deep and turbid stream of the Anapus, which, though it enjoys the reputation of being the only navigable river in Sicily, and is complimented by Theocritus with the name of the μɛyav poov, is, notwithstanding its depth, navigable for nothing better than a boat; and that, too, not without some inconvenience, owing to the narrowness of its channel, and the quantity of reeds and aquatic plants that line its banks. We soon came to the spot where the Anapus receives the transparent stream which descends from the fountain Cyane*-something more than a mile from the place where the former empties itself into the great harbour. Following this stream, the surface of which is almost hidden by a profusion of aquatic plants, and which is sometimes called the Papyrus, we met with numerous specimens of that beautiful rush to which the stream owes its present name. No where else in Europe does the papyrus flourish in a natural state; but here it is found in such abundance, that it is even used for binding up the corn. The principal root, which is bulbous, runs horizontally near the surface of the water, throwing off long fibres, which descend perpendicularly, and attach themselves slightly to the bottom of the stream; so slightly, indeed, that the plant may almost be said to float. From each division of the bulb, a triangular rush of a bright green colour shoots up to the height of eight or ten feet, surmounted by a large * Quàque suis Cyanen miscet Anapus aquis.—Ovid. de Pont.lib. ii. Ep. 10. tuft of delicate filaments; these again being, at their extremities, subdivided into others bearing small flowers. The fountain itself*, now called La Pisma, is a fine circular basin sixty or seventy feet in diameter, and upwards of six-and-twenty in depth, the water of which is so perfectly transparent, that the smallest pebble is distinctly visible at the bottom; where also may be seen some large fragments of marble-supposed to be the remains of the temple of Cyane-reflecting the prismatic colours, together with shoals of fish sporting about, and glittering in the sun-beams with scales of purple and goldt. Here the Syracusans held an annual festival, on which occasion they were wont to immerse bulls in the waters of the fountain, as sacrifices to Proserpine, in imitation of Hercules who established the rite, when, returning from Spain, he passed this spot with the herds of Geryon. * Three different stories are told of the origin of this fountain. According to Diodorus, Pluto, when he carried off Proserpine from the fields of Enna, opened himself a passage to the infernal regions in this very spot, and caused the spring to rise as a memorial of that event. Ovid says, that the nymph Cyane, endeavouring to oppose the ravisher, was changed by him into the fountain: while Plutarch tells us, that Cyane here slew her father, who had offered her violence, and that Proserpine formed the fountain out of her tears. This spring is clear, has a bed of rock, the stone of which is blue, and the fish have a beautiful blue colour, (such as I never saw in fish before), with the polish of the gold-fish. I conjecture that this was the origin of the name Cyane; for Cyaneus, in Greek, signifies a dark blue colour.-Stolberg's Travels, vol. ii., Holcroft's Translation. Such are the objects most deserving of notice in Syracuse and its vicinity; few and unimportant if considered merely with reference to themselves, but deeply interesting, if the historic recollections with which they are associated be taken into account; for who can behold, unmoved, even the most trifling remains which the lapse of time and the page of history have so splendidly consecrated:" Quis est quem non moveat clarissimis monumentis testata consignataque antiquitas?" Who can quit such a scene without a feeling of regret? "As," to quote the beautiful language of Hughes, "we passed slowly and silently over the deserted platform of this once populous city, on our departure from it, we turned our eyes toward the heights of Epipolæ glittering in the morning sun, anxious to catch the last view, as it were, of a friend from whom we were about to part for ever:" Χαιρ' Αρεθοισα, Και ποταμοι τοι χεῖτε καλον κατα Θυμβριδος ὑδῶρ. CATANIA-FESTIVAL OF S. AGATHA. Here may be seen in bloodless pomp arrayed, Processions formed for piety and love.-GOLDSMITH. AT the distance of about five miles from Syracuse, on the road to Catania, opposite the peninsula of Thapsus -or, as it is now called, Magnisi-and on the left hand side of the road, stands a square pedestal, surmounted by a few layers of an enormous circular column, called La Guglia, and said, though without any sufficient authority, to be the remains of a monument erected by Marcellus to commemorate his conquest of Syracuse. Having passed the Symathus, now styled the Giarretta, from the name of the boat used in ferrying passengers over it, we arrived in the evening at Catania-a city, not only among the most ancient, but among the finest in Sicily, and worthy of its beautiful situation at the base of Ætna. The remains of temples, theatres, baths, and aqueducts sufficiently attest its ancient magnificence. From this city it was, that the first sun-dial ever set up at Rome was taken by Messala, during the first Punic war. Catania may be said to consist of three principal streets, each of them about a mile in length. The most splendid of the three, which is terminated at one end by the cathedral, commands a glorious view of the flanks and summit of Ætna. It has been justly remarked of this town, which makes such an imposing appearance from the sea, that it does not, like most other towns of Sicily, disappoint expectation on entering it; the regularity and spaciousness of its streets, the number and beauty of its churches, convents, palaces, and public buildings, principally composed of lava, faced with limestone, and enriched with marbles derived from ancient edifices, conspiring to give it an unwonted air of elegance and grandeur. The Catanians are said to be indebted for the width and regularity of their streets to the Duke of Camastro, who, being appointed to superintend the rebuilding of the city after the terrible earthquake of 1693, which nearly levelled it with the ground, caused what little had withstood the shock to be taken down, that there might be nothing to obstruct the execution of his plans. To the architecture of Catania, however, it is objected, not unfairly, that its great fault is excess of ornament; and to its plan, that the principal streets, lying parallel to the cardinal points of the compass, are exposed to the full glare of the mid-day sun, which produces an almost intolerable heat. The hospitals, asylums, and other public institutions, with which Catania is well provided, attest the charitable disposition of its inhabitants; who are also famed for their polite manners and easy deportment. Of the various private museums, the first in reputation is that of the Prince Biscari, which, together with many exquisite |