and Asia Minor, and who strongly advised the seceders not to trust to
the expected boat, but to stick to the Francesco. However; as they still
remained obstinately bent on following their own plans, we left them,
and were soon out in the Ionian Sea.
[Sidenote: VALETTA.] _Sunday, 14th._--At four o'clock this morning, the
mountains of Calabria, above Branco and Cape Spartivento, were visible.
About seven, AEtna reared its giant head, towering magnificently over the
scene through the clouds of mist that enveloped its base. At half-past
two we entered the harbour of Syracuse, after a few hours' delay,
started again in a gale. We had a very rough time of it during the
night, but to-morrow our troubles will end.
_Monday, 15th._--At daybreak a speck was seen in the horizon; now it is
visible above the hollow wave, now curtained from our sight by the
swelling billow: we approach nearer; the speck divides, and two spots
appear; they are Calypso's Isles,--
"The sister tenants of the middle deep,
There, for the weary, still a haven smiles,
Though the fair goddess long hath ceased to weep."
[Sidenote: LAZZARETTO.] At ten o'clock we passed into the quarantine
harbour.
What a formidable array of guns! what bustle in every direction! and
what a clean comfortable-looking place is this Valetta, with its white
houses encircled with verandas. What a contrast is afforded by the neat
trim boats, the well-appointed sentinel, and the civil, attentive
officer of health, when compared with what I have been so long
accustomed to! Every thing around bespeaks the influence of English
habits and feelings. The whole of the great lazzaretto and Fort Emanuel
were prepared for us: the latter for the Prince, and such as chose to go
there in preference to the former. We landed in a hurry; the object of
every one being to secure a good room for himself, as, with a piece of
chalk in hand, he wandered through the vast corridors of this immense
building. All were well satisfied. Myself and two friends agreed to mess
together, and we secured a couple of good apartments, one for a bed, and
the other for a sitting-room; to which two great comforts were attached,
namely, a thorough draught and a kitchen. Valetta supplied the necessary
furniture, and every luxury we required; and we made our engagements for
getting our dinners brought from thence daily. With a boat and a servant
in addition to these comforts, we found ourselves established in so
agreeable a manner, that our party became the envy of the surrounding
messes. Every liberty was permitted that the regulations of the place
could sanction; and we were allowed to row about the harbour, and amuse
ourselves in any other way we liked, from daybreak until night. Some of
the messes had regular cooks in their establishment; but I think our
plan was preferable, and we certainly lived better than they.
[Sidenote: DAYS OF QUARANTINE.] Notwithstanding the heat of the weather,
our domicile was cool, and the spacious apartments attached to the
building, and the cloisters below, afforded plenty of space for
exercise. In the evenings we generally visited the fort, or went to the
quarantine ground on the other side of the water: sometimes we took a
row out to sea; and, on our return, the English portion of the crew
generally came into our reception room, where we smoked, drank, and sang
far into the night. No musquitoes, no little blood-sucking tormentors,
were there to tease us; and the time passed gaily and delightfully. Thus
we held the even tenor of our course for a fortnight, when our
confinement had virtually expired; for though the established period of
quarantine was sixteen days, yet the one on which we went into the
lazzaretto, and that on which we came out, were allowed to count as two.
Though very few incidents occurred to break the uniformity of our lives,
the time flew on rapidly.
The gaming-table was established, as usual, by the foreigners; and heavy
were the fluctuations of fortune, if we might judge from the changeful
demeanour of those who frequented it. His Royal Highness never deigned
to visit us; indeed, it could hardly be expected he should do so, when
he did not even condescend to pay his respects to the ladies in the
fort, or the party there established, though living within the same
walls as himself.
In consequence of its having been decided that the boat was to go to
Alicata, Girgenti, and Palermo, I arranged with one of the passengers to
take a felucca and sail direct for Naples. The Pelican came in, and
immediately went off again to England, leaving her first lieutenant, who
was promoted, to join the boat for Naples. Some portion of every day was
spent at the parlatorio eating ices, and looking at the curious scene
going forward there; for some fresh ship daily arrived to undergo the
same ordeal as ourselves; or a knot of lucky fellows, having finished
their purgatory, were seen sallying forth to enjoy a ramble through the
clean and pleasant streets of Valetta.
[Sidenote: THE PARLATORIO.] The lazzaretto is a little world within
itself, highly interesting for many reasons; and I confess I felt rather
sorry as the time approached when we were to quit our quiet, tranquil
abode, and be again let loose upon the busy, noisy world.
We narrowly escaped having forty days allotted us, owing to the
circumstance of there being a quantity of carpets on board; but, by
entering them as ship's furniture, they were put into long quarantine,
and we escaped with a comparatively short one. Every passenger seemed to
possess two or three Persian carpets: Prince Butera had a great number;
but I saw none that were at all valuable.
[Sidenote: MALTESE WOMEN.] At the parlatorio we saw many of the Maltese
women coming to speak with their husbands, fathers, brothers, and
lovers; most of whom were sailors or owners of craft in the harbour.
Their dress is very becoming, and some of them were pretty. The black
silk mantilla is a very beautiful head dress, and much to be preferred
to the misshapen bonnet with which fashion commands the fair to
disfigure themselves in other parts of Europe. The petticoat is also of
black silk, with the body of white muslin. Some one likened them to
magpies: i'faith, they talked as fast; but who would not wish to hear
the beautiful Arabic flowing softly from such ruby lips, and watch the
smiling flashes of--
"The coal-black eye, that mocks the coal-black veil?"
that pleasant lightning which warms, but scathes not.
Thus our time passed until--
_Sunday, 29th,_--when the medical officer of the establishment came
round to make the usual examination, which was over in a few minutes.
Our party were in bed when he entered; and, approaching each of us with
a bow, he said, "Pretty well?--ah! I see, quite well;"--and then, with
another conge, he left us. We afterwards understood that he addressed
every single person in the lazzaretto, the fort, and the vessel, from
the Prince to the Steward's boy, precisely with the same words.
_Tuesday, 30th._--I rose early, for the steam-packet from Corfu had
arrived in the night, and, lo! all the passengers who quitted us at
Zante were on board of her. It appears there had been a mistake in the
number of days first allotted them for quarantine; and, instead of
three, they were condemned to seven days' misery, all crowded together
in a very small building, where they suffered dreadfully from the
combined effect of heat, vermin, and bad living. The expected steam-boat
had met with an accident at sea, and she passed in sight of Zante,
without entering the harbour; so that these unlucky fellows were obliged
to hire a speranaro, in which, after being twice driven back, and
suffering various hardships and misfortunes, they arrived at Corfu.
There was no truth in the report respecting the short quarantine at
Ancona, and, eventually, they all embarked in the steam-packet for
Falmouth.
[Sidenote: VALETTA.] At eight o'clock, we landed from our boat at the
harbour stairs, and entered Valetta. Rarely have I seen a city so
remarkable for its cleanliness: in that very essential quality, it may
be said to equal the most agreeable towns of Flanders and Holland. My
first visit was to the Neapolitan consul, when I found there was some
difficulty about the Turkish tobacco which I had in my possession. As
this knotty affair could not be arranged, it was decided we should
remain one day more; and I engaged myself to dine at the palace. As the
Malta gazette did us the honour to publish a detailed account of the
festivities of that day, let me transcribe it here.
"_Malta, 31st._--The passengers by the Neapolitan steamer, Francesco
Primo, were yesterday admitted to _pratique_.
"His Excellency the Governor entertained His R. H. the Prince of
Bavaria, the Prince of Butera, and the other noblemen and gentlemen,
passengers in the steamer, at a grand dinner at the palace.
[Sidenote: GARRISON OF MALTA.] "The whole of the garrison was afterwards
reviewed on the Florian parade; and, certainly, in no quarter of the
world could a finer body of troops be seen, than those composing the
garrison of Malta; consisting of a detachment of the Royal Artillery,
the Royal Fusileers, the Royal Highlanders, the 73d and 94th regiments,
and the Royal Malta Fencibles.
[Sidenote: LADY BRIGG'S BALL.] "In the evening, Lady Briggs gave a
magnificent ball, at which his R. H. the hereditary Prince of Bavaria,
Prince Butera of Sicily, and the other _distinguished_ personages who
came by the steamer, were present."
The writer of this "Court Journal" was right in saying that no finer
body of troops could be seen; and the foreigners present were
particularly struck with the Fusileers and the Highlanders; but the
whole garrison was greatly offended at the conduct of the Prince, who
never acknowledged the salute of the officers, nor the lowering of the
colours to the ground in passing his royal person. Every one besides
stood uncovered, and the populace cheered loudly; while he displayed a
sort of contemptuous indifference, and remained motionless as a statue.
The Admiral's ball was given as much in honour of Sir Thomas Briggs's
elevation to the Grand Cross of St. Michel as of the _illustrious_
persons of the steam-boat. It was crowded and splendid; but there was a
sad lack of beauty.
The Captain of the Speranaro having refused to take the tobacco, our
bargain became void, and the baggage was again shifted to the
steam-boat, which sailed about eight o'clock on a beautiful moonlight
night. We were kept waiting outside the harbour for nearly an hour for
Captain Hayland, one of the passengers, who, it seems, went to sleep,
and the people in his hotel forgot to wake him in due time. He was
greatly alarmed, all his baggage being on board; and for some time he
supposed we had really left him behind. The boat he hired was engaged to
take him to Syracuse, in case it did not overtake the steamer. The
commander of the Francesco, however, behaved very well on this occasion;
for, when some of the passengers remonstrated at the delay, he replied,
that the absent person was not only attentive and obliging to all on
board, but had been punctual hitherto; and, therefore, he would stretch
a point for him, though he would not do as much for many others who
sailed with him.
[Sidenote: SICILY--GIRGENTI.] _Thursday, August 1st._--We are off
Alicata, having landed Prince Butera, whose estates are situated near
the town. I was not sorry for the opportunity of seeing Girgenti thus
afforded me; and a day or two sooner or later in Naples made no
difference. Some extra charge was made for this addition to the eastern
voyage, merely sufficient to pay the expenses of the boat.
We coasted along this beautiful island, now almost a wilderness, and
nearly depopulated by a long series of oppressive edicts and taxes,
imposed by the government of a nation which has no sympathy with its
distresses. It may be truly called the Ireland of the great kingdom of
the two Sicilies; a wretched country, which can only be preserved from
destruction by a war to which Naples is a party. When that occurs,
Sicily may again raise its desponding head, and, by seeking the
protection of England, whose remembrance is indelibly stamped on the
hearts of its inhabitants, it would soon be regenerated, and, with a
liberal government and free trade, might once more become the rich and
happy Sicily, the garden of Europe.
[Sidenote: GIRGENTI.] We anchored off Girgenti: in the distance, against
the clear blue vault of heaven stood its ruined temples, the sad
enduring monuments of former greatness; which appeal to the miserable
and oppressed inhabitants, impressively reminding them of the glory of
their forefathers, and the power which has passed away from the land.
Half an hour after midnight, a party I had formed, started to view the
temples by that light,
"Which mingles dark shadows into gentleness."
After rambling across the country, and losing ourselves among groves of
olive trees, we were obliged to take a guide at last. We were several
times stopped by the deep ravines which the torrents have cut in the
face of the country. There were an immense number of aloes in the
hedges, many in flower.
The night was as fine and clear as could be desired; and the moon shone
with an intensity of light. On arriving at the Temple of Hercules,
nothing met our eyes but one solitary column rising from a mass of
prostrate ruins, and over-topping the cluster of Indian fig-trees that
grew around it. Pointing towards the heavens, it seemed to
whisper,--"Mortals, there must you look for eternity: here all is
crumbling to decay!"
[Sidenote: REFLECTIONS.] We passed on through groves of the
above-mentioned trees, and alongside walls and turrets excavated from
the solid rock, until the whole of the Temple of Concord, and,
immediately afterwards, that of Juno, burst upon our sight. In this
still hour, as we stood upon their ruins, and extended our view over the
boundless prospect of sea and land,--the one calm and tranquil as a
sleeping child; the other, like an old but vigorous man, marked and
furrowed by the devastating hand of time,--how impressive was the scene!
Can I ever lose the recollection of that moment? No. Girgenti,--
"My eye hath play'd the painter, and hath steeled
Thy beauty's form in table of my heart!"
Often have I lingered within the Coliseum when its majestic ruins were
silvered o'er by the light of the same lovely orb, which now threw its
lustre on these prostrate relics of departed greatness: I have wandered
alone among the temples of Paestum; I have stood on the Parthenon while
the sun threw his latest, brightest ray over that hallowed spot: but
never did I feel as among the ruins of Girgenti. On all these former
scenes, the combination of nature and art has fixed the impress of mere
beauty; here their union is sublime.
The Eastern sky is brightening with the beams of the morning sun, and
its reflection tints each mouldering column with a purple light. The
moon slowly resigns her influence over the scene, and a splendid
prospect of earth and sea bursts upon the eye, as the sun springs
upwards from behind the ruins, like the presiding deity of the spot.
[Sidenote: GALLEY SLAVES.] We next proceeded to the Temple of Giants;
and, judging from the fragments which lie scattered, over a vast area,
how colossal must have been the proportions of this once magnificent
edifice! The caryatide, or giant, which lies prostrate there, the last
of his race, is 27 feet long; and the remains of the columns, capitals,
ovaca, tryglyphi, &c., are all on the same enormous scale, and tend to
impress the gazer's mind with the idea that its erection was in reality
the work of supernatural agency.
The space between the temple and the town affords a beautiful prospect,
varied with undulating hills, green valleys, wooded slopes, and
sharp-pointed rocks, and interspersed with gardens in the richest
cultivation.
There is a great number of galley-slaves at Girgenti; and they must be a
happy race, if laughing and merriment be any criterion to judge by.
In the evening, Prince Butera having joined us from Alicata, we started
for Palermo. Poor Marquis St. Isodore has lost all his curiosities which
he landed here; his property being close to Girgenti. The servant who
was in charge of his baggage easily passed it through the custom-house
by means of a bribe; and, having loaded a cart, instead of going off at
once to the country, he placed it under a shed, and went to drink with
some of his companions. In the mean time, one of those on board, who had
an enmity against either the Marquis, or his man, laid an information,
that there were many contraband articles; and the officer went to the
shed and seized every thing.
[Sidenote: MARSALA.] _Saturday, 3d._--The sea has become very
boisterous, and most of the passengers are sick. We passed Marsala and
Mazzara, where an increasing people enjoy comparative abundance, and are
happy in consequence. All this benefit arises from the attention paid to
the cultivation of the grape for Marsala wine, set on foot by an
enterprising Englishman.
At two o'clock the steamer was off Trapani, and many of our passengers
landed to visit Selinuntum; more, I believe, with the desire of escaping
the horrors of sea-sickness, than for the purpose of searching after
ruined temples.
Our course now lay along the shore, which presented a succession of bold
mountainous scenery, interspersed with rich and smiling valleys. It was
evening when we approached Palermo, and the setting sun shed a flood of
golden light over each mountain summit, dark grey rock, and wooded glen:
it was a beautiful scene, and reminded me of one of those landscapes
which so often employed the immortal pencil of Claude Lorraine.
An unfortunate delay of half an hour in rounding Point Pellegrino,
prevented us from getting _pratique_ that night; and we had to endure
the mortification of hearing the hum of enjoyment arising from every
part of this gay city, without the possibility of being partakers in the
amusement going forward. The marina was well illuminated, and the
distant sound of music, which ever and anon came softened over the
waves, communicated an air of enchantment to the scene.
[Sidenote: PALERMO.] _Sunday, 4th._--We landed in Palermo at daylight;
and I established myself in the same hotel where, two years before, I
had spent a pleasant fortnight. Here it is that an Italian summer may be
truly enjoyed; for pleasure would seem to be the presiding deity of the
place. The inhabitants spend the whole night in driving about, eating
delicious ices, listening to music, or in wandering among the orange and
lemon groves situated in and about the town.
"This is the land where the lemon trees bloom;
Where the dark orange glows in the deep thicket's gloom,
Where a wind ever soft from the kind Heaven blows,
And the groves are of myrtle, and laurel, and rose."
[Sidenote: DUCHESS DE BERRI.] After visiting every object of curiosity
in Palermo, I surrendered myself to that pleasing indolence in which
every one appears more or less to indulge. Nevertheless, I could not
resist the temptation of making an excursion to Prince Butera's villa,
in order to catch a glimpse of her who had soared so high and sunk so
low.[22] She came to the window while we were in the garden; and a
Carlist, who formed one of our party, seemed to gaze at her as though
she had been a deity. A dispute having arisen about some trivial
circumstance, she stormed with rage, and her gesticulations were
perfectly furious. She is a perfect Neapolitan.
As this illustrious lady had expressed a desire to go to Naples, we were
requested to agree to a delay of a few days. Who could resist the
temptations of a longer sojourn in the city of the syren pleasure? and
it was readily agreed to. It was not, therefore, until the morning of--
[Sidenote: SCENE ON BOARD.] _Friday, 9th_--that we bade adieu to Sicily.
The Duchess came on board with her husband and suite, Count Menars, and
the Prince and Princess----. Her face is by no means a handsome one; and
she is very short, thin, and vulgar-looking. Nothing in her personal
appearance marks her out for a heroine, or is calculated to inspire her
followers with the awe and respect with which they seem to worship her.
She soon sat down to whist with her husband, Butera, and the old
Princess St. Theodore; but the game received many unpleasant
interruptions from the pitching and rolling of the boat. Each time the
fit came on, she sprang upon the bench on which she had been sitting,
and, after bending her head _sans ceremonie_ over the vessel's side,
quietly sat down again to resume her cards. This rather unroyal and
unlady-like exhibition occurred repeatedly; and we were impressed with
the idea that her manners altogether were very unfitting her rank and
station. As it was publicly known that we had the Duchess de Berri on
board, she attracted considerable attention; otherwise her carriage
would never have distinguished her from the most ordinary passenger. Our
Carlist friend appeared on the quarter deck, wearing the colours of his
party: at first, she took no notice of him; but at length it occurred to
her that he might be a spy in disguise, and she haughtily demanded who
he was. His loyalty and devotion were not proof against this affront: in
an instant he retreated below, and, having disencumbered himself of the
once-cherished badge, reappeared on deck with a countenance glowing
with indignation; and, if I am not much deceived, "Louis-Philip" gained
a convert from that moment.
We had a great increase of passengers, besides the Duchess and her
suite; most of whom, being unaccustomed to sailing, were quickly on
their _beam ends_. The weather, which, at starting, had threatened to be
stormy, now cleared up; and, though the evening was calm and beautiful,
a heavy swell still continued to render the motion of the vessel
disagreeable. The heroine of La Vendee is sleeping in her arm-chair: the
faithful Menars reposes at her feet; and her husband, whom she hardly
seems to notice, is sitting on a bench beside her.
[Sidenote: CAPRI.] _Saturday, 10th._--All hail to thee, Capri! Four
months have glided away on the stream of time since I last beheld the
sun casting thy shadow far over the surface of the azure waters, and
then leave thee in darkness. Now his morning beams paint with gold the
summits of thy lofty indented cliffs, that resemble the battlements of
some magnificent cathedral: they will soon envelope thee in brightness.
During the long interval between _that_ setting and _this_ rising, many
beautiful pictures, painted by Nature's hand, have been spread out
before me, but none more perfect than that which now unfolds itself,
as, passing thy rocky isle, I enter the bay, where--
"Truth and Fable have shed, in rivalry,
Each her peculiar influence."
[Sidenote: CONCLUSION.] Once more in port, my task is finished; and,
gentle reader, I must now e'en bid thee adieu!
ADDENDA.
_List of the Turkish Fleet in the Bosphorus._
Frigates 8
Line of Battle 5
Three Deckers 2
Corvettes 3
Sloops 5
Cutters 5
At Lamsacke. Frigates 4
Sloops 2
Cutters 1
At St. Stefano. Frigates 3
----
Total 38
====
_Mohammed Ali's Navy._[23]
GUNS.
1. Masr 138
2. Acre 138
3. Mahellet-el-Kebir 100
4. Mansourah 100
5. Alexandria 96
6. Aboukir 90
7. Jaffaria 62
8. Bahirah 60
9. Rashid 58
10. Kafr-el-Sheikh 58
11. Sheergehat 54
12. Damietta 50
13. Mufti Gehat 22
14. Tantah 24
15. Pelenga Gehat 22
16. Psyche 22
17. Fouah 20
18. Genah Baharia 20
19. Cervelli 20
20. Satalia 20
21. Washington 18
22. Semuda Gehat 18
23. Timsah 13
_State of the Thermometer at Constantinople, from May 6.
to June 3. inclusive._
LOWEST AT NIGHT. A. M.
May 6. 46 deg. 8 56 deg.
7. 42 -- --
8. 45 -- 60
9. 47 -- 56
10. -- -- --
11. -- -- 57
12. 44 -- 54
13. -- -- --
14. 49 -- 56
15. 51 -- 55
16. 47 7 52
17. -- -- 55
18. 52 8 58
22. 59 -- 69
23. 52 -- 55
24. -- -- 57
25. 42 -- 51
26. 49 -- 60
27. 58 -- 62
28. 59 -- 69
29. 56 -- 60
30. 55 -- 65
31. 55 -- 64
June 1. 56 -- 58
2. 52 -- 60
3. 55 -- 59
Here it ceased to be an object of remark.
NOTE TO PAGE 24.