SICILY.

IN Lamartine's admirably written report on the foreign policy of France, when describing the late revolutions in Europe, he says:

"Sicily rose against the domination of Naples. She first claimed her constitution. Irritated by refusal, she heroically reconquered her soil and her citadels. Tardy concessions no longer appeased her; she demanded a complete separation-she convoked her own Parliament-she proclaimed herself mistress of her own destinies, and avenged her long subjection to the Bourbons, by declaring that the princes of the House of Naples should be forever excluded from all possibility of succeeding to the constitutional throne of Sicily."

And a celebrated English periodical,* in view of this event, suggests the expediency of the British government taking possession of this largest island in the Mediterranean, for the disinterested purpose of aiding its ignorant inhabitants in the maintainance of their political claims, with the, of course, incidental motive of checking the progress of French power in Northern Africa-to accomplish which enterprise it will, we are told, be “unnecessary to recruit one additional drummer, or man a cock-boat the more." The contrast between the honest recognition of inalienable rights on the part of the republican patriot, and the cool spirit of appropriation and interference on that of the tory journalist, is at once striking and characteristic. It is needless to comment upon either; but the recent successful revolution in Sicily having excited general interest in the actual state and probable fate of that remarkable island, we propose to glance at its resources and condition.

Few portions of Europe have retained so many traces of their past history. Nothing is more striking to the visitor than the diversities between Italy and Sicily, owing to the comparative exemption of the latter from those influences, which, in modern times, have wrought such essential changes in the moral aspect of Southern Europe. The insular position of Sicily has tended to the continuance of its original peculiarities. The spirit of the age has but slightly modified its character. We can there trace the distinction of races, the origin of customs, and the effects of climate and institutions, more satisfactorily than upon the opposite continent. The tide of emigration, in the present age, has been diverted from the island. Few travellers can afford the time necessary to explore its wonders, and the length of the quarantines deter many from landing. The English merchants scattered over the different cities, seldom weave permanent ties with the inhabitants, and political restrictions have, for many years, prevented the rest of the world from exercising among them the legitimate influences of the press. From these and other causes, Sicily presents to a remarkable degree, normal features; and some portions are as far behind the times in respect to later civilization as was Italy in the days of Montaigne. Hence an interest attaches to the island superior to that inspired by the more advanced localities of Europe. With far less comfort and elegance there is more variety; and if there is less to enjoy there is more to observe. The haunts of nature have been less invaded, and the elements of character less overlaid by conventionalities. Accordingly we can define, one by one, the landmarks of the various dynasties that successively ruled the island; we

Blackwood's Magazine.

can detect the signs of a mingled ancestry in the existent population; and follow undisturbed the footsteps of antiquity, through verdant labyrinths or barren tracts, without constantly feeling her charms dispelled by modern innovation. The only signs of exhaustion are to be found in the degradation of the masses- the consequence of gross tyranny. In regard to native resources, both of soil and character, Sicily is as rich as in her palmiest days. At Rome, we can trace the emblems of polytheism, but they are more striking in this comparatively isolated region. Heathen deity and Catholic saint there grotesquely present their claims; a sarcophagus is used as a drinking trough; Venus and Mary respectively dispute the authenticity of a broken statue; the loves of Acis and Galatea are recounted by the same peasant who rehearses the miracles of a local divinity enshrined in the latest edition of the calendar; washerwomen tramp with bare legs in the very stream which tradition assigns as the outlet of the Alpheus; and the evening breeze, laden with the thyme odors of Hymetus, bears also the echoes of the vesper-bell. We perceive this intact condition in the dominant influence of Catholicism. The French revolution, which so materially affected her agency in the rest of Europe, scarcely touched the supremacy of the church in Sicily. Not less than three hundred thousand persons yet live there on ecclesiastical revenues, and one hundred and seventeen convents exist on the island. We may ascribe the unity and vigor of the recent popular movement to the fact that Pio nono was the watchword of the people. The sea-girded isle retained a more complete allegiance, from habit and association, to the very name of a pontiff, than countries more exposed to the liberal views of the present century, could possibly secure. Napoleon's influence was there stayed by like causes. His career made comparatively no signal impress; and the navy of England was a barrier which effectually protected the insular realm from the encroachments of his conquering steps. Palermo has been justly named the city of churches. Messina was long the central halting-place of crusader and pilgrim. The Norman leaders dedicated their first spoils to erecting magnificent temples of religion, and the princes of Aragon, who subsequently became masters of the soil, were actuated by a kindred spirit. The modern capital of the island became the nucleus for princely benefactions, and the traveller now beholds in edifices, mosaics, sculptures, paintings, frescoes and rich sacerdotal vestments, the tributes of Christian knighthood. The brave and pious warriors rejoiced to lay their trophies as an offering both of expiation and worship, at the altars of Sicilian churches; and we can yet recognise devotion to the Roman hierarchy in the splendid ornaments lavished upon the Catholic temples of the land. The crosses which surmount the few towers still remaining of Moorish architecture, still proclaim the flush of grateful conquest. Even the Reformation failed to penetrate the destiny of this island. It is inscribed not only with the hieroglyphics of antiquity, but redolent with the lingering atmosphere of the palmy days of Catholic sway, as the incense from her censers floats cloud-like amid the architraves and friezes of her beautiful temples, dispersed by no gale of political enthusiasm or mental reaction. Emblematic of the taste of a distant era, incongruous from the mixture of heathen and Christian symbols, and boasting chiefly the tokens of primitive art,-these gorgeous structures affect the imagination as at once eloquent of conquest and faith; wedded to the past, they stand in effective contrast to the vivid changes which have either wholly subdued or essentially modified the aspect of other countries.

Memorable classical fables endear the island to scholars. It is associated with the Sirens and the Cyclops. Scylla and Charybdis-denuded of the horrors ascribed to them by olden poets-lure the eyes of the curious voya

ger as he enters the Faro: the meadow where Proserpine was gathering flowers-herself a fairer flower;" the harvest of fields especially beloved of Ceres; and the traditionary fount of Arethusa, stir the memory and touch the imagination, however inharmonious may be their present aspect, in comparison with the ideal reminiscences their very names excite.

But more satisfactory relics of the past are encountered in the fragmentary temples on the sites of Agrigentum and Segesta, Taormina and Selinuntium. Their majestic and harmonious proportions are, in some instances, wholly discernible. Unlike similar remains on the continent, with the exception of those at Pæstum, these noble ruins occupy lofty positions in view of extensive and fertile scenery, which greatly enhances their impressiveness and relative beauty. Under favorable combinations of season and weather, no memorials of antiquity are better fitted to inspire either poet or artist. We were confirmed in this opinion by the lamented Cole, whose Sicilian landscapes are as beautiful as they are authentic. One or two structures, also, serve as monuments of the Saracenic rule, while buildings fortified during the middle ages, are scattered thickly along the coast. Thus the fanes of Pagan, Moslem and Christian eras unite to attest the varied occupancy of that prolific soil, and remind the visitor of the mingled elements of blood and creeds which have formed the character and destiny of the race around him.

The Sicilian character offers, indeed, a problem as intricate as its varied origin. The most amiable hospitality, worthy of the most refined epochs and people, co-exists with a latent vindictiveness, unsurpassed among the most ferocious barbarians. A degree of ignorance in regard to the familiar truths of science and history, such as would provoke the smile of an English or American child, is found united with a quickness of apprehension and grace of fancy, that in other climes would be deemed prophetic of genius. The keen intelligence of the Greek, the sensitive pride of the Spaniard, the vivacious manners of the French, and the fervor of Italian passion, alternately baffle the sympathetic observer, who strives to define and characterise Sicilian life. In the gay saloons of Palermo, surrounded by the trophies of existent civilization, one not unfrequently hears a tale of private vengeance recently enacted in the neighborhood, the details of which essentially belong to feudal times. Questions of the day are often treated in the spirit of the sixteenth century; and sometimes an almost childlike simplicity of language, manners and reasoning, recall the pictures of Arcady. Ingenuousness and duplicity, native talent and gross ignorance, gentle, loving manners, and pitiless animosity, soft voices and fiery eyes, eloquence and brutality, love and hate, the romantic and the vulgar, continually intimate that the nature of the people, like that of the soil, is volcanic-rich in material of all kinds, and capable of becoming the fertile source of all that is lovely and useful; yet liable, also, to fearful outbreaks and pernicious and destructive results. There is obviously more consistency, vigor and heroism in the Sicilian character than in that of their opposite neighbors. This has been amply evinced in every revolution. It is curious that in each war a heroine has appeared. The Sicilian women partake of the Amazonian spirit. At the famous siege of Messina, they fought on the ramparts. In the struggle with Charles of Anjou, Macalda, wife of Alaimo, captain of the people, made herself a terrible name by her sanguinary and equestrian prowess; and a large body of the Palermitans were led, during the then late revolt, by a kind of Sicilian Joan d'Arc. Indeed, many of the sex were seen brandishing weapons, or rejoicing in victory; and noble ladies tended the wounded, and encouraged, by their presence and voices, the onset of the populace.

When Sicily has experienced the mental impetus and culture derivable from liberal institutions and popular education, the patriotic historian will find it a delightful and philosophic task to write her annals. There are attractive incidents in the rule of the Normans, particularly those which relate to the good king Robert, as he is called; and no more dramatic chapter occurs in modern warfare than that afforded by the tragic scenes of the Sicilian vespers. The household story of Damon and Pythias; the tyrannic career of Dionysius; the facts illustrating the advent of Christianity in that part of the world; the traditions of Ætna, and the many remarkable anecdotes connected with the persecutions of the Neapolitan kings, and the spirited resistance of the islanders, will furnish themes of no ordinary interest.

How far the ancient chroniclers may be relied on for statistical information, it is very difficult to say; but their accounts of the populous condition of the island and the state of the arts, are certainly somewhat justified by the extensive remains and natural productions of Sicily. A region over which Timoleon reigned; where Plato and Paul taught; where the greatest of ancient mechanicians ran from his bath with the cry of "Eureka!" and the inventor of pastoral verse sang, must ever possess a charm for the votaries of philosophy and taste, of truth and idealism. Musical genius, too, has a hallowed association with Sicily in the memory of Bellini.

The name of Archimedes is identified with Syracuse, and the fate of Catania is interwoven with the different eruptions of the extraordinary mountain, whose snow-capt summit towers like an eternal beacon to the mariner's eye. It was long a drawback to the prosperity of the latter city that she lacked a commodious harbor-a want supplied by the rushing lava, which, after reaching the bay, hardened around the shore, as if guided by the hand of art. The extraordinary decadence of the ancient cities, and the growth and improvement of the modern, are subjects fruitful of speculation; while the fables of the classic era, the events of the Spanish and French invasion, and the more recent fruits of English possession, suggest material both for description and analysis.

The modern cities placed at the two extremities of the island, are not outrivalled in locality by any of the European capitals. Messina, the commercial, is built within a fine undulating range of mountains, immediately upon the sea. The dwarfed line of palaces fronting the water, bears melancholy evidence of the ravages of the earthquakes which have laid the city in ruins; but from the balconies of those dwellings, it is delightful, while inhaling the sea-breeze, on fine summer evenings, to watch the variegated hues that play on the opposite hills of Calabria, or the fitful gleam of the fishermen's torches reflected by the ripples of the Mediterranean, gurgling through the narrow channel which separates, at this point, the island from the main; once, it is believed, there united. The regular plan, noble gateways, and delicious suburbs of Palermo, called the kingly, from having been the government residence, render it worthy of being the metropolis of Sicily. Less visited and renowned than Naples, it boasts many of the attractions of that fascinating capital: the same mild, voluptuous spring-days; the same evergreen-foliage, briny gale, and thronged streets; the same fruits, and ices, and chimes; the same fondness for afternoon rides and musical soireés and dolce far niente among the nobility; and the same witty, unclean, and life-enjoying populace. As representatives of commercial or manufacturing towns, we have such places, on the coast, as Marsala and Trapani, the one celebrated for its wine, and the other for its salt-works and fisheries; while, in the interior, are walled villages, presenting a very picturesque aspect at a distance, but filled with the most wretched specimens of humanity,

who seem to combine the filth and poverty of Erin with the half-savage wildness of our border Indians, and almost mob the traveller, as they cluster, with haggard features and pleading outcries, about his tired mule, unawed by the threats of the guide. Perhaps Theocritus was inspired by the landscape of Sicily, to describe the charms of pastoral life, on account of the refreshing contrast between the sterility of the mountains and the fertile beauty of the valleys; for it is seldom that the traveller experiences a more pleasing transition than that from the sandy tracks of the coast of this island, the stunted furze of a reach of moorland, or the rocky channel of a torrent, and one of the broad teeming vales that suddenly burst upon the eye, with every shade of green, from the grey tint of the olive to the vivid hue of newly-sprung grain. The change instantly awakens Arcadian dreams, and fills the imagination with those rural images which bards of all time have consecrated. Nature is not only bountiful to Sicily, but seems to indulge there in a kind of luxurious caprice; so that the naturalist, as well as the poet, enjoys a rare and varied feast. Wild flowers so numerous that the most assiduous botanist of the island has not yet completed their nomenclature, deck with the richest colors, hill-side and glen. In the dry beds of mountain streams is found the purest amber. Papyrus grows on the banks of the Anapus. Over the Straits of Messina, after the sunset of mid-summer, there sometimes hover the most singular forms, some quiescent, and others moving with the greatest rapidity. This occurs after both sea and air have subsided from extreme agitation to entire repose; and this kind of mirage is one of the most curious of aerial phenomena, enchanting the fanciful, while it baffles the scientific. On some of the mineral springs floats a remarkably sanative oil; and an odoriferous salt, at some points of the beach, fills the air for miles with exhilarating perfume. The strata of the hills is composed of the richest and most variegated marble. The honey of Hybla has the delicate zest of embalmed flowers. Tortoises bask on the sunny tide; porcupines bristle in the thickets; grey oxen, with enormous horns, drag home the vintage on rude cars; in the Faro, congregate every specious of fish, from the delicious spada to the relishing sardine. Agate and lava from the soil, of every conceivable tint, are wrought into ornaments. Small grey donkeys wind down the rough path from Girgenti to the sea, with two large cakes of sulphur, fresh from the inexhaustible mines, rudely swung over their backs; and groups of swarthy fisherman, at Trapani, land millions of tunny-fish in their capacious nets. The green fly, exported under the name of cantharides, and the most productive silkworms, feed on the leafy trees. Orange and lemon groves cluster about the villas; enormous aloes and Indian-figs line the road-side; vines dangle over treliss and wall; and woods of cork alternate with tracts of yellow broom, such as Shakspeare says

"The dismissed bachelor loves, Being lass-lorn."

The neighborhood of the sea, the presence of volcanic agencies, the extremes of heat and cold, the excessive rains of winter and droughts of summer-the intense sirocco and copious freshets, occasion remarkable atmospheric vicissitudes and electric phenomena. The climate of Sicily is as rich in variety as its soil in products and its inhabitants in character. There are days of early spring positively overwhelming by their splendor. Life palpitates as if germinating anew. A world of pleasurable sensations, for the moment, renders mere existence a felicity. In the rainy season, on the contrary, the animal spirits are repressed to an even mood; and while the sirocco prevails, utter languor-a kind of conscious death, prostrates the