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CHAPTER LIII.

APLES, JANUARY 18.-On the 12th our party of nine passed the day in a most interesting trip to Baiæ, about twelve miles on the bay southwest of Naples, and back. The roads run near the sea all the way. From the strada Chiaja we enter the Grotto of Posilipo, a tunnel half a mile in length through a ledge or spur of a mountain. It is supposed to have been constructed in the reign of Agustus. "It is mentioned by Seneca and Petronius, under Nero, as a narrow and gloomy pass. Mediæval superstition attributed it to magic arts practiced by the poet Virgil," whose tomb is on the side hill near its eastern opening. Originally the bed of the road was much higher than at present, and we could see in the sides of the walls, about twenty feet above our heads, where deep grooves had been worn by the hubs of carriage wheels. The height of the grotto varies from twenty to ninety feet, and its width is from twenty-five to thirty feet. At the entrance and in the middle are small chapels, the ledge having been excavated to make room for them; and meek looking monks in their gowns and cowls stood ready to solicit any soldi we might have to spare. At the egress of the grotto we came to the small village of Fuorigrotta, whence we took the road to Pozzuoli, or Puteoli, as it is called in the 28th of Acts. After landing and tarrying three days at Syracuse-this was after his shipwreck-St. Paul says: "And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium; and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli, where we found brethren and were desired to tarry with

them seven days; and so we went toward Rome." We naturally took a lively interest in the place on St. Paul's account; but the only "brethren" who greeted us on our arrival were an army of guides and beggars, from whose importunities we were glad to escape by proceeding as speedily as possible on our journey. On an eminence behind the town there are the ruins of an amphitheater, which some of our party entered while the rest were satisfied with a look at the outside. By excavations made in 1838 a number of subterranean passages and receptacles for the wild beasts and other purposes were discovered. There was also a conduit by means of which the arena "could be laid under water when naval combats were to be represented. The celebrated gladiator combats under Nero, when he received Tiridates, King of Armenia, as a guest at his court, took place here, and even the Emperor himself enlivened the arena." Before going to the amphitheater we went to the crater of Solfatara. It is bowlshaped, with a level bottom, and about a quarter of a mile in diameter. At one side is a boiling mass of mud, which bubbles and sputters, as one of our party remarked, like hasty-pudding. Near this was a considerable opening in the pumice-stone crust. through which sulphurous vapor and smoke were being emitted in a manner to indicate pretty lively operations directly beneath our feet. The guide led us close to this breathing-hole. of the crater, and with a long-handled rake drew out red-hot pieces of porous stones yellow with sulphur, which we brought away with us. The soil is composed mostly of lime and sand, and six inches beneath the surface the sand under our feet was so hot that we could not hold it in our hands. Here the guide raised a heavy

stone to his head and let it fall to the ground, producing a reverberating sound from below, indicating plainly that the earth directly beneath was hollow. We declared ourselves satisfied with a single demonstration, nor had we any desire to remain longer in such near juxtaposition to what is undoubtedly a region of fire and brimstone. The latest eruption, attended with an emission of lava, known to have taken place from this crater, occurred in 1198.

Returning to our carriages, we pursued our journey toward Baiæ, stopping to view the ruins of several temples on the way. It was past midday when we reached the end of our route; and here we were again beset by a gang of beggars, men, women, and children, from whom we endeavored, but in vain, to escape. Our landlady had kindly provided for us a bountiful lunch, and that we might enjoy it unmolested, we walked a quarter of a mile away from any dwelling-there were not a half a dozen in the place, one of them being a dirty innbut the ragged crowd followed us like a herd of hungry wolves. In ancient times, before the fall of the Roman Empire, Baiæ was a great wateringplace, and the desolate ruins of splendid baths, palaces, and temples are seen here at various points. On a height overlooking the bay there is a fort. which is the only structure we saw here in good repair. We gathered curious shells and pumicestones from the seashore, and on our way home we were conveyed along by Lake Avernus, "regarded by the ancients as the entrance to the infernal regions on account of its somber situation and environs. Tradition affirmed that no bird could fly across it and live, owing to the poisonous exhalations, and that the neighboring ravines were the

abode of the dismal, sunless Cimmerii, mentioned by Homer, (Odyss. XI.) Virgil, too, represents this as the scene of the descent of Æneas, conducted by the Sibyl, to the infernal regions (En. VI., 237.)' We drank of the water of this lake, which is of circular form and about one mile and a half in circumference. All this region round about is volcanic, but there was no taste in the water we drank to indicate that it came from other than a pure fountain. Our whole trip was novel and interesting, and we reached our lodgings in time and with keen appetites for our six o'clock dinner.

Like Turin, Venice, Florence, Rome, and we know not how many other Italian cities, Naples also has her Royal Palace, and this we visited on the 14th. It is not very remarkable for elegance, but the main staircase is grand and beautiful, adorned as it is with statues of the Erbo and Tagus, and the state rooms, which are furnished with many paintings and other objects of art, compare favorably with those of other palaces we have seen in our travels. There is here one unique piece of furniture, a Royal Cradle, which attracted our special attention. It is set up in the style of a swing, and stands in the center of the reception room. It is lined with white satin and has a pillow also covered with white satin. The outside is studded with coral, pearls, and lapis lazuli, and over it hovers a gilded angel. The view from this Palace is very fine. From the windows of the main salon you look out upon the Castle of St. Elmo and the Church and Monastery of St. Martin, high up on the hill in the southwestern part of the city. We have been to this famous Church and Monastery, and they are well worth a visit if only to enjoy the view from the garden and belvidere. This

view takes in the city, bay, and the country in one direction as far as the Appenines. Listening from this high eminence, it was curious to hear the mingled sound of carriage wheels, of the tread of man and beast upon the pavement and street, of the voices of the moving multitude, of all the noises of a busy city rising in one ceaseless hum, not unlike the distant moaning of the ocean. The Church contains many paintings, all possessing more or less interest.

We had a jolly time on the 17th in an excursion to Mount Vesuvius. Taking a double carriage, in company with Dr. Merriman, Mr. and Mrs. Lippincott, and Miss Lillian Parker, and being provided by our landlady with a generous lunch, including oranges, mandarins, and vin ordinaire in abundance, we were driven along the coast for a few miles through a succession of villages, inhabited principally, we should think, by the lower class of laborers and beggars. Fishing and the manufacture of macaroni appeared to be the leading industries, judging from the number of persons mending their nets and the strings of macaroni hung out in every quarter to dry. The lovers of macaroni would be wise not to give special attention to the secrets of its manufacture. By this caution we are reminded of an incident in the life of Hawthorne, whose humorous side, Mr. James T. Fields says, was not easily or often discoverable, yet that he had seen him marvelously moved to fun, and that he remembers how he writhed with hilarious delight over Professor L's account of a butcher who remarked that "Idees had got afloat in the public mind with respect to sassingers." It was a sight to behold the crowd going to and from the city, especially the market people, some carrying their products on their heads, some with carts, and