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pofe; Cicero likewife accufes Verres of a fimilar tyranny in regard to thefe prifons. There are holes cut into the rock in feveral parts of this echo, for the purpose of fastening the chains'; at the top, in the very center of the echo, there is a little apart'ment hewn in the ftone, and big enough for one perfon; this it feems was contrived for no other purpofe, than to dive into the thoughts of the prifoners, and is a monument of the highest pitch of tyranny. The whole is well and artfully contrived, but it is a ridiculous opinion that none but Archimedes could make it ; fince in many halls this fame echo happens from the accidental proportion of the building, and without the intention of the architect.'

The Baron vifits Catania at the foot of mount Etna, and then gives us an interefting account of his journey to the fummit of that tremendous vulcano; but we muft fatisfy ourselves with barely communicating to our readers the Author's description of the country around it.

No country, fays he, has fo much the appearance of defolation, or locks fo like the picture of the dreadful avenues to hell itfelf, as the environs of Catania; the whole country is covered with lava, black fand, and athes from the mountain. The lava has flowed far into the fea; and by the eruption of 1669, it has almost entirely dried up the harbour, and perfectly furrounded the caftie. Vefuvius, with his eruptions, appears like a mere puppet fhew, in comparifon with Etna, or like a petty lake to the raving ocean.

Amidst the streams of folid lava, which fometimes are higher than the greatest houses, there are moft fertile and charming cultivated spots. The corn of Catania, it's wine, fruit and garden herbs, are diftinguished either for abundance, richness, or remarkable fize; none of them have a fulphureous taste, like the productions of the foil of Vesuvius, becaufe mount Etna has little or no fulphur. The wine has a very agreeable bituminous tafte like the wine of Cyprus; it is very ftrong, and will bear mixing with water, and is reckoned the beft table wine in Sicily."

Among many other obfervations on this ftupendous mountain, it is remarked that the lava is not various and beautiful as that of Vefuvius, of which above forty forts have been collected, whereas, after great affiduity, only twelve have been gathered about mount Etna, and thofe very little different from each other. The reafon of which it is added, probably is, that the lava of Etna contains chiefly iron and fal ammoniac; and very little fulphur, vitrefcible ftones, or marble, which are the parts that produce the greatest variety by their different mixtures. The ftones thrown up by the mountain are chiefly pumice-ftones, iron-ftones, and fand ftones; it is only now and then that ftones

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fpeckled with yellow dots are met with; but fal ammoniac is very plentiful.

Melina, formerly Mefana and Zancle, was the laft place which the Baron vifited in his tour through Sicily, and there, for the first time after he had left Palermo, he took up his lodgings at an inn; during all the former part of his journey, having enjoyed the protection and hofpitality of the inhabitants, whose kind offices he was obliged to accept, for want of public houfes. Concerning this city of Mefina, he obferves, that it is now much fallen from what it was in the ancient and middle ages of it's existence the want of commerce, the oppreffion of the inhabitants by government fince the laft rebellion; the plague which raged here, even in this century, 1743; all have contributed to depopulate and weaken the town. It's inhabitants at prefent amount to no more than 25,000.-Commerce, which could be extenfive at Meffina, is totally dormant, and the manufactures have neither workmen nor fale. Silk bandkerchiefs, knit flockings, and light filks of one colour, ftill fucceed very well however, and are made in pretty large quantities. Silk is plenty here, and of the beft kind; but the king himself prevents the exportation of it, by laying a duty of 16 per cent. on it: and fince the city of Lyons in France has introduced the use of the machine for twisting filk, Melina muft fend it's filks raw and unfpun thither. The plague, which has raged here, has swept away many workmen; but there are ftill fome who work in ftuffs with gold and filver. But work being infinitely dearer here than at Lyons, and the patterns being old before they come to Melfina, it is eafily conceived that the fale cannot be very extenfive. They likewife make carpets, which look like Turkey carpets, and pleafed me very much.'

Among the other productions of this ifland, our Author takes notice that about Alcamo they have abundance of manna, which is the juice of a kind of white acacia, whose bark they wound in the months of July, August and September, and the iffuing fap is thus infpiffated by the heat of the fun, and becomes manna. At Avola, a little well-built town, he vifited the fugar plantations and fugar houfes, where, and at Mellili and fome other places along the coalt, great quantities of fugar were cultivated, fufficient for the fupply of the whole island, before the Dutch emp'oyed their black flaves in making fugar, at fo fmall an expence to themfelves. There is an impoft of an ounce of filver or thirty Neapolitan carlini per Cantaro * upon all foreign fugars that are imported; but notwithstanding this, the Dutch can fell their Weft India fugar cheaper than the inhabitants, because here the

* A cantaro equals 175 lb. avoirdupoife. An ounce of filver at Napoli is worth 4 fhillings and 31 d. fterling.

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people are obliged to pay the workmen at a very high rate, but the Dutch have the labour for little or nothing. The fugar cane, it is added, grows like the common reed, but does not come quite to that fize.-The Sicilian fugar is Tweeter than all other forts, but it can never be made fo white.'

Before our Author entirely left Sicily, he made a Thort excur fion to the island of Malta; from his defcription of which, we shall only extract his account of the climate. I did not find, he fays, the climate fo hot as I had been led to expect. It is true, that this fpring, 1767, was a remarkable cold and difa-. greeable one; but not to mention that; I was affured at Malta, that before the middle of May they feldom took their fummer dreffes. I indeed found the fun's heat very great, and perhaps more intenfe than it is in Germany in the midst of fummer; but at the fame time a violent north wind carried a moft piercing cold air along with it. As I vifited the temple of Selimunte, the fcorching heat of the fun burft the fkin in my face, fo as to make it quite bloody; but the wind was fo fharp, that I was. obliged to button my coat, though it was made of woollen

cloth,'

While this writer prefents us with feveral of thefe particulars, it is evident, as we obferved already, that antiquities, of all forts, are his favourite objects. Befide the remains of that kind, which we mentioned in the beginning of the article, he alfo gives fome account of ftatues, baffo relievos, urns, vafes, bowls, &c. and fometimes of modern paintings. As the following paragraph is fhort, we will infert it, as a farther fpecimen of his obfervations in this way.

Before I leave, fays he, the town of Catania, I must mention a very fine cameo, in the poffeffion of the Barone della Bruca. Count Gaetani at Syracufe, had given me fo high a defcription of it, telling me that it was worth all Catania, that I had a violent defire of feeing it. It is indeed a very beautiful cameo, though the town of Catania is rather undervalued when compared therewith. The ftone is an onyx, and reprefents Vulcan with two Cyclopes forging the arms of Mars, whilft Venus and Cupid look on with pleasure and fatisfaction that they fall out fo well. The figures are exceedingly well drawn and executed; but as there is no name of the artift, the value is not quite fo great as Count Gaetani would make it. It must be allowed that the ftone and the workmanship are exquifite, and the figure of Venus is a master-piece in it's kind.

We fhall take our leave of Sicily with mentioning a few of this Author's remarks concerning the inhabitants. He fpeaks in different places in an advantageous manner of the female fex, but appears particularly ftruck with thofe whom he faw at Trapani, a fine well built town, (the ancient Drapanum). The

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moft beautiful women of all Sicily, fays he, are indeed the inhabitants of this little town, and this gives many of them an opportunity of making their fortunes by marrying to great advantage. Their complexions are as fair as thofe of any Englishwoman or German, and they have alfo moft beautiful black eyes, full of fpirit and vivacity, and the moft regular Grecian profiles. The pure, ferene, and fubtle air of this neighbourhood is to be confidered as the natural caufe of this.'

Concerning the Sicilians in general, he tells us, that, like all the people of warmer climates, they are polifhed, of quick parts, and great genius; but that, they are likewife characterifed by that effeminacy, voluptuoufnefs, and cunning, which is found to increase in the more foutherly countries. They have amazing vivacity, but not the leaft phlegin, which is very neceffary in the cultivation of the arts, and in the execution of it's works; this deficiency appears in their painters, their sculptors, and even their poets, who are numerous.-It feems the temperature of the air, which produces that happy phlegm, is not to be met with here; an acrid falt affects the nerves of the natives; umori falfi are a common complaint all over Sicily, arifing chiefly from their diet, and partly from the immoderate ufe of fugar. This irritation of the nerves makes them reftlefs and impatient; and with their great degree of vivacity, often caufes the most violent actions, they are therefore remarkable above all other nations for the violence of their jealoufy and vindictive temper. This fame mixture of character fometimes produces a degree of heroifm and ftoicism, from which the greatest benefits might arife; and I can mention fome anecdotes upon that fubject: whilst the famous robber Teftalunga with his band infefted Sicily, his intimate friend Romano, who was as lieutenant, and next in rank to Tefalunga, was taken prifoner: Romano's father was likewife in prifon for fome crimes, but they promifed him his liberty, if his fon would betray and deliver Teftalunga into their hands: the fon's ftruggle between filial love and folemn friendship, was very great; but his father prevailed on him to prefer the latter to the former, and not to prove his filial affection by a treachery. Teftalunga himself, though he was put to the most violent tortures, did not betray any of his companions.'

To the above the Author adds what he calls an example of real love put to the teft. A prince, fays he, of one of the first families in Palermo, had a fecret connection with a fingle lady, who was his equal in rank; he married her afterwards, and two months after marriage fhe was delivered of a fon. - The prince and his lady refolved to deny the child, and truft it's education to a peafant. This circumftance was kept a fecret, 'till the mother on her death bed, in hopes of difpurihening her confcience, difcovered it: the youth was immediately fent for from the

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country; he shewed more furprize than joy on being informed of his new rank, and immediately declared, that unless he could marry a handsome young country girl, with whom he was in love, he would not accept of it; this article being denied him, he willingly refigned his claims in favour of his brother, and lived moderately but happily with his dear country girl, in the ftation of life in which he had been brought up. What an excellent fubject for a dramatic piece, and how worthy of employing the pen of a Metoftafio, or Voltaire!

We fhould obferve that this writer fpeaks bighly of the hofpitable reception which he every where met with among the Sialians, and particularly celebrates the friendship he found from the Prince of Bifcari, of whom and his family he fpeaks in the highest terms, and alfo gives fome account of his complete and beautiful museum.

Although our Author's tour through this ifland has been productive of many entertaining obfervations, we must not detain our Readers too long with the particulars. We fhall, therefore, only tranfcribe the words with which the Baron concludes his account. The climate, the foil, and the fruits of the country, are as perfect as ever; but the precious Greek liberty, population, power, magnificence, and good tafte, are now not to be met with as in former times, and the prefent inhabitants can only fay, Fuimus Troes. Equally true, however, is what Solinus fays; "Quicquid Sicilia gignit, five fali foecunditatem, fiue hominum ingenia fpectes, proximum eft iis, quæ optima dicuntur.”

We have dwelt fo long on this part of the volume, that it is neceffary to reserve some account of its farther contents for an article in our next Review.

ART. IX. Alonzo; a Tragedy, in Five Acts, as it is performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 8vo. I s. 6d. Becket. 1773

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R. Home, the Author of this play, has fhewn, by fome other productions, particularly by his Douglas, that he is a man of genius. When we difapprove the writings of such a man, it is with caution and reluctance.

Alonzo, a Spanish nobleman, is banished by the King for killing Ramirez. He loves Ormafinda, the King's daughter, and prevails on her to marry him, in private, before he departs. She has a fon, who is committed to the care of Coftollo, an old warrior, who lives in the mountains of Catalonia. Eighteen years afterward the Spaniards and Moors agree to decide' their contests by a fingle combat; and the giant Mirmallon defies all Spain. On the day of this combat the bufinefs of the play is tranfacted. The critics, therefore, will not complain. on account of time; the Author has taken care to preserve that unity. Ormafinda and the kingdom are to be the reward of the conqueror,

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