from our own, there must be an entire absence of all virtuous principles.'

• A Sicilian nobleman may generally be considered accomplished; his manners are agreeable, often refined; he possesses talents from nature, which appear in some shape or other: for it is rare to meet a Sicilian who does not play, or sing, who cannot boast of some acquirement, which will contribute to the pleasures of a mixed society. It is from this circumstance that society abroad is so agreeable. In our own country there is frequently, even amongst persons of the greatest information, a dead silence, a formality that destroys all confidence. In Sicily this is not the case: there, there is no formality. Every person endeavours to contribute to the amusements of themselves and others; and if a stranger is present, it is the general endeavour to make it agreeable to him. There are, however, many men in Sicily of truly cultivated understandings; and I must say, when this was the case, society held out charms not often found in this country.'

The author finds it necessary, however, to qualify the last part of the encomium, by expressing regret that the improvement of the natural talents of the Sicilians is not the object of greater attention; and his good nature evidently leads him far astray when he avows (pp. 50, 51, 52, 53.) a decided approbation of the practice of educating girls in a convent. Admitting, for argument's sake, that the impressions received in these retreats are (as he says) all virtuous, what a poor and inadequate preparation do they afford for a knowlege of the world and the duties of domestic life! This, indeed, Mr. T. is obliged to confess; and, in adhering to his praise of conventeducation, he is driven to make a distinction which, we confess, is not altogether clear to our comprehensions, between what he terms its effects and its consequences.' He runs through the circle of the royal family in the same indulgent disposition, alleging that the King has more capacity and the Queen more humanity than the public are disposed to allow them. It is amusing, indeed, to read (pp. 38, 39.) the apostrophe in which this well intentioned writer endeavours to make the freedom of his observations on the country acceptable to her Majesty; as if she were what Bonaparte had the modesty to declare him self to have been in the midst of the horrors of his Russian retreat," accessible to no other sentiments than those which af fected the happiness and grandeur of the empire." Mr. Thompson admits, however, that the Queen has a wonderful partiality for Naples and Neapolitans; that she may have acted, on some occasions, with severity, perhaps with apparent injustice; and that she has for a long time had a dislike to our Mich he accounts by the freedom taken with Mic prints,

countrymen her char

It appears that Mr. T. visited all the remarkable places on the coast of Sicily: but into the interior he ventured compara tively little, in consequence of the wretched accommodations. for travelling. Of the capital, he gives this description:

The approach to the city of Palermo, from the sea, presents a most enchanting prospect. The bay itself is very extensive, and encircled in its sweep by a diversity of mountains and hills, whose various forms, give an interesting grandeur to the scene. Between the beach and the foot of these hills lies a wide open plain, from whence rise, in great majesty, towers, cupolas, and spires, in wild confusion, yet displaying a graceful symmetry.'

A stranger is much struck by the first view of Palermo, even on a nearer approach. Every house appears a palace; but the eye soon gets accustomed to this; and a more close inspection, particularly into the interior of them, soon lessens our admiration for though the principal streets are ornamented with states and fountains, and with many edifices, whose exterior, at a distance, seems worthy of a capital, yet most of the others are extremely narrow and winding, very dirty, and almost impassable, at times, from the badness of the pavement.'

There are two principal streets, which traverse the whole extent of the city, and cross each other. These are each a mile in length; and in the centre of them is a small square, called the Ottangolo. There are four gates; one at each extremity of these streets; and from the square above mentioned the whole extent of them can be seen.'

The houses are all built to a great height, and, agreeably to the customs of this and the neighbouring countries, have balconies, guarded by iron railing, to most of their windows.

These projections, indeed, in some measure, destroy the symmetry of the architecture; but this is amply made up by the convenience they afford of enjoying the cool evening breeze, in a climate generally so warm as this is. There are an immense number of churches and convents: I believe they exceed three hundred.

The mode of building in this country differs greatly from ours, The ground-floor, even of the most magnificent palaces, frequently consists of shops: in each building there is a common stair-case, and each stage of apartments forms, as it were, a separate residence, being generally inhabited by different families; and this is always the case, except in the residences of some of the principal nobility.'

In describing the manners of the fashionable society of Palermo, the author apprizes his readers that an introduction to respectable families is a matter of much more difficulty than it has commonly been imagined. Notwithstanding the great popularity of our countrymen,

An Englishman must be a long time at Palermo, he must be gentlemanly in his manners, correct in his conduct, and possess the means of rendering himself an agreeable companion, before he will be admitted with freedom or intimacy into the houses of the inhabitants.'

We are apt to believe in our own country that levity of manners bespeaks levity of mind: but this is not always the case abroad. Great latitude of conversation is allowed; and I have conversed with the most modest women on subjects which my own countrywomen would think it an insult to allude to. Yet this means nothing: they would be astonished if you in the slightest degree presumed upon it.

A person going to Palermo, expecting to find every woman ready to like him, will be most egregiously mistaken.'

From Palermo, Mr. T. proceeded to Messina in a coastingboat, which is by far the most pleasant mode of conveyance. The boat's crew consisted of twelve men. Having taken his mattrass with him, he spred it under a good awning, and regularly slept on board; making it a rule to bathe every morning, after which he found himself as much refreshed as if he had passed the night in a comfortable bed. His provisions he carried with him, but to cook his dinner it was necessary to go on shore; giving a preference to the spots which afforded him the advantage of shade. The scenery along the shore was delightful, and endeared to the admirer of antiquity by its connection with classical events. Etna was generally in prospect, at the distance of forty or fifty miles; and, among other places, Mr. T. passed the site of the antient Himera, the scene of the defeat of the Carthaginians by Gelo, on the very day on which Leonidas sacrificed himself for the liberty of Greece. On arriving at Milazza, the antient Myle, within thirty miles of Messina, the author was challenged by English sentinels; who, he afterward found, were stationed on the coast all the way to Messina. This precaution was necessary, as well from the vicinity of the Calabrian shore as from the number of privateers which harass this part of the island.

No prospect can be more striking than the view of Messina from the sea.'

The most careless spectator cannot fail being struck with the ap pearance of lofty and of rugged mountains, which rise almost immediately from the beach: so that Messina is in general situated upon high ground, forming a noble sweep on the swelling eminences, and rising in pleasing gradation so as to present almost every public edifice in the best point of view; its masses of elegant white architecture, glowing in the sun-beam, and finely contrasting with the deep green of the immense forests which clothe the back-ground, whilst the lower grounds on each side exhibit every symptom of extraordi. nary fertility.'

The manners, habits, customs, &c. of Messina, are, of course, similar to Palermo; the only difference is, that at the latter place they are much gayer; and Palermo possesses one great advantage over Messina that of having good roads in the vicinity, whereas at Messina hills surround it in every direction, and these, except the road to Catania, are all very bad.'

• There

There can be no doubt that Messina was a town in the time of the Siculi, or most ancient inhabitants of the island; though Thucydides observes, that its first Grecian occupants were pirates who lived on the Italian shore of Campania, principally in the city of Cuma, and derived their origin from emigrant colonists from Chalcis in the Eubœan state.'—

Its situation, so convenient to commerce, and the fertility of its vicinity, soon rendered it flourishing: but these advantages only served to tempt the cupidity, and to facilitate the approach of invaders,'

In some respects Mcssina is a place of more consequence than Palermo, not only from its most excellent harbour, but also from its very considerable trade, chiefly consisting in silk, oil, fruit, corn, and wine.'

This city suffered most severely from an earthquake in the year -1783, the effects of which it has not yet recovered.

It is proper to notice, however, that in many parts of the city only the upper stories were thrown down, whilst the lower ones remaining afforded a safe shelter to numbers towards the close of this awful visitation, who had learned experience from the first shocks; for then many who remained in the houses, as well as those who flew into the streets, being killed by the fall of the buildings, the survivors sought and found shelter under the door and window frames, their situation thus placing them out of the range of the falling materials.'

Most of the new-erected houses possess a smaller elevation than their predecessors, the architects having learned wisdom from experience; yet still, from their elegance, they may be said to resemble palaces. Great attention has also been paid to the strength of these modern edifices, being raised on arches throughout the whole of the ground floors, whilst these vaults, being distinct from the dwellings, are generally occupied as shops.'

Mr. Brydone long since apprized the public that the Gulf of Charybdis had degenerated as much in terrific grandeur from its Odyssean character, as the feeble mortals of the present day from the heroes of the Homeric age. Mr. Thompson bears similar testimony, and observes that Charybdis is marked only by a rippling on the water, which is seldom of consequence, except when the wind and the current are adverse to each other. The population of Messina has been greatly over-rated, and does not in his opinion exceed 30,000. Proceeding southward to the base of Etna, and the city of Catania, the traveller passes through a less hilly tract than is common in Sicily, a plain being a sight of rare occurrence in this picturesque island. The torrents in the way are numerous; and Mr. T. stood in need of all the delight which is afforded by classical recollections, to enable him to keep up his spirits in the midst of bad weather. In passing the river Cantara, at a short distance from the base of Etna, the eye is struck by the discovery of a distinct boundary to the progress of the matter thrown out from

the

the volcano; the side of the river nearest to Etna being formed of lava, while the other consists of marble and calcareous substances. After having made his way through huge masses of lava, the traveller reaches the beautiful city of Catania, where he finds the only University in the island, together with many traces of the town as it stood in the time of the Romans, which have been discovered by digging through the lava that

covers the surface:

The whole of these ruins are rich in marbles, and afford much entertainment to the passing stranger; who will also be pleased with much of the modern architecture, particularly the churches, amongst which the Cathedral is extremely large, and no less beautiful, crowned with an elegant cupola of large dimensions.

This place is considered, upon the whole, as one of the most agreeable for residence in Sicily. Wine is excellent: the town itself clean and regular; and the buildings handsome, many of them magnificent. The country round it is beautiful, and nothing can exceed the scenery of the plain of Catania, bounded by Mount Etna and the sea.

The Sicilians are much attached to this mountain, and with great reason it produces them every necessary and every luxury of life; and without the inexhaustible supply of snow obtained from its summit, how would the Sicilians exist during the heats of summer?'The summit of Mount Etna is throughout the whole year covered with snow. The heat in Sicily is never greater than in the months of June and July, yet the atmosphere on the top of this mountain is even then like winter. Immense quantities of snow lay frozen around, and on approaching the summit, the ascent is so steep that the traveller is obliged to dismount from his mule, and get up as well as he can: on getting nearer, a strong smell of sulphur is perceived. The opening of the crater is very large, and is composed of pieces of lava piled one on the other. For some time before the tourist can reach the highest part of the mountain, the smoke rises from the ground under his feet, and he hears a great noise, resembling distant thunder,

The view from hence is said to be sublime: the eye takes in the whole of Sicily, like a panorama: the straits that divide Sicily and Calabria appear like a small stream of water: the islands that surround Sicily seem to be at a very small distance, whilst around, on every side, is the unlimited prospect of the ocean.'

The variety of climate afforded by the elevation of Etna enables the inhabitants to combine, within a comparatively small space, the fruits of the temperate and those of the torrid zone. The Palm-tree is found to produce and bring to maturity the Date; and even Cinnamon and Coffee-trees are said to have occurred here, growing in a wild state. The havock occasioned by the eruption of lava is, in some measure, compensated by the wonderful preservation in which this solid covering has kept the monuments of antiquity; so that many of the paintings taken from the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii have their colours as bright as if they had been newly executed.