172

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.j

each, including the entertainment of our coachman. Thismoderate charge was vehemently objected to, and when thebasket of provisions w&s produced, with the bill of the con-tents, Smirke thought the charge so high, that he insistedon leaving it behind us. Much as I regretted and depre-cated this decision, being so much the younger of the partyI modestly gave way, but not without a protest.

Arrived at Paestum in the afternoon, Smirke forthwithbegan his measurings and his drawings; Steuart and I,after viewing the temples and the city walls, commenced atour about the neighbourhood in search of food. Alas,nothing was to be found. Not a house existed within severalmiles, and the nearest town was Eboli, perched on the firstrisings of the neighbouring Appennines. The immediate site•of Paestum is a plain of sand, producing scanty crops ofbarley and a few pine trees. The surrounding district isswampy wood, and reeds, being a part of the Maremme , ofwhich I have already said a few words. The river Seleruns through these Maremme , and might be made, underthe management I shall speak of at the proper place, sub-servient to the drainage and restoration to agriculture,of above two hundred square miles of land. About threemiles distant from the temples is the royal shooting palaceand the game preserve of Persano ; and in the neighbour-hood, are several shooting boxes of the Neapolitan nobility,all, at that season of the year (June) shut up; besides wehad no introduction to any of the keepers. After a fruitlesssearch for some refreshment, Steuart and I consoled our-selves by a pleasant swim, and diving for and eating raw abivalve “ shell fish” called cannolichic ; in England, I be-lieve, “ razor fish.”

We returned to the temples and found Smirke all intentupon his architectural work, which he executed with ad-mirable precision and ability. He never took any thing for