heights,, or from the fea. The Befians are induftrious and iRilli-
ful huibandmen, and the produ&ions o f their valley are exquifite
o f their kinds. The wine is o f excellent quality, the ground
being light and gravelly, and the plain warm and defended from
the northerly winds. The village o f Befca is crouded in the autumn,
by the principal citizens of. Vegiia, and o f the neighbouring;
City o f Segna, who come there to enjoy the pleafures o f the country
; it may be called the Brenta o f the Croats. T he road,,
however, is not fecurefor barks, and perhaps for that reafon, the
ancients did not chule to build there; preferring the above de-
fcribed little plain of Fulftnio, as having near it the final! harbour,
o f Malalucca.
O f the Nature o f the Soil o f the I f and, in Mar hie and. F o jilf-
The nature o f the foil o f the iiland of thg/ia is generally ilon-cy
from one end to the other. The ftrata are alb calcareous, for
themoft part horizontal, andaimoft a ll marble. The fubftanee
o f the ilone in general is die fame as that o f I f ria, and, frequently
full o f Nummali ; and in many places- there is a very beautiful
breccia o f various colours, fit. for columns,, pilafters,,tables, and;
fuch like works. The fineft breccia is found on the heights o f
the mountain between Befca vecchia and Befca y though it is- alfo,
found in many other parts o f the iiland,,and very large pieces-
are often employed by the iflanders in the meaneft ufes; they,
know it by the name o f Mandolato:. The high mountains o f the
iiland are generally compofed of the above mentioned; ilrata, and;
marble maffes, from the bottom to the top, but the bafe o f the
iiland is o f fand ftone.. The banks which are feen in the road'
o f Befca, againft which the fea beats, are o f this nature; and a
vail quantity o f Nimmulari:may be dillinguiihed in them. The
fame
fame kind o f itone, with fome difference in hardnefs and colour,
appears again in the neighbourhood o f Dobrigno, where particularly
it refembles the blackiih volcanic fchijlus. T h e bottom
o f the country between Dobrigno and Caftelmufchio is not o f hard
ftone, as the high parts o f the mountains are; but, in ibme places,
it is conpofed of cetaceous fciffile ftone ;, ia others o f hard whet-
ftone ; and in others of calcareous marine earth, containing pe-
trefaftions. The large; Nummali marmonfed. form aimoft the;
whole fubftance o f fome ftrata o f hard; ftone fufceptible o f a po-
]ifh. Near the Church, of Caftelmufchio, there.is a mafs o f marine
earth in which is found a great number of Furbinati by no means,
refembling thofe o f our fea.
Between Verbenico and Dobrigno-^ near the little country Church
dedicated to St., Grifogono, there is a very large depofite o f Num—
mall, loofe,, and perfectly well preferved, I difcovered this by
chance, 0«: feeing, the peafants of Verbenico make ufe o f thefe little
ilones in one o f their affemblies, to give, their fecret vote. It;
feems evident, that: the. length o f ages has, by means o f the waters,
interrupted the continuity o f the marble ftrata, the remains o f
which ftill form the mountains o f the iiland, wearing into hollows
the vallies of Caftehnuftbio, Verbenico, Dobrigno, Befca, and
other leffer cavities, and diicovering the ancient depofitions o f
feas peopled with fpecies o f living creatures, unlike to thofe that'
inhabit the waters now in our days.. The human imagination,.
accuftomed to look-on this globe as. o f no very old date, is afto-
nilhed to think how great' a number.of ages, muft have been ne-
ceffary to excavate, by the means of. final!; and for the moll part,,
eventual rills, the immenib vallies which divide and fubdivide:
the mountains.; and i f we were to. begin to calculate,, from the*
notions.'