Y U S E P. 
A GIRA THROUGH SICILY. 
CHAPTER I. 
PALERMO. 
It was rather early in the season to start for the East. 
September was not yet over. I had thoroughly explored 
Naples and the neighborhood ; and the only question was, 
how to dispose of the fine weather. Lounging about the 
quay one afternoon it occurred to me that a trip to Palermo 
would he just the thing. There were signs pasted up every 
where of an immense steamer, of wonderful horse-power, 
bound for that very port. I walked into the first Bureau (in 
Naples, every office is a Bureau) : the same large steamer 
was over the door under full way, with a heavy head of 
steam, for Palermo. TJhe name of the steamer was printed 
on the paddle-box in big golden letters ; it was the Ercolano. 
When I told the gentleman, who was waxing the points of 
his mustache behind the counter, that I wanted a passage in 
the Ercolano, he shook his head despondingly, and applied 
some more wax to one of the points. This induced me to go 
out again and look at the sign. There certainly was no mis¬ 
take about the name, and I endeavored to make him under¬ 
stand that it was a ticket I wanted for a passage in the 
steamer represented upon that sign. He applied some addi¬ 
tional wax to the other point of his mustache, shook his head 
despondingly again, and, as well as I could understand him, 
said he was very sorry ; that he didn’t know any thing about 
