Misson, François Maximilien; Goodwin, Timothy [Bearb.]; Wotton, Matthew [Bearb.]; Manship, Samuel [Bearb.]; Tooke, Benjamin [Bearb.]: A New Voyage to Italy: With Curious Observations On several other Countries, as Germany, Switzerland, Savoy, Geneva, Flanders, and Holland. Together, With Useful Instructions for those who shall Travel thither. Done out of French. In Two Volumes (Vol. I.) (London: Printed for T. Goodwin, at the Queen's-Head; M. Wotton, at the Three-Daggers in Fleet-street; S. Manship, at the Ship in Cornbil; and B. Took at the Middle-Temple-Gate in Fleet-street, 1699)

Vol. I. to I T A L Y.

352

LETTER XXV.

SIR,
I Cannot express thePleasure with which I read
your long Letter, that part of it especially
which allures me, that my Letters have given
you some Satisfaction.
I do not intend to trouble you with Ressections
on the present Occurrences in your Country, os
which you have given me an Account: For be-
sides, that such a Design would engage me into
long and useless Digressions, I am perswaded,
that an Answer to those new Questions which
you propose concerning Venice, will be more ac-
ceptable to you. I will endeavour then to answer
them succinCtly, and in the same order in which
you have rank’d them; and afterwards proceed
to entertain you wish my Observations concern-
ing Rome.
I. Your Venetian Gentleman may affirm, as posi-
tively as he pleases, That Venice contains Two VENICE,
hundred and fifty thousand Souls; but you musf
not imagine, that because he is a Citizen of Ve-
nice, he mult be a competent Judge of the num-
ber of its Inhabitants; that is a thing which nei-
ther his Eyes nor mine, can ever be able to deter-
mine ; nor can it be known without a very dili-
gent and nice Enquiry.: And therefore I am still
of the Opinion, that this Controversie ought to
be decided by the Authority of those who have
grounded their Calculations on a careful and par-
ticular Examination. I told you, that the Com-
putation which I follow, comprehends the Inha-
A a 4 bi-