Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-12-09
THRIFT AND CHARACTER OF THE
|. ..I,.n TUSCAN LPEASAN1RY--M. ~

NJ. De SIsMoNpf; author of the Fall of the
Roman Empire, who had, an estate in Tusca-
ny, and was thoroughly acquainted with the
character and condition of the country and its
inhabitants. gives us the following delightful
picture of the thrift and character of the Tus-
can peasantry. IT certainly represents We
rs happy state Of society; one which compared
with the restless, changing ambitious charac-
ter OF our own population, leaAes US little we
thinkto boast u. The true shilosophy of a
happy lie. has ever seemed to Us. to consist
more in circumscribifg than in increasing our
wants and desires.
The land is cultivated for the proprietor on
shares, he furnishing the land, house; and i'm
plements, and receiving half the product. The
metayersfpeasant.y receives from the hand Of
Nature his whole substance. He has little
want of money, for he has scarcely any pay
ment to make. He hardly knows the exis-
tence of taxes, for they are paid by the pro-
prietor; and as he has nothing to quarrel a.
bout. With the government, he is in general
attached to it. Neither has he any interest
to settle withthe church. tit4es having long
ago been abolished. He Is a partner wHh
his proprietor in INTEREST," and has nothing to
discuss with hihn, usage having fixed his rights
and obligations. His contract may. it is true,
be broken nyiyear by his misconduct; but
experience teaches the proprietor that he loses
and never gains by 8discarding a peasant,
Thus he lives ON the land as if it were his in
heritance, loving it devotedlyf and laboring to
improve it, and Believing that it will be cult
waited by his children and grandchildren.
They understand it with a precision that the
feeling Of property alone can give. The ter:
races felevated one above another, are often
not more than4 feet wide, and the character
of each is known to the metayer; this is dry,
that is too cold and Damp. here the soil is deep
there it merely the incrustatfon OF a rock;
wheat thriyes best here, bailey there; here
it would be lost labor to plant Indian corn,
even beans or peas.a little further fax -four.
ishes wonderfully, and tue border of this
brook is wonderful for hemp. Thus in a space
of 10 acres, the soil the aspect, and the lay of
the Land aresen. . crea,er variety than a rich
farmer finds. on 500 or 600 acres.
The gentleness and benevolence OF the
Tuscan character are often spoken of;1the rea-
son is. that all cause of quarrel is removed
from the cultiva,ors, who constitute three
fourths Of the population.
When you leavesthe great roads, and climb
up the hills of the valley, of Nievole, you
meet at every step little paths, which winding
among the vines and olives, are never traced
by Wheel, and are orafg passable for noun
tain horses with their loads. Among these
paths. you meet al every hundred steps, upon
some fowery hill side, a little house, which
presents the sweet image of industry fully re-
warded, of mans love df'the land. Of abund-
anee and peace. The house is substantially
fbuiit With good walls, and has always one, and
often two stories above the ground floor.
| The most spacious and airy Of the rooms are
| devoted in Nay or June to the growth of the
( s~ilk-worln, - stzt4
All the linen and working dresses of the
/ family are home made. One can hardly ina
rine the quantity of linen and iinsley woolsey
| the women accumulate by Instrumentation
| The FLOWING is an inventory of Tie bridal