and women with roses in their hats or their hair. Most of the vehicles are a kind of large carts with tall wheels, and drawn by all kinds of beasts,—horses, mules, oxen, asses, cows, and not unfrequently by all four different creatures at once. It looks awkward and disorderly, but it seems to answer pretty well. Human beings here seem to be of a lighter calibre than elsewhere, for you will see ten, twelve, or fourteen persons, men and women, and above that number, piled upon or hanging to a cart, drawn by a single horse or mule, which trots away with them as if they were only so much straw. The people look full of life, gay, independent, even lawless.
Thus we reached Naples and its charming bay, over which Vesuvius seems to rule like a gloomy despot with judgment and death upon his lips. The city however looks gay, far more so than Rome. The houses shine out white, amongst the verdant gardens, beside the bright blue sea, towards which the coast of Naples extends itself like an opened embrace, the rocky arms of which are richly adorned with towns, country-houses, and pleasure grounds!—splendid bracelets! Facchini, in the city, swarm like flies after the carriage, and are still more difficult to get rid of. The people in the streets shout, and vagabondize dreadfully. The sun shines, and every thing breathes of southern life, both in good and evil.
We stopped in the Chiaja Santa Lucia, because some of our traveling companions were to remain in the hotel there. The Facchini had finally all dropped off from us in consequence of our determined commands and protests, all except one, who had sprung
