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<p> P.S. Constantinople Nov. 25 Friday evening. This letter consists of two sheets I have no time to read over either of them</p> <!-- This page is then arranged in two columns --> <p> On board the Mary Frances at Sea Tuesday Oct <unclear>11</unclear> 1785</p> <p> The business of the day has been the passing the straight<lb/> which separates Sicily from the peninsula of Italy, and a <lb/> fine day for it it was impossible to have had. It is the <lb/> only day I have been alive since we left Leghorn. We<lb/>slackened sail last night for fear of being caught in bad <lb/>weather in the night time in a narrow sea which is <lb/>flanked <add> mostly</add> by <del>a</del. bold shores <add> especially</add> on the Italian side, and is<lb/> not always in so peaceable a state as that in which <lb/>we found it. The straight is neither <add> quite</add> so narrow nor so <lb/>long as I expected to find it. Every body however agrees<lb/> that at the narrowest it can not be more than a league<lb/>and it continues at nearly the same width for some <lb/> miles; a sufficient length to exhibit an infinite variety<lb/> of objects on both shores <del>at</del. <add> within</add> a very discernible distance.<lb/> On the Sicilian side the only town that presents<lb/> itself to view is the remnant of Messina: with<lb/>the assistance of glasses and in some places without we<lb/> could plainly discern a multitude of stately buildings<lb/> not yet <sic>recover'd</sic> from the ravages of the Earthquake.<lb/> Some of them appeared in a condition of transparency<lb/> the roof being off, and the windows void of glass, if <lb/> ever they were provided, which the generality of the <lb/> buildings in this warm <add> region</add> seem not to be, with that <lb/>luxurious accommodation. Many were plainly to be seen<lb/> propped up with shores. Boydone I think speaks of the <lb/> principal range of buildings that <gap/> the Key as being<lb/> semicircular and extending a matter of a mile. If so <gap/> <lb/> doubt the devastation must have been vast indeed, for this <lb/>superb range has at present but little curvature in its<lb/> appearance though the distance from which we saw<lb/>it would not be <gap/> more than half a league, and I <lb/> should not guess the extent of it at more than 1/4 or <lb/> a 1/3 of a mile. It is till however a very considerable<lb/> town, and the environs of it for miles <del>of</del> <add> at </add> each end <lb/> are richly <gap/> with villages. A great number of <lb/> the houses and other buildings both in the town and in <lb/> the villages have sprung up since the earthquake. On <lb/> the Calabrian (Italian) shore the towns though not so <lb/> large are more numerous; the shore on this side especially <lb/> very bold and the ground thrown, probably by earthquakes<lb/> of a date infinitely <del>beyond</del> anterior to all history<lb/> or even pretended history, thrown into a thousand romantic<lb/> forms. The general attitude of the coast seems to be two or three <lb/> times as considerable as that of Dover Cliffs, and in <lb/> several places <del>near</del> within 1/3 or a 1/4<hi rend="superscript">th</hi> of the summit<lb/> you see a town stuffed into a cliff in a rock, or <lb/> stuck upon the point of one. what they do for <add> fresh</add> water<lb/> the Lord above knows; not the least drop have any of us <lb/> been able to discover in all Sicily, though we have had <lb/> views more or less near of little less than 2/3<hi rend="superscript">ds</hi> of its circumference, <lb/> nor in all that part of Calabria, though<lb/> that part of the peninsula that stretches the Island pretty <lb/> considerably. As for Etna we have seen it in three <lb/> several directions from so many different sides of the <lb/> Island, reckoning the short portion which forms the straight<lb/> <add>as</add> </p> <pb/> | |||
P.S. Constantinople Nov. 25 Friday evening. This letter consists of two sheets I have no time to read over either of them
On board the Mary Frances at Sea Tuesday Oct 11 1785
The business of the day has been the passing the straight
which separates Sicily from the peninsula of Italy, and a
fine day for it it was impossible to have had. It is the
only day I have been alive since we left Leghorn. We
slackened sail last night for fear of being caught in bad
weather in the night time in a narrow sea which is
flanked mostly by a</del. bold shores especially on the Italian side, and is
not always in so peaceable a state as that in which
we found it. The straight is neither quite so narrow nor so
long as I expected to find it. Every body however agrees
that at the narrowest it can not be more than a league
and it continues at nearly the same width for some
miles; a sufficient length to exhibit an infinite variety
of objects on both shores at</del. within a very discernible distance. at each end
On the Sicilian side the only town that presents
itself to view is the remnant of Messina: with
the assistance of glasses and in some places without we
could plainly discern a multitude of stately buildings
not yet recover'd from the ravages of the Earthquake.
Some of them appeared in a condition of transparency
the roof being off, and the windows void of glass, if
ever they were provided, which the generality of the
buildings in this warm region seem not to be, with that
luxurious accommodation. Many were plainly to be seen
propped up with shores. Boydone I think speaks of the
principal range of buildings that the Key as being
semicircular and extending a matter of a mile. If so
doubt the devastation must have been vast indeed, for this
superb range has at present but little curvature in its
appearance though the distance from which we saw
it would not be more than half a league, and I
should not guess the extent of it at more than 1/4 or
a 1/3 of a mile. It is till however a very considerable
town, and the environs of it for miles of
are richly with villages. A great number of
the houses and other buildings both in the town and in
the villages have sprung up since the earthquake. On
the Calabrian (Italian) shore the towns though not so
large are more numerous; the shore on this side especially
very bold and the ground thrown, probably by earthquakes
of a date infinitely beyond anterior to all history
or even pretended history, thrown into a thousand romantic
forms. The general attitude of the coast seems to be two or three
times as considerable as that of Dover Cliffs, and in
several places near within 1/3 or a 1/4th of the summit
you see a town stuffed into a cliff in a rock, or
stuck upon the point of one. what they do for fresh water
the Lord above knows; not the least drop have any of us
been able to discover in all Sicily, though we have had
views more or less near of little less than 2/3ds of its circumference,
nor in all that part of Calabria, though
that part of the peninsula that stretches the Island pretty
considerably. As for Etna we have seen it in three
several directions from so many different sides of the
Island, reckoning the short portion which forms the straight
as
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Identifier: | JB/540/207/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 540. |
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1785-10-11 |
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540 |
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207 |
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001 |
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Journal |
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Jeremy Bentham |
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