o Rome; the average depth of water
throughout the year being from four to five feet, which is only
sufficient for the Pope's navy force, employed in tugging barges from
Fuma-Cina to Rome. It is not the least important part of the Roman
merchants' business to know that their long-expected goods have entered
the river. This is ascertained at the custom-house at Ripa Grande, where
the intelligence is chronicled every evening, on return of the navy
force.

That navy consists of three small steamers, thirty horse power, and a
dredging boat. Two of the steamers are kept for the traffic between
Fuma-Cina and the custom-house at Rome. The other is employed on the
upper part of the river, starting from the Ripetta in Rome for the
Sabina country, going up about forty miles, and returning with wine,
oil, Indian corn, and wood for fuel, green and charred. The dredging
boat is scarcely ever used. The constantly filthy state of the river
causes so much deposit, that the machine is unable to overcome it.

There are custom-houses, of course, on all the frontiers. A very
respectable amount of bribery is done in these places: indeed, I never
could see that much business of any other sort was transacted in them. I
have already stated, that the first thing I was compelled to do on
entering Rome was to give a bribe, in order to escape from the old
temple of Antoninus, in which I unexpectedly found myself locked up. I
met an intelligent Scotchman in Rome, who had newly returned from
Naples, and who had to endure a half-day's detention at Terra Cina
because he refused to pay the ransom of six scudi put upon his trunks,
and insisted on their being searched. Corruption pervades all classes of
functionaries. In Rome itself there are two custom-houses; one for
merchandise imported by sea, and the other for overland goods. The hours
for business are from nine o'clock till twelve o'clock. Declarations for
relieving goods must be made betwixt nine and eleven, the other hour
being appropriated to winding up the business of the preceding two
hours. Almost everything which the country produces, whether for man or
for beast, on entering the city has to pay duty at the gate. This is
termed _Dazio di Consumo_. This department of the revenue is farmed out
to an officer, whose servants are stationed at the gates for the purpose
of uplifting the duty; and there, as in all the other Government
custom-houses, much systematic cheating goes on. As an example, I