Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-11-15
DoMpS CAlPAGyA.

well be, as il Is, Q source Of great
anxiety to Italian statesmen The
existence of this anxiety il indeed
the one bright spot on the very dark
horizon. A few years ago q ParIis-.
menisry Commission Of Inquiry was
appointed. with the Marquis Nobili
VItelleschi - its President, whose
labors have brought to light q state
OF things that might well have seem.
ed incredible. IL, however, the
knowledge of q disease is half The
remedy, the Italian. may take heart
There has evidently been no Sinking
OF facts, and il now remain. for the
Government and Parliament to carry
out such reforms IS may be sug-
gested, though foreigner may well
be pardOned the opinion that while
the country continues TO be taxed as
II Is for the maintenance of enor-
nous military and naval armsments.
any great improvement Is possible
The President of the Commission
himself does not speak very hope
fully. In summing up the results of
his labors and those of his col
leagues. he says tina, rural property
suffers deplorsbly from N ,laris 10 its
best regions il is cut up into over
minute divisions, fettered on one
side by collective ownership, and
yoked on the other 10 burdensome
privileges and dues overwhelmed
with taxes and debts wanting in
every means OF intercommunication.
and afflicted by the insecurity of life
and property" Nobody can won.
der. he continues, 10 these circun-
stances at the barren outlook which
prese1ts itself, and one can only
hope that the enigma of amelioration
may be satisfactorily solved by the
eminent men whose attention is now
directed TO il.
The eleventh and final volume Of
the commissioners report deals at
length with the condition of the
Campagna, the desolate and pesti
ferrous districts which surround
Rome, which in classic times was
covered with fourishing cities. in
hsbited by q prosperous population.
The Marquis Vitelleschi's report,
which has been admirably summar.
lied by Mr.. w. Beauclerk, second
secretary to the embassy at Rome,
gives graphic account Of this
dreary region, which, We are told.
presents more evils TO be cured
than any other part of the entire
kingdom. Its desolation is strik-
ingly shown by q few of the facts
put on record. The country is
watered by the two rivers Tiber and
Ombrone, but not a single bridge
spans the one or the other outside
the walls OF the Capital. so little at
tention hiss been paid TO facilities of
INSTRUMENTATION. There are
500, 900 acres of unreclaimed soil in
the country which once contained
the flsurishiag Vslscian and Etrus-
can towns that fell to waste when
the Empire was transferred to Con
stantinople, and when the Popes re-
moved from Rome to Avignon. The
malaria hangs like blight over the
whole region, and 90 far but little
seems to have been done to get rid
of the scourge. Cultivation and
drainage are etfectual remedies, as
experience has abundantly proved,
but abortive attempts at drainage
may do more harm than good. In
fact, II is stated that the population
Of Seize. Ceri. SermoDeta and Ter
racina are decimated every year. A
third Of the people fall i'll in single
day, with symptoms more violent
than were ever previously known.
The result Is that many farms have
gone out of cultivation, and the
country goes from bad to worse. for
where man disappears malaria takes
his place. Houses In the Csmpagna
are few and far between. The
necessary labor, which occupies
eight laonths Of the year, Is done
for the most part by immigrants,
who live in huts or wigwsms. when
they are so happy as to possess such
luxuries. A large proportion dwell
in caves, grottoes and ruins. while
many live and sleep in the open air.
ORe reason, and perhaps the princi-
pal one. why houses are not built is
the desire to escape the payment of
the house tax. This impost Is levied
on farm buildings whether they are
occupied or not. Mr.. Beauclerk
states that Prince Torlonia has
actually unroofed many OF his tene-
ments In the neighborhood OF Rome
that he may not have 70 pay house
tax on unlet farm houses. If this Is
9 consideration 10 u millionaire it is
little wonder that small landed pro-
prietors should decline to build on
their estates. The campagns has
but one house to each four square
miles of land.
The condition OF agriculture IS at
present carried on In the Campagna,
are little favorable TO improvement.
The hocks are allowed to destroy
shrubs and young trees, and do 30 to
IN enormous extent, while the des-
tructiou of timber goes on IS II the
importance of trees TO the well be-
ing of q country Is yet to be proved.
The province OF Rome has been dis
affcrested to the extent OF some
1900 acres during the last fifty
years. There are some SOC, 900 acres
devoted To the growing Of corn, but
manure is hardly ever used. and thus
the coil has become exhausted. The
use Of machinery In agricultural
operations is hardly known. and the
introduction Of American wheat
threatens to throw the cornfields OF
the Campagna out of cultivation.
So mush 10 gardening neglected,
that the city OF Rome depends for
fruit and vegetables. not on its sub
burbs, but chiefly upon Naples.
Birds are ruthlcssly destroyed Ia
Difference to the prejudice OF the
Romans against the approach to
game preserving. and thus insects
are allowed to multiply to . danger
Gus extent Little advantage is
taken of the suitability Of climate
and soil for the production Of wine
and oil. The rAvagcs OF the phyl-
loxera in France. which has given an
impetus TO wine manufacture 10
other parts OF Italy. has had no
effect IN this unfortunate district.
rhe appliances for the production OF
oil are inefficient and the article,