The Morning herald., 1877-10-03
A FAMOUS ISLAND OF ROMANCE,

Sea mists are frequent In the early sum
mer mornings, swathing the cliffs Of Capri
in impenetrab]e wool and brooding on the
perfectly smooth water till the day wind
rises. Then they disappear like magic,
rolling in smoke vreaths from the surface
Of the sea, condensing into clouds and
climbing the hillsides like Oceansides in
quest of Prometheus, or taking their sta
tions on the watchtowers of the world, as in
the chorus of the Nephelai. Such q morn
ing may be chosen for the giro of the Island.
The blue grotto loses nothing of its beauty,
but rather gains byoontrast, when passing
from the dense fog you find yourself trans
ported to q world of wavering, subaqueous
sheen. It is only through.the opening of
the very topmost aroh that boat can glide
into this cavern; the arch itself spreads
downward through the water, so that all
the light is transmitted from beneath and
colored by the So. The grotto is sdomed in
many chambers; and the water is 10 clear
that you can see the bottom, silvery with
black filmed fishes diapered upon the blue
white sand. The body of diver in this
water showed like the faces of children
playing at snapdragon; all around him the
spray leapt up with living fire; and when
the oars struck the surface, it was as though
phosphorescent ssa had been smitten,
and the drops ran from the blades III Blue
pearls. I have only once seen anything
(outside the magic world Of pantomime)
to equal these effects Of blue and silver;
and that was when I made my way into an
ice cave in the Greet Aetsch glacier-not
an artificial gallery such as they cut at
Grindelwald, but natural cavern, srched, =
followed into fanciful reeesses and hung
with stalactites Of pendant ice. The DIFF
ference between tho glacier cavern and the
sea grotto was that In tho former all the
light was transmitted through transparent
sides, SO that the whole was one uniform
azure, except in rare places where little
aAhaks spened upwards to the sir, and the
light Of day came glancng with roseate
flush. In the latter the light sent from be-
meath through the water played upon roof
Of rock; reflections intermingled with
and a greater variety of light,
and shadow compensate the lack Of that
strange sense of being shut within q solid
gem. Numberless are the cases at Capri.
The so-called green grotto has the beauty
of moss-agate in its liquid floor; the red
grotto shows a warmer chord Of color, aud
when there is no other charm to notice end
less beauty may be found in the play Of sun
light upon roofs Of limestone, tinted with
yellow, orange and pale pink, mossed over,
hung with fern and catching stones
of blue or green from the still depths be-
meath. +, 7a.
Sheets of water, wherever found, are the
most subtle heighteners Of color. To those
who are familiar with Venetian or Mantuan
sunsets, or who have seen the hocks Of
aamingoes reflected on the lagoons Of Tu-
MS, or who have watched stormy red flakes
;ossed from crest to crest of great Atlantic
waves on our own coasts, this need hardly
oe said. Yet cannot leave this beauty of
he sea at Capri without touching on a
nelodrama of Light or, color once saw at |
1t was feta-night, when
he people sent up rockets and fireworks Of
very hue from the molo. The surf rolled
horeward like bath of molten metal all
confused of blue, and red, and green, and
,old dying dolphin tints that burned
trangely beneath the purple skies and
ranquil stars. Boats at sea hung out their
rimson cressets, Pickering in long lines on
he bay, and larger craft moved slowly with
ows of lamps defining their curves, while
he full moon shed over all her ''vitreous
our, just tinged with blue" To some
estes this mingling of natural and artificial |
fleets would seem unworthy of sober no.
ce; but I confess to having enjoyed it with
hildish eagerness, like rich feast never to
e forgotten. ...D Il
After day upon the water it is pleasant !
rest at sunset in the loggia above the sea.
he bay of Naples stretches far and wide
front; beautiful by reason chiefly of the
ng fine, line descending from Vssuvius,
piping almost to level and then gliding I
, to join the highlands of the north.
ow sun and moon begin to mingle, waning
ID waxing splendors. The cliffs above