Morning journal and courier., 1893-02-25

Odd Incidents of Foreign Travel and
Observation The Poet.Traveler
Sends From over tho Sea Some
Graphic Notes on Italy and Its
Lowly-Among the Carbonarf OF
Mount Pratomagno Neapolitan
Contrasts - Saracenic Clods and
Their Flocks and Herds Painted by
a Master Hand-Sicilian Serfs.
LONDON, Feb. 13.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND CouRIER:
One of the most delightful experiences
of my wsnderings in Italy was night
passed with the oharcoal-burnere in the
mountains to the north of Florence. At
the village of Tosi looked up the noun
tain of Pratomsgno and ssw lines of blue
smoke in feashery pencilipgs against the
dark green of the masssd mountain frs.
"Those are the casbonsri. They never
leave the mountain, save on feastdsys;"
said kindly earrettsjo. "When they
come to Tosi for wine and oil they are go
black ana dreadful our children run aud
hide. But they do no harm" So with a
vagarous impulse of adventure I turned
aside from the paved mountain way, and,
with the cartman's son for guide, skirted
the mountain, coming in two hours
tramp through dense forests of beech,
chestnut and pine, with here and there q
blsokened opening where the trees had al
ready been burned, or sunny space where
sportsmen and shepherds snare the noun.
tain birds, came to the charcosl-bur
camp, aud - Hospitality received for the
night
These carbonari form distinct class In
the mountains of Italy. They generally
live in the villages, the wife and daughters
engaging in the vineyards, gathering ol
ives or chestnuts, and often as shepherd
esses with small hocks. The fathers and
sons go from one forest to another as the
owners desire charcoal made. The land
lord secures the telling ard cutting of the
trees, and the carbonsro simply attends to
building the pyres and watching day and
night their smouldering progress. In this
labor the sons share and regular watches
are taken. The logs are stood on end IL
| round piles of perhaps eighteen feet il
| diameter, covered and chinked with mossy
| earth and then fred In a central hollow
which has been filed with chips of dry
timber, FIR cones, chips from the logs snd
dead leaves and grasa.
Once we'll ablsze, this flaming funnel Il
covered with moss and earth, and the pile
| is left to shoulder for five or six days
When reduced to csrbone or charcoal the
| carbonaro delivers it to the owner packed
| in sacks, two sacks comprising q donkey
1 load, for which he receives about ter
| cent?, or about two dollars for each burn
| ing yielding forty sacks. At this camp
| an unusually large one, q soore or more
csrbonsri were at work; and, as the burn
ing was to be for an extended period, come
| Elk or eight of the oarbonsri had built
| temporary huts and removed their entire
| families to the forest.
This gave life and picturesqueness tc
the scene, especially at night. A few iror
| cressets had been fastened to the tree
| trunks, and the crackle and Earrings oi
cones and knots lent weird colorings to the
| motley groups of women with dazzling
teeth and eyes, and men grimy and swartf
beyond all description. I could not re
press the feeling that was at my old wan
derings with my gypsy friends again; and
as the night gathered over the majestic
| forest trees above, and one by one som.
strange instrument of music was producet
from the shsdowy huts, while melody snc
dancing added their fascination to tn,
| wild, strange scene, thousand reoollec
tions of days with the Romsny swept bacl
on Prstomagno's dsrkened heights.
Deeper still grew this feeling as 1 wa
| shown to q couch of fir branches for sleep
1t came not for hours; for in the gentl,
soughiug of the frs, the calls of the watch
ers to each other, and here and ther,
through the camp suppressed tones of mel
ody as those who watched grouped togeth
er and resssuringly sang low and soft tn
stornslii of Italy, was with my vsgabont
friends by their witching camp fires in m,
own loved land. When the morning
came, after q breakfast of pan unto, o
bread fried in olive oil, and many q kindl,
"addio!" and "valei" from my grimy hosts
found my own way bsok to the frfendl,
villagers of Tosi.
The traveller in Italy will remember o
Naples itself that 1t possesses no on
grand predominating place, thing or char
scteristio of SURPRISING interest Thi
might perhaps be modified by saying
was q city of wonderful contrssts-of tn
tremendously rich and wofully poor; O
the oldest and beat italian nobility an,
the most wretched of titled adventurers
of dazzling beauty and most hideous hsg
gisbness in women; of most learned 60
wants and the most sodden Ignorance; @
the highest virtue and the most disgustin
lewdness, SO shsmefaced that even NAL
devils aooost one everywhere with printe
tariffs for licentiousness; of the lstes
modes In dress and gsrb among the lowl
as ancient as the time of Tiberfus; @
frightful activity and tropical siesta; G
deafening din and solemn hush; of th
shrillest and most cesseless shriekings da
and night, and mean while the most sib
liant and melodious of tender voicinge; c
content and despair; cruelty and kind
heartedness; loyalty and treschery; and
just as all Italy physically seems to be 1
flower -embowered heaven smiling over
! threatening volcanic hell-of laughin.
! eyed humans with hearts in which IL
worst of human passions forever brooi
ready at any instaut's kindlipg for sed
, tion, rapine or murder.
, In every part Of southern Italy you wi
come upon q broad, grass grown highws,
It is called the ''traturo." For tveni
, centuries 1t has served tho same purpos