New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-25
AAyAsD rAYIoR's LETTERS.
IXIII.
,,rce,cA To r1oRENcE-AMERICAN ARTISTS IN
shoO'N ITALY


r.,,..,o,aenee Of The ~ Tribahs'
- FLORENCE, Tuesday Aug 81; l73a
left Mesgina on the afternoon OF the Sou;
The steamer was several hours behlha nor usuai
time having been delayed by violent thunder
stoy1n which lasted al night. The passengers
nod seen nothing Of Mount Eta, and oil course
were IGNORANT that the eruption had taken place
On nrocuripg my ticket, after the endless re4ul,
s;t;cns IN regard 10 passports had been comphed
Will. another difficulty met me. The French
agents Informed me that, owing to recent order
az the NeapOiitan Government, no person, pro-
ceedpe fioin any OF the ports between lhessiha
and MarseilIcs. could be landed at Naples from
a French steamer. Suspectlng some new trlcA'
I went 10 the American Consulate, Wnere the
information was confirmed. The Neapoiitail oo' -
eminent has line Of steamers, ana "iu5
out the principle Of Protection 10 It's iuliooo
tent, in order to secure passengers iol Snv ia ma
was Obliged to either wait another "eeh anu t Pa
tropize Neap0litan steamer, or give ~
idea Of landing at Naples lou ha1o E n,,
80, ,bsf von are - said still sore rom MY Ptss
,'nrt ar;cvances; shake the dust oil your sou
ftrom NV feetn And 80 took passage LOT Leg
horn IL is disgrace TO Christian Europe '.a'
,I;s vic KINGDOM of Naples is allowed TO exist.
An1 vef cursed as the Two Sicilies are III tileir
c1',,a,,yoent there are few loyeler lands on
e.,,l, THO Cslsbrian Strait, through wncn we
sailed that afternoon, opens On suGcessio, "
enebsntipc landscapes. Ema was stillshrouded,
b,,t tbe nmntgins of the Italian Coast, rising to
the hight Of 5000 feet, almost compensated ior
his loss. We marched straight through Cha-
rybdis, ran along the edges OF Scyila, wilicn Is
stll most vexed aud dangerous current, passed
Reggie with its villas and gardens, the long
headland of Cape Faro OH the Slclllan side, ana
headed for the Lipari Islands Night came on
before we could see Stromboli, (who Is now 81
lent. Etra having appropriated all bis extra fre,)
bnt. although the moon was shining brightly, the
waves were 20 rough of the Gulf OF POAcastro
that found it advisable to keep my berth.
AT sunrise we were OFF Salerno. d. A friend
poiptcd out the location of Postum, and the DIS
tant houses on the cliff Of Amalli. Capn ap--
peared In front, the mountain OF Sorrento loomed
hiph ON our right, aud rounding the Puuta oil
Canipanello, we entered the Bay OF Naples. Inc
sun c.mc out bright and warm, as II to coinpen-
safe me for MY disappointment and was en-
abled 10 catch distant view Of the most inter-
eetinp features ofthe great landscape. saw the
villa Of Tiberius on Capri; Tass0s house at S0r-
reno; The site Of POmpeii; Tore deiGreeo ana
Portici; the erottO Of Pc>ilippo and the bay Oi
Baie. Vesuyius smoked silently III lrOht oI u.s.
We laval day in the bafbOr OF Naples, beside me
red lighthouse, and under the immense yelo"
front of the ROyal Palace. The passengers
COMING from Malta and the East were allowed
TO laud, ard among them parted with Mentor
aud Telemachus, whose acquaintance Iad hrst
made in the gardens Of Nablous, III Palestine.
In the evening We ran out between lschla ana
the main land, leaving beautiful Capn to the
south, stretched out like Il cOuchant lion, guard
ina the entrance To the bay Without Capn,
the Bay Of Naples would be less picturesque, as
il is less grand. than that Of Smyrna. Inc view
of the City from the water disappointed me.
Genoa. the Superb, has far more magnificent
effect. But the old proverb, Vedt Ndpofi POI
muoyi--'' sec Naples and then die !"--is now
read: "See Naples and then M0u THE latter
being very beautiful town in the Interior.
We saw Mola di Gaeta at dusk This is the
place where Plus TX. enjoyed the protection and
hospitality Of his bolOyeJ friend Ierdinand H.
buried on deck in the morning, Ia time 10 see
the Island Of Sardinia on one side, and Solacte
and Monte Albano on the other. Between the
two lay Rome, and memory travelled back 10 the
two bright weeks Of my residence in that august
capital. Another day in the dull harbor OF
Ciyita Vecchia, another night on the Medlterra-
mean, with q moonlight view of Elba, (but how
different from my first y and We woke up in the
harbor of LegbOrn. A Maltese Englishman,
who tumbled out of his berth aud ran up stairs,
came down again, exclaiming: I" L can see no
thing but American flags" There, indeed, lay
eight large American merchant vessels, their
stars aud stripes beaming with double brightness
in the morning sun. A ninth had just weighed
anchor, and was slowly making her way out OF
the harlor with all sails set. IL was most
inspiring sight TO me, and had l been secured
from all unpleasant consequences, should have
swung my hat and given three cheers.
Three hours later | was comfortably seated IL
a railway car, bound fer Florence. Ii was g
curious sensation, compared with the dromedary
pace TO which had been accustomed There
was no need now 10 "lengthen my SOU" as the
Arabs say, for We went almost too fast for impa
iience. forgot my anxiety TO reach Florence
in the novelty of the motion and delight of look
ing upon the orchards vineyards and gardens Of
Val d'Arro, which had never seen before by
daylight But at last Monte Morello took It's
place in the diorama, then the villa Of Lorenzo
the Magnificent, FiesOle with It's tower, and,
anon, Tie great dome and befiy of this lovely
city-nly Italian home. took up my abode in
the "Grand Hotel dc New-YOrk,' formerly the
Ricasol Palace, on the ArTo, and in the reading
room IN the Piazza di Trinita found files of TIE
Tribune. A brother, and numbers of friends
and countpmen, welcomed me back, and this
with my Old memories of he place, make
Florence seem in some degree like an outpost
or colony Of America.
Twill rot ASK you 70 accompany me 10 my
favorito baunts--tO drive through the elms Of
the Cascine or climb TO San Minia;o, TO loiter
through the mstchleSs galleries, or dream of
Peuarca in the Boboh Gardens; but you will
not object TO hear something of the doiugs Of
American Artists here. We have every reason
to be proud of the high place which our country
men in Italy are tahing-a place which already
gives the lie TO that stupid maxim OF European
Conservatism, that Art cannot flourish under Il
Republic In Sculpture, especially, our artists
are now producing better works than any other
nation can exhibit The studios of Powers,