Neutrality of the Somnt drclared. — Reach Messina. 45 1 



offered to her votaries is an outrage upon mankind and civil- 

 ization. So great, indeed, was the anxiety felt at Paris to 

 avoid any possible collision with the Novara^ that in addition 

 to the existing declaration of neutrality, special orders were 

 dispatched by the French Government, and from amid the 

 din of battle and the thunder of artillery, the word went 

 forth: "The Novara may proceed unmolested, for she is 

 freighted with scientific treasures, and science is the common 

 benefit of all nations ! " 



On 7th of August, a telegraphic dispatch was received in 

 tlie course of the morning from the Lord High Admiral, with 

 instructions for the Novara to proceed under sail to Messina, 

 where a war-steamer would be in waiting to take us in tow. 

 The same afternoon we weighed anchor on our way up the 

 Mediterranean. 



On IStli August we sighted the northern shores of Sicily, 

 and the same evening could plainly perceive the brilliant red 

 lights of the newly erected light-house on Cape San Vito, the 

 extreme N.W. point of the island. Diversified by frequent 

 calms, and but occasionally favoured with gentle breezes, our 

 progress was necessarily very slow. On the 16th we passed 

 the island of Ustica, and the following day the Lipari Islands, 

 and at last, about 7 a.m. of the 18th, we reached the Straits 

 of Messina. A pilot who came on board informed us that 

 an Austrian war-steamer was lying off Messina. Orders were 

 now given to fire a few blank shot, to advise her commander 

 of our arrival in the Straits, after which we resumed our 



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