Travels Through France And Italy - Tobias Smollett (diy ebook reader .TXT) 📗

Part 7 Letter 26 (Nice, January 15, 1765.) Pg 215

Genoese Would Not Have Succeeded In That Attempt, If They Had Not

Previously Purchased With A Large Sum Of Money The Connivance Of

The Only Person Who Could Defeat The Enterprize. For My Own Part,

I Can Scarce Entertain Thoughts So Prejudicial To The Character

Of Human Nature, As To Suppose A Man Capable Of Sacrificing To

Such A Consideration, The Duty He Owed His Prince, As Well As All

Regard To The Lives Of His Soldiers, Even Those Who Lay Sick In

Hospitals, And Who, Being Dragged Forth, Were Miserably Butchered

By The Furious Populace. There Is One More Presumption Of His

Innocence, He Still Retains The Favour Of His Sovereign, Who

Could Not Well Be Supposed To Share In The Booty. "There Are

Mysteries In Politics Which Were Never Dreamed Of In Our

Philosophy, Horatio!" The Possession Of Genoa Might Have Proved A

Troublesome Bone Of Contention, Which It Might Be Convenient To

Lose By Accident. Certain It Is, When The Austrians Returned

After Their Expulsion, In Order To Retake The City, The Engineer,

Being Questioned By The General, Declared He Would Take The Place

In Fifteen Days, On Pain Of Losing His Head; And In Four Days

After This Declaration The Austrians Retired. This Anecdote I

Learned From A Worthy Gentleman Of This Country, Who Had It From

The Engineer's Own Mouth. Perhaps It Was The Will Of Heaven. You

See How Favourably, Providence Has Interposed In Behalf Of The

Reigning Empress Of Russia, First In Removing Her Husband:

Secondly In Ordaining The Assassination Of Prince Ivan, For Which

The Perpetrators Have Been So Liberally Rewarded; It Even Seems

Determined To Shorten The Life Of Her Own Son, The Only Surviving

Rival From Whom She Had Any Thing To Fear.

 

 

 

The Genoese Have Now Thrown Themselves Into The Arms Of France

For Protection: I Know Not Whether It Would Not Have Been A

Greater Mark Of Sagacity To Cultivate The Friendship Of England,

With Which They Carry On An Advantageous Commerce. While The

English Are Masters Of The Mediterranean, They Will Always Have

It In Their Power To Do Incredible Damage All Along The Riviera,

To Ruin The Genoese Trade By Sea, And Even To Annoy The Capital;

For Notwithstanding All The Pains They Have Taken To Fortify The

Mole And The City, I Am Greatly Deceived If It Is Not Still

Exposed To The Danger, Not Only Of A Bombardment, But Even Of A

Cannonade. I Am Even Sanguine Enough To Think A Resolute

Commander Might, With A Strong Squadron, Sail Directly Into The

Harbour, Without Sustaining Much Damage, Notwithstanding All The

Cannon Of The Place, Which Are Said To Amount To Near Five

Hundred. I Have Seen A Cannonade Of Above Four Hundred Pieces Of

Artillery, Besides Bombs And Cohorns, Maintained For Many Hours,

Without Doing Much Mischief.

 

 

 

During The Last Siege Of Genoa, The French Auxiliaries Were

Obliged To Wait At Monaco, Until A Gale Of Wind Had Driven The

English Squadron Off The Coast, And Then They Went Along Shore In

Small Vessels At The Imminent Risque Of Being Taken By The 

Part 7 Letter 26 (Nice, January 15, 1765.) Pg 216

British Cruisers. By Land I Apprehend Their March Would Be

Altogether Impracticable, If The King Of Sardinia Had Any

Interest To Oppose It. He Might Either Guard The Passes, Or Break

Up The Road In Twenty Different Places, So As To Render It

Altogether Impassable. Here It May Not Be Amiss To Observe, That

When Don Philip Advanced From Nice With His Army To Genoa, He Was

Obliged To March So Close To The Shore, That In Above Fifty

Different Places, The English Ships Might Have Rendered The Road

Altogether Impassable. The Path, Which Runs Generally Along The

Face Of A Precipice Washed By The Sea, Is So Narrow That Two Men

On Horseback Can Hardly Pass Each Other; And The Road Itself So

Rugged, Slippery, And Dangerous, That The Troopers Were Obliged

To Dismount, And Lead Their Horses One By One. On The Other Hand,

Baron De Leutrum, Who Was At The Head Of A Large Body Of

Piedmontese Troops, Had It In His Power To Block Up The Passes Of

The Mountains, And Even To Destroy This Road In Such A Manner,

That The Enemy Could Not Possibly Advance. Why These Precautions

Were Not Taken, I Do Not Pretend To Explain: Neither Can I Tell

You Wherefore The Prince Of Monaco, Who Is A Subject And Partizan

Of France, Was Indulged With A Neutrality For His Town, Which

Served As A Refreshing-Place, A Safe Port, And An Intermediate

Post For The French Succours Sent From Marseilles To Genoa. This

I Will Only Venture To Affirm, That The Success And Advantage Of

Great Alliances Are Often Sacrificed To Low, Partial, Selfish,

And Sordid Considerations. The Town Of Monaco Is Commanded By

Every Heighth In Its Neighbourhood; And Might Be Laid In Ashes By

A Bomb-Ketch In Four Hours By Sea.

 

 

 

I Was Fortunate Enough To Be Recommended To A Lady In Genoa, Who

Treated Us With Great Politeness And Hospitality. She Introduced

Me To An Abbate, A Man Of Letters, Whose Conversation Was

Extremely Agreeable. He Already Knew Me By Reputation, And

Offered To Make Me Known To Some Of The First Persons In The

Republic, With Whom He Lived In Intimacy. The Lady Is One Of The

Most Intelligent And Best-Bred Persons I Have Known In Any

Country. We Assisted At Her Conversazione, Which Was Numerous.

She Pressed Us To Pass The Winter At Genoa; And Indeed I Was

Almost Persuaded: But I Had Attachments At Nice, From Which I

Could Not Easily Disengage Myself.

 

 

 

The Few Days We Staved At Genoa Were Employed In Visiting The

Most Remarkable Churches And Palaces. In Some Of The Churches,

Particularly That Of The Annunciata, I Found A Profusion Of

Ornaments, Which Had More Magnificence Than Taste. There Is A

Great Number Of Pictures; But Very Few Of Them Are Capital

Pieces. I Had Heard Much Of The Ponte Carignano, Which Did Not At

All Answer My Expectation. It Is A Bridge That Unites Two

Eminences Which Form The

Higher Part Of The City, And The Houses In The Bottom Below Do

Not Rise So High As The Springing Of Its Arches. There Is Nothing 

Part 7 Letter 26 (Nice, January 15, 1765.) Pg 217

At All Curious In Its Construction, Nor Any Way Remarkable,

Except The Heighth Of The Piers From Which The Arches Are Sprung.

Hard By The Bridge There Is An Elegant Church, From The Top Of

Which You Have A Very Rich And Extensive Prospect Of The City,

The Sea And The Adjacent Country, Which Looks Like A Continent Of

Groves And Villas. The Only Remarkable Circumstance About The

Cathedral, Which Is Gothic And Gloomy, Is The Chapel Where The

Pretended Bones Of John The Baptist Are Deposited, And In Which

Thirty Silver Lamps Are Continually Burning. I Had A Curiosity To

See The Palaces Of Durazzo And Doria, But It Required More

Trouble To Procure Admission Than I Was Willing To Give Myself:

As For The Arsenal, And The Rostrum Of An Ancient Galley Which

Was Found By Accident In Dragging The Harbour, I Postponed Seeing

Them Till My Return.

 

 

 

Having Here Provided Myself With Letters Of Credit For Florence

And Rome, I Hired The Same Boat Which Had Brought Us Hither, To

Carry Us Forward To Lerici, Which Is A Small Town About Half Way

Between Genoa And Leghorn, Where Travellers, Who Are Tired Of The

Sea, Take Post-Chaises To Continue Their Route By Land To Pisa

And Florence. I Payed Three Loui'dores For This Voyage Of About

Fifty Miles; Though I Might Have Had A Feluca For Less Money.

When You Land On The Wharf At Genoa, You Are Plied By The Feluca

Men Just As You Are Plied By The Watermen At Hungerford-Stairs In

London. They Are Always Ready To Set Off At A Minute's Warning

For Lerici, Leghorn, Nice, Antibes, Marseilles, And Every Part Of

The Riviera.

 

 

 

The Wind Being Still Unfavourable, Though The Weather Was

Delightful, We Rowed Along Shore, Passing By Several Pretty

Towns, Villages, And A Vast Number Of Cassines, Or Little White

Houses, Scattered Among Woods Of Olive-Trees, That Cover The

Hills; And These Are The Habitations Of The Velvet And Damask

Weavers. Turning Capo Fino We Entered A Bay, Where Stand The

Towns Of Porto Fino, Lavagna, And Sestri Di Levante, At Which

Last We Took Up Our Night's Lodging. The House Was Tolerable, And

We Had No Great Reason To Complain Of The Beds: But, The Weather

Being Hot, There Was A Very Offensive Smell, Which Proceeded From

Some Skins Of Beasts New Killed, That Were Spread To Dry On An

Outhouse In The Yard. Our Landlord Was A Butcher, And Had Very

Much The Looks Of An Assassin. His Wife Was A Great Masculine

Virago, Who Had All The Air Of Having Frequented The Slaughter-House.

Instead Of Being Welcomed With Looks Of Complaisance, We

Were Admitted With A Sort Of Gloomy Condescension, Which Seemed

To Say, "We Don't Much Like Your Company; But, However, You Shall

Have A Night's Lodging In Favour Of The Patron Of The Gondola,

Who Is Our Acquaintance." In Short, We Had A Very Bad Supper,

Miserably Dressed, Passed A Very Disagreeable Night, And Payed A

Very Extravagant Bill In The Morning, Without Being Thanked For

Our Custom. I Was Very Glad To Get Out Of The House With My 

Part 7 Letter 26 (Nice, January 15, 1765.) Pg 218

Throat Uncut.

 

 

 

Sestri Di Levante Is A Little Town Pleasantly Situated On The

Seaside; But Has Not The Conveniency Of A Harbour. The Fish Taken

Here Is Mostly Carried To Genoa. This Is Likewise The Market For

Their Oil, And The Paste Called Macaroni, Of Which They Make A

Good Quantity.

 

 

 

Next Day, We Skirted A Very Barren Coast, Consisting Of Almost

Perpendicular Rocks, On The Faces Of Which, However, We Saw Many

Peasants' Houses And Hanging Terraces For Vines, Made By Dint Of

Incredible Labour. In The Afternoon, We Entered By The Porti Di

Venere Into The Bay, Or Gulf Of Spetia Or Spezza, Which Was The

Portus Lunae Of The Ancients. This Bay, At The Mouth Of Which

Lies The Island