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enclosed in a net made of rope. The amount of labor which
was necessary in executing such an intricate piece of work is
the most remarkable part about it, for there seems to be no special
meaning in the thing. It is one of the sights of the city however and
should not be omitted.

The closely built-up and crowded quarters of Naples where
the poor live are in a very unsanitary state, and during this last
trip I could see how such a locality must necessarily be a breed-
ing ground for pestilence. The filth from bed rooms in usually
thrown out of the windows and pedestrians below are simply warn-
ed by a shout that something may fall upon them. The cholera
has had a secure stronghold there during its many visitations
and the latest news from there (June 1889) is that those unhealthy
quarters will be demolished and laid out with new and wider
streets. A sort of “Hausmanizing” which will make a vast change
for the better.

The ascent of Vesuvius was made in the usual way by going
in a carriage as far as the Hermitage, and then going up
the crater with the assistance of one or more guides. The powdered
and thick coating of ashes over which the tourist ascends yields
to the weight of the body as he makes a step upwards, and
at first, it seems as though he will not be likely to make any progress.
The guides know this well, and when their services as assistants
are refused at the start, they quietly follow, knowing that they
will be soon called upon to lend a helping hand. Three of our party
took two guides a piece, and Dickenson who was still quite lame
was carried up in a litter. I alone started without assistance,
but followed by two strong young fellows who appeared confident
of their game. I got on without their assistance though not-
withstanding the extreme difficulty, and when, after a third
of the distance had been gone over, they saw that I would reach
the summit without them, they turned back. As they were mov-
ing down again they spoke in low tones to each other, which caused
the employed men to smile. It was fortunate that I did not un-
derstand their language, for I would not have heard anything
flattering about myself nor my mother nor my grandmother.
The vast volumes of smoke issuing from the summit of the crater
and deflected in different direction as the wind shifts about are an
impressive sight. There were but few stones softened by heat being
thrown out that day, so that none of us was able to bring away the
usual souvenir of a copper coin pressed into a small lump of
volcanic substance. The area of the eruption of the year before was
plainly visible as we ascended. It had issued from the side of the
mountain and spread in an irregular way into the space below.

When our curiosity had been satisfied at the summit
and we had started to return, we descended over the same
ashy incline up which we had toiled with so much labor. The
compensation in this case for the fatigue of the ascent was complete