and is seen to great advantage. Many people went to this mountain during the time of the great illumination; from whence they pretend it has a fine effect: but this unfortunately we neglected.

Near the middle of the mountain, and not far from its summit, there still appears some remains of a celebrated castle, the origin of which the Sicilian authors carry back to the most remote antiquity. Massa says, it is supposed to have been built in the reign of Saturn, immediately after the flood; for in the time of the earliest Carthaginian wars, it was always much respected on account of its venerable antiquity. It was then a place of strength, and is often mentioned by the Greek historians. Diodorus says, in his twenty-third book, that Hamilcar kept possession of it for three years, against all the power of the Romans; who, with an army of forty thousand men, attempted in vain to dislodge him.

The situation of Palermo is seen, I think, to more advantage from the Monte Pelegrino than from any where else. This beautiful city stands near the extremity of a kind of natural amphitheatre, formed by high and rocky mountains; but the country that lies betwixt the city and

these mountains, is one of the richest and most beautiful spots in the world. The whole appears a magnificent garden, filled with fruit trees of every species, and watered by clear fountains. and rivulets, that form a variety of windings through this delightful plain. From the singularity of this situation, as well as from the richness of the soil, Palermo has had many flattering epithets bestowed upon it; particularly by the poets, who have denominated it Conca d'oro, The Golden Shell, which is at once expressive both of its situation and richness. It has likewise been styled Aurea Valle, Hortus Siciliæ, &c.; and to include all these together, the lasting term of Felix has been added to its name, by which you will find it distinguished even in the maps.

Many of the etymologists allege, that it is from the richness of this valley that it had its original name of Panormus, which, in the old Greek language, they pretend, signified All a garden: but others say there is no occasion for straining significations, and assert, with more appearance of plausibility, that it was called Pan-ormus, from the size and conveniency of its harbours; one of which is recorded anciently to have extended into the very centre of the

city. And this is the account Diodorus gives of it; it was called Panormus, says he, because its harbour even penetrated to the very innermost parts of the city. Panormus in the Greek language signifying All a port. And Procopius, in his history of the wars of the Goths, assures us, that in the time of Belisarius, the port was deep enough for that general to run his ships up to the very walls of the city, and give the assault from them. It is not now so well entitled to this name as it was formerly. These harbours have been almost entirely destroyed and filled up; most probably I think by the violent torrents from the mountains that surround it; which are recorded sometimes to have laid waste great part of the city. Fazzello speaks of an inundation of which he was an eye-witness, that came down from the mountains with such fury, that they thought the city would have been entirely swept away. He says, it burst down the wall near to the royal palace, and bore away every thing that opposed its passage; churches, convents, houses, to the number of two thousand, and drowned upwards of three thousand people. Now the fragments and ruins carried to the sea by such a torrent alone, would be sufficient to fill up a little harbour, so that we

are not to be surprised, that these capacious ports, for which it had been so much celebrated, no longer exist.

Next to Chameseno, Palermo is generally supposed to be the most ancient city in the island. Indeed, there still remain some monuments that carry back its origin to the times of the most remote antiquity. A bishop of Lucera has wrote on this subject. He is clearly of opinion, that Palermo was founded in the days of the first patriarchs. You will laugh at this ;-so did I;but the bishop does not go to work upon conjecture only: he supports his opinion with such proofs, as, I own to you, staggered me a good deal. A Chaldean inscription was discovered about six hundred years ago, on a block of white marble; it was in the reign of William II. who ordered it to be translated into Latin and Italian. The bishop says, there are many fragments in Palermo with broken inscriptions in this language; and seems to think it beyond a doubt, that the city was founded by the Chaldeans, in the very early ages of the world. This is the literal translation:-" During the time that Isaac, the son of Abraham, reigned in the valley of Damascus, and Esau, the son of Isaac, in Idumea, a great

multitude of Hebrews, accompanied by many of the people of Damascus, and many Phoenicians, coming into this triangular island, took up their habitation in this most beautiful place, to which they gave the name of Panormus."

The bishop translates another Chaldean inscription, which is indeed a great curiosity. It is still preserved, though not with that care that so valuable a monument of antiquity deserves. It is placed over one of the old gates of the city, and when that gate falls to ruin, it will probably be for ever lost. The translation is in Latin, but I shall give it you in English:-"There is no other God but one God. There is no other power but this same God. There is no other conqueror but this God whom we adore. The commander of this tower is Saphu, the son of Eliphar, son of Esau, brother of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. The name of the tower is Baych, and the name of the neighbouring tower is Pharat."

These two inscriptions seem to reflect a mutual light upon each other. Fazzello has preserved them both, and remarks upon this last, that it appears evidently from it, that the tower of Baych was built antecedent to the time of Saphu, (or, as we translate it, Zephu), who is