e great stream of the Po, the "king
of rivers," as Virgil calls it, which flows majestically through its
length from west to east till it finds its mouth in the Adriatic. It is
obvious, from the testimony of the various travellers in the East, whom
I have cited, what would be the fate of this noble plain under a Turkish
government; it would become nothing more or less than one great and
deadly swamp. But Mr. Alison observes: "It is hard to say, whether the
cultivation of the soil, the riches of nature, or the structures of
human industry in this beautiful region, are most to be admired. An
unrivalled system of agriculture, from which every nation in Europe
might take a lesson, has long been established over its whole surface,
and two, and sometimes three successive crops annually reward the
labours of the husbandman. Indian corn is produced in abundance, and by
its return, quadruple that of wheat, affords subsistence for a numerous
and dense population. Rice arrives at maturity to a great extent in the
marshy districts; and an incomparable system of irrigation, diffused
over the whole, conveys the waters of the Alps to every field, and in
some places to every ridge, in the grass lands. It is in these rich
meadows, stretching round Lodi, and from thence to Verona, that the
celebrated Parmesan cheese, known over all Europe for the richness of
its flavour, is made. The vine and the olive thrive in the sunny slopes
which ascend from the plain to the ridges of the Alps; and a woody zone
of never-failing beauty lies between the desolation of the mountain and
the fertility of the plain."

8.

Such is his language concerning the cultivation at present bestowed upon
the great plain of Italy; but after all it is for the third or
mountainous region of the country, where art has to supply the
deficiencies of nature, that he reserves his enthusiastic praises. After
speaking of what nature really does for it in the way of vegetation and
fruits, he continues: "An admirable terrace-cultivation, where art and
industry have combined to overcome the obstacles of nature, has
everywhere converted the slopes, naturally sterile and arid, into a
succession of gardens, loaded with the choicest vegetable productions. A
delicious climate there brings the finest fruits to maturity; the grapes
hang in festoons from tree to tree; the song of the nightingale is heard
in every grove; all nature seems to rejoice in the paradise which the
industry o