new government might not have taste or inclination to follow up the magnificent designs of its predecessors in office. In opposition to this notion it may be said that the stones, though most of them are carefully hewn, lie in rather too disorderly a state to bear out the idea of their having been placed there in readiness to be put up. But, surely, in the lapse of upwards of twenty centuries, during which these noble temples have probably been used as quarries, just as the poor Coliseum at Rome was, we can imagine the arrangement of the building stones to have been often disturbed.

I could discover no blocks intended for complete columns, only pilasters; but as these measured 13 feet 4 inches in diameter they are splendid-looking works, and I could stand in one of the flutings quite easily. This temple is said to be 368 English feet in length, by 188 in breadth. In the centre of the platform lies a very respectable giant, formed of several pieces of stone, the whole being 27 feet long; and many other fragments of equally gigantic statues lie scattered about. It is supposed that these figures acted the part of Caryatides, or supporters, to some part of the interior of the edifice.

The examination of the two complete temples and of this huge prostrate one, so entirely spoiled us for everything else, that the guide and the guidebooks failed to inspire us with any interest for sun

dry other piles of ruins, all bearing the names of some god or goddess, and probably very interesting to those who have time to study them, and who have, besides, classic lore enough to investigate their history. We had plenty of time, but no classical lore; and therefore we could not, and in fact did not try, to work ourselves up to the proper pitch of faith in our guide's erudition to listen either with or without impatience to his lecturings. Satisfied with what we had seen, we interdicted him, upon pain of forfeiture of an extra gratuity, from speaking a single word, except when asked a question. We then took our leave of these stupendous ruins, and returned by another road to our ship, without examining several ancient remains to which the disappointed cicerone would fain have called our attention.

CHAPTER XIII.

SAMPLE OF NEAPOLITAN SEAMANSHIP-SYRACUSE-GREEK TEMPLE-DIONYSIUS'S EAR-GARDEN OF A CONVENT IN AN ANCIENT QUARRY.

NEXT morning we were rejoiced to observe that the wind blew fair for us to proceed on our voyage to Syracuse, and we commenced the simple operation of getting out of the mole of Girgenti at nine o'clock; but it was not till half-past one that we succeeded in getting to sea-just four hours and a half in accomplishing what, with the most ordinary management, might have been effected in twenty minutes.

I have already mentioned that our brigantine's head was tied to the wharf, and her stern held out by an anchor in the fair way, so that if sail had been made on her, the shore hawser let go, the vessel been pulled off to the anchor, and pains taken to cast her the right way, we might have stretched right out to sea on the starboard tack, the wind being to the south-westward. But our

worthy skipper, although one might have supposed his long experience would have taught him better, did not prepare his sails till he had tripped his anchor, and then he managed to cast his head the wrong way—an error which brought his jib-boom end over the mole head, and very nearly swept away the roof of the Sanita office, an event which we were spiteful enough to pray for. In order to save this and worse evils, our poor captain, unfertile in resource, felt, like many other blundering officers, that something must be done, but knowing not what, did just the very thing he ought not to have done, and let his anchor run down again to the bottom at the wrong place. By the time the cable was tight, the vessel had swung alongside the quay, and there we lay exactly in the position we had occupied three-quarters of an hour before, only turned end for end. It was as plain as A, B, C, what ought now to have been done, for in truth the ship was in a better situation for going to sea than she had been at first, inasmuch as her head was turned outwards instead of her stern. But the captain having made sundry obvious false moves in his game, had lost the confidence of his crew, and with their confidence, as is usual in such cases, both their respect and their obedience. The poor man showed, too, that he was at a loss what to do next, so the mate tried his hand, but the crew not liking

this, failed to execute his orders, and in a little while, every man and boy along the decks busied himself, not in working, but in giving his opinion, and suggesting his own manoeuvre for extricating us from our scrape. This horrid confusion was greatly augmented by the vociferous exclamations of the harbour-master and his people, who moved up and down the wharf abreast of us, alternately scolding us for our bad management, and recommending fresh operations - sometimes assisting, sometimes impeding us.

For about half-an-hour I was diverted beyond measure at this strange specimen of Neapolitan seamanship; but when a full hour had elapsed after we had got back to our old position, I began to fear we should either not get out before the sea breeze set in, or that we should be drifted on the shore and be wrecked altogether. So I ventured to put in my oar, and told the captain, as well as I could command Italian words, what I thought he ought to do,-recommending him to run a kedge out to sea, to haul his vessel off to it, and then proceed to make sail. This he at last succeeded in doing; but then he had his first anchor to pick up, without which he could not start. This occupied his long-boat another hour, and after all it was touch-and-go with us whether, after four hours' work, we should not have found ourselves either