The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-20

In marble and covered with bridal robes. We drive
along the base Of the hills through Of orange
and olive trees until come 10 the chateau Two or
three lveried servants awaited Us. The gates
closed. The avenues untdy. There
s'gu OF lilo In the house, and yet the site was
one oil rare natural beauty. II was the work
Of Ferdinand w., mighty sovereign. who now
rests with God. Ferdinand governed for many
years George III. Ho was driven out by tho
French and brought back by the English, and afcr
receiving from Murat many attentions when Murat
was king aiterward shot the French hero revo-
lutionist Ferdinand belonged TO the dri,wood pc
Rod oil European politics, and had uneasy time OF
II until Waterloo secured the Of every despot-
ism Europe. This chateau Is one Of his works.
IL Is Chinese building, with rooms In various styles
OF decoraton-Turkish, Pompoiiau and Chinese. The
view from tho observatory, the BIT Of sea on
the lett sweeping through the hills, the
majestic range OF limestone in front, TO the right
the city, with the shipping In The hsrbor and the
beyond, uncovered In groves OF and oranges
and lemons and olives. made the spot OF tho
attractive have ever seem Yet It " abandoned to
few servants. No royal persons here. The
grounds are closed, except TO those who can obtain
permission. | noticed this spirit Of exclusion In
other royal habitatons aud II led TO the wish that
some radcal Parliament would throw open Che royal
preserves to the people, whose money mado them
what they are and Tor whose pleasure thoy should DO
preserved.
HOPE FOR
Yet tho day o. awakening has como even to this
Bourbon nest OF Sicily. II 10 seventeen years since
Garbadl began hero tho mad errand which was to 60
into history as ono OF the most glorious OF heroic
deeds, for It from Palermo that he marched with
a handful OF soldiers and overthrow tho Bourbona
Behind that handful OF the spirit OF Italian
unity which seemed 70 break out with oil tho force
and hre and splendor OF one OF her vol
canoes. In that time great changes have come
Sicily. told that twenty i've years before the
union Of tho Kingdoms not house had been built in
Palermo Now mole has been throw out into The bay
Walls and walks encompass the sea- Fine avenues
have been laid out, and 1t was qualification to an
American and sign Of the new days that have como
to pass to SEQ that one OF these avenues bore the
vensratod name Of Lincoln There bcggars enough
General Grant and hts friends could testify, but
the authorities pursuing and depressing beggary
Tho brigands still iufest the hills, but they
severely handled whom caught and the
regular troops fast making brigandage crime md
no longer a form OF political action. Much, very
much. romans 10 DO dore in Sicily, and every step
tried 10 speculate upon what firm, gifted Engishman
American would DO with this island But whom
rememb bored what Sicily had boon; that under the
reign OF the Bourbons the cudal spirit survived that
the Church has held II in the darkest tyranny;
that for ages light has fallen upon ITS people;
that they have been trained and coAxed and driven
into tho deepest superstition and ignorance; when
remembered this we iorgave Sicily, even her bandits
and begsars, and rejoiced with her sons In the
coming Of the glorious day Of freedom ana iisht-rs
calling. did, the eloquent lament Of Byron
Italy Of tho Bourbon days.
Italiai oh Italiai thou who hast
Tho fatal git Of beauty. which became
funeral dover OF present woes and past,
ON thy sweet brow 10 sorrow piouened by shame,
And annals graved in characters OF flame.
FROM pA1EnNo TO MALTA EN- VOYAGE scxLLA
AND caA14tpIs-AHR1vAL AT MALrA-THE
DUKE ~ 1DzxnuRoa's sALurE-soENEs AND
INCIDENTS.
MALTA, Dec. q, 1877.
II was not without regret that We saw the anchors
slowly release themselves from tneir oozy bed and
the good snip swing from her moorings. The day was
far spent and tho sun was throving the monntain OF
Ham,lcar In long trailing shadows tho bay OF the
beautiful Palermo Beautiful PAlermo-bcautifui de-
spite the dust and CRIME, the poverty aud ideness,
tho weakness and crime OF her people Some
thing, perhaps It those Christmas bells,
had US 10 the place. Or perhaps 1t was the
four American flags shining in tue sunshine. Or per-
haps It the groves. Or perhaps II tho
Whlcn reCalJoQ fAlisauc0 the Hudson.
Or perhaps romantic thought that IN those
hills and caverns banditti In walt who would
have welcomed any ono OF our party mole especially
cur silent captain. as lucrative PRICE Or perhaps
We were thinking Of Paul and his journeyings to
Rome, and the TACT that the wore about 10
dare the which had tossed the apostle about
for SO many days Or perhaps II memories OF tho
Odyssey and the waDdsrings Of Ulysses and the
knowledge that wo were soon to SKIRT the
shores OF the lEoIian Islands, and to pass between
Scya and Charybdis cannot toll you what spell II
was that gave Palermo its beauty. But on the
quarter deck and talked Of these thinesths
aud the history and the poetry OF the place--while
every moment 1t was fading from sight. Our wander
ing Ulysses. In the silcnt comfort OF afternoon
cigar, had many warnings of Tho srehx Our Pom
elopc was congratulatng herself that she daring
the with her lord, and not at homo wearing tho
willow Wo road how Paul went 10 Malta
and how Ulysses won't on ms travels and dug out of
books all the legends Of the place. and tho dock
weaving the memories Of the place into garland like
idle people as NO were, weaving nowers--in wood
Beautiful Palermo faded into pcr mist and STILL
out OF the mist, came those Christmas bells whose
peals had been much OF a comfort the past few
hours. I suppose, after all, It those Christmas
bells that gave Palermo Its beauty. Every peal
awoke an echo in hearts, and
every echo had . memory OF home
We were far or on Mediterranean soas We were In
the lands of chivalry and fable. But our thoughts
were dear, lar America, and OF US talked OF
childrcp aud OF US OF friends, and however tho
talk might drift into classic SscrIptura ground IL
always came back TO hons The Christmas bells
wero poaling cheerly telling that all Palermo was In
holiday mood Tho shadows grow longer and
longer Tho hills faded into clouds Our city
became q limo on tho horizon The breeze
caught boat, and with steam ana wind
we ploughed through the waves The shadows
came-thoy always come, avon in the Mediterranean.
And We stood and looked at the passing day the
sunshine. wrcathed in clouds. fell upon Palermo and
lighted ITS domes and housetops like a TRANSPARENCY
BY this time even the bells had died away, and all
that we OF Palermo u iringo OF distant homes
with tho last rays Of the bathing them with eorv