_,
A

RESIDENCE

AT

CONSTANTINOPLE,

IN THE YEAR

1827.
WITH NOTES TO THE PRESENT TIME.

" Shall we, whose souls are lighted
With wisdom from on high,
Shall we to men benighted,
The lamp of life deny ?" — Heber.

BY JOSIAH BREWER,
MISSIONARY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN.

SECOND EDITION.

NEW-HAVEN:
PUBLISHED BY DTJRKIE AKD TECK.
1830.

)-wv\\w\a

DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT, SS.
Be it remembered, That on the twenty fourth
I L. S. \ day of December, in the fifty-fourth year of the In-
»w~.~v._ dependence of the United States of America, Dur-
rie & Peck, of the said District have deposited in this office,
the title oi a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors,
in the words following, to wit : —
" A residence at Constantinople in the year 1827, with notes
to the present time.
" Shall we, whose souls are lighted
With wisdom from on high,
Shall we to men benighted,
The lamp of life deny ?" — Heber.
"• By Josiah Brewer, Missionary to the Mediterranean."
In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States,
entitled, " An act for the encouragement of learning, by secur
ing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and.
proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mention
ed." And also to the Act, entitled, " An Act supplementary
to an Act, entitled, ' An Act for the encouragement of learn
ing, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the
Authors and Proprietors of such copies during the times there
in mentioned,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of
designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints."
CHA'S A. INGERSOLL,
Clerk of the District of Connecticut.
A true copy of Record, examined and sealed by me,
CHA'S A. INGERSOLL,
Clerk of the District of Connecticut.
EaJU

PRINTED BY BALDWIN AND TREADWAY.

DEDICATION.

To the Members of the Boston Female Society, for the
Promotion, of Christianity among the Jews,
This volume, the result of observations during
a missionary tour, performed under their patronage,
is respectfully and gratefully dedicated by
The Author.
New-Haven, Dec. 4, 1829.

NOTE BY THE PUBLISHERS.

Perhaps some apology may be due from the
publishers to the numerous subscribers for this
work, that the second edition has appeared
before the first was distributed. Before the
printing of the first edition was completed, it
was ascertained that there was not a sufficient
number of books for the subscribers in our
immediate vicinity, and it was deemed advisa
ble to print a supply before any copies were
distributed. This arrangement has delayed its
publication but three or four weeks; and we
presume our apology will be perfectly satisfac
tory.

PREFACE.

At the invitation of the Society to which this work
is dedicated, I went to the Mediterranean particularly
with the view of investigating the condition of the
Jews. Being diverted from my original purpose of
first visiting Jerusalem, I sat down at Constantinople
where they are more numerous than in any other city
on the globe. I had not forgotten the axiom that
" Till a man is capable of conversing with ease among
the natives of a country, he can never be able to form
an adequate idea of their policy and manners." Ac
cordingly my first attention was chiefly directed to
acquiring the spoken languages of the people among
whom I dwelt. I did not even learn so much of the
state of society as was in the power of an eye witness
merely, but was waiting to carry on my investigations
without the aid of an interpreter. The public eye being
however directed towards Constantinople and the East
by those events which occasioned my withdrawal from
Turkey, I have hoped that a work of no higher pre
tensions than this, might interest the general reader.
More especially, have I had in view that class of per
sons who are seeking to fulfil the farewell command of
the Saviour, " Go ye into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature." If the following pages
shall prove the means of quickening their sympathies,
calling forth their prayers and giving a wise direction
1*

O PREFACE.
to their exertions, the highest desires of the author
will be gratified.
The original form of letters to friends and patrons
is preserved, with such additions and corrections as
seemed important. A desire to present as complete
a view as possible of the condition of the Jews, has
led to a free use of the works of others in the chapters
on Jewish subjects. The same reason and the neces^
sity of hastening my return to the Mediterranean, have
prevented so full an exhibition of Turkish institutions
as was originally intended. The whole is commended
to the blessing of Him whose Providence will yet
fulfil his promise that "the wolf shall dwell with
the lamb; and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fading
together."

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
VOYAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. Page.
Departure from Boston — Gulf Stream — A storm
— The Western Islands — African Coast — Lesser
incidents of the voyage — Sea Stores — Condition of
Seamen — Arrival at Gibraltar. - - - 13
CHAPTER II.
GIBRALTAR.
Jewish synagogue— The Rock— The town—Mili
tary works— Missionaries— Want of American chap
lains abroad. .... 24
CHAPTER III.
GIBRALTAR TO MALTA.
Lipari islands — Straits of Sicily — Messina — Vio
lent squall — Apostolic recollections — Approach to
Malta — Quarrantine harbor, - - 32
CHAPTER IV.
MALTA.
Extent and population — History — The knights of
Malta — Language — Valletta — The country — Curi
osities and antiquities. 37
CHAPTER V.
MALTA.
Funeral of the Governor, Marquis of Hastings-^-
Prosperity and consequent obligations of our country
— American and English missionaries — Operations
of the press — Recent and hopeful changes. 45
CHAPTER VI.
SMYRNA.
Change of destination from Palestine to Asia Mi
nor — Voyage to Smyrna — Border ground between
the western and oriental nations — Defenceless state
of the city — The shipping — Frank quarter — Turk
town — Varied appearance of the people — Castle
hill — Antiquities. - ... 55

o CONTENTS.
CHATPER VII.
SMYRNA.
Admonition from the"Seven churches" — Popula
tion — Refinement — Importance as a missionary sta
tion — Commerce — American trade with Turkey —
Proposed departure — Separation from my associate
United States' sloop of war Ontario — Acknowledg
ment of civilities received. - - 65
CHAPTER VIII.
SMYRNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE.
An apostle's route retraced — Entrance of the Hel
lespont — Abydos — Hill of Xerxes — Castles and town
of the Dardanelles — European side of the Straits —
Maita — Example of a pious captain — Parium. 76
CHAPTER IX.
FIRST WEEKS IN THE CITY.
Pilgrim lot ofthe missionary-Temporary residence
in Pera — Mild weather — Recollections of home — A
Levant boarding house— Method of heating room-
Fellow boarders and acquaintances — Changed
and peaceful aspect of the city — Rumors of the
plague. .... 85
CHAPTER X.
CONSTANTINOPLE.
Its situation— Harbor of the Golden Horn — Con
stantinople proper— Extent— Walls— Royal mosques
Mausoleums— The Atmeidan— The djerid— Other
antiquities-Cisterns-Aqueducts,fountains and baths
—Bazars — Manufactures — Castle of Seven Towers
— Mosque of Ejoub — Seraglio. 92
CHAPTER XI.
THE SUBURBS AND VICINITY.
Principal quarters ofthe Rayahs — Galata— To-
pliana — Navy Yard and Prison — Pera— Scutari 
The Bosphorus— Buyuk-dere— Valley of sweet wa
ters— Belgrade— Aspect of the surrounding coun
try — Fanar-Baktchesi— Princes' Islands — Popula
tion. ... 10Q

CONTENTS. 9
CHAPTER XII.
THE PLAGUE AND KINDRED EVILS.
Removal to the Princes' Islands — Singular pre
caution against the plague — Number of its victims
— History — Symptoms — Remedies — Great terror
caused by the disease — Different theories respect
ing contagion — Preventives — Duty of the philan
thropist — Filth of the Levant — Vermin — Dogs-
Proposed plan foi their destruction — Two modes
of self- preservation — Fires. - - - 105
CHAPTER XIII.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.
Turkish currency — Weights and measures—Sum
mer's employment — Hopeful Armenian youth —
Turkish women and Rayahs — Slight illness — Fruits
and provisions. - - - - - 124
CHAPTER XIV.
RESIDENCE AT THE PRINCES' ISLANDS.
Situation — Desolate islets — Mineral and veget
able productions — A widowed family — Permanent
and occasional residents — Intercourse with the city
— Monasteries— Their secular character — Proper
ty — Ecclesiastical prison — Superstitious resort of
the sick — Brutal conduct of an Hegumenos — A
benevolent monk — Churches — Agiasmas — Priests. 135
CHAPTER XV.
RESIDENCE AT THE PRINCES' ISLANDS.
Government ofthe islands — Arrival of a Turkish
regiment — Uneasiness of the inhabitants — Good
conduct ofthe soldiers — Schools in Prinkipos — Efr
forts for the instruction of youth — Distribution of
Greek tracts — Eagerness of the people to obtain
them — Publicity of distribution — Results. - 146
CHAPTER XVI.
RESIDENCE AT THE PRINCES' ISLANDS.
Accidental introduction to medical practice —
Prevalence of disease — Affecting instance of super
stition— Unfeeling physician— Importunity of friends
— Vaccination — Advantages and disadvantages of
uniting the medical with the missionary character

10

CONTENTS.

— Hermits and ascetics — State of Morals — Con
cluding remarks. - - - - - 154
CHAPTER XVH.
TOUR ALONG THE COAST OP BITHYNIA.
Reasons for undertaking the journey — First fif
teen miles from Constantinople — Chaitalarni — Aga
of the village — Friendly treatment of the Turkish
authorities — Attempts ofthe villagers at imposition
— Panteichiou — Ruined Greek Monasteries — To-
usla — Applications for medical aid — Visit to a
Turkish lady — Bad character of the people — To-
usla to Aritchu. - - 168
CHAPTER XVIII.
TOUR ALONG THE COAST OF BITHYNIA.
Aritchu— A worthy Greek family — Medical fame
— Turkish patients — A Greek waiting in the church.
for miraculous cure— An oriental feast — Crowd of
sick— Galloway— Ride into the interior— Hot springs
of Daglimnam — A night on the mountains of Bithy-
nia — Civilities of a Turkish family — Conversation
with a Mahometan — Daghamam to Galloway —
Return to Prinkipos. - - - - 178
CHAPTER XIX.
LITERARY NOTICES.
Interruption of plans for travel and study — Im
portance of preparatory reading in America — Opin
ion of Prof. Lee— First year's studies — Languages
ofthe Les-ant — Best mode of acquiring them  Fa
miliarity with oriental objects — Manuscripts and
books. - - - ' - - . . 193
CHAPTER XX.
LAST WEEKS AT CONSTANTINOPLE.
Negative answer ofthe Porte to the demands of
the allied powers — Doubtful results of this interfer
ence — Proposed withdrawal to Greece — Arrival of
an American friend — Means of communication with
America — Temporary embargo — Final Departure
• — Servile custom on passing the Seraglio  The
heir apparent — State of the city — Previous excur
sion up the Bosphorus and through the Valley of

CONTENTS. 1 1
Sweet Waters — A sight of the Sultan — Death of
my associate.  201
CHAPTER XXI.
DEPARTURE FROM TURKEY.
Temperance ofthe Mahometans — Island of Mar
mora — Characters of my companions — Conversa
tion on the usages of their church — Broukolakas —
Gallipoli — The Dardanelles as a missionary station
— Tenedos — Alexandria Troas. - - 216
CHAPTER XXII.
SCIENTIFIC NOTICES.
Thermometrical observations in the Atlantic and
Mediterranean — At Smyrna and Constantinople —
Tribute to a departed friend — Geological collection,
and notes on Constantinople and the Bosphorus —
Shores of the Marmora — Daghamam — Princes'
Islands — Dardanelles — Tenedos — Alexandria Tro
as — Smyrna— Sepulchral stones— Concluding hints. 239
CHAPTER XXIII.
JEWS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN.
Boston Female Jews' Society — Its first Mission
ary — Feast of Tabernacles — Jewish Synagogue —
Jews of Gibraltar — Northern Africa — Morocco —
Algiers — Tunis — Tripoli — Egypt — Abyssinia — A
Jewish wedding — Eminent Jewish Physician — Jews
of Southern Europe — Rome — Proposed Jewish
College — Greece. ... - 255
CHAPTER XXIV.
JEWS OF EUROPEAN TURKEY.
Thessalonica — Jewish Mahometans — Great ex
citement among the Constantinople Jews — Baptism
of three hopeful converts — Their imprisonment —
Efforts for their release — Apostacy of one of their
number — Domestic government of the Jews and
other Rayahs — Jewish teacher — Condition ofthe
Jews in Constantinople — Visit to Jewish villages —
A betrothal — Lengthened imprisonment of converts
_ — Jewish-Spanish language — Sundry individuals —
A Jewish cemetery— Release of imprisoned converts. 292

12 CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXV.
JEWS OF ASIA.
Smyrna— Visits to Jewish families— Uproar in
the Synagogue— Aged females— Schools— The Pass
over — Asia Minor — Syria Palestine — Jerusalem —
Missionary labors in Greece— Reasons for ieturning
to America — Memorials of missionary brethren —
Whole number of Jews in the world— The ten tribes
—Return of the Jews to Palestine— Different sects
—Efforts for their improvement. - - 350
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE FRANKS OF CONSTANTINOPLE.
Numbers — -Native Franks — Foreign Ambassa
dors — Roma n Catholics— Protestants— Negligence
of Protestant Nations. .... 371
CHAPTER XXVII.
RELIGION OF THE TURKS.
<- Union of Religion- and Law — Priesthood — At
tempted Reforms—Intolerance— Means of advan
cing Christianity.  378

CHAPTER I.
VOYAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
Departure from Boston — Gulf-Stream — A storm — The Wes
tern Islands — African Coast — Lesser incidents of the voyage
— Sea stores — Condition of Seamen — Arrival at Gibraltar.
At sea, n. _. 40° 51'. w.l. 35°. )
October 4, 1826. S
MY DEAR E.
The Atlantic I have expected to find like Israel's
" waste howling wilderness," spread out as a trial of
patience, before entering the promised land. Short be
oui passage, is the prayer of the voyager, and shorter
still, you may add, be the story of it. Yet, since you
have requested to share in the benefits of my pilgrim
age, think not to stand with me on Mount Zion, without
first learning something of the inconveniences and trials
encountered by the way.
I wrote you from Boston, Saturday, Sept. 16, that we
(Rev. Elnathan Gridley and myself,) were already em
barked for Gibraltar, in the brig Glide, Capt. Richardson.
We hoped to have unmoored during the night, but the
Sabbath sun rose upon us while we still lay at anchor.
The owner came on board, to give his final instruc
tions ; and I had an opportunity of exchanging a fare
well gaze with the friend, who, so much in the spirit of
that hastening era, has sung " the Age of Benevo
lence."* The church-going bell sent also its soften-
* Rev. Carlos Wilcox. It was not until my return to Ame
rica, that I learned the loss which sacred poesy and the cause
of his great argument, had sustained in his death.
2

14
ed notes of parting amongst the islands, t where we lay
becalmed for several hours. Just at evening, a fresh
breeze springing up, we took our departure from the
light-house, and by Monday noon, were a hundred
miles at sea.
Our captain's wish was to keep out of the Gulf
stream, and near the northern edge ; as he considered
the additional rate of the current (one or two knots,
i. e. miles, an hour) more than compensated by the
increased exposure to squally weather within. The
north-east equinoctial wind drove us off, however,
from our course, and it was not many days before we
found ourselves in the stream. Our approach to it
was apparent, from the great quantities of weed,
(brought probably from the coasts of Southern Ameri
ca,) as well as from the blueness of the waters, and
still more from their increased temperature. My
thermometer, which I kept constantly employed, show
ed the highest temperature to be 79°.* I had no op
portunity of repeating the experiments, which have
been made to ascertain the depth of the stream 
You know it has been compared to a river of warm
water, running like oil upon the surface of the ocean,
and gradually becoming broader and more shallow, as
it proceeds. During the first week, our progress was but slow ;
and on Monday the 25th Sept. we were overtaken by
a severe gale. This compelled us to lie to, under a
single close-reefed topsail, for many hours. We lands
men slept little that night, and the seamen manifested
considerable apprehension. For most of the follow-
* The average of the ocean at a distance from land, and
without the gulf, was between 71° and 72°.

15
ing day, the wind continued to blow with unabated
violence, though the sun was shining in all his clear
ness, and scarcely a cloud was to be seen. When at
the last our fears began to subside, we gazed with ad
miration on the mountain waves, crested with snowy
whiteness, and of the purest green beneath. Among
them, ever and anon, you fix your eye on one far high
er than the rest, which comes threatening to over
whelm you, until at the vessel's side, it sinks down
submissively, and bears you up on high ! But I will not
tire you with an often and usually an ill-told tale. De
scription is in vain to convey an adequate idea of such
a scene. " They that go down to the sea in ships, that
do business in great waters, these see the works of the
Lord, and his wonders in the deep."
Since the gale, we have been favored with a fine wes
terly wind, which has wafted us in our course at the
rate of seven or eight knots in the hour. I am quite
surprised at the effect of a few days familiarity with sea
life. Already I feel myself almost as much at home, as
though I were on land. But I hear the order, " Give
the people their supper," which is always a prelude to
our own. From my resting place upon the fathomless
ocean, over, I know not what, leviathans and monsters
of the deep, I must, therefore, bid you good night.- —
Under the protection, however, of Him, who is with
you, the Watchman, and with us, the Pilot of Israel, our
sleep may be alike, sweet and secure. At Sea, October 6.
To-day, for the first time since we left Boston, have
we had a sight of land. It is the island of Corvo, the
most easterly and northerly of the Azores. Flores, a

16
much larger island, is also just visible in the horizon.
More than half the breadth of the Atlantic is now pas
sed over. Wearied with looking out, even for a few
weeks, on the wide waste of waters, it is grateful in
the; extreme, to meet with these fixed and verdant ob-
jects, planted in the midst of the ocean. Yet I suppose
the experienced mariner would rather forego this plea
sure, in order to avoid the storms which often gather
around them. Straits of Gibraltar, October 21.
Having passed Corvo and Flores, we had a distant
view of Terceira* and Gratiosa, and ran a little to the
southward of St. Michael and St. Mary. We came so
near St. Michael's, that we got becalmed under the
land, and could see, with our glass, the churches and
dwelling houses, the cattle feeding in the pastures, and
the laborers busied in the fields.
These islands, you are aware, are volcanic, and their
surface very irregular. They are laid out into numerous
little enclosures, which are exceedingly fruitful, and are
now as green as our gardens in May. The vine and
the orange are the principal articles of cultivation.
After our equinoctial, and the more violent storm of
the 25th, we had eight or ten days of favorable wind,
and delightful weather ; then succeeded a third gale,
more severe than the first, but in neither did we carry
away any thing of consequence.
This morning, at the earliest dawn, we came in sight
of the African coast. It was truly a splendid spectacle
to witness the sun, slowly rising from behind the dis
tant hills, which appeared, from their elevation and
* Terceira is the island which has so successfully resisted the
tyranny of n_„ _Ti<n__l.

17
whiteness, as though crowned with everlasting snows.
My first emotions were rather of a pensive cast, and
I exclaimed, almost involuntarily, in the familiar lan
guage of one of our philanthropists, " Oh ! Africa !
unhappy, ill-fated region !" But I recollected the bright
and beauteous border, with which liberty and primi
tive Christianity are encircling her western and south
ern shores. I thought also of the gospel, as carrying
around a remedy for all the wrongs, and all the sor
rows, and all the guilt of humanity, and remembering
the promise, " Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands to
God," could joyfully anticipate the time, when its
cheering influence should be shed on every corner of
her afflicted land.
How much of life is sometimes crowded into a few
short hours ! These painful thoughts of the past, and
lovelier visions of coming years, were soon driven
away by present and surrounding objects. In every
direction were to be seen the light market boats of
the country, flitting along with their red and yellow
sails ; or the statelier ship, bearing in its hold the pro
ductions of half a province. The land birds too came
winging their way around our vessel, as if to bid us
welcome. They were of various hues, and some pour
ed forth the sweetest strains ; but I turned from them
all, to listen, not to the canary, and to gaze, not on the
bird of paradise, but our own little chirping Mrd. In
thoughts, and sights, and sounds like these, and in watch
ing the varied scenery, as we beat from side to side,
the day has thus been delightfully passed " from morn
to set of sun."
We have spoken but a single vessel on our passage,
which was bound from Jamaica to Halifax. She had
2*

been dismasted in a hurricane, and on seeing us, stood
off her course, to enquire our longitude.
Other incidents, which you would be likely to re
cord on your first voyage, are the. following. Two dol
phins, caught with the harpoon. They are more than
a foot in length, and of a most beautiful copper-green
and changeable color. The sailors believe they are
sometimes poisonous, and the captain directed a piece
of silver to be thrown, as a test, into the vessel where
they were boiling. Had the silver become tarnished,
no one would have ventured to eat of them. Several
flying fish, which are very palatable, came on board of
their own accord. They are six or eight inches long,
with wings' resembling those of a bat. When pursued
by other fish, or in sport, they will rise in flocks from
the water, and glide through the air, a number of rods,
before alighting. We made many unsuccessful attempts
with our harpoons, upon the shoals of porpoises, which
sported around the vessel. For the sharks we threw
out our hooks, but only took their " pilots," which are
a small eatable fish, usually found in company with
them. For passage to Gibraltar, we have paid seventy dol
lars each. One hundred is, I believe, a more common
price. For this, of course, we are entitled only to the
ordinary provisions of the vessel — hard bread, salt
meat, and a few vegetables. Occasionally we have
had warm wheat or Indian cakes at breakfast, and a
pudding on Sundays. The dried fruit (currants, cran
berries and apples,) which our friends in the country
put up, were a great luxury. Our soda powders have
also been exceedingly grateful. I am thus particular
on the subject of sea stores, that should you ever have

19
occasion to cross the Atlantic in any other than a packet
ship, you may avoid the.error into which we fell. Ow
ing to our inexperience of sea-life, and the haste in
which we set sail, we neglected to take a proper supply
of fresh provisions. In ordinary circumstances, a mis
sionary man may be excused for giving himself as little
concern as we did, about meats and drinks. But where,
as in our case, health suffers in consequence, there is
also a loss of time, which, I need not tell you, is ac
quiring a more golden value, now that we are looking
forward to do the work of life among people, of whose
languages, history, opinions and customs, we are in a
great degree ignorant.
We have succeeded in filling up about half our time
very profitably, in reading history and travels, but we
have attempted httle regular study.
The crew of our vessel are only ten, all told. The'
captain and two mates constitute the officers : these,
with ourselves, occupy the cabin. Our captain, as is
frequently the case, acts also as the supercargo. The
cook serves likewise in the additional capacity of stew
ard. His familiar and favorite title, is that of " doc
tor." In our vessel, we have no separate offices of
carpenter, sail-maker, and the-'like. Every master of
a vessel is bound to have a medicine chest on board.
With the aid of a book of directions, and constantly
increasing experience, ordinary cases of disease, he
may treat tolerably well. He can also extract a tooth,
open a vein, bind up a wound, and, perhaps, set a limb.
The mates, each of them, have their quadrant, and
compare their observations with the captain's, when
he " takes the sun" at noon. Some of the more in
telligent " keep the ship's reckoning" for themselves,

20
The " log book" is kept by the first mate. This is
made up from his own observations of wind, weather,
and remarkable occurrences, and from the course and
rate of the vessel, as entered on the slate by the offi
cer of the deck, at the close of every watch.
The captain, supercargo, steward and cook have no
regular watch. The remainder of the crew are di
vided into two companies, which, under the direction of
the mates, take their alternate watch on deck, every
four hours. The dog-watches are only two hours \
from four to six, and six to eight in the afternoon. —
Thus you see that our vessel, of more than two hun
dred tons, has ordinarily but four persons to guide the
helm and manage the sails. American vessels, general
ly, are \ sailed with fewer seamen than those of other
nations. The men, however, are better paid, receiving
from eight to twelve dollars a month.
Some alterations of the sails require " all hands."
These changes, if possible, are made when the new
watch is called. In all vessels, during the afternoon, and
in some duiing the forenoon, the watch off duty are re
quired to be engaged in mending sails, picking oakum,
or other light work. An hour (from twelve to one) is
allowed the men for dinner and recreation. True to
the glass, all are then summoned to their labors. 
To these regular employments, should be added,
the extra calls, that changing and stormy weather
make on the " watch below deck," and the disposi
tion to sleep, which springs from hard labor and al
ternate exposure to damps and cold by night, and
winds and scorching sun by day. You will hence
readily see how little time remains during the week
for idleness, or attention to their personal concerns.

21
On the Sabbath, however, most kinds of unneces
sary labor are suspended, and the men shave, and
change their dress. Some of the more serious then
take their Bibles, and others their song books, while
not a few are engaged in washing or repairing their
clothes. At such times, we teach the steward to
iead from the New Testament, and occasionally find
opportunities of conversing with the men on religious
subjects. We have not, however, had public worship
on board. Masters of vessels generally, are opposed
to their passengers holding much intercourse with the
crew. It is unfavorable, they say, to the maintenance
of discipline, and leads to the neglect of important du
ty. Such suggestions ought to be regarded ; — conver
sation should not be had with the helmsman, nor unsea
sonable questions asked of the captain or officers and
men on duty.
Missionaries and religious men, in particular, should
studiously conform to all the regulations of the vessel,
and proper wishes of the officers, if they would hope to
be useful on board. They should remember, if unac
customed to the sea, that confined as is so large a com
pany to such narrow limits, there must necessarily be a
want of some conveniences, and a mutual sacrifice of
inclinations. Under these restrictions, how salutary,
however, even in the promotion of diligence and fideli
ty, would be the influence of religious instruction ! —
There are times, when the fear of man ceases to re
strain and excite, and some more powerful motive is
wanted to operate on the heart.
In most merchant vessels, occasional blows and ex
tra labors are resorted to, for keeping the men in sub
jection. More frequently, reproofs and threatening

are made to suffice, accompanied too often with a vol
ley of oaths and cuises. Our captain, like others, ha
bitually keeps his pistols and various weapons by the
side of his birth, ready for any emergency.
We have been favored in having a commander so
polite and intelligent, and free from some too common
faults of ship masters. His practice is, to furnish the
men with a glass of spirits daily, and an extra glass in
rough weather. How much the habit of intemperate
drinking may endanger a vessel, we have seen this eve
ning in  whose place the captain was obliged to
supply, after he had sent him below.
Water has been free to the ciew, with only occasion
al complaints that they were so thirsty, and admonitions
to guard against its waste. We passengers have con
formed to the usage of washing in that of the ocean.
As yet, we have scarcely broached a cask below deck.
In these, I believe, it is required by law, that merchant
vessels crossing the Atlantic, shall have at least sixty
gallons for each individual.
A sea life, under the most favorable circumstances,
and even in the approaching millennial days, will be
regarded as a necessary evil to be borne for the good
of society. If the officers were reasonable in their
commands, and humane in their conduct ; the men at
tentive to their business, respectful to their officers, and
obliging to each other ; and if the owners were libe
ral in their supply of provisions, and the crew provi
dent in their purchases of clothing ; — there would
still be such a destitution of healthful diet, such expo
sure to weather, and change of climate, and such want
of medical skill, as would doubtless make the genera
tion of seamen shorter lived than any other class"

23
The information to be derived from visiting foreign
countries, which soon lose most of their interest,
would by no means compensate for a long continued
absence from family and friends. How much more
then, is the sailor deserving our sympathy in the
present imperfect state of society, and degraded con
dition of the profession. Seldom have I met with ope,
who did not regret that he had entered upon an em
ployment, from which nothing but habit prevented
his breaking away. Their vices, together with the
unavoidable causes which have been mentioned, bring
most of them to an untimely end. A sailor at forty,
is an old man, and if my observation has been correct,
is rarely to be met with. Add to this, his necessary ab
sence from the sanctuary, and many of the means of
grace, his want of Christian society, and exposure to
peculiar temptations, and how loud is the call, that
they who care for the better life of poor Jack, should
hold out a helping hand, to encourage him in his way
Zion-ward. Gibraltar, Oct. 23.
It was just five weeks since the music of the Boston
bells died away on our ears, when we yesterday en
tered the harbor, in season to hear those of this plaee,
summoning its Christian population to their Sabbath
morning's worship. Mr. Gridley went on shore, to at
tend the evening service at the Methodist chapel, and
has not yet returned. Cape Spaitel, the first land
which we made in the old world, is only thirty or forty
miles from Gibraltar. Had it not been for a head wind
which blew down the straits, we should have been at
anchor here on Saturday. On the whole, our voyage

24
has been long and rough. Several vessels were much
injured in the gale which we encountered, and one from
New York is supposed to be lost. But we, througi the
hand of our God upon us for good, have been borne
across the mightier ocean, to enter on " this great and
wide sea," around whose shores, we expect to spend
the remaining years of our pilgrimage.

CHAPTER II.
GIBRALTAR.
Jewish synagogue — The Rock — The town — Military works —
Missionaries — Want of American chaplains abroad.
Gibraltar, Oct. 25.
MY DEAR G.
Though I anticipate, if life is spared, revisiting my
native land after a few years, yet, considering your ad
vanced age and increasing infirmities, I may not find
you still a sojourner below. I desire, therefore, before
I leave this place, where I can already look out on
Jewish dwellings, and Mahometan and Catholic lands,
to stop and hold another conversation with you. I wish
much, while I am now writing, I could reach you some
of those rich grapes, almost equal to the clusters of
Eshcol, which lie piled up in the market-place. I
wish more, I could show you the interior of the Jew
ish synagogue, into which I have twice been. You
might have seen me there seated in the midst of vene
rable men, whose flowing robes, and long descending
beards, silvery as the locks now thinly scattered over

25
your own brow, brought to my mind the patriarchs of
old. Alas ! for the unbelief of these elders of Israel.
Yet I felt it in my heart to pity, rather than condemn,
when they rose up and turned their faces towards Je
rusalem ; then covered them with thei^hands, and bow
ing down to the earth, exclaimed in the Hebrew tongue,
" Blessed art thou, Jehovah, the Lord of Hosts."
October 26. — Though almost as thread-bare at heme
as the ocean, you will expect me to say something of Gib
raltar. Pass up then the straits, until just where they
open into the Mediterranean, and the Spanish coast bends
abruptly to the northeast. Loosen next from its foun
dations, one of your hills of secondary magnitude, say,
fourteen hundred feet in height, two or three miles in
length, and from three fourths, to a mile and a half in
breadth at its base. Place this nearly at right angles
to the straits, with its perpendicular sides to the north
and east, and frightful precipices to the south ; join it
also on the north, by a low sandy isthmus to the Eu
ropean shore. That hill, with its camel-formed sum
mit, often concealed in the clouds, is the " rock of Gib
raltar." The sandy isthmus is the " neutral ground,"
at the extremities of which, are stations of British and
Spanish guards. The portion of water, four miles in
depth, and about the same in breadth, embosomed by
the rock and the Spanish coast, is Gibraltar Bay. At the
head of the bay, is the pleasant Spanish village of St.
Roque, and on the western side, the town of Algeziras.
The high mountains of Spain rise one above the oth
er, far in the distant horizon.

26
From the narrow ridge of the rock, in which you
may observe three eminences higher than the rest,
the descent towards the west is more gradual. Upon
this side also, there are some acres of a tolerable level,
between the foot of the mountain and the sea. Here,
then, you will look for the town of Gibraltar, with its
crowded population of twenty or thirty thousand, Eng
lish, Spanish, Jewish, Moorish, &,c* On entering
the bay from the south, you first pass the naval and
military stations, and next the public gardens, in which
are a few trees, a bust ofthe Duke of Wellington, and a
statue of Gen. Elliot. The latter is holding in his hand
the key of the city, which he so successfully defended
against the grand attack of the Spaniards. Still farther
up the harbor, is the town. This is surrounded by
separate walls, and when the sun-down gun is fired,
its gates are closed, and if lingering within, you are a
prisoner until the morning. Yet you are a prisoner in
safe keeping, for the soldiers which are posted in the
street every stone's cast, constitute a most vigilant
police. Many of the houses have a small open court in the
centre, around which, are galleries, with flights of
winding stairs. In some instances we observed trees
and shrubbery growing in this inner area. Into this
also, the windows often open. As might be expected
from the very limited extent of ground, house rent is
very dear. Board at one or two tolerable hotels, is

* Since the wasting sickness of the last year, (1828,) and now
that Cadiz is also become a free port, ten or twelve thousand in
habitants are said to have left the place. Probably it? commer
cial importance will still continue to diminish.

27
from seven to ten dollars a week. Water, in ordinary
times, (of course there is a supply for the garrison in
case of a siege,) is brought into the town, on the backs
of mules and asses, from the neutial ground. Each
one carries three kegs on a pack-saddle, resembling a
sawyer's horse inverted. Fresh milk is obtained from
the goats, which feed on the steep sides of the rock.
In one of my walks, I have met a goat-herd, driving
a flock of two or three hundred, to pasture. Within a
few years, a little land has been redeemed for vegeta
bles, from the side of a mountain. Most of the pro
visions, however, are brought from Tangiers, thirty
miles distant, on the African side, and near the entrance
of the straits. You can judge of their price from a
single article, that of fowls, which I heard mentioned
at nine dollars a dozen. Fruit comes in abundance
from the coast of Spain. As this is a free port, English,
West India and American produce is comparatively
cheap. The principal article of import from America
is staves. These are for the wine, which the moun-
tains-of Spain pour down in copious streams. A single
newspaper of small size is published" here, under the
particular direction of the government.
Military roads wind around at different elevations,
upon the western and southern sides of the rock. I
have walked this morning, several miles in the Medi
terranean pass, which has been cut under the solid
rock, in one place thirty-five, and in another, fifty steps.
It is of sufficient dimensions for a loaded wagon to
pass through.
I have visited, also, the cave of St. Michael, which
is a little higher up the mountain. You may form

28
some idea of it, from the interior of a darkened church,
without galleries. Several large stalactites of carbo
nate of lime still remain suspended. Beautiful crystal
lizations of the same are found in different places, and
are wrought by the Catholics into trinkets of a great
variety of farms. Brown compact limestone constitutes
the basis of the rock.
The strength of the fortifications is either near the
water at the foot of the western side, or half way up
the mountain, in a covered way, on the north. The
former are for defence against attacks by sea. In these
most of the soldiers are stationed. The highest sum
mits of the mountain are of bare rock, with here and
there a solitary shrub growing in some cleft. On
these, contrary to my anticipations, we were at liberty
to climb unrestrained, far above any soldiers or military
works. The works which are most remarkable, are the ex
cavations on the north. Owing to our short stay, and
a slight lameness with which I am affected, I can only
speak of them from the report of my companion.
They were commenced during the reign of Napoleon,
and are intended to prevent approach on the land side.
The entrance is at an old Moorish castle, about four
hundred feet above the sea. Thence the covered way,
cut in the solid rock, ascends gradually to the north
east, until it reaches the height of eight hundred feet.
The breadth of the gallery may be about ten feet, its
height eight or nine, its distance from the perpen
dicular outside, thirty, and its length several thousand
feet. So gradual is the ascent, that a mule, loaded with
cannon balls, easily makes his way to the farthest ex-

29
tremity. At short intervals, chambers have been hol
lowed out, with port holes opening over the precipice.
In these lie guns of the greatest size, unemployed, and
which seem likely to be so, until " nations learn war no
more." They speak of a thousand cannon in all the
different works, with several years supply of provisions,
constantly in their store-houses, and a garrison of four
or five thousand men.
Situated so easy of access, as is Gibraltar, to Maho
metan Africa on the one hand, and Catholic Spain on
the other, it seems greatly to be desired, that it should
also become one ofthe "strong holds of Zion." Some
few have been stationed here already, who, we trust,
are among the true soldiers of the cross. Of these
we have had the pleasure to make the acquaintance of
Rev. Messrs. Pratten and Barber, missionaries of the
Wesleyan connexion. Their English congregation has
been gathered chiefly from among the military, who
attend, however, during the day, on the regular chap
lain of the garrison. Owing to the constant changes
ofthe regiments, their church, as well as congrega
tion, is necessarily very fluctuating. While some of
its members adorn the doctrine of God, our Saviour,
others, they said, were a source of great grief to them,
principally on account of the single vice of intemper
ance. Mr. P. remembered that the journals of his
predecessor spoke of this, as the great obstacle to the
progress of religion among soldiers, and judging from
his own experience and observation, it still held true
of the whole army. Mr. Barber devotes his attention
more particularly to the Spanish language and popu-
3*

30
lation, and is not without encouraging success in his
labors* We dined in company with the missionaries, at the
house of J. P, Esq. an active, and decided member of
their church. Mr. P. is a lawyer of the first respecta
bility, and possesses in a high degree the confidence
of all classes of residents on the rock. He was enga
ged when we arrived, in preparing the defence of a
man, who was arraigned for murder. Such instances,
notwithstanding the numberless causes of irritation
which must be continually occurring among people of
so many different countries, languages and religions,
were, he assured us, exceedingly rare.
In Dr. H. and family, with whom we have this
morning taken breakfast, we find the warm friends of
Mr. Temple and the other missionaries at Malta.
Dr. H, is at the head of the medical staff, and of the
hospital department in the Mediterranean. Through
his polite attentions, brother G. obtained access to the
more private and important fortifications. It is truly
delightful, to see a family of their high standing, casting
the weight of their influence in favor of evangelical
religion. Several of our own countrymen, whose civilities wq
have experienced, are here established in business.
As in other parts of the Mediterranean where no

* During the late destructive sickness, this faithful mission
ary maintained his post with truly christian heroism. " Beside
the bed of death, the reverend champion stood." Nor did he
neglect his accustomed duty at the grave, where, shortly after
reading the burial service over seventeen persons in one day
he was laid by their side.

31
American missionaries are stationed, seldom, it is to
be feared, do they frequent places of public worship.
How much is it to be regretted that protestants, when
abroad, are not more disposed to imitate the Catholics,
in efforts to provide themselves with the means of re
ligious instruction. Oui merchants in foreign lands,
often exhibit great liberality in the support of various
public objects, and much hospitality towards their tra
velling countrymen. Their patriotism as Americans,
even if religious considerations did not operate, might,
one would suppose, induce them to countenance for
eign chaplains. Should they invite men of learning
and piety to engage in this office, a part of their sup
port could no doubt be obtained from societies at home.
They could likewise act as teachers to their children,
or as their family physicians ; the greater leisure, too,
which they would find for literary pursuits, would, no
doubt, add in this respect to the improvement of their
parishoners. Why should it always be a reproach in
the view of the Heathen, the Mahometans, and Catho
lics, that we are a nation without any religion ? How
few American ambassadors, or consuls, or foreign mer
chants, are doing any thing for the support of the reli
gious institutions of their country !
Two things in Americans, said one of our country
men, who had spent many years in the East, seem strange
and inexplicable to the Turk ; — that we should be a
people without a king, and without a religion. The
former mystery we need not be in haste to clear up,
but the latter is certainly a reproach on us as a chris
tian people. The English, the Dutch, the Swedes,
and other protestant nations, often have their foreign
chaplains, We care not to have them at the expense

32
of a national religion, yet surely there are other ways
in which they may be secured. The remark is not
made in the spirit of complaint, or disrespect, but from
a desire of seeing our countrymen practise '' whatso
ever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of
good report."

CHAPTER III.
GIBRALTAR TO MALTA.
Lipari Islands — Straits of Sicily — Messina — Violent squall —
Apostolic recollections — Approach to Malta — Quarantine
harbor. Messina, Nov. 6.
MY DEAR M.
After spending but four days at Gibraltar, we sailed
thence on the 26th, in the American brig Rook,
Capt. Atwood, bound to Malta, and this place.* At
first we kept near the Spanish coast, until by a change
of wind, we were compelled to run over to the oppo
site side. On the morning of the 29th, we saw Al-
*An incident which occurred to our obliging and friendly cap
tain while he was lying at Gibraltar, is, perhaps worthy of record.
Several nights in succession, he had private interviews with a
Spaniard of high rank, to whom he had been introduced by a
friend. A revolution, he was assured, had been completely or
ganized, and he was solicited to convey some ofthe leaders to a
certain town, the wealth of whose churches was then to be
seized, and entrusted to him for sale at a specified port. In
this manner, the means of sustaining the insurrection were to
be obtained in the first instance. Capt. A. declined the under
taking, but left in confident expectation of soon hearing that the
revolution was begun, both on the coast,and in the north of Spain.

33
giers, with its white castle, at a distance, and for some
days continued in view of the African shores. Anoth
er change of the wind prevented our reaching Malta
by the southern side of Sicily, so that after vainly at
tempting to double Mount " Eryx, and the _Egates" isl
ands, at the western extremity, we coasted along the
northern shore. Palermo, the ancient Panormus, still
the capital of the island, was concealed from our view
in a winding bay. When we drew near the Lipari isl
ands, we encountered a violent squall, with much light
ning and thunder during the night. This was succee
ded by fine weather on the following day, and we had
a delightful prospect of Ustica, which is at a distance
from the group, and then, of Alicudi, Felicudi, Sali-
na, Lipari, Vulcano, Pinaria and Stromboli. All these,
with the numerous surrounding islets, we left on the
north. They presented the usual appearance of vol
canic regions, — deep ravines, and irregular surface.
Our eyes were feasted, however, with the sight of the
green grass which clothed the deep valleys, and the
groves of olive and orange trees, that adorned the hills.
At night, Stromboli rolled up its volumes of smoke, but
Etna was concealed from our view by clouds.
It was not until niglit-fr.ll that we doubled the Faro
light, on the head land, at the entrance to the straits
of Messina. Of course, we could but just discover the
" rock of Scylla," on the Italian side. The current is
very rapid, and a loud roar is constantly heard from
the breakers on the opposite shore. It is not, how
ever, precisely agreed where to look for Charybdis.
At the entrance of the straits, we were met by a num
ber of pilots, all hoping to take advantage of the fears
and the ignorance of strangers. Our captain, who

34
had passed through before, dashed boldly forward, as
if intending to dispense with their assistance. At
length, after repeatedly taking in vain the name of the
Saviour, the emblem of whose cross was suspended
about their necks, they were glad, for a reasonable com
pensation, to conduct us to our anchoring place, on the
evening of November 4th. Besides the watch lights on
the shore, a brilliant spectacle was exhibited by the
torches of hundreds of fishing boats through which we
made our way into the harbor.
Yesterday, when the morning dawned, we found that
we were in a land which had " forgotten her Sab
baths." Being summoned on shore to exhibit ourselves
before the health officer, we saw multitudes following
the ordinary and unnecessary calls of business, or yield
ing to the solicitations of curiosity or pleasure. If
Christianity be a system of faith which purifies and re
strains, how little, alas, do these countries deserve the
name of christian ! Our guardiano, an old man, who
had seen his wife and children swallowed up in the great
earthquake of 1783, is an affecting instance of depravi
ty, while himself just ready to sink into the grave. But
I forbear remark, remembering what might be the first
impressions of a stranger, on visiting the seats of com
merce on our own more favored shores.
Though Messina has suffered much from earth
quakes and the plague, it still continues a populous city.
From the place where we now lie, near the Lazaretto,
its appearance is one of surpassing beauty. The town
is built at the foot, and on the acclivity of a range of
high and broken hills, that run parallel with the shore.
Two buildings have been pointed out, as worthy of
notice. One, called " the mother church," is a vast

35
pile covering several acres, and was quite uninjured by
the great earthquake that destroyed nearly the whole
city. The other, is the remains of a turret, in which
Richard 2d of England lodged, when, like ourselves,
on his way (though, as we trust, with different weapons,)
to the Holy Land. Malta Harbor, Nov. 16.
Our captain did not wait to finish the three weeks
quarantine, which was required of him at Messina, but
sailed thence on the 7th Nov. For a few hours, we
glided pleasantly through the straits, gazing on the
rich scenery of orange groves* and olive yards, inter
sected by the deep dry channels of mountain torrents.
Besides the classical interest which is attached to these
shores, and their natural beauty, so often celebrated by
travellers, we remembered that we were passing by
lands that had been coasted by the first great mission
ary voyager. Scarcely, however, had we " fetched a
compass and come to Rhegium," still a considerable
town on the Italian side, when a violent thunder storm
swept down upon us from Etna. This drove us so far
to the east, that we had not even a sight of " Syracuse."
Then it was, that " neither sun nor stars in many days
appeared, and no small tempest lay upon us."
We had, during our passage from Gibraltar to Malta,
a number of these sudden and terrific blasts. What a
scene is presented on board, in the first mornents of
their coming ! The vessel lies over on its side, so that
its masts seem almost to touch the water. Every sail

* The " Sicily" oranges, which are sent in such quantities to
America, come mostly, we are told, from the main land.

36
is let go, and vain attempts are made to furl them.
The master stands near the helmsman, to whom he con
tinually repeats some word of caution. His hoarse,
loud voice echoes from the trumpet, and mingles with
the wild roar of the wind. The waves increase each
moment, and come sweeping the deck. If to this be
added, a drenching rain, the constant peals of thunder,
and incessant flashes of lightning, a scene more grand
and awful can then scarcely be conceived.
But we did not remain tempest tossed as long as the
Apostle ; for, when only the fourth " night was come, as
we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight,
the shipmert deemed that they drew near to some coun
try, and sounded, and found it" forty "fathoms; and
when they had gone a little further, they sounded again,
and found it" thirty " fathoms. Then, fearing lest they
should have fallen upon rocks," they stood away
from the land, and " wished for day." Being awaken
ed by the change in the vessel's sailing, Mr. G. and
myself arose, and read from our Greek Testaments,
with an interest never before felt, the narrative of
Paul's shipwreck and voyage to Rome. And when it
was day, we knew the land, that it was the island once
called Melita, and discovered, not '' a certain creek with
a shore," but a harbor, " into the which they were
minded if possible to thrust in the ship." Yet a longer
trial of patience awaited us. For while we were con
gratulating ourselves on speedily experiencing the
kindness of our brethren, and anticipating how grate
ful would be the kindling of a fire, " because of the
present rain, and because -of the «old," a fend breeze
and strong southerly current drove us off again to sea,
and it was not until three days after, on the evening

37
of November, 13th, that we came to anchor in the
lesser harbor of Valletta.
As our quarantine is to be short, we perform it on
ship-board, in preference to landing at the Lazaretto.
I have had a slight attack of fever, and it has been
feared by the company, that this would delay the ves
sel in obtaining pratique. Since, however, the rain has
ceased, and we are quietly at anchor in this secure
retreat, I find mysVslf recovering.
On approaching the island, we could discover little
else than a brown naked rock. Upon the more gently
sloping sides of this deep and narrow harbor, there
are some most refreshing spots of verdure. From them,
were I on shore, I might cull a flower for your herba
rium, as from the quarantine ground at Messina. We
have had a distant interview with our missionary friends at
the Lazaretto, and have been bountifully supplied by them
with the various fruits ofthe island — pomegranates, me
lons, fresh figs, and large chesnuts, but the oranges are
not yet ripe.

CHAPTER IV.
MALTA.
Extent and population — History — The knights of Malta — Lan
guage — Valletta — The country — Curiosities and antiquities.
Malta, Dec. 1, 1826.
In attempting a hasty description of this place, there
is no want of materials, from which to make a selec
tion. Indeed, Malta, like almost every other island

38
or city in the Mediterranean, .could, of itself, furnish a
traveller, with sufficient to fill a volume.
You know that it is low and rocky, and exclusive of
the smaller islands of Gozo and Cumino, sixty miles in
circumference. The population is now about eighty
thousand in Malta, and fifteen thousand in Gozo. These
are distributed in the towns of Valletta, and Citta Vec
chia, and twenty or thirty easels, or villages. When first
oflered by the Emperor Charles V. to the knights of Malta,
(after they had been driven by the Turks from the island
of Rhodes in 1522,) Malta contained but twelve thou
sand inhabitants, and Gozo five thousand.
With some hesitation, the knights, (then called the
knights of Rhodes, and at first, the knights of St. John
of Jerusalem,) accepted the Emperor's offer. Tripoli,
which was also included in the gift, was soon lost to
them, and they sustained several furious attacks from
the Turks. Yet for a period of seven hundred years,
from the time of their establishment in Palestine,
through the successive stages of their residence at
Jerusalem, Acre, Cyprus, Rhodes and Malta, and until
the waning of the Turkish power, they continued to
stand the advanced guard of Christendom. Their gal-
lies, which formed their chief dependence, were man
ned mostly by the native Maltese, and slaves whom
they had taken in war. The proportion of the knights
in each vessel, was little greater than that of the offi
cers in modern times. Indeed, their whole number
was but small, but it was a part of their oath when
admitted into the order, "never to reckon the num
ber of the enemy." They were divided into eight
classes, or languages, according to their national ori
gin. These had their respective arms and officers, but

39
were all subject to a Grand Master of their own elec
tion. It was an evil in their organization, that they
formed a class so distinct from most of their subjects.
Still their little dominion continued flourishing, and
they had large revenues from different parts of Europe,
until near the close of the last century.
In 1798, the French, under Bonaparte, made them
selves masters of the island, and abolished the order.
The English succeeded to the possession of it, in 1800,
and, at first, thought of re-establishing the knights.
The Maltese seemed, however, to be averse to this,
and the island was confirmed to Great Britain by the
treaty of 1814. The knights have now become nearly
extinct, though some recent propositions have been
made, to collect and re-organize them, in different parts
of Italy.
Most of the natives still speak a corrupt dialect of
the Arabic, though numbers in the towns, likewise
use the Italian. M. Vassali, one of their very few
men of learning, has been principally instrumental in
rendering the Maltese, a written language. His gram
mar, which was published in 17. 1, fixed its before un
settled alphabet.* The vowels are seven, and the
consonants twenty-six. To express these the Roman
letters are employed, with several additional characters
for the Arabic sounds. M. Vassali thinks that the
Maltese language resembles the old Arabic, of the sixth
century of the Mahometan era. Unquestionably it has
much affinity with the modern dialects of the Arabic,
* M. Vassali published also a lexicon ofthe language in 1796,
and a second edition of his grammar in 1827. He was engaged
in a translation of the New Testament into Maltese, at the time
of his death, the present year.

40
which are spoken on the coast of Barbary. The
natives of this coast, and the Maltese, who have much
intercourse with each other, readily converse together.
Hence, Malta, may be even more important than Gib
raltar, as a place of preparation for missionaries, des
tined to the Barbary States.
Valletta, on the eastern side of the island, the princi
pal city and the exclusive seat of its commerce, contains
about twenty-five thousand inhabitants. It derives its
name from one of the most distinguished of the Grand
Masters, by whom it Was founded in 1566. It is built
on a small elevated peninsula, enclosed by two excel
lent harbors, which are themselves almost entirely sur*
rounded by land.
Numerous fortifications guard the entrance to these
harbors and among others, Fort St. Elmo, at the ex
tremity of the peninsula, which also answers the pur
pose of a light house. This is the only part of the
island that was not taken by the Turks, during their
last famous siege, Valletta is defended on the land
side, by a triple wall and ditch. Similar works ex
tend around the suburbs, on the opposite side of the
great harbor. The ditch has been cut in the1 soft rock
of the island, of sufficient dimensions to receive a vil
lage church. The materials which were taken from
it, form a corresponding line of walls within. The
wall is carried along on the water side, except where
precipices render it unnecessary. By art, therefore,
Malta has become, what Gibraltar is by nature, one of
the strongest fortresses in the world. The French
obtained possession, it is said, by the treachery of some
of its ill prepared defenders, and the English by a
blockade of two years. During the siege, the garri-

41
son was reduced to the greatest extremity, for the want
of provisions. Since then, several years' supply of grain
is kept constantly stored in its granaries. These are
deep pits in the rock, over whose mouths, sealed so
as entirely to exclude the air, you pass in some of the
public walks. Water is brought in an aqueduct, seven
or eight miles from the city, but an inexhaustible sup
ply of rain water can be secured in case of a siege.
The streets of the city cross each other at right an
gles, and though they would be called narrow in Ame
rica,' are wide for the Mediterranean. Tlfey are also
well paved, and kept remarkably clean, being swept
every day by convicts. These are chained by the
'leg, two and two together, each pair being under the
direction of a single soldier, with a drawn bayonet in
his hand.
The houses are built entirely of the light colored
limestone of the island. Even the flooring, stairs and
roof, are made of this, or of a cement, which becomes
as hard as the stone itself. Hence you have that which
is equally novel and agreeable, a fire-proof c\ty. The
roofs of the houses are invariably flat, and being sur
rounded by a strong wall, two or three feet in height,
afford a safe promenade, and a delightful prospect.
That occupied by our friends, being higher than those
in the vicinity, is as favorable for retirement as for ex
ercise. On such a house-top, Peter might convenient
ly have gone up to pray. Most of the buildings are
of two or three stories ; the lower floors are often ap
propriated to mechanics and shop keepers, while the
upper, which is entirely separate, forms a very agreea
ble residence for private families. The height of the
apartments increases as you ascend ; the upper being
4*

42
from twelve to twenty feet. , From this, also, balconies
project over the street, furnishing a convenient look-out
in unfavorable weather.
But, leaving the city, with the clamor of its beggars,
and the Babel speech of its inhabitants — Maltese, Ita
lian, English, French, and Greek, let me take you to
visit the surrounding country. You should first, how
ever, go back with me three hundred years in its his
tory, to the beginning of the " time of the religion,"
as the people stiH call the reign of the knights. It was
then littletmore than a barren rock for fishermen. To
change the wilderness into a fruitful field, has not been
the labor of a day. The surface of the rock must first
be removed, to the depth of a foot or more ; since it is
so hardened by the weather, as not to imbibe the least
moisture from dews or rains. This process is not so
difficult as you might imagine ; the stone, when fresh,
being cut almost as easily as wood. In the city, you
often see workmen with their axes, fashioning it for the
purposes of utility or ornament. The fragments of the
rock, obtained from thus paring the field, are then bro
ken up, and, with the aid of a little compost, brought
formerly, perhaps, from Sicily, but now from the city,
invest it with a fine soil.
But the task of the husbandman is not yet accom
plished. If simply spread over his field, the first great
rain would soon wash the earth to a " returnless dis
tance" from its rocky foundation. Hence the necessity
of walls at frequent intervals, from four to ten feet
high, by which the hill is divided into terraces of a
quarter to several acres in extent. Take your stand
at the foot, and looking up, you will see nothing but
a constant series, of these brown walls. But as the

43
soil is made level with the top of the wall, ascend the
hill, and look down, and your eye now rests only upon
the most delightful succession of fields of cotton, wheat,
vegetables, and clover.
Now then we have a suitable soil and foundation for
it, and, if you please, the seed bountifully scattered.
All these, however, will avail little, without a proper
supply of water. This the clouds and sky will afford
you at some seasons of the year. In others, you must
be at the pains of digging cisterns, and securing them
with cement, from which you can draw water for your
orange and lemon groves, and vegetables. The fig tree
and the mulberry will grow by the way-side, with less
attention ; or, you may take advantage of some rill,
flowing in a few instances from a natural fountain, and
treat it according to Virgil's directions in the Georgics.
After all, a great part of the interior is still uncultiva
ted, and there is little in its scattered villages, to invite
your attention.
I had purposed next, to give you a glimpse of the
superstitions of this people ; to show you the splen
did churches, with their thousand idle priests, some
of whom are boys sporting in the streets, dressed pre
cisely in the style of those venerable clergymen whom
we knew in our childhood, with the three cornered
hat, long skirted coat, small clothes, knee buckles,
&c. Or, I might point you to the images of the saints,
at every corner, or the gorgeous processions of the
different orders of priests, parading the streets, and
by way of contrast to their silks and gold, surround
you with hundreds of beggars, from whose importuni
ty, neither giving nor an hour's withholding, will afford
you any escape. As a more grateful spectacle, I would

44
then conduct you to the governor's palace, formerly
the residence of the Grand Master of the knights. Here
you would see their library of sixty thousand volumes,
open to the examination of all ; or their still more cu
rious armory, where, with spear and shield in hand, and
visor down, some of their number still seem to be
keeping their silent watch. And when satisfied with
seeing the antiquities, the gorgeous tapestry, and the
portraits of the Grand Masters, from L'Isle Adam,
down, I would conduct you to the church of St. John,
where those " kings of the nations, all of them lie in
glory, every one in his own house." But a day would
not suffice for examining the magnificence of its inte
rior, nor that of St. Paul, at Citta Vecchia, the ancient
capital, in the centre of the island. From Citta Vec
chia, we might descend into the catacombs, which are
near by, and after groping among those, perhaps, spa
cious dwellings of the dead, come forth to view two
most pleasant resorts of the living. These are the
palace and gardens of St. Antonio, (once the public
property of the knights, but now the summer resi
dence of the governor,) and the Boschetto, an orange
garden, most charmingly situated, and abundantly wa
tered from its own unfailing fountain. In conclusion,
I might take you to the grotto, to see the marble statue
of St. Paul, who is, of course, the patron saint of the
island ; or to the harbour called by his name, which, with
great probability, is supposed to have been the place
where he was shipwrecked ; and if you are weary*
we might enter, " in the same quarters," the more
doubtful house of Publius, " the chief man of the isl
and," where we should probably find the same Maltese
captain, by whom my companions and myself were

45
very courteously entreated. As it is not, however, my
purpose to write the history or geography of Malta,
you must look for a more particular description in the
books of travellers, and the journals of my missionary
brethren.

CHAPTER V.
MALTA.
Funeral of the Governor, Marquis of Hastings — Prosperity and
consequent obligations of our country — American and Eng
lish missionaries — Operations of the press — Recent and hope
ful changes. Malta, Dec. 16.
We have just returned from witnessing the last abun
dant honors paid to the memory of the Governor Gen^
eral of Malta, the Marquis of Hastings. In consequence
of increasing debility, he had sailed a few weeks since
for the coast of Italy, to take advantage of a softer sky.
After his death, in the Bay of Naples, his remains were
brought back to this place. During the week, they
have been lying in state at the palace, until their inter
ment to-day.
The pageant has been grand and imposing. All the
soldiers on the island, (four English regiments, and one
of Maltese, which last is constantly quartered here,) the
civil authorities, the naval gentlemen, the citizens, and
the different orders of ecclesiastics, took part in the
ceremony. Thus has been laid in the narrow house,
where " the rich and the poor meet together," one
of the most exalted of the English peers, and high-

46
est officers of the British army, as well as one who,
in different hemispheres, had filled the most impor
tant stations in civil life. So passes the glory of this
world ! In the freshness and pride of youth, he whom
they have now laid in his grave, while yet bearing
the title of Lord Rawdon, contended successfully for
the palm of military glory, in the war of our own revo
lution. Afterwards, he was elevated to the post' of
Governor General of India, in which responsible situa
tion, he furnished the occasion of the celebrated trial
of Warren Hastings, before the British parliament.
And now in the evening of his days, he has been in
duced, in consequence of his impaired fortune, to ex
ercise a more limited, yet as is universally admitted,
a mild and parental sway, over this, and the Ionian
islands. Besides the reflections on the transitory nature of
earthly distinction and glory, which this scene has tend
ed to awaken. I have also been led by it to contem
plate the kindness of Providence to our native land.
When the deceased first girded on his youthful, armor,
to pursue our partisan soldiers over the southern plains
of America, it was doubtful, even in the eyes of friends,
whether she would obtain an independent seat among
the nations. Now, her sons, from the midst of ten mil
lions of a free and happy people, borne in her own
vessels, and on their way to set up anew the standard
of the cross, in lands where the first triumphs of Chris
tianity were won, are passing spectators when the
same individual is laid to his last rest in the days of
his age. Surely in this eventful period of Zion's histo-
tory, it was not intended to be in vain for her cause,
that such a tide of unexampled prosperity has flowed in
upon us.

47
While then we dwell on this, no unreal picture of
universal diffusion of knowledge, spirit of enterprise,
competence of property, unshackled condition of civil
and religious institutions, and good will of the nations
towards us, let it not foster our national vanity, but
excite us rather to exertions for the good of mankind.
Better would it be, if the world knew of our great
ness less from our boasting, and more from our bene
ficence. Thus may the blessings bestowed on our
country, ever prompt her to seek her share in those
heavenly honors, which it is alike her duty and her
privilege to win.
The month which we have passed in this place,
though it has brought us forward but little in Italian,
(the language which on coming to the Mediterranean,
we find it necessary first to cultivate,) has been far
from unprofitably spent. Much of our time we have
devoted to conversation with our missionary brethren,
in order to avail ourselves, according to the instructions
ofthe committee, of their valuable experience.
We have met here of our countrymen, Rev. Messrs.
Temple and Smith, and Mr. Hallock has just arrived
from America. Mr. and Mrs. Temple, under whose
roof we seem to have received the welcome of prim
itive times, have been now nearly six years at this sta
tion. All the operations of the press are under the
direction of Mr. Temple. He has been chiefly em
ployed in publishing tracts in Italian, and Modern Greek.
These are translated under his superintendence, by
persons to whom the languages are vernacular. Mr.
Smith, who is to be associated with him in similar la
bors, has lately joined the mission. He proposes to
devote himself more particularly to publications in the

48
oriental languages, Arabic, Turkish and Armenian,
and in order to qualify himself, has just sailed for Egypt
and Syria. Mr. Hallock is to superintend the printing
department. The English missionaries stationed here, are the
Rev. Messrs. Jowett, Wilson, Keeling and Rule. Mr.
Jowett, of the English Church Missionary Society,- is
regarded as the patriarch of the Mediterranean mis
sions. It is now more than twelve years, since he first
came to Malta. In addition to his valuable volumes of
Christian Researches in the Mediterranean, and in Pal
estine and Syria, he has also been employed in Vari
ous publications in Italian, Greek, and Arabic. Mr.
Wilson who is in the service of the London Mission
ary Society, besides printing tracts in Italian, is like
wise much devoted to modern Greek. Several years
since he travelled in different parts of Greece, dis
tributing the scriptures and tracts. Messrs. Keeling
and Rule are under the direction of the (English) Me
thodist Missionary Society. Mr. K. gives some atten
tion to Maltese, in which language, the gospel of John
has been published by Mr. Jowett. Messrs. Wilson,
Keeling and Rule, have each chapels in their own
houses, where public worship in English is attended
by small congregations, composed of merchants, sol
diers and strangers. We have preached repeatedly,
according to the practice of our American brethren,
in each of them, and have found attentive audiences.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have an interesting Sabbath school,
conducted in English. Besides these services, some of
the missionaries preach occasionally in Italian. Lit
tle access, however has as yet been obtained to the
Maltese, or anv other class of the Catholic population

49
The station, you know, has been chosen not so much
on account of its own most bigoted people, as a safe
and convenient centre, for operations of the press on the
Mediterranean countries.
These missionaries of four different societies, together
with a few other residents, are very harmoniously and
efficiently associated in the Malta Bible, and Jews' com
mittees. Dr. Naudi, a Maltese gentleman, is secretary
of the latter.
. * * # .**.
The general reader will excuse the following addi
tional notices ofthe present date, (1829,) for the benefit
of those, who are particularly interested in protestant
missions to the Mediterranean.
Mr. Jowett at the close of a second seven years'
residence, has again returned for a twelve month,
with his family to England. Rev. Mr. Shlienz, who
had previously joined the mission, is chiefly engaged
upon Arabic, and the languages of Abyssinia. Five
other German missionaries, viz. Rev. Messrs. Gobat,
Kruse, Kugler, Lieder and Mueller, in the service
of the same society, still continue their labors in
Egypt. Two of them regard Abyssinia as their ulti
mate destination, while the others have directed their
attention more to the condition of the Coptic churches.
Rev. Messrs. Hildner and Major, also from Germany,
are stationed in the Ionian Islands. Rev. Mr. Hartley
and Dr. Korck, the former from England, and the lat
ter from Germany, but both likewise of the Church
Missionary Society, .are laboring in Smyrna and the
Archipelago. Rev. Mr. Lowndes, the associate of Mr.
Wilson, is engaged in various publications at Corfu, in
the Ionian Islands. Besides a lexicon and tracts in rao-
5

50
dern Greek, he has published for the Bible Society, the
New Testament in Albanian. Mr. Rule had removed
from the Mediterranean to the West Indies. Rev. Mr.
Croggon and Dr. Bialloblotzk, likewise of the Metho
dist Society, are stationed in the Ionian Islands ; and
Rev. Dr. Macpherson, in Egypt. The missionaries of
this society carry forward no printing operations.
Their labors, whether at Gibraltar, Malta, Zante, or
Alexandria, are directed more especially to the British
soldiers and residents.
Rev. Mr. Temple, who had been called within short
intervals of each other, to part with his wife and two
children, is now on a visit to this country. Rev. Messrs.
Goodell, Bird and Smith, have left Syria, in conse-
quence of the unsettled state of the country, and re
established themselves at Malta. In addition to Ital
ian and Greek, printing in Armenian, Arabic and Tur
kish, is now executed at the American press.
Rev. Mr. King, after travelling extensively in Pales
tine and the East, is now laboring in Greece under the
patronage of a Society of ladies in the city of New-
York. The author of this volume, with one or more
female assistants, expects shortly to resume his labors
there, in the service of the New-Haven Ladies' Greek
Association. In the same country also, Rev. Mr. Robertson is per
forming an exploring tour, with the view of establish
ing a mission under the direction of the (American)
Protestant Episcopal Missionary Society. Rev. Mr.
Anderson, assistant secretary of the American Board
of Missions, is absent on a like tour. Rev. Messrs.
Dwight and Whiting, have recently been ordained by the
same Board, with reference to the Mediterranean mission.

51
Rev. Messrs. Wolff, Lewis, Neat, Nicolayson, and
Dr. Clarke, are in the service of the London Jews
Society ; the former at Jerusalem, and most of the
ethers for the time being, in the south of Italy.
Rev. Mr. Leeves, the agent of the British and For
eign Bible Society, has left Constantinople, and lately
returned to England, but Mr. Barker still maintains his
post at Smyrna.
Thus it appears, that more than thirty protestant
missionaries and " Bible men," have within the last
few years, entered on their labors in the Mediterranean
countries. They have been sent forth from different
nations, and by societies following different modes of
worship. All, however, agree in the fundamental prin
ciple, that, " the Bible, and the Bible only, is the rule
of faith and practice ;" and all, it is to be hoped, are
bound together by the ties of Christian affection. May
Christians of every name not cease to pray, " that it
may please God to illuminate them, with true knowledge
and understanding of his word ; and that both by their
preaching and living, they may set it forth and show it
accordingly." Some changes for the better during the interval of
my first and last visit, had taken place in the condition
of Malta. A new coinage had been issued, instead of
the troublesome currency of the knights. The juris
diction of the Roman Catholic Bishop's court, has been
restricted to causes purely ecclesiastical ; and in va
rious other particulars, a curb put upon the arrogance
of the priests. The business of the courts, and of
the government generally, is required to be transact
ed in the English language, though the government
gazette is still published in both Italian and English.

52
Public begging had also been prohibited, while by
the introductian of the cochineal insect, the cultiva
tion of silk, and in other ways, the government were
endeavoring to provide employment for the poor.
Malta, as well as Gibraltar, is a free port, but the de
cline of its commerce within the last few years, has
compelled thousands of the Maltese to emigrate to the
Barbary States, Smyrna, Constantinople, and the Ionian
Islands. Thus far, this people have derived little bene
fit from their connexion with the English ; but a new
era seems to be dawning. Messrs. Wilson and Keel
ing are about to establish schools, with the countenance
of government, for the instruction of the Maltese chil
dren, and Mr. Jowett is publishing in England, the en
tire New Testament in their language. There is in
Malta a Catholic College of ancient date, in which Dr.
Naudi is professor of chemistry. His brother con
ducts a school of mutual instruction, of more than three
hundred pupils. It is patronized by the British and
Foreign School Society. An enlightened catholic priest,
has also a flourishing school in one of the villages. In
general however, very few of the Maltese, children or
adults, are able to read.
In common with the English missionaries, our coun
trymen are subject to some restrictions in the conduct
of the press. They are not at liberty to publish any
book or tract, without the express sanction of the au
thorities, nor to circulate on the island, those which have
been published there. Mr. King's farewell letter,
and a few other works only, bearing directly on the
Roman Catholic religion, have as yet been refused pub
lication.

53
Malta, on the whole, may be regarded as not insa
lubrious, though it seems desirable, that those who re
sort thither from colder climates, should occasionally
change their place of residence. This is practised, not
only by merchants and missionaries, but the govern
ment find it for their interest to pursue the same course
with their soldiers.
During the summer, the mercury ranges for the most
part, between 88° and 95°, and in winter, is seldom
lower than 14°. Alternate and sudden changes from
heat to cold, are not unfrequent. During the preva
lence of one of the southerly winds, we found the heat
oppressive in December, and the inhabitants close their
doors and windows, to guard against its effects.
Provisions, clothing* and labor, are comparatively
cheap, but fuel is very dear. Sheep, goats, mules, asses,
poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables, are abundant ; cattle
are mostly brought from Tripoli.
Malta is centrally and conveniently situated, with
reference to the countries which the press is designed
to benefit. Still, some of the missionaries of the three
different nations, and particularly those who have vis
ited Malta, Turkey and Greece, have for some time
past been of the opinion, that too great a part of the
disposable force was stationed among a people who
seem at present little accessible to their instructions,
The British and Foreign Bible Society have for sev
eral years been printing the scriptures very advan-

* We suggested to our brethren, the expediency of sending
back a particular statement of such articles as it was desirable
to bring from America. The remark is worthy the attention
of missionaries elsewhere. 5*

54
tageously at Constantinople. The Franks have long
published a newspaper at Smyrna, and a press active
ly employed, would in that city be as safe, probably,
as the merchandize to the value of millions, which is
deposited in the magazines of the Franks. Besides
the principal labors of the press, which would still
occupy the superintendents, they might, in Turkey and
Greece, perform much additional missionary service.
Considering, too, the greater efficiency which will be
given to the press, in the midst of a people on whom
it is designed to have influence, by securing more faith
ful translations, and avoiding needless offence to the
prejudices,* it cannot but be matter of joy, to find the
following statement in the last report of the American
Board. '' The time may not be far distant, however,
when Greece ma. afford an excellent location for one
printing establishment, and some place in Asia Minor,
for another."

* A single fact will best illustrate what is here intended. The
first edition of the Greek spelling book, had the picture of a
child kneeling at prayer. As the Turks practise kneeling at
their devotions, and the Greeks do not, it was immediately re
garded as a Turkish matter. Hence, in _ second edition, the
picture of a teacher with a book in his hand, was substituted.
Pictures of any kind should be introduced sparingly, and with
great caution, among a people who have so great an abhorrence
of them as the Mahometans, and who apply them to such su
perstitious purposes, as the Greeks and other Christians.

55

CHAPTER VI.
SMYRNA.
Change of destination from Palestine to Asia Minor — Voyage
to Smyrna — Border ground between the western and oriental
nations — Defenceless state ofthe city — The shipping — Frank
quarter — Turk town — varied appearance ofthe people — Cas
tle hill — Antiquities. Smyrna, Jan. 3, 1827.
The opening of a new year finds me at length on
Mahometan ground. When we first reached Malta, it
was with the expectation of shortly proceeding thence
by way of Alexandria and Beyroot, to Jerusalem. In
telligence which we there received from Syria, to
gether with the unanimous and decided opinions of
our brethren, have induced us first to visit this place.
Jerusalem and its vicinity are in a state of anarchy,
the governor having revolted against the Pacha of Acre.
Several English gentlemen, who had visited that afflic
ted city, have lately been robbed, and in other ways
very cruelly treated. The distribution of Bibles and
tracts, through Roman Catholic influence, is for the
present almost entirely suspended in every part of
Syria. At Smyrna and Constantinople, on the contra
ry, this work is going on without interruption. In these
two cities, also, are perhaps five times as many Jews,
as in all Palestine and Syria. Besides, in the latter
place, as we had already heard before leaving America,
there have been some movements among the Jews pe
culiarly hopeful. Add to this, the shelves of our de
pository at Malta, were burdened with tracts, which

56
had long been waiting more active distribution. With
out such co-operation, the labors of the press were
likely to become of little value. Under these circum
stances, therefore, you will not be surprised, that we
have sacrificed our favorite plan of keeping the ap
proaching passover at Jerusalem.
We left Malta, Dec. 17, in the British brig Packet,
Capt.' Mc Dougal, under convoy of an English man-of-
war. Few vessels attempt tjie voyage at present,
without such protection, so numerous and daring are
the pirates, that infest these seas. After the loneliness
of our Atlantic voyage, there was something very agree
able in thus sailing, eight or ten vessels in company.
The day and night signals of the commodore, and re
plies of the different vessels ; occasional trial of each
other's rate of sailing ; frequent opportunities of con
versation, and visits interchanged between the officers,
greatly relieve the monotony of a sea-life. No part
indeed of our voyage from America, has been more
pleasant than the first week of this. We passed a lit
tle to the south of Cerigo ; to the west of Milo, Ser-
pho, and Themia ; to the east of Zea, and by the most
northern of the three frequented outlets from the Arch
ipelago, between Negropont and Andros. It is famil
iarly called the Capo D'Oro passage. The mountains
and shores of the Morea and Attica, seen now for the
first time, on our left, and the islands of Scio and Ip-
sara on our right, brought forcibly to our minds, the
ancient glories, and recent sufferings of a land, second
in interest only to Palestine itself.
In the gulf of Smyrna, we met with considerable
rough weather and head winds, much to the annoyance
of our English friends, who had hoped to keep their

57
Christmas on shore. At length, on the 27th, we set foot
shall I say, in Smyrna, " the lovely, the crown of Ionia
and the ornament of Asia ?" There are associations
more sacred than those of classic antiquity — we are
standing on a continent, in which is the first and se
cond birth-place of our race, and near the cradle land
of Christianity. Here in these very streets, apostles
have labored, and martyrs have bled, and " to the
angel of the church in Smyrna," has been sent the
message of Him •' which was dead and is alive."
Here too still dwell those who " say they are Jews, and
are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Here we
would hope some few are still to be found, whose " works,
and tribulation, and poverty," shall be followed at last,
by " a crown of life."
Jan. 17. — This great emporium of the trade of
Asia Minor, has become the border ground between
the oriental and western nations. On the one hand h»
present the Asiatic, with his turban, his flowing robe,
his bearded face, his divan, his coffee, his pipe, his ca
mels, his drugs and his silks. On the other, has come to
meet him, the European, with his hat, short coat, smooth
shorn chin,hischair, his tea, his walking stick, his vessel,
his sugar and his broadcloths.
But let us begin our more formal observation in the
European direction. Having entered the gulf of Smyr
na, almost to its extreme depth of thirty or forty miles,
you discover the city receding from the water's edge,
and at length ascending to some distance the slope of
an extensive hill. A ruined castle of Italian origin,
crowns the summit of the hill, and overlooks the town.
The prospect is limited by an amphitheatre of moun
tains, which surrounds not only this and some lesser

58
hills, but also the adjacent plain and bay. The cir
cumference of the town is about four miles, and its
extent along the water, a little more than one. It has
no walls, and its only defence is the lower castle.*
This stands on the southern side of the bay, five or six
miles from the town. The ship channel is here very
narrow, and approaches close to the shore, but the
fort is not in a situation to resist a serious attack. The
foreign shipping are relied on for the protection of
this half neutral city, against any hostile visits of the
Greeks. After passing the castle where an old Turk with his
Armenian dragoman, will come on board your vessel for
a dollar, and perhaps a draught of some liquor prohib
ited to the Mussulman, you soon find yourself in a spa
cious harbor filled with the fleets of every nation, ex
cept that of the Turks themselves. As you approach
the town, you pass first on your left the vessels of war.
Of these there are usually from twenty to fifty, Aus
trian, French, English, Dutch and American. A Tur
kish ship of war is rarely seen there, for when their
summer's excursion is completed, they retire within the
Dardanelles, Still nearer lie hundreds of merchant
men, of every variety of banner and tonnage, with in
numerable boats passing to and from the narrow quay
that lines the shore, for the transportation of passen
gers and merchandise. The Turkish custom-house,
and the Pasha's palace, occupy a short extent of the
southern shore. In the same vicinity also, the agents

?After the battle of Navarino, a few batteries were thrown up
near the Pasha's palace, but the Frank vessels of war constantly
lying in the harbor, could in a few .minutes destroy the town.

59
of the different Barbary powers have their residence.
On festival days, among other banners, I have obser
ved here the corsair's dark red flag, of the richest silk,
and the two edged sword in its centre. From this Ma
hometan corner, on coming more in front of the harbor
and shipping, there is usually a narrow open space
redeemed from the sea, which may be called water
street. Parallel with this, and behind the first range of
buildings, is Frank street. Narrow, and partly cover
ed avenues, extend across from Frank to water street.
Through the courtesy of the owners, these are usually
thorough-fares during the day. In time of the plague,
or any popular commotion, they are kept constantly
closed, by means of strong folding doors. The foreign
consuls, and principal Frank merchants, each of them
own, or rather lease for ninety-nine years, one of these
short streets. Their dwelling houses and offices are
built on both sides, and sometimes over the avenues.
The principal front is on either Frank or water street.
They are usually of but two stories, on the lower floor
of which, are their kitchens, and extensive warehou
ses ; and on the upper, their own residence. There is
also, often a long open promenade over warehouses of
a single story. At the northern extremity of water-
street, after its junction with Frank street, there are
some pleasant dwellings, but the sea in front of them
becomes more shallow. All the Franks reside on
these streets, and on Bond street, which is broader, and
extends from the centre of Frank street, into the quar
ter of the rayahs.
A Frank, you need not be informed, is one who
wears a hat, a privilege in this country of no small
consequence, since at times it is almost equivalent to

60
that of wearing one's head. Be3idesrFrenchmen, Eng
lishmen, Americans, &c. to whom this term is pro
perly applied, numbers of Greeks, Armenians and Jews,
by purchasing the protection of the foreign consuls,
with the distinguishing badge, derive also the advan
tages of Frankship. At present, however, it is more
difficult for the subjects of the Porte, thus clandestine
ly, to withdraw from their allegience. All subjects,
who are not Mahometans, whether they be Greeks, Ar
menians or Jews, are included under the general name
of rayahs. In a more limited sense, this term is said
to be applied to the Armenians only, but the three
people are alike required to pay the capitation tax,
and are subject to various' disabilities. Not only their
dress, but the color of their shoes is also prescribed
by law.
From the Frank quarter extend back irregular, nar
row and filthy lanes, inhabited first by Greeks, next by
Armenians and Jews, and last by the Turks. Turk-
town, as it is called, is built partly on the acclivity of
the hill. In popular usage, Turk-town includes all
but the Frank quarter. The houses are built of wood,
or of wood and earth, or unburnt bricks. Like those
of most of the larger towns, nearly all, whether be
longing to Turks or rayahs, are two stories high. The
lower floor is devoted to culinary purposes, and the
upper is mostly included in the sitting room. This
contains little other furniture than the divan, or low
fixed sofa, spread with mattresses and bolsters, against
two or three sides of the wall. The divan serves al
ternately for a seat by day, and with the addition of a
blanket, for a bed by night. Hence it is, that one is so
liable on a visit to the people of this countrv. to have

61
his garments covered with vermin of different kinds.
The Turkish houses have windows of fine wooden
lattice work ; while those of the rayahs, are usually
furnished with a close moveable shutter. An iron ring
attached to the outer door, answers the purpose of a
knocker. Connected with many of the houses, are
gardens, of both fruit trees and vegetables.
Of course where fuel is so expensive, you need not
look for chimneys or fire places. Though snow some
times falls, and there are many days, such as we have
had since our arrival, both wet and chilly, yet very
few, besides the Franks, ever kindle a fire for comfort.
Small sticks of wood which are sold by weight, and
coal prepared from roots that are dug on the mountains,
are used in cooking. You see their portable grates
burning before the doors of their houses. The ovens,
which as in every city and even village of Turkey,
belong only to public bakeries, are heated by fag
gots. In many places the smaller herbs are collected
for this purpose, and the'' grass which to-day is, and to
morrow is cast into the oven."
Of public buildings, there are two Catholic churches,
French and Austrian, whose interior only, exhibits
any marks of splendor. The places of worship gene
rally whether they be the mosque, the synagogue, or
the Christian churches, have little that is striking in
their appearance. The bazars would interest you
more. These are long and low ranges of buildings,
resembling a rope-walk, each of which, you will usu-
ully find devoted to a single article of merchandize,
as for example, yellow shoes, cloths or fruit. At
the distance of every few feet, sit the different own
ers, cross-legged on a raised floor, surrounded by their

62
goods indulging in the luxury of the pipe, or busied in
some trifling employment.
But let us take a turn through the whole extent of
the city. First, then, in Frank street, you will meet
gentlemen p.nd ladies dressed in the most fashionable
style of Europe, or a foreign naval officer in full uni
form ; next, perhaps a Greek, with his brown turban
and dejected look ; or an Armenian, with his calpac,
(cap,) crowned with four little turrets of red broad
cloth, and the most quiet, money-loving countenance
beneath ; or the Jew, with his cap bound round with
a shawl of blue, and his keen and active eye casting
about for its prey ; or the grave and haughty Turk,
who slowly follows in his turban of white or green.
You may next encounter a group of Turkish wo
men, whose heads are enveloped in a fold of mus
lins, with only a small opening for light and air ; and
while you are gazing at these as they follow one after
the other,, in the style of our Indian women, a por
ter with his immense burden of five or six hundred
pounds, utters his deep guttural signal to clear the
way ; or the music of the camel bell rouses you to put
your hand on his burden of coals and merchandize,
and give the good tempered animal a push to save
yourself from being crushed against the wall. You
will then espy the Turkish " shepherd of the infidel,"
(door keeper,) sitting with his arms before the houses
of the councils and chief merchants, and with him, per
haps, engaged in conversation, the dragoman of the
establishment in his large white calpac ; or you may
see a Tartar, that is to say a post-man, striding past ;
" the high capp'd Tartar," or a Greek priest with beard
of black, and complexion none the fairer for wearing '

63
a brimless hat ; or one of the new soldiers disburden
ed of the formidable head dress of his Janissary prede
cessor, and half transformed into an European by his
sailor's coat, and the diminished size of his trowsers.
If yet not satisfied with seeing, advance a little farther,
and you will find a Turkish confectioner, with a wood
en circular tray on his head. Speak to him, and he
will place it on the light stand that he also carries,
and show you his sweet-meats and oily cakes, orna
mented with golden spangles. Then you may disco
ver a Turkish gardener seated by the wall, whose fresh
and fragrant flowers would tempt the Saltan himself
to cast down his paras. Be sure, however, you keep
your own, for that blind Greek beggar, and that wan
female, will not fail to importune you in the name of
Christ, for what you may not feel as clear a conscience
in withholding, while you remember it is here the Maho
metan bears rule.
From Frank street, let us theD with a Smyrniote guide,
thread our way through nameless and loathsome streets,
to the castle hill. As we pass along, you can look in
upon a Turkish coffee house. Before the door, on a
low platform, you will see a wooden stool or two, the
first dawnings, you will say, of civilization ; and within,
something like a blacksmith's furnace with boilers, cups
and pipes, duly arranged. On the unspread divan, are
multitudes enjoying the first four wishes of a Turk,
rest, silence, pipes and coffee. A little farther is
the entrance to a khan, where wealthier travellers
with their merchandize, find quarters in rooms that
are built around an open court. The mosque is
next at hand, whose minaret, a slender, circular pile,
rises from one corner of the building. Near its pin-

64
nacle is an opening, whence the muezzin issues to
proclaim the hour of prayer. Emerging from the
city, we shall find ourselves in the midst of the Ma
hometan burying ground. Its forest of cypresses and
turbaned monuments being left behind, we must toil
up a steep of some hundred feet before we reach the
castle. The walls of this ruined fortress, which was
built in the thirteenth century, are nearly a mile in
circuit. Let us mount these once Christian bulwarks,
and in silence enjoy the prospect. Beneath your feet
is the Turkish quarter, with its crowded dwellings
and bazars, its cypresses and minarets. Frank street
is known by the flags of its consuls, beyond which, if
it be a holiday, are the banners of every nation, an
swering to them from the shipping, and finely contrast
ed with their white sails loosened to the sun. Behind
you stretches the rich and cultivated plain of Smyrna,
broken up into gardens, orchards, olive yards, and fields
of grain. At a distance, near the foot of the moun
tains, you will discover the villages of Bournabat, Boud-
jah and Sedicui, — the summer resort of the Franks, and
wealthier rayahs ; while on your right, a little stream, sup
posed to be the Meles, winds its way into the harbor
through the northern extremity of the town.
This in brief, is modern Smyrna. Some slight and
doubtful traces of the ancient cities of that name still
remain. Uncertain as they are, you may like to see
the place in the ampitheatre where Polycarp is said
to have been burnt, and near the centre of the town,
the enclosure, sacred alike to the Mahometans and
Christians, where they tell you the " Church of Smyrna"
first assembled. If you are disposed to listen to their idle
tales, you will learn that the Turks on becoming masters,

65
buried numbers of their own dead in this spot ; but lo !
in the morning, this holy ground, had indignantly cast
forth these infidels from their graves.

CHAPTER VII.
SMYRNA.
Admonition from the " Seven churches" — Population — Refine
ment — Importance as a Missionary station — Commerce —
American trade with Turkey — Proposed departure — Separa
tion from my associate — United States' sloop of war Ontario
— Acknowledgment of civilities received.
Smyrna, Jan. 20, 1827.
Though it is now but little more than four months
since I came from America, I nevertheless feel, that it-
would be pleasant to steal away from this land, which
is no longer a " land of Sabbaths," to spend a sacred
day in your peaceful family and neighborhood. I long
also to learn whether those of your people, who were
inquiring the way of life, have been constrained to
enter. If any of them are " halting between two opin
ions," let them read the warnings which are address
ed to the churches of the Apocalypse, in the midst
of whose ruins I now write. Alas ! the glory has de
parted from them all. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamo..
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, are but
the names of churches which were. Their candlestick
has been removed out of its place. Yet the promise and
the providence of God, encourage us to hope, that he
will " restore the ruins of many generations." A holier
6*

66
cross than that borne by the crusaders, shall take
the place of the crescent which we now see around
us, on the top of the minarets ; and instead of the
blood-red flag, with its drawn sword in the midst,
there shall float on these walls, the white banner and
branch of peace.
Before that time arrives, however, there must doubt
less be years of patient, persevering and prayerful
labor, performed by missionaries here. And though
at present there is great personal security enjoyed
by those of every religion, yet it would be no new
thing with Christian converts, should the "adversary
cast some of them into prison, that they may be tried,
and have tribulation certain days." Shall we hope
then for the. prayers of your people, that in the
countries around these seas, the door may be fully
opened for preaching " the gospel of the grace of
God," and that the same grace may make the word
effectual to salvation ?
The population of Smyrna you will find stated at
from 90 to 150,000. As varying, too, are the esti
mates of the different classes of people. I will give
you the extremes; Turks, 50 to 90,000: Greeks, 12
to 40,000 : Jews, 8 to 10,000 : Armenians, 4 to 9000:
Franks, 2 to 3000. Many of the Greeks and Arme
nians follow the rites of the Roman Catholic Church.
The number of protestants is small, perhaps two or
three hundred, yet they have two chaplains, the English
and Dutch. The latter, who is now absent, preaches
to his congregation in French. This indeed, is the
prevailing language in the higher circles.
It is not without reason that Smyrna has been called
the Paris ofthe Levant. With all its refinement, how-

67
ever, there is not sufficient society of the respectable
nations, to make the Smyrniotes reconciled to their
lot. Enjoying the mingled luxuries of the east and the
west ; supplied with the richest fruits and breathing
the soft air of Ionia, they sigh for happiness, which
Eden itself would not afford to those who are only in
quiring " Who will show us any good ?" What a no
ble field of enjoyment is open before this people, should
they seek it in active exertions for the benefit of socie
ty around them ! Amidst the sufferings of the Greeks,
many have indeed evinced a humanity highly credita
ble, yet but few, it is feared, afford evidence of genuine
piety. Probably no place in the Turkish empire, is so im
portant as this for a missionary post. Had it not been
for the sacred associations of Palestine, Messrs. Fisk
and Parsons, those pioneers of the American Mediter
ranean mission, would doubtless have chosen Smyrna
as the place of their residence. Be one's particular
object the Greeks, the Jews, the Armenians, or the
Franks, there are here a sufficient number, to occupy
all his labors. Add to this, the personal security ari
sing from the half neutral character of the place, and
the liberality which the constant intercourse with differ
ent people is calculated to produce, and it becomes a
matter of surprise, that it has not sooner been perma
nently occupied by protestant missionaries.
Besides three or four American merchants who
might be hoped to attend on the ministrations of a sta
ted American chaplain, there are constantly one or
more of our vessels of war lying in the harbor, and
usually two or three merchantmen. The sitting room
of a clergyman, if furnished with a few books, and

68
opened, not in expensive hospitality, for this would
require the princely income of the Smyrna merchants,
but in the spirit of Christian urbanity, would attract
many of the naval gentlemen. In their excursions on
shore, often Jo they feel how grateful would be a seat,
such as is not afforded by the busy counting room, nor
the locanda and coffee house. Happy will it be for
the interests of American seamen, when a clergyman
of warm hearted piety, gentlemanly manners, and cul
tivated mind, shall oeeupy this most important station.
Among the drawbacks on an agreeable residence in
Smyrna, may be mentioned the extreme heat of sum
mer, troublesome insects, exposedness to fires, earth
quakes, the plague, and insurrections, together with
the want of Christian society. The heat is however
greatly tempered by the inbat or sea breeze, which does
not often fail during the day ; and by the land breeze,
which, with the musquito net, serves to render the
night comfortable. Earthquakes, though occurring
every year, have not, for a long time, caused much
damage. Frank street has the benefit of engines from
the vessels of war in case of fire, to which it is less lia
ble than the more crowded dwellings of the Turkish
quarter. The plague has scarcely, made its appear
ance since its destructive visit in 1814, when thirty
or forty thousand died. Even then but few of the
Franks were, swept away, in consequence, doubt
less, of their rigid quarantine regulations, which they
have many conveniences for enforcing. A whole sum
mer's confinement to one's house, must however be a
great interruption of missionary labors, as well as of
mercantile employments. Of popular tumults, there
have been but two very considerable for a long course
of years, and on the whole, it may be presumed that

69
the probability of their occurrence hereafter is much
diminished. In 1797, a Sclavonian captain killed a
Janissary, and none of the consuls having the power
or inclination to bring him to justice, a tumult was
made ; the Frank quarter set on fire and pillaged ;
property to the amount of a million of pounds sterling
destroyed, and two thousand Greeks butchered. No
Europeans lost their lives. The massacre of the
Greeks, which took place in 1821, was attended with
many circumstances of the utmost barbarism ; but dur
ing the whole of that bloody scene, the Franks sustain
ed little injury.
Since this period, as might naturally be expected,
the course of education among the Greeks has gone
backward. The school which had acquired considera
ble celebrity under Koomas, and Stephen and Con-
stantine Economus, had before that time been much
interrupted, through the jealousy of their priests. The
higher classes of the pupils are dispersed ; and the
first books of Homer, as edited by the learned Coray,
are now to be bought for a trifle, in the shops of Frank
street. At present, scarcely the shade of the school
remains, though the English afford it a certain degree
of protection and patronage. We have called to visit
it, and were cordially received by the master. In his
private room, where a dish of coffee was brought us
by one of his pupils, we saw a barometer and some
other philosophical apparatus, which they are not now
at liberty to use. The number of pupils is between
one and two hundred.* A few individuals among the
* More recently, Abraham of Cesarea, Mr. Gridley's teacher,
has been appointed principal. Under his enlightened superin
tendence, it may be expected, if not to regain its former reputa
tion, at least to become as extensively useful.

70
Franks have private teachers in their families. Some
others send their sons to Europe for education. Their
mutual jealousies, apprehension from the plague, and
their summer's residence at different places, are obstacles
to the success of a high school, even among protestants.
The Catholic priests have a school for the instruction of
their own youth.
The European factors or merchants do business on
commission, buying or selling cargoes, at the rate of
two or three per cent. It is common for them to in
termarry with the Greek and other Smyrniote fami
lies. They employ some of all the different classes of
people, Arminians, Greeks, Jews and Turks, in the
capacity of clerks, cashiers, salesmen and porters.
Hence, as Friday is the sacred day with the Mahome
tans, Saturday with the Jews, and Sunday not a day of
labor with Christians, there are only four good business
days in the week.
The commerce of Smyrna is more extensive than
that of any other port in Turkey. Since the great
establishments of English and French merchants at
Aleppo have been broken up, the trade of Asia Minor
and a great part of Syria, has flowed into this new
channel. "The export trade of Smyrna consists in
raw silks, camel's hair, the beautiful goat's hair, or
mohair of Angora, Turkey carpets, unwrought cotton,
Colored camlets, embroidered muslins, morocco skins,
wool, wax, gall nuts, a considerable quantity of raisins,
and currents, a little muscadine wine, amber, lapsis
lazuli, musk, rhubarb, and various other drugs and
gums, besides pearls, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and
other precious stones. The imports are chiefly wool
en clothes, lead, tin, glass and wrought silks." By

71
treaties with the Porte, the different nations have fixed
the rate of duties. In addition to this small per cent-
age, the Turks have exacted of late a much larger sum
for all merchandise which enters or leaves the city on
the land side. They also tax the Franks indirectly, by
taxing their different agents. . A traveller's baggage un
dergoes examination, for which the inferior officers
claim certain variable fees.
* # *, * * *
The following sketch of our own commercial rela
tions with Turkey was published after my return to
America. Our trade with Turkey was begun under the auspi
ces of English merchants at Smyrna, and has hitherto
been almost wholly confined to that city. For several
years past an American gentleman, David Offley, Esq.
has been our resident commercial agent there. The
acting Consul is a native of Smyrna. By him, and, (if
I mistake not,) without a knowledge of the Consul, a
Vice Consul was appointed at Mycone, an island of the
Archipelago. There is also an agent at Milo, where
vessels bound to Smyrna, usually stop for pilots. Pos
sibly in others of the Greek islands, similar agents may
have been appointed by our naval commanders on that
station. Mr. Offley, though he does not raise the American
flag as he has been invited by the Pasha of Smyrna,
and as I believe the Captain Pasha once proposed to
Commodore Rodgers, enjoys, notwithstanding, most of
the advantages of a foreign Consul. By a private ar
rangement with the Governor of Smyrna, our trade
with that port has been placed on substantially the
same footing with that of the English. Occasionally

72
our vessels have gone under the American flag to Sa-
lonica, and under foreign colors have entered the Black
sea. About the beginning of the present century an
American frigate was permitted to pass the Dardanelles,
bearing the tribute of one of the Barbary States to
Constantinople. Without some such errand, no armed
vessels are allowed to pass either the Dardanelles or
Bosphorus. During the last year, access of our mer
chantmen to Constantinople, bearing their own flag,
was granted for the first time, on the same conditions
probably as at Smyrna. The son of the Consul was
passenger in the first vessel which went up, since which
time a number of vessels have been plying between the
two cities.*
There are three or four American commercial
houses established at Smyrna. Considerable busi
ness is also done through Messrs. Lee and Van Len-
nep. The latter gentleman is Dutch Consul, and the
former, the English merchant who introduced our
countrymen into that trade. Hitherto it has been car
ried on from Boston, New- York, Salem, and Baltimore
and chiefly from the former city. Dearborne's work
on the commerce of Turkey, the Black sea, &c. con
tains much information valuable to mercantile men.
Our commerce with Turkey is becoming increasingly
important. Most of the opium which is intended for
China passes through American hands. - Our coffee
and sugar are exchanged for the fruits, wool, &c. of
the country. At Constantinople I have heard the cry
* The consul himself also visited Constantinople with a view
as it has been said, of negociating a commercial treaty. In
this he is reported to have been unsuccessful.

73
of Americano, from Jewish hawkers who were carry
ing around the coarse American cottons, and I am in
formed that they have found their way into the heart of
Asia. I have also been assured by judicious merchants
of Smyrna, that our trade with Greece might be of
the same general character, and of very considerable
importance. To this it may be added, that our exports to Turkey in
the year 1 822, amounted to more than four hundred
thousand dollars, of which all but a few thousands were
of foreign produce. The amount of imports was about
three hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Since that
time, both exports and imports, have greatly increased.
The recent appointment, by the President, of a consul
to Odessa, evinces a disposition on the part of our
government not to lose sight ofthe interest of our trade
in that quarter.
**## . * # *
Jan. 21. — Smyrna with all its commerce and wealth,
is not likely to afford me the golden fleece, so I propose
to follow on towards Colchis in the route of the Ar
gonauts ; in plainer English, I have just concluded to
go up to Constantinople. My reasons for taking this
step so early, by the urgent advice of my friends, are
briefly these ; to learn on the spot, more definitely the
nature of the late excitement among the Jews of that
city ; and to seek helps in acqiring their spoken lan
guage, which the shyness of the poor Israelite here, is
not likely to afford.
My associate, Mr. Gridley, I leave in the family of
Mr. Mengous, a respectable Greek gentleman, who
has Frank protection. The situation is exceedingly
favorable, for acquiring Modern Greek, or Italian, to
7

74
the former of which his first efforts are directed. Af
ter the varied and pleasant months which we have pas
sed together and the numerous kind offices, which as a
physician, a fellow traveller, a friend, and Christian
brother, he has been most diligent in rendering, I can
not tear myself away without regret. The voice of
duty, however, as we both of us are persuaded, is
clearly to be heard, and I would arise and cheerfully
obey the call. At the same time I will freely confess,
that I more and more concur in the sentiments of our
brethren in Malta — Missionaries should become " fix
tures," and cease from their wandering habits. The
Missionary traveller, may have more entertaining mat
ter for his journals, but he who is in some good degree
stationary, is more likely to exert an influence which will
"live after him." In the infancy of Missionary op
erations, exploring tours, are undoubtedly necessary,
yet many of these might advantageously be performed
by those who are permanently established. At least
such is the opinion of not a few sober friends of our
enterprise, both clerical, and others in the Mediterra
nean. Health, curiosity and various other causes may
safely be set down to counterbalence the love of ease,
and domestic cares which would operate, to prevent a
stationary clergyman from undertaking many journeys.
" The reason why I have- not travelled more," says one
of the missionaries in Syria, " is not because I was un
willing, but because I could never get my brethren to
advise me." On the other hand, a man who has formed
the habit of wandering from place to place, brings
himself with difficulty to fix down in one spot, even
after his judgment has pronounced it to be expedient.
Having also the roaming spirit, he will the more rea-

75
dily find excuses to justify his unsettled habits. These
thoughts have been suggested in part, by hearing the
remarks of some Smyrniote gentlemen, not very friendly
to the missionary cause; and I feel that it is a subject
of importance to myself, and my Mediterranean breth
ren, surrounded as we are with such peculiar tempta
tions to travel.
During the short time we have been here, besides
making the acquaintance of the friends of our former
missionaries — Messrs. Parsons, Fisk and King, and fa
miliarizing ourselves with the new objects in this ori
ental world, I have also been taking lessons of an Ital
ian master. On the Sabbath we have improved seve
ral opportunities of preaching to the English and
American seamen, and on one occasion, I have with
Mr. G. attended public worship on board the U. S.
sloop of war Ontario, Capt. Nicholson. After service,
Capt. N. led us through the groupes of men as they
were seated on the deck at dinner. It was truly grati
fying to see the orderly, cleanly, and healthy condi
tion of so great a number. Only two of the crew have
died, during their whole absence from America. Still
more to the credit of the worthy commander, is the pains
which he takes by personal addresses and in other ways,
to discountenance profaneness and intemperance. When
no clergyman is present, he himself reads the church
service on the Sabbath. Such an example is more likely
to have weight with his brother officers, exhibited as it
is by one, who has shared alike with them, in the laurels
which are gathered from bloodier fields.
We have had the satisfaction of meeting here with
two Boston gentlemen, Messrs. Landon and Walley,
to whom, as well as Mr. Purdey, an English gentle-

76
man in the house of Mr. L. we are uuder much obliga
tion for their friendly attentions. Messrs. Wherry, Van
Lenneps and Offley, the English, Dutch, Swedish and
American Consuls, have expressed their readiness to
serve us. We have also experienced the civilities of Mr.
Lee, an English merchant, who has resided here forty
years, and whose valuable library has been open to Amer
ican missionaries before us ; of Rev. Mr. Arundel, the
British chaplain, who is preparing a volume on Smyrna,
and the seven churches of Asia ; and Mi. Barker, the
agent ofthe British and Foreign Bible Society, who has
travelled through every part of Turkey, distributing the
scriptures. With Messrs. Van Lenneps, Lee, Arun
del and Barker, you have become acquainted through
the journals of our predecessors. The same friendly
co-operation in promoting the objects of our mission, we
also experience.

CHAPTER VHI.
SMYRNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE.
An apostle's route retraced — Entrance ofthe Hellespont — Aby-
dos — Hill of Xerxes — Castles and town of the Dardanelles.—
European side of the straits — Maita — Example of a pious
captain — Parium. Sea of Marmora, Jan. 30, 1827.
I sailed from Smyrna on the 30th, in the English
schooner, Ann and Mary, Capt. March, of Bristol. We
had taken on the deck of our vessel, a large portrait of
the king of France, for his ambassador at Constan-

77
tinople. His majesty and ourselves, were in conse
quence, conveyed by a French man-of-war to the mouth
of the Dardanelles.
After a whole day spent in beating past the castle
of Smyrna, a fair and fresh breeze filled our sails, and
bore us rapidly on our way, while we reversed the or
der of the Apostle Paul's last voyage to Jerusalem.
On the following morning, we found ourselves " over
against Chios," and thence in a few hours " came to
Mitylene." We took the inner passage between the
latter island and the main, and in the afternoon were
opposite the ruins of Haivali. The situation was con
cealed from our view, but I sat on the deck of our
vessel, and read with awakened sympathies, the account
which is given of its once flourishing college, in Jowett's
Researches, and of its subsequent destruction by the
Turkish armies. During the night we passed " Assos,"
which is at some distance up the northern side of the
gulf of Adramittium.
At the midnight watch we doubled Cape Baba, the
Lectum Promontory. The officer called me according
to request, and I hastened above, to look out on the
land of Priam. As the weather was very mild, and a
wakeful mood- was over me, I continued on deck until
morning, observing as well as I was able, its low line
of coast. While wc were passing the " Troas" of
the New Testament, the sun arose upon us, and we
entered the Hellespont, eagerly watching the tumuli,
and othor interesting objects around Sigeum. Keeping
too near this classic soil, we grounded for a few mo
ments on a sand bank, which the turbid waters of the
Mendere, had extended farther than our book of direc
tions intimated. Without ever having heard the names
7*

78
of Soamander, Xanthus or Simois, our crew clustered
together, to praise the Trojan coast, and wonder at its
yellow current which seemed to cover half the Helles
pont. At the inner or old castles of the Dardanelles,
we were boarded, as is customary, by the Turkish
officer. He asked if I were an Englishman, to which
I replied in the affirmative, meaning by it one under
English protection. He then asked for my passports,
when I presented my certificate of citizenship from the
governor of Massachusetts, countersigned by the Ame
rican consul at Smyrna. The British consul was ready
to furnish me ,with other passports, but I chose to use
American whenever they would answer. This or any
other paper with a seal, was sufficient to prove me an
Englishman, and accordingly after opening it, his
Turkship applied the seal of his finger ring, and pro
ceeded to count the number of the crew. Scarcely had
he completed his examination, and we had passed the
castle a rnile or two, when the south wind wholly failed
us. Without this, it is impossible to stem the current,
whose waters set outward " as rapid as if they flowed
beneath a bridge." We came to an anchor, therefore,
just below the site of ancient Abydos, on the Asiatic
side, and near where Xerxes crossed the strait for the
invasion of Greece.
As soon as our sails were furled, Capt, M. and my
self went on shore and climbed the hill, from which the
haughty Persian is said to have surveyed his marshalled
millions. It is near the northern extremity of a low
and narrow ridge, that extends towards the castle as a
sort of natural embankment to the shore. On the one
side is an immense plain, where the land forces were
drawn up nation by nation ; on the other, the smooth

79
waters of a bay in the Hellespont, where the thousand
vessels were anchored. A little hillock higher than the
rest, we conjectured was the very spot where the throne
of Xerxes was erected, and the antiquarian would have
said, perhaps, that the fragments of white marble which
we picked up, were remains of the very same XMou
X.S.X0U, — white stone, from which the Abydeni con
structed his seat. As we stood gazing on the scene,
we called to mind the description of Herodotus, — " And
when he saw all the Hellespont covered with his vessels,
and the shores and plains of Abydos full of men, he
blessed himself; — but after that he wept"— wept at the
thought, that in an hundred years not one of all his
countless host would be alive. Happy would it have
been, if with these views of the brevity of human life,
he had adopted the prayer of an inspired moralist — " So
teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom."
On our return, we descended the hill to the low pro
montory, from which the bridge of boats is supposed to
have been extended for the passage of this vast army.
A small castle which we were not permitted to enter, is
built near the extremity. Here we met one of the new
ly raised soldiers, whose vanity we gratified, by stop
ping to witness his skill in handling the musket. We
then continued our walk by the shore, over fiagments
of terra cotta, or brown earthen ware, and some foun
dations of houses, and a city wall, which though per
haps not of the most ancient date, are believed to indi
cate the site of Abydos.
The next day we were detained on ship-board by the
rain, but on the day following, I took a- package of
Greek and Hebrew tracts, and walked down to the

80
Asiatic castle. " The port holes ofthe cannon belong
ing to these castles," says Tournefort, " look like
coach-house doors ; but the cannon, which are the
largest I ever beheld, not being set on carriages, can't
fire above once. And who would dare to charge 'em
in the presence of ships of war, that would pour in
such broadsides upon 'em, as would soon demolish the
walls of the castles, which are not terrassed, and bury
beneath their ruins both gunS and gunners; half a
dozen bombs would do the business." The best com
ment on this quotation is found in Hobhouse's account
of the passage of the Dardanelles, by the English fleet
under Admiral Duckworth in 1807- Little opposition
had been made to their entering, but on their return, a
destructive fire was poured upon them from batteries
under the direction of French officers. " Yet even at
that time, the Turks at the castles were thrown into
the utmost terror and confusion, and when one of the
three deckers, instead of passing through at once, haul
ed up a little, and bringing her whole broad side full on
the fort of Asia, opened all her batteries at once, she
appeared like a vast body of flaming fire, and showering
upon the walls and mounds a storm of shot, drove the
garrison at once from their guns." One of these guns
is two feet in the diameter of its hore, and requires more
than one hundred and seventy pounds of powder to dis
charge its stone ball of nearly four hundred pounds
weight. A shot which was taken out of one of the da
maged vessels on her arrival in England, is said to have
weighed twice as much.
It is generally admitted that it would be more haz
ardous at present to attempt the passage. The Euro
pean castle is built however on the acclivity of a hill,

81
and indeed most of the batteries, are commanded by
the high land around them. Hence, they could easily
be carried by a land force, and though the Asiatic cas
tle is on lower ground, projecting some distance into
the strait, it could not probably long resist such an
attack. The town at the Asiatic casde, is called Chanak-
Kalessi by the Turks, while the Europeans have given
it the names of Abydos and Dardanellos. Being sur
rounded by a plain, which is every where intersected
by water courses, it is much subject to fevers. It con
tains two thousand houses, a few hundreds of which
are Jewish, Armenian and Greek, and the remainder
Turkish. Our tracts, we left for sale and gratuitous distribu
tion, with a Scotch sailor, whom the English consul
summoned to attend us. This man having lost an arm
by accident some years since, was left on shore, and
has married a Greek wife. He obtains a livelihood by
keeping one of the shops of this country, for the sale of
wine, olives, dried fruits, &c and conducting trav
ellers over the plains of Troy. As there was not suffi
cient time before the Sabbath for a satisfactory visit,
and the north wind bid fair to detain us some time,
John was directed to provide us beasts against Monday
morning, for an excursion to the Troad.. He also
promised to obtain a saw for cutting off the surface of
some curious inscriptions which he said he had dis-
covored. The next day, (Saturday,) we crossed over to visit
the European shore. We landed a little higher up
than Abydos, near the place where Xerxes' bridge
must have been fastened. Sestos is supposed to have

82
been two or three miles above. Capt. M. took his
gun in search of the rabbits, which find a safer resting
place among the thyme and other fragrant herbs, on
the banks, since the Greeks have been deprived of
their arms. Our Scotch friend, John, who accompa
nied us, took satisfaction for not being permitted to
accompany Lord ByrOn when he swam across the strait,
by insinuating that there was no one to tell how much
assistance he received from his friends in the boat.
The bank is perhaps two hundred feet above the wa
ter, and the country of the same elevation, yet slightly
undulating, and as far as the eye could reach, almost
wholly uncultivated.
After walking some distance into the interior, we
followed the boatmen down to the village of Maita,
on a bay of the same name, not far above the European
castle. The inhabitants, about two thousand in num
ber, are nearly all Greeks. They have suffered great
ly from their Turkish masters, during the present
revolution. At one time early in the war, when the
lawless soldiers were passing the strait, every individual
fled, and their village was set on fire. The blind
man who acts as interpreter and agent for those who
stop here for traffic, pointed out the scar of a frightful
wound on the head of his son, which he had received
from a Turkish scimeter. We gave the little fellow
a book, and his father gladly accepted a package of
tracts, to sell for his own benefit. A young priest
from a neighboring monastery, returned the tracts
which we had handed him, and began to dissuade the
people from receiving any. The interpreter with
more good sense, having listened to extracts from
several, loudlv proclaimed their excellence, and call-

83
ed the priest an ignorant fellow. Upon this there
arose a boyish scuffle between them, the latter striving
to get back those which he had given up. Other
Greeks, whom we met on our walk in the fields, had
also declined our tracts, doubtless from very natural,
and perhaps justifiable apprehensions of their political
character. We had many applications afterwards, how
ever, from the villagers, and just as we were leaving, a
respectable Greek from the country, came to our
boat, and earnestly begged a stock for his neighbor
hood. We promised to send him a supply through the
interpreter. On the Sabbath, Capt. March assembled his men for
public worship in the cabin. The exercises were
scarcely concluded, when the south wind again sprung
up, and -before the crews of other vessels, which were
sauntering about the shore, could be mustered, we
were entering the Sea of Marmora. Thus, though
Capt. M. had declined beginning his voyage from
Smyrna on the Sabbath, we passed the straits sooner
than several vessels which sailed nearly a week before
us. Capt. March is only temporarily engaged in the
merchant service, as he holds the commission of lieu
tenant in the British navy. -^In him and other English
and American officers with whom I have met, it is de
lightful to find evidence that active and consistent piety
are not necessarily confined to the fixed sanctuary
and to the land. Every evening, when the weather
permits, it is his custom to read the scriptures and
pray with his crew. He also constantly carries a stock
of bibles, in different languages, for circulating in the
several ports which he visits. Happy will be the day
when every vessel shall be thus freighted with the

84
bread of life. I should not forget to add, that Capt.
March very generously declines receiving any thing
for passage, excepting the expenses of board in justice
to his owners.
As we passed the hill of Xerxes, the only person to be
seen on it, was a shepherd keeping watch over his flock.
The monarch and the millions which encircled him, have
for ages been laid in the dust, and the men of an hundred
generations who have since trodden over that hill, have
followed them to " the house appointed for all living."
Alas ! that so few of them should have "known the only
tiue God, in Jesus Christ, whom he has sent, whom to
know is life eternal!"
We had advanced but a short distance up the Sea of
Marmora, when a dead calm came on, leaving us per
fectly motionless for twenty hours. To this succeeded
so violent a squall from the north, that we were com
pelled to clew up nearly all our sails, and make for
shelter in the little Asiatic harbor of Camara-su, near
the ancient Parium. So defective was our chart, as
indeed until lately all the English charts have been,
that it did not even indicate the existence of a harbor
here. Had we not descried an Ionian vessel and follow
ed her movements, we should have been cempelled to
have gone back to the Dardanelles.
Just at night we landed in this village, which we
were told contained twenty Turkish and thirty Greek
families. We discovered several Greek inscriptions
on blocks of marble in the walls, or by the side of
fountains and dwellings. The inhabitants seemed little
accustomed to the sight of strangers. A group of Turk
ish women sitting on a hill, above some ruins which I
sought to explore, and a score of Turkish doss were

85
so clamorous, that I was compelled to retire. I had
hoped to repeat my visit this morning, and see, though
I do not purchase, some coins which a Greek whispered
me, he had for sale. I wished also to leave some tracts,
which, for prudential considerations, I did not take at
my first landing. Favorable, though light winds,induced
us, however, to put to sea early this morning.
Dismissing therefore, thoughts of the varied and novel
objects which I have witnessed in my past voyagings, I
am now preparing my mind for a sight of the great
Turkish capital.

CHAPTER IX.
FIRST WEEKS IN THE CITY.
Pilgrim lot of the missionary — Temporary residence in Pera —
Mild weather — Recollections of home — A Levant boarding
house — Method of heating room — Fellow boarders and ac
quaintances — Changed and peaceful aspect of the city — Ru
mors of the plague. Constantinople, Feb. 16, 1827.
You had anticipated that my letter would have been
dated at Jerusalem, " the city of the Great King," in
stead of this place where Christianity first assumed an
earthly diadem. But the lot of the Christian missionary
is still hke that of the Mesopotamian pilgrim, who, from
Ur of the Chaldees, " went out, not knowing whither he
went." Happy if with the like fortune he have the like
faith. 8

86
I arrived here from Smyrna, on the 2d of the present
month, after an eleven day's passage of almost summer
weather. The distance is reckoned at only four hun
dred miles by sea, and less than half that in a direct
hne. It is often passed both by land and water, in four
days. Through the friendly attentions of Rev. Mr.
Leeves, I have for the present found lodgings in the
Frank suburb of Pera. Mr. L. is the Agent ofthe Bri
tish and Foreign Bible Society, and acting chaplain to
the British embassy.
A thousand objects of interest solicit my attention, but
I feel it my duty at present, to devote uninterrupted
thought and labor, to the condition and language of the
Jews. Providentially, I have been able to secure the
best temporary helps for this purpose, which the nature
of the case admits. For a teacher, I have obtained one
of those Jews who assisted Mr. L. in the translation of
the New Testament into Jewish-Spanish.
With the exception of a few flakes of snow, which fell
at Smyrna, I have here for the first time seen any during
the present winter. It came to the depth of two or three
inches day before yesterday, but is now nearly gone.
The fields are charmingly green, and sprinkled over
with the beautiful pink and white mountain daisies,
which you cultivate in your flower pots. You may
often gather a dozen of them without changing
your position. We are in about the same latitude with
yourself, 41° north, but the winter in Turkey has
been uncommonly mild. In consequence of this, it is
expected that the plague will rage more than usual the
approaching summer. I have not fully decided where I
shall go when the hot months set in ; perhaps to
Smyrna, or lrn =•-**"= -i'ln ._ ,. f. to miles frnm the citv.

87
Do not, however, be solicitous about me. When Gen.
 went forth to the wars, he directed his son W. to
learn the 91st Psalm, and repeat itto his mother.
Feb. 20. — A hundred thanks for your letter of Nov.
1st, the first which I have received since I left America.
One ofthe Roman poets has a sentiment, which I take
the liberty of applying in a sense different from the ori
ginal. Caelum, non animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt.
" They who cross the ocean, change their sky ; not
their mind." I feel this to be true of myself. The
Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and now the Marmora,
have indeed borne me successively under another part
of the firmament, but they have left a brother's warm
affection still reigning in my breast. " My heart un-
travel'd, still to thee returns." Rest assured, it has only
been from conviction of stronger obligation, that I have
torn myself away from opportunities of doing something
to promote your own and M  's comfort. It matters
but little, however, what is the good or ill we experience,
or where is the place of our wanderings, during our pil
grimage here, if we are so happy as hereafter to reach,
with others brought thither by our instrumentality, the
place of "lasting rest."
I suppose it will interest you to learn some particulars
of my new situation. My landlady is a widow woman,
a Greek Catholic from Tinos, now enjoying Austrian
protection. She takes some credit to her family, because
they were once in the train of an ambassador, having
accompanied the ladies of Lord Elgin's party to Athens,
when he went to gather the marbles of Greece. Since
then their nobility have been head servants to an English

88
merchant in this place, until quite lately they have opened
a plain boarding house.
In the morning, by direction of her ladyship, a laigedish
of coals, previously well burnt in the open air, is sent into
my room. This, in a country where there are no chim
neys nor fire places, is not an unwelcome article. Some
times the vessel is earthen, but the more affluent have them
of copper. The latter, and perhaps both, are called
manghal. When it is placed, as I have seen it at Smyrna,
under a low table, upon which a counterpane is spread,
they together constitute the tendour. Around this the
company collect, with the lamp, and work or books upon
the table, (the latter are not often to be met with in these
parts,) and gather the comfortable about them, for the
purpose of warmth.
When the manghal is adjusted, a little table makes
its appearance, on which is a cup of coffee and (by way
of accommodation to my Frank habits,) a cake of bread*
and kaimac. This last, obtained by boiling the milk
repeatedly, after it has been suffered to cool, is to my
taste a good substitute for butter. Indeed, since I have
seen the Russian butter lying in the filthy streets of
Galata, put up like the Odessa tallow in hog's hides, I
have had no great inclination to taste of butter from
any quarter. The coffee, I should have told you, is pre
pared in a small open cup, and kept hot by being placed
on the coals of the manghal.
Shortly after I have taken coffee, my teacher, an Italian
Jew, comes and remains with me two or three hours.
Collatzione, or lunch, succeeds, when the same little ta
ble is ushered in, with a bit of lamb, cold tongue or an
egg ; a round Dutch cheese, an orange, some almonds,
or a poor app1"

89
At five o'clock, there are three of us who dine to
gether. My fellow boarders are Mr. B. an English
traveller, and a Wallachian merchant. With this latter
gentleman I often compare the Latin and Wallachian
languages, and find there are so many words in com
mon, that through the medium of those languages only
we could converse on ordinary subjects. This modern
Latin, as it might almost be called, owes its origin to
the Roman military colonies which were planted in that
country. Our dinner consists of soup ; meats, boiled, stewed
and roasted ; to which succeed preserves or fruit, and
coffee. For these accommodations, and they are the
cheapest which can be found, I pay a dollar a day. A
short time since, the only two other houses, where a
Frank could board, charged twice this sum. The great
exposedness to the plague, and the habits of the coun
try, discourage boarding houses. Travellers who make
much stay, (and this course I find was pursued by Mr.
Hartley, an English missionary, who has just left,) take
lodgings, and hire a servant to cook for them. In that
way I am satisfied I can live more economically, and I
am thinking when I know a little more of the langua
ges, to buy some furniture and keep house during the
summer. An able bodied man may be hired for from
two to four dollars a month, to which he expects to add
some perquisites from your table and wardrobe. Our
brethren at Malta however, complain bitterly, as you
might expect, of the difficulty of obtaining honest ser
vants. Indeed honesty in the Levant is a thing out of
the question, and with all their New England character,
the missionaries have sustained some serious losses
among these knavish people.

90
Besides the family of the British chaplain, I have
also made the acquaintance of Mr. S. an English mer
chant, on whom I have letters of credit. His lady,
who is a native of Constantinople, so far conforms to
the usages of the country, that when I call, she does
me the honor to present the sweetmeats with her own
hand, leaving the servant however to bear the coffee.
She smiled when I said in my still broken Italian, that
I should write  how I was received. The original
meaning of this almost universal practice, is said to
have been, an implied pledge from the fair hand that
presents it, that no poison is mingled in the cup* Nor
if common report be true, would such a pledge, in
every instance, be even now unnecessary. Mr. Wolff,
the Jewish missionary, supposed when here that an
attempt was made to poison him, in one of the villages
of his countrymen. Oriental hospitality might have
been expected to revolt at this, but religious prejudices
seem to have surpassed in bitterness the other evils of
plague and oppression, to which this miserable land is
subject. Feb . 24. — I need not say that the recent destruction
of the Janissaries, has greatly changed the state of
society here. From Constantinople and its suburbs, at
least fifty thousand of these lawless men and their ad
herents, are said to have been banished or put to death.
Instead of the crowds which were formerly met in
every street, with their girdles thrust full of pistols,
ataghan and scimetar. and ready to insult or rob you,
you see none but laborers, females or unarmed soldiers
passing along in quietness. It is said that considerable
discontent prevails in different parts of the empire, and
it Would not *"* -inn-nla. if th_ crreat increase of taxes

91
for carrying on the war with the Greeks, should cause
some uneasiness. Judging however from the respect
able degree of discipline which has been introduced
among the many thousands of the new soldiery in the
city and its vicinity ; and the well known energy of the
Sultan and the Seraskier, his principal agent ; we may
consider the new order of things pretty firmly establish
ed. Certain it is that this is very popular with the
Franks, whose mouths are filled with praises of Sultan
Mahmoud and the Seraskier. The latter officer was
known not many years ago, as a common porter in the
streets of the city.
The unhappy dissensions among the Greeks con
tinue as violent as ever. It is hoped however, that
the Russian ambassador, who has just arrived, will
succeed, in conjunction with Mr.. Canning, the English
ambassador, in obtaining the virtual independence of
Greece. JFeb. 26. — For some days past it has been observed
that many funerals of soldiers were taking place du
ring the day, and that the number of fresh graves multi
plied during the night. In the villages also we heard of
several accidents, as deaths by the plague are called,
and strangers began taking new precautions against
this wasting pestilence. At present, however, the
alarm appears to be subsiding, but in anticipation of
what the warm weather may soon bring, I am casting
around for a summer's residence on the Bosphorus, or
in the Princes' Islands.
I was walking, not long since, with my fellow board
er, in the cemetery, without Pera, which is the favorite
and almost the only promenade. We saw a number
of open graves, towards one of which a party of sol-

92
diers were hastily bearing their comrade. We got
on the windward side, as a security against infection,
and stood behind a cluster of cypresses, to observe the
ceremonies of interment. One of the police coming
up ordered us away, but the curiosity of my companion
being much excited, we only withdrew a short distance
in a different direction. Upon this, seeing us still lin
gering, he took up stones and threw at us. Whether
his conduct was owing to the ordinary prejudices of
the people, or to any recent command, we could not
determine.

CHAPTER X.
CONSTANTINOPLE.
Its situation — Harbor of the Golden Horn — Constantinople
proper — Extent — Walls— Royal mosques — Mausoleums —
The Atmeidan — The djerid — Other antiquities — Cisterns —
Aqueducts, fountains and baths — Bazars — Manufactures —
Castle of Seven Towers — Mosque of Ejoub — Seraglio.
Constantinople, March 12, 1827.
You will better understand my situation here, if you
suffer me first to refresh your memory, with some
general notices of this great Mohammedan capital.
Take your globe then, and follow round your own
parallel of latitude, until you have counted off nearly
one hundred degrees to the east. Or if you prefer to
trace my route, you may stretch a line across the At
lantic, of thirty-five hundred miles ; and thence anoth
er of fifteen hundred or two thousand more, through

93
the Mediterranean and the Islands of the Archipelago ;
the Dardanelles and the sea of Marmora, to where it
receives the waters of the Black Sea by the outlet of
the Bosphorus, or straits of Constantinople. The Bos-
phorus like the straits of the Dardanelles, is to be re
garded as a rapid river, rather than a canal as it is usu
ally called. Its breadth varies from one to three
miles, and its length is not far from twenty. On the
European side, just at the point of opening into the
Marmora, an arm or rather horn of the strait, extends
six or eight miles into the land, curving upon itself to
wards the Black Sea. Its greatest breadth is about a
mile. At its tip, two small streams discharge them
selves, whose course is nearly parallel with the Bos
phorus. Cover this singular body of water with thou
sands of the gay kirlangishes or swallow boats, and
cluster aroud its banks hundreds of richly freighted
merchant vessels, and it becomes the celebrated harbor
of the golden horn.
Constantinople properly so called, is the triangular
space, enclosed on two sides by the Marmora and the
golden horn, and on the land side by a triple wall and
ditch. It is customary however, to include under the
same general name, the surburbs of Galata, Pera, To-
phana and others, which are contained within the curve
of the horn, and the Bosphorus. Some also add Scu
tari, and the surburbs on the Asiatic side of the strait,
though the channel is three miles over.
Confining ourselves then, for the present to Constan
tinople proper, let us first fix on some localities. Con
sidering the land side as the base of the triangle, we
have the castle of the Seven Towers near the angle
which it forms with the Marmora, and the mosque of

94
Ejoub in a surburb just without the walls, at the outer
angle which it makes with the harbor side. The Se
raglio Point is at the vertex of the triangle. To pre
pare you for the accuracy of oriental descriptions, the
authorities in so plain a matter as the circumference of
the city, vary in their estimates, only from ten to twen
ty three miles. If you set it down at fifteen, it will not
be far from the truth, and in your plan, you may mark
the longest side, on the sea, and the least, on the har
bor. The two water sides have their walls, with low
turrets and gates. Along the Marmora, the turrets
and angles often project into the sea. On the iiarbor
side, there is usually a narrow space without, now in
part occupied by dwellings. The walls on the land
side, like the others, are in a ruinous condition, and
their crumbling towers, will soon leave few of the
Greek inscriptions to tell us by what " emperor in Je
sus Christ," they were built or restored. About mid
way on this side, is the cannon gate, by which Mahom
et entered the city in 1453. Though sober observ
ers might not think of describing this second Rome,
as another "seven hilled city," yet like the country
around, it is irregular and considerably elevated.
The most prominent objects as you approach, and the
most interesting after you have entered, are the royal
mosques. St. Sophia with which we must of course be
gin, need not detain us long. It is as well known as St.
Paul's in London. Travellers differ in opinion how far
they should have joined with the Christian emperor Jus
tinian, who when he had completed this church exclaim
ed, "I have outdone thee O Solmon." For myself, I
cannot say with the queen of Sheba, that it " exceedeth
the fame which I heard." The other mosques, which

95
are chiefly of Turkish origin, and modeled after St. So
phia bear the names of their founders, as the Suleyma-
nie, the Validea, Sultan Achmet, Sultan Bajazet, Sul
tan Selim, Sultan Mahomet, and the like. You will find
most of them surrounded with a large open court, in
which are shade trees, fountains and cloisters, for the
purposes of ablution. The central part is a high dome,
with many smaller domes and minarets around. The
white minarets, of which there are four to the royal
mosques, are '' as high as any of our belfries, and as
small about as a ninepin." Near the top is a gallery
on the out side, from whence the muzzin proclaims the
hour of prayer, towards the four cardinal points.
Though Christians at present do not obtain access
to the interior, you may find in the books of travel
lers, a minute account of the porphyry, jasper and
marble columns, which the ruined cities of Asia Minor,
Syria, Egypt and Greece, have furnished for their
principal ornament. Near the mosques are the Mau
soleums, or sepulchres ofthe sultans, and other celebra
ted personages. Here the Koran is often chained to
the grave, and visiters spend much time in leading from
it, as an act of piety.
After the mosques and mausoleums, let us proceed
to visit the antiquities of the Atmeidan. These are
the obelisk of Egyptian granite, erected by the em
peror Theodosius ; the marble pyramid of one of the
later Constantines ; and the brazen Delphic pillar.
The obelisk is fifty feet in height, of a reddish color,
and covered with hieroglyphics, which are as fresh
as though inscribed but yesterday, The pyramid rises
nearly a hundred feet, but being stripped of its bronze
covering, looks like the tall chimney of some ruined

96
dwelling. The part of the brazen column which re
mains, is composed, as you are aware, of the bodies of
three twisted serpents, and is about ten or twelve feet
above ground. It supported the golden tripod, which
the Greeks after the battle of Platasa found in the
camp of Mardonius, and dedicated to Apollo at Del-
phos. The Atmeidan or ancient Hippodrome, is the
open space around these monuments. Formerly it was
much frequented, for playing the djerid. Military ex
ercises have now taken its place, so that in only a single
instance, have I seen an individual engaged in this sport.
In the open court before the palace of the vizier, a black
grandee was amusing himself with it alone. Putting
his horse to his speed, he endeavored to hurl his djerid,
which is a wooden stick two feet long, with such force,
and in such a direction, as to catch it on its rebound.
When several engage together, it is thrown with violence
at each other.
The other antiquities which a stranger is taken to
visit, are the porphyry or burnt column about ninety
feet high, erected by Constantine, together with seve
ral lesser columns, of a later date. There are also a
number of ancient cisterns, the most celebrated of
which is that of the Binderik, or thousand and one
pillars. In this dark and damp cell, amidst several
hundred columns^ the twisting of silk is carried on, by
a company of clamorous beggars. The other cisterns
are wholly neglected, and almost wholly unknown.
One of vast extent [ once accidentally' saw, through
the polite invitation of the owner of the house,. be
neath which it was concealed. I was walking leisure
ly near the door, when a Turk came out, and, for what
purpose we did not at first understand, requested us to

97
enter. We found the cistern nearly filled with water,
but could discover the tops of numerous columns,
which we should gladly have explored more at length,
had not part of our company gone on in advance.
Since then we have not been able to get access to the
house. The acqueduct of Valens, with others which the
Turks themselves have erected, furnish the city with
water from the bents Or artificial reservoirs in Bel
grade and its vicinity. Were the city defended with
cannon, and capable of enduring a siege from its for
tifications and an adequate supply of provisions, it
would be easy, by interrupting the aqueducts, {o com
pel its surrender. In case of an attack by land, the
struggle for its possession, would in consequence, be
decided upon the heights without the walls. On these
the Sultan is building most of the barracks, for the ac
commodation of his new soldiers, which are continually
assembling at the capital.
The fountains are very numerous, both in the city
and by the way side, and are an example worthy of
imitation in Christian countries. When connected
with establishments of dervishes they are furnished
with a great number of metal cups, which are kept
constantly filled. These are free to every passer by,
whether he be the Mussulman, who reads the lines of the
Koran in gilded letters above, and blesses the prophet
and founder ; or the poor rayah who curses inwardly,
Mahomet and all his followers. In the villages, and by
the way side, a single cup is fastened by a chain to the
fountain. The public baths are likewise an object worthy of
notice. You will know them by the low dome, with

98
numerous openings for the vapor to escape. Nor would
you ever forget them, should you once undergo the sweat
ing process, as I did at Smyrna. Here I was cautioned
not to enter through fear ofthe plague.
The bazars are much larger, and more exclusively
devoted to a single article, than those of Smyrna. The
first which I enter on crossing the harbor, contains
drugs and dye stuffs ; others are lined with silks, robes
of fur, shoes of different colors, or aims of every kind.
Copper vessels are manufactured to a great extent, and
Ihave sometimes passed a hundred shops in succession
where none but Turkish workmen are employed. In
deed the rayahs are prohibited from engaging in most
kinds of work in metals. In the bezestein, there is a
splendid, rather than valuable, exhibition of jewelry,
of which all the different classes of people are extrava
gantly fond. Here, as in Smyrna, are numerous khans,
for the travelling, and which are sometimes occupied by
the resident merchant.
The dwelling houses, I should think, are more slight
ly constructed than those of that city, and more expo
sed to fire. The streets are better paved and more
cleanly. •
The castle of the Seven Towers, which I have men
tioned as being near one of the angular points, is, like
most things else here, in ruins. Foreign ambassadors
have not latterly been honored with a constrained resi
dence within its walls.
The mosque of Ejoub, which is without the other
angle, is named from a holy disciple of the prophet,
who is revered as the patron of Constantinople. No
giaours or infidels are permitted to enter, but Ali Bey
informs us that the tomb ofthe disciple, whose remains

99
were miraculously discovered here, is, in the centre,
covered with a rich cloth, and surrounded with a silver
balustrade. Water is drawn from a sacred well in sil
ver buckets. It is the place where the Grand Seignior
is crowned, or rather girded, for in that the ceremony of
his entering upon office, chiefly consists.
After the manner of those who have worn the sword
from the days when Saul was made king over Israel, the
Sultan has taken of the fields, " even the best of them,
for himself and for his servants." The seraglio, or the
Sultan's private quarters, which includes an hundred
and fifty acres, occupies the situation of the ancient
Byzantium. It forms a lesser triangle at the vertex or
angle of the city which projects into the water. You
should understand, however, that this is to be distin
guished from the harem, or women's quarters, and in
cludes the mint, barracks for some thousand body
guards, and other public buildings. You may judge of
the number of its inmates, (some say there are ten
thousand,) from the provision made for it in the time of
Tournefort, which would compare with that furnished
for the household of king Solomon. This was forty
thousand cords of wood, and forty thousand beeves, be
sides two hundred muttons daily, one hundred lambs or
goats, ten veals, two hundred hens, two hundred pair of
pullets and fifty green geese. The principal gate, or
Ottoman Porte,* is on the land side, near the church
of St. Sophia. Foreign ambassadors, when admitted
to an audience of the Sultan, pass in by this gate,

* A different explanation ofthe term has been given by Thorn
ton, who supposes that it refers to the Grand Vizier, as the door
of communication between the Sultan and the rest of mankind,

100
through several extensive courts quite to the seat of
majesty. If you have the curiosity to enter, you will find
Tournefort, Dr. Clark or Hobhouse, ready to conduct
you.

CHAPTER XI.
THE SUBURBS AND VICINITT.
Principal quarters of the Rayahs — Galata— Tophana — Navy
yard and prison— .Pera — Scutari — The Bosphorus — Buy uk-
dere — Valley of sweet waters — Belgrade — Aspect ofthe sur
rounding country — Fanar-Baktchesi— Princes' Islands — Po
pulation. Constantinople, March 12, 1827.
Continuing our survey of the city, let me now direct
your attention to some other localites. The new Arme
nian quarter is about midway of the Marmora side, near
the Yeni, or new gate. The former centre of these peo
ple, was, I believe, more in the direction of the castle of
the Seven Towers. The Fanar, or principal Greek quar
ter, is on the harbor side, two thirds of the distance from
the seraglio point. Ballat-kui the Jewish quarter, is high
er up the harbor than the Fanar. In Chas-kui and its
vicinity, directly across the harbor, thispeople are perhaps
still more numerous, They also inhabit several villages
on the Bosphorus.
A little within the entrance of the harbor, on the
north side over against the seraglio, is the suburb of
Galata. This is the seat of all the foreign commerce.
Close by the shore, lie all the large vessels, often
with their bows projecting over the land. The small
vessels of the country, discharge their cargoes on the

101
opposite side, just above the Seraglio. The chain
which defended the harbor against the Turkish gallies,
when the city was taken from the Greeks in 1453, was
stretched across from Galata, to the Seraglio quarter.
Mahomet however, possessed himself of it, by draw
ing his smaller gallies over land from the Bosphorus,
behind the hill on which Galata, Pera and Tophana
are situated, to the upper part of the golden horn.
The wall by which Galata was then defended, still re
mains, and also the citadel or tower of Anastasius.
You ascend this by about an hundred and fifty steps,
to a small room at the top. It now serves for a watch
tower, from whence the alarm of fire is given by beat
ing a wooden drum. I have entered repeatedly, pay
ing only a few paras for the prospect and a dish of cof
fee, which the keeper stands ready to prepare. Since
the destruction of the Janissaries' tower on the opposite
high ground of Constantinople, this affords the best view
of the city.
Adjoining Galata on the north, as you begin to as
cend the Bosphorus, is Tophana, or the cannon found
ry, as it is commonly called. At present, however,
it is only an arsenal for cannon, the modern foundry
being opposite the mosque of Ejoub, on the harbor,
above Chas-kui. Between Galata and Chas-kui are
the navy yard and Ters-hane, or arsenal. Here
the Capudan Pasha or admiral, has his palace, and
reigns almost supreme. During the absence of the
fleet on service, you may always see here half a doz
en ships ofthe line, no longer sea worthy. Ship-build
ing is carried on he_e extensively, but the vessels are
often launched along the Asiatic coast of the Black
Sea, and afterwards floated down the Bosphorus, to be
9*

102
fitted up at the navy yard. Within the walls of Ters-
hane, is the prison of the bagnio. In this are hundreds
of poor wretches confined for trifling offences, or
some slight suspicion of the government, and not _n-
frequently at the request of the Jewish President or
Armenian and Greek Patriarchs. Prisoners of war
are usually shut up here. All the inmates are chained
two and two, and employed in the most laborious ser
vices. Here, amidst all their sufferings from sickness,
stripes and labor by day, our brethren, the Jewish
Christians, still continue at midnight, to '' pray and sing
praises unto God."
On the hill above Trophana and Galata, and forming
with them one continuous city, is Pera. A vast Turk
ish cemetry — one of the favorite walks of the people,
occupies the side between it and the navy yard. In
Pera, are the palaces of the Foreign Ambassadors, and
the dwelling houses of most of the Frank merchants.
Here and in Galata, all the Franks reside, with the
exception of a few of lesser note in Trophana. An
hundred years since, some of the Ambassadors had
their palaces in Constantinople, but at present no Frank
is suffered to remain there, or out of the curve of the
Golden Horn.
Scutari, is the great Asiatic suburb. The popula
tion of this, and indeed a great part of the inhabiK
ants of the Frank suburbs, are Turks intermingled
with their three great classes of subjects. The
strength of the current which sets from the Black Sea
into the Marmora, at the rate of several miles an hour,
increases the labor of communication between Europe
and Asia. As you cross over, you pass a tower on a
little island, not far from the Scutari point, which has,

103
been called Leander's tower. It derives its appella
tion from an oriental story, bearing a slight resem
blance to that of the lover of Abydos.
The Bosphorus on both of its sides, and especially
the European, is for more than half of its extent, a
constant succession, not merely of villages, but of dwel
lings. Just above Tophana is one of the light and airy
summer palaces of the sultan. Others belonging to
himself, his relatives and different officers of the court,
are interspersed along the shore, among the dusky
dwellings of his subjects. As you approach the Black
Sea, the white washed castles and batteries take the pla
ces of these kiosks, and the shores become less populous.
Most of the foreign Ambassadors and merchants,
have their summer residences at Buyuk-dere on the
European side of the canal, twelve miles or two thirds
of the distance from Constantinople to the Black Sea.
The Russian ambassador has no palace in Pera, but
stops with his chancellor there when he has occasion
to be in town. The French and English ambassadors,
with several of their respective countrymen, have lat
terly resided at Therapia, a village on the same side,.
just below Buyuk-dere.
The banks of the Bosphorus are high, with vine
yards and gardens, often rising above the houses. But
you want a more glowing pen than mine to describe
its lovely scenery ; or the surpassing beauty of the
wide semi-circular city which seems to embosom you,
on approaching its entrance from the Marmora, or the
celebrated Turkish cemetries without Scutari and Con
stantinople, and the Armenian burying ground on the
borders of Pera. My object is to give you merely an
outline of the picture, and leave it for others to add its
rich and variegated coloring.

104
Let me then direct you to the valley of the Sweet
Waters, and the village of Belgrade with its lakes and
forest. These you will find by following up the rivu
let which creeps with its sluggish fellow into the
head of the harbor. The Sultan has a kiosk at Kiat-
hana, in the valley of the Sweet Waters, and Belgrade
was a favorite place of summer residence, before Buy
uk-dere was built. With these exceptions, the coun
try around Constantinople to a great extent, is exceed
ingly uninviting. Where there is a cluster of houses,
a few acres may be under tillage, but generally, the
land is unenclosed, uncultivated, and without inhabit
ants. The surface is irregular and sometimes hilly,
presenting to the eye either the naked earth, scattered
grass and weeds, or evergreen shrubbery. On the
opposite shores of Asia, the hills rise into mountains,
but the soil is usually more fertile. After doubling the
Scutari point, you pass on the coast, the village of
Kaddi-kui, the representative ofthe ancient Chalcedon,
which is truly " the blind man's city," in comparison
with Byzantium, its finely situated successor. Just be
yond is the grove of Fanar-Baktchesi, the favorite re
sort, alike of Franks, Turks, and Rayahs. In the
Marmora farther to the east, and at no great distance,
lie scattered the Princes' Islands. These are likewise
pleasant summer quarters, frequented more particularly
by the Greeks.
Thus much in brief for the city, and now but a
word more respecting its inhabitants. I trust we shall
by and by be able to determine their numbers with
greater certainty, when the census which is now said
to be in progress, shall be brought to a close. TiU
then you must be content with taking the mean of the

105
different estimates, though I believe this is almost al
ways too high. Including the villages of the Bospho
rus, the two extremes which I have found stated, are
300,000 and 1,000,000. I cannot persuade myself
that there are more than 5 or 600,000 of which more
than half are probably Turks. Of the remainder, 80
or 100,000 may be assigned to the Armenians ; 60 or
80,000 to the Greeks ; 40 or 50,000 to the Jews ; and
6 or 8,000 to the Franks.

CHAPTER XII.
THE PLAGUE AND KINDRED EVILS.
Removal to the Princes' Islands — Singular precaution against
the plague — Number of its victims — History — Symptoms —
Remedies — Great terror caused by the disease — Different
theories respecting contagion — Preventives — Duty of the
philanthropist — Filth of the Levant-— Vermin — Dogs — Pro
posed plan for their destruction — Two modes of self-preser
vation — Fires. Prinkipos, April 15, 1827.
I have now been, a month in these islands, which I
find a delightful retreat from the crowd and filth, and
dogs and disease, (I wish I could add vermin,) of Con
stantinople. The crowd however I should have no
disposition to shun, were it not for two reasons — igno
rance of their languages, and exposure to the plague.
Coming to the Mediteiranean without the slightest
knowledge of any of the spoken languages of the
people, it will necessarily be some time before I can
converse advantageously on the momentous truths of

106
the gospel. As for the plague, according to the pre
valent opinion of the Christian population, and particu
larly the Franks and Greeks, it is communicated chiefly
by contact with the person and dress of the infected.
Hence, it has become a habit in walking the streets,
studiously to collect the skirts of one's garment, and
to shun the passer-by as though death were in the touch.
Sometimes, notwithstanding all the dexterity thus acqui
red, the robe of a careless Turk will brush against you,
and cause no small misgiving at the accident. The
older residents endeavor to quiet the fears of strangers,
and become somewhat remiss in their precautions, not
so much perhaps from a disbelief of their importance,
as of their insufficiency. Do what they may, unless
they wholly abstain from business, nor even then, can
they be sure for an hour, of not having been exposed
to the contagion. But let me reduce my remarks on this
scourge of the Levent to some order. I can however
add little to the statements of books, though I may "give
the impression more fresh from the minds of the people.
The subject is also one of great practical importance
to us, in our missionary capacity. Besides using pro
per precautions to preserve ourselves from danger, it
is our duty to be doing something, if possible, to miti
gate an evil that involves the comfort, the intellectual
and moral improvement, and the lives of so many
millions. First then as to the numbers, which his " besom of
destruction" sweeps away. In the single street of
Pera, from which I have just removed, one thousand
died last year. In 1812, a year indeed which had been
without a parallel since 1778, we are informed by
Turner, that according to the most authentic accounts,

107
the whole number of deaths was three hundred and
twenty thousand. Now suppose we deduct an hun
dred thousand for over estimate, and there still re
mains one out of every three, hurried to the grave.
This it will be admitted was an uncommon degree of
mortality, but in ordinary years of the plague, sixty
or eighty thousand deaths occur. From 1783 to 1785,
one hundred thousand children and young people died.
Why then, you may ask, is not the city left a desert 1
It would be so, were it not that heavier oppres
sions compel numbers from the villages to emigrate
thither. In Syria,* and the eastern part of Asia Mi
nor, from whence we hear that this pest is now mov
ing forward with giant strides, through city, town and
village, towards the capital, many places are more
than half depopulated. This too you will find from
consulting books of travels, is no unfrequent occur
rence. Even at Smyrna, which since that period has
been almost entirely free from the disease, between
November, 1813, and July, 1814, there died from
thirty to sixty thousand. Little notice is taken of it
here, until the daily number of deaths exceeds two
hundred. When it reaches to a thousand, public pray
ers, on account of it are offered up in the mosques.
Egypt, still more than Turkey, has been regarded
as the home of the plague ; but the annual average of
deaths in Grand Cairo, is mentioned only at seven thou
sand, in a population half as great as that of Constan
tinople. The plague in London, of 1665, numbered
sixty-eight thousand victims. About half that number
* The American missionaries at Beyroot, were shut up some
months in consequence.

108
died in the years 1603 and 1625, and a few hundreds
or thousands annually for several preceding and subse
quent years. At Marseilles and in its vicinity, two
hundred thousand died in the plague -of 1720. In
Moscow, to which place it was introduced by the Turk
ish army, in 1771, seventy thousand died within a few
months. At Malta it caused much alarm, and swept
off great numbers in the year 1813. In the Ionian isl
ands,, it prevailed in the years 1815 and 1816. Out of
seven hundred that were attacked with it at Corfu, only
seventy recovered.*
Though the earlier medical writers are not very ex
plicit in their descriptions, it is probable that the Medi
terranean countries have been afflicted with it from time
immemorial.* The plague at Athens, as described by
Thucydides, is thought indeed by some to have been
the small pox : others have regarded it as one of the
varieties of the true plague. Not a few have been of
the opinion that this was the pestilence which walked
in darkness, as far back as the days of Moses, and the
destruction that wasted at noon-day in the time of the
Psalmist. It does not occur in the tropics or polar re
gions, nor often beyond the countries which border on
the Mediterranean and its adjacent seas. Indeed the
Turkish empire only, seems to have suffered much from
its visitations, for many years past.
* During the past and present year, it has made its appear
ance in several parts both of insular and continental Greece,
but was prevented from extending its ravages by shutting up
the infected districts. It was troublesome to the Russian army
at Bucharest, in the last campaign, and is said to have recently
broken out near Odessa. Constantinople, for the last three
years, has almost wholly escaped its attacks.— 18'29.

109
But what is this destructive malady ? Medical wri
ters, to whom I must refer you for a particular descrip
tion would most of them agree in calling it a " typhus
fever accompanied with extreme debility," or a " con
tinued fever allied to typhus." Some have spoken of
five or six species, and more would admit three varie
ties — the mild, severe and malignant. In its com
mencement, the general derangement of the system, is
much the same as in ordinary fevers. Cold, nausea,
head-ache and delirium, are frequent symptoms. A
peculiar muddiness of the eyes is often observed, and
a staggering, accompanied with great and sudden pros
tration of strength is still more characteristic. Sea
men with whom I have conversed, have seen the por
ters of Alexandria falling down dead under their bur
dens. But what seems to render the plague a specific
disease, is the swellings under the arms, and carbun
cles or inflamed blotches, on different parts of the body.
The occurrence of the former is by no means univer
sal, nor the time of their appearance regular. Usual
ly it is near the beginning of the disorder, and their
non-appearance is regarded as an unfavorable symp
tom. All ages and conditions of people, and every
variety of constitution, are subject to its attack. That
greater mortality follows it than any other malignant
fever, must be evident from the statements already
made. Probably a majority of those who are attack
ed, die within the period of from two to seven days.
At the same time as might be expected, its virulence
is modified by a variety of causes, and in some of its
forms, it is quite a mild disease. In different places
and years, and in different periods of the same year,
it presents a widely different aspect. Usually in the
10

110
later stages of the epidemic, it is much diminished in
violence. As to the mode of treatment which should be pur
sued, it seems we are little wiser than preceding gene
rations. During the plague in London, each infected
house was ordered " to be marked with a red cross of
a foot long, in the middle of the door, evident to be
seen, and with these usual printed words, Lord have
mercy upon us to he set close over the same cross, there
to continue until the opening of the same house."
Scarcely any other direction than this would now be
agreed on by physicians, except that the patient should
not be thus shut up. Bleeding, even to fainting, has
been recommended, and in young and robust constitu
tions and inflammatory cases, if resorted to quite ear
ly, may prove beneficial. Though this is a favorite
remedy with all classes here in most other diseases,
and is said by authors to be the uniform practice of the
Turks, yet I find a strong prejudice against it among
the Christian population, both medical men and others.
Cases are mentioned of patients who have died under
the lancet. The sudorific plan is that which has most
partizans, while few, if any, consider it to be hurtful.
Mild emetics also, in the early stages, seem to unite
the voice of a majority of writers, but purgatives are
regarded as dangerous. Little or no benefit has been
derived from the cold affusion. Mercury, in its action
on the mouth, was faithfully tried in France, without
any satisfactory results. There is not time for its spe
cific effects. The cinnabar fumigation might prove
beneficial. Ether and laudanum are valuable to al
lay irritation, but wine and opium are of no use,
and bark is seldom retained in the first stages. After

Ill
the patient becomes convalescent, camphor, bark and
wine, are given with advantage. Local treatment of
the swellings, is by some thought important, yet there
seems little more encouragement for the surgeon than
for the physician. Brandy and caviar, (the salted roes
of fish, a very common article of food- in the Levant,)
are used by the Turks, says one traveller, in order
to throw out the disease. Vinegar is highly recom
mended, both as an internal and external remedy.
Frictions with olive oil, have been regarded as an in
fallible cure, but probably are serviceable only as a
preventive. As a remedy, they may even prove inju
rious. Bakers, cooks, smiths, and those whose em
ployments expose them to the heat, have been thought
more liable to the pest ; while oil men and wine sel
lers, are said wholly to escape.
After all, the hazard and consequent hifrequency of
judicious observations, have doubtless left us in much
ignorance and mistake. No Christian physician is wil
ling to practice in cases of the plague. When it begins
to rage, they do not suffer ordinary patients to enter
their doors, but prescribe from an upper window, while
the sick man is on the ground below, or perhaps only a
servant has come to describe the symptoms. The mo
ment that a patient is suspected of having the plague
he is ordered away, and when it becomes confirmed, he
is taken to the Turkish hospital by a set of people, who
have for the most part once had the disease. Under
such circumstances, with a Turkish physician and a Tur
kish nurse, it is not singular, if this hospital bears too
much resemblance to the " tower of oblivion," on the
Bosphorus, — a place from which no one has been
known to return. Nothing will give you perhaps so

112
correct an idea of the dread with which this disease
is regarded by the Christians, as the common assertion,
which I am persuaded is not exaggeration. " Not one
mother in ten thousand, would knowingly stay with her
only son, if attacked with the plague." Two instances
only, have come to my knowledge, in which individu
als have voluntarily, and with impunity, remained by
the sick bed of their friends. One was the father-in-
laW of an English gentleman in Pera, and the other
an aged Greek lady in this place. In the first instance,
the natural fearlessness of the father, was no doubt a
great preservative. In the latter, the mother was
careful to avoid all contact with the person or bed of
her sick son, and to make a free use of vinegar. He
did not however live to reward her maternal kindness,
nor, if my memory serves me, the daughter in the
previous case. To these praise-worthy examples, I
should add that of a Greek priest, who, when the plague
prevailed in this island, ten or twelve years since, fell a
martyr to his efforts for the welfare of his flock. These re
marks are not applicable to the Turks, who, you are aware,
from their notions of fate, as is usually said, take no more
precautions against this than against any other disease.
A single alarm of plague in a family, even should it
not prove fatal, is regarded by the Franks, as equiva
lent to the loss of almost every article of clothing or
furniture within the dwelling. Who would wish, for
example, to set foot on a carpet, or put on the richest
robe, if death might be the consequence ? The haste
in which the inhabitants flee, is often times such, that
money and other valuables are left behind, to be plun
dered or greatly damaged, by those who pass about to
purify the dwellings.

113
Whatever, theory we adopt respecting its contagious
nature, it must be admitted that in its malignant forms,
the plague is' a disease in a great degree beyond the
reach of medicine. Of the British army, in Egypt,
more than half died of those who were attacked. Of
the French, one in three, some say one in five, only re
covered. Hence preventives become more important
than remedies, and these will vary according to the
views entertained on the question of contagion. The
Turks in practice, and some respectable modern phy
sicians, in theory, usually those who have not witness
ed the disease, are anti-contagionists. Like other
kinds of the typhus, they believe it to originate
from vegetable or animal putrefaction. Hence the
countries and classes of society which are most exposed
to the operation of these causes, will be most liable to
its attack. At the time ofthe great plague in London,
this was so strikingly the case, that it was known
by the name of " the poor's plague." The common
people were miserably lodged, clothed and fed at that
time ; their houses had only ground floors, and cleanli
ness was as much a stranger to its streets as it is now
to those ofthe Levant. Marseilles too, in 1720, was
akin, in this latter respect to Cairo and Constantinople.
In Moscow, but three of the nobility, few of the prin
cipal people, and three hundred foreigners died,
while for some time the average number of deaths
was from eight to twelve hundred daily. There,
as is still practised in Constantinople and the East,
the clothes of the deceased were worn and their
houses occupied at a later period of the epidemic,
without inconvenience. It is further alleged, that
like other remittents the plague personates all dis-
10*

114
eases ; that it chiefly prevails in the time of the sum
mer putrefaction, and like that is checked by a dry
wind, or cold weather ; that since Europe has become
more cleanly it has been nearly freed from this disease ;
and that were it contagious, it would, like the small
pox and kindred diseases, long since have made its way
through the world. The hopes of this class, rest on
the gradual improvement of the condition of people in
the Levant ; on more extended experiments by compe
tent physicians ; better attendance upon the sick ; dimi
nution ofthe extreme terror with which it is now viewed,
and active exertions to remove the local causes of in
fection, to all which they very justly remark, the contra
ry theory stands opposed.
On the other hand it is believed that the plague is
"in the highest degree contagious," and that it " differs
from the typhus in the circumstance of its origin in
specific contagion." In favor of this view may be
stated the universal belief and quarantine regulations
of the Christians, and increasing conformity to these
regulations on the part of the wealthier Mahometans
in the Levant. A still more weighty argument is
drawn from the comparatively small number of deaths
among the Franks, by whom the quarantine system is
most effectually maintained. As an example of the
disproportion, there were but two hundred Aleppines, na
tives of the Archipelago, and Franks, and of the latter,
only twenty-five, out of the 320,000 who died at Con
stantinople. The number of medical men who have
fallen victims, in attempts to grapple with this mon
ster, strongly confirm the doctrine of contagion. All
the assistant surgeons in the hospital at Moscow, took
the disease and eleven out of fifteen died ; among the
French phys' - ""  *'  " ^;™^" .i-otho

115
And though it rages more at some seasons than others,
yet it is said, there are none which are exempt from
it. Nor is the destroyer confined to the crowded city,
but stalks abroad over hill and dale, following the car
avan route when he approaches from the east in a
wedge form path, continually widening behind. At
the same time it is admitted, that it is a contagion modi
fied by its own laws, of which, the following are be
lieved to be some. Its latent period, or interval be
tween exposure and the first symptoms of disease, is
from three to six days ; it spreads to but a small dis
tance, seldom beyond actual contact, and is propagated
by the dead, less easily than by the living. It is an as
certained fact, that one may pass in safety through hun
dreds of half buried corpses, and that they who bury the
dead, suffer less than those who attend on the sick.
Various substances, such for example as furs, cottons,
and woolens, readily receive and retain the contagion
for a length of time if secluded from the air. Instan
ces are believed to have occurred, in which the open
ing of a trunk after an interval of years, has reprodu
ced the disease. Heat, cold, fumigation, moisture, and
especially ventillation, are thought to disinfect such arti
cles. A sufficient number of well authenticated in
stances, prove that the disease may occur a second
time, yet it is not common. Out of four thousand four
hundred cases at one hospital, twenty-eight only were
second attacks. Generally too, such have the disorder
more mildly. Some who have long been residents
in the Levant, assert that people are to be met with,
who have suffered from it five or six times, but I do
not find this confirmed by medical authorities. Cases
of death on a second attack, are on record. It has also

116
been proved by several most philanthropic, yet unhappy
experiments, that the disease may be communicated by
inoculation without diminishing its violence. Dr. Whyte
in 1801, died in four days after he had inoculated him
self. Hence, there is little hope of benefit from this
source. It is also generally believed, that moderate heat
is most favorable to the developement of the contagion.
In Europe, the summer and autumnal months have been
those in which it has most uniformly prevailed, while the
heat of Egypt checks its progress/ Indeed it is said to
be a fact, that after the rains cease, and the Turkish
government in the latter country, proclaim on St. John's
day, (24th June,) the cessation of the plague, that few
instances occur. Great and sudden changes also take
place in the degree of mortality, in connexion with oth
er changes of weather, yet there seems less certainty
in what degree heat and cold, wet and dry, have influ
ence, or in what manner.
Some causes also, it is admitted by the contagionists,
predispose the body to receive this, as well as other
diseases, and should be carefully avoided. Among
such may be mentioned filth, famine, excess of any
kind, and whatever tends to promote debility. Still,
the most effectual and almost certain preventive,
when it has once entered the place, is, they assert,
closing the door against it. This is the course pur
sued here by the Franks and wealthier Rayahs. The
ambassadors' gates are closed on the slightest rumors,
and as the mortality increases, one after another, of
the merchants shuts himself up, until none of the
Christians, but those whom necessity constrains, pur
sue their avocations abroad. On the first alarm, all
susceptible articles, such as carpets and table cloths,

117
are removed. Provisions are drawn up by -hooks and
chains, and passed through water, and letters are fumi
gated with sulphur. In this way, months are spent,
without setting foot abroad, but not without continual
apprehensions, lest a thoughtless and impatient servant
should violate the rules, or that a cat, or some other
furred animal should pass over the walls. In the opin
ion of the contagionists, the quarantine system, if ri
gidly enforced, might banish this pest from the earth.
To this principally, they ascribe the diminution of it
in Europe, and they hail with joy, the prospect that
the sanitary regulations of Christendom will by and by,
be introduced into Mahometan countries. It has been
confidently asserted, that the Sultan was about to make
the attempt, and that one of these islands would be
selected as the place of the Lazaretto. This might
exclude the plague of Alexandria, and perhaps of Tre-
bizonde, but it would be difficult by any system which
the Turks are likely for a long time to adopt, to pre
vent its approach by land. So long too, as no domes
tic precautions are taken by them, but all crowd as
usual to bear the dead to the grave, and the garments
of such, are freely sold in the bazars and worn by their
friends, their is little prospect of its immediate disap
pearance. It is believed always to have an existence in
the city, or adjacent villages.
But shall the subject be dismissed here, you may
ask. Is there no brighter view which can be presented 1
Must the people, neglected by friends and kindred,
continue by thousands to be hurried to their graves ?
Must the schools be broken up, and a barrier almost
insurmountable be put to the progress of knowledge ?
Must the prospect of speedy and certain death, con-.

118
stantly tend to undermine the little morality which re*
mains 1 Must the life ofthe missionary be endangered,
or his intercourse with the people entirely cease 1
Must the expense of living, both in anticipation and
during the prevalence of the disease, be greatly en
hanced ? If it were so, I might say, through all these
obstacles, the gospel has already made its triumphant way,
and will again, until a greater than Constantine shall ex
tend His sway over this long afflicted land.
There is, however, even now a more consoling pros
pect. By the intermediate theory, which reconciles
the contagionists and their opponents, and which on
the whole I am disposed to adopt, many of the evils
may. be mitigated. This supposes the plague to be
contagious, and requires that all unnecessary contact
with the infected person be avoided. At the same time
it holds, that the putrefactive process is another most
powerful cause, and that all offending substances should
be carefully removed. On this principle, as it appears
to me, we are bound to regulate our conduct. I may
not be required in case of the prevalence of the plague,
to render the same attentions to all others as in ordinary
sickness. How far I ought to visit the sick in order to
administer relief, or if at all beyond my own household,
is a question about which I am not fully settled. A
single individual cannot effect every thing, and would
most certainly, fall a sacrifice to repeated exposure.
But surely I may be shamed by the example of the
Turk, from leaving those to suffer more immediately
under my care. I may, and ought, according to my
ability, to abound in alms — strive to allay the apprehen
sions of the Christian — promote cleanliness at all times
— give attention to general health by pursuing a course

119
of life neither too abstemious nor too free, and endeav
or to excite and maintain, a cheerful reliance upon an
over-ruling Providence. If then the providence of
God shall cause this dreadful malady to enter my dwel
ling, it is my purpose to treat the patient, be it myself
or another, in many respects as though the disease
were undetermined. I am admonished indeed by the
result of experiments already made, not to resort to
active remedies, but to promote quietness in every
possible way, give great attention to cleanliness and
free circulation of air, and in sinking cases,- sustain
life by a moderate use of wine, ether, opium, volatile
alkali and bark. Even on the strongest suppositions
of the contagious character of the plague, the selfish
principle should bind, at least, the members of a fam
ily to each other ; to be assured of proper attentions
when attacked with it themselves, should make them
encounter the hazard of rendering like attentions to
others. On reviewing what I have written, I fear perhaps,
I may have left too unfavorable an impression on your
mind. What I have stated as fact, is not without rep
utable authority, yet perhaps, the numbers who are said
to perish by the plague, are in most instances exag
gerated, and the prospect of lecovery from its attacks,
may be greater than is represented. Besides, if
the angel of death assumes among us a more terrific
form, with you, his darts are gilded with a more vari
ed hue, and though they may fall more gently, fall as
sure. Life with you is indeed longer than with us, for
here, seldom do I cast my eye on the gray haired man.
Yet after all, what is the difference of ten or twenty of
our fleeting years, provided the great ends of life have

120
been accomplished. Let not then the shortness and
the greater uncertainty of our generations prevent any
from coming up to point this dying people, to him who
is "the resurrection and the life."
Perhaps I hare wearied you with the details of a
subject, in which my smattering of medical knowledge
gives me more interest than yourself. The remaining
topics will not be peculiarly grateful to either of us.
My purpose, however, of showing you what materially
affects the comfort of a residence in the East, requires
me to mention them. I have alluded to the filth of the
city, and I might have spoken of it under the head of
antiquities, for I presume it dates as far back as the
time of Constantine. Yet even these Augean streets
might be cleansed at a small expense. For a mere
pittance, thousands of the poor could be constantly em
ployed as scavengers. By many, as I have already re
marked, the evil in question is regarded as the origin of
the plague. No one can visit the Levant, however, and
retain this opinion. If it were an adequate cause he
will feel that the land would have been long since with
out an inhabitant.
The fleas and other vermin, are a small inconven
ience. Some of my friends have ceased to struggle
with it, as a hopeless evil ; but I cannot yet refrain
from a regular morning's effort, to destroy fifty or six
ty from my bed or clothing. Do not think me ex
travagant in my estimate of the numbers ; I have more
than once, had mathematical demonstration. But are
there no dwellings in a more cleanly state? Yes,. two
or three houses of Franks ; and mine might be so also,
were it not that attempts to benefit the people bring
me continually in contact with them. These are tri-

121
fles, however, you will say in view of the great objects
before me, and as such I trust I regard them. I men
tion them, not by way of complaint, but to give you an
accurate picture of the state of society here. From the
great uniformity between the style of living in the Apos
tolic times and the present, there is reason to believe,
that the slumbers of Paul and other primitive missiona
ries, were often disturbed by this cause.
May 8. — We have constant reports of changes and
improvements going on, under the present enlightened
and energetic government. It is just now rumored,
that having successfully disposed of the Janissaries,
the Sultan has undertaken to destroy a more numerous
and formidable body — the canine corps. Most heartily
will the Franks wish him success, for they are particu*
larly incommoded by this hostile race. I never go
into town, or think of walking the streets, without a
pilgrim's staff of no very peaceful size. If alone, I
must then keep constantly looking back, since these
lank, hungry, Christian-hating animals come upon you
without a single note of warning. Serious accidents
to the limbs, are in this way frequently occurring. I
have heard of a number of gentlemen, who were con
fined several weeks, in consequence of being thus bit
ten. Sometimes a company of three or four will bris
tle up, and threaten an attack in front. The most ef
fectual way to put such to flight, is by picking up a
stone, or even stooping down in pretence. Though
they fear this mode of resistance more than any other,
their scarred bodies show that the stick has not been
withheld. A good natured Turk will occasionally in
terfere, but in general, they seem to look on with too
much indifference, not to say complacency. After all,
11

122
I find it more convenient in the streets which I fre
quent, (I hope you will not consider it anti-American,)
to secure myself by paying tribute. I borrowed the
practice from Mr. L. who on passing a baker's corner,
is immediately surrounded by a group of dogs, affec
tionately yet earnestly reminding him of the conditions
of their friendship. Besides giving these their share,
he- takes a portion of the coarse bread, for such as he
may meet in the adjoining districts. You must know
that though they have not their particular masters,
they appropriate to themselves a certain extent of the
street. Like another class of privileged quarrelers,
they are also not a little careful to maintain the balance
of power. Should a stranger dog, trespass on territo
ries not belonging to him, and threaten to become too
formidable to those in his vicinity ; the weaker party
retires upon his neighbors, until they collect sufficient
strength to drive back the intruder. Formerly an offi
cer, and I know not but still, was employed in feeding
them with flesh, at the public expense. As an act of
piety too, provision is often made in the wills of the
Turks, for supporting a certain number. So strong is
the superstition of the people in their favor, that the
Sultan conceals his purpose of destroying them, under
the pretence of erecting a hospital, where, it is said
they will gradually be taken off by poison.* Providen
tially very few instances occur of their becoming mad.
The whole number of dogs is estimated at forty thou
sand. In Smyrna, near the residence of the Algerine
and other Barbary consuls, there is a " valley of the

* These expectations have not been realized. The Russians
may find a more direct mode of remedying this evil.

123
son of Hinnom," through which it is dangerous to pass
on account of these animals. It has an undesirable ef
feet on one's feelings towards the brute creation, thus to
come in contact with the worst ofthe species.
Not long since, a fire broke out in one of the Jew
ish subuibs of Constantinople, which would have been
called extensive in America. Here it excited little in
terest, except as having a conjectural origin from the
adherents of the Janissaries. This too, I need not in
form you, is one of the sore evils to which the city is
subject. So desolating are its ravages, that old houses
are said often to be sold at a higher price than new,
as indicating a quarter, in which fires are of less fre
quent occurrence. The records of a few years will
better show you the magnitude of the evil. In 1782,
seven or eight thousand dwellings were burnt ; in 1784,
nearly twelve thousand, and in 1788, the entire destruc
tion of the city was threatened. During the last year
there was a most destructive fire, which extended
through " from sea to sea." I have walked for miles
in this desolate district, amidst ruined mosques, khans,
bazars, dwellings and fountains. The Armenians and
the Turks were the principal sufferers, but the former
are partially clearing away the rubbish, rebuilding
their light wooden shops, and storing them with mer
chandise. It was estimated that an eighth part of the
city was destroyed, and on an average, the whole city
is burned down and rebuilt, once in twenty years. At
the entrance of the Vizier's palace, I have seen a small
two-hand engine, and I believe there are a considera
ble number of this kind in the city. The Janissaries,
who were the former firemen, sometimes supplied
these with oil instead of water. When they were in
earnest to check a fire, they set themselves to pulling

154
down the adjacent houses. If the owner was sufficient
ly liberal in his offers for insurance, they seldom failed
to preserve his dwelling. On an alarm of fire, the Ke-
haya Bey, Stamboul Effendi, Reis Effendi, and Grand
Vizier immediately make their appearance, and if it
continue long, the Sultan comes himself, to encourage
the firemen by money and promises. In Galata and
Pera, the Franks have begun to build stone houses of
late. Under a Christian government the use of stone
might easily become universal. In the country around
Constantinople, compact limestone might be quarried
to any extent, and the island of Marmora, which is in
sight, would furnish an inexhaustible store of more val
uable materials.

CHAPTER XIII.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.
Turkish currency — Weights and Measures — Summer's em
ployment — Hopeful Armenian youth — Turkish women and
Rayahs — Slight illness — Fruits and provisions.
Prinkipos, May 20, 1827.
Unoeh the seal, I have placed a para, which shall
serve as an introduction to the money, weights and
measures of Turkey. It is of impure silvei ; less than
a half dime as you will see, and scarcely one twelfth of
its weight. The Sultan's name is stamped upon it in
Turkish characters, as upon the larger coins. Small
as is the para, (the accent is on the last syllable,) the
asper, now no longer current, was still smaller; three
aspers making but one para. Forty paras are reckon
ed to the piastre, which like the asper, no longer cir-

125
culates in Turkey. When the Sultan wishes to debase
or change the currency, he forbids the circulation of
the old. In Greece, the piastre and several heavy sil
ver coins are still common. Spanish dollars, are the
most valuable money for the Levant, but foreign gold
is current. Almost the only Turkish money now in
circulation, besides the para, is of gold. The fondook
or dodecaria, as it is called from the Greek, is the most
common coin, and is equivalent to twelve piastres or a
Spanish dollar. It is as large as the eighth of a dollar,
and is more convenient than silver, for the traveller.
There are also, halves and quarters of the same. Oc
casionally, too, you meet with five, and two and a half
piastre pieces, also of gold. Mahmoudie, is a new coin
of the present Sultan. Its value is between two and
thr,ee dollars. A purse is an imaginary value of 500
piastres. The tribute to the government is reckon
ed by purses. The common mode of carrying small
sums is in a fold ofthe girdle. For counting out paras,
every shop-keeper has a board, with its sides secured
by a moulding. They tell them off by fives, with great
rapidity, and then pour them into your hand from the
narrow end which is left open. It is a currency con
venient for no other purpose, than to satisfy a throng
of beggars ; four hundred and eighty being reckoned
to the dollar. Nothing is more variable in form and
value than Turkish money, so that new statements are
required from every traveller. There is a constant
and rapid depreciation in the value of the piastre, and
of property in Turkey.*

?Already, since the beginning of the Russian war, the dode
caria has increased from twelve to fourteen piastres.
11*

126
The oke, is the most common Turkish weight. It
is equal to four hundred Turkish drachms, or about
two and three quarter pounds avoirdupois. A Turkish
drachm is thus not far from nine fifths of an English
drachm. Liquids are commonly sold by the oke. The
principal measure of capacity is the kilo, which is
nearly equal to the Winchester bushel. The pic,
which is twenty-seven English inches, is the common
measure of length. The hour is the oriental measure
of distance, and is usually estimated at three miles.
Of course it varies much with the nature of the road.
In Syria not more than two miles and a half should be
reckoned to the hour, on account of the greater slow
ness of a loaded camel. In weights and measures ge
nerally, considerable diversity exists in different parts
of the empire. All the people of the country begin
their computation of time from sunset, when it is
twelve o'clock, and again twelve hours afterwards.
Hence, the variation in the length of the days causes
irregularity in their time pieces, and much inconvenience
to foreigners.
June 16. — I am already beginning to feel myself
somewhat domesticated among this people of strange
languages, and stranger manners. Besides considera
ble medical practice, my principal employment still
continues to be the study of languages. I am also
drawing around me a little circle of Greeks and Arme
nians, who are desirous of reading the Scriptures, and
conversing on religious subjects. I wish I could show
you one of the latter, who comes to teach me Turkish,
in exchange for the English. He is a lad but fourteen
years of age ; wears a loose robe of fine olive colored
kerseymere ; a tunic or close gown of striped ginghams

127
with a brazen inkstand fastened in its girdle ; double
slippers of dark morocco, and the phes , or red cap with
its tassel of blue silk, fitting close to his head. I have
seldom seen a sweeter countenance, and when he en
ters rny door, or passes me in the street, he lays his
hand on his breast, with the gracefulness of a courtier
and the syplicity of a child. I do assure you that the
thought of finding access for the gospel among his
countrymen, through such a medium, comes over my
spirit in times of weariness, as refreshing as the soft
dews of an oriental evening.
No doubt you would like a particular introduction
to some of the ladies of this country, but I fear you
will hardly accept the offer of my weary pen. The
Turkish and Armenian women, you may recognize by
their corpulence ; their shawls of gay colors ; their
yellow or red slippers ; and especially by their white
handkerchiefs, (not veils,) with which the whole heed
is enveloped, excepting the eyes. Even these at
Smyrna are concealed by a bandage of black gauze.
If I may form an opinion from what I occasionally see
of their features, their reputation for beauty suffers no
loss by this practice. Sometimes they are so obliging
when you meet them, as to let fall their veils. You
can judge for yourself whether these are the fairest
specimens of Turkish beauty. Once when walking
through the Turkish quarter in Smyrna, some one
from the door of a house which we had passed, cried
out aloud, " you have seen me ; you have seen me."
Looking back we discovered a lady still unveiled ; but
whether she wished to attract our notice, or was dis
turbed by what she thought a violation of the rules of
propriety, we could not be certain. We all concluded

128
however, if the latter was the motive, her personal charms
did not justify so much ado.
I have mentioned the Turkish and Armenian women
together, for they have many points of resemblance
not only in their style of dress, but in the custom of
staining their nails red with the henna, smoking, and
the like. The former are more secludecWthan the
latter, but yet they are far less so than I had been led
to anticipate. You meet them every where in Con
stantinople, usually in companies of three or four un
attended by a servant. The bazars in particular, are
full of them and a pleasant morning is as sure to be
improved by them in shopping as by the ladies of
any country. The practice of concealing their fea
tures, one would think must be rather uncomfortable,
yet accustomed as they are to it, from an early period,
and regarding it as one of the proprieties of life, it
ceases in a great degree, doubtless, to be irksome. It
is not practised in early childhood, and travellers speak
of villages where all the women are unveiled.* It is
not the usage, nor would it perhaps be _?fe, to enter
the door of a Turk uninvited. Should you in passing
a village, wish to purchase articles of provision not
found in the market, you would stand without in the
streets and call aloud. A voice through the lattice
work of the window, might give you an answer, or a
child be sent out with the article wanted.
We often hear it said that females are believed by
Mahometans to have no souls nor entrance into
* We hear the present summer,that the wives ofthe Sultan, and
other ladies of rank, have appeared in public, dressed entirely
after the French fashions. It seems probable that for some time
past, a gradual improvement has been taking place in the con
dition of Turkis" ~y:=- - .

129
heaven. These may be the opinions of the vulgar,
and it is true that no definite place is assigned them in
Paradise by Mahomet, or in the mosques by his succes
sors. In private they do however, perform their de
votions, and as Hobhouse has remarked, the same
funeral ceiemonies are performed over both sexes, and
the following is the language of the Koran. " Whoso
ever doeth good works, either man or woman, and
believeth, shall enter into Paradise." "Believing
men and women shall enter into the heavenly Para
dise." It is customary to describe the Turkish women, a3
having large black eyes ; an arched brow, which is in
creased by painting ; and a forehead of dazzling white
ness. This last may be true enough, covered as is the
head continually, and such is usually the color of the
eye which peeps out through the folds of muslin. I
cannot but think, however, that travellers have given
exaggerated accounts of their beauty. They are pro
bably more correct in allowing that as great a degree
of industry, contentment, conjugal fidelity, and almost
as much intelligence are found among them, as among
those who make the sign ofthe cross, and kiss the image
ofthe virgin Mary.
There seems to be a fear on the part of some, that
such admissions will be discreditable to Christianity.
But why should we be deceived by names, and think
that because a part of the people are called Christian,
the condition of females among them is therefore great
ly superior to that of their Mahometan sisters. In one
respect it is true, (that of polygamy,) there is an odious
inferiority on the part of the latter, but take away the
term Mahometan, and say, because they believe in one

130
God and in Christ as one of the prophets of God, that
they are Christians. Compare then the daily feelings
and daily conduct of Mahometan Christians with those
of Catholics, Armenians and Greeks. Enquire what
are the things which their religion teaches them to
perform, and what to shun, and what the principles
that influence the conduct of families and neighbor
hoods towards each other ; and I do not say that we
shall think more favorably of Mahometanism, but cer
tainly we shall think much less so of Levantine Chris
tianity. The Greek ladies here usually walk abroad towards
evening, with their heads uncovered. Their hair is
done up without a comb, and secured by a wreath of
flowers or a riband, with perhaps a single flower en
twined. The Greeks, and to a less extent, the Catho
lic Armenians, are almost the only classes accessible to
Franks. The Jewish ladies whom I have seen, are at far less
pains to set 'off their personal charms. Indeed they
may rather be regarded as negligent in this respect.
Though not possessed of the Greek vivacity, there are
countenances among them which are much admired.
The belle of Smyrna is a young Jewess. In their houses
they are still less attentive to cleanliness. I cannot men
tion cleanliness here in the midst of what I am daily com
pelled to witness, without being transported back by con
trast to the neat and tidy dwellings which adorn the vil
lages of our happy land. I check in myself, however,
any rising of discontent at outward circumstances, re
membering that it is not in one respect merely, that
the people of this country are the antipodes of ours.
Wherever Christianity, "pure and undefiled," does

131
not exert its elevating, softening, and refining influ
ence upon society, few will be the traits of loveliness,
with which woman was adorned in Eden. But where
the gospel does renew the heart, there will follow
comfort, refinement, purity and peace. The thorns
which now infest the path of life, save those which are
needful to remind us of a better land, will be removed.
The soul that was under the dominion of sinful affec
tions will be advancing towards perfect and endless ho
liness in the presence of God. By such reflections, I
seek to read myself a useful lesson, from all the ten
thousand things which I see amiss in house or street, in
man or woman, in master or slave.
July 31. — Within the month, I have been confined
several days with a fever. It was induced, as I have
reason to believe, by too close application to the sick,
who crowd the door of my dwelling, and throng around
me in my walks. Finding myself beginning to ail, I
took my bed and sent for a barber, who you know is
the principal surgeon in the east. After losing a few
ounces of blood, I soon found myself relieved. Rev.
Mr. Leeves, who frequently favors me with his compa
ny, now that his family have gone home to England ;
was very kind in his inquiries. Nicholas the Greek who
prepares my dinner, Panagiotes who teaches me Turk
ish, and the aged Greek lady of whom I rent my lodg
ings, have been constant in their attentions. On one oc
casion, being rather at a loss what treatment to pursue, I
had the advice of Dr. Azopardi, a Maltese physician.
This gentleman, who spends his sabbaths on the island,
has very generously co-operated with me in gratuitous
attention to the poor. I am now quite well again, having
been much benefitted by a few days' excursion along the

132
coasts of Asia, and across the gulf of Nicomedia. At
a future time, you may expect some account of this, and
of my summer's labors and place of residence.
Aug. 9. — I wish I could sit down this evening by your
side, and talk of all the marvellous things which I have
seen since I left America. "And what have you
seen ?" you will ask. I have seen the Maltese plough
ing with an ox and an ass yoked together ; and then
what ploughs ! A boy would cut a better one from a
single crooked stick in any farmer's wood-pile. In
this island, they don't plough much, but dig up the
ground with a fork, to prepare it for gardens and vine
yards. The vines, whose finest clusters, the sultanas,
we are just beginning to gather, are not suffered to
depend upon trees, as in Italy, but are cut off like a
stalk of corn, two or three feet from the ground.
Twice a year it is necessary to prune away the shoots,
that would otherwise vegetate too luxuriantly. The
grapes are trodden out with the feet, each household
having for this purpose, its own wine press. This is
a trough, a few feet in dimensions, usually made of
stone and mortar, with a small opening for the wine to
escape into the vat, by its side. Whoever has " trod
den the wine-press alone," will find his outer oriental
garments dyed with the juice of the grape, which is
usually of a dark red color. Here, as they were in Ju-
dea, during the days of our Saviour, bread and wine
are the principal sustenance of the people. From
this their common use among the Jews, they were
doubtless set apart as most significant emblems in the
sacrament of the supper. Refreshing and needful as
they are to the body, so are grateful, affectionate
and confiding thoughts of Christ to the soul. The

133
common wines, have about the same strength as the
cider of New England. A single bottle costs from
twelve to fifteen paras — three cents. It is customary at
the inns, and even-at ordinary entertainments, to place
one by the side of every individual.
The olives whether salted green, or in the riper and
black state as the common people use them, soon come
to be esteemed as a relish by foreigners. They do
not abound in this quarter, but are brought fiom con
tinental Greece, the Archipelago, and Asia Minor.
My lamp is now burning with the oil ofthe olive, which
is cheaper and more agreeable than the tallow of Rus
sia, or the spermaceti oil, which is not indeed found
here. Our apples are not as good as yours, but our
cherries are far superior. My patients from the coast
of Asia, have brought some baskets of them, which can
hardly be surpassed by those ofthe neighboring district,
whence it is said they weie first introduced into Europe.
Melons of several different kinds, we have in abundance,
and most of your garden vegetables. Among them are
tomatas, cauliflowers, ocras, and a fine species of gourd ;
but potatoes are brought in foreign vessels to Constanti
nople and Smyrna.
Mutton is the principal meat, and when it is not goat, is
of a good quality. A fat sheep will sell for two or
three dollars. The number of protestants on this island
is so small, that we are often compelled to fast with our
Greek and Catholic neighbors. We may share, however,
with them in the fine fish that abound near the islands.
Some of the medals of Byzantium have a tunny fish-upon
one side. Cheese from goat's milk is not highly prized
nor are kaimac or butter much used here. It is several
months since I have eaten any. Cow's milk is scarce on
12

134
these hilly and rocky islands. Yaourt, or milk soured in
a particular manner, is one of the most common, and is
regarded by the people as one of the most grateful and
healthful luxuries. You may see at evening on the marina,
(our whole town is built along the shore,) numbers of
small brown earthen dishes in which it is exposed for sale.
The price is from thirty to sixty paras, exclusive of the
vesssel, which is exchanged from day to day. Our bread
which is made from Russian wheat is good. Some of
the people use barley bread. Indian corn is grown in the
country, but I do not see it eaten by the people. Pilaf
or soup begins the daily meal. The rice for the former
comes from Egypt. Olive oil and lemons are seldom ab
sent from the table. Should the lemons fail, the Turks
would almost rise in rebellion. There is no molasses
here, but petmes, a syrup prepared from grapes, is a par
tial substitute. Tea is only the luxury of Franks. Coffee
closes the meal of every one, from the Sultan to his mean
est slave. An ass is the only beast used for riding. One
may be purchased for fifteen or twenty dollars. Horses
and camels, particularly the first, are most common in
this part of Asia Minor.
About half the children in Prinkipos are able to read a
little. I can now talk with them in Greek as well as with
the Catholic children in Italian. A good deal is said
about a war with the English, but I rather think the storm
will blow over.

135

CHAPTER XIV.
RESIDENCE AT THE PRINCES' ISLANDS.
Situation — Desolate islets — Mineral and vegetable productions
— A widowed family — Permanent and occasional residents —
Intercourse with the city — Monasteries— Their secular cha
racter — Property — Ecclesiastical prison — Superstitious resort
of the sick — Brutal conduct of an Hegumenos — A benevolent
monk — Churches — Agiasmas — Priests. Syra, Dec. 1827.
The Princes'1 Islands, of which I promised you a
more particular account, are situated in the Sea of
Marmora, at the distance of twelve and twenty miles,
south-east from Constantinople. The channel between
them and the coast of Asia, varies from three to six
miles, and is the ordinary passage for vessels to the gulf
of Is-nik-mid — the ancient Nicomedia.
The four principal islands, and the only ones now in
habited, are Prinkipos, Chalke, Antigone and Protos.
These are separated from each other, for the most part
only by narrow channels. Their relative extent as well
as distance from Constantinople, is in the order of their
names ; Prinkipos being ten or twelve miles in circum
ference, and Protos scarcely half as much. The latter
derives its name from its position, being the first as yo«f
approach from the city.
Oxeia and Plateia, so called from their narrow and
broad forms, are at a considerable distance to the north
west of the group. On these, and several of the other
islets and the larger islands, are ruins, probably of
the time of the Greek emperors. Myriads of gulls

136
and other sea fowls have taken possession of them,
and their clamors and fearlessness, forcibly remind
one, of the neighboring country of the harpies. I once
landed here with a company, which amused themselves
with catching some dozens of their young. The noise
of the thousands just over our heads was such, that
we could with difficulty hear each other's voices. A
shower of feathers constantly descended from birds,
which but seldom were roused on the wing, while the
ground beneath, was covered like a poultry yard.
Their unwonted tameness, added to the tall and rank
weeds with which foundations of dwellings, fountains and
fortresses are overspread, give an air of indescribable de
solation to these solitary islets.
All the islands exhibit the same general aspect, rising
gradually from the sea, to the height of from one to
four hundred feet, and having little or no plane sur
face. The summits, and indeed the greater part even
of the larger islands, is uncultivated, and where not
rocky, extensively covered with low evergreens. Of
these, the principal are the pine, the juniper, and the
arbutus or strawberry tree. The soil is argillaceous,
and strongly impregnated and colored red with iron.
Clays lesembling the cimolite, or fullers' earth, form
the basis of the islands at the level of the sea ; on this
rests beds of argillaceous iron ore ; while the upper
strata are of naked quartz rock. Copper ore is also
found in small quantities.
On the lower grounds are some fine gaidens, and
wheat was extensively cultivated ten or twelve years
since. Latterly, however, the vine has become the
chief object of culture, for which the sunny hills are
well adapted. Besides wine and grapes for home con-

137
sumption, a considerable quantity of both are sent to
Constantinople. My own summer residence was in " the midst of a
vineyard in a very fruitful hill." It belonged to a
Greek family, which formerly had the care of train
ing the female children of the Seraglio. Here, with
out the presence of a single male Turk, they were
taught chiefly music and dancing. Some offence given to
the Sultan by a friend of the family, cost the father and
two eldest sons their heads. The lone females still
enjoy the friendship of their former pupils, and re
ceive occasional presents from them, in return for the
fruits of the island. After the death of their husbands,
their dwellings were plundered as usual, of every thing
valuable. At present, their scanty support is derived
from the rent of their houses, and the income of a vine
yard. They have little intercourse with any people
of the village, save their worthy priest, and exhibit
(the young women particularly,) the deepest marks of
corroding grief and disappointed pride. " On the side
of oppressors is power," but a day of retribution will
come. In Antigone are fifty or sixty houses, and one hun
dred and fifty or two hundred in Chalke and Prinkipos,
respectively. These all, with very few exceptions,
belong to the Greeks, and are clustered together at the
principal landing place in each island. During the
summer months, they are crowded with some addi
tional thousands of Greeks, Franks and Armenians,
who are glad of the smallest shelter from the heat and
plague of the city. Occasionally some of the foreign
ambassadors spend a few months early in the summer
at Chalke. Only the Austrian ambassador has been
12*

138
there the present year. Prinkipos would perhaps be
thought, as pleasent a residence, but there ar§ no
houses here so large as those which the wealthy
Greeks of the Phanar, have built on the former island.
Heretofore no Turk has resided in the islands, except
individual agents of the Aga of Charlatami, to whose
jurisdiction they belong. In years when like the pre
sent, the plague is not too rife at Constantinople, num
bers of light four oared boats, ply daily between the
islands and the capital. The usual time of going from
Prinkipos, (the most distant,) is from two to three
hours. The principal profits of the boatmen are de
rived from the transportation of passengers, who pay
in ordinary circumstances, but two or three piastres.
More is however expected from Franks, and variations
of weather, feast days, and like causes, often greatly
increase the price. The boatmen profit also by exe
cuting various commissions for the wealthier residents,
such as conveying letters and making purchases.
On approaching the islands, the most prominent and
beautiful objects which meet the eye, are the Greek
monasteries. Of these there is one in Protos, (which
has no other dwellings,) two in Antigone, and three in
both Chalke and Prinkipos. They occupy generally
the most commanding, and always the finest situations,
having succeeded here probably as elsewhere, to the
idol temples of antiquity. Like the same temples,
they are dedicated to some patron saint, after whom
they are called, as St. George, St. Nicholas, or St. Elias.
On entering the chapel, the picture of the saint pre
sents itself in a conspicuous place, to receive little
short of the idolatrous worship which was paid *° the
images of Jupiter and Apollo.

139
The buildings are usually enclosed within high
square walls of stone. In the centre is a large uncov
ered area, several rods in extent, and around the sides,
halls for the monks, the chapel and necessary offices.
During the summer, they are tenanted by many fami
lies from the city, and at all times have a considerable
number otcaloyers and caloyeras, — devotees of both
sexes, permanently attached to the establishment. In
these and the other monasteries near Constantinople,
there are usually not more than two or three priests,
and as the caloyers are employed in manual labours,
they have much more the character of ordinary ham
lets, than the monastic institutions of the Catholics, or
those of the Greeks on Mount Athos, or at Megaspe-
laion and a few other places in Greece. Some of them
own considerable property, mostly in lands, which is
generally held by a very ancient tenure. An extensive
tract that had been in possession of the monastery of
St. George almost time out of mind, has lately been
reclaimed by the Turks and sold to the Armenians.
The account which the monks give of it, is, that one
of the early Sultans, returning from his wars, stopped
near their convent, and was so wall pleased with his
entertainment, that he made a verbal gift of all the
territory around where he was seated. Of course,
when called on, they had no written instrument to prove
their claim. It is said, however, that through the
general synod and patriarch of the Greek church, they
are endeavouring to obtain a reversal of the late de
cision. Another field insight of my lodgings, came
into the possession of the monastery of Christ, fifteen
or twenty years since, in the following manner. A
Greek lady, whose daughter was dangerously sick,

140
made a vow to devote this land to the monastery, in case
of the recovery of the child. She afterwards very re
ligiously fulfilled her engagement, but her less scrupu
lous children are said now to be disputing the title of
the convent.
The income derived from the pasturage of goats,
fruits, festivals, and alms, enables the Hegumenos, or
chief monk, to pay his stipulated tribute to the patri
arch or bishop, on whom his convent is dependent.
That of St. George in Prinkipos, is however rent free,
on condition of receiving all the insane and disorderly
persons, whom the patriarch of Constantinople wishes
to send thither. It may be considered in the light of
an ecclesiastical prison, as the insane are not sent so
much for medical, as spiritual aid. The sacredness of
the place, with the assistance of the rod, is expected
to drive away the evil spirits, with which they are sup
posed to be possessed.- All manner of diseases is
believed by the people, to find a cure in the same
place. I once had a long argument with an elderly
Greek woman on this subject. She was persuaded,
that a poor blind girl would surely be healed, had she
the means of remaining long enough by the door of its
sanctuary. At length, to settle the question, I offered
to pay the board ofthe unfortunate, for as many weeks
as was beforehand thought necessary, provided she
would make a written engagement to refund the mon
ey in case of failure. Though unwilling to do this, it
was evident she was far from being satisfied, that un
der favorable circumstances, the eyes of the blind
might not be opened. It is not at all surprising that
the people should continue to flock to St. George to be
healed of their maladies. The seclusion and quiet

141
which reign here on this highest summit of the island ;
the pure air and varied and beautiful scenery around,
were there proper attention to diet and kinder treatment
generally, would doubtless effect more cures, than are
now supposed to be miraculously performed.
Just before I left Constantinople, a female devotee
from this monastery, who had embraced the Mahome
tan faith and married an Imam, or priest, brought very
serious charges against the Hegumenos. In conse
quence of this, and notwithstanding the milder treat
ment which is now pursued towaids the Greeks, he
and his principal servant were hand-cuffed, and taken
over to the city. I should have felt more regret at
seeing a reverend priest thus led in chains, had I not
been a previous witness of his harsh and brutal con
duct towards one of his prisoners. It was at the neigh
boring monastery of St. Nicholas, which is also under
his direction, and the subject of it was a grey headed
priest older than himself. Different statements were
made about the cause of his confinement ; some said it
was pretended insanity, in order, by appealing to the
prejudices of the Turks, to secure him from threatened
death. I afterwards heard him complain of dejection
of mind, and enquire of me as a medical man, whether
I could prescribe any thing for his relief. Be the
state of his mind, however, what it may, the conduct
of the superior was altogether unjustifiable. I had
been on a visit to the different monasteries, for the
distribution of tracts. In my progress homeward, I
stopped also at St. Nicholas, and stood conversing with
this pretended maniac. I was then ignorant of his situ
ation, but was struck at hearing him speak in very
correct Italian, after having first addressed me in French.

142 ¦>
His conversation evinced more intelligence and good
sense, than belonged to the whole establishment of his
stupid keepers. At this moment, the Hegumenos came
running down the hill, and seizing him by the beard,
wrenched it with violence and gave him several se
vere blows about his head. The poor unfortunate pri
soner, who seemed not to be violating any rules of the
convent, received the blows with the utmost meek
ness, as one who knew from experience that resistance
would be in vain, and walked away to his cell. I must
confess, that I felt so indignant at this outrage, of which
a Turk would have been ashamed, that I hesitated ac
cepting the invitation of the two superiors, to enter
and take a dish of coffee. Not knowing however all
the reasons of this conduct, nor being able at that time
to make enquiry or remonstrance in Greek, I thought
it best to suppress my feelings, and not give offence to
those who had it in their power to thwart my plans. I
afterwards learned that the Hegumenos was regarded
by the people of the village as an unfeeling tyrant, and a
fit agent to execute the often unworthy orders of the
patriarch. In the case first mentioned, he was proba
bly not guilty of cruelty to the extent with which he
was charged, and it was thought probable he would be
set at liberty.
The Hegumenos of Christos, or the monastery of
Christ, which is nearest the village of Prinkipos, was a
very different man. It belongs, together with one at
Chalke, to the patriarch of Jerusalem. Had it not been
for exciting suspicions against him, I should frequent
ly have called 6n this benevolent old priest. On one
occasion when I visited him, I found him engaged in
reading a classic author. His bright eyed nephew,

143
whom he sent to the village school, carried a copy of
Xenophon, in which he had neatly written out and in
serted the parts that were wanting from much use.
At another time, I found him engaged in the evening
services of his chapel, with no other hearers than his
sister and niece. I know not if ever I have felt so much
of a spirit of devotion excited in a Greek church, as on
this occasion. The first shadows of the evening had
begun to darken around, when I entered unperceived.
The usual tapers had been lighted, and the most perfect
silence prevailed, except as interrupted by the trembling
voice of the old man, and the soft yet clear tones of the
child. Surely, thought I, from the breast of that way
worn pilgrim, may ascend the incense which shall be
acceptable to Him who will be worshipped in " spirit
and in truth."
The libraries of these different monasteries, have
been pretty thoroughly examined, since Prof. Carlyle
made his literary visit to Constantinople, about the be
ginning of the present century. Probably they contain
at the present time little that is valuable. Strangers on
visiting the convents, are treated with coffee, sweet
meats, and too often with brandy. For these, as is very
proper, payment is expected. Some friends of mine,
who were ignorant ©f this custom, were reminded by a
child sent after them, of the paras which were due. On
occasion of many of the festivals, they approach still
more nearly to the character of common inns. Not a
few in the Ionian islands have been wholly converted in
to such, by the British government.
In the village of Prinkipos, there are two regular
places of public worship, and many chapels which are
visited only on particular saints' days. To these

144
should be added the numerous agiasmas, or holy
places, which are all designated by the name of some
patron saint. In Prinkipos, most of the agiasmas
are little grottos on the shore, sometimes containing
fountains or reservoirs of water. There are also
rude pictures of the saints suspended in the grottos,
before which the sick light their tapers, but their
chief expectation of a cure is from drinking or bath
ing in the sacred fountain. I learned of no division of
the people into parishes, either by territorial limits, or
voluntary association. Every one attended which of
the two churches he chose, usually that which was
nearest. According to the Greek usage, each church has the
services of two priests, a principal and assistant, who
purchase their situation yearly, of the Bishop of Chal-
cedon. This Bishop, who is one of the council of
twelve that elect the Patriarch, has his residence at
CoOs-conjux on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus.
He has under his jurisdiction the Princes' Islands,
Scutari, and an extensive district around the ancient
Chalcedon. The priests derive their revenue from
the voluntary offerings of the people, as well as from
fixed sums for baptisms, marriages, and burials. They
are careful likewise to turn their numerous feast days
to a good account, and on these occasions are very
ingenious in their devices, for collecting paras, by
sprinkling with holy water, carrying round pictures of
the saints, selling relics and the like. Besides the pa
rochial clergy, several others were occasionally resi
dent in the island during the summer. Some of them
were under sentence of banishment for habits of intem
perance, and even grosser vices. Others had quar-

145
reled with their superiors, or become objects of their
jealousy. One of these was the Proto-Singulos, or
Secretary of the last exiled patriarch. Having the
advantage of a good personal appearance, (the only
qualification which my shrewd young Greek could dis
cover,) he succeeded before the summer was past, in
making so much interest with the principal Greek
ladies of the Phanar, as to secure a Bishopric in Ma
cedonia. I was ashamed of the servility with which the
most respectable ladies gathered around and kissed the
hand of this painted block, and saluted him with the
usual title of o _s. iroV ij. — master.
When I first became acquainted with the priests, I
was disposed to view thein in a favorable light, and
there are a few for whom I still feel respect. The
head priest of the principal church in Prinkipos, is
truly a worthy man, and though I fear not experi
mentally acquainted with the gospel, yet so far as
could be expected of such an one, discharging the pas
toral duties of visiting the sick, reproving the disor
derly, and comforting the sorrowful. In general, how
ever they are said by those who have had better op
portunities than myself for understanding their cha
racter, to be a compound of ignorance, self-conceit,
gluttony, or avarice. One of the four priests of the
island, I have seen reeling about the streets from in
toxication, in consequence of which he was removed
to a less public situation in the island of Antigone.
Two others had the reputation of excessive drinking,
and were always studious to be found at the frequent
feasts of their parishioners. At the request of one of
them, who was perhaps aspiring to a bishopric, I pre
sented him some Italian books. I soon found, however,
13

146
that it was necessary to give a negative to pretty broad
hints that this or the other article would be an accepta
ble present.

CHAPTER XV.
RESIDENCE AT THE PRINCES' ISLANDS.
Government of the islands — Arrival of a Turkish regiment —
Uneasiness of the inhabitants — Good conduct ofthe soldiers
— Schools in Prinkipos — Efforts for the instruction of youth
— Distribution of Greek tracts — Eagerness of the people to
obtain them — Publicity of distribution — Results.
Syra, Dec. 1827.
The Princes' Islands are under the government of
the Aga of Chartalami, a village on the continent near
ly opposite. They have long been a privileged retreat
to the Greeks, not having had until lately, a single resi
dent Turk, and still being indulged with subordinate
governors of their own nation. All considerable of
fences, however, come before the Aga, whose secreta
ries remain in each of the islands, to examine and give
the local passports, without which, no one is permitted
to land or depart.
i During the present summer, nearly a thousand of
the new Turkish soldiers have been quartered in one
of the monasteries of Prinkipos. The arrival of this
body of men, excited at first scarcely less uneasiness, ,
than that of an invading army. Lamentations were
heard in every family that their ancient rights were
invaded. Their pleasant and almost sacred island, they

147
said, would now become so common, that no longer
would the Fjanks, and the more wealthy of their own
countrymen, make this the scene of their pleasures, and
consequent lavish expenditure of their money. After
a while, however, they began to find that the resi
dence of a thousand Turks, brought with it pecuniary
advantages of its own ; and they contrived before the
summer was past, to make their shops and their gar
dens so inviting as to glean most of the monthly pay
of the soldiers. A Greek apothecary among others,
took advantage of the strong inclination of several
hundreds of their sick, to make use of a variety of sim
ples, nicely mingled and colored. In return when the
commander wished any work to be performed on his
parade ground, he would fsend a file of men and press
a sufficient number of Greeks, to labor without any
compensation. During the whole time of their resi
dence, the chapel of the convent was accessible to the
monks, and they were only advised by the bim-bashi,
or colonel, to remove the picture of St. Nicholas from
a public place, lest it should be treated with rudeness
by some thoughtless soldier. These new recruits,
mostly boys of twelve and fifteen years of age, were
nearly all in a course of training for musicians of the
different regiments. It was amusing to see the child
like interest with which, after they were dismissed
from parade, one busied himself with his drum ; an
other with his fife ; a third mustered a few volunteers
to march under his orders, and a fourth ran down to
the fountain to perform his ablutions, and under the
canopy of heaven, to offer his evening prayers. I never
witnessed but one slight act of violence on the part of
the soldiers towards the citizens, and the latter, I am

148
persuaded, were exposed to fewer insults, than are ordi
narily experienced from the vicinity of regular soldiers.
Once or twice, during the summer, several officers of dis
tinction, and among otheis the Seraskier and his suite,
came over to review the troops. On this occasion, the
inhabitants vied with each other in their expressions of
loyalty, by rejoicings, illuminations, and half voluntary
contributions for the private purse of his excellency.
The Sultan did not, according to expectation, favor, the
people with a visit.*
On my arrival at Prinkipos, I was rejoiced to find
four or five Greek schools in regular operation. Two
of them were kept, as usual, by the assistant priests(
and supported from the funds of the respective church
es. The principal object of these parochial schools,
is to train up choirs for chanting the church ser
vice. They have, with all their imperfections, pro
ved a blessing to the Greeks, and perhaps much of
the light now dawning on their national horizon, may
have been kindled at these village fires. Besides those
under the patronage of the church, there is also one
for teaching the ancient classics. Such were formerly
called Hellenic schools, but the term Romaic as applied
to the modern language, is no longer agreeable to the
people: ancient and modern Hellenic, or Greek, are
the designations which they prefer. The school in
Prinkipos had one of the accompaniments, which have

* A company of Greek boys, pleased with the novel sight of
military parade, once or twice shouldered their sticks, and began
to play the soldier. Their friends were sadly frightened, lest
some serious punishment should be inflicted on the children, or
grievous exaction Hght upon them.

149
been thought essential to the perfection of a grammar
school — that of the rod ; and the master was accused
of using it too freely. On the whole, I thought him a
worthy man, and a respectable teacher. Most of the
pupils studied a small volume of selections from both
poets and prose writers ; the master being as usual the
living and only lexicon. Some smaller schools are kept
by females, in which girls are taught sewing, and both
boys and girls learned the alphabet and the more com
mon prayers.
Soon after my arrival I visited the schools, and left
presents of tracts, and of the few school books which
had been prepared at Malta. I found the system of
teaching in them all to be very imperfect, and that
not half the children ofthe island, could, on account of
the poverty or indifference of their parents, avail them
selves of these advantages. Much however as I wish
ed to be doing something for the instruction of the
youth, I was aware that at so critical a time as the
present, and in sight of the Sultan's palace, it was a
delicate matter to intermeddle with the subject of
education. Still I was desirous of feeling the public
pulse, and of ascertaining how far such interference
would be tolerated. Unqualified as were both of the
clerical masters, I thought it would be risking too
much, to begin in opposition to them. Accordingly,
after consulting with my English friends, I proposed to
one of them that he should receive into his school all the
poor female children of the island, on such terms as
we should agree. It was evident from the struggle
manifest in his feelings, during some days' deliberation,
that he wanted the pay, but after much deliberation^
he wrote me a note declining the offer,, and assigning
13*

150
as a reason, "they had no such custom." The note which;
is mislaid, is worthy of being copied entire, together with
its signature, lEpou.o'vajcoo' — sacred monk. It is an accu
rate picture of society in these countries. They have no
such custom as educating females, but they have the cus
tom of supporting a herd of idle, ignorant and worthless,
sacred monks.
Unwilling to be deterred by what might have originated
more in jealousy of the protestants, than fear of exciting
the suspicions of the Turks, I engaged a Greek lady who
already had a few pupils, to take a number of others un
der her instruction. The master of the Hellenic school
accepted a like offer that was made to him, provided the
matter was kept secret. He himself undertook to select
the most deserving children, always sending me their
names for approval, Other female teachers came for
ward from time to time to solicit pupils, so that before
my departure more than fifty children, mostly girls, were
enjoying the benefits of gratuitous instruction. The
schools of course, thus became a matter of notoriety both
to Turks and Greeks, but I never beard of any complaint
being made respecting them from any quarter.
The whole expenses incurred for tuition and books
was something more than fifty dollars, and though the
improvement of the children was not so great as could
have been wished, still, I trust some little impulse has
been given to the cause of education in the island.
Besides I have hoped that if so much success was at
tendant on the first experiment, greater things might
be expected at a subsequent effort.
The distribution of Greek tracts, I began on my first
passage to the islands. Upon handing a few to my
fellow passengers and the boatmen near me, the otb.

151
ers at once let go their oars, and gathered around. So>
great was their curiosity, that the boat was left for
some minutes to the guidance of the waves, while they
were busied in reading these new books in their own-
language. Soon after my arrival, I sent a few as spe
cimens to the priests and principal persons in the isl
and, and gave others to the children near my lodg
ings. Immediately after, my doors were crowded with
persons of all classes, begging tracts, and for some
weeks when I went abroad, I was followed by groups
of children, crying out in the Turkish style of address,
r^sXtSi', .£_>_. i, svol p.XXa.os, Eva <puXXa<5a — " Sir, Sir, a
little book, a little book." I made it a rule to give but
one tract to each of the children, though I afterwards
added a second towards the close of my stay. Still, so
great was their eagerness to increase their stock, that
numbers did not hesitate to deny having already re
ceived their quota. Scarcely a- day passed in which
my Greek attendant Nicholas, who served in a variety
of capacities, as clerk, interpreter, and cook, did not
detect them in attempts at deception. In one instance,
several lads after having been refused tracts,, climbed
into my window and stole some valuable Spanish books,
but their comrades hastened to inform me, and the
people talked of having them bastinadoed, if I had not
forgiven them. I visited also the other islands, and
made in them a less extensive distribution. Many
persons too, from the continent and some from a great
distance, came to beg for the " little books." At Ta-
tavla, a Greek suburb or village near Pera, my ap
proach with tracts literally caused " the lame man to
leap as an hart." A poor man with a wooden leg, on
seeing them in our hands,, came hobbling after us with
such manifest hazard of a fa!, that we stopped to grati-

152
fy him. This was the signal for a multitude of boys, and
young men to gather around, and I found no way of es
caping from their importunity, but by leaving a few with
my companion, while I hastened forward with the resi
due to the school for which they were intended.
I also sold a number of copies of the New Testa
ment, which I had received from the depository of the
Rev. Mr. Leeves. Of the degree of publicity with
which these books were circulated, the following will
serve as, an example. On the feast of St. George,
thousands of Greeks from Constantinople and the coasts
of Asia, have been in the habit of assembling for mer
ry making at the monastery of that name in Prinkipos.
Upon this occasion, I employed a young Greek to ex
pose them for sale during several successive days, in the
presence of the Turkish authorities, and of the mul
titude. One of the Turkish officers passing by, took
up some of the books, and seeing they were Greek, or
Turkish in Greek characters, laid them down without
any remark. In general, there was little disposition
among the people to purchase, so devoted were they
to their dancing and wine. I could have given away
thousands to eager recipients, but I had begun to
doubt the expediency of this indiscriminate distribu
tion, even among those who could read. There were
however, some pleasing instances of sales effected —
one of a little boy which deserves to be recorded.
He was a thoughtful and intelligent child, who had
come a long distance, as . he told me, from the interior
of Bithynia. While the youths were engaged in the
revel and dance, and the children were expending their
money for toys and fruit, he withdrew, and sat on the
rocks, eyeing the bright covered hooks. After purcha-

153
sing a tract for three or four of his paras, he continued
reading it for some time, until he became so eager to
obtain a second, that he offered to give a part of his
dress in payment. Of course, we did not suffer so libe
ral a spirit to go unrewarded.
If these statements were to end here, as those of an
itinerant missionary necessarily must, they would leave
a wrong impression on the mind. I am sorry to add,
that subsequent observation greatly lowered my esti
mation of this extreme eagerness to receive books.
Many of those who could read fluently, were content
with a hasty, and oftentimes only a partial perusal. A
book they seemed to regard as something to be kept,
not to be read. In the family of a deceased priest who
had formerly resided in the Archipelago, I met with a
copy of the modern Greek Testament, printed at the
Canstein press in Halle. It had been in their posses
sion many years, carefully preserved as a relic, but
never opened. Still there were instances not a few,
which came to my knowledge, of a happier character.
A merchant who was formerly deputy governor of
Prinkipos, but had been set aside for some quarrel with
his Turkish supeiior, I always found reading when I
passed his shop, until the contents of the books were
almost committed to memory. An elderly Greek lady,
since deceased, sent her servant for copies of all my
tracts', with a polite request that I would call on her.
She devoted much of her time to the perusal of them,
and I have found her affected to tears, while reading
some of these simple narratives. Mr. Leeves and Mr.
Hartly who visited her, thought her mind open to con
viction. Many of the children, on condition of receiv
ing a new book, would give a very tolerable account of

154
those already in their hands. Where not fully read,
they are in general, carefully preserved, and will, it is
to be hoped, rehearse hereafter to others, the short, but
weighty message, which they are intended to convey.

CHAPTER XVI.
RESIDENCE AT THE PRINCES' ISLANDS.
Accidental introduction to medical practice — Prevalence of dis
ease — Affecting instance of superstition — Unfeeling physi
cian — Importunity of friends — Vaccination — Advantages and
disadvantages of uniting the medical with the missionary cha
racter—Hermits and ascetics — State of morals — Concluding
remarks. Syr a, Dec. 1827.
An accident which happened to the nephew of the
respectable priest whom I have already mentioned, and
which called for an unusual, rather than difficult sur
gical operation, was the occasion of giving an impor
tant direction to my summer's employments.* In
the midst of the confusion and alarm which prevail
ed, I offered in the absence of a surgeon, to rendei the
best assistance in my power. The means employed
having proved successful, I was thereupon urged to
visit several sick Armenian and Greek families.
* The event in question as it brought me into a more intimate
connexion with the Greeks than I had intended, may perhaps
affect my whole missionary career. If so, it will afford another
illustration of that truth, " The lot is cast into the lap, but the
whole ordering thereof, js of the Lord,"

155
Though I disclaim any other than a very limited
acquaintance with medical science, my opinion was
earnestly intreated, and given in some cases, perhaps
with advantage. The truth was, the medical profes
sors of my Alma Matei, on learning my plans of mis
sionary life had very generously afforded me every fa
cility for pursuing the studies of their department.
I had also improved the opportunity while voyaging
with my missionary brother, of profiting by his supe
rior knowledge of medicine, and I was furnished with
a few valuable medical books. My fame in conse
quence of these first essays, soon became noised
abroad through all the region round about. In Con
stantinople and vicinity, though happily there has been
this year very little of the plague, there was not
withstanding an unusual degree of sickness. It is
perhaps a moderate estimate to say, that one third of
the population were ailing. Of course there was
much suffering among the poorer classes, and it was
difficult for others to obtain medical aid. The Frank
physicians at Constantinople, of whom there are seve
ral, were as usual, too closely occupied to visit the isl
ands. Under these circumstances, I gradually yielded
to the solicitations of the people, and for several suc
cessive months, medical practice and the necessary pre
paratory study became a prominent part of my em
ployment. When I arose in the morning or returned
from a walk during the day, my room was often crowd
ed with patients, and for many days in succession I
have administered to twenty or thirty. The pre
vailing fever being for the most part of a mild type,
readily yielded to the course of treatment which I
adopted. Many chronic cases also which owed their

156
chief aggravations to the want of a little medical aid,
were greatly benefited by diet, exercise, and the like
simple remedies.
So much more rapid was the recovery of my pa
tients than those under the patronage of St. George,
that one after another gradually stole away from
the monastery and crept down the hill to my door.
At length the superior of the convent sent his head
servant with a respectful request that I would visit
the unfortunate within the walls of his sanctuary. Be
ing desirous of conciliating the saint, I took my usual
supply of tracts, and climbed up the hill to unite my
exertions with his. There still were instances how
ever in which the superstitions of the people, were at
tended with unhappy consequences. The following
is an example in illustration. An infant child had long
been wasting away with a disease which the ordinary
remedies of the people had failed to arrest, and I was
entreated to administer to it. After considerable exa
mination of my books, I found a prescription which I
thought would afford it relief. Having been at the
pains of going over to Constantinople, to obtain the
necessary ingredients, I was gratified to see the medi
cine operating favorably. The child again resumed its
play and smiled on its mother, whose drooping head
was once more raised from the ground. Calling one
evening soon after to make my accustomed visit, I
missed the mother and child. " They have gone very
foolishly up to St. George's" said the father. " And
have they taken the medicine with them ?" " No."
Another morning they had not returned — the vow to
the, saint must be fulfilled, and when at last they did
come back, two miles' exposure to the scorching

157
sun, and neglect to follow up the use of the medicine,
bad brought on a relapse, and it was soon laid in the
grave. Finding my patients increasing from the other isl
ands ; from the opposite coast of Bithynia, and even
from Constantinople ; and that my study of Turkish
would necessarily be much interrupted, I made repeat
ed efforts to diminish my practice. It seemed harsh
however to break away from the frequent cases
of a like urgency with one which I will narrate.
A poor bed-ridden man had made application to a
native physician that had come over to spend some
time in Prinkipos. The latter was an old man with
out a family, and had, I presume, received his edu
cation at one of the Italian universities. Whenever
he went abroad, he wore the privileged white turban,
and rode upon an ass with a servant walking before
him. This hard-hearted man demanded in the first
place a fee of ten dodecarias — dollars, before he gave
his advice, and then sent them to his apothecary in the
city, for medicine to the amount of half as much more.
But they had received no directions for administering
it, and he refused to open his lips again without an
additional fee. Under these circumstances, the family
who assured me they had expended six months' in
come, and were utterly unable to raise another dollar,
besought me to call. His wife came several times to
urge the plea, and the poor man contrived to get his
head out of the window near which I passed and to ex
claim, xupiE, xupis, "Sir, "Sir." I felt particularly re
luctant to interfere in consequence of the previous
visit of a regular physician, but at last yielded to their
entreaties. They offered me the medicines all neatly
14

158
sealed and tied with the red and white cord of the
Constantinople apothecaries ; but instead of using
them, I put the poor man upon a simple course of regi-
men, and he was soon sitting in the market place, rising
as I passed to proclaim the skill of the wonder working
hakem. I sometimes met their unfeeling physician in the
streets, and together with many compliments, received
also urgent intreaties to call at his lodgings. Those
who knew him better than myself, and the object for
which a dish of coffee is sometimes served up in this
country, advised me to decline the invitation. At
another time, after I had decided not to go abroad, a
woman from Chalke came to present her sorrowful
case. Her husband had been dangerously sick and
having partially recovered, had exposed himself too
soon to the heat of the baker's shop in which he was
employed. The consequence was, a relapse with some
most alarming symptoms. I thought there was little
prospect of affording him relief, besides I was myself
ill, and wished to curtail my labors. I spoke kindly
to her and stated the reasons why I could not go. She
listened a moment, and then sunk down upon her
knees, weeping and earnestly protesting that for the
sake of Christ and the Virgin Mary, I would have
compassion. She had several little children who were
dependent, she said, on her husband's monthly wages
of thirty piastres — two and a half dollars. I consid
ered the subject for a moment, and felt that I might
do more to recommend the gospel of Christ by com
plying, than by twice the time and expense, other
wise directed. Accordingly, I bade her rise and go
forward and await me at the boat, while I went to ob
tain the medicines ofthe village apothecary, though as I

159
knew at a great expense. During the interval the
wind had become violent and the boatmen hesitated to
push off. When at last they consented, she seated her
self in the opposite extremity of the boat, without seem
ing to take the slightest notice of the fury of the waves ;
so great had been the conflict and such was the still re
maining agitation of her feelings. I know not that I
shall lose until my dying day, the expression of grati
tude and joy in her countenance, chastened by the deep
anxiety bordering despair from which she had just
emerged. Through the goodness of Providence, her
husband most unexpectedly recovered. One of his
neighbors died not long after, as I was persuaded from
excessive loss of blood, having called in the barber ten
or twelve times.
I found many cases of extreme debility in conse
quence of perpetual resort to this remedy on every
slight illness. The operation is almost invariably per
formed on the foot. The frequent use of the sweat
ing bath, is another fruitful source of ill health. Be
sides acute diseases, rheumatic affections are com
mon among the people. The small pox swept off
many from the island of Chalke last year, but vacci
nation is extending itself through the benevolent ef
forts of gentlemen connected with the foreign embas
sies. It has even of late been introduced into the
Seraglio, by the English and French physicians of
Pera, who are frequent in their attendance there.
Dr. Walsh, the late British chaplain, while residing in
one of the monasteries of Chalke with the Rev. Mr.
Leeves and family, besides administering very widely
to the sick poor, vaccinated also great numbers of
the people. Just as I was leaving Constantinople,

160
I instituted an inquiry, at his request through Mr. L.,
respecting the varioloid and kindred diseases which
afterwards prevailed. I could not learn that any of
those were among the victims on whom the vaccine
matter had been pronounced to fiave taken effect. Ma
ny however had been attacked, but less violently than
such as were not vaccinated. My own attempts at
vaccination proved unsuccessful. After making sad
work with the arms of a dozen Greek children, I
found that the matter which Mr. Gridley had sent me
from Smyrna was not genuine, and the only physicians
at Constantinople who possessed the viras, were un
willing to sell it, lest it should fall into the hands of
others. In looking back upon the results of my medical la
bors, I can speak of some progress made in the langua
ges of the people from the familiar and frequent con
versation I was necessitated to hold, at first through an
interpreter from the Italian, and afterwards in Greek.
In this respect I now see that it would have been more
profitable, had I at once laid aside the Turkish, and
confined my attention to the latter language. I could
not however have foreseen the extent to which my
medical labors finally carried me. For a year or
two, a physician would not suffer much loss of time, by
practising among the people whose language he wished
to learn.
Another advantage derived from medical employ
ments, has been an aquaintance with the in-door cha
racter, superstitions and usages of the people. Some
times when \, have been hastily summoned to visit
the sick, I have found the priest chanting his prayer
and sprinkling the holy water in order to cast out the

161
evil spirit which had entered, while the neighbors would
hasten in with pictures of the saints, and if possible, a
piece ofthe true cross. Around a sick bed too, I have
found the people acting out their real character, and
expressing their opinions and feelings on religious sub
jects with less reserve than on ordinary occasions.
By visiting as a physician, I have also formed ac
quaintances ; disarmed prejudices, and secured the
confidence and attachment of the people, to an extent,
which might in any other way, have taken years to ac
complish. There is scarcely a family in the island,
whether Catholic or Greek, in which I was not ac
quainted, and always received as a welcome visiter.
Seldom did I go abroad without receiving the saluta
tions of recovered patients, or of friends, equally grate
ful for my attentions. Imperfect, too, as was my know
ledge of Greek, there were instances like the follow
ing, in which I had peculiarly favorable opportunities
for speaking on the things of religion. A young fe
male, whose life had been almost despaired of, after a
long sickness, began at last to mend. On making my
morning visit, she said to me on one occasion, " I shall
take no medicine to-day." " And why not take medi
cine to-day ?" "Because I am going to partake ofthe
sacrament," was the reply. She was apprehensive,
as she said, that in consequence of the remedies she
was using, the consecrated bread might be rejected
from her stomach, and thus an unpardonable sin be
committed of suffering it to fall on the ground. The
New Testament, which they had obtained at my sug
gestion, was lying by her side, and I opened it and read,
« Do this in remembrance of me." Rarely have I had
more attentive hearers, than while thus explaining the
14*

162
nature of the Lord's Supper, and I was not without*
hopes from this and subsequent conversations, that
some useful impressions were made on the minds of
the family.
I have been thus particular in speaking on this sub
ject, as it may aid other missionaries in deciding how
far the study and practice of physic may be a duty.
In such a country as Turkey, it would expose one's
self and associates to the plague. I was thought rash
in going to the extent I did, in receiving strangers,.
who might have come from districts where it prevailed.
Sometimes in suspicious eases, I followed the practice
of the physicians in refusing to feel the pulse, and often
deluged the patient with vinegar, as well as made free
use of it myself. I felt reluctant however, to excite
the suspicions of friends, and ofthe barber in case his
lancet should be necessary; The latter always began
his operations by crossing himself, and I have seen
him become deadly pale, repeat his crossings, and turn
to me with an enquiring look, when several efforts to
obtain blood were unavailing. To set off against the
danger in question, there would be this great advantage
in the East. The medical profession invests one's per
son with peculiar sacredness, and whether travelling or
stationary, such a security would thus be imparted,
which others might in vain seek after. In every coun
try there would be this inconvenience. From the
numbers of sick, one's employment must constantly
tend to, become too exclusively secular, and the ex
pense would necessarily be considerable. The medi
cines which I often purchased at a disadvantage, in ad
dition to those sent me by Mr. Gridley, and inchi-
_ing such, as I have brought with me to Greece*

163
amount to about fifty dollars. It would be a good rule
when it is in the power of the people, to require pay
ment for them at cost. A physician too, who should
be as familiar with practice as my associate was, and as
well furnished with medicines and surgical instruments,
would accomplish the labor which I performed, in
much less time. As it was, he found the crowd on his
journey to Cesarea so great, as to cause considerable
delay. In conclusion, I will take the liberty to quote the
following remarks on this subject from Douglas' valuable
" Hints on Missions."
"If with scientific attainments they combined the
profession of physic, it would be attended with many
advantages ; for there is something suspicious in a for
eigner remaining long in a country without an openly-
defined object. The character of a physician has
always been highly honored in the East, and would
give an easy and unsuspected admission to a familiar
intercourse with all classes and creeds. The Koran'
being itself both law and divinity, and lawyers and di
vines being but the readers and expounders of the Sa
cred Text, physic is the only learned profession among
the Moslem, where genius can have free space to spread
its wings ; and men of the greatest name, and of the
brightest ages in Arabian history, have been of that
profession. The pursuit of alchemy, joined with that
of physic on the one hand, and the warm coloring of
their tales on the other, have blended the physicians
of the Caliphate with the wonder-workers of the fabu
lous ages.
" Part of that magical lustre descends to their suc
cessors, and he who is a physician is pardoned for being
a Christian ; religious and national prejudices disap-

164
pear before him, all hearts and harems are opened,
and he is welcomed as if he were carrying to the
dying lip, water from the fountain of youth, or the elixir
of immortality. The physician, more than any one
else, possesses the mollia tempora fandi, and his con
versation with his patients should have the charm
which is attributed to the conversation of lovers, where
self being the topic, the discourse must needs be plea
sant. In darker hours, disease and the approach of
death, place the world in the true point of view, in
which the Bible places it, in its own naked light, clear
ed from the false coloring of the passions ; strip it of
its pretensions to substance and endurance, and show
the wilderness of life without its mirage. In many
cases, the cuie of the body, as in the early miracles,
might precede the cure of the soul ; but if not, some
positive good is done when science is enriched, dis
eases removed, and the gratitude and respect of many
are secured to the healer of the body."
Besides the sick, I occasionally met with ^another
class of unfortunates, which the peculiar circumstances
of the country greatly tend to produce. One of these
called by the people the Prophet Elias, was, as he said,
ninety-five years old, and his appearance did not con
tradict his assertion. He lived alone, amidst some
subterranean ruins in a retired part of the island. An
unavailing pursuit after some plundered property, had
drawn him away from his friends and kindred, to the
distance of one hundred hours. Feeble as he was, and
possessing nothing in the world but the sorry beast
with which he bore faggots to market for his daily
bread, he had no prospect of ever revisiting them
again. Whenever he met me, he very thankfully re-

165
ceived his para, and he sometimes came on his poor
donkey, his only companion and almost his only friend,
to obtain some broken victuals from my table. In
return he used to express his gratitude by an attempt
at music upon his simple pipe, and a look which seem
ed to say, there is still one of the human race, who
does not regard me with total indifference. At eve
ning when I took my solitary walk along the shores of
the sea, I seldom failed to find him watching for me at
the entrance of his cell. Almost the only Greek word
which he knew was — o 6eis — God, which was his usual
reply to the little comforts and medicines that I carri
ed him. If the present severe winter has not ended
his days, there is at least one in Prinkipos — the old
hermit of Camara, who has not forgotten the stranger
missionary. Nuno, the Bulgarian ascetic, was driven from society
by disappointments which operate in every land. He
said to one of our company, who spoke Russian, and
who had known him for twenty years, that his whole
age was but thirty-six, having grown grey, as he add
ed from much labor. The particular direction which
his fancy or his religious scruples had taken, was quite
as unexceptionable as that of the monks of St. George,
near the foot of whose hill he is now sheltered. All
but three or four hours out of the twenty-four, he is
constantly engaged in the cultivation of his garden.
That which he at present occupies, is the third which he
has redeemed from the surrounding waste. He shew
ed us his little chapel in a cleft of the rock, to which
he descends by a rope. This he visits three times
daily, lighting his lamp at evening. It did not please
him, though of the same religion with the monks,

166
to go to their chapel above. God only required, he
said, that the heart should be clean. He was pre
paring his ground for melons by the sale of which
he hoped to obtain money to build himself a place of
burial. Yet we cannot be sure, he remarked, of laying
at last where we wish. Gregorius, the murdered Pa
triarch, had hoped to rest in Constantinople, but it was
the will of Christ that he should be dragged from his
palace, and his body thrown- into the sea. After a few
words of counsel, we left him still busying himself with
his spade.
This minute, and it may be tedious account of Prin
kipos, will answer in most respects for the other
Greek villages in Turkey. There is however this dif
ference ; the resort of Franks and others for the pur
poses of relaxation and pleasure, has doubtless tended
to injure the morals of both sexes. About fifteen were
mentioned to me as being habitual drunkards. A
baker was bastinadoed for making light loaves, and an
other individual for quarreling ; his own relative being
the complainant. Theft is very rare on account of the
severe and summary punishment which would follow
detection. Very few however, as I can speak from
personal knowledge, whether boatmen, laborers, me
chanics, or merchants, will hesitate to defraud you if in
their power.
When I first established myself in the island, I rent
ed the upper part of a house for myself and my Jewish
teacher, and employed a Greek woman, a relative of
the family on the lower floor, to prepare my meals.
I soon found however, that while one portion of the
rice, coffee, die. was cooked for my table, another was
disposed of elsewhere. I had also contracted for an

167
additional room which I had suffered the family to
occupy until my missionary brother, Mr. Hartley,
with his Turkish master came over to the islands to
reside with me. In the written contract, the price
and time were carefully specified, but the number of
rooms could be interpreted two ways. I was necessi
tated therefore to change my quarters, in order to ac
commodate my establishment. Mr. H. after a few
weeks was unexpectedly invited to Smyrna, so that
with the exception of an English merchant, whose
Sabbaths were sometimes spent on the' island, and the
occasional visits of Mi. Leeves, I had no European so
ciety. My faithful Greek, Nicholas, whom Mr. Hart
ley left behind him, has proved of great advantage to
me. Previously, my purchases of furniture, provi^
sions, &c. were made by Antonio Schembri, a Maltese
youth, to whom on the recommendation of Mr. L. I
had given his board for rendering these services.
In the event he proved himself a very unworthy per
son, and abused the confidence, which I almost neces
sarily placed in him, to obtain money fraudulently in
my name. I had fondly flattered myself that I should
be more successful than my brethren in guarding
against the finished knavery of the Levant, but did not
escape the common lot. By degrees, one may hope
however to acquire greater skill, having so many dis
honest men with whom to deal.
On the whole I am disposed to regard these islands
as the most favorable summer residence for a missiona
ry ; certainly during his first year in the vicinity of Con
stantinople. It could be best learned from experience
whether more opportunities of usefulness would pre
sent themselves at Buyuk-dere and Therapia, when he

168
shall have learned the languages of the people. The isl
anders have some slight quarantine regulations among
themselves, such as requiring a change of dress when any
one arrives during the prevalence ofthe plague. Owing
to this and perhaps other causes, they are certainly less
subject to it, than the villages on either continent. An
insular situation is not without its own class of inconve
niences and expenses, to set off against this advantage.

CHAPTER XVII.
TOUR ALOSTG THE COAST OF BITHYNIA.
Reasons for undertaking the journey— First fifteen miles from
Constantinople — Chartalami — Aga of the village — Friendly
treatment of the Turkish authorities — Attempts ofthe villagers
at imposition — Panteichion — Ruined Greek Monasteries —
Tousla — Applications for medical aid— Visit to a Turkish lady
— Bad character ofthe people — Tousla to Aritchu.
Prinkipos, July 25, 1827.
After recovering somewhat from an attack of the
prevailing fever, I determined on taking a water ex
cursion for the benefit of my health. I thought it also
a. favorable occasion for visiting the villages along the
borders of the ancient Bithynia, and for putting into
circulation, Greek and Greco-Turkish scriptures and
tracts. Besides my usual Greek attendant, Nicholas,
I chose also to take with me the teacher Panagiotes,
thinking that for a few days he would be more useful
to me as an interpreter, than by confining himself at

169
home to the translation of tracts into Greco-Turkish.
I had chartered a small two oared boat at a fixed price
by the day, and at seven o'clock in the morning the
boatmen pulled cheerfully for the village of Chartalami,
on the opposite main.
It is usually reckoned four hours from Chartalami
to Scutari* but from having walked over the interven
ing distance repeatedly, I should think it at least fifteen
miles. The road passes for the most part near to the
shore, and at the foot of a considerable range of hills.
It is the great land route from the interior of Asia to
Constantinople. After leaving the streets of Scutari,
you have almost an hour's journey through a vast
Turkish cemetery. No traveller fails to celebrate its
numberless marble monuments of snowy whiteness,
and cypresses of sober green overshadowing them.
Whether because it is nearer to the tomb of the
Prophet, or on a more sacred continent, or from a pre
vailing impression, that they shall one day be driven
out of Europe, certain it is, that Scutari is the favor-1
ite burying place of the Turks. A new palace is ,
building for the Grand Seignior, a little above Scutari,
On the Bosphorus. The Greeks who are compelled to
labor on this, as well as on the barracks near the south
ern promontory of Scutari, whisper among themselves
that it is because the Sultan expects soon to be de
prived of hi3 present palace. In the midst of the
forest of cypresses, are the stone cutters' shops
where the "turbaned stone" is wrought^ and the
verse of the Koran inscribed over the tomb of the
pious Mussulman.
As you continue your journey, on the right hand
at short intervals, are left near the shore, first the
16

170
new barracks ; then a ruined kiosk of a former Sul
tan ; next Kaddi-kui the site of Chalcedon, and be
yond a small bay, Fanar Baktchesi. I have some
times stopped at this cool and truly oriental retreat,
now less frequented since the destruction of the Jan
issaries. Still not a few Turkish families continue to
cross over from Constantinople to Scutari, and in the
arabat, a sort of baggage waggon drawn by oxen, take
an airing along the shore. Here they spread their car
pets and perform their mid-day devotions, under trees
from whose tops is heard the cooing of doves, and by
the side of reservoirs and fountains. No notice seems
to be taken nor offence given, if in the midst of their
prostrations you seat yourself near them. . The fe
males and children are concealed from the rest of the
company by intervening tent-cloths. Beyond Fanar
Baktchesi, are some low meadows, in which I have
seen the swan sporting itself; and at the distance of
two hours a small stream with a bridge of stone — a
very rare occurrence in Turkey. Here is posted a
Turkish guard, who examine the tescarees or passports
of travellers, and for which they receive a fixed number
of paras. In another hour the village of Maltepe, is
passed on the shore, where are about one hundred fami
lies, principally Greeks. Several other villages appear
at a distance on the hills.
Chartal, or Chartalami, as it is usually called, con
tains about two hundred houses. Of these, a few be
long to the Armenians, one third to the Turks, and the
remainder to the Greeks. There are two Greek
churches, and two mosques. The minarets of the lat
ter, as well as those of Constantinople, I have seen
lighted up. during the fast of the Ramazan, from my
residence in Prinkipos. A small castle of former times

171
standing without the village, and built probably as a de
fence against pirates, is now converted into a dwelling
house. Extensive gardens, as well as vineyards and or
chards, are found in the vicinity. The produce of these
is sent to the Constantinople market, which depends for
its supply of vegetables and fruits, on the coasts of Asia.
Bread stuffs come principally from Russia and Egypt,
by the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.
The Aga of Chartalami is a mild old man, from whom
I have experienced many civilities. I first made his
acquaintance under the following circumstances. Soon
after I had removed to the islands, being on a visit one
day at Constantinople, the boatmen endeavoured to take
advantage of my desire to return, and demanded an
extravagant price. I refused to pay it, and went to
the chancellor's and obtained a tescari for passing by
land from Scutari. On reaching Maltepe, for whieh
place, it seems, our passport was made out, the boat
men there, were still more exorbitant in their demands.
Though it was now dark, I determined, in accordance
with my uniform practice, not to submit to their impo
sitions. Accordingly, we pushed forward another hour
to Chartalami. [I soon found the benefit of such a
decided course with the islanders. After repeated and
unsuccessful attempts to defraud me, they began at last
to say I was an Englishman, and one of the boatmen
consented that if I would excuse the past, he would
hereafter be content with whatever I should give him.
In like manner, I found individuals among the different
tradesmen, who were glad in the end to obtain my cus
tom on reasonable terms.]
On reaching Chartalami, it was necessary to appear
before the Aga. It was unusual for Franks to enter the

172
town on foot, at so late an hour. He therefore advised
us not to attempt crossing over to the island that night,
but directed us to the head Greek, who, as we after
wards understood, was to be responsible for our ap
pearance in the morning. In times like the present, it
seemed proper to exercise caution respecting stran
gers. Having ascertained however, by return of the
messengers who accompanied us, on the morrow, that
I had taken up my residence at Prinkipos, I ever after
found this fine old Turk, most ready to oblige me.
Nor did it appear to be with a view of obtaining the
backshish or present. At the feast of the corhan-beiram
he did indeed send me a present of lamb, for which, in
common with others who were honored with his notice,
I sent back perhaps twice the value in money. But
then, on this occasion, even his royal master is accus
tomed to remind the foreign ambassadors by a basket
of oranges or the like, that the season of gifts has
come. And doubtless it was more the fault of his ser
vants than of himself, that the animal which fell to my
share had been slaughtered so long, as to make it ne
cessary speedily to follow the bearer out of the door.
The good Aga invariably declined the small fee which
it had been customary to pay for the tescarees. His
police officer once stopped an Ionian Greek that was
in my company, and charging him with being a subject
ofthe Porte, demanded at least payment of the haratch
or poll tax. The lad had from poverty been necessita
ted to wear the dress of a rayah, but the Turk suppos
ed he had ventured to lay it aside, relying solely on my
protection. Not being disposed to countenance any of
the old Janissary practices, I directed the whole party
to move forward to the house of the Aga. We found

173
him sitting on his divan, which was a board spread with
a coarse covering ; and living in no better style than the
poorest of those whom he governed. Immediately on
seeing me, he mildly rebuked the officer for his clamor
ous manner, and dismissed us with an apology after list
ening only to my statement.
I once had occasion to ask some little indulgences,
and though it was contrary to my practice to offer pre
sents to any of the authorities, I begged him to accept
of a steel pen. At the time, I was not aware that from
their mode of writing with a reed, it would be of no
service to him. He however received the trifle very
graciously, not giving the slightest intimation that to
him it was no better than a useless toy. I requested
him when he should visit the island on purposes of bu
siness, to favor me with his company at meals. But
though he contented himself with spreading his seat in
the coffee house as usual, he manifested his friendship
in various ways. Even while hearing the causes that
were brought before him, he would stop to salute me
by placing his hand on his breast, with a gentle inclina
tion of the head and a smile. His agent too in the isl
ands needed only the mention of my name, to grant
passports under circumstances, where others met with a
refusal. Having obtained the necessary papers at Chartalami
and bathing on the shore beyond the town, in an hour
to the southeast we reached Panteichion, a Greek vil
lage of about sixty families. Here are considerable
remains of an ancient wall, to which it owes its name.
There are also many scattered fragments of marble,
but we discovered no inscriptions. We saw the ruins
of a church. which the people said had fallen forty
15*

174
years ago, but which they do not suffer to be removed.
" Thy servants take pleasure in her stones,j and favor
the dust thereof." Near the church was a well of wa
ter, which St. Pantaleon, had blessed. They told us
also of another agiasma, or sacred fountain, near by
and which they said had a particular medical effect on a
certain day of the year. Nicholas, who has lived too
long with one of the Bishops not to understand the ar
tifices of the priests, accounted in one or two ways for
what appeared to be a well authenticated statement ;
either the priests throw a quantity of glauber salts into
the fountain on the day of the pretended miracle, or it
was a mineral water, which woidd produce the like- effect
pn every other day.
After leaving Panteichion, we passed three ruined
monasteries, on an island and two long promontories.
One of these which had been the scene of an engage
ment with a body of pirates, was converted by the
Turks into a store house. In another, though unroof
ed, the paintings of the chapel are suffered to remain,
and it is still occasionally visited for devotional purpo
ses, from the neighboring village of Tousla. No mo
nastery or church is suffered to be built, or even re
paired by the laying up of a single stone that has fal
len down, without a firman from the Sultan. As this
cannot be obtained without a greater sum of money than
the straitened circumstances of the people and those of
the devotees are able to furnish, the consequence is that
monasticism in the vicinity of Constantinople is almost
at an end.
We swung our hammocks during the heat of the
day, under some mastick trees. These are pretty
frequent along the coast, though no gum is collected

175
from them, as in Scio. Towards evening we went for
ward to Tousla, which is not quite two hours from
Panteichion. Tous, is the Turkish word for salt,
from the manufacture of which the place derives its
name. Several other places in Turkey are called by
the same name, and indeed wherever the Greek names
do not prevail, there is much confusion from the like
frequent repetition.
The number of houses in Tousla is about two hun
dred and fifty, of which only thirty belong to the
Turks. Like all the other villages between this and
Constantinople, it has a most wretched appearance.
The oldest buildings both here and elsewhere, exhibit
a style far more ornamental and expensive than the
present. On my first arrival, while passing along
the principal street, a woman of pallid countenance
called to me from the window, and asked if I understood
the fever and ague. As might be expected from its
low and marshy situation, the place is very unhealthy,
and there were now many cases of bilious and inter
mittent fevers. I visited several of the sick, and ad
ministered to them of my little stock of medicines.
In some instances, the obstinate refusal of superstitious
friends, prevented the use of remedies which seemed
most manifestly needful. After a supper of bread,
olives, and yaourt, I left my company at the coffee
house, to spend the night at the house of a respectable
Greek, in order to watch the effect of medicine upon
a sick child. I was gratified to find in his possession
a modern Greek Testament, which he had purchased
at the depository of the Bible Society at Constantino
ple. The Greeks around the capital generally know
where these New Testaments are to be procured.

176
July 26. — In the morning, I had many urgent calls
to visit the sick. While disposing of some of the pa
tients who had presented themselves at the door, I
was told that every thing must give place to a sum
mons from one of the wives of the aga. On my hesi
tating, because I had not received a formal message
from him, I was told by the multitude not to fear, and
hurried along by them to the house of the principal
Greek in the village. Here after being ushered into
the sitting room, I was requested to wait until the lady
was veiled. It was the first time I had visited a Turk
ish female, and I felt slightly awkward in my new
situation. She however, seated herself with a great
deal of grace, and extended her hand, without any
covering of gauze, which the older travellers have
said was always used. The lady of the house sat by
her side, and several other Greek women stood in at
tendance, while with rapid articulation she went
through the usual story of an invalid. There was no
need for Panagiotes, my calpacked interpreter, to com
plete the translation. Her languid countenance which
she suffered to be seen, as far as the usages of her sex
would render delicate in the presence of so many stran
gers, indicated general debility. She inquired if I
had any medicines which I thought would prove benefi
cial, and on my replying in the affirmative, I was told
that the aga must first be consulted, and then if he ap
proved, I should be invited to his house. As I received
no further message, I could not be quite sure that curi
osity to see the new hakem, might not have been one
motive for desiring the interview. The people of the
country improve the opportunity of a physician's pas
sing, to obtain medicines for the prevention as well

177
as the cure of disease. At the urgent request of a Greek
priest, I next went to visit his father ; but the applica
tions from the sick beginning to be too numerous for my
health, I found it necessary to hasten my departure.
There are four churches in Tousla, and what is un
common, only the same number of priests, who were all
married. This place as we afterwards learned, sustains
a bad character among the Greeks themselves. An evi
dence of their dishonesty we ourselves met with in the loss
of all our rhubarb, one ofthe few articles ofthe materia
medica which they venture to use. My host 'felt cha
grined at the loss. I had no disposition to suspect him,
but I remembered a very officious woman, whose honey
ed words had made me wonder what object she had in
common with those who are attempting their daily impo
sitions. Leaving Tousla, we proceeded along an irregular
shore, studded with islands. On one of them we landed
to examine some ruins, probably those of a castle.
The vineyard which overspreads the place, once guard
ed perhaps by some chivalrous knight of the crusaders,
with difficulty yielded us a few ripe clusters, for the
time of grapes ''is not yet." About noon we entered
the gulf of Is-nik-mid, or Nicomedia, and after rowing
along the northern shore for an hour or more, reached
the large and flourishing town of Aritchu.

178
CHAPTER XVIII.
TOUR ALONG THE COAST OF BITHYNIA.
Atrichu — A worthy Greek family — Medical fame — Turkish pa
tients — A Greek waiting in the church for miraculous cure —
An oriental feast— Crowd ofsick— Galloway —Ride into the in^
terior — Hot springs of Daghamam — A night on the mountains
of Bithynia—Civilities of a Turkish family— Conversation with
a Mahometan-Daghamam to Galloway-Return to Prinkipos.
Aritchu, July 26, 1827.
This town which is the most considerable of any
between Constantinople and the ancient Nicomedia, is
situated a little within the gulf of Is-nik-mid, and on
its northern side. It is built on the ascent of a hill at
a little distance from the shore. Many of its houses
though high and spacious, have this disagreeable pe
culiarity. Being raised upon piles, the open space
beneath, which can easily be seen through the floor,
answers the purpose of both pig sty and common
sewer. The greater part of the population is Greek, al
though the Turks amount to several hundreds. Both
classes appeared more wealthy than in any of the vil
lages where we had been, and the Greeks are spoken
of at Constantinople for their good character. At the
commencement of the Greek revolution, Aritchu was
the seat of the most savage enormities on the part of
the Turks. One church was then destroyed, the hou
ses of the wealthy were plundered, and numbers put to
death. At present so great is the desire of the Greeks
to leave the country, that no females are permitted to
go to Constantinople, lest they should flee thence with
their husbands to the Archipelago.

179
We were not long in finding an introduction to a very
worthy Greek family, whose son, an acquaintance of
Nicholas, is now a professor in the college of Corfu.
These excellent people could scarcely have given a more
cordial welcome to their own children, than they did
to us strangers. Every thing was made to give way to
our accommodation, and no remuneration received but
some tracts, and a copy of the New Testament, which
at the low price of the Bible Society, would have a-
mounted to but a few piastres. Having deposited our
baggage, we sallied forth to explore the town.
My medical fame it seems had gone before me, for
on entering the place, I was accosted by a woman,
whom I with difficulty recognised as a very afflicted pa
tient, that had visited me at Prinkipos. Owing in a very
considerable degree, doubtless, to the beneficial effects
of her journey, a most distressing nervous and rheu
matic affection of long standing, had been greatly re
lieved. Of course, on seeing me, the grateful patient
did not fail to proclaim aloud my skill, so that before
evening, I had a considerable number of applications
from the sick. One of these was from a well dressed
young Turk, whom we met at the coffee house. He
was suffering from an intermittent, and wished an eme
tic more powerful than one he had lately obtained. On
receiving it, at the same time expressing his hopes that
it was bono — good, he took out his purse to pay me. I
told him to keep the 'money, and give it to the poor,
upon which, a great company of Turks loudly expres
sed their approbation. Another, then, who appeared
to be a man of considerable consequence, was anxious
for medicine, but said it was not his custom to take it with
out having his physician with him. I explained to him,

180
that journeying as I was for health, it would be incon
venient for me to stop on the mbrrow, but that I shbuld
probably return in a few days, when I would certainly
call. Upon this, clapping me on the shoulder, he said
I was peki adarn, — a good man, and that when I came
back I must stay at his house. After this> a third took
me to visit his daughter, a poor girl, who cried aloud
with/fear when I entered. While some remedies were
preparing, which I was to return and administer, a Con
stantinople Turk, wished my advice for his sister, with
whom he was traveling for her health. But the most
novel circle to which I was introduced, was that of the
whole harem - of another wealthy individual. Besides
the interpreter, the person that accompanied me here
was the father before mentioned, who appeared to be a
dependent of the house. The evening was already ap
proaching and I was impatient to return, but I had yet
no small task to satisfy my noisy patients. Each of -the
wives gathering their respective children around them,
sat on the floor at my feet. Besides those who were re
ally sick, all the others fancied themselves ill, or at least,
wanted to attract the notice of the hakem. It was no
easy matter for me to determine the priority of their
claims, nor perhaps would it have been possible for the
mothers themselves to agree who should take prece
dence. At last I broke away, with clearer and more
affecting ideas of the endless clamor and contention
which must reign in such a household. I trust, too, I
felt more disposed to exult in that pure and elevating
system of faitbj which is the great source of domestic
happiness in truly christian lands.
Though it was now dark, I went at the par
ticular solicitation of our hostess to see a sick

181
woman in the Greek church. It was one of those fre
quent cases, where superstition has a most pernicious
influence on the poor patient. She was suffering with
the rheumatism, and had for thirty-five or forty days
been lying with only a rug on the cold marble floor of
the church. Of course the supposed demoniac had not
yet been dispossessed. Had the evil spirit taken the
form of a fever, he would have found less congenial
lodgings. I ought not, however, to leave the impres
sion that all diseases are believed by the people to be of
demoniacal origin, but only those, probably, which are
long continued, or uncommon. Still all the sick are
supposed to derive benefit from being placed within or
near the door of the church. In the present instance,
I began with representing strongly the importance in
such complaints of a warm situation and clothing. Find
ing this was listened to, I cautiously intimated that as by
her own account she had been constantly growing worse
since she came, she might now feel at liberty to de
part. It was accordingly decided that as soon as it was
day, the removal should take place. How much might
a missionary physician do to overthrow like supersti
tions !
On our return, we sat down with the family to their
principal meal. This with the Greeks is usually at
evening. Our table was only a small stool, scarcely a
foot above the floor on which we sat. After we had
reclined upon the carpet, a little boy, by direction of
the grandfather stood up and said grace with great pro
priety of manner. The company having crossed them
selves, then set to eating with no small diligence. In
the progress of the feast, the father took the wine
cup and exchanging a formal compliment with him
16

182
who sat next, drank of it freely. In like manner it was
passed around twice or thrice to each in order. The
evening was closed by an interesting conversation on the
peculiar exertions of the present age for spreading the
scriptures, and with them the genuine spirit of Christianity
through the world. Aritchu, July 27.
In the morning before I had time to take even a dish
of coffee, the house was crowded with a multitude of
miserable objects soliciting medical advice. I sat
down among them with at least one advantage for
successful practice — the implicit confidence of my
patients. All ages, sexes, conditions and diseases were
represented, and before one party had broken up, an
other succeeded in their stead. To these I adminis
tered as well as the shortness ofthe time, and my little
stock of medicines would permit. At last exhausted
with fatigue, and seeing that the large room which had
been given up to us, was becoming more and mote
thronged, I was constrained to break away and to retire
to a more private apartment. The doors being closed
after me, I then partook of some refreshments and pre
scribed more leisurely to a Turk and a few intimate
friends whom the family had admitted. With the excep
tion of this single individual, all who had visited me
to-day were Greeks. It was estimated that of those
whose cases had been attended to, there were con
siderably more than an hundred, and nearly as many
more went away without advice. They were quieted
with the encouragement of a speedy return, which we
then proposed. We took leave of our friends, strong
ly urged to make a longer stay on our return. A
young man seeing us pass down the street, ran after

183
us, and in the most moving manner requested me to
stop and visit his brother, at the same time offering me
any sum of money in payment. I could not resist his
intreaties, (I too had a brother beyond the seas,) and
turned aside for a moment to a patient who was suffer
ing as they supposed from a " stroke of the sun. " Most
of the sick were ailing of the fever, which under vari
ous modifications was prevailing so widely around
Constantinople. Palsy too and rheumatism, and other
chronic disorders had presented themselves before me.
It was truly painful to witness many whom their
friends had dragged to the door. I felt that it was not
strange such numbers should have followed the Sa
vior, and gathered about the dwelling in every city
and village of Judea, when there was one within,
whose word "Was music to the sinner's ears,
Was life, and health and peace."
Disregarding the cries of several who followed us
to the water, I threw myself into the boat, sensible
that I had already made exertions too great for my
strength. The wind not being favorable for reaching
Nicomedia, at the head of the long and narrow 'gulf,
we stretched directly across to the Turkish village of
Galloway, where we arrived in a couple of hours. On
landing we were saluted with a "hosh-geldin — wel
come," and sat down to take our coffee in this busy
village of fifty houses. Travellers were continually
coming and going ; bales of merchandize, particularly
of silk from Brusa, were unlading from camels, and
shipping for Constantinople, on board the small coun
try vessels. For a town entirely Turkish, it has an air

184
of unusual activity. There are two mosques, and a
school near one of them. We could hear the children
rehearsing their task from the Koran, and the sound
of the master's rod reminded us that human nature
is the same in every climate, and under every system
of religious faith. Many of the men spoke Greek with
great propriety, and in particular several who had
been driven from the Morea. They have the reputa
tion of being exceedingly cruel. In the destruction of
the church and the outrages inflicted on the Greeks at
Aritchu, they were largely concerned. A party of
them also landed in Prinkipos, and made an unsuccess
ful attack on the monasteries, in the same period of an
archy. I was pained to see the looks of terror which a
few Greek laborers exhibited, as their wallets were ex
amined by the custom-house officer.
It had been our intention to spend the night with a
wealthy Greek in a village a few hours in the interior.
He had bought several New Testaments and received
tracts of me in Prinkipos. Most of his Greek neighbors
spoke only Turkish, and when I informed him that I had
the gospels in Greco-Turkish, he raised his hands and
exclaimed amaun, amaun — mercy, mercy.
[This use of the word for expressing strong admira
tion, was new to me. The soldier repeats it when he
begs for quarters. I have it associated in my recol
lection with a thrilling cry of distress uttered by a
Greek, when a Turkish officer in Prinkipos caught up
a stool and followed him, threatening to take his life.
The poor fellow escaped by rushing through several
houses, and his Turkship at length appeased by the en
treaties of the principal Greeks, soothed down his
mustachoes and accepted of coffee and a pipe. Fearing

185
that he would execute his threat, I hastened towards
the spot, hoping by my presence to render some aid.]
In answer to his frequent solicitations, I had pro
mised to visit this worthy man at his own house. On
enquiring, however, the distance to the village, a
Turk asked whether I was acquainted with any one
there. I had forgotten the name of my friend, but
found from description, that he was well known to
them. There was something in the manner of these
questions at this time of apprehended rupture with the
Europeans, which made me fearful of exciting suspi
cion against one whose wealth had already perhaps
attracted too much notice. Without seeming therefore
to be disconcerted by his inquiries, I asked the like
questions respecting other places, and determined to
change my visit to the warm baths of Daghamam.
Yielding more to the impulse of his generous and
hospitable feelings than to any prudential considera
tions, I teamed that having heard of our arrival, he
came down on the following day to the landing place
with presents of fruit, and beasts to convey us if we
could be prevailed on to accompany him to his place of
residence. Towards men of such precious character
as his appeared to me, I feel my soul beginning to be
"grappled as with hooks of steel."
On our first arrival at Galloway, the aga sent to en
quire if I had a firman and a tescaree, but contented
himself with seeing the latter. This local passport,
is at present the most important document for the
traveller. With this only, Mr. Gridley has gone up
from Smyrna to Kaisarea, twenty days' journey. The
firman which I have since procured and forwarded
will give him greater security. Neither Franks, ray-
16*

186
ahs or Turks can now move the smallest distance
into the interior without the tescaree. A Turk
who bad stolen his way into Smyrna, not having
this was immediately beheaded. Indeed through
fear of the Janissaries that were banished to the
heart of Asia Minor, Turks coming from that quar
ter, are more narrowly watched than other classes of
people. Having procured horses and a guide, we set off in a
south-westerly direction, towards Daghamam, or the
mountain bath. Gradually diverging from the sea, we
passed at first over a level and exceedingly fertile coun
try. On every side were fields of maize, and gardens
of melons and cucumbers. We saw in the latter seve
ral newly constructed lodges, with their owners keep
ing watch, as they said, against the Greeks. It was
not unto such, however, that desolate Zion was com
pared, but unto those whose green boughs had wither
ed, and were left neglected in the close c£ harvest.
Within a short distance of the town, we crossed two
small rivers, following one of which through fields of
rice and wheat, we gradually ascended into a more
elevated region. Here almost for the first time in
Turkey, I met with farm-houses, standing apart from
the villages. Danger from pirates or robbers compels.
most to build their dwellings in clusters very near to
gether. Although the crops growing in the fields were
every where of an excellent quality, yet thistles and
bushes in equal luxuriance took away the neat appear
ance of a New England landscape. The country was
nearly destitute of trees, except here and there a scatter
ed walnut of great size. Occasionally we passed thresh
ing floors of hardened earth, over which oxen were-

187
drawing a threshing instrument, resembling the sledge
used by husbandmen for moving stone.
At the distance of about an hour from Galloway, we
came to Samanderli, a village of fifty houses. We
stopped to obtain some necessaries for the night at the
shop of a Greek, who told us there were but two houses
belonging to the Christians. This is a common term
with the Greeks, for designating their countrymen. On
several of the houses, were numbers of storks, which
stand for hours perfectly motionless. In this respect,
as well as their reputed filial affection, they are apt
emblems of the Turks, their sacred protectors. They
seemed not however, to be treated with as much con
sideration as in Morocco, where Ali Bey tells us of a
hospital, whose funds were bequeathed for the express
purpose of " assisting and nursing sick cranes and
storks, and of burying them when dead." The Maho
metans there believe that they are men from distant
islands, who take the shapes of birds at certain seasons
of the year, and come to do them kindness, by destroy
ing troublesome reptiles. It is well that so near Gallo
way, they seem to have concealed their human origin,.
for this, which in the former country, is said to be their
protection, would not in times past, unless they were
also of the Mahometan faith, have proved much securi
ty for them here.
Passing Samanderli, we saw at a distance a few scat
tered villages on the hills. By degrees we left the re
gion of cultivation, and entered on a narrow defile be
tween two mountains. This rugged tract, through
which with difficulty we wound our way, was entirely
covered with low evergreens, such as the arbutus, or
strawberry tree, and the valani oak. In one direc-

188
tion a fire the preceding year, had given an aspect of
desolation, which even the mild rays of the declining
sun, did not relieve.
At length the murmur of a little stream, and frequent
traces of brick pavements, convinced us that we could
not be far from the hot springs of Daghamam. We
had already passed under several natural arches of trees,
when we came in sight of the venerable pile of ruins,
by which they are covered. On the part still entire,
grass was growing, and even laurel and apple trees of
considerable size. The works were once of great ex?
tent, and could scarcely have been other than of royal
origin. Perhaps even Constantine, or his early suc
cessors, fond as they were of a residence at Nicome
dia, may have made this place the scene of their plea
sures. The sweating room of the principal edifice, is
in a complete state of preservation. There is also a
large reservoir, where streams of hot and cold water,
mingle in agreeable temperature.
Finding that a Turkish family had arrived before us,
we left our horses, and hastened up the mountain to
the most distant springs. On applying the thermome
ter which was graduated only to 120°, the mercury
instantaneously rose to the top of the tube, perhaps 5°
more. The air at the same time was 77°, and the fol
lowing morning at sun-rise 74°. On board our boat
at mid-day, we had observed 90° of Fahrenheit. While
we stood examining the fountain as it bubbled up in
the middle of the stream, we were surprised at disco
vering fishes swimming almost at our feet. I appli
ed my hand to the water, but found to my cost, that
the thermometer had told no tales respecting the de
gree of heat. The fish had come down in a stream

189
of cold water from above. In this, the mercury stood
at 76°, and its taste and appearance, presented no pecu
liar properties. Following down the united stream,
and for a considerable distance under an archway of
brick, we observed numerous other springs of boiling
water. All these were alike to the taste, of a slight
and not disagreeable sweetness. Various channels
had been formed for conducting the water to differ
ent buildings below. These must have been sufficient
for the accommodation of several hundred persons at a
time. After enjoying the luxury of the waters in our turn,
I sat down beneath a broken arch, listening to the mu
sic of the stream, and the tinkling of the bell on our
beasts. At a distance among the ruins by a glimmer
ing fight, were to be seen some Turkish females pre
paring their meal, with faces still carefully veiled. As
the darkness increased, the conical peaks of the moun
tains by which we were embosomed, appeared distinct
ly and beautifully formed on the sky above. It was an
hour and a scene, calculated to carry the thoughts
back to another country, of which I thought as I re
peated " Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Does his successive journies run."
On learning that we had brought no conveniences
for making coffee, our fellow visiters supplied us, both
evening and morning. The master of the family came
to ask my advice respecting a sick child, and sat with
us half an hour, conversing on a variety of subjects.
As they had pre-occupied the only habitable part of
the building, we chose, through fear of the serpents,
which we were told abounded in the ruins, to spread

190
our beds at a distance in the open air. The Turkish
surrogee, or driver, stretched himself with his gun by
our side. As the dew here on these mountains of Bi-
thynia, falls heavy and chill, ho one of the company
seemed disposed to sleep. While we lay gazing on
the starry expanse, I requested the interpreter to in
troduce conversation of a general nature, on the good
ness of God the Creator, and of our ingratitude to Him.
The surrogee seemed affected, and replied feelingly,
" God is good, and I am a sinner." I longed to add
"the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin." Pana-
giotes would have feared however, to utter what might
have cost him his life, and I did not like to hazard the
suspension of the Bible Society's operations, which I
am frequently reminded by Mr. Leeves, are in a criti
cal state. Times are altered since the gospel was first
preached in these lands : then, the missionary stood in
the fore front of the hottest battle ; now, the hearers
first suffer, and the preachers, if they are Franks, ex
perience little inconvenience. It becomes them, there
fore, to be more tender of their converts than of them
selves. Once during the night, my two Greeks and
particularly Panagiotes, were much alarmed by the
approach of the armed surrogee of the other party.
He only came to ask for water, and nothing else occur
red to disturb our repose. In few other countries
would such a situation have been as safe, nor even in
this a year ago.
July 28. — At sun-rise, having bathed again and ex
amined more attentively the interior of the structure,
we mounted our horses for a return. One of the
Turkish ladies came out and brought me a dish of
coffee, modestly .asking a little medicine which I had

191
already offered. Their party was from Constantinople,
but were going on a visit farther into the country.
They took a friendly leave of us, while we set forward
at a brisk pace. I could not, however, but feel a new
conviction that the impressions which I had been
taught to cherish respecting the Turkish character,
were in some respects too unfavorable. I felt thank
ful, I trust to our heavenly Father, that he had not
suffered all the kindly feelings of our social nature, to
be driven from the heart of either " Jew or Turk, or
infidel." As we descended the hill, the vapour was rising
very abundantly from the stream, indicating the situa
tion of the different hot fountains. In the plain, we
met a Turk on horseback, and at a distance behind
him his wife and two children. She gave us the usual
morning salutation, and as if accidentally, suffered the
veil to escape, by which an agreeable countenance was
concealed. At the village of Samanderli, a young
Mussulman very civilly handed us water, and another
in the fields gave us of his melons. From no one, in
deed, during the whole journey, did we experience the
least degree of rudeness.
At Galloway, we met with an Ionian Greek, suffering
from lameness, on whom Nicholas begged permission
to use my lancet. A Turk standing by, asked if we
were Englishmen, to which I as usual gave an affirma
tive answer, intending by this, only that I had English
protection. He remarked to some one afterwards, that
I did not look like an Englishman. It seems he had
been one of the guards at the English palace, but was
lately dismissed, for alleged neglect, in suffering an
Ionian prisoner to escape. He may have formed his

192
opinon concerning me, from not having seen me often,
or from conversation respecting me at the palace door.
I regretted I had not gone into the trouble of explain
ing that I was an American, lest he should have thought
me insincere. Subsequently I was careful to make
known my American character.
Finding the wind favorable for a return to the islands,
I relinquished the idea of visiting Brusa, Nice or Nico
media, famous cities of Bithynia, or the little village on
the north of the gulf supposed to have been the place
where Hannibal the Carthagenian poisoned himself.
In this place I had concealed the fact of my being a
physician, so that summoning our boatmen, our little
bark was soon under weigh. Even at Galloway we
were within sight of Prinkipos, our home in which we
safely reached before the Saturday sun was set.
My health had been much improved by the excur
sion ; we had distributed tracts among the Greeks, and
made, as I hoped, some useful observations on the
state of society. I hoped too, that such impressions
were left on the minds of many, as would tend to pre
pare the way for more appropriate missionary labors
hereafter.

193
CHAPTER XIX.
LITERARY NOTICES.
Interruption of plans for travel and study — Importance of pre"
paratory reading in America — Opinion of Prof. Lee — First
year's studies — Languages ofthe Levant — Best mode of ac
quiring them — Familiarity with oriental objects — Manu
scripts and books. Prinkipos, Aug. 10, 1827.
I have been waiting to gather the rarest flowers
that spring in all the orient, for one to whose judicious
counsel and generous friendship, I am so much indebt
ed. As yet, however, I have not been able on the spot
where they tell us the first parents of our race dwelt in
their innocence, to seek for those
" That never will in other climate grow."
Still I have often looked towards the mountains of Ara
rat, for to tell you the truth, the word" Armenia has
not lost its charm for my ear. Indeed I have twice
been on the point of setting out for that quarter. The
first occasion was after some alarm of the plague, and
we had a prospect of all being shut up in our houses
for the summer. I was then earnestly solicited to ac
company an English traveller who wished to visit Per
sia, and who was willing after that to go to Jerusalem.
We had proposed to stop for a fortnight at Tocat,
and Mr. B. had been furnished with such informa
tion as he hoped might enable us to find the grave
of Martyn, or at least to glean some additional facts
respecting his death. A second time Mr. Hartley
17

194
and myself having resolved to devote some months to
the study of Turkish, made considerable preparation
for going up to spend the summer with Mr. Gridley,
at Caisarea. My leading object in both instances was
the acquisition of that language, which I find from the
trial already made, needs pretty close application, and
that too, in the midst of a people where it is exclu
sively spoken. Such situations I am assured, may be
found in Armenian families at no greater distance than
Brusa ; but I had thought to accomplish the object
of exploring the country, while going forward with my
principal employment. My English friends, whose
opinions on political prospects I feel bound to regard
without particularly enquiring their reasons, dissuaded
me from such an undertaking. I was also informed
by them, that two English travellers in the interior
had been dragged from village to village, and so ill
treated, that the death of one of them was the conse
quence. They were suspected of having made the
pilgrimage to Mecca, but rumors of hostile intentions
on the part of the Christian powers were perhaps, the
principal reason of the violence which was offered them.
We heard also, that the plague was extending its rava
ges westward from Syria, and by June, had reached
Beyrout, Tarsus and Caisarea. Mr. Gridley himself,
whose opinion I asked, did not decidedly advise the
journey. But though my own travels have led me so little in
regions where you felt a special interest, you will re
joice to hear that a learned German traveller has
lately started for the Caucasian countries. These, I
recollect, you often spoke of as an untrodden field,
and I doubt not important results will follow his re-

195
searches. He is I believe under the patronage of the
French king, and direction of De Sacy.*
I hope never to suffer literary and scientific objects
to interfere with my higher calling, and would deter
mine with the apostle, "to know nothing but Jesus
Christ and Him crucified." Still, I greatly regret that
I did not while with you enter more vigorously on an
examination of these and the neighboring countries,
and the pursuit of kindred studies. But you know
what were the unhappy causes that always restrained
the wings of my desire, and made me grovel away the
years, in which I was favored with your society. I
thank you most sincerely for your counsels, and can
freely say, that the impressions then made on my mind
by your remarks on the preparatory study of the lan
guages, history, opinions and customs of the people
among whom a missionary is to dwell, have been deep
ened by the sentiments of all judicious men around
me, and still more by my every day's experience. If
a missionary is not wanted to write a learned journal,
he should at least, be so conversant with the history of
the country where he resides, as not to expose himself
to ridicule. The time has gone by, when it is neces
sary to show that a clergyman at home, who should be
grossly ignorant of history, general literature and sci
ence, would be destitute of some important advanta
ges, for exerting a good influence over his parishion
ers. The same holds true of a missionary, and a mis-

* Prof. Schultz, was, if I mistake not, the individual to whom
reference was had. His valuable discoveries at Constantinople ,
hereafter mentioned, compensatekfor a failure in the proposed
journey.

196
sionary of the most devoted piety. He should not
plunge into a country, of which he knows scarcely
more than its latitude, longitude and name. Though
actuated by the best intentions, one who is thus igno
rant must in a thousand needless ways, offend against
the prejudices of those, to whom the truths of the gos
pel, without any repulsiveness of manner on the part
of the preacher, will be sufficiently disagreeable. , Tfie
labors, even of so accomplished a missionary as Henry
Martyn, would, in the opinion of Professor Lee, have
been far more useful; had he previously devoted more
attention to oriental study. The same learned, judi
cious and ardent friend of the missionary and Bible
cause says, " we hear it sometimes affirmed, that a
missionary has not the means in this country (England,)
of acquiring a deep and accurate insight into the opin
ions of the Mohammedans, &c. As far, however, as
my knowledge of this subject goes, I must be allowed to
express a different opinion, having no doubt that both
the languages and opinions of the orientals, can be
learned in this country at as little expense, and in as
little time, and at a much less risk. Our public libra
ries contain the very best books on every subject, con
nected with Grammar, History, Ethics, Theology, Geo
graphy, and every other science, and to which even in
the East itself, access is seldom had." No one who is
acquainted with the libraries of our own theological
seminaries and colleges, can doubt for a moment,
that these observations will to a great extent apply to
them. My own intellectual history for the year in which I
have been from home, may be summed up in a few
words, Some three or , four months have been spent

197
on ship board, in which history and travels were the
principal reading. A modicum of Italian was then
acquired, sufficient for the purposes of business. Af
terwards my time was devoted to the study of the Jew
ish-Spanish, and superintending translations into that
language. Next came my medical practice and stu
dies, which, with my own indisposition, have broken me
off from a vigorous, if not a very successful effort up
on the Turkish. I shall resume it again, in case there
is no encouragement to go to the Morea. More good
however, may be done in a little spot where there is
liberty, than in a wide land of slavery. Intercourse
with my patients, has brought me forward a little in
Greek. Turkish is, however, the all important lan
guage of this country, but to acquire it advantageously,
after an introductory course of Arabic, one must go
where it is spoken exclusively. Tell all the young
men who may come out here as missionaries, or secre
taries of embassy, (both of which I hope to see,) that
they do well at home to lay an Arabic foundation.
You know better than myself, that this is of prime im
portance. Mr. Smith, who proposed a tour in com
pany with me to Armenia, has very judiciously set him
self down on Mount Lebanon, to the exclusive study of
the Arabic. It has not been for want of the purpose,
nor from any doubt of the full expediency of doing one
thing at a time, that I have failed of confining myself to
one language. Mr. Fisk regretted the necessity, which
led him to mingle several half learned languages as
he did. Like causes have operated in my own case.
It was not my intention in the first instance, to devote
much time to the Italian. Though spoken extensively
by merchants, servants, and travellers, yet in Turkey
17*

198
and Greece, the French is of paramount importance,
not only as the court language, but as that of ordinary
business. To acquire the language of the Jews, particularly
the Jewish-Spanish, I sat down with fixedness of pur
pose. The original Spanish as well as the modern lan
guages of Europe, had I not been ignorant of my des
tination to the Mediterranean until a short time before
my departure, ought to have heen cultivated in America.
My first teacher in Jewish-Spanish could not be retain
ed at this, place without great expense, and as I was un
expectedly cut off from all hope of the society of the
christian Jews ; I sought then for the key which would
open the door of utterance to many people of all classes
¦ — the Jew ; the Turk ; the Armenian and Greek. This
was presented in the Turkish, to which with Mr. Hart
ley I resolved to shut myself up* He was called away
to Smyrna ; and the claims of the numerous sick, and
the darkening political sky, are likely to defeat another
well formed purpose.
The Greeks of Asia Minor as you recede from the
coast, speak only Turkish. The Armenians, on the
same principle, use more and more their own lan
guage as you approach towards the ancient seat of
their nation around mount Ararat. The Jews like the
Armenians have their domestic language.* With these
exceptions Turkish is the spoken language of Asia

* All the different classes of people have also their ancient
sacred languages, in which their early religious hooks are writ
ten. The ancient Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, Armenian and
Greek, need therefore to be studied by a missionary under cer~
tain circumstances.

199
Minor, and also to a less extent in European Turkey.
In short, a missionary coming to the Barbary States,
Egypt or Syria, should make Arabic his great object ;
in other parts of the Sultan's territories, Turkish
should be his ultimate aim ; in the Mediterranean
generally, French will be necessary to a reputable
standing, and Italian will be convenient, though he
may be excused if he does not speak it correctly ; in
Greece, Greek, and French will be all the languages
necessary, and in all other parts, Spanish Armenian
and Greek, should be superadded, accordingly as Jews
Armenians or Greeks are the principal objects of his
attention. The former write the Spanish, and the two
latter in Asia Minor, write the Turkish, in their respec
tive characters : hence much additional labor is requisite
to prepare the Scriptures and other books for their use.
Objects around me, are fast loosing their strangeness.
Indeed I often find it necessary to make efforts for rousing
my curiosity as I move about among the miserable
hovels and filthy streets of the Levant. Here, I say
to myself, the Mussulman first established himself in
Europe. That mouldering turret owes its origin to the
crusaders or the Italian conquerors of Constantinople.
This pile of rubbish marks the site of a palace of the
Greek Emperors. There stood the temple of some
heathen divinity. Yonder village was founded by the
Argonauts, and the adjacent coast was ravaged by the
harpies. In self-justification, I may add, that I cannot
yet look with perfect indifference on an ancient slab of
marble or a bioken column, even though they be de
void of inscriptions. I seem to myself at such times to
be among the fragments of another planet, of which I
had heard in the legends of childhood.

200
Of manuscripts which would be toyou more highly
prized relics, I have met with few valuable. Every
thing Greek and Latin has been thoroughly explored,
nor should I expect if the Sultan gave me permission
to pass through the Seraglio, to meet with any western
treasures. The oriental scholar may find, perhaps, a
harvest yet ungathered, though no Caliph of the Sara
cens, has sat on the throne of Constantine. Some an
cient coins, I see occasionally, but a missionary of course
has not the means of purchasing. I wish, however, I
were authorized by some of our colleges to procure for
them, modern books ofthe different people, particular
ly of the Armenians, which are cheap and abundant.
All other books bear a high price, and he who comes
into these parts, does wisely if he complies with your
advice to me, and brings his library with him. Notwith
standing the liberal supply with which I was furnished,
and for which I feel sincerely grateful to the committee
and my personal friends, I am sadly in want of some of
prime importance. Most of those which I have been
necessitated to purchase in the Mediterranean, have
cost twice as much as in America. In Malta, are a few
petty book stores, and in Constantinople a Catholic Ar
menian is ready to order books from France or Italy.
His price, however, is most extravagant, and it is im
possible to obtain the least abatement.
Mr. Fisk had a number of valuable books which I
hoped to have met with. I apprehend they have in
some way been lost, or left at Jerusalem. This hazard
might seem an objection to trusting a missionary with
an expensive library. We may afford however, to
risk books, where we venture to expose moie valuable
men.

201
In these unquiet times it is impossible to say from
what quarter a second letter will be dated — perhaps
from the Greek islands, as even the soberest talk seri
ously of war.

CHAPTER XX.
LAST WEEKS AT CONSTANTINOPLE.
Negative answers of the Porte to the demand of the allied
powers — Doubtful results of this interference — Proposed
withdrawal to Greece-Arrival of an American friend — Means
of communication with America — Temporary embargo — Fi
nal departure — Servile custom on passing the Seraglio — The
heir apparent — State ofthe city — Previous excursion up the
Bosphorus and through the Valley of Sweet Waters — A sight
of the Sultan — Death of my a«su_iate.
Constantinople, Aug. 31, 1827.
I am writing, I know not but my last letter from this
place. After a season of anxious suspense, a negative
answer has to-day been received from the Divan, to the
demands of the three Allied Powers. What these de
mands are you will already have fully learned. Russia,
England, and France insist that hostilities shall cease
between Turkey and her Greek subjects ; that Greece,
a country whose limits are hereafter to be fixed, shall
constitute a tributary province, and that its governor
shall be nominated by the Porte, but that in other re
spects it shall be independent. The first feeling through
out Christendom on hearing of this interference will
doubtless be one of great joy. That it will quench the

202
smoking ruins of the Morea, and save from utter de
struction the few who are still struggling for liberty,
seems almost certain. That in consequence also,
Greece, the sun of whose hopes had almost sunk in the
horizon, may yet become an independent state, and
thus a wide door be opened there for the unrestrained
influence of the gospel, is in the highest degree proba
ble. Yet there is a more numerous portion of the
Greeks who will still be left behind in Turkey.
Whether these, and the Armenian and Jewish people,
may not lose more than the former will gain, admits of
a question. The Turks themselves, whose prejudices
against Christianity to say the least had begun to slum
ber, can hardly be expected to embrace the truth more
readily, when it is sustained by the sword. If then war
should be the consequence, (in the prospect of which,
millions of the disciples of the Prince of Peace will ex
ult,) how little is the probability to human appearance,
that His kingdom which is " not of this world," will be
advanced. Perhaps Christians are too prone to look
with approbation on the worst exhibitions of evil pas
sions from a perversion of the sentiment, " The wrath
of men shall praise the Lord." While we rejoice great
ly in results springing from actions which we would not
ourselves perform, is there not something of the spirit,
'' Let us do evil that good may come ?" The most High
does indeed rule among the nations, but let us pray that
He may draw them with cords of love, rather than chas
tise them with a rod of iron. How much more must
our Father in Heaven rejoice to see a sinner brought
to repentance by his goodness than destroyed by his
frown !

203
As serious disturbances, if not open hostilities will
doubtless soon be the result of this threatening interfer
ence, I feel it my duty to improve the first opportunity
of going forth to the islands of the Archipelago, and af
terwards perhaps to the Morea. I have accordingly
spoken for a passage to Syra, an islandjwhich is quite
central to the commerce of Greece, and from which I
can communicate very readily with Malta and Smyrna.
The immediate occasion of my coming into town
rather abruptly, was the arrival of Mr. Jones, an old
college friend. Mr. J. is teacher of Mathematics, and
I believe acting chaplain on board the Constitution
frigate.* It has been but once since my arrival in this
vicinity, that I have enjoyed the sight of a countryman.
You can readily conceive how exhilirating were the
tidings which Nicholas brought in the morning from the
coffee-house— -Hk6s Svag 'A(_epixavo'j 6 oiroios dag yvwpijs.
Mas yvufigs ; Nai'rfxs xipis. IIou Ivp'utxlTM ; Kom,a<rai
xcvru. — " There has come an American who knows you."
Knows me ? " Yes, Sir." Where is he to be found ?
" He is asleep below." At first I concluded that it must
be my fellow laborer, Mr. Gridley, but when I ascer
tained that it was Mr. J. on a short visit to the city, I re
solved at once to anticipate the time of my breaking up
from the island, and accompany him in his daily rambles.
We have taken lodgings with my former hostess, now re
moved near the palace of the Prussian Ambassador.
In case of any sudden disturbances it is our intention to
flee thither for protection. This seems preferable to
* Those who are desirous of a more full account of Constan
tinople and the event of this interesting crisis, will read with
interest the " Sketches of Naval Life," &c. by the same gentle
man.

204
throwing ourselves, with the other English proteges,
under the wing of the Dutch Embassy. Both of them
would be equally ready to afford an asylum to Ameri*
can citizens, but the Dutch Ambassador from his pecu
liar intimacy with the English, would have it less
in his power. Besides I have received from the
Secretary of the Prussian Ambassy, a very friendly of
fer of his services in case I should stand in need of
them. I became acquainted with this gentleman
while he was spending some of the earlier summer
weeks in Prinkipos, for the benefit of his health. As
a protectant, a man of letters, and the agent of a na
tion on terms of friendship with ours, he has in se
veral ways very obligingly interested himself in my
welfare. Sept. 2. — The city still continues tranquil, but I see no
reason for altering my plan of going to Greece. Any
considerable success, or even efforts in making known
the gospel here, at the present time, would in the opinion
of Mr. Leeves, throw serious obstacles in the way of cir
culating the scriptures. Such interruption would be
matter of deep regret while the work is still going on
widely. While we may, let us " sow by the side of all
waters." What years may intervene before the christian
population will again be suffered, as now, freely to supply
themselves with the '' written word," is known only in
the counsels ofthe Most High.
Sept. 12. — Though I am on the point of sailing for
the Grecian Islands, I find a moment to date my letter
from the capital of the Turkish empire. I do assure
you that yours of January last, though received only a
few days since, was truly welcome. A drenching rain
had driven me under the shelter of a sail, for the cab-

205
it was not large enough to tempt me below. I opened
the package, and soon forgot the disagreeables around
me. Shut out as I had been so long from American
intelligence, I felt the force of that comparison, " as
cold water to the thirsty soul, so is good news from a
far country." You will not wonder at the delay ofthe
parcel, when I tell you, that after visiting Genoa, Malta
and Smyrna, it went on towards India, as far at least
as Cappadocia. This latter journey, it made in com
pany with some letters of Mr. Gridley. Ordinarily,
our most direct communication with America, is by the
semi-monthly post over land to Vienna and England.
By this route, through the politeness of Mr. Canning's
secretary, . I first saw the President's message. Even
from Smyrna, this would sometimes be most direct,
but the want of correspondents in Austria and Eng
land, together with the expense, would deter one from
frequent letters. My usual channel of conveyance has
been by way of Smyrna, to which city we have a post
twice a month, and in case of urgency, indeed, four
times. Thence to Boston, vessels are sailing every
month or two.
Sept. 14. — I have now been for some days on board
a small Greek vessel under Russian colors, waiting a
passage to Andros and Syra. At length, the long ex
pected firman for our departure has arrived. The
sickness of the Reis Effendi, has been the alleged
reason for a delay so much beyond the usual time.
It is however the general opinion, that this tempo
rary embargo, has had its origin in the still unset
tled state of public affairs. Vessels wishing to pass
either the Dardanelles or Bosphorus, are at all times
required to submit to a troublesome detention of two
18

206
or more days. Instances have indeed been known,
when they have taken advantage of a leading breeze
and dashed through, at the hazard of being sunk by the
fir© of the castles. It is not often, however, that the
rash experiment is made.
Towards evening, the rain which had continued dur
ing several days, gave place to a clear sky ; and though
the wind was light, our little bark got under weigh,
and by the aid of the current, soon floated past the Se
raglio. Whenever a vessel or boat belonging to Ray
ahs doubles this point, every head is required to be un
covered of shawls and umbrellas, so that nothing but
the appointed calpac of the subject, or the hat of the
foreigner, may be visible. Several times, when coming
to town from Prinkipos in a drenching rain, I have
been necessitated to furl my umbrella with the rest of
the company. Not that I was greatly disposed to sub
mit to such a servile mark of homage, but I yielded
from motives of humanity. Had I refused to conform
to the custom, the reis or master of the boat, would pio-
bably have atoned for the neglect -by the bastinado.
While still at a con.iderable distance, the boatmen, or
some passenger who is acquainted with the regulation,
cries out — 6 .atfiXsus, o ioKdfaos — " the king, the sultan."
Immediately there is a bustling among the company ;
the shawls with which both men and women shelter
their heads from the heat or cold, are laid aside, and a
general clamor is raised against any individual, who
delays compliance. At the cancellaria, where, on land
ing in Galatia, all are required to report themselves,
and present their tescarees, a surly Turk stood with
his stick, to see that every one left his shoes at the
door. When I wore the Turkish shoes, or the streets

207
were unusually dirty, I conformed to the usage by slip-
pling off the outer pair. At other times, I followed
the example of the Franks, and paid the porter a few
paras, rather^ than walk in my stockings only. It is
not an unreasonable requisition with their fashion of
double shoes, filthy streets, carpets, and divan, on which
they sit with their feet under them. All customs of
an indifferent nature, the missionary should readily com
ply with after the example of the apostle, who became
" all things, to all men : to the Jew, became as a Jew,
if by any means he might save some." At first, when
I entered* into the presence of the chancellor, I was
in the habit of uncovering my head, but I soon learned
to avoid so great an oriental incivility.
As the current drifted us almost against the walls of
the Seraglio, and as our vessel bore the Russian ban
ner, I very unceremoniously, climbed one of the masts,
to take a farewell view of the residence of the Sultan.
From this elevation I was enabled to look down upon
his outer garden, and indeed to have a very tolerable
sight of the principal buildings within these limits of
the ancient Byzantium. Both buildings and trees are
scattered about with little regard to order, and in point
of convenience as well as beauty, the whole seemed
scarcely superior to the establishments of a hundred
private gentlemen in Europe and America. A new
structure was erecting in the lower garden, intended
apparently for a mosque, and various repairs were
making upon the other buildings. At a distance, on
the summit of the highest hill delightfully situated in
the centre of the Seraglio, I discovered a youth richly
dressed, walking leisurely upon one of the terraces.
This was not improbably Abdul Mechid, the heir ap-

208
parent of the Ottoman Empire. A crumbling, or at
least a disputed sceptre, one would think no very envia
ble inheritance in prospect.
Amidst many contradictory accounts, the following
appears to be the truth respecting the male descend
ants of the almost extinguished house of Othman.. The
oldest son of the reigning Sultan, Mahmoud II. died a
few years since, as some say, by fire, and others, by
disease. Others again report that he has been carried
off, and secreted by the Janissaries. During my re
sidence at Constantinople there have been great re
joicings on occasion of the birth of the only surviving
brother of Prince Abdul who is of course not now a
year old. In case this family become extinct, it is
said, though I cannot vouch for the authority, that there
are prominent candidates for the throne. These are
to be found in the sacred Tartar families, who not
many years ago, on being driven by the Russians from
their native land, found an asylum in the northen prov
inces of European Turkey. Whether there be any be
sides those who sprung from the ancient sovereigns of
the Krimea, and who claim descent from Genghis Khan,
I am unable to say.*
By degrees the entrance of the Bosphorus has closed
upon us, and the suburbs of Galata, Pera, and Scutari
have disappeared. The far-famed beauties of this

* The youngest son has since died. The daughters of the
Sultan are sometimes married to the Pashas of the provinces,
but seldom are in a situation to acquire much political influence.
Should ever the regular line of male descendants be broken, it is
probable that aspirants to the Caliphate would imitate the found
ers ofthe dynasty, in placing their chief reliance on the sword*

209
Mohammedan capital ; the massive gilded domes of its
royal mosques, surrounded by their four tall column-
shaped minarets ; the groves of cypresses iising amidst
low dark colored dwellings, all have melted away into
one indistinct view. Alas ! for thee, thou Nineveh of
the west ! Thou too hast thy six score thousand persons
that cannot discern between their right hand and their
left. But will thy proud monarch arise from his throne,
and lay aside his robe, and cover himself with sackcloth
and sit in ashes ! And will thy people believe in God,
and " turn every one from his evil way and from the vio
lence that is in their hands ?"
From the contemplation of objects without, I turn
now to make inquiry lespecting the companions of my
voyage, who have been for some time watching the
movements of my pen. Besides the crew of eighteen
Greek sailors, and two passengers under Frank protec
tion, there have come forth from their hiding places,
five Greeks without passports. One of them is a priest,
whose looks still shew how much he has suffered through
fear of falling into the hands of the Turks. He informs
me, that he has received of our tracts when on a visit
at Prinkipos. Another of the fugitives is a. female,
who is going down to join her husband at Andros. For
some time, the desire of emigration to the Archipelago
has been so great, that no tescarees, or passports have
been granted for Greek women to come from Asia up
to the capita], lest their families should there unite and
escape to Greece. So natural and so operative is the
sentiment, " Where liberty dwells, there is my country."
Russian vessels enjoy peculiar advantages for conveying
away these people, since according to freaty, they are
not liable to search like those of other nations. Theie
18*

210
are hundreds also who pass clandestinely to Greece in
Ionian vessels, and still more in those of the inde
pendent Greeks, which under various foreign flags,
are extensively engaged in the commerce of the Black
Sea. During the weeks of suspense which I have now
spent in Pera,. there have been rumors of serious dis
sensions existing between the Sultan and the Divan.
The report was again revived that the former wished
to blot out the name of Christian from his empire.
But though the females of the family have several times
been thrown into a panic at the alarm of a rebellion
actually begun in the city, we ourselves felt no serious
apprehensions. We could not but observe indeed, the
feverish state of feeling manifested by all classes of
people. Even the Turks looked with unwonted curi
osity on the hurried step and anxious manner of the
Christians. Yet the strong military force put it out
of the power of the populace to rise without the insti
gation of the government. As for the doubling of
the guards, and the stationing of a new regiment near
the British palace, this seemed evidence of a disposi
tion to prevent 1 ather than to promote disorder. And
if, as some predicted, the subjects of the three obnox
ious powers should be thrown into the castle of the
Seven Towers, it seemed likely to be done without
tumult. With these views of the political prospects, we did
not hesitate to spend our days in visiting the city and
its environs. On Friday, we followed the multitude
to. see the Sultan in his weekly attendance at the
mosques. My more zealous companion by pressing
forward too eagerly among the guards, received a

2U
blow from a negro officer, yet he regarded this as but 3
small drawback on the gratification which it aftbrded of
his curiosity. As for myself, having had a previous
opportunity of beholding him to better advantage, I
chose to keep my more dignified station among the
horses of his highness, and catch only a hasty view of
his heron's plume studded with diamonds. We saw
no other disposition to treat Franks with rudeness,
and it is very possible, that had one of the Turks not
belonging to the military, Ibeen thus forward, he
might have met with a worse reception. Previous no
tice is always given, probably at the different mosques,
of that at which the Sultan will attend. By enquiring
in the streets, you can often ascertain this of the first
Turk you meet. The occasion is improved by those
who have petitions to present, and a particular officer
always stands ready to receive them. The small mosque
within the walls of the Seraglio, and which was formerly
the church of St. Irene, is that, which on all other occa
sions, is frequented by the court.
On a subsequent day, we took a boat and ascended
the Bosphorus, quite to its entrance into the Black Sea,
a distance of thirty miles. My companion busied him
self in tracing the route of the Argonauts, and we both
of us rested for some- time on the Cyanean rocks of
Europe. As we passed near one of the royal summer
houses, several barges with females of the Seraglio
under the conduct of a black servant, were just push
ing off. Our Turkish boatmen requested us to lay
down our charts, and avoid a too scrutinizing gaze.
We were careful on setting out to inform them that
we were Americans. Besides the favorable light in
which Americans are generally viewed by the Turks,

212
we soon found that as such, we had a peculiar share
in the good graces of our conductors. The Ameri
cans, they said, had made war upon the Algerines, by
whom a brother, and other friends had been killed.
They themselves had met with ill treatment in a quarrel,
which took place between the Algerine and Turkish
sailors at the Dardanelles, and which seemed by their
account, for a season to have threatened very serious
consequences. Thus it would appear that Mussulmans
too, notwithstanding a common faith, sometimes fall out
by the way.
Upon the very day, when, as we afterwards learned,
the Sultan's answer was given to the ambassadors, we
were traversing the streets of Constantinople without
molestation, from one extremity to the other. The
same practice I continued, after the departure of my
friend to rejoin his vessel. In one instance, I made a
two days' excursion by way of Kiadh-hane and Bel
grade, to the shores of the Black Sea. I felt it a lux
ury on leaving the barren and dreary country, to en
ter the royal forest, in the midst of which is situated
the lovely village of Belgrade. It is several leagues
in breadth, and stretches along the coast ofthe Euxine
at intervals, for a hundred miles. No part of the
country reminded me so forcibly of American scenery,
as these groves of beech, chesnut and birch trees, with
the silvery lakes which they embosom. On first visit
ing the bends or artificial reservoirs, which supply the
city with water, it did not occur to my recollection
that they were the work of art. In one or two villa
ges beyond Belgrade, inhabited by Greeks, T found
that small parties of Turkish soldiers, had just been
quartered. Thus every precaution seemed to have

213
been taken, to prevent the slightest disorder at this
critical period.
In a former passage up the rivulet Barbysses, which
enters the harbor through the delightful valley of Sweet
Waters, we met a fine looking Turk, travelling with only
one or two attendants. From the awe which his ap
proach inspired even among the Mussulmans, it was evi
dent that he was a person of some consequence. The
boatmen said he was the Grand Vizier. As he glided
past us, we discovered in his countenance as we thought,
marks of care, which could not with his robes of office be
laid aside. Besides the purposes of relaxation, he had
been, we presumed, to inspect the preparations for a mili
tary fete that was exhibited a few days afterwards. A
slight structure in imitation of a Greek fortress had been
thrown up and a mine constructed underneath. Here
the Sultan reviewed his troops in person, and after a
feigned action and flight ofthe pretended Greeks, fire
was set to the train, and the whole blown into the air.
This was understood by many, as indicating the mon
arch's purpose of listening to no terms of accommodation.
It is a common opinion ofthe people, and perhaps the idea
is encouraged by the government, that not only the prin
cipal officers, but even the Grand Seignior himself, is in
the habit of visiting different parts of the city in dis
guise. I was once walking in Pera, and met a Turk,
probably one of the chief dignitaries, by no means
richly dressed, and striding along entirely alone.
There was nothing in him to attract my notice but his
haughty gait, and the quailing and shrinking back of
the multitudes before the rapid glance of his keen
black eye. A thousand anecdotes are related of the

214
strict and even handed justice, which the Sultan is said
to administer on such occasions.
But though in this unrestrained manner I have tra
versed the city and country without fears of present
disturbances, yet in the opinion of many, war will ul
timately ensue. All therefore whose business permits,
are withdrawing at least to Smyrna. Under these cir
cumstances, and as access to every class of people is,
for the time being, greatly interrupted, I have decided
with the unanimous advice of my friends to go down
to the islands of the Archipelago. Mr. Leeves has
confided to my care more than sixteen hundred copies
of the Modern Greek Testament, to which others are
to be added from the depot at Smyrna, as occasion sha''
require. As yet only a few copies have been circulated
in Greece, and it seems highly desirable that small de
pots should be established for the sale of the scriptures
in different parts of the country. I wish also to ascer
tain what encouragement that country holds out for the
labors of Missionaries.
Before leaving the country, I have given information
ofthe gathering storm, to the missionary family at Bey-
rout, and to Mr. Gridley, my missionary brother at Cai
sarea, twenty-five or thirty days journey from Constanti
nople. The latter I have advised to hasten in some di
rection as fast as possible to the coast.*
*Little, however, as it afterwards appeared, did this devoted
missionary stand in need of such advice. Even then, he was
within but a few days' remove of" where tho wicked cease from
troubling, and the weary are at rest." He died at Caisarea on
the 27th of September. The Christian Spectator, speaking of
the early Mediterranean missionaries, pays the following just
tribute to his memory. " The grave of Parsons is in a Greek

215
Having thus discharged the duties of private friend
ship, and made every arrangement which the public
interests of my mission seemed to demand, a few days
since, with a passport from the English Ambassador, I
presented myself before the Turkish authorities. [I
had, at an earlier period, called at the hotel of the Prus
sian Embassy, but finding that the gentlemen attached
to the legation were absent from town, and that noth
ing occurred to interrupt the public tranquility, I felt
that any special precautions would be unnecessary.]
Though I was mentioned in the document as an English
subject, the chancellor nevertheless asked of what
country I was. Having seen me often as I came in
town from the islands, he was doubtless aware of my
nation and of my object there. Indeed I was given to
understand that my proceedings in common with those
of all foreigners, and especially, the bible men, had been
carefully watched by the new police. On my replying
to the enquiry that I was an American going to Syra,
the principal Turk, putting his hand upon his breast in
the oiiental style of salutation, very politely wished me
in Italian, buon viaggio — a good voyage.
convent at Alexandria ; his companion in travel, (Fisk,) lies at
Beyrout, and Gridley, worthy to be their successor in their toils,
and their companion in that glory into which they as well as
he, entered through much tribulation, sleeps in savage Cappa-
docia." — " From long and familiar acquaintance with him, we
may say, that a man of more indefatigable industry, of more
restless energy and enterprize, is rarely found. With uncom
mon vigor and hardihood of physical constitution, he combined
a more uncommon disposition, to deny himself in all things for
the cause of his master.''

216
CHAPTER XXI.
DEPARTURE FROM TURKEY.
Temperance of the Mahometans — Island of Marmora — Char
acters of my companions — Conversation on the usages of
their church — Brbukolakas — Gallipoli — The Dardanelles as
a missionary station — Tenedos^ — Alexandria Troas.
Sea of Marmora, Sept. 15, 1827.
Though the wind has been contrary during the night
yet with the aid ofthe current, which sets very strong
ly from the Bosphorus, we have made considerable
progress. On our right hand, the low shore of Eu
rope stretches along distinctly in view ; and on our left,
the snow-clad summit of the Mysian Olympus has
drawn near to greet us. From this and the neighbour
ing mountains, ship-loads of ice and snow, during the
summer season, are constantly brought to Constanti
nople. Every where in the city and suburbs, sherbet cool
ed with this mixture, is' exposed or carried round for
sale. Sherbet may be prepared from a variety of
fruits. Most frequently, however, it is the expressed
juice of raisins. After it has been poured through a
colander filled with snow, a little rose water is added
from a vessel resembling a pepper box. Thus prepar
ed, it is an agreeable beverage, and with the coffee
which is to be had at every corner, takes the place of
the more pernicious draughts of our country. The-
sherbet is sold at two paras, and the small cup of cof
fee for five, — less than a penny, yet most of this coffee

217
is brought from America. Though served up without
milk, and often without sugar, the coffee soon becomes
very acceptable to foreigners. In the coffee house a
vessel of hot water is kept constantly by the fire, from
which a smaller one is filled whenever you call for a
dish. Into this, the moment that the water boils, a ta
ble spoonful of coffee is poured, which has usually been
beaten very fine in a mortar. As soon as the bubbles
make their appearance again, without being clarified,
it is ready for use. Hence it is that the traveler has
only time to seat himself, and take into his hands the
chibouke, or pipe, before it is presented. They only
who have made trial of it, are able to say, whether it is
a Turkish coffee house and a semi-barbarous land, that
give it all its zest.
Those who wish to check the progress of intempe
rance in our country, do well to know the substitutes
for wine and ardent spirits, which religious scruples or
other causes have elsewhere introduced. Many who
will not be prevailed on to become water drinkers,
might during the winter months, content themselves
with a cup of coffee, though prepared in the hasty man
ner of the Turks. It is earnestly to be desired that inn-
holders, and especially the keepers of small groceries
should be persuaded to offer their customers, this cheap
and wholesome refreshment.
In all my intercourse with the Turks, I do not re
member to have seen more than two in a state of in
toxication. One of these was the servant of a foreign
consul at Smyrna, and the other a soldier at Constanti
nople, whom the guard were leading away, probably
to punishment. And yet no people in the world have
greater muscular power, or bear heavier burdens than
19

218
the Turkish porters. A traveller would hardly be cre
dited, who should speak of some well authenticated
facts, but most masters of vessels and naval gentlemen
who visit Smyrna, are aware, that they make no account
of carrying four or five hundred pounds weight. What
a reproach to Christian nations, that the holier princi
ples of their faith, should not do as much to suppress
and prevent intemperance.
In the suburbs and in the Christian quarters of the
city, the mild wines of the country are publicly sold.
A species of brandy, called by the Greeks rakie, and
which is distilled from wine or the residuum that is left
after treading the wine press, also tempts the unwary to
the formation of ruinous habits. Still the number of
confirmed drunkards among the Greeks is small, though
on occasion of their festivals, they too often violate the
rules of temperance.
P. M. — The wind has freshened, and become more
unfavorable, so that we are standing off towards the
island of Marmora. Its height as well as that of the
peninsula of Cyzicus which we have passed, and the
European coast from which we are receding, must be
several hundred feet. The island, and from that, the
sea of Marmora, derives its name from the extensive
quarries of marble which are still wrought there. These
are now visible, as we approach, from the piles of ruins
around them. We discover also, lights glimmering
along the shore, belonging probably to the vessels which
have come to obtain materials for the new palaces and
barracks erecting at Constantinople. The marble of
Paros is no longer at the command of the Sultan, and
it is easier for the people of the capital to raise stones
from their native bed, than to bring them from ruined

219
cities in the interior of Asia. At Smyrna, on the con
trary, their new structures are supported by marble,
porphyry and granite pillars, which once adorned the
temples and palaces of Ephesus, Sardis, and other Ioni
an and Lydian cities. The vast cemeteries of Constan
tinople and its suburbs, are likewise dependent on Mar
mora for their tomb stones.
During the evening, I was interested in a plaintive
song of the sailors as they leaned over the side of the
vessel towards their native island. They had been ab
sent three months from home, but were now proba
bly within a few days' sail, and hope must have pre
vailed over their anxieties. Of the passengers, who
like myself, were going out not knowing whither they
went, and without my sources of consolation, there
were several whose countenances indicated the deep
est sadness. May the God of the stranger and pilgrim,
be their God, and bring their wandering feet at length
to " a city of habitation" more fixed than the dwellings
of earth.
Rarely it is that I have heard among the Greeks any
of the " songs of Zion." Most of those now in com
mon use, especially in the independent parts of Greece
as I am assured, are patriotic and warlike. These have
taken the place to a great degree of their former kleftic,
or piratical songs.
Sept. 16. — Found ourselves at morning, but a little
distance below the island of Marmora.
I learn more and more as we advance, of the charac
ter of our company. Probably they are a pretty good
specimen of the Greeks with whom I shall meet in the
islands below. The captain and his brother who are
the principal owners, are still devoted to the super-

220
stitions of their church. During the night, their lamp
is kept burning before the picture of the Virgin. Their
devotions are profound with commendable regularity,
yet with more publicity than is needful or consistent
with the direction, " But thou when thou prayest, enter
into thy closet." In the morning, instead of retiring
for this purpose into their cabin, which would be quite
convenient, they merely turn aside on the deck of the
vessel. .And yet there is a simplicity of manners
about these gentlemen, which discountenances the
idea, of gross Pharisaism. The views entertained
by Protestants of private devotions, are widely different
from those of the Greek ; the Catholic ; or the Maho
metan. Before beginning their meals, they are careful to
make the hasty sign of the cross, and indeed on occa
sions far less important. With the more devout part
of theii countrymen, should they at any time happen
to sneeze, they would not fail to perform this coremo-
ny, and exclaim, dogas o ©sog — praised be God. It is
thought essential to good breeding with them, as with
other classes of people in the Levant, to say on such
an occasion, f*s 7»js iyieag dots — your good health.
" To this you are expected to reply, su^apitflu rfas —
I thank you." These last are compliments of very fa
miliar use on presenting a dish of coffee, a cup of wine
or the like.
Our clerical friend reads the New Testament very
regularly, and seems not to be a companion with the
captain and supercargo in their religious observances.
Indeed, judging from his conversation and conduct, he
is less under the influence of superstition than inclining
to scepticism. With him and the officers I have had

221
several friendly conversations on the opinions and usa
ges of the church. This sometimes is in accordance
with the policy which it has been thought expedient
to pursue, especially in our intercourse with the
Greeks. Instead of engaging in controversy on the
subject of pictures, fasts, and the like ceremonies, we
choose rather to dwell on the leading truths of the gos
pel. To prepare them for the reception of these
truths, we endeavor to impress on their minds the
difference between the authority of the inspired wri
ters and that of Chrysostom, Basil, and the fathers.
The priest at length acknowledged that while the de
cisions of the former are infallible, those of the latter
are to be regarded merely as the opinions of good
men, liable to error. How much his avowed senti
ments and conduct are influenced by sinister motives,
I cannot be sure. He has however already expressed
a wish to bear me company in my proposed tour — of
course at my expense. As he came away without any
of his effects, we invite him for the present to take his
meals with us.
According to the usages of Greece and the Le
vant, each company of passengers, and often different
individuals of the crew, bring with them their own
provisions. My young Greek attendant, Nicholas,
Thesalomagnes, has provided for us a large basket of
grapes, from the hundreds of bushels which we saw
in the streets of Scutari ; also bread, olives, &c. We
sit down to our meals on the deck of the vessel, in the
same circle with the officers, and feel that in this mode
of familiar intercourse, we are far more likely to come
at a knowledge of their characters, and exert a good in
fluence over them 19*

222
By whatever unworthy motives the priest may be
actuated, in one respect at least, I must believe him to
be sincere. He declaims- with too much zeal and as
perity against the patriarch and higher clergy, to leave
room for doubt of his cordial hatred towards them.
Perhaps their injustice or his own imprudences, may
have deprived him of the lucrative situation which he
sometime held in the church established by the Rus
sians, for the benefit of prisoners in the bagnio. Nei
ther of these suppositions would he very uncharitable,
if I may judge from my own observation of the inferior
orders of priesthood, or from the universal testimony
of others respecting the character of the higher. Not
a few of the village priests among my acquaintance, in
dulge in too free use of wine, in card playing, and the
like practices.
Among the fugitives in our company, are one or two
who are exceedingly destitute^ Of such I expect to
see many in Greece. The transition state, or that in
which. a nation is passing from slavery and war to inde
pendence and peace, is usually one of severe suffering.
Yet the descendents of the present generation, will
doubtless reap a rich harvest of blessings from this seed
time of their fathers' tears. For the relief of the sick
poor, with multitudes of whom I shall probably meet
during the ensuing winter, I have ventured to pur
chase a considerable stock of medicines. This has ap
peared to me the most economical mode of contributing
my mite to diminish the distress which I expect every
where to witness.
The sailors of the vessel do not receive wages, but
hke fishermen in America, have a certain share of the
clear profits of the voyage. Nor are they by any

223
means under the same degree of subordination as the
seamen of other nations.
[My subsequent observation also, during twenty or
thirty short voyages in the Archipelago, convinced me
that their reputation for seamanship, (except as com
pared with the Turks,) has been greatly overrated.
Our own crew of eighteen managed their bark far less
skilfully, than half that number of English or American
seamen would have done a vessel of thrice its size. A
like disparity I afterwards found almost invariably to
exist. Their fair weather voyages, in which they are
seldom out of the sight of land, cannot be expected to
impart the same skill and fearlessness, as the navigation
ofthe open seas.J
About one fourth of our crew are able to read.
Most of them, however, manifest great indifference to
the scriptures and tracts, and not a few an equal indif
ference to the ceremonies of their own church. In
both of these respects they are probably an example of
what will soon be a great part of the people of libera
ted Greece. In Turkey we have superstition to con
tend with ; in Greece, it will be infidelity. Those who
shall follow the apostolic example and preach to this
people " Jesus Christ and him crucified," will, no
doubt, find the doctrine still to be, " to the Greeks,
foolishness." Whenever education is the theme of conversation, my
companions readily listen, and are never weary of talk
ing on the subject of liberty. I feel bound to profit by
this state of mind in endeavouring to impress upon them
that knowledge and virtue are the only foundations of
liberty ; and- that virtue will not exist without the influ
ence of pure Christianity.

224
At evening the attention of the crew, which the life
of Joseph failed to secure, was completely absorbed by
a conversation respecting Broukolakas. This simple
story of " him that was separate from his brethren," has
that in it, which speaks alike to the heart of childhood
and ignorance, of age and knowledge. In the present
instance, the narrative was read by one of their own
countrymen, and probably heard for the first time in
their modern language. The translation was also made
by a Greek at Malta. From this and a multitude of
like incidents, which I have witnessed among the Greeks
of Constantinople, I am led to think there is a two fold
difficulty in the way of understanding our books. The
translator having been long absent from his country,
may have leaned too much to the idiom of ancient Greek.
But what is probably the principal obstacle, the minds
of the people are so little cultivated, that unless the lan
guage be exceedingly vulgar, it will be above their com
prehension. The broukolakas or vampires, an account of which
collected my little audience after the book had put them
to flight, are an important object in the superstitions of
the Greeks. In popular estimation they are evil spirits
which, entering the bodies ofthe dead, oft times return
at night to feast upon the life blood of surviving kin
dred. The captain and some others professed to be
lieve in their existence, and one thought that he had
himself seen them. All laughed, however, at the sto
ries told by the priest and my companion, to throw ri
dicule on the notion.
To this, succeeded another still more warm discus
sion on some superstitious practices of their church.
These the priest asserted, were a device of the clergy
in later times, in

225
money. Notwithstanding his authority, they hesitated
not to call my young Greek friend, a Lutheran and
Frank, and not a Greek, for holding such heterodox
opinions. He insisted strongly, however, on his belief
in their scriptures, and challenged them to find au
thority there for the practice in question. Among
those who embrace the Protestant sentiments, I find
the Greek love of controversy and satire, too keen
to subserve at all times the cause of truth. More
than once, have I had occasion to caution Nicholas
in this respect. The priest who was probably seek
ing to ingratiate himself in my favor, escaped re
proaches from the people on account of his clerical
beard and office. In the close of the discussion I
endeavored, as heretofore, to direct the thoughts of
my companions towards what is the great aim of those
scriptures, which we all professed to take as " a light
to our feet, and a lamp to our paths."
During the day we had passed the site ofthe ancient
Parium, now Camara-su, on the Asiatic shore. Near
this the captain pointed out the promontory of Kara
Bournou, or Black Cape, which he said was the limit
of the Trojan citadel. It occurred to one of the young
men that a castle so many days in extent, must have
been pretty large. For my part I was disposed to listen
to all the popular opinions of this kind, as there is often
some important fact to which they refer.
Both shores of the Marmora have been distinctly
visible, throughout the day, presenting hills of some
what less elevation than those we passed yesterday.
But few villages are in sight, and the country as we
have tacked from side to side, appears barren, or at
least uncultivated ; partly arising no doubt from its

226
exposed situation to the annual visits of the Turkish
fleet. Anchored just at night in the little bay of Gallipoli.
This is about one hundred miles from Constantinople,
and twenty-five from the Dardanelles. Gallipoli, Sept. 17, 1827.
Went on shore at an early hour to' lay in a stock of
fresh provisions, although we heard there had been in
the place some recent instances of the plague. On
landing we observed twenty or thirty granite pillars,
now used for securing boats, or for the support of
houses which projected over the water. Near by was
one of those " granite sarcophagi, so often to be met
with in the ruined cities of Asia Minor. Its sides ex
hibited the common ornament of the ram's head, sur
rounded by a simple wreath of flowers. There was
also a Greek inscription upon it, yet so defaced as to
be but imperfectly legible. This " narrow house" of
some perhaps forgotten monarch, now answers the pur
pose of a basin to the public fountain. On a slab of
marble near the shore were some Latin words, and we
were told of another with a long inscription at no
great distance, as well as other ruins of considerable
interest. We had only time while the captain was
busied in the market place, to make a hasty visit to
the citadel. This was a vast pile of rubbish, the work
apparently of no very remote period. The eye of
one, however, from a country so new as ours, whose
most ancient memorials, have scarcely lost the fresh
ness of the quarry, cannot at once look with indiffer
ence on the fragments of marble, porphyry, &c. col
lected from the ruins of earlier times to form the mod-

227
em structures of almost all the cities of Turkey. The
walls of the citadel were chiefly constructed of a common
breccia, and sandstone, with imbedded shells. I had be
fore seen the same on both sides of the Hellespont, at
Abydos and Sestos, and on enquiry, learned that it was
also quarried at a short distance from Gallipoli.
Several of the inhabitants with whom we spake, es
timated the number of houses at eight thousand. Of
these they said a few hundreds were Jewish ; a still
greater number Armenian ; and the remainder Greek
and Turkish. As viewed from the citadel, I did not
think that in all, there were more than two or three
thousand. Notwithstanding we were told the place was in con
siderable agitation from rumors of an impending rup
ture between the Franks and the Turks, we ventured
to give away publicly a considerable number of tracts,
to Greek children. I presented also a copy of St.
Luke's gospel, to a well dressed Jew whom we met in
the street, together with Hebrew tracts to others of his
brethren. Leaving Gallipoli, we then proceeded slowly down
the Hellespont, or Dardanelles. This strait at the
two extremities is five miles in width, but in the nar
rowest parts, scarcely one. Its shores though not des
titute of beauty, are less varied and picturesque than
those of the Bosphorus. The harbor where the Ma
hometans first landed in Europe ; the mouth of the
_Egos Potamos ; the supposed sites of Sestos and Aby,
dos, with here and there a scattered tumulus like those
'upon the plains of Troy, passed successively under our
view. The important events associated with them in
the Turkish, Grecian, Persian and Trojan histories,

228
kept us employed in conversation until we reached
the old castles of the Dardanelles. While the vessel
was waiting the visit of the boarding officer, a part of
us jumped into the boat and pulled off for the Asiatic
town. Each of our company purchased a dish of calvar,
which is a favorite sweet-meat prepared from almonds,
sugar, &c. During the Greek fasts, it forms an im
portant addition to their bread and olives. Besides
this preparation, for which the town is famous, the
manufacture of earthen ware is carried on here to a
great extent. Most of the shops in the Strada Marina,
are crowded with this ware, which is of a delicate
brown color.
I left Hebrew, Greek, and Turco-Greek tracts in
the depository which I had established here in January
last. All the nations trading with Constantinople or
the Black Sea, are obliged to have their consuls at this
place. Many circumstances conspire to render it an
important missionary station. Its fixed population is
greater than that of Beyrout. Thousands of vessels
pass to and fro annually from every part of the Medi
terranean, the Marmora and Black Seas. Owing to
the contrary winds which often prevail for a month at
a time, it is no uncommon thing for two or three hun
dred vessels to be lying here at anchor together.
From the three great commercial cities of Turkey,
viz. Constantinople, Smyrna, and Salonica, it is about
equidistant, and the voyage is usually accomplished in
two or three days. It enjoys the protection of foreign
consuls of different nations. The high land of the op
posite shore of Europe, and the island of Tenedos,
would afford healthy places of retirement duiing the

229
sickly season. Possessing such advantages for the cir
culation ofthe scriptures and tracts ; for labors among
seamen, and missionaiy operations generally, we may
hope that it will not long remain unoccupied.
After an hour spent in rambling about the town, we
hastened on board our vessel, which had not come to
an anchor. More than fifty sail of vessels were lying
near the castle, waiting for a favorable wind to pass \ib
the straits. This, during the summer, is quite unfre-
quent. It has been proposed to have a steam-boat sta
tioned here for the purpose of towing vessels through
the narrow and crooked channel. The captain enquir
ed of the visiting officer, if there was convoy to be ob
tained for Syra. He smiled, and said there was no
need of convoy for vessels bound to Hydra. In the es
timation of the Turks, that island is regarded as the
chief seat of piracy and rebellion.
The castles being past, all hands are now busily em
ployed in preparations to resist the piratical attacks of
their brethren without. Our two cannon, with the
blunderbusses, muskets, swords, &,c. give the deck of
the vessel, the appearance of an armory. One of the
guns just discharged, sends back a fine echo from the
low irregular hills, within which, we are still shut up.
We soon glided down to the more interesting part
of the Troad. The classical student need not be re
minded on what objects the eye most eageily fastened.
Cape Janissary, with its crowd of windmills, he recog
nizes as the Sigean promontory. The lofty tomb of
iEsyetes, he discovers at a distance on the plain. For
that of Ajax, he searches on the extremity of a range of
hills which extends up as far as the castle of the Dar
danelles. Two of those usually ascribed to Achilles,
20

230
Patroclus, and Antilochus, he readily makes out.
The shallow bay, where the Greek fleet are supposed
to have had their station, he fancies has been filled up
by the accumulation of sand, and that hence the Rhoe-
tean promontory is scarcely distinguishable. For the
mouth of the Mender, or Scamander, and the discolor
ation of the water caused by its muddy stream, he
will look in vain, if he passed as near as we did to
the European shore. We were able to discover that
the rocks around the lower castle of the Dardanelles
are of the same species of calcareous sandstone, seen
above at Abydos, and Gallipoli. One of the islands
in the group, around Sigeum, the sailors called
Mavarea, and is of a considerable size. As we de
scend, other tumuli make their appearance upon the
Trojan plain, while Ida rises in majesty far in the ho
rizon behind. Imbros backed by Samothrace is seen
in the opposite direction, but owing to the haziness
of the weather, neither Lemnos nor Mount Athos are
visible. We hail a boat just now, (4 o'clock, P. M.) which
says that an English vessel has been pirated within the
last three or four days, and that the fleet which we
see below are all bound up the Dardanelles. Our
captain concludes therefore, to come to anchor near
Tenedos. It is but a year to-day since I sailed from Boston,
little expecting that within so short a time, I should
twice have passed the Hellespont. We landed a little
before sunset at the only town which there is upon the
island of Tenedos. It is on the eastern side, over
against the Trojan coast. The number of houses is
about four hundred and fifty, Greek and Turkish. It

231
is defended by a castle of considerable strength, which
together with the castles of the Dardanelles, has recent
ly been put in a state of improved defence.*
A range of hills above the town, completely shuts
out the view of the sea towards the west. Behind
these, the Greek fleet in the war with Troy, would
have been most effectually concealed. Scarcely any
important remains of antiquity have been discovered
in the island. We searched in vain for the granite
soros or tomb, ofthe father of Herodes Atticus. There
are many of these sarcophagi at the public fountains,
but we thought it hardly possible that the inscription
first copied by Chandler, should have become so
soon obliterated. Perhaps it may have been removed
by foreigners, or overlooked by us in our hasty
search. Wine is the principal production of the island, and
it still retains much of its ancient celebrity. The
coins of Tenedos, had on them a cluster of grapes.
From some of the fruit which we purchased in the
market place, we found that though ungrateful genera
tions, — the Pagan, the Christian and the Mahometan,
have come and gone — their Father in Heaven " has
not left himself without a witness" upon their fruitful
hills. Took with me in my walk, as usual, Greek tracts
for distribution. Nothing could exceed the eager
ness with which they were received by the children.
Such facts I continue to mention, in order to show the

* The Russians in 1807 destroyed the town, which then con
tained 600 Turkish and 300 Greek houses,

232
freedom with which missionary operations may still be
prosecuted in every part of Turkey. Neither in the
Catholic or Protestant countries of Europe, do so few
obstacles exist in the way of the circulation of books.
None of any description can be introduced into Austrian
Italy, except from Vienna, nor thence unless approved
by the authorities.
Several hundred regular soldiers have lately arrived,
to garrison thisJ key to the Dardanelles. Perhaps this
is in consequence of rumors that the Greeks are about
to make a descent upon the island, or as a shew of op
position to the demands of the Allies. They were not
quartered in the citadel, but in houses, which the Greek
inhabitants had been compelled to vacate for their re
ception. We have had here a fresh instance of the communi
cation which the Greeks in arms, keep up with their
brethren at Constantinople. For the third time on
our passage, we were inquired of respecting a Turkish
vessel going down with an Aga and military stores
to Mitylene. It seems the Greek cruisers are ho
ping to secure this prize. One of our company on
leaving Constantinople, was charged with a message
about the sailing of the vessel, and agents at the dif
ferent places where we have stopped, have undertaken
to forward any intelligence which they may receive.
Notwithstanding many of the Greeks have been pre
vented from joining in the insurrection, and the island
ers are compelled by their necessities to resume their
commerce with the Turks under foreign protection,
they still cherish a keen desire to do them all the in
jury in their power consistent with theii own private
interests. In whatever other respects they may differ,

233
they are all agreed in cordial hatred, and, at least secret
opposition to their Mahommedan masters.
At evening we were visited by a boat from a Greek
vessel under English colors, bound like our own from
Odessa to the Archipelago. The captain was an
intelligent young man, who had been a student of
the college of Scio. There were also two lads from
Ipsara. In consequence of the calamities which
came upon their native island, they had been wholly
deprived of the advantages of education. in the ¦
conversation which took place between them and our
crew, I saw evidence that we had met with a different
class of Greeks, from the spiritless and servile young
men of Constantinople. When the Turkish muez
zins raised their accustomed cry from the minarets —
" God is God, and Mahomet is his prophet ; to prayer,
to prayer," — pitching their voices to the same key
they exclaimed, " curses be upon the head of Ma
homet, and cursed be all the followers ofthe prophet."
On being reminded of the precepts of the gospel,
which they were thus violating, they justified them
selves by an affecting appeal to the history of their
country and kindred. The captain and six or eight
of his crew who could read, very gratefully received
our tracts.
Sept. 18. — Got under way before day break, to
gether with the Greek vessel mentioned yesterday.
A storm of thunder and rain during the night, had
brought us a fresh north wind so that we soon left
Tenedos behind. We had not proceeded far, however,
when we hailed a vessel coming from Syra, which had
been plundered by the pirates a few hours before, near
Cape Baba. After speaking with each other, our
20*

234
captains prudently declined proceeding, until the dark
ness of another night should afford them some protec
tion. We came to anchor therefore near the coast of
Troy, a little south of the ruins of Alexandria Troas.
This is one of the numerous cities which derives its
name from the Macedonian conqueror. Here it was
that the Apostle Paul (Acts xvi. and xx.) saw in vis
ion the man of Macedonia, and here on his return,
he restored Eutychus to life.
Taking a hasty meal, and having leave of absence
for a few hours, I then sat out in company with two
young Greeks, to explore as much as possible of the
Troad. Not having observed Esky Stamboul, or the
old city, as Alexandria Troas is called by the Turks,
we had supposed ourselves considerably to the north
of that place. Hence we had great hopes of being
able to reach Bournarbashi, which Chevalier and most
ofthe early travellers and indeed many of the modern.
have regarded as the site of ancient Troy. Bournar
bashi is near the Mender, nine miles from the nearest
point of the Hellespont, twelve from Cape Janissary,
and five or six from the sea. Dr. Clarke and others
have contended that Troy was on the other side of the
Mender, to the north-east of Bournarbashi.
We sprang on the shore of this doubly classic land
with almost as much enthusiasm as the followers of
iEneas would have felt on revisiting their native-
soil. Climbing a bank of sand stone, perhaps a hun
dred feet in height, we found ourselves at once in the
midst of thick groves of the low valani oak, with
which this region is widely covered. The husks of
the valani, in size and appearance resembling the
chesnut bur, form an important article of exporta-.

235
tion for the purpose of tanning. Proceeding about a
mile in a north easterly direction, we quite unexpect
edly reached the ancient wall of Alexandria Troas.
We followed it through the forest for a considerable
distance, but soon found that it would require some
hours to complete the circuit. The prevailing height
of the mound on the outside, was from twelve to
twenty feet, and its thickness at the base, about the
same. The foundations were mostly in place, consist
ing of stones, not more than four or five feet in length,
and of uniform dimensions. While hesitating what
course to pursue, we discovered a Turk, who turn
ed aside and seemed disposed to shun us. The rea
son of this conduct, and of the alarm and flight of
several others whom we saw during the day, we after
wards learned to be the frequent descents of the
Greeks upon the coast, for the purpose of carrying
off cattle and other plunder. On overtaking our sus
picious friend, and making known our wishes, he rea
dily undertook to conduct us to the principal ruins,
now not far distant. We saw the remains of the
aqueduct built by Herodes Atticus ; a gymnasium
with baths of the times of Hadrian arid the Anto-
nines, now vulgarly called Priam's palace ; the two
marble extremities of the theatre, and hundreds of
granite and marble columns, many of them still stand
ing, yet perhaps not in their original situation. Our
survey was too rapid to attempt a description. We
observed that numbers of American officers had left
their memorial on every blank page of this album of
antiquity. To one of their countrymen, the sight of
these familiar and honored names, awakens very pleas
ing recollections. Justice however to those who may

236
hereafter visit the same scenes on their cruize to the
mouth of the Dardanelles, to say nothing of good taste,
would seem to require, that they should write in some
what smaller characters.
Within the area of the city, several Turkish families
had built themselves temporary dwellings, from materi
als which had formed the palaces of kings. Many of
them were engaged in gathering the valani, and a
species of large walnut which abounds here. We saw
during the day more than twenty ofthe carts, in which
travellers love to recognise the antique form of Homer's
time. The wheels are a solid block of wood, support
ing a long wicker work basket.
From Esky Stamboul, we then bent our course to
the north. Just without the walls, we passed the quar
ries from whence their materials were drawn. Find
ing that our efforts to reach Bournabashi, or the tomb
of _Eysetes, would be in vain, we entered the dry bed of
a torrent which led towaids the east. This we fol
lowed for two miles, until we found water flowing in
its undiminished channel. The width was about ten
or twelve feet, and the depth five or six. In the fields
we discovered several sarcophagi, also many blocks
of granite built into the modern houses on the plain
without the city. Our approach to one of them
caused no small alarm to a Turkish family. The
mother called out most loudly, " Haide — begone." I
bethought me however to exclaim, "Su var me —
water is there ?" remembering that the precepts of
their religion required them to compassionate the
thirsty. The husband who was beating walnuts from
a tree near at hand, directed his wife to hand us the
vessel of water. She placed it upon the ground andi

237
then fled to a distance, attempting with her ragged
veil to conceal features apparently not the most love
ly. Within the enclosure of the city where strangers
are more frequently seen, we found the people less
timid. On our return near the shore, and almost directly
opposite to the island of Tenedos, we saw several
serpents of different colors. Two of them which some
what startled us, were black, and though short, suffi
ciently large, with the aid of the traveller's lips and
the poet's imagination, to correspond to those of which
Virgil speaks in the story of Laocoon —
" Ecce autem gemini a Tenedo tranquilla per alta,
(Horresco referens) immensis orbius angues
Incumbunt pelago, pariterque ad littora tendunt."
We saw also the centipede, and the echinus. The latter
was pointed out to me by one of the Greeks, who
opened its prickly shell, and ate it raw as he would
have done an oyster. Of trees, besides the valani and
walnut, the pine was most frequent. The cystus plant
was also common.
Many hundreds of granite balls which had been
formed from ancient columns for the cannon at the
Dardanelles, lay scattered about the plain, as though
now of little value. The artificial lake which made
part of the excellent harbor of Alexandria* Troas, is
now mostly filled up with sand. While lingering
about this spot, and picking up fragments of ancient
pottery, &c, some Turkish soldiers came out of a
guard house, and asked from whence we were and
said that we ought to go before the Aga and Bim-

238
bashi. The reason they assigned was that we were
not at liberty to carry off antiquities, without payment
or permission. As we had nothing of value, we in
formed them we had not time to stop, and continued
our walk towards the vessel. Shortly after a shepherd
Turk came to the brow of the hill above us, called
upon us to return, and leaded his gun in our sight. I
pointed out our vessel, which had its Russian colors
flying ; shook my travelling firman, and took no farther
notice of him. At the place where the boat came off
for us, two others approached from a contrary direc
tion. These pointed their guns at one of the young
men who was cutting bushes for our live stock, and
threatened to fire upon us, if we did not leave the
shore. Thinking my Frank dress would afford him
some protection, I went and sat down on a rock before
him, while he completed his task, and the rest of the
party proceeded leisurely to the boat. On reaching
the vessel just at night, we found considerable appre
hensions had been entertained for our safety, from the
length of our absence and the sight of the armed Turks
upon the shore.
During the excursion, I had given away a quantity
of Greek and Greco-Turkish tracts, to travelling
Greeks with whom I met. They are not permitted
at present to reside in the immediate vicinity of the
coast. I felt gratified here on the plain of Troy, a
scene so celebrated in the earliest writings of the
Greeks, to distribute among their reputed descend
ents, books in a language intelligible to them, yet
bearing great resemblance even to that in which Ho
mer sung. I have, however, a higher satisfaction in

239
contemplating the holier tendency of the humble narra
tives of the Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, the Dairy
man's Daughter, the Young Cottager, &c. which I have
circulated. Their object is not to excite, but to allay
the violent passions of men ; not to stir up the " Sons
of the Greeks" to deeds of murderous war, but to
enlist them in that good fight of faith whose " warfare
is within."

CHAPTER' XXII.

SCIENTIFIC NOTICES.
Thermometrical observations in the Atlantic and Mediterrane
an — At Smyrna and Constantinople — Tribute to a departed
friend — Geological collection, and notes on Constantinople
and the Bosphorus — Shores of the Marmora — Daghamam —
Princes' Islands — Dardanelles — Tenedos — Alexandria Tro
as — Smyrna — Sepulchral stones — Concluding hints.
Smyrna, Jan. 1. 1828.
The following summary of my thermometrical jour
nal since I left America, may interest those who are
visiting the Mediterranean. You will see, that for the
most part, the weather has been of a very agreeable tem
perature. Occasionally during a calm, the heat was
rather uncomfortable, but we have experienced the great
est inconvenience from the cold. Indeed, at almost
any season of the year, a good supply of warm clothing
is important for a sea-voyage. A temperature which
would be grateful amidst active employments on land,
causes the sensation of chilliness at sea.

240
While at sea I made repeated observations on the tem
perature of the water near its surface. As this varies
but little from that of the atmosphere, they seem not
worthy of insertion.* Atlantic.
Average temperature of the air from 17.h Sept. to
22d Oct. during voyage from Boston to Gibraltar.
6 o'clock A. M  67°
12tol  70|°
6 P. M  68°
Greatest heat within two days' sail of the Azo
res, Oct. 4th,  80°
Least heat, near American coast, Sept. 19th, 58°
Gibraltar to Malta.
Gibraltar to Malta, including four days at former
place, and three in the harbor of Messina, from Oct. 22
to Nov. 13.
6 o'clock A. M  65°
12 M  66°
6 P. M  65°

Greatest heat, Gibraltar 26th Oct. and near

Messina, 3d Nov. .
Least, Messina harbor, Nov. 7th,
Do. in storm off Malta,

72°57°
59°

*The importance of such observations as indicating approach
to land, soundings and ice, is acknowledged by all skilful na
vigators. Passengers do well to supply themselves with one or
more thermometers, since masters of vessels often sail without,
or are left destitute by accident. On my return to America,
the Captain's thermometer being broken, mine proved a great
convenience, when in a thick fog the mercury suddenly fell
more than twenty degrees, to within two or three degrees of
freezing. Probably we passed within a mile or two of an ice
island.

241
Malta, Nov. 13, to Dec. 17.
6 o'clock, A. M. - - 60£°
12 do. - - - - 62
6 P. M. - - - - 61
Greatest heat, 15th, 18th and 19th Nov. 66
Least do. 6th and 12th Dec. - 56
Malta to Smyrna. Dec. 17th to 27th.
6 o'clock, A. M. - - - 59°
12 do. - - - - 62£
6 P. M.  59
Greatest, 23d Dec. - - - 71
Least, 27th, ... 50
Malta, Dec. 1827.
My rain gage was made after the model recommen
ded by Pres. D. I expected to set it upon one of the
hills of Palestine, but after standing a while on the ter
race of a Greek in S.myrna, it is now removed to that
of our missionary brethren here. It cost but a dollar
and a half, and was a convenient article on ship board
for various purposes. Since leaving Constantinople,
amidst the pirates of the Archipelago, and the distress
of the Morea, I thought it not safe to carry my ther
mometer. I send you an abstract of my journal to
that time. Smyrna, Dec. 27, to Jan. 23, 1827.
Morning, ..... 480
Noon,  56|
Greatest, Jan. 4th, ... 66
Least, Jan. 3d, 38
21

242
On the morning of the third, a slight shock of an
earthquake was experienced ; weather fair, wind north,
changed on the following day to south. More than
half the twenty-six days spent here were rainy or showe
ry. While in the bay, we had a storm of hail, and a
little snow on shore, followed by a storm of thunder.
The Barometer for a few ,of the last days, varied from
29.5 to 29.75. Snow falls on the hills usually several
times during the winter. The occasion is improved by
the Franks for hunting wild boar on the neighboring
mountains. I was informed by Rev. Mr. Arundel the
British chaplain, that the two extremes of heat and
cold, which he had observed during his residence at
Smyrna, were 102° and 28° of Fahrenheit.
Smyrna to Constantinople, Jan. 23, to Feb. 2d, 1827.
Morning, - - . - 49°
Noon, - 57f
Greatest heat, Dardanelles, 29th Jan. - 62
Least, Bay of Smyrna, 23d Jan. 48
With the exception of a single rainy day, the weather
was very fine. Constantinople.
Dr. Clarke's observations at Constantinople and vi
cinity, in 1800-1, gave an average for
November, of - - - - 56°
December, - 49f
January, - - - - 47
February, - - - 52^
Mr. Turner's in 1816, (Feb. 17 to end,) - 43
March, ----- 55J
April, - - - - 59,
May, ----- 68f
June, .... 76J

243

July,

78°

August, (once 94°)
September,
October,

78
- 74
65*

My own observations in 1827.

February.
Morning, -
Noon, ...

40°
. 50

Greatest, 6th, - -

62

Least, 18th,

30

During the month there were five or six rainy days ;
snow three times, on the 15th several inches in depth,
still raining on the 16th ; on the 18th much ice, and on
the 1 9th ground frozen. On the 23d almond and peach
trees were in blossom. March.
Morning, .... 45|°
Noon, - 57
Greatest, 11th, - 70
Least, 1st, - - 39
The first part ofthe month was very delightful. 6th
to 9th, "weather like the middle of May in New England.
Many trees and plants in blossom." The latter part was
spent at Prinkipos, where on the 14th I gathered twenty-
two different plants in blossom. There were seven days
of rain, and on the 27th some hail mingled. From the
remarks of the people and a reference to Mr. Turner's
observations, it is probable the weather was warmer
than usual. April.
Morning, - - - -48°
Noon, - - - - 56,
Greatest, 25th, - 69
Least, 5th, 41

244
This month (in Prinkipos) was as cheerless in its be
ginning as the last was pleasant. It appears also from
a comparison with Mr. Turner's observations, to have
been considerably cooler than in 1816. Twelve days
were showery or rainy, and several very windy. One
storm of lightning. Several plants which I had collect
ed were destroyed by the dampness.

320

May.
Morning, .... 58|
Noon, .... 68
Greatest, 10th, 14th and 15th, - - 75
Least, 3d, - - - 48
A delightful month. There were six showery days ;
thunder twice. On the 7th '' wheat and oats were head-
ed." 6th, " vine branches as large as beans."
June.

Morning,

-

-

69°

Noon,

-

.

76J

Greatest, 27th,

-

-

82

Least, 15th, - -

-

-

62

Another fine month.

Five

showery days,

thunder

once.

July.

Morning,

•

-

75°

Noon,

-

-

80

Greatest, 12th,

-

-

85

Least, 1st, 2d, 22d and 30th,

' -

72

During most of the month a cold north wind prevail
ed. There was rain in but a single instance, on the
30th, and thunder on the 31st. Ground parched, and
little verdure to be discovered except in watered gar
dens. Early on the morning of the 4th, I saw from
my window a brilliant meteor descending to the north-

245
east of Prinkipos, in the direction of the Black Sea.
An intelligent native informed me of one which was
supposed to have fallen on or near this island a few
years since. August.
Morning, ... 74°
Noon, - - - 81
Greatest, 2lst and 22d, - 87
Least, 8th, 14th, 15th and 16th, - - 72
No instance of rain or thunder during the twenty-
two days of this month in which the Journal was kept.
Just before I left Constantinople, from 10th to 14th
Sept. the rain fell in torrents, and the weather was
chilly. Greatest heat, from February to August, 87°
Least, - - 30
The north and south winds as has been remarked,
cause two climates at Constantinople. The last is hot
in December, yet 87° was the highest which I ob
served in the island ; in the city doubtless it was warmer.
Mr. Turner has 94° as the highest in 1816. The north
wind is prevalent from May to September, and imparts
coolness to the air in summer. In the winter it brings
ice and snow, and an instance is on record when the
harbor was frozen over.
1829. — In order to a better understanding ofthe geo
logical specimens which you have now received, I have
collected into one view the various notices that are con
tained in my journal. Coming as they have done from
the shores and islands of the Mediterranean and Mar
mora, and from the banks of the Hellespont and Bos
phorus ; the former derive some little interest from
21*

246
their localities. The collection would have been more
extensive and valuable, but for two reasons. Many spe
cimens which were gathered by my late lamented asso
ciate, Rev. Elnathan Gridley, I found without any labels.
Others collected by him while on a tour into Cappadocia,
still remain with his effects in the village where he was
laid by strangers in his narrow bed.
You are acquainted with the circumstances of his
death, and that it has been said of him, " Being of a
temper somewhat impetuous, he did not always stop to
weigh consequences, and it is evident there was a de
gree of imprudence in the extreme effort which brought
on his last sickness."
We are not, however, to judge of the propriety
of measures solely on the ground of their success.
The Palestine missionaries traversed the snows of
Lebanon, in order to count the cedars, and those of
the Sandwich Islands exposed themselves in explor
ing the great crater Of Kirauea ; had they fallen victims
in consequence, would it have been proper to have
passed a like censure .on them ? But it was not merely
a rational desire to extend the boundaries of science
which Mr. G. sought to gratify, when he climbed
Mount Argeus, at the distance of only " two hours and
a half" from his residence near Cesarea. He did in
deed wish to test the truth of Strabo's remark, who
speaking of Cesarea, under its former name of Mazaca,
says, it was likewise called " Eusebia towards Argeus,
for it was situated under Argeus, a mountain exceed
ingly high, and whose summit is covered with perpetual
snows. From this, those who ascend, and they are few,
say that in clear weather they can see both seas, the

247
Pontic and Issicon."* It should, however, be borne in
mind that the oriental effeminacy and oriental imagina
tion of his worthy friend Abraham, may have given too
high a coloring to the dangers of such an ascent. Ori
ental honor is likewise exceedingly careful to free itself
from the reproach of having neglected any thing to
preserve the life of a guest. The letters of Mr. G.
for some time previous, indicated an impaired state of
health. It was never his practice, nor that of his fami
ly, to resort to the use of medicine for every trifling
illness. Towards myself, when ailing, he manifest
ed the tenderness of a nurse, while I could rarely pre
vail on him to receive like attentions in his turn. Ex
ercise and regimen were almost his only remedies
when ill, (who will pronounce him unwise ?) and he
had accordingly put himself upon a spare diet and
made several excursions in the vicinity. Benefited,
but not entirely relieved, he determined to prosecute
still farther the plan of relaxation. He had been ac
customed from infancy to the most athletic exercises.
and was as familiar, as' the eagle that builds her nest
there, with the mountain tops of New-England. How

* From Abraham's account, Mr. G. reached an elevation
which as he judged, was within 3 or 400 feet of the highest
summit. Towards this, he was prevented from advancing by
perpendicular precipices. The whole height of the mountain
from the plain below, he conjectured might be 13,000 feet. He
described the rocks as being of a reddish granite, with here
and there a different species of yellow and reddish stone, and
some singular specimens of black. The haziness which per
haps prevented his discovering either the Euxine or Mediterra
nean, was no more to be anticipated than the storm of hail and
rain which followed, since ' they went out in very good weather.'

248
obvious that the same standard of prudence cannot with
propriety be applied to such an one, as to the inactive
and slothful. Under these circumstances, it is with
deep regret that I have seen currency given to the no
vel remark in question.
I have listened with great satisfaction in former
years to your commendation of missionaries, for their
inteiest in the cause of science, and I should regret
that any thing be said to damp that ardor. While the
religion of the gospel is that which chiefly ministers
to the happiness of man ; literature, science and the
arts will not be undervalued by an enlightened christ
ian. I have heard often times and with pain, the well
meant, but often injudicious praise which is bestowed
upon such as go into foreign lands to proclaim the glad
tidings of salvation. No one deprecated this more
than my departed brother. Yet if the common rule of
" nil de mortuis" &. o. (< nothing but good respecting
the dead" be not observed towards such, they have sure
ly a peculiar claim to justice. Friend of science, of
humanity, and of religion, may no undeserved reproach
rest on thy lonely sepulchre. Yet if any should talk
lightly of him, who left the ceiled houses of his breth
ren and tore himself away from the strongest earthly
attachments to pour out his life in the service of his
Saviour, that Being who watches the dust of Martyn,
near whose side thou slumberest, will not be unmindful
of thine! Excuse this digression in justice to the me
mory of one who was once your pupil, and who, if the
race had been to the swift, and length of days to the
useful and good, would not now have claimed from the
writer this last act of friendship. I knew more of the
circumstances attending his sickness and decease, than

249
those who, as it seems to me,i have spoken unguardedly
on the subject. Not only have the statements of his
teacher Abraham passed through my hands, but I have
conversed with him repeatedly, and had opportunity
in walking about the hills of Smyrna to learn how
different is the estimate of distance and fatigue by an
Asiatic and American. It is his intellectual and mo
ral worth, rather than physical energy, which have
made Abiaham of Cesarea so much in favor with our
countrymen. The indications of that political eruption, which
threatened to pour forth its fiery torrents upon every
shore from whence my own collection was made, caus
ed my departure from Turkey, with no small loss.
There is remaining however, a specimen of the brown
compact limestone of Constantinople, where we will
begin our observations. This shews the prevailing
rock around the city and suburbs, and in different
places on both sides of the Bosphorus. I regret there
is no specimen of the soft slaty rock which is found in
the direction of Belgrade, and thence through to the
Black Sea. I was disposed to call it argillaceous, but
it may have been a variety of the former. I did not
obtain sight of the seam of coal which is said to exist
in so great quantities under the forest of Belgrade, but
found a fragment of what I called graphite. The coal
would prove an invaluable article, in a capital near
which so little fuel remains to soften the rigors of a
Thracian winter, and where steam tow-vessels would
be so serviceable as on the straits that open into the
Black Sea and Mediterranean. The fragment of chal
cedony is from the famed Cyanean rockof Europe. Un
fortunately I have lost a specimen of the principal rock,

250
which, as well as the rocks at. that extreme point of
Europe on the main, are a singular species of conglo
merate. After doubling the point, you come on the
shores of the Black Sea to a narrow tract of sand,
which reminds one of Long Island shore over against
New-Haven. A little inland from this place, the coal
has also been observed. Fine specimens of chalcedo
ny and jasper, may be collected here. The former I
have never searched for at Chalcedon, from which its
name is derived. On the Asiatic side of the Bospho
rus, in the few places where I have landed, I have seen
only compact carbonate of lime. Considerable quick
lime for the purposes of building is prepared from it
here, and at Chartal, which is on the Marmora, four
hours from Constantinople. From Cbartal I have sent
a specimen. Maltepi is one hour nearer Constantino
ple . Here is a hill of breccia at the base, rising pret
ty high before it receives its covering of the prevailing
limestone. Occasionally on this shore, and on the
summit of some of the hills is the quartz rock, which
is so universal in the adjacent Princes' Islands. At
Panteichion, wfiich is five hours from Constantinople,
the limestone continues to rise above the surface, and
though usually of a gray color, is sometimes beautifully
tinged with red. Still farther east, the cimolite makes
its appearance on the shore, and the feriuginous rock
of the Princes' Islands. From the latter place you
have specimens of both. Compact limestone is, how
ever, the prevailing rock, until you cross the gulf of Ni
comedia. The specimens marked Daghamam, apparently vol
canic trachyte, are from the immediate vicinity of seve
ral hot springs, about two hours inland, on the south

251
eastern side of that gulf. These burst forth at the in
tervals of several rods, in a deep ravine, considerably
elevated above the level of the sea. A stream of cold
water descending from the mountain, forms with them a
most agreeable natural bath, which is much resorted to
for the cure of cutaneous and other diseases. The ex
tensive ruins of brick work around, sufficiently indicate
their imperial and Roman origin. The mercury in
different springs, rose at once to the top of my ther
mometer — 125°. In taste, the waters were sweetish,
and not unpalatable. I did not think of any tests which
I could apply on the spot, nor did I afterwards discover
any very decided indications of mineral properties in
a bottle of the water I carried away. The stones
around are covered with a whitish incrustation which
exhaled no odor of sulphur. [The celebrated waters
of Brusa, which are one or two day's journey farther
east, were found from a specimen carried to Eng
land by Mr. Turner, to be nearly pure, yielding only
minute portions of iron, sulphur, antimony, mercury, &.c.
The temperature was 185° of Fahrenheit.] In the vi
cinity of Daghamam, I observed also rocks of breccia,
but whether the hills above are of the trachyte or the
limestone, which is so widely prevalent in that part of
Asia Minor, I am unable to say. On my return to the
gulf, I picked up pebbles of colored quartz, and frag
ments of jasper.
From the Princes' Islands, the place of my summer
residence in the Marmora opposite Chartal and Malte-
pi, there are a complete suite of rocks. Dr. Clarke in
his travels in Greece, Syria, &c. says that while passing
down the Sea of Marmora, '' the isle of Princes appear
ed of white limestone." This is only a species of clay,

252
which forms the bases of most of the islands. Its pre
vailing color is white, but it varies from that to every
shade of red. When covered with water it is very soft,
but hardens on exposure to the air. Owing to the ac
tion of the waves, the banks are wasting away, so that
for a considerable distance around, the white earth ap
pears beneath the water. The clays of Argentiera or
Cimolo in the Archipelago, have a striking resemblance
to those of the Princes' Islands. Resting upon the ci-
molite, as appears both from the higher shores and from
wells sunk to a great depth, is an argillaceous iron ore.
Much of the soil of the Island of Prinkipos, derives
from this a dark red color. A quartz rock forms the
summits of most of the islands. It exhibits in many
instances, a considerable degree of stratification. Op
posite Chalke, the different rocks are colored by car
bonate of copper. In Chalke, a vein of copper was
formerly explored, but the richer mines in the interior
of Asia, have caused it to be neglected.
The specimen of talcose slate from Camara-su, the
ancient Parium on the southern shore ofthe Marmora,
was taken from the hill above the town. From the
low shores of the Dardanelles, near Abydos and Ses
tos, you have specimens of the three principal strata.
First, breccia occurs, and next, that species of car
bonate of lime called oolite ? Dr. Sibthorpe deno
minates it " calcareous sandstone." In this ate found
veins of chrystallized carbonate of lime, and oyster
and other shells imbedded in great quantities. The
oyster is of the same appearance with those which
we purchased of fishermen in the adjacent waters. A
soft species of compact carbonate of lime, usually forms

253
the highest rock. At Gallipoli on the north shore of
the Marmora, twenty five miles from the castle of the
Dardanelles, this abounds with shells.
At Tenedos, I found the order of the rocks at the hill
above the town to be, breccia at the base, next, the
oolite and compact limestone, while the summit was
crowned with volcanic trachyte, of which you have a
specimen. The southern extremity ofthe harbor which
embosoms the castle was of breccia, and the other of
limestone. Oyster and other shells are also found in
the rocks, but in a less degree than at the Dardanelles,
or in the Troad.
On the shore where I landed at Alexandria Troas, I
observed the lock which I first called sandstone, but
now suppose to be the oolite. I also passed over breccia
and compact limestone of the hard and soft varieties.
The latter constitutes what some travellers have called
chalk cliffs. Among the ruins of Troas are blocks of
breccia with pebbles from the size of a walnut to that of
a man's head. The city walls are constructed from a
singular shell-conglomerate of which you have a speci
men. Its shells are small, and compacted with much
apparent regularity. The rock, if such it may be call
ed, becomes very hard on exposure to the weather.
On the north side of the city, it makes its appearance at
the surface.
From Smyrna you have a complete suite of speci
mens. Dr. Seetzen has correctly described the hills in
the vicinity of Smyrna, as being mostly of brown por
phyry. The summits of all these hills are composed of
this volcanic trachyte. That which is labelled " the
tbmb of Tantalus" is from a remarkable pile of ruins on
the north side of the harbor. The castle hill of Smyr-
22

254
na is of hard compact limestone. A softer variety con
stitutes a lesser hill between the castle and city. In
former ages as well as the present, it has been most ex
tensively quarried for the purposes of building. It is
very easily wrought, but is not durable. Breccia is
seen at the base of the castle and several other hills.
In the collection are also specimens ofthe free stone of
Malta, — oolite, I believe ; also the compact limestone
of Gibraltar.
The sepulchral stones sent you by the friends of Mr.
Gridley, were obtained near the ancient Philadelphia
in Asia Minor. From some Roman words, as well as
from the bad style of their inscriptions, it is probable
they are not older than the christian era. They are in
teresting to the philologist, in connection with other in
scriptions ofthe same age, as showing the interchange
ofthe dipthong si for the vowel i, in the imperfect tense.
It is from such evidence that Coray attempts to prove
their uniformity of sound among the ancient Greeks.
The moderns you are aware, pronounce these and se
veral other vowels and dipthongs alike. At Delos, and
in different parts of Greece, tomb stones of a much more
remote antiquity, can be obtained for a few dollars.
These and the modern sepulchral monuments of the
Turks, might easily be brought from Smyrna. Though
of little estimation in the cabinets of Europe, they would
be a curiosity in our own.
These geological notices through your assistance,
are, I trust, substantially accurate, though they may not
be scientifically expressed. As yet we have but very
imperfect, and in many instances, contradictory ac
counts of the mineralogy and geology of the Levant.
Few travellers so well qualified as Seetzen and Holland,

255
have passed over its shores, and not many, I believe, have
brought away specimens so widely, if so judiciously col
lected as mine. Might it not be a subject matter of suf
ficient interest for some of your correspondents to col
lect and arrange the materials scattered through the
journals of travellers, in a dissertation on the Meneralo-
gy and Geology of the East ? To this I could wish to
see added, a list of desiderata in the different depart
ments of science, for the guidance of naval officers,
missionaries and others, while voyaging and travelling
about the Mediterranean and its adjacent seas. Gen
tlemen of the navy and travellers generally, in making
collections of mineials seem rather to have had in view
the beauty of their specimens, than scientific objects.
Favored as the former are with facilities for transport
ation, it is desirable that like our missionaries'in Pales
tine and elsewhere, they should endeavor to furnish our
different cabinets with complete geological suites.

CHAPTER XXIII.
JEWS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN.
Boston Female Jews' Society — Its first Missionary — Feast of
Tabernacles — Jewish Synagogue — Jews of Gibraltar — North
ern Africa — Morocco — Algiers — Tunis — Tripoli — Egypt —
Abyssinia — A Jewish wedding — Eminent Jewish Physician
— Jews of Southern Europe — Rome — Proposed Jewish Col
lege — Greece.
1829. — The interruption of missionary labors which
I have experienced in common with my brethren in the

256
Mediterranean, is no unusual event in the history of those
who preach the gospel. We are not without precedents
also, after having met with peculiar opposition from the
unbelieving Jews, for saying to them " It was necessa
ry that the word of God should first have been spoken
to you ; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge your
selves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the
Gentiles." I do indeed still cherish the hope of " tes
tifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, re
pentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Je
sus Christ." But as my more immediate connexion
with the Boston Female Jews' Society has ceased, (the
original engagement of " two or three years" absence
being fulfilled, and Providence having given a new di
rection to my labors,) I present, in a detached form my
researches on Jewish subjects while in their service.
It will, I trust, not be regarded as indelicate also to
quote the expressions of their approbation and confi
dence. The history ofthe Boston Female Jews' Society and
of its first missionary operations, I will give in the
words of their eleventh annual report " It is well
known that the grand object of our association has ever
been to promote Christianity among the Jews; and that
for several years, we sent our money to the Jews' So
ciety in London, as the best channel then known,
through which to effect our object. But since the re
ception of a letter in 1822, from the beloved and la
mented missionary, Rev. Pliny Fisk, in which he so
powerfully pleads, that a missionary may be sent by us
to the Jews, our object has been to furnish the means
of support to such a missionary in Western Asia. It is
also known, that several years elapsed before one

257
could be procured, who was disposed and adapted to
such a mission. 
"The Rev. Josiah Brewer, a gentleman well known
to most of the ladies, 'was at length obtained by the
American Board of Foreign Missions, as a Missionary
to the Jews. — The ladies of this Society supply the
funds for the support of Mr. Brewer, not presuming
to direct his course. 
"Mr. Brewei entered with deep interest upon the
duties of his new and responsible situation. His ob
servations and feelings, so far as known to your
Committee, were most satisfactory. He expressed
some fear lest his patrons might grow weary, before he
could passibly be fitted to enter the field, prepared for
the battle. Much study, time, and money will be re
quisite ; but no more in his case than in that of any
other man. No one, prepared with suitable knowledge
of the literature and character of the Jews, could be
found to enter at once on a mission so difficult. No,
we must pray, and act, and wait, and the Lord will hear,
and at length bless.
" The first object of our missionary will be, by an
open and affectionate manner to secure the confidence
of the Jews, without which he can do them little good.
While prosecuting the study of the language, he will
avail himself of every facility to learn the habits, cus
toms, and manners of the Jews. This, next to experi
mental religion, is obviously necessary for a missionary
to any nation, but especially to the Jews, whose preju
dices against Christians are so strong and so deeply
rooted. Destitute of this knowledge, how could he
wisely adapt himself to the circumstances and preju
dices of that people. 22*

258
''Mr. Brewer will transmit frequent communications
to the Society, and it is hoped that the ladies will feel
for him that tender solicitude and deep interest, which
they would feel for a dear brother, or a beloved child,
who had left the bosom of his friends to dwell with a
rebellious and stiff-necked people. In our nearest ap
proaches to the throne of grace, may we never forget
our far distant missionary." At Sea, Oct. 31, 1826.
More than four years ago, your Society decided on
supporting a " Missionary to those Jews who reside in
the countries bordering on the Mediterranean." At
the same time they also resolved, " That this mis
sionary be requested to hold a correspondence with
the Secretary of this Society ; giving from time to
time such information and making such suggestions as
he will naturally make to the Prudential Committee
of the American Board of Missions." In compliance
with this resolution I shall feel it my duty therefore,
to communicate to the Society whatever I may learn
of importance, respecting that interesting people for
whose benefit they are associated.*

* I regard it as an infelicity that I was expected to maintain
_ correspondence ef the same nature with the Society and the
Prudential Committee ofthe Board. The preceding resolutions
together with the Reports ofthe Society, having been put into.
my hands by the ladies, I thought myself called on to address at
least my communications on Jewish subjects to them, while
those respecting other classes of people and on business were
directed to the Secretaries ofthe Board.

259
After the short interview which I had with the Sc*-
ciety's Board of Managers, and having received our
instructions from the Prudential Committee of the
American Board, we sailed from the city of the Pil
grims on the seventeenth of September. As we moved
slowly down the harbor with grateful recollections of
early patrons and friends, I was also ready to say, How
would our Pilgrim mothers have exulted amidst the trials
which they were called to endure around this bay, had
they forseen that scarcely two centuries would elapse,
before their daughters should be sending back the gos
pel to Jerusalem !
Gibraltar, 1826. — We were favored in reaching Gib
raltar, before the close ofthe Jewish " Feast of Taber
nacles." This was one ofthe three great annual festi
vals, when all the children of Israel were required to
" appear before the Lord." The passover occurred in the
month Abib or Nisan, corresponding nearly to our April;.
the feast of Pentecost was fifty days later, and that of Ta
bernacles, in the month Tishri, or October. It was in
stituted in commemoration of their journey through the
wilderness, and also as a season of thanksgiving after the
gathering in ofthe vintage and other fruits. At the ce
lebration of this most joyous ofthe Israeli tish festivals,
Jerusalem and the rocky heights around, suddenly put on
a robe of the richest verdure. Booths were constructed
from the " boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees,
aBd the boughs of thick trees and willows of the brook."
Beneath these dwelt all the people " rejoicing before the
Lord seven days," that their generations might know
that " He made them to dwell in booths, when He
brought them out of the land of Egypt."

260
Like many other customs of Ancient Israel, this too
has descended with little alteration to the present time.
The closed doors ofthe Jewish merchants in Gibraltar,
and the impatient feelings of masters and supercargoes
waiting for the last sun of their holidays to go down,
convinced us that they had not forgotten the precept,
" thou , shalt do no servile work therein." From the
windows of our lodgings, we could discover the green
branches on the terraces of their houses. A Jewish
gentleman also who embarked about this time with bis
family for America, was careful to have his booth pre
pared on the deck of the vessel. Here, as we were
told, they spent most of their time, rehearsing the ap
pointed ritual, and reading from the law, the prophets
and the psalms.
On the first day of our landing, we went to one of
the two principal synagogues. In our own country,
though the Jews enjoy the same privileges as their
Gentile brethren, yet their number is so small that
from description mostly, we become familiar with their
usages and the interior of their place of worship. On
entering the synagogue, you will first observe the read
ing desk in the centre. This is raised a few feet above
the floor ; is partly surrounded with a railing and has
seats for the accommodation of several persons. At
the eastern extremity you will find a private room or
closet — the holy place, from which with much ceremony
a splendid copy of the book of the law is from time to
time brought out. Upon the walls of the synagogue,
are suspended tablets containing the first words of each
of the commandments, and occasionally other inscrip
tions in Hebrew.

261
The synagogue which we visited on the " last great
day ofthe feast," when the Jews in later times were ac
customed " with joy to draw water" out ofthe fountaiu
of Siloe, was most brilliantly lighted up. Many Gentile
spectators were present to witness the rich dressess and
display of plate and ornaments. With our early associ
ations of what decorum requires in a place of religious
worship, it was not agreeable to see the audience, whether
sitting or standing, with their heads uncovered. This
however we could pardon, for we should have found the
same not only in a Mahometan mosque, but also in a
meeting house of Friends. The constant entering and
departing of the congregation, has also its parallel too
frequently in christian churches, and might plead an
excuse where the devotions of each individual are
separately performed. But surely no apology can be
offered for the levity of manner ; the conversation on
subjects of business and pleasure, which here, as in sy
nagogues generally, filled up the intervals when the con-
gregation did not join in the responses.* It is much to
the credit of the societies of reformed Jews in Prussia
and America, that they contend for greater sobriety of
conduct while in the house of prayer, and require the
worship to be performed not in Hebrew merely, but also
in their different spoken languages.
Whilst the reader was engaged in chanting the
ritual, most of the audience marked the time of the
music, by a gentle inclination of the body forward and

* As an example in illustration, a most respectable looking
Jew near whom I was sitting, while his lips were engaged in the
service extended his arms and embraced the child of a friend
that had just entered.

262
backward. In this way, hardly a child failed of catch
ing the note and joining in the response, at the proper
moment. At times the united clamor in which youth
ful voices could be distinguished above the rest, be
came from its extreme loudness, quite painful to the
ear. Some few gave a more serious attention to their
prayer books, which I was happy to see had an Eng
lish translation parallel with the Hebrew text that was
repeating. The constant change of position ; the pass
ing to and fro, and the adjusting of their shawls which
are used by the men during the services, one cannot
but feel to be very unlike the old temple worship. But
when the whole congregation turn their faces towards
Jerusalem, and bow themselves low at the name of the
Lord of Hosts, you are constrained to believe that still
the ancient form of godliness remains among them,
however destitute they maybe of its power.
In one of our evening rambles, we visited the Jew
ish burying ground, at the south-west extremity of the
town. Each grave is covered with a slab of marble
placed horizontally and firmly cemented into the rock.
On most of them are short epitaphs into Hebrew, be
ginning almost invariably with these words "Up royD —
" a monument of the sepulchre." Like other modern
inscriptions in Hebrew, they were without the vowel
points. The number of Jews in Gibraltar, we heard variously
estimated at from 1200 to 4000. A great part of them
are from the Barbary States, and as such, are said to
be more than usually bigotted. Much of the wealth
and commerce of the town is in their hands, though
numbers of them are also engaged in the most menial
employments.

263
The Jews of Gibraltar have enjoyed the temporary
instructions of different Jewish missionaries, without
any very permanent results. One of the Jews inquired
after Mr. Nicolayson, who he said had lately been here
on his way to Palestine. Our Christian friends
also informed us of Mr. Wolff's return from Persia,
and of a great excitement among the Jews of Constan
tinople. 1829. — While I was in the Mediterranean, the unset
tled relations between the Christian and Mahometan
nations were a sufficient reason, had there been no oth
er, for not extending my visit to the Barbary States.
Not only were the latter at variance with individual Eu
ropean powers, but the subjects of those which were
allied for the pacification of Greece, had been ©rdered
away as from other Turkish territories. In the absence
of any personal observations, the following selected in
formation is presented.
Morocco. — According to the German authority here
after quoted, there are 300,000 Jews in the empire of
Morocco. It may be presumed, however, that this es
timate is far too high. The following extracts from
the travels of Ali Bey, shew us their numbers and con
dition in the principal cities of the empire.
At Tangier he met with Jews, though he does not
specify their number — perhaps several hundred. At
Alcassar, which is larger than Tangier, were several
Jewish workshops. There are about 2000 of their
families at Fez, who are compeUed to reside in a
quarter out of the town, where they are locked up
every night. " They live in the most abject state ;
the contempt of the Moorish inhabitants is so great for
them, that they are not permitted to come into the town,

264
whether male or female, without walking barefoot.
When they meet even the most common soldier, or the
most miserable negro belonging to the king's house,
whether in town or country, they are obliged to take
off their slippers. Notwithstanding this degrading state
and the constant vexations they every day receive, I
have seen at Fe_ a great number of handsome Jewess
es, elegantly dressed, and also some Jews who had a
very prosperous appearance, which I never remarked
at Tangier. This is a proof that they are not so poor
and miserable here as they appear to be in the other
city. They have several synagogues in their quarter ;
a market place which is well provided, and are almost
all either artizans or merchants."
Mogador, where vice consuls and merchants of va
rious European nations are established, would doubtless
be the best place for commencing labors in the Empire
of Morocco. "The Jews here enjoy much more lib
erty than at any other place in the Empire ; they are
even permitted to wear the European dress, and to live
like the merchants of other nations. They are the rich
est class, but from time to time they are compelled to
pay dearly for these advantages, by the most shocking
oppressions." The city of Morocco contains about 2000 Jews.
These all live in a separate quarter, where they are
shut up during night and on Saturdays. " Of what
ever age or sex they be, they dare not come into the
town unless barefoot. Their dress is black and shabby,
such as the Jews of Tangier. Their chief seems to
be a good kind of man, he often came to me, and was
as miserably dressed as all the rest. Among the wo
men of this religion who go into the streets unveiled,

265
I have seen some that were handsome, and even of
great beauty. Most of them are of a fair complexion.
Their rose and jasmin faces would charm Europeans,
their delicate features are very expressive, and their
eyes enchanting. These perfect beauties, worthy to
serve as models to a Grecian sculptor, are treated with
disdain, and like all the others obliged to walk barefoot,
and to prostrate themselves before the negro Mahome
tan women. The male infants of the Jews are also
handsome, but as they grow up, they get common, and
the Jews of a certain age are all ugly. It is possible
that the shocking slavery in which they live may cause
this change in their countenances. They exercise seve
ral arts and professions, and are the only goldsmiths,
tinmen, and tailors at Morocco."
Algiers. — Shaler's Sketches furnish us with the ful
lest and most recent account of the Jews of Al
giers. " The Jews of whom there are about 6000 in
this city, have the free exercise of their religion secu
red ; they are governed by their own laws in civil ca
ses, administered by a chief of their own nation, who
is appointed by the Bashaw ; as Algerine subjects they
may circulate freely, establish themselves where they
please, and exercise any lawful calling throughout the
kingdom ; and they cannot be reduced to slavery.
They pay a capitation tax, and double duties on every
species of merchandise imported from abroad ; as else
where, they practise trade in all its branches, and are
here the only brokers, and dealers in money and ex
changes ; there are many gold and silver smiths amongst
23

266
them, and they are the only artificers employed in the
mint. " Independent of the legal disabilities of the Jews,
they are in Algiers a most oppressed people ; they are
not permitted to resist any personal violence of what
ever nature, from a Mussulman 5 they are compelled to
wear clothing of a black or dark color; they cannot
ride on horseback, or wear arms of any sort, not even a
cane ; they are permitted only on Saturdays and Wednes
days to pass out of the gates of the city without per
mission ; and on any unexpected call for hard labor, the
Jew is turned out to execute it. In the summer of 1815,
this country was visited by incredible swarms of locusts,
which destroyed every green thing before them ; when
several hundred Jews were ordered out to protect the
Bashaw's gardens, where they were obliged to watch
and toil day and night, as long as these insects continued
to infest the country.
'' On several occasions of sedition amongst the Janis
saries, the Jews have been indiscriminately plundered,
and they live in the perpetual fear of a renewal of such
scenes ; they are pelted in the streets even by children,
and in short, the whole course of their existence here,
is in a state of the most abject oppression and contu
mely. The children of Jacob bear these indignities
with wonderful patience ; they learn submission from
infancy, and practise it throughout their lives, without
ever daring to murmur at their hard lot. Notwithstand
ing these discouraging circumstances in their condition,
the Jews, who through their correspondence with for
eign countries are the only class of Algerine society
possessing any accurate knowledge of external affairs,

267
meddle with all sorts of intrigue, even at the risk of their
lives, which are not unfrequently foifeited in conse
quence. The post of chief of the Jews is procured
and held through bribery and intrigue, and is exercised
with a tyranny and oppression corresponding to the te
nure by which it is retained. During the times of pros
perity of the Regency, several Jewish houses of trade
rose here to great opulence, but of late years, through
the intolerable oppression under which they live, many
wealthy individuals have been ruined, others have found
means to emigrate, and the Moors, who have a singular
aptness for trade, are daily supplanting them in the dif
ferent branches of commerce practicable in this coun
try ; so that they appear now to be on a rapid decline
even as to their numbers. It appears to me that the
Jews at this day in Algiers, constitute one of the least
fortunate remnants of Israel existing.
" In respect to manners, habits, and modes of living,
with the above exceptions, the Jews in Algiers differ
so little from the other corresponding classes of society
that they are not worth describing. The Jews of Al
giers are a fine robust race, with good complexions,
but the effects of the abject state in which they are
born and live, are imprinted on their countenances ;
nothing is more rare than to discover a distinguished
trait in the physiognomy of an Algerine Jew, whether
male or female. There is a very affecting practice
here with these people, which cannot be contemplated
without feelings of respect, and even of tenderness,
for this miraculous race. Many aged and infirm Jews,
sensible that all their temporal concerns are drawing
to a close, die as it were a civil death, investing their
heirs with all their worldly substance, with the re-

268
serve of only the small pittance necessary to support the
lingering remnant of their days in Jerusalem, where
they go to die. In the year 1816, I witnessed the em
barkation of a number of ancient Hebrews, on this last
earthly pilgrimage, on boaid of a vessel chartered ex
pressly for the purpose of transporting them to the coast
of Syria. The number of Jews in the kingdom of Al
giers is computed at about 30,000."
In Constantine, a town next in importance to Al
giers, there are said to be 5000 Jews, who carry on a
profitable commerce.
Tunis. — The following particulars respecting the
Jews of Tunis, are from the journal of Mr. Greaves,
as contained in the appendix to Jowett's Christian
Researches in Syria and the Holy Land. " The native
or Tunisine Jews are distinguished from the Moham
medans by their dress, not being allowed to wear the
red scull-cap under the turban ; it must be black or
dark blue. They are sometimes very ill-treated, but
are not liable to greater exactions than the Moors.
The European Jews wear hats, and speak chiefly Span
ish or Italian ; their number does not exceed 2000 at
the most ; they have considerable connexions in Leg
horn. The native Jews speak the Arabic of the coun
try, but their books are in Hebrew. There is not much
cordiality between the two classes ; rather, I am inform
ed, division and animosity. A few of the Tunisine Jews
by purchase, and others through interest, enjoy the pri
vilege of wearing , the European dress." The whole
number of Jews in the city was estimated at 30,000,
but this would probably on a more particular inquiry be
found too high,

269
The men very generally can read Hebrew. Nei
ther Christians nor Jews can becdme proprietors of
houses or land. The latter being " the managing
men in almost every commercial affair, very little bu
siness is transacted on Saturday, owing to the strict
ness with which they obseive their Sabbath. It is to
be lamented however that while extremely jealous of
the traditions of their fathers, they pay but little re
gard to the weightier matters of the Law. This would
seem to prove with respect to them as well as others,
that custom is stronger than any feeling of responsibility,
and that the love of forms may exist, where there is a
hatred of all moral or spiritual strictness."
Mr. G. took for his master in Arabic, a Jew named
Mordecai Naggiar, who had resided for some years in
Paris, and was acquainted with Baron de Sacy, Profes
sor Kieffer and other oriental scholars. In conversa
tion with Mordecai, the latter assured him that " the
condition of the Jews is worse than that of the slaves.
They are, in general, very ignorant and superstitious
and their Rabbies very tyrannical ; — exercising a
species of inquisition over them. Not one in three
hundred would receive the New Testament." —
'' The Jews have a separate tribunal, for the set
tlement of differences among themselves ; for which
privilege they pay a considerable sum. When any
thing is required of them by the government, the per
son who is employed by them as their judge and re
presentative is sent for, and answers for the whole
body." Wishing to interest some of the consuls in favor of a
Jewish family, whose father had been put to death,
Mr. G. was discouraged by his teacher, who said that
23*"

270
" it would be better not to do so, as it might excite a
suspicion that the Jews were seeking the protection of
a Christian nation, and so be worse both for the family
and the Jews in general."
A visit to a Jewish school is thus described. ''It
was held in a miserable synagogue ; and consisted of
about fifty boys, from six to ten years of age. The
masters were two poor rabbies ; one was teaching the
Hebrew characters ; the elder children under the direc
tion ofthe other, were chanting out ofthe Pentateuch and
Prophets. Such as were unoccupied were very unruly.
After receiving the elementary instruction, the higher
classes are introduced to the Talmud. There is a man
uscript copy of the Pentateuch on parchment, in the sy
nagogue, which I was told is brought out, and two or
three chapters read from it every Saturday. A Jewess
who came in, asked if I was going to do as the Maltese
had done ; alluding to one, who a few days before had
turned Jew, in order to marry a Jewess. On my ex
pressing a wish that they were all Christians, she replied
that she should then go to hell, for she should have to bow
down to a log of wood. My interpreter, Mordecai, imme
diately answered that I was not one of that description."
Mr. Greaves distributed both the Old and New Tes
tament in Hebrew ; but the reading of the latter was
prohibited by the rabbies under pain of excommunica
tion, and objections made to receiving the former on ac
count of the Latin preface and titles, and particularly
from the use of the cross as a mark of reference. Many
copies of an edition containing simply the Hebrew
would probably have been sold, though the rabbies
knew more of the Talmud and esteemed it more highly
than the Holy Scriptures.

271
At Bizerta, a town about fifty miles from Tunis,
were 500 Jews, who were represented as being
very poor. They have one synagogue and four
rabbies, of whom one is considered as their superior;
two superintend the education of children, and the
other conducts the service of the synagogue. T'he
Jews here also declined purchasing the scriptures.
Those of Susa were estimated at 1000. They are
better treated than at Tunis, the inhabitants of
Susa having more generally intercourse with the
Europeans. One of the Jews here repeated a very
common tradition, that they exist as an independent
nation in some part of the East, beyond a certain ri
ver, and that all Mussulmans are supernaturally pre
vented from entering their country. On being told
of the vanity of his expectations respecting the Mes
siah, he feelingly replied, " He will come, and per
haps these eyes may behold him, and we shall be
avenged on our oppressors."
To these statements on the authority of Christians,
we add the following from a Jewish source. " The
kingdom of Tunis contains about 60,000 Jews, and
whatever difference of opinion may exist as to their
population in the city, I do not believe that it con
tains more than 20,000. These are divided into
Italian and Barbary Jews, who are distinguished by
their dress. The Barbary Jews wear a blue frock
without a collar or sleeves, loose linen sleeves being
substituted with wide drawers of the same article,
no stockings excepting in winter, and black slippers,
a small black scull-cap on their head, which is sha
ved, and around which a blue silk handkerchief is
bound ; they are permitted to wear no colois. The

272
Italian Jews dress like Christian residents, with
the addition of a hoick, or bournouse, thrown over
their heads. They inhabit a distinct quarter of the
town, and are governed by a person named by the
Bey, who hears and decides upon all disputes, and or-
.ders, if necessary, corporeal punishment to be inflict-
ed ; so that it may be said, they enjoy the privilege
of being governed by men of their own persuasion ;
they support their poor, the rich being compelled to
pay double price for articles of luxury, one half of
which goes to the poor ; their houses are low and
mean, which they are ever white-washing and cleans
ing. They have no system of education, their chil
dren being taught the Hebrew language, and the
ceremonies of religion, which is the same here, though
more rigidly observed, as they are in every other
part of the world where Jews reside. Polygamy,
which is allowed by the Mahomedan law, and not for
bidden by the Mosaic institutions, prevails in Barbary,
but very rarely ; I heard of but one Jew in Tunis who
had two wives, his name was Alhaick, a very rich and
active old man. As it will readily be imagined in a
country which is not civilized, the Jewish women, like
the Turkish, are considered as an inferior race.
They are fat and awkward, their dress consisting of a
petticoat of silk of two colors, principally yellow and
purple, around which is thrown, in several folds, a thin
guaze wrapper ; the head is covered with a colored
handkerchief; those who are single, have their hair
plaited in two or three rows, to the end of which they
suspend colored ribbands j they wear no stockings, but
slippers, with silver cinctures around their ankles ;
and the soles of their feet,, their hands, nails,, and eye-

273
brows, tinged and colored of a dark brown, from the
juice of an herb called Henna. When they walk, they
unloosen from their neck a piece of black crape, with
which they cover their mouth and chin, leaving the up
per part of their face bare. As to their living and do
mestic concerns, I can say nothing, never having visited
any of them.
On the birth-night of General Washington, a ball
was given at the American Consulate; the Jew bro
kers called to solicit the favor of permission to bring
their women, as they call them, to see the company,
which I granted ; and one of the rooms was nearly fil
led with the Jewish beauty, and beau monde of Tunis.
They were all dressed magnificently, covered with jew
els, gold brocades, tissue, lama and gauze, arranged
without any taste, and crowded together without fancy ;
their feet bare with embroidered slippers, and gold and
silver bracelets around their ankles. Their complex
ions were fair, their eyes and teeth were good, but
their figures were corpulent and unwieldly, which is
considered a sign of beauty. The ladies of Tunis,
who could speak Arabic, conversed with the Jewesses
very courteously, and they appeared modest and well-
behaved. The only opportunity which the females have of
seeing each other, for visiting is unknown in a popula
tion so extensive, is at the burial ground ; this is out
side of the walls, surrounded by no enclosure, and
open to animals of all kinds ; the tombs are built of
mortar and brick, they are flat, and not more than six
inches in elevation from the ground : at the head of
each tomb is a small square piece of slate bedded in,
on which is engraven the name of the deceased in He^

274
brew characters. Every Friday afternoon, the Hebrew
women assemble with a small earthen jar, containing
slack lime and a brush, with which they clean and
whitewash the tombs of their family and friends. It
was in this abode of death that I accustomed myself to
study the character of these people. The wife or
mother, arrived at the place, would deposit her little
jar and brush on the ground, and then seek among the
inscriptions for the name of one who was still dear to
her ; having discovered it, she touched the inscription
with her hand, which she carried to her lips and kiss
ed ; then, seating herself on the tomb, wept bitterly,
consoled herself in affliction by talking with the dead,
and recounting her domestic affairs, her happiness or
afflictions, and, with a melancholy ignorance, solicit
ing the kind interferance and affectionate protection
of her dead kindred : having expended some time
in the luxury of grief, she would clean the tomb, and
join her companions to learn the " passing tidings of
the times." These instances of a feeling and bene
volent heart, and of a pious reverence, I frequently
have witnessed : it is in the crucible of adversity that
the Jew, in weeping over his own distresses, has
taught himself to weep over the distresses of others.
It was here that I saw the daughters of Israel, no long
er on Zion or in Sharon, no longer triumphant, free
and beloved, exhibit proofs of a heart which should be
prized above all things, which is more estimable than
riches or precious ointment. But who will seek the
virtues of the Jew ? Who credits them foj their
charity, for their domestic fidelity, for their national
faith and mutual protection ? — none. Their vices,
which are like the vices of other men, except that trea-

275
son and murder are unknown to them, have been the
theme of reproach, of prejudice and punishment."
Tripoli. — " The Jews, who have three synagogues
at this place, are far better treated," says Ali Bey,
" than at Morocco. They amount to about 2000, and
dress like the Mahometans, with the only difference
that their caps and slippers must be black ; their tur
ban is generally blue. There are about thirty of them
considered to be in good circumstances ; the others
are workmen, goldsmiths, &c. The trade of Eu
rope is almost entirely in their hands ; they corres
pond with Marseilles, Leghorn, Venice, Trieste, and
Malta." The recent visit of Rev. Mr. Bird to Tripoli, (1829)
will no doubt furnish us with additional particulars of
their condition. Mr. Noah, whose travels in Europe
and Africa have already been quoted, says that the
Jews here enjoy rather more influence than in other
parts of Barbary. They are numerous he tells us, in
other towns ofthe kingdom.
The Jews of Barbary were originally from Spain,
Portugal, Italy and Syria, — principally the two former
countries. Being driven thence by the bigotry of the
Catholics, and to the great disadvantage of those king
doms, one or two hundred thousand sought refuge
among the more tolerant Mahometans. Their country
man above mentioned, makes the following remarks
respecting them of a general nature, some of which are
worthy of the attention of Christians. Like most other
estimates of numbers not based on particular statements,
this seems much too high.
" I have reason to believe, that the number of Jews
in the Barbary States exceeds 700,000, of which

276
nearly 100,000 are capable of bearing aims. Much
has been said of the severe and cruel treatment of
the Jews by Mussulmen, this I did not observe ; that
they are treated with indignity and insult there is no
doubt ; they are compeUed to wear a black dress, they
are not permitted to pass a moSque with their shoes on,
they pay a heavy capitation tax, and minor insults
growing out of a general system and customs long
observed. These were predicated on policy : the
Moors found an immense and increasing people pro
fessing a different faith — active, enterprising and rich
— fearful then of an increase of a confederacy, com
posed of materials capable of revolutionizing and go
verning the country, they united to oppress, insult,
and yet tolerated them. An erroneous impression
prevails, that the religion of the Jews is an object of
hatred to the Mussulmen, and the cause of this oppres
sion. This is not the case, because the Mahomedan
faith does not materially differ from the Jewish, and
their hatred towards Christians is yet more fierce and
irreconcileable ; but the Jews have no protectors, they
are considered by Mussulmen as abandoned by all na
tions, because they will not renounce their ancient
faith, and yet, with all this apparent oppression, the
Jews are the leading men, they are in Barbary the
principal mechanics, they are at the head of the custom
house, they farm the revenues, the exportation of va
rious articles, and the monopoly of various merchan
dise, are secured to them by purchase, they control the
mint and regulate the coinage of money, they keep the
Bey's jewels and Valuable articles, and are his treasur
ers, secretaries and interpreters ; the little known of
arts, science, and medicine, is confined to the Jews,

277
there are many who are possessed of immense wealth,
many who are poor. How then is it that these people,
so important and so necessary, should be so oppres
sed ! The fact is, this oppression is in a great mea
sure imaginary. A Turk strikes a Jew who dares not
return the blow, but he complains to the Bey and has
justice done him. If a Jew commits a crime, if the
punishment affects his life, these people, so national,
always purchase his pardon ; the disgrace of one af
fects the whole community ; they are ever in the
presence of the Bey, every minister has two or three
Jewish agents, and when they unite to attain an object
it cannot be prevented. These people, then, whatever
may be said of theijr oppression, possess a very control-
ing influence, their friendship is worthy of being pre
served by public (functionaries, and their opposition
is to be dreaded, Their skill in business, and the
advantage which they take of Christians and Moors,
have been the- subject of severe and just animad
version : they will, if not narrowly watched, avail
themselves of opportunities to overreach and defraud ;
for this, the world has showered upon them oppro
brium and insult. But has the world ever held out
proper inducements for the Jew to be honest, except
in countries where they enjoy equal privileges ? If they
are just, they are not credited for it; if they possess
merit, they are not encouraged and rewarded ; if they
do a good action, approbation does not follow ; pro
scribed and insulted, their virtues denied, public opin
ion attaching to them the odium due to bad men of all
persuasions, no friend, no solace in misfortune, hunted,
despised, and shunned, it is still asked of them to be
honest, when they receive no reward or gratitude for
24

278
their honesty, when no man will give them credit for
one good action ! — What is the incitement to virtue ?
the approbation of conscience and the world ; the Jew
in Barbary has no friend but his wealth, that purchases
protection and toleration, and he is ever zealous and ac
tive in the accumulation of it, and if he is not fastidious
in his mode of acquirement, he is not singular — exclu
sive honesty is the property of no sect."
Tunis, on account of its numbers, and Mogadore and
Tripoli, on account ofthe greater degree of liberty en
joyed by the Jews, will deserve the attention of mission
aries, when the more important cities of Turkey shall
be occupied.
Egypt. — The journals of Messrs. Wolff, Parsons,
Fisk and King, which it would be unnecessary to quote,
contain many interesting particulars respecting the
Jews of Egypt. At Alexandria, there are from 250
to 600. At Cairo,, there are three synagogues, and
according to some estimates, as many as 3000 souls.
In all the land of their ancient bondage, are probably
not more than five thousand. One of the synagogues
at Cairo belongs to the Caraites. The missionaries
on visiting it received their benediction in Hebrew.
" The Lord bless with a blessing, Pliny Fisk, the
son of Fisk, and give him of the dew of heaven, and
of the fatness of the earth, and permit him to enter
Jerusalem." Mr. Fisk also attended a Jewish wedding in the
same city, of which he has given the following lively de
scription. "The gentlemen assembled in a large apartment,
in reality the court, but now used as a parlor. We
were seated on a divan at one%nd of the court, where

279
the ceremony was to be performed. Near us stood a
large wax candle, and from the ceiling were suspend
ed seven chandeliers. Some of the candles were
burning, though it was not dark. All the Orientals
have a great fondness for burning lamps and candles
in their places of worship, and on all religious occa
sions. At the opposite end of the court was a kind
of gallery, where the bride was making preparation
for the ceremony, and in front of which hung stripes of
different colored paper, red, pale red, and yellow,
some of them covered with gold leaf. Now and then
the bride showed herself through the lattice or wooden
network, which stood in front of the gallery. It re
minded us of Solomon's Song, ii. 9. ' My beloved is
like a roe, or a young hart ; behold he standeth behind
our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing him
self through the lattice. "
" About five o'clock the high priest, (Rabbi Merca-
do,) and five other Rabbies came in, and took their
seats on the divan, and the service soon commenced.
First, the clerk and people repeated in Hebrew the
eighteen benedictions of the name of God. Then the
high priest arose, and said, '' Blessed are they who
dwell in thy house ; they shall praise thee forever."
The people responded, ' Blessed people, whose God is
the Lord.' After this, the evening prayer was said,
in which the word God occurs eighteen times. Each
time this name was repeated, the Rabbies stood and
trembled. After this prayer the nuptial torch was
lighted. It was a large wax candle, dividing itself
into nine branches, all of which were burning. This
was carried up to the gallery of the ladies, where the

280
bride was waiting, the bridegroom being all the time
among the gentlemen below. Boys then began to
beat on cymbals, and the bride was conducted down
stairs, covered with a long white veil, preceded by
three women with cymbals, and led by two others.
Several women also followed her, one of whom occa
sionally uttered a shriek, which we at first supposed a
shriek of distress, but were afterwards told it was an
expression of joy. The whole court now rung with
cries, shouts, and the noise of the cymbals. The
bride being led to the divan, the bridegroom took
his place by her side, and both continued standing,
while Rabbi Mercado accompanied by the people,
repeated the forty-fifth Psalm ; ' My heart is inditing
a good matter,' &.c. The Rabbi then took a cup of
wine, and said, ' Blessed art thou, O Lord our God,
King of the world, who hast created the fruit of
the vine.' The people responded, ' Blessed be he,
and blessed be his name.' Rabbi. 'Blessed be thou,
O Lord, who sanctifiest thy people by wedding and
marriage.' People. ' Blessed be he, and blessed be his
name,' " One of the Rabbies then took a ring and put it on
the finger of the bridegroom, and then on the finger of
the bride, and then gave it to the bridegroom, who
placed it on the finger of his bride, saying, ' Verily
thou art espoused to me by this ring, according to the
law of Moses and of Israel.' A large shawl was then
thrown over the new married couple, and the Rabbi,
twice giving them wine to drink, said ' Blessed art thou
O Lord our God, King of the world, who hast creat
ed all things for thy glory. Blessed art thou, O Lord
our God, King of the world who hast created man in

281
thy likeness, and hast prepared for him and from him
a house forever and ever.' At the end of each sen
tence the people responded, ' Blessed be he, and bles
sed be his name-.' Rabbi. ' Rejoice, shout and be
merry, thou barren. Thou wilt soon gather thy child
ren about thee in joy. Blessed art thou, O Lord, thou
that makest joyful Zion's children. Thou makest
joyful with joy a lovely pair, as thou didst make joy
ful thy creature according to thy image in the garden
of Eden of old. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who re-
joicest bridegroom and bride ! Blessed art thou, O
Lord our God, King of the world, who hast created
rejoicing and joy, and also bridegroom and bride.
The voice of love and affection, cordiality, peace and
friendship, shall be speedily heard in the cities of
Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem ; — the voice of
rejoicing and the voice of joy ; — the voice of the bride
groom and the voice of the bride ; — the voice of shout
ing, and of wedding days, and of marriage, and of
feasting days, and the voice of the music of the
youth. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who makest joy
ful the bridegroom with the bride, and makest them
prosper." '' After this, the bridegroom took the cup of wine
and tasted it, and then gave it to his spouse. Both of
them continued standing during the whole service.
Then the Rabbi said, ' Praise the Lord, for his mercy
endureth forever. Joys shall increase in Israel, and
sorrows shall flee away, and it shall be for a good
sign.' As the Jews present offered their congratula
tions to the bridegroom they said, ' a good sign.'
The nuptial torch was then extinguished, but imme
diately lighted again, and the bride was reconduct-
24*

282
ed to her chamber by the women with the sound of
cymbals. "While the Rabbies were performing the service
some of the people attended to it with great devotion,
but others were talking, laughing, and walking about
the room. The Rabbies went through the service in
the hurried, indistinct manner, which seems to pervade
all religious services of the East."
The following extract also from the same source, is
given in connection with some facts which afterwards
came to my knowledge.
" The most interesting part of my labors in Alex
andria, has been among the Jews. I have become
particularly acquainted with three. One of them is
Dr. M. who was Mr. Parson's physician. He is a na
tive of Germany, but has been many years in this place.
He is reputed skliful in his profession, is one of the
Pasha's physicians, and is a man of extensive learn
ing and very respectable talents. He has a library
of about two thousand volumes, among which are the
Scriptures in different languages, and several valua
ble theological books. He shewed me the writings
of Eusebius, and spoke of them as highly valuable.
He has also the works of several of the Christian
fathers. " We hoped to be able to enter into some interest
ing discussions with him, but did not intend to begin
immediately. At almost his first visit, however, he
told us that Mr. Wolff had spoken to him concerning
us. We then entered into conversation concerning
the Jews. He says there are about four hundred in
this place. Their language is Arabic ; they read He
brew, but understand very little of it ; and are ex-

283
ceedingly ignorant, barbarous and superstitious. I then
said, ' Are they still waiting for the Messiah ?' He
replied, ' Yes ; but they care very little about the
Messiah that has come, or any one that will come.
They might easily be hired to consent that there
should never be a Messiah.' Speaking of the Tal
mud, which he studied a long time while young, he
said, ' It is a perfect Babel, a confusion of language, a
confusion of logic, theology, and every thing else.
In a whole volume you will scarcely find twelve sen
tences worth reading.' I observed, ' No pretended
Messiah has now appeared for a long time.' ' And I
hope,' said he, ' none ever will appear. In Europe
it would be impossible for one to succeed; he would
soon be detected. In this country he would probably
lose his head immediately. If any monarch should
now undertake to assemble the Jews, they could
not live together. The Jews of Germany, of Eng
land, of France, of Spain, and of Asia, differ so
much, that they would not toleiate each other. The
way to make Jews Christians, is to give them the
privilege of citizens, and let them intermarry with
Christians.' " He speaks of the Gospel as containing very sub
lime morality, and of Jesus Christ as holding a high
rank and possessing a most unexceptionable charac
ter, when viewed as a lawgiver, and the founder of a
sect ; and says the stories in the Talmud concerning
him are ridiculous and absurd beyond all conception.
He one day took up a Hebrew Testament, and turned
to the sermon on the mount and said, ' This is excel
lent. This would be good to read to the people every
day.'

284
. I lent him the Memoir of Martyn, which he read
and returned. A few weeks since, I sent him an English
Bible, and several Tracts in different languages.. The
next time I met with him, he told me that the title of
one of the Tracts interested him extremely. To use
his own phrase it pierced bis skin. This was Leslie's
short method with Deists, which I sent him in French.
This was the last interview I have had with him. He
has just sent me three letters of recommendation to
Jews at Cairo."
Other missionaries have recorded interviews with
Dr. Marpugo, of similar interest. This truly eminent
Jewish physician was high in favor with the Pasha
and the European residents. Having however declined
complying with his request for certain services among
the soldiers, he was ordered forthwith to depart
from the country. To this command he replied that
he was not a subject of the Pasha's and could not
therefore without a violation of the treaty with his
government, (Austria I believe,) be driven from Egypt.
Hearing, however, that the Pasha had said, '« By and
bye Dr. M. will be found dead in the streets and I shall
give myself no trouble to enquire by what means he
came to his end," he hastily fled from Alexandria to
Constantinople. There he resided for some time en
gaged in the practice of his profession, and though
negligent of Jewish observances, was on account of
his distinguished1 abilities much couited by the Jews.
Subsequently, at the request of the Pasha, he returned
to Egypt. He had left his wife behind in that country,
and while at Constantinople became enamoured with
the daughter of Castro the Jewish printer. Yet he-
did not give the jt3"ip pledge, which precedes lawful

285
wedlock, and her father with a feeling which is I be
lieve usually very strong among the Jews, resisted his
proposals, until she had attempted to put an end to her
existence. He then consented that she should follow
Dr. M. to Egypt, but before her arrival, he had suddenly
died. Some were disposed to believe that he had fallen
a victim to the Pasha's desire of revenge, but such a feel
ing could as easily been gratified at Constantinople. If
he was carried off by poison, it was more probably ad
ministered atthe instigation of his wife, who thus secured
his wealth against her Constantinople rival.* It is me
lancholy to see one thus favorably situated and so well
qualified to have become a second Joseph to his brethren,
though he renounced their superstitions yet failing to
trust in Him, who came as a " Light to lighten the Gen
tiles and the glory of his people Israel."
Abyssinia. — Though not among the " countries bor
dering on the Mediterranean," yet as Abyssinia is
most accessible on the side of Egypt, it deserves in this
connexion a passing notice. Within the Christian era,
the Jews have for several centuries maintained an in
dependent government in one of its provinces. At
times they have waged furious and bloody wars against
both Christians and Mahometans, but since their reign
ing family has become extinct, they have been subject

*Dr. M. is mentioned by some traveller during his first resi
dence in Egypt, as refusing wine that was offered him by an
other physician, because he suspected an attempt to poison him.
It would not he amiss for travellers in the East to imitate the
practice of Ali Bey, who always carried about his person a pow
erful emetic of sulphate of zinc, by way of precaution against
such attempts,

286
to the former. They are known by the name of "the
exiled," and are supposed to have emigrated from
Egypt." The statements of travellers are contradic
tory as to the extent in which they have the Hebrew
language and Scriptures. It is said they know no
thing of the Talmud, the Targums and" the Cabbala.
The Abyssinian Christians retain also many Jewish
usages. They regard both the Christian and Jewish
Sabbaths as sacred, practice circumcision and "abstain
from things strangled and from blood." The researches
of the German missionaries, will it is to be hoped, put
us in possession of much interesting intelligence respect
ing Abyssinia.
Southern Europe. — If we turn our attention from
Northern Africa to Southern Europe, we shall find the
number of Jews to be less, and their condition scarce
ly more hopeful. From Portugal and Spain they are
excluded ; though it is said in the latter country are
many, who under a Christian exterior, still secretly prac
tice the rites of Judaism. In France, where they now
enjoy nearly all the rights of citizens, they amount to
only 60,000. Considerable efforts have been made at
different periods for the improvement of their condition,
in this country.
In 1 788, the Academy at Metz proposed as a prize
question, " Are there means of rendering the Jews in
France usefuller and happier ?" Their cause was also
successfully pleaded in the times of the republic. In
1807, a general Sanhedrem was convened by Bonaparte
according ,to ancient Jewish forms. This assembly
" drew up twenty-seven articles for the re-organization
of the Mosaic worship, and passed several regulations
on the subjects of divorce, polygamy, marriage, moral,

287
civil and political relations, useful professions, loans
among themselves and loans between Israelites and those
who are not Israelites. At a second meeting in March
of the same year, a law for the condemnation of usury
was passed. Bonaparte soon found, however, that he
was not likely to accomplish his object of constraining
his Jewish subjects to enlist in the cultivation of land,
and in furnishing their quota of conscripts. He after
wards issued several decrees calling on them to foUow
the pursuits of honest industry, and to purchase landed
property and containing severe regulations concerning
usury. He may have cherished still more important
designs than he ever succeeded in accomplishing, of
restoring them to their own land. Though no very
decided impressions have been made in favor of Chris
tianity, the temporal condition of the Jews in France
seems to have improved.
At Malta there are about 200 Jews. The children
of one family I have seen in the Sabbath school of the
English Missionaries, but in general they are little acces
sible to Christian instruction. In Italy there are sup
posed to be 30 or 40,000 Jews. The following affect
ing account of those at Rome, is from the Christian
Observer. Rome. — " Nor were my feelings less excited when
turning from this scene of ruin and desolation, a few
steps brought me to the triumphal arch of Titus, the
conqueror of the anciently favored people of God ;
a ruined monument of ruin. First fell Jerusalem to
the very dust, and then fell her haughty conqueror.
The idea that this trophy was erected in the pride of
victory on his return from the scene of " mourning
lamentation and woe," which brought the daughter of

288
Jerusalem to the ground, and made all that passed by
her say, " Is this the city that men call the perfection
of beauty, the joy of the whole earth ?" cannot but
deeply affect the mind of the Christian visitant. I ap
proached to take a nearer survey of the bas-reliefs of
the interior, on whieh are sculptured the trophies
taken from the temple. The six-branched candle
stick which Moses was commanded to make of pure
gold, that its lamps might burn before the Lord con
tinually, is distinctly to be traced. On the other side
1 saw the spot where the ark of the covenant has been
traced, but the sculpture is completely effaced ; the arch
itself was rapidly sinking into decay and seemed to echo
the monitory memento
"  That all of man must fade and die ;

Passing his pride; his glory but a dream;"
Proceeding onwards through the filthiest of the
filthy streets to the Ghetto, or Jewish quarter, the
same writer adds, '' The gate under which I passed,
at its entrance was guarded by a soldier, whose busi
ness it is to close it upon the inhabitants every night ;
when by the closing of a second gate at the opposite
extremity of the long narrow street assigned them, they
are shut out from all communication with the rest ofthe
city. '< I have said it was Saturday,— the Hebrew Sabbath.
The Jews as I passed their doors, were standing or
sitting in crowded groups : their shops were shut, and
an air of idleness rather than of rest seemed diffused
over the whole scene. These were the only circum
stances to remind me of this being their holy-day, that
Sabbath which they were to observe, " throughout all

289
their generation, for a perpetual covenant, which"
was to be " a sign between the Lord and the children
of Israel forever." They appeared indeed to keep
within their gates, and to carry no burdens, but no ob
servance Of dress, no neatness of appearance, marked
the day. I traced my way through these groups,
amongst which many a fine and expressive counte
nance might be distinguished. They all saluted me
as I passed, and directed me with humble civility to
the synagogue, where they were about to repair them
selves. The building was plain, and dirty in the ex
treme on the outside, but how much were my feel
ings shocked, when on entering, I found the Rabbi
reading the Law at one end to a large congregation,
and, at the other, stalls laid out with goods of various
descriptions for sale, where the buyers and venders
carried on their bargains during the time of service.
How truly was I reminded of our Lord's remonstrance,
" My house shall be called the house of prayer, but
ye have made it a den of thieves." "Would that
some really affectionate and scriptural instruction
could be offered to these wanderers from the fold !
That the neglected habitations of the Ghetto might re
sound with the grateful intelligence that ' Messiah is in
deed come,' and that many voices might join in declar
ing, now we believe ; for we have heard him ourselves
and know that this is indeed the Christ the Son of God,
the Savior ofthe world."
Just without the gate of the Ghetto is a church
where an annual sermon for the benefit of the Jews is
preached by a Catholic priest ; this all are obliged to
attend. Above is the inscription in Hebrew and Latin,
25

290
" All day long have I stretched out my hands to a diso
bedient and gainsaying people."
Every Easter eve, converts, real or pretended, are
baptised by the Catholics. An old man and woman are
usually reproduced every year for this purpose. The
rite is administed at the baptistery of Constantine. In
the fount some drops of the water in which that imperial
convert was baptised are said still to remain. Who that
wiU not join in the wish that some man of God may
speedily be found " ready to preach the gospel to them
that are at Rome also ?" Such an one might safely pur-
suet the same course of operations as did the Apostle
Paul who " dwelt here two whole years in his own hired
house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching
the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which
concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no
man forbidding him." Perhaps a missionarynotformally
connected with any society, would excite least suspicion.
The whole number of Jews in Italy, including the
Austrian provinces, may amount to 50,000. Of these
there are 9 or 10,000 at Rome ; perhaps 5000 at
Ancona, and in the other territories of the Church,
4000. In Tuscany there may be 16,000 — principally
at Leghorn. There are said to be 3000 in Sardinia,
and 2000 at Naples. In Genoa they have a splendid
synagogue, though there are said to be only fourteen fa
milies. In Milan they are not allowed a synagogue.
From Venice where there were 3 or ,5000, they have most
ly followed the changes of commerce to Trieste. In the
whole of the modern kingdom of Illyria, at the head of
the Adriatic, they are estimated by one of their own
countrymen at 14,000.

291
Some five or six years ago, a project was started by a
learned Jew for the establisment of a Jewish college in
some part of this kingdom. The pamphlet which was
published containing the outlines of this plan breathes a
liberal spirit, but the project seems as yet not to have met
with much encouragement either from Jews or Christians.
Two years since it was again revived, but with what suc
cess in obtaining funds I am unable to say. As the study
of the Hebrew Scriptures and antiquities, together
with Biblical literature generally, would form a promi
nent part of the proposed course of education, it was
thought by Dr. Naudi, the Secretary of the Malta
Jews' Committee, to be deserving of the patronage
of Christians. Desirable as such an institution
might be, in which the Jews should feel a national
interest, and where sound learning should be cultiva
ted, very satisfactory pledges would be required be
fore entrusting them with funds. All who are waiting
for the enlightening of Israel, must hail however with joy
whatever tends to promote a critical study ofthe Hebrew
Prophets, and a rational system of interpreting the sacred
text. It would have been highly gratifying to my feelings
could I have reconciled it with a conviction of duty, to
have visited the Jews of Italy. As they were not very
numerous nor in a country where the government suf
fered Bibles and tracts to be introduced, and as several
English missionaries were residing among them, I did
not feel justified in making the tour.
Greece. — Before the Greek revolution there were
four thousand Jews in the Morea, of which two
hundred families were at Tripolitza. In the Ionian
islands under the protection of the British government

292
there are now estimated to be 7000. At Thebes and
Lividia there were in each, twenty houses of Jews, at
Janina three hundred, a few also at Larissa, and per
haps in other cities of Albania and Thessaly. Some
doubtless are still to be found in the north of Greece.
The events of the revolution have tended greatly to in
crease the animosity subsisting between them and the
Greeks. In return for the indignities committed on
the person of their Patriarch, the latter have embraced
every opportunity of taking vengeance. Still it is
probable that when peace shall be restored and com
merce shall revive, greater liberality will prevail, and
the Jews again resort to Athens and Corinth and the re
gions of Achaia. , Should this take place, they would
then be most favorably situated for the success of
missionary efforts.

CHAPTER XXIV.
JEWS OF EUROPEAN TURKEY.
Thessalonica — Jewish Mahometans — Great excitement among
the Constantinople Jews — Baptism of three hopeful converts
— Their imprisonment — Efforts for their release — Apostacy
of one of their number — Domestic government of the Jews
and other Rayahs — Jewish teacher — Condition of the Jews
in Constantinople — Visit to Jewish villages — ,$. betrothal —
Lengthened imprisonment of converts — Jewish-Spanish lan
guage — Sundry individuals — A Jewish cemetery — Release of
imprisoned converts.
1829. — Salonica, the Thessalonica of the New
Testament, is an important city in the modern history
of modern Judaism. For a particular account of the
Jews in this place, we are indebted to Benjamin

293
Barker, Esq. Agent of the British and Foreign Bible
Society at Smyrna. After estimating their numbers at
25 or 30,000, he proceeds to remark. " The Jews here
have one chief Rabbi with a considerable number of
others under him ; thirty-six synagogues ; a large school
and several smaller ones."
" There are amongst them a few bankers and mer
chants, and the rest are divided into brokers, shop
keepers, artisans, porters and boatmen. They are very
industrious, and like the rest of the Jews in the Turk
ish Empire, their chief aim is to amass money. On ac
count of their number, they enjoy a little more conside
ration than in other parts of Turkey, as their annual
taxes are more considerable, In short they are in com
merce the leading wheel, for on their Sabbath nothing
hardly is done at Thessalonica, and the streets and ba
zars appear to be deserted. I sold many books to them
whilst I was there, of the Prophets, and even New Tes
taments, and distributed a great many tracts, and excit
ed in them a spirit of enquiry. One in particular told
me that he believed in the New Testament, and was
persuaded that Jesus was the promised Messiah. I had
several interesting conversations with this Jew, who ap
peared to be in good circumstances, and sincere in what
he advanced."
" There are about twelve hundred Jewish Turks,*
who are called by the Turks, Donmethes or Renegadoes,
and are divided into three separate classes, namely,
Bezestenlithes, Ghoniotkes and Cavalieros. Each class

* The followers, it has been said, ofthe famous Zabbathai
Zevi, who, after having given himself out as the Messiah, in
1666 turned Mahometan to save his life.
25*

294
is distinct, as they do not intermarry, nor have any kind
of connexion with each other or with the Turks. It
is generally supposed that they still retain many of their
Jewish observances, and it is thought that in secret
they aie still Jews, In public they affect to know only
the Turkish language, but in private they often speak
the Jewish Spanish, especially the women. It is said,
that in their private worship they have their Rabbies
though in public they attend the mosques. Their cir
cumcision takes place, as with the Jews, about eight
days after the birth of the child ; while if they followed
the Turkish custom that ceremony ought to be delayed
several years. With the Turks before the ceremony of
circumcision takes place, the children are dressed very
gaudily, and are paraded about the town with music
and a concourse of people ; but the Jewish Turks, on
the contrary, have that ceremony performed privately
in their houses. It is the firm opinion of many that they
are only Turks externally, in order to enjoy the same
privileges with them."
" In my opinion if any thing is to be done for tha Jews
in this land of barbarism, Thessalonica offers a fine
field ; but if I am to judge from Jewish affairs at Con
stantinople, the task of converting the Jews becomes very
difficult. May it please the Disposer of all things to mo
derate his wrath and give them a helping hand to extricate
them from their present errors and enable them to walk
once more in the ways of the Lord, and to acknowledge
His Son as their only hope for future bliss."
Constantinople, Feb. 16, 1827.
Of my master and the common language Of the Le
vantine Jews, it will be in season to speak when I
am better acquainted with them. At this time I shall

295
confine myself to a brief history of those changes that
have been operating for some time past among a portion
of the Jews and which a few months since resulted in
the violent persecution of numbers for their open
disregard of Rabbinical Judiasm.
It is not easy to trace the origin of this most inter
esting state of things. Special edicts have been issued
by the Rabbies, against divulging any of the circum
stances — no unusual resoit of those who would blind
the consciences of men. Probably however, the gene
ral spirit of free enquiry which is abroad in the earth
has extended itself even to this Mahometan land.
But the Hebrew New Testament which Mr. Leeves,
the Agent of the Bible Society, has been so long circu
lating here, was beyond all doubt the most important
cause of these movements. How blessed are the
operations of this Society, which " as the dew of
Hermon, and as the dew that descendeth upon the
mountains of Zion," spreads abroad its soft and silent
and refreshing influence ! The conversations of Mr.
Wolff with Jews who came thither from Jerusalem,
and particularly the faithful labors of Mr. Hartley,
have been greatly useful in the latter stages of the ex
citement. From these and perhaps other causes, some hundreds
of Jews had associated together and signed certain
articles with a view of freeing themselves from
the burdensom yoke of their Rabbies. This event
took place perhaps a year ago, and was already known
before my departure from America. , A considerable
number began last autumn visiting Mr. Hartley the
English Missionary, and openly avowing their belief in
Christianity, so that it seemed for a while that the whole

296
fabric of Judiasm was ready to fall. Under thege cir
cumstances the Rabbies found it necessary to take the
most vigorous measures to prevent a total los3 of their
authority. All the domestic punishments which they
themselves are suffered to inflict, and all that false ac
cusations and money could obtain from the Turks
were employed to stay this revolutionary tendency.
By persuasions, threatenings, stripes and imprisonment
they succeeded at length, in getting under the excite
ment. Individuals however continued for a season to
brave the storm, and a few were found faithful to the
end. Some extracts from the journal of Mr. Hart
ley at this period, will give the best idea of their situ
ation. Nov. 8. "This has been a day of most painful in
terest. Missim Cohen and Chaim Castro called to in
form me, that Jacob Levi had been seized, thrown into
prison, and bastinadoed. This young man has display
ed the true spirit of a Christian martyr : when they
were conveying him to the Casa Negra,* a Rabbi,
concerned in the transaction exhorted him to declare
himself "a good Jew," and he would suffer nothing.
'' No," he replied, "lama Christian ! the Messiah is
come ! If I were to be confined a thousand years in
prison, still I would declare that Jesus is the Messiah !"
Neither the bastinado itself, nor the barbarous threat
" that he should eat it three times a day," could move
him from his steadfastness. In the course of the day,
others were seized ; and means were taken to appre-
* This is the term by which they designate a prison, made
use of by the Jews. It answers to our expression, "Black Hole.'*
Of this place, the converts had always expressed more appre
hension than even death itself.

297
hend David Bechas, Chaim Castro, and Missin Cohen :
happily they have for the present escaped."
The three last mentioned individuals when the
persecution became thus violent, were secreted in
the house of an Armenian, in the Frank dress, with
the view of being conveyed away to a place of
safety. It is not an easy matter even now that the o
event has transpired, to determine what was duty in
these trying circumstances. A highly valued missiona
ry brother, whose fears were not for himself, but for
" the flock over the which the Holy Ghost was making
him an overseer," felt that in a barbarous country he
might plead the example of an apostle who says,
" In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king
kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desi
rous to apprehend me : and through a window in a
basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his
hands." It is worthy however of remark, that they
themselves were not altogether reconciled to the plan
of flight. " During the time they were in conceal
ment," says Mr. Leeves, '' they never entirely liked
the idea of quitting Constantinople, though they thought
they saw a necessity for it in the hot persecution which
awaited them if they remained. They thought they
could be more useful here than any where else, and
their hearts were set upon proclaiming the gospel to
their brethren ; they, therefore, often made it their
prayer to God, that, if he saw it good, they might be
found out and taken, and that they afterward might
remain in Constantinople to be the evangelists to their
brethren in error."
But it is time to introduce you to a more particular
acquaintance with these " first fruits" from among the

298
Jews of Turkey. David Bechas was a Rabbi of per
haps the age of thirty five, and is a man naturally of a
timid spirit. His wife was a believer with him in
Christianity. Mr. Hartley says of him, '« I found the
Rabbi well read in the New Testament; he informed
me, that, upwards of a year ago, he had been present-
o ed with the Hebrew New Testament, and that it had
been the means of his conversion : on one occasion
he showed me the book which had proved the instru
ment of such blessing to him, and it bore all the marks
of having been well used."
Chaim Castro followed the employment of a book
binder, which ranks here almost with the learned pro
fessions. I have often passed his shop on my visit to
Constantinople. He is now about thirty years of age,
and of an ardent and fearless temperament. His for
wardness to circulate the New Testament and bring
others into his views, have rendered him peculiarly ob
noxious to the unbelieving Jews. Mr. H. has the fol
lowing notices of him in his journal.
" Oct. 13. A young Jew, Chaim Castro, called
this morning on Mr. Leeves, and intimated that he
wished to become a Christian. We were delighted to
find him in the utmost readiness to receive the truth ;
and he has engaged to call on me daily for the purpose
of religious conversation. He said he had many
friends of similar sentiments ; and that 200 Jews
would become Christians, had they European pro
tection. " 15. The young Jew called again. I conversed
with him concerning Jesus of Nazareth ; and was glad
to find that he was fully possessed of the idea that the
death of Christ was a sacrifice for sin. Read to him

299
Isaiah liii., Daniel ix., and other prophecies concern
ing the Messiah. He said, that his first impressions of
the truth of Christianity were derived from an Armeni
an, who used to inform him, when a child, ofthe errors
of the Jews.
" 29. Yesterday I had to perform a very painful
task. Chaim Castro and Jacob Levi, having been
frequently with me, and having pressed me exceeding
ly to baptise them, I was constrained to inform them,
that they must wait six months, in order that I might
have opportunity of knowing them well, and of in
structing them more fully in what regards the religion
of Christ. I have had considerable anxiety since I
made this communication to them, being fearful that it
might act as a discouragement ; and have been led
most earnestly to supplicate God in their favor. It is
however unquestionably my duty not to act with pre
cipitation in this affair. Of Jacob Levi, I feel consi
derable confidence that he has his heart, as well as
his mind, much interested in the faith of Christ : of
Chaim Castro, my confidence is not equally strong ;
but he also gives every appearance of full persuasion
that Jesus is the Messiah. The state of the Turkish
empire is such, that I question if the truth will ever
gain signal victories, till a readiness for martyrdom
be evinced on the part of those who are enlight
ened." Missim Cohen is a youth of only seventeen years.
His eonnexions are respectable, and he himself pos
sesses promising talents. According to Jewish usages,
he had already been for two years under engagements
of marriage to a young Jewess. His expected father-
in-law is anxious to dissolve the connexion, but the

300
4000 piastres — 333 dollars, paid at the time of the be
trothal of his daughter, stand in the way of such an ar
rangement. The joint history of these three interesting converts,
I will also give in the words of Mr. Hartley.
" Nov. 9. This morning I visited the three fugitives,
and conversed and read with him. We are also taking
means to ascertain the situation of Jacob Levi, in order
to render him such assistance as shall be possible. The
number of believing Jews who composed this party was
eleven — nine men and two women.
" 10. A Jew, acting, I doubt not, as a spy of the per
secuting party, called upon me : his message was, that
' there were several Jews, friends of Missin Cohen,
who wished to bear him company : I must tell him,
therefore, where Missim was to be found, and he
would conduct them to him.' The man failed, of
course, in his design. He afterwards went to Mr.
Leeves, but had no better success. Mr. Leeves set out
to-day on a journey to Adrianople.
" 12, To-day I have had the pleasure of baptising
the three Jews. Prior to administering this very sol
emn ordinance, I examined them very carefully with
regard to their faith, and their intended fidelity to
Christ. Their answers gave me the greatest satisfac
tion ; and I could not feel at ease, till I had, in their
instance, complied with the injunction, " Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,
baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." It was to me a subject
of much regret, that in consequence of Mr. Leeves'
absence, the duty devolved on me : I should otherwise
have left the whole transaction to his judgment and

301
discretion. A difficulty was presented by the diversity
of language which it was necessary to make use of.
I endeavored to obviate this inconvenience in the fol
lowing manner. I first knelt down and prayed with
Mrs. Leeves in English : I then prayed in Greek ; and
a Greek who was present repeated the petitions in
Turkish. Afterward I put questions to the following
effect, to each of them — ' Do you believe that Jesus
of Nazareth is the Messiah, and the Son of God ?' —
' Do you believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost, one God ?' — ' Is it your determination, by divine
assistance, to be faithful unto Jesus Christ, in prison, in
tortures, and even unto death ?' 'Do you place your
hopes of salvation exclusively on the merits of Jesus
Christ?' They all answered these questions in the
most explicit and serious manner. They then knelt
down ; and I went up to each of them, and poured wa
ter upon his head, in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and Of the Holy Ghost. They were exceed
ingly affected, weeping most copiously ; and the im
pression made on all present was, I believe, almost
equally great. I then returned thanks to God, first in
Greek and afterward in English, for the grace and fa
vor bestowed on these converted Jews, and besought
from Him that peculiar aid for which their painful
circumstances called. I afterward delivered a short
address to them, in which I set before them how awful
would be their state, were they now to apostatize from
Jesus Christ ; arid encouraged them to seek his assist
ance by assiduous prayer, and to stand ready for every
trial to which God might call them. We all rejoiced
exceedingly at having three Christian brethren given
to us from among ' the lost sheep ofthe house of Israel ;'
26

302
though our joy was greatly tempered by the recollection,
that it had not been permitted Jacob Levi to make one
of their number : he has been torn from our hands, and
is confined in a dungeon where no Christian minister
can approach him, either to baptise him or to afford him
the slightest consolation : he is, however, in the hands
of his heavenly Father. May divine consolations sup
port and cheer him."
David Bechas received the Christian name of Pe
ter ; Chaim Castro, whose character bears some re
semblance to that "bold reformer's, was called John
Baptist, while with as much propriety the name of the
beloved disciple, John, was given to the amiable youth,
Missim Cohen. In the interval which succeeded their
baptism, very diligent search was made for the converts,
and particularly for John Cohen. Supposing that
he had fled in company with Rev. Mr. Leeves, the
father obtained an order from the Vizier, and fol
lowed that gentleman on his tour into Bulgaria in a
manner that made it necessary for some of the Turkish
officers to apologise for their conduct. The discovery
of the converts and their subsequent treatment, is thus
described by Mr. H. ,
"Dec. 1. Melancholy day! This morning, early,
G. burst into my apartment, with the intelligence,
' The Jews are taken.' Who has been the traitor we
know not ; but, last night, about an hour after sunset,
the house in which they were lodged was surrounded
by Turkish soldiers, and our poor friends were forcibly
taken out and thrown into prison, together with the
Armenian to whom the house belonged ; on their arri
val at the prison, the Turkish officer asked them a
variety of questions ; in answer to which they avowed

303
themselves Christians, and asserted their allegiance to
the Grand Seignior. This morning they were carried
to the court of the Seraskier, or commander-in-chief.
A young man whom we sent to inquire after them,
found it impossible to see them. Their trial does nbt
take place to-day, as it is the Turkish sabbath.
" 2. This morning G. came hither, with the mother-
in-law of Bagdasar, the Armenian. He informs me,
that, last night, the converts sent word that they were
determined to stand firm to the last extremity : they
expected that it would be first proposed to them to be
come Moslems, and in case of non-compliance, the al
ternative would be death, or the arsenal. May God
strengthen them for the hour of trial ! Our persecu
ted friends are destitute of all human succor. God
alone can help them ! About noon, I went myself to
the prison to which they were removed this morning ;
and, as I thought it might afford them some en
couragement to see me, even though I could not
converse with them, I obtained admission : on this
occasion I saw enough to convince me that there is a
wide and essential distance between the theory and
the experience of martyrdom : a warm imagination
may contemplate a violent death, while it is at a dis
tance, with triumph, and even with a species of am-
bition ; but, bring a man into actual contact with
prisons, chains, armed guards, examinations, stripes,
and all the appalling pomp and parade of a public exe
cution, and nothing short of a powerful and direct com
munication of divine assistance will impart the needful
fortitude. Truly, in every Christian martyrdom, it is
God who gives the victory, it is God who claims the

304
glory ! In consideration of a few piastres, the Armeni
an was called up, and I was permitted toconverse
with him for a few minutes : the poor man was clearly
suffering the greatest agony : I said all that I could to
encourage him, bQt felt much regret at being unable to
speak to our Jewish friends : the large room which con
stituted the prison, was exceedingly dark, and they were
at _ distant part of it, I could barely distinguish a number
of Jewish head-dresses. Thus were our friends sur
rounded by their most bitter foes, while I could not even
obtain a sight of them : of me, however, they would
have a clear view, as I stood in the light of the door.
They have been interrogated in three different places ;
and, on each occasion, they have firmly declared them
selves Christians.
''8. In hopes of serving them, I went to the chief
dragoman of the Porte, a man of considerable influence,
and interceded in their behalf : making a simple state
ment of their case. He showed me a letter signed by
four of the heads of the Jewish nation in Constantino
ple, in which they supplicate the death of ' that accurs
ed Chaim Castro ;' and a friend of mine was informed
by a Turk at the Porte, on whose word he places re
liance, that the Jews have actually paid four hundred
thousand piastres into the chest of the Grand Vizier,
in order tb accomplish their diabolical intentions !
Thank God ! they have been thwarted in their schemes.
The persecuted converts have been sent to labor in
the arsenal, a punishment from which I have reason
to believe we shall see them soon delivered. This lenity
on the part of the Turks, is, probably, owing to the as
sistance ofthe dragoman.

305
" 10. The Jewish converts have appeared before
the grand vizier, the reis effendi, and the chief drago
man, not to mention inferior officers, and before
all 'they have witnessed a good confession.' The day
after their removal to the arsenal, John Cohen's father
found access to him ; and, declaring that he would
much rather have seen him become a Turk than a
Christian, offered him a large sum of money. The
youth, regarding it as a bribe, would not receive the
least part of it, even though he was at that time in
great want. They have been loaded with heavy
fetters ; Peter, the Rabbi and John Baptist Castro
being chained together, and John Cohen and the Ar
menian. " 13. An Armenian priest who acts as chaplain in
the arsenal, came to inform us how severely they are
treated : they are still loaded with their chains ; and
the Armenian has been so much hurt, that he is obliged
to wear his arm in a sling : to-day, notwithstanding the
heavy and incessant rain, they are compelled to be
abroad at work.
" The father and mother of John Cohen yesterday
came to visit him, and attempted to bring him back to
Judaism. He is still unmoved, though ' making trial
of such cruel sufferings.' I am glad to find, from the
priest's information, that they are comforting them
selves in the best manner : their language is, " Christ
our Savior has said, 'Fear not them which kill the
body, and have no more that they can do' — and when
we die, we hope then we shall be received into
heaven." " 14. Wrote a letter of encouragement to the con
verts. G. learned to day from a Turk some ' particu-
26*

306
lars relative to Jacob Levi and Menahem Castro ; he
stated himself to rhave "been present when they were
brought before the Seraskier : a Jewish Rabbi appear
ed as their accuser, and offered a thousand purses to
the Seraskier if he would put them to death : they
affirmed that theii belief in Jesus of Nazareth was
the only reason of their being brought before him :
they were bastinadoed and sent to the arsenal. I
hear of a young Jew at Ortakui, who has been
delivered by his brethren into the hands of the Turks :
he received fifty blows, and is jihrown into prison. How
many believe in Christ, and how many suffer for his
sake it is impossible for us to tell.
" 15. We are informed, that the Jews have divided
two thousand piastres among the Turks who have
charge of the prisoneis, for the purpose of obtaining
their exertions in tormenting them to the utmost possi
ble degree. Thus are our poor friends suffering a
continual martyrdom ! The object of the Jews is clear :
they hope to wear out the constancy of the converts,
by incessant sufferings : or, if that attempt should fail,
to bring them to the grave. The whole system of
Turkish proceedings is so utterly corrupt, that I see
no prospect of a happy termination of this affair,
except in divine interposition. 'Let us fall into the
hand of the Lord, and not into the hand of man !'
" 22. G. saw, this morning, our imprisoned friends.
They are as steadfast as ever, but suffer greatly. John
Cohen had a large present of clothes from his Jewish
friends ; but be thought it his duty to send them all
back. They actually heard his father reasoning with
the Turks, for not beating them more severely, and

307
reminding them of the money which he had given them
for that purpose!"
Mr. Leeves gives the following additional particulars
of their condition.
" On one occasion, especially, their fortitude was put
to the test ; for the Jews, seeing they could not work
on them by premises, had it finally announced to
them, that their fate was sealed, and that the next
morning they would be led to execution : thus, for a
whole night, they had the view of death before their
eyes, and they spent it in reading the New Testament
with weeping and prayer. Two other Jews were left
in prison with them, whom John Baptist reproved for
their unbelief in the Messiah, exhorting them to follow
their example, and become martyrs for the name of
Christ : these Jews unmoved by their behavior and ex
hortations, wiote to the Rabbies to inform them that there
was no hope oftheir ever returning to the Jewish religion,
and that the only course to be pursured with them was
to get them put to death.
" The punishment of prisoners in the Bagnio con
sists in being chained, two and two, with heavy chains,
and employed in the laborious works of the arsenal,
under the superintendence of Turkish guards, who
beat them if they do not perform the task to their
liking : there are about 700 persons in this prison ; of
whom about 300 are Greek slaves, the greater part
prisoners taken in the Greek war. The circumstan
ces of this affair, having produced a general sensa
tion and sympathy throughout the city, had penetrated
within the walls of the arsenal ; and the prisoners,
when brought there, were kindly welcomed by the
poor Christian slaves, who went in a body to the aga

308
and officers, to beg that they might be kindly treated
and not put to severe labor. In consequence of this
mediation, they passed the two first days unmolested :
but, after this, several Jews came, and among them the
father and the intended father-in-law ofthe young man,
who, after another fruitless attempt to bring them
back to Judaism, went and gave a considerable sum
of money to the officers of the prison to put them to
hard work, and to beat and torment them. They
suffered severely under this persecution for five or six
days ; until the matter coming to our knowledge, our
ambassador was so kind as to send his dragoman, and
by representations, to procure the cessation of this
wanton and cruel treatment, and the weight of their
chains was diminished one half; although, being still
in the class of chained prisoners, they have continued
to labor with the rest. A few days ago, two of them
were thrown down and bruised in working at a large
wheel used for raising the masts and fixing them in
the- vessels of war ; by a similar accident to which
two men! had been before killed before their eyes :
they are now, however, recovered from their bruises ;
and-Will not, I believe, be henceforth employed in simi
lar works."
Mr. Hartley called in person upon the Head Drago
man of the Porte to intercede with him in behalf of
the Jewish converts. Previously to the Greek Revo
lution when Demetrius Morousi was put to death, this
office was held by the Greeks of the Phanar. The
present Interpreter was a Jew by birth, but has embra
ced Mahometanism. He professed to be well- acquaint
ed with the New Testament and with the sentiments
of Protestants. His apparent desire to be thought

309
a liberal man and " a philosopher," is best explained by
the money which he required in order to exert his influ
ence for the release of the prisoners. There is evident
also throughout the following interesting conversation,
an effort to create a favorable impression of the degree
of intelligence at the Turkish Court.
" This officer told me plainly," says Mr. H., " that
the Turkish government were at a loss to comprehend
the proceedings of the Religious Society in England,
which was at such expense in printing and circulating
books : they were well acquainted with the conduct of
the Jesuits in China and in other countries, and also with
the enthusiastic superstition evinced by the Spaniards in
former times ; but they had always considered the Eng
lish a nation free from superstition : they were led there
fore to suspect that there was some political plot in these
proceedings. I assured him that the Society, to which
he aUuded, was wholly unconnected with the British
government ; and that though there were, unhappily,
Englishmen who were indifferent to all religions, yet
the persons who composed this Society were men who
did indeed believe that the Gospel was from God, and
thought it therefore their duty to communicate so
inestimable a gift to the whole world. He then in
dulged in some playful remarks on the impossibility of
converting the world by books, alleging that St. Paul
had been converted in a different manner, and that this
was by no means the method of Moses. He asked me
so very particularly what was Mr. Leeves's object in this
country, that I am led to think Mr. Leeves has been for
some time an object of jealousy to the Turkish govern
ment. I told him, that Mr. Leeves's object was, " to

310
sell the Holy Scriptures." Much more was said as to
religion ; and I feel confident that the conversation re
moved from his mind all suspicions, that our proceed
ings have a political tendency, or that we are a plotting,
Jesuitical fraternity. We became extremely sociable:
he said that he would introduce me to other Turks, and
take me to the school in which French and various
branches of science are taught.
" The whole of the scene was to me full of uncom
mon interest. I was come to rescue, if possible, from
death, four persecuted Christians : I was in the building
which contained the great offices of the Ottoman em
pire, and which is dignified with the appellation of the
Sublime Porte : the domes and minarets of the mosque
of Sultan Suleyman, one ofthe most magnificent struc
tures in Turkey, were towering above my head : I had
passed through spacious halls and passages, all exhibit
ing specimens of Turkish taste : I was encircled by nu
merous guards and attendants, arrayed in the splendid
diversity of costume observable in eastern countries ;
and I was surrounded with all the pomp of oriental man
ners. The window of the room in which I found myself,
commanded a view of the large court, in which were
seen horses richly caparisoned awaiting their lordly mas
ters and in which objects wholly novel to an European eye
were continually presenting themselves. ' Do you see
that officer riding out of the court ?¦ said my Turkish
friend. I observed a man whose dress and carriage deno
ted a person of considerable rank. ' He is going,' said he,
' according to his daily custom, to the Sultan, to acquaint
him with the affairs which have been transacted here.'
'Does the Sultan,' I asked, ' pay minute attention tobusi-

311
ness ? Does he know this affair of the converted Jews ?'
' Yes certainly,' said he, ' there is nothing that escapes
his attention. In Europe you imagine that we are all
barbarians, and that the Sultan does nothing all day,
but loll on his divan and amuse himself; but it is far
otherwise. The princes of Europe are far moie ef
feminate than Sultan Mahmoud.' He then made vari
ous remarks relative to the recent public events, which
led me to suppose the Turks have really been awakened
to a sense of their public interest, beyond what I had
ever suspected.
" I just notice other subjects of conversation, because
it may serve to shew that the Turks have men in their
service much better informed than is usually supposed.
The following topics came forward : religious liberty
in England — Roman Catholic emancipation — the king
of England, in his character of Head of the Church —
Spanish proceedings in America — the existence of
Greek manuscripts in the seraglio — conic sections —
the site of ancient cities in Asia Minor — the Koran,
&c. He informed me, that he was very fond of
mathematics, and that he had translated from the
French, a treatise on conic sections. He also demand
ed of me, if Mr. Leeves had been concerned in the
affair of the converted Jews. ' Concerning myself,' I
replied, ' I am willing to give you any information, but
concerning my friend, I cannot, in honor, tell you any
thing.' ' When you have made the whole world
Christian,' he asked, ' what will be the consequence ?'
I replied, ' When the precepts of Christianity are uni
versally obeyed, there will be an end to envy, animosi
ties, murders, wars, and of all other causes of mise
ry. We shall all be brothers : the greatest happiness

312
will every where prevail. He appeared struck with
the reply."
It is greatly to be regretted that the ostensible
ground of punishment — laying aside the appointed
dress of rayahs, Was in reality a violation of the laws
of the empire. This puts it out of the power of the
English Ambassador to interfere so decidedly, as he
might perhaps, were embracing Christianity as much
the nominal as it is the real cause of complaint. Still
through the indirect influence of Mr. Canning, and the
payment of certain sums of money, the sufferings of
the converts have been mitigated. The whole bur
then of supporting them devolves upon their Christian
friends. Had their confinement been for any other
cause, their support would have been derived from "the
treasury of the Jewish community. I have felt it my
duty to make a donation for this object, of the passage
money whieh Capt. M. was so kind as to relinquish to me.
Besides the severe measures which have been employ
ed to shake the faith of these men, various pecuniary
considerations were held out with no greater success.
Attempts are now making to constrain Peter and John
Baptist to relinquish their wives, which they strenuously
resist. The parents and little sisters of John came to
plead with him. All a Jewish mother's arguments,
however, could not prevail on "him to renounce his new
faith. His sisters in the simplicity of their hearts begged
her to desist, lest Missim should go away and leave them
forever. Yoii will hot wonder that I am beginning to share in
the anxieties and fluctuations of feeling which our ex
cellent friends have long been experiencing. One
day the hope is excited that when their time of irh-

313
prisonment (six months) has expired, they may be
freed from further subjection to the Jewish authori
ties. The next, we hear that they must fall back into
the hands of the Rabbies, who have the power of con
fining and troubling them in a thousand ways. Still
more recently it is rumored that the Vizier, in answer
to their petition, has told the Jewish community to give
themselves no farther uneasiness, for that every Jew
who embraces Christianity shall end his days in the
gallies. In this state of uncertainty, it is consoling to reflect
that the Lord God of Israel, has still thoughts of mercy
towards that unbelieving people. To His grace in
Christ Jesus I trust the Society will not cease to com
mend both them and him whom they have sent forth
to make known in their midst, that Deliverer who shall
turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
March 9, 1827. — I have been the present week on a
visit to the Princes' Islands. On my return, I learn with
deep regret the apostacy of Rabbi David, one ofthe three
baptised Jews. I mentioned him as being constitution
ally timid, and though no doubts were entertained of
the sincerity of his belief in Christianity, nor serious
distrust of his hopeful piety, yet we had fears on ac
count of his natural temperament. Of late, the appre
hensions of his fellows have been excited by the pri
vate intercourse which he was holding with the Jews.
At length to bring the matter to an issue, the young
Greek G. who has the charge of Mr. L's. Bible Deposi
tory, wrote to the three jointly, intimating his fears
foi one of their number. He reminded them, to use
his own expressions, that, " they had come to the Chris
tians, and not the Christians to them ;" and that of their
27

314
own accord they had earnestly sought for baptism.
He added also that as no worldly considerations had
been held out for them to take this latter step, so now
in the midst of their trials they could be directed only
to the gospel for consolation. In conclusion he ex
pressed a wish that they would individually make a
written statement of their present purposes and feel
ings. The answers given by John Baptist and John, were
such as would have been worthy, I had almost said, of
the times of primitive Christianity. I am sure that no
one, who longs for the salvation of Israel, could listen
to the simple, energetic, and affectionate language,
in which they were dictated, without feeling all his
Christian sensibilities stirred within. They bless God
for the hope that he has brought them to the saving
knowledge of his Son, and desire henceforth, if called
thereto, to renounce father, and mother, and all for
Christ. The reply of the third has an interest no less deep,
yet unhappily of a very different kind. After thank
ing the writer for his friendly attentions, he says,
'' You must know, that though I was called Peter, when
I was baptised, my name is David : I was born a Jew,
and a Jew I will die."
To day we hear, that the Greek prisoners confined
with him, treat this supposed apostate from the Chris
tian faith with the utmost indignity. His two fellow-
sufferers, however, and Christian friends without, are
using means more according to the spirit of the Gos
pel, and more likely, with the blessings of heaven, to
reclaim him from his backsliding.

315
Mr. Leeves, as his last effort, has written him a
letter of expostulation, in which he unfolded the guilt of
denying the Lord that bought him, and mentions the
case of Judas and Peter. He expresses, also, his per
suasion, that he had been prepared through fear to
pursue the course in question, and invites him to imi
tate the repenting disciple, whose name he had re
ceived. In reply to a remark, that he did not find
evidence to satisfy him of the truth of Christianity,
Mr. L. demands, — " Is this the man, who voluntarily
came to me and said, that for three years he had been
reading the New Testament, and had long been con
vinced that Jesus is the Messiah ?" He concludes by
reminding him, that though by the course he was
pursuing he might escape the persecution of his
brethren, he would, nevertheless, go about with a fire
burning in his conscience, and would find that, even
in this life, there is no peace to him who forsakes the
path of uprightness.
Here then must be left this most unhappy man.
Having gone thus far, it is according to human proba
bility that he will sacrifice his conscience to apprehen
sions, too well founded probably, of the otherwise un
ceasing persecutions of his countrymen. There is,
however, ground for hope in his case, as in that of the
lapsed apostle,
" When the cock crew he wept. Smote by that eye
Which looks on me, on all," 
So may it be with this perhaps fearful believer.
Mr. Hartley, who returned to Constantinople about
the last of March after an absence of three months, thus
expresses himself respecting this event.

316
" The conduct of David has been, I find, from the
first, a cause of anxiety to the others ; and he appears
to have displayed, all along, a timid spirit, which no
thing but the example and exhortations of his compan
ions maintained so long steadfast: at last, overcome by
the length of his sufferings and by the despair of see
ing them terminate, he has forsaken Christ and prefer
red time to eternity !
" To me, it is a matter of astonishment and gratitude,
they have not all adopted the same resolution. It is al
most impossible to conceive the extremity of misery to
which these persecuted individuals have been subjected
— prison — stripes — chains — threats — hunger — cold —
separation from friends — constant society with criminals
and abandoned characters — severe sicknesses in conse
quence of their suffering, without medicines — confine
ment in a place, not only destitute ofthe common com
forts of life, but disgusting from its want of cleanliness.
These are but a part of their distresses ! I say it with
full conviction, that, to meet death itself, would have
been more easy, than to support such a complication of
long-continued sufferings.
" What renders their condition the more deplorable
is, that they have no Christian friend or minister to'
instruct them, nor Christian example to direct them ;
and, from their previous circumstances, their know
ledge of the doctrines and duties of Christianity is but
limited. I have had an interview with them once at
the gate ofthe arsenal, but I cannot obtain such access
to them as would give me an opportunity of exercising
my duty towards them. When I saw John Baptist
Castro, he appeared like a man in the last stage of con
sumption : 1 asked him if he felt willing to die : he

317
should wish, he replied, to have an opportunity, previ
ously, of bringing some of his countrymen to the know
ledge ofthe truth.
" Since they have been in prison, they have been
entirely dependent on us for support ; having not only
suffered the loss of all things, but not having a morsel
of bread to eat. Mr. Leeves has advanced money to
preserve them from starvation ; and, until they are
released, they have none else from whom to look for the
support of life.
" Whether they will ever get out of prison, it is im
possible to say. The Jews will, doubtless, leave nothing
which hatred the most implacable, assisted by immense
sums of money, can do to prevent it."
In reference to this affecting case, Mr. Hartley
suggests —
" It seems to me of great importance, that a fund
should be raised ' for the relief of the persecuted converts
in Turkey.' Without assistance of this kind, every Jew
who becomes a Christian is in danger of perishing, if
not by the bow-string or the sword, at least by hunger
and destitution. The truth cannot make progress here
without commotion. Nevertheless we will go onward,
in the name^of the Lord !
" I hear, at intervals, of different Jews, who ap
pear to believe in the Messiah : they are, how
ever, so closely watched, that it is almost impos-.
sible to have intercourse with them. A Jew cannot
call once upon a missionary, without danger of the
severest punishment."
April 15. — It is the season of the Passover, which
your people were expecting me to have kept at Jeru-
27*

318
salem. I trust, however, I have followed the leadings of
Providence in coming to this place, where are probably
five times as many Jews as in all the Holy Land. Add
to this also, that some hundreds are secretly believers in
Christ, or at least, are desirous of renouncing Judaism
when they can do it with safety. We are not without
hopes that those who wish to embrace Christianity may
be permitted to put themselves under the authority ofthe
Greek or Armenian Patriarchs.
You are aware of the manner in which the Grand
Seignior governs his rayahs, or all his subjects who
are not Mahometans. The Patriarchs of the two
Christian communities and the Chief Rabbi of the
Jews, are made responsible for their respective peo
ple. To compensate for this responsibility, besides
the power of inflicting minor punishments themselves,
they have only, it is said, to represent an individual to
the Turkish authorities as "Araxrog — disorderly," and
he will immediately be sent to the gallies.
Under these circumstances, you will rather wonder
that three Jews have been willing to expose them
selves to the storm of persecution which a profession
of Christianity has raised against them, than that one
weak believer should have shrunk back. Taken as a
community, the Jews are rich and like their fathers both
able and disposed to give " large money" for the ac
complishment of any favorite purpose. Nor can it be
doubted that it is in the highest degree for the in
terest of Judaism to prevent even a single individual
from casting off its yoke. It is impossible to say what
might be the result, if those who are partially enlight
ened or who are dissatisfied with their Rabbies, could

319
by declaring themselves Christians, at once escape from
their tyranny.
Nor would it seem difficult for them to awaken the
apprehensions of the Turkish government and persuade
them to co-operate in any system of persecution. At
all times fearful of change, the Porte under present
circumstances must regard movements like these
among the Jews with a more than usually jealous eye.
The prospect of subjugating the Greeks seems yet
distant, and by the late Russian conquest of Persian
Armenia, great numbers of Armenians will come un
der the dominion of the hereditary enemy of Turkey.
The principal Patriarch of that people had previously
sought refuge in the Russian territories, and towards
him the eyes of the Armenian subjects of Turkey will
naturally be directed. You may readily conceive,
then, with what feelings the Porte will view any at
tempt to unsettle the last and most faithful class of
its rayahs, the Jews. It is true, indeed, that per
mission has been granted in time past as also at the
present, for Greek and Armenian Catholics to separate
'themselves in some degree from their respective na
tions. But then the priests, (at least of the Armenian
church) claimed and were permitted to exercise the
right of baptising, marrying and burying all who thus
seceded. The temporal authority of the Patriarchs
over them, remains also unimpaired. With this view
of the difficulties which attend the formation of an in
dependent Hebrew Christian community, or rather
their union with other classes of rayahs, which is all
we dare to anticipate, you will not wonder if we wait
with solicitude the termination of the six months' im
prisonment of the converted Jews. For them and

320
all the people of Israel, and for him who has been
separated from your church to preach unto them Jesus
of Nazareth, your prayers will, I trust, ascend to the God
of Abraham. Prinkipos, May 10, 1827.
In selecting a place for a summer's residence, my
thoughts were first directed to the Jewish villages upon
the Bosphorus. An order had been issued, however,
the year before, prohibiting even the Greeks of
Chalcedon from receiving the Franks on the coast of
Asia. So hostile, too, were the Jews at this moment,
towards the Bible men, that had neither laws nor
usage thrown any obstacles in the way of residing with
them, the safety of such a measure- would have been
doubted by many, and its expediency called in ques
tion by all. As for my patriarchal sentinel, a venera
ble looking hawker, who had been posted by his Jew
ish brethren soon after my arrival at the entrance to
'my lodgings, he would not have failed to follow me to
the Bosphorus or Bombay, if by so doing he could have
preserved a single descendent of Abraham from embra
cing the faith of the Nazarene. Peace be upon thee,
thou gray haired guardian of Judaism ! I could not but
inwardly say, as he cast his observant look on those who
entered my door : upon thy hoary head be the blessing
of that Messiah, from whose herald you would thus keep
your enquiring countrymen.
Boyiik-dere and Therapia, whither the wealthy, the
gay and the noble were accustomed to resort, seem
ed not to hold out such prospects of usefulness, as the
more quiet retreat of the Princes' Islands. According
ly! on hearing of some reported cases of the plague,
the weather too having become unusually warm, and

321
the field Covered with the verdure and flowers of a
New England May, I removed hither about the middle
of March.
I have before spoken of my teacher in Jewish-Span
ish, Leon Attias, whom I have likewise employed in the
translation of tracts into the same language. He was
born in Jerusalem, and passed the first years of his
childhood in that land where his brethren still love to
spend those of their old age. Afterwards his pilgrim
feet passed over most of the countries where the apos
tle Paul preached the Gospel " to the Jew first, ^and
also to the Gentile." He has since come to this place,
with some members of his family, to obtain a livelihood
in some of those ten thousand ways, which Jewish in
genuity and industry can devise. He possesses the libe
ral feelings of one who has travelled, and approves of
the morality of the Gospel. Indeed he has of late ex
pressed a wish to become a Christian, in case he could
find means of going to England, or America. I do not
feel inclined greatly to encourage this class of Chris
tian converts. Besides assisting Mr. Leeves and my
self in various translations, he is likewise ready for any
other service. Before I left Constantinople, he accom
panied me to several Jewish villages where he was ac
quainted. I was desirous of seeing the state of soci
ety,, before being known by the people as a Christian
missionary. I have gleaned also, principally through him the fol
lowing particulars respecting the Jews of Constantino
ple and its suburbs.
There are supposed to be 40 to 50,000 Rayahs or
Turkish subjects ; 2 or 300 Levantines or natives of the
Levant, having Austrian protection : 40 or 50 Polish

322
Jews perhaps under Russian protection : 7 native Ital
ians in which class is the family of Castro the Jewish
printer, under the protection of Austria : and 5 very
wealthy merchants from Hamburgh and Dantzic, with
Prussian protection.
The different classes which are not Rayahs, have
usually their separate synagogues, and look down with
contempt on their less favored brethren. The Levan
tine or Austrian Jews are regarded as less honorable
than the others. Like the rest of the Franks these
classes reside in the suburbs of Galata, Pera and To-
phane. Their prevailinglanguages are Italian and Ger
man. While in town I received assurances from different
quarters, that if free schools were established in these
suburbs, the children of many of the Jews would attend
with those of the Christians. I accordingly made con-
siderable inquiry for a suitable room in Galata, purpo
sing had I not removed hither, to have made an experi
ment of the kind with a Maltese youth as assistant
teacher. The principal quarters of the rayah-Jews, are at
Balat-kui on the Constantinople side of the harbor,
and Chas-kui on the opposite side. On the Bosphorus
they have also the villages of Orta-kui on the Euro
pean shore of the Bosphorus, and Coos-conjux on the
Asiatic. Of the manner in which the domestic government of
the Jews is administered, I have been able to learn
but little. Not long ago the Shapgee, an individual
of great wealth and considerable influence with the
Sultan, was at the head of affairs. He has lately been

323
put to death on the charge of treason, which means
usually no more in Turkey than the possession of envia
ble treasures. Since then no individual seems to have
aspired to this dangerous pre-eminence. At present,
there are said to be three Presidents through whom
their annual taxes are paid to the Turkish government.
The assessment of these devolves on forty or fifty of
the principal members ofthe community, who are com
pelled to act in this most unpopular office. In the au
thority which they possess for inflicting lesser punish
ments, and the means they employ for obtaining the in
fliction of others, there is a striking resemblance between
them and the Jews of Palestine in the days of our Sa
viour. Here, as every where else, merchandize in its various
forms, is the chief employment of this people. The
chief Dragoman of the Porte I have already mention
ed, is a renegade Jew. Another individual with
out changing his religion, is one of the most influ
ential assistants at the custom house. In matters of
this nature however, they find less employment than
formerly, the Armenians having come in for a share,
and the policy of the Turks being now to perform
every thing as much as possible by Mahometan hands.
It is no uncommon thing for the Jews to turn Maho
metans. I am told there are at least two hundred of this
description at Constantinople. One whom I have seen
in this place, has changed his name, as perhaps all do
who embrace Mahometanism.
1829. — To these notices which I had myself collect
ed, I add extracts from Hobhouse's Travels and

324
Dr. Walsh's Journey from Constantinople to England.
No one who has it in his power, should forego the plea
sure of consulting this last most interesting volume, or
Jowettrs researches, and the Life of Fisk.
" The Jews," says Hobhouse, " have all the usual
characteristics of their nation. The most considerable
amongst them are brokers and money changers, jewel
lers, physicians, surgeons, silk twisters, druggists, boat
men, fishermen, confectionaries, perfumers, tobacco-
sellers, and mountebanks.
'' The taxes levied on the Jews are not greater than
those of the other rayahs, and they feel the burden of
them the less, by being allowed a tefterdar or treasurer
of their own, who collects the whole sum, and settles
with the ministers of the Porte. It is said that they pay
so much annually to furnish the Sultan with tents. The
origin of this obligation was, that a Grand Vizier hav
ing become acquainted with a decision of some Hebrew
doctors, by which the Turks were placed on the outside
of the walls of Paradise, averred, that in that case, the
Jews should at least provide them with tents to shelter
them in winter,
"The bankers of many ofthe Turkish grandees are
Jews, and some of them have been involved in the fall
of their employers, but this circumstance and the ad
dress shewn by them in the management of all pecunia
ry concerns, give their principal people a consideration
in the eyes of the Turks, equal to that of any other
subjects, although the common Turks, and more
especially the Christians, affect to treat and talk of
them with every mark of <;ontempt and disgust. —
They are distinguished by a high square cap of black

325
felt without any rim or border, which the Censtan-
tinopolitans call in derision hauroux — a word of re
proach. The lower classes are dirty, both in their
persons and dwellings, and Ballata, the Jew quarter,
is the most filthy of any in the capital, and not less
nauseous than in the days of Christian Constantinople,
when the tanners used to empty their pans before the
doors of the houses inhabited by this peisecuted people.
The wise tolerance of the Turks, has produced a great
increase of this part of the population since the last
conquest of the city. In the twelfth century, when the
Jew of Tudela travelled, he found only a thousand of
his countrymen in the place ; and the reign of Andro-
nicus the Elder, the Patriarch Athanasius represented,
in a formal petition to the Emperor, that the whole na
tion ought to be banished from the metropolis. In the
middle of the seventeenth century, a traveller was per
suaded that there were between twenty and thirty thou
sand of that accursed and contemptible people in the
city ; and the smallest computation would rate them now
at fifty."
" Our way," says Dr. Walsh, '' lay through the
suburb in which the Jews reside ; and perhaps you
would wish to know, en passant, something of the rem-
nat of that extraordinary people, settled at Constanti
nople, who have lately distinguished themselves in the
Greek insurrection by their inveterate hostility to the
Greeks. " You would naturally suppose, as I did, that these
people came to Constantinople from some part of the
East, and brought with them their oriental language ;
but this is not the case. After the extinction of the
Waldenses, in the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the

326
rage of the Inquisition was turned against the Jews of
Spain ; and having inflicted on them various persecu
tions and sufferings, an edict was at length issued for
expelling them altogether from that country ; and
they set out, to the amount of 800,000 persons, from
this land of Egypt, not spoiling their enemies, but
spoiled of all they possessed themselves. As the same
prejudices existed against them in eveiy Christian
country at the time, they could find no asylum in the
West, so they set their faces to the East, and returned
to the place from whence they originally came. They
were kindly received in different parts ofthe Otto
man empire, and the Turks afforded them that protec
tion which Christians had denied them. They settled
at Salonica, Smyrna, Rodosto, and other large towns,
where they at this day, form an important part of the
population. At Salonica they have no less than thirty
synagogues. But the principal division of them came
to Constantinople, and were assigned a large district,
called Hassa Ku'i, (Chas-kui) to inhabit, where they
form a community of 50,000 persons. The Turks call
the different people who reside under them by names
indicative of the estimation in which they hold them.
The Greeks Yeshir, or slaves, as they were considered
to have forfeited their life at the taking of Con
stantinople, and hold it ever since on sufferance ;
the Armenians Rayahs, or subjects, as they were never
a conquered people, but merged insensibly into
the population of the empire ; the Jews they call
Mousaphir, or visiters, because they sought an asy
lum among them. They treat them, therefore, as
visiters, with kindness and hospitality. I give you
this as the original and accurate distinction, though all

327
the subjects of Turkey, who are not Turks, are loosely
called Rayahs.
"As a further motive for good will, they mutually
approach to an assimlation, much more nearly than
any of the rest, in their religious opinions and obser
vances. Their strict theism ; their practice of circum
cision ; their abhorrence of swine%s flesh ; their lan
guage read from right to left ; — all are coincidences,
which to a certain degree, give them an identity of
feeling whice does not take place with the others. The
Jews, therefore, are a favored people, and held by the
Turks in a degree of consideration which is very
different from that which they receive in any Christian
country at the present day.*
" In many towns of Germany which I have visited,
they are prohibited by law from passing a night within
the walls ; and the law is strictly enforced, unless
evaded by the payment of an exorbitant tax : in
others, they are obliged to submit to degrading condi
tions and suspicious precautions, which are as frivo
lous as they are humiliating. They cannot travel
from town to town or exercise particular trades,
without paying an extraordinary toll or tax, which is
not exacted from other people. Even in England,
there is a strong line of demarcation still drawn ;
and in London they cannot practice particular callings
without paying to the corporation exhorbitant fines,
which are demanded from nobody else. The preju
dice which led to cruelty and persecution, i3 softened
with the growing liberality of the age ; but it still ex
ists under a milder form, and is a wall of separation

* In the United States, they are put upon the same footing
with other citizens. — Ed.

328
between them and Christian community. In Turkey
it forms no such barrier ; the Jews freely exercise the
most lucrative callings- — they are generally the bro
kers who transact business for merchants,, and the
Sarafs, or bankers, with whom the Turks deposit
their property. ¦ They enter, particularly the women,
into the harems with merchandise, and so are agents
of intrigue, and acquire extraordinary influence in
Turkish houses.
" On a hill behind the quarter of Hassi Ku'i, where
they reside, they have a large cemetery ornamented
with marble tombs, some of them exceedingly Well
sculptured in high relief : and the houses of the opu
lent are furnished and fitted up in a style of oriental
magnificence. The lower orders however, are mark-
__ ivy that 'peculiarity which distinguishes them in
every other country ; squalor and raggedness in their
persons, filth and nastiness in their houses, their morals
very lax, and ready to engage in any base business
which the less vile would have a repugnance to. They
are distinguished, like all classes in Turkey, by a
particular dress ; they wear a tuiban like a Turkish
gentlemen, but lower ; and instead of being encircled
with a rich shawl, it is generally bound with a mean
cross-barred handkerchief j and their slippers, the
color of which is particularly prescribed to all Turk
ish subjects, are blue. The front of their houses is
lead colour. They are inflexibly attached to their
own religion, though many of them have apparently
conformed to Mahomedanism : such as have done so,
still practice, in their own way, the rites common to
both people. The Turk circumcises his child at the
age of five or six, and makes it a gay public ceremo*

329
ny. The Jewish proselyte always performs it on the
eighth day, and in private. Their Rabbies also visit
them secretly, and keep up all their former obser
vances. " Should a Jew be made a convert to Christianity,
he becomes the immediate object of the most relent
less persecution to his own people, so that his life is
not safe. A very respectable man of that persuasion
applied to me to be received into Christian com
munion, and in due time I baptized him in the chapel
of the British embassy ; but he earnestly requested
that I should keep it a profound secret, and the day
after the ceremony he left Constantinople for Poland.
Indeed, their repugnance to Chiistians, particularly to
the Greeks, displays itself on all occasions. When the
venerable patriarch was hanged by the Turks, the
Jews volunteered their services to cast his body into
the sea : some fellows of the lowest description weie
brought from Hassa Kui for the purpose, and they
dragged his corpse, by the cord by which he was hang-
ed, through the streets with gratuitous insult. This
circumstance, with others of a similar nature, so in
creased the former antipathy of the Greeks, that they
revenged themselves on every Jew that fell in their way,
at the commencement ofthe insurrection, with the most
dreadful retaliation.
" The mutual prejudice is so strong, that it gives rise,
as you may suppose, to a number of accusations ;
and they charge each other with the most attrocious
practices. The Jews, you will recollect, in the early
ages of Christianity, denounced the Christians as eaters
of their own children — an accusation sanctioned by the
impure and secret practices of some ofthe Gnostic sects.
9ft*

330
The Christians of Constantinople charge the Jews with
purloining their children, and sacrificing them as pas7
chal lambs, at their passover. I was one day at Ga
lata, a suburb of Pera, where a great commotion
was just excited. The child of a Greek merchant had
just disappeared and no one could give any account of
it. It was a beautiful boy, and it was imagined it had
been taken by a Turk for a slave : after some time,
however, the body was fouiKf in the Bosphorus ; its
legs and arms were bound, and certain wounds on its
side indicated that it had been put to death in some
extraordinary manner, and for some extraordinary pur
pose. Suspicion immediately fell upon the Jews ;
and as it was just after their paschal feast, suspicion,
people said, was confirmed to certainty. Nothing could
be discovered to give a clue to the perpetrators, but the
story was universally talked of, and generally believed,
all over Pera.
"The prejudice has also been greatly increased by a
book written, by a Jewish rabbi converted to Chris
tianity, which is a great curiosity. It is entitled, " A
Confession of the Religion of the Jews," by Neophy-
tus, a Greek monk, formerly a Jewish rabbi. The
oiiginal work was in the Moldavian language, and was
printed in the year 1803 ; but it is said that the Jews,
at that time, gave a large sum of money to the Hospo-
dar, and the book was suppressed and destroyed. A
copy, however, esc. ped, which was translated into
modern Greek, and printed at Yassy in 181 8, of which
I had a copy at Constantinople. The first chapter is
entitled f_uoV>ipioi xs_p.u,u,s.oi vOv 6s _3roxsxaX.u,|_svoi —
'The Concealed Mysteries now made Public' The
subject is ' the blood which the Jews take from Chris-

331
tians and the purposes to which they apply it.' After
detailing a number of the most extraordinary particu
lars, he concludes in the following words : — ' When
I was thirteen years old, my father revealed to me
the mystery of the blood, and cursed me by all the
elements of heaven and earth, if ever I should divulge
the secret, even to my brethren ; and when I was mar
ried, and should even have ten sons, I should not
discover it to all, but only to one, who should be the
most prudent and learned, and, at the same time, firm
and unmoved in the faith : but to a female I should
never disclose it on any account. ' May the earth,'
said he, ' never receive thee, if thou revealest these
secrets !' So said my father ; but I, since I have ta
ken for my father the Lord Jesus Christ, will pro
claim the truth in every place ; and, as the wise Sirac
says, ' even unto death strive for the truth.' Much
of these and similar representations are to be attri
buted to prejudice, and great deductions are to be
made from them ; but certainly the Jews of Constan
tinople are a fierce and fanatic race ; persecution
and suffering have not taught them moderation, and
they pursue, even to death, any apostate from their
own doctrines.
" They have a language and character peculiar to
themselves ; the fiist is Spanish, debased by Hebrew
and foreign words into a lingua franca ; and the second
in which it is written is rabbinical, disguised by an alter
ation of some ofthe letters."
1827. — One of the visits of which I have spoken as
made in company with my teacher, was to Coos-
Conjook on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus above
Scutari. Even in the Levant, I have not seen so mis-

332
erable and filthy a village. We met, however, with _
friendly and hospitable reception in the house of the
chief rabbi. The father was absent and there were
neither provisions sufficient for two strangers, nor
money to procure them. But the little boy on receiv
ing some paras, promptly ran to the market, to pur
chase what his mother as readily prepared. A table
was spread with all the dishes of the house, and two
knives for three of us. After washing our hands ac
cording to Jewish and Oriental usage, touching the
bread to the salt and then bringing his hand to his
forehead, my teacher pronounced the usual blessing,
" Blessed be thou, O Lord our God, the king of the
world, who hast produced this food from the earth."
Had he taken the wine cup he would have added,
" Blessed be thou, O Lord our God, who hast given
unto us the fruit of the vine," while as in the former
case, we should have replied, '' Amen." We then
partook of our frugal meal, a sprightly little girl of ten
or twelve years of age, doing the honors of the table,
and eating freely by the side of her Gentile friend.
As she entertained us with her conversation, I could
not but say in silence, ''The blessing, of Abraham's
God be upon thee," while I longed for the time when
such friendly interviews might be occasions for making
known the precious name of Jesus, our common Sa
vior. In conclusion, the longer prayer was repeated in
Hebrew, and we arose and took our leave.
Notwithstanding the extreme poverty of the family,
the shelves of the Rabbi were stored with thirty or
forty volumes, some in Jewish-Spanish but chiefly in
the Rabbinical character. My teacher said he was
learned in the Talmud and showed me some strange

333
characters of his formation, — a sort of charm which he
was preparing for sale. As we withdrew, my compan
ion also pointed out on the posts of nil the inner doors
the mezuzaw, a piece of parchment on which are writ
ten verses of Scripture, a practice borrowed from Deut.
vi. 9, &c. The whole was enclosed in a small cylinder
of tin which was fastened obliquely to the door post.
Through an opening in the cylinder, the name of Jeho
vah was visible. I afterwards received a request from
the rabbi to repeat my visit but nerer found it conven
ient for my teacher to accompany me.
On another occasion I visited the suburb of Chas-kui
on the opposite side of the harbor from Constantinople.
As we drew near to a house in the midst of the village
we heard music and dancing. " An espousal," said my
guide, and we entered, uninvited, yet not contrary to
the customs of the people. We had no sooner exchan,
ged salutations with the company, and taken our seats,
when coffee was brought us, for which also, according
to usage, we were careful to return money in our cups.
The musicians passed around at intervals to collect pa
ras, and so much disposed were they to profit by the
presence of two Franks, that the elders who sat by us,
rebuked their forwardness. The whole company seem
ed highly gratified by our visit, and pronounced their be
nediction as we departed.
The females were assembled in a separate room, in
the midst of whom sat, in state, the little betrothed
Jewess. She was only nine years old, and decked out
as she was with gold and a profusion of gaudy colors,
might have been mistaken for some young prin
cess. But this is the custom of the poorest in the Le
vant ; and though they have nothing but bread to eat,,

334
they will wear gold, and purple, and scarlet. Unto Chris
tian converts, gathered into churches among people of
similar usages, there was the more abundant reason for
the Apostolic cautions against excess of ornament in
"wearing of gold, and putting on of apparel."
Only the parents of the future bridegroom (a boy of
fourteen years) were present from his family. He was
left behind in a distant village, while his friends as is
•usual, had made the marriage contract, and enjoyed the
festival without him.
As we rowed back to our landing place on the after
noon of Friday, we met boats crowded with Jews, re
turning home from their business, though the sun was
yet some hours high. The more strict, and by far the
greater part, close their shops, and enter their houses
an hour before sunset. This is the time for lighting
the Sabbath lamp, after which they proceed to the syna
gogue, and rehearse a short prayer. Yet the Sabbath
is not to them a day of sacred rest. They seem to think,
that its' only violation consists in labors of the hands.*
So far as I can learn by observation and inquiry, they
have no idea that the mind should be called off from
worldly to sacred subjects. Alas, for the people of IsraeH
they still make clean the outside of the cup. and pay
tithe of mint and anise, while they neglect the weighti
er matters of the law. Let us pray for the time, when
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant
unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in the for*
mer years.
* Some of the Jews in Constantinopele, are said to employ
Gentiles to kindle fires for them on the Sabbath. They seem
to forget that the commandment says, " Thou shall not do any
work — nor thy man servant nor thy maid servant,"

335
I am sorry to say that the Christian Jews notwith
standing all the efforts which have been made, still remain
in the bagnio. The rayahs all continue to shun us, but
there are two Polish Jews who attend on the instructions
of Mr. Hartley. The indigent circumstances of one of
them, throw some discredit over his professions of a de
sire to be ''taught the way of God more perfectly."
There are also several Italian Jews and their rayah ser
vants who are occasionally residents on this island. The
principal family among them is that of Castro, the Jew
ish printer. I have mentioned his daughter as one who
followed the fortunes of Dr. Marpugo to Egypt. He
has one son who, conjointly with my teacher, assisted
Mr. Leeves in translating the New-Testament into
Jewish-Spanish. He is now absent on a commercial
speculation, having a large contract for supplying the
Egyptian troops in Greece with grain. Another of his
sons I perceive is on the best terms with some of the
principal Turkish authorities. As I mean to carry on
all my operations above board, it gives me not the
slightest uneasiness that they have through him the
means of knowing the nature of my employments.
The younger members of this family are very far from
being bigoted Jews. They execute considerable print
ing for their Jewish brethren, but I apprehend have
of late found Christians to be their best employers.
For the Bible Society they have printed the Scrip
tures in one or more languages and have engaged
to print the New Testament in Jewish-Spanish. It is
thought best however, from prudential considerations to
have it executed at Corfu. My intercourse with the
Castros, who freely receive my tracts in different
languages, has given me an opportunity of obseiving

336
how strong are the prejudices of Levantine Christians
against the Jews. At other times the Greeks are am
bitious of my company, but when I invite one of my
Jewish acquaintances to walk with me, who differ not
in dress and manners from other Frank gentlemen, the
former always makes some excuse for shrinking away.
I purposely, however, show myself superior to their
prejudices. In this connexion I should also, mention a rayah ser
vant of the Castro family, who is sometimes disposed to
converse with me on the subject of Christianity. He
accompanied Mr. Wolff while here, in his visits among
the Jews. For this reason only, as he says, he has
eaten, to use his own expressive oriental language, sixty
stripes of the bastinado. He is friendly in his feelings,
but replies sometimes to my remarks, that I must go to
others with my doctrines, for that he has suffered his part.
With such prospects before them, it is not singular that
few at present enter the door of a missionary. The poor
fellow just mentioned, seems at times to be a little shat
tered in his intellect — perhaps in consequence of the bas
tinado.* June 30, 1827.
A dark cloud has come over our missionary labors
among the Jews. We had been daily expecting the libe
ration of the imprisoned converts, and as John who had
been tenderly brought up and is still but a youth, would
have then been left without a home and without

*I remember a Greek priest who was a servant in the family
where I boarded at Smyrna that had in this way been reduced
almost to idiocy. Poor Iota was once a promising scholar at
Haivali, but for some trifle endured this terrible beating.

337
employment, I had prepared for him the prophet's
" chamber on the wall" and meant to have received
him as the companion of my studies and my travels.
Besides the benefit which I anticipated from his society
and the advantage which I hoped he would derive
from the study of the Scriptures with me, we trusted
also that their release would be the signal for the
Jews again to resume their intercourse with us. In
stead of realizing these anticipations, however, our
brethren have again been thrown into chains, and
sentenced to an additional three years' imprisonment.
A Greek fellow prisoner, who had assisted them in
writing and translating letters, has also shared in their
bonds. I should add that Rabbi David has not yet
profited by denying Christ, since he is still left in pri
son. He has, however, escaped the chains with which
his companions are loaded.
We ourselves are sick at heart in view of this sore
disappointment, and our poor brethren — the Saviour
whose name they have professed, He only can be their
support. How much occasjon have they to adopt the
prayer which a gifted writer has put into the mouths
of two afflicted captives of the Babylonish captivity.
"O Thou, who wilt not break the bruised reed,
Nor heap fresh ashes on the mourner's brow,
Nor rend again the wounds that inly bleed,
The only balm of our afflictions Thou :
Teach us to bear thy chastening wrath, O God,
To kiss, with quivering lips — still humbly kiss thy rod."
But will these brethren, one of them young in years,
and both of them in Christian knowledge and experi-
29

338
ence, endure this new trial of their faith 1 Shut out
as they are from almost all intercourse with Christian
friends, it must be grace from above which shall keep
them from falling. Mr. Hartley, except in a single
instance, and Mr. Leeves and myself have altogether
abstained from visiting them through fear that it might
expose them to increased sufferings. A physician has
been sent to the prison by Mr. L. whenever they have
made the request.
My own plans for the summer are much deranged
by this trying event. I had already found I could not
retain my teacher and translator without incurring very
great expense, nor was the prospect of his deriving
much personal benefit very hopeful. Mr. Leeves has
been authorized by the London Jews' Society to have
various tracts prepared in this language, and published
at their expense. At his suggestion I had employed
Senor Attias to tran slate some portions of the book of
common prayer^. I trust it will afford the Society satis
faction to learn that these have been sent to the pri
son in the manuscript form, for the comfort of our
brethren who are destitute of almost all other means of
instruction, as they do not understand Italian, French or
Greek. Mr. L. visits me from time to time for the revi
sion of the translations which were previously made.
One which I first selected was an Address to Jewish
females by Sir George Rose.
Under these disadvantages for acquiring the Jewish-
Spanish, and with so small probability that it will be im
mediately beneficial, it seems the part of wisdom to ap
ply myself to the Turkish, through this the Mahometan,
tl_3 Christian, and the Jew are more or less accessible.

339
Whenever there shall be an opening for undivided mis
sionary labor among the Jews, the Jewish-Spanish will
be an important medium of intercourse with them, since
it is their domestic language, and probably the only one
understood by Jewish females. It is but little corrupted
from the original Spanish, with which it would be proper
for a learner to begin. The character soon becomes
familiar to one who is acquainted with Hebrew. No re
gard is paid to the orthography ofthe original language,
but only to the pronunciation, so that Spanish words
which agree in the latter respect, however widely they
may differ in the former, are written with the same let
ters in the Jewish-Spanish.* Besides the New Testa
ment which has lately been translated into this dialect
for the Bible Society ; there is also a translation of the

*A11 my other specimens of Jewish-Spanish being either
mislaid or left hehind in the Mediterranean, I can only give
this example ofthe colloquial language as written by Senor
Attias. Books on ecclesiastical subj ects have very naturally
a greater portion of Hebrew words than others.
Buenos Dias Senor
buenos dias y salud y vida
como esta sumersed
gracias al Dio esto muy bueno
como va como se la passa sumersed
siempre esto pronto a su comando y sumersed como va ?
por hagora muy bien rengraciando al Dio vamos passando
a si biva sumersed muncho me alegro de verlo sany y resyo
gacia senor
como esta sinor hermano?
esta un poco salf
estaba bueno la ultima vez que lo vide.

340
Old Testament of ancient date and of frequent use
among the Jews. When the New Testament and the
tracts of the London Society shall have been published,
it seems desirable that this should be revised and printed
without the notes of Rashi and other absurdities
which are usually attached to it. I have obtained seve
ral of these volumes which are as large as a family bible,
and sold at a cheap rate.
July 3L 1827. — I am happy at the close of another
month, to report the continued steadfastness of the two
persecuted Jewish Christians. Considering the small
probability that their liberation could be effected through
foreign influence at this critical period of public af
fairs, Mr. Leeves thought it well that they should
avail themselves of aid from whatever quarter it might
be offered.* In repjy to this suggestion they write
that the Armenians have come to us and said they can
readily obtain our release, but wish to know first of
what faith we shall be on obtaining our discharge.
" We told them," say these men of Christian heroism,
'' that we wished to live and die in the faith in which
we have been baptised. On this they went away and
left us."
But though they still continue in confinement, their
chains have once more been taken off on the payment
of several hundred piastres by Mr. Leeves. On him

*Mr. L. himselfcalledonthe Greek and Armenian Patriarchs
to see if they were disposed to receive these and other Jewish
converts under theirprotection. The former felt the difficulty of
interference while the Greeks are so much the objects of suspi
cion. The course pursued by the latter will appear in the se
quel.

341
likewise constantly devolves the weekly support both
of these two and their fellow prisoner the Armenian.
The only connexion which this last has had with the
Protestants was affording shelter to the others for a
few days at the request of his employer. Had it been
any other crime, the wealthy community to which he
belongs, would not have failed, as now, to have made
provision for his support.
Still later than the interview with the Armenians
before mentioned, occurred the events spoken of in the
following extract of a letter which I have just received
from Mr. Leeves. "The Armenian family and the
converts in prison are very earnest that a trial should
be made for their release by a Turk who promised to
get it effected for five thousand piastres, ($450,) none
of which is to be received till they are all at liberty.
I have yielded to their earnest request that the trial
should be made, though I know not well where the
money is to come from. Would you in case of success
be disposed to assist from the funds of your Society ?
The expenses I have already incurred exceed five
thousand piastres, and if this could be effected it might
be even the most economical plan. But I believe
they will not succeed. But I have received late
ly from John Baptist two very satisfactory letters
in Jewish-Spanish. They were called a few days
ago before the Capitan Pasha and questioned at length
about themselves and their faith. They answered
wisely that they were neither Armenians, Greeks,
nor English, but Christians — who believed in what the
prophet Daniel had said, and in Jesus Christ. The
Pasha seems to have been satisfied with their conduct
and answers. He may have been ordered by the
29*

342
government to examine them. The hand of an all pow
erful God, will I trust be over them, and protect them
through all their trials which seem not to be at an end !"
I feel persuaded that the Society will justify me for
having given encouragement to bear a part of the ex
pense that may be attendant on their liberation, as well
as for having paid the weekly allowance which Mr. L.
had settled on them, whilst he accompained his family
to Smyrna on their return to England. We greatly
feel the loss of Mrs. L. a lady who had been " brought
up at the feet" of Miss Hannah More, having been
permitted even from childhood to listen to her words
of wisdom. Mrs. Canning the lady of the British
Ambassador, is almost the only English lady remaining.
She has expressed herself very kindly towards the
missionary of a Society of which Miss Hannah Adams
is Secretary. Mrs. C. was not in America with Mr.
Canning at the time he was Ambassador there.
_ have before mentioned the occasional vistis of
Jewish families to this island. A few days since, a
party of fifteen or twenty of the most wealthy, spent
a week or two in the village. It was somewhat amus
ing to witness Jewish ladies walking the streets in
their rich dresses with the long Turkish pipes in their
hands. I have seen no other females smoking in pub-
lie. While I was absent at Constantinople, the whole
party called at my house. I regretted very much not
having been at home. On returning the call, I found
to my great disappointment, that they had left the
place. Constantinople, Aug. 31, 1827.
I am following the example of the Franks, and
making preparations to leave this disquieted land.

343
When the gospel is to have " free course" among the
Jews of the city, and of the Levant, we cannot cer
tainly know. Great changes in the condition of the
Turkish empire, wherein are so many thousands of
these people, are beyond all doubt at hand. Up to
the present time, also, our Tracts and the New Testa
ment have been continually getting into circulation.
Two days since, while walking in Scutari, I gave away
a Tract to a Jew, who saluted us in a friendly manner.
On my return, a considerable number called out as I
passed, and requested Hebrew books.
Not long ago, likewise, one of the Jews, was met
in the streets, (Jacob Levi, I believe,) who shared
at first in the confinement of those who had been
baptised, but who escaped with only the bastinado
from the Turks. On being asked where he had been
for some time, as he had not been seen in public, he
replied, that for nine months he had been confined by
the Jews to his house, and was suffered that day only
to go abroad. He expressed a regret that he had not
been baptised, and participated in the bonds of the
other three. He repeated what has been attested,
that there are several hundreds who are secretly con
vinced that Jesus is the true Messiah. Then let not
the friends of the people of Israel despair of their
approaching deliverance. The clouds, which momen
tarily darken its morning horizon, cannot long delay
the millennial day. How delightful will be that period,
when, from the rising of the sun to where be goeth
down, incense and a pure offering shall ascend from
Jewish as well as Gentile altars. Even now, in
deed, I make no doubt, that from the place of con
finement of our brethren beneath the hill,, " the sigh-

344
ing of the prison" comes up with acceptance before
the Lord of Hosts. Smyrna, 1828.
After I had embarked from Constantinople for the
Greek Islands, our vessel being unexpectedly detain
ed for a few days, I spent the broken time in ramb
ling about the city. In the course of my walks,
I entered an open synagogue in the district ofBala-
kessi, at an early hour of the morning. Though it
was not their Sabbath, I found a few individuals en
gaged at their devotions, and others of the sick and
poor who crowded about us ''to ask an alms." I have
occasionally met with a Jewish beggar, but it is seldom
if ever they are necessitated to solicit charity of Gen
tiles. Their poor are supported from the public
treasury. At Balta-kui our attention was arrested by the noise
of a school. On entering we found six or eight groups
of children of different ages seated on the floor. Each
of these had an older boy for its teacher or monitor —
a school of mutual instruction, though they had proba^
bly never heard of the names of Bell and Lancaster.
All were rehearsing their lessons together, which they
accompanied with a gentle inclination of their bodies
as in the synagogue exercises. Each child has a small
book in his hand, though they were endeavoring to re
peat their task fiom memory.
On another occasion I visited the Jewish burying-
place near Coos-Conjux on the Asiatic side. It is
several miles from the village, on the acclivity and
summit of a hill. The monuments are of white mar-
ble, placed horizontally upon a solid wall of rough
stone. Many of them had also a small block of mar-

345
ble much resembling a coffin inserted in the table
stone. I have observed these in no other place.
Some of the marble tablets which I measured were
several yards in length, and completely covered with
inscriptions. The letters are usually cut in relief, and
sometimes painted black. The only ornaments were
garlands of flowers and pomegranates.
We found a sexton or mason employed in gathering
material for the support of a tomb stone. I saluted him
in Hebrew — y hy Di .(_ — " peace be with you," at which
he looked up with surprise, but returned the saluta
tion — " peace." I then spoke of the beautiful ceme
tery. " Yes," he said " the Jews come from all parts
to bury here, for the ground is good," at the same time
taking up some of the loose dirt in his hand. We did
not at first fully comprehend his meaning. It was
indeed a sandy soil favorable for the purposes of
sepulture, but it was evident that he referred also to
its supposed sacredness. He added afterwards that
this place of the dead was nearer Jerusalem than those
on the European side, and that the Rabbies had told
them there was formerly a passage thither under
ground. It is a common opinion of many of their au
thors that when the Messiah shall appear, " the bodies
of all the Jews who do not die in Palestine, will, before
they are raised, roll thither through subterranean
channels which the Eternal hath dug." Following out
what I presumed to be the direction of his thoughts,
I asked him, " Do you believe that the Messiah has
come, or do you wait for him V " Wait for him," he
said. " And why does he so long delay ?" " In con
sequence of our sins," was his reply. I said to him,
" Jesus is the true Messiah, who has come to ' put

346
away sin by the sacrifice of himself,' and I advise you
to obtain the New Testament and read his history."
I mentioned that his brethren in other places, and
even a few in Constantinople were beginning to be
lieve in this Saviour. " Those in the bagnio," he
answered instantly ; he had heard of them, and " all
the nation knew of them." In the course of our
conversation he enquired whence we came, and ap
peared to take kindly our serious admonitions. Af
ter we had left him, he continued gazing at us, appa
rently lost in astonishment at having heard the name
of Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed in that retired spot
amidst the sepulchres of his brethren.
The evening before I sailed, I walked down the hill
towards the place where our brethren are confined, and
spent an hour in musing upon their painful lot. Now
that their paternal friend and counsellor, Mr. Leeves,
has been necessitated to withdraw, it is difficult to
know in what manner their wants will be supplied.
Nor have they any reason to hope for an improvement
in their condition until some decided change shall
take place in the country and the government. When
twenty thousand Armenian Catholics, backed by all
their own wealth and influence of the Austrian Am
bassador have no other alternative but a renuncia
tion of their faith or banishment, it is not likely that
these obscure and helpless men while differing still
more widely from their Jewish brethren will be set at
liberty. A return to the profession of Judaism seems at
present the only thing which will set open the long clo
sed doors of their prison. By the latest accounts received
from them here, they still continue firm, notwithstand
ing all the efforts which have been made to shake their

347
purpose. At an interview which the father of John had
with him just before my departure, he said, " If you will
renounce this faith, in eight days I will procure your dis
charge." " Why do you talk with us thus ?" was the
reply. " Why do you not rather send us the Rabbies and
let us reason together, that we may convince one another
ofthe truth ?" Indeed from their first entry into the pri
son, they have showed the same readiness to " give a
reason ofthe hope that was in them." When urged by
the Greeks and Armenians to join their respective church
es, they replied, " Convince us that your way is right and
we will follow it." The apostate Peter who is still in
prison, when asked lately why he turned back from follow
ing Christ, made no other reply, than '' Do not ask me,"
being evidently much ashamed.
Such then is the condition in which are left these
Christian heroes — martyrs I had almost called them.
Strong indeed must be their conviction of truth and
love of the Savior to enable them through so many
weaiisome months to endure the horrors of a Turkish
prison. Yet He who is ever present with his people
in the most thorny path of their pilgrimage, is able so
to make all grace abound unto them and by them,
that they and others from their example shall rejoice
and glorify God on account of these firery trials. To
this end may " prayer be made without ceasing of
the church unto God for them."
A short time previously to the date of the above
letter the two Christian Jews and the Armenian
were most unexpectedly set at liberty. This was
effected through the influence of some of the coun
trymen of the latter, to whose care they had been

348
confided by Mr. Leeves. One of them thus describes
the event.
" On Thursday, March 15, at four o'clock in the
evening, by order of his majesty the Grand Seignor,
the poor Christian Jews and the Armenian, Bagtasar,
were liberated from the bagnio. Bagtasar went to his
own house, and the two others were sent to our patriarch,
who received them with great pleasure, and with pater
nal affection. On Friday morning I had the honor of
going to see them, and of clothing them in their new
clothes with my own hands. I consider it as a favor of
Almighty God to have seen and ministered to the wants
of these persons, and I thank him for that moment.
" You will learn more at length from the Wortabet
Joseph the circumstances of the liberation of these
now happy men. With how many trials has the good
God proved them. His holy will be praised !"
The unhappy Peter was suffered by the Armenians
to remain in prison, but through the exertions of his
Jewish brethren he was after a while released. The
interest attached to the history of those who " endured
unto the end," will justify the following quotation from
a letter of Mr. Hartley. Speaking of John Baptist,
who had been with him at Smryna for a few weeks, he

" He has great zeal for the conversion of his coun
trymen and of others, and has already been rendered
useful to several persons. There are from eight to
twelve Jews at Constantinople, who thirst for an oppor
tunity of being baptised. To one of them, in particu
lar, I wish to direct your attention : he is a young man,
eighteen years old, of a very tich family, and related

349
by marriage to a late distinguished Jew at Constanti
nople : after John Baptist's release from prison, he
came to visit him, in order to hold controversies with
him : the issue has been, that he has become a believer
in Jesus Christ, and is exceedingly eager to be bap
tized: he professes himself willing to lose all the
wealth of his family, and to part with father, mother,
and friends, fo£ the sake of Jesus Christ: nay, what
is the most extraordinary, undeterred by the sufferings
from which our two young friends have so recently
escaped, he expresses a willingness to prove all the
horrors of the prison, and of death itself, if God should
call him to that trial.
" John Baptist has been treated with much kindness
by the Armenians, nor am I aware that they have ex
acted from him any observance inconsistent with a
good conscience : he partook daily at the table of the
Armenian Bishop, and has also been furnished by him
with lodgings.
It has been customary for later writers to estimate
the number of Jews in European Turkey at 300,000.
I cannot persuade myself, however, there are more
than 200,000. In Seres there are said to 5 or 6000.
In Philippopoli 200, in Tartar Bazargik, 300. Some
thousands should perhaps be reckoned for Yassy, Bu
charest, Adrianople, Rodosto, rind the lesser towns in
Moldavia, Wallachia, and Romania. If to those be ad
ded the highest estimates for Constantinople and Saloni
ca, they will still fall short of the number I have stated.
30

350
CHAPTER XXV.
JEWS OF ASIA.
Smyrna — Visits to Jewish families — Uproar in the Synagoue —
Aged females — Schools — The Passover — Asia Minor — Syria
— Palestine — Jerusalem — Missionary labor" in Greece — Rea
sons for returning to America — Memorials of missionary
brethren — Whole number of Jews in the world — The ten
tribes — Return of the Jews to Palestine — Different sects
— Efforts for their improvement. Smyrna, Jan. 17, 1827.
Many of the principal Greeks, both teachers and
priests have called on us, and we daily read the
Scriptures with some young men in Greek and Italian.
I wish I could speak as favorably of the Jews, but
longer time will be necessary to overcome the shyness
which most of them manifest. As in other places, my
first visits here have been to their synagogues and bury
ing ground. On one occasion we were invited by a
respectable Jew who is in the employment of a
Frank merchant, to accompany him to his house. A
part of the room in which we were received was
one or two feet above the other. This was carpet
ed and furnished with cushions on which the lady
of the house was sitting richly dressed and sur
rounded by a large company of sons and daughters.
We were treated with sweetmeats and coffee, and
the children gathered around me to read from the
Hebrew Psalter; They told me also their names
of Abraham, Sarah, Benjamin, &c, to which I at-

351
tempted to reply in Italian, that mine too was a Jewish
name — that of one of their kings. It was the first
visit I had ever made to a Jewish family and almost
my first sight of oriental manners. I can hardly des
cribe my feelings on such an occasion. The im
pressions which Scripture history had made on my
mind in childhood were revived in all their freshness.
I seemed to have got back a hundred generations
nearer to the world's great ancestor, and to view the
patriarchal scenes in all the magic coloring with which
youthful fancy had arrayed them.
With a more melancholy interest I have visited an
other Jew, Mr. Cohen, whose name is mentioned in the
journals of our lamented predecessors, but in whose
character the intervening years seem to have made
no improvement. Notwithstanding the hopeful ac
counts of Messrs. Parsons, Fisk, and Lewis, I still found
him living in the midst of his Jewish brethren. He
has long been known in Frank Street as a public crier,
but his grey hairs indicate that his earthly employ
ments are drawing to a close. Fifty years ago, at the
age of sixteen he resided sometime in South America,
and on his return stopped for a while in New York.
He informed me, as he has others, that he spoke four
teen different languages. While we were present,
he conversed quite readily in two. or three. He
repeated with some particularity the conversation
which he had held with Messrs. Parsons and Fisk,
about the Messiahship of Jesus, and spoke with an air
of triumph of his own manner of conducting the argu
ment. When angry with his brethren, he assured us
that he sometimes swore about the Talmud and repeat
ed the oaths in English. On the whole I saw nothing

352
in him to encouiage the hope that he would continue
to live or would die any other than a Sadducee.
Sea of Marmora, Jan. 30, 1827.
I am now on my way to Constantinople, a city where
are probably more Jews than in any other city in the
world. Since the late excitement among them, their
brethren at Smyrna have been more than usually
jealous of intercourse with Bible men. Whether it
was owing to this state of feeling that my last visit to
one of their synagogues caused so much disturbance,
or . whether it was a day on which no Christian
would receive the usual welcome, I am not quite cer
tain. While I was at a distance, an alarm was given
by a number who were standing at the door with their
synagogue shawls on their heads. A crowd immedi
ately gathered around us, so close as almost to prevent
our going forward. On my reaching the entrance the
tumult became so great that we apprehended some
violence would be done us, until the principal reader,
the same whom I had formerly visited,, broke off in the
midst of the exercises, and came out with others to
quiet the multitude. He very politely seated us by
the side of the elders near the door. I remained a
few moments while the congregation came one after
another to pay their respects to them in the oriental
manner. This is done by taking the hand of a superior,
and bringing it to the lips and forehead. Finding that
my presence was still a source of uneasiness to a con
siderable number without, I thought it proper to with
draw. On the whole my impression is that I had al
ready become known as a missionary to the Jews, and
that on this account the clamor was raised. In the
midst of the tumult I saw that my obliging companion,

353
Peter, the son of our host, was as much disturbed as
myself. He was unable to give any explanation of the
affair. Some may feel inclined to regard this suspicious
reception by the Jews of Smyrna and the violent con
duct which has been exhibited by those of Constantino
ple, as grounds of discouragement. I view them, how
ever, as well founded apprehensions that the yoke of
ceremonial bondage is about to be broken, and Jesus of
Nazareth to be acknowledged by many as their long ex
pected Deliverer. Smyrna, April 22, 1828.
Some of the oldest residents estimate the number of
Jewish families here at 2000. It has been correctly
remarked that Jewish families are large in the East,
because children reside with their parents after mar
riage. I have met with instances of three genera
tions of parents in the same household. If the above es
timate therefore be correct, there must be not far
from 12,000 souls. They have 200 Rabbies and three
Judges. There are also a considerable number of
primary schools, in which are from 20 to 40 boys. 1
have known of a few girls who were taught to read
and write by their parents or by a private teacher.
The synagogue, service and the Scriptures employ the
pupils till the age of twelve or fourteen years, when
they enter on the study of the Talmud. Here as at
Constantinople, the Rabbies appear to derive their
support from public and private teaching. The lan
guage ofthe people is Jewish-Spanish. They have
more connexion with the Frank merchants than have
their brethren at Constantinople, and sometimes inter
change visits with their employers, or rather receive
visits from them. In other respects there is no material
30*

354
difference in the character and employments of the Jews
of the two cities. The influence of western Christen
dom is more apparent among all classes at Smyrna,
while Constantinople retains its oriental character un
altered. I find the Jews of Smyrna in a more quiet state,
than on my first arrival in Turkey. Mr. Wolff when
here a few weeks since, was embraced by them very
cordially and listened to in the synagogue and in the
streets. I have been myself occasionally into the Jew
ish quarter, during my stay. One day I visited the
principal synagogue on Saturday, but not until after the
regular morning services were concluded. Groups of
both sexes were gathered together in the upper and
lower (or summer) rooms, listening to individuals
who were reading books in Jewish-Spanish and making
explanations of their own. I was interested in the
appearance of ten or twelve aged women, who were
sitting in the gallery appropriated to females. Their
head-dress, like that of all the married ladies, consist
ed of a handkerchief of calico formed into a turban.
Above this was another of white, bound under the chin
and over all, a shawl also of white falling down behind.
By these their features were partly concealed, yet less
so than those of the Turkish or Armenian females.
While we were present, a minister brought in bread
and a cup containing wine as I supposed, of which they
tasted. These might have had some peculiar signifi-
cimcy, but probably were intended only as a refresh
ment for the poor of the congregation, or rather those
whose age and long stay in the synagogue had render
ed it needful. As individuals from time to time with
drew, they kissed the hand of her who appeared to be

355
the oldest among them. When she herself retired,
another succeeded to the seat of honor, and in like
manner received the salutations of the company.
" Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor
the man of gray hairs," was brought to my recollec
tion, as it often is by witnessing the respect which this
people pay to the aged. They reminded me also of
" one Anna, a prophetess — a widow of about fourscore
and four years, which departed not from the temple,
but served God with fasting and prayers night and day."
Ye mothers in Israel ! the Lord whom ye seek, has
long since come to His temple, and ye have not given
thanks, nor spoken of Him " to all them who looked for
redemption." Still, however, in your case may He
cause the prediction to be fulfilled, <' And it shall come
to pass that at even time, it shall be light."
On another occasion I visited what may be called the
Jewish College. Around a court resembling a khan
or caravansary, were nine schools which we entered
and others perhaps which escaped our notice. The
average number of pupils in each was between forty
and fifty. In most of them but few were reading at
the same time. These appeared to vie with each
other in the most violent gesticulations of body and
distortions of features. Their arms were moved with
all the violence of combatants and if at any time they
appeared to become remiss or were guilty of a mistake,
their attention was quickened by the master's rod. In
the room where sixty of the smallest weie seated on the
floor, they came up by pairs, and kneeled down before a
bench on which the alphabet was placed. After going
through their drill of one or two minutes, another pair
followed them while they returned to the group that

356
were crowded together in a solid mass without books,
employment or play, save that in which the dreaded rod
would suffer them' to indulge.- As these were just en
tering the vestibule of learning, they were permitted to
repeat their letters with less violent agitation of the body,
and more resembling the motion of the old men, in the
synagogue worship. In all the rooms, were piles of
books, apparently those which had been thrown by from
much use. Many of the teachers, and also of the Turk
ish Scribes I observed using a common kind of specta
cles, without arms. Probably the nature of their em
ployments, having much to do with characters of a small
size, may produce weakness of sight.
In several places I have met with Hebrew and Jew
ish-Spanish books exposed for sale. On offering to
purchase them at one of the principal of these shops,
the suspicious owner declined selling, until he could
ask permission of the Rabbies, as I suppose. At
others we obtained without hesitation, whatever kind
they had.
The second Passover since I came from America
is going by, and I am not yet permitted to keep it at
Jerusalem. But wherever the Israelite is found, the
" days of unleavened bread" are observed with all
their ancient strictness. - Some Jews of my acquaint
ance have sold, until the festival is past, the keys of
their shopsi that they may be above reproach of " ser
vile work." I have seen also the Rabbies going around
to dash the kneading troughs of the preceding year
from the whadows of every family, and to make a
formal search for any remains of leavened bread within
their doors. Could we have looked in upon them
when they had " made ready the passover," we should

357
have seen the cakes of unleavened bread, a dish of
" bitter herbs,'- together with the sauce or paste,
which the latter Jews have added of different fruits
pounded together, to represent the clay and bricks
among which their fathers labored during their bond
age in Egypt. We . should also have observed the
bone of a Iamb roasted as a memorial of the paschal
lamb, which might only be eaten " at the place in
which the Loid their God should choose to place his
name." And when they had "sat down to the passo-
ver," we should have beheld the master of the family,
take the bread, and bless it and give it to all. The
third of the four cups of wine would then have been
blessed and the whole intermingled with the repetition
of the 116th and other Psalms and prayers. In short
the ceremonies prescribed in- the law of Moses, we
should have found observed in some respects perhaps
with greater scrupulosity than by the Jews of old, so
that there was no need of a Hezekiah to pray " The
good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart
to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he
be not cleansed according to the purification of the
Sanctuary." But with all their attention to the out
ward forms, it is to be feared they have neglected to
"purge out the old leaven," and have been unmindful
of the exhortation to "keep the feast not with old
leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
Since I have been among the Jews of Smyrna I have
sometimes met fathers in the streets, repeating to
their sons whom they were leading by the hand,
those things which they were commanded to " teach
diligently unto their children in the house and by tho

358
way." This too is only a regard paid the letter of
the law, for the Hebrew which they teach is an un
known tongue, and they seem little solicitous to en
courage the reading even of their own translations of
the Old Testament in Jewish-Spanish.
Notwithstanding these superstitions which are not pe
culiar to the Jews ; and although no such hopeful move
ments have taken place among them as among their
brethren at Constantinople, still I regard this place as a
most important station for a missionary either to Jews
or Gentiles. Rev. Mr. Lewis who is in the service of
the London Jews' Society, after having traversed the
Holy Land from Dan to Beersheba, purposes as soon as
the country shall become tranquil to come and establish
himself here. The same society are likewise looking
put a missionary to reside at Constantinople.
Respecting the Jews of Asia Minor, Syria, and Pales
tine, I have made frequent enquiries of European
travellers and intelligent natives. On the whole I am
satisfied that their numbers are very inconsiderable.
Indeed until Constantinople, Salonica, and Smyrna,
shall be occupied by Jewish missionaries, perhaps not
even Jerusalem itself with all its sacred associations
should be suffered to lure away from fields of richer
promise. In either of these cities — certainly in the
two former, there are more Jews than in all the land
of Israel, They are also of a more hopeful charac
ter, and there too the missionary would live under the
protection of European Consuls, and meet with most
of the comforts of a civilized land.
Perhaps in the whole of Asia Minor, including the
neighboring islands, there may be 20,000 Jews in ad
dition to those of Smyrna. At Magnesia there are

359
said to be 350, at Pergamos, 100. At the Dardanelles
2 or 300, at Nicodemia 50, at Brusa 1750, at Angora
300, at Cesarea 150, at Scala Nova, near Ephesus,.
200, in the island of Rhodes 1000, in Cos 50, and in
Candia 1000.
In Armenia and the Turkish provinces on the Eu
phrates, there are not probably more than 10,000
Jews. They have been estimated 1000 in Ertzeroum,
the chief town of Turkish-Armenia, and at 2000 in
Diarbekir. In Asiatic Russia there may be 10,000 ;
in Persia perhaps not more than 30,000, and in Ara
bia, India, China, &c, possibly 40,000. Still it is sur
prising how the estimates made with few or no data
dwindle down on entering into particulars.
Some calculations assign 250,000 Jews to Turkey in
Asia, and 300,000 to Persia, Arabia, &c. We shall
probably be nearer the truth if we a,dd to our estimate
for Asia Minor and Armenia, 30,000 for the other
Turkish Provinces, viz. 15,000 for Syria, and 15,000
for Palestine. At Aleppo in Syria proper, there may
be 5000, at Damascus 3 or 4000, at Deir-el Kamer 300,
and a few at Tripoli and Beyrout.
In Palestine the Jews are but few in number, and
mostly such have come to find a grave in their '' father
land." " It is no longer pleasant," say they, " to live
at Jerusalem, but it is pleasant to die there." In that
city they are differently estimated at from 3 to 10,000,
at Safet near the lake of Galilee 1,500, at Tiberias
1000, at Hebron 500, at Acre 800. The four first are
the holy cities ofthe Talmud, in which if prayers should
not be offered twice a week to the God of Israel, the
superstitious believe the world would return to its
original chaos. On this account agents are sent out

360
into different countries to collect funds for the mainte
nance of Jews in these places. Tiberias and Safet
have long been celebrated seats of Jewish literature,
and there are still here a great number of rabbies
who spend their days in repeating the Talmud.
The Jews of Palestine are chiefly of two classes, viz.,
the Sephartim or Spanish Jews, and the Ashkenaism
or Polish.
" The Sephartim," says Mr. Jowett, '• speak Span
ish : the Ashkenasim speak German, Polish, and Rus
sian. All intermingle a kind of Rabbinical jargon.
Hebrew, Rabbinical Hebrew, and Arabic, are, in vari
ous degrees, spoken by them. From these data, a
missionary to the Jews may perceive what acquire
ments are expedient for his work. At the fewest,
three languages appear to be essential—Spanish, Ger
man, and Hebrew ; while, for a frequent traveller or
stated resident in this country, Arabic is indispen
sable." Though the Jews of the Holy Land be thus few and
according to the unanimous representations of those
who have visited them, " persons whom bigotry and
superstitution have brought to that country and there
fore probably the most unpromising subjects of mis
sionary labor of any part of the nation," still Jerusalem
deserves to be kept in view as a missionary station.
" Thither the tribes go up, even the tribes to the tes
timony of the Lord," and thither too, the feet of. the
Christian Pilgrim, as superstitious and as far from pre
serving the spirit of the gospel, hastens each year to
keep the Passover.
Of late the number of Jews in Palestine is said to be
on the increase ; of 500 who go thither in some years,

361
not more than 50 return. The annual number of
Christian pilgrims is usually 2 or 3000. Should the pre
sent political difficulties be favorably adjusted, it may be
hoped that as the Roman Catholic influence in Turkey
is now greatly diminished, the circulation of the Scrip
tures will again be permitted, and thus the law once
more go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord fiom
Jerusalem.* In Dec. last on a former visit to this place, I received
your favor of the 13th Aug. I am truly thankful for
the kind wishes of the Society and their approbation of
my course of operations which you have had the good
ness to communicate. A bare mention of the places
which I have visited since I last wrote the Society, as
well as the want of any thing interesting on Jewish sub
jects will be a sufficient apology for their not having
heard from me again at an earlier date. After leaving
Constantinople I have been in succession at Tenedos,
Andros, Syra, Mycone, Delos, Tinos, Syra, Hydra, Ar-
gos, Corinth, Egina, Poros, Egina, Syra, Smyrna, Mal
ta, Milo, Cimolo, Syra, Egina, Poros, Damala, Syra and
Smyrna. From this catologue and my journal which
will be presented to the Prudential Committee, it will be
seen that " in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in pe-

* We have lately a report that the Rothschilds, well known
Jewish bankers, (the richest individuals doubtless in the world)
have proposed to purchase Palestine of the Tukish government.
Were this event to take place, it ought perhaps to excite no tri
umphant feelings in Christians, as it is by no means certain that
it would turn out to the furtherance of the gospel.
The occurrence of such an event, however, is far from being
probable. 31

362
rils of robbers," a gracious Providence has been my
Protector and Deliverer. I have reason for humiliation
however, that in the spirit and success, with which these
labors have been accomplished, there have been, no
more " signs of an apostle." The objects which have
chiefly occupied me, as you will also learn through the
Committee, have been the circulation of one or two
thousand copies of the New Testament, thirty or forty
thousand tracts, the establishment of a school at Syra,
and various efforts to promote the cause of education.
The observation which my brethren and myself have
made on the state of society in Greece will I trust, pre
pare the way for an efficient and extended system of
operations in a country which, next to Palestine itself,
has shared most largely in the instructions of apostles.*
Since my arrival in Smyrna, we have intelligence
of the declaration of war on the part of Russia, and
all who have Russian protection are fleeing from the
city or exchanging it for that of the Dutch and other
consuls. Such being the unsettled state of all these

* Respecting my labors in Greece and missionary tour gene
rally, the Ladies in their thirteenth annual report have had the
kindness to speak as follows —
" Your Committee do not feel that Mr. Brewer's mission has
been in vain ; for he came into contact with many Jews and
preached to them Christ ; he also scattered widely those mes
sengers of salvation, that can preach the gospel amidst wars
and fightings, and which we hope will prove the means of sal
vation to many a son of Abraham. His agency, also, in the es
tablishment of the school at Syra, will, we hope, be remember
ed with gratitude by succeeding generations. Could we look
into futurity, and see the effects of our missionary's labor from
beginning to end, we might this day have our hearts filled with
gratitude and reioicin.-."

363
countries, though the time of my original engagement
is not yet expired by a few months, it is obviously ex
pedient to follow the advice of my brethren ; " If
ever you purpose to return to America, now is the
time." I have accordingly taken passage for Bos
ton, in the Camilla, Capt. Edes, the same who nine
years ago brought out from your city to this place,
Messrs. Parsons and Fisk, the first American Mission
aries to Palestine. Many and precious are the memo
ries of these beloved men, and their later associates of
kindred spirits, with which I have met. When here in
December, I spent a few days in the house of a Swiss
Protestant, where the two former resided. I am now
in the family of Mr. Mengous, where Messrs. King,
Gridley, and myself have been welcomed with paren
tal kindness. After the wandering life which I have
been leading, in the sight of so much misery, ignorance
and crime, it is refreshing to rest for a season, where I
can again receive the daily summons to meet the
household, while the scriptures are read by one Of their
number. Mr. Peter Mengous, their son, accompanies me to
America, paying his own expenses, in order to qualify
himself for greater usefulness to his countrymen. I
am happy to learn that the daily reading of the Scrip
tures through the labors of Mr. King and of Mr. Bar
ker the Bible Society's Agent, has become somewhat
extensive among the Greeks. Of my dear departed
brother Gridley, with whom I first set foot in this
place, the language of the Cappadocians will be his
best eulogy, " A new sort of Christian has come among
us, who does good for nothing." Yet why, (sometimes
ask myself, was it his bereaved and widowed mother,

364
instead of another parent, who is called to mourn a son
so early called away from his labors !
But though my face is thus turned towards home, it
is with deep regret that my feet have not first " stood
within'thy gales, O Jerusalem." When I was at Malta
a short time since, Lady Georgiana Wolff, on her way
thither with Mr. W. hearing that a Jewish missionary
was at the Lazaretto, had the goodness to call with our
friends, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. When I understood she
was hastening to join Mr. Wolffon a journey to the Holy
city, I felt most strongly inclined to accompany them,
in their perilous path. A missionary should be more
solicitous to speak of what has been done rather than
what has been seen ; or as an apostle expresses it,
'' None of us liveth to himself."
1829. — " Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the
number ofthe fourth partof Israel?" said the son of Beor,
when he saw the people abiding in their tents on the
plains of Moab. How much more difficult must it now
be, when, if not as numerous, they are scattered to all the
ends of the earth ? At that time there were more than
600,000 "from twenty years old and upward, that were
able to go forth to war in Israel." Following the
nsual rate of calculations there must have been there
fore nearly 3,000,000 of the whole population. —
These are supposed to have increased in the days of
David and Solomon to 6 or 7,000,000, though some
errors may have crept into the later enumerations.
At the present time the different estimates of the Jews
vary from 2 to 10,000,000. The smaller number is
believed to be nearest to the truth, and the following
table an approximation to the numbers in different
parts of the world. The estimates for Europe and

365
America rest on more satisfactory data than those of

si a and Africa.

Europe.

Austria, German Provinces,
100,000
Polish do.
205,000
Turkish do.
153,000-
-458,000
Russia, proper,
50,000
Polish Provinces,
400,000^
-450,000
Prussia, Polish Provinces,
85,000
German do.
35,000-
-120,000
Other German States,
-
100,000
Turkey in Europe, -
-
200,000
Netherlands, -
-
80,000
France,
60,000
Italy, ....
-
50,000
Great Britain,
-
25,000
Cracow, - - - -
-
7,300
Ionian Islands,
7,000
Denmark, ...
-
5,000
Switzerland, -
2,000
Sweden, - - -
-
500
Malta, - - - -
]
200
1,565,000
Asia.
Asiatic Turkey, Asia Minor,
30,000
Armenia, &c.
10,000
Syria,
15,000
Palestine,
15,000-
-70,000
Asiatic Russia,
-
10,000
Persia, - ' -
-
30,000
Arabia, Tartary, India, China,
&c.
40,000
150,000
31*
366
Africa.
Barbary States, Morocco and Fez, 50,000
Algiers, - 30,000
Tunis, - 60,000
Tripoli, - 10,000—150,000
Egypt, - - - 5,000
Abyssinia, ... 5O,0QO
Rest of Africa, - - 10,000

215,000

America.

United States,
.
6,000
British Provinces,
2,000
Mexico and South America,
4,000
West Indies,
.
2,000—14,000
Australasia and Polynesia, -
1,000
Recapitulation.
Europe,
-
1,565,000
Asia,
.-
150,000
Africa,
-
215,000
America,
- -
14,000
Australasia, &c.
.
1,000
1,945,000
It qannot be doubted that great numbers of the Jews
have become incorporated with the Gentiles in different
countries and thus irrecoverably lost. This too has
most probably been the case with such of the ten
tribes as did not return to their brethren in Judea be
fore the titoe of our Saviour. The Indian tribes of
our own continent, and several of the central Asiatic
nations, particularly the Afghans, have indeed been
regarded by different individuals as the descendants of
367
these ten lost tribes, and scarcely a year passes with
out some new supposed discovery of this people.
But though it is a lawful subject of investigation, few
sober judges seem as yet to be satisfied with any of
their pretensions.
Intimately connected with this enquiry is another, on
which there is a like diversity of sentiment, the question
whether the temporal restoration as prophesied in Scrip
ture. Mr. Wolff, the Jewish missionary, and other
zealous friends of Israel — " men that have hazarded
their fives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," carry
their notions on this subject so far as to expect the Sav
iour himself will appear again at Jerusalem and be
seated on the throne of David.
In England where these questions have lately under
gone considerable discussion, the " Objections to the
Doctrine of Israel's Restoration to Palestine, National
pre-eminence," &c. have been ably stated by one wri
ter. My own views on this and kindred subjects were
thus expressed when amidst the novelty and first ex
citement of a, Jewish mission, I was expecting to have
made Jerusalem my home. Subsequent observation
has confirmed my apprehensions. " Never from the
lips of the Saviour do we find the slightest intimation
of such an event, nor indeed does the New Testament
generally, full as it is of the prophetic history of the
church, seem to contain any predictions of this tempo
ral return. Such an error, if it be one, must be view
ed in no better light than as a sort of compromise with
the worldly minded Jews, and as tending greatly to
impede the progress among them of that kingdom,
which is not of this world. Even in those who may
become converts to Christianity, there is reason to
fear that it will excite feelings of self-importance

368
and serve to direct their attention from labors for pro
moting the conversion of their brethren to the faith of
the crucified Saviour. In thus making therefore Judea
that land of so many justly hallowed recollections, the
seat of missionary exertions, he should do nothing to
promote towards it a romantic or superstitious attach
ment. We would not preach another crusade to the
Holy Land, nor say that " in Jerusalem men ought to
worship." The leading sect among the Jews is that of the
Rabbinists, who hold " the traditions of the elders," an
hundred fold increased from the days of their fathers,
and collected together in the Talmud. Poland has
been the chief seat of Rabbinical learning. The
Caraites reject these traditions and profess to follow
only the sacred text. They are well spoken of for
their morals, and industry, but their numbers are very
inconsiderable and their origin doubtful. Mr. Wolff
found a small colony of this people in the desert of
Hit, three day's journey from Bagdat. They profess
ed to have separated from their brethren as far back
as the time of the Babylonish captivity. These claim
ed to be the parent stock and said they had led out
colonies to Cairo and Ispahan, and that their wJiole
number was 5000. In Cairo there are still a consid
erable number of families. In the Crimea, where
they occupy a fortress singularly and beautifully situa
ted, and where they are said to have been established
600 years, they amount to 1 100. In Troki in Lithua
nia, are 160 who claim descent from those in the Cri
mea. Their professed belief in a future state discre
dits the idea that they are a remnant of the sect of
Sadducees. The Samaritans, equally «hated by the
Rabbinists, S,;" !"»»•» *hoir nl_. . tr> th_ number of 50

369
families at Sychem near mount Gerizim where their
fathers worshipped. They expect the Messiah— diave
the Pentateuch only, and have been accused, but falsely
as they say, of worshipping the dove.
Within sixty or seventy years, the Chasidim have
sprung up, a most fanatical and extravagant sect,
who are making considerable progress at the present
time. Most of the changes, however, among the Jews
of late, have been for the better. The efforts of some
enlightened men among themselves, and various mea
sures adopted by Christian governments, have tended
greatly to overthrow the absurd and tyrannical system
of Rabbinism. The Reformed Jews, a party which is
composed perhaps of a few of the more serious, but
principally it is to be feared, of the sceptical, maintain
public worship in their spoken languages, and have a
weekly sermon on morality, and are found to promote
the temporal improvement of their brethren.
Of late years the attention of Protestant Christians
has been much drawn to exertions for the benefit of
the Jews. In 1728 an institution for this purpose was
formed at Halle which translated and circulated some
portions of the New Testament in Hebrew. The
journals and travels of its first missionary, Professor
Schultze, in Europe, Asia, and Egypt, according to a
labored article in the Quarterly Review, from which
some of the preceding statements have been derived,
are highly valuable. In 1808, the London Jews' So
ciety was formed, who have caused the New Testa
ment and other books to be translated into Hebrew
and seveial of the spoken languages of the Jews, and
distributed in every land where they are to be found ;
maintained a school for Jewish children, and now have

370
thirty or forty missionaries, about one third of whom
are converted Jews, employed in different parts of
the world, and mostly on the continent of Europe.
The Berlin Jews' Society with other lesser institutions '
and. benevolent individuals on the continent, in Great
Britain, and in the United States have been actively
engaged in various labors for their benefit. Many
hundreds of Jews, particularly on the continent of Eu
rope, have within the last few years embraced Chris
tianity. The religion of the gospel, being no longer
the religion of their persecutors, is beginning to be
stripped of one of its most revolting features. Let
then the friends of Israel be encouraged to persevere
in their labors. The promise and the providence of
God, seem to indicate that the time to favor Zion
draweth nigh. It must indeed be obvious that there
are still many and peculiar obstacles to be surmounted
before "all Israel shall be saved." This is one cause
doubtless of the diversity of measures that have been
adopted for the attainment of this object, and certainly
should lead us to put the most favorable construction
upon those pursued by our brethren. Perhaps in all
our benevolent operations there is too much of the
spirit of the disciples who said, " Master we saw one
casting out devils but we forbade him, because he fol
lowed not with us." Still I may be permitted to ex
press a decided preference for the sober, judicious
policy pursued by the Boston Female Jews' Society, to
desire that their funds may be greatly increased, and
that they may be favored with abler and worthier
missionaries than he who with diffidence undertook
the suivey of which this report is now presented.

371
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE FRANKS OF CONSTANTINOPLE.
Numbers — Native Franks — Foreign Ambassadors — Roman
Catholics — Protestants — Negligence of Protestant Nations.
1829. — I have heretofore estimated the number of
Franks in Constantinople at from 4 to 8000. This in
cludes all who wear hats and have Frank protection. No
small portion of these are natives of the eountry, whose
ancestors were perhaps from other parts of Europe,
or more probably subjects of the Turkish govern
ment, who "with a great sum obtained this freedom."
Some of this latter class, attain to important situations
in connexion with the foieign embassies. Such was
the learned M. D'Ohsson, formerly Swedish Ambas
sador to the Porte, whose view of the Ottoman empire
is the most complete that was ever published. IJe
was of Armenian parentage. Most of the Dragomans
of the Ambassadors and Consuls are also of native ex
traction. At present the Ambassadors are not allowed
to sell the privilege of foreign citizenship. Numbers
however continue to absent themselves from the coun
try for a season, and then return with the Frank dress
and protection. I have been assured that the Turk
ish authorities are often aware of this assumed charac
ter, and exercise a strict surveillance over the individuals
in question. When the Ambassadors of the three allied
powers withdrew from the country, they took occasion
to send away a great number of these self constituted

372
Franks. At present, the Frank population of all
classes must be greatly diminished from what it was
previous to that event.
The Foreign Ambassadors and the diplomatic body
generally, first claim our most particular considera
tion. Besides the Secretary of Legation, and private
Secretary, there are usually a number of young gentle
men attached to the family of the Ambassador, who are
thus becoming familiar with the business of diplomacy.
The Consul General, the Chancellor, &c. have their
separate establishments. In the Chancellor's court,
minor cases, both criminal and civil, I believe, are de
cided, while the more important come before the Am
bassador himself. According to a treaty, a Frank,
whatever crime he may have committed, is amenable
only to the tribunals of his own country. Some part
of the Ambassador's palace, answers the purpose of a
prison. The palaces are national buildings, erected
by their respective governments, on land granted for
that purpose by the Porte. A few soldiers are also
assigned for the protection and service ofthe embassy.
Whether the Ambassadors are invested by their own
governments, with executive as well as with judicial
power, I am unable to say.
The intercourse between the members of the di
plomatic corps is exceedingly formal and distant.
Confined as they are in a great degree to a single
neighborhood, alternately watching and watched, and
with little society of their own countrymen around
them, their situation, whatever may be thought of its
political importance, must be far from agreeable. The
inmates of the palace are however sufficiently nume
rous and select, to form one happy family.

373
The principal Frank mercliants here as well as at
Smyrna, do business on a commission of two or three
per cent, upon both sales and purchases. Some of
them amass princely fortunes, and they are often gentle
men of great intelligence. The children of such are
sent abroad for education. Under them is a long series
of Armenian, Greek, Jewish and Turkish agents, who
transact all the business.
A chaplain is attached to the English Embassy at
Constantinople, and also to the Consulate at Sniyrna.
Dr. Walsh, whose entertaining journey from Con
stantinople to Vienna, has lately been re-published in
this country, left that situation when Lord Strangford
returned to England. Since that time, the Rev. Mr.
Leeves, who had previously resided at Constsntinople
as agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, has
officiated as chaplain. From the different gentlemen
attached to the Embassy, I received every attention
and favor, which I could have expected from my own
countrymen under similar circumstances. There
were two English physicians at Constantinople, but the
number of English merchants is less than at Smyrna.
Besides the ladies of the Ambassador, his colleague, and
chaplain, there were no others, I believe, who were
English born.
In respect of religion, the great body of the Franks
are Catholics. The Catholic influence at Constantino
ple has, however, been much weakened by the banish
ment of the Armenian Catholics. Perhaps as a body,
the Catholics here are more liberal than their brethren
elsewhere. Still there were instances of very furious
persecution of some who were inclining to the Protes
tant faith. They have a convent and two churches,
32

374
which are indulged in the use of bells, by making suitable
payment for the privilege. Both here and at Smyrna,
considerable division and rivalship exists between the
Austrians and French. Their native priests are exceed
ingly ignorant.
The Russian Ambassador on occasion of some of the
principal festivals attended the Greek churches. I am
not aware that he has a private chaplain.
The Protestant influence is not very considerable nor
properly concentrated. Their Ambassadors are the
English, the Dutch, the Swedish, and ordinarily the
Prussian ; the last was, however, a Catholic. The
Dutch Ambassador manifested much interest in the
case of the converted Jews, and requested an account
of their persecutions to send to his friends in Holland.
Efforts were making to obtain a chaplain for this Em
bassy. Mr. Canning lent his countenance, perhaps
farther than political men are accustomed, to the
operations of Bible and Missionary men. The Secre
tary of the Prussian Embassy spoke freely of what he
considered to be a neglect on the part of the Protes
tant powers. This was employing Dragomans, Con
suls, &c. who were country born, and neither by birth
nor religion, attached to the government which they
served. He was of opinion that the Porte would look
with approbation upon missionary exertions, among
its Catholic subjects. Another suggestion which like
the preceding was made in his unofficial character, I
deem of importance to mention. Whatever might be
the objects which our countrymen had in view at
Constantinople, whether political or philanthropic, he
was of opinion they would be greatly promoted by a
critical acquaintance with the Turkish language.

375
The king of Naples, who had lately entered into po
litical relations with the Porte, had with a clearer
foresight than the English, sent a number of young men
to study Arabic on Mount Lebanon. Three years
spent there, (for which, as he said, a thousand dollars
per annum, would be sufficient,) might be finished
by a residence of six months or a year at Constantino
ple. They would then be prepared to serve in any ca
pacity, as Secretaries, Consuls, Missionaries, &c. with
out the intervention of an interpreter.
The civilities which American strangers every
where meet with, I also experienced from gentlemen
connected with several of the Foreign Embassies.
For my own part, while I felt grateful for the respect
thus paid to my country, I chose to avoid all unnecessa
ry intercourse with the foreign residents at Pera. I
wished not to lose sight of the simple nature of my
missionary calling, nor needlessly to excite the sus
picions of the Turkish government. Whatever may
be true of commercial men, other Americans feel the
need of a regular representative of their own nation,
through whom they may appear in Turkey in their
own proper character. During the recent difficulties,
our connexion with the English, subjected not a few
of our countrymen to serious inconveniences. Mr.
Gridley's teacher was detained at Cesarea, and his pa
pers are still withheld on the charge of his having
been a British Spy. This was in consequence of his
having necessarily been called an Englishman in the
only travelling passport which I could obtain for
him. The travelling firman was formerly a document of
great importance to any one who wished to visit the

376
interior of Turkey. It entitled the holder to be fur
nished with horses at the public expense. At present
he is very properly required to pay for them the same
prices as other travellers. A firman is still desirable,
though it is possible to make journeys of twenty or thirty
days distance, with only the tescarees, or passports from
local authorities.
Americans wishing to travel in Turkey, have almost
invariably gone under English protection. In this cha-
racter I obtained firmans for myself and others of my
countrymen, through the friendly influence of the British
Ambassador. The only charge was that of a dollar to
the Turkish scribe. Mine is a sheet of firm paper, a
yard in length, and half that in breadth, beginning with
the name of the Sultan in large and complex characters.
This it behooves every good Mussulman to apply to his
lips and his forehead, in token of loyalty. Like inscrip
tions on Turkish tomb-stones, its lines gradually rise to
wards the left. The substance of it is thus noted by the
English Dragoman.
" Travelling firman for Mr. Josiah Brewer, an Eng
lish gentleman, going with a Tartar and three servants
to Broussa, Isparta, Kutakia, Angora, Conia, Caiseria,
Tocat, Erzroom, Diarbekir, Mardin, Damascus, Jerusa
lem, Bagdad, Bassora, Cairo, Alexandria, Salonica,
Yanina, Adrianople, Philipopoli, and Bucharest. To
be treated every where in the most friendly manner,
protected, and defended, consistently with the amity
subsisting between the British government and the Ot
toman Porte."
The number of places and attendants is purposely
made sufficiently numerous, to meet every supposable
emergency, and in any part ofthe empire.

377
Now that tidings of peace between Russia and Tur
key have just been received, and the free navigation
of the Dardanelles, the Bosphorus, and the Black Sea
by all nations, is one of the conditions of the treaty,
the importance of establishing permanent commercial
relations with Turkey, Greece and Egypt will be
sufficiently obvious to our government. In forming a
treaty with the Porte, as Christians and as advocates of
a system of entire reciprocity, one principle should be
kept in view which seems not to have been regarded
by other nations. The Russians however have one
article that goes to sustain this principle, since the two
nations have been at war. By the usages of the Turk
ish government, embracing the Mahometan religion is
equivalent to becoming a citizen of the state. Now as
Americans we admit the right of a citizen to expatri
ate himself. But if we allow that such a change of
faith shall be equivalent to expatriation, which seems
hardly according to the principles of our constitution,
ought we not to have something as an offset ? A Ma
hometan or a Jew who should become a Christian ; or
a Greek or Armenian who should become Protestants,
might they not in some way be entitled to the protec
tion of our public agents 1 This seems hardly possible
according to the genius of our government, and perhaps
no more so according to the principles of international
law. But at least we should insist by treaty that those u n-
happy individuals who from time to time in a moment of
disaffection with their superiors, are induced to declare
themselves Mahometans, shall be at liberty to with
draw from the country when they please unless they
choose to become both Mahometans and Turks. The
32*

378
English and other nations are under the necessity of
smuggling away their countrymen under such circum
stances.

CHAPTER XXVII.
RELIGION OF THE TURKS.
Union of Religion and Law — Priesthood — Attempted Reforms
— Intolerance — Means of advancing Christianity.
1 829. — The great outlines of the Mahometan religion
and ofthe ecclesiastical establishments ofthe Turks are
well understood. " There is no other God but God,
and Mahomet is his messenger," is the summary of
their creed, which is forever on their lips. Accom
modating himself somewhat to the pagan, Jewish and
Christian nations of his age, but chiefly to the corrupt
propensities of human nature, that great deceiver
formed a system which has endured almost as long, and
extended itself almost as widely as the religion of
Christ.' In this system, as with the Israelites of old,
theology and jurisprudence are inseparably blended
together. The priest and the judge alike, appeal to
the Koran and to the commentaries of distinguished
Doctors, on that " Book ofthe Law."
The Mufti is the chief priest, or nominal head of
that class of Mahometans who are of the sect of Omar,
and who are mostly within the limits of the Turkish
empire. When the Sultan, says one, became weary
of bearing both the sword and mitre of Mahomet, the
latter was delegated to the Mufti. The fetwas, or

379
written opinions, of this high priest are necessary to
give force to any law. In ordinary circumstances, the
will of the Sultan is sufficient to secure these fetwas.
There have been times, however, when the Mufti,
aided by the Ulemas, a body of the higher clergy, have
formed a strong party against him. On such occasions,
the disorderly Janissaries were the chief agents in ex
ecuting their purposes. By secretly fomenting disturb
ances among those lawless soldiers, they have often
succeeded in setting aside the giand vizier, or prime
minister, and sometimes in deposing if not putting to
death the Sultan himself. During the disturbances
which ended in the overthrow of the Janissaries, the
priesthood have been sufficiently subservient to the
will of the sovereign. And now that he is sustained
like the other monarcbs of .Europe, by a regular mili
tary force, he will doubtless be careful that his sceptre
shall again unite the authority of both the mitre and
the sword — the priesthood and the soldiery.
The Moolahs, or doctors of the law, are next in
rank to the Mufti. The Imaums, or parish priests,
stand in much the same relation to the former, as pa
rochial clergy to their Bishop. Cadis, or judges of
different ranks, are taken from both classes. The
Sheiks, are preachers, who sometimes declaim very
earnestly against the corruption of morals. The Der
vishes, correspond to the monks of other religions.
In general they are esteemed as persons of uncommon
sanctity. Like the monks of the Eastern and Catholic
churches, they are probably, however, the worst class
of the people. There were said to be twelve orders
of them, one of which has been suppressed, in conse
quence of its connexion with the Janissaries. The

380
clergy of all ranks at Constantinople, are estimated at
from 10 to 30,000. They monopolize most ofthe little
learning which is found in this country, and are suppo
sed to be from principle, hostile to the progress of ci
vilization and political reform.
In different parts of the city, are to be seen cover
ed tombs of the most holy of the dervishes. Some of
these are reputed to have laid up for others such a
superabundance of good works a3 will be available by
them during hundreds of years to come. Multitudes
are accustomed to resort to their tombs for this pur
pose, and to kindle their lamps around them. The
iron gratings of the windows are filled likewise with
shreds of garments, which the sick have sent thither,
in expectation of thus obtaining some relief from their
diseases. Many of the dervishes wear a long conical cap, and
a robe of a peculiar form. Others do not differ in
their dress and apparently not in their ordinary em
ployments, from the great body of the people. The
former class, derive their support partly from perma
nent funds, and partly from the present credulity of
the Mussulman, as well as the curiosity of the Chris
tian. The ostensible object of restoring Mohammedan
ism to its ancient purity, has been set forth by the Sul
tan in all the recent changes which he has effected.
Such, too, have been the external results. Accord
ingly the use of wine, so common among the Janissa
ries, is now rarely indulged in, and that only in pri
vate. Games of chance, which are likewise forbidden
in the Koran, are abstained from less rigidly, at least
in Smyrna. Under the windows of Frank merchants

381
there, I have seen a species of gaming table, public
ly thronged by the Turks as well as Greeks. The Agas,
or governors, of the villages in that vicinity, are as
ready to sit down to the card table, surrounded by
their Turkish servants, as to take the wine cup in the
presence of the infidel. I have also often seen the
Turkish deputy in the Princes' Islands, near Constan
tinople, employed at cards with the Franks. Still the
people in general are by no means characterized by
indulgences of this nature.
The fast of the Ramazan, and other requisitions of
their religion, are now observed by them with in
creased strictness. During the thirty days of the last
Ramazan, few Mussulmans, there is reason to believe,
from the banks of the Pruth to the borders of Persia,
partook of the least refreshment, from the time it was
" light enough to distinguish a grey thread from a
blaek," until after the evening gun announced that the
sun had set. Throughout their recent difficulties, the
proclamations of the Sultan, exhorting the people to a
more frequent attendance at the mosques, or churches,
have been very generally obeyed. Two additional
seasons of daily prayer, were becoming common
among them. Just before I left Smyrna, they were
again called on, in view of the impending war with
Russia, to reform all abuses which had crept into their
religious practice, to remove every article of gold
from their apparel, and arm themselves with fortitude
to meet the coming contest.
The new soldiery are very strict in the perform
ance of their devotions. Often, while in the Princes'
Islands, have I seen them, when dismissed from duty
at night, running to the sea or to a fountain, and hav-

384
may we not hope that the gradual progress of civilization
will ? The Pasha of Egypt fully understands and tolerates
the exertions of Missionaries and Bible men. His only
caution to them was, to regard the prejudices of his peo
ple and introduce the scriptures by small parcels at a
time. The persecutions which our missionaries have
experienced in Syria, and the Jewish Christians at Con
stantinople have had their origin more in Catholic and
Jewish gold, than Mahometan intolerance. The opera
tions of the Bible Society in Turkey have indeed been re
garded with some jealousy by the Turkish authorities.
But in what country of southern Europe, would foreign
ers be suffered to publish the scriptures as they have done
for years in sight of the Sultan's palace, and to circulate
them as freely as has been done among most of the Chris
tian subjects ofthe empire ? Even at the moment when the
missionrry was banished from Christian Russia, he was
permitted to pursue his labors unmolested among the sub
jects of Mahometan Turkey. So long then as those coun
tries are accessible to moral influence, the enlightened
Christian will patiently continue his efforts, to relight the
lamp of God in temples where it has long since gone out,
or is burning only with the feeblest lustre. Nor will he
fear that when those who are now disciples of Jesus only in
name and in form, shall come to exhibit his religion in its
purity and loveliness, the sword of the Mussulman will
present a more successful obstacle to the progress of the
gospel, than the tortures of the heathen, or the fire and
faggot of the Catholic have done in former times.

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