voice of the nation, yet in fact, it is only confined to a set of the moft worthlefs and despicable incendiaries; like him who fet the house in a flame, on purpose to pilfer during the conflagration. But the abuse that is levelled at the king, furprises them more than all the reft; and you cannot conceive their amazement and indignation when we affured them, that notwithstanding all this, he was the most virtuous and benevolent prince on earth. Then, exclaimed a Sicilian nobleman, you must certainly be the most damnable people on the globe. I was a good deal struck with the fuddeness of the charge; and it was not without many explanations of the liberty of our constitution, and particularly that of the press, that I could prevail with him to retra& his fentiments; and think more favourably of us, Still he infifted, that so egregious an abuse of this liberty, was only a farther proof of his position; and that there must be something effentially wrong, in a nation that could allow of fuch abufe levelled at the most facred of all characters: the highest virtue united to the highest station. We affured him that what he heard, was only the voice of the most abandoned and profligate wretches in the nation; who, taking advantage of the great freedom of the press, had often made these news-papers the vehicles of the most detestable sedition. That both the king and queen were beloved by all their fubjects, at least by all those of worth ;that they never were fpoken of, but as the most perfect model of conjugal union and happiness, as

well as of every focial endowment; and that they could have no enemies, but the enemies of virtue.

However, after all, we could but patch up a peace with him. He could not comprehend (he faid) how the voice of a few incendiaries fhould be louder than the general voice of the nation. We told him, that people who were pleased commonly held their tongue; and that fedition and libel ever made a greater noife than panegyric; just as the fire-bell is rung louder, and is more liftened to than the bell for rejoicing.

Adieu. Our pilot fays the wind is not fair, fo that poffibly we may still stay a day or two longer.

Ever yours.

1

LETTER

XXXVII.

Palermo, July 29th.

WERE I to enter upon the natural

history of this ifland, it would lead me into a vaft field of fpeculation, for which I have neither time nor abilities: However, a variety of objects ftruck us as we travelled along, that it may not be amifs to give you fome little account of. There are a variety of mineral waters, almost through the whole of Sicily. Many of these are boiling hot; others ftill more fingular, are of a degree of cold fuperior to that of ice, and yet never freeze.

In feveral places, they have fountains that throw up a kind of oil on their furface, which is of great ufe to the peasants, who burn it in their lamps, and use it to many other purposes; but there is ftill a more remarkable one near Nicofia which is called il fonte Canalotto. It is covered with a thick fcum of a kind of pitch, which amongst the country people is esteemed a fovereign remedy in rheumatic, and many other complaints.

The water of a small lake near Nafo is cele brated for dying black every thing that is put into it; and this it is faid to perform without the mixture of any other ingredient, although the water itself is remarkably pure and tranf

parent.

They have a variety of fulphureous baths, like thofe near Naples, where the patient is thrown into a profufe fweat, only from the heat of the vapour. The most celebrated are thofe of Sciaccia, and on the mountain of St. Cologero; not in the neighbourhood of Etna, as I expected, but at a great distance from that mountain. But indeed I am much inclined to believe, that not only mount Etna, but the greatest part of Sicily, and almost the whole of the circumjacent islands, have been originally formed by fubterraneous fire; but I fhall have an opportunity of fpeaking more largely on this fubject, when I give you an account of the country round Naples.

I have obferved lava, pumice, and tufa in many parts of Sicily, at a great diftance from Ætna; and there are a variety both of mountains and valleys that still emit a hot vapour, and produce fprings of boiling water.

About a mile and a half to the weft of this city, at a small beach where we often go a

fwimming, there are many fprings of warm water, that rife even within the fea, at the depth of five or fix feet. We were at first a good deal furprised to find ourfelves almost inftantaneously both in the hot and cold bath; for at one stroke we commonly paffed through the hot water, which only extends for a few feet around the fpring. It gave us a momentary glow, and produced a very odd, uncouth fenfation, by no means an agreeable one. I mentioned this fingularity to feveral gentlemen here, who tell me they have obferved the fame thing.

Not a great way from this is a celebrated fountain, called Il Mar Dolce, where there are fome remains of an ancient naumachia; and in the mountain above it, they shew you a cavern, where a gigantic skeleton is faid to have been found: however, it fell to duft when they attempted to remove it; Fazzello fays, its teeth were the only part that refifted the impreffion of the air; that he procured two of them, and that they weighed near two ounces. There are many fuch stories to be met with in the Sicilian legends, as it feems to be an univerfal belief, that this ifland was once inhabited by giants; but although we have made diligent enquiry, we have never yet been able to procure a fight of any of thefe gigantic bones which are faid to be fill preferved in many parts of the island. Had