ered every church that came in my
way. St. Fernando, a church of no great size, but of very pleasing
appearance, struck me particularly. The ceiling of this edifice is
covered with frescoes, and the walls enriched with marble. At the
two side altars we find a pair of very fine half-length pictures of
saints.

St. Jesu Nuovo, another exceedingly handsome church, stands on the
borders of the Lago Maggiore, and is full of magnificent frescoes,
surrounded by arabesque borders. The latter appear as though they
were gilded, and the effect thus produced is remarkably fine. This
spacious building contains a number of small chapels, partitioned
off by massive gratings. The great cupola is exceedingly handsome,
and every chapel boasts a separate one.

St. Jesu Maggiore does not carry out its appellation, for it is a
small unpretending church, though some splendid gothic ornaments
beautify the exterior.

St. Maria di Piedigrotta, another little church, is much frequented,
from the fact that the common people place great confidence in the
picture of the Virgin there displayed. The church contains nothing
worthy of notice.

The grotto of Pausilipp, a cavern of immense length, now called
Puzzoli, is not far distant. This grotto, hewn out of a rock, is
about 1200 paces long, between 50 and 60 feet in height, and of such
breadth that two carriages can easily pass each other. A little
chapel cut out of the rock occupies the middle of the cavern, and
both grotto and chapel are illuminated night and day. As in the
whole of Naples, the pavement here is formed of lava from Mount
Vesuvius.

Immediately above the grotto, in the direction of the town, we come
upon a simple gravestone of white marble--the monument of the poet
Virgil. A long flight of steps leads to the garden containing this
monument: the poet's ashes do not, however, rest here; the spot
where he sleeps cannot be accurately determined, and this monument
is only raised to his memory. The prospect from these heights as
well repays a visit as the grotto of Pausilipp, where we wander for
a long time in deep darkness, until we suddenly emerge into the
broad light of day, to find ourselves surrounded by a most lovely
landscape.

The public garden of Naples is also situate in this quarter of the
town. It extends to the lower portion of the Strada Chiaga, is of
great length without being broad, and displays a vast number of
beautiful statues, prospects, and rare