1804.] 
ries that hung over the path we travelled 
in, which we were allowed to do gratis; 
and in eight miles more, after travelling 
full fix hours, reached a large village, that 
-afforded abundant refrefhment both for 
ourfelyes and our horfes. All the floping 
fides of A®tna, naw in view, were moft 
luxuriant in vineyards, mulberry-trees, 
fome corn, lupines, flax, and, vegetables : 
now and then we {aw good oaks and wal- 
nut-trees, and many pleafant ¢ountry-feats 
and villages. A ride through a fimilar 
country of twelve miles, brought us over 
a mountain-torrent to the foot of Taor- 
mini, the ancient Taurominium: the fea 
being often near us on our right, and 
/Etna crowning the profpeét on our left. 
I paufed at a tolerable albergo, in a 
dirty village built along the ftrand, at the 
foot of the lofty rocks, on a fhelf of 
which Taormini fiands. I paffed an hour 
or two in gazing with aftonifhment on the 
rocky pinaacles which overhang ‘Yaor- 
mini, onthe fummit of one of which the 
Saracens erected a town; and on another, 
{till more abrupt, a caftle perched like the 
eagle’sneft. I then retired to reft, and 
early the following morning afcended 
thefe eminences to vifit the theatre of old 
Taurominium and modern ‘Taormini. 
‘The matter of my albergo was my guide: 
he had done his beit the preceding even- 
ing, with his wife and daughter, to amufe 
me by an officious impertinent fort of ci- 
vility, and now would mount his little afs 
to conduct me, by the winding path, up 
the rock that leads to the theatre. We 
pafled through the town of Taormini in . 
our way, It ftands upon a molt com- 
manding eminence that overhangs the fea, 
fine meadows, and immenfe rocky cliffs, 
and is itfelf over-topped by the eagle’s- 
neft-rock above mentioned. In the town 
I pafled feveral beautiful remnants of the 
delicate Gothic archite&ture of the middle 
‘ages. I fat down to breaktaft at the old 
theatre. It ftands on a ftiil finer eminence 
than the town itfelf, and is deemed the 
moft perfect in Sicily, if not in the world. 
The gradine, or feats, are very numerous: 
the chord of the loweft is not Jefs than fe- 
venty paces. The whole, with the wall 
environing them, are pretty entire. It ap- 
pears to have been originally ornamented 
with many marble pillars and cornices ; 
breken fhafts, beautiful capitals, and 
{ma'l fhattered remains of ancient fculp- 
ture, lying {catered within the area. At 
eight in the morning, I purfued my jour- 
ney to Meffina along the fea-coaft. The 
Giltance is thirty long miles, I had the 
Account of a recent Voyage to Malta and Sicily. 
203 
fea on my right; many fimall towns, in 
the mountainous country, on my left ; 
and fometimes little caftles crowning the 
brows of the moft abrupt eminences. One 
I have fketched about four miles from 
Taormini, whofe bafe is bathed by the 
fea. The vine feemed every where the 
favourite fubjeét of culture; and with 
olive and fometimes mulberry-trees, is in 
troduced in almoft every corner where 
there has been a fuficient depofit of foil 
for their nourifhment. 
About mid-day, I had a cledr view of 
the oppofite coaft of Calabria to the eaft 
of my road, on my right, bending toward 
the ftreight of Mefiina, where Scylla and 
Charybdis were wont to terrify the coaft- 
ing navigators of ancient days. 
I dined at midway, in a fmail poor vil- 
lage; and, before funfet, drew near the 
fertile environs of Meffina. Thefe are 
much more artificial, lefs romantic, but 
not lefs extenfive and abundant than thofe 
of Catania. The cultivation gradually 
improves as the traveller approaches Mef- 
fina; and, tor the laft five miles, exhibits, 
on both fides, a continued range of gar- 
den grounds, mulberry plantations, or or- 
thards. This entrance to Meffina in hand- 
fome fireets, fpacious churches, and other 
good ftone buildings, wears an appearance 
of confiderable opulence. The city is 
built at the foot of a mountaincus 
ridge, in a fertile plain, edged by a fimall 
port where the land approaches within 
feven miles of the Calabrian coaft. 
The pride of Meffina was its beautiful 
quay, now a fad ruin, extending a full mile 
along the fhore, and here called the Ma- 
rino. The earthquake of 1733 overthrew 
it, and many other of the principal build- 
ings of the city, and buried a thoufand 
inhabitants in the ruins. At Meffina, 
Catania, and this whcle length of coaft, 
much filk is fpun and wrought: and at 
Meiflina, this and other commodities pro- 
vide the merchants with a tolerably brifk 
trade, which gives, throughout the days 
much appearance of cheerfulnefs to the 
whole city: whereas at Catania, which 
has no harbour, the world feems afleep till 
fix in the evening, with the better fort of 
inhabitants, who then, and not before, 
drive flowly about the ftreets for an hour 
or two. The drive at Meffina is on the 
Marino. 
We received much civility at Meffina, 
as indeed we bad great reafon to acknowe 
ledge during the whole of our tour in Si- 
cily. The opera, private concerts, and 
faro, we found the ufual amufements of 
2k 2 the 
