proceeds from the bad choice made by the ilonecutters, led
perhaps by-a fpirit o f miftaken ceconomy, to take the firft that
came to their'hands, as being moil convenient for embarkation.
When the marble of a new quarry is to be ufed, the exterior
ilratum ought not to be depended upon, it being ufually damaged
by the injuries o f the air, and o f the fait water i f on the fea
ihore, wh ic l i t he -inner lira ta are not expofed to. The fubftance
o f ihurriârbfëof Gelfe, employed ¡at1 Macarfkai -is beautiful, and
the polifli as high as that o f thi? Shell bfacàia ât Rome, which
probably was brought thither from Dalmatia ; but the cement
that forms- the aggregation o f the pieces, has Buffered fome de-,
gr-ee-ofi prejudice'byjbeing cxpoféd for' a long’ ferieS o f ages to1 the
ratonjftfle &a,'‘sthe heat of the- fun, and the action o f the air;
and-hence*. the lmooth-nefs of the work has- not a ll- the Unifor-
lnitytand perfection that might be expected. It would be rc-
quilite to-take the breccia o f Gelfa at Ibme bùndred paces dif-
tant from the fea, and from a quarry moderately deep ; ’the fuc-
cefs could riot fail amply tOcompenfate the frhall additional expence.
-And would it nbt be better for the-cityof Venice, whbre
the qmntity of marble annually ufed is confiderable, to have it
from-the -¡Hands- of-Dalmatia, at a trifling* charge, rather tha’ri
frorii1 the rferraferma> OP-frOrri othéWilaifeBfafàri exorbitant' price.
Befidds thtfi t i ê t o i a , SPlSelfiP, ad\teïi’titiôus'''‘pieéésdbf'/2wâ-
chella, ’white, and blàêkjicompLoftU7ofXbii?ùminoüs’ iïiài^nëL‘eàrth
hardened, and o f fmall "Ottboofrtfâtës, BilnSsfbirn'ed?* as^'tifual,
into a calcareous fpar o f fal'ine n <} ' ' » £ H «tq
ei d j j• . -¿¿rft sdî; ïu d , ( hrisûi.adl Puri -iicuuna yptioca
Though there are many hÔâièfe àt?Gdfa,?ikhd â : ’gbbi} riUmber
o f perfons dreil in our faihiortpkhave' hUBitatibHé'iBere, ÿet I
could not find provifions for myfelf, and boat’ s crew, for money;
and I was obliged to pafs the night- on board of my boat.
The
The village o f S. Georgio, fituated on the eaflern point o f
the illand, is in itfelf not remarkable.; The only motive; that
can induce a traveller ,to gojjthere^^s^tg fee,¡a; large quantity
of,Roman urns,, which, at a fmall difiance from the ill,ore lie in
heaps, or fcattered in the bottom o f the fea, where they, have
remained fourteen ages at leali., In fome o f .then) the makers,
name may be .read,, when the, cruft, with which they are cpyen-
ed, ,o f EJcara and other polippus ijiluiances, is taken, away.
They appear to be o f the good.times..
As the illand of Lefina is the moil populous o f any in the
Adriatick, fo it is the-richefi; fpr yariety of produca, and ali of
excellent quality. It ¡produces ¡wine, oil,¿figs, almoirds, faff^pn,-
and honey in no fmall quantity ; the flat ground produces alfo
corn, but not in any meafure proportioned to the number o f inhabitants.
The mild climate agrees very well with the aloes,
•of which the threads might be ufefully employed in filhing
tackle, after the example o f the Americans and the French.
The palm trees, orange trees, and carobs thrive very well ; -and
it would be worth the while to encourage the multiplication o f
mulberry trees .there,, as well as in , the other ¿ilands, and,the
littoral parts o f ; Dalmatia, where the foil js proper for them.
Firewood is alfo an objedl of trade to the Lefigriani, but it
goes on decreafing from year to year, through the little economy
ufed in cutting the woods, and byred u c ing «the. .ground
into tillage. Wool, fheep, and cheete bring -3.finali funvof
money annually into the ifland ; but the moll confiderable article
.exported from thence,'is fait filh,-which defervbs to be;pro-
tefted, and relieved from publick impofts, as well as private
oppreffions; that the -number o f fiihermen may increafe, and
that they may find their account in, bringing their filh to rriar-
X x j^ef