that I alluded to, as amusing; for although the toil we underwent was no joke, yet so ludicrous did we appear to ourselves and to each other, in this most novel kind of locomotion, by the glare of pitch torches, Mr. and Mrs. V. perched up in chairs, each on the shoulders of four men, and I, with one man pulling and another pushing me with all their force, up an almost perpendicular wall;—that we could scarcely avoid, as we stopped every few minutes to rest, laughing heartily at each other. This part of the ascent occupied about an hour. In passing round the crater, we were almost suffocated with the sulphureous vapors and smoke that are continually ascending. We passed over many places where it was too hot, under our feet, to stand still a moment, and at one place we removed a little ashes from the surface, and saw the live fire underneath, upon throwing a piece of paper on which, it blazed immediately. We had brought some eggs with us, which we roasted in the ashes, and which took about two minutes. It was a fearful position, and we could hardly suppress feelings of terror, while standing on this burning mountain, in the very mouth of the crater, and heard the crackling fire roaring and surging within; but, although fearful, it was fascinating, and we were glad that we had not omitted the ascent. The descent was comparatively easy, for we took a different route from that by which we had ascended, and slid down upon the ashes, reaching our ponies in about ten or fifteen minutes. On our return to Naples, we stopped at Portici, and descended into the ruins of Her

HERCULANEUM-SITUATION OF NAPLES. 163

culaneum, which are buried deep under ground, having been destroyed by a current of lava from Vesuvius, at the same time that the ashes, taking a different direction, swept over Pompeii. The city of Portici is built immediately over Herculaneum, which will prevent these ruins ever being exposed to the light of day. A passage and stairs have been cut through the solid lava, by which we descended about eighty steps before we came to the level of the ruins, where, by the light of candles, we saw a portion of an immense theatre, that has been excavated. There is very little, however, to be seen, it being so deeply embedded in the dark caverns of the hardened lava, which covers the ancient city to the depth, I should suppose, of more than fifty feet. We returned to Naples, pretty well worn out, although highly gratified with our excursion.

Naples is delightfully situated on the side of a hill, which rises gradually from the water's edge, so that it is seen to the greatest advantage from the bay. There is a beautiful drive above the city, where the king has a palace, which is sometimes thrown open to the public, but when we were there, being occupied by some visitors to the royal family, we were not admitted-which we did not much regret, having become pretty well surfeited with palaces; the beauties of nature, and the wonders of antiquity being also so much more interesting than modern style and pretensions. The paltry magnificence and ostentatious display of modern Italy become utterly insignificant and puerile, when contrasted with her ancient glory;

the relics of which still exhibit such traces of grandeur even in their decay. There is quite an extensive business carried on in Naples, in the manufacture of coral ornaments, many of which are carved elaborately, and sell for high prices. The coral is brought from the opposite shore of Africa, and engages numbers of small vessels in the trade. The lava from Vesuvius is also extensively manufactured into similar ornaments, and we spent part of a day in the shops, selecting some of these trinkets for souvenirs and for presents. The beauty of the women of Italy, which has been much vaunted from time immemorial, will do very well when set off by the excited fancy of some soaring poet or ardent lover, who writes under the inspiration of the fervors of this sunny clime; but will not bear comparison with the beauties of the north. The sallow, or as some enthusiastic amateurs are pleased to term it, the olive complexion of the south, is too muddy and dingy to hold a candle to the clear, transparent white and red of the north, and, in my humble opinion (of course I do not pretend to be a judge; oh, no,) there has been a vast deal of humbug put forth to the world on this all important subject. If beauty is to be the theme, I am persuaded that there is no country in Europe that can afford so much inspiration to the glowing fancy and the facile pen of the poet, as our own; none in which beauty is such a striking and universal characteristic.

CHAPTER XXV.

Leaving Naples-A Royal Duke-Genoa-Marseilles-Frigate Inpendence-Our Flag-Chateau d'If-Consul Hodge-AvignonLyons-Chalons-French taste-Wine Trade-Paris.

E left Naples with regret, although I began to

be exceedingly anxious to hear from home, it being about seven weeks since the receipt of my last letter; and I knew that several letters must have accumulated at Paris, awaiting my arrival there; so that the influence which drew me away, was stronger than that which would have detained me at Naples. It was my first absence from home for any lengthened period, and I must confess that I began to be quite seriously affected with that most distressing of all maladies, home-sickness. My thoughts were continually reverting to the green hills of Staten Island, and the noble bay of New York, which I began to think were, after all, far more beautiful than the heights about Naples, Sorrento and Pozzuoli, or the lovely bay on which they are situated, and I was certain that there was one little spot there, which I called home, that was far richer in all the elements of happiness to me, than the proudest palace, or the sunniest clime, besides on earth. Thus, mingled with the regret at leaving, was the overpowering sense of pleasure, at turning my face once more homeward; for, although we had much yet to see on the route, we had reached our turning point, and every step we

made from here, brought us nearer that little spot which filled so large a space in my thoughts and affections. We were fortunate in taking the finest steamer on the Mediterranean, for the passage from Naples to Marseilles, which was a matter of consid erable importance, as it occupied about four days, and most of the steamers being far from comfortable, as to cleanliness and fare. The Languedoc, however, we found to be an admirable boat, with good living and attendance. We left Naples at five o'clock, P. M., and arrived Civita Vecchia, at eight o'clock, A. M.-left again at four P. M., having received here, as passenger for Leghorn, the royal duke of Parma and Placentia, a young man of tolerably good personal appearance and manners, (i. e. for a royal duke,) and arrived at Leghorn at five A. M. Here I went on board a New York ship, the Niagara, with the captain of which I was well acquainted-got some newspapers from the United States,-shipped a case of things we had purchased at Naples, and left again at noon for Genoa, where we arrived at nine P. M., of the same day. Genoa is a place of considerable commerce, and is a free port. It is an outlet for the produce and manufactures of Switzerland, Lombardy and Piedmont, and has a population of about one hundred and fifty thousand. It has long been celebrated for its silks and velvets. The streets are generally very narrow, and the houses high, which give it rather a mean appearance, although it contains many elegant palaces. It is situated on the side of a hill, and many of the streets