THE COASTS OF SICILY. 9 



and turreted steeples rising from the midst of fields 

 and rich clumps of trees, whilst almost every bay 

 along the shore had its own group of habitations 

 clustered around some protecting tower or fortress, 

 whose services were fortunately no longer needed,, 

 since the conquest of Algiers. When we turned 

 away from this picturesque landscape, which lay 

 to the right of our boat, we saw before us the island 

 of Lipari, which seemed gradually to rise from the 

 bosom of the waves, its sister islets, Alicuri, Fili- 

 curi, and Saline forming at our left a vast semi- 

 circle, while behind us the sun, like a reddened ball, 

 sunk beyond the arched promontory of Cephalu, 

 bathing land, sky, and sea in a glowing tint of the 

 richest ochre. 



At the break of day, we were opposite to Mi- 

 lazzo*, and a few hours afterwards we had taken 

 possession of most comfortable quarters, admirably 

 situated for our researches. Through the kind 

 intervention of the French Charge d' Affaires, M. le 

 Baron Lucifero had generously given us the use 

 of his country-house, which was situated at the 

 extreme point of the peninsula, and only at a few 

 minutes' distance from either coast. Our tables 

 were soon arranged and supplied with all the 

 apparatus necessary for our work, and without 

 further delay we began to explore our new domain. 



Similar in this respect to the islands of Favignana, 



* Milazzo is the ancient Milas, -where the consul Duilius gained 

 the first naval victory over the Carthaginians, 260 years before the 

 Christian era. To perpetuate the memory of this triumph, the 

 Romans erected a rostral column, which is still in existence. 



