63.8 I TA L IA N ST A T ES.
■Sin i
CHAPTER II.
T he S o u th e r n P a r t of I t a i ï .
Naples and Sicily, with the adjacent î/les. -
I t I
' K a M .B S A N Ö
, Sjçïlt.
Hiftorical
Epochs.
THIS divifion comprifes the'kingdom of Naples and Sicilybeing
divided from the central part chiefly by an arbitrary line; nor
has nature indeed marked any precife diftinGion, except fome rivers
were aflumed as boundaries, towards the Mediterranean and Adriatic.
Sicily is about 170 Britifh miles in length, by 70 of medial breadth:
while this part of Italy exceeds 300 miles in length by 100 in breadth.
Square miles 29,824, with fix millions of inhabitants.
After the fall of the Roman empire this part of Italy underwent
various revolutions. The powerful princes of Benevento furvived the
eonqueft of the north of Italy by Charlemagne ; and with other potentates
in this quarter acknowledged the fupremacy of the Greek erii-..
pire, from-which Sicily had been wrefted A. D. 828 fHy the'Safec&nl,'
who poffefled it till A.D.tjo58.* A* pilgrimage to St. Michael of
mount Gargano induced the'Normans to" attempt the cdriqufeft, which
was -gradually aecomplifhed, both Saracens and Greeks being expelled.
The Normart leaders became dukes of Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily f and,.
Roger was named ldng of Sicily by the Pope, A. D. 113 0. The Norman
line continued till their kingdom was fubdued by Heriry YI, emperor
of Germany. After internal contefis Charles of Anjou became
king of Sicily 1266 : after the Sicilian velpers, 1282, Sicily was feized
* Sardinia was fubdued about the fame time, and was regained by the Pifans and Genoefe in
the year 1016.
T o enumerate the antiquities o f theSicilian kingdom would be infinite, as befides thofe o f H e rculaneum,
there are innumerable remains o f Grecian architecture in the S. o f Italy, and in Sicily,
’ particularly the grand temple near Girgenti.
by
■ H M H
CHAP. IL SOUTHERN PART. 639
by a fleet fent by the kings of-Arragon,/ but Naples continued to ac- Naples ako
knowledge the. line of Anjou, which expired in the infamous Jean i 382. SlclLY'
Rene' of Anjq$. king q f Naples' 1435,.was the father ofrMargaret wife
of Henry VI of England : buy the French line failed in 1481, in Charles.
Count'de Maine, who named Louis XI king o f France his heir, whence
the;pretenfion.of France to the kingdom, of Naples. /.The Spanifh line
of Naples and Sicily continued till 1714, when they palled to the
houfe of Auftriahut were transferred to that of Bourbon 1736, in
the perfon of Don Carlos duke of Parma a^d^Bla^enyia, lbn of Philip V
king of Spain, and ©£* Elizabeth of Parma: whp'vfucceeding to ,the
crown of Spain I759, he conferred ^ . ’Italian k&^topjf'on Ddn Ferdinand
ibis third forty’ who married the filler op the erhpbrör’b'f Germany
in'isy'Sflvv^;
Though the religion,Hé' thè Roman* CSthblFc, the ihqM^'lol'has beèn Religion,
carefully excluded. Few men of diftrnguifhed,'genius ^ have recently
appeared in this portion* of Italy, which fs overrun’fafth pribfts arid1 lawyers
: büt afaohg the latter ’Giannone has“ 'diftiriguïlhed himlHf'Hy his
fpirited Mftqry óf Kis cbóntr-y'. 5 There are no-’lefs tftiriV2ö/arehBifhöj&
ricks^ arid 125 epifcöpal' fees 3 but nét tinivetfity of any reputation.
The ecclefiaftics are: computed at! ; and it is fuppofed that
abötit one half óf thé landsHs in ’their* pdfleffibnf * The government is
nearly defpqtic. The laws are contained in the’feod& Catblinus pub-
lifhed in 1754. The political lmj$mt'anc<^'is incbnfiderable: but the
Frënch have never without great lofs penetrated, far into Italy, and it is
probable that experience will teach them to; abftain jö fafurel Thé
chief city is Naplès, efteemed, after ConftahtmbpTe|fbe mof£ beautiful
capital in the world: the inhabitants are computed at 380,000.* Palermo
iri SiCtff is fuppofed to contain 130,000. Medina was nearly'de-
ftroyed by an earthquake, 1 7 8 !^ but Bari is laid,to ,ckntainf 30*0,00
fouls, and Catanea 26,000. Befides excellent wine?, oranges,, olives,,
ride, and flax, this kingdom abounds In cattle ; and feme parts are cele-
* Ag ialfi, about 30 miles 8 . E . o fN ap le s , was formerly a eeltbrated city and fea port, re markable
for the fuppofed invention o f the mariner's coijnpafs, and fcr-tl«^d&£y£ry o f the pan- "
dects o f Jnfiinian, A . D . i 137.
* $ bratedi