aking our way
over the rugged hills covered with cactus plants and bushy thickets
between the railway and the coast, and along a railway viaduct which
we had passed on our way to the station without having any idea of
it. It was the last adventure of the voyage of the _Vega_, and my
first landing on the glorious soil of Italy.

On the 14th February, at 1 P.M., the _Vega_ arrived at Naples.
At Capri a flag-ornamented steamer from Sorrento met us; somewhat
later, another from Naples, both of which accompanied us to the
harbour. Here the Swedish expedition was saluted by an American
war-vessel, the _Wyoming_, with twenty-one guns. The harbour swarmed
with boats adorned with flags. Scarcely had the _Vega_ anchored--or
more correctly been moored to a buoy--when the envoy LINDSTRAND, the
Swedish-Norwegian consul CLAUSEN, Prince TEANO, president of the
Geographical Society, Commander MARTIN FRANKLIN, Commendatore NEGRI,
and others came on board. The last-named, who nearly two years
before had made a special journey to Sweden to be present at the
departure of the _Vega_, now came from Turin commissioned by the
Italian government, and deputed by the municipalities of Florence
and Venice, the Turin Academy of Sciences, and several Italian and
foreign geographical societies, to welcome the Expedition, which had
now brought its labours to a happy issue.

After Herr Lindstrand, as King Oscar's representative, had welcomed
the Expedition to Europe, and publicly conferred Swedish decorations
on Palander and me, and two adjutants of the Italian Ministry of
Marine had likewise distributed Italian orders to some of the _Vega_
men, some short speeches were exchanged, on which the members of the
Expedition, accompanied by the persons enumerated above, landed in
the Admiral's steam-launch under a salute of twenty-one guns from
the Italian guard-ship. On the landing-quay, where a large crowd of
the inhabitants of the city was assembled, the Swedish seafarers
were received by the Syndic of Naples, Count GIUSSO, accompanied by
a deputation from the municipality, &c. Here we were taken, between
rows of enthusiastic students, in the gala carriages of the
municipality, to the Hotel Royal des Etrangeres, where a handsome
suite of apartments, along with equipages and numerous attendants,
was placed at our disposal. We were there received by the committee
in charge of the festivities, Prince BELMONTE and Cavalier RICCIO,
who afterwards, during ou