MALTA AND SICILY. 
259 
tlie mountains, it has happened that travel¬ 
lers have been caught between two streams, 
and have been obliged to wait on the bank 
for the water to subside—like the man in 
the fable, though he, poor fellow, was laughed 
at for his folly. 
We arrived at this city, Messina, late in 
the evening. We are at the Hotel du Nord, 
where we are most comfortably accommo¬ 
dated, and we are much pleased with the 
civility and kindness of our hostess Carolina 
Moller. Those travellers who have not 
much knowledge of the Italian language will 
be glad to find that Carolina and her head 
waiter both speak English, the latter so 
correctly, that he might almost be mistaken 
for a native of our island. 
We had been informed at Catania that a 
fine ship, the Asia, was expected to leave 
this port shortly for England, and accordingly 
s 2 
