o f agriculture, begun with laudable example, and-carried on at
the proper expence o f a good number o f gentlemen, and citizens.
It is to be wiihed, that fo noble and ufeful an inftituti-
on may not be unfeafonably diffolved. The province has but
too much need of afliftance from the ftudy, of hufoandry; as
not only the culture o f the lands, but alfo the management o f
the cattle is exceflively ill underftood, both by the Morlacchi,
and the littoral peafants.
A t the foot o f the walls o f Spalatro, from the chinks o f certain
mafles o f hard ftone full o f enchinites, and numijmales, which
fometimes are divided horizontally, there ¡flues, feveral little
fireams o f fulphureous water, which often exhale, towards the
evening, a very difagreeable fmell. They bring along with
them, in large quantities, very white broken filaments o f liver
o f fulphur. The ftones,1 among which thefe ft reams run into
the fea, are all, a few feet diiiant from the fpririg, coloured
with a filver white, exactly like, thefe in Italy, among which
the fulphureous hot ftreatns o f Sermoneta run, till they lofe
themfelves in the Paludi Pontine. But thefe at Spalatro have irregularities
and changes, that deferve much attention.
Sig. Giulio Bajamonti, a learmed and diligent inveftigato'r o f
natural wonders, allured me, that fometimes thefe’ ftreatns are
loaded with common fait; another day they are found to be
yellow and fulphureous, then white and calcareous ; neither do
thefe variations feem to have any .relation to the changes o f
weather, or o f the feafons. Dr. Urbani, a learned phyfiqian o f
Spalatro, and a Friend'whom I efteem, has ufed thefe .waters,
with good fuccefs, in feveral diftempers, efpecially.chronical.
From both thefe Friends I expedf further obftriations.! [which,.
1 am
I am perfuaded, will be worthy o f their learning, and reputation.
The port o f Spalatro is frequented by foreign veflels, which
come there to load merchandize imported from Boftina, fuch às
iron, hides, worked copper, wool, blankets, bees-wax, orpiment,
cotton, filk, corn, &c,
All along the ihore, the ufual variety is obfervable of clay
mixed, fometimes with fond, and calcareous earth, and divided
in various ways, by lamince of ftriated white fpar. In the blue
femipetrified earth I have never feen the traces of marine bodies,
though fome fpecimens are found in the gray and laminated. In
fame places, and particularly behind the boufes in the fuburbs,
there is a tartarous horizontal-inclined cruft, of little thickneis,
which runs a few .indies under the corn fields, where many
fragments o f land tefiacei are feen. This cannot poflibly be1
confounded with the ftrata produced by the fea; fince it ap-;
pears manifeftly to have been formed by the filtration o f eventual
waters, and the depofition o f their tophaceous parts. I will
not pretend to mention the great Roman remains for which this
noble city is chiefly known, and celebrated. The lovers o f architecture,
and antiquity, are fufficiently informed thereof, by
the work o f Mr. Adams, who has done full -juftice to thefe fu-'
perb veftiges, by his elegant drawings and- engravings. In g e - '
lierai, however,- the coarfenefs o f the work, and the bad tafte'
of the age are equal to the magnificence o f the buildings. For*
all this, I do mean to de trad from the merit o f the auguft ré-'
mains'of Dioclefian’s palace; I count them among the moit re-'
fpeftable monuments o f antiquity now.extant : yet I would not
have fculptors and architects come to ftudy at Spalatro, rather"
D d than