, over a more level territory, in which villas follow each other
in rapid succession, from the Magdalen Bridge to Portici, where the
king's palace is situated, and beyond that to Mount Vesuvius. The
Neapolitans have a saying, _Vedi Napoli e po mari_, intimating that
when Naples has been seen, every thing has been seen; and its
congregated charms of situation, climate, and fertility almost warrant
this patriotic ebullition.

"On the northern side, Naples is surrounded by hills, which (says
_Vasi_, in his '_Picture_,') form a kind of crown round the _Terra di
Lavoro_, the Land of Labour." This consists of a district, in the
language of ancient Rome,

------Lecos laeros, et amoena vireta
Fortunatorum nemorum, sedesque beatas--

and fertilized by a river, called Sebeto, which descends from the hills
on the side of Nola, and falls into the sea after having passed under
Magdalen Bridge, towards the eastern part of Naples.

The ancient history of Naples is involved in much obscurity. According
to some, says _Vasi_, Falerna, one of the Argonauts, founded it about
1,300 years before the Christian era; according to others, Parthenope,
one of the Syrens, celebrated by Homer in his "Odyssey," being
shipwrecked on this coast, landed here, and built a town, to which she
gave her name; others attribute its foundation to Hercules, some to
Eneas, and others to Ulysses. These are mere freaks of fiction and
fable; and it is more probable that Naples was founded by some Greek
colonies; this may be inferred from its own name, _Neapolis_, and from
the name of another town contiguous to it, _Paleopolis._ Strabo speaks
of these Greek colonies, whence the city derives its origin.

The city of Naples was formerly surrounded by very high walls, about 22
miles in circumference; but on its enlargement, neither walls nor gates
were erected. It may be, however, defended by three strong castles.

Naples is divided into twelve quarters, or departments, and contains
about 450,000 inhabitants. It is consequently the most populous city
in Europe, except London and Paris. The streets are neither broad nor
regular, and are paved with broad slabs of hard stone, resembling the
lava of Vesuvius. The houses are, for the most part, uniformly built,
being about five or six stories high, with balconies and flat roofs,
in the form of terraces, which are used as a promenade. The churches,
palaces, and public buildings are magnificent; but they suffer i