Morning journal and courier., 1892-04-09

6AAAs oc Va sCaElc.t NclOH OF green.
looped most gracefully above the lower
skirt and surmounted by black cloth. or
in rare instances q coarse velvet, bodice.
They rarely wear any foot covering and
only such head covering as is supplied by
the folds of the upper skirt
Although the coastwiss italian fshermsn
differ from the Venetian lagoon fahers,
who are o hereditary distinct clAss making
their living by shoal- fishing and wsding in
the mud for crabs and other shell fab, in
being invariably deep sea fishers, stu they
are never fond of long voyages and rarely
pass more than three or four nights on the
water at one trip. They are fond like the
Chioggisn fishers of forming small fleets
of five or six craft for fishing In one local
ity, and keeping one of their ''bragoxzi,n -
with its crew, plying back and forth with
the Catches" either directly to market
towns with fresh fish, or to their own
home ports with fish for curing.
Their craft are wholly different from the
logon fishers, being especially broad and
fiat, and large and important of rudder,
upon which indeed depends almost the en-
tire management of the little vessels
This being within the control of one man,
or two at most, the crew, whether large or
small, are left free handed for the nets,
the method of "stowing," "psying out" :"
and setting and hauling of which closely
resemble those of both British and Ameri-
can coast fishers.
The women do not shrink from even the
toughest labor on the sea- and 1t is no un-
common signt TO see wife and daughters
hanohng ropes. nets ana sails, cleaning OF
sorting nsh on deck or vigorously engaged
in any :-ecessary labor OF the boat. In
deed SO far as my observation goes these
fishermen's wives are the propelling, &C
tive, indomitable force of their lives and
livelihood. Their movements are vigorous
and even virile, while the men are phleg-
matte and slow. At the tiller, in unfurl-
ing or reefing the sails, paying out or haul
ing in the meta, slowing away the fsh,
transferring them from their craft to the
market bra0ozzo. in hauling the boats upon
the beach, IN spreading and driving the
nets, in fact, in every possible manner in
which they labor beside or In advance of
their husbands. they Law hold of their toll
with a viyor and r,nscnIar win, srh;b;,ir,
tramen5ons anargv and fo,cs Th.;5
reach of arm and Stride of leo are rsms,t.
able and the muscles of their sbonIdsrs
and breasts show extraordinary deveIon-
ment Studyinp them as have often
done when they were unconscious of OBJ
servation, their strange, gruff voices, their
brawny frames, their immense brute
strength. and above all. their savage ener-
gy of action. has PROMPTED the thousht
that n snv fntnrs MasanieIlo vara 10 Ian
from AMONG, the fshsr folk Nth ths dre.S
sbon, of stSo,,a Al nal cayeyno,n tha ra-
s;stisss rherator vonId 1rova an Itsl,sn
fisher woman rather than an italian hsher
man.
The superstitions of these italian fisher
men are singularly fewer than those of al
most any Others Of his class, and most of
those which they possess are of q painful
ly pious sort. They are q deeply dsyout
people. They are also deusely ignorant.
They positively know nothing else in their
dull lives but their rude fishing and how
TO eat and sleep. They are animal as much
as have ever found men, although their
animal dullness and soddenness Is of the
gentle rather than the vicious sort. They
therefore do not possess the quick and ere
alive fancy of their brethren of the Scotch
and Irish coasts who az one of the is..n,
onca said 10 me sgcs.cb roora h,,ahoo.
thsn ssb ~
Th;s Ia,h.r~,;. ,,,.I;,x 10 ,u,.,,.,n5 hr
,ba;r ;ror5;ns,. carss;,y C. g. -
-, a,d asDa,;.II~ ,ba i.,.sr tn -
nnsnt tbs f;sbsT aTrfvss on sbors his Ish.or.
Wxb;cb ;f his nnss,s have moi ~ ssr
and 5ang.rons have .irs,5v haen rs--
For,,.-,j Isr,sI,- hr ,.,,,,.1 st3.r5 his kr.-
rrrsU n an harnhEffn nv
sssa-Ss .ar.;,sr, e.. = .,..ars -. "a -
S..at.o. hs,,.s.Is =. 80 - h,. -
A oelaAss n.uh 70 s "s ~. VIZ
esfss apss toI "A', ys s' sAsi.h5 az I va" IHs
ps.an - 80 - sina,s ssha-u.n ,S,s =. =,
ons s;t,ins more than a onsTt Of stuss ON
hodgepodSe stew of shredded fish and veg.
etables, a pound of bread, and that dear
est of all delicscies TO an italian fisherman,
a polents, or chestnut -four pudding big
ger than his shaggy head with q gost's-
milk cheese as large as his fist
This done he filings himself on his belly
upon the floor of his hut or beside his hab-
itation in the warm sand of the shore side
street, and instantly becomes oblivious to
all worldly concerns in sleep; and he will
sleep from twelve to twenty hours without
changing his position. Often have 1 come
into these little fishing villages and, while
all was hustle and activity among the wo-
men, found score of men thus disposed
in doorways or half burrowed in the sand,
until it seemed as though these sea-roving
sluggards were all lying in a helpless
drunken stupor, or were merely the bod
les of dead fishermen cast up from the
deep.
Several odd objects are carried by the
Italian fisherman as necessary to good luck
In general A tny Paooie iAshioneo from
a chestnut tree that mas oeen struck py
lightning has unusual power Tor gooo, al
though never could secure the reason Tor
their taith- Inc hgure OF h.tie hump
backed man called goooo, giooe
surmounted by cross and COCK with
star in its beak are frequently painted
upon the sails. All of these possess for
tuitous influences. Another fsvorite good
luck token is a little brass orcia or cruet
of oil. 1t is kept carefully sealed and