and booty, not to writing hiitories.. The City o f Segna is ill
built, worfe paved, and weakly fortified. Is lies on the brink
o f the fea, on a foundation o f concreted gravel, at the mouth
o f a very narrow valley, iurrounded by horrid marble hills. The
ground, at prefent occupied by Segna, fhews manifeftly that its
formation is of no old date, and the torrent, that fometimes inundates
and threatens ruin to the City, through the middle of
which it runs into the fea, bringing down with it gravel o f the
fame kind as that j.uft mentioned, and fometimes feattering it.
over the contiguous cultivated field®, give fuificient reafon to
fuppofe, that the prudent ancients-never, planted a Colony in fuch.
adifmal fituation. It is probable that Senia flood almoft three,
miles further up the valley, where there are ftill the veftiges.-
o f ancient habitations, and monuments o f the funeral, fuperfti-
tion o f the Gentiles.. The fea, in all appearance, covered the.
bottom of the valley, as far up as the City, which flood on. the.
fide of the hill, and.formed a tolerable good harbour.. Afterwards,
the woods being extirpated to make room-for cultivation;
the violence of the eventual waters naturally augmented, and
falling down the fides.of the craggy naked marble mountains,,
broke oft, and tumbled down fuch a quantity of ftones, as was'
fuificient to fill up-the narrow bay, and.alfo to form a kind of
headland that juts out beyond the foot of the hills. Befides,
the City o f Segna had no. walls, before the 15-th century,.which
is a further confirmation that it does not-ftand-where the ancient
Senia did. The wind coming from the bare mountains blow fo
furioufly in that narrow hollow, that fometimes in winter one
cannot go out o f doors without danger, and without the City it is
much worfe. It happens frequently that children, and.weak, people
walking not only in. the market place, where indeed no
prudent
prudent perfon ventures at fuch times, but alfo through narrow
winding lanes, are lifted up from the ground and daihed
againft the walls ; and when indifpenfable neceifity obliges one
to go to the bafon where the ihipping lies, though creeping on
hands and feet, he is fometimes whirled about like a ftraw by
the impetuofity o f the wind. Horfes loaded with fait are frequently
thrown down in the market place o f Segna; and the
roofs o f the houfes, though covered with very heavy ftones,
are carried away. The ihips belonging to, or trading with Segna,
endeavour to take refuge in the ports of the ifland o f Arbe,
before the winter ftorms comes on, but when any happen to
be in the harbour in thefe hurricanes, they run the greateft riik
o f being loft, and never efcape without damage, as the feamen
can be of no aififtance, and are forced to keep under deck. I11
fuch circumftances, the proprietors o f Ihips give thirty and
fometimes forty fequins to the poor mariners o f the place to
go and make fait a rope at the riik of their life. The fea in
the channel of the mouth o f Segna oppofite to the valley, is hardly
ever calm. Yet notwithftanding all thefe difafters, the inhabitants
o f Segna, in the beginning of this age, had fifty merchant
ihips at fea ; they were rich by a free commerce, exporting
the corn, wool, wax, honey, tar, and iron o f the Turkiih
ftate, on which they border ; and the timber they cut freely in
the' vaft ancient foreft o f Velebich; and they imported, befides
many other articles o f merchandife, fait, oil, and wine to fupply
the inward provinces. But the many Ioffes o f ihipping, and the
exceffive charges they were often obliged to be at, on account o f
their inconvenient fituation, difconcerted and difcouraged their
navigation ; and, at prefent, Segna has but a very fmall number
of ihips belonging to it. Another fatal blow was given to
U u u 2 that