shown. Walking round the exterior, a spot where Lord Durham had climbed to cut his name, was pointed out to us, but it was too high to be visible, even with glasses. We saw the Pnyx, or hill, the prison of Socrates. I was anxious to purloin a small bit of marble I had picked up, but the vigilant spies detected the theft, and took it from me as I descended the hill.

We then drove to the Temple of Theseus, which stands by itself at the foot of the Acropolis. The walls, the roof, and thirty-four Doric columns, are perfect; it now forms the museum of Athens. The whole is of white Pentelic marble, but has turned a deep yellow, partly the effect of time, though there is no doubt much has been painted.

From thence we went to the Temple of Jupiter, the largest, finest, and last built of all the wonders of Athens. Only sixteen of 120 columns still exist, and these are indeed very fine. They are six feet and a half in diameter, fluted, and sixty feet high, with Corinthian capitals. The length of the building was 354 feet, the breadth 171, and the remains of the platform show the entire circuit must have been 2300 feet. The hills are full of inscriptions and classic recollections.

It is to be regretted that King Otho takes little interest in all these wonders, and I was told the queen came but once to see the Acropolis. On the other hand, the King of Bavaria was well worthy of it; he paid fifty-six visits, saw it at sunset, watched it through the moonlight, and waited for the sun rising; but he was not suffered to carry any thing away. A wretched town is at its foot, and an immense palace is building for the king, who ought to have saved his money for other purposes. I cannot imagine a more disagreeable residence than Athens; except for the occasional visits of strangers it is dull and stupid. The summer is dusty and without shade, subject to fever and malaria, and the winter cold.

On Sunday we attended divine service at Sir Edmund Lyons's; the prayers were read by Mr. Leeves, and a long sermon was preached by Mr. Hill, but both spoke so low that the effort of listening was most painful, and sometimes totally useless. In the afternoon we drove to a place of great public resort, where an excellent band plays, and crowds assemble. While we were there the royal procession arrived on horseback; King Otho in the Greek dress, the queen in a most unbecoming riding habit, ugly hat, and green veil, the Crown Prince of Bavaria, with their suites, grooms, &c.

queen,

Next day, Monday the 4th, was fixed for my presentation to the who was a Princess of Oldenburg, and is a very pleasing person, only twenty-two years of age. Lady Lyons accompanied me, and we were received by a little old lady in blue, who mumbled out some civil speeches, and conducted us to the queen. She was simply attired, in a tight dress of dark velvet. Her manner is affable and good-natured; her conversation was principally on the sufferings attendant on her expeditions, sickness, quarantine, &c.

The dresses of the Albanians and Greeks but slightly differ from one another, and are very gay and diversified: the jackets, vests, sleeves, and leggings, are of different coloured cloth or velvet, richly embroidered in gold or silver; the fustonella or petticoat, which hangs like a kilt, is made on the principle of an umbrella, small at the top and full at the bottom, having between three and four hundred seams. The dress of the women is not pretty, though I saw it on the famed and beautiful Mdlle. Botzaris.

Tuesday being our last day was of course a busy one; and first I went to the banker's, where I found an overpowering smell of tobacco, one clerk, and no money of any kind, not even dollars. He promised to procure some in an hour; meanwhile I went to see the lantern of Lysicrates, an elegant little temple, with Corinthian pillars, extremely small, but when there was a series of them, as it was customary for each person who won a prize to build a tripod to place it upon, the effect must have been very beautiful. They were all of white marble.

At General Church's I was shown the portraits of the famous Capitani in the Greek war; an interesting collection, which contains pictures of three of the Botzaris. The general presented me with a sketch of Cape Colonna.

A great review was to take place, and to this I went with Lady Lyons, hoping to see some of the Greek costumes. There were about 500 men, partly infantry, partly lancers, dressed in imitation of the Bavarian troops. The general appearance of the crowd was picturesque. The Suliote fez, the fustonella petticoat, the costume of the wild Palikari, all added to the singularity of the scene. A grand dinner and evening party at the Austrian minister's, closed our stay at Athens, which we prepared to leave with extreme regret.

Wednesday morning had been, however, fixed for our departure, and we reached the Piræus about eight o'clock. The Russian cutter lay there, and the captain immediately manned her three boats, and came to assist us in getting off. This vessel, as well as a Russian brig just arrived, had been kindly offered to take us to Callimachi, but dreading the uncertainty of the wind, we thankfully accepted King Otho's fine steamer. On going on board we were saluted by the Russian brig, which was returned by the steamer, and our luggage being all stowed we started, and after a rough passage of five hours arrived at Callimachi. The captain, who was a Greek, and a sailor from childhood, said he had never been at school, and he spoke nothing intelligible but a very little Italian. The lieutenant, a gentlemanlike young man, was a son of Admiral Miaulis, and having been educated in England, spoke English well.

At Callimachi we found the village quite alive, and no one sober, it being the 6th (old Christmas day), and with the Greeks the true one. It was therefore with difficulty we succeeded in getting the gig and carts to convey us and our baggage across the isthmus. To my astonishment, the old Spartan who drove the first vehicle, was a cousin of the captain's, and a most cordial greeting ensued between them. At length the carts were loaded, and another hour found us on board our friend Captain G's steamer. He was in great spirits, delighted at our return, and pleased at having finished his portraits of all the crew, as well as his verses, which contained a journal of our passage from Corfu.

This captain was more amusing than ever. He told us that Napoleon never asked his soldiers if they were happy, but if they had courage. "Que ce n'était pas le tapage mais la solidité qui venoit à bout de tout,-que c'etoit les baionettes et non les tambours qui prenoient la forteresse."

We ran on through the night, and reached Zante early next morn

ing, where we anchored. The yachts of our friends, the cutter and the schooner, were already there, but the City of Dublin steamer, in which our passage to Malta was taken, had not arrived, nor did it seem by any means certain when she would make her appearance. We went on shore to see the island, and witnessed the ruin and devastation caused by the late severe earthquake. On all sides were destruction, ruins, heaps of stones, shaken rocks, and crumbling walls. Notwithstanding this, a finer scene can hardly be viewed than on ascending the high castle hill, at the foot of which the town lies, the distant mountains, the sea, the bay, the shipping, the orange and lemon-trees, the dusky olive woods, contrasted with the white country houses; while the air is perfumed with roses and geranium; and this in the month of January.

Here we remained, living on board the Ionian yacht. On the 8th, the weather was squally and disagreeable; the party dined on board the Merlin, and had some difficulty in getting there and back in the boat. Next day, towards evening, the City of Dublin steamer arrived; and we found our children, whom we had left at Corfu to follow us, safe. They had had a bad passage, and suffered much from stormy weather and a severe earthquake off Patras, which we had not felt in the least, so partial are these shocks.

We had a run of fifty hours to Malta, where we arrived at one o'clock on the morning of the 12th. The excuse, however, of having seen the harbour light before twelve o'clock on Monday night, was admitted, and we were transferred from this dirty vessel to the Lazzaretto, and allowed to count our quarantine from the 11th, and in this dreary abode, with stone floors and stone walls, cut off from the rest of the world, we vegetated five whole days. On the 7th of exile, and 17th of the month, we were allowed to issue forth, and the governor, Sir Henry Bouverie, having with great consideration lent us his country house, "The Lions," a charming summer residence, about three miles from Valetta, with a beautiful garden filled with orange and lemontrees, we proceeded to settle ourselves there.

The harbours here are fine, deep, and spacious, and Valetta seems a large, clean town; but the whole appearance of the island is bleak and barren; not a tree, nor bit of green, nor shade for the eye to rest on; all is rock, stone, glare, dust, sun, and broil; except a cactus, or an occasional prickly pear, nothing like a shrub or hedge is visible. The stone is yellow and soft, but sightly for building, and the effect clean and pretty. On the 18th we dined with a large party at the Governor's.

Three weeks at Malta, one of which was spent in quarantine, that most irritating, aggravating, and worrying position, passed slowly enough, and we joyfully accepted the offer of being taken in the Dream, to see Sicily, on our way to Naples. We had seen the lions of Malta, and had sufficiently deplored its barrenness and dullness; we likewise visited the cathedral of St. John, which in days of yore, when the paintings were bright and the gildings fresh, must have been gorgeously magnificent. The pavement is of pietra dura, covering the tombs of the knights; the altar has the rails and doors of solid silver, and was saved by being painted black during the time of the French, who committed various barbarous atrocities, pillaged every thing, and broke and defaced much of the fine pavement.

On the 1st of February we embarked on board the Dream, accom

panied, as usual, by the Merlin, and joined by the Thérèse, Lord Desart's cutter. In the morning a bright sun and a fresh wind gave every hope of a favourable passage. We left the harbour filled with our gallant vessels of war, the Ganges, the Implacable, and the Edinburgh in quarantine; the Hastings and the Asia ready, the latter preparing for sea. When we were outside, it was discovered that the wind would not serve so well for Messina as to go round the other side of the island of Sicily to Palermo, the principal object of interest; we therefore were obliged to give up the former. We were soon abandoned by Lord Desart, whose destination was Alexandria.

The evening of the second day brought us within twenty miles of Palermo, in sight of a commanding, wild, bold coast. Here we lay becalmed, viewing the mountains we so anxiously wished to get round. While we were listlessly gazing on the glassy deep, a turtle was discovered asleep. Some of the sailors proposed trying to catch it; accordingly the boat was lowered, and they approached so gently, as not to disturb its slumbers, till, with a boat-hook, they turned it over on its back, before it had time to recover itself. It was a small one, of the hawk-billed description, and consequently not of the best sort. Nevertheless, we put it in a bucket of water, and fed it with bread. Another was seen, but being wider awake than its companion, was not caught.

Early on the morning of the 4th, we entered the bay of Palermo. The weather was delicious and as warm as July, and it was impossible to decide which was the clearer and brighter, the sea or the sky, though both were of that deep blue never seen in our gloomy isle. The first impression at Palermo is that of finding oneself in a deserted place, surrounded by faded grandeur and remains of better days; but the beauty of the situation, and the picturesque appearance of the whole, baffle description. The churches, palaces, and houses, are generally pretty good, and a quay, or raised terrace by the sea, called the Marina, is overlooked by fine buildings, ending with gardens much to be admired. Still I was disappointed, as I vainly sought the Asiatic minarets and eastern palm-trees, described by Mrs. Starke. However, after the stony barrenness of Malta, the shade, the verdure, and the foliage, were doubly refreshing. The people at the customhouse were extremely troublesome, and insisted upon opening every box, which, considering our stay was not to exceed thirty-six hours, seemed an unnecessary ceremony. The inn was straggling and dirty, combining the luxury of satin mattresses with tiled floors and unwashed stone stairs. While our luggage was unpacking, we drove to La Favorita, the summer palace of the king. The road lay through an avenue of pepper-trees, groves of orange and lemon, and olivewoods. The distance is about four miles from Palermo; roses and hyacinths were in full bloom, with a July day. The gardens are neglected and ill kept, but with little trouble might be restored to their pristine excellence. We passed a fountain surrounded by yew-trees of great size, and entered this Chinese villa. We climbed to the top, and were repaid by a magnificent view of the high mountains, Monte Pellegrino, with its rugged ascent, and the distant city; while the blue sea was likewise visible on three sides.

We then drove to the Palazzo Reale. It is necessary to be provided with orders for admittance, but these are not refused, nor is April.-VOL. LXX. NO. CCLXXX, 20

there any difficulty about procuring them. The chapel of the palace is remarkable; it is not large, but in good taste, and lined with gold mosaic. This old style is both precious and costly, and the figures look like lapis lazuli, while the ground is the best ducat gold. Every thing is done in pietra dura; twelve Egyptian marble columns support the roof, as well as others of valuable porphyry. This church was originally a mosque. The doors are modern, only just finished; they are handsome, of inlaid wood, with two pieces of elaborate carving, one of "Our Saviour's walking on the Sea," the other, "Giving the Keys to Saint Peter." They were a year making, and cost 1407.

Near this church is the duomo, the exterior of which has great merit, but the inside is poor and cold, and struck me as out of proportion, and too long for its width. The shrine of St. Rosalia was by chance open, and we had thus an opportunity of seeing the famous sarcophagus, which is of silver, and said to weigh between 1200 and 1300 pounds. Next day we visited some of the marble shops, and having purchased some tables of the different Sicilian specimens, finding the day cloudy, and the ascent to the top of Monte Pellegrino rugged and long, we abandoned the attempt and drove to Montreale, a town about four miles off. The view as we wound round the ascent to the cathedral repaid us for all our trouble. The building itself is ancient and costly, with a profusion of marbles, pietra dura, and fine old mosaics.

In the evening we embarked. A silver moon made the scene as light as day, and it was with regret that we bid adieu to Palermo. The night was calm, but a breeze brought us in twenty-four hours off Capri. Here, however, we were obliged to lay-to till day, and the wind getting up, added to a disagreeable short sea, caused us to spend two or three uncomfortable hours till daylight, when we entered the Bay of Naples, and anchored about the same time as the French steamer which brought our children, who had come direct from Malta. The day was passed by Lord L. in searching for a lodging, and after much difficulty it was determined that we should dine on board the Dream, and then take possession of rooms at the Belle Vue Hôtel. These we found inconvenient, bad, and small. We went the next evening to see the St. Carlos, so famed as a theatre. It is larger than our Opera House, but not so large as the Scala at Milan; still, I admire it more than the latter, for its shape and decorations. The effect when lighted up must be beautiful. There seemed, however, little chance of our witnessing this exhibition, as it is only done on great fêtes. The singing was bad, the dancing worse, and the only thing to be admired is the coup d'ail of the theatre. We found afterwards the apartments at the Vittoria recently occupied by Queen Adelaide vacant, and accordingly we engaged them. On moving in, however, they proved as little desirable as our previous quarters, but having engaged them for a month, there was no resource but patience.

During the remainder of the carnival, at which period we had arrived, balls were given every night. The first I attended was at Count Lebzeltern's, the Austrian minister: he is married to a Russian lady, an heiress. The house is good, and the salle de bal fine, well lighted, and tastefully decorated. We were presented to the king and queen. The latter, who is near her confinement, appeared suffering. She is an Austrian, a daughter of the Archduke Charles, and seems a good-natured little person. The king conversed with me for some time. The