tion the treasurer of the republic. The bufinefs of the latter confifts in collecting and adminiftering the public contributions, and in paying the tipendiati or penfionaries, whofe falaries, as may be imagined, are extremely moderate; that of the commifareo, or chief judge, amounting only to fixty pounds ayear. His income is confiderably augmented by the Sportule or fees paid by the litigant parties; fo that his whole appointments fall little fhort of one hundred pounds per annum, a fum which, in this primitive commonwealth, is found fufficient to fupport the dignity of a chief justice. · "The laws of St. Marino are contained in a thin folio, printed at Rimini, entitled, Statuta Illuftriffimæ Reipublice; and the whole hiftory of this happy and truly illuftrious, becaufe virtuous and peaceable community, is comprifed in the account of a war in which the commonwealth affifted pope Pius II. against Malatefta, prince of Rimini; in the records of the purchase of two caftles, with their dependent diftricts, in the years 1100 and 1170; and in the well-authenticated narrative of the foundation of the state above fourteen hundred years ago by St. Marino, a Dalmatian architect, who, having finished with much honour the repairs of Rimini, retired to this folitary mountain, practifed the austerities of a hermit, wrought miracles, and with the affiftance of a few admirers, built a church and founded a city, which his reputation for fanctity fpeedily reared, extended, and filled with inhabitants. In the principal church, which, as well as that of the Francifcans, contains fome good pictures, the statue of this faint and lawgiver is erected near the high altar. He holds a mountain in his hand, and is crowned with three caftles; emblems which, from what has been above faid, appear fitly chofen for the arms of the republic. Mr. Addison obferves, that the origin of St. Marino muff be acknowledged to be far nobler than that of Rome, which was an afy lum for robbers and murderers, whereas St. Marino was the refort of perfons eminent for their piety and devotion. This obfervation appears to me to be erroneous in two refpects, decorating with unfair honours the one republic, and heaping unmerited difgrace on the other. If piety founded St. Marino, with this piety much fuperstition was intermixed; a fuperftition unfriendly to the best principles of fociety, and hoftile to the favourite ends of nature, preaching celibacy, and exacting mortification, the hideous offspring of ignorance and terror, detefting men as criminals, and trembling at God as a tyrant. But Rome, according to the only hiftorian who has circumftantial ly and authentically defcribed its early tranfactions, was an expanfion of Alba Longa, itself a Grecian colony, which, according to the immemorial and facred cuftom of its mother-counry, diffused into new fettlements the exuberance of a flourishing population, produced by the wifeft and moft liberal inftitutions. According to the fame admirable hiftorian, the manly dif cernment of Romulus offered an afylum not merely for robbers and murderers, but for those who were threatened with murder or robbery, who fpurned fubjection, or fled from oppreffion; for amidst the lawlefs turbulence of antient Italy, the weak needed protectors against the ftrong, the few against the many; and Rome, at her earliest age, already fyftematically affifted the weakeft party; thus adopting in her infancy that politic heroifm, that was deftined, by firm and majestic steps, to conduct her manhood and maturity to the fair fovereignty of confenting nations. "Both in their origin and in their progrefs, Rome and St. Marino form the natural objects, not indeed of a comparison, but of a ftriking contraft; and compreffed as is the latter republic between the dominions of the pope and thofe of the grand duke, to whofe fubjects St. Marino is bound to allow a free paffage through its territory, its citizens would deferve ridicule or pity, did they affect the character, or imitate the maxims, of thofe magnanimous fenators, who, for the space of more than two centuries, fwayed the politics and controuled the revolutions of the world. Convinced that their independence refults from their infignificancy, the fenators of St. Marino fmiled, when we read in Mr. Addifon, Thefe republicans 'would fell their liberties dear to any that attacked them.' We had not the indelicacy to defire them to interpret this smile, or to make ourfelves any comment upon it, being perfuaded that, precarious and fhadowy as their liberty is, their rational knowledge and their virtues have enabled them to extract from it both substantial and permanent enjoyment, and make them live happier here, amidst rocks and fnows, than are their Tufcan and Roman neighbours in rich plains and warm vallies. "To the inhabitants of this lit tle State, the arengo, the council, the different offices of magiftracy, innocent rural labours, and military exercifes equally useful and innocent, fupply a continual fucceffion of manly engagements. Hopes and fears refpecting the fafety of their country awaken curiosity and excite inquiry. They read the gazettes of Europe with intereft; they ftudy hiftory with improvement; in converfation their queftions are pertinent, and their anfwers fatisfactory. Contrary to what has been obferved by travellers of other Italians, the citizens of St. Marinó delight in literary converfation; and Mr. Addifon remarks, that he hardly met with an unlettered man in their republic. In fpeaking of Beccaria's book on Style, then recently publifhed, one of the fenators faid, that it was a treatise on style in a very bad ftyle, abounding in falfe ornaments and epigrammatic gallicifm. Another obferved, he wished that fashionable writer, who had been commented on by Voltaire, an author still more fashionable and more pernicious than himfelf, would confine himself to fuch harmlefs topics as rhetoric and style; for his book on Crimes and Punishments was calculated to do much ferious mischi f, at least to prevent much pofitive good; because in that popular work he had declaimed very perfuafively against capital punishments, in a country long difgraced by capital crimes, which were scarcely ever capitally punifhed. "The love of letters which diftinguishes the people of St. Marino makes them regret that they are feldom vifited by literary travellers. Of our own countrymen belonging to this defcription, they mentioned with much respect Mr. Ad difon and Il Signor Giovanni Symonds, now profeflor of hiftory in the university of Cambridge. We were proud of being claffed with fuch men by the honeft fimplicity of thefe virtuous mountaineers, whom we left with regret, most heartily wishing to them the continuance of their liberties; which, to men of their character, and theirs only, are real and solid bleffings. For let it never be forgotten, that the ineftimable gift of civil li berty may often be providentially with-held, because it cannot be fafely beftowed, unlefs rational knowledge has been attained, and virtuous habits have been acquired. In the language of the wifeft man of pagan antiquity, a great length of time is requifite to the formation of any moderately good government; becaufe that government is always the best, which is the beft adapted to the genius and habits of its fubjects." OBSERVATIONS on the MANNERS and CUSTOMS of the PORTUGUESE. [From TRAVELS in PORTUGAL, in the Years 1789, and 1790, by JAMES MURPHY, Architect.] "THE HE inhabitants of Lisbon may be ranked under four claffes, viz. the nobility, the clergy, the traders, and the labouring people. The obfervations I am about to offer on each clafs contain very little more than may be collected by every one in the streets or the roads, in markets or cottages. To proceed in the most natural order, we fhould begin with the pedestals of the ftate; but for once, we fhall reverse the order of the structure, and commence with what is called the Corinthian capitals of polished fociety.' "The nobility may be confidered as a body entirely diftinct from the other three; the principal affairs of the ftate are committed to their truft; they refide in the capital, or its environs, and feldom vifit their eftates in the provinces. They esteem it an honour to be born in the capital, and alfo to dwell there. They are educated likewife at Lisbon, in a college founded for that purpose by king Jofeph. Hence it is called the col legio dos nobres, the college of nobles. Prior to the establishment of this college they were educated at Coimbra, a place apparently much better adapted for that purpose; as it poffeffes many advantages not to be found in a commercial city. The fragrance of the air, the ftillness of the country, and the delightful profpects with which Coimbra abounds, are great incitements to ftudy; befides, it is enriched with immenfe literary treasures, the ac cumulation of ages; and its buildings are very magnificent. Now, the feminary at Lisbon is deficient in all thefe points. It appears, therefore, that the nobility have made a bad exchange. There is a wide difference between a college of nobles and a noble college. "The nobility, comparatively fpeaking, are not very rich; for though their patrimonies are large, their rents are fmall. I doubt if any of them has ever feen a map of his eftate, or exactly knows its boundaries. boundaries. If ever they deign to turn their attention towards the conftructing of roads and canals, and not confider agriculture a purfuit unworthy of gentlemen, they will become the richeft nobility in Europe, on account of the vast extent of their landed poffeffions. ny. "In the diftribution of their for. tunes they thew great prudence without the appearance of parfimoIn a country where there are no race-horfes, licenfed gambling houfes, or expenfive miftreffes, a gentleman may live fplendidly upon a moderate income; fortunately thefe allurements to diflipation are unknown to them. Nor do they excite the envy of the poor by midnight orgies or gilded chariots. Their time is fpeat between their duty at court, and the focial enjoyments of private parties. "The fine arts, which to the fuperior claffes of every nation of Europe are fources of the most refined pleasure, are almoft entirely neglected by the nobility of this country; neither do they appear to take much pleasure in the cultivation of the fciences, though they poffefs moft excellent capacity for both. Their lives are an even tenor of domestic felicities, not remarkable for brilliant actions, and but rarely ftained by vice. The fame of their illuftrious ancestors justly entitles them to every honour and refpect; but whilft they glory in the remembrance of their achievements, they feem to forget their maxims. It must be allowed, however, that they poffefs many amiable qualities. They are religious, temperate, and generous, faithful to their friends, charitable to the diftreffed, and warmly attached to their fovereign; whofe approbation, and a peaceful retire6 ment, conftitute the greatest happiness of their lives. "With refpect to the clergy, I was not furnished with information fufficient to form an accurate efti- . mate of their true character, and I fhall not prefume to speak from report of fo refpectable a body. Among thofe with whom I had the honour to be acquainted, I found fome poffeffed of great liberality and talents; in proof of this I need only mention his grace the bishop of Beja, whofe piety and learning would do honour to the apoftolic or Auguftan ages. I might alfo inftance the abbé Corrêa chaplain to his grace the duke de Alafoens, and father de Souza, author of feveral pieces on the Arabic language. "There are feveral other men of eminent talents among the clergy, but concealed in gloomy cells; and what is extraordinary, the greater are their talents, the more careful are they in fecluding themselves from all communication with the world. it may be asked then, why they do not oblige the world with fome of their acquirements? The reafon is very obvious; the Portuguefe language is fo little known, that there is little or no fale for books written in that language out of the country, and in it, reading is very far from being general; very few books therefore will defray the expence of printing and paper, especially if they treat on fcientific fubje&ts. Thus are men of letters deterred from making themfelves known through this laudable channel, and the world is deprived of their experience and wildom. "It is true, that in al ithe learned profeffions, men will be found who would render more fervice to the community in an humbler fphere; and among the clergy there are, are, I am forry to add, but too many of this defcription; who are better calculated by nature and education to follow the tail of the plough, than to difcharge the important ties of that facred profeffion. to behold the trouble they are obliged to take for want of proper implements to carry on their work. Their cars have the rude appearance of the earliest ages; these vehicles are flowly drawn by two ftout oxen, The corn is fuelled by the treading of the fame animals, as in the days of the Ifraelites; hence probably the fcripture proverb, Thou fhalt "The merchants are remarkably attentive to bufinefs, and, as far as I could learn, juft and punctual in their dealings: they live on a friend-not muzzle the ox that treadeth ly footing with the foreign traders who refide here, particularly the English. Bankruptcies are feldom known among them, and they are careful in avoiding litigations; for it is a well known fact, that the gentlemen of the long robe in Portugal are not to be furpaffed even by their brethren of the English court of chancery, in the art of protracting a fuit. "A Libon merchant paffes his hours in the following manner: he goes to prayers at eight o'clock, to 'change at eleven, dines at one, fleeps till three, eats fruit at four, and fups at nine: the intermediate hours are employed in the counting-houfe, in paying vifits, or playing at cards. "To vifit any one above the rank of a tradefnian, it is neceflary to wear a fword and chapeau; if the family you visit be in mourning, you must also wear black; the fervants would not confider a vifitant as a gentleman unless he came in a coach; to vifit in boots would be an unpardonable offence, unless you wear fpurs at the fame time. The mafter of the house precedes the vifitant on his going out, the contrary order takes place in coming in. "The common people of Lifbon and its environs are a laborious and hardy race; many of them, by frugal living, lay up a decent competence for old age; it is painful the corn.' They have many other cuftoms which to us appear very fingular; for example, women fit with the left fide towards the horse's head when they ride. A poftilion rides on the left horse. Footmen play at cards whilft they are waiting for their mafters. A taylor fits at his work like a fhoemaker. A hairdreffer appears on Sundays with a fword, a cockade, and two watches, or at least two watch-chains. A tavern is known by a vine bush. A house to be let, by a piece of blank paper. An accoucheufe door, by a white crofs. And a Jew is known by his extra catholic devotion. "The lower clafs of both sexes are very fond of gaudy apparel; we obferve even the fifh-women with trinkets and bracelets of gold about the neck and wrift. The fruit-women are diftinguished by a particular drefs. The cuftom of wearing boots and black conical caps is peculiar to thefe women ; but for what reafon, if any there be, I could not learn. "All the drudgery is performed by Gallicians, who may be called the hewers of wood and drawers of water of this metropolis; they are patient, industrious, and faith, ful to a proverb. One of the principal employments, in which they are daily engaged, is fupplying the citizens with water, which they carry |