There are a good many things about this Italy which I do not understand -- and more especially I can not understand how a bankrupt Government can have such palatial railroad depots and such marvels of turnpikes.

Why, these latter are as hard as adamant, as straight as a line, as smooth as a floor, and as white as snow.

When it is too dark to see any other object, one can still see the white turnpikes of France and Italy; and they are clean enough to eat from, without a table-cloth.

And yet no tolls are charged.
As for the railways--we have none like them.

The cars slide as smoothly along as if they were on runners.