hundred and fifty thousand pounds a year.

The inhabitants (I dare fay, ninety of them in an hundred) afford a surprising fpectacle to ftrangers. The men, women, and children, (I speak of the plebeians, not having feen the face of a gentleman,) have great fwellings* on the outfide of their throats, occafioned, according to our information, by the unwholesomeness of the water, and the severity of the winter feafon. Thefe fwellings are efteemed rather beauties than defects. The grandfather beholds a fwelling under his grand-daughter's chin, of the size of a walnut, and piously hopes to fee it increase to the size of a pear. The hufband expects a swelling in the throat of

his

* Mr. Duncombe, in answer to this letter, fays, "Signor Baretti, in his account of the paffage over Mount Cenis, and of the Savoyards, com"municated to Mr. Richardfon (See the Hiftory of Sir Charles Grandifon, Vol. IV. Letter 16.) fays that the people are of an olive complecD

it

❝tion,

his heir apparent, or he doubts the chaf tity of his confort. Baboons keep an hoard of victuals in their throats, but the Savoyards have not victuals fufficient to fpare a referve. Upon the whole, the Savoyards feem to be a very fingular, and a very infignificant people; of little ufe to their prince, of much less to themfelves. In England they are known by their raree-fhews, but fcarce mentioned on any other occafion. They have no characteristic, by which they are diftinguished. They are a nation of THROATS*.

To

"tion, and that many of them, especially the women, have large wens under their chins.” And again

66

*Q?" Should not the Savoyards be called a nation of wenny throats, as thofe enormous 66 wens are their characteristic? The obvious meaning of " a nation of throats" is a "greedy voracious people. Meffius, mentioned by Horace in his journey to Brundufium (Sat.§. " lib. 1. ver. 58.) feems to have been one of

To-morrow we begin to climb the Alps. We are at the foot of them al

"their ancestors. As to that diforder, fee Pliny, lib. 26. cap. 1.

Anfwer." The throats of the Savoyards are not wens. They are not of the fort described by Horace in his account of the droll combat between the buffoon Sarmentus and Cicerrus Meffius, called Cicerrus probably from the Cicer on the left fide of his face which he had lately cut off. From that paffage it is evident that the people of Campania were liable to these Cicers (buttons or small wens) which Horace calls Campanus morbus, perhaps as liable as the inhabitants of Savoy are to their pouch or purse throats, which do not appear to be of the hard wenny kind, but to hang more or lefs loose as the glands are more or lefs fwelled. It was impoffible to go near them with-out fome degree of horror, and even the fight of them was disagreeable.”

"An English lady of quality, who refided fome years at Turin, imagined every morning, when she awoke, that her throat had fwelled in the night, and that it was becoming a Savoyard throat as faft as poffible. Such fights to vapourish and tender imaginations are very impreffive."

ready. When our Herculean labour is finished, from the first place of rest you fhall hear again from

Your faithful, and affectionate

humble fervant,

CORKE

LETTER

LETTER IV.

Turin, October 12th, 1754

DEAR SIR,

A

T the foot of Chamberry commence. the Alps. The afcent of the first mountain is very steep, but well paved, and fufficiently broad. A pair of oxen is constantly added to the chaise-horses; but in the subsequent mountains, which are many, all as fteep, and feveral of them narrower and worse paved than the firft, no oxen are to be found. Over different parts of thefe, we had recourse to our own feet, and you may be certain that I must be very free from the gout to go through fuch an undertaking. Three days were thus paffed in afcending and descending these towering hills. Our lodgings at night were worse than indifD 3 ferent.