New-York daily tribune., 1844-05-06
For The Tribune.
CONDITION OF ITALIAN PEASANTRf

i j.. T. HEADLEY.
+ The peasantry Of Italy as general thing, are
' more virtuous than the richer classes, and in
many provinces do not suffer for the necessaries
of life The difference in this respect in the dif
/! ferent sections, is as great that between the
cultivated and uncultivated land Of those regions
Field.work, which in our country is chiefly con-
fined to the men, except in the slave districts, is
here performed also by women. Wheat is gene
' rally sown in drills, and after it has reached a
certain hight is weeded out generally BY females
and boys, who pass between the rows with mar
row hoes. The peculiar costumes of the peasantry
7 often gives them a very picturesque appearance
in the fields. have eeen twelve of fifteen women
l in group, each with a napkin folded on the top
; of her head, to protect it from the sun-while
the dark spencer ard red skirt open in front and
pinned back 80 as to disclose blue pettcoat be-
i, neath-contras,ed beautifully with the bright
green field that spead away on every side. They
usually go TO their work in the morning wlth
their dstaffs in their hands, spinning as they CO.
The distaff is one of those characteristics OF the
country VOu HiCCL az Sfoi( tuih' - - 49,
common distaff and held under the arm, while
the spindle rests in the l.and. The flax is pulled
out into thread in thu usual way when the SPIN
die is dropped and whir given 1t as 1t falls, SO
that it hangs dangling by the thread and twisting
il as it revOlves. have often stopped OF bright
morning and watched these picturesque groups
slowly sauntering along to their labor. Many
of them will ask aims as you pass as mere
matter of economy To cheerful looking wo-
man who asks you for money, you cannot wen
rafu.e single Carline 1t is sought and obtained
in a single minute, and yet it Is the price OF a
whole davis labor. In the country between Ma
ples and Rome, some parts OF which are very
!, beautiful, the wages of woman In the nelo Is a
i, Carline, or eight cents per day and she tnaS
herself One can hardly cencelve how elgh'
cents would buy her daily food, much less ciothe
and shelter her, but it is incredible on what
I small sum an Italian will live. Many poor no.
!. Bile would be supremely happy could he nave Inc
income of our common clerks.
Leaving other parts of Italy for another time
I will speak simply of Lucca and the region
! bordering on it. Here, and farther North, all
along the base and in the midst of the Appenines
! the peasantry are Industrious and trugai-ou'
/, still the means Of subsistence are not sufficient
10 their wants. Chestnuts arc staple article o
: food-roasted they are very nice, but as the che
q nrovi,ion-can scarcely be regarded as healthy
1 They are pounded and ground up and made nIc
: pudding and bread. They grow in great abun
! dance on the Apprentices, and the value OF th'
land is estimated not by Its quantity but by th'
) number of bushels OF chesnuts 1t VIII produce
These mountain lands are let out to the peasan
! try, who give two-thirds of the chesnuts to th'
I landlord. and retain one-third for gathering.
and a
;shes the chesnut crop, the distress among these
children of the hills is terrible. Famine walk
among them, but the ruin and anguish 1t carrie
' with It are unknown beyond the boundaries
I their own province 1t is wonderful to see how
{, patiently these peasants bear prlvatlon. The,
I will wander around among the hills gathering
herbs and eating beans boiled with grass withou
murmuring or violence. They wait and siarv'
!, PRAYING the while to tho good Madonna to relieve
] their sufferngs.
{, Indian corn is grown here, and is planted I'm
mediatelv after the gathering Of the wheat crol
! in midsummer; and harvested in October
Travellers who follow the main routes knowI
better of the character of the Italian peasantry
f, Around the hotels and villages they have become
/, contaminated by foreigners. But go back int
/, the mountains and the extreme potenesS ant
! civility YOU meet at every turn endear ,hetn u
you before you are aware OF II. Ntaic aho ietnai
salute YOU as you pass, and IN such pleasan
manner that you scarcely regard yourself as
! foreigner.
Visiting once the silver mines on the borders o
Lucca and Carrara we were struck with IN
change of the character Of the lower classes I'm
medistely on leaving the main road. But tn
pleasure received was soon forgotten IN the SAT
spectacle that met me as approached the mines
/ never saw paler and more wee-begone iace
than those of the females, found myself among
They were mostly young women, but poor wi't
sunken eyes, and colorless checks, and periec
marble expression of features. They are EN-
poyed in various departmets but chiefly IL
washing silver dust Whether it be the colo
mountain water in which their arms are constantly
ba,hed or the influence of the metal they sepa
rate, or both, know not-but our hard driver
factory girls look Ike rose buds, compared tc
them. We went through the mines with tn,
head minor, and when we LEFT him astonishec
him beyond measure with the present of halt
dollar. se y,olto cenoroso,' said he. We had EN-
Moved him but half an hour, and that after hi:
davis work was done, and yet be received for 1t 5
whole DAVIS wages. Returning from these mines
inst at evening we met one of those dandy peas
ants we often see painted, but seldom encounter
A nerfect rustic Adonis with flowing locks ant
ro.y checks, and beautiful bright and laughing
sye-he had that aunty air and rolhsking
gait which characteristics your peasant beau
His hat was set rakishly one side, while his
fashy vest and careleess costume gave him q
decidedly rakish appearance. But ne was
handsome fellow, and as he passed us with his
oxen and cart he trolled away careless dltty