PIEDMONT, a country of Italy, with the title of a principality; bounded on the north by Vallois; on the east, by the duchy of Milan and the duchy of Montferrat; on the south, by the county of Nice and the territory of Genoa; and on the west, by Dauphiny and Savoy. It comprehends 11 small provinces, Piedmont Proper, the valleys between France and Italy, the valley of Salua, the county of Nice, the marquisate of Susa, the duchy of Aost, the Canavesi, the lordship of Verfail, the county of Ast, and the Langes. It was formerly a part of Lombardy; but now belongs to the king of Sardinia; and lies at the foot of the Alps, which separate France from Italy. It is 175 miles in length, and 40 in breadth. It contains many high mountains; among which there are rich and fruitful
ful valleys, as pleasant and populous as any part of Italy. In the mountains are mines of several kinds, and the forests afford a great deal of game. The Piedmontese have more sense than the Savoyards, but then they are not so sincere. They are generally strongly attached to the Roman Catholic religion; and carry on so great a trade in raw silk, that the English alone have purchased to the value of 200,000 pounds in a year. Besides this, they have corn, rice, wine, fruits, hemp, flax, and cattle. Their sovereign is the king of Sardinia; who generally resides at Turin, the capital of this country. The valleys between France and Italy are inhabited by the Vaudefe, who are Protestants. Towards the end of the last century, the French king persuaded the duke of Savoy to drive them out of the country, in consequence of which 20,000 of them retired to Germany, England, and Holland; and yet they are not at all extirpated, tho' they are obliged to have a Roman Catholic church in every parish.