there been any foundation for this, I think it is probable, they must have found their way into 'fome of the mufeums; but this is not the case ; nor indeed have we met with any person of sense and credibility that could say they had feen any of them. We had been affured at Naples, that an entire skeleton, upwards of ten feet high, was preserved in the museum of Palermo; but there is no fuch thing there, nor I believe any where elfe in the island. This museum is well furnished both with antiques and articles of natural hiftory, but is not fuperior to what we have seen in many other places.

The number of fouls in Palermo are computed at about 150,000. Those of the whole ifland, by the last numeration, amounted to 1,123,163; of which number there are about 50,000 that belong to the different monafteries and religious orders. The number of houses are computed at 268,120, which makes betwixt five and fix to a house.

The great ftanding commodity of Sicily, which has ever conftituted the riches of the island, was their crops of wheat; but they cultivate many other branches of commerce, though none that could bear any proportion to this, were it under a free government, and exportation allowed. Their method of preferving their grain will appear fomewhat fingular to our farmers: inftead

of expofing it, as we do, to the open air, they are at the greatest pains to exclude it entirely from it. In many places, where the foil is dry, particularly near Agrigentum, they have dug large pits or caverns in the rock. Thefe open

by a fmall hole at top, and fwell to a great width below; here they pour down their grain, after it has been made exceedingly dry; and ramming it hard, they cover up the hole, to protect it from rain; and they affure us it will preferve in this manner for many years.

The Soda is a plant that is much cultivated, and turns out to confiderable account. This is the vegetable, that by the action of fire, is afterwards converted into mirrors and cryftals. Great quantities of it are fent every year to fupply the glafs-houses at Venice. They have likewife a confiderable trade in liquorice, rice, figs, raifins, and currants, the best of which grow amongst the extinguished volcanoes of the Lipari Islands. Their honey is, I think, the highest flavoured I have ever seen; in fome parts of the ifland even fuperior to that of Minorca: this is owing, no doubt, to the quantity of aromatic plants, with which this beautiful country is every where overfpread. This honey is gathered three months in the year; July, Auguft, and October. It is found by the peafants in the hollows of trees and rocks; and is esteemed of a fuperior quality to that produced under the tyranny of man. The

country of the Leffer Hybla is ftill, as formerly, the part of the island that is moft celebrated for honey. The Count Statela made us a prefent of fome of it, gathered on his brother the Prince of Spaccaforno's eftate, which lies near the ruins of that city.

Sugar is now no article of the Sicilian commerce, though a fmall quantity of it is still manufactured for home confumption; but the plantations of the fugar-cane, I am told, thrive well in feveral parts of the island.

The juice of liquorice is prepared both here and in Calabria, and is fent to the northern countries of Europe, where it is used for colds. The juice is squeezed out of the roots; after which it is boiled to a confiftency, and formed into cakes, which are packed up with bay-leaves in the fame order that we receive them.

In fome of the northern parts of the island, I am told, they find the shell-fish that produces a kind of flax, of which gloves and stockings are made; but thefe too are found in greater quantities in Calabria.

Their plantations of oranges, lemons bergamots, almonds, &c. produce no inconfiderable branch of commerce. The pistachio-nut too is much cultivated in many parts of the island, and

with great fuccefs.

Thefe trees, like many others, are male and female: the male is called Scornobecco, and is always barren; but unless a quantity of these are mixed in every plantation, the pistachio-tree never bears a nut. But of all the variety that is cultivated in Sicily, the mannatree is esteemed the most profitable; it resembles the afh, and as I believe of that fpecies. About the beginning of Auguff, during the feafon of the greatest heat, they make an incifion in the bark, near to the root of the tree; a thick whitifh liquor is immediately discharged from the wound, which foon hardens in the fun; when it is carefully taken off and gathered into boxes. They renew these incisions every day during the season, observing, however, only to wound one fide of the tree; the other fide they reserve for the fummer following.

The cantharides-fly is a Sicilian commodity : it is found on feveral trees of Etna, whofe juice is fuppofed to have a corrofive or abfterfive quality, particularly the pine and the fig-tree; and I am told the cantharides of Mount Etna are reckoned preferable to thofe of Spain.

The marbles of Sicily would afford a great fource of opulence, were there any encouragement to work the quarries of these they have an infinite variety, and of the finest forts. I have seen some of them little inferior to the giall

and verd antiqua, that is now fo precious. The beautiful yellow columns you must have observed in the royal chapel of Cafferto are of the first kind. They have likewise fome that very much refemble lapis lazuli and porphyry.

At Centorbi they find a kind of soft stone that diffolves in water, and is used in washing instead of foap, from which property it is called Pietra Saponaro: They likewife find here, as well as in Calabria, the celebrated ftone, which, upon being watered and exposed to a pretty violent degree of heat, produces a plentiful crop of mushrooms: But it would be endless to give you an account, of all the various commodities and curious productions this ifland; Etna alone affords a greater number than many of the most extenfive kingdoms, and is no lefs an epitome of the whole earth in its foil and climate, than in the variety of its productions. Befides the corn, the wine, the oil, the filk, the fpice, and delicious fruits of its lower region; the beautiful forests, the flocks, the game, the tar, the cork, the honey, of its fecond; the fnow and ice of its third; it affords from its caverns a variety of mineral and other productions; cinnabar, mercury, fulphur, alum, nitre, and vitriol; fo that this wonderful mountain at the fame time produces every necessary, and every luxury of life.

Its first region covers their tables with all the delicacies that the earth produces; its fecond