MALTA AND SICILY. 
207 
the remains of some marble pillars which 
formed part of the entrance to a temple of 
Ceres and Proserpine, and then proceeded 
to an amphitheatre, near which were the dens 
and dungeons in which were confined the 
wild beasts and the miserable victims con¬ 
demned to be devoured by them. The walls 
of these dens were nearly covered by the 
true maiden-hair growing in most beautiful 
profusion. We were next shown the remains 
of Dyonisius’s palace, which consisted of an 
extensive excavation like a quarry, with a 
tower-like piece of rock in the centre, on which 
were some ruined walls. Near this place were 
some underground baths, or reservoirs for 
water. Here were a quantity of bones, said tc> be 
those of some of the unfortunate Frenchmen 
killed at the massacre of the Sicilian vespers. 
I brought home with me part of a skull, 
remarkable for its extraordinary thickness. 
