PALERMO. 
15 
vises. I went all over the city of Naples in search of all the 
authorities that were concerned in the insertion of that word, 
and eventually got it written down in black and white, with 
all the additional stamps that were necessary to give it val¬ 
idity. This time they reluctantly conceded that the passport 
was vised in due form; that all the documents were correct; 
that I could get a ticket by waiting a while until the officers 
were served. The Bureau was quite filled with Neapolitan 
officers, who were all very much covered up with red cloth 
epaulets, tin buttons, brass sword-cases, and general em¬ 
broidery. I waited at least an hour, and then, by the sheer 
force of perseverance, prevailed upon the gentleman who was 
engaged in making porcupine quills of his mustache, to cease 
his labors one moment, and give me a ticket. All the harm 
I wish that man is, that these quills may be broken off before 
his personal beauty produces such an effect as to cause any un¬ 
fortunate lady to marry him ; for I am certain if ever he gets 
a wife, they will run her through the eyes in less than a week. 
On the 30th day of September, 1851, in virtue of all these 
proceedings, I left Naples, in the Neapolitan steamer, for 
Palermo. The Ercolano was a good specimen of the Italian 
steam service. It had nothing like the amount of horse¬ 
power that I expected from the bills; nor was it in any re¬ 
spect a good steamer; but it afforded an excellent example 
of what a nation already distinguished in ancient art, may 
attain in the way of modern art by intercourse with less 
classical countries. Without any exception it was the small¬ 
est, and dirtiest, and worst-contrived craft, to be moved by 
steam and paddles, that it was ever my fortune to behold. 
There were on board two hundred and fifty Neapolitan sol¬ 
diers and officers, on their way to Sicily, for the better pro¬ 
tection of that remote portion of the Neapolitan kingdom. 
After we got well out to sea, there came on a gale, and every 
one of these soldiers, and every officer who commanded them, 
fell dreadfully sea-sick ; and thus two hundred and fifty fight¬ 
ing characters, armed to the teeth, were in the brief space of 
a few hours cast down and mixed together upon the decks, 
at the mercy of any body who chose to attack them. I 
