From Leonard Darwin to Emma Darwin 10–15 March 1876

Dear Mother.

I managed to get my fortnights leave after all, and here I am in Sicily enjoying the change very much. We had a bad passage from Malta to Syracuse, as the ship was very empty and rolled so that we had to hold on to our bunks for fear of falling out. It did not effect me much, beyond making me a little uncomfortable the whole day afterwards  George was very sick, and fearfully troubled with fleas the fleas being worse than sickness, but It did not seem to do him much harm as he had one his best days, the day after it. We landed at Syracuse and went straight on to Acireale, a big hotel at rather a small town just underneath Etna  It has been fine bright weather since we have been here, but with a strong west wind, which blows the black cinderlike sand about in a most unpleasant way, and makes a mist over all the distant views which also is anoying. We have had however most glorious views of old Etna nearly the whole time. He has been smoking very little since we have been here, only just a little white steam that might be cloud or anything. I fancy it looks much finer in the winter than the summer as the snow line is so much lower; it gives me a mad desire to go up it when ever I look at it, but luckily, I think, it is not the season, and it could not be done; it would repay one less than any mountain almost as there would be no other mountains to look at. This is a very delightful spot, about half an hour's [illeg] above the sea and railway, with a nice little hotel, and not too many fleas. George has had rather a bad day so that we have sayed here longer than we intended but it as well as it is the nicest place in Sicily.

Yesterday I tried taking a guide for a walk, but it was a failure as he took me as stupid a walk as could be found in this beautiful country; today I wandered off alone in the morning up to a little town situated right at the top of a little peak about 1500 feet above the sea; dirty and squalid as it could possibly be but wonderfully picturesque, with Etna and the coast line of Italy in the distance. Every thing here is so different from Malta the language is so much prettier, and the people finer looking and more like Europeans, but dirtier I think, as they look as if they never washed. It makes one rather curious to think about what a delightful place Malta might have been, and they could have done it so easily with a few feet of Earth. Messina Monday March 15^th.

We came on here yesterday by rail and are going on to Naples this afternoon. The sea is as calm as a mill pond but it will be just like our luck if it blows up now. I expect I shall just be back again in Malta in time for the P of W, who I should be sorry to miss, as the jokes in his honor may be worth seeing  I dont quite know what they will be, perhaps an attack of Malta by the fleet a review, a great ball given by the Army & Navy &c. &c.

Your affec son | Leonard Darwin