Morning journal and courier., 1890-05-03
MIR. wAKEMAN,s JOURNEYINGs,

trove." HILARY.
 MIR. wAKEMAN's -JOURNEYINGs. At Naples-More About Palermo-Its
 Lovely Slte-S0me of It's Architec-
 ture, Premenades ana Gardens-The
 Legend of Santa Rosalia-Scenes on
 the Streets of Palermo-The Church
 and Monastery of Santa splrIto.
 NAPLES, Italy, April 4.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Palermo, the ancient Panorsmus of the Phoenieians, with its quarter million popu- lation of to-day, seems to my eyes to be one of the brightest and most beautiful cities of Europe. One gets away from lava and sco- riss in Palermo. If hundreds of brlgands are harbored in the heights of Misilmeri, only eight miles away, such bsrbarous dan gers are shut from the consciousness by the gaietys and splendor of the Sicilian capital And here one is even partially relieved of the presence of the eternal stone monuments and dead age remains which almost have the power to in time render the European travel CT possessing students mind maundering sentimentalist, driveling idiot, or worse, a classic pedant and cynic.
 Beautiful as is the winsome city itself, it's site is far more lovely and enchanting. At the northeastern extremity of Sicily huge precipices throw protecting arms nearly around Palermo on the north. These almost mountainous heights to the right and left descend to the sea in delicate lines and with tints of rarest tone. Between the headlands lies the deep and dreamful harbor. Then the city on gently rising plain. Behind this, encircled by vast mountain capped loop, shaped almost precisely like the horse- shoe arch of the Moors, stretches far and far away that most famous of all Italian valleys, Conca d' Gro, or the Valley of the Golden plain, glorious and never failing garden, massed with the noblest orange groves of the Mediterranean, with olive plantations world famous for their yield, with orchards of palm, almonds, fig trees, even of dates, of locust trees and of the strange nespole or medlars, whose fruit is only eaten in state of decay, and like one vast Persian carpet of roses, flowers, Judas trees and ravishing flora in endless variety until, from March to December, every zephyr floating across it bears to remostest nook and cranny of the charmed and charming city languorous perfumes in endless pulsings of odorous change.
 Palermo itself is bright, dainty. splendid, in architecture, in promenade and garden, in and in all the lightsomeness of figure, habit and expression which distinguish the more southern of the Latin peoples, especially when welded with the exuberanoe and ella tion which prosperity and prideful conscious ness in surroundings always entail. Inter- secting the city at right angles are two mag ni6cent thoroughfares, the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, perfectly straight northeast and southwest street; and the Strsda Macqueds, running from the northwest to the southeast in straight line. The northeast terminal of the Corso touches the splendid bay; and at the intersection of the two, the business, social and geographic center of the city, is a spacious octaQonal, circus shaped space known as the Quattro Cantoni. The facade of this comprises magnificent series of pi. azzas adorned with massive colonnades and superb statues. Noble gates stand at the four terminals of the Corso and the Strada Macqueda, as we'll as those of many other important thoroughfares within the four very nearly equal quarters thus formed, from any portion of which divisions the main arteries of the city are easily reached.
 So mountains encircle and protect in the rear; a vast and fruitful valley of bloom and perfume stretches from the city's gates; then the bright and beautiful city descends gently to @ noble harbor side; and. as if to perfect the loveliness of the entire scene, art in the splendid Marina-the most gigantic and massive sea drive and promenade possessed by any European city-to the right, and na- ture in tho precipitous cliffs called Monte Pellegrino, to the left, join in forming at entrance to be found on any European shores. No wonder the Palermitans are proud of their Marina, or that Sicily, the birthplace of pastoral poetry, should forget the mountain sides, valleys, streams, herds and shepherds, in singing songs to this most beautiful and heart in all Italy. It is divided into the up- per and lower Marina, and extends from the Corso, which, in turn has come in a straight line from the royal palace and citadel at the edge of the Valley of the Golden Shell, to the magnificent Botanic Gardens and the Battery beyond, nearly mile in length. The upper Marina is bordered by magnificent houses, with exquisitely tiled paved courts, separated by delicate iron and bronze railings from the promenade. The latter is broad, massively walled esplansde, broken here and l to the lower Marina, where there are, first l rows of tremendous shade trees, from two to three hundreds years old, then drive oi | immense width and perfect paving, then massive protecting walls with frequent semi. circular projecting esplanades, aRd, at last along the sea-side, paved and lighted foot l way of tho greatest natural and artificial beauty. By night the Marina is @ scene ol most extravagant luxury in dress and equip I dSos by uay ~ 10 pihCC AOI AdhkuOAOuu lazy siesta and dreams. Then the quaintly habited fishermen of the bay and idle strag. glers are it's only. occupants. Steward hun. dreds of picturesque sails speck the sapphire waves; and across the ripping bay looml Pellegrino, another Gibraltar in contour an6 loftiness, sacred to Santa Rosalia, the adorec patron saint of Palermo.
 The legend of Santa Rosalia is very dea, l to the Palermitans. Descended from Charle mango, she was born in 1130, and thougl reared in'the utmost refinement and luxury she fled from her fathers house to the neigh boring mountains at the age of twelve to be l gin life of devotion and penance. At las she sought cavern in Monte Pellegrino where she died unknown and alone. During the terrible Sicilian plague of 1894, when al | efforts to diminish it's ravages had proveI l unavailing, a certain lowly Palermitan, l soapmaker named Bonelli, in desperate dis traction and to escape the horrors of diseas, and death around him, and especially to be moan the loss of his own wife, wandered out upon the mountains. The vision of beautiful virgin appeared to him. Leading him to 8 cavern the virgin told him it wa her grotto, and that she was the devotee Rosalis The blunt and honest fellow, witt his own sorrows uppermost in his mind, in quired why had she abandoned her country to such dire afaictions. It was then revealed to him that this had 50 far been the will o
 heaven; but that as soon as the remains O.
 her body, which had previously been discev
 cred and placed in charge of the archbishop had been carried through the city the plagu'
 would cease; closing the revelation with thu assurance that in four days Bonelli would b.
 with her in paradise. The latter made con
 fession to the Capuchins: the relics of Rosa
 lia were followed in splendid procession
 through the city by the senate, clergy ant
 people; from that moment the plague begsl
 to diminish; the soapmaker followed Rosali
 to paradise on the fourth day after havin,
 seen the glorious vision; magnificent yearl
 festival celebrating the deliverance is annu
 ally held between the 11th and 10th of July
 when an efigy of Rosalia is drawn throug
 the principal streets on triumphal car, on
 hundred feet long, twenty wide, and fifty
 seventy five feet high, by from eighty to on