The budget is not heavily burdened under the head of encouragement.  Some proprietors and land stewards, residing in Rome, ask permission to found an Agricultural Society.  The authorities refuse.  In order to attain their object, they steal furtively into a Horticultural Society, already established by authority.  They organize themselves, raise subscriptions, exhibit to the Romans a good collection of cattle and distribute some gold and silver medals offered by Prince Cesarini.  Is it not curious that an exhibition of cattle, in order to be tolerated, is obliged to smuggle itself in under the shelter of camellias and geraniums?

Lay sovereigns not only openly favour agriculture, but they encourage it at a heavy cost, and do not consider their money thrown away.  They are well aware that to give a couple of hundred pounds to the inventor of a good plough, is to place a small capital out at a heavy interest.  The investment will render their kingdom more prosperous, and their children more wealthy.  But the Pope has no children.  He prefers sowing in his churches, in order to reap the harvest in Paradise.

Might he not at least assist the unfortunate peasants who furnish the bread he eats?

An able and truthful statistician (the Marchese Pepoli) has proved that in the township of Bologna, the rural proprietors actually pay taxes to the amount of L6. 8s. 4d. upon every L4-worth of taxable income.  The fisc is not content with absorbing the entire revenue, but it annually eats into the capital.  What think you of such moderation?

In 1855 the vines were diseased everywhere.  Lay governments vied with each other in assisting the distressed proprietors.  Cardinal Antonelli seized the opportunity to impose a tax of L74,680 upon the vines; and as there were no grapes that year to pay it, the amount was charged upon the different townships.  Now which has proved the heaviest scourge—­the Oidium or the Cardinal Minister?  Certainly not the Oidium, for that has disappeared.  The Cardinal remains.

All the corn harvested in the Agro Romano pays a fixed duty of twenty-two pauls per rubbio.  The rubbio is worth, on an average, from 80 to 100 pauls; so that the government taxes the harvest to the amount of at least 22 per cent.  Here is a moderate tax.  Why it is more than double the tithe.  So much for the assistance rendered to the growers of corn.

Every description of agricultural produce pays a tax on export.  There are governments which give a premium to exporters:  one may call that encouraging the national industry.  There are others, and they are still more numerous, which allow a free export of the surplus produce of the land:  this is not merely to encourage, it is to assist the labourers.  The Pope levies an average tax of 22 per thousand on the total amount of exports, 160 per thousand on the value of imports.  The Piedmontese government is satisfied with 13 per thousand on exports, and 58 per thousand on imports.  Of the two countries, I should prefer farming in Piedmont.