YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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LETTERS FROM
THE LEVANT;
CONTAINING VIEWS OF THE
STATE OF SOCIETY, MANNERS, OPINIONS,
AND COMMERCE, IN
GREECE, AND
SEVERAL OF THE PRINCIPAL ISLANDS
OF THE
ARCHIPELAGO.
INSCRIBED TO THE PRINCE KOSLOVSKY.

By JOHN GALT. I"

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, STRAND.
1813.

Priated by Nichols, Son, and Bsmtlet,
Red Xiion Passage, Fleet Street, Loodon.

TO HIS EXCELLENCY
THE PRINCE PETER KOSLOVSKY,
MEMBER OF THE FRENCH LEGION OF HONOUR;
DOCTOR OF LAWS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD ;
COUNSELLOR OF STATE,
CHAMBERLAIN TO THE EMPEROR,
KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF ST. VOLODIMER,
IN RUSSIA;
AND RUSSIAN ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY
AND MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY
AT THE COURT OF SARDINIA.

1 WILL explain the reasons which induce me
to dedicate this work to your Excellency, and to
emblazon so small a mark of my regard with so
many of your titles.
Accident originaUy led you to offer me the ho
nour of your acquaintance. Since that time many
events have been developed, of which we then
thought the seeds were discernible in the policy
of France. Among the variety of their effects
was your visit to England, in the course of which
you had the condescension to seek me out, and to
treat me with a degree 'of confidence that could

IV DEDICATION.
not fail to make a deep impression on a disposi
tion which cherishes, with devout feelings, the re
membrance of any kindness. It is therefore na
tural that I should be anxious to evince my sense
of the honour done me, and in the opportunity
of prefixing your titles, to inform the public how
rauch it is indeed an honour which I ought to
esteem. It will surprise some of your friends in this
country to learn that you are a member of the
Legion of Honour, for it was characteristic ofyou
to conceal a distinction conferred on account of
your benevolence. It will surprise yourself, how
ever, more that I should think of enumerating it,
as constituting one of your rights toi respect. But
is there nothing extraordinary in that humanity
to which the Emperor Napoleon felt himself
obliged to do homage ?
Your title of Doctor of Laws imposes upon me
the necessity of adverting to some expressions in
the subsequent pages, which may be deemed de
rogatory to the venerable University which be
stowed on you that degree, although you are too
intimately acquainted with my political senti
ments to put on any loose expression such a con-

DEDICATION. V
struction. And you already know that my sar
casms are not directed against the institutioh,
but the system by which the current knowledge
of the time, and millions of my fellow subjects, are
excluded from Oxford and Cambridge.
The world will regard all your other dignities,
except your hereditary rank, as proofs of the con
fidence of that illustrious sovereign, whom, in the
enthusiasm of your loyalty, you have so often
described to me as placed by the malice of For
tune in the midst of all the temptations of un
bounded power, but demonstrating, by the gra
ciousness of his own nature, that there is a limited
monarch on the throne of All the Russias. It is
due, however, as well to his as your character
to publish, that the trusts which you enjoy were
bestowed by himself alone, because you wished
to abridge his imperial prerogatives.
Every one but yourself will regard it as pre
sumption in me, that to a person so honoured and
endowed I should subscribe myself a faithful
friend,
JOHN GALT.
Tunbridge Wells,
17 Sept. 1SI3. »

PREFACE.

1 HESE Letters were written at the
difFerent places from which they are dated ;
and they have undergone no alteration since,
except in the suppression of a few local and
personal allusions, amusing to the author
and the friend to whom the Letters were
addressed, hut not in the slightest degree
interesting to others. They contain a nar
rative of Voyages and Travels, undertaken
after the visit to Malta, described in a for
mer publication, and completed prior to the
landing at Cerigo ; some account of which,
and of a second journey through Greece,
was given In tlie same volume.
If in-this work the Author shall appear to
be a still greater heretic in classical dogmas

Vlll PREFACE.

than he was found in the other, the frequent
acknowledgment of his ignorance ought to
be treated as' a symptom of a disposition that
may be converted to a right way of thinking ;
and his errors, with those who enjoy a clearer
light, should move rather to compassion than
anger. An apology may be expected for the opi
nions occasionally alluded to, and delivered,
relative to the Fine Arts. It is frankly con
fessed, that they have been printed in eon-
sequence of the approbation with which
Mr. West, unquestionably the greatest artist
ofthe age, was pleased to notice a few ob
servations on the same subject, which the
Author has elsewhere published.

Tunbridge Wjells,
17 Sep*. 1813.

CONTENTS.

I Malta. — The author's objects in the voyage, 1. Engages
an Interpreter, 2. A Greek polacre, 3. Jaeomo's philoso
phical observation, 3.
IL Valona. — Departure from Malta, and a storm at sea, 4.
Jacomo ejaculates, 5. State of the ship, 6. Situation of
Valona, 6. Canina, 7.
III. Valona. — Description of Valona, 8. Appearance of the
Albanians, 9. A young Turk threatens to shoot the au
thor, 11. Jaeomo's praise of Athens, ahd abuse ofthe Al
banians, II. An Albanian captain, 12, Jacomo buys a
flragocotos, 12. Jaeomo's account ofthe attachment ofthe
Maltese and Sicilians to the British, 13. The author gives
the Albanian eaptain half a dollar, 14. Wonderful thankful
ness, 14. Jacomo and the fragocotos in great alarra, 15.
A French privateer, 15.
IV. Valona. — Jaeomo's rash vow, 17. A singular visit, 18.
Ibrahim Pashaw, 19. State of the province of Valona, 20.
Mode of giving names, 21. A wild boar, 22. The author's
adventure on the mountaias, 22. Price of cattle, &c. 23.
Amazinc spring, 24. The Chimaera probably an old
woman, 24.
V. OfF the island of Corfu. Remarks on cruizers for the
Adriatic, 25. A Tripoline cruizer, 26. A sea-fight, 27.
Political reflexions by a Greek, 28.
VL— Off Ithaca.— Beautiful day, 31. Gaming clubs, 32.
Literary societies, 33. A performer on the lyre, 33. The
author propounds a sage antiquarian conjecture, 34.

X CONTENTS.
VII. Zante. — A small island, and two hermits, 35. Simpling,
36. Strofadia, 36. A grand religious invocation, 37- Ja
eomo's opinion of the saints confirmed, 38. Ulysses and
the washerwomen, 39. The author arrives at the city of
Zante,
VIIL Zante. — ^The appearance of the island, 40. Custom of
the peasants, 41. Population and climate, 41. Natural
curiosities, 42. The town of Zante, 43. State ofthe clergy,
43. State ofthe schools, 44. Appearance ofthe people, 44.
Pawn bank, 45. The utility of a similar institution in
London, 46. Public granary, 46. Value of land, 47. Jews,
47. Quoit players, 47. Antient English burying-ground, 47.
Wells, 48.
IX. Zante. — Society, 49. Albanian regiment, 53. Doubts
as to the correctness of our proceedings towards the Sultan,
54. The provisional government, 55. Political relationship
of the island, 56. A tax on sQu^ to make and mead roads,
57. Language, 57.
X. Argos. — Departure from Zante, 58. Fellow passengers,
59. Omens of the fall of Turkey, 60. Pictmesque way of
passing the night, very comfortless, 61. An antiquarian
point about the Dukes of Clarence, 62. Patrass, 63.
Trade, 64. The battle of Lepanto, 65. Beneficial moral
effects of the love of war, 67. ./Eglum, 67. A Turk spits
at the author, 68. The Achaian territory, 68. Corinth, 69.
Jaeomo's cunning over-reached, 69. Journey to Argos, 70.
Beautifiil evening, and fine moral reflexions, 7'3. Jacomo
a candlestick, &c. 72.
XI. Trifolizza. — Appearance of Argos, 74. The reason
why the English universities exclude Catholics and Dissen
ters, 75. Dr. Johnson and the island of lona, 76. Thc
fountain of Erasinos, 76. Harpies and locusts the hiero
glyphical emblems of priests, 77- Shepherds on the moun
tains, 77. Greece dead, 78. Journey, 79. A khan, 80.
A learned physician, 81. His philosophical appearance, 81.
An earthquake, 83. The author in great terror, 83. Visit

CONTENTS. XI
to the Vizier, 84. Etiquette of his court, 85. The
Vizier, 87.
X!I. Athens. — Transactions at Tripolizza, 88. The Greek
prima; J, .'^9. Appearance of the town, 90. A most econo
mical mode of guarding a castle, 90. A distich, 91. A
present received, 91. An entertainment given by the Vizier
to the author, 92. A Tartar, 93. The politeness of the
govemor of Argos, 94. Intelligence of the Greeks, 95.
Mycenae, 96. The Tartar proves the antients to have been
giants, 97. A debate about a lamb, 98. The cause of the
liospitable character of the inhabitants of these parts, 99.
The plain of Megara, 99. The ruins of Eleusis, 100. The
moralizing trees in the neighbourhood of Daphn^, 103.
The approach to Athens, 104. The author lodges in a
convent, 104. The Governor sends him a present, 104.
XIII. Athens. — A visit to Mount Pentelicus, 105. Dr.
Chandler, the little liouse, and the sentinel, 107. A recip6
for creeping into a hole, 108. A contract of marriage, 109.
A curious superstition ui" the amorous Athenian maidens,
llO. The Ilissus visible to the naked eye. III.
XIV. Athens.— State of Athens, 112. The diocese of
Athens, 115. The Greek churcli, 116. The university and
schodsof Athens, 119. Public amusements, 120. Police,
120. Magistrates, 120.^ Reflexions on the state of
Athens, 1£1.
XV. Atiien-s. — Observations on the antiquities, 122. Phidias
not the author of the sculpture on the temple of Minerva,
123. A curious peculiarity in the taste of the sculptor,
124.
XVI. Athens.— The author undertakes a voyage, 125. Ob
servations on the Piraeus, 126. The present state of the
slave trade at Athens, 12S. The ports of Athens, 129. Re
flexions about the antients, 130.
XVII. Athens.— Description of Egina, 133. A rule for esti
mating the condition of a town, 134. The produce of
Egina, 135. The source of our ideas of Grecian glory and

Xll CONTENTS.
grandeur, 136. Ruins of Egina, 136. ' Alteration in the
state of the modern Greeks, 137.
XVIII. Athens. — Superstition ofthe Greeks, 139. The cha
racteristics of Greeks and Turks, 140. The superstition of
the Athenians in particular, 142. The author's opinion of
the Greeks, 143. A prophetic inscription, 145. Th^ Al
banians, 146. Their character" in Attica, 147.
XIX. Athens. — ^An excursion to Salamis, 149. The battle
of the boats and Xerxes. Antiquities, 151. The Roman
harlot, 152. Coluris, 153. A singular doctor, 153. Ortho
dox bells, 155; A monastery, 155. Peculiarities of moim-
taineers, 157.
XX. Athens. — ^Visit to Megara, 161. A French doctor and
his patient, 163. Fleas and lions and tygers resemble each
other in one respect, 166. A grand religious ceremony, 166.
XXI. Athens. — The charming of serpents, 169. A certain
cure for the itch, 170. Popular superstitions of the Athe
nians, 172. Of the Albanians, 173 A singular super
stitious practice, 174. Rites at births, 174. Ghosts, 176.
CoUyvUlory, a nasty devil, 176. Witches and warlocks,
177. The second hearing of the Albanians, 178. The
second sight of the Scots, and the second smell of the
English, 179. The existence of a still more curious
sense, 180.
XXII. Athens. — Reflexions suggested by the Author's defec
tive knowledge of the Athenian history, 181. ^
XXIII. Athens. — ^The Athenian distemper, 186. The way
in which it affected the Author, 187. The author turns a
resurrectionist, I87. His success, 188. Theseus a demi
god and a dancing-master, 190.
XXIV. Athens. — The war-dance of the Celts. 190.
XXV. Athens. — Reflexions relative to the theatrical amuse
ments of the antients, 196.
XXVI. Athens. — A discourse on the Fine Arts, 201.
XXVII. Athens. — Singular Turkish ceremonies, 226. The
arrival of Storks, &c, 229. The Author thinks of leaving
Athens, 23 L

CONTENTS. Xlll
XXVIII. Idra.— General description of Idra, 232. Eccle
siastical state, 235. i
XXIX. Idra. Disconsolate situation of the Author, 237.
Patience, tlie clerk, 238. Patience and the chesnut, 240.
An Idriotic game, 241. The benevolent use of strings of
beads, 243. Dress of the Idriots, 243. Cimolian earth, 245.
XXX. Zea. A packet, 245. A facetious account of a mur
der, 246. On the difference between a Mahomedan and a
man, 247. A murderer, 247. Virtue not good, but as
it is admired, 247. Pirates, 248. Cape Sunium, ' 249.
A modern Hercules, 250. The appearance of Zea, 251.
The town, 251. Productions, &c. 2,52.
XXXI. Scio. Voyage, 254. Description of the appearance
of the town, 255. Shops and manufactures, 256. Popu
lation, 257. Arts, 258. Women, 259. Explanation of
their uncommon familiarity, 261. A barber's shop, 261.
VUla of the Governor, 262. Produce and taxes, &c. 264.
Fortifications, &c. 266.
XXXII. Smyrna. — Greek qollege, 268. Fire and massacre,
270. — A curious human malformatioB, 271. A biform
monster, 272. Cause of-itlalEirmations considered, 272.
XXXIII. Scalanova. — Departure from Smyrna, 273. — A
carava^ 274. Ruins, 274. Effects of the cuckoo's song,
275. P^iten^ of the stOrk, 275. A gloomy incident,
276. A small coffee-house, 277. A 1 urkish poet and song,
278. Road made of fragments, from Ephesus, 281. Em
bankments of the Castrus, 282.
XXXIV. Scalanova. — Approach to the town, 283. Ja
eomo's philosophical observation on the nature of dogs,
284. Population of Scalanova, 285. A Greek funeral,
285. Scalanova not the antient Neapolis, 286. Origin of
Scalanova, 286.
XXXV. Ephesus. — ^A journey, 287 Character of the night
ingale's song, 288. A coffee-house full of Turks, pistols,
and smoke, 288.
XXXVI. Ephesus. — ^Description of the ruins, 290, Situa
tion, 291,

XIV CONTENTS.
XXXVII. Smyrna. — A patriarchal tribe, 293. A perilous
incident, 295. Unknown ruins, 296. A camel encamp
ment, 297. Dogs, 297.
XXXVIII. At Sea.— English islands and ruins, 298. The
Paschal Feast, 299. Foscia, 300. Jaeomo's oration on
antiquities, and the Turk's learned reply, 301,
XXXIX. At Sea, — Caution to critics ; and an Ode, occa
sioned by a view of Patmos, 303.
XL. Samos. — The insular Greeks probably not declined, 305.
The Samot revolution, 306. Productions of the island,
307. The carob-tree, 308.
XLI. Myconi. — Wonderful voyage, 309. Jacomo takes a
white stone for a lion, 310. Nicaria, 312. Dreadful situa
tion, 313, Jacomo in despair, 314. Comfortable bark
ing of a dog, 315. A monastery for mad people, 316,
The author received into it, 317- A battle with the friars,
318. The late Sir William Duncan planted a Greek colony
in America, 318.
XLII. Myconi. Account of the town, 320. Produce of the
island, 321. Constitution of the island, 322. Distin
guished natives, 322. - Manners of the inhabitants, 323.
Singular endowments of the women, 324. Dress, 326.
Schools, 326. The author a reformer of the Greek Church,
326.
XLIII. Myconi. — Monastery and Convent, 328. An ori
ginal character, 329. The Virgin's feme proposed as a toast
in,the monastery, and drank with great applause, 330. Sis
ter Theophila, 331. Preparations for an election, 331.
A good reason for holding up a great man's tail, 332. Or
dination of a priest, 332. Sister Theophila announces her
apprehensions of a schism, and her determination to carry
matters with a high hand, 334. The arrival ofthe bishop,
835. Sad disorder in the reception, 335, The spirit and
decision of sister Theophila, after great ado, successful,
336.
XLIV. Myconi. — Greek literaiy genius, 337. Reflexions
on the effects of the Greek literature on mankind, 338,

CONTENTS. xr
XLV, Myconi. Thoughts and observations relative to the
people whom the author has seen, 340,

APPENDIX.
I, A Historical Sketch ofthe Royal Scots  350
II. The Levant  369
III. Statistical Account  ,  371
IV, Crimea  374
V. Egypt  376
VI. Candia  378
VII. Observations on the Practicability of opening a di
rect intercourse with Malta and the East Indies by
way of Egypt  379

ERRATA.

Page 13. line 13. omit " all." — Page 31. line 3. read " blandishment."
Page 46, line 4. omit " that." — Page 47. line 14, omit " and."
Page 55. line 20. read " were in the."
Page 56. line 11. read " Septinsular." — 1.22. res-d" pretend to have."
Page 61, line 16. emit " rather." — P. 66.1. S. read " twoor three."
Page 75. line 15. omit " tobe." — P. 77. I 21. read " remarkably"
Page 113. line 19. for " them" read." tlie gates."
Page 121 . line 6. for '* to" read " in."
Page 135. line 24. for " making" read " giving."
Page 137. line 11. tor" of" read" to." — P. 151.1. 10, read "cherub."
Page 179. line 18. the comma after servant should be omitted.
Page 194. line 6. omit " that."
Page 244. line 1 0. read " have not," want, in the seme there used
being a Scotticism.
Page 267. 1. 9. read acquired. — !. 23. read should. — ^1. 24, omit own.
Page 280. line 14. read " eaten."
Page 283, line 17. omit " or antipathy."
Page 340. line 15. read " have passed."
*jf* The dates of some of tbe letters are incorrect.

ffor Jts written by the Author, and puhlished hy
T. Cadell and W- Davies.
i. VOYAGES and TRA^'ELS in the Years 1809, 1810, and
1811 J containing Statistical, Commercial, and Miscellane
ous Observations on Gibraltar, Sardinia, Sicily,Malta,
Seeigo, and Turkey. [Second Edition.] 4to. Price in
boards, £.9,. 2«,
II. The Life and Administration of CARDINAL WOLSEY,
4to. Price in boards ^,2. 2s. A few copies royal, price
^3. 3s.
The Appendix to this work consists chiefly of original Let
ters of the principal characters bf that age,
III. The Tragedies of MADDALEN, AGAMEMNON, LADY
MACBETH, ANTONIA, and CLYTEMNESTRA, 4to.
Price rf.l. Is.

LETTERS

FROM

THE ILIEVANT,

LETTER I.
Malta, Jan. 2, 1810,
My dear Friend,
Having satisfied myself with Sicily,
I have now resolved to visit some parts of the
Archipelago. In this excursion I shall be guided
chiefly by chance, as my object is less to exa
mine the remnants of antiquity, than to see the
existing condition of the islands, the disposition
of the inhabitants, and the products of their in
dustry. Since my determination to undertake this voy
age has been known, my friends here have been,
I may say, solicitously kind in furnishing me
with introductory letters. Besides several to

2 MALTA.
natives, I have got a great many to French and
Italian merchants ; but I have not been able to
learn that there is a single British subject settled
in the Archipelago. This is surely somewhat
extraordinary, considering the enterprizing cha
racter of our countrymen, and the necessity that
has been imposed upon them to seek new com
mercial haunts.
I have engaged a Greek interpreter, who in
appearance is the short and fat image of San
cho. He has a great deal to say, and wears for
midable whiskers, which, in spite of the naivete
of a pair of duck eyes, give him a very redoubt
able aspect. As he has happened to be occa
sionally employed by other English travellers, he
conceives himself related to the nation, and boasts
of having served it ten years.
I have ever found an inexhaustible fund of
amusement in oddities of Nature's making; and
I expect not a little, in the course of my voy
age, from Jacomo. In all the minor requisites
for our excursion, I find that I must submit
wholly to his directions.
The vessel in which I have taken my passage
belongs to the Island of Specia. She is a very

MALTA. 3
fine polacca ; and, besides arms and thirty-six
men, has a Madonna in the cabin, with a lamp
constantly burning before her ; so that you may
consider us very efficiently protected.
I pay fifty dollgirs for a state-room, and the use
of half of the cabin ; our provisions will cost
thirty more, making altogether an enormous
charge for a passage that is commonly performed
in less than eight days. Jacomo comforts me,
however, by saying, that if we have a quick run,
we shall have provisions enough left for a great
part of the remainder of our voyage ; and, if we
are long at sea, we shall have got over so many
days of our lives without any more expense.
There is something like philosophy in this.
Yours, &c.

li 2

LETTER IL
^'^ALONA, Jan. 23.
You cannot but look twice, and rub your
eyes at the very least once, when you observe the
name of the place from which I am now writing.
On the 18th, I embarked at Malta. The wind
was barely favourable when we left the harbour.
Next forenoon a Levantine sciroc arose, and con
tinued to increase for four-and-twenty hours :
still, however, we worked onward. On the
morning of the 21st, it blew a perfect hurricane.
I assure you that I received no consolation in
reflecting that Ulysses and JEneas had encoun
tered similar tempests in the same sea, and that
even St. Paul had fared no better. Nor did I
find any pleasure in observing that Virgil's de
scription of a storm, which Scaliger says is enough
to make a man vomit, was in all respects faithful
and just. For vomit read sea-sick; but it is
quite the same thing.
By way of comfort, I suppose, the Captain

VALONA. 5
tpld me, that he had come to the resolution of
bearing-away, before the wind, for a port in the
Adriatic ; in other words, into an enemy's har
bour, where I should have the satisfaction of
finding myself committed to prison. Jacomo,
in the mean time, was frequently uttering the
most pious ejaculations ; and he recounted, with
the most circumstantial minuteness, a shipwreck
which he had once experienced ; but I vvas so
overpowered with sickness, that I could pay no
attention to his narrative.
About noon the violence of my sufferings
abated, and I was able to crawl on deck. The
sky appeared to be involved with a thick tumul
tuous smoke ; the ship was suspended, as it were,
fantastically, on the curl of a vast wave; and
ahhough there was only as little of the foresail
spread as possible, we were driving at a most
prodigious rate. The situation, however, in which
I found the sailors, gave me a more lively con
viction of our danger and helpless condition tha,n
all the terrors of the storm !
As the Greek vessels commonly belong to small
communities, the crews are almost generally re
lations. In the St. Nicolo we have a father and

6 VALONA.
two sons, three brothers of one family, and
two little boys belonging to another. Nothing
could be done to the vessel. The crew were all
collected under the lee of the quarter-deck bul
warks, and, apparently without design, the three
families were sitting in as many diflferent groupes :
the three brothers in one corner ; the father,
with his two sons, under the same watchcoat,
near them ; and the two little boys disconsolately
by themselves. Not a word was passing.
When we arrived in sight of Corfu, the wind
veered into another quarter, and the Captain re
solved to go into Panorm, a harbour on the coast
of Albania; but after several tacks, we were con
strained to bear away for Valona, where we an
chored this morning. You will see by the map,
that it is directly east from Cape Otranto, the
castle of which is the scene of Horace Walpole's
Romance, and nearly opposite to Brindisi, where
your old schoolfellow Virgil died.
The port of Valona is a beautiful bason about
twelve miles across from North to South, and
ten from East to West. The island of Sasino
shuts it in from the Adriatic, leaving two en
trances, and affording, in its lee, protection from

VALONA. 7
the only wind that can disturb the anchorage.
The depth of the water in no part exceeds
twenty-three fathoms : in general, it is about
fifteen. The surrounding country is mountain
ous ; but the appearance is beautifully diversi
fied by extensive olive-plantations and cultivated
fields. On the top of a lofty hill stands the town of
Canina; which, from the vessel's deck, appears
to be but an inconsiderable place, with a castle
in ruins. The city of Valona is situated at the
foot of the mountains, about half an hour's walk
from the shore, and six or seven miles from where
the ship lies. It is not in view ; but, as the wind
is still against us, I am in hopes that I shall have
an opportunity of visiting it. Yours, &c.

LETTER HL
Valona, Jan. 24-
JUST as I had finished my last letter, the
Captain informed me that I might go on shore ;
I availed myself gladly of the permission ; and I
now hasten to give you some account of an ex
cursion, which afforded me a perfectly new scene,
and some amusement, as well as inforraation.
I landed, with Jacomo, near an old infirm
fortress, evidently not of Turkish origin. The re
mains of a wooden mole, that once projected a
considerable way into the sea, still serve to assist
the boatmen in landing ; for the water there is
so shallow, that boats cannot approach within
many yards of the beach. From the fortress, a
paved road reaches nearly to the town. In pass
ing along, I observed several Turkish sepulchres,
the tomb-stones surmounted with turbans, and
shaded with cypress.
Valona is a wretched place. It may probably

VALONA. §
contain four or five thousand souls ; but, from
some accidental cause, it exhibited the appear
ance of a more considerable population. A num
ber of Albanians, inhabitants of the adjacent
country, were in the streets, seated round the
doors of the gunsmiths' shops, and a sort of war
like bustle was every where visible.
I was much pleased with the frank and mi
litary air of the Albanians. Their form is more
athletic, and their stature more commanding,
than I had expected to find in the people of these
latitudes, having formed an erroneous opinion
from the slender and loquacious Sicilians.
Their dress, also, is very handsome and be
coming. It consists of a loose cloak or toga,
made of shaggy woollen cloth ; an embroidered
waistcoat, commonly of velvet ; and they wear
their shirt-tails on the outside of their drawers,
somewhat in the style of a philabeg. Instead of
stockings, they make use of gaiters, neatly orna
mented. Few of them wear turbans, but cover
the top of the head with a little red cap, deco
rated with a. tassel, which, half worn on some of
them, reminded me of the nipjile of a high-
lander's bonnet. They had all sashes, and a

10 VALONA.
leathern belt, in which were stuck two large pis
tols, a sword, &c. The belts were fastened with
silver clasps, considerably broader than a dollar ;
and many wore ornaments, resembling cymbals,
at their knees and ancles. At their right side
hung a small embroidered bag, in which they
carried their tobacco; and I think, without a
single exception, each had a long Turkish pipe
in his hand, or at his mouth. One of them had
on his vest a double row of non-descripts, which
I believe must be called buttons : they were,
however, as large as lemons, of the same shape,
and made of silver wire neatly interwoven.
As we walked through the town, Jacomo
began to execrate the place, and to. undervalue
the- inhabitants. " They are no better than
Turks, and have never seen Franks, or they
would not stare and laugh at you in the way they
are doing," said he ; " but, when we get to Athens,
there we shall find other sort of people."
Soon after a puppy Turk, not more than six
teen, who had apparently just assumed the manly
pistol, followed us, and began to talk very pom
pously to Jacomo. In order to get rid of his
impertinence, I quickened my pace, but he only

VALONA. 1 1
became more obstreperous. Jacomo called out
to me to halt, and at the same instant the Turk
presented his pistol at my head. It seems that
two women, under the protection of this youth,
happened to be then in the street, and he thought
I was hurrying towards them. Being assured of
the contrary, he left us ; and Jacomo, who had
grown pale at the menace by the pistol, recover
ing his colour and garrulity, resumed his abuse
of the inhabitants, calling them all the ill names
that a Greek imagination could muster ; and
inserting, between every other malediction, a
parenthesis containing something in praise of
Athens. Happening to pass a fountain, where a num
ber of Albanians were watering their horses, I
stopped to look at them. One of them, observ
ing me, left the fountain, and approaching re
spectfully, addressed himself to Jacomo, The
manner in which he came forward convinced me
that his enquiries related to some particular sub
ject in which he was personally concerned ; and
presently, by Jaeomo's interjections of surprise
and expressions of satisfaction, I saw that he too
was much interested in the business. Without,

1 2 VALONA.
however, affecting to notice them, I returned
towards the shore, and they followed in very
earnest conversation. In the course of a little
time we fell in with a lad, who had a turkey in
his hand for sale, and which Jacomo bought, in
order to repair the dilapidation of our stores.
The price was half a dollar; but the merchant
not having change, Jacomo left me, carrying
ihe fragocotos, as the Albanian called it, in his
arms ; for he would not trust the horseman with
it, nor the seller with the dollar. While he was
gone, another impudent Turkish boy came up,
and began to make mouths at me, but the Alba
nian drove him away.
Jacomo having returned, and resumed his
conversation, we proceeded to the place where
we had landed. As the Albanian was taking
leave, I wished to make some enquiries relative
to the interior of the country. " O," cried Ja
como, " he does not know ^ny thing about such
matters. He is a soldier of the mojintains, and
has fifty men under his command ; and he has
been telling me, that as soon as the English take
Corfu, he and eleven others, who have each as
many men, intend to go to Zante, to offer them-

VALONA. 13
selves to serve against the French. His father
commands a hundred soldiers in Buonaparte's ser
vice, but he likes the English better." " Why does ,
he like the English better ?" said I, " Because,"
replied Jacomo, " they are richer, and pay bet
ter. The Maltese have grown rich and proud
since they came among them, and wear a great
many silver buttons ; and the Messitiese are
growing rich and proud, and getting silver but
tons too ; so therefore he prefers the English
service." The Albanians, correctly speaking, were lately
all, and are perhaps still, hothing more than
banditti. To express myself more guardedly,
they are devoted to war, and unacquainted with
the arts of comfort : nor, in the exercise of their
hardy occupation, do they require them. They
possess elevating traditions of the antient gran
deur of the Macedonian name ; for they regard
themselves as descendants, but improperly, of
the conquerors of Asia; and their love of war has
been revived by the comparatively recent exploits
of their fathers, under Scanderbeg, the Bruce of
this part of the world.
As the Captain of fifty turned to go away, I

14 VALONA. '
desired Jacomo to give him the half dollar which
remained from the purchase of the turkey, and
walked on. I had not, however, gone above two
or three steps, when I heard Jacomo higgling ;
and turning round, saw the Albanian untying his
sash, in the corner of which he appeared to have
four or five small coins. " What are you about,
Jacomo?" said I. " Sir, I am only getting the
change." " What change ? I told you to give
him the half dollar." " It is too much," an
swered he. — The captain received it with a raost
idolatrous prostration ; and I, walking on, was
beginning to think that a man might yet set up as
a God among the Greeks, and do very well, when
I was joined again by Jacomo. " These sa
vages," said he, as he came up, " are terrible
thieves ; they would not scruple to kill a man
for ten shillings." " How so ?" " Because," re
plied Jacomo, " they can charge their pistols
with powder and ball for a few farthings ; so you
see it is worth their while to shoot a man who
has ten shillings upon him !"
When we reached the landing-place, a boat
man pointed out to Jacomo a sail in the offing.
I left them together in conversation, and walked

VALONA. 15
along the beach by myself, till the supercargo
of our vessel, who was also on shore, should
come to the boat. I had not gone above four or
five hundred yards, when I heard Jacomo calling
out, in a tone of the utmost alarm. Turning
round, I beheld him running towards me with all
his might. He was carrying the turkey in his arms,
like a child ; and it was flapping its wings about
his head, also, seemingly, in great terror. " O
Sir," cried he, as he approached, panting with
fear and haste, " O Sir ! it is a French privateer,
and by G — we are taken ! What shall we do ?"
" What shall we do, indeed ?" exclaimed I, par
ticipating in his alarm, and looking alternately
at the privateer, as she was entering the port,
and at our vessel idling at anchor. Perceiv
ing that the wind was rather against the pri
vateer, as she came on the inner side of Sasino,
I thought we had time to get on board, and to
return on shore with my baggage, before the
Frenchman could be alongside. Having resolved
to raake the attempt, and trusting that chance
would afford us, in a short time, an opportunity
of getting afterwards to Zante or Patrass, I re
turned quickly towards the landing-place for a

l6 VALONA.
boat. Before I had reached it, however, a friendly
squall interfered, and compelled the privateer to
cast anchor at an agreeable distance from the St.
Nicolo. — You will be surprized that I should have
felt any apprehension of being captured in a neu
tral port ; but I had learnt, before, that the neu
trality of this harbour is very little respected by
either of the two great Belligerents.
On arriving on board, I found the ship in
such a satisfactory state of preparation for action,
that I changed my resolution, and will now wait
the result of the night, in the course of which it
is probable some attack will be made ; of the
consequences, I entertain no fear. Jacomo is
sanguine of victory, triumphantly talkative, and
has more to do with his tongue, hands, and feet,
than he can well manage. Yours, &c.

17

LETTER IV.
Valona, Jan. 25.
L HE French privateer, instead of being able
to attack us, has got into a scrape herself. The
night was so boisterous, that she could have done
nothing had she attempted it ; and at day-break
a Maltese corsair, under the British flag, came
into the harbour, and anchored within hail of
her. This event, I assure you, has given us all
sincere satisfaction, though we are as boastful of
our valour as if we had gained a great victory.
Jacomo, to whom dangers are very expensive
affairs, is not the least joyous. Itseems, inthe
storm, he promised to St. Nicolo, in the event of
escaping, a wax candle of seven pounds weight,
and a silver coronet ; it would therefore have
been rather hard to have been obliged so soon to
make another vow. The coronet, 1 can predict,
will be as slim as possible ; but, as he has rashly
mentioned the weight of the;^pandle, I do not

l8 valona.
well see how he can get off otherwise than ho
nourably. I have advised him, in future, never
to specify any' particular size or value in his
votive offerings ; but only to vow, in general
terms, a fine crown, a large candle, &c.
The conduct of the young man who presented
his pistol at me is, I find, likely to become a
subject of investigation. This morning three old
Turks, and a youth, whom I recognized to be
no other than the gallant in question, with a
Georgian slave belonging to the Pashaw, paid the
ship a visit. They were regaled with pipes and
coffee. As one of the Turks, an antient, acute,
facetious creature, spoke Italian, I was really
very much amused. They pretended that they
had come for the purpose of buying coffee, but
it was evident that they were actuated by some
other motive. The young man, who was so im
pertinent yesterday, sat, during the whole time of
their visit, with downcast eyes, and did not utter
a syllable. The Georgian slave, one of the hand
somest lads I ever saw, was so richly dressed
in the Albanian style, that I supposed he was a
young chieftain ; but the old Turk, with a sig-
tiificant nod, informed me of his real condition.

valona. 19
When they had taken their leave, the Greek Se
cretary of the Pashaw and another officer came on
board, and enquired very particularly about the
pistol adventure. I made as light of it as I could.
It seems, that when Jacomo went in search of
change to pay for the turkey, he had mentioned
the affair, and it reached the ears of his High
ness with all due exaggeration. The Pashaw
understanding that I was a British traveller, was
surprized I had not paid him a visit, and was
much exasperated against the offender. The
Secretary informed me that he has gone this
morning to the country ; but, should he return
before the vessel sails, it will be proper for me to
assure him myself that I do not consider the in
sult as of any consequence ; or, in plainer terms,
he will expect me to make him a present.
The government of this part of the Otto
man dominions is entrusted to Ibrahim Pashaw,
who has two daughters married to sons of the
famous Ali Pashaw, by whom an extensive mo
narchy, in every thing but the name, has been
established over the greatest part of the antient
Macedonia. At present there is a considerable
c 2

So Valona.
degree of hostility between the two fathers-in-
law. The province of Valona, according to the Se
cretary's information, contains about twenty-five
thousand Greeks subject to the capitation-tax,
and about half as many Turks. It possesses an
inconsiderable manufacture of woollen cloth, and
the arms made in the town of Valona are much
esteemed. There is no foreign trade carried on
by the inhabitants themselves ; but vessels be
longing to the islands of the Archipelago, to
Malta, and to Sicily, come for the purpose of
bartering or purchasing.
All the natural productions are esteemed ex
cellent of their kind. The wines are high-fla
voured, and are said to resemble tbose of France,
but the quantity made is trifling. The chief
produce of the agriculture is grain and oil. The
tobacco is not inferior in quality to any raised in
the Turkish dominions ; indeed I can say, from
what I saw in the shops yesterday, that it is
very fine.
The Secretary has given me a newspaper
printed at Corfu in Greek and Italian. He men-

valona. 21
tioned to me that his name was Nicolo Papala-
zarus, and said that it was a general custom, in
this part of Greece, for children to add to
their baptismal names a surname formed by com
bining the profession with the Christian name
of their father. The name of his father was
Lazarus; who being a priest, Nicolo was called
Papalazarus, which implies the son of Lazarus
the priest. He also mentioned that he received
no pay for his service, but had a small district
allowed to him, out ofthe rental ofwhich he paid
the Pashaw a certain sum : the remainder was
considered as his own pay. This mode of reim
bursing service is the ordinary practice of the
Ottoman Government, and indeed of all military
governments. As it is indicative of the state of
society, it may be said that the fiefs have not yet
become hereditary here.
To-day there has not been a breath of wind.
Instead of going again to the town, I went
to a pastoral village, which stands on a point
of land, about four or five miles south-east of
the fortress. The boat had been there in the
morning ; and as the mountains abound with
game, of almost every description, one of the

22 VALONA.
men had bargained with the shepherds to shoot a
wild boar for us. When I landed, I found they
had fulfilled their engagement, and were sitting
with the carcase on the beach, to the number of
seventeen, waiting to receive the stipulated price,
which was two dollars.
Leaving the boat, I went towards the hills,
unaccompanied, and had advanced about half a
mile from the shore, when I was addressed by a
Turk, who appeared to be the precursor of a
band of fifty or sixty in number. My first sen
sation, at this unexpected encounter, was not
very pleasant; but, on going towards him, I saw
there was no occasion to be under any apprehen
sion. He could speak that barbarous jargon, the
lingua Franca, which serves to render Italian so
useful in every part of the Mediterranean ; and
his purpose was to caution me from going
alone, as he said the people of the country were
bad, and robbers. In the course of a few minutes,
the band approached and surrounded us. A
young man, who appeared to be the leader,
having enquired hovv I came there alone, and
being satisfied when I pointed to the boat and
vessel, went away about his own business. An

VALONA. 23
old man, whom I had observed eying me very
particularly, the moment that his leader had
passed on, pulled a purse from his bosom, and
pointing to the silk handkerchief round my neck,
offered to buy it. I was not, however, prepared
to deal with him ; but having another in my
pocket, I presented it, and he took his leave
highly contented. While this was transacting, a
wag stole slyly behind me, and gave a loud dis
orderly bellow, no doubt to frighten me. He
then made a great many ludicrous bows and gri
maces, in mockery, as I conceive, of our modes
of asking pardon for unintentional offences — an
effort of humour which was apparently much re
lished by his companions.
On returning to the shore I desired the cap
tain, who had come with me in the boat, but
' who had remained in conversation with the shep
herds, to enquire the price of cattle and sheep.
Oxen, they informed us, are at present worth
about seven dollars a head, and the best of a flock
of sheep fifteen shillings. This, some of our
friends would think very cheap, but money here
is proportionably dear. Cattle are not numerous.
The sheep which I saw were large, and their
wool very coarse.

24 VALONA.
Near the spot where we embarked to return
to the ship, there is a vast spring of fresh water.
The fountain of Arethusa, at Syracuse, is but a
dribble in comparison. It issues from under the
rocks, in a stream sufficient to form at once a
respectable river • but the greatest effusion is
within the salt-water mark ; and you may form
some notion of its magnitude, when I mention,
that at one place, where the sea is not less than
ten feet deep, it rises with such force, that the
water may be taken up perfectly fresh. I tasted
it myself, and found it not in the least brackish.
The Captain tells me that there are five similar
fountains, which flow into the harbour, and that
this one is not the largest. There is no need, on so
remarkable a phenomenon, for conjecture : these
springs must be the vents and outlets of some lake
beyond the mountains.. — Was it not somewhere
hereabout that the Chimsera had her abode ? If
her history were not wrapped up in an allegory
as thick as the hide of her son and heir, the Ne-
maean lion, I dare say it would turn out that she
was only a wicked old woman. Your's, &c.

25

LETTER V.

Off the Island o/" Corfu, Jan. 28.
About day-break on the morning of the
26th, a light breeze sprang up, and the two pri
vateers having got under way, we also took our
departure from Valona. I left it with some re
luctance, disappointed at not having an oppor
tunity of seeing Ibrahim Pashaw, for public cha
racters are to me the most interesting kind of
curiosities. We might just as well have staid ;
for we made scarcely ten miles in the course of
the whole day. It was not till after dark that
we had any thing that could properly be called
wind, nor did it last long.
After we came out of the port, we were boarded
by the boats of a British frigate. The French
privateer they had not seen : a proof, in some
measure, of the inutility of large vessels in these
seas. The number of men necessary for a frigate
would man a squadron of luggers ; Vrhich, in the

26 AT SEA.
Adriatic especially, would prove a more effectual
species of predatory force than any single ship.
On the 27th, we had a perfect calm. The
sea was like oil ; and, about noon, when the
ship was sitting " As steady as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean,"
a Tripoline cruizer, an ugly black dishonest-
looking galley, was discovered rowing towards
us. We prepared to welcome her as she de
served ; and you will no doubt prick up your
classical ears to hear, that our men shewed a
spirit and activity worthy of the Grecian name ; —
but Jacomo was nowhere to be seen. When
all was in readiness, and the Greeks were waiting
at the guns, I felt excessively provoked at not
being able to discover what had become of the
fellow. The galley was still beyond the range of
shot, and I was leaning over the railing of the
quarter-deck, looking at the glancing of her oars
as she came towards us. All was silence in the
ship, when presently a clear and cheerful whist
ling was heard aloft. Every eye looked up. It
was Jacomo, sitting on the yard-arm, as jocund

AT SEA. 27
as a bird on a bough. He was soon, however,
ordered to descend from his exalted situation,
and in the course of a few minutes the action
commenced. The Corsair's shot cut some of
our rigging ; but in the end she was beat off
and went away, crawling, with her oars, along
the smooth sea, like a centipede on a plate of
glass. Next morning, conversing on the subject ofthis
attack with the supercargo, who is a shrewd well-
informed old man, and frorn whom I have received
a great deal of detail knowledge relative to the state
of the insular Greeks, I led him to communicate
fully his views, which are those ofhis countrymen
in general, with regard to the different foreign
powers to which their attention has been for some
time directed. He began with asking me how it
happened that the British permit the Barbary
cruizers and the other pirates to rove so freely.
" It surely would not be difficult," he remarked,
" to clear the seas of them. The Greeks are all
devoted to trade ; and to us, more than to any
other nation, is Malta indebted for its sup
plies. I have been three years a regular trader to
that island, and I have never seen a Tripoline

28 AT SEA.
mercantile vessel there. Surely the British, for
their own sakes, might think of obtaining a
little security for the helpless Greeks. But
you consider only the Turks, a people who de
spise all the rest of mankind as their inferiors,
and who are so devoid of reflexion, as still to
deem themselves the same sort of beings as their
ancestors, who destroyed the Greek Empire.
Were the British to turn their attention to the
Greeks, who are more numerous in Europe than
the Turks, jn the proportion of three to one,
they would receive their gratitude and secure
their co-operation against the period when the
Ottoman Government shall be driven from Con
stantinople. The Greeks are well inclined to
wards the British, and would give them a de
cided prefetence over either the French or the
Russians. But the French and the Russians
openly court us, and the English do not seem to
know that we are a separate people from the
Turks. " The intelligent Greeks do not think that their
condition would be much ameliorated by the
Russians; because, from what we have known
and experienced of them, they appear to be as

AT SEA. 29
great barbarians as the Turks themselves. They
boast that they are of the same religion as the
Greeks, but the Turks do not molest us in the ex
ercise of our worship. It is their system of po
litical government that has sunk us to our present
degraded condition.
" It is not the re-establishment of a Christian
king in Constantinople that will raise the fallen
Greeks : we are not well formed for enduring
kings. We know that our country lost its glory
when it became an empire ; and we do not find
that the great Christian nations have attained,
under their monarchs, such excellence as our
ancestors did in the time of their little republics.
We have still less cpnfidence in the promises
held out to us by the French. They will come to
make war agairist the Turks, and, according to
their usual practice, they will bring neither mo
ney nor supplies with their troops. The poverty
which we already suffer they will only increase,
and a French army in Greece will prove but a
doubtful prelude to the blessings with which
they endeavour to allure us. Whoever would
effectually serve us must allow us to take our own

30 AT SEA.
way, and this the British are more likely to do
than any other nation.
" During the late interruption of intercourse
between the British and the French, we had
some experience of the value of that protection
which your Government has it in its power to
bestow on the Greeks. Sir Alexander Ball
granted us licences to trade with Malta. Had he
not adopted this measure, we should have been
obliged to make privateers of our vessels, in
which case we should have extirpated every Bri
tish merchantman from the Mediterranean ; for, in
the islands alone, we can muster five hundred
sail of more than a hundred tons each, and the
French ports were open to us for the sale of our
prizes." I have given you here the substance of what
he stated. It is perhaps rather a particular than
a comprehensive or a satisfactory view of the
subject; yet the dispositions of a people are al
vvays worthy of attention ; and certainly those of
the insular Greeks towards us, at the present
moment, deserve notice and consideration.
Your's;, &c.

LETTER VL

O^ Ithaca, Jan. 30.
1 HE weather, since we left Valona, has
been so calm, that we have yet only got along
side of Leucadia, and in sight of Ithaca. With
you Winter is still in full possession of his bleak
dominion ; but, in this delightful climate, he
appears to-day to be gone, and the time of the
singing of birds arrived. The air has all the genial
warmth and blandishments of the English May ;
and the snow on the tops of the neighbouring
mountains of Greece serves rather to give pictu
resque variety to the prospects, than to remind
the traveller that it is still the month of January.
Since our action with the corsair, the sailors
have been employed in repairing the rigging and
in making sails. Instead of canvas, these last
are made of cotton cloth, which is generally used
for this purpose in the Levant, To-day the men.

32 at sea.
having nothing to do, diverted themselves in dif
ferent ways ; and I, being equally at a loss for
employment, amused myself in observing their
proceedings. Some of them were at cards, I will describe
their game to you, for it is very simple. The pack
being cut, the dealer desired his neighbour to draw
a card, the suit of which was declared trumps.
Three were then dealt to each of the party, and
the remainder of the pack laid over the half of the
shown card. Before playing, the eldest hand
lifted a card, and either played it, or one from
the three which had been dealt to him. The
next in order did the same, and so on till the
whole pack was exhausted, A new dealing then
took place, and they played da capo, till one of
the party reckoned a hundred tricks, which ter
minated the game. Excepting the trumps, all
the other cards are considered as of the same suit.
The ace has no political privilege, but holds its
natural rank of one ; kings command queens, and
knaves of course govern kings. Before beginning
your nightly Whist, I beg you to try how far
this description of Scambili is intelligible, by en
deavouring to play the game.

AT SEA. 33
The boys appeared to be all literary characters.
One of them read aloud, and the rest listened
with the most delighted attention ; when any
one happened to be called away, he returned as
soon as possible, and interrupted the reader until
he was inforrrted of the circumstances that had
been narrated in his absence. I did not wonder
at their earnestness, when I was informed that
their book was a Romaic translation of the Ara
bian Nights' Entertainment. I was much gra
tified to find, upon enquiry, that almost all the
Greeks of the islands can read and write. Be
sides the Arabian Nights, and a Polite Letter
fFriter, the sailor-boys have a Telemachus, trans
lated by one Athanasio Care, and published at
Venice in 1742.
But the gaming clubs and the literary so
cieties afforded no amusement compared with
another species of entertainment. Put yourself
in order, I pray you, to hear this. We have no
less than a player on the lyre, an Orion, on
board. Modern musicians have often, in vain,
attempted to draw from an instrument, made
according to the form of that with which Apollo
is commonly represented, some of those notes to
D

34 AT SEA.
which such wonders have of old been ascribed ;
but they have never been able to obtain any thing
superior to the tinkling of an ordinary guitar, or
the prattle of that paralytic chattel, a spinnet. I
feel something like an antiquarian extasy, in
being enabled to throw a spark of light on this
interesting and important subject. But, alas!
for the picturesque flying fingers of Dryden's
Timotheus, you must substitute flying elbows;
for the lyre is played upon with a bow, in the
same manner as a vulgar fiddle. It is a hollow
three-stringed instrument, somewhat like the
body of a violin, clumsily formed ; but, notwith
standing the rudeness of the workmanship, the
sound was so sweet and vocal, that I have no
doubt, that one better constructed and more skil
fully played, might produce some degree of plea
surable sensation. Now the question to be de
cided is, whether the lyre, with bow and catgut,
br that kind commonly placed in the hands ofthe
effigies of Apollo, is the instrument to which
such miraculous effects have been ascribed.
Yours, &c.

35

LETTER VII. Zante, Feh. 6.
On the evening when I wrote to you last, a
light breeze sprang up, and brought us to the
north end of this island, where it made a full
stop. All the next day we remained disconso
lately idle. Our water was nearly exhausted, and
Jacomo began to fear that our provisions would
be insufficient for the voyage. Towards night,
however, the breeze returned, and carried us to a
creek in the south of Zante, where we cast an
chor. In the morning the boat was sent to fill
the wat^r-casks, and I went to a small island
which lies about four or five hundred yards off
the shore. The weather was still delightfully
fine, and the view of Zante, from the summit of
the little island, was beautiful and inviting. The
islet itself is rendered rather interesting, by the
romantic circumstance of being a<i present inha
bited by two hoary hermits. One of them was sit
ting on the rocks, in the Apostolical occupation
D 2

36 ZANTE.
of fishing ; and the other was lounging along the
sandy beach with his dog, an old creature.
Their habitation is a square tower, situated
in the middle of a rude garden, in which the
almond trees are already in blossom. They have
a little chapel decorated with caricatures of saints
and of the Virgin, before which a silver lamp
emits a feeble and ineffectual flame. Their do
minions are tolerably well cultivated. The face
of the hill being steep, is formed into terraces
sown with grain, and here and there planted
with olives. Among the rocks I observed many
curious plants and flowers. A botanist, I am
sure, would find, in this little retired spot,
amusement for more than a summer's day. Our
crew are great simplers, and collected several
herbs for healing wounds and bruises. They also
gathered a species of balm, which next morning
furnished me with a fragrant and pleasant substi
tute for tea.
In the evening a fresh breeze arose, and
before midnight we had passed the flat island of
Strophadia, famous in these seas for the abun
dance of its springs, and for an extensive eccle-
( Siastical rookerv.

ZANTE. 37
As the morning dawned, the wind again left
us. This was exceedingly vexatious. The men,
who for two days before had only bread and wa
ter, began to grow impatient; and it was resolved
unanimously, that a religious ceremony, which
one of them had seen performed in a former voy
age with the happiest success, should be tried
on this occasion. Thirty-eight pieces of paper
were accordingly prepared, each inscribed with a
holy name, and put into a new night-cap. These
billets represented tlie persons on board ; and each
of the thirty-six Greeks drew one out of the cap,
paying a shilling to the mate, to be.delivered to
a priest, on their arrival in port, for the behoof
of the saints. Jacomo being a Catholic, and his
master they knew not what, we were of course not
" called to bear a part" in the conjuration, but
billets were also drawn for us.
The sailors, as they drew their papers, went
to the stern of the ship, and making the sign of
the cross, kissed the billet, blew it into the sea,
and prayed to the povver, whose name it bore, to
send a wind in poop. During the invocation,
Jacomo assured the sailors that the Saints care
nothing at all about the Greeks ; and really so it

38 ZANTfi.
appeared, for the last billet was not a minute in
the water, when a smart breeze came directly
against us.
It may amuse you to see the names of the
saints invoked. The order in which they stood
on the list may probably be taken as the de
gree of estimation in which they are respectively
held. The Trinity, the Virgin of Augusto, St.
Michael, Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Annunci
ation, St. Anthony, St. Spiridion, St. John, St.
Haralabow, St. Demetrius, St. Nicholo, St.
George, St. Andrew, St. Vassilius, St. Vagilistro,
the Saintes^Passandi, St. Theodosius, St. Pando
(this means all the Saints collectively), St. Ana-
giro, St. Leo, St. Lucas, the Saintess Parastivi,
St. Pandalemonos, St. Constantine, St. Nistow,
St. Humphrey, the Saintess Marianne, St. Savas,
St. Athanasius, St. Gregory, the mother of St.
Constantine, St. Thomas, St. Costo, St. Peter, St.
Jerom, St. Paul, St. Legorius, and the Holy
Cross. Being obliged to put back to Zante, I resolved
to visit the town, and was accordingly put ashore
near a brook where about twenty old women
were washing clothes. I believe it is a settled

ZANTE. 39
point that it was not in this island, but in Cepha
lonia, that Ulysses met with the washerwomen, so
that there is no occasion for me to make any com
parison upon the similarity of our fates.
The place where I landed is about twelve
miles from the city. After much altercation,
I succeeded in persuading one of the old wo
men to lend the ass on which she had brought
her clothes from the village where she re
sides, to carry my portmanteau here. The road
lay along the beach for at least ten miles, and the
rain falling copiously the whole time, I need not
say that I had any thing but a pleasant walk along
with the stately equipage of the ass and Jacomo.
Since my arrival I have received much hospitably
attention from Mr. Forresti, who was formerly our
Consul in this island, and who, since the formation
ofthe Septinsular Republic, has been promoted to
the rank of Resident Minister. Yours, &c.
I find that I have got into a dilemma. The
vessel in which I have sailed all this time is with
out a firman, in other words is a smuggler. This
explains the cause of the attack by the Tripoline.

40 ZANTE.
The Tripolines act in the capacity of revenue
cruizers to the Porte, and at present there are
several off Cerigo. I have therefore determined
to go across the Morea instead of returning to
the ship. So that I run some hazard of losing
my baggage by this adventure.

LETTER VIIL

Zante, 8 Feb.
1 HE appearance of the interior of this island
from the fortress above the city is uncommonly
beautiful ; — a large fertile valley richly cultivated,
and studded with neat lodges and villages embosom
ed in olive plantations, presents a prospect rarely to
be excelled. The produce of the country consists
of wine, currants, cotton, a little silk and grain,
but not enough of the latter to support the inha
bitants for more than two months. The vicinity.

ZANTE. 41
however, of the Morea, renders it still a very cheap
residence, for a superabundance of every species
of provisions generally prevails in that country.
It is the custom of the peasants of Zante to go
over to the Morea in harvest-time to assist in
reaping the corn. One year with another about
five thousand persons annually migrate, and being
paid in grain for their work, return, it is sup
posed, with not less than fifty thousand bushels.
The population is estimated at forty thousand;
and from the great number of very old people, I
imagine the air must be in general salubrious.
Ninety and even a whole century of years is a
common age in Zante. My landlady is above a
hundred and four, and still retains all her faculties
in venerable preservation. Every day she is
early and constantly at her distaff, and it is only
in her limbs that she feels the effects of old age.
But here is something for you to ponder on. Fa
milies in Zante are remarked to be less numerous
than on the Continent.
The greatest natural curiosity in the island is a
bituminous spring, the matter of which is fit for
all the purposes that pitch is usually applied to. It
is near the place where I landed, and I regret that

42 ZANTE.
I did not visit it on my way hither. There is also,
I am told, another curious natural issue of a
soapy nature. Like all the adjacent countries
Zante is greatly subject to earthquakes ; but they
seldom do much damage, although several of the
buildings in the town exhibit marks of their
violence. The city of Zante, which is supposed to con
tain about seventeen thousand inhabitants, is for
its extent entitled to the epithet of handsome.
The principal street is pretty well built, and many
of the houses have arched piazzas, which in this
climate cannot but prove a great convenience dur
ing the rains of winter and the heats of summer.
With respect both to appearance and to the con
dition of the inhabitants, it may be described as
a substantial place in which comfort is more
studied than elegance. It has no public amuse
ments if you except billiard-tables. The churches
are not in any respect remarkable. The clergy,
being of the Greek persuasion, are of course nei
ther so numerous, so arrogant, nor so opulent as
those of the Roman catholic countries. They are
here under a proper degree of subordination to
the civil power. During the time that the islands

ZANTE. 43
of the Septinsular Republic belonged to the Ve
netians, the church of Zante was in a state similar
to that of Ireland at present. Although by far
the majority of the people were of the Greek
church ; nevertheless, as the established and state
religion vvas the Roman Catholic, the revenues of
the Roman church were duly levied, while the
people by voluntary contributions maintained
their own priesthood. In the period of the Re
public a judicious alteration was made in this op
pressive system. The papal clergy became pen
sioners of the state, and would of course in time
have become nearly extinct, while the people
were allowed to act towards their own pastors as
they thought proper themselves. This arrange
ment prepared for the gradual abrogation of one
order, and gave free scope for the progress of
knowledge on the other. At present all is neces
sarily in some degree of confusion.
The state of public instruction here has, from
various causes, very much declined. During the
time ofthe Republic, the monasteries, which were
properly the only schools in the island, were in a
great degree deserted, and the education of youth
accordingly suffered. I am however informed by

44 ZANTE.
General Oswald that as the revenues of the mo
nasteries are still unappropriated, it is in contem
plation to restore them in such a manner as to
render them equivalent to public schools. It is
so seldom that one hears of our military country
men bestowing their attention on objects of this
kind, that I felt no small degree of satisfaction at
receiving this information.
The air and appearance of these islanders is
greatly superior to those of the Sicilians. They
have a chearful confidence in their looks, which
to me is always agreeable. In their persons they
are stouter, and in their complexions much
fairer than the Maltese. The women are more
like those of our own country in the cast of their
features than any I have seen since leaving home.
If I may judge by the number of butchers' stalls,
and the show of provisions in the shops, the in
habitants of Zante live as much more liberally
than the Maltese and Sicilians, as they excel
them in corporeal appearance. To the praise of
being industrious they are well intitled^ Every
female appears to be employed either in spin
ning with the distaff, knitting, or weaving;
and I have nowhere observed those chattering

ZANxr. 45
groupes of idle loungers with night-caps so often
met with in Sicily.
These few brief notices contain the substance
of all the general observations which I have been
enabled to make on this island ; but I have col
lected a few pocket-book memoranda, which, for
lack ofmore amusing information, I will give you.
There is in Zante a public Pawn Bank, one of
those institutions for affording temporary aid to
individuals, by which the Italian Republics were
enabled during the fifteenth century to acquire so
much national power and private opulence. The
principle of this excellent contrivance was similar
to that on which the British Government has oc
casionally relieved the embarrassments of the
commercial body. Property was assigned and
deposited as a pledge with the Bank for the
amount of the loan, and which, if not redeemed
within a certain specified time, was sold, and the
proceeds applied to the payment of the debt.
But within that time it remained, though in pos
session of the Bank, at the disposal of the original
proprietors, in the same manner, as under the
bonding systera, our West Indian Merchants are
allowed to regulate the sales of their goods.

46 ZANTE.
It is somewhat extraordinary that during the
present war, in which so mueh merchantable pro
perty of all kinds has so often lain long dead in
the hands of the merchants, that some plan of the
nature of the Italian Banks has not been set
a-going in London, especially since the admirable
security provided by the warehouse system ren
dered it so practicable. Surely it would be a
much more commodious way of affording relief
than by those public legislative measures which
have been before resorted to. For it might dif
fer in nothing from the ordinary system of the
Bank of England, except in depositing a trans-
ferrable right to property in bond instead of dis
counting bills of exchange. Indeed it would
have some advantages over the bill system, as the
transfer documents would really represent pro
perty, which it is well known bills do not always do.
There was also a public granary here, which al
ways contained a quantity of corn adequate for the
support of the inhabitants for some time in case of
any interruption happening in the usual channels
of supply ; but the Russians ate up its contents^
and the French, who succeeded them, took no
;care to replenish it.

ZANTE. 47
Land in the best parts of the island is worth
about thirty years purchase. There are several
building-yards along the shore, and at present
three or four small vessels are on the stocks. The
timber is brought from the Morea and Dal
matia. The Jews here live in a street by themselves,
which is defended by a gate regularly closed at
night. This custom and privilege originated in
a wish on the part of the Venetian Republic to
protect them from ill usage at a time when they
were generally persecuted by the Christians.
The common people seem to be great players
at quoits; and the peasants have a practice of
steeping their cheese in oil, which otherwise, as
it is made of sheep and goat milk, would be very
hard. I have been shewn a small burying-ground
which for upwards of two centuries has belonged
to the English nation. It contains tombs of se
veral Consuls who died here ; and I understand
that a small tax was levied on every Eng
lish vessel that formerly came to Zante, for the
purpose of keeping the walls in repair.
The town is abundantly supplied with fine

48 ZANTE.
spring water froni draw wells open in the streets,
but which are inclosed with a parapet in order
to prevent children and pther heedless creatures
from tumbling in. Yours, &c.

LETTER IX.

Zante, Feh. ll.
oINCE writing to you the other day, the wind
has continued against my departure ; but I have
found in the society here an agreeable check to
my restlessness.
Of our countrymen it is needless to speak ; but
I must ever feel much indebted for the attentions
that I have received from General Oswald. Prince
Carnuto, who was formerly at the head of the
Septinsular Republic, resides here. In his man
ners he is an excellent specimen of the old

ZANTE. 49
school, and he is also a man of superior ta
lents with a highly cultivated mind. He ap
pears to possess an extensive knowledge of our
most celebrated authors, and prefers them to
those of France, He does not speak English,
but he reads it perfectly well. At present he
is engaged with Mr. Fox's History, of which
he has expressed himself in terms of the highest
approbation. Some passages of the introductory
chapter he particularly admires; and he pointed
out to me that paragraph in which the author
speaks of the theoretical perfection which the
English Constitution had attained in the reign of
Charles the Second, alleging that the character
of rulers, more than the measures of Govern^
ments, affects the happiness of subjects. The
prince took occasion to remark from the text
that he thought the opinion well founded, for
thjs reason : — that he was not able to per
eeive those perfections in the system of the
British Constitution whicb are commonly as
cribed to it ; but he had uniformly observed
a superiority of conduct and manner in the
native English, which he thought more than any
other cause the spring of our national greatness.
E This

50 ZANTE.
This was rather a singular observation for a So
vereign, as -it might be supposed to imply a right
in himself to treat his subjects in a way whicb
he would not dare to do if they were a little more
turbulent. If it be allowed that princes may
stretch their prerogatives as far as their people
will endure, it is very clear that there is no other
check upon them but what is in their own dispo
sitions ; and yet Camuto ought to have known,
both as a senator of Venice, and as the head of a
Republic, that governments are as much bound
by the laws as subjects, and advance their power
quite as much by observing the spirit of the laws,
as individuals prosper by assisting in their steady
execution. Something, undoubtedly, must be al
lowed for that difference of temperament which
is in many instances the distinguishing charac
teristic of nations. But the simultaneous pro
gression of the British nation is surely more ow
ing to the means by which our individual ^er^e
is coalesced and brought into operation, than to our
disposition to act independently. The British con
stitution is in the eyes of theoretical foreigners
a very clurasy machine, because they have no
conception of the constant presence of that spirit

ZANTE. 5X
of popular opinion, which presides both at the
generation of new lavvs, and in the execution of
old. They have no idea of the continual effect
arising from the nature of that multifarious ten
dency to revolution observed in the frame of our
government, — that which is continually repairing
what is decaying, and supplying by suitable ex
pedients whatever deficiency is found. The
British constitution is expediency reduced into a
system, and therefore in its operations provides
rather for circumstances as they occur, than ad
heres to a settled plan, at all hazards, in order to
obtain some future good. It adapts itgelf to the
immediate occasions of the people, and obtains
their veneration by supplying their wants, and gra
tifying their wishes, without thinking too much
about posterity. It is a contrivance to promote
practicallythe happiness of mankind; and the good
that results from it to the present generation, arises
from the means which it affords to postpone the ar
rival of that time, when the British name shall be
classed with the Roman and the dead, and all the
coraforts ofEngland shall have become exchanged
fora desolation as mournful as that which prevails
in the famous region immediately before me.
E 2 But

52 ZANTE.
But I forget that it is not a panegyric on
the British constitution that you expect from
me, but some account of what I see and hear,
and therefore I must resume the subject to whicb
I intended to devote this letter. Tbe prin
cess Camuto is a daughter of Mr. Foresti. She
is a woman of considerable personal beauty,
though a little too political in her conversation :
this, however, is excusable in the daughter of a
plenipotentiary, and the wife of a man who bas
been a ruler. She is much younger than the
prince, who indeed is perhaps a little too well
stricken in years for any woman. Her father I
really deem myself fortunate in knowing, both on
account of the attention which I have redeived
from him, and the peculiarities of his own cha
racter. At the same time I doubt very much, if
he be exactly the kind of man that ought to be
employed by sucb a government as ours, in such
a place as this. We are bere among the ruins of
nations, and the rubbish on which we are at
tempting to rebuild is, probably, in many places
too hollow and unsafe for the new superstructures.
Without presumption, therefore, I may perbaps
be allowed to think tbat our ends would be better

ZANTE. 53
attained were a person of more austere political
notions employed ; at the same time I know not
where we sbould be able to find a man with raore
of the symptoms of a zealous spirit than Mr.
Foresti. On my arrival bere, it afforded me some satis
faction to find tbat the General had been induced
to avail himself of the disposition of the Greeks
to enter into our service, and had formed a regi
ment of eight hundred men. It is called the
Greek light infantry. The dress is the Albanian,
except in one company, which, being entirely com
posed of Mainotes, is clothed in wbat may be
called tbe Spartan uniforra. I dined at the
officers' mess on the occasion of General Oswald's
first visit to them, and was not a little amused.
The appearance of the scene was somewhat like
the theatrical exhibition of the Hall of Fingal in
Oscar and Malvina. We had several Albanian
songs — odes I sbould call them, as they were the
language of the Greeks. The style of the airs
resembled the Highland pibrochs. Indeed in
their manners these mountaineers are not unlike
our highland countrymen. They have the same
skinless sense of honour, and between tbem and

54 ZANTE,
their followers the same kind of attachment, and
in many cases the same relationship exists, which
Constituted the peculiar cement of the Scotish
clans. One of the Greek officers sung an old set
of the hlu& bells qf Scotland, not the least extra
ordinary incident in the entertainment I think
you must allow.
But although I certainly do feel much pleasure
in seeing these hardy and military characters em
ployed in our service, I doubt if policy, and the
due respect which one government ought to have
for the rights of another, will justify tlie measure.
For the men are properly subjects of the Turks,
and without the permission of the Sultan we
surely had no right to enlist them. It may be
very true that such is the system of Ottoman
rule, that in doing this we have not apparently
done so much wrong as if we bad acted in the
same way towards any of tbe western nations ;
but the principle of wrong is every where the
same, and the degree of impunity with whicb it
may be used cannot alter its nature.
Prior to the French revolution Zante was one
ofthe few fragments that remained to the Vene
tians of their antient maritime dominions. Af-

ZANTE. 55
terwards it formed a part of the Septinsular Re
public, which by the treaty of Amiens was placed
under the protection of Russia, and finally by the
consent of the emperor Alexander it was annexed
to the French empire. In consequence of this
annexation, according to the usages of states,
wben the British took possession of Zante and
tbe neighbouring islands, they were in no degree
bound to consider them otherwise than as belong
ing to France. The expedition however being
undertaken without orders from home, it was
thought expedient to revive the Republic ; and a
Provisional Government has therefore in the mean
time been formed, which consists of four native
counsellors, with a British officer as president for
tbe executive, and a senate of forty members,
which may be considered as the legislative and
controul ing part of the Constitution. The four
Counsellors have, in the first instance, been ap
pointed by General Oswald, but in future they
are to be chosen annually by ballot in the senate.
The laws are the old Venetian code, and require
little amendraent. Tbe measures of the General
respecting them haye, therefore, ^been confined to
ensuring their regular and faithful execution. As far

g6 ZANTE.
far as 1 am capable of judging, the whole proceed
ings in Zante since the arrival of the British have
been eminently judicious. The wishes of tbe
inhabitants have been temperately indulged in
the riew rnodification of the public institutions ;
andj whatever may be the opinion of tbe Govern
ment' at home on tbis subject, the national cha-
facter has been fully upheld by the measures of
General Oswald.
There are some politicians who will think
that, the Seplinsurla Republic baving been de
stroyed, we ought to have considered these islands
at once as British conquests. I own myself
father inclined to this opinion ; but, since my
arrival here, I have found some reason to doubt its
justness ; because Napoleon bas declared them a
part of his dominions, and it is therefore likely
tbat, in subsequent negociations, be might sti
pulate for their restitution. While we consider
them as still constituting tbe property of a
separate state, the right which the French may
pretend remains disputable.
The tendency of tbe measures of the Provi
sional Government is, to render the islands, as
far as circumstaiiceS will permit, capable of

ZANTE. 57
defending themselves. A militia of four thousand
men has been raised in Zante, and the public
revenue is placed on a better and more pro
ductive footing. It will amuse the mathema
tician * to hear, that tbe tax on snuff is appro^
priated for making tbe public roads, and keeping
them in repair. Q. E. D.
I have hitherto forgot to mention, that the
language of the inhabitants is Greek ; or rather,
it is that modern dialect wbicb is called by tbem
selves the Romaica. Yours, &c.
* Mr. Spence, author of the Essay on Logarithmic Tran-
scendants. My old schoolfellow and friend will pardon me
for allowing an allusion to be pnblished, which only serves to
gratify my vanity, by showing our intimacy.

5S

LETTER X.

Argos, Feb. 15.
Although I have come a long way, and seen
a great deal of country ; traversed, indeed, many
states and kingdoms, since I wrote to you last, I
foresee that tbis will not be a very interesting
letter. — On tbe morning of the 1 lth of the pre
sent month — it is necessary to be thus parti
cular, that you may not fancy it was of the
llth of February last year I was speaking,
considering that I have since passed through 1
many nations — on that day the wind became
fair, and I left Zante in a small sloop for
Patrass. We had not, however, sailed above an
hour, when it fell calm, which obliged the boat
men to have recourse to their oars. Rowing is
laborious work ; the boatmen grew tired ; the
evening began to close, and we were still only
opposite Castle Tornes^, an old Venetian for
tress on the Morea. It was therefore resolved

ARGOS. 59
that we sbould come to anchor in a small creek
under the castle.
My fellow-passengers, besides Jacomo, con
sisted of two Greek merchants, who had been at
Zante on business, and were returning home; —
a Corsican, who was going to Tripolizza, to sell
Tonkin beans to tbe Turks ; that kind of beans
wbich some of your snuff-takers are so foolish
as to buy, although woodriffe, a weed common
enough in their own neighbourhood, has the
same perfume, and even more delicately. There
was also a poor boy, who had emigrated from
Greece to be a clerk in Zante : his mother had
been taken ill, and, conceiving herself dying, had
sent for him to receive her last advice and bless
ing. We bad likewise a Janissary, a strange, sim
ple, yet cunning animal, a nfative of Cyprus. He
was called Mustapha, and could say, " Damna
tion ! it rains !" — an English prayer, wbich he
bad learnt from a milordos, whom he had once
served with unimpeachable canine fidelity.
The Corsican, and one ofthe Greeks, tormented
Mustapha in a most merciless manner. They
told bim that tbe coffin of Mahomet, which was
to continue suspended in the air as long as the

6o AReos.
Turks had dominion, was now on the ground ; a
sure sign that the end of their power was ap
proaching. Mustapha denied tbe fact, though
he acknowledged that the reigning Sultan was
the last of the holy race. I enquired what the
Turks would do if he died without an heir?
Mustapha answered, that he supposed tbey would
make a republic. Tbis profound conjecture only
excited my fellow-passengers, more and more, to
vex poor Mustapha. They told him that the
English were going to take possession of the Mo
rea. He appealed to me if the English were
not the very brothers of the Turks. The Greek
and Corsican then sang a song, the burden of
which was, that the power of the Ottomans was
expiring, and the restoration of the Greeks in
Constantinople at band. Mustapha became fii
rious. His tongue went witb incredible velocity ;
but the Christians only laughed the louder. At
length be lay down at full length on the deck,
shut his eyes as closely as he could purse bis eye
lids over them, and began to snore as in a 3ead
sleep. I wondered greatly, all the time, how he
bappened to forget that he had pistols. '

ARGOS. 61
In tbe creek where we came to anchor, two
boats were lying, and tbe men belonging to them
bad gathered a large pile of sticks, witb which
tbey were preparing to make a fire on the sbore.
We bought a part of their stock for the same pur
pose, and baving ordered our provisions to be laid
out on the ground, I wanted only friends, wben
tbe fires were lighted, to make the evening pass
chearfully. The night was calm, the sky clear,
and tbe moon shone so beautifully, that she
made the beart glad in looking at her.
But it is better to pass the night with moon
lighted precipices, boats in the shadow of the
rocks, fires on the shore, and groupes of figures
in picturesque dresses around them, when they
are delineated by the pencil of genius, rather tban
when exhibited by the hand of Nature. And I
should bave admired the scene before me more,
bad it been viewed in a carpeted room, and sur
rounded by the handywork of the carver and
gilder. When the nigbt was pretty far advanced, I
returned on board, and wrapping myself up in
my cloak, soon after fell asleep. In the morn-

62 ARGOS.
ing, when I awoke, the boat was again under
Sail, and shortly after we reached Chiarenza, or
Clarence ; a place from whicb I have somewhere
heard or read, our Dukes of Clarence derive their
title. But as this is an antiquarian point, which
can only be settled in a library, I must leave your
curiosity, if you have any on the subject, to be
satisfied by some of those travellers who write
their journals in their studies, and can tell more
about what they read than what they see. At
present Chiarenza consists only of a custom
house and two cottages, in the vicinity of which
are the remains of a fortress, and the shapeless
ruins of otber buildings. Having staid about
an hour at this place, we again proceeded on our
voyage. As we sailed along the coast, I could
not but frequently lament that vicissitude in
human affairs, which has laid so fine a country
as the Morea in a state of desolation more awful
than the original wildness of uncultivated nature.
The sentiment, indeed, with which I feel myself
most constantly affected, since I came within sight
of Greece, and particularly since I landed, has a
strong resemblance to that which I have often
experienced in walking over a country cburcb-

ARGOS. 63
yard. Every thing reminds me of tbe departed.
The works of tbe living serve only to inform us
of the virtues and excellence of the dead.
About noon the slight breeze that we had
enjoyed all the morning deserted us, and the
boatmen resolved to wait till the evening, in a
sraall fresh water lake which communicates with
the sea, by a channel not above a hundred paces
in length. We accordingly rowed into tbe lake,
and landed. The Corsican, having a gun, went
to filch the grey duck ; but he was not so fortu
nate as tbe youth of fair Irelonde, for he neither
saw nor caught any thing.
In the evening we again got under way, and
reached Patrass about six o'clock in the morning.
Patrass is at present but a wretched Turkish
town, and the fortress is equally despicable. The
only curiosities that I saw in it were four or five
little Turks spinning tops in a wonderful Christian-
like manner, tbe trunk of an antient statue built
into tbe wall of the castle, and a barber-lad
dressed in crimson velvet, richly gilt, indus
triously reaping a beard.
Tbe environs of Patrass appear to be cultivated
with some care ; but, so early in the spring, they

C4 ARGOS.
are necessarily not in a state to excite mucb plea
sure in the contemplation. Oranges, olive«, and
currants, are exported in considerable quantities,
particularly the latter article, but I bave already
had reason to be on my guard in receiving ac
counts of the extent of the commercial funds of
these parts. I was told that Patrass yearly
sends off eight or nine cargoes of corn, two of
wool, five or six of oil, one or two of silk, and
several more of other articles. This appeared to
me a great deal for so mean a place, my ideas of
a cargo being connected with large sbips; and
bad it not been for the negligent way in which
the quantity of so precious a commodity as silk
was mentioned, I certainly should bave given you
some very important reflections on the great ad
vantage to us of the acquisition of Zante, arising
from the contiguity of its situation to a place of
commercial resources so vast as Patrass. It turned
out, however, that the cargoes here spoken of are,in
reality, but boat-loads ; and tbat, excepting cur
rants and grain, the exports of this town are very
trifling. The cargoes of silk resolve themselves
into a few bales. Nevertheless, as every pickle
helps to make a mickle, soraething beneficial to

ARGOS. 65
the trade of England may, no doubt, arise by the
facility which the possession of the Septinsular
Islands affords to the opening of an intercourse
witb the inhabitants of Greece.
The Consul having advised me, as the wind
was very fair, to sail to Corinth rather than to go
over land to Tripolizza, I agreed with tbe boat
man, wbo bad brought me from Zante, to take
me on. The Austrian Consul very politely in
vited me to dine with him ; and, after spending
a day tolerably enougb at Patrass, I embarked in
tbe evening, and we soon after got under weigh.
As we passed the castles in the dark, you cannot
expect me to describe tbem, for I have no travel
ler's journal to steal from. By way of letting you
know, however, what advantage it is to the world
that travellers should not write their journals
until they have leisure to rummage as many books
as possible, I confess, that all the time of my
passage to Patrass, I quite forgot that somewhere
in tbe same waters Cervantes lost his hand. The
circumstance stands in my mind so much alone,
that I scarcely remember any thing more about
the famous battle of Lepanto tban wbat relates to
the author of Don Quixote; and I doubt, whether,
F

66 ARGOS.
if the accidental resemblance of Jacomo to Sancho
had not, a few minutes ago, affected the associa
tions in my recollection, I should have remem
bered it at all. What a strange tbing is glory !
Little more than three hundred years ago all Chris
tendom rang witb the battle of Lepanto; and
yet there seems to be a probability tbat it will
be interesting to posterity only as forming an
occurrence in tbe life of one of the privates
engaged in it. This is certainly no very melan
choly reflection ; to me, indeed, it is an agree
able one ; for I have begun to be of opinion, that
there is no perraanent farae but that which is
obtained by adding to the comforts of mankind;
and military transactions do not otherwise produce
any tbing in this way, but as furnishing topics
whicb authors may manage in sucb a manner as
to aflford, in tbe perusal, the most interesting ofall
pasthnes. Not that I think less of military vir
tues ; on the contrary, I am the more convinced
of their vaflue and essentiality to tbe dignity of
tbe human character, Burke bas unguardedly
said, tha't vice loses half its malignity by losing
its grossness ; but public virtue unquestionably
ceases to be useful when it sickens at the neces-

ARGOS. 67
sary calamities of war. The moment that a na
tion becomes confident of security, it gives way
to corruption ; and the evils and dangers of war
seem as requisite for the preservation of public
morals as the laws themselves. At least, this is
the melancholy moral of history,— when nations
resolve to be peaceful with respect to tbeir neigh
bours, they begin to be vicious witb respect to
themselves. At sunrise we had reached Vostitza, which
stands on the scite of .^Egiura. I landed, but
saw nothing to induce me to stop ; for all tbat I
might have to say about the Achaian league may
be as well tbought any wbere else, certainly mucb
better wben I shall bave returned home ; for
one of the main advantages of travelling consists
in being able, in reading afterwards, to give loca
lity to the descriptions of authors, and to furnish,
from recollection, distinct and particular ideas to
expressions that would otherwise bave only a
general signification.
While I was walking on the beach at Vostitza,
I met with an adventure, wbich, like the beha
viour of tbe boys at Valona, served to give me
some foretaste of the treatment that I may expect
F 2

68 ARGOS.
from the populace in Turkey. A crabbed old
Turk, who was leading an obstinate horse, would
have had me to lead the horse for bim ; and be
cause I also chose to be stubborn, he spat at me
with the malignant antipathy of an exasperated
toad. The country of the Morea, along tbe Gulph of
Corinth, presents a varied raountainous aspect,
here and there patched witb cultivated fields,
which, with a few hamlets, serve to show that it
is not entirely deserted by the rural population.
As we approached Corinth, the ground between
the base of the hills and the sea gradually ex
panded to an inclined plain of two or three miles
in breadth. I fancy that the most humble idea
you ever entertained of the Achaian territory was
something greatly beyond so mere a selvage of
land. At sun-set we were still four or five miles dis
tant from Corinth, wheri the wind, wbicb had
blown a steady breeze all day, and bad enabled
us to run about a hundred miles in little more
time tban twelve hours, suddenly fell quite calm.
It was consequently too late, before we reached
the sbore, to tbink of going to tbe town, which

ARGOS. 6d
stands at a distance of more tban a mile from the
beacb. I was therefore obliged to pass another
night in the boat.
At day-break Jacorao vvas dispatched to pro
cure horses. He came back highly contented
witb an arrangement which be bad made witb
an Argos postraan, for four horses. Without
saying that bis master was an Englisb traveller,
be engaged the horses for a sum of about eight
sbillings. Wben we arrived at the khan, the
man discovered the fact, and refused to fulfil the
agreement. Jacomo scolded : tbe man insisted
tbat be ought to bave been told that the horses
were for a milordos. To end the dispute, I was
obliged to double the amount agreed on ; nor will
you think sixteen shillings an extravagant hire
for four horses and a journey of thirty miles.
The existing city of Corinth has a mean and
ruinous appearance, A few columns of a temple,
and two or three masses of mason-work, are the
only visible relics of its antient grandeur. The
population cannot, I think, exceed three or four
tbousand souls. The maTision of tbe Governor
is a very respectable edifice, situated on a de
lightful eminence, wbich commands a noble pro-

70 ARGOS.
spect of tbe gulph and isthmus, witb Parnassus,
and other mountains of Romalia.
After leaving Corinth, the road to Argos pro
ceeds along tbe breast of the hills, parallel to the
sea, for about a couple of miles, when it tums
into the interior. It is tolerably good for horses,
but the valley through which it lies is very dreary.
Indeed it was not till we had almost approached
the half-way stage to this place that I saw any
cultivated soil, or land that could be cultivated.
At the half-way bouse we fell in with two
Turkish travellers, very civil persons ; and soon
after, two Mahomedan women, from Argos, also
stopped to refresh their horses. They had no
other protectors than tbeir veils ; and yet, if I
might judge by their dress, they must have been
persons in gpod circumstances. Witb the curio
sity of tbe sex, they made many enquiries of
Jacomo about me ; which be appeared to
answer witb a surprising minuteness of detail,
and many incidents that evidently filled theWi
witb great wonder.
The beauty of landscapes may not be depen
dant on tbe state of the weather ; but, undoubt
edly, the weather materially affects the senti-

ARGOS. 71
ments with which we behold them. When I
reached the public-bouse, which stands on the
high road, at a short distance from the ruins of
Mycenje, nota breath of wind was stirring; and
the sun, which was sinking behind the moun
tains, was surrounded witb clouds that resem
bled vast masses of solid fire ; the effect of which
produced a slight sensation of awe, in addition
to the other feelings which tbe tranquillity and
beauty ofthe scene had awakened. Before me lay
the gulph of Argos ; on the West side of wbicb
several promontories, like the side-scenes of a
theatre, extended, in successive perspective, to a
great distance ; and on the East the city of Na
poli Romania, with the abrupt cliffs near it, all
glittering and vividly tinted with tbe setting sun,
appeared a striking and magnificent spectacle.
The plain immediately before me, witb several
ploughs in motion, and interspersed witb ham
lets and country-bouses, presented the cheerful
images of industry and homes ; but the sublime
aspect of the heavens, and tbe consideration of
being in a country where the raorai change
was still raore mournful tban the desolation that
I had all day witnessed, gave a degree of solem-

72 ARGOS.
nity to my reflections tbat I bave rarely expe
rienced. An intelligent and proud-hearted peo
ple are the slaves of a race who scorn to regard
them as beings of the same species. Tbe soil is
sullenly tilled, and the produce is niggardly. The
population of the superb peninsula of the Morea,
once estimated at many millions, is now not sup
posed to exceed four hundred thousand souls.
Sucb is the pestiferous influence of oppression.
It is not, however, the oppressors, but the op
pressed, that are to blame for the decay of na
tions. That kind of tyranny, whether arising
from laws or from men, wbich overwhelms the
liberty of civilized communities, is but the em
bodied vices of the people.
We reached Argos in good time to bave pro
cured every tbing I required ; but the inn or khan
being full of travellers, I have been obliged to
take up my abode for tbe nigbt in an apartment
without bedstead, table, or chair. I am sitting
on the ground, a portmanteau is my writing-
desk, and Jacomo is both the candlestick and
inkstand. Yours, &c.

73

LETTER XI.

Tripolizza, l8 Feb.
Having passed at Argos, notwithstanding
tbe filthiness of the hovel in which I was obliged
to sleep, what a physician would call a good night,
I got up at break of day. As the inn, or more
properly the hostel, like that of Corinth, provides
no otber entertainment than house room, I took
my breakfast in a shop, the master of which, in
addition to his special profession of barber, exer
cised the miscellaneous functions of haberdasher
and coffee-house keeper.
The city of Argos is airy and chearful, though
the houses are little better than sheds. The
streets are wide, and the inhabitants appear to be
cleanly and well-dressed. The population is pro
bably about four thousand souls, of whom by far
the greatest number are christians ; indeed, except
among tbe soldiers attached to the office of the

74, tripolizza.
governor, tbere is scarcely a Turk in the town,
and I understand that even many ofthe soldiers
are Albanian Christians. >
The most remarkable object that I observed in
Argos, was a large building belonging to tbe post,
and which, considering thetendericy of events, is
probably destined to be converted into barracks.
There is also a very handsome structure, for a
town of -SO small a population, appropriated as
schools for the education of tjie youth. I have
not yet had an opportunity of learning whether
these schools are wholly for the instruction of
Turkish boys, or whether they have been insti
tuted also for the pious purpose of bringing up
any neglected Christian children in tbe gospel
according to Mahomet.
It is of very little use, I iraagine, to be at the
trouble of ascertaining tbe truth of this, as all the
youths brought up at the academy prove Maho
medans just in the same manrier as all tbe stu
dents in the Englisb universities become raembers
of the Church of England. Tbere is, bowever,
some difference between the Turkish system and
tbe English, if it erabrace the conversion of
youth to the tenets ofthe state rdigion. For at

tripolizza. 75
Oxford and Cambridge, where the youth are
sent to be taugbt the true doctrines of the
church, wbicb are supposed not to be well taught
any wbere else, it is very wisely required that
they shall have not only pre-resolved to be
come members of the church, but that they
sball actually be members — an arrangement
which cannot be too much admired, as it has
tbe eflfect, by excluding dissenters and catholics,
of preserving tbe emoluments of the colleges to a
much smaller number of persons. This system
in the present age is the more worthy of being
allowed to remain unaltered; for the nuijiber of
dissenters is rapidly increasing, and if they were
to be allowed to enter the universities, they pfiight
turn out the dealers in advowsons and fellowships,
as the money-changers were of old expelled from
tbe temple.
On tbe top of a precipitous hill stand the re
mains of a castle built by the Venetians on the
scite of a still more antient fortress. At*present
it bas no garrison, and Argos, like Corinth, is ready
for any power who may chuse to take it. At tbe
foot of tbis hill, the old city seems to have been
situated ; for several broken columns and frag-

76 tripolizza.
ments of edifices are still to be seen in the fields,
and the ruins of a theatre may also be traced.
The aspect of beauty in decay, or of grandeur,
overtbrown, is certainly interesting; but mere
situations, however famous, unless they pre
sent visible objects to excite the mind, do not
produce any of tbat kind of enthusiasm which
Dr. Johnson felt in the Island of lona. Without
something to apprize me that I tread on holy
ground, I feel very little inclination to reverence
the divinity which is poetically thought to be
always present in sucb places.
After leaving Argos about a mile or two be
bind, I passed the vast fountain of Erasinos,
whicb is supposed to be the vent of the Stym-
phalian lake. It flows from a cave at the base
of a rocky bill so copiously, as to form at once a
considerable river. Witbin the cave are the ruins
pf a Cbristian chapel, wbere very probably a
heathen temple not more idolatrous forraerly stood.
You will recollect that in tbe days of Hercu
les tbe Stympbalian lake was prodigiously in
fested by harpies, wbich be dispersed and destroy
ed. Wbo Hercules was seems to be by tbe learned
in words, that is by those wbo understand the

tripolizza. 77
Greek and Latin names of tbings without know
ing any thing of tbings tbemselves, not yet as
certained ; but according to Bryant, if I recollect
right, the harpies were priests: so that in addition
to the locusts of Horapollo, of the Egyptians, and
of St, Jobn tbe theologian, whenever you stand
in need of a metaphorical expression to describe
ecclesiastics, you have classical authority to, use
that of harpies.
Crossing the stream of Erasinos, the road pre
sently winds up among the mountains, when the
appearance of the country is in every respect as
wild, and more barren, than that of the highlands
of Scotland. Here and there I passed a few cattle,
and saw two or three straggling flocks of sheep.
The shepherds were commonly seated near the
road ; and in one or two instances brought a
pitcher of water, which they offered me to drink,
in the expectation of being rewarded witb a para,
a small coin, equal in value to about the fortieth
part of a shilling. They had all a remarkable
grave and melancholy look, doubtless the effect
of tbeir lonely mode of life ; and they were armed
witb muskets to protect their sheep from the
wolves and vultures. The time may come when

78 tripolizza.
tbis class of men shall be induced to turn their
weapons agairist their oppressors. What are
they to the Turks but as sheep, and wbat are the
Turks to them but as wolves and vultures? It is
impossible to witness tbe degraded state of the
Greeks, and to remember their antient elevation
and glory, without feelings of indignation ; and
yet, if tbey had not tbemselves fallen from their
former greatness, they would not have been in
the miserable situation whicb they now hold. It
is useless to grieve for tbeir condition. Nations,
like individuals, raust die ; the enterprizing and
speculating spirit must depart from tbem, and the
carcase become rotten, and moulder away. The
Greeks of these times, as seen among tbe ruins of
the antient temples, are but as tbe vermin that in
habit the skeleton of a deceased hero.
Half way between Argos and Tripolizza, tbere
is a sort ef inn, witb a shed for travellers to rest in
wbile their horses are refreshing. The view of
tbe landscape from tbat spot is strikingly savage.
It appears as if a stormy ocean, when tbe waves
were raging in their greatest turbulence, bad been
suddenly converted into solid matter.
In tbe course of a few minutes after quitting

tripolizza. 79
the inn, I arrived in sight of a small but well cul
tivated valley. It lay so far below me that the
little inequalities of the bottom were not percep
tible, so that it had exactly the appearance of
being covered witb a carpet. The road passes
down into this sequestered hollow, and again
ascends among the mountains, where n several
places it is carried along the edge of frightful
precipices. It has lately undergone a substantial
repair, and if not fit for coaches, is sufficient for
cannon, considering the retinue that generally
attends tbem. The late rains having in several
places washed down the parapet, I observed a
Greek lad repairing it, and on enquiring how he
was paid for his labour, found that he depended
on thfe bounty of travellers, wbo seldom gave bim
more than a single para, for which he kept a fire
to light their pipes, and a jar of water to wash
tbeir mouths. About an hour before we had pas
sed, a Turk had carried off his jar,
Iramediately after gaining the summit of the
mountains, the plain of Tripolizza is discovered
at a short distance below. It is one of the most
elevated in the peninsula, and at tbis time bas a
bare and wintry aspect. The road after quitting

80 TRIPOLIZZA.
the hills is not bad, running in several places be
tween hedges and inclosed fields. The distant
appearance of the town is rendered respectable
by the minarets of the moschs ; but the town it
self fails to realize the expectation whicb the dis
tant appearance creates.
Jacomo, wbo has been here several times be
fore, conducted me to a large inn, where he pro
cured me a decent apartment. The yard of the
building presented a singular and amusing scene.
A spacious covered gallery runs round it, in which
a great Uumber of tailors and shoemakers were at
work, and in the area below a crowd of strangers
were bawling and squabbling among horses and
luggage. I conceive tbat this is one of those
Turkish public bouses wbich are properly entitled
to the epithet of Khans.
Having a packet for Dr. Teriano, the Vizier's
physician, I dispatched Jacortio vvith it, and en
tered into conversation with a Greek merchant
who spoke Italian, and who by way of welcome
had treated me witb a cup of coffee. From him
I learnt that Vilhi Pashaw the Vizier bas pro
hibited the Turks from striking the Greeks, and
tbat the administration of justice in the Morea is

TRIPOLIZZA. 81
at present so prompt and severe that outrages are
rarely now heard of. He also informed me that
the whole number of Turks in the Morea is not
supposed to exceed twenty thousand souls. I
bave indeed hitherto seen few ; in the course of
my journey certainly not a hundred.
Jacomo returned witb a message from tbe Doctor,
requesting me to stay withhim, and I gladly availed
myself of the invitation. It was dark before I
reached tbe bouse, and wben I entered his room,
I found him immersed in study. On the table
before him lay many books with raarks in them.
On bis bead was a white night-cap ; and being
dressed in black, his appearance was becomingly
philosophical. Beside him sat a lively-looking
young man disconsolately playing on tbe guitar.
The first salutations and welcomings were
scarcely finished, when tbe two gentlemen began
to bewail to me their total want of all society.
The Doctor is a sensible and ingenious man. He
has publisbed a sraall work in Italian, at Malta,
on tbe Brunonian system, wbich he has profess
edly adopted. Had be belonged to any other
medical sect, I should bave felt a want of excita
bility for conversation ; but possessing some notion
G

82 TRIPOLIZZA.
of the Brunonian doctrine, I made tbe most I
could of it to help us into acquaintance.
Tbe Doctor baving occasion to go to the Se
raglio, I mentioned that I had a recommendatory
letter for tbe Vizier, and begged to be informed
of the proper way of sending it. He said that it
would be as well that be sbould take it ; and I de
livered it to bim. When he returned, be brought
me the Vizier's compliraents, and a request to
know whether I would choose to make a public or
a private visitj for, if pubUc, the officers of the
palace and horses would be ready in the morning.
I explained to the Doctor, tbat being but a private
traveller accidentally passing througb tbe country^
I would pay my respects to bis Highness in the
ordinary way of my countrymen. Not but that
I should have liked well enough for once in iny
life to have, Aladdin-like, bestrode a horse capari
soned with gold and velvet ; but baving no one
who, knew me to mortify by the sight, I tbought
it unnecessary to trouble the Vizier's officers.
Feeling myself rather tired, I went to bed im
mediately after supper, but I had scarcely laid my
head on tbe pillow when tbe whole house began.
tp tremble. It was an earthquake. I instantly

TRIPOLIZZA. 83
Started up, and made for the door. Before I had
half crossed the room, a second shock much more
violent than tbe first made tbe whole building
rattle. " The very principals did seem to rend.
And all to topple,"
I ran back to bed, and for some time after felt tbat
the" motions of tbe house bad communicated a
sympathetic tremor to ray nerves of a very dis
honourable kind. However, as none of tbe inha
bitants of the house thought it worth tbeir while
to enquire what I thought of tbe affair, my fears
were fortunately concealed, till I could laugh at
tbem myself.
In the morning, Dr. Teriano informed me
that earthquakes are very common at Tripolizza,
but they are seldom so violent as to do rauch
damage. They are severest after warm wet wea
ther, especially if the wind happens to change
suddenly to the north, and to blow unusually
cold. While we were at dinner to-day, another
slight motion was felt, but it passed off in a mo
ment, and excited no alarm. These three visits,
however, bave quite satisfied me, and I desire no
further acquaintance with sucb phaenomena.
G2

84 TRIPOLIZZA.
In tbe afternoon, about four o'clock, I set out
for the Seraglio, with the Doctor and- the Vizier's
Italian secretary. The gate of tbis palace is not
unlike the entrance to some of the closes in
Edinburgh, and the court within reminded me
of Smithfield in London, but it is not sur
rounded by such lofty buildings, nor in any de
gree of comparison so well built.
We ascended a ruinous staircase which led to
an open gallery, where three or four hundred of
the Vizier's Albanian guards were lounging.
In an antichamber, which opened from the gal
lery, a number of officers were smoaking; and
in the middle, on tbe floor, two old Turks were
seriously engaged at chess.
My name being sent in to the Vizier, a guard
of ceremony was called, and after they bad ar
ranged, tbemselves in the presence-chamber, I
was admitted. The doctor and the secretary
having in the raean time taken off their shoes, ac
companied me in order to act as interpreters.
The presence-chamber is abput forty feet
square, and is certainly showy and handsome.
Round tbe^vvalls were placed sofas, wbich, frorn
being covered with scarlet, reminded me of the

TRIPOLIZZArf 85
woolsacks in tbe House of Lords. In the farthest
corner of the room, elevated on a crimson velvet
cushion, sat the Vizier, wrapped in a superb
pelisse. On his bead was a vast turban ; in his
belt a dagger, incrusted with jewels ; and on tb^
little finger of his right band he wore a diaraond
as big as tbe nob on tbe stopper of a vinegar-
cruet. In bis left band be held a string of small
coral beads, whicb be twirled backwards and forr
wards during the greatest part of the visit. On
the sofa, beside bim, lay a pair of richlyrorna-
mented London-made pistols. At some distance,
on the same sofa, but not on a cushion, sat Me-
met, the Pashaw of Napoli Romania, whose son
is contracted in marriage to the Vizier's daughter.
On the floor, at the feet of this Pashaw, and
opposite to the Vizier, a secretary was writing
dispatches. These were tbe only persons in the
room who had the honour of being seated ; for,
according to the etiquette of this viceregal court,
those wbo receive the Vizier's pay are not al
lowed to sit down in bis presence.
On my entrance, bis Highness motioned to
me to sit beside him ; and through the medium
of the interpreters, began witb some common-

gg TRIPOLIZZA.
place courtly insignificances, to make a prelude
to a raore interesting conversation. In his man
ners I found him free and affable, with a consi
derable tincture of humour and drollery. Araong
other questions, he enquired if I bad a wife;
and being answered in the negative, be replied
to me himself, in Italiati, that I was a happy
man, for he found bis very troublesome: con
sidering their probable number, tbis is not un
likely. Pipes and coffee were in the meaii time served.
The pipe presented to the Vizier was at least
twelve feet long. The mouth-piece was formed
of a single block of amber, as large as an ordinary-
sized cucumber, and fastened to the shaft by a
broad hoop of gold, decorated with jewels. While
tbe pipes and coffee were distributing, a musical
clock, which stood in a niche, began to play, and
continued doing so until tbis ceremony was over.
The coffee was literally a drop of dregs, in a very
small china cup, placed in a golden socket. His
Highness was served with his coffee by Pasbaw-
Bey, bis generalissimo — a giant, with the tall
crown of a dun-coloured beaver-bat on his bead.
In returning the cup to him, tbe Vizier elegantly

TRIPOLIZZA. 87
belched in his face. After the regale of the pipes
and coffee, the attendants withdrew, and bis
Highness began a kind of political discussion ; in
wbicb, though raaking use of an interpreter, he
managed to convey his questions with delicacy
and address. In speaking of the Albanians who
liave been taken into our service, be observed that
General Oswald would not find them steady
troops, nor fitted for European warfare; an in
advertent confession, that tbe power of bis father,
Ali Pashaw, of Albania, is not capable of making
tbat resistance to an invasion from the West,
wbich is commonly supposed.
On my rising to retire, bis Highness informed
me, with raore polite condescension tban a Chris
tian of a thousandth part of his authority would
bave done, that during ray stay at Tripolizza,
horses -were at my comraand, and guards, who
would accompany me to any part of tbe country
I migbt choose to visit.
The impression left on my mind, of the cha
racter of this man, is, that be possesses much
natural good sense and sagacity, witb an affa
bility of raanners, whicb has the appearance of
frankness, but is not of that quality. His per-

88 TRIPOLIZZA,
son is small, his features "are well formed, and
bis eyes are exceedingly intelligent, jie has all
tbe easy self-possession of a person of high rank,
and seems to have some knowledge of the antient
history of Greece. How and where be has ac
quired it, I cannot conceive. I think he may be
about thirty-five : he is certainly not older.
Yours, &c.

LETTER XIL

Athens, Feb. 22.
During the remainder of my stay in Tri
polizza, I bad no leisure to write ; and meeting
witb no inducements in the course of my jour
ney to stop, I only made pocket-book me
moranda of tbe occurrences subsequent to my
visit at tbe palace. Next morning the Vizier
sent bis comphments, and to say, that he had

ATHENS. 89
ordered dinner to be prepared at the Doctor's for
ffie and two of bis officers. In the course of the
forenoon, the Doctor carried me to visit the Pri
mate of the Morea, an uncommonly intelligent
old Greek, witb wbom we staid a considerable
tirae, and were regaled with hot punch, in addi
tion to the essential civilities of pipes and coffee.
The situation of tbis gentleman may be described
as that of a public minister for the affairs of the
Greeks, under the jurisdiction of tbe Vizier. I
was indeed rather surprised at the explanation
which be gave me of the present state of the Go
vemment of tbe Morea. In every town and
district tbere is a chief primate, with others sub
ordinate, who are properly the civil magistrates.
At the head of these primates is placed this public
officer; and through bim all appeals from the
Greeks to the Vizier are made, and by bim the
will of the Vizier to the Greeks is communicated;
so tbat, in fact and practice, there is at once a
Grecian and an Ottoman Government : the
Turks bave only military possession of the Mo
rea — a possession similar to what we have of India
or Malta.
We then walked through several streets of the

90 ATHENS.
town, not one of wbicb is half so well built as
tbe worst village that I remember to have met
witb in England. The buildings are constructed
witb large unburnt bricks ; and many of the
walls being rent by earthquakes, tbe general
features of the city are ruinous and slovenly.
Tbe people, however, seemed vastly better dressed
than one migbt have expected from the condition
of their houses. Here and tbere wretched spec
tacles of squalor and beggary were seen ; but, on
the whole, the appearance of tbe inhabitants was
respectable. Tbere is no place of public amusement in Tri
polizza, except a small pavilion, which tbe Vizier
has constructed near the fortress, wbere Turks
and strangers go to lounge and drink coffee. The
Vizier hiraself frequently dines tbere. We walked
to see it ; but when we arrived at the gate,
a number of his attendants were in waiting,
a'hd his Highness was at dinner within ; on
wbich account we did not enter, but proceeded
> to look at the fortress. Castles I have always
regarded as very grave and dignified edifices; but
the fortress of Tripolizza has convinced me,
that there are exceptions to the rule, and varie-

ATHENS, 91
ties irt the species. The castle of Tripolizza bad
no garrison, nor otber guard or sentinel than a
prodigious rusty iron padlock, which as effec
tually secured the gate as the largest-whiskered
grenadier of Christendom.
In returning to the Doctor's, a number of
school-boys, who were sitting on an old wall,
waiting the hour of attendance, saluted us in
passing witb a poetical address beginning witb
Frango Marango
Pitchi Cacarrango;
which, the Doctor's friend said, was to tbe fol
lowing effect : " Franks wbo sit at tbe table,
who ring the bell, wbo wear the bat, and eat
macaroni with a gold fork." Some of our coun
trymen bave taken this salutation in bigh dud
geon, deeming it just and necessary to make a
public complaint thereof, thereby thinking tbat
tbey upheld the dignity of the British character.
Wben we arrived at tbe house, I found a pre
sent of a lamb and wine sent from the Pn mate's,
the Vizier's two officers waiting, and dinner
ready. The two officers were lively fellows ; one
of them, in particular, seemed to have acquired,
by instinct, a large share of the urbanity and po-

92 ATHENS.
liteness of Christendom. For the dinner, it sur
passed all count and reckoning ; dish followed
dish, till I began to suspect tbat the cook either
expected that I would honour bis Highness's en
tertainment as Caesar did the supper of Cicero,
br supposed that I was not a finite being. During
the course of this amazing service, the principal
singer and musicians of the Seraglio arrived, and
sung and played several pieces of very sweet
Turkish music. Among others was a song, com
posed by the late unfortunate Sultan Selim, the
air of which was pleasingly simple and pathetic.
I had heard of the Sultan's poetry before, a small
collection of which has been publisbed, and it is
said to be interesting and tender. It consists
chiefly of little sonnets, written after he was de
posed, in wbich he contrasts the serenity of his
retirement with the perils and anxieties of his
former grandeur. It is somewhat curious, that
the other great superior of tbe Mahomedans, the
King of Persia, sbould at tbe same time have
also been addicted to poetry. In the library of
tbe India House, I have seen a very splendid
copy of his effusions, wbich had been sent to Mrs.
Company — no doubt for ber critical opinion.

ATHENS. 93
Afterthe songs, the servants ofthe officers, vvho
were Albanians, danced a Macedonian reel, in
which tbey exhibited several furious specimens of
highland agility. The officers tben took their
leave, and I went to bed equally gratified by the
hospitality of the Vizier, and the incidents of
the entertainment.
In the morning, when tbe Doctor went to the
Seragho, I desired him to mention, that I raeant
to set off in the course of the day. His High
ness, in reply, said that horses were ordered to
carry me to Athens ; and a Tartar to attend me,
witb a special recommendation to the different
Governors of the towns, for my entertainment.
Soon after the postman arrived for instructions,
and the Tartar came and lighted his pipe at the
fire; touching bis breast, lips, and forehead, and
seating bimself cross-legged on the floor, he waited
in profound silence the arrival of the horses which
were to carry us to Argos.
Julio, the Tartar, is a great oddity, a simple
warm-hearted creature, abounding in the most
amusing Oriental extravagances of speech. He
inforraed Jacomo, that he was a great favourite
of Vilhi Pashaw, who had given hira a beautiful

94 ATHENS.
Circassian slave for a wife; and that wben his
Highness goes a bunting, Julio accompanies him,
to sing. In the course of the journey he araused
me with several excellent new songs, ditties, and
garlands, eacb a long Border-ballad's length and
more, all of the most pitiful kind, about love and
murder. Wben we were within half an hour's
ride of Argos, I sent him forward to provide our
supper ; for, although the Vizier had munificently
given orders both respecting lodging and eating,
I was aware that they would be but reluctantly
obeyed by tbe family on whom we should be
billetted. On arriving at tbe skirts of tbe town,
I was met by Julio, accompanied by an officer of
the Governor on horseback, sent to pay the com
pliments of his master, and to enquire what I
might want for the eyening. This officer con
ducted me to the house of the Priraate, who was
to bave the honour of being obliged to lodge us
for the night.
Soon after, another message came from the
Governor to say, that in consequence of tbe Vi
zier's orders, be was desirous of baving it in bis
power to show bis respect in sorae way or other,
and therefore proposed to accompany me out ofthe

ATHENS. 95
city in the morning witb a guard of cavalry. This
intelligence was truly alarming, but fortunately
I had given orders for our departure before the
break of day, and could decline the offer without
giving offence. At supper, I was much pleased
with tbe conversation of a brother of the Primate,
who had studied physic at Padua. He seemed to
have formed a very just idea of the relative
political condition of the different European
Powers, and particularly as to the tendency of the
current of events with respect to the Ottoman Go
vernment. Like all tbe Greeks, bowever, bis
ideas of the innate superiority of his countrymen
were, I think, excessive. At the same time I must
acknowledge, that the uncomraon proportion of
intelligent men, wbom I bave met with among
them, bas somewhat inclined me to be of tbe
same opinion. One tbing I could not refrain
from wondering at. — ^^ the correct and minute in
formation which this person possessed, of the dif
ferent events that had recently occurred, both in
Germany and Spain, and even of the state of the
dispute between us and the Americans. This
knowledge, he assured me, be had obtained, by
conversing with the strangers who occasionally

g6 ATHENS.
came to the town, particularly with those from
Idra; for the Idriots maintain an intimate in
tercourse with the blockaded as well as the
open ports of the enemy, notwithstanding the
vigilance of the British cruizers.
The two earthquakes were felt here about the
sarae tirae as at Tripolizza, but one of the shocks
seems to have been more violent.
At day-break I left Argos ; and, after riding
about six or seven miles, struck off tbe road to
visit the ruins of Mycense, and tbe tomb of Aga
memnon, as the great mausoleum in that neigh
bourhood is called. Witbin the bounds ofthe
ancient city, not a house or building of any kind
exists, but tbe walls may be traced without;
much difficulty; and the . Cyclopean gateway is
still standing, and likely to do so for many
¦ages. Tbe mausoleum is certainly a curiosity worth
going, a couple of miles out of one's way to see.
It is a hollow, subterranean cone, about thirty feet
in diameter, and as many in heigbt, built of
hewn stones, laid together without cement. The
ornaments of the portal are entirely defaced.
Tbe only thing that remains to indicate what

ATHENS. 97
they probably were, is a fragment of the base of
a pillar, wbich is too well carved to have been
executed in the same age in which Agameranon
died. Observing the Tartar greatly amazed when
be understood it was a tomb, I desired Jacomo
to enquire what he thought of it. " He thinks,"
said Jacomo, translating bis answer, " that tbe
men of old must have been as high as the build
ing." " But why does be think so?" " Be
cause," said JacOmo, again giving his answer,
" they would not otherwise have made so large a
door, nor bave been able to place so huge a stone
over it, nor have had occasion for so vast a tomb."
We returned to the bigh road, and riding
smartly, got to Corinth about noon. Here, as
at Argos, the Governor was anxious to show tbe
alacrity with whicb he obeyed tbe commands of
Vilhi Pashaw. In fact, I began to be teazed
witb a useless and expensive parade ; and was so
glad to make my escape towards Athens, that
scarcely any treat less than the Isthmian Game?,
I think, would have detained me for the night in
so wretched a place as Corinth.
Looking back frora tbe heights of the Isth
mus, I had a view of tbe heads of the two
H

98 ATHENS.
gulphs of Egina and Corinth. The land be
tween them, at the narrowest part, does not
appear to be more than three English miles in
breadth, and may be described as uneven rather
than as hilly or broken. The road over the
beights is very well trodden out ; and I have
never seen more picturesque scenery than ap
peared at every turning, till we reached the Der-
vent, a pass-bouse, where a guard, under the
command of an officer, is stationed to examine
the passports of travellers from tbe Morea. The
Governor of. Corinth having given the Tartar
an order for my accommodation, if I chose
to stay at the Dervent all nigbt, I resolved
to remain; but I had scarcely alighted, when a
violent altercation arose between Julio and the
officer. The Captain had killed a lamb the day
before ; and tbe half remaining undressed, he pro
posed to cook it for our supper. Julio, bow
ever, conceived, tbat as the lamb bad not been
purposely put to deatb for us, it would be dero
gatory to our dignity to accept it, and accordingly
vehemently insisted that anotber should be slain.
The Officer in vain endeavoured to convince bim
of tbe difficulty of catching one in time ; and the

ATHENS. 99
Tartar was but half contented to compromise the
matter, by accepting, at the suggestion of Jacomo,
a fowl in addition to the tvvo quarters of lamb.
This fracas was the more diverting, as the gallant
captain was all the time aware that the present
which he expected to receive would amply repay
any trouble and expense which we could oc
casion. The inhabitants of these parts ate ap
parently very hospitable; but I doubt much if
their hospitality would be more free than that of
any innkeeper, if they did not reckon on being
largely rewarded by the presents which are cus
tomarily given.
Before day-light I again mounted. The road after
leaving the Dervent is, without reference to the
roads of any other country, very good. As the
morning brightened, the pleasures arising from
picturesque beauty were enhanced by those of con
trast ; and to form a correct notion of the grati
fication wbicb I received from tbe sight of the
plain of Megara, you must come from the melan
choly vaUeys and desolate hills of the Morea, and
see it in a fine morning of tbe spring, when the
sun is newly risen, the ploughs are just beginning
Jo move, tbe flocks are all a-foot, and the chearful-
H2

100 ATHENS.
ness of tbe sky harmonizes witb the gaiety of
the earth and the general hilarity of animated
nature. I did not stop at Megara, being anxious to get
on to Athens.
Beyond the beautiful little plain of Megara, the
road, for a mile or two, lies along the side of bar
ren hills. It then descends upon the plain of
Lifsina, the Eleusis of the antients, a country
only less beautiful in consequence of having fewer
trees. I stopped at the village, to breakfast, and
to view the ruins.
To a cursory traveller the difficulty of tracing
the outlines of tbe scites of edifices is greater than
any pleasure which might arise from the most
successful attempt. It is needless therefore for me
to tell you, when I mention that the forms of the
antient buildings at Eleusis are no longer visible,
tbat the ruins were very little to my taste, and af
forded me no satisfaction.
Among a number of fluted fragments and Ionic
capitals of white marble, I discovered a colossal
bust in bas relief of a man in arraour. Over the
left breast a handsoraely folded drapery hangs
from the shoulder, and on tbe breast-plate of the

ATHENS. 101
right, the form ofa warrior may still be discerned;
but the whole is much defaced, and the head is
broken off, so that it was not worth the sin of co
veting. An old man who happened to observe me look
ing at the ruins, invited rae into his cottage, and
shewed me under the floor a flight of steps, whicb
he had only a short time before discovered. It
is evident on tbe slightest inspection, that the
soil has accumulated above tbe ruins, and that
without the aid of a band of Scajiers no idea of
tbe exact situation of the temples can now be
obtained. The plain, to a considerable distance round the
modern village of Lifsina, is covered witb piles of
ruins; and the broken arches of an aqueduct are
seen extending towards tbe mountains. Two wells
near the high road are still frequented by the vil
lage damsels ; and at one of thera three Albanian
girls were washing clothes. On their heads tbey
bad eacb a cap made of silver coins, overlapping
eacb other like scales, and at the ends of their
bair, wbich was very long and plaited into three
tails, hung tassels also formed of raoney. Tbis
exhibition of their dowry is after marriage laid

102 ATHENS.
aside, and the coins applied to the support of
their families.
From Lifsina to Athens, the road for several
miles lies along the shore. I passed a small salt
water lake, wbich serves to turn a mill, and soon
after another, which is equally thriftily em
ployed. Rivers there are none at present on the
Eleusinian plain ; and I suspect tbat tbe issues
of the two mill-ponds are no less than the re
nowned streams of the Rhiti.
The plain is about seven or eight miles in
length, and from the base of tbe hills to the sea,
perhaps at the broadest part, it may measure
four. It is well cultivated, and appears fertile.
The peasants are Greeks and Albanians, and they
have- the reputation of being honest and indus
trious. Not a robbery has been committed within
their district in the course of many yeai-s, and
the road at all hours may be travelled in perfect
safety. After passing the second mill, the road is con
ducted along the foot of tbe mountains on the
margin of the sea, and still retains traces of hav
ing been partly excavated, and partly built. At
the corner where it turns in upon the land, in a

ATHENS. 103
hollow between the bills, I observed a fluted
column of white marble lying in a box, one of
the remains of Grecian art of which Lord Elgin
bas taken possession. The bottom of this hollow,
or glen, as it might be called were it watered by
a stream, is at this time literally covered with
full-blown anemonies : It is scarcely possible to
conceive any thing more rich and glowing. Pro
ceeding a short distance through this embroidered
valley, we carae in sight of the raonastery of
Daphn^. The appearance and situation of the
building seemed to be in agreeable unison. The
monastery itself is fast verging into tbat state of
uninhabitable elegance which excites the admira
tion of painters and young ladies, and the pines
Tvbich wave on the adjacent mountain are heard
to hiss as they toss their branches ; and somehow,
such is the look of the place, tbat their hissing
may be thought directed against tbe pretensions
of human vanity.
Near the gate of this sequestered raansion there
is a well of excellent water ; and on the neigh
bouring rising ground I saw an antient sepulchre.
Tbe view of the country from tbat spot gradu
ally expands, and a fertile and extensive prospect

104 ATHENS.
opens to tbe sight, and tbe top of mount Hymettus
presently appears ; the Acropolis of Athens is soon
after discovered, on which tbe eye of tbe traveller
rests with avidity until he. sees the teraple Of
Theseus, situated on a swelling ground below. A
variety of indistinct and raiscellaneous objects
then press upon the attention, and the sentiments
awakened at the first view of tbis celebrated
city, are nourished by the solemnity of tbe dark
grove of olives, into which tbe road descends be
fore he reaches the town.
I have taken up my lodgings in tbe Capuchin
Convent, belonging to the Propaganda of Rome.
The choragic monument of Lysicrates, wbicb has
been nick-named the lantern of Demosthenes, is
attached to it, and serves as a closet to the friar
who has charge of the house. He has given
me the use of it, and I bave no less a pleasure,
at this moment, than writing in one of the old
est and most elegant buildings in Europe. If
you vt^ish to see wbat it is like, look at Stuart's
Views of the Athenian Antiquities. -
My reception here, in consequence of the re
commendation of Vilhi Pashaw, has been embar
rassingly distinguished. The Governor sent me

ATHENS. 105
a couple of lambs and a dozen of fowls immedi
ately on my arrival, and an offer of every thing in
his power during my stay in Atbens.
Yours, &c.

LETTER XHL

Athens, Feb. 28.
Of all the miseries of travelling, I do think
tbat one of tbe greatest is to be obliged to visit
those things whicb other travellers bave bap
pened to visit and describe. Tbe marble quarry
of mount Pentelicus, from wbich the materi
als for the principal edifices of Athens are sup
posed to bave been brought, has become, it seems,
one of the standing curiosities of Greece. This
quarry is a large hole in the side of the bill ; and
a drapery of woodbine, which bangs fantastically
like a curtain over tbe entrance, is the only thing

106 ATHENS.
worth looking at about it. Tbe interior is just
like tbat of any other cavern.
Knowing befpre-hand the sort of amusement
whicb I had to expect, it is probable that I
should not bave been at tbe trouble of riding
three hours over a vile break-neck road to see
this curiosity ; but Lord Byron and Mr. Hob
house, with whom I happened to corae from Gib
raltar to Malta, being at present in Athens, and
having chosen this as the object of one of their
excursions, I was induced to accompany tbem.
We baited at a monastery at the foot of the
mountain, where we got a guide, and ate fried
eggs and olives. Dr. Chandler says, that the
monks ofthis house are summoned to prayers by
a tune which is played on a piece of an iron hoop,
and on the outside of the church we saw a piece
of crooked iron suspended, by wbicb the hour of
prayer is announced. What sort of a tune could
be played upon this instrument, the Doctor has
judiciously left his readers to imagine.
When we reached the mouth of the cavern
by the "very bad track," which the learned per
sonage above-mentioned clambered up before us,
we saw the little bouse whicb he made some use

ATHENS. 107
of — in his description. This building tbe Doctor
at first thought was possibly a hermit's cell, but
upon more deliberate reflection he became of opi
nion tbat " it was designed perhaps for a sentinel
to look out, and regulate, by signals, the approach
of the men and teams employed in carrying
marble to the city." This is a very sagacious
notion. It is highly probable indeed that senti
nels were appointed to regulate by signals the
manoeuvres of carts coming to fetch away stones.
But for a description of all the crooks and corners
in tbe quarry, I must refer you to Mr. Hobhouse,
wbo intends to publish a full, true, and particu
lar account of every thing about Greece, and many
things, as well as this, hot interesting to me.
Having looked at tbe outside of the quarry,
and the guidfe having lighted candles, we entered
and saw what doctor Chandler saw, " chippings
of marble." We then descended into a hole, just
wide enough to let a man pass through it, and
when we had descended far enough, we stopped,
and, like many others who had been there before
us, engraved our names, and crawled back again
into the blessed sunshine. If you have any de
sire to make an excursion equally instructive.

108 ATHENS.
find out an old dry subterraneous drain, tben take
half an ell of wax taper in your hand, and lying
down on your belly like a worm, crawl into the
drain. When you have got to a place where you
have elbow-room, take out your pen-knife, with
which scratch your name upon a stone. If in this
operation the blade should snap, or, by shutting
suddenly, sbould cut your finger, continue the
work witb the stump, or suck the wound, as the
case raay require. Having finished tbe inscrip
tion, turn your bead a little askew to the left, if
the place is large enougb to allow you, and look
at the engraving from the right corner of your
dexter eye, for that is the proper position to ad
mire sucb performances. This done, endeavour
to get away from the scrape in the best manner
you can. One word more by way of advice : if
you happen to bave a companion in the descent,
and he goes out first, there is great reason te
apprehend tbat be may give you a kick in the
face. If he is behind, the chance is equal that
you will kick him, whicb is the most agreeable
way of the two for the accident to fall out. There
fore be sure to get out first, if at all possible.
We returned to Athens by tbe village of Cal-

ATHENS. 109
landris, and after dinner, as there happened to be
a contract of marriage performing in the neigh
bourhood, we went to witness the ceremony. Be
tween the contract and espousal generally two
years are permitted to elapse, in the course of
whicb tbe bride, according to the circumstances
of her relations, prepares domestic chattels for ber
future family. Tbe affections are rarely consulted
on either side. The mother of the bridegroom
chooses a suitable raatch for her son. In tbis case,
the choice had been raade evidently on the same
economical principle by which Mrs. Primrose
chose her wedding-gown, naraely, for the qualities
tbat would wear well. The bride's face was
painted with tlie most glaring colours, and she
was arrayed in uncouth erabroidered garments,
like lady Macbeth in a barn. Unfortunately, we
were disappointed of seeing tbe ceremony, as it
was over before we arrived.
On returning to my lodgings, and telling tbe
friar wbat I had seen, he mentioned to me a curi
ous practice of the young girls bere when they be
come anxious to get husbands. On the first even
ing ofthe new-moon, they put a little honey, a
little salt, and a piece of bread on a plate, which

110 ATHENS.
they leave at a particular spot, on tbe bank of
tbe Ilissus, near the Stadium, and muttering some
antient words, of whicb the meaning has been
forgotten, but which are to the effect that fate
may send them " a pretty young man," they, re
turn home, and long for the fulfilment of the
charm. Above the spot wbere these offerings are
made, a statue of Venus, according to Pausanias,
formerly stood. It is therefore highly probable,
that what is now a superstitious, was antiently a
religious rite.
Since I have happened to mention the Ilissus,
I ought to inform you that it would puzzle even a
poet, witb all the aids of his fancy, to find it out.
At this time, no rain having lately fallen, the
channel is as dry as a high- way in, the dog-days.
The only water which can be considered as the
capital stock of the river, is a small trickling rill
tbat runs underground. I was not aware of the
subterranean course of this famous occasional tor
rent, till I happened to stumble upon an aperture
in a field near the Museum hill. If ever you
corae to Athens, go out at the gate between the
arch of Hadrian and the ruins of the theatre;
and passing a fountain, wlbicb spouts from a

ATHENS. Ill
garden wall, walk along the road that leads to the
Piraeus. In the course of five or six minutes look
across tbe fields to tbe left,
" Ye fields that fem'd Ilissus laves,"
and you shall see something like the ruins of an
old wall, but it is no such thing, being only a
rock: near this spot the earth bas tumbled in,
and tbe river of Atbens is at tbe bottom of the
bole, really perceptible to the naked eye.
*
Yours, &c.

1 12

LETTER XIV.
Athens, March i.
In consequence pf finding the antiquities,
with the exception of tbe Parthenon, pretty much
in tbe state iu whicb they bave been often enough
described, I have resolved not to trouble ycu
with any other account of tbem, than as they be
come essential to the illustration of what may oc
cur to me. At first, as every traveller who now
comes to Atbens must be, I was greatly vexed
and disappointed by the dilapidation of the
temple of Minerva ; but I am consoled by the
reflection, that the spoils are destined to ornament
our own land, and tbat, if they had not been
taken possession of by Lord Elgin, tbey would
probably have been carried away by the French.
I cannot describe tbe modern city of Athens
in fewer words, than by saying, that it looks as
if two or three ill-built villages had been rudely
swept together at the foot of the north side of , the

ATHENS. 1 13
Acropolis, and enclosed by a garden wall, three
or four miles in circumference. The buildings
occupy about four-fifths of the inclosure ; the re
mainder is ploughed, and sown with barley at
present. The distant appearance of the Acropolis some
what resembles tbat of Stirling Castle, but it is
inferior in altitude and general effect. As a for
tress, it is incapable at present of resisting any
rational attack ; tbe Turks, however, consider it
a mighty redoubtable place ; nay, for that mat
ter, they even think old frail Athens herself ca
pable of assuming a warlike attitude. At the pro
clamation of tbe present war against the Russians,
they closed her paralytic gates in a raost energetic
manner. The following morning, father Paul of
tbe convent went at day-break to take the air
among the pillars>of the temple of Olympian Jove,
and arriving at the arcb of Hadrian, found them
still shut ; whereupon be gave them a kick,
and the gates of Atbens flew open at the first
touch of his reverence's toe.
The common estimate of the population of
the city is ten thousand souls, and I think it is
pot far from the truth. What I am going to add
I

114 ATHENS.
will certainly surprise you. To bave given it full
effect, I ought to have stated it before mentioning
the population. The town contains no less than
thirty-nine parish churches, besides tbe metropor
litan, and upwards of eighty chapels. The me
tropolitan is sometimes spoken of as a. parish
church, and it is usual to say, in consequence,
that there are forty parishes. Athens is the seat
of an archbishop. Do not imagine, however,
that I mean the archiepiscopal province, when I
speak of the thirty-nine parishes : I speak only of
the" ecclesiastical division of the town. The pro
vince is extensive, comprehending all on tbis side
of Salona and Zeitun, and reaching to Cape
Colonna. In order to give you as full a notion as possible
of the present state of the Greek clergy, I will
begin with the parish in whicb I reside. It is
that of the Panagia Cundili, or the Virgin of a
Candle, or with a Candle, I cannot tell you wbich,
and in it there are no less than ten chapels. The
present incumbent bought the living on the condi
tion of paying to the archbishop seven pounds ten
shillings yearly. The ways and means for raising
this sum, and what is over for his ovvn subsistence.

ATHENS. 115
consist of certain customary gifts at births, mar
riages, sicknesses, and deaths, thanksgiving for
escapes, &c. &c. In cases of extreme danger, the
high and efficient prayers of his Grace the Arch
bishop may be obtained for tbe felonious sum of
forty sbillings.
The parochial pastors are removeable at the
will of the archbishop, and the offer of a better
bonus is a good and valid reason for discarding
any clergyman in Atbens.
Considering the extent of the diocese, and the
credulity of the people, the archbishopric of
Athens should be a tolerable living ; but tbe
simony and corruptions of the Greek church are
not limited to the inferior priesthood. Corrup
tion, indeed, physical, moral, and political, always
works upwards; and in Greece, as every where
else, the general law prevails. The diocese is
purchased for an annual stipend from the Patri
arch of Constantinople, and tbe patriarchate it
self is bought in a similar manner from the Divan :
tbe Greek church being in this respect little better
tban an excise onCbristian souls for the emolument
of the Ottoman state. The nett income of the
present archbishop of Athens may possibly exceed
I 2

116 ATHENS.
three hundred pounds sterling. His palace
would, in Scotland, rank as a manse of the first
class, and in England as a respectable parsonage.
But the primate of all England does not exact a
tithe of the reverence which is levied by this
prelate. In the immediate neighbourhood of the city,
tbere are twelve monasteries, which, if not extra
vagantly, are at least comfortably endowed, for
the kind of people who inhabit tbem. The
Greek friars are not held, like tbose of the Roman
church, to be perpetually devoted. In the mo
nasteries, only the superior, who is always a
priest, and the officiating priest, are required to
be of tbis description. The reraainder of the bro
therhood is composed of students and others who
assist in cultivating tbe domain attached to the
bouse. These may change their life, but such an
act is viewed as so reprobate, that few have the
courage to attempt it.
Among my notes d find tbe following abridged
extract from Tournefort. As the information of
that diligent traveller is still unquestioned, I take
the liberty of introducing it, in order to place

ATHENS. 117
before you a more circumstantial account of the
Greek church tban I could otherwise furnish.
" After the conquest of Constantinople, the
church fell into great disorders, although Maho
met II. honoured the first Patriarch elected in his
reign with the same presents which the emperors
used to make on sucb occasions, and in no way
molested tbe Cbristians in their worship. The
cause "of the decline ofthe church was the emiwra-
tion of the learned from Constantinople into
Christendom. In I700, the patriarchate was
first sold. Before that tirae the officers of the
Porte only demanded a fee at tbe issuing of
tbe firmans, and the Patriarch was nominated by
tbe Sultan.
" Tbe hierarchy of the Greek church consists
of three patriarchs, wbo acknowledge tbe patri
arch of Constantinople as tbeir hedd. i. The
patriarch of Jerusalem, who rules tbe churches
in Palestine, and on the confines of Arabia ;
2. That of Antioch, wbo resides at Daraascus, and
has charge of the churches in Syria, Mesopo-
taraia, and Cararaania; and 3. That of Africa,
who resides in Grand Cairo : all the other Greek

tiS athbns.
•churches in tbe Ottoman dominions are under the
patriarch of Constantinople.
" Tbe archbishops are next in rank to tbe pa
triarchs; then the bishops, and next the arch
priests: after them follow the curates and friars:
from the friars the prelates are taken. The
curates are secular priests, and are never elevated
above the rank of arch-priests.
" The first situation of those wbo devote them
selves to the church is that of reader of the gos
pels to the people ; successively they become
chanters of the service, sub-deacons, and deacons;
When this course of probation and discipline is
finished, they are admitted into the priesthood.
" The sub-deacon takes care of the sacred or
naments and vessels, prepares the bread for the
mass, lays it on tbe altar, receives tbe offerings,
dresses the priest, gives him the water to wash,
and the towel. The deacon holds the stole, and
a fan to drive away the flies. Priests are allowed
to marry once, provided they have engaged them
selves before their ordination. If they have had
knowledge of woman, they cannot be ordained.
The monks are divided into two classes, those whd
are of the priesthood, and those who are not."

ATHENS. 119
The famous university of Athens has dwindled
into two pitiful colleges, where classic Greek is
professedly taught. The students are few, and
their proficiency is small. Degrees are not con
ferred, and literary honours are no longer known
at Athens. There are several private schools, and I
understand that commonly all the Christian males
can read and write. Father Paul has about half
a dozen students in Italian. Few of the Greeks
can afford to educate their cbildren beyond the
raere rudiments of instruction, and books are ttot
to be purchased here.
The Turks have five moscbs with minarets,
which are analogous to parish churches, and sii
tikays, which are of the nature of chapels. They
have also three public schools, wbere their youth
are instructed, even more slendei-ly tban tbe
Greeks. :. The only provision for the Athenian poor con
sists in two or tbree little apartments, adjoining
to the parish churches, whicb are granted free to
helpless women : infirm and needy men retire
into the rnonasteries, and for tbeir sakes I regard
the Greek monks as really of some use.
:. The baths and coffee-houses are the only places

126 ATHENS^ -
of public amusement which the Athenians of tbe
nineteenth Christian century .enjoy. Some tinfle
ago, a Savoyard, with a magic lantern, arrived in
tbe town, and procured leave to exhibit. Tbe
exhibition excited the utmost amazement, fof,
the showman also played hocus pocus tricks, and
vomited fire. Nothing was heard among the
Turks but of the Magos; and the Greeks, little less
astonished, abandoned themselves to tbe most my
thological conjectures*
In the person of tbe governof, tbe supreme se
cular as well as military authority is vested. Hi*
guard, wbicb is also tbe garrison, takes cogni
zance of thdse offences whicb in Christian coun
tries fall under the special jurisdiction ofthe po
lice. After dark, every body wbo bas occasion
to go abroad must carry, or be accompanied with,
a light. If found by the patrole without this
flaraing minister, the culprit is immediately taken
to the guard-house, and whipt on the soles be
fore he is exainined — the penalty for wanting tha
light. A set of Greek civil magistrates have succeeded
to the office of the antient archons. They are
called primates, and their duty is to adjust tbe

ATHENS. 121
litigations of the Cbristians, and to regulate tbe
imposition of tbe tribute, wbich they always take
care shall fall as light as possible on tbemselves
and tbeir friends.
To the mere antiquary, this celebrated city
cannot but long continue interesting ; and to tbe
classic enthusiast just liberated from the cloisters
of bis college, tbe scenery and ruins may often
awaken admiration, and inspire delight. Phi
losophy may here point the moral apophthegm
with stronger emphasis ; Virtue receive new
incitements to perseverance, by reflecting on
tbe honour wbicb still attends tbe memory of
the antient Great ; and Patriotism bere more
pathetically deplore the inevitable effects of in
dividual corruption on public glory ; but to tbe
traveller wbo rests for recreation, or who seeks a
solace for misfortune, bow wretched, bow soli
tary, how empty is Athens !
, Yours, &c.

122

LETTER XV.

Athens, March 3.
X HE genii who preside over famous places,
have less influence on the imagination than the
memory ; at least I feel myself here more dis
posed to brighten afresh my slight knowledge
of the Athenian history, than to indulge in con
jectures. But I can obtain no books, and I am
almost sorry to have come to Athens, since I have
come so ignorant. What I chiefly regret, is the
want of that precise and circumstantial informa
tion, wbicb is not only necessary to speak with
confidence, but to think witb pleasure. I am
often quite stupified witb my vain endeavours to
discover the extent and authenticity of tbe faint
reminiscences whicb I sometiraes perceive in my
recollection, when any of tbe ruins particularly
attract my attention. A traveller who would
write about tbe antient Greeks, should carry
a library along with him, or should postpone

ATHENS. 123
the account of wbat he sees, till he has access
to one.
An opinion is prevalent here, tbat tbe sculp
tures in the temple of Minerva were executed by
Phidias. But little as I know of the Athe
nian antiquities, I am sure tbat this notion is
not correct. Nor do I remember to bave heard
before that Phidias did any thing else for
the edifice than tbe statue of the goddess. —
If I might venture to hold an opinion on
the subject, I sbould ascribe the sculptures to
Polycletus, who is said to have excelled in re
presentations of the human figure, but could
not express tbe raajesty of the Gods. On ac
count of the peculiar delicacy of bis chisel, be
was eraployed in carving youths; and in the
battles of tbe Centaurs tbe human figures are
all naked youths. Phidias, on the contrary, was
famous for the majesty of his Gods ; and his
statues of mortals are said to have been so
strongly impressed with the sublimity of his ima
gination that they had an awful and superna
tural air. All the remains of the bas reliefs on
the metopes and friezes of the Parthenon con
sist of human' figures, chiefly youths, and so far

124 ATHENS.
are any of them from baving tbe majestic mien
ascribed to tbe works of Phidias, tbat they shew
only the simplicity and variety of beautiful por
traits of men and women.
The subjects of the metopes, perhaps, gavc
rise to the opinion ofthe sculptures having beeti
executed by Phidias. They represent tbe battles
of the Centaurs and Lapithse, wbich Phidias also
carved on tbe buskins of Minerva. Had he in
deed executed any part of the extemal decora
tions of the temple, tbere would have been no
doUbt on tbe subject. It is only because the
point is not settled that I am inclined to reject
the assertion altogether.
But wboever the artist was that executed these
idolatries, it is yery evident, notwithstanding the
beauty of bis figures, that be was either as stu
pid as a statue himself, or a very singular ad
mirer of completeness. For his sitting figures fill
tbe breadth of the frieze, and the standing ones
do rio more. A stout athletic fellow on a rearing
borse, borse and all, appears of the same height
as tbe most delicate young darasel. The artist
has studied to fill the whole breadth,., and
the collective result is only not ludicrous be-*

ATHENS. 125
cause the power of individual beauty overcomes
tbe effect of such a flagrant disregard of referable
proportion. Yours, &c.

LETTER XVL

Athens, March 8.
Having resolved to alter the course of my
voyage in consequence of a nuraber of piratical
cruizers being in the neighbourhood of Cape Co
lonna, the Sunium of the antients, I ordered Ja
como to take places for us in one of the passage-
boats, wbich ply between Athens and the islands
of Egina, Poros, and Idra. At the time ap
pointed, we went to the Piraeus to embark.
When we arrived there, the boatman was still in
the city, and I employed the time which we were
obliged to wait, in looking at the ports, which, like
every thing else belonging to the Greeks, owing

126 ATHENS.
to the importance attached to them in their ro--
mances, and magnified borough squabbles, are im
pressed on the juvenile mind as objects of great
extent and grandeur.
Sometimes I think tbat I ought to make an
apology to you for paying so little attention to the
localities of this country ; but I have not consci
ence enough to pretend to any other interest in
the objects around me, tban that vague awakening
of the imagination which is inspired by ray
belief of the appearance of things baving been
once very different. Greece has been so long
ruined, that even her desolation is in a state of
decay, and, like her fields after winter, the frame
of her society begins to show symptoms of re
vival. The Piraeus, whicb you know was tbe great
port, is a small gulph about half as large on the
surface as one of the London Docks. A very few
relics of the antient works about it are still vi
sible. The remains of two beacons, which marked
the channel into the inner barbour, are still
above the water. Antiently, I believe, there were
four; two, bowever, only remain, and one of them
is much dilapidated. Perhaps I should mythor

ATHENS. 127
logically observe, that Neptune, in revenge for
being so long neglected by the Athenians, has
knocked tbe beacons down with his trident.
The Piraeus, as all the world knows, was the
Wapping of Athens. It had a theatre for the
sailors and their sweethearts ; and, no doubt,
it was a dirty blackguard place. The town
no longer exists. A monastery, dedicated to
St. Spiridion, and inhabited by three or four
friars ; a summer retreat and warehouses belong
ing to a Frenchman, who resides in tbe city in
tbe double capacity of physician and merchant ;
and a custom-bouse, the collector belonging to
whicb is a dealer in fruit and Greekish spirits ;
constitute the small beginnings of. a new town.
Poor states cannot afford to maintain their reve
nue officers independent of otber employment:
it is therefore expedient to let the revenue, as in
this iristance, to farmers. A few ports only, in
all Turkey, can afford to pay their custom
house officers ; but the commercial poverty is so
extended, as not to adrait of altering the general
system of the empire for a few exceptions.
In the barbour, two ships were at anchor.
One of them was destined to receive the spoils of

128 ATHENS.
the Parthenon ; and the other- had lately arrived,
with a cargo of human beings, from the coast of
Africa. The Athenians were always great slave-
mongers ; and, at present, there are betvveen two
and tbree hundred in the city : they are chiefly
females, the servants of the Turks, who have the
reputation of being indulgent and kind-hearted
masters. About a week ago, a black girl brought a
duck to our convent for sale, and the friar asked
ber bow she came to be made a slave. She gave
a shrill ludicrous laugh, and said that she was
taken by the catchers while she was at the well
for water. She was born in E^ypt, and caught
in the neighbourhood of Alexandria.
The only trade at the Piraeus, besides the little
that is done in the human commodity, is the
exportation of the productions of the Athenian
territory, tbe principal article of which is oil.
Attica, according to the fable of Minerva, is
the native country of the inestimable olive, and
tbe trees in the environs of Athens are certainly
very fine. They are much larger tban those
of Sicily, and the oil is better : the cultivation
here is also, perhaps, raore judicious and metho
dical. The low grounds, which are easily wa-

ATHENS. 129
tered, seem to be uniformly preferred ; but, in
Sicily, situation did not appear to me to be so
generally studied ; and it is perhaps owing to
many of the Sicilian olives being planted in dry
and hilly situations, that the oil of tbat country
has almost universally a resinous flavour.
Leaving the Piraeus, and passing behind tbe
monastery of St. Spiridion, I walked to the
heights of Munychia, where I saw the ruins of
a temple, and tvvo granaries excavated in the
rock. On the shore, below them, anotber of the
three ports of Atbens is seen — and such a port !
But it was large enough for the wherries and
pinnaces of the Greeks. — those boats, which the in
habitants of colleges translate ships of the line, to
the confusion of all tbe means of forming distinct
ideas of the real achievements of the antients.
This port is a circular bason, about fifty yards
in diameter : I am not perfectly satisfied that it is
actually so large ; and as I did not think it worth
my while to look for the other little barbour, I can
not tell you whether this was the Phalerura or
the Munychia. Chandler seeras to have been as
much tired of the research as I was ; for on ap
plying to bim, in the hope of getting off by bis
K

130 ATHENS.
assistance without being obliged to make this
confession, I find. him so perplexingly obscure,
tbat I will bet ten to one be never examined
them. As to the tomb of Themistocles, and the
farm of Aristides, which were near this spot, I
did not trouble my head about them. If any
thing hke the problem by whicb Cicero disco
vered the grave of Archimedes were to bave re
compensed a search for the one; or if I should
have ascertained that tbe ostracism of tbe Athe
nians was not a universal law of human nature,
by discovering the exact limits of the other ; per
haps I might have written to you, at this time, a
more literary-looking letter. But the conviction
that no such result would have crowned my la
bour, withheld me from making any attempt.
Although I am very willing to allow the an
tients to have been very extraordinary persons,
yet you know that I have alvvays tbought but
little of their great affairs, and particularly of
their famous characters, compared to the great
affairs and the famous characters of the moderns.
Aristides and Pericles, 1 own, were very able and
respectable raagistrates, and they may have been
endowed by Nature vvith virtues and talents

ATHENS. 131
which would have fitted them for the rule of
kingdoms, equal, in all the complexity of inte
rests, to those of France or Britain; but the
petty circumstances in whicb they were placed,
surely render them, in a comparative estimate,
but of moderate rank ; otherwise, we do injus
tice to those whom we value, only by what they
actually bave done, without regarding what they
might bave performed, bad their circumstances
been more fortunate. However, witb respect to
the Grecian mind in general, I confess myself
puzzled. By no hypothesis witbin my power
of framing, can I account for that extraordinary
excellence, in art and literature, wbich the Greeks
so unquestionably attained, except by embracing
the notion that the world has its stages of age
like man ; and supposing that tbe antients lived
in the youth of the world, when all things were
more fresh and beautiful than in the state in which
we see tbem. We have the unquestionable autho
rity of Horaer, for tbe decline of human strength;
and the reveries of Plato, and tbe other philo
sophers of Greece, are evidences of the j uvenility,
in their time, of tbe reason of man !
Yours, &c.
K 2

132

LETTER XVIL
Athens, March 8.
Either you or I were in good luck, by
the occurrence of an interruption, wbicb obliged
me to terminate my last letter abruptly. I found
myself beginning to speculate ; and God knows
what nonsense you might bave been obliged to
read, bad I been permitted to go on. As I can
not re-unite the spider-thread of theoretical reflec
tion, which was tben broken, I must soberly re
sume ray narrative.
. When I returned to the Custora-house of the
Piraeus, the boatman had arrived, and with him
were two otber passengers. One of tbem was an
old Turk, the only one, that I have yet met with,
who is not a soldier. He was going to Idra
with a little adventure of herbs, and three skins
of oil. It is the custom, in these parts, to carry
the oil in sacks, made of the entire skins of sheep
or hogs,

ATHENS. 133
In the course of a slow, but pleasant sail of
three bours, to Egina, I had a satisfactory view
of the ruins of the Temple of Jupiter, on Mount
Panbellenius, Finding myself, on my arrival at
the port, owing to the effects of a slight cold, and
occasional returns of my old indisposition, fe
verish and uneasy, I procured lodgings, and re
solved to go no farther. As the people of the
house proved obliging, I ventured to send Ja
como on to Idra, to procure the requisite infor
mation for regulating my future movements, de
termining to return next day to Athens, In the
morning I felt so much better, that I was encou
raged to visit the interior of the island, and ob
tained a guide to go with me.
My memorandum-book says, on the authority
of Chandler and somebody else, that the circum
ference of Egina is about twenty-two railes and a
half of our measure. Tbe soil of the valleys and
the plain is stony but fertile. The hills are for
the most part naked rocks, scarcely affording
rooting or nourishment to any shrubs. In the
vicinity of the port, and indeed in general, the
island is very well cultivated. The valley, above
wbich the main town is situated, presented an

l34 ATHENS.
uncommonly beautiful appearance, owing to the
fresh green of tbe rising corn. The sides of the
hills being very steep, the farmers have been
obliged to forra them into terraces, which re
semble so many rows of seats, in a colossal am
phitheatre. Tbe capital contains, I sbould think, about
fifteen hundred souls. As I know no place at
borae so bad as to be likened to it, you raust be
content with my using a standard of comparison
on this occasion, of wbicb you can bave no cor
rect notion. Assuming tbat tbe most despicable
borough in all Scotland is Zero in the scale of
towns, I conceive that a Sicilian town of equal
quantities must be many degrees lower. Castro,
in the Isle of Egina, is about as much inferior to
a Sicilian town of equal quantities as such a
Sicilian town is inferior to the most despicable
borough in all Scotland. It is situated on a
high mountain, and looks better at a distance,
than, a priori, you would think it possible
for such a collection of hovels to appear. On
entering it, I found one huxtry-sbop, the keeper of
whicb sold spirits, and kept a scbool. He bad
but little to sell, and only five scholars.

.4THENS. 135
The chief produce of the Island of Egina is
grain. It has a few olive, almond, and fig trees:
it also yields a small quantity of wine, but not
enougb for the inhabitants. The cultivation of
the raadder plant has been introduced, and sue ¦
ceeds very well, but the product is still trifling.
Cotton is also cultivated, but the crop is inade
quate to supply tbe home consumption. The
population is estimated at four thousand souls.
It is evident that Egina never could possibly
have been an island of any consequence, accord
ing to our notions of political importance. The
battle of Salamis, in whicb tbe inhabitants had
an honourable share, was in fact but a battle of
boats ; and as the words glory and grandeur have
now-a-days a very extensive signification, it is
ridiculous to apply them, without qualification,
to sucb petty exploits. A multitude of minute
circumstances in description is very apt to give
an impression of greatness to small affairs. The
circumstantiality with wbicb the Greek histo
rians have narrated all the little events, and
even scandal, of tbeir respective towns, has had
the eflfect pf 'making a magnified idea of every
thing concerning them. When a Sicilian Lo-

136 ATHENS.
candier^ would shear a British traveller, be enu-
merates every individual and elementary atom of
tbe particle of food whicb be calls a dinner, until
the traveller is half persuaded that bis landlord is,
after all, a very reasonable and conscientious
soul. The Greek historians are something like
the Sicilian innkeepers.
The remains of the antient moles of the port
of Egina are still, in many places, .above the
water, and the wharfs migbt easily be repaired.
The inhabitants of the island, being entirely
Greeks, or, to speak more distinctly, Christians)
and left to trade according to their means and
dispositions, have lately begun to get the better
of the misery to wbich they have been so long re
duced. The inland capital, which I have already
described, is on the decline ; but a new town is
rising on the scite of the antient city, that shews
the improved resources and views of tbe inha
bitants. When the Cbristians abandoned the crusades,
the Mahomedans acquired the command of the
Grecian seas ; but tbe insular Greeks were never
all actually subdued. In Candia, and even in
the Morea, there are districts whicb refUse obe-

ATHENS. 137
dience to the firmans of the Sultan. In the lat
ter country, tbe Mainotes boast tbe freedom and
military spirit of their Lacedemonian ancestors ;
nor is the laconic brevity of language, rior the in
fluence ofthe institutions of Lycurgus, yet wholly
lost among them. But as I mean to visit this
singular people, notwithstanding the bad charad
ter wbich they have, both from Turks and Chris
tians-, I shall have occasion to say more about
tbem again. Those of the Greeks, who conti
nued their resistance of-the general subjugation
of the Eastern Empire by the Sultans, carried on
a wild and irregular warfare, in which tbe Egi-
nians were participators and sufferers. The buc
caneer period of their bistory is now past, and
tbe severity of the Ottoman principles of govern
ment has been relaxed. Events, which have oc
curred in tbe contest between us and the French,
have brought their seas under the immediate do
minion of one great naval power, and the effect
has proved beneficial to the morals and condi
tion ofthe inhabitants of the Archipelago. The
Eginians, profiting by the security* that has re
sulted from this state of things, are leaving their
upland strong-holds, and settling again on the

138 ATHENS.
shore. The new town presents a prosperous ap
pearance, and the buildings are superior to those
of any other that I have yet seen in tbe Turkish
dominions. In digging the foundations, raany
antient sepulchres have been discovered, and
several pieces of respectable sculpture found in
il|bem. On the whole, I have been much gratified
witb my excursion to Egina. It is tbe first place
I have yet visited, where the Greeks are seen to
advantage ; the first wher;e those sentiments which
they all freely utter are seen in something like
the process of taking effect. When I returned
here, the ruins and columns which seemed to me
before only tbe tomb-stones ofa departed nation,
appeared as venerable monitors, serving to per
petuate recollections which raay yet minister
to tbe restoration of a degraded, but not an in
sensible people. Yours, &c.

139

LETTER XVIIL

Athens, March 10.
C-HANDLER mentions, that during his re
sidence in tbe Levant, a rumour was current,
that a cross of shining light had been seen at
Constantinople, pendant in the air, over the
St. Sopbia, and tbat the sign was interpreted to
portend tbe exaltation of tbe Christians above the
Mahomedans. By such arts as these (adds the
Doctor) are the wretched Greeks preserved from
despondency, rouzed to expectation, and con
soled beneath the yoke of bondage. Unfortu
nately, it did not fall within the province of his
researches, to examine the existing sentiments and
moral condition of the Greeks, so much as the
remains of their national customs, and the mo
numents of their ancestors ; otherwise, by his
opportunities and remarkable talent for collecting
details, we should have been made fully acquainted

140 ATHENS.
with a subject that is still in a great measure
untouched. Tbe perfect separation of the Greeks and Turks
is certainly not the least interesting circumstance
that one meets with in this interesting country.
The Turks bear no proportion, in number, to
the Greeks. In Athens, the former do not amount
to a thousand, and the latter are more than seven
times that number. In all the rest of Attica, a
Mahomedan is rarely to be seen. In point of ca
pacity, the Greeks are no less superior to tbe
Turks, The habits whicb they respectively ac
quire produce an intellectual result, that is ofthe
same effect as an innate difference of endowment.
The Turks here may be considered as domiciliated
military : they are idle and insolent. The young,
from their earliest years, imitate the practices of
the old. A Turkish lad, just entering bis teeiis,
carries his pipe, tobacco-pouch, and pistols, witb
all the gravity of his father ; frequents the coffee-
bouses and tbe baths witb tbe same arrogance,
and passes the time in reveries equally mystical
and useless. The Greeks, on the contrary, are
all activity and industry. The oppression and
injustice with which they are treated by the

ATHENS. 141
Turks at once sharpen their spirits and stimulated
their address. Tbey are the slaves of the Turks.
It is not, bowever, tbe slavery of individual ser
vitude, but the degradation of an inferior cast.
All handicraft labour, in this part of the country,
is performed by them; and, except in those in
stances where state necessity requires a few persons
to be respected, in order to ensure the obediehce
of the comtnonalty, they are not permitted to ac
cumulate wealth with impunity, to wear arms,
or to resent the injuries of their lordly masters.
Examples may be adduced in contradiction to
this statement, but they can only be regarded as
exceptions against its universality ; as a general
fact, it is indisputable.
' The Greeksj. in what relates to their common
interests, appear to haye tbe most perfect confi- .
dence in one another. They consider their op-
pressoV^ as jhaying. pnly a teraporary possession ;
and, to the raost careless observer, it must be
evldejit, that the; opportunity only is wanting to
combine tbem, as pne man, against tbe Turks.
The Athenians, from time immemorial, have
been a superstitious people. The bistory of their
antient public transactions is full of the special

142 ATHENS.
^•interposition of the celestial powers; and tb^
are, at tbis moment, as strongly persuaded that
Providence is operating for tbeir emancipation,
as ever their ancestors were of the particular pa
tronage of Minerva. As credulous as the Roman
Catholics, they seem to consider the power of
the Saints, as confined to local and parti
cular objects, or rather that the saints hav«
succeeded to tbe jurisdictions and partiali
ties of tbe Gods of their fathers. The know
ledge which they have obtained of " the un
known Deity" is only sometbing superadded.
In all general affairs, their views of Provi
dence are sensible enougb; but, in what con
cerns individuals, their notions are as nar
row and absurd as those of their pagan ances
tors. If you speak to them of tbe changes which
are taking place in tbe world, though they con
sider them all as having reference to that chosen
and peculiar people the Greeks, they will still
express themselves in a rational way, and eyen
witb a degree of philosophical comprehension of
tbought ; but tbe instant a child totters into the
room, and you inquire tbe use of tlie bit of co
loured leather hanging at the silver chain round

ATHENS. 143
its neck, you are amazed at the depth of super
stition into which they are sunk.
If I were called upon to give a general opinion
of tbe Greeks, as they are at this moment, I
sbould find myself obliged to declare, notwith
standing all my partiality for my own country
men, that in point of capacity they are the first
people I have bad an opportunity of observing.
They bave generally more acuteness and talent
than I can well describe. I do not mean infor
mation or wisdom ; but only tbis, that their ac
tions are, to a surprizing degree of minuteness,
guided by judgment. They do nothing without
baving reflected on the consequences: They have
tbe fear of tbe Turks constantly before their eyes,
and tbeir whole study is to elude their tyranny
and rapacity. It is owing, no doubt, to the per
petual operation of this fear, that they have in
curred the charge of matchless perfidy and cun
ning. With all their genius and ability, however,
there is nothing noble in the character of the
Greeks. Tbey are invidious, to a degree, which
even tbeir degraded and oppressed condition is
scarcely sufficient to account for.
At tbis time tbey are all astir with the expeq-

144 ATHENS.
tation of the speedy fulfilment of a prophecy
which is said to have been inscribed on the tomb
of Constantine the Great I have succeeded in
procuring a copy frora a priest of the first edition
of the book in which the prediction is recorded.
It consists of a chronicle compiled by Theo
dore bishop of Monovasia, at the command of
Pietro, Governor of the Island of Zea, and printed
at the incitation of one Zingara, of the same
island. The title-page is wanting, but the inter
nal evidence of. the tjrpograpby, and the style of
the cuts, show tbat it is not older tban the last
century ; not older, probably, tban the first con
ception of the Russians to take possession of Con
stantinople. The narrative of the work closes
with the death of Paleologos, and the ruin of the
empire. The prophecy is given first, as it is said
to have been found on the tomb of Constantine;
that is, in a nuraberof initial letters; and then
with the words supplied, as they are said to have
been, by Giennario, a patriarch of Constantino
ple — tbe same Giennario who attended at the
Council of Florence.
I am indebted to an intelligent Greek here for
the following translation. He also pointed out to

ATHENS. 145
me several curious expedients which the Patriarch
has had recourse to, if the Patriarch actually did
supply the words ; sucb as employing Romaic ex
pressions, accepted into the language long after
tbe time of Constantine.

INSCRIPTION.
" The power of Ismael, that is called Ma
homet, shall give battle, vanquish, and extirpate,
the race of Paleologos, possess the City of the
Seven Hills, reign there, rule raany nations op
pressively, desolate the isles to the borders of the
Black Sea, all the nations of the Danube being
subdued. In tbe eighth domineer in the Pelo
ponnesus, and in the day of the ninth go to war
in the North, and in the tenth advance to subdue
the Dalmatians; afterwards return for a time;
when again going forth powerfully, they shall be
brought near to ruin. The nations gathered to
gether, with those of Epirus, by sea and land,
will vanquish Ismael, whose descendants will yet
reign a little while. The Muscovians, united
witb others tbat sent tnbute, will subdue Ismael,
and will rest masters ofthe Seven Hilb and their

146 ATHEN.S.
privileges. Then sball be an obstinate civil war,,
as till the fifth sign, and a voice crying tbree
times, 'Tremble! Tremble! Tremble! — Rouse
yourselves ! On tbe right you will find a man,
strong, wonderful, and great ! He shall be your
master, for he is my friend ; and in receiving him,
you execute my will'."

Besides tbe Greeks and Turks, the Albanians
form, in Greece, a third cast, distinct in their
language, manners, customs, and dress. In the
country of Attica they outnuraber the Greeks,
but in Atbens tbey are not numerous. Tbey are
found here in a more domesticated state tban at
Valona. They are a much more simple people
than the Greeks ; and in all tbe honest durable
qualities of good citizens, tbeir superiors. They
difler also from tbe Greeks in this respect, that they
are a rising people ; and tbe history of tbe Greek
nation has long since been closed. Tbe Greeks,
in speaking of tbeir bondage, do not consider the
Albanians as fellow-sufferers ; but, in estimating
tbe means of obtaining emancipation, tbey bave
a great reliance on their courage and aid. There

ATHENS. 147
is always sometbing like presuraption in giving an
opinion on a prospective probability ; and I know
you are very apt to raake a grave face when you
hear political predictions. Nevertheless, consi
dering tbe number of the Albanians, and their
undebauched qualities, and comparing them with
the handful of Turks, and the invidious Greeks,
I think tbe new nation, about to arise in these
parts, will be Albanian. The Turks have a
number of good military capabilities, and tbe
Greeks may excel in political intrigues, but the
Albanians alone possess the solid qualities essen
tial to tbe founding of a state. Here tbey bave
hitherto been known only as husbandraen and
shepherds, arid in Attica they exhibit raany traits
of primitive siraplicity. Their dress, except in
wanting the military cloak, is the same as that
whicb is worn in the neighbourhood of Valona, but
in Attica they do not aspire to the dignity of arms.
They have, almost universally, both men and
I women, blue eyes and high cheek-bones, with
an air of frankness and contentment in their
countenances. Tbe Greeks sometiraes raarry Al
banian woraen, but an Albanian man is rarely
thought noble enough to be connected with a Gre-
L 2

148 ATHENS.
cian family. Their children never associate witb tbe
young Greeks, and have diversions and amusements
peculiar to themselves. Being from the earliest
moment possible accustouied to assist their fathers
and brothers in their agricultural and pastoral
eraployraents, it is only on tbe Sundays tbat they
appear to enjoy any leisure, and then they are
coramonly seen in little bands at the gates of
tbe town, with whistles formed of reeds, upon
which they play alternately, dancing to the sounds,
or laughing at the imperfect efforts of their younger
companions. Chandler has described the Albanians
in Attica, I think correctly. " It is chiefly their bu
siness to plough, sow, and reap ; dig, fence, plant,
and prune the vineyard ; attend the watering of
the olive-tree, and gather in tbe harvest ; going
forth before the dawn of day, and returning con
tented on tbe close of tbeir labour. If shepherds,
they live in the mountains, in the vale, or the
plain, as the varying seasons require, under
arbours or sheds covered with boughs, tending
their flocks abroad, or milking the ewes and she-
goats at the fold, and raaking cheese and butter to
supply the city. Inured early to fatigue and the

ATHENS. 149
sun, they are hardy and robust, of a manly car
riage, very different from tbat of the fawning
obsequious Greek." Yours, &c.

LETTER XIX.

Athens, March 12.

Jacomo not having returned frora Idra,
I procured a Greek who speaks Italian, to accom
pany rae to Salamis. At sunrise we left Athens,
and, after an easy walk of about two bours,
passing througb tbe olive .grounds, and along the
bottom of the bill on which Xerxes sat to view
tlie naval engagement in the straits below, we
came to a cove wbere the ferry-boat is usually
found. On our arrival, tbe boat was at the island;
and you may form some notion of what mighty
men of war were engaged in that same battle of
Salamis, when I tell you that the strait is so

150 ATHENS.
narrow, that we hailed the boat. It was employed
in transporting cattle, and could not come to us
for sorae time : we therefore entreated a priest,
wbo was gathering sheU-fish, to transport us in
his boat, which he readily did. He was a chear
ful old man, witb a contented countenance, and
a hoary beard, of an Aaron-like longitude and
affluence. The Salamian frigate was suitable to
the commander : it seemed of little less antiquity
than Charon's, and was of tbe self-same form in
which tbat far-famed wherry is represented on an
antient earthenware utensil, in the possession of
the French Consul here. It bad, however, one
tbing, wbich, I think, must be considered as
unique in nautical implements — a wooden an
chor. Two pieces of timber, shaped somewhat
like a bow, and crossing eacb otber, tbe extre
mities projecting for tbe flukes, formed a bottom
to a pyramidal basket, in wbicb was inclosed a
stone. — The priest having landed us in safety,
I requited bim witb a few loose paras, amounting
to about a groat, and he was very well satisfied
witb ray liberality. Ecclesiastics, in this part of
the world, are bumble and ignorant creatures.
We walked to tbe village of Ambelaki, which

ATHENS. 151
is prettily situated in tbe midst of fertile fields,
baving on the one side the creek wbere we
landed ; and in front, towards the East, a more
extensive but shallow port. An Antiquary may
find amusement, in the environs of the village,
for an bour or two. I saw a piece of a raarble
leg in the churchyard ; and in the floor of tbe
church itself a torabstone belonging to one of the
antients, with a figure carved on it, alraost as well
as a presbyterian cherubira. Sorae time ago a
band of tbe villagers discovered, by chance, a
solid marble urn, of uncomraon beauty. Finding it
very heavy, seeing no aperture, and understanding
tbat the Englisb Milords gave a great price for
sucb tbings, they concluded tbat it contained
gold, whicb only the Milords knew how to get
out. Witb this notion, tbey proceeded irarae
diately as the heathen did, according to King
David of the kirk of Scotland;
And all at once with axes now
And hammers they do go.
And down the carved work thereof
They break and quite undo.
The island is inhabited altogether by Christian

152 ATHENS.
Albanians, and to that people the destruction of
many adrairable reraains of Grecian art must be
ascribed. Being constantly in the fields where
probably tbe villas of tbe antients were situated,
tbey frequently discover pieces of sculpture,
whicb they seldom fail -seligiously to destroy;
believing thera to be works of the devil, fraraed
in order to tempt mankind to return again to
idolatry. Witb all ber absurdities, the Greek
church has a very laudable antipathy to idols;
and her abominations are therefore less gross than
those of the Roman harlot, in so mucb as pic
tures are less palpably idolatrous tban statues.
The second commandment, you know, only for
bids the making of graven images, and says no
thing of paintings ; for " the likeness of any
thing," there spoken of, has a matrimonial rela
tionship to the adjective, which may be regarded
as the husband of the images ; at least tbe Greek
priests are of this opinion ; and I have no incli
nation to dispute so innocent an interpretation
of any passage of tbe Scriptures.
After viewing the environs of the village we
went into a bouse, and passed a short time, as the
king is supposed, according to nursery legends,

ATHENS. 153
to pass bis in the parlour, namely, in eating
bread and honTV ; we tben walked to Coluris, the
capital of tbe island.
The situation of Coluris is still more beautiful
than tbat of Ambelaki. It stands at the bottom
of a gulph several miles in length, and generally
about half a mile in breadth ; forming a safe har
bour, capable of accommodating vessels of every
size. The town is built at the foot of a bare
conical bill ; and being interspersed with trees,
and surrounded with little inclosures, it has a
rural and very picturesque appearance. The sun
was setting wben we approached it, the sea was
perfectly calm, and the villagers, having finished
their work, were returning from the fields. There
is no inn in tbis retired city, but only a small coffee
house ; bowever, I obtained, in the bouse of a
Doctor, better lodgings than I thought the
island could afford. Our landlord was one of
those curiosities from the Island of Zante, who
practise physic on the Greeks, and proved ex
ceedingly diverting; not from any effort on his
part, but in consequence of a peculiar drollery of
nature, strangely compounded with eccentric ha
bits and manners. He was bare-legged, and

154 ATHENS.
had on a calico dressing-gown, tied round the
waist with an old red handkerchief. Over this
he wore a flowing pelisse, that bad once been of
iraperial purple, and his bead was adorned with
a light blue silk cap, trimmed with grey fur.
At the first view, be appeared, to my astonished
perceptions, like a tarnished Roman emperor; but,
upon closer inspection, I found him only compa
rable to a Bedlam king. He inforraed me tbat
he had lived some time in Smyrna; had then
removed to Corinth, where he also grew weary ;
but that be was now at rest in the elysium of
Coluris, where he had an angel for bis wife, and
a sucking cherub of four years old for his son. It
seeras to be a very general custom in these coun
tries not to wean the cbildren till they are able,
like kittens and puppies, to serve themselves.
I awoke in the raorning, soon after sunrise,
and the Greek having ordered breakfast from the
coffee-bouse, while it was getting ready I went to
see a relic of antiquity, that is stuck upon the out
side of one of the churches. The churches in this
part of the world are very small ; but wbat is
wanting in the size, is amply supplied by the
number. In the little town of Coluris, tbere are

ATHENS. 155
probably not fewer tban ten or a dozen. The
piece of antiquity is a groupe of the Graces, hand
in band, witb their sitting parts against a pillar ;
but tbey are so ranch defaced tbat it is difficult
to make out their sex or their figure. The out
line of tbe only one of them that is in a tolerable
state of preservation is, however, sufficient to
show tbat they must bave been designed and exe
cuted witb some felicity of taste.
In returning from the church, I extended my
walk to a short distance from the village, in order
to get a view of the harbour, and to form some
idea of its ejttent. While I was tbus taking a
sketch of it on my meraory, I was agreeably sur
prised by the pious sound of a bell knolling to
prayers: not clamouring, by baving its tongue
pulled to and fro with a string, according to tbe
idolatrous and popi .h practice of tbe Maltese and
Sicilians ; but ringing in a protestant and godly
manner, the body orthodoxly striking against the
clapper. After breakfasting, having procured two ani
raals, which, after some examination, 1 discovered
to be horses, we set out for the ferry that crosses
to Megara, not far frbm which is a monastery.

156 ATHENS.
one of the most considerable in all Greece. It
is called the monastery of tbe Panagia Fani Ro-
marii, and has the fattest raan for an abbot
tbat I have seen out of Sicily in canonicals. Who
this maiden Fanny was, I can no more tell you
than the abbot bimself, except that she was a
saint. The chapel is in my opinion a great curi
osity, and alraost worth the trouble of going
frora Athens purposely to see it. The interior is
entirely covered witb paintings in the Greek style;
and being only newly finished, is perbaps one ofthe
best speciraens of the present state of the arts in
Greece any where to be met with. Among others,
there is a picture of the Last Judgment, which
bas every raark of originality ; certainly it is not
a copy of Michael Angelo's, but it is rauch raore en
tertaining. In the court of tbe monastery, there
are several broken raarble columns and pedestals,^
satisfactory evidences tbat either on the same spot,
or near it, a Pagan temple bad once stobd. The
front of tbe church is decorated witb several old
plates of porcelain or earthenware.
Tbe population of tbe whole island of Sala
mis is supposed not to exceed five tbousand souls.
It produces very little oil, and but a few almonds.

ATHENS. 157
At present there is scarcely a vine raised in the
island for the purpose of making wine. The
staple commodity is grain. The inclosures are
dry walls, witb turf laid across tbe top, exactly
of tbe same form and structure as the ordinary
dikes in the highlands of Scotland. The in
habitants are chiefly Albanians, and the young
men genei-ally emigrate to the neighbourhood of
Livadia, and sometimes even to the country round
Smyrna. Some of them, after an absence of se
veral years, return witb a long Turkish pipe, and
a little money ; and smoke and talk till their
money is spent. They tben again leave their
friends, and return no more.
The Albanians raay be regarded as a race of
raountaineers ; and it has been often remarked
that mountaineers, more than any other people,
are attached to their native land. At the same
time, it may be justly said, that no other people
have so strong a thirst of adventure ; even tbe
affection which they feel for the scenes of their
youth, tends, perhaps, to excite their migratory
spirit: for tbe motive of their adventures is to
procure the means of subsisting in ease at home,
and to possess, without care, that conteraplative

158 ATHENS.
enjoyment, in the reveries of which, the Vvarmth
of youthful hope first engendered tbe desire of
going abroad. You political economists ascribe
their adventurous disposition to the difficulty of
finding the means of subsistence at home — and
your hypothesis accounts for their rambling ; but
if there be not some otber reason more interest
ing to the heart than the pursuit of gain, tell us
why they return ? Why the natives of your oppo
site mountains, after participating in all tbe blan
dishments of oriental luxury and unclouded sun
shine, renounce avarice, and seek with delight the
humid valleys, tbe raisty hills, and the smoky
roofs of their fathers? Explain to me why at
this moment my eye sbould dim, as my re
membrance compares my long and solitary wan
dering, with those social excursions in whicb we
were wont to find so mucb pleasure ? It is the
weight of tbe sarae chain which I drag at each re
move, that obliges tbe mountaineer of every
country to return home. — In Lisbon, prior to the
present war, a bold, hardy, and athletic class, ap
parently a different race from the Portuguese, and
distinguished by their decorum and integrity,

ATHENS. 1 59
were seen plying in the streets, and on the wharfs,
as porters. They were natives of Galicia in
Spain; and whenever they bad accuraulated
means sufficient to stock a small farra, they re
turned to their native bills. The Switz are fa
mous all over Europe for their raigratory life.
Botb as soldiers and as servants, they have ac
quired honour by their fidelity ; and the motive
of their universal constancy in tbis virtue, was to
obtain tbe means of quitting tbe licentious caraps
and luxurious capitals of the greater nations,
in order to enjoy the pleasures and tranquillity of
tbeir native yalleys. Tbeir neighbours, the Savoy
ards, though less celebrated, are equally adven
turous, and are actuated in all their wanderings
by the same feelings, — by tbe wish and view of re
turning back to tbe society and haunts of their
youth. They are known over all tbe continent,
as well as in tbe British dorainions, as itinerant
musicians, and tbe exhibitors of those little slights
of hand wbich every where attract vulgar admira
tion. In France, they are bowever sometiraes
met with in the more respectable walks of indus
try, as watermen, pqrters, and menial servants.

l60 ATHENS.
The Tyrolese are a people of the sarae dis
position, and they are found throughout Gerraany
in tbe capacity of labourers and pedlars; and,
like all the others, they regularly return to
spend tbeir old age among their friends. From
the earliest authentic periods of the history of
Scotland, our countrymen have made tbem
selves conspicuous in other nations. In France
they enjoyed particular privileges and special
trusts, tbe reward of services performed to the
state ; and, I presume it may be said of them
still, as mucb as of any other mountaineers, that
their good conduct abroad, is in no sraall degree
owing to their hope of being afterwards respected
at horae. In Turkey, tbe Albanians are as
mucb distinguished for the frugality of their
habits, the sobriety of their sentiments, and the
permanency of tbeir partialities, as the Scotish,
the Switz, or any other mountaineers. In Con
stantinople, I am told that tbere is a class of Al
banian labourers, wbo have formed tbemselves
into a kind of corporation, by whicb one half of
their number is enabled alternately to re-visit
their families, on the shores of the Adriatic, and
tbe environs of Joaninna and Valona.

ATHENS. I6l

But I must suspend these reflections, and tbe
course of my narrative, as I bear soraebody en
quiring for me at tbe convent gate!
Yours, &c.

LETTER XX.

Athens, March 13.
1 NOW resume the narrative of my excur
sion. Leaving our horses at the monastery, vve
crossed tbe ferry to Megara, in order to view tbe
antiquities there. I have already taken notice of
the beauty ofthe plain ; and the fields between the
town and the sbore are not inferior.
Megara is entirely inhabited by Greeks,
wbo wear tbe Albanian dress, but have neither
tbe simplicity nor the integrity commonly found
under it. — ^Among other things, we were informed
M

l62 ATHENS.
that two bas reliefs had lately been found by
one of tbe inhabitants, and we went to his house
to see them. The husband was not at horae, but
the wife told us, that a priest, in going his rounds
the other day, had blessed the house, and sprink
led it witb boly water ; and that for this they had
given him the two marbles. A schoolmaster, who,
like an antient philosopher under a portico, was
giving lessons in an open shed to a .dozen or
twenty boys, overbearing our conversation, ad
vanced, and said tbat to bis knowledge tbe sculp
tures were still in tbe bouse. After some ^alter
cation, it was at length agreed that we sbould be
favoured with at least a sight of tbe antiques. —
On making enquiry into the cause of tbis sin
gular attempt, as it appeared to me, at useless con
cealment, I was informed tbat tbe governor of
Corinth is building a fountain, and that, if he
heard of tbe bas reliefs, he would oblige the
possessor to deliver them to bi ra at Corinth, or, if
he sold thera, to pay him the money. Tbe story
of giving them to the priest had been invented in
order to preserve tbem, because tbe Turks respect
wbat belongs to the cburcb, and regard whatever
is set apart for its decoration or service with dread

ATHENS. 163
and veneration. Give me leave to tell you an
anecdote by way of illustrating tbis tolerative su
perstition of the-Turks. Their indolence renders
tbem hypochondriacal, and they are often ill of
diseases ofthe imagination. An officer belonging
to the garrison of Athens bad lately a severe at
tack of tbis malady, and sent for a physician, a
Frenchman of some humour. The doctor amused
him witb one dose of harrnless trash after ano
tber, but without success. One morning hap
pening to observe tbe bead of a statue applied to
some derogatory purpose in the Turk's house, both
in order to get possession of the marble, and
to divert tbe mind of the patient, he said to bira,
" I have at last found out the cause of your dis-
ease,and I am only surprised that you are not worse."
" And wbat is it, doctor ?" said tbe patient pathe
tically. " Nothing less," answered tbe doctor se
verely, " tban a castigation of Heaven for the ig
nominy witb wbicb you treat one of our saints."
" I !" exclaimed tbe Turk, " I certainly use no
saint ignominiously, doctor." " Nay ; but you
do," answered the physieian ; " the saint is tbere
on the floor before you ; Jesu Maria ! in wbat a
condition !" " Oh !" repHed the Turk, " how
M 2

l64 ATHENS.
could I know that sucb a figure was a saint ? but,"
be added in a penitent tone, " I will order bira to
be washed, and iramediately sent to church."
" There is no need for you to take that trouble,"
said the wily Frenchman, " I will carry bira with
rae ; and you will swallow tbis coraposing draught,
and go to sleep corafortably." The officer obeyed
witb alacrity, slept soundly, and awoke perfectly
recovered. The physician carried off tbe bead,
wbich, upon examination, proved of excellent
workmanship, and a valuable fee. Tbis story
father Paul had from the doctor bimself.
In Megara there are many inscriptions of no
more value than tbe mortifications in your parish
church. I observed in tbe street the trunk of a
Venus, wbich, though terribly mutilated, still re
tained some traces of beautiful workraanship. I
know not whether it is the effect of accident or
design, that all the iraperfect statues I bave met
witb in Greece want the head, apparently not
broken off, but neatly cut. Pray is it quite as
certained that tbe Greeks were in the practice of
raaking such tasteless tbings as busts ? Possibly in
many cases the statue may have been sacrificed, in
order to render the bust part easily transported.

ATHENS. 165
The present town of Megara contains about one
tbousand inhabitants, who are chiefly employed
in agriculture. A few of the cottages are neat ;
but the place on the whole is much inferior to the
metropolis of Salarais. Being the raidway stage
between Athens and Corinth, it is often greatly
harassed by the Turks and tbeir horses. The
citizens have, bowever, adopted an effectual
plan to relieve theraselves from accommodating
tbe latter : they have raade the doors of their cot
tages so low, that no ordinary-sized horse can en
ter thera.
Tbe inhabitants of tbe country round Megara
are more railitary tban those of Attica. They are
in fact an organized railitia, or rather I believe
tbey are doraiciliated soldiers, appointed to guard
the passes of tbe isthraus — and since they were
settled tbere, Megara, which had become alraost
extinct, has risen -to be again a very respectable
village. The bouse in which I procured lodgings was
afflictingly infested with fleas, and a garrulous
old man, who held witb me a very edifying con
versation to himself of several hours, but of which
I did not literally understand one word : a few nods

l66 ATHENS.
and winks, however, answered every purpose of
speech on my side of the question ; and be seem
ed to think me exceedingly conversible and jo
cose. When he went away, I sbould soon after
have fallen asleep, but for the skipping multitudes
that assailed me witb beak and fang. Fleas, you
know, like lions and tigers, and other bloody^
minded beasts, are always most active during the
night. Next morning there was a great religious ce
remony in the village ; in its object pious and
affecting, but rendered ludicrous by the circum
stances which attended it. For a long time no
rain has fallen, and tbe ground is quite parched.
Last year the crop was deficient, and throughout
tbe whole Ottoman empire a great scarcity pre
vails at this moment. Another failure of tbe
hopes of the husbandraan must produce absolute
famine. It is not therefore surprising that the
people are alarmed, and seek to avert the calamity
witb which they are threatened.
At day-break tbe whole town was a-foot, men,
women, and children, together with the inhabi
tants of several adjacent hamlets ; forming in all
upwards of two tbousand persons. Being divided

ATHENS. 167
into three bands, they walked hand in hand to
wards the sea-shore, beaded by the priests, and
chaunting a prayer suitable to the occasion. Tbe
first was called tbe company of God tbe Father,
and carried a picture in whicb he is supposed to
be delineated ; the second was the company of
God the Son; and the last that of the Holy
Ghost; each bearing suitable pictures. On ar
riving at tbe sea, the pictures were successively
dipped in tbe water; and the procession tben went
back to the village.
On ray return to Athens, I found the price of
corn rapidly advancing, and already higher than
it has been remembered for many years. The
alarm witb regard to the crop is becoming gene
ral, and sorae of the pious Turks are every raorn
ing heard praying at tbe dawn of day, araong the
ruins of the temple of Jupiter Olympius, where
tbey usually assemble for this purpose when the
droughts happen to continue long.

Yours, &c.

168

LETTER XXL

Athens, March 14.
Among the wonders of tbe east usually re
lated by travellers, the charming of serpents, and
rendering them harmless and familiar, is none of
the least. If the art has not been before explained to
you, I bave it nowin my power to communicate the
secret, and you may make tbe experiment when you
will. This morning a number of Albanian boys
came to the gate of tbe convent, enquiring if
tbe Inglesos would be pleased to see a tarae viper,
and having received perraissiori to present them
selves, they came up stairs with tbeir show. It
was a snake upwards of tbree feet long, twining
round tbe arm of one of them in the true Lao
coon gusto. Tbe boy beld it by the heck, be
tween his finger and thumb. After exhibiting it
for sorae tirae in this situation, he laid it down,
and the others tormented it witb tbeir sticks to

ATHENS. 169
make it show off. Desiring Jacomo to enquire
particularly how tbey reduced the serpent to so
great a state of docility, I received the following
account. Tbey found it asleep, placed a cleft stick
across its neck, and giving it a bit of rag to bite,
in order to exhaust its poison, they then dug out
its teeth witb a knife. Afterwards, in tbe way that
Frederick tbe Great made stupid fellows alert sol
diers, naraely, by castigation, they reduced it to a
proper state to be reviewed. Tbe whole art seems
to be no more tban this : the vipers are deprived
of their teeth, and rendered weak by a good
hearty beating. The movements they exhibit are
evidently only their natural motions languidly
performed. Tbe friar was not in tbe convent during the ex
hibition ; but retuming soon after, I mentioned to
him what had taken place, and the explanation
tbat I had received of the mystery. He informed
me, that in Piedmont, his native country, the art
of the serpent-charmers is well understood ; that
be bad a brother, wbo, wben a boy, was very
dextrous at it ; and tbat be had often seen him
drawing the teeth of the vipers pretty much in
the same way in whicb the Albanians described

170 ATHENS.
their operation. He likewise mentioned that the
saliva of- the serpents is excessively cold ; that
he bad-experienced tbe sensation of it on his own
band ; and tbat the boys considered tbis saliva as
the venom, which, entering the wounds niade by
the teeth, produced the effects ascribed to the
bite. Of tbe efficacy of viper broth in restoring de
bilitated patients, we have all heard; but I have been
informed of anotber effect of tbis medicine, which,
for the benefit of our countrymen, ought certainly
to be made as public as possible. When father
Paul was at college, the itch broke out araong the
students, to such a violent degree tbat they were
obliged to disperse. On returning home, Paul in
fected his brothers, and ointments ofthe oldest and
most approved composition were found unavailing.
A mountaineer one day bappened to come into
tbe house ; and tbe Piedmontese highlanders, like
those of other countries, having great experience
ofthe raalady, he was consulted on the occasion.
He readily undertook the case, and promised to
effect a cure in the course of a single night. Next
morning he returned witb a large living viper in
a bag, and ordered an earthen vessel to be placed on

ATHENS. 171
the fire, filled with water and charcoal. In the
moment when the water was on the point of boil
ing, he plunged in the serpent, and boiled it
until the bones only were to be seen. When the
process was finished, tbe broth was left to cool ;
and when cold, the shirts of tbe patients were dip
ped in it, and dried in the shade. At night, wben
tbe patients went to bed, the shirts were put on,
and next morning tbe pleasing pain of their irri
tability bad entirely subsided.
From the hills round tbe valley of Soana, in the
department of Delladora, the Piedmontese apo
thecaries procure their vipers. Every year the
professed charmers come round witb cages to col
lect the serpents, the holes ofwhich, the shepherds
and boys of the valley are at pains to discover be
fore-hand, as they are rewarded for tbeir trouble.
Tbe charmers place a stick, covered witb a ser
pent's skin, in an upright position, near the places
which the shepherds and boys point out; and
wben tbe vipers, attracted by the smell of the
skin, make tbeir appearance, tbe charmers seize
them witb a pair of wooden tongs. Father Paul
tells me that he bas frequently enjoyed the plea
sure of being a spectator of this sport. To this

172 ATHENS.
worthy man, who, though a friar, is really liberal-
minded, pious, and charitable, I am indebted for
many curious and laughable anecdotes of the prac
tice of his brethren to gain popularity with the
old wornen of their neighbourhood, Woraen are
the pillars of the church in all countries. I am
also obliged to him for some information relative
to the superstitions of the modern Athenians that
I think will interest you.
One day he happened to take a child into his
arras from its mother, as she passed the gate of
the convent, and began to caress it, observing that
he thought it the prettiest in all the town. The
mother instantly, spitting in tbe poor child's face,
snatched it out of his arras in great terror, ex
clairaing, that wbat be had said was enough to
cause the deatb of her baby. I fancy the English
of tbis is, that such praises might raake herself
so proud, that Heaven would send the angel of
Parnell's Herrait to nip the life of the child, in
order to hurable the pride of the parent.
Wben the Athenian women wash clothes, they
are particularly careful to guard tbem from the
moonshine, whicb they say never fails ^to produce
sickness and melancholy to the wearers. If by

ATHENS. 173
accident the wet clothes fall witbin tbe glimpses of
the moon, tbe washerwomen raust spit three tiraes
over them, to neutralize the malignant property
wbicb it is supposed tbey bave acquired. Tbe
rationale of tbis I cannot even conjecture.
The friar tells me that it is quite in vain to at
tempt to obtain a light or any fire from the houses
of the Albanians after sun-set, if the husband or
bead of the house be still a-field. Tbis freat
seems to be a police regulation of Nature's enact
ment, in order to obviate a plausible pretext for
entering the cottages in tbe obscurity of twilight,
when the women are defenceless by the absence
of the men.
The Albanians have anotber custora, which I
do not remember to have heard of before, nor in
deed am I acquainted with any thing similar to
it. Four or five days after the baptism ofa child,
the midwife comes to the house, and prepares
with her own mystical hands certain savoury
messes, spreads a table, and places them on it.
She then departs, and all the bouse in silence
retire to sleep, leaving the door open. Tbis table
is covered for the Miri oi the child, an invisible
being, tbat is supposed to bave the care of its

1 74 ATHENS.
destiny. In the course of the night, tbe Miri ge
nerally comes in the shape of a cat, or some
other creature ; and if contented witb its charge,
or, in other words, if the child is to be fortunate,
partakes of tbe feast. If the Miri does not arrive,
or does not taste tbe food, tbe child is considered
as devoted to misfortune and misery, and, no
doubt, the treatment it afterwards receives is con
forraable to this unlucky predestination.
Before mentioning the after-birth ceremonies
of tbe midwife, I ought to have told you of those
which precede and accompany tbe bringing forth;
but the Genius of Shandean humour has an in
terest in the subject, and no doubt on this occa
sion purposely inverted my recollection. When
the mother feels tbe fulness of time at hand, the
priestess of Lucina is summoned. Sbe arrives,
an antient sibylline form, bearing in ber band a
tripod. This is as a classic would describe her,
for she is commonly such a figure as you may
some time or another chance to see depicted on
an old Etruscan pitcher. But I, wbo bave no
pretensions to tbe classical character, must in
plainer terms say, that tbe Athenian priestess
of Lucina, of tbe present as well as of the past

ATHENS. 175
time, is perbaps just such anotber personage as
the midwife wbo bappened to help yourself into
the world ¦ — an old woraan witb a notable coun
tenance. When called to the mysteries, she
brings a three-footed stool in her hand, the uses
of which the friar cannot well tell me, as tbey
are known only to the initiated. The midwife
having arrived, and being received by tbe ma
tronly friends of the mother, proceeds, as the
first part of tbe rites, to open every lock and lid in
tbe hpuse. At this ceremony, all the females
who bave not found keys for themselves are, on
analogical principles, excluded from the room.
Wben this is done, those wbo remain must
wait tbe conclusion, and none of thera after the
birth may be touched with impunity, as they are
considered unclean, and requiring the purification
of a sprinkling of holy water, and the benedic
tion of an ecclesiastic.
These singular notions and practices induced
me to be more particular in my enquiries ; and
the friar baving heard of others among the
Albanians no less curious, we sent for an
old woman, wbo is famous in tbe neighbour
hood for her knowledge of simples, and tbe

176 ATHENS.
prognostications of disease, conceiving that the
same sagacity which had enabled her to make
the observations on whicb her skill is founded,
had also probably made her acquainted with the
vulgar superstitions. By her we were informed
that the Albanians think that mankind after
death (observe I am not speaking of tbeir reli
gious opinions, but only of their vulgar notions)
becorae Voorthoolakases, and often pay visits to
tbeir friends, for tbe same reasons and in]the same
way that our country-ghosts go abroad. Their
fashionable visitinsr-bour is also tbe same, viz.
midnigbt. A Voorthoolakas comes to reveal hid
den treasures, to accuse murderers, and to admo
nish reprobates ; to enforce tbe practice of ho
nesty, justice, and good-conduct, and, like our
ghosts, the Voorthoolakases uniformly vanish with
a flash of fire. But the Collyvillory of the Al
banians is another sort of personage. He is one
of your Pucks that delight in mischief and
pranks, and is besides a lewd and foul spirit, and
therefore is very properly detested. Colly is sup
posed to be let loose on the night of the Nativity,
witb licence for twelve nights to plague men, or
rather men's wives : at wbicb time some one of

ATHENS. 177
the family must keep wakeful vigil all the live
long night, beside a clear and chearful fire, other
wise this nasty abominable devil would make such
an aqueous evacuation on the hearth, that never
fire could be kindled there again.
The Albanians are also pestered with another
species of infernal creatures, whicb seem to be of
the self-same disposition as the Scotish witches
and warlocks. These are raen and women wbbse
gifts are followed by misfortunes, whose eyes
glimpse evil, and by whose touch the most pros
perous affairs are blasted. — They work their ma
licious sorceries in the dark, collect herbs of bale
ful influence, by the help of which they strike
tbeir enemies witb palsy, and cattle witb dis
temper. The males are called Maissi, and the
females Maissa. When they have resolved to
bewitch a house or village with their spells, one
of the Maissi rides three times round the fated
place, screaming a prayer, the meaning of which
is only known to the initiated, and the God
Beelzebub. These are undoubtedly curious national peculi
arities ; but tbere is another still more singular,
and which interested me the more, as it resembles
N

178 ATHENS.
the well-known mountaineer faculty ofthe second
sight. The Albanians bave among thera persons
who pretend to know tbe character of approaching
events, by hearing sounds wbich resemble those
that will accompany the actual occurrence. —
Whoever attempts to account for this on natural
principles is liable to incur as mucb ridicule as if
be himself really credited sucb predictions ; and
yet it ought not to be so, because neither the pre
judices, nor the superstitions, nor even any pecu
liarity of manner among mankind, bave arisen
without an adequate cause. The second sight of
tbe Highlanders, and the second hearing of tbe
Albanians, probably bad tbeir beginning not in
the natural credulity of man, for that would only
fit them to receive the faith ; but in tbose presenti
ments wbich we all so often affect to experience.
There are authenticated accounts of savages who
possess a reach of vision, a nicety of sraell, and
an acuteness of hearing, scarcely less wonderful
tban the supernatural pretensions of tbe Scotish
and Greek mountaineers.
If in tbe older time, before reason bad super
seded instinct, a person happened to possess any
extraordinary powers of sight, it might chance

ATHENS. 1 79
that his perceptions would, araong bis unphilo
sophical neighbours, come to be esteemed as su
pernatural impressions, and their fancies would
supply circumstances and colouring to give the
report of his anticipations due effect and impor-,
tance. Migbt the belief in the second sight arise
in this way ?
Tbe notion once admitted that sucb a fa
culty did exist, our presentiraents would furnish
it with a suitable class of objects ; or rather what
was only a presentiment might, affected by the
belief, furnish the imagination with notions that
an enthusiastic mind might afterwards conceive '
bad arisen from sensations on the organ of vision.
In a similar raanner, tbe origin of a belief in
second liearing, may have been raised and propa
gated. I was once told by an Englisb lady, of a
servant, who sometime before a deatb happened
in her faraily, complained of smelling a corpse in
tbe bouse, so tbat, if the Scots pretend to tbe
seeond sight, and the Albanians to second hear
ing, the English are not free from a strange
sraell !
But the raost interesting of all the unexplained
magnetisms of our species is that whicb bas given
N 3

l80 ATHENS.
rise to the proverb of Like draws to like ; that
secret sense by wbich men of similar dispositions
become so immediately intimate, as to make us
tbink like the Pythagoreans, tbat tbeir souls must
in otber bodies have been formerly acquainted. I
remember to bave read an account of a conspi
racy whicb was formed in London, about the year
1755? by whicb several police-officers induced
men to commit crimes for tbe purpose of after
wards convicting them, in order to obtain the
revyards which are offered for apprehending of
fenders. One of these accursed wretches pos
sessed the diabolical sagacity of discovering the
kind of persons naturally predisposed for the
crimes ; and as tamed elephants assist to ensnare
their fellows, he used to ply about the streets and
markets in quest of youths, whom he thought by
their physical appearance morally fitted to under
take his guilty enterprises. Several of those
wbom be and his atrocious gang brought to the
gallows, had not before bis fiend-like seduction,
comraitted any crime :
" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dveamt of in your philosophy," Yours, &c.

I8i

LETTER XXII.

Athens, March 15.
Ihe pleasure of minute recollection is
undoubtedly very great in a place so full of his
torical interest as Athens ; but there is also a
state of mind, induced by general remembrance,
which is sometimes more pleasing than even the
satisfaction arising from recollecting things dis
tinctly. In this state, the imagination and the
memory work together, and their united endea
vour to supply what has been forgotten, be
gets reflections with a character of truth about
them, such as tbe offspring of fancy never pos
sesses ; and witb more beauty, no less interest
ing tban tbe hard features of veteran and service
able facts. I have frequently enjoyed this placid
intellectual raotion while sitting in this little
lodge, and reflecting on the events wbicb haye
occurred in tbe course ofthe raany hundred years
that bave passed away since it was constructed.

l82 ATHENS.
Sometimes I am disposed to consider wbat was
going on in tbe world generally while Greece was
in ber glory ; at others, I fall into the contem
plation of the history of Athens alone; and,
without being sensible of how much I furnish
myself from conjecture, I obtain a sort of
satisfaction, wbicb, in all probability, the sight
of a chronological table would turn into disap
pointment. I bave just been rouzed from one
of these historical reveries.
If it be indisputable, as I think it is, that the
geographical circumstances of Greece contributed
to divide the country into so many little state.s,
it is no less certain, then, that climate, and the
Ipcal peculiarities of countries, have an influence .
on the moral character of men. Nor will it be
denied, that it is in the nature of all small states,
necessarily to grow republican, and of great ones,
to become despotic.
The first period in the history of nations is
that in which fortifications are not constructed,
but in wbich tbe inhabitants seek occasions for
war, prompted by the hostile instinct peculiar tp
man. Over tbis period oblivion has drawn an
impenetrable veil, with respect to tbe nations of

ATHENS. 183
antiquity; and, but for the discovery of the
world of Columbus, we should in vain bave at
tempted to form distinct notions of what was tbe
state of mankind in a ruder age than that wbicb
has been described by Homer. Antiquity fur
nishes no view of man, such as we have obtained
since the discovery of America ; and therefore,
when we reason about tbe barbarity of the Greeks
in ages prior to the Trojan war, I suspect that
the ideas on whicb we build our theories are
derived from the observations of modern voyagers.
The philosophers of antiquity had no conception
of a state of society so rude as that whicb was
found by Captain Cook in New Holland. If
, ,, theCommentariesof Caesar were not read by boys
only, and coraraented upon by pedants, we sbould
not continue to think, that in his day tbe inha
bitants of Britain were at the sarae tirae naked,
and yet cultivators of tbe soil ; for it is the very
nature of man, especially in cold and humid cli
mates, to clothe himself before he breaks bread.
The second period in the history of nations is
when valour comes to be an admired quality, and
when men fight for renown as well as for spoil.
It is in tbis period tbat tbe memory of exploits

lS4 ATHENS.
begins to be preserved, and tbat feelings of ve
neration are excited for the spots on which
great actions were performed. Ferocity becomes
elevated into a virtue by the influence of ap
plause; and the habitual affection for borne is
expanded into patriotism, by the moral effect of
the courage exerted in defence of what was only
an accidental domiciliation.
The third period embraces all the circum
stances of the former; but the wants of society,
increased by civilization, give rise to new modes
of public action, and policy coraes to be cultivated
by communities. In this period, the authentic
history of nations commonly begins. When
the Greeks had reached this epoch, tbey pro
duced Homer, and laid the foundations of that
deliberative confederacy, which afterwards became
so famous, by the name of the Amphictyonic
Council — an institution which, in its essence,
was a tribunal of appeal to the States of Greece, in
their own disputes, and a congress of representa-"^"
tives for preserving the balance of power among
themselves, as well as to arrange the means of
collectively resisting the aggressions of those who
reigned beyond its jurisdiction.

ATHENS. 185
As the authority of tbe Amphictyonic Council
was extended, that of the Kings sbould bave been
contracted ; and the period in whicb tbis famous
assembly reached the summitof its power and con
sideration, must have been, in my o|iinion, about
the time that royalty vvas abolished in Atbens.
The artifices of ambitious men, consequent on
the establishment of republics, always tend to
corrupt public morals, and to weaken that instinct
vvhich leads mankind to delight in war ; an instinct
wbich cannot be impaired without inducing evils
more destructive, in the end, than the calamities
of war. For no war, undertaken either for renown
or conquest, ever afflicted any nation with a ruin
so dreadful as that which now covers Greece.
Athens owed her superiority in the arts to
the rivalry of candidates for public favour. Tbe
vices of Athens, in particular, were obviously
so incurable in the days of Pericles, that it is
impossible to look on the beautiful edifices, of
which he was the author, without considering
them as the sepulchral monuments of the Reli
gion and Virtue of his country. As the Arts, in
Greece, were chiefly fostered by men seeking
public employments, tbey sbould have attained

l86 ATHENS.
their greatest degree of excellence when the
country was in a state the most likely to be sub
dued. In the age of Alexander tbey had reached
tbeir meridian ; by him the Grecian States
were deprived of their independence ; and the
Greeks have ever since continued to sink, till
they can fall no lower. Yours, &c.

LETTER XXIII.

Athens, March \6.
It is almost impossible to live eight days in
Athens, witbout being smitten witb antiquarian
ism. Tbe disteraper awaits all visitors, as assu
redly as tbe button does at Aleppo. In some
cases it manifests itself in a raving repetition of
heathen words^ applying them to raen and things;
in others, it appears in a propensity to quote

ATHENS. 187
books which boys only read. But the most com
mon symptom of tbe malady is an insane passion
for old halfpence, headless images, and handless
jugs, which the patient calls medals, statues, and
vases. It was in this way that I was affected.
As tbe Athenians of old buried their dead
along the sides of the highways, tbe first step,
in proceeding to examine a tomb, is to discover
tbe track of an antient highway. Where the
ground has not been obviously lately raoved, or
is, according to the slang of the Italian scafiers,
still in a virgin state, you may begin to dig. In
my first search, the broken side of a large urn,
in a water-course, induced me to commence; and
I found, in less than an bour, at least thirty
earthen vessels, of different shapes and sizes ;
such of tbem as are worth tbe trouble of packing,
you sball in due time, I hope, see, and will beco
mingly admire.
In my second attempt I met with a large
earthenware coffin, but it was broken into many
pieces. Within it the remains of the body were
still visible. The skull in particular was so thick,
that it appeared, indeed, capable of still enduring
the fall of many ages. I found, also, in tbe

l88 ATHENS.
coffin, a glass tear-bottle. Antiquaries think,
that when the antients died, their friends, raaking
loud laraent, and sobbing grievously, sat with
their elbows on their knees, holding a bottle to
each eye, into which their tears flowed ; and it is
supposed that the bottles, being afterwards corked,
wer^ deposited with the body. Be this as it
raay, I ara quite convinced that a modern white
cambric handkerchief will absorb ten times more
grief and sorrow than it is possible for ray little
lachrymal to contain ; — a clear proof tbat the
antients were not, after all, very tender-hearted.
In my third experiment, I scafiated long and
patiently. At length I came to a stone, which,
being removed, another was brought to light
Reasoning analogically, from the position of the
two stones, I concluded that this belonged to a
sepulchre; and, in the end, the sagacious con
jecture was confirmed, but the coffin was empty.
The diggers, on such occasions, usually abandon
the research, but having beard that vases are fre
quently found under the sarcophagus, I raised
this one up, and there was a treasure ! four of the
most beautiful specimens of the Athenian under
taker's art and taste. To such exquisite utessih

ATHENS. 189
permit me to apply the classical eulogium which
Chandler bestows on the edifices consti'ucted du
ring the mayoralty of Pericles, a bad translation of
an idea pilfered from Plutarch. "A certain fresh
ness bloomed upon them, and preserved their faces
uninjured; as if tbey possessed a never-fading
spirit, and had a soul insensible to age!" Did
you know, before, tbat buildings had souls. I
bave been told, that even when the Speaker, the
clerks, and forty members, were present, that
there was not a soul in a certain public bouse.
I do not well know to what blooming fresh
ness the Doctor particularly alludes ; but, when
I visited the Acropolis, I observed tbat one of
tbe pieces of the entablatures of the Parthenon
was stained with colour; and mentioning the
circumstance to Monsieur Fauvelle, the French
Consul, who is both an artist and an antiquary, he
informed me that he had particularly noticed the
same thing, and was convinced, not only that
the sculptures of that temple had been, painted,
but that it was a common custora of the antients
to paint their statues. Araong other things, in
confirmation of tbis opinipn, he mentioned that
tbere is at Paris an antique bronze statue, in

190 ATHENS.
which tbe paint is still visible in the corners of
the eyes, and among the folds ofthe drapery. As
tbe antients used only water-colours, it is not
surprizing that the evidence on this point is so
trifling. Whether Theseus, wbo, you know, was both
a demi-god and a dancing-master, invented
tbe dance which I have seen to-day, I con
fess myself unable to determine, but I will give
you an account of it. Hearing a disorderly kind
of singing approaching in tbe streets, I opened
one of the windows of the lantern of Demos
thenes, and looking out, saw a crowd of boys.
Immediately two tambourine players, with mad
actions, emerged frora behind tbe intercepting
corner of our garden-wall. After them came
two scrapers on the lyre, followed by a wretch,
who tormented a poor fiddle to such a degree,
tbat my very heart thrilled at its shrieks; and
presently about twenty young fellows, drunk,
holding eacb other by the hand, made tbeir
appearance. Tbese were the dancers. The leader
was shaking a handkerchief over his head, ad
miring at the same time his feet, whicb were
cutting strange capers. Then came a train of

ATHENS. 191
melancholious singers; and tben they all went
away. Whether tbis was the crane-dance of
Theseus, or a choral dance, I have not been
able to decide, nor would it be of tbe sraallest
consequence if I could. Yours, &c.

LETTER XXIV.

Athens, March 17.
When I had finished my letter, last night,
taken my supper and retired to bed. Fancy, as
usual, when any thing new has occurred, began to
theorize, endeavouring to persuade Reason, that
there is as great an universality of reserablance in
tbe manners and customs of mankind, as there is
in their features and forms. Dancing being the
subject of their discussion. Reason said tbat it was
a barbarous amusement, which ceased as man
kind advanced in civilization and knowledge—

192 ATHENS.
observing that we never heard of sages being ad
dicted to dancing ; and therefore, as sages are the
wisest and most enlightened of mankind, all who
approximate to them in wisdom must, of course,
like them, despise the ridiculous exercise of dan
cing. Fancy repUed, that she had no doubt of
tbe soundness of tbe opinion ; and it would fol
low, that society, in its progress towards perfec
tion (for Fancy, you know, is as staunch a per-
fectibilian as Madam de Stael or even tbe late Mrs,
Godwin herself), " It would follow," said she,
" that at equal degrees of civilization, tbere must
be similar habits of dancing acquired ; and there
fore,, according to ray idea of a universal simi
larity in human manners, there must be also a
corresponding reserablance in human dances."
Meraory, who had all this time sat seemingjy
asleep, but in fact deeply attentive to the discus
sion, opened her eyes, and after looking at Rea
son and then at Fancy, as if in doubt to which
she ought to address herself, cautiously stated,
tbat " The dance wbich Mr. Gait saw, from the
window of the lantern of Demosthenes, was
perforraed by Albanians ; and Dr. Chandler men
tions, in his book, that Albanian woraen, once a

ATHENS. 193
year, trip hand in band, in a very classical style,
before the Temple of Theseus; whicb led tbe
Doctor to be of opinion, that they practised some
mutilated measure of tbe dance invented by that
demi-god, after bis return from Crete." Reason
pursed up bis mouth somewhat queerly at this,
and taking a snuff rather emphatically, observed
to Memory, that " Dr, Chandler must be mis
taken ; for, in order to justify his conjecture, he
ought to bave shown that the dance was practised
by Grecian, instead of Albanian women. In
short, Madam, that very dance, as you bave
often heard, is an aboriginal Albanian dance;
and it is performed before the Temple of The
seus, only because the ground there is one of the
most pleasant spots in all Athens for the purpose."
Memory made no answer, but, turning towards
Fancy, who, by several quick flourishes of her
beautifully-painted fan, and otber fidgety move
ments, evinced great impatience to speak, smiled
on her with eyes that sparkled with tbe conscious
ness of pleasure and expectation. "What you ob-"
serve. Sir," said that elegant young lady to the
philosopher, " sanctions ray theory; for the
Albanians are now probably in the same state of
o

194 ATHENS.
civilization in whieh the Athenians were during
the time of Theseus, and therefore tbeir dance re
sembles the one whicb he invented. Indeed I
have no doubt, that as the islands of the Archi
pelago reserable, in hills and mountains, those of
the Hebrides, tbat my learned friend Mr. Gait,
if he would be at the trouble of investigating
tbis important raatter, would find tbe war-dance
of tbe antients was very like the Highland-reel,
which, in my opinion, is the Pyrrhic dance of tbe
Scotish Celts. You recollect, Mrs. Memory, in
what way the Highland-reel is performed. The
dancers arrange themselves in opposite parties ;
and the music cbmraencing with a chearful
strain, they rautually advance, eying each other
askance, as they pass to opposite sides. After a
few innocent movements, a change, in the mea
sure instructs them to cross each otber again,
which they do briskly, looking more resolutely
than before. The music growing more and raore
impetuous, the rage of the dancers kindles into
fury. They snap tbeir fingers in one another's
faces; they spurn at tbe earth; their hands are
tossed towards the heavens: they wheel, and
howl the war-whoop of the Celts ; and tbey jostle

ATHENS. 195
with such violence backward, that, as Milton
says, of the fighting ofthe archangel Michael and
Satan, it is unsafe to come
" within the wind of such concussion,"
Reason could endure this no longer, but, par
taking of the same spirit witb whicb Fancy
seemed to be animated, took off bis wig, and
threw it in her face. Memory, quite shocked at
such extravagance, lifted her muff^ and rising
with solemnity, made a low and irapressive
curtsey, and wished them both good night.
Yours, &c.

o 2

196

LETTER XXV.
Athens, March 17.
I HAVE been a Jight to you in the Lantern
of Demosthenes so long, tbat I think you raust
be anxious to receive some account of tbe lantern
itself. In Stuart's Antiquities, every thing about
Atbens is so well represented, that it is unneces
sary for me to attempt to convey, by words, what
is so eflfectually done already by visible represen
tation : therefore, botb for tbe antient and pre
sent state of this edifice, as well as of every other
relic in the town, I cannot do better than refer
you to Stuart.
Tbe proper name of the building is. The monu
ment of Lysicrates, It was erected to perpetuate
the applause witb wbicb a theatrical entertain
ment, given by bira, had been received by the
Athenian people. Thp subject of the entertain
ment, probably, related to tbe story of Bacchus,
as tbe frieze exhibits a series of figures which are

ATHENS, 197
supposed to represent the adventures of the God
among the Tyrrhenian pirates.
The story is certainly not very perspicuously
told; but, as the work vvas executed long before
tbe days of Ovid, it would be absurd to ex
pect, that the sculptures should tally w^ith the
description in the Metamorphoses; unless, in
deed, the Poet had only copied frora the Sculp
tor, However, it is surely reasonable to believe,
that the adventures, exhibited on the monu
ment, formed the subject of the spectacle in tbe
theatre. It seems a very strange thing, that any person
should ever, in any age, bave tbought of con
structing so beautiful and so permanent an edi
fice as tbis, merely to commemorate tbe success
of a dramatic performance. But in the days of
Lysicrates the theatre was in sorae respects
scarcely less hallowed than the teraple ; and the
exhibitions given tbere, were in honour of tbe
Gods, particularly of Bacchus. Tbis raonument
ought, therefore, to be considered as raanifesting
tbe piety of Lysicrates. It is as much a work of
religion as any of tbe votive chapels, raonasteries,
03

198 ATHENS.
and bospitals, reared by the moderns in honour of
tbe Saints.
The drama is supposed to owe its origin to the
worship of Bacchus, and tbe principal theatre in
Athens was dedicated to him : a fewfragments ofthe
building sferve to verify the historical descriptions
of its extent and magnificence. The chearful cha
racter of the religion of tbe antients contributed*
to make much of the ritual of its service merely-
amuseraent; and it is certain that their draraatic
performances had tbe same sortof religious quality
as the monkish operas, which, before the Reforma
tion, were so comraon throughout Europe. It is
possibly owing to this that the pathos ofthe Greek
tragedy appears to us, in general, so very ob
tuse. Every event was thought, by tbe antients,
to proceed so iraraediately frora the interposition
of tbe Gods, tbat the poet must bave been in
some hazard of being regarded as irreligious,
wbo would bave ventured to represent human
suffering in sucb a manner as to impair, by im
plicating blame, the respect due to tbe celes
tial powers ; which must have been the case if the
subjects of the Greek tragedians had been repre-

ATHENS. 199
sented in any other manner than that in which
we find them.
With us the drama is purely a source of amuse
ment. It has no otber aim tban to please and
interest ; for the instruction that it may convey
must always be subordinate to the pleasure arising
from tbe interest of the story. Religion is, indeed,
justly excluded from the modern theatre ; which
originated, in fact, from an opposition to the
exhibitions of the monks. It was not until the
ecclesiastical shews were beginning to fall into
contempt, tbat what is called the stage began to
be formed, particularly in England : the outcry
whicb the monks raised at seeing their monopoly
invaded, is the source from whence all those pious
imprecations on the playhouse are derived. The
public growing tired of the absurd and blasphe
mous , dramas of the monasteries, began to encou
rage those performers who exhibited the actions
of men, many of wbicb were certainly as little
consonant to good morals as the exhibitions ofthe
monks were to religion, but they suited tbe altered
taste ofthe people, and the monks therefore joined
in reprobating them as stimulating the vices and
inflaming the passions of youth.

200 ATHENS.
It is generally thought that tbe developement
of passion forms the proper theme of Tragedy,
and the effect of manners that of Comedy. I
am not sure that this is correct. Passions and
manners appear to me common to botb provinces
ofthe drama ; and tbe circurastances witb which
they are connected, constitute all tbe difierence
between a tragedy and a comedy. It is impossible
to conceive men in any state witbout passions,
and it is no less so to discriminate characters
without manners. Every class of mankind has
something professional peculiar to itself; and it
would be just as unnatural to represent soldiers
with the manners of priests, as to express, if it
were possible, an impassioned state of the mind
by ceremonious forms of speech. Tbe comedies
of-the antients, being founded on particular man
ners, have never been regarded as works of in
terest, however mucb tbey may have been es
teemed as models of composition. As we cannot
feel that kind of piety which their tragedies once
excited, so we are insensible to the force of that
huraour, which, no doubt, was seen and felt by
them in tbeir comedies. There was a local and
temporal interest in tbe Grecian drama, wbieb

ATHENS. 201
distance and the lapse of ages has destroyed. But
as this is a subject requiring illustration, and I
have no books, you must wait till I am in circum
stances to do it justice. Yours, &c.

LETTER XXVL
Athens, March 22.
(Since I have not given you any description
of the antiquities of Athens, because I think the
engravings in Stuart's Work infinitely more in
telligible than any description, I will treat you
with a discourse on tbe Fine Arts. Wben I was at
Trapani, one ofthe Censors of tbe Academy gave
me a publication, in two small volumes quarto,
of four orations by tbe President, in whicb he
has mentioned all the authorities for bis opinions
relative to the arts. Tbe Work is curious, on

202 ATHENS.
account of tbe display of reading in it ; but as
tbe details were too minute for my taste, I endea
voured to extract tbe marrow of tbose passages in
wbich tbe author has indulged in didactic obser
vations ; and having interwoven a few of my own
notions, in order to render the translation some
what coherent, I propose to deliver it to you. If
you are in readiness, I will now begin.

A DISCOURSE ON THE FINE ARTS.
The Fine Arts are the study and delight of all
polished nations. They disarm the spirit of man
of its natural ferocity, and they elevate the mind
while they soften the heart. Ignorance is but
another name for barbarity, and the want of
knowledge sharpens the appetite of violence. It
was indeed a strange paradox of Rousseau, to
maintain that mankind were happier when they
resembled wild beasts than with all the enjoy
ments of civilized life ; and that the cultivation
of their intellectual faculties bad tended to de
grade their virtues. There can be no virtue but
wbat is founded on a comprehensive estimate of
the efiects of human actions ; and an animal

ATHENS. 203
under tbe guidance of instinct cannot form any
sucb estimate.
The chief object of science is the discovery of
Truth, and of art the developement of Beauty. In
the former we trust to reason, and in the latter
to imagination. But judgment and fancy are of
mutual assistance in bpth studies. Science clears
the obstructions which impede the progress of
Art, and Art adorns and smooths the path of
Science. No discovery is made without some
previous conjectural effort of tbe mind, sorae ex
ertion of the imagination ; nor is any beauty
unfolded where there has not been some pre-
consideration of probable effects, sorae exertion
of the reasoning faculties.
As the human mind is pleased with the con
teraplation of what is true, and delighted witb
tbe appearance of wbat is beautiful, it raay be
assumed that the cultivation of science, and the
improvement of art, originate in our love of plea
sure. We commonly divide the objects of the
two pursuits into distinct classes ; and we think,
wben we call scientific studies useful, and the
productions of art only ornamental, that there is
something intrinsically different in tlieir respective

204 ATHENS.
natures. But if we examine our own feelings,
and judge of science by its influence on ourselves,
we shall be obliged to confess that although less
obviously, it is, in fact, as mucb recommended to
us by tbe pleasures to wbich it ministers, as tbose
arts tbat we regard as entirely devoted to the ex
citement of agreeable emotions.
Ofall tbe arts, the art of building is that which
most voluminously attracts attention. Invented
in the country, and brought to perfection in the
town, it owes its origin, like every otber human
contrivance, to Necessity. Man, naked at his
birth, thrown upon tbe earth, exposed to the
cold, the wet, and the heat, and to the con
cussion of other bodies, was constrained to seek
artificial means of protection. The rain obliged
him to fly for shelter to trees and caverns, the
only habitations with whicb nature bas provided
ber favourite ; for in the improvable faculties
bestowed on his mind, sbe has furnished him with
tbe means of constructing abodes suitable to binsi-
self and to the growth of his wants, as they
increase by tbe improvement of bis condition.
The same instinct wbich led him to take refuge
from the shower, taugbt bim to prefer tbose trees

ATHENS. 205
of which the branches were thickest interwoven,
and, when tbey were insufficient, to draw the
boughs closer over his bead. The process of
reasoning from this experience, to tbe considera
tions whicb led him to form permanent bowers,
requires no illustration.
Every hypothesis formed to account for the
various styles of architecture, ascribes them to
the form of the structures first raised by the
inhabitants of the countries in wbicb tbey
respectively originated. Tbe ailes of the Go
thic cathedral, and tbat rich foliage of carv
ing with wbich its vaults are erabowered, can
not be seen without imraediately suggesting the
idea of a grove ; and in tbe structure of the Gre
cian temple, we may trace the characteristics of
an edifice originally formed of trees hewed and
pruned for the convenience of transportation ; for
Greece was not a woody country like those
Nortbern regions in wbich tbe Gothic architec
ture arose. In Egypt, wbere trees are still more
rare tban in Greece ; where, indeed, there is
nothing that can be properly compared to our
idea of a tree, we find the character of the archi
tecture partaking of the features of what must

206 ATHENS.
have been the early habitations of a people neces
sitated by their inarborous climate, to make their
permanent retreats, and the sanctuaries of their'
gods, in tbe hollows and caverns ofthe earth. The
architecture which would arise among such a
people we should expect to be dark, massy, and
stupendous ; and accordingly we find in that of
Egypt, dnd of other countries which resemble it
in local circumstances, temples and labyrinths that
rival in extent and intricacy, the grottos of na
ture, and pyramids that emulate in magnitude
and durability the everlasting hills. In the raore
oriental nations we find the same general prin
ciple obvious, and in their permanent structures
a similar resemblance to the features of what were
probably tbe priraeval habitations of the natives.
In the light and pavilionated appearance of the
Chinese buildings, we may see tbe hereditary
indications of a peojde that formerly resided in
tents, and such teraporary abodes as were likely
to be constructed by the inhabitants of a country'
abounding in extensive plains, and of a climate
unfavourable to the growth of trees, and yet not
so hot as to oblige the natives to seek shelter iii
natural or artificial excavations.

ATHENS. 207
The first savage, who in tbe construction of his
hut, united a degree of symmetry with solidity,
must be regarded as the inventor of architecture.
Multiplying improvements upon the first result of
a combined plan of the reason and imagination,
after a series of enors and accidents, a code of
rules came to be established, by wbicb the art of
building bas since continued to be regulated. Tbe
study of these rules furnishes a knowledge of the
science of architecture.
Although Necessity was the raother of Ar
chitecture, Climate dictated the choice of the
materials employed in the construction of build
ings, and Chance directed the fancy of indi
viduals in tbe selection of ornaments. History,
in mentioning that Callimachus of Corinth was
led to tbink of forming tbe Corinthian capital by
observing tbe beautiful effect of a vase accidentally
placed in the midst of a bunch of cellery, bas
furnished us witb a fact wbich proves, although
a natural law governs man in choosing the style
of architecture, and climate prescribes to him the
materials, tbat tbe peculiarities of individual ge
nius, and not the effect of any general principle
of taste, developes the beauties of ornaraent.

208 ATHENS.
Taste is formed by the contemplation of
works of art, and tbe perfection of art consists
in exhibiting the greatest degree of beauty with
the utmost possible resemblance to the natural
models. Taste, therefore, does not instruct us
to prefer, for any general reason, any one par
ticular style of architecture to another, but only
to observe and disapprove of deviations from what
is natural. Every pleasure, after enjoyment, occasions a
new want. The shelter and protection obtained
from architecture incited man to seek enjoyments
in the improvement of tbe art of building. When
his corporeal necessities are supplied, the rest
lessness of bis mind leads him to seek additional
pleasures, by new modifications of tbe means
which supplied his corporeal necessities.
In tbe Greek colonies of Asia Minor, archi
tecture is supposed to have first attained excel
lence. At least the best authors on the history
of the arts agree in stating, that the Doric and
Ionic orders were first perfectly constructed tbere ;
and it may be questioned, if in tbe lapse of more
than twenty centuries any improvement bas been
added to the august simplicity of tbe Doric, or

ATHENS. 209
to the simple elegance ofthe Ionic column. The
Corinthian, whicb is of much later invention,
thougb more elaborately ornamented than the
otber two, is by many, of the most approved
taste, deemed inferior to them as an order. It
retains less of the resemblance of tbe original
natural model. It has more about it that may
be regarded as superfluous, and the foliage of the
capital is obviously a redundancy placed there for
no other purpose tban the display of skill and
expense. The Corinthian pillars of the porticos
of St. Paul's, in London, are esteemed very pure
specimens of that order ; but tbeir appearance is
less impressive tban that of the Doric columns,
which still remain among the ruins of the
Temple of Minerva at Athens. More than two
thousand years bave elapsed, and the remnants
of the Greek architecture still afford models,
whicb, never having been equalled, seem inca
pable of being further improved. It may in
deed be said, tbat the genius of antient Greece
has furnished eternal models of art, as well as
of Hterature, to Europe.
About the saine time that tbe Doric Was raised
to perfection in Ionia, the Etruscans invented the

310 ATHENS.
Tuscan, a similar order, but a grosser style ; and
the Romans, after the simple and dignified man
ners of their republic had passed away, deraon
strated by the invention of the Composite, and
their preference for that gaudy order, how much
the corruption of their morals had infected their
taste. The Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and
Composite orders constitute what is properly
understood by the classes of architecture. They
are arranged witb distinct appropriate and pe
culiar ornaments ; and their proportions are
regulated by rules wbich cannot be violated
without impairing their beauty. This is not
the case witb anv otber kind of architecture,
and hence all other raodifications of the art of
building are called styles, in contradistinction to
orders. It is true, that in England the Society
of Antiquaries, and several private amateurs of
the arts, have of late. endeavoured to classify and
illustrate the different styles of architecture in the
antient baronial and ecclesiastical ediflces of Great
Britain, but the enquiry has not yet terminated,
although it has ascertained that the Saxon, Nor
man, and Gothic, or as the latter is now perbaps

ATHENS. 211
properly called, the English order, have charac
teristics as distinct as those of the Doric, Ionic,
and Corinthian, and codes of general rules that
may prove to be peculiar to each.
The human mind has an innate disposition to
admire order, and to seek pleasure by the clas
sification of objects. Hence architecture is con
sidered as consisting of three distinct species,
civil, military, and naval. I may be justified
in adding a fourth, ecclesiastical, for it is im
possible to visit any part of Europe, without
being convinced that tbe buildings consecrated
to religious rites could not, without radical alte
rations, be applied to any other use. The cathe
dral, with its vast ailes, its solemn vaults, and
adjoining cloisters, is as obviously constructed for
a special purpose, as the fortress, the ship, or the
mansion. Phelones of Byzantium, about three hundred
years before the Cbristian aera, composed a trea
tise on tbe engines of war and military architec
ture. He is' therefore justly regarded as tbe
father of engineers ; and the principles Which he
is supposed to have elucidated continued to be
acted upon till the invention of gunpowder. Italy,
p 2

212 ATHENS.
that Has for so many ages been unknown as a mili^
tary nation, claims for Sanmicheli of Verona, the
glory of having established the principles of the art
of modern fortification. Vaughban, Pagan, Blon
del, Scheiter, &c. only modified his suggestions
and developed bis principles. History ascribes
by a kind of courtesy, the honour of inventions
and discoveries to the persons who first make
them public, or bnng them into use. It is tbus
that in naval architecture Usoo, a Phoenician, is
considered as the father of the art, because he is
the first on record that navigated a canoe. But
in this the courtesy of history goes too far, for
Noah has certainly a superior claim, both on
account of the magnitude and the purpose of his
vessel. Although the Greeks excelled all the world in
the beauty of tbeir works of art, they did not
furnish any treatise' on the theory of architecture
till after tbey had constructed their finest build
ings. This was natural. The rules wbicb instruct
us to produce beauties in any kind of art, must
be derived, from the practice of those wbo have
previously, by the instinct of genius, produced
excellent works. The rules for composing a per-

ATHENS. 213
feet epic poem, vvere derived from tbe practice of
Homer, as it appeared in the Iliad. In like man
ner the principles of architecture, as a science, are
founded on the result, not of rules previously de
livered, but of experiments ; hence we are assured
that by an adherence to the rules, we sball pro
duce the same beautiful effects as tbe result of the
experiments from which the rules were deduced.
Vitruvius was the first author who established
the principles of antient architecture ; but be did
not write until the finest specimens ofthe art had
been long completed. He mentions indeed the
names of many arcbitects, but they were practical
men — men of genius who had erected models,
and thereby furnished the means of giving rules,
for tbe guidance of others.
It is surprising that, although the work of Vi
truvius is adraitted by all students to be deficient,
obscure, and ill-arranged, it is still, the best of
its kind, especially in what relates to the proper and
appropriate use of the different orders. A work
embracing the Saxon, Norman, and Gothic styles,
in addition to the classic orders, and discriminating
the uses to whicb they are respectively adapted, is a
desideratum in the literature of Europe. In Eng-

214 ATHENS.
land, a work of this kind is particularly required,
for the English are perhaps less than any other
people in Europe, sensible or even acquainted
with the proprieties of architecture. ,In tbe St,
Paul's of London, one of the very finest works of
the moderns, and admired by the English equal
to its merits, tbe architect has employed tbe gay
est orders, and in their most ornamented style.
The sublime magnitude of the building dimi
nishes, at the first view, tbe effect of its prepos
terous gaudiness. Itis not till after contemplating
it, with relation to its uses, tbat we perceive bow
much the style of the architecture is at variance
with the purpose of the fabric. Surely, the
fiaunting luxuriance of the Corinthian and Com
posite orders are ill placed on a temple dedicated
to the service of God, and appointed to receive
the ashes of great and illustrious raen. The de
corum of ai-chitecture has been equally disre
garded in the construction of the new Theatre of
Covent Garden. The portico is undoubtedly a
beautiful specimen of the Grecian Doric, and as
such would not have disgraced even Athens ; but
the august simplicity ofthe Doric is as much out
of place atthe entrance ofthe play-house, as the

ATHENS. 215
gaudier elegance of the Corinthian and Corapo
site is on the church. Perhaps, if the theatre
were entirely devoted to the exhibition of trage
dies, the grave majesty of its portico would not
be objectionable. Still, however, both tbe theatre
and the cathedral are fine monuments ofthe skill
of tbeir respective architects, but they are curious
examples of tbe want of that taste for propriety
wbich is as requisite in tbe art of building as in
tbe compositions of tbe Muse. It has beeu said
of the English, that they build their hospitals like
palaces, and their palaces like hospitals ; it may be
added, tbat tbey also ornament their churches
like theatres, and their theatres like churches.
Of all the fine arts. Architecture is not only
that which is most easily traced to its origin in
the wants of mankind, but that on wbich all the
others are dependant. All the others, when com
pared with Architecture, are only representative,
and contribute only to the gratification of tbose
wants which arise frora tbe experience of plea
sure. But this primeval art is, in its rudimental
state, almost as necessary to man as food, and in
its refined, no less essential to tbe improvement of
every other.

21 6 ATHENS.
Painting and sculpture are the arts wbicb seem
to bave the greatest affinity to architecture, and
to be immediately connected witb its use and
progress. For the origin of painting, we bave no
evidence of any such obvious instinct as that
tvhich led raan to the art of building; and it
may be doubted, whether it ought to be consi
dered as an invention anterior, or coeval with
sculpture. The Greeks, with that vanity which tbeir ex
traordinary proficiency in art and science almost
justified them in assuming, a vanity wbicb is pro
bably constitutional, as it exists in them as strbngly
as ever, although tbey have nothing left of their
ancestors but tbeir vices, the lees and dregs of civi
lization, take to themselves the honour ofthe inven
tion of painting ; and tell us that, in particular, the
art of portrait-painting was discovered among them
by a girl who was fond of a youth devoted to travel
ling, and who, to sweeten the time of his absence,
delineated on the wall, with the assistance of a
lamp, tbe profile of her lover. Instead, however,
of accepting this as an historical fact, we ought
to reflect how prone the Greeks were to allegory,
and tbat this elegant fable is but another way of

ATHENS. 217
telling us that portrait-painting was suggested by
adolescent affection.
Although Anaxagoras and Democritus wrote
on the rules of perspective, we bave no proof
that the Greeks, notwithstanding their excellence
in the delineation of objects, ever made any
proficiency in the application of them. We
have no account of any landscape-painter of
great eminence in Greece. Among all the artists
of antiquity there was no Claude. But they
doubtless excelled in the drawing of figures.
We are witnesses of tlie still surpassing beauty
of their statues ; and we should not, therefore,
question tbe excellence of their figure-painters :
indeed the sketches in outline on tbeir funeral
vases, put this matter beyond question.
In comparing the remains of Grecian sculpture
with the works of the moderns, particularly with
the public monuments of the British nation, a
very obvious and striking difference is at once
perceived and felt. We are sensible, in looking
at the relics of Greece, of the presence of a
simple grace, an admirable naturalness of form
and figure, which is rarely discoverable in the
sculptures of the moderns. This seems to be

«l8 ATHENS.
owing to a cause wbich admits of an easy explana
tion. The inferiority of tbe moderns arises from
their superior scientific knowledge. They under
stand tbe theory of tbe art so well, that they
think attention to rules preferable to the study
of natural phaenomena. Tbe Greek artists, on
the contrary, appear to have worked frora living
forms and existing things. This is remarkably
obvious in the remaining sculptures on the
Parthenon. The riders in them are not singly
persons, whose muscles and joints are disposed
witb exquisite anatomical exactness, and placed
on horses individually, equally, correctly formed ;
but the riders and tbe horses as in nature, tbough
two distinct beings, are there shewn under the
influence of one impulse, and all those minute and
indescribable contractions, and dilations of parts
which arise from their separate conformationj are
shown with the effect of that impulse which
constitutes the unity of their mutual exertion. I
am not here alluding to the centaurs of the me
topes, but to the horsemen of the bas reliefs on the
frieze. It is irapossible that this felicitous result
could have been obtained by the most careful. at
tention to any system of rules. It is indeed

ATHENS. 219
impossible, that the artist, whose business is to at
tain perfection of design and beauty of execution,
should be able to give so much time and consi
deration to the study of rules, as would enable
him to work without reference to models in
nature. He must unquestionably furnish himself
witb sucb a competent knowledge of principles as
will prevent him from falling into error; but, if he
expects to excel in his art, be must study other
tbings tban the principles by whicb the critics
will estiraate his proficiency. As poets must be
so far acquainted witb grammar, as to be able to
write correct language, painters and sculptors are
required to know the principles of their respec
tive arts. But as tbat knowledge of grammar
wbich constitutes the merit of a grammarian,
will never make a poet, so that knowledge of per
spective and anatomy wbich constitutes the me
rit of a connoisseur, will never make a painter or a
sculptor. Painting and sculpture are representative
arts. Their province is confined to forms that
can be exhibited, and excellence cannot be at
tained in them but by studying sucb forms as na
turally exist. In groupes the sculptor may bring
together figures that migbt never have met; as

220 ATHENS.
the landscape-painter may combine into one pic
ture, objects selected from different views, and
thereby produce an effect that, wbile perfectly na
tural, shall be more pleasing and impressive than
any particular view in nature. But the sculptor
must not attempt to create forms, nor the painter
to draw mountains or trees, from his own fancy,
er they will assuredly never fail to offend, if they
do not always disgust. Tbe two grand allegorical
landscapes of Claude, descriptive of tbe rise and
fall of tbe Roman erapire, furnish an admirable
illustration ofthe maxim whicb I would inculcate.
There is no part of Italy, various and beautiful as
the scenery of tbat country is, wbich exhibits
such magnificent scenes as those paintings; but
still tbe moment that we see them, we at once
recognize all the features of the Italian landscape.
The picture descriptive of the rise of the Roman
nation, informs us at the first glance, of the
moral wbicb the artist intends to convey. The
sky indicates tbe morning. On more close exa
mination we find by the general appearance ofthe
woods, and other objects, tbat it is the spring of
the year ; the allegory is still more distinctly told
by tbe introduction of husbandmen employed

ATHENS. 221
in preparing tbe soil ; and the rudeness of society
is ingeniously expressed by a number of little in-
wdents, that nevertheless harmonize with the ge
neral tone of the composition ; while the style of
the buildings, and tbe features of the landscape^
show that it is a probable view of Italy, in the
simple and manly ages of the Roman republic.
In delineating the decline of the ernpire the
painter bas been no less happy. The incidents
are chosen with equal skill, and combined with
equal judgment. The sun is setting. . It is the
close of the vintage. The temples are in ruins,
whicb emphatically tell the spectator how much the
reverence for the gods had declined. The peasants
are discovered in a state of intoxication, and the
painter has contrived to represent tbis without
any ludicrous circumstance. He wished to con
vey an idea of tbe corruption of manners, and he
has accomplished it without infringing the solera
nity ofhis composition. In the first picture, all
is vigorous, fresb, active, and productive; in the
second, all is exhausted, decaying, melancholy,
and wasteful. No poem, no oration, could have
described tbe subject more elegantly. The his
torian who related tbe fall of Rome, bas not em-

232 ATHENS.
ployed a pen morc correct than tbe pencil of
tbe artist. It is such productions that show the
superiority of genius. It is this exquisite arrange
ment and choice of things actually existing, which
obtains the praise of originality.
Architecture, Painting, and Sculpture, may be
described as the sensual classes of the fine arts, and
poetry and music as the intellectual. Tfae former
address theraselves at once to our senses. Their
aira is to exhibit tbe reserablances of things
which we. have seen, but the latter address them
selves to the raind, and call up trains of thought
by raeans which bave no likeness to those ideas
which they nevertheless renew. The influence
of painting and sculpture on the mind is like
that of oratory, whicb persuades by tbe statement
of truths : the power of poetry and music is felt
like that of magic, which calls up spirits, and pro
duces miraculous effects by tbe mixing of certain
ingredients curiously culled. As the orator can
not state a truth justly and perspicuously, without
obtaining an immediate concurrence in opinion
from his auditors, so the painter or sculptor can
not exhibit a picture or a statue properly execut
ed, without obtaining the admiration of all spec
tators. But the jurisdiction of Poetry and Music

ATHENS. 223
is not so universal, for they are dependant on
associations in the minds of tbose to whom tbey
address themselves. Truth is everywhere the
same, but habits are local. And the arts of paint
ing and sculpture are connected witb truths, while
those of music and painting are dependant on
habits. The poet cannot produce ahy effect un
less the reader's acquired intellectual associations
resernble those of tbe poet. Music will produce
no sentimental effect, unless in particular pas
sages it tends to remind tbe bearer of sounds in
nature, and by that remerabrance to recall the
images of the scenes where they were first heard,
or of incidents connected with tbe bearing of
them. The effects of a local influence similar to tbat
wbicb bas produced tbe different styles of archi
tecture, is perceivable in the poetry of all nations.
The more detached, unmixed, and steady the
society of any country preserves itself, the more
original and singular sbould be the characteristics
of its poetry; and bythe same rule, according
to tbe intimacy and extent of intercourse wbich
nations cultivate witb one another,-* the more
various will be tbe points of association in their
pS

524 ATHENS.
habits of thinking, and their poetry will the more
approximate in resemblance.
Tbe English nation, above every other, bas cul-
tiyated a general intercourse witb all parts ofthe
world, and accordingly we find poets in tbat coun
try whose works, though comparatively popular
tbere, are but little understood, even by tbe learned
in tbose districts wbere the inhabitants bave re
mained less extensively informed; while at tbe same
time there are productions in the English language
in which the most unmixed and primitive people
may discover transcripts of tbeir own thoughts.
In the middle of the eighteenth century, all Eu
rope was surprised bythe appearance in theEnglish
language of tbe poems of Ossian, works whicb,
whatever may be the debate as to tbeir historical
authenticity, are adraitted to be fine specimens of
a kind of poetry cultivated by tbe mountaineers of
Scotland, and which was felt to be natural, and
acknowledged to be original, even by those wbo
questioned their antiquity. In like manner the
conquests ofthe British in India have added to the
stores of the British poets ; and in England a kind
of poetry is fast growing into repute, whicb seems
to bear tbe same sort of resemblance to that of

ATHENS. 225
the oriental poets which the productions of the
Muse in tbe days of Leo X. bore to those of
antiquity. Mr. Southey has already brought
tbis style to a high degree of excellence ; and
specimens by Sir William Jones, along witb
the Transactions of the Asiatic Society, present
to the world a glirapse of what pleasures may
be added to our enjoyraent of knowledge, by
a nation vvhich combines in its enterprises the
glory of victory, and the advantages of com
merce ; which carries in the rear of its armies
tbe abundance of industry ; and which, by its
jurisprudence requiring the railitary to be sub
servient to tbe civil authorities, sends to the raost
distant regions, the most enlightened of mankind
in the capacity of advocates and judges.

It was necessary to conclude with something
complimentary and national, in case your patience
had been worn out. After a dull speech nothing
is so exhilarating as a clap-trap of this, sort, except
tbe orator's thanks and gratitude for the indul
gence with which he has been beard. Yours, &c.

226

LETTER XXVIL

Athens, March 26.
The drought still continues to parch, and
tbe price of corn to rise. The distresses ofthe poor
have become pressing and clamorous. The ru
mour from all parts, from Egypt, frora Asia, and
from Constantinople, is, the progress of the scar
city, and the only enquiries are respecting the
price of bread. The misery tbat threatens indi
viduals 'renders the public calamity of the war but
of secondary interest.
Last week, Hogia Murat, the governor, called
together the chief Turks, and the primates of the
city, and represented to them tbe necessity of
adopting some measures for alleviating the dis
tresses of the poor. He proposed a subscription
for that purpose, and began it himself, witb tbree
purses, or seventy-five pounds sterling, a vast sura
here. With the amount of this subscription.

ATHENS. 227
corn is to be imported, and sold at a reduced
price. Public prayers for rain are now ordered for
nine successive days, and this morning they com
menced. The first three are allotted to the Otto
mans, the next to the Arabians and slaves, and
the last three to the Cbristians. The ceremony
began this morning, two hours before sun-rise.
The three principal emirs, with a boy before
each of them, carrying the Koran on his head,
and followed by all the Turks of the city, with
their male children, walked in procession to the
place among the ruins of the Temple of Jupiter
Olympius, whicb I have already mentioned ; the
emirs repeating, from papers which they held in
their hands, the prayer for the occasion, and the
Turks responsing " Amen" at the close of each sen
tence. After their arrival at the place of wor
ship, the chief mufti delivered a sermon, sitting
on the steps of the pulpit. His manner was
simple, moderate, and slow, but impressive. The
discourse lasted upwards of an hour and a half,
and bis auditors behaved as most Christian con
gregations do on similar occasions. Some listened
with unaffected and sincere attention; others
a3

228 ATHENS.
were so intent on making religious faces that I
suspect they heard very little ; and there were se
veral young fellows who seemed to consider the
whole a very tiresorae affair. The bOys were all
for sorae tirae most exemplary in their deportment;
but gradually, one by one, they began to move
from place to place, and to throw pebbles and
straws at each other. The governor, who is
really a gobd man, and gets tipsey every night,
which, father Paul jocularly observes, is the cause
of his goodness, knowing the mufti to be rather
long-winded, did not make his appearance till
after the close of the discourse, but in tirae to as
sist at one of the most extraordinary ceremonies I
ever witnessed or heard of,
A flock of ewes and lambs was driven together
in the neighbourhood of the worshippers, and
soon after the close of the sermon, the lambs were
separated from their mothers, and all the Turks
standing up began a loud and general supplica
tion, in the most pathetic tones. , The divided
flock at the same time began to bleat. It is not
easy to convey to you by words the effect of this
simple and expressive accompaniraent, which infi
nitely, in my opinion, excelled tbe lead and leather

ATHENS. 229
popery of all the organs of Christendom. View
ing the dry bed of the Ilissus, and the blasted
appearance of the grass, and beholding the sun,
which at that moraent arose from behind Mount
Hymettus, red and arid, like a shield of polished
copper, it seemed to me as if all nature, feeling the
destructive thirst, seconded the supplication of
man, and syrapathized in his fears.
In several parts of the city, the storks, which
are held in great veneration by the Turks, build
their nests. This morning, the first that have
been seen this season, arrived with the swallows.
The main body, according to custom, will be
bere in tbe course of a few days. Their arrival
is not marked by any thing extraordinary; but
tbeir departure, I am told, is attended witb many
signs of preparation for the voyage. They are
seen in flocks for several days, deliberating, no
doubt, as to tbe tirae and inanner of taking their
flight. When the day arrives, those who took
the raost active part in the previous deliberations,
mount aloft, and flying round the city, collect
all who are ready. The whole body then adjourns
to a particular garden, and arranging the plan of
their voyage, mount together, and depart. Those

230 ATHENS.
that have not tbeir affairs settled in time, follow in
tbe course of a few days. The old and weak wbo
deem themselves unable to undergo tbe fatigue of
tbe flight, take up tbeir residence with tbe Go
vernor. This last circumstance looks a little fa
bulous, but the unquestionable fact is, that seve
ral of these birds do voluntarily remain in a do
mesticated state at the Government-house.
Besides the swallows and storks, the Athenians
have another set of annual visitors, wbo have also
begun to arrive. The Greeks call them Kirken-
esi. Their Italian name I have not been able to
learn, and I never saw any of them before. They
are less in size than the partridge, whicb thev re
semble, and their plumage is brighter. They
build under the tiles and eves of the houses, and
fly open-mouthed after insects. Not being good
to eat, they are rarely molested, and of course are
very tame. The visits of these insect-huntjng
birds in a climate where the flies are already be
coming troublesome, shews no small consideration
in Nature.
The period of the arrival of the storks is no
less sensibly fixed than that of the others, as the
young snakes are beginning also to be nuraerous

ATHENS. 231
for the pious storks have as great an antipathy to
young serpents as the holiest lady of your acquaint
ance has to the old one. The same happy judgraent
whicb enables thera to regulate their migrations
so well, and to keep undisturbed companionship
with man, is curiously manifested in their mode
of attacking the vipers. They strike them on the
bead with their bills, retreating backwards after
each blow. They then take hold of the reptile
by the neck, and bear it triumphantly away,
writhing and twisting round their heads, as
you see exeraphfied in the crest of Mercer of
Aldie. Admonished by these birds of passage that I
am myself but a sojourner here, I have made ar
rangements for my departure to-morrow. I shall
feel mucb regret at leaving this celebrated town,
in which I have spent forty days so pleasantly.
Lord Byron and his friend left it some time ago.
Their society occasionally served to vary the mo
notony of my solitude, in a way that I must al
ways tbink of with satisfaction. One may travel
long enougb, and come many times even to
Athens without meeting with any company
equal to theirs. Mr. Hobhouse intends to pub-

232 ATHENS.
lisb an account of his journey; and his
Lordship is writing a poem descriptive of tbe
scenes that have interested him in the course of
his travels. Yours, &c.

LETTER XXVIIL

Idra, March 30.
rl AVING bade adieu to my friends, I left
Athens on the evening of the same day on which
I last wrote, and embarked for this place at the
Piraeus, in a vessel hired by Loi-d Elgin's agent
to carry to Malta part of tbose sculptures over
wbich he has somehow acquired the clairas of a
proprietor. We bad a brisk passage, during the
night, of only four hours. When we approached

IDRA. 233
this island, tbe wind bowever was not favourable
for making the port, and we were obliged to come
to'ancbor in a small creek, about a mile and a half
from the town.
The sides of the creek are bare, and precipitous
to so great a height, that it is bardly possible to
conceive a scene more rugged and barren than
tbat whicb presented itself to my view on coming
on deck in the morning. The whole island, in
deed, is but one great rock, naturally as sterile as
a mass of recent lava. Not a tree grows on it ;
for the two or three shrubs among tbe bouses are
not entitled to that appellation. Npr does any
flock feed on it, or the ploughshare ever impress
its surface. But tbe inhabitants, without soil,
without a single well in the whole city, containing
upwards of twenty tbousand inhabitants, without
the natural possession of one article of conveni
ence, even of necessity, bave become opulent
by turning their attention to commerce, and in
these seas rival the fame and enterprise of the
antient Phcenicians.
Wholly occupied with their vessels and trade,
they have as yet made no roads in the island, so
that I was almost literally obliged to crawl on all

234 IDRA.
fours over rocks and stones to the city. The
town itself is exceedingly well built ; and more
than any place that I have ever seen, or could
have previously imagined, it resembles the form
of a theatre. The houses are piled in successive
tiers to a stupendous height ; but the crowded
port below, with the majestic stage of the sea,
circumscribed by the distant scenery of Greece,
displays a spectacle infinitely more sublime than
any theatre can ever exhibit.-
The principal building in the town is the resi
dence of a Captain Georgio, formerly of the Otto
man Navy, in which he acquired an honourable
reputation by faithful and intrepid service. In
the late war he signalized hiraself in the personal
defence of tbe then Captain Pashaw, who re
warded him witb the Governorship of Idra, bis
native island, and happening to visit him while
he was building a bouse, insisted on contributing
to render it an ornament to the town. Georgio
has lately resigned the office of governor, and four
magistrates have this year, for the first time, been
elected by tbe people.
Some time ago, a Turkish officer, a friend of
Captain Georgio, came to live here, and built a

IDRA. 235
handsome mansion for himself. But no other
Turk being in tbe island, and Georgio taking up
witb his old friends, and embarking in trade, the
poor Ottoman found himself alone, and grew very
melancholy. After many days spent in solitary
rumination, he one morning put money in his
purse, and taking bis pipe in bis hand, silently
stepped on-board a vessel, and sailed for Constan
tinople, from wbicb he bas never returned.
There are forty parish churches in the town of
Idra, and two of them have steeples built of
marble. Eighty houses constitute, I am told, a
parish ; and in those districts, or as I might say,
tbose shelves of the rock on which there are more
than eightj'^ bouses, but not enough to make two
parishes, a chapel is sometiraes erected. What
kind of relationship such chapels have to the
parish churches, I have not been able to get sa
tisfactorily explained, except that the service is
not regular in the chapels, being performed only
when the neighbours raise a contribution to pay
the priest. Idra forms part of the diocese of
Egina, in which Poros is also comprehended.
The bishopric is one of the richest in these parts,
the nett annual revenue being estimated at six

2S6 IDRA.
hundred pounds. The episcopal residence is in
Egina, but the Bishop visits Idra and Poros re
gularly every year. As I shall have another
opportunity of furnishing you witb the circura
stantial information whicb I bave gleaned here,
and also of discussing more at large the parti
cular political and commercial consequence of
the island, you will excuse me for so abruptly
terminating this letter ; — the master of a vessel
waits in which I mean to take my passage, and I
must speak to him. Yours, &c.

237

LETTER XXIX.

Idra, April 2.
Yesterday morning the appearance of
" the sky gave me some hope ^of getting off this
rock ; but the master of the vessel still pretends
that the wind is against us. The truth, however,
I think is, that he expects to obtain more passen
gers ; for I find that his vessel, instead of being,
as I was originally led to believe, a merchantman,
is a regular packet. The pleasure of hearing of
such travelling accommodation in the Turkish
dominions was greatly impaired by the consider
ation, that although I had paid four times the
sum of any two other passengers, I was likely tobe
very uncomfortably situated. But I had no other
alternative than either to hire a small sloop for
the remainder of the voyage, as I at first intended,
and thereby run the risk of being plundered and
murdered bythe pirates round Cape Colonna ;
or to wait the uncertain chance of a man of war.

238 IDRA.
which is looked forto convey the Athenian marbles
towards Malta, After much cogitation, I resolved
to abide by the arrangement which had been
made with the packet master ; but the prospect
before me, and the want of occupation, made me
all day little better than disconsolate : to mend
matters, the cursed Sirocco, it seems, had nothing
else to do than to blow chagrin and hypochon
dria into the very marrow of my bones. I
ascended to the top of the hills that overlook the
town ; I counted the windmills on the hills three
times, I grew fatigued, and returned to the house.
Without books, without amusement, all inquiries
finished, vexed, disappointed, it seemed as if every
object of ray existence had suddenly come to an
end. I therefore naturally took to bed on the oc
casion, and falling fast asleep, enjoyed for four or
five hours an interval and respite from existence.
When I awoke, the gentleman with whom I
stay was out ; but his clerk, vvhom I beg leave
to introduce to you by the name of Patience, for
tunately was in the house. 1 had not before
spoken to this curiosity ; for not hearing him
speak Italian, the mercantile language of these
parts, I imagined tbat he bad not yet acquired it.

IDRA. 239
He wears a long loose pelisse, and a cap the very
shape of a parish-bell turned upside down on his
head, which is as round as a cherry, and his
cheeks are as smooth. He is slow in all his
movements, quaint in his expressions, and fini-
cally dainty in every tbing he does. But
all these highly interesting traits I had not
before noticed ; and it was only by a certain
indescribable queerness of tone with which he
replied to a question I accidentally asked, that I
was led to do justice to the peculiar raerits of his
genius and character.
Patience is a native of Scio, which, according
to his account, is tbe most beautiful, civilized,
and elegant country in the world, and where
there are more fine things to be seen than even in
Constantinople, wbicb however he has not yet
seen. In short, the infinite Italian assai, being
incapable of expressing the superlative beauties
and perfections ofthe native land of Patience, he
is obliged to use an inarticulate interjection, the
effect of which is assisted by two very little eyes,
twinkling witb all the pleasures of boyish recol
lection. In the evening a stranger carae to sup with us.

240 ruRA.
He proved an arausing talkative Greek, who had
. once been as far as Naples. Among other things,
we happened to have at supper a plate of Candian
chesnuts, and by one of those caprices of fortune
which surprise men with unexpected posses
sions, Patience got the largest and plumpest
chesnut, not only of all the plate, but that I
ever' beheld, for the chesnuts of Candia are the
finest in the world. Delighted with his good
luck, Patience peeled the fruit in silence, appa
rently unobserved. He turned it round ; it was
perfect and sound in all its parts : he smelled it,
and it was quite fresb : he poised it in his hand,
and found that it was of great weight. The three
senses of seeing, smelling, and feeling, being
satisfied, the taste must next be indulged ; but
the mischievous harpy of a Greek, when the ches
nut was at the very threshold ofthe lips, snatched
it from Patience ; and affecting to look as if he
had done nothing extraordinary, at every comma
and semicolon of his garrulity, took a bite. Pa
tience stared aghast ; and, for a moraent, the
corners of his mouth declined .with a piteous
expression of infantine sadness mingled with
resignation. He again gazed at tlie apparently

IDRA. 241
unconscious Greek, and the corners of bis mouth
gradually turning upwards, the risible muscles
of bis cherry cheeks at length became excited ;
finally, a progressive laugh began, accuraula
ting sound and vigour until it became so loud
and vehement, tbat the mastication of the pre
destined chesnut was suspended, and tbe Greek
appeared little less astonished than tbe clerk
bimself did a little wbile before. Our bost,
a plain grave man, who, in conversing with
rae, bad not observed these elegant proceedings,
gazed narrowly into tbe face of Patience, with a
perceptible degree of alarra in bis countenance.
Take this as a sketch of society and raanners in
the Island of Idra.
The Idriots have no places of public recreation.
The greatest part of tbe male population is con
stantly abroad, and tbe females lead a retired and
sedentary life. It is tbe custom of the vessels
belonging to tbe island always to call as tbey •
pass ; and tbe crews, on these occasions, are
wholly engaged with their families, and tbe ad
justment of their accounts. There is, bowever,
a tolerably decent coffee-house; and in winter,
even at present, card and chess players may be

242 IDRA.
always found in it. I saw there to-day a game,
which, not having seen elsewhere, I will give
you a descrfption of. The Idriots call it Man-
doli, or the Almonds, and it is played at a board
by two persons. Twelve hollows are scooped in the
board, in two rows of six each : in eacb hollow six
balls are placed, and the opponents take each a
row. The game is commenced by the first player
taking out the balls frbm any one of the hollows,
and distributing thera, one by one, successively,
round the board. In tbe first round no balls
can be captured, but in tbe second the contest
becomes serious. The skill of tbe player consists
in so managing his distribution, tbat his last ball
shall either fall into a hollow wbere tbere is only
one, or three, or seven, or nine, &c. which, by
tbe addition of bis ball, are made even numbers,
and in consequence become prizes. If in the dis
tribution he makes even nurabers in the two last
• hollows, he takes tbe contents of both. Tbis is
considered a great stroke. Tbe victor is, of course,
he who reckons tbe greatest nuraber of prisoners.
The Levantine custom of counting beads is,
I tbink, more generally practised here tban in
any other place where I have yet been, and the

IDRA. 243
strings are more various and beautiful, a mi
nute effect of commerce. I have hitherto omit
ted to give you an account of this pastime.
The string of beads is, to its bearer, what a
switch or a stick is to an Englishman or a
Frenchman. He carries it in bis hand ; and in
conversation or in cogitation, turps the beads
from the one part of the string to tbe otber, and
back again. Tbe string of beads, or coronal, as
it is called, is in ray opinion a very benevolent
plaything; and it is indeed much to be wished,
for the sake of cats and lap-dogs, that some of
our politicians, who have so Cbristian a sense of
the sin of cruelty to animals, would take up the
subject, and endeavour to procure the consent of
the Legislature to oblige mischievous boys and old
humourists to exchange their sticks and switches
for strings of beads. A pat on the paws, with such
a pretty toy, is much more suitable to the delicate
nerves of Felina or Shock, than a knock with a
stiff stick or a nimble cane ; witb either of which
to be cruelly poked in the storaach, while com
fortably sleeping on the hearth-rug or the sofa, is
a most horrid thing !
The dress of the Idriots is perhaps tbe most
r2

244 ir)RA.
unbecoming disguise that has yet been contrived
for the human figure. Their breeches are very
large ; being, in fact, what our sailors call petti
coat trowsers. Their waistcoats are commonly
scarlet, or green, or blue, embroidered with silk
and tinsel ; and their jackets are short, like those
worn by the Englisb seamen, but bave nei
ther collar nor pockets. The seams of the jackets
are also erabroidered. I observe, tbat when they
want their beads, or tbe weather happens to be
cold, they take bold of tbe corners of their
jackets between their fingers and thumbs turned
backward, and tucking them up, so cover their
hands. Like all the Greeks, they wear musta
chios, and shave a great part of their foreheads,
allowing the bair of their crowns to grow down
into their necks, and tbey wear the little red Bar
bary cap, which is not larger than a tea-saucer.
Tbe shaving of the bair round the neighbour
hood of the face, by showing a large space, not
subject to be affected by tbe passions and ope
rations of the mind, gives an air of simplicity to
the physiognoray. A Lavaterian would here be
often surprized by the discovery of a little busy
village of features, situated in tbe midst of a great
desert of unmeaning flesh.

IDRA. 245
As you are a dabbler in mineralogy, I ought
to mention, that I met bere with the Cimolian
earth ; of which some travellers, because they did
not happen to meet with it, have doubted the
existence. It is bowever cohimon enough, and is
brought from Milo, in boat-loads, for sale. I am
no judge of such things, but I tbink it only a bet
ter sort of fullers' earth. The coramon people use
it as a substitute for soap, and it does very well.
It costs little more tban a penny a pound.
Yours, &c,

LETTER XXX.

Zea, April 5.
We left Idra the same evening on whicb I
wrote last ; but the wind was so light tbat we
made very little way. Besides a nuraber of Alba
nian emigrants, going from tbe Morea to Natolia,
we have on board five young Tdrks, who are on
their way to Egypt. They belong to Corinth;

246 ZEA.
and one of them has fold Jacomo a great secret,
whicb be has deposited with me under many
injunctions not to mention it; therefore, like all
other secret-keepers, I also beg you, in turn, to
be discreet. It seems that four of the party were
one day, lately, in a village near Corinth, vyhere
they got tipsy. On their way home they /fell
in with a Greek, and being very jovial, they.killed
it, and threw the body into a hole. Next morn
ing, when they'had become sober, they consulted
together ; and being valiant hearts, they resolved
unanimously to serve tbeir country in tbe present
just and necessary war in which it is engaged.
Accordingly they went to the Governor, and
solicited his permission ; "which he, greatly com
mending their patriotism, forthwith granted.
On tbeir safe embarkation at Idra they shewed
great joy, firing a salute of eleven pistols, and
five more when they found a Frank on board
who could speak their language ; for, Jacomo
being in the Frank dress, they supposed of
course tbat he was bne himself. Latterly they
bave become soniewhat thoughtful ; and, were
they of Christian blood, I sbould conclude tbat
tbey felt a slight pricking of the conscience ; but.

ZEA. 247
as they are Turks, tbis cannot be ; for I do not
remember of ever baving seen or read a play in
the English language, in which a professor of the
Mahomedan religion was represented as touched
with remorse. Shakespeare has forgot to let us
know what vvas the faith of OtheUo ; and all the
other theatrical authors, in treating of Turks and
Moors, bave taken good care, that although we
may not be able to find out tbat their characters
are men, we shall always know tbem to be Maho
medans. In speaking of murderers, I ought to have
mentioned, long ago, tbat Jacomo himself has,
in his day, killed his man, and under circum
stances which, even by his own account of the
affair, would have hanged bim in any part of the
British dominions. But in this region of the world
crimes are not such great sins as they are among
you law-protected Islanders. Virtue must cease
to be good, when it ceases to be admired ; for
offences are only hateful so long as they are rare.
To do the unhappy Turks justice, since they
have been on board they have conducted them
selves in a very civil manner. As far as defe
rence and respect are concerned, I ought to be

248 ZEA.
very well pleased, although one of them yester
day, when I bappened to be
" Crooning o'er an auld Scotch sonnet,"
desired me to be quiet witb my groaning. Soon
after, he offered to serve me as a Janissary during
my travels. The Turkish character has unques
tionably mucb simplicity in it. Tbere is some
thing curiously animal about ray fellow-passen
gers — a sort of raastiff docility, whicb at once
tempts me to teaze tbem, and inspires caution in
the manner.
The breeze, after we left Idra, as I have already
mentioned, was very light. For tbe greatest part
of the following .day, we were alongside of St.
George, an uncultivated rocky island, that lies
about fifteen miles South of Sunium, and is inha
bited by two br tbree pastoral Albanian families,
wbo possess a few flocks of sheep and goats.
Towards the evening, the wind became rather
brisker, but less favourable, and obliged us to
steer close upon Provenzale and under tbe Cape ;
where, had we been in a boat, instead of a large
vessel, we should, in all probability, have been
pounced upon by some of the pirates, wbo conceal

ZEA. 249
tbemselves in the creeks along the shore. These
uncommissioned heroes have lately become so
formidable, having been reinforced by a number
of banditti from a French privateer, that they
have attracted tbe attention of Government, and
an Ottoman frigate is expected to be sent to
cruize in this quarter, if she is not already
arrived. The sea, round the Cape, was vivid and rip
pling ; and the promontory, crowned witb white
ruins and desolate columns, was brightly illu
minated by the setting sun. Seen from a short
distance, and as part of the objects in the land
scape, ruins produce their appropriate effect on
the mind. Tbe shrine of antiquity should not
be approached too near. The devout pilgrim
must worship reverentially aloof, if he wishes to
retain his enthusiasm : a rash approach will
incur the insensibility of a dealer in dates and
dimensions. Soon after sunset the wind entirely subsided,
and we were becalraed close under the long island
of Macronisi. This island, in whicb the ruins
of an antient city are visible, is inhabited by two
or three Greeks from Zea, who cultivate a little

250 ZEA.
grain, and tend a few sheep. It possesses a fine
spring of water, I was not on sbore, but such is
the account I have received of it. About sixty
years ago, it is said to have been infested by a
prodigious serpent, which killed the sheep and
tbe shepherds. A Greek sailor undertook to
destroy the monster, and, having succeeded, the
Captain Pashaw of that time rewarded the mo
dern Hercules with a vessel.
In the course of the night we were disturbed
by a voice hailing either from the island or a
boat, whicb reminded me of the proclamation of'
tbe deatb of Pan, as it is said to have taken
place on the evening of the Crucifixion. Con
ceiving that it might be a signal from sorae
ofthe pirates, we prepared ourselves for an at
tack, but it was not repeated. At midnigbt a
Sirocco wind began to rise ; and becoming bois-
terolis, the master judged it Jjest to come into
the harbour of this island (Zea), one of the
finest ports in the Archipelago, and capable of shel
tering a vast nuraber of vessels from every wind.
Tbe island itself is beautiful, and differs greatly
from Idra. It appears to have been originally as
barren ; but, in the course of the many ages tbat

ZEA. 25 1
it bas been inhabited, the precipitous sides of the
bills have been formed into innumerable artificial
terraces. The town stands very high ; and I
counted, on the lower side of the road wbicb
leads to it, at one place, forty-nine terraces under
me, and in several places on the opposite hills
upwards of sixty. The number of these rude but
necessary works, more effectually impresses on
the mind of a stranger a just notion of the long
period that tbe island has been inhabited by a
civilized community, than monuments of greater
invention and art.
The form of the town resembles that of the
city of Idra ; but it is inland, and stands much
higher. From tbe sea it appears an inconsider
able village ; and even until arriving at the upper
part, I thought it in a state of Sicilian dirtiness
and misery. However, in getting out of tbe
narrow and nasty lanes by which I ascended to
tbe Consul's bouse, I was agreeably surprized at
its magnitude, and tbe respectable appearance of
many of tbe buildings. It is said to contain not
less than a tbousand houses. The population of
the island is estimated at upwards of five thou
sand souls, all Christians, for the religious go-

252 ZEA.
vernraent and instruction of whom tbere are
thirty-four churches, five monasteries, and the
half of a public schoolmaster. Thermia has the
other half of Lingo, who spends alternately a
year in each island. At present he is in Therraia.
There are, however, one or' two private schools,
where the children are instructed in tbe mere
rudiments of reading.
The great production of the island is Valonia, of
which it forraerly exported a considerable quantity
to Italy, but the war has stopped that trade. It
also exports, in common years, two or three
cargoes of grain, and three or four thousand banels
of wine, of an excellent flavour on tbe island, but
which it sometiraes loses at sea, wbere it is apt to
become not only sour, but putrid : tbis, however,
migbt be prevented by brandy. At present, all
the trade bere is literally at a stand. The inha
bitants, however, have not the reputation of being
very active or enterprizing.
Thecattle thati have seen are uncommonly small,
but well forraed. An ox is worth about one pound
fifteen sbillings, and a good sheep five sbillings. As
in the islands generally, a little silk is raised here,
and the British agent has two or three orange and

ZEA. 253
lemon gardens. At present, as in Greece, the
excessive drought bas done much injury to the
rising corn, and to-morrow there is to be a pro
cession of all the inhabitants to pray for rain.
Zea is better fitted for being a commercial seat,
tban to furnish much itself to coraraerce. Its
situation is singularly bappy ; and, by its excel
lent port, one migbt alraost conclude that it
could not fail to becorae a place of great trade.
It comraands equally tbe Gulph of Egina and the
straight that runs up between the large island of
the Negropont and Greece. But, as Idra demon
strates, habits of industry are of infinitely raore
consequence to prosperity, than situation or fer
tility of soil. Yours, &c.

254

LETTER XXXI.

Scio, April JO.
In the course of tbe nigbt, after I bad
written' you from Zea, the wind became fair, and
we again weighed. anchor. When I awoke in the
raorning, we were passing between Andros and Ne
gropont. About noon we saw tbe fatal Old Men,
two large rocks which stand in the middle of the
channel, and on which many vessels are annually
wrecked. At the closing-in of tbe day-light we
were off the little island of Venus, with Scio on
the left ; the stupendous mountains of Asia in
front, and the hills of" Samos and Necaria, blue
and distant, on the right. The breeze, wbicb
had hitherto continued favourable, now checked
round into the North, and so opposed our pas
sage to the city, wbich is situated on the East
side of tbe island, that it was tbe middle of the
following day before we reached the port. The

scio. 255
delay and opposition of the wind I did not bow
ever regret ; for the different tacks that we were
obliged to make afforded agreeable views of the
coast of Chezmaih, and tbe rural scenery of
Scio. The City of Scio, from the innumerable villas,
gardens, and windmills, with which it is sur
rounded, and the trees, interspersed among tbe
houses of the town, has the appearance of a vast
village. The vessels in the harbour, the insu
lated iight-bouses and fortresses, and the moun
tains bebind, abrupt and lofty, render tbe view
one of tbe most beautiful landscapes in the Me
diterranean. I have seldom been so delighted
with tbe external aspect of a town ; and the gra
tification that I have received in the course of
these two days, has tended to confirm the first
impression. This island formerly belonged to the Ge
noese, by whom the present fortresses were
constructed, and its beautiful silk manufactures
established. Tbe houses are built in the Italian
style, with lofty pyramidal roofs. The Turks
baving intermarried witb the natives, the society
is said to be more free in this island than in any

256 scio.
other part of the Ottoman Empire. Except in
the particular of dress, and the streets where the
shops are situated, every thing about Scio has
tbe appearance of a town in Christendom. The
women sit at the windows, go about with their
children, and look at strangers, witb tbe unaf
fected air of persons in the full enjoyment of
liberty. Tbe Turk is bere different, indeed,
from what he is at Tripolizza and Athens. There
be is seen in his legitimate military character,
but in Scio he is comparatively a citizen bf the
world. In his look and gestures, and in his mode
of treating strangers, even of regarding tbe Greeks,
he is affable and courteous. With all due reve
rence be it spoken, I do begin to think that be
shews sorae qualities very like the special pecu
liarities of Jobn Bull.
The shops are well filled, many of tbem with
those gorgeous stuffs, of woven gold and silver,
which are but rarely seen even in London. The
town of Scio is one of the principal manufacturing
seats in theEmpire ; and silks, which rival in beauty
and elegance tbe richest of France and Italy, are
produced in the Sciot looms. In one ware-room
I was shewn brocades as neatly executed, as more

SCIO. 257
costly articles of the same kind whicb come from
Lyons. The Lyonese was rated at about three
guineas and a half per yard, and the Sciot at no
more than three. Tbese valuable manufactures
are sent to Constantinople and Grand Cairo ; into
the interior of Asia; and througb Africa, as far
as the Court of Morocco. The silk manufac
tories consume annually about seventy thousand
pounds weight of tbe raw material, of whicb
above twenty tbousand pounds are imported.
Besides silks, a considerable quantity of neat
cotton goods are exported, chiefly of a strong
texture, intended for the dresses of raen. All
tbat I saw of them were striped with dyed yarns,
and the colours were delicate and beautiful ;
several of them not inferior to any tbat we are
able to produce.
The inhabitants of the city are estimated at
twenty thousand souls. The population of the
wliole island is very great, not less, it is said,
than a hundred and thirty-five tbousand persons,
But as tbey are chiefly Christians, and the igno
rant and greedy vermin of the Greek Church,
though they exact most punctqal payment of the
fees, for almost every casualty that befalls huraan

258 SCIO.
life, keep no registers of births or burials, —
the estimate of the population, even although
there is the check of a capitation-tax, is probably
not very correct.
I am told, that in the town of Scio there are
no less than ninety places of worship belonging
to tbe Greek and Roman persuasions. Tbe cathe
dral, dedicated to St. Ingriari, is a respectable
building ; and the paintings with which it has
been recently ornamented, afford a favourable
specimen of the state of taste among the eccle
siastics. Some of the pictures are really, as far
as respects drawing, not ill done ; one, in parti
cular, appears to have been executed in imitation
of the Italian style, and the colouring has Some
merit. But it must be recollected, that the pro
sperity of Scio has been scarcely affected by the
Turks. The traces of its former possessors, the
Genoese, are every vvhere visible ; and I sbould
not be surprized,' if, in some of the houses, paint
ings of the old Italian masters were discovered.
I say this witb the more confidence, baving seen,
in an old Genoese mansion, several antient and
well-executed pictures.
The women of Scio have been always faraous

scio. 259
for their personal charms, and the freedom of
tbeir manners. Their preposterous stuffed sleeves
and short gowns, however, hideously disfigure
tbeir forms, but their sprightliness is certainly
witbout disguise. Tbe ladies make no scruple of
asking silly questions, with the inten^tion of quiz
zing. This species of familiarity is very apt to
make strangers still more familiar. Many of
their questions are Italian expressions, which
tbey have only accidentally learnt ; and in
general their knowledge of Italian is limited to
these banter phrases. Contrasted with the women
of the Morea, the Sciot are undoubtedly wonder
fully free. But I cannot conceive how any of
our countrymen, far less Frenchmen, should be
surprized at their manners : to me they seemed
very like those of our own females. Nor do I
think it at all derogatory to them, tbat they open
their windows to look out at a strangely-dressed
foreigner; and, though withoutany rn ale protector,
venture to ask him, gaily. Where he came from )
How he likes the island ? or such sort of ques
tions. It would not, certainly, be considered
disgracefiil to any lady of your acquaintance to
ask a Turk, an Arabian, or a Greek, similar
s 2

26o SCIO.
questions. The Sciot women are undoubtedly
more lively, and ofa brighter complexion than any
I have met witb since I left England. But I do
not think tbat, either in freedom of manners, or in
beauty, they can be corapared, as the newspapers
say, to the British Fair; and the British Fair,
particularly in the opinion of the French, are not
superlatively free. As for the maid-servants who
come to the fountains here. Heaven knows, that
in all countries, since Jacob kissed Rachel at the
well of Haram, they consider themselves enti
tled to no small latitude of speech ; and doubtless,
" the talk ofthe conduit" in Sciot consists ofthe
same sort of topics as it did in London in the
days of Massinger.
Seriously, however, the good women of Scio
have long suffered under an unfounded calumny,
from those travellers who represent them as so out
rageously libidinous, at tbe sight of strangers, as
to offer themselves, with no more decency than
the girls in London. If I may judge from what
has happened to m3'self, the free conduct of the
women in this island does great honour to tbeir
domestic virtues. Almost the whole of the lower
class are silk-weavers and embroiderers ; and

SCIO. 261
that earnestness witb wbich they invite, and even
pull strangers into their bouses, arises from their
anxiety to obtain purchasers. I went into several
of tbeir houses, at first with no very respectful idea
of their manners; but I was very soon set right, and
convinced tbat the smihng vivacity witb which I
had been invited was the pure offspring of mer
cantile assiduity.
Tbe handsomest women will, no doubt, pro
bably attract the greatest number of dealers ;
but tbe freedom of the women, in general, is
unquestionably not owing to any peculiar degree
of licentiousness.
In passing along the streets, I observed a Tur
kish barber's shop, and being somewhat in want
of assistance in his way, the idea struck me to go
in ; so I entered, and desired Jacomo to inform
the Turk what I wanted. He was employed in
trimming and anointing an Aaron-bearded Mus
sulman. Their discourse was about the ravages
which the earthquake has made at Candia, where
it is said to have destroyed a third part of the
houses, and killed many thousand persons ; —
the same earthquake that nearly frightened me
out of my wits at Tripolizza, and which I have

262 SCIO.
found wa.s felt in every place that I have since vi
sited. The old Turk, casting his eyes towards me,
observed, as Jacomo afterwards told me, that the
destruction would give great joy to the Christians.
The shaver of the faithful was a middle-aged
man, witb a due portion of professional suavity
of manners. He wore clean yellow leather boots,
a scarlet pelisse triramed witb brown fur, and
a huge muslin turban. In performing the mys
teries of his art, he tucked the pelisse up be
hind; and the floor of bis sbop being wet and
sloppy, he was mounted on a pair of stately
wooden pattens, to keep his buskins clean. His
operations I can conscientiously say were neatly
performed, and he appeared to have a great run.
At his door was a stage, on whicb his customers
held their fumigations, and meditated on the
news of tbe day.
Many of the villas in tbe neighbourhood of tbe
town, are large buildings witb pleasure-grounds,
and gardens attached to them. As I was de
sirous of seeing some of tbese, tbe person I had
procured for a guide took rae to a part of the en
virons where the best are situated. In going
along the road I passed the gate of a large man-

scio. 263
sion, at which several Turks were standing. One
of them enquired if I wished to see the gardens ;
and being answered in the affirmative, went to
prociire bis master's permission, witb which he
soon afterwards returned. On entering the court
yard, I observed a number of Turkish officers
smoaking in a kind of teraple in the middle of a
pond. Others were diverting themselves witb a
water-wheel, wbicb raised from a well tbe water
that supplied the pond; and a little smart-look
ing man, whora I presently perceived to be the
master of the house, was giving directions to
some workmen, and assisting himself in the deco
ration of a carriage, which, had it been on wheels,
I should have called a barouche, but being with
out, I must denominate a letica. Having made
my bow in passing, I walked into the garden — -
a trim and beautiful retreat. Observing that the
guide bad not entered with me, I enquired the
reason, and was informed that the little man was
no' other than the Governor ofthe island. Pleased
as I was to bave seen so stately a being as a
pashaw in tbe moments of relaxation, I was a
little disturbed by the news; for it is not only
proper to act highly towards the Turks, but to

264 SCIO.
treat them ceremoniously. I iramediately sent
Jacorao to say tbat I was an English traveller,
wbo, in going to Smyrna, bad only touched by
accident at the island, otherwise that I sbould
have paid my respects to bim more particularly.
The Turk, with the graciousness of an Oriental
courtier, sent two of his officers in return to say,
that he observed I was a stranger and did not know
him, but that, although I had not paid bim a visit,
nor asked permission, I was at liberty to visit
ipvery part of the island, and to consider myself
as the master of his house and gardens. This, I
think you must allow, was a degree of civility that
might hardly have been expected, under the cir
cumstances, from any man dressed in a little brief
authority, and far less from so untractable an ani
mal as a Pashaw.
The island of Scio has been famous frora time
immemorial for the excellence of its wines. Julius
Csesar was very fond of thera, for, among bis
other great qualities, be was a very good judge of
wine, which is no doubt the reason why he is so
much lauded by certain college and church dig
nitaries, and proposed by thera as a model and
example to their pupils ; at least 1 do not recollect

SCIO. 265
any of his other predilections which they could
decently think of recommending. The Sciot
wine is Very delicate and high-flavoured ; and
it is the more valuable out of tbe island as the
produce is scanty ; but chiefly, because it is apt
to become putrid in tbe transportation. The grain
crop is trifling, not more than equal to six weeks'
sustenance of tbe inhabitants. On this account it
is exempted from taxation. The great source of
tbe revenue of the Ottoman state is the tenth of
tbe produce of the land. Tbe oppressive Turks
are content with the same proportion of the re
sult of the primary labour of mankind, for tbe
support of their fleets and armies, sultanas and
princes, tbat the meek and lowly priesthood of
England require for tbeir backs and bellies.
The fruits ofthis island are the finest in all the
Levant, and are principally consumed in Con
stantinople. Tbe figs are of an incredible size,
and tbe leraons and oranges annually exported
are alone estimated at tbe value of twenty-five
thousand pounds of our raoney. But the most
celebrated production of Scio is the mastick gum,
an article beld in so much esteem by the Turks
that the Greeks who cultivate the shrub from

266 SCIO. ,
whicb it is obtained, enjoy several peculiar privir
leges. They are not subject to pay eitfaer tithe or
tribute, and are permitted to wear white turbans.
They are also tolerated in the use of bells on their
churcbes ; and the only public burden to which tbey
are subjected is that of attending to the watch
towers on the coast, near to their villages. In re
turn for these immunities they bring annually to
the governor a quantity of tbe choicest mastick, of
the value of about fifteen hundred pounds; and
the day, on which they do tbis, is one of the
grandest festivals known on the island. They
corae in white dresses preceded by musicians and
dancers, resembling in tbe style and practice of
their marcb the antient processions in honour of
Ceres and Bacchus. The mastick gardens are
the most reraarkable things in the island. Under
tbe shrubs, the ground which receives tbe gum as
it drops frora incisions in the bark, is made as
smooth and neat as a pavement.
The only fortifications of the island are the
castles of the city, and the towers along the coast.
The citadel in point of grimness and strength is a
match for tbat invalid, the Tower of London. The
garrison consists of about four hundred dpmesti-

SCIO. 267
cated Janisaries. It is indisputable that for the last
fifty years the Greek islands have only acquiesced
in the claims of the Turks, and that tbey mUst fall
an easy prey to the first invader. The Ottoraan
governraent has been in good luck to have had so
long such quiet neighbours as the Neapolitan and
Italian states. Were an active government to be
renewed among the ruins of Rome, what a superb
empire migbt be easily acquried in these parts.
As I shall visit Scio again, I beg you to be con
tent for the present with this account. As much
of my information has necessarily been derived
from the reports of others, I ought to warn you
tbat the Greeks are too conceited to confess them
selves ignorant of any thing: they will rather
give you cause to suspect their veracity than their
knowledge. However the gentleman from whom
,1 have had my priricipal details is a man of a very
respectable character, and has more than once been
agent for Hassan, the famous Captain Pashaw, in
collecting tbe revenues of the islands. His au
thority may therefore be regarded as deserving pf
as much credit, as that ofany traveller who would
speak from his own own observations.
Yours, &c.

268

LETTER XXXIL

Smyrna, April 20.
1 HIS city is so well known, that it is need
less to trouble you witb any circumstantial ac
count of it. The situation is justly admired. The
adjacent mountains and country, if not so well
cultivated as they ought to be, are still far supe
rior to tbe condition in which I expected to find
tbem. The streets are narrow and consequently
dirty, except where they are covered, as in the
Bazars. The sbops are well filled, and through
out the whole town there is an appearance of pros
perous industry.
Here, as in Greece, tbe general sentiments of
tbe Greeks are governed by the hope of their de
liverance ; but tbeir character on the whole, as it
bas been represented to me, is better than that of
the Athenians. They are more opulent, and
tbeir egregious pride and vanity are less at va
riance with their eircumstances. Within the

SMYRNA. 269
last six months, they have founded a college
for the teaching of the antient Greek, and the
mathematical sciences. The professors were
educated in Vienna, and I am told are well qua
lified to promote the interests of the institu
tion. One of them, to whom I have been intro
duced, is a sensible, sedate man. The funds
for tbe maintenance of tbe college are derived
frora a tax levied on all the Greeks indiscrimi
nately, through the medium of the church. The
professors are paid about a hundred pounds ster
ling per annum eacb, and have apartments within
the building of the institution, which is large and
convenient for its purposes.
The students are limited to a hundred, and the
number is complete. The mode of teaching the
mathematical class, bas, I think, something curi
ously antique. A large table is placed diagonally
in the middle of the school-room, on wbich tbe
students successively work tbeir problems with
chalk. Except the subscription-rooms of the Casino,
there is no other place of public amusement at
Smyrna. In the year 1797, a party of German rope-

270 SJNIYRNA.
dancers exhibited their performances, under the
protection of the Imperial Consul, but tbe conse
quences that ensued, are likely for a long time to
deter the Governraent from again consenting to
allow any similar entertainment. A number of
sailprs belonging to the Septinsular Republic at
tempted to force themselves into tbe tbeatre, and
were resisted by the Janisaries who guarded the
entrance. A scuffle topk place, and one, of the
Janisaries was killed. Tbe governor of the city
demanded the murderer, who had taken refuge
with the Russian Consul. The consul equivocated
with the governor. The Turkish populace be
came riotous, and insisted on tbe governor being
peremptory. Still the consul refused to deliver
up the offender. The Turks, no longer able to
endure the evident trick that was playing against
justice, set fire to the street where tbe Franks re
sided, and almost every bouse and store, together
with a vast quantity of prpperty, vvas consumed.
A massacre of Gre'eks followed, and it was some
time before the fire could be got under, or the
rioters reduced to order. On this occasion the
Turks had just cause for their indignation ; and
in tbe punishments that were afterwards inflicted.

SMYRNA. 271
it is certainly to be regretted that the Russian
consul was not made the first and most con
spicuous example.
In passing along the streets of tbe Turkish part
of the town, I have seen in several places broken
marbje pillars and-capitals ; but I have not met
witb any edifice tbat has the appearance of anti
quity. The Khans, or places where the travel
ling merchants reside, are the handsomest build
ings in Smyrna, and some of them, frora their ex
tent, might almost be called magnificent.
¦^ The raost remarkable thing that I have seen
here, is a living human malformation, a female,.
from the island of Scio. She is about sixteen
years old, but her face is as withered as that of a
woman of sixty. Her hands and feet are regu
larly formed, but tbe bones of her arms and legs
are flat and bent, like the blade of a sabre. In
jjlace of two elbows and two knees, she has six of
each, and her elbows are so placed tbat she can
twist her arras like cords. In her lirabs she has
very little power, and her whole form is contained
witbin a box not more than eighteen inches
long by twelve wide. This helpless being soli
cits charity in the streets ; ber voice is delight-

272 SMYRNA.
fully clear ; her language is greatly admired ;
and I am told that ber mind is singularly in
telligent. Such prodigies I am assured are often seen in
these countries. In tbe year 1788, a biform
monster died in Alexandria of the plague. By
the account that I have received from a person'
who savv it, it seems to have reserabled the cele
brated Scotish prodigy, mentioned by Buchanan,
but one of the bodies was much less than the
other. It went about the streets, and the one
sung wbile the other implored cbarity. It was
only infected in one body, and tbe other died,
not of the disease, but by the corruption of its
companion. Many opinions have been sported by the in
genious as to tbe causes of malformations, par
ticularly of that kind which are supposed to
arise from impressions made on tbe mind of the
mother during her pregnancy ; and it has been
argued against tbe probability of tbeir being oc
casioned by such impressions, that there is no
nervous connexion between the raother and the
foetus, by which the eraotions of her mind can
be communicated. It appears to me, however.

SMYRNA. 273
that this argument is vvorth nothing, because it
ought rather to be shewn, that the impressions on
the mother do not so affect herself, as to occasion
any interruption in the secretion of the materials
of which the foetus is formed. It certainly, seems
a more probable supposition, that it is owing to a
defect of the material necessary to the develope
ment of the foetus that malformations are pro
duced, than by any intellectual influence exerted
by the mother. Yours, &c.

LETTER XXXIII.

Scalanova, April 23.
I LEFT Smyrna on the morning after I wrote
to you last, taking with me a Jani sary, a guide,
and Jacomo. On ascending tbe heights, after

274 SCALANOVA.
quitting the town, I saw along the side of the
road seyeral broken relics of antient edifices, and
I met a large caravan of camels from the in
terior of Asia. These ships of the desert, va
riously loaded, were moving slowly to their
port. The camel is without doubt tbe ugliest of
aniraals, but it has a composed docile aspect that
reconciles us to its defornjity. A caravan, ow
ing to the oriental dresses of tbe passengers, and
the innumerable grotesque circurastances which
it presents, is an amusing spectacle. On the
back of one camel tbree or four cbildren were
squabbling in a basket ; on another, cooking uten
sils were clattering ; from the back of a third, a
young camel looked forth enquiringly on the
world. The camels were followed by a long de
sultory train of foot passengers and cattle.
After reaching the summit of the hills imme-
diately behind Smyrna, the road lies througb
fields here and there well cultivated, and inter
spersed with country houses. When we had rode
slowly on for three or four hours, we passed
through tbe ruins of a Turkish town, of wbich
four or five moschs, one of them a handsome build
ing, are entire; some twenty houses or so are alsb

SCALANOVA. 275
still tenantable, and a few of tbem are inhabited.
In passing tbis place I was agreeably surprised by
a cuckoo : the voice of tbis bird has at all times
afforded me indescribable delight ; but on this oc
casion, its two simple notes seemed to have ac
quired tbe power of a felicitous epithet in poetry,
and excited in my recollection a long and pleas
ing succession of rural associations. I forgot.in
the reverie of tbe moment that Fancy was only
walking in the gallery of Memory, and that the
original subjects of those pictures which she
contemplated were at a long and a dangerous
distance. Proceeding still slowly, we arrived at a coffee
house, on the banks of a small stream, where
we alighted, and took some refreshment under the
shadow of three or four trees, on which three or
four couple of storks were conjugally building their
nests. I became interested in tbeir work, and
observed that when any of their acquaintance
happened to fly past, they chattered a sort of
how-do-ye-do to one another. This civility was so
uniforraly and reciprocally perforraed, that you
may rest assured of tbe politeness pf the storjcs
being as indisputable as their piety.
I T 2

276 SCALANOVA.
Having stopped some time, we again mounted,
and continuing our journey at the same dull
rate, we frequently passed droves of caraels,
the stragglers of the caravan. The road for a
mile or two lies along the side of a marshy lake,
and the environs are equally dreary and barren.
Passing the lake, we entered on an extensive plain,
where I noticed several broken colurans of
marble, and tbe evident traces of an antient high
way, which apparently led towards tbe lake ; per
baps, like the. roads through the Pontine marshes,
it crosses the lake, for the weeds and rushes
shew that tbe . water is very shallow. Near
these relics there is a small coffee-house, a bury
ing-ground, and a mosch. Leaving thera on the
left, we turned towards the south, and passed
about a dozen Turks with a corpse, whicb they
bad laid on the grass while they dug a grave to re
ceive it. This incident effectually dispersed all
tbe rural reflexions, which the cuckoo had awa
kened, and substituted for the calm and delightful
pictures, in the style of Claude, that my imagina
tion had contemplated witb so much complacency,
a number of grim and gloomy sketches, after the
manner of Salvatol- Rosa. The wind indeed had

SCALANOVA. 277
a hand in tbe change, for all the afternoon a vio
lent Scirocco had annoyed both man and beast,
and the sky, wbicb in the morning was blue and
crystalline, had assumed the appearance of tar
nished brass ; nor could scenery more wild and
desolate than the landscape, which served as a
back-ground to the gloomy business of the Turks,
be easily imagined. The road, indeed, after as
cending the hills on the south side of the plain,
was calculated to inspire only apprehension and
melancholy. Not a habitation was to be seen,
but we passed several cemeteries with their dull
cypresses and tomb-stones, which served to shew
that tbe country bad once been inhabited. Justly
to appreciate the impression which all these things
made on me, you would require, besides being
under the hypochondriacal influence ofthe Sciroc
co, to be provoked almost to the very act of suicide
or murder, by a stupid sullen Janisary, who, being
himself tbe owner of the horses you have hired,
will not ride even at the rate of a brewer's dray.
Just as the stars began to twinkle, we ar
rived at another coffee-house on the road side,
with a mosch before it, a spreading beech-tree
for the Turks to recline under in the spring, and

278 SCALANOVA.
a shed for them in tbe more intense sunshine of
summer. Here, I was informed by the Janis
sary, we were to rest for tbe night ; and I was
fortunate in getting a room, and a tolerable place
for my mattress. At present tbe Turks are
making great, prfeparations to strengthen tbeir
army, and recruits are almost daily passing from tbe
• southern provinces towards Constantinople. The
chance therefore is, that a traveller in Natolia is
likely to be rather well or ill accommodated :
well, if he happen to find the apartment allotted
for officers empty ; ill, if he fall in with a gang
of recruits. In this case I had the good luck to be
the only guest in the house.
This inn, as I must call it, was kept by a Turk
- and a Moor. The Blackamoor danced a jig to amuse
us, and the Turk sang two songs witb a degree of
pathos and sweetness that greaitly surprised me.
He told me tbat an English Milordos, wbo had
passed sorae tirae before, advised him to go to
London, where his singing would make him as
great as a Pashaw ; but he had not been able yet
to find any one willing to take him there. One
of his songs, as Jacorao interpreted the meaning,
was a description of an army advancing to tbe

SCALANOVA. 279
field, and had been composed by the Turk him
lelf Tbe music was so lively and descriptive,
that the poetry, I am sure, could not have been
otherwise tban good. Alas !
" Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear j
Full many a flower has blown to blush unseen.
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."
The other song was a love ditty. Considering
that the poor Mahomedans are not permitted to
see the faces of their mistresses, I was desirous of
hearing which of tbeir charms were celebrated,
and made Jacomo, when the Turk had ceased
singing, translate for me the whole ballade It re
lated tbatall on asumraer'sday,twoyoungOttoman
swains were smoking under a tree, by the side of
a purling stream, bearing the birds singing, and
seeing the flowers blooraing. By came a young
maiden, ber eyes like two stars in tbe nights of
the Ramazan. One of tbe swains takes his pipe
out of bis mouth, and sighing, smoke, gazes at
her with delight. The other demands why his
rapt soul is sitting in bis eyes, and he avows him
self the adorer of tbe veiled fair. " Her eyes,"
says he, " are black, but tbey shine like the

280 SCALANOVA.
polished steel, nor is the wound tbey inflict less
fatal to the heart." This conceit is pretty, but
mark what follows : " My sister says, tbat in the
bath her skin is like the snow on the mountains
of Brusa, and her' cheeks more beautiful4han the
rose of the morning." The other swain ridicules
his passion, and bids him refill bis pipe. "Ah
no !" cries the lover, " I enjoy it no more ; ray
heart is as a fig thrown into a thick leafy tree,
and a bird with bright eyes has caught it and
holds it fast."
The Turk and Moor were as willing to serve
me as a landlord and waiter could possibly be; but
they had only eggs and coffee, having ate up their
whole allowance of bread before our arrival.
Tbey are the servants of the host at the ferry-
house ofthe river Castrus, and he is a retainer of
a chief in that neighbourhood. Throughout the
whole empire there is, unquestionably, a great re
semblance to the descriptions of feudal manners,
particularly of what I conceive may have been the
state of society, in the West bf Europe, before the
fiefs became hereditary.
In the inorning I set out at day-break, and,
after a short ride, arrived on the borders of tbe

SCALANOVA. 281
plain of Ephesus. As I do not visit the ruins
till my return, we turned towards the sbore,
leaving the castle on the left, distant five or
six miles, and entered upon a road recently con
structed across the marsh, to whicb the over
flowings of tbe river have now reduced the great
est part of the land, between the scite of tbe
city and tbe sea. The materials of which this
road is made cannot fail, to interest every pas
senger, who has the slightest tendency of mind to
meditate on the fluctuation of human affairs.
They consist of broken pillars, entablatures, and
inscriptions, on many of which tbe sculpture is
still so entire, as sufficiently to attest the labour
and skill that had been employed on them.
After riding some time on this road of frag
ments and relics, we reached the ferry, tbe inn at
which is really not despicable. The Castrus here,
although scarcely fifty yards broad, is nearly
twenty feet in depth, over which we were ferried
along with other cattle in a triangular float. . We
tben followed the course of the river to the sea,
and observed for nearly half a mile the stone em
bankments, which had antiently confined the
stream, and which in several places were not in

282 SCALANOVA.
the least decayed. The river has thrown up a
bar across its mouth, and its course from the
ferry is mucb interrupted witb fishing cruives.
Either the sea has receded, or tbe river has
brought down large quantities of sand and rubbish,
for the landraarks at the terminations of the stone
embankments are now a considerable distance
from the beach, and the space between, parti
cularly on the nortb side, is a foul unwholesome
fen. Leaving the banks of tbe Castrus, we rode '
along tbe coast for a mile or two, and after cross
ing a point of land, we bad a view of this town.
Yours, &c.

283

LETTER XXXIV.

Scalanova, April 24.
1 HE approach to Scalanova lies through
fields finely cultivated. The town is seen, a
long vvay off, sloping down the side of a pro
montory. From the bottom of the steep, a
point of land projects in a curved direction to
wards a small island, on which there is a square
tower erected, immediately in front of the city.
This is the only defence towards the sea ; an old
fortress on tbe land-side of the town, under tbe
walls of whicb tbe road passes after crossing seve
ral burying-grounds, is indeed properly the guar
dian of the place. A large lion of white marble
is stuck up on one corner of this fortress.
As we were entering ihe precincts of the town,
I noticed a young bull-dog stretched at a door.
Either from hereditary feelings of patriotism, or
some other sympathy or antipathy, he allowed me
to pass unmolested ; but Jacomo, who had fallen

284 SCALANOVA.
behind, was not so fortunate. I had not passed
the door many yards when I beard him utter an
interjection, followed by a malediction, and on
turning round saw the dog retiring. It seems
tbat Jacomo was trotting gaily on, thinking of
nothing at all, wben out sprang tbe dog, and seized
bis borse by tbe leg. Such a dog, either in shape
or manners, Jacorao bad never before seen. The
curs of these parts, like tbe antient Trojans, give
due warning, by shouts, before they make an
attack, but this round-beaded rogue gave no no
tice whatever of his intention ; and Jacomo justly
observed, that it was not fair any dog should bave
the nature to bite without barking.
On entering the town, we were met by tbe
keeper of one of the khans, who conducted me to
an apartment, in the building, wbere tbe person
resides who has, at present, charge of the British
consulate. The vice-consul was not in town,
and the personage who represented him was so
invincibly stupid, that I should have made but an
idle joumey had I not found a Greek raerchant
who took compassion on rae, and witb uncora
mon assiduity and politeness assisted me in all
tbat I wished to see and to learn.
Scalanova contains about twent}- thousand inha-

SCALANOVA. 285
bitants, of whom five thousand are reckoned
Greeks, about one hundred Armenians, and two
hundred Jews ; the rest are Mahomedans. The
cathedral, dedicated to St, George, is successor to
the primitive church of Ephesus, and in cpnse
quence is regarded as the third of the patriarchate
in point of dignity.
While I vvas looking at the interior of the
cathedral, a funeral arrived. The body, preceded
by a nuraber of priests, was brought into tbe
church, carried on an open bier, with the face
uncovered. It was neatly dressed in white
clothes, and bore a taper in its band. After tbe
service vvas read, a young raan, who appeared to
be chief raourner, lighted the candle in the dead
man's grasp, and one of the priests distributed
other tapers among the spectators. In the midst of
the service my solemnity was irresistibly disturb
ed by the impudence of one of the priests. He
took off my spectacles, placed them on his own
snout, without saying a word, and finding, I sup
pose, that they would not suit, returned them
with as little ceremony. When the body was
carried to tbe grave, the wife and the -female
friends of the deceased came to pay the last marks
of their affection. But you will excuse me from

286 SCALANOVA.
attempting to describe a scene from wbicb I
quickly turned away.
By a mistake still unrectified, Scalanova is con
sidered to be the antient Neapolis ; but the prCr
, sent town is only about three hundred years old,
and the ruins of Neapolis are stiU visible on the
otjpier side ofthe promontory.
Scalanova consists properly of two towns, the
Turkish and tbe Grecian. The Turks bere re
tain all their peculiar consequence; but tbey are
civil and industrious, and tbe Greeks are raore
contented with tbem than any where else. The
town itself is pleasant and well-built. One of the
streets has a small brook of clear water running
through it, and is agreeably shaded with trees.
The Turks uniformly prefer situations where the
water is good • and it is traditionally reported
that the town was first founded on account of
the abundance of tbe springs here. Tbe pre
sent governor of this district is represented as a
man uncommonly shrewd, able, andjust, and to
tbese qualities in bis character, the comfort of tfae
Cbristian inhabitants, and the general prosperity
of tbe country, are doubtless partly owing.
Yours, &c.

287

LETTER XXV.

Ephesus, April 25.

#;»

riAVING completed the objects of my
visit to Scalanova, I returned by the road which
leads directly towards this place. It was an
hour after sun-set when we mounted, and the
ride is computed at four hours of the post-rate,
which is, I think, not more than three Englisb
miles per hour.
Losing sight of the sea, we came into a hollow
among tbe hills, wbere I saw, on the right hand,
at a considerable distance above our path, th6
parapet-wall of the antient highway from Ephesus
to Neapolis. It was too late to think of riding.
along this road ; but w^continued nearly parallel
to it, until it was so dark, that I could no longer
trace tbe wall. The extent of this work, with
the ruins tbat I bad already seen, and some ab-
jsurd affection of tbe imagination concerning tbe
seven wonders of tbe world, and the seven golden

^88 EPHESUS.
candlesticks, tended to produce in my mind a
' great idea of the ruins of the city, the approach
to which was rendered uncommonly solemn, by
the baying of wolves and the- booting of owls on
the bills. However, before we reached the vil
lage where I am now writing, and whicb still
retains the title of Ephesus, the moon rose above
the mountains, and the songs of innumerable
nightingales in tbe bushes greatly diminished the
awe-struck and moralizing humour into whicb I
had fallen. I wonder how it happens, that tbe
song of tbe nightingale is generally thought to
produce melancholy reflexions. I have never
heard it without experiencing a lively emotion of
pleasure, and on tbis occasion it seemed to me
quite chearful. If any other being besides man is
subject to the instigations of poetical fancy, itis
this sweet, capricious, and elegant bird.
When we got to the coffee-house in which we
were to take up our abode for the night, we
found it full of Turkish soldiers, recruits, pipes,
pistols, and smoke. Luckily, bowever, we met
at the door an Athenian Greek, who, understand
ing tbat I preferred to bave my bed spread in
the open air, to sleeping in the coffee-house.

EPHESUS. 289
offered to accommodate me in his bouse, and in
it I am now writing, disturbed, bowever, by a
noisy cricket, which is making such a confounded
and incessant chirruping, that if I had it under
my heel, I would make it sing anotber song.
Yours, &c.

LETTER XXXVL

Ephesus, April 26.
While the horses are getting ready, I sit
down to give you some account of what I bave seen
to recompense me for the trouble of coming bere.
The ruins appear to consist chiefly of the
remains of Saracenic baths and moschs. Of the
temple of Diana I saw nothing which any man,
in his sober senses, could say that he is sure may
have belonged to it. The best classical relics are
two or three fragments of bas-reliefs, rudely
Stuck up over an arched gateway leading to the
u

290 ephesus.
fortress. Probably this arch belonged to the
castle which the Empress Helena is said to bave
erected bere ; for tbe present fortress is evidently
of much raore I'ccent construction. At a short
distance from the right of this gate, and some
what lower, the walls of a large and magnificent
marble mosch are still entire. This is the build
ing whicb Tournefort, and most of tbe travellers
who have followed him, call the Churcli of St.
John. I think, however, that in this instance
be is incorrect. The edifice .is- certainly Sara
cenic. I was not able to trace, on any part of it.
Christian insignia ; but it exhibits many Maho
medan ornaments, apparently coeval witb tbe
construction. It is needless to enumerate any
rnore of the few unintelligible scraps of antiquity
wbicb I met with,' except a statue of an infant
Bacchus eating grapes, wbich I bought for fifteen
shillings. It was turned up by a plough a few
days ago.
A walk of more than an hour, over broken
vaults, and through nettles and briars, effectually
cooled the slight desire wbich I felt to look at
objects, of which the aera,., use, and construction,
are equally unknown. The traveller must be iar

ephesus. 291
gone in Antiquarianism vvho can admire the
wreck, of the aqueduct, or the other shapeless
heaps that constitute the ruins of Ephesus. To
save you tbe trouble of a search, or the vexation
of coming away witbout accomplishing tbe ob-.
jects of your journey, if you are ever so mad as
to visit tbis place, I ought to mention, that tbe
remains of the antient city lie principally along
the heights on the West of the modern village ;
and that those which are now comraonly visited
as sucb, are, in fact, of posterior origin, and are
perbaps wholly Saracenic.
The situation of Ephesus, as it appears at pre
sent, is as well calculated to raise a dispute
among topographers, as any place tbat I know.
Were I to describe to you only its existing condi
tion, — barren rocky hills behind, and a morass of
many miles in extent in front, you would not he
sitate to say, that it must have been extremely ill
chosen. But when it is considered that this
morass was formed by the inundations of the
river having been neglected ; that the river, prior
to the stoppage by tbe bar across its mouth, and
which is probably ofthe same date as tbe morass,
was navigable to the city ; and that the town
u 2

'292 EPHESUS.
stood exactly in that part of the noble and fertile
valley of fhe Castrus, by which it was enabled to
unite, tp its maritime advantages, tbe convenience
of an easy comrhunication with the interior, ypu
will perhaps, like rae, be disposed to tbink that
it may have been very happily chosen. The
marshes round Ephesus are not half so extensive
as the levels on the South side ofLondon. Now,
were it possible to imagine the modern Babylon
desolated ; the ruins of tbe bridges interrupting
the course ofthe Thames ; scarcely a vestige ofall "
her thousands of streets and structures remaining;
the very scite of St. Paul's unknown to the
miserable inhabitants of a few hovels, half bid by
-the briars and nettles among the ruins ; — were it
indeed possible to imagine the ruin of London
as complete as that of Ephesus ; wbat would
therv be the state of the low grounds of Vaux-
hallj Lambeth, and Camberwell, whicb at pre
sent are covered with so many flourishing gar
dens and terraces ?!— could they be otherwise
than putrid fens, the abodes of reptiles, and the
nurseries of pestilence, like those of tbe plain of
Ephesus? Yours, &c.

29S

LETTER XXXVL Smtr>ia, April 27.
Having crossed the Castrus, a little way
above Ephesus, by a bridge of several arches, we
entered a beautiful, but alraost entirely deserted
valley. The clear river winds chearfully through it ;
and the sides of the mountains are in some places
broken into stupendous precipices, and in others
scooped into fine holms and rutal hollows, deco
rated with stately trees.
After riding an hour or so, we fell in with a
train of camels, cattle, men, women, and children.
Forgetting, in the instant, that I was in Asia, I
imagined it was a troop of country folk going, with
their merchandise, to a fair ; but, observing some
thing uncommon in the dresses ofthe men, and that
tbe women were not veiled, I enquired what they
vrere; and was agreeably surprized to find them.
one of those wandering tribes, who, like Abraham
and his household, roam over the vast unappropri-

294 SMYRNA.
ated domains of Asia, and have no local habitation.
During winter they come into the narrow valleys ;
and, as the spring returns, they' retire again
towards the open country, passing the vicinity of
the large towns about the end of Lent, at wbich
time they dispose of their larabs and young cattle.
Tbis tribe or faraily consisted of about a hundred
persons, men-servants and maid-servants, vvith
their little ones. Upwards of three score of
caraels, with a more nuraerous train of cattle,
sheep, and goats, asses loaded with poultry in
baskets, and otber patriarchal chattels and move
ables. They rested on tbe banks of the river,
but did not pitch auy tents. As tbey travel
slowly, the Paschal Feast will begin before they
can reach the neighbourhood of Smyrna. . I bad
not the least hope of falling in with any tbing so
primitive. The Mosaic descriptions have now
acquired a degree of circumstantiality, in my
mind, pleasantly perspicuous.
Leaving the patriarchs, we rode up the banks
of the river, and turning towards the North, for
we had hitherto proceeded in an easterly direc
tion, entered a valley, wbicb gradually expands
to a great width, assuming the appearance of a

SMYRNA. 295
large plain. On the banks of the stream, at a
short distance from where we left it, we alighted
near a little coflfee-house, and took sorae refresh
ment. In tbe neighbouring bushes a vast num
ber of nightingales were rehearsing for tbe even
ing : I do not remember to have beard befpre of
their day-light songs. Lulled by their melody,
as I sbould have said about ten years ago, but
in fact oppressed by tbe heat of the sun, I fell
asleep under tbe trees, where the rug bad been
spread for my dinner. The servants also fell
asleep ; and, while we were all in this negligent
condition, a* Turk, who happened to be passing,
stole one of tbe horses' bridles. When we awoke,
the Janissary made a terrible disturbance on ac-
count of tbe loss ; but I was very thankful, that
we bad not found our throats cut.
The appearance of Greece, particukrly around
Atbens, though exceedingly picturesque, is not
more majestic than that of your own neighbour
hood ; but the general aspect of the landscape in
Natolia^is stupendous and extensive, far beyond
any means of comparison that Scotland affords.
On the West side of the plai-n on which the road
Hes, after quitting the banks of tbe Castrus, we

396 SMYRNA.
passed the ruins bf an aqueduct, . that at one time
had supplied a large town, of wbich no remains
were visible, except a few fragments of broken
marble, appearing like white bones among the
green grass. At the moment, I felt a wish to
learn something of the deceased, .and regretted •
that I had not taken my compass and map with
me. But of what use woUld it have been to my
unfurnished raemory, to bave ascertained tbe
narae of a city that is no raore ? In truth, I begin
to think that ray ignorance contributes not a
little to the gratification which I receive in tbese
regions of desolation. For conjecture,' in attempt
ing to satisfy curiosity, has recourse to fancy,
over whose creations a degree of melancholy is
necessarily diffused, which, like the transparent
obscurity of tbe painters, gives a charm to tbe
composition, more delightful than the distinct
lights and hard facts of historical truth. .
When we bad left those imperfect vestiges of
the unknown dead about three miles behind us,
we carae to another coflfee-house on tbe banks of
a pleasant brpok, with a mosch for travellers toi
say their prayers in, and a little grove for their
ruminations and smoking. Tfae uniformity in

SMYRNA. 297
the situations of the Asiatic public-houses, every •
one having its grove and running water, proves
that there is sometbing systematic in the choice.
Ina climate wbere shade and cool water are so
often luxuries, the system does credit to the taste,
or rather to the instincts, of the Turks. At .this
coffee-house a number 'of recruits were resting.
The Janisary- advised me, prospectively, npt to
attend to their request, for they would ask mo
ney. They did so, and patiently submitted to
their disappointment.
When we arrived on the heights above Smyrna,
the night was far advanced, and the moon was
high and clear. On one side of the road a drove
of camels were encamped round a fire. They
formed a circle, witb their heads to the light,
and the drivers were seated within, joyously
singing. On entering the city, we were saluted by the
barking of at least fifty dogs, a party of those
masterless and vagabond curs, which infest the
streets of the Turkish towns. Their barking was
only an alarm: the moment that they were spoken
to, they retired, or came towards us greetingly
and kindly. Yours, kc.

298

LETTER XXXVIL At Se^, April 29',
I LEFT Smyrna on the eyening of the 27th,
in a vessel for Samos. The wind was not very
favourable, and we took the voyage easily. On
tbe second day we arrived in tbe neighbourhood
of the largest of the two islands which are called
the Englisb Islands, and tbe ship baving anchored
in the straights between them, I went on shore.
I found it inhabited by two or three Turkish
shepherds and tbeir families, and I engaged one
of tbem to conduct rae to a port on the opposite
side of the island, where I was informed several
antient arches, and a large cistern, showed tbat a
town bad once been. Our walk lasted about an
hour, over a rude tract, through fields that still
retained sorne traces Of having formerly been
cultivated, and of wbich the inhabitants still sow
a few corners witb corn and beans, for their own
subsistence.

at sea, 299
^?The ruins consist of upwards of a hundred
groined vaults, supported by rude square pillars,
—probably tbey were originally warehouses^
They are situated in the vicinity of a cove, that
branches from a port capable of containing hun
dreds of vessels, in perfect security from every
wind. By tbe worknjanship, it is evident that
these buildings- were constructed for some very
ordinary purpose, Tbe vaulting and arches over
the cistern are more neatly formed, and I think
are of greater antiquity. Of the history of this
island I know nothing, and these reraains are too
inconsiderable to enable me honestly to say more.
Having returned on board, we lay at anchor
till an bour before day-light, when we got under
weigh,' The day, accordingto the usages of the
Greek church, being the festival of the Resur-
rection, the appearance ofthe sun was announced
by the firing of the guns, and the sailors shak
ing hands and embracing, crying " Christ is
risen," Tbis is one of tbe greatest of the Greek
holidays ; and I was not surprized to see all bands,
after living forty days on bread and vegetables,
preparing, with greait jollity, for a sumptuous re
past of flesh and other savoury messes.

300 at sea.
After mid-day, the sea-breeze set very strong into
the Gulph of Smyrna, and we could not weather
Cape Calabemo ; the Captain, therefore, bore
away for Foscia, where he cast anchor, and I
went ashore.
The port -of Foscia is an oval bason, about
a mile in length, and half that extent in breadth:
the entrance is not a musket-shot in width,^
and the anchorage within is excellent for ves
sels of any description, Tbe town stands on
a peninsula that projects into the port, and is
almost. entirely surrounded by tfae water, Itis
a small decayed place, was built by the Grenoese,
and with them itsr prosperity and riches departed.
The environs still retain some marks of tbeir in
dustry ahd opulence, in the ruins of country-
bouses, and orange and olive-gardens, of which
*
the walls are almost entirely fallen, and the soil
overgrown witb weeds and nettles, A few fields
are still planted with vines, of wbich tbe fruit is
sent to Smyrna; but, generally speaking, the
place is fast approaching to a state of complete
desolation. After walking about the neighbourhood for an
hour or two^and. enquiring in vain if there were any

AT SEA, 301
.things worth looking at, I returned towards the
boat At the gate, for tbe walls are still in exist
ence, a number of Greeks were amusing thera
selves in tbeir holiday-clothes, and a band of
Turks were reposing in tbe shade. Desiring
Jacomo to enquire at one of the Turks about an
appearance somewhat like a wall, along the face
ofthe hills, I was araused by the Turkishness of
the reply. Jacomo, as is usual with him, instead
of putting a plain question, prefaced the enquiry
with some observations of. his own. relative to
antiquities in general, the great love and esteem
which the British have for them, particularly his
master, and bow for tbem only be had come on
shore, &c. &c, Tbe Turk listened to the oration
with the greatest possible gravity ; and when
Jacomo had made an end, answered, " That
he could tell nothing about the age of those
walls, for they were older than him, and that
we could see, as well as he, that they were very
pld ;" adding, profoundly, " Who can now tell
by whom they were constructed, or for what
purpose, since every one is dead that bad any
thing tp do with them,"
As. soon as the breeze arose, we again weighed

302 , • AT SEA.
anchor; but we had scarcely got beyond the
mouth of the harbour when it fell calm, and con-'
tinued so till next day at noon. A light breeze
then sprang up, and we reached Scio about sun
set, but we did not clear the Southern mouth of
the straits till after ten o'clock this morning.
Yours, &c.

LETTER XXXVIIL
At Sea, April 29.
While we were tackincT off the coast of
Samos this afternoon, the Captain pointed out
to rae the distant heights of tbe Isle of Patmos.
This, like the sight of raany other places in these
regions, had the effect of calling up a particular
train of associations, and I bave endeavoured to
erabody sorae of them in the following Ode. I
entreat you to be tender in your criticism. Re
flect that it Was vyritten off" tbe coast of Ionia, a

AT SEA. . 303
country vvhere there never was any professed
reviewer ; and if all this be not enough, I conjure
you, for your own sake, to reraeraber tbat tbe
antients once stoned a critic to death ; and who
knows but one ofthe raoderns may be actuated by
tbe same spirit ?
THE CONQUEROR,
Avenger, Destroyer, thou storm of the Lord,
That scatterest the chaff of the nations, give ear !
Thy earth-shaking chariot and life-reaping sword.
May daunt like the thunder and lightning of Tear,
But the end of the rolling and gleaming is near.
Vadn-glorious ! proclaim'st thou thy triumphs and power,
O fire of Jehovah, that wasteth the world !
As the noise of a burning and flames that devour.
Is the Hero's renown, and the banner unfurl'd,
A cloud whence the red-bolted vengeance is hurl'd.
Belshazzar of Blasphemy, throned with thy bride.
And feasting in Babylon, gorgeous and vain.
From spoils of the Altar, as full as thy pride.
Thy chiefs and tby captains new fury may drain
From the wine, flowing free as the blood of their slaia.

304 ' -AT SEA.
But winnower of Kings, thyself, as the corn
That floats in the fanner, and flies from the flail.
Found light in the balance and germless, in scorn
The Lord will disperse, with the breath of his gale.
Ha ! wheat of the sycophant — thou art but hail.
Dread Vial of Wrath, from the zenith of Heaven,
With terrible heralding pour'd on the earth.
For a day and an hour though dominion be given
To the scorpions of death and the locusts of dearth.
In the end it shall be as they never had birth.
Yours, &Ci

LETTER XXXIX. Samos, May 3.
oAMOS, li^ce the other dominions of the
Greeks, has greatly declined from its former im
portance. But though the monuments of its
early grandeur are almost obliterated, I suspect
very much that its riches and population fall little
short of what tbey were in the best times of anti-

Samos. 305
quity. I cannot, indeed, think that the insular
Greeks bave been so retrograde as other nations
have been progressive. On all the islands at
which I have touched, except those in the Gulph
of Smyrna, I have seen indisputable evidences of
the agriculture having the appearance of being
maintained at its maximum. In Scio it is uni
versally allowed, that a greater extent of surface
is under tillage than was at any former period ;'
and tbe population is so great, tbat the island
may be regarded as one of the best-peopled in
the whole world. The ruins, which call forth the
lamentations of the classical travellers, are rather
proofs of an alteration in religious sentiments, than
of waste or decay in the civil interests of the in
habitants. The Classic, among the Grecian ruins,
is very like the Papist among the monastic remains
of England. We must not trust too much to
his account of the existing state of things. His
enthusiasm leads him to attach more value to the
past than it deserves, and to regard the present
with far less esteem than it merits.
This island has, for some tirae, been not a little
disturbed by clashing principles and prejudices,
of the same nature as those which have caused

306 SAMO!^. ,
so much agitation in the West of Europe. The
priraates and the rich men had long managed,
with great success, to exempt themselves from
all manner of taxation. The common people
grew, at last, discontented ; and insisted tbat the
primates, according to tbeir means, sbould also
pay taxes. The primates treated thera with con
tempt. The people rebelled, and a revolution
ensued. Some of the primates were slain, and
others emigrated. A sort of comproraise has
lately taken place, but it is not supposed tbat
matters are yet in a settled frame. Wbat laud
and praise this affair would have received from the
Doctors of Oxford and Cambridge, bad it hap^
pened two thousand years ago !
Samos is said to contain, at present, about
twenty thousand inhabited houses ; and the whole
population, which is Christian, is estimated at
fifty thousand souls. Tbere is only one Turkish
officer in the island, the Governor, and he bears
his faculties very meekly, leavjng the aristocrats
and democrats to worry eacb other in tbeir own,
way, without taking the part of either. He is a
wise man. Moral distempers bave tbeir raviqg
fits, and the extravagances of the patient ought to

SAMOS. 307
hd beard with equanimity : it is only when he
proceeds to vvork mischief that coercion should
be used.
The principal ptoduction bf Samos is the rich
ihuscato wine, once so much esteemed under the
name of Malinsey. Upwards of fifty cargoes were
fbrmerly shipped to the Black Sea ; but, owing
tb the wat", the trade is i^Uite at a stand, and the
vintagets know not what to do witb theif wines.
The sweet muscato, unlike every other wine, is
best in the first year. Its fine perfume passes off
irt the course of tbe second ; and, as it grows old,
it becomes strong and spirituous, like tbe Com-
manderia of Cyprus. Samos also expor'ts a con
siderable quantity of oil and raisins. The oil is
the best in the Levant, being prepared in the
French manner, by cleaning and garbling the
olives. Since the shutting of tbe Italian ports,
some of the Samos oil has been sent to London,
and sold for good Lucca. In the mountains,
statuary marble is found in abundance ; and not
iar from the town of Vathi, in which I am now
writing, there is an extensive forest, which occa
sionally furnishes timber for the Ottoman navy,
In the recesses ofthis wood, serpents of an incre-
X 2

308 SAMOS.
dible size are said to have been discovered, and
the stories that are told of them would do credit
to the Legend of Hercules.
The carob-tree is also cultivated in this island ;
and a considerable quantity of the fruit, in time
pf peace, is sent to Russia, where, I am told,
it is distilled into a spirit used by the common
people. In Turkey it is not much eaten by the
poor, but it is esteemed excellent for feeding
horses. You will probably recollect, that among
the Romans the carob was the standard of a
weight, somewhat, I suppose, as the barley-corn,
with us, is the standard of measure. Yours, Scd.

309

. LETTER XL.

Myconi, 9th May.
After adventures that partake ofthe nature
of those of Columbus, in the first and most fa
mous of all bis voyages, I have great reason to
thank my stars that I have reached this island.
On tbe morning of tbe 3d I left Samos in a boat,
whicb I liad hired, and as the wind vvas not very
favourable, instead of coasting Necaria, as I at
first intended, we steered towards tbe continental
peninsula of Chezmaih- In tbe afternoon we
found it would be necessary to seek a port for the
nigbt, according to the good old custom of the heroic
ages. While sailing easily along, just as the sun
was setting, we discovered something white lying
on the shore, and which Jacomo, whose head is
full of images, immediately set down for a marble
lion. He was not a little confirmed in bis opi
nion when be observed the ruins of an extensive
antient wall immediately behind -it. To take pos-

310 MYCONI.
session of the statue, and to view the ruins, I di
rected the boat to land us. But, alas ! tbe lion
proved only a white stone. We found, bowever,
that the wall extended a long Way. Following it
to a considerable distance, we traced the ruins of
a tower, projecting beyond the line of tfae wall,
and soon after came to tbe remains of a tem
ple, in the neighbourhood of which the foun
dations of several edifices are still visible. As it
was now beginning to grow dark, we deemed it
expedient to return, having followed the line of
the fortifications about a mile. Tbis wall un
doubtedly encompassed a city. But what city,
by whom built, or when destroyed, I confess my
self unable to conjecture. The ruins are situated
almost directly north frora the harbour of Vathi ;
and the wall, constructed with large black square
masses, of a lava-like substance, is built along the
edge of a rocky peninsula.
About an faour before the dawn, we again stood
out to sea, but the wind was so light that we made
very little way along the coast. In tbe aftemoouj
observing a flock of camels feeding on tbe beights,
and several inclosed fields, we resolved to sail into
9, port which enters frora the open bay, in vvhich

MYCONI. 311
we had already lost so much tirae. When within,
the port had the appearance of a lake, the en
trance being concealed by a point of land. Its
shape resembles the outline of a double bunch of
grapes ; and the wildest loch in the highlands of
Scotland is not sequestered among more h^rc^ n
scenery than this little creek of Asia. Here we
lay till after midnight, when we again put to sea,
but as the dawn began to brighten, the land
breeze slackened, and by the time the sun ap
peared it was quite calm. We, therefore, had re
course to our oars, and metwith no other adventure
that day, than finding an excellent fish asleep in
a sraall pool on the shore, above the level of the
sea. It was probably tbrown tbere by a wave.
We also picked up seyeral shell fish, but the
change of tbe raoon being near, tbey were all
of course, lean and insipid.
From the way in which tbe men handled the
oars, I began -to suspect that .they were no great
sailors, and my apprehfensions were speedily veri
fied. One of them bad in fact never acted in that
capacity before. Vexed by this discovery, and
fearing lest we might have a long passage, I re
solved that we should not again go into port at

312 MYCONI.
night This determination encountered some
opposition, but in the end, by making a vehement,
noise, I carried my point.
During the nigbt we got as far as the mouth of
the straits of Scio, and next day at noon, a fine
brisk north-west breeze sprang up, which gradu-
aily freshened into a gale till we were off the
west end of Nicaria, a mountainous island inha
bited by about two tbousand half barbarised
Greeks, who, besides pasturing a few sheep, culti
vate several gardens, the fruit of which they carry
to Scalanova, and even as far as Rhodes ; tbey
also prepare charcoal, whicb they sell among the
adjacent islands. The wine tbat they make is not
esteemed good, ' and is barely sufficient for their
own consumption. There is no port in Nicaria,
but the ruins of an antient mole are still seen at
the north-west end of the island. Tired of my
yoyage, I did not however land. What I tell
you is hearsay. Tinos and Myconi were in sight,
and the gale had increased at sucb a rate that I
became very anxious to terminate my voyage.
Boreas in truth descended in such a fury, as of old
from the raountains of Tinos, that I scarcely
hoped to escape the fate which his sons inflicted

MYCONI. 313
on the companions of Hercules. One ofthe boat
men rendered nearly useless by sea-sickness, the
other equally so by his fears, and Jacomo re
counting a terrible shipwreck whicb he suffered
along witb the Athenian marbles at Serigo, sus
pending his narrative every other moment to ad
monish the master of tbe coming ofa mighty wave,
were omens tbat seemed to threaten sometbing
more than a ducking. As we were now in the
Icarian sea, and off the coast of tbat very island
on which the son of Dsedalus fell from his balloon,
had any thing happened to us, the fate of Icarus
would have furnished you with a happy sirr^ile for
the elegy in which you would, no doubt, have
wailed your sorrows.
About sun-set we were so near tbe north cape
of Myconi that I could discern the breakers ; but
in attempting to weather it, we lost way, and were
obliged to steer to leeward along the coast, with
tbe intention of going into Palerm, a port on
the east side of the island. In this attempt the
knowledge of the master of the boat deserted him.
The waves were dashing themselves into foara
against the rocks in the entrance, and be could
not venture to say that he knew the channel. We

314 MYCONI.
continued therefore to fall to leeward, in order
to pass between the small rocky island of Trao-
nis and Myconi, but here again we were baffled.
No alternative seemed to be left but to run to the
portless island of Naxia, or to Paros, a desperate
expedient in the dark. But not to irapair the
sublirae of our situation with many words, I
tbought in ray beart tbat we were fairly in for a
%vatery grave. Jacomo was desperate, but there
was still something so odd in his despair, that it
served to keep mine frora taking full efiect. He
had found a book of nativities, in which he thought
his own destiny, and the character of his wife,
were described. The book was in his pocket, he
bade me read, and it prognosticated to him perils
by sea and shipwreck. One raoment be tbought
of his wife and child, but his thoughts were much
more about himself; at another he scolded the
sea-sick man for presuming to come as a sailor,
and tbe raaster of the sloop for putting our pre
cious lives to hazard : anon he discovered a vast
wave rolling irresistibly toward us, and crying out
to the raaster to be on his guard, he darted at the
ballast, and flung it up as fast as possible to tbe
weather side, drawing every now and then^ a

MYCONI. 315
profound sigh, and uttering a fervent ejaculation.
As we neared upon Traonis, nothing but huge
precipices presented theraselves, the whole extent
of the coast appearing like a vast rugged wall.
Fortunately, however, the island lay somewhat
athwart the course of the wind and waves, and
as wc got under its lee, tbe water became gra
dually less tumultuous. On doubling tbe southern
cape, we found it qt^te smooth. We resolved to
anchor in a small creek fbr the night, but the
master, remem bering the situation of a port in
Myconi not far off, it was thought best to pro
ceed there. On our arrival we discovered a boat
already near the sbore. One of the men took
it into his bead that it must be a pirate, and bis
laraentations were in consequence scarcely less
violent than when at sea. But the boat was only,
like our own, driven into tbat desolate place by
stress of weather.
When we carae to anchor it was quite dark,
nevertheless, as I was drenched through, and ex
ceedingly chilled, I determined to land and to
search for a house. After wandering in quest of
the road upwards of two hours in the dark, I was
at last gratified witb the civilized sound of a dog

3X6 MYCONI.
barking, and soon after with the appearance of a
light at a distance. It came from a cottage. We
went to enquire the road to the town, and received
tbe delightful intelligence that we were very near
a monastery. Jacomo immediately relnerabered
that this monastery was famous for effecting mira
culous cures on mad people, declaring at the same
time that it woUld afford proper lodgings and
every thing suitable for me.
The monastery being a large white edifice made
a great appearance in the dark. The gate we
found covered witb plates of iron, and bolted. We
knocked as loudly as possible, and a light was
soon discovered within from beneath the door,
and steps were heard approaching. Presently
some one in a weak, infirm voice enquired who
was there, upon which we mentioned our situation.
The steps were then heard retreating^and the light
gradually disappeared. Immediately the sound of
several persons in earnest conversation drew nearer
and nearer to the gate, and a strong corpulent voice
demanded what we wanted. Jacomo stated tbe
case in an able and argumentative raanner. The
party within retired without replying, and soon
after a window over the portal was opened, and the

MYCONI. 317
same hoarse masculine personage demanded again
from whence we had corae, and what we were.
In the end he ordered us round to the other side
of the building, to be judged of by our appear
ance: we obeyed ; and immediately several win
dows were opened, and laraps were advanced into
the air, but the wind blev?' them out. Provoked
by these delays, and almost chilled to deatb with
my wet clothes, I desired Jacomo to claim admission
according to the charitable purpose ofthe institu
tion, magnificently threatening to represent the
cpnduct of tbe friars to the Patriarch. — A council
of war was beld within, after wbich another par
ley took place, and iri the end it was agreed that
the garrison should admit us. We then returned
tp tbe front of the building, and the gate being
opened disclosed an avenue of long bearded per
sonages, with lamps in their hands. Having
passed down the middle, I was conducted ^up a
stair, and seated in a parlour, where the strong-
voiced friar addressed hiraself in an authoritative
manner to the assembled brotherhood, rebuking..
them sternly for not coming, witb their arms to
<he gate,, in case our application had been only a
Stoatagenx.

Sl8 MYCONI.
It seems that last year ten Turks entered the
monastery with the intention of plundering. The
monks flew to arms : four holy brothers were
slain, and several wounded. One Turk was man
fully killed, witb as many wounds as Julius
Caesar; three others were desperately punished,
and the rest compelled to fly. Since tbat time
the fraternity have been more wary than formerly,
and hence their caution towards us.
The monastery is ^dedicated to tbe Virgin, and
the society consists of seventy members, regulars,
students of divinity, seculars, and helpless old
men. It is liberally endowed, and the inmates
fare well. Among the old men, I found one wbcf
spoke English. He had been a servant in Lon
don with the late Sir Williara Duncan. It is
not generally known that, in his latter years, this
eminent physician applied himself to the study
of modern Greek, and attained proficiency enougb
to read it without mucb difficulty. He was so
much attached to the Grecian narae tbat he actu
ally atterapted to plant a colony of Greeks in
America. East Florida was the country on Which
he fixed, and to which be transported several hun*
dred persons from Greece on indenture. The

MYCONI. 319
colony failed in consequence ofthe want of pro
visions. The doctor had however the satisfaction
of dying with tbe belief tbat be bad planted the
Greeks in America, for the scheme was not aban
doned till after bis death.
In the morning I walked to the town of My
coni, where I have found very good lodgings. Tbis
is indeed the most Christian-like place that I have
seen since leaving Zante, and I should be com
fortable enougb, but I am skewered with rheuma
tic pains, and my voice has departed, leaving only
a hoarse incapable deputy, which, unlike most
other deputies, is not half so useful as the prin
cipal.' Yours, &c.

320

LETTER XLL
MycoNr, May 20.
Xhis is a neat place for its extent; and,
as I observed in my last, more like a Christian
town of the same extent, than any that I have
yet seen in the Levant. It is supposed to contain
between four and Ifive thousand inhabitants, and
upwards of eight hundred inhabited houses. Tlie
number of churcbes is so iricredible, that I shall
not attempt to form an estiraate of it ; but when
I tell you that, in the island, upwards of tbree
hundred have been counted, and tbe whole popu
lation does not exceed six tbousand souls, you
may form some notion of the number in the
town. They are, of course, but rudely con
structed ; but are so exceedingly numerous, that
a vast sum, wben one considers the" raeans ofthe
inhabitants, raust have been expended in erecting
thera. Since the better days of Venice, Myconi
has been a place of considerable trade ; being, in

MYCONI. 321
some degree, the parent of Specia, Idra, and
Ipsera. Till very lately, it was the practice of
the sailors and ship-owners, on escaping ftom
any extraordinary danger, to build a church in
testimony of tbeir gratitude to tbe saint whose
aid tbey had implored during their jeopardy. But
a more rational custom is now introduced. The
monastery which afforded me shelter is regarded
as the Greenwich Hospital of the island ; and the
sums wbicb were formerly appropriated to the
building of superfluous churches, are now given
to that institution.
The island produces about five thousand bushels
of barley, two thousand five hundred of wheat
and barley mixed, and a thousand of pure wheat.
A thousand weight of figs, and a small quan
tity of an excellent species of little white beans,
wbich I conceive would grow very well in the
West Indies. But the most considerable, and
the most celebrated production of Myconi, is its
Ted * wine, of which about five hundred pipes
are made annually. The quality resembles that
of claret ; but the inhabitants have a way of
-making different kinds ; and, as the clarety is the
most expensive to them, they will rather cheat
Y

322 MYCONI,
you than give it genuine. When tbe grapes are
Culled anti pressed, wbile yet fresh frora the vine
yard, tbe claret-flavour of the wine is obtained in
its greatest perfection. By drying the gralpes in
the sun, the other sorts, and whicb stand the raost
watering, are produced. When the grapes are
too rauch dried, the wine becomes sweet, and,
to my palate, very odious.
By their original capitulation with theTurks,the
inhabitants of Myconi enjoy the right of choosing
their own magistrates, and of otherwise regulating
the internal economy of the island. They have, in
tbeir chancery, a registry of territorial property,
wbich extends back many hundred years; but
they have no public registry of shipping. Their
commercial usages are similar to those of Idra, of
which I mean to give an account raore at large.
But the Myconiots are not coraparable to the
Idripts in enterprize and activity, nor have they
the same reputation for honest dealing.
Mavroyenni, one of the late hospodars of Wal
lachia, was a native of this island, and several of
his relations still reside bere. Myconi has*alsp
furnished several officers to the Russians. Psaro,
who first conducted the fleet of that nation

MYCONI, 323
from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, was born
bere. In their manners, the present race of tbe My
coniots are considered raore polite and liberal
than tbe other Greeks, This is ascribed to the
influence and example of a Russian Nobleman,
wbo resided here as consul-general about five and
twentyyears ago, witb theviewof favouring the pro
jects of bis Government araong the insular Greeks.
His lady, a Venetian woman of high birtb, intro
duced balls and theatrical exhibitions, to which
all tbe inhabitants, above the very lowest rank,
were freely adraitted.
The Myconiots are said to be strongly tinctured
with superstition. The men are considered cho
leric and turbulent, but their passions are not
malicious, and raurder is bere regarded with
almost a proper degree of abhorrence. In this
island tbe women are undoubtedly the superior
sex. Their complexion is of an English fairness,
andmany of them are very beautiful. But it is
in their intelligence and address that their supe
riority consists. They not only possess a persua
sive eloquence of manner, highly interesting, but
are habituated to close reasoning, and the dis-
Y 2

324 MYbONI.
cussion of matters of business. In legal disputes
among their husbands, they are the advocates be
fore the raagistrates ; and I am told that there are
woraen in the town, who, on important occa
sions, bave displayed wonderful powers of argu
ment and illustration. They are alraost univer
sally iraprovisatore ; and, in their occasional
dirges at funei;als, often display a felicity of con
ception that would do credit to studied efforts. I
bave myself been a witness to their performance
in this way, and had the good fortune to obtain
an accurate explanation of their expressions, as
they occurred. A young woman, who was much
esteeraed in the town, died in childbed ; and ber
female acquaintances, to the' number of several
hundreds, all dressed in tbeir gayest apparel,
attended the funeral. While tbe corpse was
conveying to the church, a chorus sang in
praise of the beauty and good qualities of the
deceased. One began the verse; another, at
the pause, took up the strain ; and wben a
stanza was thus finished by several, tbe whole
singers repeated it together. The young wo
man's mother was in the procession, and her
distress excited universal pity. One of the sing-

MYCONI. 325
ers exclairaed : " She embraced her child, and
died of tbejoy of being a mother." Tfae mother,
taking up the verse, cried, " O my child! ray
child! where is now the joy of her that was
thine !" This simple and pathetic apostrophe
produced an effect that can only be iraagined, not
described. After the obsequies, all tbe women
returned to tbe house, and began their regular
dirge. — Unlike poetesses in general, the women
of Myconi are very good housewives, and re
raarkably industrious. They knit large quan
tities of stockings, which they send as adventures
with their relations and husbands to the raarkets
of Smyrna, Constantinople, and, during peace,
even as far as the Russian ports of the Black Sea.
In their dress the raen reserable the Idriots ;
but tbey do not so generally shave tbe forehead,
and many of tbem wear hats. The women are
scarcely less remarkable in their dress tban tbey
are in otber respects. On their~heads they wear
a papal-looking superstructure, of crimson velvet;
the sleeves of their bodice are wide, loose, and
flowing, baving a kind of robe-like appearance
behind. They have no gowns, and the sacred
drapery of the petticoat reaches no farther than

$26 MYCONI.
the kneies. Their stockings are red, green, and
black, as fancy dictates. Notwithstanding their
poetical^ propensities, I have not seen any blue
stockings araong them. The whole of this curious
and grotesque disguise is placed on two little
high-heeled shoes, of painted leather or sattin,
loosely stuck on the fore part of the foot,
raaking a great clattering in the streets as ma-
darn topples along. I had almost forgot to
mention, tbat the woinen stahd in great awe of
certain invisible nyraphs tbat haunt the wild
parts of the island, and are the great authors
of all the mischances that occur to thera. For
protection against the wicked influence of these
y malignant spirits, they bave recourse to tbe priests,
whom they pay to read the Evangelists in their
houses, and to hallow tbem, from time to tirae,
with holy water and benedictions.
There is at present no public school in Myconi.
Prince Mavroyenni began a building for the pur
pose of instituting an academy, but bis head was
taken off before he bad corapleted his design. It
is however probable that a school will soon be
established. The Bishop of the Archipelago is here at pre-^

MYCONI. 327
sent, and I bave succeeded in persuading him toi
order, forthwith, a register to be kept of the
births, marriages, and burials, in tbe nineteen
islands whicb constitute his diocese. Tbe reason
whicb I chiefly urged, in order to accomplish
this, was the check which, in the raatter of fees,
it w«uld afford to the collections of the inferior
priests. To have been an instruraent of intro
ducing so useful an arrangement, in so useless an
institution as the Greek Church, I assure you, is
to me no small subject of self-gratulation. I
hope you will not be so invidious as to refuse me
your applause also. Yours, &c.

328

LETTER XLIL

Myconi,- May 29.
Besides the monastery, in which I found
an asylum on the night of my landing, there is
a convent for feraales in this island, situated at
no great distance from the other. Like the mo
nastery, the convent is both a religious institu
tion, and a retreat for tbe indigent. The nura
ber of the sisterhood is liraited to forty. They
live apart, wear no veils, but are uniformly
dressed in black. Tbey are under no other re
straints than those of propriety in their conduct,
celibacy, and obedience to the orders of the Ab
bess. They are chiefly dependant on private cha
rity, and the sale of the stockings and gloves,
wbich they knit. It is, indeed, as to the principle
of its foundation, a most respectable society, of the
kind. The abbess having lately died, the election
of a new one was fixed for Monday last ; and the
Bishop, having occasion to ordain a priest at the

MYCONI. 329
monastery, appointed tbe same day for tbat cere
mony. Some of my friends bere, being "interested in
the choice of tbe abbess, made a party to tbe
monastery, and invited me to accompany them.
On the evening of our arrival (Saturday) the
Abbot prepared a good supper, and the friars
served us with a most edifying degree of humi
lity ; but tbe ladies, being fatigued with their
ride, the party did not sit long enough to afford
me an opportunity of observing any thing worthy
of notice. Next day tfae strangers in the monas
tery were increased from eleven to upwards of
twenty, so that, at dinner, we formed a jovial
party. Among others, there was a singular crea
ture — the brother of a Russian General's lady.
His family having been benefactors to tbe foun
dation, he is allowed great liberties. But I must
attempt to give you sorae notion ofthis being. He
is above fifty, exceedingly decrepid, wears yellow
shoes, stockings tbat reach only half way up bis
legs, light blue silk breeches, a black velvet waist
coat embroidered witb gold, a short pink silk
pelisse, and a long black nightcap ; and he rides
on an ass. His manners are as eccentric as his

330 MYCONI.
dress is ludicrous^ and at table be played innu
raerable pranks ; . sucb as sucking the bottles, as
if glasses had never been invented ; and when he
saw any thing nice on his neighbour's plate,
snatching it away. At first, and indeed for sorae
time, I set him down as really crazy ; but a few
vivid scintillations of wit and good sense, con
vinced me that there was more humour tban folly
in his conduct. When dinner was finished, a stu
pid grave fool, one of that class of beings who,
in Scotland, make tbemselves busy about the
election of Ministers .and Kirk-session Officers,
began to bray, accompanied by the monks, the
Greek " Non Nobis.", When tbey had put
us all into the vapours, little Black-night-cap
told thera, seriously, that they bad not sung
it properly ; and his pipe, wbicb is as great an
oddity as himself, being lighted, he resumed tbe
strain in so ludicrously solemn a manner, with
his eyes shut, tjtking every now and tben a whiffy
that young and old were convulsed with laughter.
At 1;be conclusion, he proposed the Virgin as a
toast, and it was drank with great applause. The
friars looked at one another, and said nothing.
The little gentleman has a sister in the nun_

MYCONI. 331
nery, wbo is scarcely less extraordinary than him
self After dinner, the ladies of our party went
to pay her a visit, in order to arrange the pro^
ceedings for tbe election next morning, and I
accompanied them. I must now let you into a
secret. The Abbess is alwayschosenfromthepoorer
sisterhood, that she may not bave presumption
enougb to infringe the freedom of the superiors.
Sister Theophila is, in figure, tbe reverse of her
brother, being a tall manly-looking woman, a
very Hecat' in appearance ; and, as I have said,
a great humourist. On pur arrival at the con
vent, she informed us that there were strong
symptoms of a schism in the conclave. The nun
pitched upon by sister Theophila was declared,
by one party, to be a simpleton ; and they were
resolved to call to the vacant dignity another who
possessed more energy of mind, and who was
better suited to the exigencies of the times. But
tbe sister was resolute, and expressed her deter
mination to carry the business through with a
faigh hand. Tfais assurance was highly satisfac
tory, to the secular powers. To me it was de
lightful, and I became greatly interested in the
result. On returning to the monastery, we found

332 MYCONI.
the Bishop arrived, all things restored to a pro
per state of decorum, and the ordination of
the priest appointed to take place early in the
morning. I rose before day-light; but, not to trouble
you with small details, I hasten to the ceremony of
tbe ordination. At sun-rise, the priests being
prepared, the Bishop came to the church-door,
with a long black crape dangling from his cap ;
two large friars put a magnificently-embroidered
purple satin robe about his shoulders ; and ano
ther carried his train, in the same manner tbat the
train-bearers of the Chancellor and Judges allow
bad smells to escape. I bave never been able to
satisfy ray understanding with any other reason
for the holding up of a great raan's tail.
In this state he was Conducted to tbe throne;
and two novices, each holding a silver branch of
candles, raystically crossed, placed theraselves at
the foot of the steps, and said something in a
loud voice. Whereupon another priest, arrayed
in a scarlet robe, embroidered with spangles and
hieroglyphics, and bearing a copy of the Gos
pels, came from the sanctuary, and tfae Bishop
kissed the book. A chair was then placed in the

-r->- -r>->

MYCONI, 333
middle of the churcfa, to whicfa he descended.
The purple robe was taken from his shoulders,
and he was adorned witb more glorious raiment.
In tbe mean time all the spectators were employ
ed in singing, and tbe non nobisieWovf was particu
larly audible. When this part of the ceremony was
finished, the bishop (who is a short thick person-'
age, about four feet and a half high), alraost as
much stiffened witfa fais brocades as a knigbt in
armour, rose, and taking the two branches of
candles frora the novices, waved thera backwards
and forwards, uttering words that made all tbe
spectators cross themselves. The candles were
then restored to the assistants, and the fellow who
was to be empowered to cheat siraple sailors and
their families, bent before the bishop, who mak
ing the sign of the cross on his head, again sat
down in the chair, all the bystanders singing joy
ously. The song being finished, the Right Re
verend Father in God entered the sanctuary, and
mass was performed, after which two friars took
the newly-ordained priest by the hand, and led
him several times in a rapturous manner, his hair
flying about bis ears, in at one door of the sanctu
ary and out at the other, he each time kissiflg twp

334 MYCONI.
pictures, which I took tp be portraits of Christ and
the Virgin, and every now and tben kissing also
the altar. This exhibition being concluded, after
a hasty breakfast we proceeded to the convent.
On our arrival we found sister Theopfaila all
in a bustle, preparing, witfa the assistance of two
of her nieces, very pretty girls, lemonades and
sweetmeats to regale tfae bisfaop and tfae visitors.
Every otfaer moment sfae suspended faer labours
to tell us what an arduous task she was engaged
in witb the schismatics, who were resolved on ex
tremities. In the midst of ber discourse, notice
was given that the bishop was coming : she in
stantly went to receive him, and all the nuns
being summoned to attend, they were drawn up
in equal rows at eacb side of the portal, sister
Theophila standing majestically on the steps.
Tbe bishop was seen coming up the hill : before
him a priest carried the pastoral staff, and a gaily
dressed train of seculars followed. Among the
train I bappened to .observe several country lads
with tall sticks in the one hand, and large nose
gays in the other ; and I was just beginning to
pbilosophize on the generality of the taste of all
bumpkins for tall sticks aud large nosegays.

MYCONI. 335

i'J
when one of the nuns ran from the ranks, and
prostrated herself on the ground before tbe
bishop's borse. In less than the time of an amen,
sister Theophila also darting forward, seized the
nun by the arm, and giving her three most un
dignified tfaumps on tfae back, flung her off to a
distance. It was exceedingly provoking to the
sister to see all her arrangements thus destroyed.
Matters were however irretrievable — order was
gone — and the bishop was received in a tumul
tuous manner, And araidst prophane shouts of
laughter. The poor nun, it seeras, is a little
crazy, and the raarvellous splendour of the
bishop's appearance, had transported her to this
untiraely display of zeal.
The bishop, having alighted, walked to the
church. The nuns successively came forward,
and kneeling with their foreheads to the ground,
kissed his feet. The two contending parties then
presented their respective candidates. A dispute
ensued, which sister Theophila ended by seiz
ing her opponent's arm, and pulling ber frorri
the presence of the bishop, in raanifest vio
lation, however, of the freedom of election.
The bishop being in the- secret, immediately

3S6 MYCONI.
accepted the candidate chpsen by our party, and
entered the church to conseci-ate her. But wfaen
sumraoned to appear she was not forthcoming.
Dreading a turbulent reign, she shrank from the
offered dignity. But our leader was not a person
to be trifled witb. Bouncing from her stall, she
grasped ber protegee by the hand, and compelled
ber to receive tbe benediction. The nuns . then,
one by one, knelt before the new abbess, and prof
fered tbeir obedience and allegiance. Tbe leader
of tbe opposition being still somewhat refractory,
instead of kneeling, began to reraonstrate some
thing like a protest against tbe proceedings, but
whicb sister Theophila, witb ber characteristic
promptitude and decision, cut short, by giving
her a push on the back of the neck, tbat laid her
reverentially at the feet of the abbess. In less
tban half an hour after the consecration, order
was restored to the sisterhood ; we enjoyed the
leraonade and sweetraeats in tranquillity ; the
nuns resumed their knitting, and I have since
heard that the schism is now entirely healed.
Yours, &c,

.^37

LETTER XLIIL

Myconi, June 1.
1 HE Greek literary genius is certainly not so
mucb degenerated as we are taught >to believe.
I have seen here a translation of Goldsmith's His
tory of Greece, a System of Philosopfay, translated
from the French, and several poetical publica
tions, of which a Candiot pastoral is so much ad
mired, tfaat like tfae Gentle Sfaepherd in Scotland, i
it is in the hands of the comraon people. The
number of original Romaic works, particularly in
poetry, publisbed at Vienna and in Italy, is, I am
told, very considerable. Constantine Mano, who
resides in Walachia, is said by tbe Greeks, witb
their characteristic hyperboles, to rival Horaer in
spirit and genius. He bas however composed
hexameters, on heroic subjects, witb great splen
dour of fancy and energy of expression. The
odes of Corae are well known. There is in this
island a poor old man, a schoolmaster, who has a
z

338 myconi.
considerable stock bf verses on band, for which
he would be glad to find a purchaser. Many of
them arfe laid to be delightfully composed, but
they are likely to be lost for ever. I cannot
imagine a jnore interesting sight tban sucb a cha-
rabter as this, possessed of undoubted talent, and
conscious of his powers, but sensible that he raust
sink into the "grave unpitied and unknown. Were
I to stay here, I would endeavour to give bim a
chance of obtaining the fame for whicfa he lan
guishes wit'nout hope, by setting on foot a sub-a
scription for printing soraeof fais- odes.
The two antient nations whicfa faave affected to
the greatest extent the condition of mankind in
Europe, are tbe Greeks and tbe Jews: the for
mer by their literature, and the latter by their re
ligion, but thfe sentiments of the former faave
ever been at variance witb those of the latter.
The religion of the Jews, as perfected in Christi
anity, teaches only peace and good-will to man,
and countenances no opinion of a vindictive ten
dency, but claims the practiee of manners and duties
that will promote the repose and felicity of the
world. The literature of the Greeks exalts into
virtues those qualities which are calculated to

myconi. 339
make war admirable for its own sake, and praises
tbose exploits, which, undertaken for private
motives, are justly held to be great crimes. Do
you think if a poem of equal genius to the Iliad
had been composed in its place, and had been
as derogatory to the military character as the
master-piece of mankind is the reverse, that
martial glory would, at this time, have been
held in so much esteem? I tbink not. It was
a happy tbought of Milton to represent tbe hea
then deities as so many devils, who opposed by
practical influence tbe will and pleasure of Heaven.
If tbere can bea new epic poem composed, which
shall have charms enough to counteract the spirit
of the Iliad, the theme must be soraething else
than war. Yours, &c.

z 2

340

LETTER XLIV.

Myconi, June 5.
I AVAIL myself of the opportunity of a ves
sel about to sail for Malta, to send you my jour
nal. - By way of conclusion, I may as well give
you sorae account of tbe general impression left.
on my raind of the state of tbe countries, and tbe
condition of the people, that I have happened to
visit. Albania and the Morea differ frora barbarous
countries only in this, that civilization in them
appears to have gone past. In the wild regions of
America, if travellers discover symptoms of change,
they are tfaose of improvement; and if society be
found tfaere more savage tfaan in any part of Europe,
it is still but in a stage which tfae most refined
people has passed through. The reverse is tfae
case witfa those two provinces. Ruins every
where appear as the monuraents of a prosperity
and a refinement now no more, and society has

myconi. 341
mournfully reahzed the fable of Sisyphus. Still,
however, I think that the stone, if not again in
motion upward, bas rested from its descent. Both
in Albania and in the Morea succeeding travellers
may be gratified witb the visible effects of the
security that has been introduced by the family of
Ali Pashaw, although it has been accompanied
with circumstances of incredible severity.
From tbe Isthmus of Corinth, and tfaroughout
the territory of Atfaens, the comparison does not
apply with the same force; nor, thougb the
country is greatly changed frora its former splen
dour, does it inspire the same cast of reflexions.
Attica, as a rural province, may still be visited witb
comparative pleasure.
Of Asia I have as yet seen so little, that it would
be presumption in rne to draw any general con
clusions, the more especially as I feel myself at
present rather inclined to differ from others who
faave faad better opportunities of forming a fuller
opinion. Tbe islands are certainly in every re
spect superior to tbose witbin tfae European line,
and it is among tfaem only tfaat the Greeks are
seen to advantage. They enjoy all their antient
Uberty, and it is more owing to the negligence of

342 BIYCONl.
other countries, than to tfae conduct of tfae Turks,
that they do not also possess raore tban all their
antient wealth.
Tfaougfa the Turks are the masters of Greece,
yet, as they bear but a sraall proportion fo the
whole population, my attention was comparatively
little directed towards them, Europe is not the
proper country of that people. In tbeir senti
ments, conduct, aud character, they have little in
common with the other inhabitants. The Turk
in Asia is very different from what he is in
Europe, In Europe, be appears a stranger, nay
more, a soldier on duty, jealous of stratagems, and
fully under the pride-inspiring influence of the
authority vvith which be is invested. In Asia he
is more tame. He feels hiraself at home. He
is there industrious and patient ; and tfaougfa tfae
arrogance and rcjserve of fais nature are still un-
festrained, he possesses many respectable qualities.
He not only regards bis own house as his castle,
but that ofhis neighbour as a sanctuary into which
•he ought never, uninvited, to intrude. The con
tempt in which he holds the Christians, is less
owing to the bigotry inculcated by the Mahome
dan faith, than to the absurdities of worship into

myconi. 343
which the Christians themselves have fallen in
the countries subject to his controul. I have no
hesitation in saying that the Mahomedan religion
is greatly more rational and subhme, than that
wfaicfa, in Turkey, is misnamed Christianity.
That the spirit of ambition and usurpation
which forraerly distinguished the Rornan Ca
tbolic Church, has been less reraark;able in the
Greek priesthood, is much more owing to the
latter having been always under the civil pbwer,
than to any greater, adraixture of reason and mo
deration in their system. Accordingly, thegreat
revolution which characterises the present age,
seeras to be taking effect in Turkey, as well as in
Christendom. Bigotry is universally relaxed.
The ecclesiastics are generally considered as too
numerous, and their pretensions are reprobated
as inconsistent witb tfae principles vvhich they
profess to teach. Many of their artifices are
openly ridiculed ; but tbe best proof tbat can be
adduced of the radical nature of the alteration
whicb is in progress, is the diminution of their
excessive anogance; Some years ago, a native of
this island, who had resided some time in
France, returned imbued with no small portion

344 myconi.
of the philosophy of Paris. His conversation
shook the faith of several young men of the
island, and a report of his conduct, together with
the names of his companions, was transmitted
to the Patriarch of Constantinople, who imme
diately issued a fulminating excommunication
against the party, describing them, witfaout men
tioning names, in terms tfaat could not be mis
understood. The apostle of infidelity went to
Constantinople, entered the conclave, and being
under the protection of the Frencfa minister, de
manded the recal of the excommunication, tfareat-
ening that, if fais demand was not immediately
complied with, be would bring tbe whole question
of the pretensions of the clergy in sucb a way be
fore the public, that it must be openly discussed.
The resolute character of tbe raan was well
known — tbe confiscation of the church property
in France had just taken place — ^the Patriarch
was intimidated, and tbe excommunication was
revoked.. The character of tbe Greek bas in it a great
deal of a species of national vanity that exceed
ingly resembles faraily pride. This peculiarity, like
the quality to which I have corapared it, fre-

MYCONI, 345
quently leads to the expression of opinions that
do not correspond to the ordinary sagacity and
ability of those who are under its influence. T he
Greeks are almost as ignorant of the west of Europe
as we are of them, and their notions of the magni
ficence of the Ottoman state and institutions are
absolutely ridiculous. Respecting their ances
tors, tbeir ideas are almost as absurdly inflated as
those of an Oxford or a Cambridge tutor. This
national vanity renders a true Greek the most in-
suflferable animal in tbe world, and I take great
pleasure in pulling him dpwn : I remind hiin of
tbe subjugation of the Greeks by tbe Roraans, and
of tbeir degraded situation under the Turks, both
of which facts I aver are positive proofs that vvith
all their pretensions to superiority, they are really
an inferior race. To be thought inferior to the
Turks, what Greek can endure? Beyond this
point the argument never proceeds.
Tfaere is no phrase more hacknied than Turkish
oppression. I vvill not be so paradoxical as to
attempt to reason against an opinion so univer
sal; but it is a tyranny more individual thaa
systematic. To me it seems to arise entirely
from tbe want of general national laws ; for the

346 MYCONI.
Greeks in Turkey possess greater privileges than
the Catholics and Dissenters enjoy in England.
They are admitted to tbe coramand of armies, the
rule of provinces, and to the Councils of the Sove
reign ; they also enjoy the free exercise of their
Religion ; and instances are numerous, of their pro
motion to the dignity of princes. It is the want
of security: — the want of protection from private
malice, which constitutes tbe great defect of the
Ottoman Government. Toa much is trusted to
individuals, who in consequence of the prorapti
tude with whicb punishments may be inflicted, are
often enabled to gratiiy their bad passions witb
impunity. The severity of punishment, however,
is not perhaps so great as it is generally supposed
to be. The annual number of executions in Con
stantinople, is probably much less than the number
of condemnations in London; and we should judge
of tfae severity of tfae law by tfae condemnations.
In England, tfae faumanity of tfae nation has long
since shrunk frora tfae full execution of the sen
tences pronounced in the courts of justice. Tfae
royal mercy is obliged to restrain to sucfa a de
gree tfae sanguinary spirit of the laws, that the
salutary certainty of punishment is almost de-

MYCONI. 347
stroyed. Yet, because individuals have less dis
cretionary power in England than in any other
country, a degree of security is severally enjoyed,
owing to the supremacy of the law, whicb makes
the people the happiest and tbe most independent,
singly and collectively, that is at present to be
found in the whole world. Yours, &c.

349

APPENDIX.

In reference to the allusion made at page 160, relative
to the services of the Scots inFrance, I feel gratified in being
enabled to publish a pleasing Chrono-genealogical Sketch
of the Scotish Guard of the French King, now the British
Regiment of Royal Scots, No apology is requisite for giving
a Paper, which at once corroborates the statement in the
text, and is in itself interesting. It was compiled by my
friend Mr. Hamilton, at the request of his Royal Highness
the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Colonel of the Regiment,
who, as well as his brother the Duke of Sussex, is to a very
uncommon degree, with respect to the antient Kingdom of
Scptiand, careful of every thing tending to preserve,, heighten,
and perpetuate, those public afiections, which, although it haa
become fashionable to decry them as prejudices, are still the
sources that contribute to elevate and sustain the dignity o^
nations.

350
A HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE
ROYAL SCOTS.

BY JAMES HAMILTON, Ese.

Breathes there a man, with soul so dead.
Who never to himself hath said.
This is my own, my native land ! ¦
Whose heart hath ne'er wifhin him burn'd.
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd
From wandering on a foreign strand !
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell.
High though his titles, proud his name.
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim ;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf.
The wretch, concentred all in self.
Living sball forfeit fair renown.
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung.
Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung.
O Caledonia ! stern and wild.
Meet nurse for a poetic child !
Land of brown heath and shaggy wood.
Land of the mountain and the flood.
Land of my sires ! what mortal band
Can e'er untie the filial band.
That knits me to thy, rugged strand !

J. HE Royal Scots, or Royal Regiment of Foot, lays claim
to a hi^h degree of antiquity, and is believed to have been the
body-guard of the Scotish kings.

THE ROYAL SCOTS, 35 1
Although it is uncertain when such an institution was first
established in Scotland, there is no doubt, that it must have
existed at a very early period j because, by the feudal tenure,
as the tenants in capite were bound only to hold themselves in
readiness to serve the king in his wars, either at home, or
abroad, for a stated time, some species of regular force must
have been instituted for the protection of royalty, to garrison
national fortresses, and to enforce the due administration of
justice. It is ascertained, that in England, from the Conquest down
ward, stipendiary troops were hired byrthe kings, and em
ployed in castle-guards, -foreign garrisons, and protecting the
marches, or borders of the kingdom, adjoining Scotland and,
Wales. The first regular institution on record of a body'
guard, was that of the Serjeants at Arms, established in or
about 1190,- by Richard the first, Cceur de Lion, in imitation
ofa corps of the samename formed by Philip Augustus king
of France, Their duty originally was, to watch round the king's
tent in complete armour, with a mace, a bow, arrows, and a
sword. They were all persons of approved worth, and not
under the degree of son of a knight.
In Scotland, the military establishments of France and
England would soon be imitated ; and it may perhaps be con
jectured with some degree of propriety, that the body guard
of the Scotish kings was fonned by king William the Lion, a
contemporary of Richard and Philip Augustus, and who,
from the want of some such institution, had been surprised by
a few Englbh horsemen, and taken prisoner at the siege of
Alnwick Castle, in the year- 1273.
In 1420, John Stewart Earl of Buchan, sepond son of Ro
bert Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, during the capti
vity of his nephew King James the first, was sent to France
at the head of 7,000 Scotish auxiliaries, to support the for
tunes of that kingdom, then reduced to the lowest ebb by the
valorous exploits of Henry V, of England. The Earl of

352 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
Buchan was accompanied by several chieftains of the first
femilies in Scotland, and amongst others by
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Wigton, eldest son of Archibald
fourth Earl of Douglas, chief of that heroic name. He dis
tinguished himself at the battle of Baug^ 1421, and had the
County of Longueville confeired on him by King Charles.
He returned to Scotland in 1423, to solicit the aid of bis
father, whom he was unable from indisposition to accompany
to France in 1424. On the death of his father that year, he
became Earl of Douglas, and Dukc of Touraine. On the
death of King James the first, 1437, he was elected oneof
the Council of Regency, and the following year held the
high office of Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom. He (Ued
1439, and was. buried at Douglas, where is a monument thus
inscribed : " Hie jacet Archibaldus Douglas, Dux Tourenise,
Comes de Douglas, et de LongOville, Dominus Gallovidiae,
Wigtoniae, et Annandiae, Locum tenens Regis Scotiae, obiit
26 Junii 1439."
Sir John Stewart of Darnley, from whom the present Royal
Family of Great Britain is descended, through the Princess
Elizabeth, daughter ofjames VI. After the battle of Ver
neuil he succeeded to the command of the Scotish troops in
France. Sir William Stewart of Jedworth, brother of Sir John of
Darnley, fell with him at the siege of Orleans. From him the
present Earl of GaUoway, the Stewarts of Castlemilk, Tor-
jence, &c, are descended.
Sir William de Hamilton, grandson of Sir David de Hamil
ton of Cadzow, chief of the name. Sir William was uterine
brother of the two Stewaits, and fell gloriously at the battle
of Crevan 1423,
Sir Hugh Kennedy, third son of Sir Gilbert, chief of the
name, ancestor ofthe Earl of Cassillis, distinguished himself at
the battle of Baug^, for which King Chailes honoured him

THE ROYAL SCOtS. 353
with his armorial bearing. Azure, three fleurs de lis. Or, Which
he and his successoi-s have mai-shalled in the first and fourth
quarters. From him are descended the Kennedys of Bargeny,
Kirkhill, and Binning,
Sir Alexander de Forbes, created Lord Forbes in 1442, an
cestor of the present Lord Forbes.
Sir Henry Cunningham, third son of Sir William Cunmng-
ham of Kihnaurs, ancestor of the Earl of Glencairn,
Sir William de Seton of Seton, chief of the antient and
honourable feimily of Seton, and ancestor of the Earl of Win
ton, attainted in 1715 ; in whom terminated one of the
principal houses in Britain, after subsisting for upwards of
600 yeai's in EasI Lothian. Seton of Garleton is the present
representative of the lamily. Sir William de Seton was killed
at the battle of Verneuil 1424.
Sir Alexander de Seton, Lord Gordon, uncle of Sir William
de Seton. He married the heiress of Gordon, and became in
her right Lord Gordon,- and from him are descended in the
male line, the Duke of Gordon, Earl of Aboyne, and several
cadets of the name of Seton and Gordon,
Sir Alexander Home of Dunglas, ancestor of the present
Eaii of Home. He lost bis life at the battle of Verneuil
1424, Sir John de Carmichael, ancestor of the present Earl of
Hyndford. He eminently signalized his valour at the battle of
Bauge, and in the action broke his spear, in reraembrance of
which, his successors bear for crest, a dexter hand and arm
armed, holding a broken spear.
Sir William Douglas, ancestor of the present Marquis of
Queensberry^ Sir John Swinton of Swintouj ancestor ofthe present Swin
ton. This femily is known to have possessed their lands in
Berwickshire from the time of Malcohn Canmore,
Sir John at the battle of Baug6 wounded the Duke of Cla
rence in the face with his lance, and to that achievement of
Swinton, Scot, our national bard, alludes in his Lay of the
A A

354 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
Last Minstrel, when in enumerating the border chieftains
hastening to Branksome's aid, he says,
" And Swinton laid the lance in rest.
That tam'd of yore the sparkling crest
Of Clarence's Plantagenet,"
The first important action in which the Scots were en
gaged, was the battle of Baug6, in Anjou, on the 32d
March 1421, in which the English, under the command of-the
Duke of Clarence, brother of Henry V, were completely
routed with great slaughter. The Dauphin had appointed
the Scots, led by the Earls of Buchan and Wigton, and Stew
art of Darnley, to defend the Province of Anjou, against the
Duke of Clarence, whom his brother Henry had detached for
its reduction. On the 22d March 1421, the English when
-foraging took four Scots, and brought them to Clarence, who
thus learned that the Scottish army and a few French lay
at Bauge. The Duke instantly sprang from tafile, exclaiming,
"They are our's !" and after a, quick march he came to
Baug4 where a few French defended the church, and gained
time for Buchan to arrange his troops. The English aware
ofthis left the church untaken, and advanced; but to a com
plete defeat, Clarence, distinguished by a coronet of gold
and jewels upon his helmet, was amongst the first who fell,
having been grievously .wounded in the foce with a lance by
Sir John 'Swinton : he was slain by Buchan himself with a
battle axe. The Earl of Kent, the Lords Grey and Roos, and
above fourteen hundred men at, arms were killed j the Earls
of Huntingdon and Somerset, and many others of note were
taken prisoners.
The brave Earl of Buchan,. whose valour had so signally
contributed to gain the victory, was rewarded with the high
distinction of Constable of France ; and to some of the other
leaders, grants of lands were made, and on others were be
stowed honourable augmentations to their armorial bearings.
In the following year, the Scotish gens d'arraes were
Inrmed, and their creation bore date ever afterwards from the

THE ROYAL SCOtS. 355
>^ear 1422. In the history of France they are distinguished
sometimes by the name of Les Gens d'Armes Ecossok, some
times by that of La Garde Ecossoise, and at others by
that of Royal Ecossois. The command was genei-ally con
ferred on some Scotish nobleman, or gentleman of high des
cent, and until the beginning of the last century, the soldiers
were almost all Scots.
The Scotish gens d'armes continued, until the end of the
French monarchy, to rank as the eldest military body in
France ; and from the tradition universally received both in
that kingdom and in Scotland, there is no doubt that the
Scotish guards were part of the troops sent under the Earl of
Buchan to the assistance of King Charles, and that the gens
d'armes established by that monarch, were partly formed from
them. The Royal Guard is mentioned in the reigns of Jarnes
II. and III. an^in sucha way as shews, that it was not then
an institution of a recent date.
The Royal .Scots, or Royal Regiment of Foot, being a regU'-
lar continuation of the Gendarmerie Ecossoise, or Royal Ecos=-
sois, is most certainly the oldest military body in existence,
either in this or in any other country in Europe,
In 1422, the Constable Buchan took Avranches in Nor
mandy, and in the following year, he and the Earl of Wigton
returned to Scotland to procure reinforceraents.
In 1423, was fought the battle of Crevan, in which the Scots
under the command of Stewart of Darnley were defeated.
King Charles intended that the Scots should proceed to
Champagne, and defend that country against the Earl of
Salisbury; but Darnley laid siege to Crevan, and sent for
cannan, which were refused, as he had neglected his orders.
Salisbury advanced to raise the siege, and an action ensued,
in which Damley was taken prisoner, and Sir William de
Hamilton, SirWilliam Craufurd, and about nine hundred men
were left on the field. Damley was soon after exchanged, for
the Marshal of Burgundy.
In 1424, Archibald Earl of Douglas, Father ofthe Earl of

356 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
Wigton, arrived from Scotland, with his son-in-lavv, the Earl
of Buchan, the Constable, accompanied by considerable re-in-
forcements. The Earl of Douglas shortly after his arrival, on
the 19th April, had a grant of the Duchy of Touraine, and
was appointed Lieutenant-General of the French forces, for
which he did homage the same day at Bourges.
On the 17th August 1424, was fought the memorable
battle of Verneuil in Normandy.- Douglas, now Duke of
Touraine, advanced to raise the siege of Iviy, undertaken by
the English, under the command of the Duke of Bedford.
But the French king learning that a battle must be
risqued before the place was relieved, assembled all his troops,
and leaving Tours, with Buchan the Constable, he met
his barons at Chateaudun, and advanced to VeFneuil, The
battalions were soon ranged upon either side', and Douglas
resolved not fo lose an advantageous positioivbut to wait the^
English : the Vicomte de Narbofine, the French General, un-,
happily thought otherwise, and proceeded with the national
rashness which had decided the battles of Cressy, Poictiers,
and Agincourt. Douglas was forced to foUow the example ;
and the army lost breath, rank, aud station, while the enemy
retained all.
The French sent tvvo thousand to attack the rear of th-e
foe ; but they were defeated by the English archers, and a
general rout ensued. The Duke of Touraine, and his son-in-
law Buchan, Constable of France, and many Scotsmen of note
were slain ; and of the French the Vicomte de Narbonne, the
Count d' Aumale, and many other nobles ; of ccmmon P'rench
and Scots fell about four thousand five hundred. Douglas
was honourably interred in the Church of St. Gratian in
Tours, the capital of his Duehy.
On the death of Douglas and Buchan, the command of
the Scots devolved on Darnley, who in various encounters
with the English gloriously signaUzed himself, aad kept up
the almost desperate fortunes of France until the appearance
of the Maid of Orleans. Charles King of France, in gratitude
to Darnley for his many heroic exertions in his cause, made

TIIE RGV.iL SCOTS. 357
him a grant of the lands of Aubigny and Conoessault, and
in Januaiy U26, of the county of Evreux, in the Duchy of
Normandy, and permitted hitn and his descendants to quarter
the arms of Fiance with his own. In 1429, he went with
the troops under his command to the assistance of the French
forcesi which at that time defended the town of Orleans
against the English. In an engagement near that place,
12th February 1429, Sir William Stewart his brother, having
fallen iuto the hands of the English, Darnley extricated him,
and although wounded, made a most gallant ahd persevering
resistance, till at length, surrounded by the enemy, and co
vered with wounds, he sunk to the ground. His brother,
who had retired from the battle, observing what had passed,
flew to his assistance, and was also slain. They were buried
in the Cathedral Church of Orleans.
The heroic Darnley was succeeded in the command of the
Scotish Guards by his third son, John Stuart, Lord of Au
bigny, Knight ofthe Order of St. Michael, who died in 1482,
and the command then devolved on his son, Bernard Stuart,
a renowned warrior. Viceroy of Naples, Constable of Sicily
and Jerusalem, Duke of Ten-a Nova, Marquis of Girace and
Squillazzo, Count of Beaumont, D'Arcy, and Venassac, Lord
of Aubignv, and Governor of Melun. He was sent Ambas
sador from Charles VIII. of France to Scotland, in 1484, for
renewing the ancient League between the two Countries ;
was sent next year with auxiliaries from France to England,
to the assistance of Henry Earl of Richmond, and had a share
in the victory of Booworth, 22d August 1485, which placed
Henry on the throne. In 1495 he commanded the French
army in Italy, which gained a signal victory over King Fer
dinand, and the Spanish general Gonsalvo de Cordova, dis
tinguished by the name of the Great Captain. He was sejit
ambassador from Louis XII. to Scotland 1504 ; and again in
1508. He died in the month of June that year at the house
of Forrester of CostorphiRe, and was buried in the Church of
Blackfriars at Edinburgh. On his death. King James IV.

358 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
wrote to Anne, queen of France, stating, that Robert Stuart,
second son of John first Eari of Lennox, was the nearest rela
tion of Bernard in France, and requesting that his offices and
dignities might be transferred to him.
Robert Stuart did homage to the Kmg of France for the
Lordship of Aubigny 21st August 1508, and was appomted
Captain or Commandant of the Scotish Guards. The histo
rians of France and Italy have recorded his gallant actions,
and his successful enterprizes. He attained the highest mili
tary honours and rank in France, having been created one of
the Mar^chals by King Francis the First, 1515, and at that
time there were but four Mar^chals in that kingdom. He
was ambassador to Scotland in 1521, and received from Fran-
"cis I. 15th June 1527, a grant of various lands in Norraandy.
He di«d 1543. David and Robert Anstruther, sons of Anstru
ther of that ilk, were officers in the Scotish Guards under
Robert Stuart.
In 1555, James Hamilton, eldest son ofjames Duke of Cha
telherault, visited the Court of France, and was appointed
Commandant of the Scotish Guards, he bearing at that time
the title of Earl of Arran, Having imbibed the reformed
doctrines, the princes of Lorrain resolved to select, for a sa
crifice, some person whose fall might convince aU ranks, that
neither splendour of birth, nor eminence in station, could ex
empt froin punishment those who should be guilty of this
unpardonable transgression. The Earl of Arran was the
person fixed on to be the victim. As he was allied to one
throne,' and the presumptive heir to another ; as he possessed
the first rank in his own country, and enjoyed an honourable
station in France, his condemnation could not foil of making
the desired impression on the whole kingdom. But the Cardir
nal of Lorrain having let fell some expressions which raised
Arran's suspicions of the design, he escaped the blow by a
timely flight from France 1559, and returned to Scotland^ ani
mated with apt implacable aversion towards the French. -
In 1560, John Stuart Lord of Aubigny, thiid son of John

THE ROYAL SCOTS. 359
third Earl ot Lennox, was appointed Commandant of the
Scotish Guards. On the 14th July that year, he did homage
for the lands of Aubigny.
John Stuait was succeeded by his son Esme Stuart, who
came to Scotland in 1579, and on the 5th August 1581, he
was by James VI. created Duke of Lennox and Earl of Derne-
ley. He died at Paris 26tli May, 1583.
John Duke of Lenno.x vras succeeded in the command of
the Royal Ecossois by his second.son Lord Esme Stuart, who
constantly and faithfully foUowed the fortunes of Henry IV.
of France, and did homage for the Seigneurie of Aubigny 8th
April 1600. He came to Scotland 1601 ; was created Earl of
March in England, 1617 ; and succeeded his brother as Duke
of Lennox 1624, but which dignity he enjoyed for a few
months only, dying the same year, .
In 1625, Charles 1. married Henrietta Maria, the youngest'
daughter of Henry IV. of France ; and, in 1633, his Majesty
was crowned at Edinburgh. In that year, and most pro
bably on that occasion, a division of the Scotish Guard, or
Royal Ecossois, landed From France ; and from that period
the Royal Scots, or Royal Regiment of Foot, bears date on
the British Establishment. The Colonel, at that time, was
Sir Robert Hepburn, better known in France by the appel
lation of Chevalier Hebron,
1, Sir Robert Hepburn was descended from the Hepburns
of Bothwell, an antient and distinguished family in Scotland,
and which for many centuries had extensive possessions in
the County of East Lothian, where several branches of the
name at present exist.
The father of Sir Robert Hepburn was proprietor of the
lands of Athelstaneford, General Lesly, afterwards Earl of
Leven, passed a few days at Athelstaneford, on his -way to
embark with some troops, to join Gtistavus Adolphus, King
of Sweden, then at the head of the Protestant league in Ger
many against the Emperor Ferdinand II. Struck with the
appearance of youug Hepburn, for he was taU and handsome.

360 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OP
Lesly spoke to him in a manner that roused the spirit of the
young Hero, and he immediately joined the party. He soon
distinguished himself by his military talents, and rose to the
rank of colonel in the Scots Brigade. In that command he
performed many important services, and often received praise
from .Gustavus, for his gallant conduct.
On his return to Scotland he was knighted by James the
Sixth, and appointed Captain of his Life Guards. He shortly
afterwards went into the service of France, and had the com
mand of the Scotish Guards conferred upon him. He rose
to high rank in the French army, and was beloved by Louis
the Thirteenth. It would appear, that Sir Robert did not
remain long in Britain, as he was killed in Flanders in 1636.
By order pf King Loiys, a magnificent monument was erected
to his memory in the Cathedral at Toul,
•2. Lord James Douglas, second son of WiUiam first Mar
quis of Douglas, succeedied Hepburn in the command of the
Royal Scots. He signalized himself under the banners of the
French King ; and particularly at the siege of Douay, where
he lost his life 21 Oct, 1655. His death intercepted the gift
pf a Marechal's Baton, intended for him the same day. A
monument was erected to his memory in the church of Saint
Crermain c|e Prez, at Paris, on which is the following inscrip
tion, viz,
DO. M.
Hue pariter oculos, animumque, viator, ab avo ill"" D. Gu
lielmo Douglassio Comite octavo supra decimum, ad ejus
Nepotem D. Jacobum Douglassium (ex"' Domini Gulielmi
Marchionis Douglassu, adhuc superstitis, ex Margareta Ha-
miltonia, Comitis Abercornii sorore, jam fato fhncta, filium).
Quo ille praeivit, hie sequutus est, non tam corpore ad tumu-i
lum, quam mente , ad ' coelum, ac passibus quidem aequis, si
non aetatis, certe virtutis. Paternse avitaeque ut nobiUtatis
haires, sic religionis, sic bellicse fprtitudinis, sic exaggetatse
animi magpitudinis. In quem propagatus per tot aetates

THE ROYAL SCOTS. 3CI
illustrissimae familiae splendor sese profuderat, Ille subit6
proprii fulgoris accensione, sic in immensum excrevit, ut
praecipiti cui-su ab ortu actus sit in occasum, jam actiter per-
stringebat oculos intuentium altitudo tanti fulgoris etgloriae ;
jam tota latissime Scotia, Gallia, Flandria, Italia, German-
nia spargebatur, jam militiae laude, et castrorum metatoris
munere clarissimus, pietate tamen clarior,' ac Christianarum
virtutum monumentis, cum aestu nimio abreptus in astra,
unde primum emicuerat, evolavit,
Occidit prope Dnacum XXl Octobris MDCLV, stat. 38,
FiUo amantissimo
GuUelmus Marchio Douglassius ;
Fratrique optimo, dUectissimoque
Archibaldus Douglassius Anguriae Comes vigesimus ;
Moesti P. P.
" Douglassium nova spes, patriae lux, regibus orte,
Gallo-Scotigenum dux, lacobe jaccs.
Dum longa innumeros languentes pace triumphos
Majorum recolis, dignaque Marte geris;
Armaque dum proavAm redivivo e funere tractas,
Heu cadis in media tJiva propago via.
Scilicet haud poterat Mars exsuperare tuorum,
Scandere nee te vult inclyta facta patrum."
The monument of Lord James Douglas was erected near
to that of his grandfather WUliam, Earl of Angus, who died
in France in 1611, and was buried in the church of St, Ger
main de Prez.
3, Lord George Douglas succeeded his brother in the com
mand of the Royal Scots, He was, in his younger years.
Page of Honour to Louis XIV. King of France, and was
present at most of the battles and sieges betwixt the French
and the Confederates, acquired great honour by his valour,
and attained the rank of Lieutenant General.
In 1661, the Royal Scots being in garrison at Avenues,
had orders to pass over to Britain. It consisted, at that

S62 *AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
time, of eight companies, Iu the foUowing year it was sent
back to France by Charles II. as part of his auxiliary force to
be furnished to the French Monarch, and was then augmented
to thirty-three companies, consisting of at least one hundred
men each. The regiment returned to Britain about 1678.
On the 9th March 1675, Lord George Douglas ivas created
Earl of Dunbarton; and, upon the accession of James VII,
was constituted Commander in Chief of the Forces in Scot
land. On the revival of the Order of the Thistle, 1687, he
was elected one of the Knights Companions thereof. At the
Revolution, the Earl of Dunbartou foUowed the fortunes of
King James, and died at St. Germain's 1692.
There was, besides the Royal Scots, another Scotish regi
ment in France, commanded by a Colonel Rutherford, which
also ranked as guards. They went over from Scotland in
1643, and were at the battle of Lens in 1648. On the 26th
March 1670 an ordinance was issued, by which this regiment
took rank of the King's regiment. No. 12. When King
Charles was restored, he had appointed Colonel Rutherford
Governor of Dunkirk, who quitted the French service with
out paying the proper compliments to the King of France,
by whom he had been loved and trusted. In the sequel, hia
regiment was reduced, and the subalterns, and such soldiers
as chose, were incorporated in the Royal Scots. In all pro
bability, this circumstance gave rise, to the Regiment of
Picardy having, on one occasion, disputed antiquity with the
Royal Scots. The Regiment of Picardy did not exist untU
1562, or 140 years after the formation ofthe Royal Scots in
France. When the Earl of Dunbarton followed King James to
France, in 1689, he was accompanied by a great number of
his officers, and many of the soldiers imitated the example of
their officers.
An old tune, stUl in existence, called " Dunbarton's Drums
beat bonny O," is believed to have been a march of the
Royal Scots.

THE ROYAL SCOTS. 363
4. The Duke of Schomberg was, shortly after King Wil-
Uam's accession, appointed Colonel of the Royal Scots. He
was killed at the battle of the Boyne, and was succeeded in
the command of the regiment by
5. Sir Robert Douglas, of Glenbervie, second cousin of
the Earl of Dunbarton. At the battle of Steinkirk, 1692,
the standard of the regiment being taken. Sir Robert jumped
over a hedge iuto the vaidit of the enemy, seized it from the
officer in whose charge it was, threw it back to his own men,
and fell, pierced with many wounds.
6, Lord George Hamilton, son of WiUiam Duke of Ha
milton, and nephew of the Earl of Dunbarton, was ap
pointed, on the Ist ,\ugust 1692, Colonel of the Royal Scots.
He distinguished himself at the battles of the Boyne, Aghrim,
Steinkirk,- Landen, Oudenarde, Ramilies, and Mons ; and
at the sieges of Athlone, Limerick, and Namur. At the
attack of the latter he was made a Brigadier-general by King
WUliam, and gradually rose to the rank of Field Marshal.
On January 3d, 1696, he was created Earl of Orkney; on
4th February, 1704, was invested with the Order of the
Thistle ; and, on the removal of the Duke of Argyle, was
appointed Governor of the Castle of Edinburgh by Queen
Anne, in which he was continued by king George 1. He was
Ukewise constituted Governor of Virginia 21 December 1714;
was chosen one of the sixteen Representatives of the Scotish
Peerage in 1708 ; and re-ehoseii at every general election,
1710, 1713, 1715, 1722, 1727, and 1734, to his death,
which happened in Albemarle-street, in London, on the 29th
January 1737, in his 71st year, being then Field Marshal of
the Forces, Governor of the Province of Virginia and of the
Castle of Edinburgh, Colonel of the Royal Scots Regiment
of Foot, Knight, of the Thistle, and Lord Lieutenant of La
narkshire. He was buried at Taplow, near his fine seat of
Cliefden ; a seat adorned with tapestry, representing the vic
tories of the Duke of Marlborough, in which he had himself

364 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
so great a share. It was unfortunately reduced to ashes, by
an accidental fire, in May, 1795.
7. The Honourable James St. Glair, son of Henry Lord Sin
clair, was appointed Colonel of the Royal Scots 17 June 1737.
He was Quarter-master General of the British Forces in
Flanders, 1745. In 1746, he was constituted Commander in
Chief of a considerable body of land-forces, embarked on
board transports at Spithead, where a large squadron of ships
of war had assembled to' escort them to Quebec, to attack
the French King in his Canadian dominions. The General
spared no pains tp obtain all necessary information relative to
the countiy, and to the service he was going on. After
various delays, the Ministry came to the resolution of em
ploying them in a descent on the coast of Brittany, in hopes
of thereby obliging the French to draw off part of their
troops from Flanders, where their army was superior to that
of the Allies. The suddenness of this resolution was matter
of great surprise to the General, who had not so much as a
map of the country, or a plan of any of the towns on the
coast. On applying for them to the Duke of Newcastle,
Secretary of State, his Grace, with his usual confusion, sent
him, by express, a map of Gascony, instead of a chart of
Brittany. Admiral Lestocq commanded the fleet : they sailed
from St, Helen's 5th August, 1746 ; but, owing to contrary
winds, did not leave Plymouth Sound until I4th September.
General St. Clair had under him Brigadier-generals O'Farrel,
Graham, and Richbell ; the first battaUon of his own re
giment, the Jloyal Scots ; the I5th, 28th, 30th, 39th,
and 42d regiments of foot; and 200 artillerymen. They
made a masterly landing, in face of the Enemy, near Port
L'Orient, 2pth September ; and, after some skirmishing,
proceeded to that town, erecting batteries against it, from
whence Deputies vvere sent, 23d September, to ti-eat about
the surrender of the place. Deceived by the report of his
engineers, who engaged to make a proper breach, or to lay
the town in ashes in twenty-four hours, the General thou^t

tH£ RoVaL SCOTS. 305
himself obliged to reject the terms, as too favourable to the
Enemy. The bad state of his artUlery, and insufficiency of
ammunition, laid him under the necessity of calling a Coun
cil of War, in vvhich it was unanimously agreed to raise the
siege, spike the guns, drag back "the taortars, and re-embark
the army, which vvas effected 28th September, the General
being among the last to quit the ground. The troops then
proceeded to Quiberon Bay, where they landed, 4th October ;
and the General, at the head of the Royal Scots and 42d,
took possession of a fort, in which there were eighteen guns.
All the forts and guns on the peninsula of Quiberon, and
Isles of Houat, were destroyed, and the troops re-embarked,
17th October, and returned to England. This Expedition,
in a great measure, answered the purpose of its destination ;
for an order was dispatched from Paris, to Marshal Saxe, to
send a considerable detachment from the army in Flanders
to Port L'Orient, but it did not reach him untU aftei- he had
gained the battle of Rocoux.
David Hume, the historian, acted as Secretary to the
Commander in Chief on this Expedition ; and he also attended
General St. Clair in the same capacity, on his subsequent
Embassy to the Courts of Vienna and Turin.
The General was chosen Member of ParUament for Dysart,
&c. at the General Election 1722, rechosen 1727 ; for the
County of Sutherland 1736, and again 1741 ; for Dysart
1747 ; becadie entitled to the honour of Lord Sinclair on the
death of his brother 1750, but did not assume the title, pre
ferring a seat in the House of Commons. He was chosen for
the County of Fife at the General Election 1754, rechosen
1761, and died at Dysart SOth November 1762, being then
a Geneial in the Army, Colonel of the Royal Scots, Governor
of Cork, and Member of ParUament for Fife. The Honour
able James St. Clair was succeeded, in the command of the
Royal Scots, by his Nephew.
8. Sir Henry Erskine, gr^at great grandson of John, seventh
Earl of Marr. He was Deputy Quarter-Master-General of

3^6 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
the forces under the command of his uncle, on his expedi
tion to Port L'Orient, where he was wounded, 21 Sept,
1746 ; and was left, with other officers and soldiers, in the
same predicament;" at the port of Guadel, which, being at
tacked by the French, 23d September, the hospital-staffj with
the sick and wounded, took arms, and repulsed the Enemy.
He was chosen Member of Parliament for the Boroughs of
Ayr, &c. 1749, on the death of his cousin, Charles Erskine ;
elected for yinstruther, &c. 1754, rechosen 1761 ; succeeded
his uncle, the Honourable General St, Clair, in the com
mand of the Royal Scots, 1762, and died at York, in his way
to London, 9th August 1765, being then a LieutenantT
general in the Army, He was father of the present Earl of
Rosslin, 9. John Campbell, afterwards Duke of Argyle, had the
command of the Royal Scots conferred on him 11 Sept. 1765.
Colonel Campbell joined Geneial Hawley ¦with 1000 Argyle
shire Highlanders, 17 Jan, 1746, the day ofthe battle of Fal-
Idrk ; met the Duke of Cumberland at Perth on the 9th Febraary,
and proceeded to the North with hb Royal Highness, He
was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the 42d, or Royal High-
'anders, 24 May 1749 ; Aide-de-camp to the King, Novem
ber 1755 ; Colonel of the 56th Regiment of Foot, 23d De
cember foUowing ; Colonel of the Argyleshire Fencible Regi
ment, 14th August 1759; a Major-General, 25th June, same
year; a Lieutenant-General, 29 January 1761 ; Commaiider-
in Chief of the Forces in Scotland, 1762 ; Colonel of the
Royal Scots, 11 Sept. 1765; again Commandpr in Chief of
the- Forces in Scotlajid, 24th March 1767, and held that
office till 1778. He had the rank of General in the Army,
19th March 1778 ; had the command of the 3d Regiment of
Foot-guards conferred on him, 9th May 1782 ; and attained
the rank of Field-Marshal in 1796.
He was elected Member of Parliament for the City of Glas
gow, 1744; and, was re-chosen, at the General Elections,
1747, 1754, and 1761 ; but just after the last, became dis-

THE ROYAL SCOTS. 367
qualified, as the eldest son of a Peer of Scotland ; his father,
John Campbell, of Mamore, having become Duke of Argyle
on the death of Archibald tlie third duke. In l765 he was
elected Member of Parliament for Dover; and on the 1 9th
December, 1766, was created a Peer of Great Britain, by the
title of Baron Sundridge. In 1770 he succeeded his father
in the Dukedom of Argyle, and inherited the princely pro
perty and extensive domains of that illustrious family. His
Grace died at Inverary Castle, on Saturday, the 24th May,
1806, in the 83d year of his age, honoured, respected, and
lamented ; and was, on the IOth June, interred in the church
of Kilmun, in Cowal, where his dust now mingles with that
of a long line of iUustrious ancestors.
On the appointment of John, Duke of Argyle, to the
command of the 3d Regunent of Foot-guards, on the 9th
May, 1782,
10. Lord Adam Gordon, fourth son of Alexander, second
Duke of Gordon, succeeded him as Colonel ofthe Royal Scots,
He was appointed Captain of a company ofthe 18th Foot, 1746 ;
Captain in the 3d Regiment of Foot-guards, December, 1755 ;
Colonel of the 66th Foot, 19th January 1763 ; Colonel of the
26th, or Cameronians, 27th December, 1775 ; Colonel of the
Royal Scots, 9th li^ay 1782 ; Governor of Tinmouth Castle,
in April 177s ; and of Edinburgh Castle, 5th November
1796. He was chosen Member of Parliament for the County
of Aberdeen at the General Elections, 1754 and 1761 ; for
the County of Kincarduie, 1774, 1780, and 1784.
He accompanied General Bligh in his unfortunate Expe
dition to the Coast of France, 1758, and signaUzed himself
at the head of his grenadier company of the Guards, bringing
up the rear of the embarkation at St. Cas, 10th September
1758, in the face of a very superior army, preventing the
Enemy, for a considerable time, getting forward, tiU, being
overpowered by numbers, he was forced to retire to the beach.
He had a command in America, from whence, arriving in
1765, he had a long conference vrith the Secretaries of State,

368 THE ROYAL SCOTS.
20th November, having been requested by the heads of the
Colonies to make a true report of t-heir grievances. Being
appointed Commander in Chief in Scotland, - 1789, he fixed
his residence at Holyrood-house. He resigned the command
in Scotland to Sir Ralph Abercrombie in June 1798.
He died at his seat of the Burn, in the County of Kincar
dine, 13 August 1801, and was buried at Inveresk, being at
that time a General in the Army, Colonel of the Royal Scots,
and Governor of Edinburgh Castle.
On the death of Lord Adam Gordon,
11, His Royal Highness, Edward Duke of Kent and Strath
earn, was appointed Colonel of the Royal Scots.

S69

II.

THE LEVANT.
1 HE Levant has, in the present age, acquired a degree
Of importance in the West of Europe, which it has not
possessed since the conquest of Constantinople. With the Bri
tish Nation, in particulai', it has become more interesting
than at any former period. Two causes have combined to
produce this. The one has been our acquisition of Malta j
and the other an alteration, come to some efiect, in the state
of society in the Turkish Empire, induced by the decay of the
Ottoman institutions, and a diminution in the arrogance of
the Mahomedan faith.
By the acquisition of Malta we haye not only obtained a
great mart for our manufactures, but we have given a new
impulse to the industry of aU the countries around it, and
particularly to that of Greece, The Greeks, so long blotted
out of the Ust of nations, begin again to rise into poUtical
<;oiisideration. The active commimities of Idra, Ipsera, and
Specia,^ have already attained, within the last twenty years,
more wealth and influence than the most sanguine dispo
sition could have previously expected. Even the Mainotes
have foregone much of their ferocity ; and I have the autho
rity of their principal chiefe for saying, that they long to
open an intercourse with the rest of the world.
The relaxation which has taken place in the maxims of the -
Turkish Government has been no less favourable to the im
provement of our connexions with the Levant than the acqui
sition of Malta, The openmg of the Black Sea presents a
r large and productive field of commerce, from which the
British Trader was long excluded ; and the plains and moun-
^ins of RomaUa and Bulgaria, which haye been only known
B X

3^70 THE LEVANT.
as the scenes of almost continual warfere, are now traversed
with the products of British industry. It has been .com^
pletely ascertained, that although all the West of Christen
dom were shut against us, avenues might be opened into the
interior of the Continent, through the Turkish Empire, and
that the state of society would defeact every attempt to close
them. Nor were the experiments which have established this
fact accomplished without ^ving new views to the inhabitants
of the provinces through which the caravans passed. It has
taught them how much their comforts might be increased by
fecilitating an nitercourse not thought practicable by them
selves, until it was successfully estabUshed, in despite of the
obstacles of vvinter, and the difficulties and dangers arising
from the operations of Turkish war.
Another cause is generating eff'ects which will stiU more
increase the value of every kind of information relative to the
I-evant. The enlarged policy of our own Government lias
Opened the Trade to the East Indies, and there is nothing in
the present state of Egypt, to render it improbable that the
antient intercourse through that country may be renewed,
and thereby constitute Malta an intermediate link of commu
nication between England and India. At Mocha we have
already a factory; and therefore the establishment of agents
at Suez and in Cairo, to manage the tiansportation of mer
chandize by the NUe, and across the desert, is all that is
wanted, to perfect the Unks of a communication that would
abridge the voyage to India of half its length, without'being
attended with half the difficulties and expense to vvhich the
successful intercourse with Germany, by Salonica, has been
exposed. With some reference to these views, I collected the foHow*
ing circumstantial information. How far it is all deserving
of credit, I have not the means of judging; but what I had
opportunities of comparing with the testimony of other per
sons than the authors, appeared to be correct.
The statistical accottnt is a translation of an authenti*

THE LEVANT; 37*1
reJ)ort. The account of the Crimea is also an abridged trans-
lation, in all its statements, of au account fiirnished by a
Russian Officer long employed in the civU affairs of that
peninsula. And the brief notices of Egypt were gathered
from Greek Merchants concerned in the trade of that country.
The concluding Note speaks for itself.

III.
To his ExceUency, the most Fortunate, the most Merciful,
my Benefector and most generous Lord and Master,
Hassan, by the grace of God Captain Pashaw,
The Islands are— Naxia, Paros, Tmos, Andros, Myconi, Zea,>
Thermia, Anaffi, Astropalias, Amorgos, and Antiparos.
Naxia,
The largest and most fruitful. Besides the city, it contains
35 villages. In all the island they count i20,000 souls. It
abounds in oranges, but particularly in lemons ; the juice of
which, and distillations from the rind, are sent tp Russia.
Jn fruitful years the olives produce 400,0p0 okes of oU. Wine
is made here, and cheese, and all kinds of useful provisions.
Of the cheese, so much is made, that some is exported. A
good crop of the grain yields sufficient for six months' sub
sistence. The deficieijfcy is drawn from Vola, from Egypt,
and NatoUa. Jn all the island there is no port fit for ships to
anchor in, Paros,
Besides the two towns of Nausas and Parchias, there are
five viUages, Much of the land is uncultivated. In all the
island they count 8000 souls. In the years of the late war
between the Porte and Russia, an epidemic disease destroyed,
at Nausas, many of the Russians who then occupied Nausas,
B B 2

Sf2 THE LEVANT.
and exterminated the greatest part of the inhabitants of th«
town. The productions of Paros are barley, a little wheat,, a
little wax and honey, and the other kind's of food. In a good
year it produces 60,000 chilos of barley, which, in an average
of fifteen years, was sold at 35 paros per chUo, About 70
cantars of wool are coUected, , The port of Nausas is one of
the best in the Archipelago,
1 Tin OS.
This is the richest of all the islands; and the cause of
this is, because it is the most commercial. Besides the City of
St. Nicholas, it contains 66 villages. In all the island they
count 30,000 souls. The productions are small, to the popu
lation : not more is raised than vvould support the inhabi
tants five months, in the most favourable years. Figs is one
of the largest of the exports, but the quaUty is mediocre.
Wine is made, sufficient for the people, and of malvasia the
quantity is small. Of sUk a little is gathered ; and stockings
are made, which sell at Constantinople, In all the Island
there is no good port ; for Port Panormos is indifferent,
Andros.
Besides the City of Castello, this island contains 66 viUages.
They count, in all the island, 18,000 souls. The inhabitants
live on their ovvn industry, and employ but little money in
the trade of their few boats. The main produce of the island
is silk, of which a thousand okes are annuaUy exported ;
which, on the average of fifteen years, has been sold at
12 piastres the Oke, There are many gardens ; and many
lemons are gathered, which are sent to Constantinople, Here
much wine is made, but little exported, for the inhabitants
are great drinkers. They sow wheat and barley together, of
which mixture they make their bread ; but they raise not
enough for their support, trusting to Natolia,' Vola, and
Egypt. The only port is Gavrios, but it is not on the peo-
ipled side of the jslajid.

THE LEVANT. 373

Myconi.
Here is but one town pf 6000 souls. The inhabitants are
merchants and saUors. In good years, they make frora four
to five thousand barrels of wine, and thirty-five chilos of
bai-ley. They raise also loupings ; and the island, with its
flocks, may support itself. Here they coUect. of the herb
orchiUa, seven hundred cantars every third year. The bay is
not safe, but the gulph behind the town is tolerably good.
In winter their ships gp to Delos, four miles distant,, where
there is a noble harbour.
Zea,
Here there is but one city, with 5,500 souls. It is an
hour's distance from the harbour, which is pne pf the best pf
all the islands. The principal productipn is valpnia, pf
which, in a gppd gathering, they expprt 14,000 cantars. Of
barley prpduced here, prdinarily, there are 50,000 chilps.
Of wine, 700O barrels, A little cptton is alsp raised in this
island, a small quantity of loupings, and a little silk. Wine,
on an average of fifteen years, has sold at eight piastres per
barrel. * Thermia,
Here is one town and ane village, in which are counted
3,500 souls. Barley is the principal production, of which
30,000 chUos is the common harvest. They make wine, but
not much. Port CoUonos is good; and there are warm
springs here, salutary in the spring and autumn.

Astropalias,
This is but a Uttle town, with 1500 souls, svho raise
aniC^Uy 20,000 chilos of barley, collect a small quantity of
honey, and make a little wine. No port for vessels.

374 THE LEVANT.

One vUlage, with seven hundred souls. Here wheat ia
raised, but only 1,500 chilos ; honey also, delicious, but not
much. Here are no serpents. It has no port.
amokgos.
One town, and two viUages, which cotmt 2,500 souls, A
Uttle grain is raised. The inhabitants are very poor. The
port is good. ANTlPAKOS,
One viUage, with 300 souls. The productions trifling. Be
tween Paros and Antiparos there is a roadstead.

IV,

CRIMEA.
Present populatipn abput eighty thpusand Tartars, thirty
thousand Greeks, fifteen thousand Russiams, besides twenty-.
five thousand soldiers. Before the conquest by the Russians,
the number of Tartars was estimated at four hundred thou
sand ; but by emigration, oppression, and murder, they have
been reduced to eighty thousand ! There are six cities, amd
abput 300 villages. The capitad is Bakserai, formerly the
residence of the Grand Kam. It contains about 15,000 inha
bitants, but the emigrations subsequent to the conquest have
greatly impaired its opulence. There are fifteen moschs in
the tpwn, and a church dedicated to St, Nicolo, bu'dt by the
Empress Katharine II, The town is not fortified. The
palace is enclosed, auid with the gardens may be in circum
ference about fom" EngUsh miles. The second city is Savas-
topolis, and is the seat of the Russian admiralty for the Black
Sea. The port is good, and the fortifications are respectable.

CRIMEA. 375
The garrison in peace is generally about 4000 men. It is not
waUed, but defended by six batteries towards the' sea. Balak-
lava is the third city, a fprtress commonly garrisoned by
Gi'eeks and Albanians in the Russian service. Their number
in peace never exceeds 2,000 men. In the neighbourhood, on
the t-op of a hill, is an antient fortress, constructed during the
first ages of the ConstamtinopoUtan Empire. It is about four
mUes in circumference, and therefore probably inclosed a
town, A .peaisant once found within this inclosure four thou-
"sand gold coins, of the weight of a Venetian sequin, having
on the one side the head of the Saviour, and on the other that
ofa Greek Emperor, Juslevai, the fourth city, is a small
place, with a garrison of 1000 men. Here is a grand mosch,
¦with a thousand amd one pillars — or to avoid this OrientaUsm,
with many pUlars. It was formerly a church dedicated
to St. Jobn, Theodosia, another town, contains about
6,000 inhabitants, Turks and Greeks. There is here also
a magnificent mosch, and an antient fortress. In the neigh
bourhood are the ruins of an antient town, destroyed, it is
said, by the antient Persians, The ruins are ten miles in cir
cumference, Theodosia is garrisoned by a thousand men,
Carassoi, another city, is one of the prettiest in the peninsula.
Jt ie situated in the midst of gardens. The mhabitants are
reekoned at four tbousand men. The baths are elegant. The
garrison is a thousand. Aghamichel is the central residence
of the tribunals of the Crimea. Tlie garrison is commonly
four thousand men. Round this city the river Salngeer runs,
Yeenikalad is situated at the straits which lead into the Sea
of Asoph. The gan'ison is a thousand. The fortress is hand
some, and the church dedicated to St. Nicolo is also respect
able. The soil of the Crimea is fertile, and tolerably weU
cultivated. It is weU watered, and abounds in extensive
plains. It abounds in vineyards, and makes delicate wines.
The fruits are excellent of their kind. It exports annually
considerable quantities of grain, sago, and Indian corn, To-
hacco is also cultivated. Honey is abundant, and one of thc

376 CRIMEA.
exports to Constantinople, Good butter and cheese are ihade
for exportation, ahd wool of an ordinary quality is exported
in large quantities. The inhabitailts are taxed to the amount
of the tenth part Of their produce for the crown. There are
two salt manufactories, which yield the coUectors for the
emperor 2,000,000 of rabies yeariy. The Russians have in
troduced the amusement of the theatre, and other Christian
pastimes, and the country is rapidly improving, but this has
been accomplished at the expence of three hundred thousand
^ouls, out of a population not supposed to have exceeded four
hundred thousand. So much for miUtary despots forcing ci
viUzation.

V.

EGYPT,

The process of sending merchandize into Egypt is as follows :
The ships go to Alexandria, where they put their goods into
small vessels for Rosetta, where they are again transhipped
into stiU smaUer, and sent up the Nile to Cairo,
The goods which suit the Egyptian market are, cloths of
every description; musUns, fine and ordinaiy; sUks, plain
and embroidered ; velvets of aU kinds, red, blue, and green,
indeed, of all colours ; velveteens of the same description;
gold and silver lace, ordinary or point d'espagne j ribbons of
all kinds ; shaUoons ofall kinds : this latter article is now much
better and cheaper tnade in Natolia than in England, Hard-
Wares,, such as needles, shears, thimbles, knives, gun and pis
tol locks, seU to a great extent ; handkerchiefs of alf sorts and
colours ; a few hats • lead, shot, and powder ; /buttons, of tl»:
small hawksbeU form, a vast nimiber ; striped musUns, nar
row for turbans, a great quantity ; nankeens and printed cot
tons also in large quantities ; jeweUery alsp, of a^ll descrip-

EGYPT. 377
tions ; watches, vvith Turkish dial plates ; vast quantities of
naUs are annually consumed j and compasses with oriental
characters are also suitable for the market of Grand Cairo.
The returns are rice, pearls, and precious stpnes ; raw silk,
wool, colours, grain of all kinds, cotton and cotton thread,
fine flax, ivoiy, and hides.
The trade is managed in this way : The merchant goes
tP Cairo, and there sells and buys. The months of Sep
tember and October are the best for doing business. But
the merchant will find it advantageous tp be there befpre his
goods. He should arrive in August, and not think of depart
ing before the middle of December. The charges on goods
are trifling, and with a Uttle management, the duties, which are
considerable, may be compounded for. The freight of goo^s
•on the Nile is the main expence, and this is not great.
The proper vvay of managing -the business is, to send a
supercargp, and in no case to consign. Sales aire made partly
by barter, and partly for money. The intercourse from Cairo
to Suez across the Desert, and from Suez to Mocha, is fre
quent and easy, and goods so sent do not incur heavy charges.
Three hundred weight may be carried from Alexandria to
Cairo, and thence across the Desert, for considerably less than
five pounds sterling ; a circumstance worthy of attention now
that the trade to India is opened.

378 CANDIA.

VI.

CANDIA.
My information respecting this great island has not beeH
Kitisfactory, an accident having prevented certain papers
from reaching me. But the want of them ought to be more
than supplied, ais Mr, Adair, when ambassador at Constanti
nople, sent a Greek there ais a Consul, for the express purpose
of obtaining political and commerciad informatipn. He was,
hpwever, not fortunate in his choice, as the man, both from
his nation and character, was objectionable. His relations
told me that his situation was veiy comfprtless, fpr the_
Turks treated him with great contempt and jealousy. The
French manage their appointments better, for they always
employ their own countrymen. But stUl the commerciad com
munity is indebted to Mr. Adair for his endeavours, Hp did
the best that circumstances allowed for obtaining informa
tion, and if the Gpvernment will npt adequately remunerate
its pwn subjects, there is no other way left for a Minister, than
to employ those who will accept of the pitiful pittance
that is given to British Consuls in every other part of the
Levant except Constantinople and Smyrna, Even in Smyrna,
the remuneration is not in my opinion adequate, and the
respectability of the Consulship there, is, I think, more owing
to Mr, Werry himself, than to the provision of the Turkey
Company,

379

VII.
Observations oji the Practicability qf opening a direct
Intercourse with Malta and the East Indies by
the way of Egypt.
Desirous of iUustrating the practicability of cultivat
ing a commercial intercourse with India by the way of Egypt,
I have endeavoured to procure historical and circumstantial
evidence of the facUity with which it might be established.
The ground and pivot of the plan is Malta. The possession
of that inestimable island has given us a hold, and a political
influence within the Mediterranean which not only renders the
plan feaisible, but makes the consideration of it a duty on the
part of the public as weU ais pn the part of the Government,
We shall unquestionably suflfer the advantages which we en
joy to be impoverished, or rather I should say, to be imper
fectly readized, if we neglect to avaU ourselves of so obvious a
source of invigorating our commercial prosperity, ais that
which may open by constituting Malta an intermediate stage
in our intercourse with India, As a central emporium for
supplying the extensive and opulent region of the Mediter
ranean with the manufactures and products of our Indian
subjects, and ais a station for regulating the correspondence
vrith Home, and the oriental Empire, it seems to have been
feUcitously placed in our hands.
The motive which induced Alexander the Great to destroy
Tyre, vvas the superior local advantagesfor trade which the
scite of Alexandria appeared to possess ; and which induced
him to expect that by directing the currents of the Tyrian
commerce to that place, the city which was to bear his name
might become suitable to the vastness of his ambition. It is
hardly possible indeed, to point out on the map o'f the whole

SSO INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA.
world, with all the augmentations of modern discoveries, e
situation so advantagepus for a great city ; and when it is
considered that for upwards of two thousand years, Alexan
dria has, notwithstanding the revolutions and military op
pressions to which it hais been subjected, been for the greatest
part of the time a flourishing emporium, it is impossible not
to applaud the discernment of the monarch whp chpse it for
the capital of his empire.
But from the death of Alexander the Great tUl the final
conquest of Egypt by Augustus Caesar, our knowledge of the
intercourse which the Egyptians maintained with India, as
Well as of the commerce of Alexandria, is exceedingly imper
fect. All in faet that we substantially know is, that under
the Ptolemys, Alexandria attained a wonderful degree of opu
lence, and that in the days of Cleopatra, the last of their
race, the wealth and grandeur of Egypt exceeded that of all
the rest of the Roman world.
From the conquest by Augustus, the Romans drew by the
way of Egypt, tbe richest products of Persia, and the more
remote regions of the East. The depot was Suez, then called
Arsinoe or Berenice, and the oriental merchandize which
was landed there, was transported by camels to the banks of
thp NUe, and shipped in floats for Alexandria,
Doubts have been started as to whether Arsinoe or Berenice
were situated near the modern Suez, or on the coast of
Upper Egypt, but it seems probable that the Romams had
two depots within the Red Sea, and that the one may have
been in Upper Egypt, and the other where Suez is now
situated. By the foundation of Constantinople a new centre of attrac
tion was given to the commerce of the East, and Trebazond
rose to comparative consequence ; stUl, however, Rome and
Italy drew strqngly from Alexandria. But in the indistinct
records of the transactions of the Eastern and Greek empire,
from the days of Constantine to the fall of the Paleologus,
We have no certain information of what was the state of in-

INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA. 38 1
tercourse between Europe and India, either by the overland
rotite, or by the Red Sea ; at least tUl the epoch of the Cru
sades, every thing is involved in so much obscurity, that even
the iUuminating pages of Gibbon fail to furnish a light suffi
cient to enable us to understand distinctly the political events.
I omit in this sketch the consideration of the trade across
the Great Desert by Palmyra, because such is the altered morai
and political state of the adjacent countries, that they scarcely
any longer deserve our attention,
Wliile the Constantinopolitan empire Was sinking, Venice
and Genoa were thriving with the fruits of eastern commerce.
But their trade, both from the Black and the Red Seais,
wais suddenly blighted by the Portugueze discovery of the
paissage round the Cape of Good Hope. The opening of
that paissaige wais not, as is vulgarly supposed, a re-discovery
of India, although it disclosed the Great Indian Archipelago.
Continentad India was well known at the time, and aU that
the route by the Cape of Good Hope eflfected with respect to
it, in a commereial point of view, wais, in directing to Lisbon
the streams of opulence, which vvere then flowing to Venice
and Genoa, by the Red Sea and Suez to Alexandria, and by
the overland route to Trebazond, and thence, by water, to
Constantinople. About the year 1484, John II. king of Portugal sent
Alphonso de Payva on a mission to a Christian king vvho then
reigned in Ethiopia. Pedro de Covillan was ordered to ac
company him, and to proceed to India by the way of Ale.K-
andria, Cairo, and the Red Sea,— a proof that this must have
been the route most frequented at that time. They reached
Aden, formerly a rich commercial town, situated a little to
the eastward of Mocha, where CovUlan embarked for the
coast of Malabar, while de Payva proceeded towards Ethi
opia. CoviUan returning hpme by neariy the same path as
he had gpne tp India, hearing on his arrival at Cairo of his
friends death, transmitted an account of fiis own voyages
and travels to Lisbon, and proceeded to execute the mission
with which Alphonso de Payva had been chai-ged. It is

382 INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA,
¦wor'-hy of notice, that to the enterprize and observations of
Pedro de CoviUan, who is comparatively but little known,. the
success of Diuz and Gama vvas chiefly owing ; ahd he may be
regarded as having prepared the way for opening the passaige
by the Cape of Good Hope. Another circumstance shews
that an extensive mercantile knowledge of India was femiliar
in Europe before the discovery of the passage round that
Cape, adthough little notiee was taken of it by the Ute
rary men, who, though the vouchers of the transactions of
their times, are always posterior in practical knowledge to the
rest of mankind, and this weis the object of Columbus' voyages.
That great navigator did not undertake hb discoveries for the
purpose of finding new lands, but only to explore a new route
-to the East Indies,
The discovery of the passage of the Cape of Good Hope
has had the effect of bringing all the productions of India by
that route to Europe, and those opulent countries round the
Mediterranean, which, for so many ages before, had suppUed
themselves vvith the oriental luxuries by a du«ct trade, have
since been furnished by an intermediate, and even the tracks
formerly frequented have been neglected and almost aU for
gotten. It seems, however, to be destined to the English,
who have acquired so great a share of the whole extent of the
East, and so central and impregnable aui emporium in the
Mediterranean as Malta, to attempt the re-opening of an in
tercourse, which will abridge the voyage to less than half thc
length of the present route. This idea might have been
thought wild before the invasion of Egypt by Buonaparte, and
would, at least by the English, have been regau-ded as imprac
ticable, for any profitable purpose, haid they not acquired
Malta, It is as clear ais any other historical feet, that the antients
both by the Desert and the Red Sea, by Palmyra and Alex
andria, carried on a great trade with India — another, that
prior to the discoveiy of the Cape of Gpod Hope, the route by
the vvay of Egypt was probably the most frequented, as it was

INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA. 383
that preferred by the Portuguese ambassadors sent in the year
1484 to India and Ethiopia. The practicability of the plan
being therefore indisputable, sanctioned indeed by the prac
tice of ages, it becomes us now to consider the political cir
cumstances which render it at this moment more likely to be
easily re-established, than at any period perhaps since the
sack of Palmyra, or the bmlding of Constantinople,
It vvill not be denied, even by the most ignorant, that
since the incorporation of the East-India Company by
Queen Elizabeth, in the year 1600, that the power of the
Ottoman Goverament has greatly declined, while that of the
English has been augmented to a higher degree than aJl the
power which the other ever possessed. If such be the fact, as
it certainly is, let us consider what were the political effects
©f our national character on the Turks, a short time after
the formation of the East-India Company.
Prior to the year 1610, Capt, Sharpeigh, in a ship called
the Ascension, visited Mocha, and was the first Englishman
who entered that port for commercial purposes. The Pashaw
of the province disapproved of hb coming ; and the Slierrecff
of Mecca, who wished to monopolize all the benefits of trade
at Gedda, his own port, was also jealous of this stranger.
In consequence of their intrigues, and that of others inte
rested in the coflfee-trade, and general commerce of the Red
Sea, the Vizier of Cairo represented to the Grand Seignior,.
that the Ascension had purchased all the choice wares of
India, to the great detriment of the revenue, and that a stop
should therefore be put tp the intrusipn and competition pf
such foreigners. In consequence of this, the Grand Seignior
ordered that, if any more Ei^lish, or traders from Christen
dom, were found in the Red Sea, they should be seized, their
ships confiscated, and themselves put to death. Such was-
the state of things vvhen Sir Henry Middletpn, in November
1610, arrived with three ships and a victualler, with letters
from King James I. to the Pashaw, relative to opening a trade
trith RIocba, But the Pashaw, instead of paying any atten-

384 Intercourse with tndia.
tion to the letters of the British King, seized Sir Henry, and
sent him prisoner to Samaa ; but he escaped to his ovvn ship j
and resolved, notwithstanding the then greatness and vigour of
the Ottoman State, to be revenged for the insult. Accordingly,
he blockaded the port of Mocha until the Pacha made him an
ample apology, and indemnified him, for the inj ury he had suf
fered, byjaying a sum of money. From this epoch the English
have carried on a consideraible trade between Surat and Mo
cha ; and the power of the Grand Seignioi' over Arabia has
continued also, since, to decline so much, that at this time it
is actually extinguished, and Mocha may be^ regsirded ais be
longing to a new state, in which only the mere nebulus of a
government exists. This is an important corisideralion j
because, without violating any existing arrangements with
the Grand Seignior, we may recognise the nevf Government ;
and such is the name and consequence of our power in the
East, that for this recognition we may almost count on
obtaining any privUege, on the Arabian side of the Red Sea,
which we might ask. The state of the Government of Egypt
hais also much altered since the same epoch. For many year^
the Sultans have only possessed a nominad authority there.
It wais on the plea of being unable to redress grievances which
French subjects had suffered in Cairo and Alexandria, that
the Divan of Constantinople gave permission to the French to
invade Egypt ; and, since the French invasion, the authority of
the Sultan has been so little restored, that perhaps, a,t this
time, it is even less at Cairo than it wais prior to that event.
With respect, therefore, to opening the intercom'se to Suez,
tiie political relationship seems to oflfer a degree of fecUity,
which, at no forpier period, we had it in our power to
avail ourselves of. The existing Government of Egypt is
unquestionably aiming at independence, and would be glad
to receive such a mercantile recognition from England as
would give the English an interest in its prosperity, separate
from the considerations which attach the British Governinent
to that of the Porte.

INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA. 385
We thus see, that in addition to the practicability of tho
plan, as demonstrated by the experience of the antients, poli
tical circumstances combine with our possession of Malta, to
put it in our power not only to eflfect vvhat has been proposed,
but to do it vvith advantages, arising fi'om the reputation of
om- arms and character, which no other country at this
moment possesses, or perhaps ever enjoyed.
But, before concluding, it may be proper to notice some
of the natural circumstances which require to be consi
dered, and vvhich divide themselves into two parts : those
which respect the navigation, and those which respect the
lamd-carriage. First, with regard to the navigation, it would
be superfluous to say much. The Expedition which came
from India, to co-operate with the army in Egypt under Sh'
Ralph Abercromby, is a recent and splendid example ofthe
feciUty of navigating the Red Sea, if the proper season is
chosen, and pilots of experience employed ; and is an answer
to all, who, from the representations of ignorance, theore-
ticadly mauntain a conti-ary opinipn. And with regard to the
navigation between Malta and Alexandria, it is quite useless,
pn a subject so well knpwn, and so daily spoken of, to say
even a single word. The seas are open, the channels are
esplored; and it requires only the common prudence and
forethought requisite in every kind of business, to make the
maritime part of the intercourse as safe as any other navi
gated route.
As for the land-carriage. Suez is situated at two days
jpumey of a camel fi-om Grand Cairo, from which there is a
speedy water-conveyamce to Alexandria. It may indeed be
said, that Nature herself has so directed the stream of the
NUe, as to render him the grand carrier ofthe prbductions of
the Indies and of Africa in the lap of Europe. Dispatches
have been forwarded from Bombay to London by the route
of Suez, in Uttle more than nine weeks; we may there
fore conceive with what expedition a correspondence, pro
perly arranged, might be carried on between Malta and India,
and what advantage would arise from abbreriathig the route
c c

386 INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA.
of merchandize to less than athirdpartofitspresentlength, A
voyage by the Cape of Good Hope, from India to England, in
cluding the landing of the goods atLondon, cannot be reckoned
at less than six months ; and to ship the same goods for
JWalta, we could not aUow a shorter space than two more,
before they could be brought to market ; making, from the
date of leaving India, a period of no less, even on the most
liberal calculation, than eight months. It would not, how
ever, perhaps, be too much to say, that scarcely any India
goods are at present brought into the market of Malta in less
than twelve months from the date of their shipment in India,
We ought not, therefore, to be surprized, when we take into
consideration the outward voyage to India, that it wais so
strongly objected against the opening of the trade, that few
private merchants were possessed of capital enough to vrith
stand the eff'ects of its delays and casualties, as the intercourse
has been hitherto cpnducted.
But if we consider that the goods, calculating from the
date of a departure from Bombay, may be landed at Suez in
six weeks, sent from thence to Cairo in one week more, and
shipped in the course of anpther at Alexandria, and arrive,
in the usual passage pf three weeks, at Malta, making, in aU,
npt quite three mpnths, until they are at the same market,
which, by the rpute npw used, they take twelve to reach,
we shall ebtain a glimpse pf what may be the profits of the
India Trade, managed with more enterprize than it has been
since the Directors of the Company have regarded themselves
rather ae Sovereigns than as Merchants,

THE END.

Priated by Nichols, Son, and Bentiev,
Red L'lon Passage, Fleet Street, London.