LETTER. XXI. Palermo, June 19th. WE are now arrived at the great capital of Sicily, which in our opinion in beauty and elegance is greatly fuperior to Naples. It is not, indeed, fo large, but the regularity, the uniformity and neatnefs of its streets and buildings, render it much more pleafing; it is full of people, who have moftly an air of affluence and gaiety. And indeed we seem to have got into a new world. But stop, not fo fast.- --I had forgot that you have ftill 50 miles to travel on a curfed ftubborn mule, over rocks and precipices; for I can fee no reason, why we should bring you at once into all the fweets of Palermo, without bearing at least fome little part in the fatigues of the journey. Come, we fhall make them as fhort as poffible. We left you, I think, in a little village on the top of a high mountain. We should indeed ufe 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. However, we got a good comfortable fleep 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 before five, apoftrophying their entry with a detail of the horrid robberies and murders that had been committed in the neighbourhood; all of them, you may be sure, on the very road that we were to go. Our whole fquadron was drawn out, and we were ranged in order of battle, by five o'clock, when we began our march, attended by the whole village, man, woman, and child. We foon got down amongst the woods, and endeavoured to forget the objects of mifery we had left behind us. The beauty and richness of the country increased in proportion as we advanced. The mountains, although of a great height (that we have left is near 4000 feet, the mercury standing at 26 inches 2 lines) are covered to the very fummit with the richest pasture. The grafs in the valleys is already burnt up, so that the flocks are all upon the mountains. The gradual feparation of heat and cold, is very vifible in taking a view of them. The valleys are brown and fcorched, and fo are the mountains to a confiderable height; they then begin to take a shade of green, which grows deeper and deeper, and covers the whole upper region; however, on the fummit, the grafs and corn are by no means fo luxuriant as about the middle. We were amazed at the richness of the crops, far fuperior to any thing I had ever feen either in England or Flanders, where the happy foil is affifted by all the arts of cultivation; whilst here, the wretched husbandman can hardly afford to give it a furrow; and gathers in with a heavy heart, the most luxuriant harveft. To what purpose is it given him? only to lie a dead weight upon his hand, fometimes till it is entirely loft; exportation being prohibited to all fuch as cannot pay exorbitantly for it to the fovereign. What a contraft is there betwixt this, and the little uncouth country of Switzerland! to be fure, the dreadful confequences of oppression can never be fet in a more striking oppofition to the bleffings and charms of liberty. Switzerland, the very excrescence of Europe, where nature seems to have thrown out all her cold and ftagnating humours; full of lakes, marches, and woods, and furrounded by immenfe rocks, and everlasting mountains of ice, the barren, but facred, ramparts of liberty. Switzerland, enjoying every bleffing, where every blessing seems to have been denied; whilft Sicily, covered by the most luxuriant hand of Nature; where Heaven feems to have showered down its richest bleffings with the utmost prodigality; groans under the most abje&t poverty, and with a pale and wan visage, starves in the midst of plenty. It is liberty alone. that works this standing miracle. Under her plastic hands the mountains fink, the lakes are drained; and these rocks, thefe marshes, these woods, become so many fources of wealth and of pleasure. But what has temperance to do with wealth? "Here reigns Content, "And Nature's child Simplicity; long fince Tis Industry supplies "The little Temperance wants; and rofy Health "Sits fmiling at the board." You will begin to think I am in danger of turning poetical in thefe claffic fields; I am fure I neither fufpected any of the mountains we have passed to be Parnaffus; nor did I believe any one of the nine foolish enough to inhabit them, except Melpomene perhaps, as she is so fond, of tragical faces: however, I fhall now get you out of them as foon as poffible, and bring you once more into the gay world. I affure you, I have often wished that you could have lent me your muse, on this expedition; 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 another miferable village, where we flept for fome hours on straw, and continued our journey again by day-break. We had the pleafure of feeing the rifing fun from the top of a pretty high mountain, and were delighted with the profpect of Strombolo, 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 fea, and took that road, 1 preferable to an inland one, although several miles nearer. We foon 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 fuch a journey, and paffing three days without undreffing. Your friend Fullerton, though only feventeen, but whose mind and body now equally defpife every fatigue, found himself ftrong as a lion, and fit to begin fuch another march. We boiled our tea-kettle under a fig-tree, and eat a breakfact that might have ferved a company of ftrolling players. The approach to Palermo is fine. The alleys are planted with fruit trees, and large American aloes in full blow. Near the city we paffed a place of execution, where the quarters of a number of robbers were hung up upon hooks, like fo many hams; fome of them appeared newly executed, and made a very unfightly figure. On our arrival, we learned that a priest and three others had been taken a few days ago, after an obftinate defence, in which feveral were killed on both fides; the priest, rather than fubmit to his conquerors, plunged his hanger into his breast, and died on the fpot: the reft fubmitted and were executed. As there is but one inn in Palermo, we were obliged to agree to their own terms (five ducats. |
