by a
piscatory nymph who expects a _grano_ for the trouble of filling you a
glass or two. In reaching it to you she never fails to exclaim _"Buono per
le natiche,"_ and it certainly has a very rapid effect; I look upon it as
more efficacious than the Cheltenham waters and it is certainly much more
agreeable in taste. At the end of the Quai of St Lucia is the _Castello
dell 'Uovo,_ a Gothic fortress, before the inner gate of which hangs an
immense stuffed crocodile. This crocodile is said to have been found alive
in the _fosse_ of the castle, but how he came there has never been
explained; there is an old woman's story that he came every day to the
dungeon where prisoners were confined, and took out one for his dinner. The
_Castello dell 'Uovo_ stands on the extremity of a tongue of land which
runs into the sea. After passing the _Castello dell 'Uovo_ I came to the
_Chiaia_ or Quai properly so called, which is the most agreeable part of
Naples and the favorite promenade of the _beau-monde._ The finest buildings
and _Palazzi_ line the _Chiaia_ on the land side and above them all tower
the Castle of St Elmo and the _Chartreuse_ with several villas intervening.
The garden of the _Chiaia_ contains gravel walks, grass plots, alleys of
trees, fountains, plantations of orange, myrtle and laurel trees which give
a delightful fragrance to the air; and besides several other statues, it
boasts of one of the finest groups in Europe, called the _Toro Farnese._ It
is a magnificent piece of sculpture and represents three men endeavouring
to hold a ferocious bull. It is a pity, however, that so valuable a piece
of sculpture should be exposed to the vicissitudes of the season in the
open air. The marble has evidently suffered much by it. Why is such a
valuable piece of sculpture not preserved in the Museum?

On the _Chiaia_ are _restaurants_ and _cafes_. 'Tis here also that the
nobility display their carriages and horses, it being the fashionable drive
in the afternoon: and certainly, except in London, I have never seen such a
brilliant display of carriages as at Naples.

The principal street at Naples is the _Strada di Toledo_. It resembles the
_Rue St Honore_ and can boast of as much wealth in its shops. The houses
are good, solid and extremely lofty, and the streets are paved with lava.
There are two excellent _restaurants_ at Naples, one in the _Largo del
Palazzo_, nearly opposite the Royal Palace, called the _Villa di Napoli_;
the o