ydone laboured
under such a cacoethes, as to sacrifice a friend for the sake of a good
story." Of course we now know that Recupero's estimate of the age of
Etna was far within the true limits, but we derive this information
from other sources. No true estimate can be obtained from the
observation of the decomposition of lavas, for it has been often
observed that two lavas will decompose at very different rates.

A little to the north of the village of La Scaletta, at the base of the
rocks upon which Aci Reale stands, there are two small caverns in the
abrupt face of the basalt, which can only be approached in a boat. They
consist of columnar basalt bent very curiously, and capped by amorphous
basalt.

A drive of a few miles to the South of Aci Reale brings us to Trezza, a
small village built of lava. A short distance from the shore are the
celebrated _Scogli di Ciclopi_, or rocks of the Cyclops, said to be
those which Polyphemus hurled at Ulysses after his escape from the cave.
The rocks, seven in number, form small islets, the largest of which, the
Isola d'Aci, is about 3000 feet in circumference, and 150 feet high. It
consists of crudely columnar basalt capped by a kind of marl. Near the
top of the island there is a cave called the "Grotto of Polyphemus,"
also a cistern of water. To the south of this island a very picturesque
rock rises from the sea. It is 2000 feet in circumference and about 200
feet in height, and consists of columnar basalt in four and eight-sided
prisms, but not very regular; a hard calcareous substance is found in
their interstices. Fine crystals of analcime are sometimes met with in
the basalts of the Cyclops Islands. Lyell considers these basalts "the
most ancient monuments of volcanic action within the region of Etna."

A few miles south of the Isole di Ciclopi are the bay and city of
Catania. We started from the latter when we commenced our ascent of
Etna, and now on returning to it, we completed the circuit of the
mountain by its base-road of 87 miles.

Katana (~Katane~) is believed to have been founded about 730 B.C.
by a Greek colony of Naxos, which had originally come from Chalcis. The
city maintained its independence till the time of Hieron, who expelled
the original inhabitants in 476 B.C., and peopled the city with
Syracusans and inhabitants of the Peloponnesus to the number of 10,000.
At the same time the name of the city was changed to Aetna ([Greek:
Aitne]). In 461 B.C., however