by a colony from Gela, B. c. 605, on Mount Acgragas, from which it was called. The lines of Virgil,—

Arduus inde Acgragas ostentat maxima longe

Monia, magnanimûm quondam generator equorum,

must be understood of the ancient city of Omphace, which occupied the site of the present Girgenti. It was built on the height, afterwards called Comicus, for Cocalus, king of the Sicani, by the celebrated Dædalus. It was the strongest fortification at the time in the island, and when it fell into the hands of the Greek colonists, became their citadel.

If Virgil can, in this instance, be vindicated from the charge of anachronism we must forgive him, and own that he sings by anticipation, when in the same passage he adds

Megarosque sinus, Tapsumque jacentem.

Nor can it be said that

Adparet Camarina procul

alludes to the lake, which lays low, and can only be seen when very near. Acgragas soon became a vast city, containing, according to Diodorus, twenty thousand citizens, and one hundred and eighty thousand persons who did not enjoy that privilege. If this calculation did not, as usual, include the slaves, the computation of Diogenes Laertius, who gives eight hundred thousand souls, will not appear much too high; yet, although we admit that on an average six slaves may be allowed for each of the twenty thousand citizens, two will be sufficient per head for the remaining one hundred and eighty thousand, who can scarcely be supposed to have equalled the riches and luxuries of the citizens, and this will yield six hundred and forty thousand for the ancient population, a vast number, yet Agrigentum was inferior to Syracuse. It was built on five hills, the vestiges of which are still visible.

The Agrigentines seem to have possessed less love of liberty than other Greeks; their indolence and luxury rendered them effeminate, and more ready to submit to, than resist, a master. Phalaris usurped the supreme power little more than forty years after the foundation of the city. Alcamenes, Alcander, Theron, Thiutias, and others, follow in the disgraceful list. B. C. 406, Acgragas was taken by the Carthaginians under Hannibal and Himilco, the former of whom had, during the preceding year, razed to the ground the cities of Selmao and Himera. The disaster happening about the time of the winter solstice, Himilco spared most of the buildings to quarter his numerous army in them. The wretched inhabitants had previously, in one vast body, evacuated the ill-fated town, leaving only the infirm and aged behind, who were put to the sword by the infuriated conquerors. The fugitives were escorted to Gela by the Syracusans, who afterwards allotted them Leontini for a residence. Though it appears that the Agrigentines soon after returned to the city, it never recovered the blow. The Temple of Jupiter Olympius, the building of which was going on at the period of the siege, was never completed, the

finances of the state being, at no time in the sequel, adequate to the defraying of the enormous sums requisite to complete so magnificent a fabric.

Acgragas was thrice taken during the two prior Punic wars, twice by the Romans, and once by the Carthaginians. It fell, A. D. 825, into the hands of the Saracens, from whom it was recovered in 1086, by the heroic Count Roger.

I visited the ruins, in company with the intelligent Signore S

As they have been so often described by preceding travellers, and I have myself given a detailed account of them in another place, I shall here pass them without further notice.

The port, which is one of the chief caricatori for grain in Sicily, is four miles from the city; the road is tolerably good, and the country rich in olive groves and corn fields. The harbour, which is defended by a mole, is dangerously open to the sciroc, or south-east wind, which threatens before long to choke it up by the quantity of sand it drives in, when violent. Girgenti is prettily situated, but its streets are narrow, steep, and rugged. Few of the edifices merit the attention of the stranger: there are some passable paintings in the churches, and the cathedral boasts some fine specimens of basso relievo, representing the story of Hippolytus. The population is estimated at about seven thousand.

-'s

Our friends, the count and countess, with Captain L- -, kept their promise. As the town contains no suitable inn, the latter joined us at the consul's, the former took up their quarters with a friend. We now formed a very large party; the count's suite consisting of a cameriere and cameriera, a cook and footman, making, with Land my own attendants, altogether seven domestics exclusive of the muleteers, who were four in number. It was arranged that we should take two lettigas, one for the countess and Mrs. Bthe other for the ladies' maid and the young count when he might get tired of riding; the rest of the company were to proceed on horseback.

We quitted Girgenti on the 19th, above five o'clock in the morning, in the following order; the count, his son, L and myself in front, the two lettigas with their conductors formed the next division, the baggage and mules attending it followed, whilst the servants brought up the rear, in all seventeen persons. We did not think it necessary to take campieri, esteeming ourselves a match for any force likely to attack us, although the women had been much alarmed at Girgenti by many marvellous accounts of the number and audacity of the banditti, owing to the disturbed state of the country.

Our cavalcade first halted a little after eight o'clock at Aragona, a small town situated on the declivity of a beautiful hill in the midst of a very romantic country; but the roads are, as usual, execrable, over ragged and chalky rocks. We breakfasted at this place, and reposed during the heat of the day at St. Angelo, eight miles farther on. Our path lay through a hilly but well planted district, abounding in refreshing rivulets, and, at intervals, with patches of the most verdant vegetation. The oleander, the St. John's bread, the almond, and the deep scarlet of the pomegranate, with other trees and shrubs, most of them in bloom, had a delightful and enchanting effect, perfuming

the air with their delicious odours, whilst they gratified the eye with their splended and various colours. From the heights we could count the towns and villages in the neighbourhood, Monte Allegro, Siculiana, La Cattolica and many others, and mark the course of the winding Platani as it rolled on to the sea, which was studded by passing vessels and numerous fishing boats from the places on the coast. When we resumed our journey in the afternoon from St. Angelo, we did not keep the road along the shore, but turned towards the interior. At a short distance from that place we crossed the Platani, the ancient Halycus, which runs through a plain, naked and sterile in comparison with the rich valleys in its vicinity. It was the boundary between the Carthaginian and Syracusan territories; it has its source on the eastern side of Mount Quisquina; when increased by the waters of the Salso and the Torbo, it becomes one of the largest rivers in Sicily. After a tortuous course, it falls into the African sea above Girgenti. The fish of the Platani are held in great estimation: shad, eels, and chub are caught in great abundance.

A curious tale is related of this river. One day as St. Albert, the Carthusian, was walking on the bank of the stream, he saw some Jews, who had attempted to ford it, carried away by the rapidity of the current; as they were hurried down they implored the aid of the saint, conjuring him, in the name of his master, to save them. The holy man kindly promised to deliver them, on condition that they would embrace the Christian religion, to which they very eagerly consented. Upon which he walked to them on the water, but, fearing lest when rescued from the immediate danger they might fail to keep their word, he took especial care to instruct them in the faith and baptize them as they floated down the stream. After which he brought them to land by dividing the waters, thus renewing the miracle of the passage of the Red Sea.

It was our intention to have passed the night at Bivona, for which place we had letters, but finding the ladies fatigued, we halted at Alexandria, a small town lying on the face of a gentle hill which overlooks a fertile valley. We had reason to repent our determination, for though we had brought a supply of provisions from Girgenti, we had by no means laid in a very ample stock for so large a party, expecting to reach Bivona for supplies. As there was little or nothing to be got in this very wretched place, the servants were obliged to be content with very short commons. The fundaco at which we stopped was a most uncomfortable and dirty hovel; the people assembled in it seemed to regard us, and particularly our arms, with much discontent and suspicion. The syndic to whom the count sent for more commodious quarters was not within. In the mean time it grew dark, and a quarrel having taken place between some of the people and our domestics, a fight would have ensued; it appeared that our attendants, not finding all the assistance they expected, began to make a show of their weapons, at which the others took umbrage, and when asked for provisions, told the servants to find them with their pistols. Words followed words, and it would probably have soon come to blows if the noise had not brought us to the spot. Not without difficulty we prevented a fray; but our people could not succeed in getting anything

for their repast, except an immense caldron of fagiole, dried French beans, served up simply boiled, with a bottle of rancid oil poured over them by way of sauce. Whether it arose from the nature of the food, or, as we rather suspected, from an ill-disposed person having thrown something deleterious into the boiler, as many as partook of the above dish were seized, during the night, with violent cholics. So alarmed were they, that they dispatched one of their companions to the quarters which the syndic on his return had provided for us, to inform us that they were all poisoned. On our arrival at the fundaco, although seriously alarmed, I could scarcely refrain from laughter at the curious scene that presented itself. Here was one pacing about the room like a madman, there another rolling on the floor in an agony, a third swearing horribly, a fourth invoking all the saints in the calendar, some calling for a priest, others roaring for the doctor, which, in default of a better, I became myself. Having prepared a large quantity of hot water, I ordered the least afflicted to apply fomentations to the stomachs of the greater sufferers, and dosed the whole party liberally with tea and brandy-and-water. In the course of an hour, I had the satisfaction of seeing a visible alteration for the better in all my patients, and in the morning, although the effects of the night were visible in their faces, they were all in a condition to proceed, but some of them complained for several days afterwards.

A good breakfast at Bivona contributed not a little to restore our invalids. Eight miles from this place is Palazzo Adriano, one of the Albanian colonies before mentioned; it is situated in a plain, and reckons four thousand five hundred inhabitants. Owing to the adventure at Alexandria we thought it prudent to make a short day's journey, and stop at Chiusa, about twenty-one miles, for fear of fatiguing the convalescents and incurring the danger of a relapse. At Chiusa we were comfortably lodged in the town-house and found good wine, excellent poultry, and beef, of which, though not very tempting to the eye, the count's cook, one of the best I ever fell in with, made capital stews and several other most laudable dishes. Chiusa, according to Pirri, in his "Sicilia Sacra," was so called because built by the Count of Aderno in an inclosed place where they were accustomed to pasture horses. It is a neat, healthy town, at the foot of a charming hill, and contains a population of about four thousand souls.

We next morning proceeded to Basacchino, through a wild and mountainous country covered with the dwarf palm and lentiscus; the thistles are of an extraordinary size and height. The district is generally barren, but the eye occasionally reposes on a vineyard or a corn field. As we approached Sciacca, we observed the Castle of Luna, so famous in the history of the wars between the noble houses of Luna and Perollo, denominated "Le guerre di Sciacca." The town is defended by ancient walls, and is situated on a rocky eminence at the foot of Mount Calogero. It is a handsome town, containing some noble edifices. Among others is the mother church, which was built by Juliet de Hauteville. Sciacca is a royal city, with a population of ten thousand souls; it was anciently called Thermæ, from the excellence of its baths; there were two cities in Sicily so termed, one on the northern coast of the island, built from the ruins of Himera and

now called Termini; the other is that of which I am speaking. It was also called Thermæ Coloniæ, though Farzello says nothing is known of this colony as to its age, nation, or leader.

The baths are formed by springs which proceed from Mount Calogero, one of them, which is strongly impregnated with sulphur, is hot enough to boil an egg in the course of two minutes; it is said to be efficacious in all cutaneous and scorbutic disorders: paralytic patients also resort there. The fountain, called Aqua Santa, is lukewarm and a very powerful purgative. There is likewise a cold spring in great estimation. On digging to any considerable depth, salt water, also cold, makes its appearance. There are besides, celebrated vapour baths on Mount Calogero, much frequented by invalids in summer; some of them are deep natural caverns, others artificial excavations. I found the air on entering almost suffocating, but the unpleasant sensation ceased on the breaking out of a profuse perspiration. The ancients attributed these baths to Dædalus; the moderns give the honour of them to St. Calogero, both probably with equal truth. The thermometer stood at 124o in the vapour.

From Sciacca to Calatabellotta the road runs over a hilly, open tract of country, bare of wood and of less promising aspect than most parts of Sicily; the lower grounds, which grow a great deal of rice, are desolated by the malaria, and the higher are naked and waste. We crossed the Verdura, the ancient Isbarus, the waters of which reached no higher than the fetlocks of our animals. Calatabellotta is, perhaps without exception, the worst place of residence in the island; the difficulty of access is greater than even that at Mola or ancient Noto. The inhabitants holding but little intercourse with the valleys, are an uncouth and savage race; they evidently regarded us with distrust and ill-will.

Calatabellotta, which is elevated at least three thousand feet above the level of the sea, has succeeded to Triocala, the ruins of which lay a mile below, and have served the modern town with the materials of which it is built. We traced part of the circuit of the walls and observed the foundation of some considerable buildings, probably temples. We also noticed a hollow, which I take to have been originally the site of a theatre.

Triocala was a place of great strength; it was here that Trypho and Athenio fixed their head-quarters during the servile war in Sicily; the position justified their choice, as it enabled them to defend themselves for the space of four years against the formidable forces of the Roman republic.

We returned to Sciacca rather late, and found the ladies in some alarm at our protracted stay, as the people of Calatabellotta do not enjoy the best reputation.

We left Sciacca after a stay of three days. The hills in the neighbourhood continue bare of wood; there are some fine corn lands in the plain, but little had been sown from the cause I have before mentioned. In the vicinity of Garbo or Carabo, which falls into the sea five miles from Sciacca, are some rice grounds which, as usual, render the air very unwholesome.

Farther on we passed the Belici Destro, so called to distinguish it