The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-11-09 00:00:00

valleys, or a

a of either of you;
ib. The latiga

r the supporting poles,
an hands, are fastened

es or mul

i. to strain vigorously,
'on would be thrown

,nion and bro-
,nd a stout lad

valk and run at about
pefore and behind the

nade very pleasant
it_ years' residence

in bicil

exposed to by the

I—often Obliged to run to
and life. In one instance
in suspended animation,

ged theM

of the mine, and then
if. Many anecdotes he

less and

m, often fatal, of

the natis
perished

ho, by their biguiry,

•oid the c

setting-theii

our miners, too careless to carry
so frequently blown up by fatal

,feiy-laur

The leading features i

landscape of Sicily are the
valley, dried-up rivers in
ti plants along the highway
feet in height, and nearly

the summer, and the v

two feet in circumference. Our verdant English hedges
are here in Sicily, as in Italy, almost unknown. I was
sadly disappointed in what I expected to be the soft Sici-
lian vespers, as in several of the churches I heard the
most boisterous Stentorian vociferations and bellowings,
which, after the scientific and polished strains of the
eunuchs and choir at Rome, grated on my ears with hor-
rible disCordanc In a paved court near the Senate-
'flee, there are 48 tablets, with various
Arabic inscriptions, fixed into the
1-up fountain, with its disgusting
s and sea-nymphs, is more
ornament to the city. Sunday morn-
• __l-4. husv—sturdy fel-

house and Post-

Roman, Italian, and
walls ; and the dri

Three gentlemen
cooling drinks at a
as iced and spiced water, rolled
uspended cask, to cause a sparkling
-offices I have noticed sell a

it their COME
I observed

The lotter

Is on t

he -Sunda

Better luck on the

better day," these voluntarily-taxed merry people expect.
The tables of the money-changers in the streets and shops
're open and busily employed on the. Sunday. Strolled
found a very small con-
four (the number that attends Boyle's
and the priests laughing. One
this inscription on it :

other gorgeous ChUrch

ration of abou
;tures at Bow (

f the tablets abi

alluded to ha

DEAI

gEMESI . M

GELLIVSCAE
EX.IM

DIVO CLAVDIO
ES . PANHORMIT

his tablet to the godd

who is

said to he the

daughter of Jupiter and Necessity, or from Ocean and
Night. Adrastus, King of Argos, first raised an altar to

her ; and Rhamnus raised a magnificent temple to her at
Attica. A temple in the Capitol at Rome was also dedi-
cated to this goddess. She is figured with a stern coun-
tenance, a whip in one hand, a pair of scales in the other,
and is supposed to have the power of punishing those
who- escape human justice. There is also a very curious
Phoenician inscription upon a stone at Catania ; but your
type will not express it, otherwise it would much interest
the antiquary. I was rather surprised to hear two violins
twanging away vigorously on the Sunday morning : look-
ing in at the open window, I saw lots of young people,
lads and lasses, being taught dancing.
I must not omit stating here the obligations I owe to
Mr. Marsden, the American consul, who, with his lady
and son, during my stay at Palermo, shewed me much
kind attention and hospitality. How happy was I in
hearing, once more in recovered health, the English
Church service in the large saloon of Mr. Marsden's
palace, from the balcony of which there is a delightful
view of the bay, and generally a refreshing breeze blowing
off the sea. I played many games of chess with this ex-
cellent gentleman, but he was too good a player for me,
my only shadow of a victory being now and then the
satisfaction of seeing him profoundly reflective.
In one little church down near the sea-side, I was ra-
ther startled in observing that one of eight large beauti-
ful pictures was stated to be a copy by an Englishman who
had stolen the original; the copy being so clever, it was
sometime before the theft was discovered : the inscription
underneath the picture states the fact so little honourable
to our countrymen.

Mr. Godwin had been long a resident in the island. It
was very singular that in a conversation we found we had
resided many years at the Isle of Wight, the garden of
England, and that many persons were mutually known
there by us. How strange are the sensations that arise in
the mind when a casual rencontre abroad brings together
persons who have the same associations of ideas, know the
same persons, recollect the living and the dead, who are
far away, or for ever removed across the " bourne from
whence no traveller returns ;" and as I wrote to the
" Bard of Colour," so I now address my friends Marsden
and Godwin, at Palermo—

Distance divides us now ; but o'er my soul
Past scenes return—a solemn wandering train.
The wheels of life roll onward to the goal,
And we perchance may never meet again.
The friend who now in sadness pens this lay,
Departing for Britannia's far-famed shore,
Hears in the breeze of night some spirit say,
Bid them farewell. for we shall meet no more.
And my good worthy friend, Williams, after a regretful

adieu, and anticipating a meeting at Liverpool, I found
since, upon inquiry, had only returned to see the faces of
his affectionate family, and to die. Eight years of expo-
sure to the noxious atmosphere of those sulphur mines of I
Sicily had done their work, and brought on prematurely
the silver hairs of age, and the once robust constitution
was shattered. But the change of climate is at all times
trying; this I myself experienced, for never having had
anything approaching to a fit of fainting before, neverthe-
less I fell senseless on the floor the fourth week after my
arrival in England. This arises frequently, I have been
told, from sudden change of climate, and that of Sicily,
Malta, and Egypt, is very different from the climate of
this island. I returned to Naples by steam-boat, and had
an equally favourable passage, crossing in about twenty-
one hours. I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Har-
vey, brother to T. K. Harvey, the poet, and we soon got
intimate and friendly, journeying together to Naples from
Sicily, from Naples to Leghorn, thence to Florence.
Some account of our journey to the gay city of Florence
must commence my next chapter.

VARIETIES.

A letter-writer of the New Orleans Mercury say's
:' We had a charming passage round Cape Horn, losing
four persons and having four births during the trip."—
Which was the charm ?
PROOF OF MARRIAGE.—Before the revising barrister,
the other day, a witness being asked how he knew that a
ran and woman were husband and wife, replied, because
he had often heard the lady blow the gentleman up.'
The evidence was held to be conclusive.