the waves to a terrible height, and ¡darkening the air by the
mift o f the fea.water elevated.and difperfed, in minute particles,
by the repercuffion of the many ¡rocks and craggy iflands, which
cbflruft and embarrafs the channel. Three principal Cities
are fituated on that .rough coaft, befides many places o f lefs
importance, ¡11 each o f which a military OiEcer prefides for the
adminiftrat jtpn o f juflice. The firft of thefc Cities, within
the channel, is Fiume -, in former times called
and -takes its name from a finali river that rifes under the
mountain not far diftant, and falls into the tea, where it forms
thè harbour. The number of inhabitants in this City
is from fifteen to fix teen thoufand, The fuburbs.are large,
and well built ; and the houfes are furnifhed in a good tafte,
which could hardly be expected in fo detached and unpleafent
afituation. The trade o f Fiume is confiderable, and it is the
ftaple for the commodities o f the Banato o f ‘Tenujiuar. It has
manufactures o f linnen, glafs £cc. and large works for refining
fugar. T |ie patural language o fth e .country is the Croatian;
but all the genteel people o f both fexes fpeak good Italian, and
imitate the Tiflcan manner, f°? which they are certainly much
more to be commended then we who mutilate our beautiful
language, and ridicule any one who endeavours to ipeak it well,
i f not born in Tufeany. The manners ofthe Fiumans are mild,
and their fociety chearful, though tempered with moderation,
i Learning . and the Sçience^are. mqre cultivated there than in any
o f the neighbouring towns on that cpaft ; and the inhabitants
o f the Venetian iflands, whophufe to give their children a good
^education, fend thiem to the publick fchçols erefted and main-
»tained at Fiume.by the munificence o f .the Sovereign. I cannot
pofitively determine i f the ancient Farfatka flood on the fpot
which iheCit^. o f nqw opcupies ; becaufe I few.no vefliges
o f
o f good antiquity there, and could not learn whether the ancient
arch ftili exifted, which I found indicated in the MSS.
o f the late- General Count' Marjtgli;. which are prefefved at"
Bologna in the library delt IJlituto founded By him.
The contiguous village, on the left .fide o fth e river, retains-
flill'the name of 1‘erfatz,- as - well as the hill that ftands, immediately
above it, to the top o f which you alcend by 4x4 very irregular
fteps. This h ill’5is. reVeted' in thofe parts, on account'
o f the tradition, believed by. the devout . Croats, Iftrians, and
neighbouring iflanders, that the Holy Houfe was fet down there
by the Angels on its being tranfported from Bethlem, and
that' it remained on the top o f that hill three years and,feven
months, before it proceded on its voyage to Lpretto. Before.
I went to Fiume, I read a curious book which I happened to
find at. Cherfe, intitled Hijlorkus progrefliis Mariani triumpbit Gfc.
wrote by Father Pafconi, a Francifcan friar. He begins- the
4th, chapter o f his little work, by a. recital o f all. the ligns o f
peculiar favour ihewn, by. God-to the mountains in preference
to the plains. This- is a chapter o f great confolation to a na--
turalift. Lot feved hknfelf from the fire o f Sodom on a moun--
tain. God-appeared, to Moles on Horeb j and gave Him the
Law on Sinai-.: Jefus prayed on the top-'of: a mountain j His
transfiguration happened on another y He dined on a third ;
He begun the Paffion ¡on mount Olivet ; and finilhed it on GoL
gotha. The Holy Virgin had. alfo.- the, feme, patriality; Iii.
montana perrexit; ihe favoured- the Carmelites,, who built a.'
little chapel in hone ur o f her on -mount Carmel,, after iier
afiumption, &c. All thefe are highly honoured mountains no
doubt ; but that, o f T'erjatz is the nobleft of'them allj ‘^having
“ ‘been chofen.and predeftinated, by.the ineffable Divine Provi-
“ dence,.