Charities of Naples, and other towns of Italy, from Eustace's Travels, &c.

"The hospitals of Naples reflect much honour "on the charity of the inhabitants. These establishments are very numerous, and adapted to every "fpecies of distress to which man is fubject, in mind or body. Many of them are richly endowed, and "all clean, well attended, and well regulated. One "circumstance, almost peculiar to Italian hofpitals "and charitable foundations, contributes effentially "to their splendour and profperity; it is, that they "are not only attended by perfons who devote "themselves entirely, and without any interested "views, to the relief of fuffering humanity; but "that they are governed and infpected, not nomi"nally but really, by perfons of the first rank and "education, who manage the interefts of the esta"blishments with a prudence and affiduity, which they feldom, perhaps, difplay in their own domestic economy. Befides, to almost every hofpital is "attached one, and fometimes more, confraternities, "or pious affociations, formed for the purpose of relieving fome particular species of distress, or averting or remedying fome evil. Thefe confra ternities, though founded upon the basis of equa lity, and of courfe open to all ranks, generally "contain a very confiderable proportion of noble perfons, who make it a point to fulfil the duties "of the affocation with an exactnefs as honourable "to themfelves, as it is exemplary and beneficial to "the public. Thefe perfons vifit the refpective "hofpitals almost daily, inquire into the fituation and "circumftances of every patient, and oftentimes "attend on them perfonally, and render them the "moft humble 1ervices. They perform these duties

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"in difguife, generally in the drefs or uniform worn "by the confraternity, for the express purpose of "diverting public attention from the individuals, "and fixing it on the object only of the affociation. "Of charitable foundations in Naples, the number is above fixty. Of thefe, feven are hofpitals, properly fo called; thirty at least are confervatories, ❝or receptacles for helpless orphans, foundlings, &c.; "five are banks for the relief of such industrious 65 poor as are diftreffed by the occafional want of ❝fmall fums of money; the others are either schools "or confraternities. The incomes of most of these "establishments, particularly of the hofpitals, are in "general very confiderable, but feldom equal to the "expenditure. The annual deficiency, how great "foever it may be, is abundantly fupplied by do66 nations, most of which come from unknown be "nefactors. The two principal hofpitals are, that "called Degli Incurabili, which, notwithstanding its "title, is open to fick persons of all defcriptions, and "conftantly relieves more than eighteen hundred; " and that of Della Santa Annunziata, which is im"menfely rich, and destined to receive foundlings, "penitent females, &c. &c. and faid fometimes to "harbour two thoufand. To each belong, in the "first place, a villa, and in the fecond, a cemetery. "The villa of the first is fituated at Torre del Greco, " and is destined for the benefit of convalefcents, "and fuch as labour under diftempers to which the "poorer clafs are liable, and arife from conftant con

finement, and the want of pure air. The cemetery " is, in a different way, of at least equal advantage to public health. It was apprehended, and not "without reason, that fo many bodies as maft be "carried out from an hofpital, especially in unhealthy "feasons, might, if depofited in any church or church

yard within the city, infect the air, and produce or propagate contagious diseases. To prevent fuch evils, the fum of 48,500 ducats, raised by volun"tary contribution, was laid out in purchasing "and fitting up for the purpose a field, about half"a-mile from the walls of the city, on a rifing "ground. A little neat church is annexed to it, "with apartments for the officiating clergy, and "the perfons attached to the service of the cemetery; " and the road that winds up the hill to it is lined "with cypreffes. The burial-ground is divided "into three hundred and fixty-fix large and deep "vaults, one of which is opened every day in the "year, and the bodies to be interred depofited in "order. These vaults are covered with flags of lava, that fit exactly, and completely close every aperture. The bodies are carried out at night. "time by persons appointed for the purpose, and

every precaution taken to prevent even the "flightest chance of infection. All is done gratis, "and the expenfes requisite fupplied by public charity. It is to be regretted, that this method of burying the dead has not been adopted in every hofpital and parifh in Naples, and indeed in every "town and city, not in Italy only, but all over Europe. "It is really lamentable, that a practice fo difgufting, "not to fay fo pernicious, as that of heaping up putrid carcafes in churches, where the air is neceffarily confined, and in church-yards in cities, " where it cannot have a free circulation, fhould be "fo long and fo obftinately retained. It would be "difficult to difcover one fingle argument, drawn "either from the principles of religion, or the "dictates of reafon, in its favour, while its in"conveniences are vifible, and almoft tangible.

"When a patient in a hospital has recovered "his health and strength, and is about to return to "his ufual occupations, he receives from the esta"blishment a fum of money fufficient to compenfate " for the loss of time and labour, unavoidable during "his illness; a most benevolent custom, and highly "worthy of imitation. A long illness or danger. "ous accident deprives a poor labourer or artizan "fo long of his ordinary wages, and throws him "fo far back in his little economy, that he cannot, "without great difficulty, recover himself, and regain a state of comfort. From this inconvenience "the fmall fum granted by the charity of the hof

pital relieves him; and reftores him to his trade in "health, ftrength, and fpirits.-The Confervatorii "are fchools opened for poor children of both fexes, "where they are educated, fed, and taught fome "handicraft or other. Some are in the nature of "working-houses, and employ a prodigious number "of indigent perfons of both fexes, in feparate "buildings, while others are devoted entirely to "children, educated principally for mufic. These "latter inftitutions have produced fome, or rather moft, of the great performers and masters of the "art, who have figured in the churches, or on the stages, of the different capitals of Europe, for the "last hundred years. Paefielli, Caffarelli, and Pergolefe, were formed in these feminaries. And, "indeed, Naples is to Italy, what Italy is to the "world at large, the great school of music, where "that fascinating art is cultivated with the greatest "ardour; an ardour oftentimes carried to an ex"treme, and productive of confequences highly "mischievous, and degrading to humanity.-Of "the numberlefs confraternities, one eminently "worthy of notice is that, whofe motto is Succurre

"Miferis; the members of which make it their duty "tovifit condemned criminals, prepare them for death, "accompany them to execution, and give them a

decent burial. They carry their charitable at"tentions still farther, and provide for the widows "and children of these unhappy wretches. This fociety was originally compofed of some of the first nobility of the city; but the tyrant Philip, influenced, "it feems, by motives of political fufpicion, forbad the "nobles to enter into fuch affociations, and in parti"cular, confined the one we are fpeaking of to the clergy. The congregation De S. Ivone confifts of lawyers, who undertake to plead the causes of the poor gratis, and furnish all the expenses neceffary "to carry their fuits through the courts with effect. "To be entitled to the affiftance and fupport of this "affociation, no recommendation or introduction is

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required. The perfon applying has only to prove "his poverty, and give in a full and fair statement of "his cafe.-Congregazione della Croce, compofed 66 principally of nobility to relieve the poor, and im

prifoned, and particularly to bury the bodies of fuch "diftreffed and forfaken perfons when dead. The con"gregation Della Sta. Trinita dei Pellegrini is des“tined, as its name imports, more particularly for the

relief of strangers, and is compofed of perfons of all "claffes, who meet in its affemblies, and fulfil its du"ties, without diftinction. It is governed by five perfons, one of whom prefides, and is generally a prelate or high officer of ftate; the others are a nobleman, a citizen, a lawyer, and an artizan. All "the members attend the hospital in rotation, each for

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a week, during which they receive strangers, wash "their feet, attend them at table, and ferve them with "the humility, and with more than the affiduity, of

menials.The congregation of Nobles, for the relief