know in what direction I intended to proceed, as he must insert the place where I was to pass the night. I knew well the trouble in which he was involving me, and I did not conceal my annoyance. I said that he might put the "well of Manduria," of which you will hear hereafter, though I told him that I could scarcely expect a cooler reception there than his excellency had given me. This of course was an impertinent answer, as I intended it to be, and as he was evidently not accustomed to have his commands disputed, he got very red in the face and looked in a towering passion. I felt equally indignant, and as I knew that I had given no just cause for such uncivil treatment, I told him that I would not fail to convey to the Prince of Satriano the attention he had paid to his letter, and the kind assistance he had given to an inoffensive stranger. I left him without ceremony, assuring him that I should soon be beyond his province, and should long remember the gentlemanlike conduct of the royal governor of the province of Otranto. I found afterwards, by inquiry, that he was originally a petty lawyer, and had raised himself to his present position by his devotion to the court.

I believe that he is

causing a great deal of annoyance to the whole province by listening to anonymous information, and by the employment of spies. I have not the least doubt that I was right in my conjectures respecting my visitor last night, and that I would have been arrested by his excellency if I had been a native of any other country but Great Britain. You may wonder why I felt so much annoyed at this uncivil proceeding of Cito, but it is easily explained from what you already know of my journey. Suppose I had been obliged to have the signature of the chief magistrate of the district in which Scanzana was situated, where could I have found the magistrate? It would have been impossible for me, and when I reached Taranto I could have been arrested from the want of his sig

nature.

Though the day was far advanced, I was too much annoyed to remain a moment longer in Lecce, and shaking the dust from my feet started at once for Manduria, which was about eighteen miles distant. The country was thickly covered with olive-trees. There is nothing picturesque in slightly undulating plains, and the heat of the day did not tend to raise my spirits, so that I was glad when the village of Manduria appeared in the distance. On my arrival it was too late to examine its ancient remains, and after I had submitted my passport to the chief magistrate, I retired to rest in a tolerable albergo.

Next morning I issued forth with a guide to visit the well of Manduria, which I had impertinently told Cito to insert in my passport, when he insisted to know in what direction I was going. It is at a spot called Scegno, about half a mile from the town, and is described by Pliny (ii. 106, 4) in these words: "In Salentino juxta oppidum Manduriam lacus ad margines plenus, neque exhaustis aquis minuitur, neque infusis augetur"-"In the Salentine territory there is near the city Manduria a well full to the brim, the level of whose waters is never changed by any quantity that may be withdrawn or any addition that may be made." It is situated in a large circular cavern, and is approached by a descent of thirty rough steps. Light is admitted partly from the entrance, and partly from an aperture in the rock, which is immediately above the well. The rocky stratum in which the well is found is a concretion of sea-sand

and marine shells, and the porous nature of the stone allows the water to percolate freely. The water is not now drawn by the inhabitants from the ancient well, but from a small reservoir, which is kept always full by the constant oozing from the sides of the cavern, the water being collected into an earthen pipe, and thus conveyed into the reservoir. It flows thence into the well, which is said never to show any change of level. The well gets gradually filled up with small stones, and at present is not above a couple of feet deep. It had, however, been once cleaned in the memory of the present generation, and was found to be of no great depth, with a bottom of very hard composition. There must of course be some peculiar way in which the water passes off, and how it is supplied is equally a mystery. It must ooze through the joints of the sides of the well, and it is curious that it should at all times, whatever be the quantity of rain that falls, only receive as much as it can throw off. There is a great want of water in this peninsula, and such a well is a blessing which we can scarcely appreciate in our northern climate. The water was pure, pleasant to the taste, in no respect mineral, though not particularly cool, as if it had come from some internal reservoir exposed to the heat of the external air.

The city of Manduria was of some importance in early times, and is remarkable as the scene of the death of Archidamus, King of Sparta, son of Agesilaus, who had been invited by the Tarantines to assist them against their neighbours, the Messapians and Salentines. The battle took place on the 3rd of August, B.C. 338, on the same day with the more celebrated battle of Charonea. It revolted to the Carthaginians in the second Punic war, being taken by assault by Fabius Maximus just before he recovered Tarentum, B.C. 209. It then disappears from history, having been probably severely punished by the Romans.

The ancient city was at a short distance from the present village, or probably town, as it ought to be called, containing about six thousand inhabitants. The walls can be traced nearly in their whole circuit. The stones of which they were built are soft, and easily decompose from exposure to the air. They have, therefore, mouldered away, and the highest part of the wall which I saw was not above seven feet. They are composed of large rectangular stones, in regular courses above each other, without mortar. What is curious is that it had a double wall, with a fosse on the outside, while there was a wide passage between the walls. As far as I could judge, the outer wall, with ditch, had a breadth of twenty-three feet, and the inner passage, with the inner wall, of about fifty feet. The modern city is well built, though its streets are unpaved. There are numerous churches, and an immense baronial residence of the Francavilla family, without garden or prospect. The chapel of S. Pietro Mandurino is at a short distance from the city, and beneath it is a small chapel, whose walls are covered with paintings of saints of the Greek Church. This part of Italy was the last which the Greek emperors of Constantinople possessed, and in this way we may account for these paintings, which are nearly destroyed by damp.

Having examined everything that a stranger cares to visit at Manduria, I proceeded forward six miles through a country partly covered with olive and almond trees and partly a barren waste, from the entire want of water in the summer season, till I reached Oria, the ancient

Hyria, situated on a hill of moderate height overlooking the level plains of Iapygia, which I have been traversing for the last week. You look down on the Adriatic, and have a Pisgah view of the Bay of Tarentum, with the mountains of Basilicata in the distance. The immediate vicinity of the town, containing about six thousand inhabitants, is well cultivated, having numerous vineyards and orchards, separated from each other by hedges of aloes. The large castle rises majestically on the highest point of ground, and here, too, the cathedral is placed. These are picturesque objects, seen to the distance of thirty miles. This city was of great importance in early times, being mentioned by Herodotus (vii. 170) as the capital of the Messapians, founded by a colony of Cretans on their return from Sicily. It is again mentioned in later times in the struggle between Augustus and Antony, B.C. 40, when the latter was besieging Brundusium (Appian., B. C. v. 58), but after this time it disappears from the world's history. No ancient remains are to be seen, though some inscriptions have been found in what is supposed to be the Messapian dialect, and numerous coins with the name of Orra in Roman characters.

I had still a journey of eighteen miles before me ere I could reach Brindisi, and the day was far advanced when I entered Oria. There was nothing to detain me here, and, after baiting my mule, I started in hopes that I might get to Brindisi before the shades of evening closed in. There was a sameness in the level plain through which I was passing that became at last particularly tiresome, and I trudged on in a semisomnolent state with little regard to what was passing around me. The villages of Latiano and Mesagne seemed more thriving than most of those I had seen. Corn-land and olive-grounds alternated, while the waste land was productive of myrtles, cistus, mastic, and such-like aromatic shrubs, interspersed with the wild vine and olive. The longest day comes to an end, and I looked forward with anxiety for the walls of Brindisi. Ere I reached it I was overtaken by a severe thunderstorm, and completely drenched in a wood which my muleteer asserted had been the scene of many robberies and murders. The storm probably saved me, as we passed it without seeing any one. I was not sorry to enter the ruined gateway of Brundusium a little after sunset. It had a melancholy, deserted appearance; but this is always the case at night with cities in Italy, as they have no lamps.

I had a letter for the intendente, but, thinking it too late to wait on him, I took up my abode at a miserable locanda, where I could get nothing to eat till I went out to buy some provisions. I sent forward my letter to his Excellency Il Signor Barone, and, with a civility very different from that of Cito, I received a pressing invitation to take up my abode in his house, which the misery around me only made me too glad to accept. I was received with a frankness and real kindness of manner, which showed that I was really welcome. His lady was not less attentive, and in a few minutes I felt quite at home. My host had been a distinguished officer, and served under Napoleon. He had seen much of foreign countries, and had not been unobservant in the lands through which he had passed.

This morning I rose fresh and recovered from all my fatigues, ready to undergo them anew, if that were necessary; but Brindisi had too

much to interest me to permit of so hasty a departure. It is a very ancient town, being known to Herodotus, the father of history (vi. 99), who lived B.C. 450. The excellence of its port, and its advantageous position for commanding the Adriatic, must have, at an early period, attracted the attention of maritime nations. It became the chief naval depôt of the Romans on this coast, as its port was sufficient to shelter the largest fleet in perfect safety. Here the Roman generals assembled the fleets and armies with which they crossed the Adriatic, and on their return it was here that they landed. Here Sulla, B.C. 83, landed with his army on his return from the Mithridatic war, and in B.C. 57 it witnessed the return of Cicero from exile. During the civil war between Cæsar and Pompey, Brundusium was the scene of important military operations, and, after the death of Cæsar, it was here the youthful Octavius first assumed the name of Cæsar. All classical readers are intimately acquainted with the journey of Horace to Brundusium, B.C. 41, when he accompanied Mecænas and Cocceius to conclude an amicable arrangement between Antony and Octavius. Virgil died B.C. 19 at Brundusium, on his return from Greece, and his ashes probably rest here, though his tomb is shown at Naples. Thus Brundusium is full of world-known recollections, and I was, therefore, anxious to see what survived of its ancient splendour. I sallied forth in company with the English viceconsul, Signor Monticelli, who kindly engaged to point out whatever was worthy of notice within his native city. Time, however, has laid a heavy hand on the works of man, and little now survives to excite our admiration. Still little change can have taken place in the natural scenery around, and I pleased myself with tracing the approach of Cæsar to Brundusium and the flight of Pompey by sea. The present walls are of a later date than these two heroes, and, before the introduction of gunpowder, must have been impregnable, if stoutly defended; but they are now in a sadly dilapidated state. The fosse, which once proved its safety, is now filled with stagnant water, and sends forth, during the heats of summer and autumn, most pestilential effluvia. In former times there were two harbours, an outer and an inner; but the entrance is now nearly blocked up by sand, so as to render the inner little better than a marsh, and last year the malaria produced by it was so malignant that six hundred of the inhabitants were carried off by fever-about one-tenth of the population. The magistrates made a representation to government on the subject, and a promise has been made that the outlet to the outer harbour shall be cleared, yet they have no hopes that any steps will be taken. I was particularly struck by the ghastly appearance of the inhabitants, and my host told me that he looked forward with great dismay to the approach of autumn. Something might, no doubt, be done by the inhabitants if they were not so much accustomed to see everything undertaken by government. It is the narrow channel that leads into the inner harbour that is choked up with sand, and it is this that renders the inner harbour completely useless. This has been ascribed to the works erected by Cæsar for the purpose of obstructing the entrance, and till the piles, which he is believed to have driven in, are removed, my host did not think that any real benefit would be derived. Yet it seems always to have been an unhealthy neighbourhood, as Cæsar (B. C. iii. 2) says that his troops, which were quartered there B.C. 49, in

the autumn suffered severely in consequence. I find that the inhabitants will do nothing for themselves, even though death stare them in the face. Thus they drink the putrid water of their city rather than be at the trouble and expense of conveying a pure stream from some little distance within their walls. They were beginning, however, to think on this subject, and I accompanied the chief magistrate to a spring at one of the gates, which had been neglected for many years, and which he had given directions to be cleared out. It was to me an interesting spot, as the celebrated Appian Way, from Rome, had entered the city by this gate; and there lay the huge blocks of stone, so massive and so strong, that they were, no doubt, the identical stones over which Horace and Mecænas had passed eighteen hundred years ago, and of which he said :

Brundusium longæ finis chartæque viæque.

"Brundusium, the end of my long poem and journey."

The fountain had been evidently intended for the thirsty mule as it entered the city. There are two wells within the walls, but, from the low position of the city, you will readily believe that the water is brackish, and my host said that they preferred to use rain-water collected in cisterns for drinking. In ancient times Pliny (ii. 106, 10) speaks of a spring close to the port as producing pure water for the sailor: "Brundisii in portu fons incorruptas præstat aquas navigantibus." No such spring is now known to exist, else it would be invaluable.

In all directions the eye is caught by a lofty pillar of cipollino marble nearly fifty feet high, whose capital is adorned with figures of sea-gods, and in the centre of each side appear the faces of Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, and Minerva. An inscription states that it was erected by Lupas Protaspata in the eleventh century; but this is, no doubt, a myth, as it must be of a much more ancient date. There was another pillar close to it, the base and pedestal of which still remain. It was thrown down by an earthquake in 1456, when the city also suffered severely; and in 1663 the fragments were conveyed to Lecce, to be erected there to the honour of St. Oronzio, the patron saint of Lecce, who was believed to have saved the province from the plague. There it is still seen in the public square of Lecce. It is difficult to determine whether these columns were merely ornamental, or served the useful purpose of a pharos or lighthouse. There is, indeed, a marble vase on the top, and it has been suggested that this vase might be to contain fire or lights; but the difficulty of reaching the top, which must have been by an outside ladder, renders it unlikely that they were intended for such a purpose, and, besides, they are placed so near the edge of the water, that they could not be seen at any great distance from the sea.

In the distance rose the fine old castle at the north-west end of the port, having its foundations washed by the waters of the harbour, and on the land side being defended by a deep ditch. It was founded by Frederick II., and completed by Charles V. For what base uses are such buildings often reserved! It is now a common prison, and resounds with the clanging irons of the malefactors.

There is a library here, the only one I have heard of since I left Naples, and I was of course anxious to visit it. It is very respectable in size, though containing chiefly theological works, as it was bequeathed