NOW is the season of the year to gather in ice, and store it away in houses for use in the summer. We in this country use ice, as you all know; but in Italy it is not ice but snow that is employed to cool the drinks and viands. The quantity that is consumed annually, particularly when the summer proves long and unusually hot, is prodigious. In the low country, snow never lies upon the ground; but in the Appenines that run all through the Peninsula, they have an inexhaustless magazine of that precious substance. A few of the loftiest mountains of that great chain-the Great Rock of Italy, and Monte Majello -have snow on their summits all the year round, and even glaciers in some of their deep crevices; but, generally speaking, the snow disappears from the ridges of the Appenines towards the end of May; and were not art and precaution employed, it could not be made. available to man at the season he most wants it. To preserve it, the Neapolitans dig deep wells or caverns high up the mountain's sides, or sometimes make use of natural caves among the rocks. At the proper season, when they can procure it in broad, thick, purely white layers, they throw the snow into these to be preserved. The snow is well pressed together, and, when the chasm is full, or nearly so, they throw in a quantity of straw, dried leaves, and branches of trees, to keep the external air from the snow, and then shut up the mouth of the well or THE SNOW HARVEST. cavern, which is sometimes, though not always, enclosed by a small, rude stone building. These snow-caves are most ly on the northern face of the mountain. By taking advantage of thick trees that, in summer, afford a cool, dense shade, or of a deep, narrow rift in the rocks where the sun never penetrates, these depôts may be safely placed as low down the mountain as the snow falls and lies. This is an advantage of no mean value, as the labour and expense of carriage are reduced, the material being nearer market and more easily accessible. When the snow does fall in any quantity on the lower and inhabited ridges of the mountains, it gives occasion to great joy and festivity among the peasants, who troop from all parts to collect it, and carry it off to a safe snow cave. 15 manna. They sang-they shoutedthey laughed-they kept up a constant fire of jokes, not forgetting, however, to gather in the snow all the while. Balls are made, and of enormous size; and these the children carefully roll along the mountain's side to throw into the snow-caves. They were all evidently foretasting the refreshment and delight to be procured from this gift of winter during the scorching heats of summer, and the suffocating airs of the sirocco, not overlooking, in all probability, the gains to be derived from selling their overstock of snow to their neighbours in the hot thirsty plain of the Terra di Lavoro. As the travellers went by, the groups of busy peasants, men and boys, shouted out to them, “Here, sirs, is a fine harvest! this is a fine harvest!" To supply the city of Naples, one of the largest capitals of Europe, which has a population of four hundred thousand souls-all snow consumers-a very extensive mountain range is put in requisition. From the Apenines, and from all the nearer branches and ramifications of those mountains, snow, during the summer months, is constantly being brought into the city by land and by sea I read a short time ago an account of a gentleman who was travelling from Naples towards Apulia, and was crossing the first or lower ridge of the Appenines, when suddenly a sharp snowstorm came on, which soon covered the ground with a thick white mantle. As soon as the flakes began to fall quickly and compactly, all the country people set up a joyful shout, and presently men, women and children all ran out with rakes, shovels, baskets, hand-barrows, rush-mats, and every thing available that they could seize at the moment to collect the falling treasure. The Israelites in the desert could hardly have shown nore joyous feeling at the fall of their that contributes very materially to the always, however, by sea, when practicable, as, by that mode of conveyance, it is kept cleaner, loses less by melting, and costs less for carriage. Hundreds of men and boys are employed exclusively on this business. A mountain 16 MANNER OF SUPPLYING THE CITY OF NAPLES WITH SNOW. supply of the capitol is Monte Sant' An- covered over with straw, dry leaves, and gelo, the loftiest point of the bold promontory that separates the Bay of Naples from the Bay of Salerno. This mountain is only about twelve miles from Naples itself. On account of the short distance, and the advantage of an easy water-carriage, the snow is there harvested with industry and care, and Monte Sant' Angelo is well provided with such caves and chasms as I have described. Some of these contain singly an immense heap of snow, but, prodigious as the quantity may be, it rapidly disappears before the labours of the workmen, who, with iron-spiked poles, and shovels, dig into it and break it up, much after the fashion of men working in salt mines. These labours, for a very obvious reason, when, in the day-time, Fahrenheit's thermometer often marks 90° or 1000 in the sun, are nearly all performed during the cool of the evening and night. Long strings of mules, each like a little caravan, ascend the mountains to the snow-caves. There they are loaded with the snow broken into large lumps, and secured from the external atmosphere as well as may be; and then, with all the speed that can be managed with heavy burdens, and on steep, precipitous, and, in parts, very dangerous roads, they descend to Castellamare and the wharves, where large, roomy boats are in readiness to receive their loads. As soon as the very perishable cargo of one of these boats is completed, and tarpauling, it pushes off direct for Naples. The time of their departure is from eleven to twelve o'clock at night to one or two in the morning. They are all furnished with a mast and sails, which may be useful to them on their return; but as there is seldom a breath of wind on a summer's night in this bay, they are of little use in going to Naples, and the sailors are obliged to pull the boats with oars and long sweeps. This labour, from the clumsy, bad construction of the vessels, and the dead weight thrown into them, is excessively severe, particularly when they are delayed in starting, and threatened with the heat of the rising sun before they can reach the port of Naples. During the summer nights, at the town of Castellamare, the trampling of the mules from the mountain, the cries and songs of the muleteers, the putting off of the snow-boats, and the shouts of the mariners, the roll of whose heavy oars are heard far across the bay, are scarcely ever interrupted for five minutes at a time. When the snow-boats arrive in the port of Naples, they are quickly unloaded by a number of facchini or porters, regularly appointed to that service. These fellows, who are very active and very strong, though their principal food is bread, olives, garlic, and other vegetables, with now and then a good dish of maccaroni, run with their loads of snow from the water-side to a large, cool build ABOUT THE LAND-ICE OF GREENLAND. ing erected on purpose to receive it. This building, which is called "la dogana della neve," or the snow customhouse, is situated a little in the rear of the port, at the distance of a few hundred yards from the great Neapolitan custom-house. To this general depôt the retail dealers come to furnish them selves from all parts of the vast town; and there is scarcely a street in Naples, however miserable and remote it may be, but has its snow-shop. By an old law of the country, these shops are never allowed to be shut up during the hot weather either by night or by day; or, if the owner closes the door or absents himself, he must leave some one in the shop ready to serve, should snow be called for. A similar regulation, only extending all the year through, applies to apothecaries' shops. With respect to the venders of physic, the old law is pretty well let go to sleep, but the popular want and habit keep it awake in regard to the snow-dealers. It must be remarked, however, that snow itself is both a medicine and a medicament; it is taken internally, alone, or mixed with syrups and drugs, and it is used in outward topical applications for sprains, headaches, and an almost endless variety of cases. The quantity consumed in this way is very great. Snow, indeed, may be called the best physician and the best surgeon of the poor Neapolitans, who do not often consult any other. 17 land, and talk about the ice. The fron- It is chiefly in the vallies that the ice is accumulating; and when these reach the sea, and the inner parts of the bays, Let us now go from Italy to Green- the ice projects in large blocks over the water. Part of the ice appears to be even and smooth, particularly in the middle; but a part of it very uneven, especially at the extremities towards the naked land, and in those places where small hillocks have been covered. But, if you proceed farther on the ice, that, which seemed to be even, consists of vallies with several strata. The blocks of ice that form a continuation of the landice, and project over the water in the inner parts of the bays, are yearly increasing. The sea below throws its waves over them, and makes such excavations, that in many places large poles of ice are hanging down at the sides, having the appearance of pipes of organs, and in other places it forms immense arches. In proportion as these blocks increase above and become heavier, and the excavations below are extended, immense masses are precipitated into the water. Many bays are really deep enough to receive such ice-mountains. As one mass falls down, that which is behind is carried along with it, and thus one follows the other with a tremendous cracking noise, like a heavy cannonade. The sea, as is easily imagined, is thereby put into a violent motion, and overflows the land at a great height, and this inundation is felt at a distance of several miles. It has even happened, that tents pitched at a considerable distance from the sea have been carried away and the As when in northern seas, at midnight dark. An isle of ice encounters some swift bark, And, starting all its wretches from their sleep, By one cold impulse hurls them to the deep. Such masses of ice are at first precipitated deep in the water, and, returning to the surface, continue for a long time in motion. Sometimes they are united to flat ice in the bays by congelation, and thus remain surrounded by it for a time; or they break in their fall the ice which is already formed there. The icebergs are very remarkable. Either fixed or floating, they present the most fantastic and magnificent forms, which an active imagination may easily convert into landscape scenery. Crantz says that some of these look like churches, with pillars, arches, portals, illuminated windows; others like castles, with square and spiral turrets. A third class assume the appearance of ships in full sail, to which pilots have occasionally gone out, for the purpose of conducting them into harbour; many again resemble large islands, with hill and dale, as well as villages, and even cities, built upon the margin of the sea. Two of these stood for many years in Disco Bay, which the Dutch whalers called Amsterdam and Haarlem. Montgomery says: Yon castellated pile Floats on the surges, like a fairy isle; Pre-eminent upon its peak, behold, With walls of amethyst and roofs of gold, people have perished. Boats are also The semblance of a city; towers and spires in great danger Glance in the firmament with opal fires; |