SALINO, one of the Lipari islands, situated be-
tween Sicily and Italy, consists of two mountains both
in an high state of cultivation. The one lying more
towards the north than the other is rather the highest
of the two, and is called del Capo, "the head." The
other is called della Fossa felice, or "the happy valley."
One third of the extent of these hills from the bottom
to the summit is one continued orchard, consisting of
vines, olive, fig, plum, apricot, and a vast diversity of
other trees. The white roofs of the houses, which are
everywhere interspersed amid this diversity of verdure
and foliage, contribute to variegate the prospect in a
very agreeable manner. The back part of almost all
the houses is shaded by an arbour of vines, supported
by pillars of brick, with cross poles to sustain the
branches and foliage of the vines. Those arbours shelter
the houses from the rays of the sun, the heat of
which is quite scorching in these southern regions. The
vines are extremely fruitful; the poles bending under
the weight of the grapes.
The scenes in this island are more interesting to the
lover of natural history than to the antiquarian. See
RETICULUM.
On the south side of the island, however, there are
still to be seen some fine ruins of an ancient bath, a
Roman work. They consist of a wall 10 or 11
fathoms in extent, and terminating in an arch of no
great height, of which only a small part now remains.
The building seems to have been reduced to its present
state rather by the ravages of men than the injuries
of time. Almost all the houses in the island are built
of materials which have belonged to ancient monu-
ments. The ancients had, in all probability, baths of
fresh as well as of salt water in this island; for when-
ever the present inhabitants have occasion for a spring
of fresh water, they have only to dig a pit on the
shore, and pure sweet water flows in great abundance.
There were formerly mines of alum here, from which
the inhabitants drew a very considerable yearly revenue.
But whether they are exhausted, or whatever circum-
stance may have caused them to be given up, they are
Salisbury. now no longer known. The island abounds in a variety of fruits.
On the east-side it is very populous. There are two places which are both called Lingua, "the tongue," and which contain a good number of inhabitants; the one is near Salino, the other is distinguished by the name of St Marma: there are besides these two other villages. All these places together may contain about 4000 inhabitants: the circumference of the island may be about 14 miles.