After leaving this hill, nothing occurs worthy of no tice, till we enter the Regime Sylvosa, which begins about three miles above this place. The woody region ex tends from eight to ten miles in a direct line towards the top of the mountain. Its circumference is estimated by Recupero at 70 or 80 miles, which will make its sur face about 40 or 45 square leagues. The first circum stance that attracts the attention of the traveller upon entering this region, is an agreeable change of tempe rature, accompanied with the richest odours from aro matic plants. " Here," says Brydone, " we seemed to have got into another world ; the air, which was before sultry and hot, was now cool and refreshing ; and every breeze was loaded with a thousand perfumes. Here we behold the most delicious fruit rising from what was lately a black and barren rock. Here the ground is co vered with every flower ; and we wander over these beauties, and contemplate this wilderness of sweets, without considering that hell, with all its terrors, is im mediately under our feet." Nor is the traveller less struck with the graddeur and magnificence of the surrounding scenery, than delighted with its richness and gaiety. The verdure of the ma jestic forests of !Etna is more lively than that of other countries, and the trees of which they consist are of greater height. The hawthorns are of an immense size, the beeches appear like so many ramified pillars, and the tufted branches of the oak are impenetrable to the rays of the sun. The eastern side of the mountain is covered chiefly with chesnut trees, which, affording Ca cellent materials for hoops, are cultivated with much care by the inhabitants, as a valuable article of trade. The roads ou this side of /Etna are so rugged and pre cipitous, that few would undertake the journey, unless prompted by curiosity to visit the celebrated chesnut tree, where, according to fabulous report, the queen of Spain, with her hundred attendants, found shelter from a violent storm.
The site of this tree is remarkably picturesque, and calculated to exhibit its immense size to the best advan tage. It. stands upon a rising ground, and is surrounded by an open pasture, which is bounded by woods and vine yards. According to Swinburne, it measures 196 feet in circumference, at one inch above the ground. Its height is of a corresponding magnitude ; though of late years it has been considerably diminished, from an at tempt to increase its fruitfulness, by lopping its branches. Its great trunk, before reaching the surface, separates into five great divisions, which gives it the appearance of several trees growing together. With the view of ascertaining how far this might be the case, Swinburne and Recupero inform us, that they dug round it to a con siderable depth, and found all the stems uniting in one great trunk. It is remarkable that none of these large branches have bark in the inside. This circumstance led M. Honel to conclude, that they once constituted one large trunk, which being rent asunder, the divided parts of the bark seeking to reunite, were bent inwards, so as to form circular arcs, presenting the appearance of so many separate trees. But this deficiency of the
bark in the inner side will be more easily explained, if we only consider, that in the circular space formed by these large branches, there are erected a hut and oven, for the accommodation of those who collect its fruits ; and that its inhabitants with the most thoughtless in gratitude, sometimes supply themselves with fuel from the tree which protects them. This tree formerly be longed to St Agatha, but has lately been declared the property of the crown.
After examining the chesnut tree, the traveller next proceeds to the Snow Grotto ; and in his way thither passes through a forest of pines, which is scarcely ac cessible on account of the rocks and precipices which surround it. This grotto is situated in a mount named Fennochio : it is merely an excavation in the rock, form ed by the waters carrying away a bed of pozzolana which lay under the lava. The snow, driven by the winds from the higher parts of the mountain, is stopped a little above the cave, by a wall built for the purpose. It is then thrown into the. grotto, by two openings from above, where a thick ceiling of lava completely protects it from the summer heats. Before removing it from the cave, it is first carefully wrapped up in leaves, and afterwards forced into large bags, and in this state is conveyed to the shore on mules. This trade was chiefly carried on by the knights of Malta, for the use of their own isl and.
From the snow cavern the traveller proceeds, in his ascent, to the Grotto of the Goats, where he usually takes shelter for the night. This cave seems to have been form ed, like the Snow Grotto, by the action of water upon a bed of sand. It affords a safe retreat for the goats in severe weather ; and hence obtains its name. It is sur rounded by stately oaks, the leaves of which are employ ed by the weary traveller as a bed ; while the wood sup plies him with fuel. This place, according to Saussure, is about 5054 feet above the level of the sea.
Upon leaving the Grotto of the Goats, the wood begins to open, and the whole scene gradually changes. The tufted oaks, and branching chesnuts, whose umbrageous foliage protected the traveller upon his entrance into the woody region, from the violence of the mid-day sun, now afford him but a feeble shelter from the piercing blasts which descend from the higher regions. As he ascends, the forest becomes thinner at every step, the trees ap pear scattered, and, at the same time, diminished in size and beauty. Now only a few clumps of trees, and some tufts of odoriferous herbs, are to be seen ; in a little time, these also become thinner, and assume a withered and stunted appearance. Soon after, he beholds the last ef forts of expiring vegetation, and passes into the region of snow and sterility.