New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-08
nAyARp rAYLoR's LETTERS.
LXI.
rsB CENTENARY FESTIVAL OF ST. AGATHA

HAtsTis1 corrsspondebes OF The ". y. hio"se
CArAsrA, srcnr. Friday, Aug %. lS52
Invent on board the speronara in the haroor
Il La yalcstas At the appointed hour g p. and
found the renasning sixteen passengers areedy ein
barked- The Captain made his appearance an nDui
later, with our bill Of health and passports ana a' e
run went down behind the brown hiiis oil tne siAno'
We passed the wsve-worn rocks o: the protnon'ory
dividing the two harbors and slowly moves Oh 'o"4rd
Sicily.
n. xsl.e,e ,peyonara resembles the ancient Romsn
salley more than any modern craft IL has tne same
Sgh curved poou and stern the short rasst~ and
h,osd sousre sais Tie hull IL TOO broad for speed,
bu, tis adds 10 the security Of the vessel in gale.
With fair wind IL rarely makes more than eight knots
an hour and in calm the sailors (vhen not too lazy)
vroue il forward with elk long oars The hull ia paint
Cd in fsnciful style, generally blue, red, green and
white, with bright red masts The bulwarAs are low,
and the deck Of suck eonvexity that IL quite inpos-
sibe to walk II In heavy Such wss the vessel TO
which I found myself consigned. It was not more
than fifty feet long and Of less capacity than Nile
dAAa1iysl There was a sort OF deck cabin, or CRIB,
with two bertha but most Of the passengers slept In the
hold For a passage 10 Catania was Obliged 10 pay ~
france the owner swearing that thu was the regular
price but a. aferward discovered, the Maltese only
raid % francs for the whole trip. However the Cap
tsn tried TO make up the moneys worth in civite',
and was ncesssnt in bis attentions to your Lordship
as be styled and 10y companion, Cesar di Csgnos,
syoung Mlanese.
The Ma,cee were taslors and clerks who were taking
,hoday trip 20 witness the great festival Of 81 Agatha
With two exceptions they we're wild and sensele's
though good nsurcd and in spite Of sea-sickness
which exercised them terribly for the first two days
Kept UP o constant sbber In their bastard Arabic from
morning till night AZ il usual in such company, one
Of item obliged 20 butt for the rest and
"Msestro Psolo" az they termed him, such pro
foundy serious face OIL the while from his sea Sickness
that the fun never cu1ae 70 an end Ashley going
% religious festival some Of them had brought their
breviaries along with them but am obliged TO testify
that after the first day prayer were totally forgotten.
The sailors however, linen bags, printed with
figure Of the Madonna around their necks.
The sea whs rsthor rough, but Cesar and fortified
Our semschs with bottle of English ale and as was
dark by this time sought restingplaces for the
night A. VIC had paid double, places were assured us
in tho coop on deck but beds included in the
bargain The Matte who had brough: mattresses and
spread large PhalaDteran bed in the hold Jared much
better. took one OF my carpetbngs for pillow aud
lay down the planks where succeeded in getting
little sleep between the groans Of the helpless andlub-
bers We had the poneRte or wind all night but
changed 10 the grecoleDaate, north east. No land
was In sight but toward the sky became clearer
and we saw the southern coast Of siciy-a bold noun
nshore looming phantom like in tho distance. Cape
Psssaro wns 10 the east and the rest OF the day
spent Ia beating up TO IL. At sunset
enough to rec the Villages and oyegroves OF the beau
,ful shore aud far behind the mountains ninety
miles distant, the solitary cone Of Etna.
The second night passed like the first except that cur
brusedi limbs rather more sensitive to the texture
Of the plsnks. We crawled out Of our coop NJ dawn
expecting to behold Caania in the distance but there
was Cape Passaro still staring in the face The
Maltese were patient and we did not complain though
Caesar and began make nice calculations az to the
probable duration Of two cold fowls and three
losves Of bread. The promontory of Syracuse was
barely visiblc forty miles ahead, but the wind W"
against u and another day passed in beating up the
Eastern coast Al duck overlook another speronara
which had len Malta two hours before aud this was
quito a triumph 10 captain. All the oars were
shipped the sailors and some of the courageous
passengers tookshold, and shot ahead scudding
rapidly along the dark shores, to the sound OF wild
Maltese songs At length the promontory was gained
and the restless current rolling down from scyla and
Charybdis tsssed our little bark from to wave
with a recklessness that would have made any one
nervous but an old sailor like myself
Tomorrow morning. said the Captain eve shall
sail into Cstana but after third night the plauks
which were now a little softer rose 10 find ourselves
abreast Of Syracuse with Etna distant The
wind was light and whst little made by lacking was
swept away by the current that after wasting the
whole forenoon, we kept stragh, course across the
mouth Of the channel and at sunset saw the Calabrsn
Mountains This move only lost us more ground as /,
happened Cesar and | mourniully and silently
consumed our last fragment Of beet, with the re-
naming dry crusts OF bread, and then eat down
doggedly to smoke and whether the Captain
would discover our situation. But while we
were supplied, the whole vessel was at Our Lord
ships command, and now that we were destitute
be took make rssh offers Cesar, at last with
IN imperial dignity becoming HE name, commanded
dinner. II came, aud the pork and msccaroni, mois
toned with red seilan wine gave patience for
ether day.
Tie fourth morning dswncd, and--Oreat Neptune be
praised I'VE were actually within the Gulf OF Catans
Etna doomed up in all hs sublime bulk unobscured by
cloud or mist while slender jet OF smoke rising from
his crater was slowly curling it, wresihs in the clear
air a. IL happy 20 receive the first beam Of the
The towers OF Syracuse, which bad Knocked US all the
preceding day, longer visible; the land locked
little port Of Augusta hay behind us, and as the wind
continued favorable ere long we saw faint white mark
At the foot of the mountain. This was Catsnia The
shores OF the bay enhyened by olive groves, and
the CLEAN of vllsees while here and there single palm
dreamed Of Its brothers tho Etns Of
had the monarchs place in the landscape bat even his
large, magnificent outlines could usurp all my feel
ing The purple peaks TO the westward and farther in
and had beauty other own and in the gentle curves
with which they leaned toward each other, there
promise Of the lowery meadows Of Emma The
smooth blue water was speckled with fishing boats. We
hailed one, nGuirins when the ssa was 10 commence
bui, installing our question, they answered. ancho-
vice" Ihereupon wsggish Maltese informed them
that Maestro Paolc thankedthem heartily All the other
hoafs were hailed in the OF Maestro Paoo, who
having recovered from his sesckness took his banter
Ing eodhumoredly
Catsnis presented lovely picture . we drew near
Ia axA H.. - IL