umns and buildings that had evidently been prepared for
the veneering process, and never been completed. Many of the mosaic
floors are in fine preservation, as are also the paintings and frescoes
on the walls. One beautiful little shrine or grotto made of mosaics and
shells is singularly interesting and unique.

The streets, which were all made on the slant for draining purposes, are
very narrow, just wide enough for one carriage or chariot to pass up at
a time. They are paved with lava stone, which is bleached white with the
rain, and has been preserved so by its long entombment; here and there
in the centre are raised oval stones, not interfering with the traffic,
and affording convenient stepping-stones to foot-passengers during wet
weather. When a chariot entered one of these streets, the word was
quickly passed, to prevent another entering at the other end until it
had gone through, and this was supposed to be the duty of the owners of
the little shops on each side of the way.

On such a nipping day, it was impossible to help thinking how cold the
place must have been with so much marble and cold water about; but the
theory is, that the climate has very much changed since the days of
Glaucus and Ione. When at Rome, our guide told us that even within his
recollection the temperature there had altered considerably, and had
become much colder.

It seemed a great pity to spend only a few hours among these most
interesting ruins; but as we were obliged to get back to Naples by
evening, to be ready for our departure for Sicily on the morrow, we did
not stop at Herculaneum on our return, as had been our intention; it
was really so cold during the return drive that we were quite thankful
when we sighted our hotel once more. We made a mental resolve, however,
to pay a longer visit to Naples some day, and take our time over
visiting the two buried cities and other places of interest that we were
obliged to miss on the present occasion.

CHAPTER XIV.

Unprecedented cold of 1883--Departure from Naples--Virgil's Tomb--Journey
to Messina--Italy's future--Scylla and Charybdis--Beautiful Messina--The
_Electrico_--Malta--Knight Crusaders--Maltese society--An uncommon fish--
An earthquake at sea--Journey to Palermo--Picturesque scenery--Etna--Among
the mountains--The lights of Palermo.

There seems to have been quite an unprecedented winter in the
Mediterranean this year (1883). Marseilles,