Notice of Sketches of Naval Life. 335 
Mr. Jones visited the long celebrated grotto in the island. 
of Antiparos, and the fo ollowing passages are cited from his 
account of the excursion. 
“ Antiparos is about seven gees in length, —— and sepa- 
rated from Paros by a channel, one mile in its narrowest part.’ 
“ The grotto is on the eubeu side of "the Island, tole the 
South-West: our approach was from the North Eas stward : we 
crossed the ridge of a high, bare eminence ; then descending a 
little, and turning, had the entrance before — “A la a 
yawned, with the giant, an immense stalagmite ; and the whol 
nearly as the book tells us. This is fifteen ria high, forty feet 
wide, and thirty deep: but this is not the grotto: it is only the 
vestibule. At the back part of this cavern, we descended a little, 
and then nesses before a hole, dark and silent, down which we 
re t end. Whi 
which théy charge: but the former is weak, and we were cau- 
tioned against trusting ourselves to it, as near a dozen would 
have to cling to it at a time. saben made ours fast to a stalag- 
mite at the entrance, and passing in, we saw no more them; 
was 80 we 
lighted our tapers, and clinging to the rope with our right hand, 
the descent. No one thought of danger; for directly 
BY aay entering, one of the grandest sights opened up seat 
eyes have ever seen. At first we heard hammering, et at oices 
within, without being able to ‘ell whence they proceeded: but 
soon a cave of vast dimensions presented itself, its a cover- 
ed with stalactites, and its sides glittering with s 
from the North Carolina was below, and as they ae ead 
in every direction, and every one hada light, we were able to 
see at one view the whole extent of this immense chamber: 
spar, in many places, had been injured by visitors, but it is still 
ex weswoesa secmgeect Its purity is without a speck or shade : 
it is very clear, and its fracture of dazzling brightness: those 
parts that on » protected from the air, are covered with shining 
