There were no large vessels under sail in the bay. A few fishing boats were plying their occupation near the shore, and some small craft were stretching across from Sorrento to the city. All the large shipping lay in the upper part of the bay, behind the mole. Here I found an immense collection of vessels, lying closely in rows, five or six deep, along the shore. There are no wharves. The shore is so bold that vessels may lie close to the land. I was surprised to find this enormous fleet all lying idle. They were stripped of their sails, and mostly bedecked with barnacles and sea-weed, as if they had long been out of occupation. In fact, there is very little commerce carried on by the Neapolitans. Their own ships lie rotting in the bay, while most of their maritime trade is carried on by French and English merchantmen. American vessels hardly ever touch at Naples, on account of the high port-charges. When I got on shore it seemed to me that I was transported into the midst of Babel. Such a crowd of people, such noise, confusion, bawling, chattering, vociferating, and hurly-burly I never before witnessed in my life. I believe the world does not afford another such a scene as the streets of Naples. Everybody seems to be out of doors, and in constant talk, bustle, hurry and agitation. The streets are crowded with passengers; and the _Toledo_, which is the main street of the city, has all day long a crowd in it as dense, lively, and tumultuous as that of Boston mall on election day. It seemed almost to me that I had never been alive before, such exhilaration and excitement were produced by the novelty of the scene. People do not confine themselves to the side-walks, for there are none in the city; but crowd the whole breadth of the street: and all descriptions and classes of people mix up together, without any regard to the distinction of dress, gentility, or rank. Gentlemen, ladies, beggars, hawkers, pedlers, children, carriages, horsemen, donkeys, and herds of goats, are all jumbled up together in an ever-shifting confusion. It is more picturesque than any scene that was ever exhibited at a theatre. As often as a chaise or carriage comes along, the cry of “_gard! gard!_” causes the throng to open and let the vehicle pass. It was the greatest astonishment to me that a hundred people were not run over and killed, the first day that I took my walk through the streets; yet no fatal accident occurred within my observation. Nothing makes a stronger contrast with our manners than the propensity of these people to keep out of doors. They seem to have no privacy, but do almost everything, in the way of business or amusement, in the streets.