'^c^x^^^ jA. ^-^^^^ ^^ ^t:^i^ DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DURHAM. N. C. Rec-d /f3l 6 oCt e // . .7^ Ml ^; -..-^ vi«fc.^g^^ ;^:V^:^>. - %;- 1^^ DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Treasure %gqm A TOUR THROUGH SICILIT ANB MALTA. IN A SERIES OF LETTERS TO WILLIAM BECKFORD, Es^, OF SOMERLY IN SUFFOLK ,* FROM P. BRYDOJVE, F. R. S. NEW-YORK : PUBLISHED BY EVERT DUYCKINCK, :S^o, 102 Pearl-Street. J. C. TOTTF.y, PRINTER. 1813. ADVERTISEMENT. ZB q / / T' JTAD there been any book in our language on the sub- ject of the following Letters, they never should have seen the light. The Author wrote them for the amusement of his friends, and as an assistance to his memory ; and if it will in any degree apologize for their imperfections, he can with truth declare that they never were intended for publication : nor indeed was that idea suggested to him, till long after they were written. One principal motive be will own, was the desire of giving to the world, and perhaps of transmitting to posterity, a monument of his friendship with the gentleman to whom ihey are ad- dressed. When Mr. Forster's translation of Baron Reidesel's book first appeared, these Letters were already in the press, and the author apprehended an anticipation of his subject; however, on perusal, he had the satisfaction to find, that the two works did not much interfere. In transcribing them for the press, he found it neces- sary both to retrench and to amplify; by which the ease of the epistolary style has probably suffered, and some of the letters have been extended much beyond their original length. He now presents them to the public with the greatest diffidence ; hoping that some allowance will be made for the very inconvenient circumstances, little favourable to order or precision, in which many of them are written : but he would not venture to new-model them ; apprehend- ing, that what they might gain in form and expression, they would probably lose in ease and simplicity ; and well knowing that the original impressions are belter describ- ed at the moment they are felt, that from tl^e most exact recollection. 308972 CONTENTS. LETTER I. CLIMATE of Naples, Compared with that of Rome. Sirocc wiiid. Antidote ag-ainst its effects. Coast of Baia, &c. Page 1 LETTER II. Voyage from Naples to Messina, Bay of Naples, Lipari islands', Strombolo, Scylla, Calabria, &c. P. 7 LETTER III. Harbour of Messina, Charybdis, Galleys. Visit to a Convent. Feast of St. Francis. Advantag-es of Messina for valetudina- rians. P. 21 LETTER IV. Sicilian banditti. A famous diver. Charybdis. Feast of the Vara. Singular phenomena. P. 29 LETTER V. Journey to Taurominum. Coast of Sicily. Nebrodes. Theatre of Taurominum. Naumachia. Reservoirs, &c P. 3\^ LETTER VI. Journey to Jaci, Mount ^tna, Piedmonte. Small volcanoes. Torrent of boiling water. Great chesnut trees. Age of the lava. River of Acis. P. 43 LETTER VII. Journey from Jaci to Catania, Coast formed of lava. Conflict be- tween the fire and water. Harbour of lava. St. Agatha's veil. Its power over Mount iEtna. Great antiquity of the eruptions of this mountain. ' P. 52 LETTER \TII. Prince of Biscaris, His museum. Convent of Benedictines. Lava run over the walls of Catania. Antiquity of this city. Rev- enue of the bishop raised from the sale of the snow of jEtna. Earthquake 1693. Antiquities, Elephant of iava. Heathen temple converted into a church. Resemblance of the Catholic to the Pagan rites. Saints disgraced. Devotion of the Catho- lics. Preparations for ascending Mount JEtna. P, 55 LETTER IX. Journay up Mount iEtna, Three regions of the mountain. Com- mon progress of an eruption. Lesser mountains formed on ^t- na. Difference of ^tna and Vesuvius. Fate of the country near Hybla, Montpelieri, Celebrated statues covered by the 30897 vi. CONTENTS. lava. Eruption of 1669. Dreadful effects of the lava, Singu lar fate of a vineyard, Mouth from wnence this Ciuption issu- ed. A cavern. Wildness of the inhabitants of ^Lna, Conver- sation with them. La Regione Syivosa, La Speionca del Cap- riole. "View of the setting sun. Pass the night in a cavern. Eruption ir66. Lava not yet cold. Its vast depth. P. 64 LETTER X. Continuation of the journey up Mount JEtna, Difficulties attend- ing it. Torre del Filosofo. Distinctness of vision. Conical mountain. Summit of iEtna, Prospect from it. Regions of the mountain, Crater, Reflections, Descent from .astna. P. 74 LETTER XI. Mensuration of heights by the barometer. Not reduced to a cer- tainty. Supposed height of .Etna. Magnetical needle agita- ted on the mountain. Electricity of the air near volcanoes. Singular effects of electricity. Lightning from the smoke of ^tna. Variety of the waters on the mountain. Subterrane- ous river. Periodical and poisonous springs, Caverns, Plants and flowers of iEtna, Wild beasts, Horses, Cattle. Crater falls in every century. Anfinomus and Anapias, their filial piety. Earthquake 1169. Eruption 1669. Poetical descriptions of, iEtna. P. 85 LETTER XII. Voyage from Catania to Syracuse. Coast formed by Mount JEt- na. Homer takes no notice of this mountain. Virgil lands his hero at the foot of it. View of the mountain from the sea. Circumference of .Etna. River Simetus, Amber found near its mouth. Lakes of Beviere and Pantana, Leontine fields, Au- gusta, Syracuse. Remains of antiquity, Latomie, Ear of Dio- nysius. Amphitheatre, Catacombs, Temples, Ortigia, Fortifi- cation, Fountain of Arethusa, Fictions concerning it. Alphe- us. Harbours of Syracuse. Archimedes, His biu-ning-glasses. Magnificence of the ancient Syracuse, Poverty of the modern. P. 105 LETTER XIII, Voyage to Pachinus or Capo Passero. Maltese Sparonaros, Method of rowing them. A hurricane. Capo Passero, Bar- renness of the country, Danger of this coast. Method of avoiding it. P. 119 LETTER XIV. Sulphureotis lake. Serpent. Voyage to Malta. F. 125 LETTER XV. Malta, Its productions. Corn, Cotton, Oranges. Industry of the Maltese, Departure of a Maltese fleet. Harbour of Malta, Fortifications, Public buildings, Church of St. John. Conspi- racy of the Turkish slaves. p, jgS CONTENTS. vU. LETTER XVI. Ancient city of Melita. Catacombs. Bosquetta. Statue and grotto of St. Paul. Miraculous property. Grand Master, His power. Land force of the island. Sea force. Singular piece of ordnance, Police, Duelling, Punishment of a knight. Re- markable storm. Horse Races^ Malta an epitome of Europe, Its connection with Sicily. P. 134 LETTER XVIL Ss^il for Agrigentum, Island of Gozzo, Coast of Sicily. Ameri- can aloes. City of Agrigentum. P. 143 LETTER XVIII. Antiquities of Agrigentum. Temples of Venus, Of Concord, Of Hercules, Of Jupiter Olympus, &c. Celebrated picture of Zeuxis, Statue of Apollo, Catacombs and Sepulchres, Moun- tain of Agrigentum. P. 146 LETTER XIX. Luxury of the ancient Agrigentum. Hospitality. Anecdote. Humanity and gratitude to their horses. Agrigentum long subject to tyrants. Phalaris, anecdote of him. Menalippus and Cariton, their friendship. Death of Phalaris. P. 150 LETTER XX. Country round Agrigentum. A feast. Hospitality of the Agri- gentini. Their character. The bishop. Departure for Trapuni. Sea storm. Driven back to Agrigentum. Journey by land to Palermo. Richness and beauty of the country. Poverty and oppression of the peasants. P. 156 LETTER XXL Conclusion of the Journey to Palermo. Contrast betwixt Sicily ami Switzerland. Inns, &c. p. 155 LETTER XXIL City of Palermo. Marino. Conversations, where lield. Sicilian ladies. Reflections. p. 170 LETTER XXni. The viceroy. His table. Nobility, their temperance. Gallantry. Young ladies, their education. P. 174 LETTER XXIV. Bagaria. Palace of the Prince Patagonia. P. 177 LETTER XXV. Sirocc wind. Convent of Capuchins, Their burial place. Method of preserving the dead, Anecdote. Address of a Sicilian servant. p X82 LETTER XXVI. Account oC a comet. Reflections. P. 195 viii CONTENTS. LETTER XXVII. Cathedral of Palermo. Jesuits' church. Cathedral of Monreal. The arclibishop. Preparations for a festival. Superstition of .the people. p. 206 LETTER XXVIII. vSt. Rosolia. Subject of an Epic Poem. Some account of her. St. Viar. Reflections. P. 210 LETTER XXIX. Sirocc wind. Review of a Swiss regiment. Entertainment. Dif- ference of education here and on the continent. Prince of Rosuttana. P. 214 LETTER XXX. Feast of St. Rosolia. p. 222 LETTER XXXL Antiquities. Camasena. Temple of Ceres at Enna. Temple of Venus Erecina. Difference of Homer and Virgil in their ac- counts of Sicily. P. 234 LETTER XXXII. Monte Pelegrino. St. Rosolia. Ancient fortress. Situation of Palermo. Antiquity of that city, Inscriptions. P. 239 LETTER XXXIII. Utility of ices in a hot climate. Sicilian fisheries, The tunny- fish, The pesce spada or sword-fish. Method of fishing in the night, Coral fishing. Oppression of the government. Founda- tion of the feudal system in Sicily, Parliament, Inquisition, Power of the viceroy. Military force. Bandiere men. P. 244 LETTER XXXIV. Sicilian titles. Luxury of the Sicilians in their carriages. Ridi- culous prejudice. P. 253 LETTER XXXV. Sicilians animated in conversation. Marriage ceremonies. Beau- ty of the ladies. Anecdote. Poetry the universal passion of the Sicilians. P. 257 LETTER XXXVI. The opera, Gabrielli, her wonderful performance. Her caprice. Ballet of the opera. English characters taken off. Enmity betwixt the Sicilians and Neapolitans. P. 261 LETTER XXXVII. Remarkable springs in Sicily, Sulphureous baths. Springs of warm water in the sea, Gigantic bones. Crops of wheat. Me- thod of preserving their grain. Commodities of Sicily, Soda, Wild honey, Sugar, Liquorice, Oranges, Pistachio nuts, Man- na, Cantharides, Marbles, Pietra Saponuro, Mushroom stone, &c. Mount JEtna, Advantages resulting from it. P. 268 LETTER XXXVni. Return to Naples. P. 273 TOUR THROUGH SICILY AND MALTA, LETTER I. NafilesyMay 14. 1770. DEAR BECKrORD, I Remember to have heard you regret, that in all your peregrinations through Europe, you had ever neglect- •ed the island of Sicily ; and had spent much of your time in running over the old beaten tract, and in examin- ing the thread-bare subjects of Italy and France ; when probably there were a variety of objects not less interest- ing that still lay buried in oblivion in that celebrated island. VVe intetid to profit from this hint of yours — FuUarton has been urging me to it with all that ardour, which a new prospect of acquiring knowledge ever inspires in him ; and Glover, your old acquaintance, has promised to ac- company us. The Italians represent it as impossible : as there are no inns in the island, and many of the roads are over dan- gerous precipices, or through bogs, and forests, infested with the most resolute and daring banditti in Europe. However, all these considerations, formidable as they may- appear, did not deter Mr. Hamilton,* his lady, and Lord Fortrose.f They made this expedition last summer; and returned so much delighted with it, that they have animated «s with the strongest desire of enjoying the same pleasure. * Now Knight of the Bath. j Now Ear 1 of Seaforth. B ^ A Tour through Our inst plan was to go by land to Regiutr, and froni. thence cross over to Messina; but on making exact in- quiry, with regard to the state of the country, and method of travelling, we find that the danger from the banditti in Calabria and Apulia is so great, the accommodation so wretched, and inconveniencesof every kind so numerous, without any consideration whatever to throw into the opposite scale, that we soon relinquished that scheme ; and in ppiie of all the terrors of Scylla and Charybdis, and the more real terrors of sea- sickness (the most for- midable monster of the three,) we have determined to go by water ; and, that no time may be lost, we have already taken our passage on board an English ship, which is rea- dy to sail with the first fair wind. Now, as this little expedition has never been consider- ed as any part of this grand tour ; and as it will probably present many objects worthy of your attention, not men- tioned in any of our books of travels ; I flatter myself that a short account of these will not be unacceptable to you, and may in some degree make up for your having neglected to visit them. You may therefore expect to hear of me, frorb-every town where we stop ; and when I meet with any deserving of notice, I shall attempt to des- cribe it in as few words as possible. We have been wait- ing with impatience for a fair wind, but at present there is little prospect of it. The weather is exceedingly rough, and not a ship has been able to get out of the har- bour for upwards of three weeks past. This climate is by no means what we expected to find it ; and the serene sky of Italy, so much boasted of by our travelled gentle- men, does not altogether deserve the great eulogiums bestowed upon it. It is now the middle of May, and we have not as yet had any continuance of what may be cal- led fine weather. It has indeed, been abundantly warm, but seldom a day has passed without sudden storms of wind and rain, which render walking out here to the full as dangerous to our invalids, as it is in England. I am persuaded that our physicians are under some mis- take with regard to this climate. It is certainly one of the warmest in Italy ; but it is as certainly one of the most inconstant, and, from what we have observed, disagrees with the greatest part of our valetudinarians ; but more particularly with the gouty people; who have all found Sicily and Malta > 3 rtiemsclves better at Rome ; which, though much colder In winter, is, I believe, a healthier climate. Naples, to be sure, is more eligible in summer, as the air is consiantly fefreshed by the sea-breeze, when Rome is often scorched by the most insupportable heat. Last summer, Fahren- heit's thermometer never rose higher at Naples than sev- enty-six. At Rome it was eighty-nine. The difference is often still more considerable. In winter it is not les3 remarkable. Here, our greatest degree of cold was in the end of January ; the thermometer stood at thirty-six > at Rome it fell to twenty-seven ; so that the distance between the two extremes of heat and cold bst year at Naples, was only forty degrees ; whereas- at Rome it was no les<5 than sixty-two. Yet, by all accounts, their >vinier was much more agreeable and heiilthy than ours : for they had clear, frosty weather, whilst wc were deluged with rains, accompanied with very high wind. The peo- ple here assure us, that in some seasons it has rained ev- ery day for six or seven weeks. But the most disagreea- ble part of the Neapolitan climate is the si«'occ or south-east wind, which is very common at this season. It is infinite- more relaxing, and gives tlie vapours in a much higher degree, than the worst of our rainy Novembers. It hao now blown for these seven days without intermission ; and has indeed blown away all our gaiety and spirits : and if it continues much longer, I do not know v/hat may be the consequence. It gives a degree of lassitude, both to the body and mind, that renders them absolutely incapa- ble of performing their usual functions. It is not perhaps surprising, that it should produce these effects on a phle- matic English constitution ; but we have just now an in- stance, that all the mercury of France must sink under the load of this horrid, leaden atmosphere. A smart Parisian marquis came here about ten days ago : he was so full of animal spirits that the people thought him mad. He never remained a moment in .the same place ; but, at their grave conversations, used to skip from room to room with such amazing elasticity, that the Italians swore that he had gr»t springs in his shoes. I met him this morning, walking with the step of a philosopher ; a smelling botile in his hand, and all his vivacity exiinquished. I asked him what was the matter ? '^ Ah ! mon ami,** said he, " je m'ennui a la mort ; — moi, qui n*ai jamais scu i'ennui- 4 A Tour through Mais cet execrable vent m'accable : et deux jours de plus, et je me pehd" The naiives themselves do not sufftr less than strangers ; and all nature seems to languish during this abominable wind. A Neapolitan lover avoids his mistress with the ut- most care in the time of the sirocc ; and the indolence it inspires is alnaost sufficient to extinguish every passion. All works of genius are laid aside during its continuance ; and when any thing very flat or insipid is produced, the strongest phrase of disapprobation they can bestow, is, *'Era scritlo in tempo dell sirocco;" that it was writ in the time of the sirocc. I shall make no apology for this letter; and whenever I happen to tire you, be kind enough to remember (pray do) that it is not rne you are to blame, but the sirocG wind. This will put me much at my ease, and will save us a world of time and apologies. 1 have been endeavouring to i^et some account of the c?.use of this very singular quality of the sirocc ; but the people here seldom think of accounting for any thing ; and I do not find, notwithstanding its remarkable effects, that it has ever yet been an object of inquiry amongst them. I have not observed that the sirocc makes any remarka- ble change in the barometer. When it first set io, the mercury fell about a line and a half; and has continued much about the same height ever since ; but the thermo- meter was at forty-three tne morning it began, and rose almost immediately to sixty-five ; and for these twe days past it has been at seventy and seventy-one. However, it is ceriainly not the warmth of this wind that renders it so oppressive to the spirits ; it is rather the Wint of that genidl quality, which is so enlivening, and which even renders the western breeze so agreeable : the spring and clas'lcitv of the air seems to be lost ; and that active prin- ciple which animates all nature, appears to be dead. This principle we hav supposed to be nothing else than the subtle electric fluid that the air usually contains ; and in- deed v/e have found, that during this wind, it appears to be almost annihilated, or at least its activity exceedingly reduced. Yesterday, and to-day, we have been attempt- ing to make some electrical experiments ; but I never before found the air so unfavourable for them. Sea-bathing we have found to be the best anlidotjs Sicily and Malta. 5 agMnst the effects of the sirocc ; and this we certainly en- joy in great perfection. Lord Fortrose, who is the soul ot our colony here, has provided a large commodious boat for this purpose. We meet every morning at eight o'clock^ and row about half a mile out to sea, where we strip and plunge into the water : were it not for this, we should all of us have been as bad as the French, marquis. My lord has ten watermen, who are in reality a sort of amphibious animals, as they live one half of the summer in the sea. Xhree or four of these generally go in with us, to pick up stragglers, and secure us from all accidents. They dive with ease to the depth of forty, and sometimes of fifty feet, and bring up quantities of excellent shell-fish during the summer months ; but so great is their devotion, that every time they go down they make the sign of the cross^ and mutter an Ave Maria, without which they should cer- tainly be drowned ; and were not a little scandalized at us for omitting this ceremony. To accustom us to swim- ming in all circumstances, my lord has provided a suit of clothes, which we wear by turns ; and from a very short practice, we have found it alnwst as commodious to swim with as without them : we have likewise learned to strip in the water, and find it no very difficult matter : and I am fully persuaded, from being accustomed to this kind of exercise, that in case of shipwreck we should have greatly the advarvtage over those who had never practised it ; for it is by the embarrassment from the clothes, and the agitation that people are thrown into, from finding themselves in a situation they had never experienced be- forcvthat so many lives are lost in the water. - After bathing, we have an English breakfast at his lord- ship's ; and after breakfast, a delightful little concert, which lasts for an hour and a half 13arbella. the sweetest fiddle in Italy, leads our little band. This party, I think, constitutes one principal part of the pleasure we enjoy at Naples. We have likewise some very agreeable society amongst ourselves, though we cannot boast much of that with the inhabitants. There are, to be sure, many good people among them : but in general, there is so very little analogy betwixt an English anda Neapolitan mind, that the true social harmony, that great sweetener of human life, can seldom be produced. In lieu of this (the exchange vou win say is but a bad one) the country round Napier- R2 6 A Tour through abounds so much in every thing that is curious, both in art and nature, and affords so ample a field of speculation for the naturalist and antiquary, that a person of any curi- osity may spend some months here very agreeably, and not without profit. Besides the discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeia, which, of themselves, afford a great fund of entertain- ment, the whole coast that surrounds this beautiful bay, particularly that near Puzzoli, Cuma, Micenum and Baia, is covered with innumerable monuments of Roman mag- nificence. But alas! how are the mighty fallen I This delightful coast, once the garden of allhaly, and inhabited only by the rich, the gay, and luxurious, is now abandoned to the poorest and most miserable of mortals. Perhaps there is no spot on the globe that has undergone so tho- rough a change; or that can exhibit so striking a picture of the vanity of human grandeur Those very walls that once lodged a Caesar, a Lucullus, an Anthony, the richest and most voluptuous of mankind, are now occupied by the very meanest and most indigent wretches on earth, who are actually starving for want in those very apart- ments that were the scenes of the greatest luxury. There we are told that suppers were frequently given that cost fifty thousand pounds ; and some that even amounted to double that sum. The luxury indeed of Baia was so great, that it became a proverb, even amongst the luxurious Romans them- selves ; and, at Rome, we often find them upbraiding with effeminacy and epicurism, those who spent much of their time in this scene of delights ; Clodius throws it in Cice- ro's teeth more than once : and that orator's having pur- chased a villa here, hurt him not a little in the opinion of the graver and more austere part of the senate. The walls of these palaces still remain, and the poor peasants, in some places, have built up their miserable huts within them ; but, at present, there is not one gentleman or man of fashion residing in any part of this country ; the former litate of which, compared with the present, certainly makes the most striking contrast imaginable. Yesterday we rode over the greatest past of it a-shooting porcupine, a new species of diversion, which I had never heard of be- fore. We killed several of these animals on the Monte Barbara, the place that formerly produced the Falerijian Sicily and Mafta, 7 winC) but now a barren waste. I don't know if you are acquainted with this kind of sport. To me, I own, its no- velty was its greatest merit j and I would not at any lime give a day of partridge for a month of porcupine shooting. Neither indeed is the flesh of these animals the most de- licious in the world, though to-day most of us have dined upon it. It is extremely luscious, and soon palls upon the appetite. We arc now going to lay in our sea-store, as there is some probability that we shall sail in a day or two. Farewell — you shall hear from me again at Messina, if we are not swallowed up by Charybdis. LETTER IL On board the Charming Molly ^ off the Island of Cafire, May 1 5 . WE have now begun our expedition with every aus- picious omen. This morning the melancholy sirocc left us ; and in place of it we have gotten a fine brisk tramontane (or North wind,) which in a few hours blew away all our vapours, and made us wonder how much the happiness of mankind depends on a blast of wind- After eating a hearty dinner with many of our friends at Mr. Walter's, and drinking plentifully of his excellent burgundy, we took leave in the highest spirits. Had the sirocc blown as yesterday, we should probably have been in tears ; and not one of us would have suspected that we were crying only because the wind was in the south. We are not apt to suppose it ; but probably a great part of our pleasures and pains depend upon such trivial causes, though always ascribed to something else ; few people being willing to own themselves like a weathercock, af- fected by every blast. Indeed we should have naturally imputed it to the grief of parting with that excellent fam- ily whom you know so well ; which no person could ever leave without regret, or see without pleasure ; but the agreeable prospect of soon meeting again (probably better qualified to amuse and entertain them) absorbed all mel- ancholy thoughts, and even added to that alacrity, which th^ delightful tour before us had already inspired. 9 A Tour through We sailed at five ; and after firing our farewell signals to our friends on shore (whom we discovered with our glasses at some miles distance,) we found ourselves in the middle of the Bay of Naples, surrounded by the m"Dst beautiful scenery in the world. It fell calm for an hour, on purpose to give us time to contemplate all its beauties. The bay is of a circular figure ; in most places upwards of twenty miles in diameter ; so that, including all its breaks and inequalities, the circumference is considera- bly more than sixty miles* The whole of this space is so wonderfully diversified, by all the riches both of art and nature, that there is scarce an object wanting to render the scene complete ; and it is hard to say, whether the view is more pleasing from the singularity of many of these objects, or from the incredible variety of the whole. You see an amazing mixture of the ancient and modem ; some rising to fame, and some sinking to ruin. Palaces reared over the tops of other palaces, and ancient magni- ficence trampled uader foot— by modern folly. — Moun- tains and islands, that were celebrated for their fertility^ changed into barren wastes, and barren wastes into fertile fields and rich vineyards. Mountains sunk into plains, and plains swelled into mountains. Lakes drunk up by vol- canoes and extinguished volcanoes turned into lakes. — The earth still smoking in many places ; and in others throwing out flame. — In short, Nature seems to have formed this coast in her most capricious mood ; for every object is a lusus natura. She never seems to have gone seriously to work ; but to have devoted this spot to the most unlimited indulgence of caprice and frolic. The bay is shut out from the Mediterranean by the island of Capre, so famous for the abode of Augustus ; and afterwards so infamous for that of Tiberius. A little to the west lie those of Ischia, Prosida, and Nisida ; the celebrated promontory of Micseum, where jEneas landed j the classic fields of Baia, Cuma, and Puzzoli, with all the variety of scenery that formed both the Tartarus and Elysium of the ancients ; theCamphi Phlegrei, or burn- ing plains where Jupiter overcame the giants ; the Monte Novo, formed of late years by the fire ; the Monte Barba- ro ; the picturesque city of Puzzoli, with the Solfaterra smoking above it ; the beautiful promontory of Pausilippe, exhibiting the finest sc^ery that can beipaagined ; the Sicily and Malta. 9 great aud opulent city of Naples with its three castles, its harbour full of ships from every nation, its palaces, church- es, and convepts innumerable ; the rich country from thence to Portici, covered with noble houses and gardens, and appearing only a continuation of the city ; the palace of the king, with many others surrounding it, all built over the roofs of thoseofHerculaneum, buried near a hundred feet, by the eruptions of Vesuvius ; the black fields of lava that have run from that n>ountain, intermixed with gardens, vineyards, and orchards ; Vesuvius itself in the back ground of the scene, discharging volumes of fire and smoke, and forming a broad track in the air over our heads, extending without being broken or dissipated to the ut- most verge of the horizon : a variety of beautiful towns and villages, round the base of the mountain, thoughtless of the impending ruin that daily threatens them. Some of these are reared over the very roofs of Pompeia and Stabia, where Pliny perished ; and with their foundations have pierced through the sacred abodes of the ancient Ro- mans ; thousands of whom lie buried here, the victims of this inexorable mountain. Next follows the extensive and romantic coast of Castello Mare, Sorentum and Mola ; diversified with every picturesque object in nature. It was the study of this wild and beautiful country that form- ed our greatest landscape painters. This was the school ofPoussin and SalvalorRosa, but more particularly of the last, who composed many of his most celebrated pieces from the bold craggy rocks that surround this coast ; and no doubt it was from the daily contemplation of these ro- mantic objects that they stored their minds with that vari- ety of ideas they have communicated to the world with such elegance in their works. Now, should I tell you this extensive coast, this prodi- gious variety of mountains, valleys, promontories and islands, covered with an everlasting verdure, and loaded with the richest fruits, is all the produce of subterraneus fire ; it would require, I am afraid, too great a stretch of faith to believe me ; yet the fact is certain, and can only be doubted by those who have wanted time or curiosity to examine it. It is strange, you will say, that nature should make use of the same agent to create as to destroy : and that what has only been looked upon as the consumer of countries, is in fact the very power that produces thero^ 10 A Tour through Indeed, this part of our earth seems already to have under- gone the sentence pronounced upon the whole of it ; but, like the phoenix, has risen again from its own ashes, in much greater beauty and splendor thai> before it was consumed. The traces of ihese dreadful conflagrations are still con- spicuous in every corner ; they have been violent in their operations, but in the end have proved salutary in their effects. The fire in many places is not extinguished, but Vesuvius is now the only spot where it rages with any de- gree of activity. Mr. Hamilton, our minister^ he?re, who is no less dis- tinguished in the learned, than in the polite world, has lately examined it with a truly philosophic eye, and this is the result of ^11 his observations ; however, at present I only sit down to give you an account of the prospect oi this singular country, and not to write its natural history, which would lead me into too vast a field ; I shall reserve that curious subject till our return, when I shall have more leisure to make you acquainted with It — I beg there- fore you would at least suspend your judgment for the present, and do not condemn me before I am heard. After contemplating this delightful prospect, till sun- set, the wind sprung up again, and we have now almost reached Capre, thirty miles distant from Naples. We have just spoken with an English ship. They tell us, that the ^larquis of Carmarthen. Lord Fortrose, and Mr. Hamilton, observing the calm, took a boat to make \Is a visit; but unfortunately mistaking their vessel for ours, we have had the mortification to miss them. The night is very dark ; and Mount Vesuvius is flam- ing at a dreadful rate ; we can observe the red-hot stones thrown to a vast height in the air ; and, after their fall, rolling down the side of the mountain. Our ship is going so smooth, that we are scarce sensible of the motion ; and if this wind continue, before to-morrow night we shall be in sight of Sicily. Adieu. The captain \% making a bowl of grog, and promises us a happy voyage. \^th. All wrong — Sick to death — Execrable sirocc wind, and directly contrary — Vile heaving waves — A plague of all sea voyages— That author was surely right, who said, that land voyages* were much to be preferred. * See Tour to the East Sicily and Malta, i I nth m the morning. For these twenty-four hours past we have been groaning to one another from ourbeds ; execrating the waves, and wishing that we had rather been at the mercy of all the banditti of Calabria. We are now beginning to change our tune. The sirocc is gone, and the wind is considerably fallen ; however, we are still three woful figures. Our servants too are sick, and as helpless as we. The captain says, that Philip our Sicilian man was frightened out of his wits ; and has been praying to St. Januarius with all his might. He now thinks he has heard him, and imputes the change of the weather en- tirely to his interest with his saint. \7th. Three o'clock. Weather pleasant and favoura- ble — A fine breeze since ten ; — have just come in sight of Strombolo. Our pilot says it is near twenty leagues off. We have likewise a view of the mountains of Cala- bria, but at a very great distance. Ship steady ; and sea- sickness almost gone. Eleven at night. The weather is now fine, and we are all well. After spying Strombolo, by degrees vvfe canve in sight of the rest of the Lipari islands, and part of the coast of Sicily. These islands are very picturesque, and several of them still em.it smoke, particularly Volcano and Volcanello ; but none of them, for some ages past, except Strombola, have made any eruptions of fire. We are just now lying within about three miles of that curious island, and can see its operations distinctly. It appears to be a volcano of a very different nature from Vesuvius, the explosions of which succeed one another with some degree of regularity, and have no great variety of dura- tion. Now i have been observing Strombolo, ever since it fell dark, with a good deal of pleasure, but not without some degree of perplexity, as I cannot account for its vari- ety. Sometimes its explosions resemble those of Vesu- vius, and the light seems only to be occasioned by the quantity of fiery stones thrown into the air ; and as soon as these have fallen down, it appears to be extinguished, till another explosion causes a fresh illumination : this I have always observed to be the case with Vesuvius; ex- cept when the lava has risen to the summit of the moun- tain, and continued without variety to illuminate the air around it. — The light from Strombolo evidently depends oa some other cause. Sometimes si clear red fiame issues 12 J Tour through from the crater of the mountain, and continues to blaze without interruption, for near the space of half an hour. The fire is of a different colour from the explosions of stones, and is evidently produced from a different cause. It would seem as if some inflammable substance were suddenly kindled up in the bowels of the mountain. It is attended with no noise, nor explosion that we are sen- sible of It has now fallen calm, and we shall probably have an opportunity of examining this volcano more mi- nutely to-morrow. We were told at Naples that it had lately made a violent eruption, and had begun to form a new island at some little distance from the old ; which piece of intelligence was one of our great inducements to this expedition We think we have discovered this isl- and, as we have observed several times the appearance of a small flame arising out of the sea, a little to the south- west of Strombolo ; and suppose it must have issued from this new islvind ; but it is possible this light may come from the lower part of the island of Strombolo itself. We shall see to-morrow. 1 ^th. We are still off Strombolo, but unfortunately at present it intercepts the view of that spot from whence we observed the flame to arise, and we can see no appear- ance of any new island nor indeed of any lava that has of late sprung from the old one. We have a distinct view of the crater of Strombolo, which seems to be different from Vesuvius, and all the old volcanoes that surround Naples. Of these, the craters are without exception in the centre, and form the highest part of the mountain. That of Strombolo is on its side, and not within two hun- hundred yards of its summit. From the crater to the sea, the island is entirely composed of the same sort of ashes and burnt matter as the conical part of Vesuvius ; and the quantity of this matter is perpetually increasing, from the uninterrupted discharge from the mountain ; for of all the volcanoes we read of, Strombolo seems to be the only one that burns without ceasing. jEtna and Vesuvius often lie quiet for many months, even years, without the least appearance of fire, but Strombolo is ever at work, and for ages past has been looked upon as the great light- house of these seas. It is truly wonderful, how such a constant and immense fire is maintained for thousands of years, in the midst of Sicily and Malta. 13 the ocean ! That of the other Lipari islaRcls seems now almost extinct, and the force of the whole to be concenter- ed in Strombolo, which acts as one; great vent to them all. We still observe Volcano and Volcanello throwing cut volumes of smoke, but during the whole night we could not perceive the least spark of fire from either of them. It is probable, that Strombolo, as well as all the rest of these islands, is originally the Mork of subterraneous fire. The matter of which they are composed, in a manner de- monstrates this ; and many of the Sicilian authors confirm it. There are now eleven of them in all ; and none of the ancients mention more than seven. Fazello, one of the best Sicilian authors, gives an account of the production of Volcano, now one of the most considerable of these islands. He says it happened in the early time of the republic, and is recorded by Eusebius, Pliny, and others. He adds, that even in his time, in the beginning of the sixteenth century, it still discharged quantities of fire and of pumice stones ; but that in the preceding centu'y, in the year 1444, on the 5th of February, there had been a very great eruption of this island, which shook all Sicily, and alarmed the coast of Italy as far as Naples. He says the sea boiled all around the inland, and rocks of a vast size were discharged from the crater; that fire and smoke in many places pierced through the waves, and that the navigation amongst these islands was totally changed; rocks appearing where it was formerly deep water ; and many of the straits and shallows were entirely filled up. He observes, that Aristotle, in his book on meteors, takes notice of a very early eruption of this island, by which not only the coast of Sicily, but likewise many cities in Italy were covered with ashes. It has probably been that very eruption which formed the island. He describes Strom- bolo to have been, in his time, pretty much the same as at this day ; only that it then produced a great quantity of cotton, which is not now the case. The greatest part of it appears to be barren. On the north side there are a few vineyards : but they are very meagre : opposite to these, there is a rock at some distance from land ; it seems to be entirely of lava, and is not less than fifty or sixty feet above the water. The whole island of Strombolo is a mountain that rises suddenly from the sea ; it is about ten miles round, and is C 14 A Tour ihrousck 'O' not of the exact conical form supposed commcn to all volcanoes. We were determined to have landed on the island, and to have attempted to examine the volcano : but our Sicilian pilot assures us, that the crater is not only in- ftccessible (which indeed I own it appears to be) but that we shall likewise be obliged to perform a quarantine of forty-eight hours at Messina ; and that besides, we should run a great risk of being attacked by the natives, who are little better than savages, and always on the alarm against the Turks. — On v/eighing these reasons, and putting the qnestion, it was carried, to proceed on our voyage. I own it is with much regret that I leave this curious ibbnd, without being belter acquainted with it. 1 have been looking with a good glass all ro\*nd, but can see no marks of the eruption we heard so much of at Naples : indeed, the south-west part, where we savv' the appearance of fire, is slill hid from us by the interposition of the isl- c-'ud ; and if there has been an eruption, it was certainly on that side : it is probable we shall never be able to learn .v!. ether there has been one or not ; or at least to make ourselves masters of any of the particulars relating to it* lor events of that kind do not make such a noise in this ignorant and indolent country, as the blowing of an aloe, or a gooseberry-bush at Christmas, does in England. SlrombDlo rises to a great height: our pilot says, higher than Vesuvius; but I think he is mistaken. Both the raptainand he agree, that in clear weather it is discovera- ble at the distance of twenty-five leagues ; and that at night its tlimes are to be seen still much farther; so that its visible horison cannot be less than five hundred miles, which will recjuire a very considerable elevation. The revenue these islands bring to the king of Naples, 13 by no means inconsiderable. They produce great quantitiesof alum, sulphur, nitre, cinnabar, and most sorts of fruits, particularly raisins, currants, and figs in great ]>erfection ; some of their wines are likewise much es- lee-mcd ; particularly the Malvasia, well known all ever Europe. The island of Lipari (from which all the rest take the iiame) is by much the largest, as well as the most fertile. By the description of Aristotle, it appears that it was in liis time, what Strombolo is in ours, considered by sailors as a lighi-house> as its fires were never extinguished. It Sicily and Malta. 15 has not suffered from subterraneous fires for many ages past, though it every where bears the marks of its former state. This is the island supposed by Virgil (who is one of our travelling companions) to be the habitation of iEo- lus ; but indeed all of them were formerly called ^olian. As they were full of vast caverns, roaring with internal fires, poets feigned that ^olus kept the winds prisoners here, and let them out at his pleasure. This allegorical fiction is of great use both to Virgil and Homer, when they want to make a storm, and forms no inconsiderable part of their machinery. A goddess has nothing to do but to take a flight to the Lipari islands, and iEolu?, who was the very pink of courtesy, has always a storm ready at her command. Homer, indeed, departing sadly from his usual dignity, supposes that ^olus kept the winds here, each tied up in their respective bags ; and when any particular wind was demanded, he made them a present of a bag full of it, to use at discretion. Some of the ancient historians (Diodo- rus, I think) says that this fable took its rise from a wise king named jEoIus ; v/ho, from observing the smoke of these islands, and other phenomena attending them, had learned to forctel the weather; and from thence was said to have the command of the winds. .The forge -i V^ulcan too has been supposed by the poets tp be placed in Hiera, one of these islands. V^irgil sends him here, to muke the celestial armour for iEneas, and gives a noble description of this gloomy habitation,* where he found the Cyclops busy forging a thunderbolt for Jupiter: the account of which is very singular! This * Amid the Hesperian and Sicilian flood "^ All black with smoke, a rocky island stood, C The dark Vulcanian land, tlie'reg-ion of the god. J Here the grim Cyclops ply in vaults profound, The huge JEolian forge tliat thunders round. The eternal aaivils ring the dungeon o'er ; From side to side the fier^ caverns roar, &.c. f Beneath their hands, tremendous to survey I Half round, half formed, the dreadful engine lay. Three points of rain ; three forks of hail conspire ; Three anned with wind, and three were barb'd with f.rr. The mass they temper'd thick with livid rays, Fear, wratli, and terror, and the lightning's" blaze. Pitt. 16 A Tour threugh island is now called Volcano, the same that is recorded to have been produced by fire in the time of the republic. So that Virgil commits here a very great anachronism, in sending Vulcan to a place which at that time did not exist, nor for many ages after. But this bold poetical li- cence he amply repays us for, by the fine description he gives of it. These islands, he say%, were called Volcanian as well as jE^lian : " Volcani donius, et Yolcania nomine tellus.*' So that the change of the name from Hiera to Volcano was a very natural one. This is the island that Pliny calls Terasia ; and both Strabo and he give an account of its productions. \9th. Found ourselves within half a mile of the coast of Sicily, which is low, but finely variegated. The oppo- site coast of Calabria is very high, and the mountains are covered with the finest verdure. It was almost a dead calm, our ship scarce moving half a mile in an hour, so thai we had time to get a complete view of the famous lOck of Scylla, on the Calabrian side. Cape Pylorus on the Sicilian, and the celebrr.ted Straits of the Faro that runs between them. Whilst we were still some miles distant from the entry of the Straits, we heard the roaring of the current, like the noise of some large impetuous river confined between narrow banks. This increased in pro- portion as we advanced, till we saw the water in many places raised to a considerable height, and forming large eddies, or whirlpools. Tlie sea in every other place was as smooth as glass. Our old pilot told us, that he had of- ten seen ships caught in these eddies, and whirled about with great rapidity, without obeying the helm in the smallest degree. When the weather is 'calm, there is little danger ; but when the waves meet with this violent current, it makes a dreadful sea. He says that there were five ships wrecked in this spot last winter. We observed that the current set exactly for the rock of Scylla, and would infullibly have carried any thing thrown into it against that point; so that it was not without reason the ancients have painted it as an object of such terror. It is about a mile from the entry of the Faro, and forms a small promontory, which runs a little out to sea, and meet? the Sicily arid Alalia. 17 whole force of the waters, as they come out of the nar- rowest part of the Straits. The head of this promontory is the famous Scylla. It must be owned that it does net altogether come up to the formidable description that Ho- mer gives of it ; the reading wliich (like that of Shakes- peare's Cliff) almost makes one's head giddy. Neither is the passage so wondrous narrow and difficult as he makes it. Indeed it is probable that the breadth of it i^ greatly increased since his time by the violent impetuosi- ty of the current. And this violence too must have al- ways diminished-, in proportion as the breadth of the chan- nel increased. Our pilot says, there are many small rocks that shev/ their heads near the base of the large ones. These are probably the dogs that are described ks howling round the monster Scylla. Tliere are likev/ise many caverns that add greatly to the ncise of the water, and tend still to in- crease the horror of the scene. The rock is near two hundred feet high. There is a kind of castle or fort built on its summ.it ; and the town of Scylla, or Sciglio, con- taining three or four hundred inhabitants, stands on its south side, and gives the title of prince to a Calabrese family. As the current was directly against us, we were obli- ged to lie to, for some hours, till it turned.. The motion of the water ceased for some time, but in a few minutes it began in ihe opposite direction, though not with such violence. We lay just opposite to Cape Pelorus ; (where the light-house is now built.) It is said to have been thus named by Hannibal, in recompence to Pelorus, his pilot, for having put him to death on this spot, on a false suspi- cion of his wanting to betray him : for seeing himself land-locked on all sides, he thought there v/as no escaping, and that Pelorus had been bribed to deliver him up ; but as soon as he discovered the Straits, he repented of his rashness ; and some years afterwards erected a statue here in atonement to the manes of Pelorus. Pomponius Mela tells this story ; from whence he draws two very wise in- ferences: That Hannibal must have been extremely pas- sionate ; and that he knew nothing at all cf geography. Others deny this authority, and say it was named Pelorus from Ulysses* pilot, who was drowned near to this place ; but there can be no sort of foundation for this conjecture ^ . CM 18 J Tour through fdr Ulysses' whole crew were drowned at the same timeij and he himself was driven through these Straits, mount- ed on the broken mast of his ship. It is like most dis- putes among antiquaries, a matter of mighty little conse- quence ; and I leave you at full liberty to choose which of the two accounts you please. From hence we had an opportunity of observing a pret- ty large portion of Calabria, which formerly constituted a considerable part of that celebrated country known by the name of Great Greece, and looked upon as one of the most fertile in the empire. These beautiful hills and moun- tains are covered with trees and brush-wood to the very summit ; and appear pretty much in the same state as some of the wilds of America that are just beginning to be cultivated. Some little spots where the woods are cleared away, just serve to shew the natural fertility of the soil ; and what this country might soon be brought to, were industry and population encouraged ; but it still re- mains a good deal in the same situation as when the bar- barous nations left it ; and I believe it is hard to say, whether their tyranny or that of Spain has been the most oppressive. After the invasion of those nations, and du- ring the time of the dark and barbarous agfs, this country (like many others) from the highest state of culture and civilation, became a wild and barren wilderness, overgrown with thickets and forests : and indeed, since the ren- val of arts and agriculture, perhaps of all Europe this is the country that has profited the least; retaining still, both in the wildncss of its fields and ferocity of its inhabi- tants, more of the Gothic barbarity than is to be met with any where else. Some of these forests are of a vast ex- tent, an-l absolutely impenetrable ; and no doubt conceal in their thickets many valuable monuments of its ancient magnificence. Of this indeed "we have a very recent proof in the discovery of Pestum, a Grecian city, that had not been heard of for many ages; till of late some of its iofty temples were seen, peeping over the tops of the woods ; upbraiding mankind for their shameful neglect ; and calling upon them to bring it once more to light. Ac- cordingly curiosity, and the hopes of gain, a still more po.verfui motive, soon opened a passage, and exposed to view these valuable and respectable relics. — But here it would be out of place to give you an accownt of them ; 1 shall reserve that till my return. Sicily and Malta, 19 As soon as our ship entered the current, we were carried along with great velocity towards Messina, which is twelve miles from the entry of the Straits. However, as the passage widens in proportion as you advance, the current of consequence becomes less rapid. At Messina it is four miles broad. At the mouth of the Straits, be- twixt the promontories of Pelorus in Sicily, and the Coda de Volpe (or the Fox*s Tail) in Calabria, it appears scarce- ly to be a mile. Most of the ancient writers are of opin- ion that Sicily was formerly joined to the continent in this spot, and that the separation must have been made by some violent convulsion of the earth. If this is true, which indeed does not appear improbable, it must have happened far beyond the reach of all historians, as none of them, at least that I have seen, pretend any thing but conjecture for the foundation of their opinion. Indeed Claudian (were credit to be given to poets) says positively, ^' Trinacria quondam Italix pars una fuit," And Virgil too, in his third ^neid, tells the same story : "IIxc loca vi quondam, et vasta convulsa ruina," &c. Pliny, Strabo, Diodorus, and many others, both historians and philosophers, are of the same sentiments, and pretend that the strata in the opposite sides of the Strait perfectly correspond ; like the while rocks near Dover and Bou- logne, which have given rise to an opinion ofthe same kind. However, the similarity in that case is much more stri- king to the eye at least than in this. The approach to Messina is the finest that can be im- agined ; it is not so grand as that of Naples, but it is much more beautiful, pnd the key exceeds any thing I have yet seen, even in Holland. It is built in the form of a crescent, and is surrounded by a range of magnificent buildings, four stories high, and exactly uniforn;, for the space of an Italian mile. The street betwixt these and the sea is about an hundred feet wide, and forms one of thte most delightful walks in the world. It enjoys the fieest air, and commands the most beautiful prospect : i^ is only exposed to the morning sun, being shaded all tjic rest of the day by these buildings. It is besides con- / ^0 A To2ir through £> stantly refreshed by the cooling breeze from the Straits ; for the current of the water produces likewise a current in the air, that renders this one of the coolest habiiations in Sicily. VVe cast anchor about four this afternoon, near the cen- tre of this enchanted senni-circlc, the beauiy of which greatly delighted us ; but our pleasure was soon inter- rupted by a discovery that the name of one of our servants had been omitted in our bills of health ; and an assurance from the captain, that if he was discovered we should cer- tainly be obliged to perform a long quarantine. Whilst wc were deliberating upon this weighty matter, we ob- served a boat with the people of the health-office ap- proaching us. We had just time lo get him wrap- ped up in a hammock, and shut down below the hatches ; with orders not to stir in case of a search, and not appear again above deck till he should be called. The poor fellow was obliged to keep in his hole till it was dark, as our consul and some people of the health-office staid on board much longer than we could have wishv?d, and we are still obliged to conceal him j for ii he be discovered, we shall probably get into a very bad scrape. They are particularly strict here in this respect; and indeed they have great reason to be so ; since this beautiful city was almost annihilated by the plague in the year 1743, when upwards of 70,000 people are said to Ijave died in it and its district, in the space of a few months. We have now got on shore, and are lodged in the most wretched of inns, although said to be a first-rate one for Sicily : but we are contented ; for surely after bad ship accommodation and sea-sickness, any house will appear a palace, and any bit of dry land a paradise. I shall send this off by the post, which goes to-morrow, for Naples, and shall continue from day to day to give you some account of our transactions ; trifling as they are, there will probably be something new ; and it will add greatly to the pleasure of our expedition, to think that it has contributed to yoyr eiitertainment. Adieu. Ever yours, &c Sicily and Malta. 31 LETTER m. Messina, May 20. '^r^HE harbour of Messina is formed by a small pro- X moniory or neck of land that runs off from the east end of the city, and separates that beautiful bason from the rest of the Straits. The shape of this promontory is that of a reaping hook, the curvature of which forms the harbour, and secures it from all winds. From the strikin.^ resemblance of its form, the Greeks, who never gave a name that did not either describe the object, or express some of its most ren»arkable properties, called this place Zancle or the Sickle, and feigned that the sickle of Sa- turn fell on this spot, and gave it its form. But the La- tins, who were not quite so fond of fable, changed its name to Messina (from messia, a harvest) because of the great fertility of its fields. It is certainly one of the safest harbours in the world, after ships have got in ; but it is likewise one of the most difficult access. The celebrated gulf or whirlpool of Chary bdis lies near to its entry, and often occasions such an intestine and irregular motion in the water, that the helm loses most ofits power, and ships have great difficulty to get in, even with the fairest wind that can blow. This whirlpool, I think, is probably form- ed by the small promontory 1 have mentioned : which, contracting the Straits in this spot, must necessarily in- crease the velocity of the current ; but no doubt other causes, of which we are ignorant, concur, for this v. ill by no means account for all the appearances which it lias pro- duced. The great noise occasioned by th« tumultuous motion of the waters in this place, made the ancients liken it to a voracious sea-monster perpetually roaring for its prey ; and it has been represented by their authors, as the most tremendous passage in the world. Aristotle gives a long and formidable description of it in his 125th chapter De Admirandis^ which I find translated in the old Sicilian book 1 have got here. It begins, '* Adeo profundum, hor- riduroque spectaculum," Sec. hut it is loo long to trans- ^2^2 A Tour throiigh cribe. It is likewise described by Homer,* 12th of the^ Odyssey ; Virgi],t 3d ^neid ; Lucretius, Ovid, Sallust, Seneca, also by many of the old Italian and Sicilian poets, who all speak of it in terms of horror ; and represent it as an object that inspired terror, even when looked on at a distance. It certainly is not now so formidable ; and ve- ry probably the violence of the motion, continued for so many ages, has by degrees worn smooth the rug-ged rocks, and juttling shelves, that may have intercepted and confi- ned the waters. The breadth of the Straits too, in this place, I make nodoul^t is considerably enlarged. Indeed, from the nature of things it must be so ; the perpetual friction occasioned by the current must wear away the bank on each side, and enlarge the bed of the water. The vessels in this passage were obliged to go as near as possible to the coast of Calabria, in order to avoid the suction occasioned by the whirling of the waters in this * Dire Scylla there a scene of horror forms, And here Charybdis fills the deep with storms : When tlie tide rushes from her rumbling caves. The rough rocks roar ; tumultuous boil the waves ; They toss, they foam, a wild confusion raise, Like waters bubbling o'er the fiery blaze ; Eternal mists obscure tlie aerial plain, And high above the rock slie spouts the maiii. When in her gulfs the rushing sea subsides. She drains the ocean with her refluent tides. The rock re -bellows with a thundering sound ; Deep, wonderous d.-ep, below appears the ground. f That realm of old, a ruin huge was rent. In length of af^es fiom th.e continent. Witli force convulsive burst the isle away: Thro' the dre:id opening broke the thundering sea. At once the thundering sea Sicilia tore. And sunder'd from the fair Hesperian shore ; And still the neighbouring coasts and towns divide" Willi scanty channels and contracted tides. Fierce to the right tremendous Scylla roars, Cliarybdis on tlie left the flood devoiu's : Thrice swallow'd in her womb subsides the sen, Deep, deep as hell, and thrice she spouts away i'rom her bluck bellowing gulphs disgorged on higli "^Vaves after wave?, that dash against the skv. Pitt Sicily and Malta. QS vortex ; by which means, when they came to the narrow- est and most rapid part of the Straits, betwixt Cape Pelo- rus and Scylla, they were in great danger of being carried upon that rock. From whence the proverb, still applied to those, who in attempting to avoid one evil fall into an- other. *♦ Incidit in Scyllam, cupiens cvitare Charlbdcrn. There is a fine fountain of white marble on the key, re- presenting Neptune holding Scylla and Charybdis chain- ed, under ihe emblematical figures of two sea-monsters, as represented by the poets. The little neck of land, forming the harbour of Messi- na, is strongly fortified. The citadel, which is indeed a very fine work, is built on that part which connects it with the main land. The farthermost point, which runs out to sea, is defended by four small forts, which command the entry into the harbour. Betwixt these lie the lazaret, and a light-house, to warn sailors of their approach to Charyb- dis, as that other on Cape Pelorus is intended to give them notice of Scylla. It is probably from these light-houses (by the Greeks called Pharoi) that the whole of this celebrated Strait has been denominated the Faro of Messina. There are a number of galleys and galliots in this beau- tiful harbour, which still add greatly to its beauty. Three of these sailed this morning, in order to cruiae round the island, and to protect it from the sudden invasions of the Barbarians who are often very troublesome on the south coast. These vessels made a very picturesque appear- ance as they went out of the harbour; their oars m.oving all together, with the greatest regularity. I think there are nine or ten men to each oar ; and indeed it appears to be the hardest work you can imagine. They all rise, ev- every stroke of the oar, and when they pull, they almost throw themselves on their backs, and seem to exert their utmost force. These wretches are chained to their oars, and sleep every night on the bare benches, without any thing to throw over them. V^t, what is strange, notwithstanding all the misery they suffer, I am told there was never known an instance of any one of them putting themselves to death. They often, indeed, confer Q,^ J Tour ihrouich to' that favour upon one another, but it is only in their quar- rels, and by no means out of kindness. In a company of English in the same circumstances, promotion would probably go on much faster, as there would be no want of vacancies, provided only ropes and knives were to be had. We intended this morning to have paid our respects to the prince of Villa Franca, the governor, and to have de- livered our letters ; but he is gone to his country-house, and as there is no carriages to be had, we are obliged to wait his arrival in town, which will probably be to-morrow or next day. We are still under a good deal of uneasiness about our servant, and are obliged to conceal him carefully from the people of the health-office, who seem to haunt us, as we have met them this morning in all our walks. Were he to be discovered, perhaps some of us might have the pleasure of making a little voyage, on board one of those galleys, for our amusement. Indeed the captain of the ship, poor fellow, would run the greatest risk, who is obli- ged to answer for every person on board. — We shall leave this place as soon as possible : for I do not believe there is much more to be seen about it. 20th at night. After dinner our depute-consul (a Sici- lian) carried us to several convents, where we were re- ceived by the nuns with great politeness and affability. We conversed with them for some hours through the grate, and found some of them by no means deficient, ei- ther in point of knowledge or sprightliness ; but none of them had sincerity enough (which we met with in Portu- gal more than once) to acknowledge the unhappiness of their situation. All pretended to be happy and contented, and declared tbey would not change their prison for the most brilliant situation in life. However, some of them had a soft melancholy in their countenances, that gave the lie to their words ; and I am persuaded, in a tete-atete, and on a more intimate acquaintance, they would have told a very different story. Several of them are extremely handsome ; but, indeed, I think they always appear so ; and am very certain from frequent experience, that there is do artificial ornament, or studied embellishment what- ever, that can produce half so strong an effect, as the mo- dest and simple attire of a pretty young nun, placed be- Sicihj and Malta. t5 hind a double iron grate. To see an amiable, iinafiectcd, and unadorned person, that might have been an honour and an ornament to society, make a voluntary rcbignaiion of her charms, and gi\'€ up the world and all its pleasures, for a life of fasting and niortificalion, it cannot fail to move our pity ; '' AnJ pity jneUs^tJl^ mind to love. There is another consideration which tends much to in- crease these feelings ; that is, our total incapacity ever to alter her situation. — The pleasure of relieving tin object in distress, is the only refuge we have aguinst the pain which the seeing of that object occasions j but here, this is utterly denied us, and we feci with sorrow, that pity is all we can bestow. From these, and the like reflections, a man generally feels himself in bad spirits after converging with amiable nuns. Indeed, it is hardly possible, without a heavy heart, to leave the grate ; that inexorable and impenetrable bar- rier. — At last, we took our leave, expressing our happi- ness in being admitted so near them; but at the same time deploring our misery, in seeing them for ever removed at so unmeasurable a distance from us. They were much pleased with our visit, and begged we would repeat it eve- ry day during our stay at Messina; but this might prove dangerous. On having the convent, wc observed a great concourse of people on the top of a high hill, at some distance from the city. The consul told us, it was the celebration of a great festival in honour of St. Francis, and was worth our going to see. Accordingly, we arrived just as the saint made his appearance. He was carried through the crowd with vast ceremony, and received the homage of the peo- ple with a becoming dignity ; after which he was again lodged in his chapel, where he performs a number of mi- racles every day, to all those who have abundance of money and abundance of faith. His ministers, however, are only a set of poor greasy capuchins ; who indeed do not seem to have enriched themselves in his service. In general, he is but a shabby master, if one may judge by the tat- tered clothes of his servants ; aiid St. Benedict, who doe» not pretend to half his sanctity, beats him all to nothing, D 5t6 A Tour through &' The people continued to dance, in soft Sicilian measures, till after sun set, when they retired. Many of the coun- try girls are extremely handsome, and dance with a good grace. The young fellows were all in their Sunday's clothes, and made a good appearance. The assembly room was a fine green plain on the top of the hill. It pleased us very much, and put us in mind of some of Theocritus's descriptions of the Sicilian pleasures. But Theocritus, if he could have raised up his head, would probably have been a good deal puzzled what to make of the shabby figure of St. Francis marching through a- mongst them with such majesty and solemnity. Another part of the ceremony too would have greatly alarmed him, as indeed it did us. The whole court before the church was surrounded with a triple row of small iron cannon, about six inches long ; these were charged to the muzzle, and rammed very hard ; a -er which they were set close to each other, and a train laid, that completed the com- munication through the whole number, which must have exceeded two thousand. Fire was set to the train, and in two or three minutes the whole was discharged by a running fire ; the reports following one another so quick, that it was impossible for the ear to separate them. The effect was very grand ; but it would have been nothing without the fine echo from the high mountains on each side of the Straits, which prolonged the sound for some considerable time after the firing was finished. The view from the top of this hill is beautiful beyond description. The Straits appear like a vast majestic river flowing slowly betwixt two ridges of mountains, and open- ing by degrees from its narrowest point, till it swells to the size of an ocean. Its banks^ at the same time, adorn- ed with rich corn fields, vineyards, orchards, towns, vil- lages and churches. The prospect is terminated on each side by the tops of high mountains covered with wood. We observed in our walks to-day many of the flowers that are much esteemed in our gardens, and others too that we are not acquainted with. Laikspur, flos Adonis, Venus* looking-glass, hawksweed, and very fine lupins, grow wild over all these mountains. They have likewise a variety of flowering shrubs; particularly one in great plenty, which I do not recollect ever to have seen before : it, bears a beautiful round fruit, of a bright shining yellpw^ Sicily and Malta. 27 They call it, II porao d'oro, or golden apple. All the fields about Messina are covered with the richest white clover, intermixed with a variety of aromatic plants, which perfu.iie the air, ind render their walks exceeding- ly delightful. But what is remarkable, we were most sensible of this perfume, when walking on the harbour which is at the {greatest distance from these fields. I mentioned this peculiarity to a Messinese gentleman, who tells me, that the salt produced here by the heat of the sun, emits a grateful odour, something like violets ; and it is that, probably, which perfumes the sea-shore. On consulting Fazzelo De rebus Siculir, I find he takes no- tice of the same singularity ; and likewise observes, that the water of the Straits has a viscous or glutinous quality, which by degrees cements the sand and gravel together, and at last consolidates them to the solidity of the rock. There are fine shady walks on all sides of Messina; some of these run along the sea-shore, and are for ever fanned by the cooling breeze from the Straits. The houses are large, and most of the articles of life are cheap, and in plenty, particularly fish, which are reckon- ed better here, than any where else in the Mediterranean. The hire of lodgings is next to nothing ; almost one half of that noble range of buildings I have described, being absolutely uninhabited since the desolation of 1743; so that tl;s proprietors are glad to get tenants on any terms. It now occurs to me, that from all these considerations, there is no place I have seen so admirably calculated for tl.e residence of that flock of valetudinarians, which every autumn leave our country with the swallows, in search of warm climates. I have been enquiring with regard to their winter season, and find all agree, that, in general, it is much preferable to that of Naples. They allow they have sometimes heavy rain for two or three weeks ; but it never lasts longer ; and besides, they have always some fair hours every day, when people can go out for exercise \ for the moment the rain is over, the walks are dry, the soil being a light gravel. The advantages of Messina over Naples in other re- spects, I think, are considerable. At Naples there are no walks; and, the truth is, they have no occasion for thsm, no more indeed than they have for legs; for you know as well as I, that walking there is little less infa- J*8 A Tow- thrtu^h t>' nious than stealing; and any person tliat makes use of his limbs is looked upon as a blackguard, and despised by all good company. The rides too are all al a great dis- tance ; and you are obliged to go some miles on streets and pavement before you get into the country ; besides passing the vile grotto of Pausillipe, where you are in danger of being blinded, and stifled with dust. There are seldom any public diversions here; the attending of which at Naples, and complying wiih their bad hours, does often more than counteract all the benefit obtained from the climate. That detestable practice of gaming too is by no means so prevalent here ; which from the anxiety it occasions to the mind, and lassitude to the body, must be death to all hectic people, weak breasts, or delicate nerves. I could say much more on this sub- ject, but as I have many of these circumstances only from the report of the inhabitants, it makes me more diffident than if I had kV.own them from my own experience. We found our banker, Mr. M , a very sensible man, and spent some hours with him, both this morning and evening, very agreeably. He has given us some ac- count of the police of the country, the most singular, per. haps, of any in the world ; to such a degree, indeed, that I shall net venture to tell it you, till 1 have talked it over with some other people, to see if the accounts agree ;— though from the character that gentleman bears, both here and at Naples, he is as good authority as any in the island. The prince of Villa Franca is arrived ; so that we shall probably have our audience to-morrow morning. Adieu — We are just going to sup upon stakes made of ihe piesce spada or sword fish, which are caught in great plenty in these seas. The sword of this one is upwards of four feet long; and a formidable weapon it is: — not unlike a Highland broad sword. This fish, when cut, bears a per- fect resemblance to flesh ; so much, that none of us doubt- ed it was beef stakes they were dressing for us, and expressed our surprise at findirg- that fish in Sicily.— Goodnight. Sicily and Malt^. «9 LETTER IV. 2Ut. TTTTE are just returned from the prince's. He V V received us politely, Jjut witli a good deal of state. He offered us the use of his carriages, as there are none to be hired, and, in the usual style, desired to know in what he could be of service to us. We told him (with an apology for our abrupt departure) that we were obliged to set off to-morrow, and begged his protectioa on our journey. He replied, that he would give orders for guards to attend us, that should be answerable for everything; that we need give ourselves no farther trou- ble ; that whatever number of mules we had occasion for, should be ready at the door of the inn, at any hour we should think proper to appoint : He added, that we might entirely rely on those guards, who were people of the most determined resolution, as well as of the most ap- proved fidelity, and would not fail to chastise on the spot any person who should presume to impose upon us. Now, who do you think these trusty guards are com- posed of? Why, of the most daring, and most hardened villains, perhaps, that are to be met with upon earth, who^ in any other country, would have been broken upon the wheel, or hung in chains ; but are here publicly protected, and universally feared and respected. It was this part of the police of Sicily that I was afraid to give you an account of: But I have now conversed with the prince's people on the subject, and they have confirmed every circum- stance Mr. M. made me acquainted with. He told me, that in this cast part of the island, called Val Damoni, (from the devils that are supposed to inha- bit mount iEtna), it has ever been found impracticable to extirpate the banditti^ their being numberless caverns and subterraneous passages in that mountain, where no troops could possibly pursue them : That besides^as they are known to be perfectly determined and resolute, never failing to take a dreadful revenge on all who have offend- ed them, the prince of Villa Franca has embraced it, not only as the safest, but likewise as the wisest, and most political scheme, to become their declared patron and pro- tector. And such of them as think proper to leave their mountains and forests, though perhaps only for a timCj, D 2 So A Tour thi'ough are sure to meet with good encouragement, and security in his service ; they enjoy the most unbounded confidence, which, in no instance, they have ever yet been found to make an improper or a dishonest use of. They are cloth- ed in the prince's liv6ry, yellow and green, wilh silver lace ; and wear likewise a badge of their honourable or- der, which entitles them to universal fear and respect from the people. 1 have just been interrupted by an tipper servant of the prhice*s, who, both by his looks and language, seems to be of the same worthy fraternity. He tells us, that he has ordered our muleteers, at their peril, to be ready by day-break ; but that we need not go till we think proper : for it is their business to attend on nostri eccellenzi. He- says, he has likewise ordered two of the most desperate fel- lows m the whole island to accompany us ; adding, in a sort of whisper, that we need be under no apprehension ; for if any person should presume to impose upon us to the value of a single baiocc,* they would certainly put them to deaih. I gave hira an ounce,t which I knew was what he expect- ed ; on which he redoubled his bows and his eccellerzis, and declared we were the most honorabili Signori he had ever met with, and that if we pleased, he himself should Jiave the honour of attending us, and would chastise any person that should dare to take the wall of us, or injure CIS in the smallest trifle. We thanked him for his aeal, shewing him we had swords of our own. On which bow- ing respecifully, he retired I can now witii more assurance give you some account of the conversation 1 had with Siguier M , who, as I said, appears to be a very intelligent man, and has resided here for these maoy years. He says,that in some circumstances these banditti are the most respectable people of the island ; and have by much the highest and most romantic notions of what they call their point of honour ; That, however criminal they may be with regard to society in general, yet, with respect to one another, and to every person to whom they have once professed it, they have ever maintained the most unsha- ken fidelity. The magistrates have ofien been obliged :o protect them, and even to pay them court, as they are* * Sir-all coin, + About eleven shilling's. Sicily ajid Malta, S\ known to be perfectly determined and desperate ; and so extremely vindictive, that they willceriainly put any person to death, who has ever given them just cause of provoca- tion. On the other hand, it never was known that any person who had put himself under their protection, and shewed that he had confidence in them, had cause to re- pent it, or was injured by any of them, in the most minute trifle ; but, on the contrary, they w ill protect him from imposiiions of every kind, and scorn to go halves with the landlord, like most other conductors and travelling ser- vants } and will defend him with their lives, if there is occasion. That those of their number who have inlisted themselves in the service of society, are known and res- pected by the other banditti all over the island : and the persons of those they accompany are ever held sacred. For these reasons,^ most travellers choose to hire a couple of them from town to town ; and may thus travel over the whole island in safety. To illustrate their character the more he added two stories, which happened but a fe\7 days ago, and are still in every body's mouth. A number of people were found digging in a place where some treasure was supposed to be hid during the plague.: As this has been forbid under the most severe penaUies, they were immediately carried to prison, and' expected to have been treated without mercy , but luck- ily for the others, one of these heroes happened to be of the number. He wrote to the prince of Villa Franca, ami made use of such powerful arguments in their favour, that they were all immediately set at liberty. This will serve to shew their consequence with the civ- il power ; the other story will give you a strong idea of their barbarous ferocity, and the horrid mixture of stub- born vice and virtue (if I may call it by that name) that seems to direct their actions. I should have mentioned that they have a practice of borrowing money from the country people, who never dare refuse them ; and if they promise to pay it, they have ever been found puncLval and exact, both as to the time and the sum ; and would much rather rob and murder an innocent person, than fail of payment at the day appointed ; And this they have often been obliged to do, only in order, as they say, to fulfil their engagements, and to save their honour. It happened within this fortnight, tliat the brother oT; 32 A Tour through one of these heroic banditti having occasion for money, and not knowing how to procure it, determined to make use of his brother's name and authority^ an artifice which he thought could not easily be discovered ; accordingly he went to a country priest, and told him his brother had oc- casion for twenty ducats, which he desired he would im- mediately lend him. The priest assured him that he had not so large a sum, but that if he would return in a few days it should be ready for him. The other replied, that he was afraid to return to his brother with this answer ; and desired, that he would by all means take care to keep out of his way, at least till such time as he had pacified him ; otherwise he could not be answerable for the conse- quences.—As bad fortune would have it, the very next day the priest and the robber met in a narrow road ; the former fell a trembling as the latter approached, and at last dropped on his knees to beg for mercy. The robber, astonished at his behaviour, desired to know the cause of it. The trembling priest answered, *' II denaro, ildena- ro, the money, the money— but send your brother to- morrow, and you shall have it/* The haughty robber as- sured him, that he disdained taking money of a poor priest ; adding, that if any of his brothers had been low enough to make such a demand, he himself was ready to advance the sum. The priest then acquainted him with the visit he had received the preceding night from his bro- ther, by his order : assuring him, that if had been master of the sum, he should immediately have supplied it.-— Well, says the robber, I will now convince you whether my brother or I are most to be believed ; you shall go with me to his house, which is but a few miles distant. On their arrival before the door, the robber called on his brother, who never suspecting the discovery, immediate- ly came to the balcony ; but on perceiving the priest, he began to make excuses for his conduct. The robber told him, there was no excuse to be made ; that he only desir- ed to know the fact, Whether he had gone to borrow mo- ney of that priest in his name or not ? On his owning he had, the robber with deliberate coolness lifted up his blun- derbuss to his shoulder, and shot him dead; and turning to the astonished priest, " You will now be persuaded," said he, *' that I had no intention of robbing you at least." You may now judge how happy we must be in the com- ,di» Sicily and Maka. 33 j>a«y of our guards. I don't know but this very hero may be one of thenj ; as we are assured they are two of the most intrepid and resolute fellows in the island. I will not close this letter, till I give you some account of our jour- ney. In the mean time Adieu. We are going to lake a look at at the churches and public buildings : but with these I shall trouble you very little. 2 16^ at night. We have been very well entert£ined both from what we seen and heard. We used to admire the dexterity of some of the divers at Naples, when they went to the depth of forty-eight or fifiy feet, and •ould not conceive how a man could remain three minutes under water without drawing breath i but these are noth- ing to the feats of one Colas, a native of this place, who is said to have lived for several days in the sea, without com»- ing to land, and from thence got the surname of Pesce, or the fish. Some ofihe Sicilian authors affirm, that he caught fish merely by his agility in the water; and the credulous Kirchcr asserts, that he could walk across the Straits at the bottom of the sea — Be that as it will, he was so much celebrated for swimming and diving, that one of their kings (Frederick) came on purpose to see him perform : which royal visit proved fatal to poor Pesce ; fbr the king, after admiring his wonderful force and agility, had the cruelty to propose his diving near the gulf of Charybdis ; and to tempt him the more, threw in a large golden cup, which was to be his prize, should he bring it up. Pesce made two attempts, and astonished the spectators by the lime he remained under water : but in the third, it is thought he was caught by the whirlpool, as he never appeared more j and his body is said to have been found some time after- wards near Taurominum (about thirty miles distant) it having been observed that what is swcillowed up by Cha- rybdis is carried south by the current, and thrown out up- on that coast. On the contrary , nothing wrecked here was ever carried through the Straits, or tlirown out on the north side of Sicily, unless we believe what Homer says of the ship of Ulysses. We have been again to take a view of the Straits at this famous whirlpool, and are more and more convinced that it must be infinitely diminished ; indeed, in conipar ison of v/hat it was, almost reduced to nothing. The sea appeared to have no extraordinary motion there, and ships 34 A Tour through ;ind boats seemed to pass it with ease. When we compare this its present state, with the formidable description of so many ancient authors, poets, historians, and philosophers, it appears indeed not improbable that this island has been torn from the continent by some violent convulsion, and that near to this spot huge caverns have been opened, which, drinking in the waters in one course of the cur- reai, and throwing them out in the other, may perhaps, in sone measure, account for the phenomena of Chary bdis —I find it described both by Homer and Virgil, as alter- nately swallowing up, and throwing out every object that approached it.* Now, is it not probable, that these cav- erns in process of time have been, in a great measure, filled up by the immense quantities of rocks, sand, graved, Sec. that were perpetually carried in by the force of the current ? — I own I am not quite satisfied with this solu- tion, but at present I cannot think of a better : — The fact, however, is certain, that it must have been a dreadful ob- ject even in Virgil's time, else he never would have made i£tieas and his fleet perceive its effects at so great a cUs- tance, and immediately run out to sea to avoid it; nor would he have made Helenus at such pains to caution bim against that dangerous gulf, and advise him rather to make the whole tour of Sicily than attempt to pass it. Indeed, it is so often mentioned both in the voyage of J£neas and Ulysses, and always in such frightful terms, that we cannot doubt of its having been a very terrible object t * Dextrum Scylla latus, Ixvum implacata Charybdis Obsidet, atque imo barathri ter gurgitc vastos Sorbet in abruptum fluctus, rursusque sub auras Erigit alternos, et sidera vei'berat unda; y Seueca gives this account of it in aletter to Lucillas : '' Scyllam saxam esse, et quidem terribile navigantibus optime £cio : Char}'bdis an respondeat fabulis prcscribi mifci desidero, fac no3 certiores, utrum uno tantum vento agr.tur in vortices, aii oirmis tempestas, ac mare illud contorqueat, et an verum sit quidqviid illi freti turbine areptunn est," &,c. And the following is a translation from Strabo. " Ante urbem p'aululum in trajectu Charybdis ostenditur : Profundum quidem immensum : Quo inundationes fVeti : mirum in modum navigia detrahnnt : magnas per circumductionea, et vortices precipata, quibus absorptis, ac dissolutis, naufragiorum fragraenta ad Tauronxitanum lictus attrahuntur," &c. Sicily and Malta. 35 After seeing the beautiful harbour of Messina, we have found nothing much worthy of notice in the city. Some of the churches are handsome, and there are a few tolera- ble paintings. One ceremony, from the account they pvc it, I should like much to have seen: the celebration of the feast of the Vara. It appears, indeed, to be a very singu- lar exhibition, and I am heartily sorry it does not happen at this season. In order to the more dignified appearance of the Virgin Mary on this occasion, they have invented a very curious machine, which I am told represents heaven, or at least a part of it. It is of a huge size, and moves through the street with vast pomp and ceremony. In the centre is the principal figure, which represents the Vir- gin ; and a little higher, there are three others to denote the Trinity. Round these are a number of wheels, said to be of a very curious construction. Every wheel contains a legion of angels, according to their different degrees of precedency : seraphims, cherubims, and powers. These are represented by a great number of beautiful little chil- dren, all glittering in clothes of gold and silver tissue, with wings of painted feathers fixed to their shoulders. When the machine is set in motion, all these wheels move round, and the different choirs of angels continue in a constant flutter, singing hallelujahs round the Trinity and the Virgin during the whole of the procession, and are said to make a most beautiful appearance. This is all I could learn of this singular show, neither were we ad- mitted to see the machine ; conscious, I suppose, of the ridicule of which it is susceptible, they did not choose to unveil so sacred an object to the eyes of heretics. This island has ever been famous for the celebration of its feasts, even in ancient as well as modern limes. They spare no expence ; and as they have a large share both of super- stition and invention, they never fail to produce some- thing either very fine or very ridiculous. The feast of St. Rosolia at Palermo is said to be one of the finest shows in Europe, and costs that city every year a large sum. They .assure us there is more taste and magnificence disp]aye4 " Est igitur Charybdis (Says Sallust) mare pcriculosum nau- tis ; quod contrai'iis fluctuum cursibus, coUisionem facit, et rap* la qrodque absorbet." But these are moderate indeed when corapwred to the de scrips tlons of the poets. S6 J Tour through in it, than in any thinj^ of the kind in Italy ; and advise us by all means to attend it, as it happens some tirtienear the middle of summer, when we shall probably be in that end ©f the island. If you please we shall now take leave of Messina ; I did not expect to make so much out of it. — But it would not be fair neither, without at least putting you in mind of the great veneration it has ever been held in by the rest of Si- cily, far the assistance it gave to count Rugieroin freeing the island from the yoke of the Saracans ; in consideration of which, great privileges were granted it by the succeed- ing kings; some of which are said still to remain. It was here that the Normans landed ; and this city, by the policy of some of its own inhabitants, was the first con- quest they made ; after which their victorious arms were soon extended over the whole island ; and a final period put to the Saracen tyranny. Count Rugiero fixed the seat of government at Palermo ; and put the political sys- tem of the island upon a solid basis; of which the form (and the form alone) still remains to this day. He divided the wliole island into three parts; one he gave to his offi- cers, another to the church, and a third he reserved for himself. Of these three branches he composed his par. liament, that respectable body,, of which the skeleton now only exists ; for it has long ago lost all its blood, nerves, and animal spirits ; and for many ages past has been redu- ced to a perfect cafiut mcrtuiun. The superstitious ty- ranny of Spain has not only destroyed the national spirits of its own inhabitants, but likewise that of every other country v/hich has fallen under its power. Adieu. Ever yours. P. S. A-propos I There is one thing I had almost for- got, and I sh uld never have forgiven myself. Do you know the most extraordinary phenomenon in the world is often observed near to this place ? I laughed at it at first as you will do ; but I am now convinced of its reality ; and I am persuaded too, that if ever it had been thorough- ly examined by a philosophical eye, the natural cause must long ago have been assigned. It has often been remarked, both by the ancients and moderns, that in the heat of summer, after the sea and air have been much agitated by the winds, and a perfect calm succeeds, there appears, about the time of daMrn> in Sicily and Malta. 37 that part of the heavens over the Straits, a great variety of singular forms, some at rest and some moving about with great velocity. These forms, in proportion as the light increases, seengi to become more aerial, till at last, some- time before sun-rise, they entirely disappear. The Sicilians represent this as the most beautiful sight in nature : Leanti, one of their latest and best writers, came here on purpose to see it : he s^ys, the heavens ap- peared crowned with a variety of objects : he mentions palaces, woods, gardens, &c. besides the figures of men, and other animals, that appear in motion amongst them. No doubt, the imagination must be greatly aiding, in forming this xrial creation; but as so many of their auth- ors, both ancient and modern, agree in the fact, and give an account of it from their own observation, there certain- ly must be some foundation for the story. Thero is one Giardini, a Jesuit, who has lately written a treatise of this phenomenon, but I have not been able to find it ; the cele- brated Messinese Gallo has likewise published something on this singular subject ; if I can procure either of them in the island, you shall have a more perfect account of it. The common people, according to custom, give the whole merit to the devil ; and indeed it is by much the shortest and easiest way of accounting for it. Those who pretend to be philosophers, and refuse him this honour, are great- ly puzzled what to make of it. They think it may be owing to some uncommon refraction or reflection of the rays, from the water of the Straits ; which, as it is at that time carried about in a variety of eddies and vortexes, must consequently, say they, make a variety of appearan- ces on any medium where it is reflected. This, I think, is nonsense ; or at least very near it ; and till they can say more so the purpose, I think they had much better have left it in the hands of the old gentleman. I suspect it is something in the nature of our Aurora Borealis, and, like many of the great phenomena of Nature, depends up- on electrical causes j which, in future ages, I have little doubt, will be found to be as powerful an agent in regula- ting the universe, as gravity is in this age, or as the subtle fluid was in the last. The electrical fluid, m this country of volcanoes, is pro- bably produced in a much greater quantity than in any other. The air, strongly impregnated with this matter; E 38 A Tour through and confined betwixt two ridges of mountains ; at the same time exceedingly agitated from below by the violence of the current, and the impetuous whirling of the waters ; may it not be supposed to produce a variety of appearan- ces? And may not the lively Sicilian imaginations, ani- mated by a beliet in demons, and all the wild offspring of superstition, give these appearances as great a variety of forms ? Remember, I do not say it is so : and hope yet to have it in my power to give you a better account of this matter.. However, if you should suppose me in this story, or in any future one I may tell you, to be inclined to the fabulous, you will please to remember that I am now in the country of fable ; this island having given rise to more perhaps, except Greece, than all the world beside. You have, therefore, only to suppose that these regions arc still contagious ; and cvill to mind that Mount iEtna has ever b'3en the great mother of monsters and chimeras both in the ancient and modern world. However, I shall, if possible* keep free of the infection, and entertain you only with subjects as fall under my own observation. But in- deed, from what I have already heard of that wonderful mountain, the most moderate account of it would appear highly fabulous to all such as are unacquainted with ob- jects of this kind. Adieu. We think of setting off to- morrow by day-break. I am sorry it has not been a storm, that we might have had a chance of seeing Pandemonium reared over our heads, and all the devils at work around it. I shall leave this to be sent by the first post, and shall write you again from Catania, if we escape unhurt from all the perils of ^Etna. Adievi. LETTER V. Giardini^ near Tauro7niimmy May 22. WE have had a delightful JDurney, and if all Sicily be but T\s agreeable, we shall not repent of our expedition We left Messinaeaily this morning, with €ix mules for ourselves and serWnts, and two for our bag- gage. This train, I assure you, makes no contemptible appearance ; particularly when you call to mind our front Sicily and Malta, 39 and rearguard ; by much the most conspicuous part of it. These are two great drawcansir figures armed cap-a-pee.» with a broad hanger, two enormous pistols and a long arqucbuse : this ihey kept cockt and ready for action in all suspicious places ; where they recounted abundance of wonderful stories of robberies and murders ; some of them with such very minute circumstances, that I am fully per- suaded they themselves were the principal actors. How- ever, I look upon our bituaiinn as perfectly secuite ; they pay us great respect, and take the utmost pnins thai we shall not be imposed upon. Indeed, 1 think they im- pose upon every body except us ; for they tax the bills according to their pleasure ; and such cheap ones I never paid before. To-day's dinner for eleven men (our three muleteers included) and feeding for ten mules and horses did not amount to half a guinea. And although we pay them high, (an ounce a day each), yet 1 am persuaded they save us at least one half of it on our bills. They iiave entertained us with some of their feats, and make no scruple of owning their having put several people to death ; but add, « Mas tulti, tutti honorabilmente," — that is to say, they did not do it in a dastardly manner, nor without just provocation. The sea-coast of Sicily is very rich ; the sides of some of the mountains are highly cultivated, and present the most agreeable aspect that can be imagined : — corn, wine, oil, and silk all mixed together, and in the greatest abun- dance : However, the cultivated part is but small in pro- portion to what is lying waste, and only serves to shew the great fertility of this island, were it peopled and in in- dustrious hands The sides of the road are covered with a variety of flowers and of flowering shrubs ; some of them exceedingly beautiful. The inclosures are many of them fenced with hedges oftheIndianfig,or prickly pear; as m Spain and Portugal ; and our guides assure us, that in many of the parched ravines round ^tna, there are plenty of trees which produce both cinnamon and pepper ; not »0 strong they allow as those of the spice islands, but v/hich are sold to the merchants at a low price, by a set of banditti, who dress themiselves like hermits : These spi- ces are mixed with theTiue pepper and cinnamon from the Indies, and sent over all Europe. The road from Messina to this place is extremely ro- 40 A Tour through inantic. It lies the whole way along the coast, and com» mands the view of Calabria, and the south part of the Straits ; covered with chebecks, galleys, galliots, and a quantity of fishing-boats. The view on the right hand is confined by high mountains, on the very sumn/iis of which they have built several considerable towns and villages, which with their churches and steeples make a very pictu- resque appearance. They have chosen this elevated sit- uation, I suppose, with a double view; to protect them from their enemies, and from the violent heat of the cli- mate : tills forenoon we found it excessive, but had the finest swimming in the world before dinner ; which kept lis cool and fresh for all the rest of the day. We have be- sides provided ourselves with um.brellas, without whic-h, at this season, travelling would be impracticable. Betwixt this place and Messina)^ little to the right, lie the mountains, formerly called the Nebrodes ; and like- ^vise the mountain of Neptune, which is reckoned the highest of that chain. It is celebrated for a gulf or crater on its summit, from whence at particular times, there is- sues an exceeding cold wind, with such violence, that it is difficult to approach it. I was sorry to pass this singu- lar mountain, but it would have delayed us a day or two to visit it ; and we are hastening with impatience to a much greater object : It is now named II monto Scuderio, and is said to be so high that the Adriatic can be seen from its summit. From the description they give of it, it appears evidently to be an old volcano. The Nisso take% its rise from this mountain ; a river renowned in antiqui- ty for the gold found in its channel ; for which reason, it was by the Greeks called Crysothoas. It is said, the re- mains of the ancient gold mines are still to be seen near the source of the river; but the modern masters of Sicily have never been enterprising enough to explore them. It was on this charming coast, where the flocks of Apollo were kept by his daughters, Phoethusa and Lampetie ; the seizing of which by Ulysses' companions, proved the cause of their deaths, and of all his subsequent misfor- tunes. The mountain of Tauromina is very high and steep, and the road up to it is e^eedhigly rugged. This once famous city is now reduced to an insignifi- cant burgh ; yet even these, small remains give c " ' ' Sicilij and Malta. 41 idea of its former magnificence. The theatre, I tliink, is accounted the largest in the world. It appears to me greatly superior to that of Adrian's villa, near Rome. It is entire enough, to give a very tolerable idea of the Ro- man theatre, and indeed astonishes by its vastness ; nor can I conceive how any voice would extend through the prodigius number of people it must have contained. I paced about one quarter of it, over the boxes that were in- tended for the women, which is not near the outward cir- cle of all ; the rest is so broken, tliat I could get no far- ther. It measured about 1^0 ordinary steps, so that you may conceive the greatness of the whole. The seats front iSlount ^Etna, which makes a glorious appearance from this place ; and no doubt has often diverted their at- tention from the scene. It arises from an immense base, and mounts equally on all sides to its summit : it is just no\T throwing out volumes of while smoke, which do not rise ia the air, but seem to roll down the sides of the mountain like a vast torrent. The ascent of iEina on each side is computed at about 30 miles, and the circumference of its base at 150: I think it does not appear to be so much: but I shall probably be enubled to give you a fuller ac- count of it afterwards. After admiring the great theatre of Taurominurr. we went to examine the Naumachia, and the reservoirs for supplying it with water. About 150 paces of one side of the wall of the Nuumacia remains ; but as this is not ct^mplete, there is no judging of its original dimensionb. This is supposed to have been a huge square, inclosed with strong walls, and capable of being filled with water on occasion ; intended for the exhibition of sea-fights, and all naval exercises : There were four reservoirs for sup- plying this with M'ater. All are upon the same grand scale. One of these is almost entire ; it is supported by a great number of strong pillars, in the same manner as those of Titus* baths at Rome, and several others you may have seen in Italy. — I would dwell longer on objects of this kind; but I am persu ided descriptions can give but a very imperfect idea of them ; and to mark out the precise dimensions with a mathematical exactness, where there is nothing very remarkable, must surely be but a dry work, both to the writer and reader. I shall there- fore content myself (I hope it will content you too) with E 2 42 A Tour through endeavoring to communicate, as entire as possible, the same impression I myself shall receive, without descend- ing too much to particulars ; or fatiguing myself or you with th.e mensuration of antique walls merely because they are such, except where there is indeed somethinc; very striking and different too, from what has already been described in Italy. 1 own I despair of success : Few things I believe in writing more difficult than thus " s*empurer de Timagina- tion," to seize — to make ourselves masters of the reader's imagination, to carry it along with us through every scene, and make it in a manner congenial with our own ; every prosp:ct opening upon him with the same light, and aris- ing in the same colours, and at tlie same instant too, as upon us : For where descriptions fail in this, the pleasure cf reading them must be very trivial. Now, perhaps, this same journal style is the most favourable of any to pro- duce these effects. It is at least the most agreeable to the wriier : who never has his subject to seek, but needs only recollect what has passed since he last laid down the pen, and travel the day over again ; and if he travels it to good purpose, it ought to be equally agreeable to the reader too, who thereby becomes one of the party, and bears a share in all the pleasures of the journey, without buffering from the fatigues of it. One of my great difficulties, I see, will be the findinp; proper places to write in, for the inns arc altogether exe- crable, and there is no such thing as getting a room to one's self: I am just now writing oji the end of a barrel, which 1 chose rather than the table, as it is farther removed from uoise. I must therefore entreat you, once for all, to excuse incorrectness and want of method. How can one be meth- odical upon abarrel? — It has ever been the most declared enemy to method. You might as well expect a sermon from Bacchus, or a coherent speech from our friend Lord— — — after he has finished the third bottle. You will be pleased then just to take things as they occur. Were I obliged 10 be strictly methodical, I should have no pleasure in writing you these letters ; and then if my position is just, you could have no pleasure in reading them. Our guards have procured us beds, though not in the town of Taurominum, but in Giardini, a village at the foot of the mountaia on which it stands. This people are ex- Sicily and Malta 4:> tremely altentive, and have produced us an excellejit sup- per and good wine, which now waits — but shall wait no longer. Adieu. To-morrow, we intend to climb Mount .^.'.na on this (its east) side, if we find it practicable. Ever yours LETTER VI. Catania^ May 24. I AM already almost two days in arrears. Yesterday we were so much fatigued with the abominable roads of Mount iEtna, that I was not able to wield a pen ; and to-day, I assure you, has by no means been a day of rest ; however, I must not delay any longer, otherwise I shall never be able to make up my lee-way. I am afraid you will suffer more from the fatigues of the journey than I at first apprehended. We left Giardini at five o'clock. About half a n.ile farther the first region of Mount ^Etna begins, and here they have set up the statue of a saint, for having prevent- ed the lava from running up the mountain of Tauron:i- num, and destroying the adjacent country ; which the people think it certainly must have done, had it not been for this kind interposition ; but he very wisely, as well as humanely, conducted it down a low valley to the sea. We left the Catania road on the left, and began to ascend the moutain, in order to visit the celebrated tree, known )y the name of// Castagno de Cento Cavalli (the chesnut tree of a hundred horse :) which for soir.e centuries past has been looked upon as one of the greatest wonders cf -£tna. We had likewise proposed if possible, to g-ain the summit of the mountain by this side, and to descend by the side of Catania ; but we were soon convinced cf tliC impossibility of this, and obliged, with a good deal of re- luctance, to relinquish that part of our scheme. As we advanced in the first region of jEtna, we cbserv ed that there had been eruptions of fire all over this colii- try at a great distance from the summit, or principal crater of the mountain. On our road to the village of Piedmonte^ I took notice of several very considerable craters; and stones of a large size, scattered all around, that h?d beerx 44 A Tour through (hscharged from them. These stones are precisely such as are thrown out of the crater of Mount Vesuvius ; and, indeed, the lava too seems to be of the same nature, though rather more porous. The distance from Giardini to Piedmonte is only ten miles, but as the road is exceedingly rough and difficult, we took near four hours to travel it. The barometer, which at Giardini (on the sea side) stood at 29 inches 10 lines, had now fallen to 27 : 3. Fahrenheit's thermome- ter (made by Mr, Adams in London) tZ degrees. We found the people extremely curious and inquisitive to know our errand, which when we told, many of them of- fered to accompany us. Ofthese we chose two ; and af- ter drinking our tea, which was matter of great specula- tion to the inhabitants, who had never before seen a break- fast ot' this kind, we began to climb the mountain. We were directed for five or six miles of our road by an aqueduct, which the Prince of Palagonia has made at a great expence, to supply Piedmonte with water. Af- ter we left the aqueduct, the ascent became a good deal more rapid, till we arrived at the beginning of the second region, called by the natives la Regione Sylvosa, or the woody region ; because it is composed of one vast forest, that extends all around the mountain. Part of this was destroyed by a very singular event, not later than the year 1755. During an eruption of the volcano, an immense torrent of boiling water issued, as is imagined, from the great crater of the mountain, and in an instant poured down to its base, overwhelming and ruining every thing it met with in its course. Our conductors shewed us the traces of the torrent, which are still very visible ; but are now beginning to recover verdure and vegetation, vrhich for some time appeared to have been lost. The track it has left seems to be about a mile and a half broad ; and in some places still more. The common opinion, I find is, that this water was rais- ed by the power of suction, through some communica- tion betwixt the volcano and the sea ; the absurdity of which is too glaring to need a refutation. The power of suction alone, even supposing a perfect vacuum, could never raise water to more than thirty-three or thirty-four fleet, which is equal to the weight of a column of air the T^hole height of the atmosphere. But this circumstance. Sicily and Malta, 45 I should imagine, might be easily enough accounted for ; either by a stream of lava issuing suddenly into one of the valleys of snow, that occupy the higher regions of the mountain, and melting it down ; or what I think is siili more probable, that the melted snow, finding vast cav- erns and reserviors in the mountain, where it is lodged for some time, till the extensive ]:eat of the lava below burst the sides of these caverns, produces this phendmenon, which has been matter of great speculation to the Sicilian philosophers, and has employed the pens of several of ihcm. The same thing happened in an eruption of Ve- suvius last century, and in an instant swept away about five hundred people, who were marching in procession at the foot of the mountain, to implore the mediation of St. Januarius. Near to this place we passed through some beautiful woods of cork and ever green oak, growing absolutely out of the lava, the soil having as yet hardly nlied the crevices of that porous substance ; and, not a great way farther, I observed several little mountains that seemed to have been formed by a late eruption. I dismounted from my mule, and climbed to the top of them ah. They are sev- en in num.ber; every one of them with a regular cup or crater on the top, and in some the great gulf or (as they call it) Voragine^ that had discharged the burnt matter of which these little mountains are formed, !5 still open. I tumbled stones down into these gulfs, and heard the noise for a long time after. All the fields round, to a conside* rable distance, are covered with large burnt stones dis- charged from these little volcanr.es. From this place, it is not less than five or six miles to the great chesnut-trees, through forests growing out of the lava, in several places almost impassable. Of these trees there are many of an enormous size ; but the Cas- tagao de Cento Cavalli is by much the most celebrated I have often found it marked in an old map of Sicily, pub- lished near an hundred years ago ; and in all the maps of jEtna, and its environs, it makes a very conspicuous figure. I own I was by no means struck with its appear- ance, as it does not seem to be one tree, but a bush of five large trees growing together. We complained to our guides of the imposition, when they unanimously assured us, that by the universal tradition, and even testimony of 46 A Tour through the country, all these were once united in one stem ; that their grandfathers remembered this, when it was looked upon as the glory of the forest, and visited from all quar- ters ; that for many years pjst it had been reduced to the venerable ruin we beheld. We began to examine it with more attention, and found that there was indeed an ap- pearance, as if these five trees had really been once united in one. The opening in the middle is at present prodi- gious , and it does indeed require faith to believe, th^t so vast a space was once occupied by solid timber. — Bur there is no appearance of bark on the inside of any of the stumps, nor on the sides that are opposite to one another. Mr. Glover and I measured it separately and brought it exact- ly to the same size, viz. two hundred and four feet round. If this was once united in one solid stem, it must with justice indeed have been looked upon as a very wondeifnl phenomenon in the vegetable world, and was deservedly sliled the glory of the forest. I have since been told by the Canonico Recupero, an in- genious ecclesiastic of this place, that he was at the ex- pence of carrying up peasants with tools to dig round the Cast igno de Cento Cavilla ; and he assures me, upon his honour, that he found all these stems united below ground, in one root. I alledged that so extraordinary an Object must have been mentioned by many of their writers. He told me that it had, and produced several examples ; Phi- lateo, Carrera, and some others. Carrera begs to be ex- cused from telling its dimensions, but says, he is sure there was wood enough in that one tree to bui:d a large palace. Their poet B^golini too has celebrated a tree of the same kind, perhaps the same tree ;* and Massa, one of their most esteemed authors, says th^t he has seen solid oaks up'VHi'ds of forty feet round ; but adds, that the size of the chesnui trees was beyond belief, the hollow of one of which, he says, contained three hundred sheep ; and thirty people on horseback had ofien been in it at a time. I shall not pretend to say, that this is the same tree he means ; or whether it ever was one tree or not. There * Supremos inter montes monstrosior omni Monstrosi fsetum stipitis JEtpk deJit C-istaneam g-enuit, cujus modo concava cortex Tarmam equitujnhaud parvam continet, atque greges, &♦. Sicily and Malta. 47 are many others that are well deserving the curiosity of travellers. One of them about a mile and a half higher on the mountain, is called // Castagno Ue Galea ; it rises from one solid stem to a considerable height, after which it branches out, and is a much finer object than the other. I measured it about two ftet from the ground, and found it seventy-six feet round There is a third culled // C'fl«- tagno del JVave, that is pretty rearly of the same size. AH these grow on a thick rich soil, formed originally, I believe, of ashes thrown out by the mountain. The climate here is much more temperate than in the first region of jEtna, where the excessive heats must ever prevent a very luxuriant vegetation. Ifound the barometer had now fallen to 26 : Si ; which announces an elevation of very near 40Q0 feet ; equivalent, in the opinion of some of the French academicians, to 18 or 20 degrees in the formation of a climate. The vast quantity of nitre contained in the ashes of ^Ema, probably contributes greatly to increase the luxuri- ance of this vegetation ; and the air too, strongly impreg- nated with it from the smoke of the volcano, must create a constant supply of this salt, termed by some, not with- out reason, the food of vegetables. There is the ruins of a house in the inside of the great chesnut-lree which had been built for holding the fruit it bears, which is still considerable ; here we dined with excellent appetite, and being convinced, that it was in vain to attempt getting to the top of the mountain on that oide, we began to descend ; and after a very fatiguing journey over old lavas, now become fertile fields and rich vineyards, we arrived about sunset at Jaci Beale, whe e, with no small difficulty, we at last got lodging in a convent of Dominicans. The last lava we crossed before our arrival there, is of a vast extern ; I thought we never should hav6 had done with it; it certainly is not less than six or se\ en miles broad, and appears in many places to be of an enormous depth. When we came near to the sea, I was desirous to see what fjrm it had assume^in meeting with the water. I went to exarrse it, and foSp it had driven back the waves for upwards of a mile, anohad formed a li rge black high promontory, where befcPeit was deep water. This lava, ^8 A Tour through imagined, from its barrenness, for it is as yet covered jlwith a very scanty soil, had run from the mountain only a !W ages ago ; but was surprised to be informed by Signi- [ipr Recupero, the historiographer of ^Etna, that this very ifiava is mentioned by Diodorus Sicuhis to have burst from {^tnain the time of the second Punic war, when Syracuse Uvas besieged by the Romans. A detachment was sent ifrom 'I'aurominum to the relief of the besieged. They iwere stopped on their march by this stream of lava, which ^having reached the sea before their arrival at the foot of the mountain, had cut off their passage ; and obliged them to return by the back of ^Etna, upwards of one hundred liles about. His authority for this he tells me. was taken from inscriptions on Roman monuments found on this lava, md that it was likewise well ascertained by many of the >ld Sicilian authors. Now as this is about two thousand yearsago, one would have imagined, if lavas have a regular ►rogress in becoming fertile fields, that this must long ago lave become at least arable : this however is not the case, ind it is as yet only covered with a very scanty vegetation, Lnd incapable of producing either corn or vines. There kare indeed pretty large trees growing in the crevices, fwhich are full of a rich earth ; but in all probability it will >e some hundred years yet before there is enough of it to render this land of any use to the proprietors. It is curious to consider, that the surface of this black ^and barren matter, in process of time, becomes one of the lost fertile soils upon earth : But what must be the time |to bring it to its utmost perfection, when after two thous- md years it is still in most places but a barren rock? — Its ►rogress is possibly as follows. The lava being a very >orous substance, easily catches the dust that is carried ibout by the wind ; which, at first, I observe only yields kind of moss ; this rotting, and by degrees increasing le soil, some small meag.e vegetables are next produ- ced ; which rotting in their turn, are likewise converted [into soil. But this progress I suppose, is often greatly ^accelerated by showers of ashes from the mountain, as^I lave observed in some places the richest soil, to the lepth of five or six feet an^upwards ; and still below that, nothing but rocks ofSra. It is in these spots that the trees arriveaL^utfli an immense size. Their roots ^hoot into the o^tKes of tlf^ lava, and lay such hold Siciiy and Maka. 4^ of it, that there is no instance of the winds tearin|^ them up ; though there are many, of its breaking ©ff their largest branches. A branch of one of the great chesnut trees, which we passed yesterday, has fallen across a deep gulley, and formed a very commodious bridge over the rivulet below. The people say it was done by St. Agatha, the guardian saint of the mountain, who has the superintendence of all its operations. In the lowest part of the first region of ^tna, the har- vest is almost over; but in th€ upper parts of the same region, near the confines of the Regione Sylvosa, it will not begin for several weeks. The reapers, as v/e went along, abused us from all quarters, and more excellent blackguards I have never met with ; but indeed, our guides were a full match for them. They began as soon as we were within hearing, and did not finish till we were got quite without reach of their voices, which they extended as much as they could. As it was all in Sicilian, we could make very little of it, but by the interpretation of our guides ; however, we could not help admiring the volubility and natural elocu- tion with which they spoke. This custom is as old as the time of the Romans, and probably much older, as it is mentioned by Horace, and others of these authors. It is still in vogue here as much as ever ; the masters encou- rage it ; they think it gives them spirits, and makes the work go on more cheerfully : and I believe they are right, for it is amazing what pleasure they seemed to take in itj and what laughing and merriment it occasioned. I forgot to mention that we passed the source of the famous cold river Cil Jiume Freddo.J This is the river so celebrated by the poetsjui the fable of Acis and Galatea. It was here that Acis was fmpposed to have been killed by Polyphemus, and the gods out of compassion converted him into this river; which, as still retaining the terror in- spired by the dreadful voice of the Cyclops, runs with, great rapidity, and about a mile from its source, throwa itself into the sea. It rises at onceout of the earth a large stream. Its water is remarkably pure, aiid so extremely- cold, that it is reckoned dangerous to drink it ; but I am told it has likewise a poiso^us quality, which proceeds from its being impregnated with vitriol to such a degree, (hat cattle have often been killed by it. It nover freezes; F 50 A To7ir through but, what is remarkable, it is said ' often to contract a ite- 3^ree of cold greater than that of ice. These particulars I was informed of by the priests at Aci; which place, anciently called Aci Aquileia, and several others near it, Aci Castello, Aci Terra, &c. take their names from the unfortunate shepherd Acis. A little to the east of the river Acis, is the mouth of the fiver Alcantara, one of the most considerable in the island. It takes its rise on the north side of Mount Jltna, and marks out thet)oundary of the mountain for about sixty miles. Its course has been stopped in many places by the eruptions of the volcano ; so that, strictly speaking, the skirts of ^tna extend much beyond it, though it has gen- erally been considered as the boundary We passed it on our way toPiedmonte, overa large bridge built entire- ly of lava ; and near to this the bed of the river is contin- ued for a great way, through one of the most remarkable, and probably one of the most ancient lavas that ever run from jEtna. In many places the current of the river, which is extremely rapid, has worn down the solid lava to the depth of fifty or sixty feet. Recupero, the gentleman I have mentioned, who is engaged in writing the natural history of -(Etna, tells me, he had examined this lava with great attention, and he thinks that its course, including all its windings, is not less than forty niiles. Ir issued from a mountain on the north side of jEtna, and finding some valleys that lay on the east, it took its course that way, interrupting the Alcantara in many places, and at last arrived at the sea, not far from the mouth of that river. The city of Jaci, or Aci, and mdeed all the towns on this coast, are founded on infl^|ense rocks of lava, neaped »ne above another, in some places to an amazing height; for it appears that these fl?.niing torrents, as soon as they arrived at the sea, were hardened into rock, which not yielding any longer to the pressure of the liquid fire be- hind, the melted matter continuing to accunmlate, formed a dam of fire, which ^n a short time run over the solid front, pouring a second torrent into the ocean ; this was immediately consolidated and succeeded by a third, and so on. Many of the places on the coast still retain their sncient names ; but the properties ascribed to them by the ancients Sicily and Malta. 51 are now aomore. The river Acis, which is now so poi- sonous, was of old celebrated by the sweetness and salu- brity of its waters i* which Theocritus says, were ever held sacred by the Sicilian shepherds. We were- surprised to find that so many places retained the name of this swain, uho, I imagined, had never exist- ed, but in the im^g^ination of the poets: but the Sicilian authors say, that Aci^ 'Vis the name of a king who reign- ed in this part of ihe isln.id in the time of the most remote antiquity ; i:i cQjihrmaiiDn of which M.^ss^ gives the tr ns- lation of an irsc iption fot'nd near AciCasteilo t He is syid to have been slain in a fit of jealousy by Polyphemus, one of the giatils of Jitn i, which gave rise to the fable. Anguillara, a Sicilian poet, in relating this story, gives a tremen^ious idea of the v-ice of Pol) phemus ; the passage ^as been gieatly admired. '* Tremoper troppo horrore ^tna; e Tlfeo Fece maggior la fiamma uscir del monte; E Pacchino, e Peloro, e Lilibeo Quasi attuifar nel mar I'altera fronte ; Cadde il martel di man nel Monte Etneaeo, All Re di Lenno, a Sterope, e a Bronte ; Fugir fiere et augei di lo ricetto £ si strinse ogni madre il siglio'al Petto.*' You will observe, however, that the Sicilian poet can- not in justice claim the entire merit of these Hies, as they are evidently borrowed from Virgil's description of the sound of the Fury Alecto's horn, in the 7th iEneid. The last line, perhaps the most beautiful of the whole, is almost word for word : * Quique per JStnaeos Acid^tit aequora fines Et dulce gratum Nereide persuit unda. Sii. ITAZ. t mm. OGNIiE, SATURN I JE, iETN^J^ DEORUM, MARTI, FILTiE, UXORI, IN POR ru^ SEPULCHRUM, TBMPLUM, ET ARCBM ACIS, FAUNI FILIUS^ RICI NEP03, SATURNI PRONEPOS, LATINI FRATEB. •'1"^ 4 Tour thrmgb *'"jfik trepidaz aiatr«3 pre&sere ad pectora taUs^*' It has been observed toO) by some critics, that evcQ this description of Virgil is not his own, but copied from the account that Apollonius Rhodius gives of the roaring of the dragon that guarded the golden fleece : so that yoti 9ee there is nothing new under the sun. Rhodius proba- bly stole it from somebody else, and so on. Poeis have ever been the greatest of all thieves ; and happy it is that poetical theft is no felony ; otherwise, I am afraid, Par- nassus would have been but thinly peopled. Farewell ; to-morrow I shall endeavour to bring yoU up with us; for at present you will please to observe, that you hav. THE road from Jaci to this city is entirely over law^j and consequently very fatiguing and troublesome- Within a few miles of this place, we counted eight moun- tains formed by eruptions, with every one its crater, from whence the burnt matter was discharged. Some of thesQ are very high, and of a great compass. It appears evi- dently that the eruptions of Mount iEina have formed the whole of the coast, and in many places have drivew back the sea for several miles from its ancient boundary. The account the Sicilian autlS|'s give of the conflict be- twixt these two adverse elements is truly tremendous ; and in relating it, they seem to have bee n shaken with horror. Conceive the front of a torrent of fire, ten miles in breadih, and heaped up to an enormous height, rolling down the mountain, and pouring its flames into the ocean ! The noise, they assure us, is infinitely more dreadful than the loudest thunder ; and is heard through the whole country to an immense distance. The water seemed to retire and diminish before the fire, and to confess its su- periority ; yielding up its possessions, and contracting its banks, to make room for its imperious Master who ccrti- «&V% and Malta. 5^ mands Tt : *• Thus far shalt thou come, and no farther."-^ The clouds of salt vapour darken the face of the sun., covering up this scene under a veil of horror and of night ; and laying waste every field and vineyard in these re- gions of the isiund. The whole fish on the coast are des- troyed, the colour of the sea itself is changed, and the transparency of its waters lost for many months. There are three rocks of lava at some little distance from shore, which Pliny takes frequent notice of, and calls them the Three Cyclops. It is pretty singular, that they are still distinguished by the same name. The fate of Catania has been very remarkable, and will ever appear fabulous. It is situated immediately at the foot of this great volcano> and has been several times des- troyed by it : That indeed is not extraordinary ; it would have been much more so had it escaped ; but what I am going to relate is a singularity that probably never hap- pened to any city but itself. It was always in great want of a port, till by an eruption in the sixteenth century, and no doubt, by tho interposition of St. Agaths, what was denied them by nature, they received from the generosity of the mountain. A stream of lava, running into the sea, formed a mole which no expense could have furnished them This lasted for some time a safe and commoc-irus harbour, till at last, by a subsequent eruption, it was en- tirely filled up and demolished, so that probably the poor saint had sunk much in her credit ; for at this unfortunate period, hwr miraculous veil, looked upon as the greatest treasure of Catania, and esteemed an infallible remedy against earthquakes and volcanoes, seems to have lost its virtue. The torrent burst over the walls, sweeping away the images of every saint that were placed thereto oppose it; and, 1 vying waste great part of this beautiful city, poured into the sea. However, the people say, thai at that lime they had given their saint just provocation, but th it she had long ago been reconciled to them ; and has promised ntvr to suffer the mountain to get the better of them for the future. Many of them are bo thoroughly convinced of this (for they are extremely superstitious} thit I really believe if the lava were at their walls, they would not he at the p.ins to remove their effects. Nei- ther is it the veil of St Agathu alone that they thii.k pos- sessed of this wonderful dorcijidn over the mountain, but ¥ 2 5^4 A Tour through 'i>' every thing that has touched that piece of sacred attife, they suppose is impregnated in a lesser degree wiih the same miraculous properiie«j. Thus there are a nun>ber of little bits of cotton and linen fixed to the veil; which, after being blessed by the bishop, are supposed to acquire power enough to save any person's house or garden ; and -.vherever this expedient has failed, it is always ascribed to the want of faith of the person, not to any want of effi- cacy in the veil. However, they tell you many stones of ;hese bits of cotton being fixed to the walls of houses and vineyards, and preserving them entirely from the con- ilagration. On our arrival at Catania, we were amazed to find that in so noble and beautiful a city there was no such thing a^ an inn. Our guides, indeed, conducted us to a house they called such ; but it was so wretchedly mean and dirtyj that we were obliged to look out for other lodgings; and by the assistance of the Canonico Recupero, for whom >ye had letters, we soon found ourselves comfortably lodged ).n a convent. The prince of Biscaris (the governor of the place) a person of very great merit and distinction, re- turned our visit this forenoon, and made us the most obli- >^iT\% offers. Signior Recupero, who obligingly engages to be oar Glcercne, has shewn us some curiovis remains ©f antiqui- ry ; but they have been ail so shaken and shattered by the. ii^ountain, that hardly any thing is to be found entire. Near to a vault, which is now thirty f^et below ground, and has probably been a burial place, there is a draw-welj^ where there are several strata of lavas, with earth to a considerable thickness over the surface of each stratuniv Recupero has made use of this as an argument to prove ifre great antiquity of the eruptions of his mountain. For as it requires two thousand years or upwards to form a scanty soil on the surface of a lava, there must have been more than that space of lime betwixt each of the erup- tions which have formed these strata. But what shall 've say ofa pit they sunk near to Jaci, of a great depih ? They pierced through sev^n distinct lavas one under the other, the surfaces of which were parallel, and most of them covered with a thick bed of rich earth. Now, says- he, the eruption which formed the lowest of these lavas., if we may be allowed to reason from analogy, must have, •lo^ved from the mountain at least M,OGO years ago. Sidiy a?td Malta. 55' Recupero tells me he is exceedingly embarrassed by these discoveries in writing the history of the mountain. — That Moses hangs like a dead weight upon him, and blunts all his zeal for inquiry ; for that really he has not the conscience to make his mountain so young as that prophet makes the world. — What do you think of these sentiments from a Roman Catholic divine ? — The bishop, who is strenuously orthodox — for it is an excellent sec— - has already warned him to be upon his guard, and not to pretend to be a better natural historian than Moses ; nor to presume to urge any thing that may in \he smallest '^.ea;ree be deemed contradictory to his sacred authority: Adieu. Ever yoUTs. ' LETTER VIII Catania^ May S«i>v THIS morning wrwent to see the house and mtiseuir. of the prince of Biscaris ; which, in antiques, is in- ferior to none I have ever seen, except that of the king if Naples at Portici. What adds greatly to the value of nese is, that the prince himself has had the satisfaction •>r seeing the most of them brought to light. He has dug. ;hem out of the ruins of the ancient theatre of Catania, at an incredible expence ; but happily his pains have been ^mply repaid, by the number and variety of curious objects he has discovered. It would be endless to enter into an enumeration of them ; even during our short stay, we had the satisfaction of seeing part of a rich Corinihiaa t3ornice, and several pieces of statues, produced again to the light, after lying for so many ages in darkness and (•blivion. His collection of medals, cameois, and intaglios b likewise very princely, and so are the articles in natu- ral history : but the polite and amiable behaviour of the Awner, gives more pleasure than all his curiosities. He ?iid not, ostentatiously, like the prince of Villa Franca, tell us that his house and carriages were at our command j but without any hint being given of it, we found his coach waiting at our door ; and we shall probably be obliged to njake use of it during our stay. His family consists of \he princess hi-s wife, a son, and a daughter, whc- seem t«i d6* a Tour through emulate each other in benignity. They put me in mind of some happy families I have seen in our own country, but resemble nothing we have met with on the continent. He is just now building a curious villa on a promontory formed by the lava of 1669. The spot where the house stands was formerly at least fifty feet deep of water ; and the height of the lava above the present level of the sea, is not less than fifty more. This afternoon I walked out alone to examine the ca- pricious forms and singular appearances that this destruc- tive branch has assumed in laying waste the country. I had not gone far when I spied a magnificent building at jk)ip6 distance, which seemed to stand on the highest part of it. My curiosity led me on, as I had heard no mention of any place on this side of the city. On entering the great gate, my surprise was a good deal increased on ob- serving a facade almost equal to that of Versailles ; a no- ble staircase of white marble, and every thing that an- nounced a royal magnificence. I had never heard that the kings of Sicily had a palace at Catania, and yet I could not account for what I saw in any other way. I thought the vast front before me had been the whole of the palace ; but conceive my amazement, when on turning the corner, I found another front of equal greatness; and discovered that what I had seen was only one side of a square. I was no longer in doubt, well knowing that the church alone could be mistress of such magnificence. I hastened home to communicate this discovery to my friends, when I found the Canonico Recupero already with them. He abased me exceedingly for presuming to go out without our Cicerone, and declared he had never been so much disappointed in his life ; as he had come on purpose to oarry us there, and to enjoy our su)'prise and astonishment. He then told us, that it was no otki.r than a convent of fat Benedictine monks, who were d'-'termined to make sure ©f a paradise, at least in this worl*', if not in the other. He addeil, that they were worth ab.'/Ut 15,000 pounds a year; an inmense sum indeed for this couTury We went with Recupero to pay our respects to these sons of humility, temperance, and mortification; and we must own, they received an? entertiiihed us with great civility and poluenebs, and t^ven without osttntaiion. Their museum is little inferior to that of the prmce of Bis- SiciU/ and Mali(i\ S^t' cans, aiid the apartments that contain it are much more tnagiiificent. But their garden is the greatest curiosity : although it be formed on the rugged and barren surface of the lava, it has a variety and a neatness seldom to be met with. The walks are broad and paved with flints : and the trees and hedges (which by the by are in a bad taste, and cut into a number of ridiculous shapes) thrive exceedingly. The whole soil must have been brought from a great distance, as the surface of this lava (only 150 years old) is as hard and bare as a piece of iron. The (Aurch belonging to this convent, if finished, would be ane of the finest in Europe : but as it is founded on the .surface of the porous and brittle lava, part of the founda- tion has given way to the pressure of so huge a fabric ; and several of the large arches that were intended to form the different chapels, have already fallen down. Only the west limb of the cross (not a fifth of the whole) is finv ished ; and even this alone makes a very fine church.— Here they have the finest organ I ever heard, even supe- rior, I think, to that of Haarlem. We went next to examine where the lava had scaled the walls of Catania. It must have been a noble sight.-— The walls are sixty four palms high, (near sixty feet) and of great strength ; otherwise they must have been borne down by the force of the flaming matter which rose over thb height, and seems to have mounted considerably above the top of the wall before it made its entry ; at last it came down, sweeping before it every saint in the calendar, who were drawn up in order of battle oa purpose to oppose ivs passage ; and marching on in triumph, annihilated, in a manner, every object that dared to oppose it. Amongst pther things, it covered up some fine fountains ; one of which was so much esteemed, that they have at a great expence pierced through the lava, and have now recover- ed their favourite spring. This excavation is a very cu- rious work, and worthy of the attention of travellers. Catania is looked upon as one of the most ancient cities in the island, or indeed in the world. — Their legends bear, that it was founded by the Cyclops, or giants of iEtna, sup- posed to have been the first inhabitants of Sicily after the deluge: and some of the Sicilian writers pretend that it was built by Deucalion and Pyrrha a^ soon as the waters Bu'dsidcd; and thay had got down again to the foot of ??ffe 58 A Tour fhroiigk mountaia. Its ancient name was Catetna, or the city of J£tna. It is now reckoned the third city in the kingdom : thoug-h since Messina was destroyed by the plague, it may be well considered as the second. It contains up- wards of thirty thous;*nd inhabitants ; has an university, thc^ only one in the isUncI ; and a bishopric. The bishop's revenues are considerable, and arise princpally from the sole of the snow on Mount ^tna ; one small portion of which, lying on the north of the mountain, is said to bring him upwards of L. 1000 a vear; for iEtna furnishes snov/ and ice not only to the whole island of Sicily, but likewise to Malra, and a great part of Italy, and makes a very con- siderable branch of commerce ; for even the peasants in these hot countries regale themselves with ices during the summer heals; and there is no entertainment given by the nobility, of which these do not make a principal part; a famine of snow, they themselves say, would be more grievous than a famine either of corn or wine. It is a eommon observation amongst them, that without the snows of Mount ^tna, their island could not be inhabited ; so essential has this article of luxury become to them. But jEtna not only keeps them cool in summer, but like- wise keeps them warm in winter ; the fuel for the great- est part of this island being carried from the immense and inexhaustible forests of this volcmo, and constitutes too a very large branch of commerce —But this amazing mountain perpetually carries me away from ray subject; I was speaking of this city — What of it was spared by the eruption of 1669, was totally ruined by the fatal earth- quake 1693; when the greater part of its inhabitants were buried under the walls of their houses and churches. Yet, after such repeated and such dismal disasters, so strange is their infatuation, that they could never be pre- vailed upon to change their situation The whole city xvas soon rebuilt, after a new and an elegant plan, and is now much handsomer than ever. There is scarce any doubt, that in some future commotion of the mountain, it will be again laid in ashes. But at present they are in perfect security : the Virgin and St. Agatha have botb engaged to protect them ; and under their banner they hold iEtna, with all the devils it contains, at defiance. There are many remains of antiquity in this city,,bvit Sicily ana Malta. 59 indeed most of them are in a very ruinous state. One of the most remarkible is an elephant of lava, with an obelisk •f Egyptian granite on his back. There are likewise con- fflderable remains of a great theatre, besides the one be- longing to the prince of Biscaris; a large bath almost en- tire ; the ruins of the great aqueduct, eighteen miles long, the ruins of several temples, one of Ceres, another •f Vulcan : the church called Bocca di i^woco was likewise a temple But the most entire of all is a small rotundo, which, as well as the pantheon at Rome, and some others to be met with in Italy, in my opinion, demonstrates that form to be the most durable of any. . It has now been purged and purified from all the in- fection contracted from the heathen rites, and become a Christian church, dedicated to the blessed Virgin, who has long been constituted viniversal legatee, and executrix to all the ancient goddesses, celestial, terrestrial, and in- fernal : and, indeed, little more than the names are chan- ged, the things continuing pretty much the same as ever. The Catholics themselves do not attend to it : but it is not a little curious to consider, how small is the deviation in almost every article of their preseat rites from those of the ancients I have somewhere seen an observation, which seems to be a just one : that during the long reign of heathenism, superstition had altogether exhausted her talent for invention : so that when a superstitious spirit seized Christians they were under the necessity cf bor- rowing from their predecessors, and imitating some part of their idolatry. Thi« appears to b<^ strictly the case. I took notice of it to Signior R , who is not the most zealous sectary in the world, and who frankly owned the truth of this observation. In some places the very same images still remain : they have only chri-tened them ; and what was Venus orProspe- rine, is now Mary Magdalene or the Virgin The same cert^monies are daily performed before these images ; ia the same language, and nearly in the same manner The saints are perpetually coming down in person, and work- ing miracles, as the heathen gods did of old. The wall.s'' of the temples are covered with the vows of pilgrims as they were formerly. The holv water, which was held in such detestation by the first Christians, is again revered^ and sprinkled about with the same devotion as in the time &) A Tour throu^Jl 'i>' of Paganism. The same incense is burnt, by prie&ts ^ki- uayed in the same manner, with the same grimaces, and genuflections, before the same images, and in the same temples too. In short, so nearly do the rites coincide, that were the Pagan high-priest to come back, and re-as- sume his functions, he would only have to learn a few new names ; to get the Mass, the Paters, and the Aves by heart ; which would be much easier to him, as they are in a language he understands, but of which his mod- ern successors are often ignorant. Some things, to be sure, would puzzle him ; and he would swear that all the mysteries of Elysium were nothing to the amazing mys- tery of transubstantiation ; the only one that ever at- tempted to set both our understanding and our senses at defiance, and baffles equally all the faculties both of the soul and body He would, likewise, be a good deal at a loss to account for the strange metamorphosis of some of his old friends. That (he would say) I can well remem- ber, was the statue of Venus Meretrix, and was only wor- shipped by the lose and voluptuous. She seems to be wonderfully improved since you made her a christian ; for I find she is now become the great protectress of chastity and virtue.— Juno too, who was so implacable and so re- vengeful, you have softened down into a very moderate sort of deity ; for I observe you address her with as little fear or ceremony as any of the rest of them; 1 wish yoU would make the Furies Christians too, for surely they would be much the better.— But, observing the figure of St. Anthony, he would exclaim with astonishment, But what do I behold I—Jupiter, the sovereign of gods anti men, with a ragged cluak over his shoulders ! What a hu- miliating spectacle ! Well do I remember, with what awe we went before that once respectable image. But what has become of the thunderbolt, which he held in his han4 to chastise the world ; and what is that he has got in its place ? His conductor would tell him, that it was only a piece of rope, with knots upon it, to chastise himself; ad- ding, that he was now doing penance for his long usurpa- tion ; and that the thunder had long ago been put into bet- ter hands. However, he would soon find, that even these saints sometimes^ change their names, according to the enthusiastic caprice of the people ; and from this versa- tility, he would still be in hopes, in process of time, to see his £riend re-sissume hi» bolt and his dignity. Sicily and MalU. Ol Do you remember old Huet — the greatest of all origi- nals ? One day, as he passed the statue of Jupiter in the capilol, he pulled off his hat, and made him a bow. — A Jacobite gentleman who observed it, asked him why he paid so much respect to the old gentleman. — For the same reason, replied Huet, that you pay so much to the Pre- tender. Besides, added he, I think there is rather a great- er probability that his turn will come round again, than that of your hero! I shall therefore endeavour to keep well with him, and hope he will never forget that I took notice of him in the time of his adversity. Indeed, within the course of my own observation, I can recollect some of the most capital saints in the calendar, who have been disgraced by the people, and new names given to their statues. When we were in Ponugal last war, the people of Castel Branco were so enraged at St. Antonio, for allowing the Spaniards to plunder their tov/n, contrary, as they affirmed, to his express agreement with them, that they broke many of his statues to pieces ; and one that had been more revered than the rest, they took the head off and clapped on one of St. Francis in its place j whose name the statue ever afterwards retained. Even the great St. Januarius himself, I am told, was in imminent danger during the last famine at Naples. A Swiss gentle- man assured me, that he had heard them load him with abuse and invective ; and declared point-blank, that if he did not procure them corn by such a time, he should no longer be their saint. Flowever, such instances are but rare ; and in general the poor Catholics are fully indemni- fied for these sudden fits of passion and resentment, for the full persuasion of the immediate presence and protectioij^ of their beloved patrons. I have observed with pleasure, that glow of gratitude and affection that has animated their countenances ; and am persuaded that the warmth of the enthusiastic devotion they often feel before their favourite saints, particularly their female ones, must have something extremely de- lightful in it ; resembling, perhaps, the pure and delicate sensations of the most respectful love. I own I have sometimes envied them in their feelings ; and in my heart cursed the pride of reason and philosophy, with all its cool and tasteless triumphs, that lulls into a kind of stoical apathy these most exquisite sensations of the soul. Who G 62 u4 Tour through would not choose to be deceived, when the deception rais- es in him these delicious passions, that are so worthy of the human heart, and ifor which, of all others, it seems to be the most fitted ? But if once you have steeled it over with the hard and impenetrable temper of philosophy ; the fine-spun threads of weakness and affection that were so pliable, and so easily tied, become hard and inflexible, and for ever lose that delicate tone of sensibility that put ihem into a kind of unison and vibration with every object around us : for it is certainly true, what has been said of one part of our species, and may almost with equal jus- tice be applied to the v/hole, *' That to their weakness half their charms we owe." I remember Dr. Tissot told me, he had a patient that actually died for love of CJarist ; and when in the last ex- tremity, seemed still to enjoy the greatest happiness j calling upon him with all the fondness of the most enthu- siastic passion. And from what I have often observed before the statues of the Virgin and St. Agatha, I am per- suaded, they have many inamoratos that would willingly lay down their lives for them. Now, pray don*t you think too, that this personal kind of worship is much better adapted to the capacities of the vulgar than the more pure and sublime modes of it which would only distract and confound their simple un- derstandings, unaccustomed to speculation ; and that cer- tainly require something gross and material, some object of sense to fix their attention? This even seems to have been the opinion of the sacred writers, who often repre- sent God under some material form. Were you to attempt to give a country-fellow an idea of the Deity ; were you to teJl him of a being that is imma- terial, and yet whose essence penetrates all matter: who has existed from all eternity, and whose extension is equal- ly boundless with his duration; who fills and pervades millions of worlds, and animates every object they con- tain i and who, in the sublime language of our poet, " Though changed through all, is yet in all the same, '-* Great io the earth, as in the etherial frwne : '•• Warms ift the sun, refreshes in the breeze, «•* Gdows ia the stars, and blosMjms in tli^ trees; Sicily arid Malta, US " Lives through all life, extends through all extent ; " Spreads undivided, operates unspent. " To him no liigh, no low, no great, no small , " He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all.'* Now, what do yoii imagine he would think of such a be- ing ? I am afraid his understanding would be so bewil- dered) that he could not think at all. But set up before iiim the figure of a fine woman, with a beautiful child in her arms, the most interesting object in nature; and tell him she can procure him every thing he wants; he knows perfectly well what he is about ; feels himself animated by the object, and prays to her with all his tnight. Adieu. — We are going to be very busy ; and are pre- paring every thing for one of the greatest objects of our expedition, the examination of Mount JLtna. Indeed, we have received but bad encouragement ; and are beginning to doubt of the possibility of success. Recupero tells us, that the season is not far chough advanced yet, by some inoilths; and that he does not think it will be possible to get near the summit of the mountain. The last winter, he says, was so uncommonly severe, that the circle of snow extended much nearer the foot of the mountain than usual ; that, although the circle is now greatly con- tracted, it still extends nine or ten miles below the crater. — He advises us to return this way in the month of Au- gust ; and, if possible, make ^Etna the last part of our ex- pedhion. If we do not succeed to-morrow, we shall probably follow his advice ; but we are determined to make a bold push for it. The weather is the most favoura- ble that can be imagined : here is a delightful evcninir, and by the star-light we can observe the smoke rolling down the side of the mountain like a vast trrrent. Recupero spys, this is a sure indication of the violejice of the cold in these exalted regions of the atmosphere, which con- denses the vapour, and makes it fall down the moment it issur.s out of the crater. He advises us, by all mean?, to provide plenty of liquors, warm fur cloaks, and hatchets to cut wood ; as we shall probably be obliged to pass the night in the open air, in a climate, he assures us, as cold as that of Greenland. It is very singular if this be true ; for at present we nre melting with heat, in thin suits of taffeta. Adieu. You shall know it all on our return, if we do not share the faleof Empedccles* Ever yours. 6l d 2our throMcrk LETTER IX. • Caiania, May 29 . ON the 27th, by day -break, we set off to visit Mount ^Sina, that venerable and respectable fafher of moun- tains. His base, and his immense declivities are covered with a numerous progeny of his own; for every great eruption produces a new mountain ; and perhaps, by the number of these, b&tter than by any other method, the ;iumber of eruptions, and the age of iEtna itself, might be ascertained. The whole mountain is divided into three distinct re- g-ions, called La Regione Culta or PiedmontesCy the Fer- tile Region ; La Regione Sylvosa or JSi'emoroFMy the Woody Region ; and La Regione Seserta or Sco/ieria, the Barren JRegioti. These three are as different, both in climate and=*prQ- ductions, as the three zones of the earth ; and perhaps, with equal propriety, might have been styled the Torrid, the Temperate, and the Frigid zone. The first region surrounds the mountain, and constitutes the most fertile country in the world on all sides of 'it, to the extent of about fourteen or fifteen miles, where the woody region begins. It is composed almost entirely of lava, which, ;>fter a number of ages, is at last converted into the most fertile of all soils. At Nicolosi, which is twelve miles up the mountain, we found the barometer at 27 : If : at Catania it stood at '^9 : 8i ; although the former eleve'on is not very great, probably not exceeding 3000 feet, yet the climate was totally changed. At Catania, the harvest was entirely over, and the heats were insupportable ; here they were moderate, and in many places the corn is as yet green. The road for these twelve miles is the worst I ever tra- velled ; entirely over old lavas and the mouths of extin- guished volcanoes, now converted into corn-fields, vine- yards, and orchards. The fruit of this region is reckoned the finest in Sicily, particularly the figs, of which they have a great varfety. One of these, of a very large size, esteemed superior in flavour to all the ^'cst. they pretend is peculiar to M\m» Sicily and Malta. ^5 The lavas, which as I have already said form this region of the mountain, take their rise from an infinite nutiiber of the most beautiful little mountains on earth, which are every where scattered on the immense declivity of -£tna. These are all of a regular figure ; either that of a cone, or a semisphere ; and all but a very few are covered with beautiful trees, and the richest verdure : every eruption generally forms one of these mountains. As the grest crater of jEtna itself is raised to such an enormous height above the lower regions of the mountain, it is not possi- ble, that the internal fire, raging for a vent, even round the base, and no doubt vastly below it, should be carried to the height of twelve or thirteen thousand feet, for pro- bably so high is the summit of ^Etna. It has therefore generally happened, that after shaking the mountain and its neighbourhood for some time, it at last bursts open its side, and this is called an eruption. At first it only sends forth a thick smoke and showers of ashes, that lay waste the adjacent country : these are soon followed by red hot stones, and rocks of a great sizr, thrown to an immense height in the air. The fall of these stones, together with the quantities of ashes discharged at the same time, at last form the spherical and conical mountains I have men- tioned. Sometimes this process is finished in the course of a few days, sometimes it lasts for months, which was the case in the great eruption 1669. In that cas6, the mountain formed is of a great size ; some of them are not less than seven or eight miles round, and upwards of 1000 feet in perpendicular height; others are not more than two or three miles round, and 300 or 400 feet high, After the new mountain is formed, the lava generally bursts out from its lower side, and beaiing every thing before it, is for the most part terminated by the sea. — This is the common progress of an eruption ; however, it sometimes happens, though rarely, that the lava bursts at once from the side of the mountain, without all thesQ attending circumstances ; and this is commonly the case Twith the eruptions of Vesuvius, where the elevation be- ing so much smaller, the melted matter is generally car- ried u{^nto the crater cf the mountain, which then exhibits the phenomena I have described; discharging showers of stones and ashes from the moth of the volcano, without forming any new mountain, but only adding considerably 2 QS J Tour through to the height of the old one ; till at last the lava, rising near the summit, bursts. the side of tlie crater, and the eruption is declared. This has literally been the case with two eruptions I have been an attentive witness of in that mountain: but ^Etna is upon a much larger scale, and one crater is not enough to give vent to such oceans of liquid fire. Recupcro assures me, he saw in an eruption of that mountain, large rocks of fire, discharged to the height of some thousand feet, with a noise much more terrible than that of thunder. He measured from the time of their j^reatest elevation till they reached the ground, and found they took twenty-one seconds to descend ; which, accord- ing to the rule of the spaces, being as the squares of the times, amounts, I think, to upwards of 7000 feet, — a most astonishing height surely, and requiring a force of pro- jection beyond what we have any conception of. I mea- sured the height of the explosions of Vesuvius ^y the s'lnie rule, and never observed any of the stones thrown from it to take more than nine seconds to descend, whicli shews they had risen toJittle more than 1200 feet. • Our landlord at Nicolosi gave us an account of the sin- gular fate of the beautiful country near Hybla, at no great distance from hence. It was so celebrated for its fertility ^^ and particularly for its honey, that it was called Mel Passi, till it was overwhelmed by the lava of jEina; and having then become totally barren, by a kind of pun, its name was changed to Mai Passi. In a second eruption, by a shower of ashes from the mountain, it soon re-assum- ed its ancient beauty and fertility, and for many years was called Bel Passi. Last of all, the unfortunate aera of 1669, it was again laid under an ocean of fire, and re- duced to the most v/retched sterility, since which time it is known again by its second appellation of Mai Passi. However, the lava, in its course over this beautiful little country, has left several little islands or hillocks, just e- iiough to shew what it formerly was. Tiiese make a singular appearance, in all the bloom of the most luxu- riant vegetation, surrounded and rendered almost inac- cessible by large fields of black and rugged lava. The mountain from whence the first eruption issued, that covered Mel Passi, is known by the name of Monpelieri : X was struck^ with its beautiful appearance at a distance, Sk'i/ij and Malta. C'' and could not resist the desire I had of exarnining it n.i- nutely, as well as of observing the efftcts of ihe two eruji lions that overwhelmed this celebrated country. Monpelieri is rather of a spherical than a conical slic^pe, and does not rise in perpendicular height tbove three hundred feet, but it is so pcrtectly regulsr on every side, and so richly overspread with fruits and flowers, that I could not leave so heavenly a spot wiihoui the greatest regret. Its cup or crater is large in propurtitn to the mountain, and is as exactly hollowed out as the best made bowl. I walked quite round its outward ec'ge, and think the circumference must be somewhat more than a mile. This mountain w^as formed by the first eruption that destroyed the country of ISIel Passi, and is of a very old date. It buried a great number of villages and country- houses; and particularly two noble churches, which are more regretted than all the rest, on account of three sta- tues, reckoned at that time the most perfect in the island. They have attempted, but in vair, to recover them ; as the spot where the churches stood could never be justly ascertained. Indeed it is impossible it should ; for these churches were built of lava, which it is well known is immediately melted, when it comes into contact wiih a torrent of new erupi»'d matter : and Massa says, that in some eruptions of ^.tna, the lava has poured down with such a sudden impetuosity, that in the course of a few hours, churches, palaces and villages, have been entirely melted down, and the whole run off in fusion, with.cut leaving the least mark of their former existence. But if the lava has hi\d any considerable lime to cool, this singu- lar effect never happens. The great eruption of 1669, after shaking the whole country around for four months, and forming a very large mountain of stones and ashes, burst cut about hulf a mile above Monpelieri, and descending like a torrent, bore di- rectly against the middle of the mountain, and (they pre- tend) perforated it from side to side: ihis, however, I doubt, as it must have broken the legular form of the mountain, which is not the case. But certain it is, that it pierced to a great depth. The lava then dividtd into two branches ; and surrounding this mountiin, joined again on its south side ; and laying waste tlic whcle coun- try betwixt that and Catania, scaled the walls of ihat city^- 6S A Tour ihroiio-k '£D' and poured its flaming torrent into the ocean. In its way, it is said to have destroyed the possessions of near 30,000 people, and reduced them to beggary. It formed several hills where there were formerly valleys, and filled up a large lake, of which there is not now the least vestige to be seen. As the events of this eruption are better known than 6ny other, they tell a great many singular stories of it : one of which, however incredible it may appear, is well ascertained. A vineyard, belonging to a convent of Je- suits) lay directly on its way.^ This vineyard was formed on an ancient lava, probably a thin one, with a number of caverns and crevices under it. The liquid lava entering into these caverns, soon filled them up, and by degrees bore up the vineyard ; and the Jesuits, who every moment expected to see it buried, beheld with amazement the whole field begin to move off. It was carried on the sur- ftice of the lava to a considerable distance ; and though the greatest part was destroyed, yet some of it remains to this day. We went to examine the mouth from whence the dread- ful torrent issued, and were surprised to find it only a small hole, of about three or four yards in diameter. The mountain from whence it sprung, I think, is little less than the conical part of Vesuvius. There is a vast cavern on the opposite side of it, where people go to shoot wild pigeons, which breed there in great abundance. The innermost parts of this cavern are so very dismal and gloomy, that our landlord told us some people had lost their senses from having advanced too far, imagining they saw devils and the spirits of the damned ; for it is still very generally belifcved here, that ^tna is the mouth of hell. We found a degree of wildness and ferocity in the in- habitants of this mountain, that I have not observed any where else It put me in mind of an observation the Pa- dre della Torre (the historiographer of Mount Vesuvius) told me he had often made in the confines of Naples ; that in the places where the air is most impregnated with sul- phur and hot exhalations, the people were always most wicked and vicious. Whatever truth there may be in the observation, the people about Nicolosi at least seem to confirm it. The whole village flocked round us, and the Sicily and Malta, 0J9 women in particular abused us exceedingly ; the cause of which we at last found was, that F 's blooming complexion and white skin had made them take him for one of their own sex. They made a great clamour, and it was with difficulty we could appease them. The per- son whom Recupero had appointed to accompany us, known by the name, of the Cyclops, (the man in the island that is best acquainted with Mount jEina), was ordered by them not to go with us ; and if we had not at last ob- tained their consent by soothing and flattery, the best method with women> he durst not have disobeyed them. At first we had been obliged to shut the gale of the court, they were so very noisy and tumuliuous ; but when our .landlord, (a priest), for whom we had letters from Cata- nia, assured them that we were Cliristians, and came with no bad intentions, they became more moderate, and wc ventured out amongst them. This confidence scon ac- quired theirs; and in a short time we became good friends, and had a great deal of conversation. It was with much difficulty I could persuade them that we were not come to search for hidden treasures, a great quantity of which they believe is to be found in Montpe- lieri; and when I went to that mountain they were then fully convinced that this was our intention. Two of the \ men followed me, and kept a close eye on every step that Ftook : and when I lifted any bit of lava or pumice^ they came running up, thinking it was something very preci- ous ; but when they observed they wiere only bits of sione, and that I put them into my pocket, they laughed hear- tily, talking to one another in their mountain jargon, which is unintelligible even to Italians. However, as most of them speak Italian so as to be understood, they asked me what I v/as going to make of these bits of stone? I told them they weVe of a great value in our country ; that the people there had a way of making gold of them : at this they both seemed surprised, and spoke again in their tongue. However, I found they did not believe me ; one of them told me, if that had been true, I certainly would not have been so ready in telling it ; but, said he, if it is so, we will serve you for ever, if you will teach us that art; for then we shall be the richest people on earth. I assured them that I had not yet learned it myself, and Cliat it was a secret known only to a very fev/. They 70 A Tour thromh ■i> were likewise a good deal surprised to see me pull out oi my pocket a magnetical needle and a small electrometer, which I had prepared at Catania to examine the electrical 6tate of the air ; and I was afraid they should have taken me for a conjurer, (which you know already happened amongst the Appenines,) but luckily that idea did not strike them. On our way back to Nicolosi we were joined by three or four more, with their wives. I began to be a little afraid of myself, lest they should insist on knowing the secret. However, I took out my bits of lava, and told them they were at their service, if they had any occasion for them. But they refused them, saying, they wished to the Virgin and St, Agatha that I could take away the whole of; as it had ruined the finest country in all Sicily. One fellow, who assumed an air of superior wisdom and dignity to the rest, made them form a circle round him, and began to interrogate me with great gravity and composure. It was with difficulty I could keep my coun- tenance ; but as I was alone with them, at some distance from the village, I was afraid of offending them. He de- sired me to answer him with truth and precision, what were the real motives of our coming so fatiguing and disagreeable a journey ? I told him, on my word, that we had no other motive but curiosity to examine Mount iEtna. On which, laughing to one another with great contempt, Un bel ragione questo^ non e vero, said they> (a very pretty reason truly.) The old fellow then asked me what country we were of. I told him we were Inglese. £ dove ? loro fiaese^ said he ; whereabouts does their country lie ? I told him it was a great way off, on the other side of the world. Da vero^ said the fellow, e crs- dono in Chiisto quelli Inglese ? — I told him, (laughing) that they did. Ah, said he, shaking his head, mifiare chenon credono tropfio. — One of the company then observ- ed, that he remembered several of these Inglese, that at different times had paid visits to Mount ^tn?, and that they never could find out their motive ; but that he recol- lected very well to have heard many of their old people say, that the Inglese h=id a queen that had burnt in the mountain for many years past ; and that they supposed these visits were made from some devotion or respect to her memory. I assured them that the logless had but Sicily aiid Malta. 71 too little respect for their queens when they were alive, but that they never troubled themselves about them after they were dead : however, as all the ethers confirmed this testimony, I thought it was safest to say little against it ; but I was extremely curious to know who this queen might be. They alledged thut I knew much better than they ; but added that her name was Anna. I could not conceive what Queen Anne had done to bring her there ; and was puzzling myself to find it out, when one of them soon cleared up the matter ; he told me she was wife to a king that had been a Christian, and that she had made him an heretic, and was in consequence condemned to burn for ever in Mount iEtna. In short, I found it was no other than poor Anne Boleyn. As soon as I mentioned the name. Si signer^ said the fellow, Vistes- £0, 1'istessa, la conosce ineglio die net. 1 asked if her hus- band was there too, for that he deserved it much better than she ; sicuro, said he, and all his heretic subjects too ; and if you are of that number, you need not be in such a hurry to get thither, you will be sure of it at last. I thanked him, and went to join our company, not a little amused with the conversation. We soon after left Nicolosi, and in an hour and a half's travelliBg, over barren ashes and lava, we arrived on the confines of the Regione Sylvosa, or the Temperate Zone. As soon as we entered those delightful forests, we seemed to have got into another world. The air, which before was sultry and hot, was now cool and refreshing; and ev- ery breeze was loaded with a thousand perfumes, the whole ground being covered over with the lichest aromatic plants. Many parts of this region are surely the most heavenly spots upon earth ; ai.d if iE^na resen:bles hell within, it way with equal justice be said to resemble pa- radise without. It is indeed a curious consideration, that this mountain should re-unite every beauty and every horror ; and, in short, all the most opposite and dissimilar objects in na- ture. Here you observe a gulf, that tormcrly threw out torrents of fire, now covered with the most luxuriant vege- tation ; and from an object of ten or, become one of delight. Here you gather the most delicious fruit, rising from what was but lately a black and barren rock. Here the ground 15 covered with every flower ; and v/e wander 7^ A Tour through over these beauties, and eonteraplate this wilderriess 6t sweets, without considering that hell, with all its terrors, is immediately under our feet; and that but a few yards separates us from lakes of liquid fire and brimstone. But* our astonishment still increases, on casting our eyes on the higher regions of the mountain. There we beheld in perpetual union the two elements that are at perpetual war; an immense gulf of fire, forever existing in the midst of snows which it has not power to melt ; and immense fields of snow and ice for ever surrounding this gulf of fire, which they have not power to extinguish. The woody region of ^Etna ascends for about eight or nine miles, and forms a zone or girdle of the brightest green all around the mountain. This night we passed through little more than the half of it ; arriving some time before sun set at our lodgings, which was no other than a large cave, formed by one of the most ancient and venerable lavas. It is called La Sficlonca del Cafiriolcj or the goat*s cavern, because frequented by those animals, who take refuge there in bad weather. Here we were delighted with the contemplation of many grave and beautiful objects; the prospect on all bides is immense : and we already seem to be lifted from the earth, and to have got into a new world. Our cavern is surrounded by the stately and "majestic oaks; of the dry leaves of which, we made very com- fortable beds ; and with our hatchets, which we had brought on purpose, we had cut down great branches, ^nd, in a short time, had a fire large enough to roast an ox. I observed my thermometer, and found, from 7 1 at Nicolosi, it had now fallen below 60. The barometer stood at 24: 2. In one end of our cave we still found a great quantity of snow, which seemed to be sent there oil purpose for us, as there was no water to be found. With tins we filled our tea-kettle, as tea and bread and butter was the only supper we had provided ; and probably the best one to prevent us from being overcome by sleep or fatigue. Not a great way from this cavern, are two of the most beautiful mountains of all that number that spring from j£tna. I mounted one of our best mules, and with a good deal of difficultv arrived at the summit of the highest of them, just a little before sun-set. The prospect of Sicily, Sicily and Malta. 73 ■with the surrounding sea and all its islands, was wonderfully noble. The whole course of the river Semetus, the ru- ins of Hybla, and several other ancient towns; the rich corn-fields and vineyards on the lov/er region of the moun- tain, and the amazing number of beautiful mountains be- low, made a delightful scene. The hollow craters of these two mountains are each of them considerably larger than that of Vesuvius. They are now filled with stately oaks, and covered to a great depth with the richest soil. I ob- served that this region of iEtna, like the former, is com- posed of lava ; but this is now covered so deep with earth, that it is no where to be seen, but in the beds of the tor- rents. In many of these it is worn down by the water to the depth of fifty or sixty feet, and in one of them still considerably more. — What an idea does this give of the amazing antiquity of the eruptions of this mountain ? As soon as it was dark, we retired to our cave, and took possession of our bed of leaves. Our rest, however, was somewhat disturbed by the noif^e of a mountain that lay a good way oif on our right. It discharged quantities of smoke, and made several explosions like heavy cannon at a distance ; but what is singular, we could observe no ap- pearance of fire— 'This mountain was formed by an erup- tion in 1766, now upwards of four years ago ; the fire of which is not yet extinguished, neither is the lava by any means cold. This lava spent its fury on a beautiful forest, which is laid waste to the extent of a good many miles. In many places it has run into guUeys of a great depth, which it has filled up to the height, we are told, of two hundred feet. It is in these places that it retains the greatest heat. On our road to-day, wc scrambled up this lava, and went a considerable way over its surface, which appeared perfectly cold ; but it is certain, that in many places it still emits volumes of smoke, particularly after rain ; and the people say, what I can readily believe, that this will continue to be the case for some years, where the lava is thickest. A solid body of fire some hundreds of feet thick, and of so great an extent, must certainly re- tain its heat for many years. The surface, indeed, soon becomes black and hard, apd incloses the liquid fire with- in, in a kind of solid box, excluding all impressions from the external air or from the weather. Thus I have seen, many months jiftc^ eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, a bed H 74 A Tour through of lava, though only of a few feet thick, has continued red-hot in the centre long after the surface was cold ; and a stick thrust into its crevices instantly look fire, although there was no perceptible heat without. Massa, a Sicilian author of credit, says he was at Cata- nia eight years after the great erupition in 1669, and that he still found the lava in many places was not cold: but there is ai> easy method of calculating the time that bodies take to cool : — Sir Isaac Newton, I think, in his account of the comet of 1680, supposes the times to be as the squares of their diameters ; and finding that a solid ball of metal of two inches, made red-hot, required upv/ards of an hour to become perfectly cold, made the calculation from that to a body of the diameter of the earth, and found it would require upwards of twenty thousand years. If this rule be just, you may easily compute the time that the lava will take to become thoroughly cold; and that you may have time to do so, I shall here break off my letter, which I am obliged to write in bed, in a very aukward and dis- agreeable posture ; the cause of which shall be explained to you in my next. Adieu. Ever yours. LETTER X. Catania, May 29. at ni^ht. AFTER getting a comfortable nap on our bed of leaves in the Spelonca del Capriole, we awoke about eleven o'clock ; and melting down a sufficient quantity of snow, we boiled our tea-kettle, and made a hearty meal to pre- pare us for the remaining part of our expedition. We were nine in number ; for we had our three servants, the Cyclops (our conductor) and two men to take care of our mules. The Cyclops now began to display his great knowledge of the mountain, and we followed him with implicit confidence. He conducted us over "Antres vast, and Deserts wild," where scarce human foot had ever trod. Sometimes through gloomy forests, which by day-light were delightful, but now, from the universal darkness, the rusllittg of the trees ; the heavy dull bel- lowing of the mountain, the vast expanse of ocean stretch- ed at an immense distance below us, inspired a kind of Sicily and Malta. 75 awful horror. Sometimes we found ourselves ascending great rocks of lava, where, if our mules should make but a false step, we might be thrown headlong over the preci- pice. However, by the assistance of the Cyclops, we overcame all these difficulties ; and he managed matters so well, that in the space of two hours we found we had got above the regions of vegetation ; and had left the fo- rests of iEtna far behind. These appeared now like a dark and gloomy gulf below us, that surrounded the mountain. The prospect before us was of a very different nature ; we beheld an expanse of snow and ice that alarmed us ex- ceedingly, and almost staggered our resolution. In the centre of this, but still at a great distance, we descried the high summit of the mountain, rearing its tremendous head, and vomiting out torrents of smoke. It indeed ap- peared altogether inaccessible, from the vast extent of the fields of snow and ice that surrounded it. Our diffidence was still increased by the sentiments of the Cyclops. He told us, it often happened, that the surface of the moun- tain being hot below melted the snow in particular spots, and formed pools of water, where it was impossible to foresee our danger; that it likewise happened that the surface of the water, as well as the snow, was sometimes covered with black ashes, that rendered it exceedingly deceitful; that however, if we thought proper, he should lead us on with as much caution as possible. According- ly, after holding a council of war, which you know people generally do when they are much afraid, we detached our cavalry to the forest below, and prepared to climb tfae snows. The Cyclops, after taking a great draught of bran- dy, desired us to be of good cheer ; that we had plenty of time, and might take as many rests as we pleased ; that the snow could be little more than seven miles, and that we should certainly be able to pass it before sun rise. — Accordingly taking each of us a dram of liquor, which soon removed every objection, we began our march. The ascent for some time was not steep : and as the surface of the snow sunk | little, we had tolerable good footing ; but as it soon began to grow steeper, we found orur labour greatly increased : however, we determined to persevere, calling to mind in the midst of our labour, that the emperor Adrian, and the philosopher Plato had un- dergone the same ; and from the same motive too, to see 76 J_ Tour through the rising sun from the top of -Stna. After incredible labour and fatigue, but at the same time mixed with a great deal of pleasure, we arrived before dawn at the ru- ins of an ancient structure, called // Torre del Filosofoy supposed to have been built by the philosopher Empedo- cles, who took up his habitation here, the better to study the nature of Mount ^tna. By others it is supposed to be the ruins of a temple of Vulcan, whose shop, ail the world knov/s (where he used to make excellent thunder- bolts and celestial armour, as well as nots to catch his wife when she went astray) was ever kept ia Mount jEtna. Here we rested ourselves for some time, and made a fresh application to our liquor bottle, which I am persuaded, both Vulcan and Empedocles, had they been here, would have greatly approved of after such a march. I found the mercury had fallen to 26: 6. We had now to pay our adorations in a silent contemplation of the sub- lime objects of nature. The sky was clear, and the im- mense vault of the heavens appeared in awful majesty and splendour. We found ourselves more struck with ventLation than below, and first were at a loss to know the cause ; till we observed with astonishment the num- ber of stars seemed to be infinitely increased ; and the light of each of them appeared brighter than usual. The whiteness of the milky way was like a pure flame that shot across the heavens ; and with the naked eye we could observe clusters of stars that were invisible in the regions below. We did not at first attend to the cause, nor recol- lect that we had now passed through ten or twelve thous- and feet of gross vapour, that blunts and confuses every ray, before it reaches the surface of the earth. We were amazed at the distinctness of vision, and exclaimed togeth- er, what a glorious situation for an observatory ! Had Em- pedocles had the eyes of Gallileo, what discoveries must he not have made ! We regretted that Jupiter was not visible, as I am persuaded we might have discovered some of his satellites with the naked eye, or at least with a small glass which I had in my pocket. We observed a light a great v/ay below us on the mountain, which seem- ed to move among the forest ; but whether an Ignis Fa- tuus, or what it was, I shall not pretend to say. We like- wise took notice of several of those meteors, called Fall- ing Stars, which still appeared to be as much elevated Sicily and Malta, _ 77 above us, as when we see from the plain ; so that, in all probability, those bodies move in regions much beyond the bounds that some philosophers have assigned to our atmosphere. After contemplating these objects for some time, we set off, and soon arrived at the foot of the great crater of the mountain. This is of an exact conical figure, and rises equally on all sides. It is composed solely of ashes and other burnt materials, discharged from the mouth of the volcano, which is in its centre. This conical moun- tain is of a very great size ; its circumference cannot be less than, ten miles. Here we took a second rest, as the greatest part of our fatigue still remained. The mercu- ry had fallen to 20 : 4|.~We found this mountain exces- sively steep ; and although it had appeared blacky yet it was likewise covered with snow, but the surface (luckily for us) was spread over with a pretty thick layer of ashes, thrown out from the crater. Had it not been for this, we never should have been -able to get to the top ; as the snow was every where frozen hard and solid, from the piercing cold of the air. In about an hour's climbing, w^s arrived at a place where there was no snow ; and whe^e a warm and com- fortable vapour issued from the mountain, which induced lis to make another halt. Here I found the mercury at 19 : 6^. The thermometsr was fallen three degrees be- low the point of congelation ; and before we left the sum- mit of iEtna, it fell two degrees more, viz. to 27. From this spot it was only about three hundred yards to the highest summit of the mountain, where we arrived in full lime to see the most wonderful and most sublime sight in nature. But here description must ever fall short ; for no ima- gination has dared to form an idea of so glorious and so magnificent a scene. Neither is there on the suriace of this globe, any one point that unites so many awful and sublime objects— The immense elevation from the sur- face of the earth, drawn as it were to a single point, with- out any neighbouring mountain for the senses and ima- gination to rest upon, and recover from thf ir astonishment in their way down to the world. This poiat or pinnaclcj raised on the brink of a bottomless gulf, as old as the world, often discharging rivers of fire, and throwing out H2- 78 A Tour through tj" burning rocks, with a noise that shakes the whole island. Add to ihis, the unbounded extent of the prospect, con\- prchending the greatest diversity and the most beautiful scenery in nature ; with the rising sun, advancing in the east, to illuniinate the wonderous scene. The whole atOiOsphere by degrees kindled up, and shewed dimly and faintly the boundless prospect around. Both sea and land looked dark and confused, as if only emerging from their original chaos, and light and dark- ness seemed siill undivided ; till the morning by degrees advancir.c^5 conipleted the separation. The stars are ex- tinguished, itnd the shades disappear. The forests, which bul now seemed black and bottomless gulfs, from whence no ray was reflected to shew their form or colours, appear a new creation rising to the sight ; catching life and beau- ty from every increasing beam. The scene still enlarges, and the horizon seems to widen and expand itself on all sides, till the sun, like the great Creator, appears in the east, and with his plastic ray completes the mighty scene. All appears enchantment ; and it is with difficulty we can believe we are still on earth. The senses, unaccustomed to the sublimity of such a scene, are bewildered and con- founded ; and it is not till after some time, that they are capable of separating and judging of the objects that com- pose it. — The body of the sun is seen rising from the ocean, immense tracts both of sea and land intervening j the islands of Lipari, Panari, Alicudi, Strombolo, and Volcano, with their smoking summits, appear under your feet ; and you look down on the whole of Sicily as on a map ; and can trace every river through all its windings, from its source to its mouth. The view is absolutely boundless on every side ; nor is there any one object, within the circle of vision, to interrupt it ; so that the sight is every where lost in the immensity ; and I am persuaded it is only from the imperfection of our organs, that the coasts of Africa, and even of Greece, are not discovered, as they are certainly above the horizon. The circumference of the visible horizon on the top of ^tna cannot be less that two thousand miles. At Malta, which is near two hundred miles distant, they perceive all the eruptions from the second region ; and that island is often discovered from about one-half the elevation of the moun- tain; so that at the whole elevatbn, the horizon must I Sicily and Malta. 79 extend to near double that distance, or four hundred TnileS) which makes eight hundred miles for the diameter of the circle, and two thousand four hundred for ihe cir- cumference. But this is by much too vast for our senses, not intended to grasp so boundless a scene. I find, in- deed, by some of the Sicilian authors, panicularly Massa^ that the African coast, as well as that of Naples, with many of its islands, have been discovered from the top of ^tna. Of this, however, we cannot boast, though we can very well believe it. Indeed, if we knew the height of the mountain, it would be easy to calculate the extent of its visible horizon ; and {vice versa) if its visible hori- zon was exactly ascertained, it would be an easy matter to calculate the height of the mountain. — But the most beau- tiful part of the scene is certainly the mountain itself j the island of Sicily, and the numerous islands lying round it. All these, by a kind of magic in vision, that I am at a loss to account for, seem as if they were brought close round the skirts of JEtna ; the distances appearing re- duced to nothing — Perhaps this singular effect is pro- duced by the rays of light passing from a rarer medium into a denser ; which (from a well known law in optics) to an observer in the rare medium, appears to lift up objects that are at the bottom of the dense one ; as a piece of money placed in a bason appears lifted up as soon as the bason is filled with water. The Regione Deserta, or the frigid zone of ^.tna, is the first object that calls your attention. It is marked out by a circle of snow and ice, which extends on all sides to the distance of about eight miles. In the centre of ihis cir- cle, the great crater of the mountain rears its burning head ; and the regions of intense cold and of intense heat seem for ever to be united in the same point On the north side of the snowy region, they assure us, there are several small lakes that are never thawed ; and that in many places, the snow, mixed with the ashes and salts of the mountain, igaccumulated to a vast depth : and indeed I suppose the quantity of the salts, contained in this mountain, is one great reason of the preservation of its snows. The Regione Deaerta is immediately succeeded by the Sylvosa^ or the woody region, which forms a cir- cle or girdle of the most beautiful green, which sur- rounds the mountain on all sides, and is certainly one of 80 A Tour through the most delightful spots on earth. This presents a rift- markable contrast with the desert region. It is not smooth and even, like the greatest part of the latter; but is finely variegated by an infinite number of those beauti- ful little mountains that have been formed by the different eruptions of ^tna. All these have now acquired a won- derful degree of fertility, except a very few that are but newly formed ; that is, within these five or six hundred years : for it certainly requires some thousands to bring them to their greatest degree of perfection. We looked down into the craters of these, and attempted, but in vain, to number them. The circumference of this zone or great circle on ^tna is not less than seventy or eighty miles. It is every where succeeded by the vineyards, orchards, and corn- fields that compose the Regione Culta, or the fertile re- gion. This last zone is much broader than the others, and extends on all sides to the foot of the mountain — Its whole circumference, according to Recupero, is 183 miles. It is likewise covered with a number of little conical and spherical mountains, and exhibits a wonderful variety of forms and colours, and makes a delightful con- trast with the other tw© regions. It is bounded by the sea to the south and south-east, and on all its other sides by the rivers Semetus and Alcantara, which run almost round it. The whole course of these rivers is seen at once, and all their beautiful windings through these fer- tile valleys, looked upon as the favourite possession of Ceres herself, and the very scene of the rape of her daughter Proserpine. Cast your eyes a little farther, and you embrace the whole island, and see all its cities, rivers, and mountains, delineated in the great chart of Nature : All the adjacent islands, the whole coast of Italy, as far as your eye can reach ; for it is no where bounded, but every where lost \n the space. On the sun's first rising, the shadow of the mountain extends across the whole island, and makes a large track visible evefi in the sea and in the air. By degrees this is shortened, and, in a little lime, is confined only to the neighbourhood of iEtna. We had now time to examine a fourth region of that wonderful mountain, very different, indeed, from the otbers, and productive of very different sensations ; but - Sicily and Malta, 81 \yhich has, undoubtedly, given being to all the rest; I mean the region of fire. The present crater of this immense volcano is a cir- cle of about three miles and a half in circumference. It goes shelving dovi'n on each side, and forms a regular hollow like a vast amphitheatre. From many places of this space, issue volumes of sulphureous smoke, which) being much heavier than the circumambient air, instead of rising in it, as smoke generally does, immediately on its getting out of the crater, rolls down the side of the mountain like a torrent, till coming to that part of the atmosphere of the same specific gravity with itself, it shoots off horizontally, and forms a l^uge track Jn the airj according to the dii^ection of the wind, which, happily foB us, carried it exactly to the side opposite to that where we were placed. The crater is so hot, that it is very dan- gerous, if not impossible, to go down into it ; besides, the smoke is very incommodious, and in many places, the surface is so soft, there have been instances of people sinking down in it, and paying for their temerity with their lives. Near the centre of the crater is the great mouth of the volcano ;-— that tremendous gulf so cele- brated in all ages, looked upon as the terror and scourge both of this and another life ; and equally useful to ancient poets or to modern divines, when the rriuse, or when the spirit inspires. We beheld it with awe and with horror, and were not surprised that it had been considered as the place of the damned. When we reflect on the innmensity of its depth, the vast cells and caverns whence so many lavas have issued ; the force of Its internal fire, to raise up those lavas to so vast a height, to support as it were in the air, and even to force it over the very -summit of the crater, with all the dreadful accompaniments; the boiling of the matter, the shaking of the mountain, the explosions of flaming rocks, 8cc. we must allow that the most enthusiastic imagination, in the midst of all its ter- rors, hardly ever formed an idea of a hell more dreadful. It was with a mixture both of pleasure and pain, that we quitted this awful scene. But the wind had risen very high, and clouds began to gather round the mountain— In a short time they formed like another heaven below us, and we were in hopes of seeing a thunder-storm under our feet;-^a scene that is not uncommon in these exalted 825 A Tour through regions, aild which I have already seen on the top of the high Alps ; but the clouds were soon dispelled again by the force of the wind, and we were disappointed in our expectations. I had often been told of the great effect produced by discharging a gun on the top of high mountains. I tried It here, when^we were a good deal surprised to find, that instead of increasing the sound, it was almost reduced to nothing. The report was not equal to that of a pocket pistol ; we compared it to the stroke of a stick on a door ; and surely it is consistent with reason, that the thinner the air is, the less its impression must be on the ear; for in a vacuum there can be no noise, or no impression can be made; and the nearer the approach to a vacuum, the impression must always be the smaller. Where those great effects have been produced, it must have been amongst a number of mountains, where the sound is re- verberated from one to the other. When we arrived at the foot of the cone, we observed some rocks of as incredible size, that have been discharged from the crater. The largest that has been observed from Vesuvius, is a round one of about twelve feet diameter. These are much greater ; indeed almost in proportion of the mountains to each other. On our arrival at the Torre del Filosofo, we could not help admiring, that the ruins of this structure have re- mained uncovered for so many ages, so near the top of jEtna, when thousands of places at a great distance from it have been repeatedly buried by its lavas, in a much shorter time, — a proof that few eruptions have risen so high in the mountain Empedocles was a native of Agrigentum, and is sup- posed to have died 400 years before the Christian aera. Perhaps his vanity more than his philosophy led him to this elevated situation ; nay, it is said to have carried him still much farther : — That he might be looked upon as a god, and that the people might suppose he was taken up to heaven, he is recorded to have thrown himself headlong into the great gulf of Mount ^tna, never supposing that his death could be discovered to mankind ; but the trea- cherous mountain threw out his slippers, which were of brj^ss, and announced to the world the fate of the philoso- pher, who, by his death, as well as life, wanted only to Sidiy and Malta. 83 impose upon ruankind, and make them believe that he was greater than they. However, if there is such a thing as philosophy on earth, this surely ought to be its seat. The prospect is iittle inferior to that from the summit, and the mind en- joys a df gree of serenity here, that even few philosophers, I believe, could ever boast of on tliat tremendous point.— All Nature lies expanded below your feet, in her gayest and most luxuriant dress, and you still behold united un- der one point of view, all the seasons of the year, and all the Climates of the earth. The meditations are ever elevated in proportion to the grandeur and sublimity of the objects that surround us; and here, where you have all nature to arouse your admiration, what mind can re- main inactive ? It has likewise been observed, and from experience 1 can say with truth, that on the tops of the highest moun- tains, where the air is so pure and refined, and where there is not that immense weight of gross vapours press- ing upon the body, the mind acts with greater freedom, and all the functions both of soul and body are performed in a superior manner. It would appear, that in propor- tion as we are raised above the habitations of men, all low and vulgar sentiments are left behind ; and that the soul, in approaching the etherial regions, shakes off its earthly affections, and already acquires something of their celestial purity — Here, where you stand under a serene sky, and behold, with equal serenity, the tempest and storm forming below your feet ; the lightning, darling from cloud to cloud, and the thunder rolling round the mountain, and threatening with destruction the poor wretches below,; the mind considers the little storms of the human passions as equally below her notice. Surely the situation alone is enough to inspire philosophy, and Empedocles had good reason for choosing it. .But, alas! how vain are all our reasonings 1 In the very midst of these meditations, my philosophy was at once overset, and in a moment I found myself relapsed into a poor miserable mortal ; was obliged to own, that pain was the greatest of evils ; and would have given the .world to have been once more arrived at those humble habitations, which, but a moment before, I had looked 4pwn upon with such contempt. — In running over the ^84 d Tour throi^h ice, my leg folded under me, and I received so violent a sprain, that in a few minutes it swelled to a great degree, and I found myself unable to put my foot to the ground. Every muscle and fibre was at that time chilled and froze bv the extreme cold, the thermometer continuing still below the point of congelation. It was this circumstance I suppose, that made the pain so violent ; for I lay a con- siderable time on the ice in great agony : however, in these exalted regions, it was impossible to have a horse, or a carriage of any kind ; and your poor philosopher was obliged to hop on one leg, with two men supporting him, for several miles over the snow; and cur wags here allege, that he left the greatest part of his philosophy behind him, for the use of Empidocles' heirs and successors. I was happy to get to my mule, but when I once more found myself on our beds of leaves in the Spelonca del Capriole, I thought I was in paradise : So true it is, that a removal of pain is the greatest of pleasures. The agony I suffered had thrown me into a profuse sweat and fever; however, in an instant I fell fast asleep, and in an hour and a half awaked in perfect health. We had an excel- lent dish of tea, the most refreshing and agreeable I ever drank in all my life. We left the summit of the mountain about six o*clock| and it was eight at night before we reached Catania.— We observed, both with pleasure and pain, the change of the climate as we descended. — From the regions of the most rigid winter, we soon arrived at those of the most delightful spring. On first entering the forests, the trees were slill bare as in December, not a single leaf to be seen; but after we had descended a few miles, we found ourselves in the mildest, and the softest of climates : the trees in full verdure, and the fields covered with all the flowers of the summer ; but as soon as we got out of the woods, and entered the torrid zone, we found the heals altogether insupportable, and suffered dreadfully from them before we reached the city. On the road I saw many mountains, which I intended to have visited, but my sprain put it out of my power. One of the most re- markable is called the Monte Peluse^ the lava of which destroyed the great aqueduct of Catania for eighteen miles. It has here and there left a few arches; but no- thing of any consequence. Sicily and Malta. 85 Not far from this mountain stands the Monte Victoria, •nc of the most beautiful of all the numerous family of ^tna. It is of a pretty large size, and perfectly rei^ular, and seems to be in the gayest dress of any. Many of its trees, which, at a distance, we took to be oianges and citrons, appeared to be in full blow. It was the lava of this mountain that is said to have covered up the port of Ulysses, which is now three miles distant from the sea ; but I should suppose this eruption to have been much older than either Ulysses or Troy. On our arrival at Catania, we went immediately to bed, being exceedingly oppressed by the fatigue of our expe- dition; but still more by the violent heat of the day, — a day, in which, I think, I have enjoyed a greater degree of pleasure, and suffered a greater degree of pain, than in any other day of my life. As my leg continues very m.uch swelled, I am still con- fined to my room, and mostly, indeed, to my bed, from whence I have written you the greatest part of these two epistles, the enormous length of which I am ashamed of. However, as I have still omitted several articles that 1 in- tended to take notice of, I shall add a sequel to-morrow ; and so conclude my account of Mount iEtna. Had it not been for this abominable sprain, that holds me last by the foot, you probably had not got off so easily ; but I am obliged to drop all further thoughts of cliuibing moun- tains, though there are many things I still wanted to ex- apaine. Adieu. Ever yours* LETTER XI. Catania^ May 30. WE took care to regulate two barometers at the foot of the mountain ; one of which was left with the Canonico Recupero, and the other we carried along with Us. The former, our friend assures us, had no sensible variation during our absence. We both left it, and found it at twenty-nine inches, eight lines and a half, English measure. On our arrival ai Catania, the one we carried up with us had risen exactly to the same point. I 86 J Tour throvgk I had likewise a good quicksilver thermometer, which I borrowed from the Neapolitan philosopher, the Padre della Torre, who furnislied us with letters for this place, and would have accompanied us, could he have obtained leave of the king. It is made by Adains at London, and (as I myself proved) exactly graduated from the two points of freezing and boiling water. It is upon Fahren- heit's scale. I shall mark the heights in the different regions of jEtna, wiih the rules for estimating the eleva- tion of mountains by the barometer, which, I am sorry to say, have been hitherto so very ill ascertained ; Cassina, Bouger, and the others who have written on the subject, to the reproach of science, differing so much amongst themselves, that it is with difftculty we can come near the truth. - 33 About half way up the crater, - - 29 On the summit of jEtna, a little before sun-rise, 27 Height of the Barometer in inches and lines. At the sea-side at Catania, -, - 29 « 27 8 27 li 26 5\ 24 2 20 5 20 4i^ 19 6A 88 A Tour through At the village of Piedmonte, in the first region ofiEtna, - - - At Nicolosi, in the same region, At the Castagno de Cento Cavalli, in the second region, - - - At the Spelonca del Capriole, in the second re- gion, - - At the Torre del Filosofo, in the third region, At the foot of the crater, Within about SCO yards of the summit. At the summit of jEtna, (supposed to be about) 1 9 4 The wind at the summit was so violent that I could not make the observation with perfect exactness; however, I am pretty certain that I was within half a line. I own I did not believe we should find jEtna so high. I had heard indeed that it was higher ihan any of the Alps, but I never gave credit to it : — How great then was 3ny astonishment to find that the mercury fell almost two inches lower than I had ever observed it on the very high- est of the accessible Alps ; at the same time I am per- suaded there are many inaccessible points of ihe Alps^ (particularly Mcnt Blanc), that are still much higher thaiv yEtna. I found the magnetical needle greatly agitated near the summit of the mountain ; (the Padre della Torre told me he had made the same observation en Vesuvius) ; however, it always fixed at the north point, though it look longer time in fixing than below. But what Recupero told me happened to him, was very singular. — Soon after the eruption of 1735, he placed his compass on the lava, 'j'he needle, he saj s, to his great astonishment, was agi- tated v/ith much violence for some considerable time, till at last it entirely lost its magnetical power, standing in- discriminately at every point of the compass; and this it never after recovered, till it was again touched with the loadstone. The wind, and my unfortunate sprain together, in a great measure prevented our electrical experiments, on which we had built not a little : however, I found that round Nicolosi, and particularly on the top of Monpelieri, the air was in a very favourable state for electrical opera- tions. Here the little pith balls, when insolated, were Sidly and Malta B& sensibly affected, and repelled each other above an inch. I expected this electrical state of the air would have in- creased as we advanced on the mountain ; but at the cave where we slept, I could observe no such effect. Perhaps it was owing to the exhalations from the trees and vegeta- bles, which are there exceedingly luxuriant ; whereas, about Nicolosi, and round Monpelieri, there is hardly any thing but lava and dry hot aand. — Or perhaps it might be owing to the evening being farther advanced, and the dews beginning to fall. However, I have no doubt, that upon these mountains formed by eruption, where the air is strongly impregnated with sulphureous effluvia, great electrical discoveries might be made. And perhaps, of all the reasons assigned ibr the wonderful vegetation that is performed on this mountain, there is none that contri- butes so much towards it, as this constant electrical state of the air : For from a variety of experiments it has been found, that an increase of the electrical matter adds much to the progress of vegetation It probably acts there in the same manner as on the animal body : — the circulation we know is performed quicker ; and the juices are driven through the small vessels with more ease and celerity. This has often been proved from the immediate removal of obstructions by electricity ; and probably the rubbing with dry and warm flannel, esteemed so efficacious in such eases, is doing nothing more than exciting a great degree of electricity in the part; but it has likewise been demon- strated, by the common experiment of making water drop through a small capillary s.yphon, which the moment it is electrified runs in a full stream. — I have indeed very little doubt, vhat the fertility of our seasons depends as much on this quality in the air, as either on its heats or moisture. Electricity will probably soon be considered as the great vivifying principle of Nature, by which she carries on most of her operations.--It is a fifth element, distinct from, and of a superior nature to the other four, which enly compose the corporeal parts of matter: but this subtile active fluid is a kind of soul that pervades an(i quickens every particle of it — When an equal quantity of this is diffused through the air, and over the face of *he earth, every thing continues calm and quiet ; but if by any accident one part of matter has acouired a greater I 2 90 A Tour through quantity than another, the most dreadful conseqtiences often ensue before the equilibrium can be restored— - Nature seems to fall into convulsions, and many of her works are destroyed : — All the great phenomena arc pro- duced ; thunder, lightning, earthquakes and whirlwinds : for I believe there is little doubt, that all these frequently depend on this sole cause. And again, if we look down from the sublime of nature to its minutiae, we shall still find the same pawer acting, though perhaps in le^s legi- ble characters ; for as the knowledge of its operations are still in its infancy, they are generally misunderstood, or ascribed to some other cause. However, I have no doubt, that in process of lime these will be properly investigated; when mankind will wonder how much they have been in the dark. It will then possibly be found, that what we call sensibility of nerves, and many of those diseases, that the faculty have as yet only invented names for, are owing to the body's being possessed of too large or too sm.all a quantity of this subtile and active fluid ; that very fluid, perhaps, that is the vehicle of all our feelings, and which they have so long searched for in vain in the nerves; for I have sometimes been led to think, that this sense was nothing else than a slighter kind of electric eff'ect, to which the nerves serve as conductors ; and that it is by the rapid circulation of this penetrating and animating iire that our sensations are performed. We all know, that in damp and hazy weatheF, when it seems to be blunted and absorbed by the humidity ; when its activity is lost, and lit'le or none of it can be collected : we ever find our spirits more languid, and our sensibility less acute : but in the sirocc wind at Naples, when the air seems totally deprived of it, the whole system is unstrung, and the nerves seem to lose both their tension and elasticity, till the north or west wind awakens the activity of this animating power, which soon restores the tone, and enli- vens all nature, which seemed to droop and languish dur- ing its absence. It is likewise well known, that there have been in- stances of the human body becoming electric without the mediation of any electrical substance, and even emitting sparks of fire with a disagreeable sensation, and an ex- treme degree of nervous sensibility. About seven or eight years ago, a lady in Switzerland Sidly and Malta, 91 was affected in this manner, and though I was not able to learn all the particulars of her case, yet several Swiss gentlemen have confirmed to me the truth of the story. — She was uncommonly sensible of every change of wea- ther, and had her electrical feelings strongest in a clear day, or during the passage of thunder-clouds, when the air is known to be replete with that fluid. Her case, like most others which the doctors can make not:Jng of, was decided to be a nervous one ; for the reul meaning of that term 1 take it to be only, that the physician does not un- derstand what it is. Two gentlemen of Geneva had a short experience of the same sort of complaint, though still in a much supe- rior degree. — Professor Saussure and yoi-ng Mr Jalabert? when travelling over one of the high Alps, were caught amongst thunder-clouds; and to their utter astonishment, found their bodies so full of electrical fire, that sponta- neous flashes darted from their fingers with a crackling noise, and the same kind of sensation as when strongly electrified by art. — This was communicated by Mr. Jala- bert to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, I think, in the year 1763 ; and you will find it recorded in their memoirs. It seems pretty evident, I think, that these feelings were owing to the bodies being possessed of too great a share of electric fire. This is an uncommon esse ; but I do not think it at all improbable, that many of our inva- lids, particularly the hypochondriac, and those we call Malades Imaginaircs^ owe their disagreeable feelings to the opposite cause, or the bodies being possessed cf too small a quantity of this fire ; for we find that a diminution of it in the air seldom fails to increase their uneasy sensa- tions, and vice vena. Perhaps it might be of service to these people to wear some electric substance next their skin, to defend the nerves and fibres from the damp or non-electric air I would propose a waistcoat of" the finest flc/nnel, which should be kept perfectly clean and dry ; for the effluvia of the body, in case of any violent perspiration, will soon destroy its electric quality : this should be covered by, an- other of the same size, of silk. The animal heat, and the friction that exercise must occasion beiwixt these two substances, produce a powerful electricity ; and would fbrm a kind of electric atmosphere around the body, that 9S A Tour through might possibly be one of the best preservatives against the effect of damps. As for our Swiss lady, I have little (^oubt that her com- plaints were owing in great part, perhaps entirely, to her dress ; and that a very small alteration, almost in any part of it, would effectually have cured her. A lady who has her head surrounded with wires, and her hair stuck full of metal pins, and who at the same time stands upon dry silk, is to all intents and purposes an electrical conductor insolated, and prepared for collecting the fire from the atmosphere : and it is not at all surprising, that during thunder-storms, or when the air is extremely replete with electrical matter, she should emit sparks, and exhibit other appearances of electricity. — I imagine a very tri- fling change of dress, which from the constant versatility of iheir modes may some day take place, would render this lady's disease altogether epidemical amongst the sex. Only let the soles of their shoes be made of an electric substance, and let the wires of their caps, and pins of their hair, be somewhat lengthened and pointed outwards ; and I think there is little doubt, that they will often find them- selves in an electrified state : — But, indeed, if they only wear silk, or even worsted stockings, it may sometimes prove sufficient ; for I have often insolated electrometers as perfectly by placing them on a piece of dry silk or flannel, as on a glass. How iiale do our ladies imagine, when they surround their heads with wire, the most powerful of all conduct- ors, and at the same time wear stockings, shoes, and gowns of silk, one of the most powerful repellents, that they p cpare their bodies in the same manner, and ac- cording to the same principles, as electricians prepare their conduct >rs for attracting the fire of lightning ! If they cannot be brought to relinquish their wire caps and fcheir pins, might they not fall upon some such preserva- tive as those vvhich of late years have been applied to objects of less consequence. Suppose that every Udy should provide herself with a small chain, or wire, to be hoVlked on at pleasure during thunder-storms. This should pass from her cap over the thickest part of her hair, which will prevent the fire from being communicated to her head ; and so down to 0ie grounKi. — It is plain this will act in the same manner Sicily and Malta, 93 as the cenductors on the top of steeples, which, from the metal spires that are commonly placed there, analogous to the pins and wires, were so liable to accidents. You may laugh at this ; bu^ I assure you I never was more serious in my life. A very amiable lady of my acquaint- ance, Mrs. Douglass, of Kelso, had almost lost her life by one of those caps mounted on wire. She was standing at an open window during a thunder-storm : ihe lightning was attracted by the wire, and the cap was burnt to asli^s; happily her hair was in its natural stale, without powder, pomatum, or pins, and prevented the fire from being con- ducted to her head ; for as she ft It no kind of shock, it is probable that it went off from the wire-!:, of the cap to ihe wall, close to which she then stood. If it had found any conductor to carry it to her head or body, in all probabi- lity she must have been killed — A good strong head of hair, if it is kept perfectly clean and dry, is probably one of the best preservatives against the fire of lightning. But so soon as it is stuifcd full of powder and pomatum^ and bound together with pins, its repellent force is lost, and it becomes a conductor*.— But I beg pardon for these surmises ; I throw them in your way otily to inDprove upon it at leisure ; for we have it ever in our power to * Sinee the writing of these letters, the author has made some experiments on the electricity of hair ; which tend still to con- vince him the n\ore ofwrhat he has advanced. A lady told him, that on combing her hair in frosty weather, she- had sometimes observed sparks of fire to issue from it. This made him think of attempting to collect the electrical fire from Lair alone, with- out the assistance of any other electrical apparatus. To this end, he desired a young lady to stand on a cake of bees-wax, and to comb her sister's hair, who was sitting on a chair before her. Soon after she began to comb, the \ouog lady on the wax was greatly astonislied to find her wliolc body electrified ; darting out sparks of fire against every object tliat approached her. The hair was extremely electrical, and affected an electrometer at a vcr^, great distance : He cha.rged a metal conductor from it with great ease; and hi the space of a few minutes collected as much fire immediately from the hair, as to kindle common spirits; and by means of a small phial, gave many smart shocks to all the company. A full j.\ccount of these experiments was lately read before the Royal Society. They were made during the time of a very hard frost, and on a strong head of hair, where no powder or pomatum had been used for many raootbs. 94 A Tour thromh '-b' be making experiments in electricity. And although this fluid is the most subtile and active of any we know, we can command it on all occasions ; and I am now so accustomed to its operations, that I seldom comb my hair, or pull off a stocking^, without observing them under some form or other. How surprising it is then that man- kind should have lived and breathed for so many thou- sand years, without almost ever supposing that it existed ! But to return to our mountain. Recupero told me he had observed the same phenome- non here that is common in the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, viz. red forked lightning darting from the smoke, without being followed by the noise of thunder. The reason possibly is, that the crater and smoke is at that time so highly electrical, that like a cylinder or globe, heated by friciion,it throws off spontaneous flashes into the air, without being brougtit into the attraction of any conductor, or body less electric than itself, (indeed the spontaneous discharges from a good electrical globe often bear a perfect resemblance to this kind of light- ning) ; however, if a non-electric cloud were to pass near the crater at that lime, the crash of thunder would proba- bly be very violent, which indeed is often the case when the air is full of wet clouds in the time of an eruption ; but when this does not happen, the equilibrium is proba- bly restored by degrees, and without a shock, from the surplus of electrical mater being gradually communi- cated to the earth and sea all around the mountain ; the immense lavas that have run from it serving as con- ductors. So highly electric is the vapour of volcanoes, that it has been observed in some eruptions both of iEina and Vesuvius, that the whole track of smoke, which some- times extended above 100 miles, produced the most dreadful effects; killing shepherds and flocks on the mountains, blasting trees, and setting fire to houses, wherever it met with them on an elevated situation. Now probably the flying of a kite, with a wire round its string, would Soon have disarmed this formidable cloud. These effects, however, only happen when the air is dry and little agitated, bat when it is full of moist vapour, the great rarefaction from the heat of lava generally brings it down in violent torrents of rain, which soon convey Sicilr/ and Malta, 95 the electrical matter from the clouds to the earth, and restores the equilibrium. As Recupero, who is a fecetious and an agreeable com- panion, was kind enough to sit a good deal with me, during my confinement, 1 have gathered many remarks from his conversation, that may perhaps be worthy of your attention. The variety of waters about jEtna, he tells me, is sur- prising. I have already mentioned the Fiume Fredo, or the river of Acis : Recupero confirms what I have been told of it. There is a lake on the north of the mountain, of about three miles in circumference, which receives several considerable rivers; yet, although there is no apparent outlet, it never overflows its banks. 1 suggested the probability of a subterraneous communication betwixt this and the Fiume Freddo. He said there was no re- semblance in the quality of their waters ; however, I think it is probable, that in a course of so many miles, through the caverns of iEtna, full of salts and minerals, it may acquire both its cold and its vitriolic qualities. There is another lake on the top of a mountain to the west of ^tna, the bottom of which could never be found. It is observed never to rise or fall, but always to preserve the same level. It is undoubtedly the crater of that mountain (which is all of burnt matter) converted into a lake. The river which supplies the baths of Catania is of a very different nature : ii never continues the same, but is perpetually changing. Its cuirent is for the HiOSt part confined under .ground by the lavas i but sometimes it bursts out with such violence, that the city hss suffered greatly from it; and what is siiil n.ore unfortunate, these eruptions are generally followed by seme epidemical distemper. It has now been constantly dimiuishing for these two years past, and is at present almost reduced to nothing. They are in perpetual dread of its breaking out, and laying waste their fields, as it has so often done before. What is sing\ilar, it generally bursts out, after a long tract of the driest and warmest weather. The iEtnean Acadrmy have never been nble to account for this circumstance. I think it is most probable that it arises from the mehing of the snow of iEtna, but I shall not pretend to say how — These perhaps, overfilling the ca- verns that usually receive their water, the surplus is car- ried off into this river. 96 A Tour through The river of Alcantara certainly takes its rise from tlie melting of these snows. Its waters, I observed, are of the same whitish colours as all the rivers are that run from the Glacieres amongst the Alps. There are several periodical springs on jEtna, that flow only during the day, and stop during the night. These are naturally and easily accounted for from the melting of the snow ; for it melts only during the day, behig hard frozen every night, even in the hottest season. There are likewise a variety of poisonous springs, some of so deadly a quality, that birds and beasts have been found lying dead on their banks, from having drunk of their water. But (what is perhaps still more singular) Recupero told me, that about twenty years ago, a rent opened in the mountain, that for a con- siderable time sent forth so mephitic a vapour, that, like the lake Avernus, birds were suflfocated in flying over it. There are many caverns, where the air is so extremely cold, that it is impossible to support it for any time. — These the peasants make use cf as reservoirs for the snow; and indeed they make the finest ice-houses in the world, preserving it hard frozen during the hottest sum- mers. It would be endless to give an account of all the caverns, and other curious appearances about ^Etna. — Kircher speaks of a cave which he sa^v, capable, he says, of containing thirty thousand men. Here, he adds, num- bers of people have been lost from their temerity in going too far. One of these caverns still retains the name of Proserpine, from its being supposed by the ancients tiie passage by which Pluto conveyed her into his domi- nions ; on this occasion Ovid describes Ceres as searching for her daughter, with two trees which she h«id plucked from the mount lin, and lighted by way of torches These he calls Teda, which is still the name of a tree I have seen no where but on Mount ^tna. It produces a great quantity of rosin, and surely was the most proper tree Ceres could have pitched upon fdr. her purpose. The rosin is called CataUma, and is esteemed a cure for sores. I have mentioned the great variety of flowers, trees, &c. on Mount -/Etna. I have found a long list of them in Massa ; but as I am not acquainted with their Sicilian names, I can make little out of it. I have engaged k person here to procure me a collection of their seeds in the seasop.- I And of the number, the cinnamon, sarsa* Sicily and Malta. 97 parilla, sassafras, rhubarb, and many others that I thought had not been natives of Europe. The Palma ClirUti too, that plant so much celebrated of late, from the seed of which the castor oil is made, grows both here and in many other places of S»cily, in the greatest abundance. Our botanists have called it^Hicinus Americanos, sup- posing it only to be produced in that part of the world. A litth physician, I remember, has lately written a trea- tise on this plant, and the virtues of the oil extracted from its seed, which he makes a sort of Catholicon. You may believe we shall not leave Sicily without providing ourselves with a quantity of this precious seed. Mount ^tna, I find, is as much cslcbrated by the an- cients as the moderns, for the variety of its odoriferous productions. Plutarch says, their smell was so strong, that on many places of the mountain it was impossible to hunt. I shall transcribe the passage as it is before me in an old translation I have borrowed. " Circum iEnam in Sicilia neminem ferunt cum canibus venatum iri ; quia enim multos perpetuo illic ut in viridario prata, collesquc floresmittunt a fragraniia,quaE earn cram occupat,obfuscare ferarum anhelationes," Sec. Aristotle has likewise a pas- sage to the very same purpose ; but this may suffice. There were formerly a variety of wild beasts in the woody regions of ^tna ; but notwirhstandng the ad- vantage they had over the dogs and huntcrh, the num- ber of these is now greatly reduced. — >They have stillj however, the wild boar, the roebuck, and a kind of wild goat; but the race of stags, which was much celebrated, as well as that of bears, is thought to be extinct. Several places of the mountain are still named f ro n those animals. The horses and cattle of iVlount -£tna were esteemed the best in Sicily. The cattle are still of a 1 nge size, r#id have horns of such a length, that they are preseivecl as curiosities in some roubeums. The horses, 1 am afraid, have degenerated. There are said to be quantities of porcupines and land tortoises on some parts ot iEtna ; but we had not the good fortune to meet with any of them. Neither did we sec any eagles or vultures, which are likewise said to be in- habitants of this mountain. The account given of Mount iEtna by the old Sicilian authors, (several of whom I h4ve borrowed from Kecupe- 98 A Tour through ro), arc very various. Some of them describe the hollow of the crater as being seven or eight miles in circumfer^ ence, some make it five, and others only three : and pro- bably all of them are right; for I find by all their accounts, that generally once in about one hundred years, the whole crater has fallen down into the bowels of the mountain : that in process of time, a new crater is seen peeping out of the gulf; which perpetually increasing by the matter thrown up., is by degrees raised again to its ancient height, till at last becoming too heavy for its hoIloNv foundations, it again gives way, and at once sinks down into the moun- tain. This happened about one hundred years ago, in the year 1669, as recorded by Borelli, whose account of It I have before me. " Universam cacumen, quod ad instar speculae, seu turris, ad ingentem aititudinem ele- vabatur, quod una cum vasta planitie arenosa depressa, atque alisorpta est in profundam voraginem,'* &c. The same likewise happened in the year 1536, as recorded by Fazzello and Filoieo, and in the year 1444, 1329, and 1 157. Of all these I have read an account ; but probably betwixt the two last mentioned, there has been another that is not recorded, as the intervals betwixt all the rest are pretty nearly equal. Some of iliem give a dreadful account of it. Folcando, one of their historians, tells us, it shook the whole island, and resounded through all its shores. And their poet Ericho says, on the same occasion ; ** S^Bde il sno ^ran mugito JPev mille piagge e lidi.^* ^' The bellowing dire a thousand lands resound, Whose trembling shores return the dreadful sound." In all probability, this event will very soon happen, as the circumference of the crater is no where recorded to have been reduced to less than three miles ; and Recupero says, it is at present only three miles and a half; besides, one hundred years, the common period, has now elapsed since its last fall There are many stories of people perishing by their temerity, in being too curious spectators of the eruptions of this mountain ; but there are still msny more, of those th,Stt have bsen miraculously saved by the interposition of Sicily and Malta. 9^ some saint or virgin, who are supposed to be in a perpe- tual state of warfare with the devils in Mount ^tna- — That part of the island where iEtna stands, has ever been named il Val DeinonU from the frequent apparitions of these devils. It makes one-third of the island The other two are named the Val di Ab/o, and the Val di Max- zaro. There is one story, though a very old one, that is still related at Catania ; it is tsken notice of by Seneca, Aris- totle, Sirabo, and others. In the time of a great eruption, when the fire was pouring down upon the city, and every one was carrying off his most valuable effects ; two rich brothers, named Avjinomus and Anafnas^ neglecting all their weahb, esc^tp^d from the conflagration with their aged parents on their backs These authors add, that the fir;;, respecting such filial piety, spared them, while many others that took the same road were consumed. This action has been wonderfully extolled, and proves I think, that feats of this kind were by no means common in those days — Now, pray, don*t you think, in the world, at present, bad as it is supposed to be, there are few sons who would not have acted in the same manner? And sure I am, the rest of mankind would not have made such a fuss about it. Humanity and natual affection, I believe, in those ages we are inclined to extol so much, were not by many degrees so powerful as they are at present. — Even the pious ^neas himself, one of the most renowned of all their heroes, was in effect but a savage, notwiih- standing all that Virgil says to persuade us of the con- trary ; for you fin:J him sacrificing his weak and captive enemies, at the same time that he is canting and preach- ing up piety and justice. These two brothers were so celebrated for this action, that there was a dispute betwixt Syracuse and Catania, which of these cities had given them birth ; and temples were erected in both of them, dedicated to Filial Piety, in memory of the event. In the accounts of the more recent destructions of Ca- tania, there occurs no instance of this sort —We find them'only lamenting the loss of priests and nuns, and very much out of humour at their saints, for allowing the devils to get the better of them. I have been a good deal entertained with some of those authors. — Selvaggi(>, 100 A Tour th'ough one of the poets, speaking of the terrible earthquake 19 the year 1169, that destroyed Catania, and buried nuilti- tudes of people in the ruins, describes it in the following manner, which may serve as a specimen of the poetry of that time : ** Cataneam doleo, dolor est miserabile dictu \ Clara potens antiqua fuit; plebe, milite, clero, Divitiis, auro, specie, vu-tute, triumphis. Hen lerrx motu ruit ilia potentia rerum : :Morie ruit juvenis, Tnoritur vh-, sponsa, maritus, Unde siiperbit homo ? Deus una diruit hora Tiures, ornatus, vestes, cunctosque paratus. In tanto gemitu periit pars maxima g-entis, Proh dolor ! et monachi quadraginta quatuor et plus i Et periit pastor patriae, pater ipse Johannes Pontificalis honor, lux regni sic periere." But another, Gustanavilla, one of their historians, gives a very different account of this aff\»ir; as it is likewise somewhat curious in its way, I shall copy it for your amusement: " In omnem terram,et in fines orbis, terrae jam exiit, plaga ilia, qua nuper in Sicilia percussi sunt Catanenses in vigilia B. Agathae ; cum episcopus ille damnutissimus, qui, cicut scitis, sibi sumpsit honorem, non vocatus a Domino, tanquam Aaron, et qui ad sedem illam, non eleciione canonica, sed Giezetica venalitate intrivat ; cum, inquam abominationis offerret incensum, ilitonuit de coelo D«minus, et ecce terrae motus factus est magnus : angelus enim Domini percuticns episcopum in furore Domini cum populo, et universa civitate subvertit." He adds, that if St. Agatha's veil had not been pro- duced, the angel of the Lord was in such a fury, that he would not have left one soul alive. There is a curious painting of the great eruption 1669, in the cathedral of this place. It is but indifferently painted, but gives a dreadful idea of that event. Bortlli, who was upon the spot describes it. — Ho says, on the 1 ith of March, some time before the Inva burst out, after violent earthqu. kes and dreadful subterraneous bellowing, a rent was opened in the mountain twelve mites long ; in some places of which, when they threw down stones, they could not hear them strike the bottom. He says, that burning rocks, sixty palms in length, were thrown to the distance of a mile ; and that the giantsj^ supposed to be 1 Sicily a?id Malta. 40 i buried under Mount ^tna, seemed to have renewed their war against heaven : that stones of a lesser size were carried upwards of three miles ; and that the thunder and lightning from the smoke was scarce less terrible than the noise ot the mountain. He adds, that after the most violent struggles, and shaking of the whole island, when the lava at last burst through, it sprung up into the air to the height of sixty pulms — In short, he describes that event, as well as the universal terror and consternation it occasioned, in terms full of horror. — For many weeks the sun did not appear, and the day seemed to be changed into night. — Soon after the lava got vent, which was not till four months from the time that the mountain began to labour, all these dreadful symptoms abated, and it was soon perfectly quiet. He says, this deluge of fire, after destroying the finest country in Sicily, and sweeping away churches, villages, and convents, broke over the lofty walls of Catania, and covered up five of its bastions with the intervening cur- tains. From thence pouring down on the city, it destroy- ed every object it met with, overwhelming and burying all in one promiscuous ruin. What he regrets most was some precious remains of antiquity ; the names, the situation, and even the memory of whose existence, is now lost in the place. He men- lionsan amphitheatre, which he calls Coliiteo^ the Circus Majcimiis, the JVaumac/iia, and several temples. An account of this great eruption was sent to Charles II by Lord Winchelsea, who was then returning from his embassy at Constantinople, and stopped here on pur- pose to see so remarkiblc an event But his Lordship has not been at that pains to examine it we could have wished. His curiosity was satisfied in one day ; and he seems to have been contented only to look at the lava at a great distance r but did not think of examining its source, or ascending the mountain, although at that time all the -most formidable circumstances of the erupiioa were already over. I should not finish this account of Mount iEtna, with- out saying something of the various fables and allegories^ to which it has given rise ; but it would probably lead me into too vast a field, and give this more the air of a jJisseriation, than a letter or a iournal. These you wi?i K2 iO'2 A Tour throtigk easily recollect. They have afforded ample employment ior the muse, in all ages, and in all languages; and in- deed ihe philosopher and natural historian have found, in the real properties of this mountain, as ample a fund of speculation, as the poets have done in the fictiiious It is so often mentioned by the ancient writers, that it has been said of -/Etna as well as of Greece ; " Nullum est sine nomine saxum.'* indeed, I am afraid this saying was much more applicable to it formerly than it is at present ; for we even found several large mountains that, had no name ; and it does not at all appear, that the number of philosophers in S1-, rily have by any means increased in the latter ages.— Their ambition is now changed; and if they can get a saint to keep the devils of JEtna in order, they trouble themselves very .little about the cause of its operations; and do not value their island half so much for having given birth to Archimedes or Empedocles, as to St. Aga- tha and St Rosolia. The ancients as well as the modems, seem ever to have considered J^.tna as one of the highest mountains on the globe. There are many passages in their authors that shew this ; though perhaps none more strongly than their making Deucalion and Phrrha take refuge on the top of it, to save themselves from the universal deluge*. 1 shall now conclude this long account of Mount i£t- jaa, with Virgirs celebrated description of it in the third jEniad, which has been so much admired. You may com- pare it with the following description of the famous poet Kaitano, held, I assure you, in full as high estimation by the Sicilians : ** Nel mezzo verso I'ethere avviccina -Etna la fronte sua cinta di orrori^ E con ispavantevole rovina. Rimbomba, e con oi'ibili fragrori, Soventi nejn-i nubi al ciel destina * Cataclysmus, quod nos diluvium dicimus, cum factus est *mne genus humanum interriit praeter Deucalionem et Pyrrham, qui in montem .Etnam, qui altisaimwa ifl. Sicilia esse dicitur,- ftigeruntj ho. llieijrvs. Sicily and Malta. 10>^ JbMmanti di atro turbine, e di ardori, Ergi globbi di fiamma, e su lambisce Le stelle ornai con infiiocate striscie ; Scogli, e divelte viscere di monte Erruttmdo tal volta avido estolle : E con gemiti vomita; e con onte Liquifatti macigni, e in fondo bolle.** So sings the Sicilian muse : you will not however he- sitate to give the preference to the Roman one, although the former is evidently stolen from her. ■Horrificis juxta tona ^tna ruinis, Interdumque atram piorumpit ad xlhera nubem. Turbine fumantem piceo et cundente favilla, Attolitque globos fl^immarum, ct sidera lambit. Interdumque scopulos, avosaque viscera mentis Erigit eructans, liquefactaque saxasub auras Cum gemitu glomerat, fundoque exsestuat imo." But both these have been greatly outdone by the won* dcrful inniagination of our great countryman Sir Richard Blackmore, who accounts at once for the whole pheno- mena of -£tna, by the simple idea of giving the mountain a fit of a cholic: a thought that had escaped all the poets and philosophers of antiquity, and seems for ever to have been preserved for the profound genius of this great master and father of the Bathos. I have forgot the passage, but you will find it, I think, in Prince Arthur. The philosophical poet, Lucretius, has likewise men- tioned the eruptions of Mount -/Etna ; but Pindar is the oldest poet we know of, that has taken any notice of them. His description is, I think, the most satisfactory of all, and conveys a clearer idea, b&ih of the mountain - itself, and an eruption of the mountain, than either the Roman or Sicilian poet, though it is not near so much la- .boured, nor worked up with all that variety of circum- stances they have found means to introduce. Its greatest fault is, that Pindar had still kept in view that absurd- idea of the ancients, that Jupiter had buried the giants under Mount ^tna; and that their struggling to get loose was the cause of its eruptions; but even this he touches but slightly, as if ashamed to give such a reason. The passage is translated iii;o English by Mr. West. 1 04 A Tour through Now under smoking Cuma's sulphurous coast And vast Sicilia, lies his tortured breast. By snowy iEtna, nurse of endless frost, The mighty prop of heaven for ever prest ; Forth from whose flaming caverns issuing rise Tremendous fountains of pure liquid fire, Wliich veil in ruddy mists the noon-day skies. While wrapt in smoke the eddying flames aspire ; Or gleaming through the night with hideous roar. Far o'er the reddening main huge rocky fragments pour." This passage decides what has been mirch disputed, that jEtna was, in these early ages, of as great an eleva- tion as at present. It has been alleged, that volcanoes always increase in height till they are extinguished, when they are supposed to moulder down, and by degrees sink into the caverns that are below them, like the astruni, and the solfaterra at Naples; however, we find that jEtna was at that time, as now, covered with eternal snows, and was supposed, like Atlas, to be one of the great props of hea- ven. But what pleases me the most in this description is, that it proves beyond the possibility of a doubt, that in these very remote eruptions, it was common for the lavas of jEtna to run a great way out to sea. — The con- clusion, I think, is fully as just, and perhaps not less sub- lime, than the " avolsaque viscera montis erigit eructans** of Virgil, which, I must own, I think, rather comes too near Richard's fit of cholic. Thucydides speaks of three eruptions of this mountain; but is not so particular as we could have wished H« does not mention the date of the first; but says, it was the earliest, after the arrival of the Greeks in Sicily The 'second happened about the time of the 78th Olympiad, and the last in that of the 88ih, which was nearly about the period when Pindar wrote ; so that we cannot doubt that his descripiion is taken from the accounts he had heard of some of those eruptions ; the circumstances of which, no doubt, at that time, had afforded matter of con- versation all over Greece. I think we may now try to take leave of JEtna, though I am afraid, during the remainder of our expedition, we shall meet with nothing worthy to succeed it. We shall sail from hence to-morrow morning \ and expect to sleep at Syracuse, as it is only about fifty miles distant. I shall write to you again from the ruins of that celebrated city, larewell. Ever yoyrs^ Sicily and Malta. 105 t.ETTER XII. Syracuse, June 1 . ON the SI St of May, wc embarked on board a feluccaj and set sail for the mighty Syracuse— The wind was favourable, and for some time M'e went at a great rate. The view of Mount iEina for the whole of this little voyaj^e, is wonderfully fine ; and the bold black coast formed for near thirty miles, of the lava of that im- mense volcano, gives the most awful idea of its eruptions. There is no part of this coast nearer than thirty miles to its summit ; and yet there has hardly been any great erup- tion, where the lava has not reached the sea, and driven back its waters to a great distance, leaving liigh rocks and promontories, that for ever set its waves at defiance, and prescribe their utmost limits. What a tremendous scene must the meeting betwixt these adverse elements have formed ? We may easily conceive the variety of changes this coast has undergone in the space of some thousands of years, as every great eruption must have made a consi- derable difference. — Virgil is wonderfully minute and exact in his geography of Sicily ; and this is the only part of the isl?nd that seems to be materially altered since his time. He says there was a large port at the fool of -Et- na, where ships were secure from every wind ; " Portus ab accessa ventorum immotus et ingens ;" of which, at present, there are not the least remains. It is prob'bly the same that was called by the Sicilians the port of Ulysses; which is often mentioned by their wri- ters— Phe place of its existence is still shewn betwixt three and four miles up the country, amongst the lavas of iEtna However, I can see no sort of reason why they have called 'his the port of Ulysses ; for surely Ho- mer does not bring his hero near the precincts of Mount iEtna. Indeed, I think it is evident, that this volcano did not burn during the time of Homer, nor for some ages preceding it ; otherwise it is not possible, that he >Yowlci 106 A Tour through have said so much of Sicily, without taking any notice of so great and capital an object, which, of all others, the daring and sublime imagination of Horner would have been the most eager to grasp at — It is evident from his account, that Ulysses landed at the west end of Sicily, op- posite to the island of Ldchaea, now Favignana, almost two hundred miles distant from this port. Virgil with more judgment lands his hero at the foot of jCtna, which gives him an opportunity of introducing some of the finest descriptions in the ^riiad. But it is somewhat odd, that here he makes jEieas find one of Ulysses*s companions^ who had escaped the rage of Poly- phemus, and had lived for several months in the woods and caverns of this mountain. Virgil must have been aware of this inpropriety, as he well knew that Homer had landed Ulysses, and placed the cave of Polophemus at the most distant point of the island. But he could not prevail on himself to pass Mount jEtna. He was so tho- roughly convinced, that this was the most proper landing- place for an epic hero, as well as the most proper habit- ation for the Cyclops, that, by a bold poetical licence, he has fairly taken it for granted, that Homer really made it so. Indeed, in this passage, the pleasi^e he affords to the imagination of his reader, makes an ample amends for his halving imposed on his judgment. But to return to our voyage. The view of the mountain from the sea is more com- plete and satisfactory than any where on the island. The eye takes a greater portion of the circle, and you observe, with more distinctness, bow it rises equally on all sides, from its immense base, overspread with the beautiful little mountains I have mentioned ; and at once can trace the progress of vegetation from its utmost luxuriance, to where it is checked by the two extremes of heat and cold. The different regions of the mountain are distinctly marked out by their different colours and different produc- tions; exposing at once to the ravished eye every cli- mate, and every season, with all their variety ; *• Where blossoms, fruits, and flowers together rise, " And the whole year in gay confusion lies.'* The first region exhibits every object that characterizes summer and autumn j the second those of the most delight- Sicily and Malta. 10? fUl spring^; the third, an eternal and unrelenting "winter ; and the fourth, to complete the contrast, the regions of unextinguishable fire. The circ'.'.mference of the great base of JElna, Recu- pero told nr\e, he had been at a great deal of pains to ascertain ; as it had generally been computed at only a hundred miles, or little more, although the radii of that circle had ever been esteemed at thirty of those miles; an absurdity in computation that had put him upon mak- ing this inquiry. The result was, that taking the sup- posed distance of one place from another, all the way round, the sum of the whole amounted to one hundred and eighty-three miles — an immense circle surely, and which is still enlarged by every considerable eruption. The whole of this circle is formed of lava and burnt mat- ter ; and I have observed, that near the very outermost borders of it, there have been many little eruptions that have pierced through some of the thickest lavas of jEtna. The small eruptions, at so vast a distance from the great furnace of the mountain, are probably occasioned by the intense heat of the lava, which continues for many years rarefying the air, in the caverns it has run over, which, bursting forth 'fi'om its prison, the lava sinks down, and kindling the sulphur and nitre with which these caverns are filled, exhibits in miniature the phenomena of a great eruption. There is a large sandy beach that extends from the mouth of the river Simetus, a great way to the south of Catania, and was probably continued the whole way to the foot of the mountain of Taurominum, (where there are still remains of the east end of ii), till it was broken in upon many thousand years ago by the lavas of iEtna ; which, from a flat sandy shore, have now converted it into a high, bold, black iron coast. What is a strong proof of this ; — in many places where they have sunk deep wells, after piercing through the lava, they have at last come to beds of shells and sea sand. There is nothing else very interesting in the voyage from Catania to Syracuse. If you will read the conclu- sion of the third bof k of the iEniad, you will find a much better description of it than any 1 can give you. The coast lies low, and, except iEtaa, there are no very strik- ing objects. 108 A Tour through We passed the mouths of several rivers : the first and most considerable is the Giaretta, or river of St. Paul, formerly the Simetus, and under that name celebrated by the poets. The nymph Thalia, after her amour with Jupiter, is supposed to have been changed into this stream ; and to avoid the resentment of Juno, sunk under ground near mount -^ina, and continued her subterraneous course to the sea. This river was navigable in the lime of the Romans, and Massa says, the only one of the island that was so.^^It takes its rise on the north side of ^Etna, and surrounding the west skirts of the mountain, falls into the sea near the ruins of the ancient Morgantio. It no longer sinks under ground, as it did formerly ; but it is now celebrated for a quality it does not appear to have possessed in the times of antiquity, as none of the old writers take notice of it. It throws up near its ir.outh great quantities of fine amber: this is carefully gathered by the peasants in the neighbourhood, and brought to Catania, where it is manufactured into the form of crosses, beads, saints, Sec. and is sold at high prices to the super- stitious people on the continent. We bought several of these respectable figures, and found them electrical in a high degree ; powerfully attracting feathers, straws, and other light bodies; somewhat emblematical, you will say, of what they represent. — Some pieces of this amber contain flies and other insects curiously preserved in its substance ; and we were not a little entertained with the ingenuity of one of the artists, who has left a large blue- bottle fly, with its wings expanded, exactly over the head of a saint, to represent, he told us, lo sfdrito santo descend- ing upon him. I have got some fine pieces of this am- ber, more electric, I think, and emitting a stronger smell than that which comes from the Baltic. The generation of this substance has long been a controverted point a- mong naturalists; nor do 1 believe it is as yet ascertain- ed, whether it is a sea or a land production. It is gene- rally supposed to be a kind of gum or bitumen, that issues from the earth in a liquid stale, at which time the flies and other insects that light upon it are carght, and by their struggles to get loose, soon work thtne selves into its substances, which hardening round them, they are for ever preserved in the greatest perfection. Large fine pieces are constantly found at the mouih of the Simetus^ Sicily and Malta, 10§ supposed td have been brought down by the river ; but it is singular, that none of it is ever found any where but on the sea-shore : they have here likewise a kind of arti- ficial amber, made, I am told, fiom copal ; but it is very different from the natural. Not far from the mouth of this river there are two of the largest lakes in Sicily ; the Beviere, and the Pantana ; the first of which is supposed to have been n.ade b) Her- cules; in consequence of which it was held sacred by the ancients. They are full of a variety of fish ; one spe- cies of which, called Mollelti, is much esteemed ; the sahing and exportation of these makes a considerable branch of their commerce at Leontini, which is m that neighbourhood ; that city is one of the most ancient in the island, and it supposed to have been the Ijbibitation of the Lestrigons. The Leontine fields have been much famed for their fertility : Both Diodorus and Pliny assert that they yield- ed wheat an hundred fold, and that grain grew spontane- ously here without culture : But this was only during the reign of Ceres, and is not now the case. In a few hours sailing we came in sight of the city of Augusta, which is beautifully situated in a small islund that was formerly a peninsula: It was therefore called by the Greeks Chersonesus. Both the ciiy and the fortifica- tions seem considerable, and are said to contain about nine thousand inhabitants. The ruins of the Little Hy- bla, so celebrated for its honey, lie within a few miles of this place. Some time before our arrival at Syracuse, it fell a dead calm, and we spied a fine turtle fast asleep on the surface of the water. Our pilot oidered a profound silence, and only two oars to row very gently, that if possible wfr might surprise him. — Every thing was put in order, and two men were placed ready at the prow to secure the prize. — We were all attention and expectation, and durst hardly breathe for fear of disturbing him. We moved slowly on, and the turtle lay stone still : the two men bent down their bodies, and had their arrriS already in the water to seize him. — No alderman, with all deference be it spoken, ever beheld his turtle upon the table with more pleasure and security, nor feasted his iniagination more lusciously upon the banquet.— He 110 A Tour through t was already our own in idea, and we were only thinking of the various ways in which he should be dressed ; — When — how vain and transitory are all human posses- sions! the turtle made a plunge, slipped through their fingers, and disappeared in a moment, and with him all our hopes. We looked very foolish at each other, with- out uttering a word, till FuUarton asked me, in the most provoking manner, whether I would choose a little of the callipash or the callipee. The two men shrugged up their shoulders, and said Pazienza; but Glover told them in a rage, that all the pazienza on earth was not equal to a good turtle. Soon after this, the remains of the great Syracuse ap- peared: the remembrance of whose glory, magnificence, and illustrious deeds both in arts and arms, made us for some time even forget our turtle. But, alas ! how are the mighty fallen ! This proud city, that vied with Rome itself, is now reduced to a heap of rubbish ; for what re- mains of it deserves not the nanie of a city. We rowed round the greatest part of its walls without seeing a hu- man creature ; those very walls that were the terror of the Roman arms ; from whence Archimedes battered their fleets, and with his engines lifted their vessels out of the sea, and dashed them against the rocks. We found the interior part of the city agree but too well witlv its external appearance. There was not an inn to be found ; and after visiting all the monasteries and religious fraternities in search of beds, we found the whole of them so wretchedly mean and diriy, that we preferred at last to sleep on straw ; but even that we could not have clean, but were eaten up with vermin of every kind. We had letters for the Count Gaetano, who made an apology that he could not lodge us, but in other respects shewed us many civilities; p'»rucularly in giving us the use of his carriage, in eKplaining the ruins, in pointing out every thing that was worthy of our attention; and likewise in giving us letters of recomnicndation for M dta. He is a gentleman of good sense, and has written several treatises on the antiquities of Sicily. Of the four citi^js that composed the ancient Syracuse, there remains only Ortigia, by much the smallest, situa- ted in the island of that name. It is about two njiles round, and is supposed to contain about fourteen thousand Sicily and Malia. Ill inhabftants. The ruins of the other three, Tycha, Achra- dina, and Neapoliy are computed at twenty-two miles in circumference, but almost the whole of this space is now converted into rich vineyards, orchards, and corn-fields; the walls of these are indeed every where built with broken marble full of engravings and inscriptions, but most of them defaced and spoiled. The principal re- mains of antiquity are a theatre and amphitheatre ; many sepulchres, the Latomie, the Catacombs, and the ear of Dionysius, which it was impossible to destroy — The Latomie now makes a "noble subterraneous garden, and is indeed one of ihe most beautiful and romantic spots I ever beheld. Most of it is about one hundred feet below the level of the earth, and of an incredible extent The whole is hewn out of a rock as hard as marble, composed of a concretion of shells, gravel, and other marine bodies — The bottom of this immense quarry, from whence pro- bably the greatest part of Syracuse was built, is now co- vered with an exceeding rich soil ; and as no wind from any point of the compiss can touch it, it is filled with a great variety of the finest shrubs and fruit-trees, which bear with vast luxuriance, and are never blasted. The oranges, citrons, bergamots, pomegranates, figs, &c. are all of a remarkable size and fine quality. Some of these trees, but more particularly the olive, grows out of the hard rock : where there is no visible soil : and exhibit a very uncommon and pleasing appearance. There is a variety of wild and romantic scenes in this curious garden; in the midst of which we were surprised by the appearance of a figure under one of the caverns, that added greatly to the dignity and solemnity of the place. — It was that of an aged man, with a long flowing •white beard that reached down to his middle. His old wrinkled face and scanty grey locks pronounced him a member of some former age as well as of this. His hands, which were shook by the palsy, held a sort of pil- grim's staff; and about his neck there was a string of large beads, with a crucifix hanging to its end. — Had it not been for these marks of his later existence, I don't know but I should have asked him, whether, in his youth, he had not been acquainted with Theocritus and Archi- medes, and if he did not remember the reign of Diony- sius the tyrant. But he saved us t«ie trouble, by telling 11*?. A Tour through ^ us he was the hermit of the place, and belonged to a ^o»- vent of Capuchins on the rock above ; that he had now bid adieu to the upper world, and was determined to ipend the rest of his life in this solitude, in prayer for Irhe wretched mortals that inhabit it. This figure, together with the scene in which it ap- pears, are indeed admirably well adapted, and reflect a iTuilual dignity upon each other. We left some money, on the rock; — For the Capuchins, who are the greattst beggars on earth, never touch ntoncy, but save iheir too tender consciences, and preserve t^.eir vows unbroken, by bhe simple device of lifting it with a pair of pincers, and carrying it to the market in their sack or cowl. This I have seen more than. once. — We were much delighted with the Lutomie, and left it with regret : It is the very same that has been so much celebrated by Cicero about eighteen hundred years ago : *' Opus est ingens (he sajs) niagnificum regum, ac tyrannorum. Tolum ex saxo in mirandam altitudinem depresso,'* &c. A little to the west of it is supposed to have stood ihe country-house, the sale of which you still remember he gives so lively and pleasant an account of; by which a goldsmith (1 have forgot his n.ime) cheated a Roman nobleman in a very ingenious manner. The ear of Dionysius is no less a monument of the in- genuity and magnificence, than of the cruelty of that tyrant. It is a huge cavern cut out of the hird rock, in the form of the hutnan ear. The perpvUtiiouUr height of it is about eighty feet, and the length ((f this enormous ear is not less than two hundred and fifty. The cavern was sv-id lo bi^ contrived so, that every sound n ade in it, was collected and united into one pom^, as into a f'^cus ; this was called the Tympanum ; and exactly opposite to it the tyrant has made a small hole, which communiciited with a little apartmicnt where he used to conceal^imself. He applied his own ear to this hole, and is said to have heard distinctly every word that was spoken in the cavern b'low. This apartment was no sooner fi-nished, and a proof of it made, than he put to deuth all the workmen ih t had been employed in it. He then confined all that he suspected were his enemies . and, by overhearing their coi versation, judged of their guilt, and condemned and acquitted accordingly. Skitij and Malta. 113 As this chamber of Dionysius is very high in the rock^ and now totally inaccessible, we had it not in our power to make proof of this curious experiment, vvhicji our guides told us haa been done some years ago by the cap- tain of an English ship. - The echo in the ear is prodigious ; much superior to any other cavern I have seen. The holes in the rock, to which the pisoners were chained, siill remain, and even the lead and iron in several of them. We surprised a poor young porcupine, who had come here to drink, of whom our guides made a lawful prize. — Near to this are caverns of a great extent, where they carry on a ma- nufactory of nitre, which is found in vast abundance on the sides of these caves. The amphitheatre is in the form of a very eccentric ellipse, and is much ruined ; but the theatre is so entire, that most of the gradini or seats still remain. Both these are in that part of the city that was called Neapoli, or the New City. " Quarta autem est urbs (says Cicero) quae quia postrema gedificata est, Neapolis nominatur, quam ad summam theatrum est maxim.um," 8cc. However, it is but a small theatre in comparison of that of Tauro- minum. We searched amongst the sepulchres, several of which are very elegant, for that of Archimedes; but could see nothing resembling it. — At his own desire it was adorned with the figure of a sphere inscribed in a cylinder, but hod been lost by his ungrateful countrym.en, even bf fore the time that Cicero was questor of Sicily, It is pleasant to observe with what eagerness this great man undertakes the search of it, and with what exulta- tion he describes his triumph on the discovery. " Ego autem cum omnia collustrarcm oculis (est enim adportas Agragianas magna frequentia sepulchrorum.) animadvert! columnellam non multura e dumis eminentem, in qua inerat sphsers figura et cylindri. Atque ego statim Sy- racusaKiis (erant autem principes mecum) rlixi, me illud ipsum arbitrari esse quod qusererem. Immissi cum ful- cibus multi purgarunt, et aperuerunt locum : quo cum patefactus esset additus ad advers^m basim acressimus; apparebat epigramma exesis posteiioribus partibus versi- culorum dimidiatis fere : Ita nobilissiuia Graecis civitas? quondam vero eliam doctissiraa sui civis uiiius acuiissi* L2 vl Tour through ki monumcntum ignorasset, nifci ab homiiie Arpiiiate lidicisset," Sec. The Catacombs are a pjreat work ; little inferior either ^to those of Rome or Naples, and in the same style. — fThere are many remains of temples. The Duke of Mont- lialbano, who has written on the antiquities of Syracuse, 'eckons near twenty ; but there is hardly any of these ^Hhat are now distinguishable. A few fine columns of that of Jupiter Olympius, still remain ; and the temple •f Minerva (now converted into the cathedral of the city, tmd dedicated to the Virgin) is almost entire. They *have lately built a new facade to it; but I am afraid ihey have not improved on the simplicity of the antique. It ,b full of broken pedimentS: and I think in a bad style. Ortigia, the only remaining part of Syracuse, was an- .jciently an island; it is often denominated such by Virgil, fCicero, and many of the Greek and Latin historians. — 'In later ages, and probably by the ruins of this mighty :ity, the strait that separated it from the continent was ifiUtd up ; and it had now been a peninsula for many ages; -till the present king of Spain, at a vast exptnce, cut .through the neck of laiid that joined it to Sicily, and has J:2igain reduced it to its primitive state. Here he has raised a noble fortification, which appears 'to be almost impregnable. There are four strong gates, I'one within the other, with each a glacis, covered way, scarp and counterscarp, and a broad deep ditch filled wiih ssa-water, and defended by an immense number of — em- brasures ; — Wut not so niuch as one single piece of artil- lery. This you will, no doubt, think ridiculous enough, Aiwt the ridicule is still heightened, when I assure you ^ihere is not a cannon of any kind belonging to this noble rfartress, but one small btttery of six-pounders for saluting 'ships that go in and out of the port. If you ^re at a loss f to account for this, you will please remember that it is a :^vork of the king of Spain. However, the ditches are very useful ; Ihey are perpetually covered with fishing- boats ; and they can use their nets and lines here vith the greatest success, even in the most stormy weather ; though I dare say this was none of the motives that in- duced his majesty to make them. The nobility of the ^lace have likewise barges here for their amusement. As the celebrated fountuin of Arethusa has ever beeir Sicily and Malta. 1 15 looked upon as one of the greatest curiosities of Syra- cuse, you may believe we were not a little impatient 16 examine it : And indeed only by observing Cicero's ac- count of it*, we soon found it r>ut — It still exisclly an- swers the description he gives, except with regard to the great quantities of fish it contained, which seem now to have abandoned it.. The fountain of Areihusa was dedicated to Diana, who had a magnificent temple ntay it, where great festivals •were annually celebrated in honour of the goddess \\ e found a number of nymphs, up to the knees in the foun- tain, busy washing their garments, and we dreaded the fate of Acteon and Alpbeus ; but if these were of Diana's train, th^y are by no means so coy as thty were of old; and a man would hardly choose to lun the risk oi being changed either into a stag or a river for the best of them. It is indeed an astonishing fountain ; and rises a't once out of the earth, to the size of a river. — The poetical fictions concerning it are too well known to require that I should enumerate them. Many of the people here be- lieve to this day, that it is the identical river Arethusa, that sinks under ground near Olympia in Greece, and €( ntinuing its course for five or six hundred miles below the ocean rises again in this spot. It is truly astonishing that such a story as this should have gained such credit among the ancients, for ii is not only their poets, but natural historians and philosophers too, that lake notice of it. Piiny mentions it more than once ; and there are few or none of the Latin poets that it has escaped This strange belief has been communicated to the Sici- lian authors, and, what is amazing, there is hardly any of them that doubts it. — Poniponius Mella, Pausunius, Mas- sa, and F:izztllo, are all of the same sentiments; to sup- port which they tell you the old story cf the golden cup won at the Olympic games, which was thrown into the Grecian Arethusa, and was soon after cast up again by the Sicilian one. * In hac insula eritrern^est fons aquae duicis, cui nomen Are* thusa est, incrcdibili rnagnitudiiie plenissimus piscium, qui fiuc- tu totus operiretur, nisi munitione, ac mole Iftpklum a mari dis- jjinctus esset, &c- Cic-. 11 6' A Tour through They likewise add, that it had always been observed that after the great sacrihces at Olympia, the blood of which fell into that river, the waters of Arethusa rose for several days tinged with blood. This, like many modern miracles, was probably a trick of the priests — Those of Diana had the charge of the fountain of Arethusa, and no doubt were much interested to support the credit of the story ; for it was that goddess that converted the nymph Arethusa into a river, and con- ducted her by subterraneous passages from Greece to Sicily, to avoid the pursuit of Alpheus, who underwent the same fate. At a little distance from the fountain of Arethusa, there is a very large spring of fresh water, that t)oils up in the sea. It is called Otchi di Zilica, and by some Al- pheus, who is supposed by the poets to have pursued Arethusa btlow the sea all the way to Sicily. As this spring is not taken notice of by any of the great number of the ancients that speak of Arethusa, it is most probable that it did not then exist; and is a part of that fountain that has since burst out before its arrival at the island of Oriigia. Had it been visible in the time of the Greeks, there is no doubt that ihey would have made uso of this as a strong argument to prove the submarine jour- ney of Arethusa ; as it in fact rises at some distance in \he sea, and pretty much in the same direction that Greece lies from Ortigia. It sometimes boils up so strong, that after piercing the salt water, 1 am told it can be taken up very little affected by it. Syracuse has two harbours ; the largest of which, on the south-west side of Oriigia, is reckoned six miles round, and was esteemed one of the best in the Mediter- ranean It is ScJid by Diodorus to have run almost into the heart of the city, and was called Marmoreo, because entirely surrounded with buildings of marble ; the entry into this harbour was strongly fortified, and the Roman fleets could never penetrate it. The small port is on the north-east of Ortigia, and is likewise recorded to have been highly ornamenied. Faz- zellosays, there is siill the remains of a submarine aque- duct, that runs through the middle of it, which was in- tended to convey the water from the fountain ol Arethusa- to the other pans of the city. Sicily and Malta 115* Kear this port, ihey show the spot where Archime- des* house blood ; and likewise the tower from whence he is said to have set fire lo tlic Roman galleys with hij> burn- ing ghissts: a story w^ich is related by stveial authors, but which is now almOst universally exploded, from the ditlicuity to conctivc a burning glass, or a concave specu- lun , with a ft^cus of such an inmiCnse krgih as this must huvtf required. However, I should be apt to imagine if this be not en- tirely a fiction, (of which there is some probability), that it was n^ilh6r pt- rf rmed by refracting burning glasses, nor speculuii.s, but only by meuns of common looking- glasses, or very clear plates of m.etal Indeed, from the situation of the place it must have been dont by reflec- tion ; for Archinr.f do.' lower stood on the north of the little pert where- the Romnn fieet are said to have bees mooicd ; so that their vessels h»y in a right line betwixt him and the sun at ricon ; and at a veiy small distance from the w.d! r f the city where this tower stood But if you v.ill suppose this to have been performed by com- mon bujJiir^- ghvssep, or by those of the parabolical kind, ir will b" n •< essary to raise a tower of a most enormous height on th*" island cf Ortigia, in order to interpose these glasses betwixt the sun :ind the Roman galleys; and even this could nnt hiwe been done till late in the afternoon, when his rays are exceedingly weak. Bui I have very little douba that common lookir.g-gl;.sses would be found all-sufficient to peifcrni the^e tffccts. L( t us suppose that a thousand of these were made to reflect the rays to the same point ; the heat, in all proba- bility, must be increased to a greater dt gree Jhati in the focus of most burning-glasses; and abundantly capable of setting fi;"e lo eveTy combustible substance — This ex- peiiment n^ight be easily made by means of a batlalicn of men- arn.ing each with a looking glass instead of a firelock : and setting up a board at two or three hundred yards dist nee from them to fire at. I suppose it would take a considenible time beff re they were expert at this exercise; but by practice, I have no doubt that' they might all be brought to bit the niark instantaneously at the word of command ; like the lark-catchers in some countries, who are so dexterous at this manoeuvre, that with a small mirror they throw the rays of light on the lid A Tour through lark, let her be never so high in the air ; which, by a kind of fascination, brings down the poor animal to the snare. You may laugh at all this ; but I don't think it is im- possible that a looking-glass may one day be thought as necessary an implement for a soldier as at present it is for a beau. I am very apprehensive the French will get the start of us in this signal inveiition ; as I have been assured long ago, that few of their men ever go to the field, without first providing themselves with one of these little warlike engines, the true use of which, hap- pily for us, they are as yet unacquainted with. You will easily perceive, that if this experiment succeeds, it must alter the whole system of fortification as well as of at- tack and defence; for every part of the city that is expos- ed to the view of the besiegers, may be easily set in a flame ; and the bef^ieged would have the same advantage over the camp of the besieged army*. Wa are alrea^ly completely tired of Syracuse, which, of all the wretched places we have yet met with, is by many degrees the most wretched : For besides that its inhabitants are so extremely poor and beggarly, many of them are so overrun with the itch, that we are under perpetual apprehensions, and begin to be extremely well satisfif'-d that we could not procure beds. It is truly ma- lancholy to think of the dismal contrast that its former magnificence makes with its present meanness. The mighty Syracuse, the most opulent and powerful of all the Grecian cities, which, by its own proper strength alone, was able, at different times, to contend against all the power of Carthage and Rome. — Which is recorded (what the force of united nations is now incapable of) to have repulsed fleets of two thousand sail, and armies of two hundred thousand men; and contained within its own walh what no city ever did before or since, fleets and * Since the writing- of these letters, the author has been in- formed that Mr. Bafton actually made this experiment. — He con- structed a kind of frame, in which were fixed four hundred small mirrors, disposed in such a manner, that tlie rays reflected firom each of them fell exactly on the same point. By means of this he melted lead at the distance of one hundred and twenty &et, and set fire to a hay-stack at a mirch greater distance. Sicily and Malta. 119 armies that were the terror of the world : — This haughty and magnificent city, reduced even below the conse- quence of the most insignificant burgh : — " Sic transit gloria mundi." — I have not been able to procure a table to write upon, but by way of succedaneun', am obliged to lay a form over the backs of two chairs. — We have got into the most wretched hovel you can conceive, and the most dirty ; but what is still worst of all, we can find no- thing to eat ; and if we had not brought some cold fowls along with us, we might have starved. The heat has been considerably greater here than at Catania. The thermometer is just now at 78 — There is an old remark made on the climate of this place by some of the ancients; which is still said to hold good : That at no season the sun has ever been invisible during a whole day at Syracuse. I find it mentioned by several Sicilian authors, but shall not vouch for the truth of it — . Adieu — My next will probably be from Malta; for we shall sail to-morrow, if it be possible to procure a vessel.. Ever yours. LETTER Xm. Cafio Passeroy June 3. AS we found the mighty city of Syracuse so reduced, that is could not i.fford beds and lodging to three weary travellers, we agreed to abridge our stay in it ; and accordingty hired a Maltese Sparoni ro to carry us to that islands This is a small six-oared boat, made en- tirely for speed, to avoid the African pirates, and other Barbaresque vessels, with which these seas are infeited ; but so flat and so narrow, that they are not able to bear any sea, and of consequence keep always as near the coast as possible. On the 2d of June, by day-break, we left the Mar- moreo or great port of Syracuse ; and although the wind was exastly contrary, and pretty strong, by the force of their oars, which they manage with great dexterity^ 130 J Totir throiio/i ^' we got on at the rate of four miles an hour. They d© not pull their oars as we do, but push them like the Ve- netian Gondoliers ; always fronting the bow of the boat, and seldom or never sit clown when ihey row ; allowing the whole weight of their bodies to be exerted every stroke of the oar. This gives a prodigious momentum, and is certainly much more forcible than a simple exer- tion of the muscles of the arm. About ten o'clock the wind became favourable, when we went indeed at an immense rate. At twelve it blew a hurricane, and with some difficulty we got under shore, but the wind was so exceedingly violent, that even there we hdd like to have been overset, and we were obliged to run aground to save us from that disaster. Here we were a good deal annoyed by the sand carried about by the wind ; however, the hurricane was soon over, and we again put to sea with a favourable gale, which in a few hours carried us to Capo Passaro. In this little storm we were a good deal amused with the behaviour of our Sicilian servant, who at land is a fellow of undaunted courage, of which we have had many proofs ; but here (I don't know why) it entirely forsook liirn, although there was in fact no real danger, for we never were more than 100 yards from the shore. He gave himself up to despair, and called upon all his saints for protection: and never again recovered his con- fidence all the rest of this little voyage ; perpetually wishing himself back to Naples, and swearing that no earthly temptation should ever induce him to go to sea again. The same fellow but a few days ago, n.ounted a most vicious horse, and without the least fe^r or concern, gallopped along the side of a precipice, where every mo- men we expected to see him dashed to pieces ; so singu- lar and various are the different modes of fear and of courage. Capo Passero, anciently called Pachinus, is the re- motest and most southerly point of Sicily. It is not a peninsula, as represented in all the maps, hut a wretched barren island, of about a mile rourd; with a fort and a small garrison to protect the neighbouring country from the incursions of the Barbary corsairs, who are often very troublesome on this part of the coast. This little island and fort lie about a mile and a half distant from the small Sicilij and Malta. 1:21 creek of which we have taken possession, and arc sepa- rated from the rest of Sicily by a strait of about half a mile broad. Our pilot told us tliat we must not think of Malta, which is almost an hundred miles oif. till there were more settled appearances of good weather. As there is no habitation here of any kind, we searched about, till at last we found a small cavern, where we made a very comfortable dinner. We then sallied forth to examine the fuce of the country, as well as to try if we could shoot something for our supper. We found that we had now got into a very different world from any thing we had yet seen. The country here is exceedingly barren, and to a considerable distance produces neither corn nor wine : but the fields are adorned with an infinite variety of flowers and of flowering shrubs, and the rocks are every where entirely covered with capers, which are just now fit for gathering. If we had vinegar, we could soon have pickled hogsheads of them. We found here in the greatest perfection, that beauti- ful shrub called the Palmeta, resembling a small palm- tree, with an elegant fine flower: but, to our great morti- fication, the seed is not yet ripe. We likewise found great quantities of a blue everlasting flower, which I don't remember to have seen in Miller, or any of our botanical books. The stem rises above a foot high, and is crown- ed with a large cluster of small blue flowers, the leaves of which are of a dry substance, like the Elychrysum, or globe Amaranthus. Some of these are of a purple colour, but most of them blue. I have gathered a pretty large qQantity,for the speculation of the botanists on our return. We found a good swimming place, which is always one of the first things we look out for, as this exercise constitutes one of the principal pleasures of our expe- dition. As soon as it was dark, we got on board our little boat, and rowed about an hundred yards out to sea, where we cast anchor ; our pilot asuring us that this was absolutely necessary, as the people in this part of the country are little belter than savages ; and, were we to stay on land, might very possibly come down during the night, und rob and murder us He likewise told us, that the Turks had made frequent M n^ Tour through invasions upon this point of the island, which, of all othersj lay most exposed to their depredations ; that lately three of their chebecks ran into a small harbour a few miles from this, and carried oif six merchant ships ; and that very often some of their light vessels were seen hovering off the coast ; and the only way to be in perfect security from those two enemies by sea and land, was to choose a place on the coast so deep, that the banditti by land could not wade in to us ; and at the same time so shallow, as to be equally inaccessible to the banditti by sea. When we found ourselves thus in security on both liands, we wrapt ourselves up in our cloaks, and fell asleep : however, we had but a very uncomfortable night; the wind rose, and the motion of our little bark was ex- ceedingly disagreeable, and made us heartily sick. As soon as day began to appear, we made them pull into shore ; when we were immediately cured of our sickness; and as the weather continued still unfavourable, we have fallen upon a variety of amusements to pass the time. We have been thrice in the water, which is warm and pleasant ; and in the intervals, I have writ you this letter on the top of a large basket in which we carry our sea- store. We have likewise gaihered shells, pieces of coral, of sponge, and several beautiful kinds of sea-weed. The rocks here are all of sand and gravel run together, and become as hard as granite. There are many shells and other marine substances, mixed in their composition, which renders them objects of curiosity in the eye of a ^^aturalist. This morning we made a kind of tent of a sail, drawn over the point of a rock, and fixed with an oar, by way of pole. Here we breakfasted most luxuriously on excel- lent tea and honey of Hybla. I was interrupted in this part of my letter, by an officer from the fort of Capo Passero. He tells us, that we may give over all thoughts of getting farther f r these six days. — What do you think is his reason? — I own I was in ifome pain till he mentioned it. — This wind set in ex- actly as the moon entered her second quarter, and it will certainly continue till she is full. There is a rascal for you 1 — If he be telling truth I shall certainly study astro- logy. He likewise told us that two galliots had been s:een off the coast : and desired us to be upon our guard ; Sicily and Malta. 123 but I own the moon, together with other circumstance^^ has considerably weakened his evidence with me. We have learned from his conversaiion, that the fort of Capo Pas«:ero is made use of as a place of exile for the delinquents in the army; of which number I have not the least doubt that he is one. He told us there were two near relations of tlie viceroy that had lately been sent there for misdemeanours; that for his part, he belonged \o a very agreeable garrison ; but as he loved retirement, he chose to accompany them. However, his countenance told a very different story ; and said, in strong language, that he was a tres mauvuis sujet. Besides, he is a stupid fellow, and has tired me. I could learn nothing from him. It must be owned, this is an excellent place of exile for a young rake, who wants to show away in the beau monde. It is not within many, miles of any town or vil- lage; so that the gentleman may enjoy retirement in its Utmost perfection. We were surprised to find on this coast quantities of the true pumice-stone, which at first we supposed to have been brought by the sea from jEina, till we likewise discovered many large pieces of lava, which made us ima- gine there must have been some eruptionoffire in this part of the island ; yet I see no conical mountain, or any other indication of it. If our officer's prognostications prove true, and we arc detained here any longer, I shall examine the country to a much greater distance. The wind continues directly contrary ; the sea is very high in the canal of Malta, and our Sicilian servant in is a sad trepidation. — But I see Glover and FuUarton coming for their dinner ; so I shall be obliged to give up the basket. — This sea air gives one a monstrous appetite ; and it is with grief that I mentiork it, we are already brought to short allowance ; — qt^^'^^ cold fowl amongst three of us ; all three pre*ty^ s^arp set, I assure you. Those infamous rasc«is, to lose our tur- tle I — They have spied a fishing: t)oat, and are hailing her as loud as they can roar- — but alas ! she is too far off to hear them. — They have just fired a gun to bring her to, and happily she obeys the signal, so there is still hopes; otherwise we shall soon be reduced to bread and water. Our tea and sugar, too, are just upon a close, which is 124 A Tour through the crudest article of all ; but we have plenty of good bread and Hybla honey ; so we are in no danger of starving. We have likewise made an admirable and a very com- fortable disposition for our night*s lodging. The Sparo- r.aro is so very narrow, that it is impossible for us to He all in it; besides, we are eat up with vermin, and have nothing but the hard boards to lie on : all these consider- ations, added to the cursed swinging of the boat, and the horrid sickness it occasions, have determined us rather to trust ourselves to the mercy of the banditti, than to lie another night at sea ; besides, we have marie the happiest discovery in the world ; a great quantity of fine, soft, dry sea-weed, lying under the shelter of a rock, and seems intended by Providence for our bed : over this we are going to stretch a sail, ahd expect to sleep most luxu- riously ; but to prevent all danger from a surprise, we have agreed to stand centry by turns, with FuUarton's double-barrelled gun, well primed and loaded for the re- ception of the enemy ; at the first discharge of which, and not before, the whole guard is to turn out, with all the remaining part of our artillery and small arms ; and, as our situation is a very advantageous one, I think we shall be able to make a stout defence. As we are six in number, three masters and three ser- vants, the duty, you see, will be but trifling ; and five of us will always sleep in security. Our guard, to be sure, might have been stronger ; but our Sparonaro men have absolutely refused to be of the party : having much more confidence in their own element; however, they have promised, in case of an attack, immediately to come to our assistance. I think the disposition is far from being a bad one, and we arc not a little vain of our general- ship. '^Ke fishing boat is now arrived, and they have bought some excellent little fishes, which are already on the fire.— Adieu. These fellows are roaring for their cold fowl, and I can commt-.nd the basket no longer. Ever yours. Sicily and Malta, \^ LETTER XIV Malta, June 4.- TN spite of appearances, and our officer's wise prognos- -■- tications, the wind changed in the afternoon, and we got under sail by six o'clock ; we passed the Straits, and coasted along till eight, when we landed to cook some macaroni we had purchased of our sailors, and try if we could shoot something for sea-store, as we have still a long voyage before us. We came to llie side of a sulphureous lake, the smell of which was so strong, that we perceived it upwards of a mile distant. We found the water boiling up with violence in many places, though the heat at the banks of the lake is very inconsiderable. However, this, added to the pumice and lava we found near Capo Passero, lends greatly to confirm us in the opinion, that this part of the island, as well as about jEtna, has, in former ages, been subject to eruptions of fire. I think it is more than probable, that this is the celebrated Camerina, which ^neas saw immediately after his passing Pachynus, (or Capo Passero), which, Virgil says the Fates had decreed should never be drained : *' nine altas cautes projectaque saxa Puchynl *' Radimus ; et fatis numquam concossa moveri " Adparet Camariue procul." V^irgil had good reason to say so ; for the level of tl^ lake or marsh (it being somewhat betwixt the two) is at least as low as that of the sea, and consequently never could be drained. It is surrounded with a variety of fine evergreens and flowering shrubs, of which the palmeta, and the arbutus or strawberry-tree, are the most beautiful We saw a great many wild-fowl ; but what surprised me, in so un- frequented a phce, they were so shy, that there <\'as no getting ne^r them : there was one kind, in particular, that attracted our attention ; it was of the size and form of a grey plover, and flew in the same manner j but h^^ M 2 126 A Tour through* a tail of a great length, which seemed to be composed only of two small flexible feathers, that made a very un- common appearance in the air. After using all our art to shoot one of them, we were obliged to give up the attempt. Here we killed a small black snake, which, I think, answers the description 1 have seen of the asp. We dissected out its tongue, the end of which appears sharp like a sting, and I suppose is one, as it darted out with violence agair.st our sticks, when we presented them to it. Now as all animals, when attacked, make use of those weapons that Nature has armed them with for their de- fence, it appeared evident to us, (supposing this rule a just one), that this animal was eonscious of a power of hurting in its tongue ; and we have been more fully con- vinced of it from dissection. The sting appears consi- derably larger than that of a bee. We found a little bag at the other end of the tongue, and probably, if we had had a microscope, should have found the tongue perfo- rated. This snake has no teeth ; but very hard gums.—- I have taken care to preserve the tongue for your in- spection. As I think it has always been supposed, that serpents hurt only with their teeth, I thought this might be wor- thy of your notice. It is true, that the darting out of the tongue is a trick of the whole serpent tribe ; but this animal seemed to do it with peculiar ferocity, and to strike it with violence against our sticks. It was this that put us upon the examination. I don't recollect that this singularity is mentioned in any book of natural history, but possibly I may be mis- taken ; nor indeed do I remember either to have seen or heard of any animal armed in this manner :— Unless you will suppose me to adopt the sentiments of poor Mr. — — , who, ever since his marriage, alledges that the tongues of many females are formed after this singular manner: and remarks one peculiarity, that the sting seldom or never appears till after matrimony. He is very learned on this subject, and thinks it may possibly have proceeded from their original connection with the ser- pent. Let this be as it may, I sincerely hope that you and I shall never have such good reason for adopting that opinion. Sicili/ and Malta, 127 A little after nine we embarked. The night was de- lightful ; but the wind had died away about sun-stt, and we were obliged to ply our oars to get into the canal of Malta. The coast of Sicily began to recede » and in a short time wc found ourselves in the ocean. There was a profound silence, except ihe noise of the waves break- ing on the distant shore, which only served to render it more solemn. It was a dead calm, and the iiioon shone bright on the waters. The waves from the late storm were still high, but smooth and even, and followed one another with a slow and equal pace. The scene had naturally sunk us into meditation ; we had remained near an hour without speaking a word, when our sailors began their midnight hymn to the Virgin. The music was simple, solemn, and melancholy, and in perfect harmony with the scene, and with all our feelings. They beat ex- act time with their oars, and observed the harmony and the cadence with the utmost precision. We listened with infinite pleasure to this melancholy concert, and felt the vanity of operas and oratorios. There is often a so- lemnity and a pathetic in the modulation of these simple productions, that causes a nmch stronger effect, than the composition of the greatest masters, assisted by all the boasted rules of counter-point. . At last they sung us asleep, and we awoke forty miles distant from Sicily. We were now on the main ocean, and saw no land but Mount iEtna, which is the perpetual polar star of these seas. We had a fine breeze, and about two o'clock we discovered the island of Malta ; and in less than three hours more, we reached the city of Va- le tta. The approach of the island is very fine, although the shore is rather low and rocky. It is every where made inaccessible to an enemy, by an infinite number of fortifications. The rock, in many places, has been sloped into the form of a glacis, with strong parapets and in- trenchments running^ behind it. The entry into the port is very narrow, and is com- manded by a strong castle on either side. We were hailed from each of these, and obliged to give a strict account of ourselves ; and, on our arrival at the side of the key, we were visited bv an officer of the health- office, and obliged to give oath with regard to the circum- stances of our voyage.— He behaved in the civilest man^ V2S A Tour t/irouzh 'Q' ner, and immediately sent us Mr. Rutter, the English" consul, for whom we had letters of recommendation. On getting on shore, we found ourselves in a new world. — The streets crowded with well dressed people, who have all the appearance of health and affluence ; whereas, at Syracuse, there was scarce a creature to be seen ; and even those few had the appearance of disease and wretchedness. — Mr. Rutter immediately conducted us to an inn, which had more the appearance of a palace. We have had an excellent supper, and good Burgundy ; and as this is this is the king's birth-day, we have almost got tipsey to his health. We are now going into clean, comfortable beds, in expectation of the sweetest slum- bers — Think of the luxury of this, after being five long days without throwing off our clothes —Good night ; I would not lose a moment of it for the world. — People may say what they please, but there is no enjoyment in living in perpetual ease and affluence, and the true luxu- ry is only to be attained by undergoing a few hardships. • — But this is no time lo philosophise. So adieu. LETTER XV 3'Jalia, June ^.. OUR banker, M. Pousilach, was here before we were up, inviting us to dine with him at his country- house, from whence we are just now returned. He gave us a noble entertainment, served on plate, with an ele- gant dessert, and a great variety of wines. After dinner we went to visit the principal villas of the island ; particularly those of the grand master, and the general of the galleys,.which lie contiguous to each other. These are nothing great or magnificent ; but they are admirably contrived for a hot climate, where, of all thin^^s, shade is the most desirable. The orange groves are indeed very fine, and the fruit they bear are superior to any thing you have seen in Spain or Portugal. The aspect of the coantry is far fron» being pleasing *. Sicily and Malta. 1^9 the whole island is a great rock of very white free-stone, and the soil that covers this rock, in most places, is not more than five or six inches deep; yet, what is singular, we found their crop in general was exceedingly abundant. I'hey account for it from the copious dews that fail du- ring the spring and summer mnnihs ; and pretend like- wise, that there is a moisture in the rock below the soil, thit is of great advantage to the corn and cotton, keeping its roots perpetually moist and cool : without which sin- gular quality, they say, they could have no crops at all, the heat of the sun is so exceedingly violent. Their barley harvest has been over some time ago ; and they are just now finishing that of the wheat. The whole island produces corn only sufinicient to support its inhabitants for five months, or little more ; but the crop they most depend upon is the cotton. They began sow- ing it about three weeks ago, and it will be finished in a week more. The time of reaping it is in the month of October, and beginning of November. They pretend that the cotton produced from this plant,^ which is sown and reaped in four months, is of a much superior quality to that of the cotton-tree. I compared them, but I cannot say I found it so; this is indeed the finest; but that of the cotton- tree is by much the strong- est texture. The plant rises to the height of a foot and a half, and is covered with a number of nuts or pods full of cotton : these, when ripe, they are at great pains to cut off every morning before run-rise ; for the heat of the sun immediately turns the cotton yellow; which, indeed, we saw from those pods they save for seed. They manufacture their cotton into a great variety of stuffs. Their stockings are exceedingly fine. Some of them, they assured us, had been sold for ten sequins a pair. Their coverlids and blankets are esteemed all over Europe. Of these the principal manufactures are estab- lished in the little island of Gozzo, where the people are said to be more industrious than those of Mnlta, as they are more excluded from the world, and have fewer in- ducements to idleness. Here the sugar-cane is still cultivated with success, though not in any considerable quantity. The Maltese oranges certainly deserve the character they have of being the finest in the world. The season l$0 A Tour through ^ (iontinae for upwards of seven months, from November till the middle of June ; during which time, those beau- tiful trees are always covered with abundance of this de- licious fruit. Many of them arc of the red kind, much superior, in my opinion, to the others, which are rather too luscious. They are produced, I am told, from the common orange bud, engrafted on the pomegranate stock. The juice of this fruit is red as blood, and of a fine flavour. The greatest part of their crop is sent in presents to the different courts of Europe, and to the relations of the chevaliers. It was not without a good deal of difficulty that we procured a fevv chests for our friends at Naples. The industry of the Maltese in cultivating their lit- tle island is inconceivable. There is not an inch of ground lost in any part of it ; and where there was not soil enough, they have brought over ships and boats loaded with it from Sicily, where there is plenty and to spare. The whole island is full of inclosures of free- stone, which gives the country a very uncouth and a very barren aspect, and, in summer, reflects such a light and heat, that it is exceedingly disagreeable and offen- sive to the eyes. The inclosures are very small and ir- regular, according to the inclinaton of the ground. This, they say, they are obliged to observe, notwithstanding the deformity it occasions ; otherwise the floods, to which tl^ey are subjtict, would soon carry off" their soil. The island is covered over with country houses and vil- lages, besides seven cities, for so they term them ; but there are only two, the Valetta and the Cilta Vecchia, that by any means deserve that appellation. Every little village has a noble church, elegantly finished and adorned with statues of marble, rich tapestry, and a large quantity of silver plate. They are by much the handsomest coun- try churches I have ever seen. But 1 am interrupted in my writing, by the beginning (I am told) of a very fine show. If it be so, I shall give you some account of it by and by. Eleven at night. — The show is now finished, and has afforded us great entertainment. It was the Itleparture of a Maltese squadron to assist the French against the Bey of Tunis, who, it seems, has fUlcn under the dis- pleasure of the grand monarque, because he refused to deliver up without ransom the Corsican slaves that were Sicily and Malta. 4-31 takejQ before the French were in possession of that island. The squadron consisted of three galleys; the largest with nine hundred n^en, each of the others with seven hun- dred : three galliots, and several scamfiaviai^t Luke would have mentioned it in the Acts of the Apostles), but the fact is certain, that there are no venomous animals in Malta. They assured u<, that vipers had been brought from Si- lly, and died almost immediately on their arrival A^ioiiin!? to the church there is the celebrated grotto^ 136 A 'Tour i/wough in which the saint was imprisoned — It is looked upen with the utmost reverence and veneration; and if the bto- ries they tell of it be true, it is well entitled to it all. It is exceedingly damp, and produces (I believe by a kind of petretaction from the water) a whitish kind of stone, vt'hich ihey assure us, when reduced to powder, is a sove- peign remedy in many diseases, and saves the lives of thousands every year. There is not a house in the island that is not provided with it i and they tell us there are many boxes of it sent annually, not only to Sicily and Italy, but likewise to the Levant and the East Indies; and (what is considered as a daily standing miracle) notwithstand- ing this perpetual consumpiion, it has never been ex- hausted, nor even sensibly diminished ; the saint always taking care to supply them with a fresh quantity the day following. You may be sure we did not fail to stufT our pockets with this wonderful stone ; I suspected they would have prevented us, as I did not suppose the saint would have worked for heretics ; however, neiiher he nor the priests had any objection, and we gave them a few Pauls* more for their civility. I tasted some of it, and believe it is a very harmless thing. It tastes like exceeding bad mag-, nesia, and I believe has pretty much the same effects. They give about a tea-spoonful of it to children in the small-pox and in fevers. It produces a copious sweat about half an hour after, and, they say, never fails to be of service. It is likewise esteena^ed a certain remedy against the bite of all venomous animals. There is a very fine statue of St. Paul in the middle of this grotto, to ^hich they ascribe great powers. We were delighted on our way back to the city, with the beauty of the setting sun, much superior, I think, to what I have ever observed it in Italy. The whole of the eastern parts of the heavens, for half an hour after sun- set, was of a fine deep purple, and made a beautiful ap- pearance ; this the Maltese tell us is generally the case every evening at this season of the year. I forgot to say any thing of our presentation to the grand master, for which I ask pardon both of you and * A small silver coin Sicily and Malta, 137 him. — His name is Pinto, and of a Portuguese family. He has now been at the head of this singular little state for upwards of thirty years. He received us with great potiteness, and was highly pleased to find that some of us had been in Portugal He mentioned the intimate commercial connections that had so long subsisted be- twixt our nations, and expressed his desire of being of service to us, and of rendering our stay in his island as agreeable as possible. He is a clear-headed, sensible, little old man ; which, at so advanced a period of life, is very uncommon. Although he is considerably upwards of ninety, he retains all the faculties of his mind in per- fection. He has no minister, but manages every thing himself; and has immediate information of the most mi- nute occurrences. He walks up and down stairs, and even to church, without assistance: and has the appearance as if he would still live for many years. His household attendince and court are all very princely ; and, as grand master of Malta, he is more absolute, and possesses more power than most sovereign princes. His titles "^re Se- rene Highness and Eminence; and as he has the disposal of all lucrative offices, he makes of his councils what he pleases; besides, in all the councils that compose the ju- risdiction of this little nation, he himself presides, and has tv/o votes. Since he was chosen grand master, he has already given away one hundred and twenty-six commanderies, some of them worth upwards of L 2000 ar-year, besides priories and other offices of profit.— He has the disposal of twenty-one commanderies and one priory every five years; and, as there are always a num- ber of expectants, he is very much courted. He is chosen by a committee of twenty-one; which committee is nominated by the seven nations, three out of each nation. The election must be over within three days after the death of the former grand master; and during these three days, there is scarce a soul that sleeps at Malta: all is cab^l and intrigue : and most of the knights are masked, to prevent their particular attachments and connections from being known : the moment the election is over, every thing returns again to its former channel. The land force of Malta is equal to the number of men in the island fit to bear arms. They have about five hundred regulars belonging to the ships of-war ; aii4i N 2. ioS A Tour Lhroush Q' ons hundred ai*d fifty compose the guard of the princ'e'/ The two islands of Muha and Gozzo contain about one lumdred and fifty thousand inhabitants. The men are eKceedini:^ly robust and hardy. I have seen them row from ten to twelve hours without intermission, and without even appearing to be fatigued. The sea force consists of four galleys, three galliots, four ships of sixty guns, and a frigate of thirty-six, be- sides a number of the quick-sailing little vessels called Scampavias, literally Run-away s. Their ships, galleys, and fortifications, are not only supplied with excellent artillery, but they have likewise invented a kind of ord- nance of their own, unknown to all the world besideJi. For we found to our no small amazement, that the rocks Avere not only cut into fortifications, but likewise into artillery, to defend these fortifications ; being hollowed out in many places into the form of immense mortars. The charge is said to be about a barrel of gun-pow(^r, over which they place a large piece of wood, exactly to nt the mouth of the chamber. On this they heap a great quanliiy of cannon balls, shells, or other deadly materials; and when an enemy's ship approaches the harbour, they fire the whole into the air ; and they pretend it produces a- very great effect, making a shower for two or three hun- dred yards round that would sink any vessel. Notwithstanding the supposed bigotry of the Maltese, ihe spirit of toleration is so strong, that a mosque has lately been built for their sworn enemies the Turks. — Here the poor slaves are allowed to enjoy their religion in peace. It happened I^ely that some idle boys dis- turbed them during their service ; they were immedi- ately sent to prison, and severely punished. The police indeed is much better regulated than in the neighbouring countries, and assassinations and robberies are very un- common ; the last of which crime the grand master pu- nishes with the utmost severity. But he is said, perhaps in compliance with the prejudice of his nation, to be muc^. more relax with regard to the first. Perhaps Malta is the only country in the world where duelling is permitted by law. — As their >t hole establishr« meni is originally founded on the wild and romantic- -principles of chivalry, they have ever found it too incon* Ifeconsi^tent.with those principles to abolish duelling; bdt Sicily ami Malta. 139 they have laid it under such restrictions as greatly to lessen iis danger. These arc curious enough.^ — The duellists are obliged to decide their quarrel in one parti- cular street of the city;, and if they presume to fight any where else, they are liable to the rigour of the law. But what is not less sinij;ular, and naich more in their favour, they are obliged under the most severe penalties to put up their sword, when ordered so to do, by a 'u^ovian^ a priest^ or a hiight. Under these limitations, in the midst of a great city; one would imagine it almost impossible that a duel could ever end in blood ; however, this is not the case : — A^ cross is always painted on the wall opposite to the spot where a knight has been killed, in commemoraiion of his fall. — We counted about twenty of these crosses. About three months ago, two knights had a dispute at a billiard table. — One of them, after giving a great deal of abusive language, a^led a blow ; but to the astonish- ment of all Malta (in whose annals there is not a siniilar instance) after so great a provocation, he absolutely re* fused to fight his antagonist — The challenge was repeal- ed, and he had time to reflect on the consequences, but still he refused to enter the lists. — He was condemned to make amende honorable^ in the great church of St. John, for forty-five days successively; then to be confined in a dungeon without light for five years, after which he is to remain a prisoner in fhe castle for life. The unfortunate young man who received the blow, is likewise in dis- grace, as he had not an opportuniiy of wiping it out m Lhe blood of his adversary. This has been looked upon as a very singular affair, and is still one of the priiycipal topics of cc^nversution. The first part of the sentence has already been executed, and the poor wretch is now in his dungeon. Nor is it thought that any abatement will be made in what remains; If the legislature in other countries punishtd with equal rigour those that do fight, as it docs in this those that do not, I believe we should soon have an end of duelliftgj but I should imagine the punishment for fighting ought aever to be a capital one, (but something ignominious ;) and the punishment for not fighting should always be so, or at least some severe corporal punishment ; for ig- nominjr will have as. iittl& effect on the person who willi 150 A Tour through Submit to the appellation of coward, as the fear of death on one who makes it his glory to despise it. The Maltese still talk with horror of a storm that hap- pened here on the 29th of October, 1757, which, as it was of a very singular nature, I shall translate you some account of it from a little book they have given me, writ- ten on that subject. About three quarters of an hour after midnight, there appeared to the south-west of the city a great black cloud, which, as it approached, changed its colour, till at last it became like a flame of fire mixed with black smoke. A dreadful noise was heard on its approach, that alarmed the whole city. It passed over pan of the port, and came first upon an English ship, which in an instant was torn to pieces, and nothing left but the hulk ; part of the masts, sails, and cordage were carried along with the cloud to a considerable distance. The small boats and fellouques that fell in its way were all broken to pieces, and sunk. The noise increased and became more frightful. A centinel, terrified at its approach, run into his box : both he and it were lifted up, and carried into the sea, where he perished. It then traversed a consi- derable part of the city, and laid in ruins almost every thing that stood in its way Several houses were laid: level with the ground, and it did nol leave one steeple in its passage. The bells of some of them, together with the spires, were carried to a considerable distance. The roofs of the churches were demolished and beat down, which, if it had happened in the day time, must have had dreadful consequences, as all the world would immediate- ly have run into the churcheSi It went off at the north-east point ©f the city ; and, de- molishing the light-house, is said to have mounted up in th .' air, with a frightful rtoise ; and passed over the sea Vt Sicily, where it tore up some trees, and did other damage, but nothing considerable ; as its fury had been mostly spent upon Malta. The number of killed and wounded amounted to near two hundred, and the loss of shipping, houses, and churches, was very considerable. Several treatises have been written to account for this singular hurricane, but I have found nothing at all satis- factory. The sentiments of the people are concise and positive. They declare with one voice, that it was a; Sicily and Malta . i 4 i lesjion of devils let leose to punish them for their siris. There are a thousand people in Malta that will lake their oath they saw them within the cloud, all as black as pitch, and breathing out fire and brimstone. They add, that if there had not been a few godly people amongst thcn^, their whole city would certainly have been involved in one uni'^rsal destruction. The horse races of Malta arc of a very uncommon kind. They are performed without either saddle, bridle, whip, Of spur ; and yet the horses are said to run full speed, and lo afford a great deal of diversion. They are accustomed to tlie ground for some weeks before ; and although it is entirely Over rock and pavement, there are very seldom any accidents. They have races of asses and mules performed in the same manner, four times every year. The rider is only furnished with a machine like a shoemaker's awl, to prick on his courser if he i's lazy. As Malta is an epitome of all Europe, and an assem- blage of the younger brothers, who are commonly the best, of its first families, it is probably one of the besj academies for politeness in this part of the globe ; be^ sides, where every one is entitled by law as well as cus- tom, to demand satisfaction for the least breach of it, people are under the necessity of being very exact and circunispect, both with regard to their words and actions. All the knights and commanders have much the ap- |>sarance of gentlemen, and men of the world. We met with no character in the extreme. The ridicules and prejudices of -every particular nation are by degrees soft- ened and wore off, by the familiar intercourse and colli- sion with each other. It is curious to observe the effect it produces upon the various people that compose this little medley. The French skip, the German strut, and the Spanish stalk, are all mingled together in such small proportions that none of them are striking; yet every one of these nations still retain something of their original characteristic: it is only the exuberance of it that is wore off; and it is still easy to distinguish the inhabitants of the south and north side of tlie Pyrenees, as well as those of the east and west side of the Rhine ; for t*hough the Parisian has, in a great measure, lost his assuming ^airJ the Spaniard his taciturnity and solemnity, the Gei:- 142 J Tour through man his formality and his pride ; yet, still yo\3 see th6 German, the Frenchman, and the Spaniard : it is only the caricature, that formerly made them ridiculous, that has disappeared. This institution, which is a strange compound of the military arid ecclesiastic, has now subsisted for near seven hundred years; and though, I believe, one of the first- born, has long survived every other child of chivalry.—- It pr>ssesses t^feat riches in most of the catholic countries of Europe ; and did so in England too, before the time of Henry VIII. but that capricious tyrant did not choose that any institution, however ancient or respected, should remain in his dominions, that had any doubt of his supre- macy and infallibility ; he therefore seized on all their possessions, at the same time that he enriched himself by the plunder of the church. It was in vain for them to plead that they were rather a military than an ecclesi- astic order, and by their valour had been of great service to Europe, in their wars against the infidels : it was not ■agreeable to his system ever to hear a reason for any thing; and no persrjn could possibly be right, that was capable of supposing that the king could be wrong. Malta, as well hs Sicily, was long under the tyranny of the Saracens : from which they were both delivered about the middle of the eleventh century, by the valour of the Normans : after which time the fate of Malta commonly depended on ihst of Sicily, till the emperor Charles V. about the year 15 "10, gave it, together with the island of Gozzo, to the knia:hrs of St. John of Jerusalem, who at that time had lost the island of Rhodes. In testimony of this concession, the grand master is still obliged every year to send a falcon to the king of Sicily, or his viceroy ; and on every nev/ accession to swear allegiance, and to receive from the hands of the Sicilian monarch the in- vestiture of these two islands. Ever since our arrival here, the weather has been per- fectly clear and serene, without a cloud in the sky ; and for some time after sun-set, the heavens exhibit a most beautiful appearance^ which I don*t recollect to have ob- served anv where else. The eastern pnrt of the hemis- phere appears of a rich deep purple, and the western is the true yellow glow of Claud Lorrain, that you used t6 admire so much. Th© weather, however, is not intolera^ ^ciiy and Malta. H^S My hot; the thermometer stands commonly betwixt 75 and 76. Adieu. We are now preparing for a long voy- age, and it is not easy to say from w hence I shall write ^ou next. Ever ycur». BETTER XVII. Agrigentum^ June 11 . WE left the port of Malta in a Sparonaro, which we hired to convey us to this city. We coasted along the island, and went- to take a view of the north port, its fortifications and lazaretto. All these are very p^reat, and more like the works of a mightjr and powerful people, than of so small a state The mor- tars cut out of the rock are a tremendous invention — There are about fifty of their, near the different creeks and landing-places round the island. They are directed ' It is executed in the most masterly style, and is iii- deed one of the finest remains of antiquity. It is pre- served in the grcdt church, which is noted througjh all Sicilv for a remarkable echo ; something in the manner of our whispering gallery at St. Paurs, though more difficult to be accounted for. If one person stands at the west gate, and another places himself on the cornice, at the most distant point of the church, exactly behind the great altar, they can hold a conversation in very low whispi rs. For many years this singularity whs little known ; and several of the confessing chairs being placed near the great altar, the wags, who were in the secret, used to take their station at the door of the cathedral ; and by this means heard di=.tinctly every word that passed betwixt the con- fessor and his penitent; of which, you may believe, they did not fail to make their own use when occasion offered. — The most secret intrigues were discovered ; and every woman in Agrigentum changed either her gallant or her confessor. Yet still it was the same — At last, however, the cause was found out : the chairs were removed, and other precautions were taken, to prevent the discovery of these sacred ^Tiysteries ; and a mutual amnesty passed a- mongst all the offended parties. Agrigentum, like Syracuse, was long subject to the yoke of tyrants. Fazzello gives some account of their cruelty, but I have no intention of repeating it; one story, however, pleased me ; it is a well known one, but as it is short, you shall have it. Perillo, a goldsmith, by way of payin;?^ court to Pha- laris the tyrant, made him a present of a brazen bull, of admirable workmanship ; hollow within, and so con- trived that the voice of a person shut up in it. soiHided exactly like the bellowing of a real bull. The artist pointed out to the tyrant what an admirable effect this must produce, were he only to shut up a few criminals in it, and make a fire under them. Phalaris, struck with so horrid an idea, and perhaps cu- rious to try the experiment, told the goldsmith that he himself was the only person worthy of animating his bull : that he must have studied the note that made it roar to the greatest advantage, and that it would be unjust to deprive Uiin of any part of the honour of his invention. Upon Sicily and Malta. 155 which he ordened the goldsmith to be shut up, and made a great fire around the bull; which immediately began to roar, to the admiration and delight of all Agrigentum. Cicero says, this bull was carried to Carthage at the taking of Agrigentum ; and was restored again by Scipio after the destruction of that city. Fazzello adds another story, which is still more to the honour of Phalaris. Two friends, Melanippus and Cari- ton, had conspired his death. Cariton, in hopes of saving his friend from the danger of the enterprize, determined to execute it alone. However, in his attempt to poignard the tyrant, he was seized by the guards, and immediately put to the torture, to make him confess his accomplice : this he bore with the utmost fortitude, refusing to make the discovery ; till Melanippus, informed of the situation of his friend, ran to the tyrant, assujing him, that he alone was the guilty person ; that it was entirely by his instigation that Cariton had acted ; and begged that he might be put on the rack in the place of his friend Pha- laris, struck with such heroism, pardoned them both. Notwithstanding this generous action, he was in many respects a barbarous tyrant. Fazzello gives the following account of his death, with which I shall conclude this letter, fcr I am monstrously tired, and I dare say, so are you. Zeno, the philosopher, came to Agrigentum, and being admitted into the presence of the tyrant, advised him, for his own comfort, as well as that of his subjects, to resign his power, and lead a private life. Phalaris did not relish these philosophical sentiments; and sus- pecting Zeno to be in a conspiracy with som.e of his sub- jects, ordered him to be put to the torture in presence of the citizens of Agrigentum. Zeno immediately began to reproach them with cow- ardice and pusillanimity in submitting tamely to the yoke of so worthless a tyrant ; and in a short tinie raised such a flame, that they defeated the guards, and stoned Phalaris to death.— ^I dare say you are glad they did it so quickly. W«il, I shall not write such long letters for the future; for, I assure you, it is at least as troublesome to the writer as the reader. Adi^u We shall sail to-morrow or next morning for Trapani, from whence you may expocf to hear from me. We are now going out to ex-^niine more antique walls, but I shall not trouble you with them.-— Farewell. 156 A Tout tlirougk LETTER XX. June 16. WHEN I ha^e nothing else to do, I generally take up the pen. We are now on the top of a high mountain about half way betwixt Agrigentum and Paler- mot Our sea expedition by Trtponi has failed, and we are determined to put no more confidence in that element, happy l>eyond measure to find ourselves at a distance from it, though in the most wretched of villages. We have travelled all night on mules; and arrived here about ten o'clock, overcome with sleep and fatigue. We have just had an excellent dish of tea, which never fails to cure me of both; and I am now as fresh as when we set out. It has not had the same effect on my companions: they have thrown themselves down en a vile straw bed in the corner of the hovel ; and in spite of a parcel of starved chickens, that are fluttering about and picking the straws all around them, they are already fast asleep. I shall seiz:^- that time to recapitulate what has happen- ed since my last. The day after I wrote you, we made some little excur- sions around Agrigentum. The countrj is delightful ; producing corn, wine, and oil in the greatest abundance : the fields are, at the same time, covered with a variety of the finest fruits ; oranges, lemons, pomegranates, al- monds, pistachio- nuts, &c. These aflr>rded us almost as agreeable an entertainment as the consideration of the ruins from whence they spring. We dined with the bishop according to agreement, and rose from the table convinced that the ancient Agri- gentini could not possibly understand the true luxury of eating better than their descendants, to whom they have transmitted a very competent portion both of their social virtues and vices. I beg their pardon for calling them vices. I wish 1 had a softer name for it ; it looks like ingratitude for their hospitality, for which we owe them so much. We were just thirty at table, but, upon my word, I reaily to tho pleasure I iiad in his company. I told the bishop of this; adding, that he was brother to L (i B 1 ; he seemed much pleased, and s:.id, he had cficn heard rf the farrily. both wlien Lord B ^vas ambassa- dor in Spain, and his other brother commander in the Mediterranean. We found in this company a number of Free Masons, who were delighted bevcnd measure when they discover- ed that we were their brethren. They pressed us to spend a few more days amongst them, and offered us let- ters to Palermo, and every other town we should thi? k of visiting; but the heats are increasing so vi' Icntly, that we were afraid of prolone;ing otir expedition, lest we should be caught by the Sirocc winds, supposed to bk)w from the burning deserts of Africa, afnl' sometimes at- tended with dangerous consequences to ftiose that travel over Sicilv. l60 A "Four threugU But I find I have omitted several circumstances of 6ur dinner. I should have told you, that it was an annual feast pjiven by the nobility of Agrigentum to the bishop. It was served in an immense granary, half full of wheat, «n the sea-shore, chosen on purpose to avoid the heat. The whole was on plate : and what appeared singular to us, but I believe is a much better method than ours, great pirtofthe fruit was served up with the second course, »hn first dish of which that went round was strawberries. The Sicilians were a good deal surprised to see us eat them with cream and sugar, yet upon trial they did not at all dislike the composition The dessert consisted of a great variety of fruits, and still a greater of ices : these were so disguised in the shapes of peaches, figs, oranges, nuts. Sec that a person unaccustomed to ices might very easily have been taken in, as an honest sea-officer was lately at the house of a certain minister of your acquaintance, not less distin- guished for the elegance of his table, than the exact for- mality and subordination to be observed at it. After the second course was removed, and the ices, in the shape of various fruits and sweetmeats, advanced by way of rear-guard ; one of the servants carried the figure of a Une large peach to the captain, who, unacquainted with deceit of any kind, never doubted that it wes a real one; and cutting it through the middle, in a moment had one large half of it in his mouth; at first he only looked grave, and blew up his cheeks to give it more room ; but the violence of the cold soon getting the better of his pati- ence, he began to tumble it about from side to side in his iTJouth, his eyes rushing out of water, till at last, able to l^ld no longer, he spit it out upon his plate, exclaiming with a horrid oath, " A painted snowball, by G — di" and wiping away his tears with his napkin, he turned in a rage to the Italian servant that had helped him, with a ^ D — n your maccaroni eyes, you son of a , what did you mean by that?" The fellow, who did not understand a word of it, could not forbear smiling, which jtill convinced the captain the more that it was a tt ick ; and he was just going to throw the rest of the snowball in hii face, but was prevented by one of the company ; when recovering from his passion, and thinking the object un- worthy of it, he only added in a- softer tone, " Very well. Sicily and Malta, 16] neighbour, I only wish I had you on board ship for half an hour, you should have a dozen before you could say Jack Robinson, for all your painted cheeks." I ask pardon for this digression, but as it is a good laughable story, 1 know you will excuse it. About six o'clock, we took a cordial leave of our jolly friends at A- grigentuni ; and we embarked on board our sparonaro at the new port. I should have told you, that this harbour has lately been made at a very great expence ; this city having always been one of the principal ports of the island for the exportation of grain. The bishop and his company- went into a large barge, and sailed round the harbour ; wc saluted them as we went out ; they returned the compli- raent, and we took a second leave. The evening was fine, and we coasted along for a good many miles ; we passed several points and little promontories, that ^yere exceed- ingly beautiful and picturesque ; many of them were covered with noble large aloes in full blow. In one place, I counted upwards of two hundred of those fine majestic plants all in flower ; a sight which I imagined Avas hardly to be met with in the world — After sun-set, — alas, fain would I conceal what happened after sun-set ! but life, you know, is chequered with good and evil, and it would have been great presumption to receive so much of the one, without expecting a little dash of the other too. — Besides, a sea expedition is nothing without a storm. Our journal would never have been readable, had it not been for this — Well, 1 assure you, we had it. It was not indeed so violent as the great one ofi' Louisburgh, or per- haps even that described by Virgil ; the reading of which is said to have made people sea-sick ; but it was rath; r too much for our little bark. — I was going to tell you, that af- ter sun-set the sky began to overcast, and in a short time the whole atmosphere appeared fiery and threatening. We attempted to get into some creek, but could find none. The wind grew loud, and we found it was in vain to proceed ; but as the night was dark and hazy, we were dubious about the possibility of reaching the port of Agri- gentum. However, this was all we had for it, as there were none other within many miles. Accordingly we tacked about, and plying both oars and sail, with great care not to come amongst the rocks and breakers, in about two hours we spied the light-house ; by which we directed P a iO^J A Tour through Qur course, and got safely into port betwixt one and two in the morning : we lay down on our mattrass, and slept sound till ten, when finding the falsity of our hypothesis-, that there could be no bad weather in the Mediterranean at this season, we unanimously agreed to have nothing more to do Avith sparonaros, and sent immediately to en- gage mules to carry us over the mountains to Palermo. The storm continued with violence thi^ whole day, and made us often thank heaven that we had got safely back. It was not till five in the afternoon that we had mules, guides, and guards provided us; when we set off, pretty much in the same order, and in the same equipage as we had done about three weeks ago from Messina. Our guards attempted to fill us with the most dreadful appre- hensions of this road, shewing us, every mile, where such a one was robbed, such another was murdered ; and en- tertained us with such melancholy ditties the greatest part of the way. Indeed, if one half of their stories be true, it is certainly the most dangerous road in the world; but I looked upon most of them as fictions, invented only to increase their own consequence, and to procure a little more money. There is, indeed, some foundation for these stories; as there are numbers of gibbets erected on the road m t error em ; and every little baron has th» power of life and death in his own domain. Our bishop's brother, whose name I have forgot, seized lately four and twenty of those desperate banditti, after a stout resist- ance, where several were killed on both sides ; and not- withstandhig that some of them were under the protec- tion of the nobility, and in their service, they were all hanged. However, this has by no means rooted them out. Our guards, in the suspicious places, went with tlieir pieces cock'd, and kept a close look-out to either :jide of them ; but we saw nothing to alarm us, except the most dreadful roads in the world ; in many places worse than any thing I ever met With amongst the Alps. After travelling about twenty miles, we arrived by two in the morning at the most wretched— I don't know what to call it— there was not any one thing to be had but a little straw for the mules. However, after a good deal of difficulty, we at last got fire enough to boil our tea- kettle; and having brought bread from Agrigentum, we ^ade an excellent mea). Our tea-table was a round stone ^clly and Maha. \%3 in fhe field ; and as the moon shone bright, we had nb occasion for any other lunnnary. You nnay believe our stay here was as short as possible ; the house was too dreadfully nasty to enter it, and the stable was full of poor wretches sleeping on the bare ground. In short, I never saw in any country so miserable an inn, for so it is styled. We mounted our cavalry with all expedition, and in a very ^ort lime got into the woods, where we were serenaded by the nightingale as we went along, who made us a full apology and atonement for the bad cheer we had met with. In a short time it was day, and then we had entertainment enough from the varied scenes of the most beautiful, wild, and romantic country in the world. The fertility of many of the plains is truly as- tonishing, without enclosures, without manure, and almost without culture. It is with reason that this island was styled " Romani imperii horreum," the granary of thq Roman empire. Were it cultivated, it would still be the great granary of Europe. Pliny says, it yielded a hundred after one ; and Diodorus, who was a native of the island^ and wrote on the spot, assures us, that it produced wheat and other grain spontaneously ; and Homer advances the same fact in the Odyssey : " The soil untlU'd, a ready harvest yields, " With wheat and barley wave the golden fields ; *' Spontaneous wines from weighty clusters pour, '*• And Jove descends in e»ch prolific shower." POPS? Many of the mountains seemed to be formed by sublerv raneous fire ; several of them retain their conical figure? and their craters, but not so exact as those on Mount jEtna, as they ar* probably much older. 1 likewise ob- served many pieces of lava on the road, and in the betla, of the torrents ; and a good deal of the stone called tufa, which is certainly the production of a volcano ; so that I have no doubt, that a great part of this island, as well as the neighbouring ones of Lipari,^ 8cc. has been origi- nally formed by subterraneous fire : we likewise passed some quarries of a kind of talc, and also of a coarse ala- baster; of this they make a sort of stucco or plaister, re* sembling that of Paris; but what I much regretted, we missed seeing the famous salt of Agrigentum, found ij>. 164* A Tour through the earth about four or five miles from that city. It has this remarkable property, different from all other salt, that in the fire it presently melts ; but in the water it cracks and splits, but never dissolves. It is celebrated by Pliny, Aristotle, and others of the ancient, as well as the modern naturalists. Fazzello, whom I have brought along with me to read by the road, says, he has often ex- perienced this ; he adds, from the authority of these ancient authors, that they formerly had mines of this salt, so pure and solid, that the statuaries and sculptors pre- ferred it to marble, and made various works of it. The poor people of the village have found us out, and with looks full of misery have surrounded our door.— Accursed tyranny, — what despicable objects we become in thy hands! — Is it not inconceivable how any govern- ment should be able to render poor and wretched a coun- try which produces almost spontaneously every thing than even luxury can desire ? But alas ! poverty and wretchedness have ever attended the Spanish yoke, both on this, and on the other side of the globe. — They make it their boast, that the sun never sets on their dominions, but forget that since they became such, they have left him nothing to see in his course, but deserted fields, barren wildernesses, oppressed peasants, and lazy, lying, lecherous monks. Such are the fruits of their boasted conquests. — They ought rather to be ashamed, that ever the sun should see them at all — The sight of these poor people has filled me with indignation. This village is surrounded by the finest country in the world, yet there was neither bread nor wine to be found in it, and the poor inhabitants appear more than half starved. " 'Mongst Ceres' richest gift? with wast oppress'd, " And 'midst the flowing- vineyard, die of thirst." I shall now think of concluding, as I do not recollect that I have much more to say to you : besides, I find my- self exceedingly sleepy. I sincerely wish it may not be the same case with you before you have read thus far.—' We have ordered our mules to be ready by five o'clock, and shall again travel all night ; — the heats are too great to allow it by day. Adieu.— These two fellows are still sound asleep In a few minutes I shall be so too, for the pen-is almost dropping out of my hand. FarewelL Sicily and Mali^. l65' LETTEE XXI. Palermo^ June 19. WE arc now arrived at the great capital of Sicily? which, in our opinion, in beauty and elegance, is greatly superior to Naples. It is not, indeed, so large; but the regularity? the uniformity, and neatness of its streets and buildings render it much more pleasing; it is full of people, who have mostly an air of affluence and gaiety. And indeed we seem to have got into a new world. But stop — not so fast. 1 had forgot that you have btill fifty miles to travel on a cursed stubborn mule, ovep rocks and precipices; for I can see bo reason why we should bring you at once into all the sweets of Palermo, without bearing at least some little part of the fatigues of the journey. Come, we shall make them as short as possible. We left you, I think, in a little village on the top of a high mountain. We should indeed use you very ill, were we to leave you there any longer; for I own it is the very worst country quarter that ever fell to my lot. HoMcver, we got a good comfortable sleep in it, the only one thing it afforded us ; and the fleas, the bugs, and chickens, did all that lay in their power even to deprive us of that, but we defied them. Our two leaders came to awake us be- fore five, apostrophizing their entry with a detail rf the horrid robberies and murders that had been comsmitted in the neighbourhood ; all of them, you may be sure, en the very road that we were to go. Our whole squadron was drawn out, and we were ranged in order of battle by five o'clock, when we beg^n our march, attended by the whole village, man, woman, and child. We soon got down amongst the woods, and endeavoured to forget the objects of misery we had left behind us. The beauty and richness of the country in- creased in proportion as we advanced. The mountains, although of a great heiglit, (that we have left, is near four thousand feet, the mercury standing at twenty six inches two lines), are covered to the very summit with the richest pasture. The grass in the valleys is already 166 A Tour through burnt up, so that the flocks are all upon the mountains. The gradual separation of heat and cold is very visible in taking a view of them. The valleys are brown and scorched, and so are the mountains to a considerable height ; they then begin to take a shade of green, which grows deeper and deeper, and covers the whole upper region ; however, on the suinmit, the grass and corn are by no means so luxuriant as about the middle. We were amaz ?d at the richness of the crops, far superior to any thing I had ever sden either in England or Flanders, where the happy soil is assisted by all the arts of cultiva- tion ; whilst here, the wretched husbandman can hardly afford to give it a furrow ; and gathers in with a heavy heart the most luxuriant harvest. To what purpose is it given him ? Only to lie a dead weight upon his hand, sometimes till it is entirely lost ; exportation being pro- hibited to all such as cannot pay exorbitantly for it to the sovereign. What a contrast is there betwixt this and the little uncouth country of Switzerland ! — to be sure, the dreadful consequences of oppression can never be set in a more striking opposition to the blessings and charms of liberty. S A^itz-":rland, the very excrescence of Europe, where Nature seems to have thrown out all her cold and stagnating humours ; full of lakes, marshes, and woods, and surrounded by immense rocks, and everlasting moun- tains of ice, the barren, but sacred, ramparts of liberty : Switzerland, enjoying every blessing, where every bless- ing seems to have boen denied ; whilst Sicily, covered by the most luxuriant hand of Nature, where Heaven seems to have showered down its richest blessings with the utiv.ost prodigality, groans under the most abject poverty, and, with a pale and wan visage, starves in the midst of plenty. — It is liberty alone that works this stand- ing miracle —Under her plastic hands the mountains sink, the lakes are drained ; and these rocks, these marsh- es, these woods, become so many sources of wealth, and of pleasure. — But what has temperance to do with wealth ? " Here relg-ns Content, " And Nature's child, Simplicity; long since " Exil'd from polisli'd realms." " 'Tis Industry supj)lies " The little Temperance wants ; and rosy Health ** Sits smiling- at the board." Sicily and Malta. 167 You will begin to think 1 am in danger of turning poetical in these classic fields; — I am sure I neither suspected any of the mountains we have passed to be Parnassus; nor did I believe any one of the Nine foolish enough to inh:jbit them, except Melpomene perhaps, as she is so fond of tragical faces : however, I shall now get you out of them as soon as possible, and bring you once more into the gay world. I jssure you, I have often w'isjhed that you could have lent me your muse on this expedi- tion ; my letters would then have been more worth the reading ; but you must take the will for the deed. After travelling till about midnight, we arrived at ano- ther miserttble villa.t>;e, where we slept for some hours on straw, and continued our journey again by day-break. We had the pleasure of seeing the rising sun from the top of a pretty high mountuin, and were delighted with the prospect of btrombolo, and the other Lipari islands, at a great distance from us. On our descent from this mountain, we found ourselves on the banks of the sea, and took that road, preferable to an inland one, although several miles nearer. We soon lighted from our mules, and plunged into the water, which has ever made one of our greatest pleasures in this expedition ; nobody that has not tried it, can conceive the delight of this ; after the' fatigue of such a journey, and passing three days without undressing. Your friend Fullarton, though only seven- teen, but whose mind and body now equally despise every fatigue, found himstlf strong as a lion, and fit to begin such another march. We boiled our tea-kettle under a fig-tree, and eat a breakfast that might have served a company of strolling playeis. The approach to Palermo is fine. The alleys are planted with fruit-trers, and large American aloes in full blow. — Near the city we passed a place of execution, where the quarters of a number of robbers were hung up upon hooks, like so many hams ; some of them ap- peared newly executed, and made a very unsightly figure. On our arrival, we learned that a priest and three others had been taken a few days ago, after an obstinate de- fence, in which several were killed on both sides ; the priest, rather than submit to his conquerors, plunged his hanger into his breast, and died on the spot ; the rest submitted, and were executed. 168 A Tour through As there is but one inn in Palermo, we were obnge(y to agree to their own terms (five ducats a-day). We are but indifferently lodged ; however, it is the only inn we have yet seen in Sicily, and, indeed, may be said to be the only one in the island. It is kept by a noisy trou- blesome French woman, who, I find, will plague us : there is no keeping her out of our rooms, and she never comes in without telling us of such a prince and such a duke, that were so superlatively happy at being lodged in her house; we can easily learn, that they were all des- perately in love with her; and indeed she seems to take it very much amiss, that we are not inclined to be of the same sentiments. I have already been obliged to tell her, that we are very retired sort of people, and do not like company. I find she does not esteem us the better for it ; and this morning (as I passed through the kitchen without speaking to her) I overheard her exclaim, " Ah, mon . Diau ! comme ces Anglois sont sauvages.'* I be- lieve we must take more notice of her, otherwise we shall certainly have our rent raised ; but she is as fat as a pig, and as ugly as the devil, and lays on a quantity of paint on each of her swelled cheeks, that looks like a great plaster of red Morocco. Her picture is hanging in the room where I am now writing, as well as that of her hus- band, who, by the by, is a ninny ; they are no less vile curiosiiies than the originals. — He is drawn with his snuff-box open in one hand, and a dish of cpffee in the other; and at the same time,/a«V C amiable a madame.'-^l took notice of this triple occupation, which seemed to im- ply something particular. She told me that the thought was hors » that her husband was exceedingly fond of snuff and of coffee, and wanted by this to shew, that he was still more occupied with her than with either of them. — I could not help applauding the ingenuity of the conceit. Madame is painted with an immense bouquet in her breast, and an orange in her right hand, emblematic of her sweetness and purity; and has the prettiest little smirk on her face you can imagine. She told me, that she insisted on the painter drawing her avec le nouris aur le visage^ but as he had not esfirit enough to make her smile naturally, she was obliged to force one, " qui •n*etoit pas tout-a-fait m jolie que le nature!, mais qui vau- drojt toujours mieux que dnbicur etoit un homme comme il faut ;'* at the same linje trip- ping off on her tiptoes, as light as a feather, to shew nic- how much I had been mistaken. This woman made me recollect (what I h:ive always observed) how little the manners of the French are to be changed by their con- nection with other nations; allowing none to be in any degree worthy of imitation but their own. Although she has now been here these twenty years, she is still as per- fectly French, as if she had never been without the gates of Paris; and looks upon every woman in Palermo with the utmost contempt, liecause they have never seen that capital, nor heard the sul)lime music of its opera. She is likewise (allowing for the diff^^rence of rank) an admirable epitome of all French women, whose universal passion has ever been the desire of admivalion, and of appearing; young: and ever would be, I b' licve, were they to live to the age of a thousand. Any person that will takt^ u look of the withered death's heads in thpir public places, covered over with a thick mask of paint, will btr convinced of thi'j — Now, our old ladies, when ihcy get to the wrong side of sixty, generally take a jump up to the borders of fourscore, and appear no less vain of iheir years than ever they were of their youth. I know some of them, that I am sure are not less happy, nor less contented, nor (\ might almost add) less ndmiied with their wrinkleg^ Q 170 ji Tour through than ever they were with their dimples. I do not know whether a cheerful old woman, who is willing to appear so, is more re?;pectable, or more estimable ; or a withered witch, who fills up every wrinkle with varnish, and at fourscore attempts to give herself the bloom of four and twenty, is ridiculous and contemptible : — but as dinner is on the table, I shall leave it to you to determine. Adieu. LETTER XXII. Palermo^ June 23. T SHALL have a great deal to write you about this city 5 ^ we are every day more delighted with it, and shall leave it with much regret. We have now delivered our letters, in consequence of which we are loaded with civi- lities, and have got into a very agreeable set of acquaint- ance. — But I shall first attempt to give you some little idea of the town, and then speak of its inhabitants. It is by much the most regular I have seen, and is built upon that plan which, I think, all large cities ought to follow. The two great streets intersect each other in the centre of the city, where they form a handsome square, called the Ottangolo, adorned with elegant uni- form buildings. From the centre of this square you see the whole of these noble streets, and the four great gates of the city which terminate them ; the symmetry and beauty of which produce a fine effect The whole of these are to be magnificently illuminated some time next month, and must certainly be the finest sight in the world. The four gates are each at the distance of about half a mile (the diameter of the city being no more than a mile) : these are elegmt pieces of architecture, richly adorned : particularly the Porta J^ova and Porta Felice^ terminating the great street called the Corso^ that runs tiouth-west and north-east The lesser streets in general run parallel to these great ones , so that from every part 9f the city, in a few minutes walking, you are sure to Sicily and Malta, 171 arrive at one of the capital streets. The Porta Felice (by much the handsomest of these gates) opens to the Marino^ a delightful walk, which constitutes one of the great pleasures of the nobility of Palermo. Il is bounded on one side by the wall of the citvj and on the other by the sea; from whencp, even at this scotching season, there is always an ag»eenble brevze. In the centre of ihe Marino they have lately erected an tUtgant kind of temple, which during the summer months is made use of as an orchestra for music ; and as in this season they are obliged to convert the night into day, the concert does not begin till the clock strikes midnight, which is the signal for the symphony to strike up: at that time the walk is crowded with carrii'ges and people on foot ; and the beitcr to favour pleasure and intrigue, there is an order, that no person, of whatever quality, shall presume to carry a light with him. The flambeaux are extinguish- ed at the Porta Felice, where the servants wi^ii for the return of the carriages ; and the companv gt^nerally con- tinue an hour or two together in utter darkness ; except when the intruding moon, with her horns and her chasti- ty, comes to disturb them. The concert finishes about two in the morning, when, for the most part, every hus- band goes home to his own wife. This is an admirable institution, and never produces any scandal: no husbv.nd is such a brute as to deny his wife the Marino; and the ladies are so cautious and circumspect on their side, that the more to avoid giving offence, they very often put on masques. Their other amusements consist chiefly in their Crn- versaziones^ of which they have a variety every night. There is one general one, supported by the subscription of the nobility, which is open every evening at eight, and continues till midnight, when the music begins. It better deserves the name of a conversation than any I have seen in Italy ; for there the people really come to converse — whereas, in Italy they only go to play at cards and eat ices. I have observed, that seldom or never one half of the company is engaged in pliy ; nor do they either play long or deep. There are a number of apartments belong- ing to this conversation, illuminated with wax lights, and kept exceedingly cool and agreeable; and it is indeed altogether one of the most sensible acd comfortable in- I r2 A Tour fhrduoli ^' stitutions I have seen : besides thif , there are j^pncrallv S number of pailicular conversations every night, anti what will a good deal sin prise you, these are always held in the apartments of the lying-in l^^idies ; for in this happy climate, child-bearing is divested of all its terror?, and is only considered as a party of pleasure. This circnm- stance we were ignorant of, till t'other n.ornirg The D ike of Verdura, who does us the honours of the place, ■with great attention and politeness, can e to tell ns, we had a vi-it to make, that was indispensable. " The Prin- cess Patcrna (said he) was broiiglit to bed last night ; and it is absolutely incumbent on you to pay vour respects to her this evening'* At first I tlicught he was in joke, but he assured me he was serious, and that it would be ]ot;ked upon as a great unpoliteness to neglect it. — Accornii^gly we went about sun-set, and found the princess setting up in her bed, in an elegant undress, with a number of her friends around her. She talked as usual, and seemed to be perfccily well. This conversation is repeatv'^-d every night during her convalescence, which generally lasts for about el 'ven or twelve days. This custom is univerFal, and as the ladies here are very prolific, there are for the most part three or four of these assemblies going on in the city at the same time ; possibly the Marino n)ay not a little cont?ibute towards them. Tiie Sicilian ladies marry at thirteen or fourteen, and are sometimes grandn^others before they are thirty — The Count Stctela presented us a few days ago to his cousin, the Princess Partana, who he told us had a great num'jer of children, the eldest of which was a very fine girl of fiDeen. We talked to the princess for half an hour, not in the least doubting all the time that she was the (daughter, till at last the young lady can.e in ; and even then, it was not easy to say which appeared the hard- Romest or the youngest. This bdy has had twelve chil- dren, and is still in her bloom ; she assured nr.e that she never enjoyed more perfect health than svhcn she was in child-bed ; that during the time of her pregnancy she was ofien im'isposed, but that immediately on delivery she was cured of all her complaints, and was capiiblc of enjoy- . ing the comp.my of her friends even nore than at any o- ther lime. I expressed my surprise at this very singular happiness of their climate or constiluuons ; but she ap- Sicily and Malta. 173 peared still more surprised when I told her that we lost many of our finest women in childbed, and that even the most fortunate and easy deliveries were attended with \iolent pain and anguish. She lamented the fate of our ladies, and thanked Heaven that she was born a Sicilian, What this singularity is owing to, let the learned de- termine ; but it is surely one of the capital blessings of these climates, where the curse that was laid upon mother Eve seems to be entirely taken off: I don't know how the ladies here have deserved this exemption, as they have at least as much both of Eve and the serpent as ours have, and still retain their appetite, as strong as ever, for forbid- den fruit: — It seems hard, that in our own country, and in Swhzerland, where the women in general are the chastest in Europe, that this curse should fall the heaviest : it is probably owing to the climate : — In cold, but more par- ticularly in mountainous countries, births are difficult and dangerous ; in warm and low places they are more easy ; the air of the first hardens and contracts the fibres, that of the second softens and relaxes them. In some places in Switzerland, and amongst the Alps, they lose almost one half of their women in childbed, and these that can afford it, often go down to the low countries some weeks be- fore they lie in, and find their deliveries much easier. — One may easily conceive what a change it must make upon the whole frame, to add the pressure of a column of air of two or three thousand feet more than it is accus- tomed to: and if muscular motion is perform.ed by the pressure of the atmosphere, as some have alleged, how much must this add to the action of every muscle I — However, if this hypothesis were true, our strength should have been diminished one-third on the top of ^£tna, which did not appear to be the case ; as we had passed through one-third of the quantity of air of the whole atmosphere. I have often thought that physicians pay too little attention to these consideraiions , and that in skilful hands they might be turned to great acccount, in the cure of many diseases : they only send their pa- tients to such a degree of latitude, but never think of the degree of altitude in the atn»osphere. Thus, people with the same complaints are sent to Aix and to Marseilles, al- though the air in these iwo places must be essentially different. Marseilles is 4)h the level of the sea, and Aix. Q3 174 A Tour through (as I myself measured it) is near six hundred feet above it. — Now I am persuaded, that in such a country as SAvit- zerland, or on such a mountain as iEtna, where it is easy at all times to take off a pressure from the human body of many thousand pounds weight, that an ingenious phy- sician might make great discoveries ; nor indeed would these discoveries be confined to the changing of the quan- tity of air that presses on the body, but would likewise be extended to the changing of the quality of the air we breathe ; which, on the side of JLtna, or any very high mountain, is more varied than in travelling through fifty degrees of latitude. I beg pardon for this digression ; the only amends I can make, is to put it out of my power to trouble you with any more, ajud thus abruptly assure von ho\T much, Sec. LETTER XXIII. Palermo^ June 26. OUR fondness for P^alermo increases every day, and we are beginning to look forward with regret ta ihe time of our leaving it, which is now fast approach- ing. We have made acquaintance with many sensible and agreeable people. The Sicilians appear frank and sincere ; and their politeness does not consist in shew and 5:rimace, like some of the polite nations of the continent. The viceroy sets the pattern of hospitality, and he is fol- lowed by the rest of the nobles. He is an amiable, agree- able man, and, I believe, is aa much beloved and esteem- ed as a viceroy to an absolute monarch can be. He was in England in his youth, and is still fond of many of our authors, with whom he seems to be intimately acquainted; he speaks the language tolerably well>and encourages the learning of it amongst his people. — He may be consider- ed with regard to Naples, as what the lord lieutenant of Ireland is with regard to England, with this trifling dif- ference, that, like his master, he is invested with absolute authority j and keeps his parliament (for he has one too) Sicily and Malta . 1 75 in the most perfect subjection. The patriots here, al- though a very numerous body, have never been able to gain one point, no nor a place, nor even a pension for a needy friend. Had Lord Townshend the power of the Marquis Fogliano, I suppose your Hibernian squabbles (of which we hear so much, even at this distant corner) would soon have an end. — Notwithstanding this great authority, he is affable and familiar, and makes his house agreeable to every body. We go very often to his as- semblies, and have dined with him several times ; his table is served with elegance and magnificence, much superior indeed to that of his Siciliam majesty, who eats off a service of plate, at least three hundred years old, very black and rusty indeed : I heard a gentleman ask one day, whilst we were standing round the table, if it had not been dug out of Herculaneum. That of the vice- roy is very elegant, and indeed the whole of his enter- tainments correspond with it; though we have as yet seen nothing here to be compared to the luxury of our feast in the granary at Agrigentum. The Sicilian cookery is a mixture of the French and Spanish ; and the Olio still preserves its rank and dignity in the centre of the table, surrounded by a numerous train of fricasees, fi icandeaus, ragouts, and pet de loups ; like a grave Spanish don amidst a number of little smart mar- quises. — The other nobility, whom we have had occasion to see, are likewise very magnificent in their entertain- ments ; but most particularly in their desserts and ices, of which there is a greater variety than I have seen in any other country. They are very temperate with re- gard to wine ; though, since we have taught them our method of toasting ladies, they are fond of it, and of hob and nobing with their friends, ringing the two glasses together j this social practice has animated them so much, that they have been sometimes led to drink a greater quantity than they are accustomed to ; and they often re- proach us with having made them drunkards. In their ordinary living they are very frugal and temperate ; and from the sobriety we have seen here, we are now more persuaded that the elevated situation of Agrigentum must be one great cause of its drunkenness. The Sicilians have always had the character of beinr^ very amorous, and surely not without reason. Th^ 176 A Town through whole nation are poets, even the peassnts ; and a man stands a poor chance for a mistress, that is not capable of celebrating her praises. I believe it is generally allowed, that the pastoi'al poetry had its origin in this iskiid : and Theocritus, after whom they still copy, will ever be look- ed upon as the prince of pastoral popts. And indeed in music too, as well as poetry, the soft, amorous pieces, are generally styled Siciliani ; these they used to play all night under their mistresses* windows, to express the delicacy of their passion ; but serenading is not now so much in fashion as it was during the time of their more intimate connexion with Spain, when it was said by one of their authors, that no person could pass for a man of gallantry that had not got a cold ; and was sure never to succeed in making love, unless he made it in a hoarse voice. The ladies are not now so rigid, and will some- times condescend to hear a man, even although he should speak in a clear tone. — Neither do they any longer re- quire the prodigious martial feats that were then neces- sary to win them. — The attacking of a mad bull, or a wild boar, was reckoned the handsomest compliment a lover could pay to his mistress ; and the putting these animals to death softened her heart much more than all the sighing love sick tales that could be invented. This has been humorously ridiculed by one of their poets. — He says that Cupid's little golden dart was now changed into a massy spear, which answered a double purpose ; for at the same time that it pierced the tough bull's hide, it likewise pierced the tender lady's heart. But these Gothic customs are now confined to Spain, and the gentle Sicilians have re-assumed their softness. To tell you the truth, gallantry is pretty much upon the same footing here as in Italy ; the establishment of Ciccisbees is pretty jy^^nerul, though not quite so universal as on the continent. Ho^vvver, a breach of the marriage vow is no longer look* ed upon as one of the deadly sins; and the confessors fall upon easy and pleasant enough methods of making them atone for it. The husbands are content ; and, like able gen ^rals, make up for the loss of one fortress by the taking of another However, female licentiousness has by no means come to such a height as in Italy. We have seen a great d^al of domestic happiness } husbands and wives that truly love one another, and whose mutual Qar§ Sicily and Malta 177 and pleasure is the education of their children. I could name a number; — the Duke Verdiira, the Prince Par- tana, the Count Buscemi, and many others, who live in the most sacred union. Such sights are very rare rn ihe continent. But indeed the style that young people are brought up in here, seems to lay a much more solid fnundaiion for mairinionial liappinf.-sf, than either in France or Italy. The young htdies are not shut up in <:onvents till the day of their marriage, but for the most p irt live in ihc house with their parents, where they re- ceive th( Ir ef'ucaiion, and are every day in company with th(ir friends and relations. Frrm wliat I can obseive, I ihitik ihey are all' wed alnicst as much liberty as with us. In therr o;rcal assfmbiies we often sec a club of young pf'ople (of both sexes) get togciher in a corner, and amuse thf niselves for hours, at cross purposes or such like gam.e«, withrDut the mothers b« ing under the least anxi- ety ; iniieed, we sometimes join in these liltle parties, and find them extremicly entertaining. In gcnerid, they are quick and lively, and have a nunriber of those jtujc (Tesfirit^ which, I think, must ever be a proof, in nil coun- tries, of the familiar intercourse beluixt the young peo- ple of the two sexes ; for all these games are insipid, if they are not seasoned by something of that invisible and subtile agency, which renders every thing more interest- ing in these mixed societies, than in the lifeless ones, composed of onlv one part of the species. Thus, in Italy, Spain, and Portugal,.! have never seen any of these games; in France seldom, but in Switzerland (where the greatest liberty and familiuriry are enjoyed amongst the young people) they are numberless. But the conver- sation hour is arrived, and our carriage is waiting.—* Adieu. T LETTER XXIV. Palermo^ June 2S. HERE are two small countries, one to the east, ih^ other to the west of this city, where the principaf 17» A Tour through nobility have their country palaces Both these we have visited ; there are many noble houses in each of them. That to the east is called La Bagaria ; that to the west, II CoUe. — We are this instant returned from La Bd^aria, and I hasten to j^ive you an account of the ri^li^ ulous things we have seen, though perhaps you will not thank me for it. The palace of the Prince of Valg^uanera is, I think, by much the finest and most beautif'il of all the houses of the B igaria ; but it is far from bei; ,e: the most extraor- dinary : were I to describe it, I should only tell you of things you have often seen and heard t)f in other coun- tries, so I sh^ll only spe; k of one. which, for its singular- ity, certainly is not to be parnlleled on the face of the earth ; it belongs to the Prince of P a man of im- mense fortune, who has devoted his whole life to the stu- dy of monsters and chimeras, greater and more ridiculous than ever entered into the imagination of the wildest writers of romance and knight-errantry. The amazing crowd of statues that surround his house, appear at a distance like a little army drawn up for its defence ; but when you get amongst them, and every one assumes his true lifceness, you imagine you have got into the regions of delusion and enchantment ; for of all that immense group, there is not one made to represent any ob- ject in nature ; nor is the absurdity of the wretched ima- gination that created them less astonishing than its won- derful fertility. It would require, a volume to describe the whole, and a sad volume indeed it would make. He has put the heads of men to the bodies of every sort of animal, and the heads of every other animal to the bodies of men. Sometimes he makes a compound of five or six animals that have no sort of resemblance in nature. He puts the head of a lion to the neck of a goose, the body of a lizard, the legs of a goat, the tail of a fox. On the back of this monster, he puts another, if possible still more hideous, with five or six hea^ls, end a bush of horns, that beats the beasts in the Revelations all to nothing. There is no kind of horn in the world that he has not collected ; and his pleasure is to see them all flourishing upon the same head. This is a strange species of mad- ness ; and it is truly unaccountable that he has not been shut up many years ago j but he is perfectly innocentj ^cihj and MaHa, 179 and troubles no one by the indulgence of his frer.zy ; on the contrary, he gives bread to a nun.brr of statuaries and other workmen, whom he rewards in proportion as they can bring their imagination to coincide with his o\ n ; or, in other words, according to the hideousness of the monsters they produce. It would be idle and tiresome to be particular in an account of these absurdjtit^s. The statues that adorn, or rather deform the grei^t avenue, and surround the court of the palace, amount already to six hundred, notwithstanding which, it may be truly said, that he has not broke the second commandment ; for of all that number, there is not the IJkeness of any thing in heaven above, in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. The old ornaments, which were put up by his father, who was a sensible man, appear to have been in a good taste. They have all been knocked to pieces, and laid together in a heap, to make room for this new creation. The inside of this enchanted castle corresponds exactly with the out ; it is in every respect as whimsical and fan- tastical, and you cannot turn yourself to any side, where you are not stared in the face by some hideous figure or other. Some of the apartments are spacious and magni- ficent, with high arched roofs; which, instead of plaster or stucco, are composed entirely of large mirrors, nicely joined together The effect that these produce (as each of them make a small angle with the other), is exactly that of a multiplying glass ; so that when three or four people are walking below, there is always the appear?inre of three or four hundred walking above. The whole of the doors are likewise covered over with small pieces of mirror, cut into the most ridiculous shapes, and inter- mixed with a great variety of chrys'al and glass of differ- ent colours. All the chimney-pieces, windows, and side- boards, arecro.vded with pyramids and pillars of tea-pots, caudle-cups, bowls, cups, saucers, Sec strongly cemented together; some of these columns are not without their beauty : one of them has a large china chamber-pot for its base, and a circle of pretry little flower-pots for its capital ; the shaft of the column, upwards of four feet l"ng, is composed entirely if tea-pots of different sizes, diminished gradually from the base to the capital The profusion of china that has been employed in forming 180 A Ton?' through these columns is incredible ; I dare say there is not less than forty pillars and pyramids formed in this strange fan- tastic manner. Most of the rooms are paved with fine marble tables ©f different colours, that look like so many tomb-stones. Some of these are richly wrought with lapis luz'.ili, por- phyry, and other valuable stones ; their fine polish is now gone, and they only appe ir like common marble ; the pi ice of •hrs'^ beautiful tables he has supplied by a new «et of his own iuvention, some of which are not without th ir merit These are mads of the finest tortoise-shell, mixed with m.ither of pearl, ivory, and a variety of metals; and are mounted on fine stands of solid brass. The windows of this enchanted castle are composed of a variety of ghss of every different colour, mixed without anv sort of order or regularity : Blue, red, green, yellow, purple, violet. So that at each window, you may have the heavens and earth of whatever colour you choose, only by looking through the pane that pleases you The liouse clock is castd in the body of a statue; the eyes of the figure move v.'iih tlie pendulum, turning up their white and black alternately, and make a hideous ap- pearance. Ilis bed-chamber and dressing-room are like two apart- ments in Noah's ark ; tht-re is scarce a beast, however vile, that he has not placed there; toarls, frogs, serpents, li- zards, scorpions, all cut out in marble, of their respective colours. There are a j5;ood many busts too, that are not less singularly imagined. — Some of these make a very handsome profile on one side ; turn to the other, and you have a skeleton ; here you see a nurse with a child in her arms ; its back is exactly that of an infant ; its face is that of a wrinkled old woman of ninety. For some minutes one can hiugh at these follies, but indignation and contempt soon get the better of your mirth, and the laugh is turned into a sneer. I own I was soon tired of them ; though some things a»-e so strangely fiincied, tl^.at it may well excuse a little mirth, even from the most rigid cynic. The family statues arc charming ; they have been done from some old pictures, and make a most venerable ap- pearance ; he has dressed them out from hfad to foot in nwy and elegant suits of majble ; and indeed the efiect Sicily and Malta, 181 it produces is more ridiculous than any .thinp: you can conceive. Their shoes are all of black maible, their stockings generally of red; their clothes are of different colours, blue, green, and variegated, with a rich lace of giall* antique. The periwigs of the men and head dresses of tho ladies are of fine white; so are their shirts with long flowing ruffles of alabaster. The walls ol the house are covered with some fine basso relievos of white mar- ble, in good taste ; these he could not well take out or alter, so he has o^.ly added imnnense frames to them. — Each frame is composed of four large marble tables. The author and owner of this singular collection is a poor miserable lean figure, shivering at a breeze, and seems to be afraid of every body he speaks to ; but (what surprised me) I have heard him talk speciously enough on several occasions. He is one of the richest subjects in the island, and it is thought he has not laid out less than L 20.000 in the creation of this world ol monsters and chimeras. — He certainly might have fillen upon some way to prove himself a fool at a cheaper rate — However, it gives bread to a number of poor p'^oph , to whom he is an excellent master. His house at P .lermo is a good deal in the same style ; his carriages are cover- ed with plates of brass, so that I really believe some of them are musket proof. rhe goveinment have had serious thoughts of demo- lishing the regiment of monsters he has placed round his house ; but as he is humane and inoffensive, and as this would certainly break his heart, they have as yet forborne. However, the seeing of them by women with child is said to have been already attended with very unfortunate circumstances ; several living monsters having been brought forth in the neighbourhood. The ladies com- plain that they dare no longer take an airing in the Ba- garia; that some hideous form always haunts their ima- gination for some time af'er : their husbands too, it is said, are as little satisfied wit'i the great variety of horns. — Adieu. I shall write you ag?.in by next post, as mai* t^r multiplies fast upon me in this metropolis. Ever yours.. 18Q A Tour throng fl LETTER XXV. Palermo, June 30. THE account the people give us here of the Siroccj or south-east wind, is truly wonderful; to-day, ^t the viccroy*s we were complaining of the violence of the heat, the thermometer being at seventy-nine. They assured us, that if we staid till the end of next month, we should probably look on this as pleasant cool weather; adding, that if we had once experienced the Sirocc, all other weather will appear temperate. — 1 asked to what degree the thermometer commonly rose during this wind ; but found to my surprise, that there was no such instrument in use amongst them : however^ the violence of it, they assure us, is incredible ; and that those who had remained many years in Spain and Malta, had never felt any heat in those countries to compare to it. — How it happens to be more violent in Palermo than in any other part of Sicily, is a mystery that siill remains to be unfolded. Several treatises have been written on this subject, but none that give any tolerable degree of satis- faction. As we shall stay for some time longer, it is pos- sible we may have an opportunity of giving you some account of it. They have begun some weeks ago to make prepara- tions for the great feast of St. Rosolia ; and our friends here say ihey are determined that we shall nol leave them till after it is over; but this 1 am afraid will not be in our power. The v/arm season advances, and the lime v/e appointed for our return to Naples is already elapsed ; but indeed, return when we will, we shall' make but a bad exchange; and \Yere it not for those of our own coun- try whom we have left behind us, we certainly should have determined on a much longer stay- But although the society here is superior to that of Naples, yet, — call it prejudice — or call it what you v. ill, theie is aje ne *^ai <]uoi>t — A certain confidence in the character, the worth and friendship of our own people, that I have seldom felt any where on the continent, except in Switzerland. This Sicihj and Malta, 188 sensation, which consiitutes the charm of society, and can alone render it supportable for any time, is only in- spired by something anulopjous and synjpathctic in our feelinj^s and seniiments ; like two instruments that are in unison and vibrate to each other's touch ; for society U a concert, and if the instruments are not in tin,c, there never can be harmony ; and (to carry on the metaphor) this harmony too must sometimes be htiehtened and sup- ported by the introduction of a discord; but where dis- cords predominate, which is often the case between an English and an Iiaiiyn mind, the music must be wretched indeed. Had we but a little m.ixture of our own society, how gladly should wc spend the winter in Sicily : but we often think with regret on Mr. Hamilton's and ]Mr. Wal- ter's families ; and wish again to be on the continent. — Indeed, even the pleasures we enjoy here, we owe prin- cipally to Mr. Hamilton ; his recommendations we have ever found to be the best passport and introduction ; and the zeal and cordiality with which these arc al-vays re- ceived, proceeds evidently not from motives of deference and respect to the minister, but of love and affection to the man This morning we went to see a celebrated convent of Capuchins, about a mile without the city ; it contai.-.s nothing very remarkable but the burial place, which in- deed is a great curiosity. This is a vast subterraneous apartment, divided into large commodious galleries, the walls on each vde of which are hollowed into a variety of niches, as if intended for a great collection of statues ; these niches, instead of statues, are all filled with dead bodies, set upright upon their legs, and fixed by the back to the inside of the niche : their number is rbout three hundred ; they are all dressed in the clothes they usually ■\vore, andjform a most respectable and venerable assem- bly. The skin and niuscles, by a certain preparation, become as dry and hard as a piece of stockfish; and al- though many of them have been here upwards of two hundred and fifty years, yet none are reduced to skele- tons ; the muscles, indeed, in some appear to be a good deal more shrunk than in others ; probably because these persoiis had been more extenuated at the time of their death. Here the people of Palermo pay daily visits to their 184 A Tour throv^k i^' deceased friends, and recal with pleasure and regret the scenes of their past life: here they familiarize themselves with their future state, and choose the company they would wish to keep in the other world. It is a common ihing to make clioice of their niche, and to try if their body fits it, that no alterations may be necessary after they are dead ; and sometimes, by way of a voluntary pe- nance, they accustom themselves to stand for hours in Uiese niches. TtU' bodies of the princes and first nobility are lodged in handsonie chests or trunks, some of them richly a- domed : these are not in the shape of cofBns, but all of one width, and about a foot and a half or two feet deep. The keys are kept by the nearest relations of the family? who sometimes come and drop a tear over their departed friends. I am not sure if this is not a better method of disposing of the dead than ours. These visits must prove admirable lessons of humility ; and I assure you, they are not such objects of horror as you would imagine : they are said, even for ages after death, to retain a strong likeness to what they were when alive ; so that, as soon as you have conquered the first feeling excited by these venerable fi.^ures, you only consider this as a vast gallery of original portraits, drawn after the life, by the justest and most unprejudiced hand. It must be owned that the colours iiro rather faded ; and the pencil does not Lppear to have been the most fldttering- in the world ; but no matter, it is the p'^iucil of truth, and not of a mercenary, who oi>}y wants to please. VVe weie alleging too, that it miglit be made of very considerable uiility to society ; and that these dumb orators c.uld give the most pathetic lectures \ij)on pride and vanity. Whenever a ftUow beg^n to strut, like Mr B. or to affect the haughty supercilious air, he should be sent to converse with his friends in the gdl^ry; and if their arguments did not bring him to a proper way of thinking, I would give him up as incor- rigible. At Bologna they shewed us the skeleton of a celebrated beauty? who died at a period of life when she was still the object of universal admiraiidn. By way of making atonement for her own vanity, she bequeathed herself as a monumeRt, to curb the vanity of others. Recolleciing ^cily and Malta-. 18^ oil her death-bed the great adulation that had been paid to her charms, and the fatal change they were soon to undergo, she ordered that her body should be dissected, and her bones hung up for the inspection of all young maidens who are inclined to be vain of their beauty -*- However, if she had been preserved in this moral gallery, the lesson would have been stronger ; for those very fea- tures that had raised her vanily would still have remain- ed, only divested of all their power, and disarmed of every charm. Some of the Capuchins sleep in these galleries every night, and pretend to have many wonderful visions and revelations j but the truth is, that very few people believe them. No woman is ever admitted into this convent either dead or alive ; and this interdiction is written in large characters over the gate. The poor indolent Capuchins, the frailest of all flesh, have great need of such precau- tions : they have no occupation from without, and they have no resources within themselves ; so that they must be an easy prey to every temptation : Bocaccio, and all the books of that kind, are filled with stories of iheir frailty. — Yesterday, dining at the Prince of Sperlinga's, and talking on this subject, the Abbe T gave us an anecdote of a friend of his, who was formerly a brother of this convent. He is known by the name of Fra Pas- qual, and has passed through many singular scenes of life, which it would be too long to recount. His last migra- tion, or, if you will, transmigration, was from one of the banditti of this kingdom, in which capacity he had been enrolled for some time ; but, tired of the danger and fatigue to which he was perpetually exposed, he at last determined to exchange the character of the hero for that o5 the saint, and try if it was not both safer and surer to rely on thtf weakness of oihers than on our own strength. Fra Pasqual pretended a strong compunction for the transgressions of his past life, and made a promise to the Virgin, that the remainder of it should be spent in mor- tification and penance, to atone fv)r them. To this end Pasqual took the vows of poverty and of chastity, and en- tered into all the rigours of the monastic life, tor some weeks he behaved in a most exemplary m^inncrj he went 11 2 18^ A Tour ihroii^i i2' barefooted, wore a large rosary, and a thicker cord of discipline thun any monk in ihe convent ; and his whole deportment gave testimony of the most unfeigned re- pentance : however, the devil was still at work in the heart of P:isqual, and all these external mortifications only made him woi k the harder ; in short, he found it impossible to drive him out: Pasqual was sensible of tliis ; and afraid lest the enemy should at last get the better of hin;, he thought it advisable to have at Palermo the character of sanctity he had acquired, and begin some- where else upon a new score He embark: d for Naples, where he was soon admitted into a Capuchin convent. As Pasq\i:il knew from experience, that the dull uni- formity cf the monastic life required some liitle amuse- ments to render it supportable, the first thing he set about was to find a mistress. He made love to a lady of easy virtue, who soon admitted his addresses, but at the same time informed him, tliat he had a formidable rival, who was jealous as a tyger, and would not fail to put them both to death, should he discover the intrigue. This was no other than a lifeguard-man, a fellow of six feet two inches, with a vast spada, like that of Goliah, i.nd a mon- strous pair of curled whiskers, that v/ould have cast a damp on the heart of any man but Fra. Pasqual ; but the monastic life had not yet enervated him ; he v/as accus- tomed to danger, and loved a few difficulties ; however, us in his present character he could not be on a footing with his rival, he thought it best only to make use of pru- dence and stratagem to supplant him: these are the ec- clesiastical arms, and they have generally been found loo bard for the military. Th# lady promised him an interview so soon as the ocurt should go to Portici, where the lifeguard man's duty obliged him to attend the king. Pasqual Wcited with impatience for sonic time ; at last the wished-for night arrived; the king set off, after the opera, with all his guards. Pasqual flew like lightning to the arms of his mistress; the preliminaries were soon settled, and the happy lovers had just f.illen asleep, when they were sud- denly alarmed by a rap, and a well-known voice at the door. The lady started up in an agony of despair, assur- ing Pasqual that they were both undone ; that this was her loy«r; and if. some expedien^t was not fallen upon>iEU Sicily atid Malta. IS^^ the first transports of his fury, he would certainly put them both to death. There was no time for if flection j the lifeguard-man denianded entrarxe in the most pe- remptory manner, and the lady was oblit^ed to instant compliance. Pasqual had just time to gather his rags together, and cram himself in below the bed ; at that in- stant the door opmed, and the giant came it, rattling his arms, and storming at his mistress, for having made him wait so long; however, she soon pacified him. He then ordered her to strike a light, that he might see to un- dress : — this struck Pasqual to the soul, and he gave him- self up for lost ; however, the lady's address saved him, when he least expected it. In bringing the tinder, she took care to let fall some winter into the box ; and all the beating she and her lover could beat, they could not pro- duce one spark. £very stroke of the flint sounded in Pasqual's ears like the death-knell ; but when he heard the lifeguard-man swearing at the tinder for not kindling, he began to conceive some hopes, and blessed the fertile invention of woman.— Thu lady told him he might easily get a light at the guard, which was at no great distance. Pasqual's heart leaped with joy; — but when the soldier answered that he was absent without leave, and durst not be seen, it again began to flag ; but on his ordering her to go — it died within him, and he now found him.self in greater danger than ever. The lady herself was discon- certed ; but quickly recovering, she told him, it would be too long before she could get dressed; but advised him to go to the corner of a neighbouring street, where there was a lamp burning before the Virgin Mary, who could have no objection to his lighting a candle at it. Pasqti&l revived ; but the soldier declared he was too much fa- tigued with his walk, and would rather undress in the dark ; he at the same tin>e began to grope below the bed for a bottle of liquors, which he knew stood there. — Pas- qual shook like a Quaker, — however, still he escaped. The lady observing what he was f-bout, njade a spring, and got him the bottle, at the very instant he was within an inch of seizing Pasqual's head. The lady then went to bed, and told her lover, as it was a cold night, she would warm his place fcr him. Pasqual arinined her ad- dress, and began to conceive some hopes of escaping. His situation was tl)e most irksome in the world j the. 188 A Tour through '£>' bed was so low» that he had no room to move; and when the great heavy lifeguard-man entered it, he found him- self squeezed down to the ground. He lay trembling and stifling his breath for some time, but found it absolutely impossible to support his situation till morning ; and in- deed, if it had, his clothes, which were scattered about, must infallibly discover him : he therefore began to think of making his escape; but he could not move without alarming his rival, who was now lying above him. At first he thought of rushing suddenly cut, and throwing himself into the street ; but this he disdained, and on se* cond thoughts, determined to seize the lifeguard-man*s sword, and cither put him to death, or make an honour- able capitulation both for himself and the lady. In the midst of these reflections, his rival began to snore, and Pasqual declares that no music was ever so grateful to his soul. He tried to stir a little, and finding that it did not awi-ike the enemy, he by degrees worked himself out of his prison. He immediately laid hold of the great spada; — when all his fears forsook him, and he felt as bold as a lion. He now relinquished his dastardly scheme of escaping, and only thought how he could best retaliate on his rival, for all that he had made him suff*er. As Pasqual was stark naked, it was no more trouble to him to put on the soldier's clothes than his own ; and as both his cloak and his cappouch together were not worth a sixpence, he thought it most eligible to equip himself a la militaire, and to leave his sacerdotal robes to the soldier. In a short time he was dressed cap-a-pie. His greasy cowl, his cloak, his sandals, his rosary, and his rope of discipline, he gathered together, and placed on a chair before the bed ; and girding himself with a great buff belt, instead of the cordon of St. Francis, and grasp- ing his trusty toledo instead of the crucifix, he sallied forth into the street. He pondered for some time what scheme to fall upon ; and at first thought of returning in the character of another lifeguard-man, pretending to have been sent by the officer with a guard in quest of his companion, who not being found in his quarters, was sup- posed to have deserted ; and thus, after having made him pay heartily for all that he had suff'ered under the bed, to leave him to the enjoyment of his panic,^and the ele- gant suit of clothes he hitd provided Uim» However, he Sicll^ and Malta. 189 was not satisfied with this revenge, and determined on one still more solid. He went to the guard, and told the officer that he had met a Capuchin friar, with all the en- signs of his sanctity about hin, skulking through tlie streets in the dead of night, when they pretend to be employed in pra\er for the sins of mankind That prompted by curiosity to follow him, the holy friar, as he expected, went straight to the house of a celebrated courtezan ; that he saw him adn itted. and listened at the window till he hcarcj ihem go to bed together; that if he did not find this inforn.atif n to be true, he should resign himself his prisoner, and submit to whatever punishment he should this-k proper. The officer and his guard delighted to have such a hold of a Capuchin, (who pretend to be the very models of sanctity, and who revile in a particular manner the licentious life of the military), turned out with the ut- iTiost alacrity, and, under the conduct of Pasqual, sur- rounded the lady's house. Paaqu^l began thundering at the door, and demanded entrance for the (officer and his guard. I'he unhappy soldier waking with the noist, and not doubting that it was a detachment sent to seizn him, gave himself up to despair, and instantly took shelter in the very place that Pasqisal had so lately occupied ; at the.same time laying hold of all the things he found on the chair, never doubling that they were his own clothes. As the lady was srn.evhat dilatoty in opening the door, Pasqual pretended to put his fool to it, when up it flew, and entering with the officer and his guard, demanded the body of a Capuchin friar, who they w-. re informed lodged with Ijer that night. The lady had heard Pasqual go our, and having no suspicion that he would inform against himself, she protested her innocence in the most solemn mannet , taking all the saints to wit- ness that she knew no such perscn : but Pasqual, sus- pecting the retreat of the lover, began grc ping br-low the bed, and soon pulled out his own greasy cowl and cloi k ; — " Here (said he to the cfficer) — here are proofs enough ; I'll answer for it, Signor Padre himself is at no great distance.'* — And putting his nose below the bed — ' Fogh (says he) I snrell him , — he stinks like a fox. The surest method of finding a Capuchin is by the nose ; you may wind him a mile off." Then lowering their lanthorn, they 190 A Tour tkrougU beheld the unfortunate lover squeezed in betwixt the bed and the ground, and almo'^t stifled — " Ecco lo (said Pas- qual) here he is, with all the ensigns of his holiness ;" and pulling them out one by one, — the crucifix, the ro- sary, and the cord of discipline, — " You may see (said he) that the reverend fuiher came here to do penance ;" and taking up the cord, — " Suppose now we should as- sist him in this meritorious work. Andiamo^ Signer Fa- dre^ — andzamc. — VVe will save you the trouble of in- flicting it yourself; — and whether you came here to sin,' or to repent, by your own maxims, you know, a little sound discipline is healthful to the soul." The guard were lying round the bed in convulsions of laughter; and began breaking the most galling and most insolent jokes upon the supposed padre. The lifeguard man thought hirnself enchanted. He at last ventured to speak, and declared they were all in a mistake: — that he was no Capuchin : — upon which the laugh redoubled, and the coarsest jokes were repeated. The lady, in the mean time, with the best dissembled marks of fear and asto- nishment, ran about the room, exclaiming — Oime Siamo fierduti. — Siamo incantaii^ — Siamo insorccleti** — Pasqual, delighted to see that hi5 plan had taken its full effect, thought it now time to make his retreat before the un- fortunate lover could have an opportunity of examining his clothes, and perliaps detecting him : he therefore pretended regimental business* and regretting much that he was obliged to join his corps, took leave of the officer and his guard ; at the same time recommending by all means to treat the holy father with all that reverence and respect that was due to so sacred a person The lifeguard-man, when he got cut from below the 'bed, began to look about for his clothes; but observing nothing but the greasy weeds of a Capuchin friar, he was nov/ perfectly convinced, that Heaven had delivered him over, for his offences, to the power of some demon ; (for of all mortals the N'eapolitan soldiers are the most super- stitious) — The lady too, acted her part so well, that he had no longer any doubt of it — '• Thus it is (said he in a penitential voice) to offend heaven ! — I own my sin — I kne-,v it was Friday, and yet — O flesh, flesh! — Had it l#een any other day, I still should have remained what I Sicilij and Malta. 191 Was. O) St. Gennaro ! I passed thee* too without pay- iiii; the cue resptci: thy all-seeing eye has found mc out Gentivmen, do viih me what you please: I am not ■what I seem lo be*' '' No, no, (said the officer) we are sensible of that- But come, Signor Padre, on uiih your garnicnt*?, and march ; — we have no time to trifle. Here, corporal — (i^iving him the cordon) tie his hi-nds, and let hiin i"er-l the weight of St Francis. I'he saint owes him tiicii, for having so imprudently denied him for his master." The poor soldier was perfectly passive ; —I hey arrayed him in the sandals, the cowl, iir.d the cloak of Fra Pasqual, and put the great rosary about his neck ; and a most woeful figure he made. The officer made hi.u look in the glass, to try if he could recollect hi.T.self, and asked if he was a Capuchin now op not — He Wris shocked at his own appearance ; but bore every thing with meekness and resignation. They then con- ducted him to the guard, belabouring him all the way with the cord of St. Francis, and asking him every stroke, if he knew his master now. In the mean time, Pasqaal was snug in his convent, enjoying the sweets of his adventure. He had a spare oloak and cowl, and was soon equipped again like one of the holy fathers : he then took the clothes and accou- trements of the lifeguard-man, and laid them in a heap, near the gate of another convent of Capuchins, but at a great distance from his own, reserving only to himself a trifle of money which he found in the breeches pocket, just to indem.nify hiin for the loss of his cloak and his cowl : and even this, he says, he should have held sacred, but he knew whoever should find the clothes would make lawful prize of it. The poor soldier remained next day a spectacle of ri- dicule to all the world ; at last his companions heard of his strange metamorphosis, and came in troops to see him ; their jokes were perhaps still more galling than those of the guard, but as he thought himself under the finger of God, or at least of ht. Januarius, he bore all with meekness and patience ; at last bis clothes were * A celebrated etatue of St. Januaiius, betwiit Portici aai "Kaples.. 19^ A Tour through found, and he was set at liberiy ; but he believes fo this day, that the whole v. as the work of the devil, sent to chdsiise him f >r his sins ; and has never since seen his mistress on a Friday, nor p-tssed the statue of St. Janua- lius without muttering a prayer. Fra Pasqual has told the story to several of his most intimate friends, whom he can depend on, amongst whom is the Abbe T-t-i, who has often had it from his own mouth. 1 beg pardon for this long story ; had I suspected that it would have run out to half this length, I assure you I should not have troubled you with it. Perhaps, however, you will ti^ink this apology precisely the most unneces- sary, and most imptninent part of it all. This is often the fate of apologies, particularly for long letters : First, because it i\lwdys makes them longer \ — Secondly.— Hey- day 1 where are we going now? To return then to our subject. We had no sooner left the Capuchin convent, than our carri .ge broke down, long before we reached the city : and as walking (at Palermo as well as Naples) is of all things the most disgraceful, we lisked by^this unfortunate accident to have our characters blasted for ever. H.iwever, Philip, our Sicilian servant, took care to make such a noise about it, that our dignity did not much suffer. He kept a little distance before us, pest- ing and blasting all the way at thejr cursed crazy carri- ages ; and swearing that there never was any thing in the world so infamous; that in a cify like Palermo, the capital of all Sicily, Signori of our rank and dignity should be obliged to walk on foot ; that it must be an eternal refl.ction against the place, — and bawled out to every person he met, if there was ro coaches to be had; no carriages of any kind, either for love or money. In short, we had not got half through the street, before we had several offers from gentlemen of our acquaintance, "Who lamented exceedingly the indignity we had suffered, and wondered much, that we did not rather send forward a servant for another coach, and wait (in the heat of the sun) till it arrived This is not the only time that Philip's wi's have been of service to us on such occasions. A few nights ago we hid a dispute with our coachman ; turned hin» off, and had not provided another. We were unfortunately en- gaged to go to the gprcat conversation. What was to be Sicily and Malta, 19S tlonef — No such thing as walkincj. — Should we be caught in the fact, we are disgraced for ever. — It would be worse than to be caught in that of adultery. — No ahernalive, however. There was not a coach to be had, and our old coachman would not serve us for one night only. — Philip made sad wry faces, and swore the coachman rught to be crucified ; — but when he saw us Lenten walking, he was slill more distressed ; and 1 really believe, if we h d been discovered- that he would not have served us any longer. He therefore set his wits to w'^ik hov/ he should pre- serve both his masters* honour and his own place. lie at fiist hesitated, before he would take up the fl-imbeau ; but he would by no means be prevailed on to light it.— ** What. (said Philip) do you think I have no more regaid for you, than to expose you to the eyes of the whole world ? No, no, gentlemen ; if you will bring yourselves to disgrace, you shall net at least make me the agent of shewing it : but remember, if you are observed walking, no mortal will believe you ke< p a coach ; and do not ex- pect after that to be received into company ?" — " Well, well, Philip, do as you please, but we must go to the con- versation." — Philip shrugged up his shoulders — '' Dia^ boh — die faremo I ^ndiaino dujique Signori — andiamo'^ So saying, he led the way, and we followed. Philip had studied the geography of the town; he con- ducted us through lanes only known to himself, and care<- fully avoided the great street ; till at last we arrived at a little entry, which leads to the conversation rooms ; here the carriages usually stop. We slipt up the entry in the dark; when Philip, darting into a shop, lighted his flam- beau in an instant, and came rushing before us, bawling out — '' Piazza ficr gli Signori sorresiieri ;^'' — when all the world immediately made way for us. After we had got into the rooms, he called so loud after us, asking at what lime he should order the coach to return, that, overcome partly by risibility, and partly by a consciousness of the deceit, not one of us had power to answer him. Philip, however, followed us. and repeated the question so often, that we were obliged to give him a reply, " a mezzo notte." At midnight he came to tell us that the coach was ready We were curious to see how he would be- have on this occasion ; for it was not half so difficult to get ill unobserved, as to get out : however, Philip's ge- 194 A Tour ihrougk nius was equal to both. As soon as we got into the entry, he ran to the door, bawling out Antonio, as hard as he could roar. No Antonio answered ; — and unfortunately, there was a number of gentle«»en and ladies going away at the same time. They begged of us, as strangers, to step first into our carriage, and absolutely refused to go before us. Philip was sadly puzzled —He first ran up the street, then he ran down, and came back all out of breath, cursing Antonio. " That rascal (said he) is ne- ver in the way, and you must turn him off. He pretends that he could not get up his coach to the door, for the great crowd of carriages; and is waiting about fifty yards below. Vostri Eccellenzi had better step down (said Philip) otherwise you will be obliged to wait here at least half an hour.** We took leave of the company, and set off. Philip ran like a lamp-lighter, till he had almost passed the carriages, when dashing his flambeau on the ground, as if by accident, he extinguished it, and getting into a narrow lane, he waited till we came up ; when he •whispered us to follow him, — and conducted us back, by the same labyrinth we had come ; and thus saved us from eternal infamy. However, he assures us, that he will not venture it again for his place. Now, what do you think of a nation where such preju- dices as these prevail? It is pretty much the case all over Italy. An Italian nobleman is ashamed of nothing so much as making use of his legs. They think their dignity augmented by the repose of their members ; and that no man can be truly respectable, that does not loll away one half of his time on a sofa, or in a carriage. In short, a man is obliged to be indolent and effeminate, not to be despised and ridiculous What can we expect of such a people ? Can they be capable of any thing great or manly, who seem almost ashamed to appear nien ! — I own, it surpasses my comprehension ; and I bless my stars every time I think of honest John Bull, even with all his faults. Will you believe me, that, of all that I have known in Italy, there are scarce half a dozen that have had fortitude enough »o subdue this niost contemptible of all human prejudices ? The pvince of Campo l^ranco too in this place, is above it. He is a noble fellow, and both in his person and character, greatly resembles our late ..worthy friend, General Craufurd. Sicily and Malta. 195 He is a major-general too, and always dresses in his uniform, which still increases the resemblance. Every lime I see him, he says or does something that recalls strongly to mind the idea of our noble general. He laughs at the follies of his country, and holds these wretched prejudices in that contempt they deserve — " What would the old hardy Romans think (said he, talking on this subject) were they permitted to take a view of the occupations of their prageny ? I should like to see a B^'utus or a Cassius amongst us for a little : — how the clumsy vulgar fellows Wf uid be hooted I dare say they would soon be glad to return to the shades again " Adieu ; — for some nights past we have been observing the course of a comet ; and as we were the first people here that took notice of it, I assure you, we are locked upon as very profound astronomers. I shall say more of it next letter. We have now got out of our abominable inn, and have taken a final leave of our French landlady. The Count Bushemi, a very amiable young man, has been kind enough to provide us a lodging on the sea- shore ; one of the coolest and most agreeable in Palermo. Ever yours, £cc. LETTER XXVI. Palermo ^ July 2. OUR comet is now gone ; we first observed it on the 24th. It had no tail, but was surrounded with a faintish ill-defined light, that made it look like a bright star shining through a thin cloud. This, in all probabi- lity, is owing to an atmosphere, around the bodvofthe comet, that causes a refraction of the rays, and prevents them from reaching us with that distinctness we observe in bodies that have no atmosphere. We were still the more persUaded of this two nights ago, when we had the good fortune to catch the comet just passing close by a f^& A Tour through small fixed star, whose light was not only considerably dif.'.ned, but we thought we observed a sensible change ©f place in the star, as soon as its rays fell into the atmos- phere of the comet ; owing no doubt to the refraction in passing thrrugh that atmosphere. We attenspred to trace the line of the comet's course, but as we could find no globe, it was not possible to do it with any degree of precision. Its direction was almost due north, and its velocity altogether an.azing. We did not (b^erve it so minutcrly the two or three first nights of its appearance, but on the 30th it was at cur zenith here, (latitude 38 10 ; longitude fiom London 13) i>bout five minutes after mid- night ; and last night, the first of July, it passed fnul' degrees to the east of the polar star, nearly at 40 minutes afier eight. So that, in less than 24 hours, it has de- scribed a great arch in the heavens, upwards of 50 de- grees ; which gives an idea of the most amazing velocity. Supposing it at the distance of the sun, at this rate of travf.lHng. it would go round the earth's orbit in less than a week: which uK:kes, 1 think, considerably more than 60 ntillions of miles a-day ; a motion that vastly surpasses all human comprehension. And as this motion continues to be greatlv accelerated, what nmsi it be, when the co-. met approaches still nearer to the body of the sun I Last night a change of place was observable in the space of r fev/ minutes, particularly when it passed near any of the fixed stars. We attempted to find if it had any observa- ble parallax, but the vast rapidity of its motion always prevented us ; for whatever fixed stars it was near in the horizon, it had got so far to the north of them, long before it reached the meridian, that the parallax, if there was any, entirely escaped -us. I shall long much to see the observations that have been made with you, and in other distant countries, on this comet ; as from these, we shall probably be enabled to form some judgmetit of its distance from the earth : which, although we could observe no paralhx, I am apt to beli-ve was not very great, as its motion was so very perceptible. We could procure no instruments to mea- sure its apparent distance from any of the fixed stars, so that the only two observations any thing can be made of, are, the time of its passing the polar star last night, its distance from It, and the time of its arrivtil at our z^^nith Sicily and Malta. 197 on the SOlh; this we found by applyipg our eye to a strai^jht rod, hung perpendicularly from a small thread. The comet was iioi in the exact point of the zenith, but to the best of our observation about six or seven ir.inutes to the north of it. Last night it was visible almost im- mediately after sun-set ; long before any of the fixed stars appeared. It is now immersed in the rays of the sun, and has certainly got very near his body. If it returns again to the regions of space, it will probably be visible in a few days, but I own I should much doubt of any such return, if it is really by the attractive force of the sun that it is at present carried with such amazing celerity towards him. This is the third comet of this kind, whose return I have had an opportunity of watching ; but never was fortunate enough to find any of them after they had passed the sun ; though those that do really return, ap- pear at that time much more luminous than before they approached him. The astronomy of comets, from what I can remember of it, appears to be clogged with very great difficulties, and even some seeming absurdities. It is difficult to con- ceive, that these immense bodies, after being drawn to the sun wi'h the velocity of a million of miles in an hour ; when they have at last come almost to tcucii him, should then fly off from his body, with the same velocity ihcy ap* proacli it ; and that too, by the power of this very motion that his attraction has occasioned — Tiie dcm.onstralion of this I remember is very curious and ingenious : but I wish it may be entirely free from sophistry. No doubt, in bodies moving in curves round a fixed ccnuc, as the cen- tripetal motion increases, tlic centrif\:gal one increases likewise ;— but how this motion, wliicli is only generated by the former, should at last get the better rf the power that produces it ; and that too, at the" very time this power has acquired its utmost force and energy, seems some- what difficuk to conceive. It is the only insti'nce I know, wherein the effect increasing regularly with the cause, at last, whilst the cause is still acting with full vigour, the effect entirely gets the better of the cause, and leaves it in the lurch. For, the body attracted, is at last carried away with infinite velocity from the attiticting body — ^ By what pov.'cr is it carried away ? AVhy, say our philo- sophers, bv the very power of this attraction, which has S 2. -y*;"* %** 198 A Tour through now produced a new power superior lo itself, to wit, the centrifugal force. However, perhaps all this may he re- concileable to reason ; far be it from me to presume at- tacking so glorious a system as that of attraction. The law that the heavenly bodies are said to observe, in de- scribing equal areas in equal times, is supposed to be de- monstrated, and by this it would appear, that the centri- petal and centrifugal forces alternately get the mastery of one another. However, I cannot help thinking it somewhat hard to conceive, that gravity should always get the better of the centrifugal force, at the very time that its action is the smallest, when the comet is at its greatest distance from the sun ; and that the centrifugal force should get the better of gravity, at the very time that its action is the greatest, wlien the comet is at its nearest point to the sun. To a common observer it would rather appear, that the sun, like an electric body, after it had once charged the objects that it attracted with its own effluvia or atmos- phere, by degrees loses its attraction, and at last even repels them : and, that the attracting power, like what we likewise observe in electricity, does not return again till the effluvia imbibed from the attracting body is dispelled or dissipated ; when it is again attracted, and so on alter- nately. For it appears (at least to an unphilosophical observer) somewhat repugnant to reason, to say that a body flying off from another body, some thousands of miles in a minute, should all the time be violently attract- ed by that body, and that it is even by virtue of this very attraction that it is flying off from it. He would probably ask, what more could it do, pray, were it really to be re- pelled ? Had the system of electricity, and of repulsion as well as attraction, been known and established in the last age, I have little doubt that the profound genius of Newton would have called it to his aid ; and perhaps accounted in a more satisfactory manner for many of the great phe- nomena of the heavens. To the best of my remembrance, we know of no body that possesses, in any considerable degree, the power of attraction, that in certain circum- stances does not likewise possess the power of repulsion. The magnet, the tourmalin, amber, glass, and every elec- trical substance. Now, from analogy, as we find the sun Sicity and Alalia. 1 99 so powerfully endowed with attraction, why may we not likewise suppose him to be possessed of repulsion ? In- deed, this very power seems to be confessed by the New- tonians to reside in the sun in a most wonderful degree ; for they assure us he repels the rays of light with such amazing force, that they fly upwards of 80 millions of miles in seven minutes. Now, why should be confine this repulsion to the rays of light only? As they are material, may not other matter brought near his body, be affected in the same manner ? Indeed, one would ima- gine, that their motion alone would create the most vio- lent repulsion ; and that the force, with which they are perpetually flowing from the sun, would most efiectually prevent every other body from approaching him ; for this we find is the constant effiect of a rapid stream of any other matter. But let us examine a little more his efi'ects on comets. The tails of these bodies are probably their atmospheres, rendered highly electrical, either from the violence of their motion, or from their proximity to the sun — Of all the bodies we know, Uiere is none in so con- stant and so violent an electrical state, as the higher re- gions of our own atmosphere. Of this I have long been convinced ; for, send up a kite with a small wire about its string, only to the height of 12 or 1300 feet, and at all times it will produce fire, as I have found by frequent ex- perience ; sometimes, when the air was perfectly clear, without a cloud in the hemisphere ; at other times, when it was thick and hazy, and totally unfit for electrical ope- rations below. Now, as this is the case at so small a height, and as we find the effect still grows stronger, in proportion as the kite advances, (for I have sometimes observed, that a blast of wind, suddenly raising the kite about an hundred feet, has more than double the effect) what must it be in very great elevations ? Indeed, we may often judge of it from the violence with which the clouds are agitated, from the meteors formed above the region of the clouds, and particularly from the aurora borealis, which has been observed to have much the same colour and appearance as the matter that forms the tails of comets. Now what must be the cff'ect of so vast a body as oup atmosphere, made strongly electrical, when it happers to approach any other body ? — It must always be either- aoo A Tour through VD' violently allracted or repelled, according to the positive or negative quality (in the language of electricians) of the body that it approaches. It has ever been observed that the tails of comets (just as we should expect, from a very light fluid body, attached to a solid heavy one) are drawn after the comets, as long as they are at a distance from the sun ; but so sooh as the comet goes near his body, the tail veers about to that side of the comet that is in the opposite direction from the sun, and no longer follows the comet, but continues its motion sideways, opposing its whole length to the medium through which it passes, rather than allow it in any degree to approach the sun. Indeed, its tendency to follow the body of the comet is still observable, were it not prevented by some force superior to that tendency ; for the tail is always observed to bend a little to that side from whence the comet is flying. This, perhaps, is some proof too, that it does not move in an absolute vacuum. When the comet reaches its perihelion, the tail is gjenerally very much lengthened, perhaps by the rare- fraction from the heat ; — perhaps by the increase of the sun's repulsion, or that of his atmosphere. It still con- tinues proje-cied. exactly in the opposite direction from the sun ; and when the comet moves ofi* again to the regions of space, the tail, instead of following it, as it did on its approach, is projected a vast way before it, and still keeps the body of the comet exactly opposed betwixt it and the sun : till by degrees, as tile distance increases, the length of the tail is diminished j the repulsion i^robu- bly becoming weaker and weaker. It has likewise been observed, that the length of these tails arc commonly in proportion to the proximity of the comet to the sun. That of 1680 threw out a train that v/ould almost have reached from the sun to the earths If this had been attracted by the sunj would it not have fallen upon his body ? when the comet at that time was not one-fourth of his diameter distant from him; but in- stead of this, it was darted away to the opposite side of the heavens, even with a greater velocity than that of the comet itself. Now, what can this be owing to, if not to a repulsive power in the suU; or his atmosphere ? A'kI, indeed, it would at first appear but little less ab- sord to say,, that the tail -of the comet is all this time- Sicily ami Malta, ^01 violenlly attracted by the sun, although it be driven away in an opposite direction from him, as to si^y the san^e of the comet itself. It is true, this repulsion seems to begin much sooner to affect the tail than the body of the co- met ; which is supposed always to pass the sun before it begins to fly away from him, which is by no means the cast with the tail The repulsive force, therefore, (it there is any such), is in a much less proportion than the at- tractive one, and probably just enough to counterbalance the latter, when these bodies are in ttieir perihelions, and to turn them so m\ich aside, as to prevent their falling into the body of the sun. The projectile force they have acquired will then carry them out to the heavens, and repulsion probably diminishing as they recede from the sun*s atuK^^^phere, his attraction v/ill again take place, and retard their motion regularly, till they ai rive at their apht li?i, when thty once more begin to return to him. I don*i know how you will like all this: — Our comet has ltd me a dance I very little thought of; and 1 believe I should have dene better to send it at once into the sun, and had done with it : and thtii. indeed, I am apt to believe, will br its fate. For as tl.is camet has no tail, there is, of consequence, no apparent repulsion. If it was repelled, its atmosphere, like the others, would be driven away in the opposite direction from the sun ; I therefore do not see any possible method it has of escaping. These comets are certainly bodies of a very different nature from those with tails, to which, indeed, they ap- pear to bear a much less resemblance than they do to planets i' and it is no small proof of the little progres we have rnade in the knowledge of the universe, that they have not as yet been distinguished by a different name. This is the third kind of body that has been discovered in our system, that all appear essentially different from each other, that are probably regulated by different laws, and intended for very diffiirent purposes. — How much will posterity be astonished at our ignorance, and wonder that this system should have existed for so many thou- sand years, before v/e were in the least acquainted with one half of it, or had even invented names to distinguish its different rsenbers I I have no doubt, that in future ages, the number of the con^.ets, the form of their orbi'.?, ar.d time of their 20^ A Tour through revolutions, will be as clearly demonstrated as thai of* the planets. It is our countryman, Dr. Huller, who has be^uii this great work wliich may be consitlered just now as in its earliest inf mcy. These bodit-s too, with thick a^aiosphcres, but without tails, will likewise have their propf^r places ascertained, ai.d will no longer be confound- ed with bodies to which they bear no resemblance or connection. Comets with tails have seldom been visible, but on their recess from the sun. It is he th.'t kindles them up, and gives them that alarming appearance in th/ heavens. On the contrary, those without tails have seldom, per- haps never bt^en observed, but on their approach to him. I don*t recollect any whose return has been tolerably well ascertained. 1 remember, indeed, a few years ago, a small one, that was said to have been discovered by a te- lescope, after it had passed the sttn. but never more be- came visible to the naked eye This assertion is easily made, and nobody can contradict it ; but it does not at all appear pr ib^ibU-, that it should have been so much less luminous after it than passed the sun, than before it ap- proached him ; and 1 will own to you, when I have heard that the return of these comets had escaped the eyes of the most actite astronomers, I have been tempted to think that they did not return at all, but were absorbed in the body of the sun, which their violent motion to- wards hi.m seemed to indicate — Indeed, I have often wished that this discovery might be made, as it would in some measure account for what has yet been looked upon as unaccountable : that the sun, notwithstanding his daily waste, from enlightening the universe, never appears diminished either in size or light. Surely this waste must be Immense, and were there not in nature some hidden provision for supplying it, in the space of six thousand years, supposing the world to be no older, the planets must have got to a much greater distance from his body, by the vast diminution of his attraction ; they must likewise have moved much slower, and consequently the length of our year must have been greatly increased.— Nothing of all this seems to be the case : the diameter of the sun is the same that ever it was : he neither appears diminished, nor our distance from him increased : his light, heat, and attraction, seem to be the same as ever ; Sicily and Malta, SOS and the motion of the planets round him is performed in the same time; of consequence, his quantity of matter still continues the same. H^w then is the vast waste s\ipplied ? Miy there not be millions of bodies attracted bv him. fronr) the honndloss regions of space, that are ne- ver perceived by us? Con e^s, on their road to hin^,have several limes bren accidentally discovered by telescopes, that were never seen by the naked eye. Indeed, the number of black spots on the sun seem to indicate that there is always a quantity of matter there, only in a pre- paration to ^ive light, but not yet refined and pure enough to throw off rays like the rest of his bod\ . For I think we can hardly conceive, that any matter can remain long on the body of the sun without becoming luniinous ; and so we find these spots often disappear, that is to s-y, the matter of which they are conposed is then perfectly melted, and has acquired the same degree of heat and light as the rest of his body. Even in our glass-hoiises, and other very hot furnaces, most sorts of matter very soon acquire the same colour and appearance as the mat- ter in fusion, and emit rays of light like it. But how much more must this be the case at the surface of the sun! when Newton computes that even at many thousand miles distance from it, a body would acquire a degree of heat two thousand times greater than that of red-hot iron. It has generally been understood, that he said the great comet really did acquire this df gree of heat ; but thi> is certainly a mistake : Sir Isaac's expression, to the best of my remembrance, is, that it night have acquired it. And if we consider the very great size of that body, and the short time of its perihelion, the thing will appear im- possible ; nor indeed do I think we can conceive, that a body onlv as large as our eatth, and the spots on the sun are often much larger, could be reduced to fusion even on this surface, but after a very considerable space of time. Now, as it seems to be universally supposed, that the rays of light are re. 11. particles of matter, proceeding from the b<^dy of the sun, I think it is absolutely neces- sary th'U we should fall upon some such method of send- ing him back a supply of those rays, otherwise, let his stock be ever so great, it must at last be exhausted. I wish astronomers would observe whether the spots '204 A Tour through on the sun are not increased after the appearing of thcst? comets; and whether these spots do not disappear again by degrees, like a body that is gradually melted down in a furnace. But there is another consideration too, which naturally occurs : pray, what becomes of all this vast ijnantity of matter after ii is reduced to light ? Is it ever collected agwdn into solid b(;dies ; or is it for ever lost and dissipated, afier it has made its journey fron) the sun to the object it illuminatf s ? It is somewhat strange, that of all ih.\t immense qiianiity cf matter poured down on us during the day, that pervades and fills the whole universe; the moment we are deprived of the luminous body, the whole of it, in an instimt, seen.s to be annihi- lated : — in shortf there are a number of difficulties at- tending the common received doctrine of light ; nor do I think there is any point in natural philosophy the solu- tion of which is less satisfactory. If we suppose every ray to be a stream of particles of matter, darting from the luminous body, how can we conceive that these streams may be intersected and pierced by other streams of the same matter ten thousand thousand diflerent ways, without causing the least confusion either to the one or the other ? Vq\\ in a clear night we see distinctly any particular star that vre look at, although the rays coming from that star to our eye i': pierced for millions of milts before it reaches us, by n;illions of streams of the same rays, from every other sun and star in the universe. Now suppose, in any other matter that we know of, and one "Would imagine there ought at least to bv» some sort of analogy ; suppose, I say, we should only attempt to make two streams pass one another; water, for instance, or air, one of the purest and most fluid substances we are ac- quainted with, we find it totally impossiblo. The two streams will mutuallv interrupt and incom.ncde one ano- ther, and the strongest will ever carry off »he weakest into its own direction ; but if a stream of light is hit by ten thousand other streams, moving at the rate of ten millions of miles in a minute, it is not even bent by the impression, nor in the smallest degree diverted from its course ; bat reaches us with the same precisi municates motion to no body that obstrucis us pis«age, and no body whatever is removed by the percussion.— iSupp'jsing we had never heard of this discovery, and "Were at once to be told of a current of niatter flying at the rate of ten millions of miles in a minute, and so hrge as to cover one half of our globe, would we not imagine that the earth must instantly be torn in pieces by it, or carried off with the most incredible velocity ? It will be objected, that tbe extreme minuteness of the paniclts of light prevents it from having any such effect; — but as these particles are in such quantity, and so close to each other as to cover the surface of every body ihat is opposed to them, and entirely fill up that vast space betwixt the earth and the sun, this objection 1 should think in a great measure falls to the ground. Thr- particles of air ard of water are likewise exti;enieiy minute, and a sn»all qi:an- lity of these will produce little or no cfft-ct, but increase their number, and only give them the millionth part of the velocity that is ascribed to a ray of light, and no force whatever could be able to withstand iheu). Adieu. — I have unwarily run my self into the very deeps of philosophy ; and find it rather diffirult to struggle out again — I ask your pardon, and promise, if possible, for the future, to steer quite clear of them. I am sure, what- ever this comet may be to the universe, it has been au ignis fatuus to me ; for it has led me strangely out of my road, and bewildered me amongst rocks and quicksands, where I was like to stick fifty times. I have iorgot whether or not you are a rigid Newtcnian ; if you are, I believe I had better recant in lim.e, foi fear of accidents. I know this is a very tender point ; and have seen many of those gentlemen, who are good Chris- tians too. that can bear with much n»ore ten)per to hear the divinity of our Saviour calk d in question, than that of Sir Isaac ; and look on a Cartesian or a Ptolomaean a$ a worse species of infidel than an atheist I rentember, when I was at college to have seen a heretic to their doctrine of gi'avity very suddenly con- verted by being tossed in a hlii.kct ; and another, who denied the law of centripetal at d centrifugal forces, soon brought to assent, from having the demonstration made T ^06 A Tour through upon his shoulders, by a stone whirled at the end of a strincj. These are powerful arguments, and it is difficult to withstand them — 1 cry you mercy. I am without reach of you at present, and you are heartily welcome to wreck your vengeance on my letter. LETTER XXVir. Palermo^ July 6. MANY of the churches here are extremely rich and magnificent. The cathedral (or, as they call it, Aladre Chirsa^ is a venerable Gothic building, and of a large size; it is supported within by eighty columns of oriental granite, and divided into a great number of chapels, some of which arc extrem>ely rich, particularly that of St. Rosolia, the patroness of Palermo, who is held in greater veneration here, than all the persons of the Trinity, and, which is still more, than even the Virgin Mary herself. The relics of the saint are preserved in a' large box of silver, curiously wrought, and enriched with precious stones. They perform many miracles, and arc looked upon as the greatest treasure of the city. They are esteemed the most effectual remedy against a plague, and have often preserved them from that fatal distemper. The saint gained so much credit, in saving them from the last plague of Messina, although it was at two hiuidred miles distance, that they have, out of gra- titude, erected a noble monument to her. St. Agaiha did as much for Catania, but that city has not been so gene- rous to her. — The other riches of this church consist principally in seme bones of St. Peter, and a whole arm of St John tiie Baptist. — There is likewise a jaw-bone of prodigious efficacy ; and some other bones of lesser note. It contains some things of smi.lh^r consequence, which, however> are not altogether without their merit. The monuments of their Norman kings, several of whom lie buried here, arc of the fin-st porphyry, some of them A Tour through ^Of near s€ven hundred years old, and yet of very tolerable workmanship. Opposite to these, there is a tabernacle of lapis lazuli. It is about fifteen feet high, and finely ornamented. Some of the presents made to St. Rosolia are by no means contemptible. A cross of very large brilliants, from the king of Spain, is, 1 think, the most considerable. The Sachristie too is very rich : there are some robes embroidered with oriental pearl, that are near four hun- dred years old, and yet look as fresh as if done yesterday. k The Jesuits' church is equal in magnificence to any thing I have seen in Italy. The genius of those fathers appears strong in all their works; one is never at a loss to find them out They have been grossly calumniated; for they certainly had less hypocrisy than any other order of monks. The Chiesa del Pallezzo is entirely incrusted over with ancient mosaic ; and the vaulted roof too is all of the same. — But it is endless to t;dk of churches. Here are upwards of three hundred. That of Monreale, about five miles distant from this city, is the next in dignity in the island, afier the cathedral of PaleniiO. It is nearly of the sauve size, and the whoh- is incrusted with mosaic, at an incrediDle exp-nce. Here are likewise several porphyry and marble monuments of the first kings rf Si- cily. This cathedral was built by king William the Guod. whose memory is still held in great veneration among^;t the Sicilians The archbishop of Monreale is already looked upon as a saint, and indeed ht- deserves beatification better, I be- lieve, than most of those in the calendar. His income is very great, of which he reserves to himself just as much as procures himselfclothcs, and the simpltsi kird of food; all the rest he devotes to charitable, pious, and public uses He even seems to curry this too far, and phal car. From the size of it, one would imagine it were for ever to remain in the spot where it is erected ; but they assure us, it is to be drawn in triumph through the city. It is indeed mounted upon wheels, but it does not appear that any force what- ever can be able to turn them. I own my curiosity increases every day to see the singular exhibition. The car is already higher than n.ost houses in Palermo, and they are still adding to its height. But the part of the show they value themselves the most on. is the illumination of the great church ; this they affirm is superior to any thing in the world ; the illu:r,ina- tion of St. Peter's itself not excepted The preparations for it are indeed arnuzing These were begun about a month ago, and will not be finished till towards the last days of the leist. The whole of the cathedral, both roof and walls, is tmiirelv covered over with mirror, intern ix- ed with gold and silver paper, and an infinite variety of artificial fioweis. All these are arranged and di^pjbed, in my opinion, with great taste and eleguncc : none of them predoTiinatef, but they are inlenningled every where in a just proportion. Every altur, cuapel, and column are fi'iished in the samf manner, which takes c fp from tht- littleness of the particulir ofiiaa ems, md e;ives an air of gr.-ndeur and unifor aity to ihc wLole. Tne roof is hun^ with innu- me'ible lust cs fill:: with wax cjndles, and, 1 am ptr- sund .'I, >vhen lh« whol;; is iighfd up, it niust be equal to duv pl<^e either m liio 1" iry T,des or the Arabian NigatrS Lattiiainmeiiis. iiideed it seems pretty much in T 2 210 A Tour through the sa:T\c style too, for all is gold, silver, and precioua stones. The saints are dressed out in all their glory, and the fuiry queen herself was never finer than is St Rosolia. The p( opi ' are lying yonder in crowds before her, pray- ini; with ail their might. I dare say, for one peiiiion of- fered to God Almighty, she has at least an hundred. We were just now remarking, with how Utile respect they pass the chapels dedicated to God ; they hardly deign to give a iiillc inclination of the head i but when they come near t})ose of their favourite sain'.s, they bow down to t)ie very ground : Ignorance and sup-c-rstiticn have ever been inseparable : — 1 beliave in their hearts they think he has alre.idy reigned long enough ; and would be glad to have a change in the governnicnt : — i.nd every one of them (like the poor Welchman who thought he sh(/uld be succeeded by Sir Watkin Williams) is fully per- suaded, that his own favourite saint is the true heir ap- parent. Indeed they already give them the pre^jjcdency on most occasions ; not in processions and affdirs of eti- quette : there they think it would not be decent; but in I heir more private aftairs, they generally pay the com- pliment to the saint: Yet in their inscriptions on churclies and chapels (which one would think are pub- lic enough) when they are dedicated to God and any par- ticular saint, they have often ventured to put the name of the saint first — Sancto Jai^uario, et Deo vJpi Max. ta- Iting every opportunity of raising their dignity, though at the expeiicc of that of God himself. LETTER xxvnr. Palermo^ July 7. I HAVE been inquiring who this same St. Rosolia may be, who has become so very capital a personage in this part of the world ; but notwhhstanding their adoring her with such fervency, I have found none that can give any tolerable account of her saintship. They refer you to the most fabulous legendsj that even differ widely in Sicily and Malta. i21i their accounts of her. And. after all the offerinc^s they have made, the churches ihey have built, and nionumcnts they have raised to her memory, I think it is far from bemg improbable, that there really never did exist such a person. I went through all the booksellers* shops, but could find nothiripo- ncnts. Silly books, thut have been writtt-n by weyk wtli- meaning aicn, in defence of religion, i am confident have m d'" iUMie infi'icU 'hun all ilie works of Bolingbsuke, Shaftesbury, or even V'okdire himself: they only want to Sicily and Malta, 218 lilake people believe that there are some ludicrous thingj to be said against it ; but these grave plodding blockheuds do all they can to persuade us, that there is little or no- thing to be said for it. The universal error of thess gentry is, that they ever attempt to explain, and reconcile to sense and reason those very mysteries that the first principles of our religion teach us are incomprehensible ; and f)f consequence neither objects of sense nor reason — I once heard an ignorant priest declare^ that he did liOt find the least difficulty in conceiving the mystery of the Trinity, or that of the Incarnation; and that he would undertake to make thetn plain to the meanest capacities. A gentleman present told him, he had no doubt he could, to all such capacities as his own. The priest took it as a compliment^ and made him a bow. Now, d'-n't you think, that a few such teachers as this must hurt religion more by their zeal, than AX its opponents can by their wit ? Had these heroes still kept behind the bulwarks of faith and of mystery, their adversaries nevei could have touched them ; but they have been foolish enough to abandon these strong holds, and dared them forth to com- bat on the plain fields of reason and of sense A sad piece of generalship indeed: such defenders must ever ruin the best cause But although the people of education here despise the wild superstition of the vu!gar, yet they go regularly to mass, and attend the ordinances with great respect and decency ; and they are much pleased with us for our con- formity to their customs, and for not appearing openly to despise their rites and ceremonies. I own, this attention of theirs, not to offend weak minds, tends much to give us a favourable opmion b<'th of their hearts and under- standings. They don't make cny boast of their infidelity ; neither do they pester vou with it as in France, nhere it is perpetually bnzz'd in your ears, and where, although they pretend to believe les.-, they do in fact believe more than any nation on the continent I know of nothing that gives one a worse opinion of a man, thnn to see him make a shew and parade of his con- tempt for things held sacred: it is an open iiisult to the judgment of the public A countryman of ours, about two years ago, offended egregiously in this article, and the people still speak of him both with contempt and detestfi- a 14 A Tour ihrouoii to' lion. It happened oae day in the great church, during the elevation of the host, when every body else were on their knees, that he still kept standing", without any ap- pearance of respect to the ceremony. A young nobleman that was near him expressed his surprise at this. " It is strange, Sir, (said he), th-tt you, who have had the educa- tion of a gentleman, and ought to have the sentiments of one, should choose thus to give so very public offence.** " Why, Sir, (said the Englishman) I don't believe in transubstantiation.** — *^ Neither do I, Sir, (replied the other) and yet you see I kneel.'* Adieu. I am called away to see the preparations for the feast. In my next I shall probably give you some account of it. p. S. 1 have been watching with great care the return of our comet, but as yet 1 have discovered nothing of it: I observe too, with a very indifferent glass, several large round spots on the sun*s disk, and am far from bemg cer- tain that it is not one of them ; but I shall not alarm you any more with this subject. LETTER XXIX. Palermo i July 10. OM Sunday, the 8th, we had the long expected Si- rocc wind, which, although our expectations had been raised pretty high, yet 1 own it greatly exceeded them. Ever since wc carne to our ne\v lodging, the thermometer has stood betwixt 72 and 74; at our old one, it was often at 79 and 80; so great is the difference betwixt tlie heat of the city and the sea-shore. At pre- sent, our windows not only front to the noith, but the sea is immediately under them, from whence we are con- stantly refreshed by a delightful cooling breeze. Friday and Saturday were un'-onimonly cool, the mercury never being higher than 724 ; and although the Sirocc is said to have set in early on Sunday n)cr»ung, the air in our Dpartmentr, which are very large, with high ceilings, was Sicily and Malta. f 15 not in the least affected by it at eight o'clock, when I rose —I opened the door without having any suspicion of such a change; and indeed I never was more astonished in my life. The first blast of it on my face felt like the burning steam from the mouth of an oven. 1 drew back my head, and shut the door, calling out to Fuilarion, that the whole atmosphere was in a flame. However, we ventured to open another door that leads to a cool plat- form, where we usually walk; this was not exposed to the wind ; and here I found tlie heat n.uch ii.ore supportable than I could have expected from th*- first spccin;cn 1 had of it at the other door. It felt somewhat like the subter- raneous sweating stoves iit Naples; but still much hotter. In a few minutes we found every fibre greatly relaxed, and the pores opened to such a degree, that we expected soon to be thrown into a profuse sweat. I went to exa- mine the thermometer, and found the air in the room as yet so little affected, that it stood only at 73. The pre- ceding night it was at 72^. I took it out to the open air, when it immediately rose to 1 10, and soon after to 112: and I am confident, that in our old lodgings, or any where within the city, it must have risen several degrees higher The air was thick and heavy, but the barometer was little affected ; it had fallen only about a line. The sun did not once appear the whole day. otherwise I am persuaded the heat must have been insupportable ; on that side of our platform which is exposed to the wind, it was with difficulty we could bear it for a few minutes. Here I exposed a little ponuuum which was melted down, as if I had laid it before the fire I attenpted to take a walk in the street, to see if any creature wys stirring, but I fou d it too much for me, and was glad to get up stairs again. This extraordinary heat continued till three o'clock in the afternoon, when the wind changed at once, almost to the opposite point of the compas"-, and all the rest of the day it blew strong from the sea. It is impossible to con- ceive the different feeling of the air. Indeed, the sudden change from heat to cold is almost as inconceivable as that from cold to heat The current of this hot air had been flying for many hours from South to North ; and I had no doubt that the atmr^sphere for many miles round was entirely composed of it; however, the wind no sooner changed to the North, than it felt extremely cold, and wc *il6 A Tour through were soon obliged to put on our clothes, for till then we had been almost naked. In a short time the thermometer sunk to 82, a degree of heat that in England would be thought almost insupportable, and yet all that night we were obliged, merely from the cold, to keep up the glass- es of our coach ; so much were the pores opened and the fibres relaxed bv these few hours of the Sirocc. Indeed, I had exposed myself a good deal to the open air, as 1 was determined to feel what effect it would produce on the human body. At first I thought it must have been im- possible to bear it; but I soon discovered my mistake, and found, that where I was sheltered from the wind I could walk about without any great inconveniency ; nei- ther did it produce that copif>us sweat I expected ; it occa- sioned indeed a violent perspiration, which W9S only attend- ed with slight moisture on the skin ; but 1 suppose, if I had pui on my domes, or taken the least excercise, it soon would have brought it on. I own to you my curiosity with regard to the Sirocc is now thoroughly satisfied ; nor do I at all wish for another visit of it during our stay in Sicily. Many of our ac- quaintance who had been promising us this regalo^ as they call it, came crowding about us as soon as it was over, to know what we thought of it. They own' it has been pretty violent for the time it lasted ; but assure us they have, felt it more so, and likewise of a much longer dura- tion ; however, it seldom lasts more than thirty-six or fortv hours, so that the walls of the houses have not time to be heated through -ut, otherwise they think there could be no such thiug as living ; however, from what I have felt of it, I believe they are mistaken Indeed, had I been satisfied with the first blast, (which is generally the case with them), and never more ventured out in it, I certainly should have been of their opinion. They laugh- ed at us for exposing ourselves so long to it ; and were surprised that our curiosity should lead us to make expe- riments at the expence of our persons. They assure us, that during the time it lasts, there is not a mortal to be seen without doois, but those whom necessity obliges — All their doors and windows are shut close, to prevent the exteinal air from entering; and where there are no win- dow shutters they hang up wet blankets on t^e in-ide of the window. The servants are constantly employed in sprinkling water through their apartments; to preserve Sicihj and Malta. 217 the air in as temperate a state as possible ; and this is no difficult matter here, as I am told there is not a house in the city that has not a foumain within it. 13y these means the people of fashion suh'er very little from the Sirocc, except the first confinement to which it obliges them. It is somewhat singular, that notwithstanding the scorching heat of the wind, it has never been known to produce any epidemical distempers, nor indeed bud con- sequences of any kind to the health of the people. It is true, they feel extremely weak and relaxed during the time it blows, but a few hours of the Tramontane, or North wind, which generally succeeds ir, soon braces them up, and sets ihem to rights again. Now, in Na- ples, and in many other places in Italy, when its violence is not to be compared to this, it is often attended with putrid disorders, and seldom fails to produce almost a general dejection of spirits. It is true, indeed, that there the Sirocc lasts for many days, nay, even for weeks; so that, as its effects are different, it probably proceeds like- wise from a different cause. I have not been able to procure any good account of this very singular object in the climate of Palermo. The causes they assign for it are various, though none of them, 1 think, altogether satisfactory. I have seen an old fellow here, who has written upon it. He says, it is the same wind that is so dreadful in the sandy desarts of Africa, where it sometimes proves mortal in the space of half an hour. He alleges, that it is cooled by its passage over the sea, which entirely dis- arms it of these tremendous effects, before it reaches Sicily. But if this were true, we should expect to find it most violent on that side of the island that lies nearest to Africa, which is not the case : — though indeed it is possible, that its heat may be again increased by its pas- sage across the island; for it has ever been found mucli more violent at Palermo, which is near the most northern point, than any where else in Sicily. — Indeed, I begin to be more reconciled to this reason, when I consid.r that this ciiy is almost surrounded by high mountai: ;, the ravines and valleys betwixt which are parched up and burning hot at this season. These likewise contain innu- merable springs of warm water, the streams of which must tend greatly to increase the heat, and perhaps like- 218 J Tour throii^k wise lo soften the air, and disarm it of its noxious quali- ties. It is a practice too, at this season, to burn lieath and brush-wood on the mountains, which must stiii add to the heat of the air. Some gentlemen who were in the country told me, that they walked out immediately after the biiocc, and found the grass and plants that had been green the day before, were become quite brown, and crackled under their feet as if dried in an oven. I shall add for your amusement, a journal of the wea- ther since we came to Palermo. The barometer has con- tinued constantly within a line or two of the same point, 29| , — and the sky has been always clear, except the day of the Sirocc and the 26th of June, when we had a pretty smart shower of rain for two hours ; so that I think I have nothing farther to do, but to mark the heights of the thermometer. Thcrmom. 73i June July 17 18 19 20 31 22 2^ 24 2:5 36 27 2^ 29 50 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 At new lodgings on the sea-side fronting the North, The Sirocc wind, In the afternoon 74 75 76 75i 77 76| 77 77 771 77 77i 77i 7%h 79 80 74 73 72 L 72l 1 12* 82 79 78 Sicilij and Mafia. 219 The more I consider the extreme vioknce of this heat, the more I am surprised that we were able to bear it with so Utile inconvenience. Wc did not even feel that depression of spirits that commonly attends very great heats with us — The thermometer rose 40 degrees, or very near it; and it happens singularly enough, that be- fore the Sirocc began, it stood just about 40 degrees above the point of congelation ; so that in the moining of the 8th of July, the heat increased as much, almost instan- taneously, as it generally does during the; whole linie that the sua moves from tropic to tropic ; for the difTei- ence of 72 and 1 12 is the same as between the freezing point and 72; or between a cold day in winter, and a warm one in summer. Yesterday we had a great enter- tainment in the palace of the Prince Partana, ftom the balcony of which the viceroy reviewed a regiment of Swiss, the best I have yet seen in the Neapolitan service. They are really a fine body of men, and, noUvitliStanding the violence of the heat, went through thtir n.-oticns with great spirit. They had two field pieces on each flank, which were extremely well served; and the evolutions were performed with more precision and steadiness than one generally meets with, except in England and Ger-. many. The grenadiers were furnished with false gre- nades, which produced every effect of real ones, except that of doing mischief. The throwing of these was tho part of the entertainment that seemed to please the most ; and the grenadiers took care to direct them so, ib.at their effect should not be lost. When a number of them fell together amongst a thick crowd of the nobili'.y. which was commonly the case, it afforded an ent'.;rt;ining scene enoug!), for they defended themselves with their hats, and threw them very dexterously upon their neighbours. However, we saw no damage done, except the singeing of a few wigs and caps ; for the ladies were there in as great numbers as the gentlemen. The company at the Prince Partana's w:^s brillijint, and the entertainment noble. It consisted principally cf ices, creams, chocohue, sweetmeats, and fruit, of which there was a great variety. Not one half cf the company played at cards ; the rest amused themselves in conversa- tion and walking on the terrace. We found the young prince and princess, wlio are very amiable, with several ^^0 A Tour through -b' of their companions, playing at cross-purposes, and other games of that kind. VVe were joyfully admitted of this cheerful liule circle, where we amused ourselves very well for several hours — I only mention this, to shew you the different system of behaviour here and in Italy, where no such familiar intercourse is allowed amongst young people before marriage. The young ladies here are easy, affable; and unaffected ; and, not (as on the continent) perpetually stuck up at the sides of their mothers, who bring them into company, not for their amusement, hut rather to offer them to sale ; and seem mightily afraid lest every one should steal them, or that they themselves should make an elopement; which indeed I should think there was some danger of, considering the restraint undrr which they are kept ; — for surely there is no such strong incitem.ent to vice, as the making a punishment of virtue. Here the mothers shew a proper confidence in their daughters, and allow their real characters to form and to ripen. In the other case, they have either no cha- racter at all, or an affected one, which they take care to throw off the moment they have got a husband ; when they thiiik it impossible to recede too far from those ri- gorous maxinis of decorum and circumspection, the practice of which they had ever found so extremely dis- agreeable. Were they allowed first to shew what they really are I am persuaded they would not be half so bad; but their parents, by the masner they treat them, shew that they have no confidence in their principles ; and seem to have adopted the ungenerous maxim of our countryman, " That every woman is at heart a rake." Now, in countries where this maxim becomes of gene- ral belief, there is no .doubt that it likewise becomes true ; lor the women having no longer any character to sup- port, they will even avoid those pretences to virtue, well knowing that those pretences are only looked upon as hypocrisy and affectation. I dare say you will agree with me, that the better method to make them virtuous, is first to make them believe that we think them so ; for where virtue is really esteemed, there are none that would wil- lingly relinquish the character ; but where it requires a ^uiij/ and ifiaCLu. 'J-2i guard, (as parson Adaras says), it certainly is not worlli the centinel. Some of the families here put me in mind of iriy own domestic system. The prince of ResuUana, his wife and daughter, are always together; but it is because they choose to be so, and there appears the strongest affi.ctior, without the least diffidence en the one side, or resirt int on the other. — 1 he young princess Dcnna KosoIiAis ere of the most amiable young ladies I have seen; she was of our little party Ijst nighr, and indeed made one of its greatest ornaments — It would appear vain and pjirtial after this to say, that in countenance, seniime nr, f.nd be- haviour, she seems altogether English; — but it is true : and this perhaps may have contributed to advance her still higher in cur esteem ; for in spite of all our philo- sophy, these unphilosophical prejudices will still exis*, and no man, 1 believe, has entirely divested himself of them. We had lately a noble entertainment at her fa- therms country-house, and had reason to be m.uch pleased with the unaffected hospitality and easy politeness of the whole family. This palace is reckoned the most magnificent in the neighbourhood of Palermo. It lies about six or seven miles to the west of the city, in the country called 11 CcUc, in tlie opposite direction from the; Bagnvia, which I have already mentioned. The viceroy and his fjmily, with the greatest part of the nobility, were of this party, which lasted till about two in ihe morning. At midnight a curious set of firev/orks were played off ^ from the leads of the palace, which had a fine effect frora the garden below. Farewcl. — I had no time to wi ite yesterday, and thorgh we did not break up till near three this mornlr.g, I ha^o• got up at eight, I WcS so eager to give you some account of the Sirocc wind. We are now going to be very busy : the feast cf S^ Rosolia begins tomorrow; and all the world are on th^ very tip-toe cf expectation : perhaps t'ney may be disap- pointed. I often wish ihut you weie with us, particularly when we are happy : though you know it is by no means feasts and shows that makei us so. However, as this i.s perhaps the most remarkable one in Europe, th»-»t you may enjoy as much of it as possible, I shall ?it down every '■i:jht. and eive you a short accoi::.' :' *•. • • . '• — • V 2 22^ A Tour through 'i3' of the day. We are now going to breakfast; after \fhich we arc engaged to play at Ballon, an exercise I suppose you are well acquainted with ; but as the day promises to be extremely hot, I believe I shall desert the party, and go a-swimming. — But I see F. and G. have already at- tacked the figs and peaches, so I nuist appear for my interest -—Fare wel. LETTER XXX. Palermo^ July 12. ABOUT five in the afternoon, the festival began by the triumph of St. Rosolia, who was drawn with great pomp through the centre of the city, from the Ma- rino to the Porto Nuovo. The triumphal car was pre- ceded by a troop of horse, with trumpets and keitle- drums ; and ail the city officers in their gala uniforms. It is indeed a most enormous machine : it measures seventy feet long, thirty wide, and upwards of eighty high ; and as it passed along, overtopped the loftiest houses of Palermo. The form of its under part is like that of the Roman galleys, but it swells as it advances in height; and the front assumes an oval shape like an amphi- theatre, with seats placed in the theatrical manner.— This is the great orchestra, which was filled with a nu- merous band of musicians placed in rows, one above the other: Over this orchestra, and a little behind it, there is a large dome, supported by six Corinthian colunms, and adorned with a number of figures of saints and angels; and on the summit of the dome there is a gigantic silver statue of St. Ros<;lia.— The whole machine is dressed «ut with orange-trees, flower-pots, and trees of artificial ^oral. The car stopped every fifty or sixty yards, when the orchestra performed a piece of music, with songs in honour of the saint. It appeared a moving castle, and completely filled the great street from side to side. This indeed was its greatest disadvantage, for the space it had to move in was in nowise proportioned to its size, and the Sicily and Malta. ^^6 honses seemed to dwindle away to nothing as it passed ._, along. This vast fabric was drawn by fifty-six huge ' mules, in two rows, curiously caparisoned, and mounted by twenty-eight postilions, dressed in gold and silver stuffs, with great plumes of ostrich feaihers in their hats. Every window and balcony, on both sides of the street, were full of well-dressed people, and the car was followed by many thousands of the lower sort. The triumph was finished in about three hours ; and was succeeded by the beautiful illumination of the Marino. I believe I have already mentioned, that there is a range of arches and pyramids extending from end to end of this noble walk: these are painted, and adorned with artificial flowers, and are entirely covered with lamps, placed so very thick, that at a little distance the whole appears so many pyramids and arches of flame. The whole chain of this illumination was about a mile in length, and indeed you can hardly conceive any thing more splendid. There was no break or imperfection any where; the night being so still that not a single lamp was extinguished. Opposite to the centre of this great line of light, there was a magnificent paviiion erected for the viceroy ?.nd his conjpany, which consisted of the whole nobility of Paler- mo : and on the front of this, at some little distance in the sea, stood the great fire-works, representing the front of a palace, adorned with colutnns, arches, trophies, and every ornament of architecture. All the chebecks, giUeys, galliots, and other shipping, were ranged around this palace, and formed a kind of amphitheatre in the sea, inclosing it in the centre. — These began to shew by a discha'-ge of the whole of their artillery, the sound of which, re-echoed from the mountains, produced a very noble effect. They then played off a variety of water- rockets, and bombs of a curious construction, which often burst below water. This continued for half an hour, when, in an instant, the wKole of the palace was beauti- fully illuminated Tlyis was the signal for the shipping to cease, and appeared indeed like a piece of enchant- ment, as it was done altogether instantaneously, and without the appearance of any agent At the sacfte time the fiuntains that were represented in the court before the palace, began to spout up fire, and made a representa- 9^24 A Tour thmigh tion of some of the great jet d*eau8 of Versailles and Marli. As soon as these were extinguished, the court, assumed the form of a tj^reat parterre ; adorned with a variety of palm-trees of fire, interspersed with orange- trees, flower-pots, vases, and other ornaments. On the cxtini^uishing of these, the illumination- of ihe palace was likewise extinguished ; and the front of it broke out into the appearance of a variety of suns, stars, and vvj^jeel of fire, which in a short time reduced it to a perfect ruiH. And when all appeared finished, there burst from tl.e centre of the pile, a vast explosion of two thousand rock- ets, bombs, serpents, squibs, and devils, which seemed to fill the whole atmosphere : the fall of these made terrible havock amongst the clothes of the poor people, who were not under cover, but afforded admirable entertainment to the nobilily who were. During this exhibition, we had a handsome entertainment of coffee, ices, and sweet- meats, with a variety of excellent wines, in the great pa- vilion in the centre of the Marino; this was at the expence of the Duke of Castellano, the praetor (or mayor) of the city. The principal nobility give these entertainments by turns every night during the festival, and vie with each other in their magnificence. As soon as the fire-works were finished, the viceroy went out to sea in a galley richly illuminated. We chose to stay on shore, to see the appearance it made at a dis- tance. It was rowed by seventy-two oars, and indeed made one of the most beautiful objects you can imagine ; flying with vast velocity over the waters, as smooth and as clear as glass, which shone round it like a flame, and reflected its splendour on all sides. The oars beat time to the French horns, clarions, and trumpets, of which there were a numerous band on the prow. Tiie day's entertainment was concluded by the Corso, which began exactly at midnight, and lasted till two in the morning. The great street was illuminated in the same magni- ficent manner as the Marino. The arches and pyramids were erected at little distances from each other, on both sides of the street, betwixt the foot-path and the space for carriages ; and when seen from either of the gates, appeared to bs two continued lines of the brightest flame. Indeed, these illiiniinations are so very different, and 'so Sicily and Malta, ^25 much superior, to any I have ever seen, that I find it diffi- cult to give any tolerable idea of them. Two lines of coaches occupied the space b«twixt these two lines of illumination. They were in the greatest gala ; and as they open from the middle, and led down on each side, the beauty of the ladies, the lichness of their dress, and brilliance of their jewels, were displayed in the most ad- vai e;etus manner '1 nis beautiful train moved slowly round and round for the space of two hours; and every member of it seemed animated with a desire to please. — The company appear all joy and exultation : — Si^arce two coaches passed with- out some mutual acknowledgment of affection or respect; and the pleasure that sparkled from every eye seemed to be reflected and communicated by a kind of sympathy through the whole. In such an assembly, it was impossible for the heart not to dilate and expand itself; — I own mine was often so full, that I could haidly find utterance; and 1 have seen a tragedy with less emotic^n than I did this scene of joy. — I always thought these affections had been strangers to pomp and parade ; but here the universal joy seemed really to spring from the heart : it brightened iip every countenance, and spoke affecUon snd friendship from every face — No stately air, — no supercilious look ; — all appeared friends and equals. — And sure I an , that the beauty of the ladies was not half so much heightened either by their dress or their jewels, as by that air of complacency and good humour with which it was ani- mated. We were distributed in different coaches amongst the nobility, which gave us a better oppoitunitv of making these observations. — I will own to you, that I have never beheld a more delightful sight : — and if superstition often produces such effects, I sincerely wish we had a little more of it amongst us. I could have thrown myself down before St. Rosolia, and blessed her for making so many people happy. We retired about two o'clock ; but the variety of glit- tering scenes and gaudy objects still vibrated before my eyes, and prevented me from sleeping ; however, I am almost as much refreshed as if I had : but I really believe four more such days will be too much for any of us — '2^6 A Tour through Indeed, I am sure that it is impossible to keep it up, antl it must necessarily flag. I think, from what I can ob- serve, they have already exhausted almost one half of their preparations ; how they are to support the other four days, I own, I do not comprehend ; — however, we shall see. I thought to have given you an account of every thing at night, after it was over, but I find it impossible: the spirits are too much dissipated, and exhausted, and the imagination is too full of objects to be able to separate them with any degree of regularity. — I shall write you therefore regularly the morning ifollovving, when this fever of the fancy has had time to cool, and when things appear as they really are. Adieu then till to-morrow— Here is a tine shower, which will cool the air, and save the trouble of watering the Marino and the great street, which is done regularly every morning when there is no rain. The thermometer is at 73. 13?A. I thought there would be a falling off. Yester- day's entertainments were not so splendid as those of the day before. They began by the horse-races. There were three races, and six horses started each race. These were moimted by boys of about twelve years old, without either saddle or bridle, but only a small piece of cord, by way of bit, in the horse's mouth, which, it seems, is suf- ficient to stop them. The great street was the course ; and to this end it was covered with earth to the depth of five or six inches. — The firing of a cannon at the Porto Felice was the signal for starting : and the horses seemed to understand this, for they all set off at once, full speed, and continued at their utmost stretch to the Porto Nuovo, which was the winning post. It is exactly a mile, and they performed it in a m.inute and thirty-five second^-, which, considering the size of the horses, (scarce four- teen hands) we thouglit was very great. These are generally Barbs, or a mixed breed, betwixt the Sicilian and Barb. The boys were gaudily dressed, and made a pretty appearance.— We were surprised to see how well they stuck on ; but indeed, I observed they had generally laid fast hold of the mane. The moment before starting, the street appeared full of people ; nor did we conceive how the race could pos- sibly be performed. Our surprise was increased, when \ Sicily and Malta. ^-21 we saw the horses run full speed at the very thickest cf this crowd, which did not begin to open, till ihey were almost close upon it. — The people then opened, and fell back on each side, by a regular uniform motion, from one end of the street lo the other. This singular manoeuvre seemed to be performed without any bustle or confusion, and the moment the horses were past, they closed again behind them. However, it destroys great part of the pleasure of the race ; for you cannot help being under apprehensions for such a number of people, whom you every moment see in imminent danger of being trod to death ; for this must inevitably be their fate, were they only a second or two later in retiring. These accidents, they allow, have often happened : however, yesterday every body escaped. The victor was conducted along the street in triumph, with his prize displayed before him. This was a piece of white silk, embroidered and worked with gold. These races, I think, are much superior to the com- mon style of races in Italy, which are performed by horses alone without riders ; but they are by no means to be compared to those in England. The great street was illu-ninated in the same manner as on the preceding night ; and the grand conversation of the nobles was held at the archbishop's palace, which j richly fitted up for the occasion. ' The gardens were finely illuminated ; and put n^e in I mind of our Vauxhall. 1 here were two orchestras (one at each end), and two very good bunds cf music. The entertainment was splendid, and the archbishop shewed 1 attention and politeness to every peison of the con-pany. About ten o'clock the great triumphal car marched back again in procession to the Marino. It was richly illuminated with large wax tapers, and made a most for- midable figure. — Don Quixote ^"'ould have been very excuseable in takinii: it for an enchanted casik, moving through the air. — We did not leave th.e archbishop's till midnight, when the Corso began, which was precisely the same in every respect as the night before, and afli'urd- ed us a delightful scene. l4^/i. Last night the two great streets and the four gates of the city that tcminate thcni, were iiluninaiei in the most splendid manner. These streets cross cacli 328 A Toitr through other in the centre of the city, where they form a beau- tiful square, calltd La Piazza Ottavgolare^iTom the eight angles they form This square wiis richly ornamented with tapestri , statues, and artificial flowers ; and as the buildings which form its four sides are uniform and of a beautiful architecture, and at ihe same time highly illu- minated, it made a fine appearance. There are four orchestras erected in it : and the four bands of music are greater than I had any conception this city could have produced. From the centre of this square you have a view of the whole city of Palermo, thus dressed out in its glory ; and, indeed, the effect it produces surpasses belief. The four gates that form the vistas of this splendid scene are highly decorated, and lighted up in bu elegant taste ; the illuminations representing a variety of trophies, the arms of Spain, those of Naples, Sicily, and the city of Palermo, with their guardian geniuses, &c. The conversation of the n.bles was held in the vice» roy*s palace ; and the entertainment was still more mag- nificent than any of the former. The great fire- works opposite to the front of the palace began at ten o'clock, and ended at midnight ; after which we went to the Cor- so, which lasted as usual, till two in the morning. This partjof the entertainment still pleases us the most ; it is indeed the only part of it that reaches the heart ; and where this is not the case, a puppet-shew is just as good as a coronation — We have now got arquainted almost with every countenance ; and from that air of goodeess and benignity that animates them, and which seems to be mutually reflv'ctcd from one to the other, we are in- clined to form me most favourable opinion of the people. Our fire-works last night were greater than those of the Marinn, bui their tfTct did not please me so much the want of the sea and the shipping were two capital wants. They likewise represented the front of a palace, but of a greater extent. It was illuminated too as the form*r, an 1 the whole conducted pretty much in the %\^\< u.anner. We saw it lo the greatest advantage from the btlconir.s of the state ap irtnients, in the viceroy's P»1k> , A'her^ we hnd !in elegant concert ; but, to the no sm iH disappointment of the company, G ibrieli, the finest singe's but the most capricious mortal upon earth, did not choose to perfurra. w- Sicily and 3Iallu, ;2i!^ \3tb. Three races, six horses each as formerly. They oalled it very goo J sport. I cannot say thut 1 admired it. — A poor creature was rode down, and I believe killed > and one of the boys had likewise a fall. The Gjreat assembly of the nobility was held at the Judice Monarchia's, an o.Ticer of hii^h trust and dignity. Here we had an entertainment in the same style as the other, and a good concert. — At eleven o'clock the vice- roy, attended by the whole company, went on foot to visit the square and the great church — We made a prodigi- ous train ; for though the city was all a lamp of light, the servants of the viceroy and nobility attended with wax flambeaux, to shew us the way. As soon as the viceroy entered the square, the four orchestras struck up a sym- phony, and continued playing till he left it. The crowd around the church was very great, and without the presence of the viceroy it would have been impossible for us to get in ; but hi'i attendants soon cleared the passage ; and at once entering the great gate, we beheld the most splendid scene in the world The whole church appeared a flame of light; which, reflected from ten thousand bright and shining furnaces, of differ- ent colours, and at difl*erent angle?, produced an effect, which, I think, exceeds all the descriptions of enchant- ment I ever read. Indeed, I did not think that human art could have devised any thing so splendid 1 believe I have already mentioned, that the whole church, walls, roof, pillars, and pilasters were entirely covered over with mirror, interspersed with gold and silver paper, arti- ficial flowers, 8cc done up with great taste and elegance, so that not one inch either of stone or plaster was to be seen. — Now, form an idea if you can, of one of our great cathedrals dressed out in this manner, and illuminated with twenty thousand wax tapers, and you will have some faint notion of this spl-rndid scene 1 own it did greatly excetd my expectations, alihough, fiom the descriptions we had of it, they were raised very high When we rc- recovered from our first surprise, which had produced, unknown to ourselves, many exclamations of astonish- ment, I observed that all the eyes of the nobility were fixed upon us; and that they enjoyed exceedingly the a- mazement into which we were thrown, lad. ed this scene, in my opinion, greatly exceeds all the rest of the shew.' X ^30 A Tour through I have often heard the illumination of St. Peter's spoken of as a wonderful fine thing : so indeed it is ; but it is certainly no more to be compared to this, than the planet Venus is to the sun. — The effects indeed are of a differ- ent kind, and cannot well be compared together. This scene was too glaring to bear any considerable time; and the heat occasioned by the immense number of lights, soon became intolerable .-^I attempted to reckon the number of lustres, and counted upwards of five hun- dred ; but my head became giddy, and I was obliged to give it up — They assure us, that the number of wax tapers is not less than twenty thousand. There are eight and twenty altars, fourteen on each side; these are dress- ed out with the utmost magnificence ; and the great altar is still the most splendid of all. When you think of the gaudy materials that compose the lining of the church, it will be difficult to annex an idea of grandeur and majesty to it ; at least, so it struck me, when I was first told of it ; yet, I assure you, the elegant simplicity and unity of the design prevents this effect, and gives an air of dignity to the whole. It is on this part of the show the people of Palermo value themselves the most ; they talk of all the rest as trifling in comparison of this ; and indeed, I think it is probable, that there is nothing of the kind in the world that is equal to it — It is strange they should choose to be at so great an expence and trouble, for a show of a few hours only ; for they have already begun this morning to strip the church of its gaudy dress, and I am told it will not be finished for many weeks. From the church we weut immediately to the Corso, which concluded, as usual, the entertainments of the day. I6th. Last night we had the full illumination of all the streets. — The assembly was held at the praetor's, where there was an elegant entertainment, and a conceit.— Pacherotti, the first njan of the opera, distinguished him- self very much. I think he is one of the most agreeable siniijers I ever heard ; and am persuaded, that in a few years he will be very celebrated. Can»panucci, the se- cond soprni.f;, is. I think, preferable to must that I have heard in Iialy ; and you will the more easily believe this, when I inform you, ihat he is engaged for next winter to b^e the first singer in the great opera at Rome. Is it not Sidhj and Malta, Q31 strange, that the capital of all Italy, and, for the fine arts (as it formerly was for arms), the capital of the world, should condescend to choose its first opera performer from amongst the subalterns of a remote Sicilian stage ? You will believe, that with two such sopranos as these, and Gubrieli for the first woman, the opera here will not be a despicable one. It is to begin in a few days, not- withstanding the extreme heat of the season ; so fund are the people here of these entertainments. Their opera dancers are those you had last year at London ; they are just arrived, and the people are by no means pleased with them. We saw them this morning at the rehearsal ; and, to their great surprise, addressed them in English. You cannot imugine how happy they were to see us. Poor souls ! I was deligiUed to hear with what warmth of gratitude and affec'ion they spoke of England. There is a mother and two daughters ; the youngest pretty, but the eldest the first dancer, appears a sensible, modest, well-behaved girl ;^more j-o than is common with these sort of people. Speaking of England, she said, with a degree of warmth, that her good treat* ment in general could hardly inspire, that in her lifti she never left any country with so sore a heart ; and had she only enjoyed her health, all the world shfiuld never have torn her away from it — She seemed affected when she said this. — I acknowledt^ed the honour she did the Eng- lish nation ; but alleged that these sentiments, and the manner in which they were uttered, could scarcely pro- ceed from a general love of the country — She answered me with a smile, but at the same time I could observe the tear in her eye. — At that instant we were interrupled ; however, I shall endeavour, if possible, to learn her sto- ry ; for I am persuaded there is one ; perhaps you may know it, as I dare say it is no secret in Eondon. But I have got quite away from my subject, and had forgot that I sat down to give you an account of the feast. Indeed, I will own, it is a kind of subject I by no means like to write upon ; I almost repent that I had underiii the inner part of the cavern, on the very same spot waere St. Rosolia MO A Tour through expired. It is the figure of a lovely young girl of aboi5t fifteen in the act of devotion. The artist has found means to throw something that is extremely touching into the countenance and air of this beautiful statue. I never in my life saw one that affected me so much, and am not surprised that it should have captivated the hearts of the people. It is covered with a robe of beaten gold, and is adorned with some valuable jewels. The cave is of a considerable extent, and extremely damp, so that the poor little saint must have had very cold uncomfortable quarters. They have built a church around it ; and appointed priests to watch over these precious relics, and receive the offerings of pilgrims that visit them. An inscription graved by the hand of St. Rosalia her- self, was found in a cave in Mount Quesquina, at a consi- derable distance from this mountain. It is said that she was disturbed in her retreat there, and had wandered from thence to Mount Pelegrino, as a more retired and inaccessible place. I shall copy it exactly, as it is pre- served in the poor little saini's own Latin. EGO ROSOLIA SIXIB \LDI QUISQUI- NE E T ROSARUM DOMINI FILIA, AMORE DEI ME I JESU CHRISTI, IN HOC ANTRO HA BIT A- Rl DECREVI. After St. Rosolia was scared from the cave where this inscription was found, she was never more heard of, till lier bones were found about five himdred years after, in this spot. The prospect from the top of Mount Pelegrino is beautiful and extensive. Most of the Lip?\ri islands are discovered in a very clear day, and likewise a large por- tion of Mount iEtna, although at the distance of almost the whole length of Sicily. The Bagaria tor, and the Colle, covered over wth a number f«f fine country houses and gardens, make a beautiful appearance. The city of Palermo stands within less than two miles of the foot of the mountain, and is seen to great advantage. — Many people went to this mountain during the lime of Slcilij and Malta. 241 the great illumination ; from whence ihey pretend it has a fine effect ; but this unfortunately we necjlected. Near the middle of the mountain, and not far from its summit, there still appears some remains of a celebra- ted castle, the origin of which the Sicilian authors carry back to the most remote antiquity. Massa says, it is supposed to have been built by Saturn immediately after the flood; for in the time of the earliest Carthaginian wars, it was always much respected on account of its venerable antiquity. — It was then a place of strength, and is often mentioned by the Greek historians. Diodorus says, in his twenty-third book, that Hamilcar kept pos- session of it for three years, against all the power of the Romans ; who with an army of forty thousand men, attempted in vain to dislodge him. The situation of Palermo is seen, I think, to more ad- vantage from the Monte Pelcgrino than from any where else. This beaudful city siunds near the extremity of a kind of natural anriphitheatre, foimed by high and rocky mountains; but the country that lies be»wixt the city ^^nd these mountains, i^ one of the richest and most beautiful spots in the world. The whole appears a magnificent garden, filled With fruit trees of every ^p cies, and water- ed by clear fountains and rivulets, that fcrm a variety of windings through this delightful plain. From the singu- larity of this situation, as woil as from the richness of the soil, Palermo has had many flattering epitheis bestowed upon it ; p irticularly by the poets, who hi-ve denominated it Conca cl'oro, \hf Goldtn Shell, which is yt rnce ex- pressive both of its situation and richness. It has likewise been styled .4ur-ea Valle. Horius Siciifa, Ij'c ; and to in- clude all these together, the lasting trrm of Felix hus been added toils name, by which ycu will find it dii^lin- giiished in the m^ps, ISI inv of the etymologists allege, that it is f-om the richness of this valley that it liad its ori':.':in:'l n< me of Fanor^nu.^y which, in the old Gr-^ek langujgc, they pre- tend, sig'.iified All a gardon : but others say there is no occasion for stiaining significa ions, and assert, with n^ore appearance of plausibility, »hcit it was railed Panormus from the size and conve-tiiency of its harbours; cue of which is recorded ancit-ntly t-) have extended to the very centre of the city. And this is the account Diodorus Y 2t4^ A Tour through gives of It: it was called Panormus, says he, because its harbour even penetrated to the very innermost pans of the city; Panormus in the Greek language signifying All a port. And Procopius, in his history of the wars of the Goths, assures us, that in the time of Belisarius, the port was deep enough for that general to run his ships up to the very walls of the city, and give the assault from them. It is not now so well entitled to this name as it was former- ly. These harbours have been aln.ost entirely destroyed and filled up ; most probably I thmk by the violent tor- rents from the mountains that surround it; which are recorded sometimes to have laid waste great part of the city. Fazzello speaks of an inundation of which he was an eye-witness, that came dov/n iVom the mountains with such fury, that they thought the city would have been en- tirely swept away. He says, it burst down the wall near to the royal palace, and bore away every thing that opposed its passage ; churches, convents, houses, to the number of two thousand, and drowned upwards of three thousand people.— Now the fragments and ruins carried to the sea by such a torrent alone, would be sufficient to fill up a little harbour, so that we are not to be surprised, thtt these capacious ports, for which it had been so nTuch celebrated, no longer exist. Next to Chamefeno, Palermo is generally supposed to be the most ancient city in the island. Indeed there still remain some monuments that cany back its origin to the most remote antiquity. A bishop of Lucera has wrote on this subject. He is clearly of opinion, that Palermo was founded in the days of the first patriarchs. You will laugh at this ; — so did I ; but the bishop does not go to work upon conjecture only : he supports his own opinion with such proofs, as, I own to you. staggered me a good deal A Chtildean inscription was discovered about six hundred years a.e:o, on a block of white naible ; it was in the reign of William II. who ordered it to be translated into Latin and Italian. The bishop says, iheie are niany fragments in Palermo, with broken inscriptions in this language ; and seems to think it beyond a dtmbt, that the city was founded bv the Chaldeans in the very early ages of the world. This is the literal translation: — " During the time that Isaac, the son of Abraham, reigned in the valley of Damascus, and Esau, the son of Isaac, in Idu- Sicily and Malta, S43 mea, a great multitude of Hebrews, accompanied by many of the people of Damascus, and many Phenicians, coming iii-o this triangular island, took up their habitation in this most beautiful place, to which they gave the name of Panormus." The bishop translates another Chaldean inscription, which is indeed a great curiosity. It is still preserved, though not with that care that so valuable a monument of antiquity deserves It is placed over one of the old gates of the city, and when that gate f.dls to ruin, it will probably be for ever lost. The translation is in Latin, but I shall give it to you in English: " There is no other God but one God. There is no o her power but this same God. There is no other conqueror but this God whom we adore. The commander ot this tower is Saphu, the son of Rliphar, son of Esau, brother of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. The nL\me of the tower is Baych,and the name of the neighbouring lower is Pharet." These two inscriptions seem to reflect a muiual light upin each other. Fazzello has preserved them both, and remarks upon this last, that it appears evidently from it, that the tower of Baych was built antecedent to the lime of Saphu. (or, as we translate it, Zv phu), uho is only mentioned as commander of this tower, but r.ot as its founder. Part of the ruins of this tower still remain, and many more Chaldean inscripti<»ns have been found amongst' them, but so br .ken and mangled that little could be made of them. Fazzc^llo is in great indignation at some masons he found demolishing these precious relic?, r.nd complains bitterly of it to the senate, whom he with jus- tice upbraids for their negligence and indifference. Conversing on this subject t'other night with a gen- tleman who is well versed in the antiquities of this place, I took the liberiv of objecting to the Greek etymology, Pan-ormus, it appearing extremely absurd to give a Greek name to the city long before the existence of the Greek nation: I added, that I was a good deal surprised Fazzello had not attempted to account for this seeming absurdity. He allowed the apparent validity of the objection, and blamed Fazzello for his negligence ; but assured me, that Pan-ormus, or something very nearly of the same sound, signified in the Chaldean language, and likewise in th^ :244 A Tour through , Hebrew, a paradise or delicious garden ; and that the Greeks probably finding it so applicable, never thought of changing its name. This I was in no capacity to contra- dict — He added too, that Pan-ormus was likewise an Ara!)ic word and signified This water; which probably was the reason that the Saracens did not change its nanne, as they have done that of almost every thing else ; as this is as applicable and as expressive of the situation of Palermo, as any of the other etvmologies ; it being sur- rounded on all sides with beautiful fountains of the purest water, the natural consequence of the vicinity of the mountains. Pray shew this letter to our friend Mr. Crofts, and desire his sentiments on these etymologies and aniiqui- ties. Tell him I have not forgot his commission, and shall procure him all the oldest and most uninteligible books in Palermo; but I must beg, for the repose and tranquility of mankind, that he will not republish them. On these conditions, I send him a most valuable frag- ment : it is pnrt ' f a Chaldean inscription that has been exactly copied from a bl>ck of white marble found in the ruins of the tower Baych — I own I should like much to see it translated ; the people here have as yet made noth- ing of it ; and we were in no capacity to assist them. Adieu. The weather has become exceeding hot. The thermometer is at 80. Ever yours. LETTER XXXIIT. Palermo, July 24. IN the course of our acquaintance with some gentlemen of sense and observation in this place, we have learned manv things concerning the island, that perhaps may be worthy of vour attention ; and this day is so hot ih tt I can- not go out, I shall endeavour to recollect son.e of them, both for your amusement, and my own The thermo- meter is up at 81^. — So you may judge of the situation of our northern constitutions. SicUij and Malta. 245 There is one thinij, however, that I have always ob- served in these southern climates; that although the de- gree of heat is much greater than with us, yet it is not commonly attended with that weight and oppression of spirits that generally accompany our sultry days in sum- mer. — I am sure, that in such a day as this, in England, we should be panting for breath ; and no mortal would think either of reading or writing. That is net the case here ; I never was in better spirits in my life: indeed I believe the quantities of ice v/e eat may contribute a good deal towards it; for I find, that in a very violent heat, there is no such cordial to the spirits as ice, or a draught of ice-vvater: it is not only from the cold it communicates, but, like the cold bath, from the suddenness of that com- munication, it braces the stomach, and gives a new tone to the fibres. — It is strange that this piece of luxury (in my opinion the greatest of all and perhaps the only healthy one) should still be so much neglected with us. I knew an English lady at Nice, who in a short time was cured of a threatening consumption, only by a free indulgence in the use of ices ; and I am persuaded, that in skilful hands, few remedies would be more effectual in many of our stomach and inflammatory complaints as hardly any thing has a stronger or more immediate eifect upon the whole frame ; and surely our administering of warm drinks and potions in these complaints tend often to nourish the disease. — It is the common practice here, in inflimmatory fevers- to give quantities of ice-water to drink ; nay, so far have they carried it, that Dr. Sanghes, a celebriktcd Sicilian physician, covered 'over the breast and belly of his patients with snow or ice; and they as- sure us, in many cases, with great success. — But indeed I ought in justice to add, that this physician's practice has nvt been generally adopted. Perhaps it is from the present benefit I find from icC) that I h ivc said so much in favour of it ; for I am fully persuaded, that if I had not a quantity of it standing htre below the table, I should very soon be obliged to give up writing, and go to bed ; but whenever I begin to flag, another glass is sure to set me to lights again. I was going to give you some account of the fisheries of this island. The catching the tunny-fish consuiutes one of the prin- Y 2 Q46 A Tour ihrous^h ':=>' cip^l Sicilian amusements daring the summer-months : and the curing and sending them to foreign markets makes one of the greatest branches of their commerce. W^e were invited yesterday by the Prince Sperlinga to a party of tunny-fishing ; but the violence of the heat pre- vented it. These fish do not make their appearance in the Sicilian seas till towards the latter end of May ; at which time, the Tonnarosj as they call them, are prepared for their reception. This is a kind of aquatic castle, formed, at a great expence, of strong nets, fastened to the bottom of the sea, by anchors and heavy leaden weights. These tonnaros are erected in the passages amongst the rocks and islands that are most frequented by the tun- ny-fish. They take care to shut up with nets the entry in^ to these passages, all but one little opening,which is cal- led the outward gate of the tonnaro. This leads into the first apartment, or as they call it, the hall. As soon as the fish have got into the hall, the fishermen, who stand sentry in their boats during the season, shut the outer door, which is no more than letting down a small piece of net, which effectually prevent the tunny from returning by the way they came. They then open the inner door of the hall, which leads to the second apartment, which they call the anti-chamber, and, by making a noise on the surface of of the water, they soon drive the tunny-fish into it. As soon as the whole have got into the anti-chamber, the in- ner door of the hall is again shut, and the outer door is opened for the reception of more company. Some tonnaros have a great number of apartments, with diff'erent names to them all ; the saloon, the parlour, the dining-room, &c. but the last apartment is always styled La Camera della Morte, the chamber of death : this is composed of stronger nets and heavier anchors than the other. As soon as they have collected a sufficient number of tunny-fish, they are driven from all the other apartments into the chamber of death : when the slaughter begins. The fishermen,^and often the gentlemen too, armed with a kind of spear or harpoon, attack the poor, defenceless animal on all sides ; which now giving themselves up to ''despair, dash about with great force and agility, throwing the water over all the boats j and tearing the nets to pie- Sicily and Malta. Q47 ces : they often knock out their brains against the rocks or anchors, and sometimes even against the boats of their enemies. You see there is nothing very generous or manly in this sport. — The taking of the Pesce S/iaday or sword- fish, is a much more noble diversion : no art is made use of to ensnare him ; but with a small harpoon, fixed to a long line, they attack him in the open seas, and will often strike him at a very considerable distance — It is exactly the whale fishing in miniature. The Sicilian fishermen (who are abundantly superstitious) have a great sentence which they make use of as a charm to bring him near their boats. This is the only bait they use, and they pre- tend that it is of wonderful efficacy, and absolutely obliges him to follow them ; but if unfortunately he shouid over- hear them speak a word of Italian, he plunges under wa- ter immediately, and will appear no more. As these fish are commonly of a great size and strength, they will sometimes run for hours after they are struck, and afford excellent sport. — I have seen them with a sword four or five feet long, which gives them a formidable ap- pearance in the water, particularly after they are wound- ed. The fl-3sh of these animals is excellent ; it is more like beef than fish, and the common way of dressing it is in steaks. The fishing of the Pesce S/iada is most considerable in the sea of Messina, wli-cre they have likewise great quan- tities of eels, particularly the Morena^ so much esteemed amongst the Romans, which I think is indeed the finest fish I ever eat. But it is not only their large fish that they strike with harpoons ; they have the same method of taking mullet, dories, a kind of mackrel, and many other species ; but this is always p.rformed in the night — As soon as it is dark, two men get into a small boat ; one of them holds a lighted torch over the surface of the water, the other stands with his harpoon ready poised in his hand. The light of the torch soon brings the fish to the surface, when the harpooner immedijtely strikes them. I have seen great quantities killed in this manner, both here and at Nuples. A large fleet of boats employed in this kind of fishing makes a beautiful appearance on the water, in a fins summer night. ^48 A Tour through The coral fishery is chiefly practised at Trapani ; ihey have invented a machine there, which answers the pur- pose much beyond their expectations. This is only a great cross of wood, to the centre of which is fixed a heavy hard stone, capable of carrying the cross to the bot- tom. Pieces of small net are tied to each limb of the cross, which is poized horizontally by a rope, and let down into the water. As soon as they feel it touch the bottom, the rope is made fast to the boat. They then row about all over the coral beds; the consequence of which is, the great stone breaks off the coral from the rocks, and it is immediately entangled in the nets Since this invention the coral fishery has turned out to considerable account. The people of Trapani are esteemed the most ingen- ious of the island ; they are the authors of many useful and ornamental inventions. An artist there has lately discovered a method of making Cameios, which are a perfect imitation of the ancient ones engraved on the onyx. They are done on a kind of hard shell from pastes of the best antiques, and so adiiiirably executed, tliat it is often difficult to distinguish the ancient from the modern. These set in gold are generally worn as bracelets, and are at present in high estimation amongst the ladies of qual- ity here. Mrs. Hamilton* procured a pair of them last year, and carried them to Naples, where they have been much admired. Commissions were immediately sent over, and the man has now more business than he can manage : however, we have been fortunate enough to procure a few pair of them for our friends. I have seen cameios that have cost two hundred guineas, that could scarce be distinguished from one of these. The difficulties under which the poor Sicilians labour, from the extreme oppression of their government, obliges them sometimes to invent branches of commerce that na- ture seems to have denied them, as they are not allowed to enjoy those she has bestowed. The sugi^r-cane was very much cultivated in this ishnd, but the duiies imposed were so enormous, that it has been almost abandoned — But their crops of wheat alone, were they under a free government, would soon be sufficient to »enderthis little nation one of the richest and most flourishing in the ♦ Now Lady Hamilton. Sicily and Malta. 249 world ; for even in the wretched state of cultivation it is in at present, one good crop. I am told, is sufficient to maintain the island for seven years. Ycm will be a good deal surprised, after this, to hear that the exportation of this commodity has been prohibited for these several years p-ast ; at least to all such as are not able to pay most exorbitantly for that privilege. The consequence is, that corn has become a drug. The common price of the Sal- ma, which is two loads, was about thirty-one shillings; at present it is reduced to five shillings and sixpence, and there is a probability that it will still fall lower. This crop, which has been very abundant, I am told, in many places they have hardly been at the pains to gather in, as there is little probability of this cruel prohibition being removed. The farmers are already ruined, and the ruin of their masters must inevitably follow. This is the method the ministry of Naples, or rather that of Spain, has taken to humble the pride of the Sicilian barons, whose power, they pretend, is still very extensive, and their jurisdiction absolute; most of them pcsi-essing a right of life and death in their own don^ain. However, there is a probability that they will soon be obliged to re^ linquish their privileges. The complaint is universal, and if the ministry persevere in these rigorous measures, there must be either a revolt, or they nsust soon be redu- ced to a state of poverty as well as of servitude. I be- lieve, indeed, most of them would rear^ily embrace any plausible scheme, to shake off their yoke ; as in general they appear to be people of great sensibility, with high notions of honour and liberty. T;dking of the ratu^al riches of their island. — Yes, say tlie^'', if these ^vere di"^plaved, you would have reason in- deed 10 speak of them. T .ke a look of these mountains, — tliey coniain rich vein^ of every metal, and many of the Roman mines still remain : — but to what end should we explore them ? — It is not we that should reap the pro- fit. Nay, a discovery of any thing very rich might pos- sibly p'-ove the ruin of its possessor. — No, — in our present situation the hidden treasures of the island must ever re- main a profound secret. — Were we happy enough to en- joy the blessings of your constitution, you might call us rich indeed. Many hidden doors of opulence would then be opened, which now are not even thought of, and we Q50 A Tour through should soon re-assume our aicient name and consequence ; but at present we are nothing. This is the lang^uapje that some of the first people amongst them hold with us. However, they still boast that thev retain more of the feud il government than any nation in Europe. The shadow indeed remains, but the substance is gone long ago. It has long been the object of the Bourbon ministry to reduce the power of the barons in every kingdom Richlieu began the system in France, and it has ever since been prosecuted by his successors ; its influence has now spread over the whole of their pos- sessions in Europe; of which, as this is the most remote, it has likewise been the longest in reaching it. The found \rion of the feudal system was first laid here by the count Rngiero, about the middle of the eleventh century, immediately after he had driven the Saracans out of the island. He divided Sicilv into three parts; the first, bv consent of his army, was given to the church ; the second hebestovvid upon his officers, and the third he reserved for himself. Of these three branches, or as they call them Braccics, (arms,) he composed his parliament, the form of which remains the same to this day. The Braccio Militare is composed of all the barons of the kingdom, to the num- ber of two h\indred and fifty-one, who are still obliged to military service : their chief is the prince Butero, who is hereditary president of the parliament : for in conformi- ty to the genius of the feudal government, some of the great officers are still hereditary. The three archbishops, all the bishops, abbes, priors, and dignified clergy, a- mounting to near seventy, Corm the Braccio Ecclesiasdco ; the archbishop of Palermo is their chief. The Braccio Demaniale is formed by election, like our houses of com- mons : there are forty-three royal cities, styled Demani- alcy that have a right to elect members Every house- holder had a vote in this election. Their chief is the member for Palermo ; who is likewise praetor (or mayor of the city.) He is an officer of the highest rank, and his power is very extensive ; inferior only to that of the vice- roy, in whose absence, the greatest part of the authority devolves upon him. He has a company of grenadiers for his body guard ; and receives the title of excellency. The praetor, together with six senators, who are styled Sicily and Malta, 251 patricians, have the mapagement of the civil government of the city. He is appointed every year, by the king, or by the viceroy, which is the*same thing; for I dont find that the people any longer exercise even the form of giv- ing their votes : so that the very shadow of libert) has now disappeared as well as the substance You may judge of the situation of liberty in a kingdom, where all courts civil and criminal are appointed by regal authority, and where all offices are conferred only by the will of the sovereign, and depend entirely upon his caprice. I own I feel most sincerely for the Sicilians, who, I think, arc possessed of many admir< ble qualities. But the spirit of every nation must infallibly sink, under an oppressive and tyrannical governmert. Their spirit, however, has in a great measure kept them free from one branch of tyranny, the most dreadful of all, that of the inquisition The kings of Spain wanted to establish it in its full force ; but the barons, accusiom.ed to exercise des- potic government themselves, could not bear the thoughts of becoming slaves to a set of ignoi ant Spanish priests : and, I believe, they took the only way that was left to avoid it. Every inquisitor that pretended to more zeal than they thought became hin., was immediately assassi- nated ; particularly if he presumed to intei fere with the conduct or sentiments of the nobility. This soon took off the edge of their zeal, and reduced the holy office to a be- coming moderation H(jwever, they are extremely cir- cumspect in their conversation about religious matters ; and generally advise strangers to be on their guard, as the power of the inquisition, although considerably reduced, is by no means annihilated. The laws of Sicily are scattered in a great number of volumes ; these the king r:f Sardinia intended to abridge, and collect into one code, but unfortunately he was not long enough in the island to accomplish this useful work. But where there is an authority above all laws, laws can be but of little service. The power of the viceroy is very absolute ; he has not only the command of all the military force in the king- dom, but likewise presides with unbounded authority in all civil tribunals ; and as he is also invested with the le- gamine power, his sway is equally great in religious mat- ters. ^5^ A Tour through He has the right of nominating to all the great offices in the kingdom ; and confirming of all dignities, both civil and ecclesiastical. In visiting the prisons, a ceremony which he performs with great pomp twice a-year, he has the power of libera- ting whatever prisoners he pleases; of reducing or alter- ing their sentences, their crimes and accusations having first been read over to him Indeed, thnt there may be some appearance of a regard to law and justice, liis coun- sellor always attends him on these occasions, to mark out the limits of the laws^ — This is an officer of very high rank, appointed to assist the viceroy in his decisions, where the case may app^^ar intricate or dubious ; and al- ways is, or ought to be, one of the ablest lawyers in the islmd. For the most pan, this office has been given to str ingers, who are supposed to have no kindred or par- ticular connections here, that in giving their judgment they may be fre.e from all prejudice and partiality. He his free admittance into all courts and tribunals, tliat he may be the b';ttt r enabled to give the viceroy an account of their proceediags. The whole military force of Sicily amounts at present, from wh it I can learn, to 9500 men, about liOO of wnich are cavalry. Many of their cities and fortresses would require a very numerous garrison to defend them ; par- ticularly Messin:', Syracuse, and Palermo: but indeed, the state of their fortifications, as well as that of their ar- tillery, is such, that (even if they were inclined) they could make but a sm til defcMce. if this island were in the hands of a naval power, I think it is evident that it must command the whole Lwant trade There are several little ports at each end of it, besides the great onos of Tr puni, Syracuse, and Messina, which lie pretty near the three angles of t'ne triangle. — Whatever ships had ptssed either ofthesF, the others could be apprized of it in the space of half an hour, by means of signal towers, which the Sicili ins have erected all roimd their island, to warn them against tudden inva- sions from the Barharv side. These t wers are built on ev'jry little promontory within sighi of each other. Fires are always kepi re .dy for lij^hting, and a p rsof. is appoint- ed to watdi at each of the n, so th.U thi wh)!-? island can be alarmed, they assure us, in the space of an hour. Sici/y and Malta. 253 By the by, we have been witness I;ere of a practice, that appears to be a very iniquitous one, and in the end, I should think, must prove the destruction of our Mediter- ranean trade. Several ships have put in at this port witl^ English colours, but to our surprize not one Englishman on board. These, I find, they call Bandiere men ; — per- haps it is a known practice, although, I own, I was an ut- ter stranger to it They are very numerous in these sea?, and carry on a considerable trade through the whole of the Mediterranean, to the great detriment of our own ships. Most of them belong to Genoa and Sicily, tho' they pass under the name of Minorquins. They pur- chase Mediterranean passports, I am told, from some cf the governors of our garrisons, which entitles them, dur- ing the term specified in these passports, to trade under English colours. I am assured that the number of these Bandiere men amounts to some hundreds. They have often one c two English sailors on board; or at least some person that speaks the language, to answer when they are challenged. Pray can you tell me if this prac- tice is known in England ? Adieu. The heat has become intolerable, and I am able to write no more : — however,! should not have given it up yet, but my ice is all melted, and I have not the con- science to send out a servant for more : I dare say, you are very glad of it, and wish it had been melted long ago If this continues, I believe we ourselves shall be melted The thermometer is above 82, and the heat seems to in crease. — The sea has even become too hot for bathing and it does not at all refresh us now as it did formerly Earewel. LETTER XXXIV. Palermo^ July 26. WE have now got every thing ready for our depar- ture, and if the wind continues favourable, this is probably the last letter I shall write you from Sicily However, I had still a great deal more to bav,both of th^ Z 'i54 A Tour through Sicilians and their island, and shall leave theui) I assui t you, with a good deal of regret. Two chebecks sailed this morning for Naples. We bad the offer of a passage ; but had already engaged a little vessel for ourselves — A young nobleman, the mar- quis of , was shipped off in one of them, with orders never more to set his loot in Palemjo. Indeed we are much surprised that his sentence is so mild, as he has been guilty of a crime, which, in catholic countries, is generally punished with the greatest rigour ; — no less than the debauching a nun — He met with the young lady at a bathing-place, about thirty miles from this, where she had been sent from her convent for the recovery of her health ; her mother was along r ith her, but as the two young people were first cousins, and had lived togeth- er like brother and sister, the old lady thought there could be no risk in allowing them their wonted familiarity. The nun soon recovered her health, grew fat, and re- turned to her convent. This is about six or seven months ago ; and it is only a few days since the fatal discovery was made ; but alas, it would conceal no longer. He is banished Sicily for life ; and his estate, or the greatest part of it. is confiscated. He may think himself happy they have treated him with so much lenity : had his jury been composed of priests and confessors, he must have died, without benefit of clergy ; for this is the first mor- tal sin, for which there is neither atr nement nor absolu- tion ; — '' to lie with a nun, and yet not be in orders** The punishment of the poor unfortunate girl is not yet determined : however, I am told, it will be a terrible one ; probably confinement in a dungeon for seven or eight years, without any company but a skull end a crucifix ; and to live all that timu upon bread and water. I saw a nun a^ i^onallegre, in Portugi^l, that had suffered this ve- ry punishment for the same crime. This story has been kept a profound secret, and if we had not been on a very intimate footing with some people here, we never should have heard of it. The bicili >ns still retain some of the Spanish customs, thoughnothingoftheirgravity or taciturnity : the young- er sons of the nobility are styled Don by ihcir christened names, and the daughters Donna ; like our appellation of Lord and Lady to the sons and daughters of dukes. The Sicily and Malta. ^255 eldest son has commonly the title of count or marquis, but they are not all counts as in France and Germany, where I have seen six counts in one house, and very near twice the number of barons in another. One of the most common titles here, as well as at Na- ples, is that of Prince ; and although these were only cre- ated by Philip II. of Spain, they take rank of all the other nobility, some of whom, particularly the counts, carry their origin as far back as the times of the Normans, and look with great contempt on these upstart princes. The dukes and marquises are not so old : the first were created by Charles V. and the second, though an inferior title, by King Alphonso, in the fifteenth century — So that the dig- nity of the Sicilian titles may be said to be in the inverse ratio of their aniiquiiics. The luxury of the people here, like that of the Neapol- itans, consists chiefly in their equipages and horses ; but by a wise law of the King of Sardinia, which I am surpri- zed should still remain in force, the viceroy alone is al- lowed to drive in the city with six horses; the praetor, the archbishop, and president of the parliament with four, all the rest of the nobility are restricted to two. But this Is only within the gates of Palermo ; and when they go to the country, there is none of them that drive with less than four : besides, every family of distinction has at least two or three carriages in daily use ; for no man of fash- ion is so unpolite as to refuse his wife a chariot of her own, of which she has the entire command ; (without this the Marino could never subsist,) and the upper servants of the first families would be just as much ashamed to be seen on foot as their masters — We took the liberty t(,. ridicule the folly ofthis practice : — they allow of its ab- surdity, and wish to break through it ; but who is to lead the way ? We even prevailed with some of the young no- bility, which I assure you was no small condescension, to walk the streets with us during the illuminations ; but even this comlescension showed the folly of the prejudice in a stronger light than if they had refused us ; for they would not be prevailed on to stir out, till they had sent their servants about ten yards before them, with large wax flambeaux, although the whole city was in a flame of light. You may believe we did not spare them on this occasion ; but ;t was all to no purpose. However, it is ^i56 A Tour through possible that we rmy overlook many customs of our own, that are not less rkliculous ; for ridicule for the most part is relative, and depends only on time and place Perhaps you mav remember the prince of Anainaboo : — I should like to hear the account he would give of the English nation Jn his o^vn country : for some of our customs struck him •n a still more ridiculous light — Walking out in St. James's Park, in the afternoon, he observed one of his ac- qvinrntvince driving in a phaeton \r\x\\ four horses. The Prince burst into a violent fit of l?Aighing : — when they asked him what was the matter? — ' V^at the devil, (said the Piinre, in his bad English,) has the fellow eat so much dinner that now it takes four horses to carry him ? I rode out v/ith him this morning, and he was then so light, that van little horse ran away with him. — He must cither be a great fool or a great glutton.'* Another time Ihey insisted on the Prince going to the play —He went ; Ijut he soon tired of it, and returned to his compan- ions. — '*\Vell, Prince, (said they,) what did you see V* — " Vat did I see, (replied he with the utmost contempt,) I did see some men playing de fiddle — and some men playing de fool." I only infer from thii^, that it is with some degree of caution we should ridicule the customs of ether nations : a Sicilian, perhaps, would laugh with as much justice at many of our customs; — that, for instance, cf obliging people to drink when they hnve no inclination to it ; — that in the North, of eating Soland geese before dinner, t© give them an appetite ; — that of physicians and lawyers wearing enormous wigs, and many others that will natu- rally occur to you, none of which appear in the least ri- diculous to the people that practise them ; who would no doubt defend them as strenuously as the Sicilians do the necessity of carrying flambeaux before them during the great illumination — Indeed they have just now given us an admirable specimen of some of our ridicules, in one of their opera-dances, with which we have been a good deal entertained. I believe I told you that the dancers are lately come from England : they have brought upon the stage many of the CL\pir^l London characters: — The bucks, the mac- aronies, the prigs, the cits, and some others still more pespectable : these are well supported, and afford a good Sicily and Malta, 257 deal of laughing. But I am interrupted, otherwise I should have given you a more particular account of them. Adieu. The heat is intolerable ; and there is no possi- bility of walking out. — We complain without reason of our own climate; and King Charles's observation I am per- suaded was just ; " That there is hardly any climate, where, throughout the year, we can have so much exer- cise in the open air." Ever yours. LETTER XXXV. Palermo^ July 27. THE Sicilians are animated in conversation, and their aciion for the most part is so just and so expressive of their sentiments, that without hearing what is said, one may comprehend the subject of their discourse. We used to think the French and Neapolitans great adepts in this art ; but they arc much outdone by the Sicilians, both in the variety and justness of iheir gesticuh\tion. The origin of this custom they carry so far back as the time of the earliest tyrants of Syracuse, who, to prevent conspiracies, had forbid their subjects, under the most se- vere penalties, to be seen in parties talking together — This obliged them to invent a method of communicating their sentiments by dumb show, which they pretend has been transmitted from generation to generation ever since. I think it is not at all improbable that this custom too may have given the first idea of comedy ; as we find, that some shori time after, Epicarmus, a native of that city, was the author of tliis invention. The Sicilians till lately retained a great many foolish and superstitious customs ; but particularly in tlicir mar- riage and funeral ceremonies : it would be tedious to give you an account of all these ; some of them are still prac- lised in the wild and mountainous parts of the island.— As 60on as the marriage ceremony is performed, iw o of the attendants are ready to cram a spoonful of honey into the mouths of the bride and bridegroom ; propouncing i; Z 2 ' !258 A Tour through eniblematicul of their love and onion, which they hope will ever continue so sweet to their souls, as that honey is to theif pahtes — They then begin to throw handfuls of wheat upon them, which is condnued all the way to the house of the brirlegroom. This is probably the re- mains of some ancient rite to Ceres, their favourite divin- ity, and they think it cannot fdil of procuring them a nu- merous progeny : — however, the Sicilian women have no occvision for any charm to promote this, as, in gencal, they are abundantly prolific even without it. Fazztllo gives an account of women having freqiiently upwards of forty children ; and Carrera mentions one who had forty- seven. The young couple are not allowed to taste of the mar- ■• iap;e-feast ; this thty pretend is to teach them patience and temperance; but when dinner is finished, a great bone is presented to the bridegroom by the bride's father, or one cf her nearest relations, who pronounces these words : " J^odi tu quest* osso, kc. Pick you this bone, for you have now taken in hand to pick one, which you will find much harder and of more difficult digestion.** — Perhaps this may have given rise to the common saying, when one has un«^erlaken any thing arduous or diflkult, that " He has got a bone to pick.** The Sicilians, like most other nations in Europe, care- fcilly avoid marrying in the mon. h of May, and look upon such marriages as extremely inauspicious. This piece of superstition is as old, perhaps elder, than the time of the Romans, by whose authors it is freq\iently mentioned ; and by whom it has been transmitted to almost every na- tion in Europe. It is somewhat unaccountable, that so lidiculous an idea, wluch can have no foundatioR in nature, should have stood its ground for so many ages.— ^There are indeed other customs still more trivial, that are not less universal. Tht^t of making April fools on the first day of that month ; the ceremony of the cake on Twelfih- t^ight ; and some others that will occur to you, ef which, no more than this, I have ever been able to learn their origin. The marriages of the Sicilian nobility are celebrated with great magnificence; and the number cf elegant car- riages produced on these occasions is astonishing. I wanted to discover when this great luxury in carriages Sicily and Malta. Q59 had taken its rise; and have found an account of the niarrittge of the daughter of one of their viceroys to the duke of Bivona, in the year 1551. It is described by one Elenco, who was a spectator of the ceremony. He says, the ladies as well as gentlemen were all mounted on fine horses, sum.ptuously caparisoned, and preceded by pages : that there were only three carriages in the cily, which were used by invalids who were not able to ride on horseback. These he calls Carrete, which word now signifies a little cart. The Sicilian ladies marry very young, and frequently live to see the fifth oV'sixth generation. You will expect, no doubt, that I should say something of their beauty. — In general, they are sprightly and agreeable ; and in most parts of Italy they would be esteemed handsome. A Nea- politan or a Roman would surely pronounce them so. — But a Piedmontcse would declare them very ordinary : so indeed would most Englishmen. Nothing so vague as our ideas of female beauty ; they change in every cli- mate ; and the criterion is no where to be Ibund. *■' Ask Where's the North ? — at York, 'tis on the Tweed, In Scotland at the Orcades, and there V At Nova Zembla, or the Lord knows where." No two nations, — perhaps no two men, have affixed percisely the same characteristics; and every one exalts his idea of it, according to the beauty of the woman he is accustomed to see ; so that even the same person may sometimes appear beautiful, sometimes ugly, just in pro- portion as we have seen others that are niore or less so. 1 remember, after making the tour of Savoy and the Lower Valais, every woman we met in Switzerland ap- peared an angel. The same thing happens in travelling through some parts of Germany ; and you \wll easily re- collect the surprising difference betwixt a betmty at Mi- lan and ORe at Turin, although these places lie adjacent to each other. It is a pity ihat the Juno of Zeuxis has been lost, if it were no more than to have shewn us the notion the ancients had of a perfect beauty — Indeed-? the Venus of Medicis has been considered as a m.odel of per- fection, — but it is surely absurd; — for who ever heaid of a perfect beauty of five feet high ! — the very idea is ridi- culous ; and whatever figure her goddesship might jnake i60 A Tour through amongst the ancient divinities, in the Pantheo!^ at Rome, I am afraid she would cut but a very sorry one amongst the modern ones, in that of London. In short, I believe we may safely conclude, that beauty is a relative quality, and the To kalon is no longer the same, no more in a phy- sical than a moral sense, in any two places on the globe. The ladies here have remarkably fine hair, and they understand how to dress and adorn it to the greatest ad- vantage. It is now only used as an embellishment; but in former times, we are told, that, like that of Samson, it was found to be the strength and protection of their country — There is a parodox for you, that all the wise men of the east could hardly solve. — Their historians re- late, (in whose reign I believe is rather dubious), that this city had suffered a long siege from the Saracens, and was greatly reduced by famine; but, what distressed them still more, there were no materials to be found for making bowstrings, and they were on the point of surrendering. In this dilemma, a patriotic dame stepped forth, and pro- posed to the women, that the whole of them should cut oft' their hair, and twist it into bowstrings: This was immediately complied with. The heroism of the women, you know, must ever excite that of the men — The be- sieged, animated by this gallant sacrifice of the fair, re- newed their defence with such vigour, ihat the assailants were beat off; and a reinforcement soon after arriving, the city was saved. The ladies still value themselves upon this story, which you may believe has not been for- gotten by their bards. " The hair of our ladies (says one of their quaint poets) is still employed in the same office i but now it discharges no other shafts but those of Cupid; and the only cords it forms are the cords of love.'* The Sicilians are much fonder of study than their neighbours on the continent : and their education is much more attended to. We were a good deal surprised to find, that instead of that frivolity and nothingness, which so often constitute the conversation of the Italian nobility, here their delight was to talk on subjects of literature, of history, of politics, but chiefly of poetry ; for the other branches of knowledge and science are only general : this is the only one that may be said to be universal. — Every person, in some period of his life, is sure to be inspired ; and a lover is never believed, so long as he can Sicily and Malta. 26 1 speak of his passion in prose ; and, contrary to cur way of reasoninp^, is only reckoned true in proportion as he is poetical. Thus, inspiration, }Ou see, has heie becon^ the test of truth. We were astonished on our first arriviil at Palermo, to hear ourselves addressed in English by some of the young nobility ; bat still more so, to find them intimately aq- quainied with many of our celebrated poets £nd philoso- phers, — Milton, Shakespeare, Dryden, Pope, Bacon — Bolingbroke we found in several libraiies,not in the trans- lation, but generally in the best editions of the original. Our 1 mguage, indeed, has become so much in vcgucj that it is now looked upon as no immaterial pari of a polite education : the viceroy, the marquis Foglianc, a man of great merit and humanity, has made some of cur authors his favourite study, and greatly encourages the progress it is making in his kingdom. Many of the nobility speak it a little ; and some of them even with ease and fluency, although they have never been out of their island; the marquis Natali, the counts Statela and Buschemi, the duke of St. Micheli, £cc. in whose com- pany we have enjoyed a great deal of pleasure, and whose knowledge and erudition is the least part of their praisQ. Adieu. LETTER XXXYL Palermo^ July 28. I HAD almost forgot to say any thing of the opera:— It would have been very ungrateful, for wc have beetf very much delighted with it. The first and second man are both admirable singers, and I make no doubt you will have them in London in a few years ; neither of them are as yet known, and I dare say at present they might be engaged for a very moderate price ; but in Italy ihey will soon be taught to estimate their value. The name of the first is Pacherotti ; he is very young, and an -rntire stranger in the m.usical world : yet I am persuaded, that !26^ A Tour through is' after he has been heard on the different theatres in Italy, he will be esteemed one of their capital performers. — His excellence is the pathetic, at present too much ne- glected on most theatres; and indeed, I think, he gives more expression to his cantabiLe airs, and makes his hearers feel more, because he feels more himself than any that I have seen in Italy. He indeed addresses him- self to the heart, while most of the modern performers sing only to the fancy. The first woman is Gabrieli; who is certainly the greatest singer in the world : and those tiuit sing on the same theatre with her, must be capital, otherwise ihey never can be attended to. This indeed has been the fate of all theotlier performers, except PacheroUi ; and he too g-ave himself up for lost, on hearing her first perform- ance— It happened to be an air of execuiion, exactly adapted to her voice, which she exerted in so astonishing a manner, that before it was half done, poor Pacherotti burst out a-crying, and ran in behind the scenes; lament- ing that he had dared to appear on the same stage with so wonderful a singer ; where his small talents must not only be lost, but where he must ever be accused of a pre- sumption, which he hoped was foreign to his character. It was with some difficulty they could prevail on him to appear again, but from an applause well merited, both from his talents and his modesty, he soon began to pluck up a little courage; and in the singing of a tendsr air, addressed to Gabrieli in the character of a lover, even she herself, as well as the audience, is said to have been moved. Indeed, in these very pathetic pieces, I am surprised that the power of the music does not sometimes altoge- ther overcome the delusion of character ; for when you are master of the language, and allow the united power of the poetry, the action, and the ntmsic, to have its full force on the mind, the effect is wonderfully great. How- ever, I have never heard that this happened completely but once ; and it was no less a singer than Farinelli that produced it—He appeared in the character of a young captive hero, and in a tender air was soliciting mercy for his mistress and himself, of a stern and cruel tyrant who had made them his prisoners. The person that acted the tyrant was so perfectly overcome by the melting Sicily and Malta 26S strains of Farinelli, that instead of refusing his request as he ought to have done, he entirely forgot his charac- ter, burst into tears, and caught him in his arms. The performance of Gabrieli is so generally known and admired, that it is needless to say any thing to you on that subject. Her wonderful execution tmd volubility of voice have long been the admiration of Italy, and has even obliged them to invent a new term to express it ; and would she exert herself as much to please as to asto- nish, she might almost perform the wonders that have been ascribed to Orpheus and Timotheus ; but it hap- pens, luckily perhaps for the repose of mankind, that her caprice is, if possible, even greater than her talents, and has made her still more contemptible than these have made her celebrated. By this means, her character has often proved a sufficient antidote, both to the charms of her voice and those of her person, which are indeed almost equally powerful ; but if these had been united to the qualities of a modest and an amiable mind, she must have made dreadful havock in the world. However, with all her faults, she is certainly the most dangerous syren of modern times, and has made more conquests, I suppose, than any one woman breathing. It is but justice to add, that contrary to the generality of her profession, she is by no means selfish or merce- nary, but, on the contrary, has given many singular proofs of generosity and disinterestedness. She is very rich ; from the bounty, as is supposed, of the last emperor, who was fond of having her at Vienna ; but she was at last banished that city, as she has likewise been most of those in Italy, from the broils and squabbles that her intriguing spirit, perhaps still more than her beauty, had excited. There are a great many anecdotes concerning her, that would not make an unentertaining volume j and, I am told, either are, or will soon be published. Although she is considerably upwards of thirty, on the stage she scarcely appears to be eighteen ; and this art of appearing young, is none of the most contemptible that she possesses— When she is in good humour, and really chooses to exert herself, there is nothing in music that I have ever heard, to be compared to her performance : for she sings to the heart as well as the fancy? when she pleases \ and she then commands every passion with un- 264 A Tour througli bounded sway. But she is seldom capable of exercising these wonderful powers : and her caprice and her talents exerting themselves by turns, have given her, all her life, the singular fate of becoming alternately an object of admiration and of contempt. Her powers in acting and reciting, are scarcely inferior to those of her singing ; sometimes, a few words in the recitative, with a simple accompaniment only, produce an effect, that I have never been sensible of from any other performer ; and inclines me to believe what Rous- seau advances on this branch of music, which with us is so much despised. She owes much of her merit to the instructions she received from Metastasio, particularly in acting and reciting ; and he allows that she does more justice to his operas than any other actress that ever at- tempted them. Her caprice is so fixed and so stubborn, that neither in- terest, nor flattery, nor threats, nor punishments, have the least power over it ; and it appears, that treating her with respect or contempt have an equal tendency to in- crease it. It is seldom that she condescends to exert these won- derful talents ; but most particularly if she imagines that such an exertion is expected. And instead of singing her airs as other actresses do, for the most part she only hums them over, a mczza voce. And no art whatever is capable of making her sing, when she dees not choose it. The most successful expedient has ever been found, to prevail on her favourite lover, for she always has one, to place himself in the centre of the pit, or the front box ; and if they are on good terms, which ii seldom the case, she will address her tender airs to him, and exert herself to the utmost. — Her present enamoraio promised to give us this specimen of his power over her : he took his place accordingly ;^ut Gabrielli, probably suspecting the contrivance, would take no notice of him ; so that even this expedient does not always succeed. The viceroy, who is fond of music, has tried every me- thod to no purpose. Some time ago he gave a great dinner to the principal nobility of Palermo, and sent an invitation to Gabrieli to be of the party. Every other person arrived at the hour of invitation The viceroy ordered dinner to be kept back, and sent to let her know Sicily and Malta. ^&5 that the company waited her. The messenger found her reading in bed; — she said she was sorry for having made the company wait, and begged he would make her apo- logy, but that really she had entirely forgot her engage- ment. The viceroy would have forgiven this piece of inso- l«nce, but, when the company came to the opera, Gabri- elli repeated her part with the most perfect negligence and indifference, and sung all her airs in what they call sot to voce, that is, so low that they can scarcely be heard. The viceroy was offended ; but as he is a good tempered man, he was loth to make use of authority ; but at last, by 'a perseverance in this insolent stubbornness, she oblig- ed him to threaten her with punishment in case she any longer refused to sing. On this she grew more obstinate than ever, declaring that force and authority should never succeed with her ; that he might make her cry, but that he never could make her sing. The viceroy then sent her to prison, where she remained twelve days. During which time she gave magnificent entertainments every day : paid the debts of all the poor prisoners, and distributed large sums in charity. The viceroy was obliged to give up strug- gling with her, and she was at last set at liberty amidst the acclamations of the poor — Luckily for us, she is at present in good humour, aftd sometimes exerts herself to the utmost of her power. She says she has several times been on terms with the managers of our opera, but thinks she shall never be able to pluck up resolution enough to go to England. What do you think is her reason ? — It is by no means a bad one. She says she cannot command her caprice ; but, for the most part, that it commands her ; and that there she could have no opportunity of indulging it : — For, says she, were I to take it into my head not to sing, I am told the people there would certainly mob me, and perhaps break my bones ; — now I like to sleep in a sound skin, although it should even be in a prison, — She alleges too, that it is not always caprice that prevents her from singing ; but that it often depends upon physical causes ; and this, in- deed, I can readily believe : for that wonderful flexibility of voice that runs with such rapidity ahd neatness through the most minute divisions, and produces almost instanta- A a ^266 A Tour throus^h '&' neousiy so great a variety of modulation, must surely de- pend on the very nicest tone of the fibres. And if these are in the smallest degree relaxed, or their elasticity di- minished ; how is it possible that their contractions and expansions can so readily obey the will, as to produce these effects? — The opening of the glottis, which forms the voice, is extremely small, and in every variety of tone, its diameter must suffer a sensible change ; for the same diameter must ever produce the same tone : — So won- derfully minute are its contractions and dilatations, that Dr. Keil, I think, computes, that in some voices, its open- ing, not more than the tenth of an inch, is divided into up- wards of 1200 parts, the different sound of every one of which is perceptible to an exact ear. Now, what a nice tension of fibres must this require ! — I should imagine every the most minute change in the air, must cause a sensible difference, and that in our foggy climate, the fi- bres would be in danger of losing this wonderful sensibili- ty ; or at least that they would often be put out of tune. It is not the same case with an ordinary voice ; where the variety of divisions run through, and the volubility with which they are executed bear no proportion to those of Gabrieli. One of the ballets of our opera, is a representation of Vauxhall gardens, and this is the third time I have seen Vauxhall brought upon the Italian theatre ; at Turin, at Naples, and here. The gardens are well represented, and an idea must have been given by some person that had been on the spot. A variety of good English figures ^ are brought in : some with large frizzled wigs sticking half a yard out behind their necks ; some with little cut scratches, that look extremely ridiculous. Some come in cracking their whips, with buckskin breeches and jockey caps Some are armed with great oaken sticks ; their hair lied up in enormous clubs, and stocks that swell their necks to double its natural size. But what affords the principal part of the entertainment is, three quakers who are duped by three ladies of the town, in concert with three jack tars, their lovers. — These characters, as you may believe, are much exaggerated, though, upon the whole, they are supported with humour, and have af- forded us a good deal of laughing ; however, we were hurt to see the respectable character of quakers turned Skily and Malta. 'iQl into such ridicule ; and as the people here were altogeth- er unacquainted with it, we have been at some pains to explain to them the sinnplicity and purity of their man- ners, and the incorruptible integrity of their principles. Although the Sicilians in general are a good sort of people, and seem to be endowed with a large share of phi- lanthropy and urbanity; yet it must be owned they have no great affection for their neighbours on the continent ; and indeed the dislike is altogether reciprocal. — It is somewhat singular ; I am afraid not much for the honour of human nature; that through all Europe, the two neighbouring nations have a perpetual jarring with each other. — I could heartily wish that we had been an excep- tion from this rule ; but I am sorry to see, from our newspapers, which are sent lo the nobility of this city, that at present we are rather the most distinguished for it : at least our animosities, if there really are any, muke by much the greatest noise of all — We have often been ask- ed by foreigners what was the ground of the mighty quarrel, that such torrents of the most illiberal abuse have been poured out by a people so^ celebrated for libe- rality of sentiment ; and it is with difficulty we can per- suade them, that although from the papers tliis some- times appears to be the voice of the nation, yet in fact it is only confined to a set of the most worthless and despi- cable incendiaries ; like him who set the house in a flunje. on purpose to pilfer during the conflagration. — But the abuse that is levelled at the king, surprises them more than all the rest : and you cannot ccnceive their amaze- ment and indignation when we assured them, that not- withstanding all this, he was the most virtuous and be- nevolent prince on earth. — Then, exclaimed a Sicilian nobleman, you must certainly be the most damnable peo- ple on the globe. — I was a good deal struck with the sud- denness of the charge; and it was not without many ex- planations of the liberty of our constitution, and particu- larly that 6f the press, that I could prevail with him to retract his sentiments, and think more favourably of ue. Still he insisted, that so egregious an abuse of this liber- ty, was only a further proof of his position ; and that there must be something essentially wrong in a nation that could allow of such abuse levelled at the most sacred of all characters : the highest virtue united to the highest '^08 A Tour ihrough statioir. We assured him that what he heard, was only the voice of the most abandoned and profligate wretches in the nation ; who, taking advantage of the great freedom of the press, had often made these newspapers the vehi- cles of the most detestable sedition : That both the king and queen were beloved by all their subjects, at least by all those of worth ; — that they never were spoken of but as the most perfect model of conjugal union and happi- ness, as well as of every social endowment ; and that they could have no enemies, but the enemies of virtue. However, after all, we could but patch up a peace with him. He could not comprehend (he said) how the voice of a few incendiaries should he louder than the general voice of the nation. — We told him, that people who were pleased commonly held their tongue; and that sedition and libel ever made a greater noise than panegyric ; just as the fire-bell is rung louder, and is more listened to than the bell for rejoicing. Adieu. Our pilot says the wind is not fair, so that pos.- sibiy we may still stay a day or two longer. Ever youis'. LETTER XXXVII Palermo, July 29 WERE I to enter upon the natural history of this island. It would lead me into a vast field of specu- lation, for which I have neither time nor abilities : how- ever a variety of objects struck us as we travelled along, thit it may not be amiss to give you some little account of. There are a variety of mineral waters,almost through the whole of Sicily. Many of these are boiling hot ; others still more singular, are of a degree of cold superior to that of ice, and yet never freeze. In several places, they have fountains that throw up a l^ind of oil on their surface, which is of great use to the peasants, who burn it in their lamps, and use it to many other purposes ; but there is still a more remarkable one near Nicoeia, which ifs called // fonte Canalotto, It is Sicily and Malta. 269 cw'ered with a thick scum of a kind of pitch, which, amongst the country people, is esteemed a sovereign remedy in rheumatic, and many other complaints. The water of a small lake near Naso is celebrated for dyeing black every thing that is put into it ; and this it is said to perform without the mixture of any other ingre- dient, although the water itself is remarkably pure and transparent. They have a variety of sulphureous baths, like those near Naples, where the patient is thrown into a profuse bweat, only from the heat of the vapour. The most cele- brated are those of Sciaccia, and on the mountain of Colo- gero ; not in the neighbourhood of -/Etna, as I expected, but at a great distance from that mountain. But, indeed, I am much inclined to believe, that not only Mount iEina, but the greatest part of Sicily, and almost the whole of the circumjacent islands, have been originally formed by sub- terraneous fire ; but I shall have an opportunity of speak- ing more largely on this subject, when I give you an ac- count of the country round Naples. I have observed lava, pumice, and tufa, in many parts of Sicily, at a great distance from ^Etna ; and there are a va- riety both of mountains and valleys that still emit a hot va- pour, and produce springs of boiling water. About a mile and a half to the west of this city, at a small beach where we often go a-swimming, there are ma- ny springs of warm water, that rise even within the sea at the depth of five or six feet. We were at first a good deal surprised to find ourselves almost instantaneously both in the hot and cold bath ; for at one stroke we commonly passed through the hot water, w hich only extends for a few feet around the spring. It gave us a momentary glow, and produced a very odd uncouth sensation, by no means an agreeable one. I mentioned this singularity to several gentlemen here, who tell me they have observed the same tiling. Not a great way from this is a celebrated fountain, cal- led // Mar Dolce^ where there are some remains of an an- cient naumachia ; and in the mountain above it, they shew you a cavern, where a gigantic skeleton is said to have been found : however, it fell to dust when they attempted to remove it: — Fazzello says, its teeth were the only part *hat resisted the impression of the air ; that he procured A a 2 'i/O A Tour through twoof them, and that they weighed near two ounces. — There are many such stories to be met with in the Sicil- ian legends, as it seems to be an universal belief, that this island was once inhabited by giants ; but although we have made diligent inquiry, we have never been able to procure a sight of any of these gigantic bcnes which are said to be still pressrved in many parts of the island. Had there been any foundation for this, I think it is probable they must have found their way into some of the muse- \ims; but this is not the case; nor indeed have we met with any person of sense and credibility that could say rhey had seen any of them. We had been assured at Na- ples, that an entire skeleton, upwards of ten feet high, was preserved in the museum of Palermo ; but there is no such thing there, nor I believe any where else in the island —This museum is well furnished both with an- tiques and articles of natural history, but is not superior to what we ha\"ie seen inmany^other places. The number of souls in Palermo are computed at about 1 50,000. Those of the whole island, by the last numera- tion, amounted to 1,123,163 ; of which number there are about 50,000 that belong to the different monasteries and religious orders. The number of houses arc computed at 368,120, which makes betwixt five and six to a house. The great standing commodity of Sicily, which has ever constituted the riches of the island, was their crops of wheat ; but they cultivate many other branches of commerce, though none that could bear any proportion to this, were it under a free government, and exportation al- lowed. Their method of preserving their grain will ap- pear somewhat singular to our farmers : instead of expos- ing: it) as we do, to the open air, they are at the greatest pains to exclude it entirely from it — In many places, where the soil is dry, particularly near Agrige«tum, they have dug large pits of cave in the rock. These open by a small hole at top, and swell to a great width below ; here »hey pour down their grain, after it has been made ex- ceedingly dry; and ramming it hard, they cover up the hole, to protect it from rain ; and they assure us it will preserve in this manner for many years. The Soda is a plant which is much cultivated, and turns out to considerable account. This is the vegetable, that by the action of fire, is afterwards converted intomir- Sicily and Malta. 271 rors and crystals. Great quantities of it are sent ever)- year to supply the glass-houses at Venice. — They have likewise a considerable trade in liquorice, rice, figs, rai- sins, and currants, the best of which grow amongst the extinguished volcanoes oftheLipari Islands. Their ho- ney is, I think, the highest flavoured I have ever seen ; in some parts of the island even superior to that of Mi- norca : this is owing, no doubt, to the quantity of aromatic plants, with which this beautiful country is every where overspread. This honey is gathered three months in the year ; July, August, and October. It is found by the peasants in the hollows of trees and rocks ; and is es- teemed of a superior quality to that produced under the tyranny of man. — The country of the lesser Hybla is still, as formerly, the part of the island that is most cele- brated for honey. The Count Statela made us a present of some of it, gathered on his brother the Prince of Spac- caforno's estate, which lies near thfe ruins of that city. Sugar is now no article of the Sicilian commerce, tho' a small quantity of it is still manufactured for home con- sumption ; but the plantations of the sugar-cane, I am told, thrive well in several parts of the island. The juice of liquorice is prepared both here and in Calabria, and is sent to the northern countries of Europe, where it is used for colds. — The juice is squeezed out of the roots ; after which it is boiled to a consistency, and formed into cakes, which are packed up with bay leaves in the same order that we receive them. In some of the northern parts of the island, I am told, they find the shell-fish that produces a kind of flax, of which gloves and stockings are made ; but these too are found in greater quantities in Calabria. Their plantations of oranges, lemons, bergamots, al- monds, &c. produce no inconsiderable branch of com- merce. The pistachio-nut toe is much cultivated in ma- ny parts of the island, and with great success. These trees, like many others, are male and female : the male is called ScornobeccOf and is always barren ; but unless a quantity of these are mixed in every plantation, the pis- tachio-tree never bears a nut. — But of all the variety that is cultivated in Sicily, the manna-tree is esteemed the most profitable ; it resembles the ash, and is, I believe, of that species. About the beginning of Augus;, during tht 2I7Q A Tour through season of the greatest heat, they make an incision in the bark, near to the root of the tree ; a thick whitish liquor is immediately discharged from the wound, which soon hardens in the sun, when it is carefully taken off and gath- ered into boxes. They renew these incisions everyday during the season, observing, however, only to wound one side of the tree ; the other side they reserve for the sum- mer following. The cantharides-fly is a Sicilian commodity ; it is found on several trees of ^Etna, whose juice is supposed to have a corrosive or abstersive quality, particularly the pine and the fig-tree ; and I am told the cantharides of Mount ^^t- naare reckoned preferable to those of Spain. The marbles of Sicily would afford a great source of opulence, were there any encouragement to work the quarries : of these they have an infinite variety, and of the finest sorts. I have seen some of them little inferior to the giall and verd antique, that is now so precious. — The beautiful yellow columns you must have observed in the royal chapel of Casserto are of the first kind. They have likewise some that very much resemble lapiz lazuli and porphyry. ^ At Centorbi they find a kind of soft stone that dis- solves in water, and is used in washing instead of soap, from which property it is called Pietra Safionaro. They likewise find here, as well as in Calabria, the celebrated stone, which, upon being watered and exposed to a pretty violent degree of heat, produces a plentiful crop of mush- rooms : — But it would be endless to give you an account of all the various commodities and curious productions of this island ; iEtna alone affords a greater number than many of the most extensive kingdoms, and is no less an epitome of the whole earth in its soil and climate, than in the variety of its productions. Besides the corn, the wine, the oil, the silk, the spice, and delicious fruits of its lower region ; the beautiful forests, the flocks, the game, the tar, the cork, the honey, of its second ; the snow and ice of its third ; it affords from its caverns a variety of mineral and other productions ; cinnabar, mercury, sul- phur, allum, nitre, and vitriol ; so that rhis wonderful mountain at the same time produces every nescessary and evelry luxury of life. Its first region covers their tables with all the ddica.- Sicily and Malta. 273 cies that the earth produces ; its second supplies them with game, cheese, butter, honey ; and not only furnishes wood of every kind for building their ships and houses, but likewise an inexhaustible store of excellent fuel ; and as the third region, with its ice and snow, keeps them fresh and cool during the heat of summer, so this con- tributes equally to keep them warm and comfortable during the cold of winter. Thus you see, the variety of climates is not confined to iEtna itself; but, in obedience to the voice of man, descends from that mountain ; and, mingling the violence of their extremes, diffuses the most benign influences all over the island, tempering each other to moderation, and softening the rigours of every season. We are not then to be surprised at the obstinate attach- ment of the people to this mountain, and that all his ter- rors have not been able to drive them away from him : for although he sometimes chastises, yet, like an indul- gent parent, he mixes such blessings along with his chas- tisements, that their affections can never be estranged; for at the same time that he threatens with a rod of iron, he pours down upon them all the blessings of the age of gold. Adieu. We are now going to pay our respects to the viceroy, and make our farewell visits. — This ceremony never fails to throw a damp on my spirits ; but 1 have seldom found it so strong as at present, there being little or no probability that we shall ever see again a number of worthy people we are just now going to take leave of; or that we shall ever have it in our power to make any return for the many civilities we have received from them. Farewell. The wind we are told is fair, and I shall probably be the bearer of this to the continent, from whence you nvay soon expect to hear from, &c. fiETTER XXXVIII. jVafileSj August 1 . FTER two days delightful sailing, we have again arrived at thi^ city ; where, to our infinite joy, we ^.-a ti ^74 A Tour through have found all the worthy friends we had left behind us. This indeed was necessary, to wipe out the impressions which the leaving of Sicily had occasioned. We shall still remain here, at least for three months, till the season of the Mai Aria is entirely over. You know the danger of travelling through Campania during that season ; which, although it is looked upon by many of our learned doctors as vulgar error, yet we certainly shall not submit ourselves to the experiment. We propose to pass the winter at Rome, where we shall probably find occupation enough for four or five months. — From thence by Loretto, Bologna, See. to Venice, the old beaten tract — We shall then leave the parched fields of Italy, for the delightful cool mountains of Switzerland; — where liberty and simplicity, long since banished from polished nations, still flourish in their original purity; where the temperature and moderation of the climate, and that of the inhabitants, are naturally emblematical of each other. — For whilst other nations are scorched by the heat of tl\fi sun, and the still more scorching heats of tyranny and superstition ; here the genial breezes for ever fan the air, and heighten that alacrity and joy which liberty and innocence alone can inspire; — here the genial flow of the soul has never yet been checked by the idle and useless refinements of art, but opens and expands itself to all the calls of affections and benevolence. — But I must not stop. You know my old attachment to that primitive country. — It never fails to run away with me. We propose then, to make this the scene of our summer pleasures ; and by that time, I can foresee, we shall be heartily tired of Art, and shall begin again to languish after Nature. It is she alone that can give any real or lasting pleasure, and in all our pur- suits of happiness, if she is not our guide, we never can attain our end. Adieu, my dear friend. You have been our faithful com- panion during this tour, and have not contributed a little to its pleasure. If it has afforded equal entertainment to you, we shall beg of you still to accompany us through the rest of our travels. A man must have a miserable imagination indeed, that can be in solitude, whilst he has such friends to converse with; the consideration of it soon removes the mountains and seas that separate us, Sicily and Malta, 275 and produces those sympathetic feelings, which are the only equivalent for the real absence of a friend ; for I never sit down to write, but I see you placed on the oppo- site side of the table, and suppose that we are just talking over the transactions of the day. And without your pre- sence to animate me, how is it possible that I could have had patience to write these enormous epistles ? Adieu. We are soon going to make some excursions through the kingdom of Naples ; and if they produce any thing worthy of your observation, we must beg that you will still sub- mit to be one of the party. I ever am, Most sincerely and affectionately, yours, PAT. BRYDONE. *;■ ■aR#w;*' .% Date Due ^ NOV 6 ^JL ' OCT 1 9 ^\ ! Fonn ;j35. 45M 8-37. ! ^■::,.JS fft " ^■■^■^71 914. 58 B916T 308973