THE NEAPOLITANS

—A disposition to laziness prevails in the inhabitants of Naples, and this is a source of vice and indigence : In otia nata Parthenope. Work is done in a bad and slovenly manner; the principal object of workmen seems to be to cheat their masters, and labour as little as they can for their wages. A Neapolitan of the working class goes to dinner regularly at twelve o'clock, and scarce any prospect of gain will make him delay this most important business; after dinner he generally lies down for a couple of hours ; most of the shops are shut from one to four o'clock during the greater part of the year. Thus these people slumber away their life, and are constantly enervated and effeminate. Even the exercise of speech stems often to be burthensome to them: when not compelled by their passions or home other strong motive, they prefer expressing themselves by gestures. A stranger inquiring his way, or any other question, can hardly bring them to articulate a monosyllable in answer. I have seen a barber sitting gravely in his shop, & dozing while his workmen attended to business, and a boy was fanning him and driving the flies from his face. This general inclination to indolence, and to the dolce far niente, accounts in a great measure for the misery of the lower classes ; which is greater here than I have seen in any other country, and is particularly striking on holidays, and at their numerous festivals and professions, where thousands of ill-dressed people are to be seen, with scarce a person among them having on a sciamberga or decent coat. Another source of poverty is the thoughtlessness with which they contract marriages, without having any means of subsistence. The little money the parties can bring together is often barely sufficient to defray the expences of the marriage ceremony, and of the nuptial dinner, and to provide them with a straw pallet, after which they are left to meet the morrow as well as they can; and it must be observed that they have not the resource of parish relief. The women are very prolific, and give birth to swarms of little wretches, who fun about the streets half starved, half naked, and dirty ; and of whom, those that escape death, marry in their turn as soon as they are of age,—and thus, a mendicant generation is continually perpetuated. Mothers carry their little ones in their arms from house to house, endeavouring to excite pity and to support them selves by begging. A man earning a tari a day, about eight-pence English, will think of marrying without any scruple. All the women, young and old, handsome or ugly, maids or widows, think of nothing but marriage ; it is the only scope of their actions, the goal which they all have in view. How might this propensity be checked in a country like this, or rather, how could its fatal consequences be prevented without incurring greater evils is a question for political economists ; connected as it is with so many civil and moral considerations, it seems to baffle human wisdom to resolve it. It is perhaps one of the most striking instances in which one can hardly doubt the inevitability of moral evil.

Apathy and carelessness are prevailing features of the Neapolitan character. These people only live in the present ; they drive away the idea of futurity as an unwelcome monitor, and whatever they do is marked with thoughtlessness and want of foresight. If a funeral passes by, although it be that of a friend, salute a noi, long life to us, they exclaim, shrugging up their shoulders with undisguised selfishness. I have seen them pass by the wretched objects of distress which abound in the streets of this capital, without paying the least attention to them; the sight of misery and disease does not in the least damp their spirits, and they hurry unceasingly on from the starving begger to to go and squander their money at a party in the country or at a gambling table. If they are in want of cash,they contract debts which they have not the means of ever acquitting, without reflecting that this course will lead them ultimately to prison or to an hospital. They eat as if they were taking their last meal, it is a common occurrence on Christmas-eve among the poor people to pledge or sell their clothes, their scanty furniture, and even their beds, to be able to regale themselves on the following day. All their desires are consecrated in the enjoyment of the moment ; carpe diem seems to be the universal precept. The same disposition renders them fond of gambling and that exercise, by rousing their dormant energies, possesses great charms for them ; and the deceiving hope of making their fortune in one night, attracts crowds to the fatal table, where they generally complete their ruin. It is a common practice among many people in this country to promise any thing to captivate the friendship of a person present, without giving themselves the trouble of considering whether they will be able to perform what they have engaged themselves to do; consequently, little trust is to be put in their words. When Vesuvius thunders aloud, or an earthquake threatens them with destruction when fiery streams vomited from the roaring mouth of the volcano roll on, carrying devastation over the plains below—when the air is darkened by clouds of smoke and showers of ashes, the Neapolitans fall on their knees, fast, do penance, and follow the procession barefooted ; but as soon us the roar has ceased, the flame has disappeared, and the atmosphere has recovered its wonted serenity, they return to their usual mode of life, they sink again to their former level, and the tinkling sounds of the tamburrello call them again to the lascivious dance of the tarantella.—M. Viesseux's Italy and the Italians

 The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser 15 December 1825,