the ladies of rank still spin flax from a distaff, to show their industry. the peasantry are not very well off; their only luxury is tobacco, and their usual fare is bread, made of indian corn, with a salted pilchard, or a head of garlic, to give it a relish. they are polite and hospitable; but the people of the towns have not the least scruple in stabbing any body that offends them; so that it is a dangerous thing to affront them. what elegant tables, pictures, vases, marbles, statues, shells, woods, and perfumes, have been contributed to the exhibition from italy. here is a table of a most beautiful material, called pietra dura, which took one hundred and twenty years to finish, and came from naples. italy has always been celebrated for the beauty of the articles manufactured there; and the things it has sent us now are certainly worthy of its fame. it is one of the loveliest countries in the world, in the spring and autumn, and is ornamented with the richest foliage; vines, mulberry, olive, and orange trees; and with high hills and deep dales, towns, villas, and villages. the soil is extremely fertile, and produces abundance of grain, the finest fruits and vegetables, with flax, saffron, and manna. the climate is delightful, except in summer, when the weather is dreadfully hot, and the winters are so mild, that ice and snow are quite rarities, except in the mountains; i wonder what my littleboy friends would do there, for a skate on the ice, or a merry game of snowballs? rome, the capital of italy, is a splendid city, full of the remains of ancient temples, pillars, arches, and fountains; but many of them sadly ruinous and decayed. there are a great many jews in it, who are forced to live in a particular part, called the _ghetto_, which means a place for jews. the city of rome and the surrounding country are very unwholesome during summer, in consequence of the land not being properly drained, as it used to be in the times of the ancient romans, so that it is dangerous to dwell near them at that season of the year. the numerous vineyards in italy, are not divided by hedges, but by rows of rather fine trees, the vines clinging in graceful festoons from one bough to another. in some parts of the country, there are various picturesque corn fields and meadows, bordered by olive trees. the italians are not a very industrious people, but they make silk stockings, soap, snuffboxes of the lava of mount vesuvius, tables of marble, and ornaments of shells, besides gloves and caps of the filaments of a kind of muscle, which they get off the rocks, where it fixes itself by spinning a web from its own body, like the silkworm or spider. these caps and gloves are actually warmer than those made of wool, and are of a fine glossy green colour. [illustration] there are a great many beggars, i am sorry to say, in fair italy, who are called _lazzaroni_, and they live on whatever they can get, sleeping under porticos, piazzas, or any place they can find, and are, as you may guess, excessively idle, like all other beggars. there are also hordes of thieves, who are called _banditti_, and who rob people in the most daring manner, for there are very few police. but there are also numerous persons who are quite wellbehaved, and do all they can to earn their bread honestly. among these is a set of men called _improvisatori_, who tell stories, or repeat verses in the streets, and get a good deal of money from those who stop to listen to them. it must be very pleasant, on a cool summer evening, to sit under some magnificent old portico, listening to some interesting poem, or hearing a pretty story related. throughout italy, one of the remarkable customs, is keeping of a grand festival, which begins some weeks before lent, and is called the carnival; on this occasion, every place is brilliantly adorned, and the people go about singing, dancing, joking, and masquerading. the most splendid carnival is kept at venice, a remarkable city of italy, built upon a several islands, the sea, which runs every where among them, serving the inhabitants for streets. the italians are very handsome, and have jet black hair, dark roguish eyes, and fine figures. the dress of the lower orders is even prettier than the pretty spanish costume. the men wear highcrowned hats, such as you may sometimes have seen on the organgrinders in the streets of london, velveteen jackets, gaiters, and open shirtcollars, loosely fastened by a silk ribbon; while the women have short scarlet petticoats, and jackets of a darker colour, with exceedingly short sleeves, tied with bright ribbon, and their long black hair decorated with coloured bows of ribbon, and confined by a silk lace net, which falls partly over their shoulders. instead of sending thieves to prison in italy, they are sent on board the galleys, a large kind of rowing vessels, where they are chained to the decks, and obliged to endure every species of hardship. what a number of things the germans have contributed! bracelets, articles of straw, beautiful household furniture, toys, wire, and many other manufactures. here is a splendid tray of polished amber, with a little carriage, made according to a proper model, and a large chandelier of amber, capable of holding several thousand lights. there is a beautiful cabinet made of a collection of pieces of unpolished amber, intended to show the different kinds of that mineral, its various forms, its peculiarities, and its varieties. here is a bedstead, worth it is said ten thousand pounds; and the most elegant furniture ever seen. and here is a piece of white silk embroidered with portraits of our queen and the prince of wales, done in a thin kind of thread, called hair thread. you know a good deal about germany itself, i dare say, already; but i must tell you something about the germans themselves. they are grave and thoughtful, but highly romantic and full of enthusiasm. their love for their country is most remarkable. all classes in germany are welleducated, and many painters, poets, and musicians, have been born among them. the art of printing was first practiced in that country, and at present the number of books printed there is immense; while every year a bookfair is held at the city of leipzig. the produce and manufactures of germany are exceedingly numerous, and you see they are of great variety, such as clocks, watches, woollens, linens, toys, wines, ornamental work in iron and steel, worsteds, and silks. in the public walks and gardens, on sundays, the people assemble in great crowds, dressed out in their holiday clothes, while ladies and gentlemen walk about without the least restraint among the working people. the chase is a favourite amusement with the nobles and gentlemen, and is a sport in which they are lustily joined by the peasantry. the immense forests with which the country abounds gives shelter to wild boars, wolves, and many other ferocious animals. on grand occasions there is held what is called a _battue_, when a number of deer are driven into an enclourse, and shot at by the sportsmen. the habits of the peasants are extremely simple, but the people are industrious and ingenious. the villages and cottages are neat and comfortable. the peasants make many pretty toys and ornaments, and bring provisions to market from a great distance, in light roomy wheelbarrows, made for the purpose. the german people are in general fair, with blue eyes, flaxen hair, and full figures; but they do not wear any very peculiar dress. in models of ships, in rosewood furniture, in silver embroidery, and silver cups,besides linens, calicoes, and glass beautifully painted for windows; many contributions have been sent in by the dutch. there are also soft thick blankets with scarlet borders, which make one warm merely to look at them. the dutch people are industrious, and cleanly. the women are the most active and nicest housewives in the world; they scour and brighten, and rub not only the furniture and inside of their houses, but the outside as well; the houses in holland, bythebye, look like painted babyhouses, and are roofed with glossy delft tiles, and the rooms are lined with smooth square tiles of delft, and the floors paved with marble. the people are never idle in holland, but are always working at a great variety of manufactures, among which are leather, woollen, and linen articles,also, paper, wax, starch, pottery, and tiles