The "Ear of Dionysius."

The famous "Ear of Dionysius" is an extensive subterranean excavation in Syracuse, Sicily, made by order of the tyrant Dionysius to be used as a prison. It is perforated with caverns, and in one of these, according to tradition, the tyrant used to conceal himself on a lofty rock, where, taking advantage of the echoes, he could learn what his prisoners were planning. This cavern is truly remarkable,--it is shaped like the letter S; is 183 feet long, 30 feet wide and 70 feet high. A whisper at one end of the S can be distinctly heard at the other end by putting the ear against the rock; the tearing of paper sounds like a volley of shots, while a shout produces a hurricane of echoes. The effect of singing is also very remarkable. Those who wish to visit the hiding place of Dionysius must be drawn up to it by ropes. Among many interesting ruins in the city of Syracuse are the Roman Amphitheatre and the Greek theatre; the Street of the Tombs; the splendid Temples of Bacchus and Proserpine, built by Gelon (480 B. C.), from the spoils of Carthage; and the ancient Church of St. Giovanni, where St. Paul preached.