THE COASTS OF SICILY. 143 



over sky and earth unknown in northern latitudes. 

 When we came on deck at break of day, the last of 

 the Calabrian heights was disappearing on the 

 horizon, whilst before us Sicily was growing more 

 and more distinct, as it gradually rose to view from 

 the blue waters of the sea. Before noon we had 

 doubled Cape di Gallo, and were gazing with ad- 

 miration on that lovely valley so justly termed the 

 Conca d'' Oro. 



It cannot be denied that the Bay of Xaples presents 

 a strikingly beautiful appearance, as it breaks upon 

 the sight of the traveller entering it from the open 

 sea. For myself, however, I must admit that I 

 prefer the aspect of the Bay of Palermo. At Naples 

 the landscape is deficient in harmony. As the spec- 

 tator looks towards the steep incline on which the 

 city is built, he finds nothing on which his eyes can 

 rest between the sky and the water's edge but the 

 crowded buildino;s of Monte-Falcone and the bastions 

 of Saint Elmo. The low shore of Portici, covered 

 with its white villas, seems nothing more than a pro- 

 longed suburb, stretching as far as Castellamare. 

 There is no intermediate object to attract the eye 

 before it rests upon the gracefully rounded outline 

 of this shore ; beyond it there is no distant back- 

 ground. Man predominates too much in this land- 

 scape, in which nature is only seen in the isolated 

 mass and smoking cone of Vesuvius. This magni- 

 ficent object, rising detached from the midst of the 

 picture, produces by its very isolation a more striking 

 effect ; devoid of harmony with all around, it stands 

 forth like some ever present impending evil, throwing 



