ably going on when the lava rolled down the burning mountain and buried them far, far beneath the surface.

Rosina, which occupies the ancient site of Herculaneum, is the great starting point for those who are ambitious to ascend Vesuvius. Here we procured ponies and a guide, and proceeded several miles over a narrow and rugged path to the foot of the cone, which we found to be only the commencement of our difficulties. Leaving the ponies at this point, we continued our course upward in various ways, according to the disposition and powers of endurance of each individual. The ladies were carried in a chair fastened on poles by four stout Italians, and some of the gentlemen in the same way. One of the party was an old gentleman from the States, remarkable for his rotundity and good-humor, and who was very uneasy all the while, fearing that something would give way and let him roll down in the ashes to the foot of the cone. To avoid all danger, he employed six stout men to assist him, who were disposed of in the following manner: two to each end of a rope fastened around his waist, two with straps over his shoulders, to which he held on with his hands, and two in the rear to scotch him when he got out of breath. It was a picture worthy of Punch, and worth all the labor and fatigue of mounting. After toiling, and panting, and laughing, for almost one hour, through ashes and snow, we reached the region of Fire. The day was clear, and the noonday sun was shedding its brightest rays over the broad sea down below, and tiny Naples in the distance, and every village in the country round, seemed more lovely and beautiful than ever. Unfortunately the volcano has been quiet for more than a year, and we were not permitted to see it in all its glory. The smoke, filled with sulphur, the noise and the heated vapors, were all that we saw, which was quite sufficient to convey an idea of its immensity and grandeur, without the lurid flames and red-hot lava. There are two craters on Vesuvius, one of which is almost extinct. We walked through the suffocating smoke around both of them, and when the wind blew from us we could see distinctly one hundred feet into the yawning gulf of fire. A young married lady from England, who constituted one of our party, accompanied me to the very brim of the crater, but it became so hot under our feet that we were compelled to retrace our steps hurriedly. After examining the crater to our satisfaction,

roasting and eating a few eggs, and enjoying the extensive prospect around us, we commenced the work of descending the almost perpendicular cone, which is quite as amusing as ascending. The guides, anxious to give us all the assistance in their power, cautiously joined their hands, and made a chain of men; of whom the foremost beat, as well as they could, a solid foundation with their feet and sticks, down which we prepared to follow. The way being fearfully steep, and the ladies being unable to proceed alone, were taken out of the litter and placed, each between two careful persons, who being supported by the chain of guides, reached the foot in safety; while some of the gentlemen, in their hurry to get down first, lost their foot-hold and rolled over and over in the ashes, without any injury, and much to the amusement of those behind. Vesuvius is situated near the bay, and in sight of Naples, between two mountains called the Somma and Ottajano. Though separated, these mountains have a common base. It is supposed that formerly they were united, and that their separation is due to an eruption which rendered them craters. Vesuvius has the form of a cone; its perpendicular height is 3,375 feet, the circumference of the three mountains at the base is thirty miles. Three roads lead to the summit, that of St. Sebastian to the north, of Ottajano to the east, of Resenia, which is the most frequented, to the west. At this time the cone is covered with snow, while the vegetation flourishes in full vigor on the plains below.

The Neapolitan government, like that of all the Italian States, is in an unsettled condition. The King feels uneasy about his security, and relies more upon the valor of the ten thousand Swiss soldiers in his employ, than he does upon the fidelity of his own people.

LETTER THIRTY-SEVEN.

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt. Departure from Europe-The Pass of Scylla and Charybdis-Mt. Etna-Messina-The Island of Malta-Arrival off Alexandria-Strada Franca-Donkey Stand-Construction of the City-The Turkish Quarter-Pasha's Palace-Mud Villages-Private Slave Dépôt -Disorderly Funerals-Lake Mareotis-Pompey's Pillar-Cleopatra's Needle.

THE day we set sail from New-York, and bade adieu, perhaps for ever, to our native land, our feelings were altogether different, I assure you, from the day when we cleared the harbor of Naples, and gazed for the last time on the bright shores of Italy. On the ocean, we felt sad for the first day or so, because we had left friends at home to whom we are fondly attached, and a country from which neither time nor change can ever wean us; but on the deep-blue Mediterranean we had no regrets, no sadness; for we knew full well that we would soon reach the land of promise, where our pilgrimage would end, and our faces be turned once more to the shores of the United States.

After procuring a ticket from the police office, stating that we were in good health, we were allowed to go on board the French steamer from Marseilles and proceed on our voyage to the island of Malta. The frigate Independence was anchored in the bay-our flag was floating to the breeze, and the sweet notes of "Hail Columbia!" came softly to our ears as we glided over the placid waters. Twelve Americans stood on the deck, and returned the compliment from our frigate with three hearty cheers. The steamer turned the island of Capri, where old Tiberius once lived in debauchery, and the beauties of Naples soon faded in the distance. The following morning we came in sight of the snow-covered summit of Mt. Ætna, now reposing in its lofty majesty, glided swiftly along the base of the island of Stromboli, rising like a sugar-loaf from the sea, and passed safely between Scylla and Charybdis into the beautiful bay of Messina. Here we went ashore and rambled about the filthy streets and through the churches, where there is nothing to see, until we were admonished by one of the party that it was time for the steamer to start for Malta. From the sea the island of Sicily presents a broken aspect; but it is closely cultivated and rich in the abundance of all the

tropical fruits. The next morning we entered the harbor of "La Valetta" before the sun was fairly up. We went ashore in a small boat, ascended the street of stairs, and were safely ensconced in a good English hotel, where we enjoyed, for the first time in many a day, a substantial breakfast. Valetta is clean and well built, and is the strongest fortified place in the Mediterranean-being built by the knights of old, who fled from Rhodes to this barren island for safety and solitude. Then the island was hardly known and but little cared for; while now it is the most important point for military purposes in the whole sea, and is regarded by the English as impregnable to the attacks of any foreign power. The entire fleet of the government in the Mediterranean is concentrated in this harbor, consisting of ten vessels, including one or two war steamers. We accepted the invitation of one of the officers of the navy, and went on board the Queen, one of the largest ships of the line, carrying 120 guns and 3,000 men. The officers were extremely polite in conducting us over the vessel and explaining to us the modus operandi in an action. Every thing seemed to be on a large scale; but I remarked at the time to one of my companions that they did not keep their decks in such order or manage their guns so dexterously as our American sailors. The palaces and cathedral, dedicated to St. John, the patron of the Order, are in a good state of preservation, and all occupied as residences and public institutions. The palace of the Grand Master is now the residence of the British Governor. It contains several fine halls, an armory, a few good

pictures, and some curious tapestry. In the armory I observed many

singular things, used by the old knights, and among them a cannon made of rope and lined outside with copper, spears, swords, and armor of various sizes and descriptions, brought from Rhodes. I tried on the armor of the Grand Master Vignacourt, which is inlaid with gold and curiously wrought. It was very heavy and cumbersome-so much so that I wonder how any man could do much fighting or moving about with it weighing on his person. The cathedral is not remarkable or attractive externally, but the interior affords a rich field for the study of the art and taste of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The floor is a mosaic pavement, chiefly composed of the sepulchral monuments of the knights, whose effigies, in full costume, are represented in white marble. Some of the bells

are said to have been brought from Rhodes, and in the chapel of the Madonna I noticed some six or eight keys, said to be those of the gates of Jerusalem, Acre, and Rhodes. The railing in front of the chapel is made of solid silver, which is so dim from age that one would never discover its value without being informed. Valetta is laid off at right angles, and built altogether of stone houses with projecting windows. The streets are kept perfectly clean, and the city is well supplied with water by an aqueduct, several miles in length, similar in construction to the old Roman aqueducts. The island of Malta is perfectly destitute of vegetation, and outside of the walls of Valetta and Citta Vecchia all is desolation and barrenness. The latter named place was at one time the chief town of Malta, but has been superseded by the modern city. It is now interesting to the traveller on account of the extensive catacombs, the bay in which St. Paul was shipwrecked, and the grotto where he lived as the guest of Publius.

After passing three days very pleasantly in that "little military hot-house," we departed on an excellent steamer, belonging to the French line, for the shores of Egypt. On the morning of the third day we descried in the distance the low coast of Barbary, and on the fourth we came in sight of Pompey's Pillar, which was the first object opened to our wistful eyes in the land of Pharaoh, Ptolemy, and Cleopatra. As we drew nearer to the ancient city we descried, through the mist and rain, the narrow Cape of Figs, upon which is the modern light-house and the Palace of the Pasha. The wind was blowing a perfect gale, and we stood out some time, waiting for a pilot to carry us into the dangerous harbor, but none came, and our captain, Frenchman-like, became impatient and resolved to go through the narrow inlet and run the chances of wrecking his vessel on the breakers. Fortunately we escaped all danger, passed along a line of merchantmen and vessels of war, filled with turbaned Arabs, and came to anchor beneath the lattice windows of the Pasha's seraglio. Here an amusing, and to some, frightful scene ensued. The anchor had scarcely reached the bottom when a number of small Arab boats crowded around the foot of the ladder to carry the passengers ashore; and all the shouting, screaming, pushing and shoving, that you could possibly imagine, we enjoyed on the occasion. The ladies on board were nearly frightened out of their wits, and no