the worshippers rose, and the procession turning to go out at one of the side doors near where we were standing, before I could retreat, I found myself involved in the crowd, and obliged to go with the stream.sponds to the lunching time of the English. When I reached the street, I found the stranger again at my side. This is very extraordinary, thought I; and, without seeming to notice him, walked away. He followed; and when we had got out of the nucleus of the throng, he seized me firmly by the arm, and drew me aside. Euraged and alarmed at this myserious treatment, I shook him fiercely from me. For about the time that one could count twenty, he seemed to hesitate; and then, suddenly coming back, repeated, in Italian, || with considerable energy, "I, I am the Baron M. This is my palace; but I have nothing to eat!" I looked at the building, near the gate of which we were then standing it was old and ruinous: there was no lamp in the court-yard, and only a faint light glimmering in one of the windows. Mistaking my silence and astonishment, he pulled out his watch, and, placing it in my hand, entreated me to give him some money. As I had no disposition to become a pawnbroker, I returned it with some expressions of surprise, aud took out my purse with the intention of giving it to him, for it only con tained two or three small pieces. But here all the solemnity of the adventure terminated. He snatched it out of my haud, and emptying the contents into his own, returned it; and, wishing me good night, ran into the gateway. || Supper is the principal meal. They do not drink wine at table with one another as we do, but fill their glasses as they please. Nor is it the custom to inquire of a stranger, of what dish he would choose to eat. The fish and meats being cut up, a servant carries them round, and the guest takes whichever he likes. There is, in general, an evident imitation of British customs; but, like all other imitations, the effects are sometimes ludicrous. In Palermo it is not confined to dress and the etiquettes of the table; but extends even to the construction of the houses. There are several new ones painted to imitate bricks, with which the proprietors have heard that the English houses are built. The most ludicrous instance of this taste, that I have seen, is the palace of Prince Belmonte, at the bottom of Mount Pelegrino. The building is certainly in the British style, and not unlike the body of Wanstead-house, in the neighbourhood of London. The stone of Palermo is so very coarse, that it is necessary to coat the walls with a plaster prepared from it. But instead of the native stone colour of the plaster being retained, the walls of this palace are painted to resemble brick, to the great disgrace of a beautiful marble portico. In the whole city of Palermo, which probably exceeds in the number of palaces all the cities of the British empire put together, and the population of which is more than double that of Edinburgh, there are but two regular booksellers. There are, it is true, several other shops where books are sold; but they are mean and dirty, and only anti, quaries and vermin frequent them, Since the arrival of the British in Sicily, the price of meat has nearly doubled, and the value of cattle of all descriptons has been raised prodigiously throughout the whole island; the effect of which must soon be felt in the improved cultivation of the land, and au increase of the wages of labour. The value of aristocratic property will be increased, and led as the first person in Sicily, as the King The Queen must, undoubtedly, be consider. The chief merit of the King is his good nature, of which he possesses an abundant portiou. He is, I think, very popular among the Sicilians; who, in no small degree, manifest the same characteristic as their sovereign. Not taking any active part in the proceedings of government, he escapes the odium of its measures ; and he has, occasionally, interfered in cases of particular grievance, in a way that leaves all the affairs of the state to her management; and certainly she conducts them with much address and spirit. The wisdom of her measures, as to the effect intended, is another question. In her attention to business she is quite indefatigable; and the number of letters and papers, which appear in her own hand-writing, is so extraordinary, that I have heard her application described as a passion for doing every thing herself. Notwith-has obtained the applause of his people; so standing the moral defects generally laid to her charge, she is said to be much esteemed by her immediate attendants, and to possess many amiable qualities. In her affections as a mother, she is intitled to the greatest respect. It is indeed not uncommon to find the public and private character of persons in high stations at variance. that, in those acts where he has appeared at all as the monarch, he has been always seen to advantage. I have been told that he is partial to our national character, and not even irritated at the freedom with which his own conduct has been treated by some of our writers. LETTERS ON THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS, &c. OF DIFFERENT LETTER I.-HUNGARY. COUNTRIES. THE friendship which unites us, will not allow me to refuse you the pleasure you promise yourself in the communications and reflections which I mean to give you, and which I have made on the manners and customs of the different countries through which I have travelled. Do not, however, expect to meet with a circumstantial detail of those subjects, on which I intend only slightly to touch: the undertaking would be too profound and extensive to be the theme of these few letters. We have each of us sagacity enough to know what will be sufficient to prove to you the physical and moral causes, with their consequences of what I shall lay before you. I will begin by Hungary; a country much better known to Europe than it deserves to be; you are acquainted with its natural and political history, and consequently all that I can say on that subject will be useless: however, without pretending to refresh your memory by those facts, which may be absolutely necessary to the elucidation of my narrative, I beg leave to remind you, that it was some divided nations which inhabited this kingdom, to which the Huns gave their name; and you will recollect, without doubt, that it was Hungary of Mowbray, descended from these Huns, who gained it, by conquest of the Roman Empire, over the first inhabitants of this country; and that the Huns rescued it from the dominion of the Romans, and that it was wrested from them by the Madiars, the original natives of Caucasus; that they quitted it about the ninth century to disperse themselves amongst the Sclavonians,` and that they afterwards marched forth and endeavoured to penetrate into Poland and Bohemia: the valour of the inhabitants and the thickness of their forests were invincible obstacles against them, and repulsed by these difficulties they departed for Hungary, which they entered, by traversing the morasses. Here they met with but a feeble resistance. The Madiars are now some of the most wealthy proprietors; and several of them are of the first nobility: the families the most splendid and ancient are the Palflys, the Erdudys, the Nathiarys, Nadastys, Banffys, Festoliers, and Boras; all descended from these conquerors. All these nobles act by the law of exclusive property, so contrary to a nation's prosperity. The Sclavonians, called Slavaques, by the people of Hungary, inhabit the western part; they were evidently esta |