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URKEY & i

WHITTAKER & C° AVE MARIA LANE

A RESIDENCE

GREECE AND TURKEY;

WITH NOTES OF THE JOURNEY THROUGH

BULGARIA, SERVIA, HUNGARY,

THE BALKAN.

BY
FRANCIS HERVE, Esq.

ILLUSTRATED BY TINTED LITHOGRAPHIC ENGRAVINGS,
FROM DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

WHITTAKER & Co. AVE MARIA LANE.
1837.

LONDON I
printed by gilbert and rivington,
st. John's square.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE EARL LONGFORD.

My Lord,
Although the zealous attachment which your
Lordship has ever evinced for your own country,
has hitherto confined your observations and travels
to its shores, yet I flatter myself that you may
find more interest in the following pages, than
those, who (yielding to the prevailing mania now
raging with our countrymen) wander over foreign
realms before they are acquainted with the beauties
and charms of their own. But after having acquired
a knowledge of that which is most estimable in our
native land, the more extended the range of;.our
journey through life, the more enlarged becomes
our share of information, and the more enhanced

VI DEDICATION.
is our value for our earliest home ; I may, there
fore, presume that the period will arrive when
your Lordship may be tempted to explore more
distant scenes; and as the subjoined chapters
record the observations gleaned in the traverse
of many countries, proud should I be, could I
dare hope that aught which I have stated could
induce you ever to visit the nations I have at
tempted to describe ; and should the result of
my researches and remarks now offered to your
Lordship and the public, afford you any informa
tion or amusement for a leisure hour, I shall
not regret the time and labour which have been
expended in the work which is humbly inscribed
to your Lordship,
By your very grateful and sincere friend,
And obedient servant,
F. HERVE.
Brooks Grove Cottage, Halstead, Kent,
September, 1837.

CONTENTS

THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.
Page
The Author's Bad Habits — Want of Order — Proneness to err —
Departure from Marseilles by an Austrian Vessel — Deceived
by the Captain — Compensated by the Passengers — Bad Ac
commodations in Merchant Ships — A Sea Cook — A Cabin
Boy — Inhabited Berth — Arrival at Malta — Its Costumes —
Extreme Heat — Beverly Hotel — Re-embark — Slow Progress
— Arrival at Napoli — Its Inhabitants . . .... 1
CHAPTER II.
Court of King Otho — Of whom composed — Greek Old Ladies
— His Majesty — His Manners and Appearance, &c. — Bava
rians — Their Demeanour — The President — His Consistency —
Policy of the Allies — Countess D'Armansperg — A Trouble
some Ambassadress — Receives a Lesson — Her Husband—'
Revenge — Mavrocordato — His Intimacy with Byron — Anec
dotes concerning him — M. Maurer at Athens — Discord at
its Acme — Bavaria interferes — A Diplomatist — An Awkward
Dinner — Discomfited Party — Intriguers Dismissed . . 23

Vill CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III. Page
Young Ladies at the Court of Otho — Servile Devotion to His
Majesty — Tremendous Accident and Bloodshed — Fancy Ball —
A General Rejected — Bavarian Beauty — Greek ditto — Mena
gerie Royale — Animated Individual — His Valour — A Vaunt
ing Prussian Baron — His Manoeuvres and Retreat — His Au
dacity—A Game of Chess — The Baron's Eloquence — A
Drawn Battle— A Greek Prince— His Conduct, and that of
His Son — Prince Ipsilanti, his Capture and Death . . . . 50
CHAPTER IV.
Poverty of the Bavarians — Their Economy, and Great Appe
tites — Their Talent for Music — Total Deficiency of the Greeks
— Educated Greeks — Capo D'Istrias — His Assassin — And his
Execution — Petro Bey — The Mainotes — Vindictive Customs
¦ — Never entirely conquered — Awkward Attempt by the Bava
rians — Their total Defeat — Their Materiel saved by the
Greeks — Newspaper Misrepresentations — Miaulis, the Greek
Admiral — Canaris, the Brulotier — His Extraordinary Courage
— Greek Navy — Fabvier — His Devotion to the Greek Cause
— General Gordon — His Zeal and Perseverance — Colatti — His
Stern Exterior — Greek Warriors — Their Courage — Greek
Diplomatist — His Forecast and Calculating Powers ... 72
CHAPTER V.
Travelling in Greece — Appearance of the Country — Bad Roads
— Bpidaurus — Comfortless Quarters — The Rats — Wet
Muddy Floor — A Pig— An Egg — Greek Rascality— Pictu
resque Ruins — Scarcity of Provisions— Fortunate Supply —
Rough Sea — Egina — The Town and Environs — Greek Cap
tain — His Noble Exterior, and Gallant Conduct — Greek
Hospitality — Admiration of Byron — Ignorance of Greek
Females — Put to Sea again — Tedious Progress — Land Tra
velling advised  101

CONTENTS. IX

CHAPTER VI. Page
Athens — Its Imposing Appearance — Different Styles of Archi
tecture — Ruins of Various Epochs — Numerous interesting
Objects — Midshipman's Freak — Conservator of Antiquities
— His Mistakes — Ancient Costume — Rapid Visit of some
Englishmen — Russian Consul — His unbounded Hospitality
— Society at Athens — Claimants of the Government Lands
in Greece — Encouragement not given to Settlers — Dearth of
Trees in Greece — Extravagance of the Government —
Changing the National Costume — Greeks hard to govern —
Their Indolent Habits — Quarrel between an Italian and
Greek — Produce of the Country  ... 1 28
CHAPTER VII.
A Ball at Napoli di Romania — The Characters there assem
bled — ImmenseHeat and Crowd — Greek Economy — Curious
looking Set of Persons — An Irishman's Mistake — Prince
Saxe Altemberg — The President's Daughters — Elaborate
Education — Sonata on the Pianoforte — A Greek Beauty —
The Modern Helen— A Slit Ear — A Chief in his Lair — His
Attendants — His Mistake and Ostentation — Diplomatist's
Receptions — Unjust Assertions in Newspapers — Their Mis
representations — An Editor feasted everywhere — His
Gratitude and Revenge — A Formidable Captain — His Over
flowing Candour — Conscious Weakness of the Bavarian Go
vernment — Attack on a Lady's Reputation . . . . 150
CHAPTER VIII.
A Greek Wedding — Treatment of Servants — A String of Beads
recommended — Superstition — Street Scenes — Coup de So-
leil — Hardships endured by Philhellenists — Unfortunate
Enthusiast — His amiable Qualities — Gallant Conduct — His
Death — Greek Servants — French Troops attacked by the

X CONTENTS. Page
Greeks— Repulsed and Punished— Audacious Theft— The
Robber killed— Greek Peasants' Ideas on Thieving— Their
Love of Plunder, and Cruelty— A Greek at his Toilet— Re
luctance to pay their Debts— Mode of doing so— Greek
Friendship— Their Aptness in Cheating— Generals Church
and Pisa — Their Relative Positions  181
CHAPTER IX.
Scenes at Court — Its Frequenters — Philosophy — Court Con
versations — Diplomatists — A Poking Gentleman — Lessons
on Listening — Russian Diplomacy — English Attaches —
Their Accomplishments and Information — Extraordinary
Appointment — Diplomatic Institutions — Russian Aggran
disement — Guarded Policy — Antipathy to Opponents of Capo
DTstrias — Swedish Charge d' Affaires — His Talents and
Career — Tyrins — Its extreme Antiquity — Argos — Its Singu
lar Cathedral — Tomb of Agamemnon — Gates of Mycenae —
Pausanias — Immense Waste of Unproductive Land — Snakes
— Scorpions — Bedsteads — Dogs, Encounters with them —
How to drive them off — Nocturnal Rambles — Closed Gates
of Napoli — Greek Customers — Buying English Articles —
Ideas of Painting — Extraordinary Miniature — Greek Cos
tumes — Modern Greeks, a mixed Race — Their Personal
Appearance — Turkish Admiral — Physical Strength of the
Greeks — Heat of the Climate — Horses for Hire — Greeks
good Horsemen — Prisoner's Escape  211
CHAPTER X.
Antiquity of Napoli — Its Unhealthy Position — Hints for Colo
nists — Prices of Provisions, and Land — Mode of Purchasing
it — Indecision of Government — Its Propensity to blunder-
Mortality amongst the Bavarians — Disaffection of the Greeks
— Colocotroni — His Trial — Bavarian Equity — Their Agitat
ing Freak— Their appointing an Ambassador, and their dis-

CONTENTS. XI
Page
appointing an Ambassador — Promenade at Napoli — Bava
rian Band— Greeks fond of Dress — The Ladies have re
course to Art — Their Bad Taste — Religious Feelings— Their
abominable Names — The Author nearly steals a Hat — De
parture from Napoli — Modern Greek Language— Proceed
ings at Syra — Fraudulent Practices of Consuls — Difficulty
of convicting them — Intentions to that Effect — An Exiled
Count — His Contempt for Mediocre Beings — A Mistake of
the Sardinian Consul — The Count's Indignation — Glasses of
Water for Sale — Jackass for Dinner — A Gormandiser — His
wonderful Gastronomic Execution — His Prudent Precau
tions — Different Opinions on the Greeks — Remarks upon
them by flying Travellers, and their sapient Conclusions —
Horrible Outrage — Tragic Termination — Murderer taken,
tried, and executed  . 268
CHAPTER XI.
Smyrna— Arguee's — Population of the City — Bournabat — Its
Delightful Residences — Its Beautiful Gardens — Its Gay
Parties — Turkish and Armenian Quarter — Antique Remains
— Pleasing Associations — Aorja — An Arabian Camp — Asses
of Smyrna — Flooring an Englishman — Strange Distinctions
— Untaught Ladies — Characters of the Levanters — The
Casin — Troublesome Midshipmen — Their Comical Pranks —
Disturbed Old Gentleman — An Awful Personage — Enforces
his Authority — A Hoax — Casin Balls — One given by
French Officers — Difficulty to keep Order — Threatened
Duel — Devotion to Play — Greek Casin — Illiberal Exclusion
from Society — Trade of Card Playing — An Elopement —
The Parties Concerned  . 309
CHAPTER XII.
Society at Smyrna — Flattery of Strangers — Their Admiration
expected — Churlishness of the Author — Smyrniot Gentry

Xll CONTENTS. Page
compared to some classes in London, but something worse
— Females most numerous — Ever panting for Husbands —
A Disappointment — An ImaginaryConquest — The Supposed
Victim — A Lady's Annoying Powers — A Merchant Routed —
An Elderly Maiden — Her Embellishing — Arrival Extraordi
nary at the Custom-House — An Accident — A Fellow Boarder
— His Colloquial Powers — Hoaxes the Smyrniots — His Con
tempt for them — That which constitutes the Charms of
Society — Anecdote — Disagreeable Intruders — Sharing with
one's Neighbour — Successful Manoeuvre — An Offensive
Odour— How to get rid of it — Persevering Audacity — Ul
timately Triumphant — An Able Arguer — Consummate
Address— An Artful Design— Its Villany developed — Its
Object frustrated — Mehemet Ali — Turkish Women— Tur
kish Porters — Personal Chastisement — Greek Passiveness —
Singular Costume — Armenian Lady — Her Costume — Gam
ing Parties — Mysterious Means of Getting Rich — Young
Ladies' Indispositions — A Prodigy — Hopeless Attachment
— Fatal Result — An Upright Merchant  346

ILLUSTRATIONS.

VOL. I.

PAGE
Title 
Otho, King of Greece  (Frontispiece) . .
Mavrocordato  42
Prince Mavromichali, Petro Bey, Prince of the Mainotes 78
Canaris  90
Argos  234
Colocotroni  279

RESIDENCE

GREECE AND TURKEY.

CHAPTER I.
THE AUTHOR'S BAD HABITS  WANT OF ORDER  PRONENESS TO
ERR  DEPARTURE FROM MARSEILLES BY AN AUSTRIAN
VESSEL  DECEIVED BY THE CAPTAIN  COMPENSATED BY
THE PASSENGERS  BAD ACCOMMODATIONS IN MERCHANT
SHIPS  A SEA COOK  A CABIN BOY  INHABITED BERTH 
ARRIVAL AT MALTA  ITS COSTUMES  EXTREME HEAT 
BEVERLY HOTEL  RE-EMBARK  SLOW PROGRESS  ARRIVAL
AT NAPOLI — ITS INHABITANTS.
It is the usual practice for authors to prefix some
description of preface or introduction to their
works, and it is as usual for readers never to
peruse them, therefore, being particularly anxious
that my prefatory remarks should fix the attention
of the public, I have thus endeavoured to engraft
my preliminary information on the body of my
VOL. I. B

2 THE AUTHOR S BAD HABITS.
work, hoping thereby to cajole my readers into
perusing that which they would otherwise pass
over ; but however I may have thus deceived the
public, it has been with the most honest intention,
wishing in some degree to apprize my readers of
what the following pages will consist, that they
may not risk losing their time and patience in the
perusal of a collection of chapters which can neither
afford them instruction nor entertainment, if their
taste be such as can never accord with the very
loose and desultory manner in which the following
unconnected reminiscences are written. I there
fore entreat those readers who are attached to any
thing in the shape of order, or system, at once to
shut the book, as I never could in any transac
tions through life arrive at that most desirable of
all talents, arrangement. I may almost state that
I was born an artist, beginning to wield a pencil
even before I had quitted my female attire ; but
know not why I could never acquire any other ar
tistlike quality than that of a total want of order,
which has characterised the whole of my progress.
I must also crave pardon for a sort of rest
lessness, which will occasion me now and then
suddenly to traverse the continent, perhaps from

DEPARTURE FROM MARSEILLES. 3
Constantinople to Calais, or leap from the Archi
pelago to the other extremity of the Mediterra
nean, from thence cross the English or Irish
channel, as caprice may dictate, with a rapidity
infinitely surpassing any travelling yet performed
by steam boats, steam carriages, or even balloons ;
and above all, I must beg of the reader never to
expect that because I set out for any given place,
that I should probably arrive at the stated desti
nation; for such has ever been my uncalculating
want of foresight, that even by that most straight
forward mode of travelling, the stage coach, with
a genius peculiar to myself, for erring and straying
from the right path, I have contrived to enter or
mount the wrong vehicle, and after having pro
ceeded some miles on a false tack, have at length
discovered that I was at fault, by the conversation
of the passengers, or some other circumstance,
which has happily occurred to enlighten me in my
devious course ; and in embarking on board a
vessel bound for a certain port, however the ship
may arrive at its wished-for harbour, it by no
means follows that I should arrive with it.
On the 6th of August I started from Marseilles
on board an Austrian brig, which cleared out for
b2

4 DECEIVED BY THE CAPTAIN.
Constantinople ; my passport was regularly made
out for that city, my passage paid, my baggage and
myself safely shipped, and each assigned their
respective quarters, and in fact every thing was
arranged according to the right regular order of
things, without any confusion, or any thing left
behind, very contrary to my usual practice ; but my
errant star still prevailed. Having understood that
an English family had taken their passage by the
same vessel, I repeatedly asked the captain if I
could have access at pleasure to the cabin, sus
pecting that it might have been exclusively en
gaged by the other passengers ; to which he replied
that I was at full liberty to enter it whenever
I thought proper. Thus assured, I went on board
in full confidence, and it being night time, and a
good orderly retiring hour, betook myself to my
bed, which was contained in a hole commonly
called a berth, and was for a long time kept awake
by the gnawing of the rats and mice, whom I had
strong reasons to suspect had made an invasion on
my sea stores ; but very early in the morning I
was awakened by sounds of another nature, that of
the above mentioned English family coming on
board, and who on entering the cabin very soon

DECEIVED BY THE CAPTAIN. 6
began to display certain alarming symptoms of
exclusive possession, not only by their words, but
by their deeds, such as nailing up curtains, forming
partitions, &c. I had not lain very easy prior to
this event, and at this discovery was still more
uneasy than before ; but being of opinion that it is
better to face a perplexity, than to remain long in
suspense, I arose, and on the deck found General
G  , who, with his lady, Mr. Robertson (his
secretary), and servants, composed the family des
tined to be my fellow passengers. I immediately
presented myself to the General, and entered forth
with on the subject which most interested me;
and he very candidly informed me that he had
made an engagement, specifically giving him a
right to the cabin, to the exclusion of any other
passenger, offering at the same time to shew me
his agreement in writing confirming his assertion ;
but I needed no farther evidence, to convince me
that I had been out-generaled, although I had
applied long before the captain had heard of any
prospect of having other passengers ; but this de
claration of the general's was accompanied by the
most polite invitation, not only to enter the cabin
at discretion, but also to join their little circle en

6 COMPENSATED BY THE PASSENGERS.
famille, which proved to me so agreeable, that I soon
ceased to regret that I had been out-manoeuvred,
and to feel more pleasure in my defeat, than
others have sometimes experienced in a victory.
Thus circumstances hitherto combined to sof
ten the disagreeables inseparably associated in my
ideas with a voyage in an indifferent Austrian
merchant vessel. Our captain and crew were
Illyrian ; and as to our ship, it appeared to be built
in every possible manner so as to give permission
to every other to pass it; nor were appearances in
this instance deceiving, for every sail we descried
astern, we very soon had to look for a-head, and
very soon after to lose sight of altogether. In fact,
the first time I went on board her, it appeared to
me that I was a quarter of an hour getting round
her stern; and on gazing at her I often thought
that the architect by whom she was constructed,
must certainly have been all the time thinking of a
tub, which she resembled in her proportions more
than any vessel I ever saw before, or since ; indeed,
she had for me but one recommendation, that of
being the only ship bound for Constantinople.
Perhaps it is my bad taste, but there is always
something disagreeable to me in the odour of

BAD ACCOMMODATIONS IN MERCHANT SHIPS. 7
a merchant vessel ; but this in which I was
doomed to become an inmate, appeared to me
pre-eminent in that respect ; to such a degree did
it surpass all others in that offensive quality, that
before I could get to sleep I was obliged to bathe
my pillow with most plentiful ablutions of laven
der water ; but this was not always enicacious, for
the aperture containing my couch was most un
fortunately situated, being next to a cupboard, the
contents of which I shall not attempt to analyse ;
all I know is, that generally about midnight there
came the cook, who, like an evil spirit, only ap
peared at that dark hour, and then to awaken me
by unlocking this fatal closet, which emitted so
powerful an effluvia, that I could only compare it
to the opening of Pandora's box. I have always
made it a rule when on a voyage to avoid, if pos
sible, ever seeing the cook, lest his appearance
should have a baneful influence on my appetite,
nor did I now feel inclined to depart from my
usual practice ; but in this instance his presence
was forced upon me, and his personal endowments
made too permanent an impression on my mind
for their ever being effaced from my memory, or
indeed to deny him a place in these pages. He

8 A SEA-COOK.
had obtained the cognomen of Apollo from my
fellow passengers, why I know not, except for his
being possessed of every quality the reverse of the
deity's, after whom he was named; certainly it
must be admitted that I saw him to every disad
vantage, awakening me as he did in the middle of
the night, bearing a half extinguished taper, whilst
performing his nocturnal vigils at the offensive
cupboard. His hands, probably from a long absti
nence from water, were the colour of mahogany ;
his hair, which appeared as if had been cemented
together by some unctuous substance, hung down,
long, straight, and stiff upon his greasy jacket ; but
still there was something that shed a sort of lustre
upon his features, and that I believe to have
arisen from his washing his face with oil, which
remained constantly unwiped thereupon, his skin
shining to that degree, as to reflect the gloomy
rays of his melancholy lamp, thereby adding to his
luminary a double and a doubtful light. Thanks
to the Fates, I had not to partake of aught which
had passed through his corrupted fingers, the
General's own servant preparing whatever was
produced at our repasts. Our cabin boy was also
named by the same parties, and doubtless with as

A CABIN-BOY. 9
much reason as the former, being designated Cupid,
which appellation so pleased the crew, that, though
I am convinced they had not the least idea of its
meaning, they never addressed him by any other
during the passage, and I have no doubt but that
it will accompany him, and rest with him on his
return to Illyria.
The exclusive letting of the cabin was not
the only instance in which the captain deceived
me, having assured me that he should proceed
as speedily as possible to Constantinople, merely
touching en passant at Malta, where he should
make no delay whatever; instead of which, he
had made an agreement with the General to
convey him to Napoli de Romania : and I shall
presume that my reader is too good a geogra
pher to render it necessary for me to explain
how far distant that town lies from my intended
course. At length I began to listen to the very
eloquent persuasion of the General and his family,
to relinquish my intentions of pursuing my voyage
to Turkey, in favour of a visit to the still more
classic territory of Greece ; and indeed listening
was soon followed by consenting, renouncing for
the time being, the long cherished wish of ex-

10 UNCOMFORTABLE QUARTERS.
ploring the Ottoman realms. It was affirmed, on
our leaving Marseilles, that we should in four or
five days arrive at Malta ; but, alas ! the sixth had
appeared, and we were still slowly dragging our
weary, tedious way, no land in sight, and with the
prospect before us of the same insipidity for seve
ral days to come ; still the murmurs of Mrs. G 
and myself met with little sympathy, being always
answered by Mr. Robertson that we ought to
think ourselves most extravagantly lucky : whilst
the General undertook the office of counsel for the
old tub (for such we designated our lumbering
vessel), stating that those scents of which I so
bitterly complained, were nothing more than must
always arise from the quantity of different pro
visions ever necessary for the ship's crew, of which
a certain portion might become stale, and produce
an unpleasant odour, but that this would be the
case in most merchant vessels, and that in fact we
were not worse off than we might have anticipated.
However rational this defence might be, it
afforded but little consolation to my olfactory
nerves ; and another evil arose, which tended to
weaken the cause he advocated, and much to
augment the disgust which I had already felt

INHABITED BERTH. 11
for the abominable brig, to which fate had con
signed me. Discontented as I might have been
with the den appropriated as my dormitory,
it met with the thorough approbation of others,
being unfortunately for me most numerously in
habited by a species of ruby coloured insect, which
delicacy to my readers forbids me to mention too
explicitly ; and yet why should I not, when ladies
wear pelisses, ribbons, &c, of the colour named
after these little forbidden beings ? only forsooth
with affected modesty they must substitute the
French term, as giving a somewhat less shock to
fastidious ears. But be it farther known, that there
are two descriptions of these offensive reptiles,
the one of a volatile, light, lively disposition,
whilst the other, on the contrary, is of a slow,
sluggish, heavy temperament ; and it is to the
latter that I more particularly allude, which
assailed me with such unrelenting fury, that at
length, unwilling to devote more of my precious
blood in so ignoble a warfare, I decided on a pre
cipitate retreat, and accordingly left them com
plete masters of the field. Yet before I could
thus wholly give up the comfort of a bed, I could
not resist casting "one longing, lingering, look

12 ARRIVAL AT MALTA  ITS COSTUMES.
behind;" but there beheld nought that could
quicken my regret, seeing, as I did, the little red
wretches, some crawling, and others skipping
about the sheets like lambs in a meadow. I
therefore ordered the bed clothes to be taken and
well shaken, and spread on the deck, where I
afterwards slept, having no other canopy than that
of the heavens. We moved slowly on for five
days without seeing land, and without any re
markable event occurring, except one morning
that Mrs. G. screamed out to me that one of
my claret tinted enemies had been found in my
bag of biscuits, and on another occasion that a
mouse had got into the decanter, and there found
a watery grave. At length after eleven days from
our quitting Marseilles, we arrived at Malta.
It is not my intention to fatigue my readers with
local descriptions, which are often more tiresome
than amusing, but I cannot pass over a spot so
interesting without adverting to the deep impres
sion which it made on my mind. Hitherto, in my
wanderings through the British dominions, and
France, I had seen little variety of costume, beino-
still within the regions of coats and waistcoats ;
but here all was foreign to me, the dress of the

BUILDINGS, &C AT MALTA. 13
men being a singular melange of the Italian and
Spanish, the black cap pending halfway down the
back, the little striped cloak or scarf slung care
lessly over one shoulder, the trim jacket, bedecked
with innumerable ornamental buttons, altogether
formed a picturesque figure quite new to me.
The women were no less remarkable, enveloped as
they were wholly in black silk, hooded over the
head and brought round in front, mantilla fashion ;
the houses, with their curious trelissed balconies,
from behind which many a dark eye is seen peep
ing from beneath raven black hair, giving an in
teresting mystery, to which the imagination lends
a beauty, though a closer inspection would be
reave the charm, as here "'tis distance lends
enchantment to the view." The streets have a
very interesting appearance, so many of the
palaces of the former knights remaining, though
now appropriated to various purposes, but still
lending their pristine grandeur to dignify the city.
The interior of the church of St. John is magnifi
cent, most rich and beautiful Mosaic pavements re
presenting the arms of the most celebrated heroes
who had signalised themselves in upholding that
chivalric institution, which has now no other

14 EXTREME HEAT.
vestige left than the records of its deeds. There
are many other objects well worth the observing
traveller's notice ; but as there are so many works
giving the most accurate accounts of all that is
here either beautiful, or remarkable, I shall
attempt no farther description, which, if correct,
could only be a repetition of that which has been
already stated by other authors ; I shall therefore
terminate by observing one circumstance which
much surprised me : walking out at night with
Mr. Robertson, I was astonished to find so great
a proportion of the population sleeping on the
ground in the streets on mattrasses, counterpanes,
rugs, &c, so that some caution was necessary to
thread one's course without treading on the
sleepers who lined either side of the street ; this
was on account of the excessive lieat, which,
judging from myself, I should indeed say, ren
dered it impossible to sleep except in the open
air. But notwithstanding the extreme sultriness,
such was the enterprising spirit of Mrs. G., that
she would see every thing of interest that the
city contained, whilst the General being already
familiar with every object worth notice, prudently
preferred repose : it therefore devolved on me to

EXTREME HEAT. 15
accompany this heroine in viewing the lions of
the place, and I was ashamed to acknowledge
how much I was overcome by the heated atmos
phere, whilst a female supported it without a
murmur ; indeed I had supposed that I had been
formed of iron, having been less affected by ex
cesses of weather than persons in general, but I
now found that the most solid flesh will melt,
and was not sorry when informed there was
nothing more of any interest to be seen, so that
we could return to the inn to rest and inactivity.
Fortunately for me, the country possessed appa
rently very few objects that were at all inviting;
indeed I could only compare what I saw to a
stone mason's yard, therefore was I spared the
fatigue of rural excursions ; the white rocky soil
being totally unvaried by any green spot, the
traveller looked around in vain for the slightest
shelter. After having passed two days at Malta
we departed, and I was absolutely glad to see the
old tub again, not only on account of the incon
venience from the oppression of the intense heat,
but also from the quarters where we were sta
tioned being much too expensive for my economi
cal habits. The Beverly Hotel where we sojourned
9

16 THE BEVERLY HOTEL.  RE-EMBARK.
is certainly worthy of the attention of those
travellers whose purses are as elastic as the occa
sion may demand, as their accommodations are of
the best order ; and I must do them the justice to
observe, that what I found excessively dear, the
General found excessively cheap, leaving the reader
to account for the difference of opinion on this sub
ject, between the man of thousands a year, and
he that has something less than nothing a year.
On re-embarking I gladly welcomed the sea
breeze, and in a few days we were in sight of
the mountains of the Morea; but had great
difficulty in making way through the passage,
between the Isle of Cerigo and the main land,
though always consoled by the General's assuring
us that any wind would advance us as soon as we
were through the strait, blow from what quarter
it would ; but When we did arrive at this spot of
promised accommodation, I suppose it was some
new patent wind which contrived to blow, for
certain it was that we made no progress, when
Mrs. G. and myself had the malice to remind
the General of his remark, observing that the
winds were not quite so subservient to our
wishes as he had flattered us they would be

SLOW PROGRESS. 17
Previous to replying, the wary General looked
all round as if to invoke the aid of Boreas, but
finding but little hope of an ally in that quarter
like an able tactician, shifted his ground, and,
endeavoured to maintain his position by assur
ing us that we were still advancing, and bidding
us take our observation from two given points on
the shore, remarking how a stated object in the
vessel would appear, by closely watching, to near
the one, and distance the other. I paid strict atten
tion to his directions, and very soon my opinion
was surrendered at discretion, to his superior dis
cernment, and above all to his long experience in
maritime affairs ; but Mrs. G. with that pertinacity
so frequent with her sex, vowed that no one
should ever convince her of aught but such as
ocular evidence could confirm ; and pointing to a
cape a head of us, vowed she would not believe
that we were moving forward until she could see
it from the cabin windows. The General seemed
partly satisfied with the adroit manner in which
he had repelled our attacks ; but remaining still
another day tossed about in the same place, began
to lose all patience, and to execrate the old tub*
declaring that she was only fit to chop up for fire
vol. i. c

18 ARRIVAL AT NAPOLI.
wood. The question was even mooted of our land
ing at Cerigo, and there remaining until the
weather improved, the General promising to fur
nish our table with a plentiful supply of quails ; to
this plan I decidedly objected, and the wind com
ing gently to assist my arguments, it was deter
mined to keep out at sea, and in a few days we
entered the Gulph of Napoli, and on the first of
September anchored under its walls.
As soon as I landed I found myself surrounded
by the most picturesque groups, consisting of per
sons dressed in the most fantastic and brilliant
costumes. Instead of the every day looking custom
house officers which I had ever met with before,
here they were fine dignified looking fellows with
black mustachios, bare, sun burnt necks, richly em
broidered jackets, white flowing fostanellas (a sort
of garment resembling the kilts as worn by the
Highlanders), and such an endless variety in colours,
ornaments, arms, &c, that at first I felt quite
bewildered with the total novelty of the scene,
and thought it must be either some theatrical re
presentation, or some extravagant dream, which
deluded me, but from these visionary flights I was
soon recalled to dull reality by the annoying matter

ITS INHABITANTS. 19
of fact sort of question of, " Sir, the keys of your
trunks." How annihilating was this to all my
sublime inspirations ! and thus suddenly awakened
from all my bright illusions, from the first impulse
I was about passively to obey, when Mr. Robertson
expostulated with the officers, and I was in this
instance exempted from the tormenting ceremony
of having my effects tumbled over at the search
er's pleasure, and suffered to proceed uninter
ruptedly to Bruno's Hotel, and in my progress
every object that met my eye appeared different
to aught which I had ever before beheld. The
streets, the churches, the houses, and all their
buildings had a something in their construction
which was new to me ; and as for their women,
oh, ye Gods, " what a falling off was there !" My
ideas of Grecian beauty had been so exalted by the
poet and the sculptor, that I had expected to meet
scarce any but angels and syrens at every step and
turn, instead of which, they struck me as being
some unfortunate maniacs who had by some
chance escaped from their keepers, as I appeal to
all my reasonable readers if there be not a degree
of madness, in the summer season, in the burning
climate of Greece, to dress in shawls, velvets, and
c 2

20 COSTUME AT NAPOLI.
heavy cloths trimmed with furs, add to which
turbans puffed out to such extravagant dimensions
as no rational being in any civilised country could
think of wearing, without she were determined to
astonish every passer by; and not content with the
extraordinary appearance of these over be-puffed
head-dresses, they must stick a quantity of real
flowers in them, with so little regard either to
form, colour, or assortment, that one might reason
ably suppose they were all acting the part of Crazy
Jane. Nor were their personal charms byanymeans
calculated to compensate for these extravaganza.
Their eyes are generally considered fine; but I
should say the expression was harsh, mostly very
dark, and surmounted by a pair of man's eyebrows :
the mouth and nose being equally heavy, the coun
tenance has a masculine appearance ; and as to their
complexions, one might imagine that they stained
themselves with tobacco juice. Their heads are
naturally large, the effect of which they increase
by their outrageous manner of adorning them.
Their stature is mostly very short, and their waists
generally rival in thickness the rest of their per
son ; but they are frequently so constructed as to
appear much taller when sitting than standing.

MANNERS OF THE INHABITANTS. 21
What the French call tournure could not be ex
pected from the little communication they have
had with polished nations ; but nature has pre
vented any possibility of hoping that even educa
tion could confer elegance of deportment, as what
possible grace can ever be produced from a large
head stuck upon a little dumpy woman? The total
want of symmetry observable in their proportions
may be physically accounted for. Seven-eighths of
their lives which are not spent in sleep, are passed
by them sitting on their heels huddled up upon
their sofas; and this constant unnatural contraction
has doubtless much influence upon their figures, not
having those advantages which a proper degree of
exercise affords in giving strength and elasticity to
the form, so conducive to health and grace ; as
those whose occupations doom them to preserve a
cramped posture, ever display a degree of auk-
wardness in walking, and in fact in all their move
ments. I am the more convinced of this system
of inertness in the Greek women being the cause
of the gracelessness of their figures, by observing
how much it is the reverse with the men, who are
generally active, though restless and indolent

22 MANNERS OF THE INHABITANTS.
where application is required, but are undoubtedly
a fine hardy race, not remarkably tall, but more
strongly built, as regards their chest and limbs,
perhaps than any other nation in Europe.

CHAPTER II
COURT OF KING OTHO— OF WHOM COMPOSED  GREEK OLD LA
DIES  HIS MAJESTY  HIS MANNERS AND APPEARANCE, ETC.
BAVARIANS  THEIR DEMEANOUR  THE PRESIDENT  HIS
CONSISTENCE  POLICY OF THE ALLIES  COUNTESS D'ARMAN-
SPERG  A TROUBLESOME AMBASSADRESS — RECEIVES A LES
SON  HER HUSBAND  REVENGE  MAVROCORDATO  HIS IN
TIMACY WITH BYRON  ANECDOTES CONCERNING HIM  M.
MAURER AT ATHENS  DISCORD AT ITS ACME  BAVARIA IN
TERFERES  A DIPLOMATIST  AN AWKWARD DINNER  DIS
COMFITED PARTY  INTRIGUERS DISMISSED.
Few courts in Europe or elsewhere afforded such an
amusing variety of divers nations as that of Otho :
the different ambassadors, with their attaches, of
course, in all countries, form a considerable portion
of the guests of monarchs, thus ever causing a large
assemblage of foreigners ; but in general their
number is comparatively few in proportion to the
native nobles, ministers, officers, gentry, &c,
which swell the levees or receptions of a sovereign.
But in Greece the case was the reverse. The long
period of abject slavery to which the Greeks had

24 GREEK OLD LADIES.
been subjected had tended to check their means
of education, as also of holding a free communica
tion with other nations; these circumstances ac
counted for there being so few individuals who
had attained a sufficient degree of civilization as
to render them subjects fitting to be admitted at
any court, even that of Greece : therefore, the
heterogeneous mixture of foreign physiognomies
was the more conspicuous as comprising seven-
eighths of the attendants and admirers of the good
King Otho, and certainly might have been com
pared to a congress of nations, bat was considerably
more entertaining ; as, instead of being a reunion
of the heads alone of the various embassies, it
united their appendages, and most of the officers,
whether civil or military, of the forlorn, rejected,
disappointed, and unemployed of other countries
who had now become bowing aspirants at the
court of Greece. Nor was the picture the less
grotesque, from the union with that portion which
was composed of the inhabitants indigenous to the
soil ; the wild costume of the men, the uncouth
style in which the females enfolded themselves
within their massive garments, and their embar
rassed air at finding themselves amongst groups

COURT OF KING OTHO. 25
of strangers, whose customs and manners were so
foreign to their own, — all added to the incongru.
ous appearance of the scene. Indeed some of the
sofas were occupied by immense inexpressive
looking bundles of old rags, which on further ob
servation appeared occasionally to have some
degree of motion, which induced a closer inspec
tion, ultimately proving that they contained old
women, but so bemuffled up by queer coloured
looking pelisses, trimmed with fur, which I have
understood descend from mother to child, from
generation to generation, that they become more
admirable for their antiquity than for their
beauty and freshness. The manner in which their
heads were dressed was in keeping with the rest
of their apparel, being bundled up in dingy-looking
draperies ; and often their grizzled tresses entwined
amongst the folds of their strange-fashioned tur
bans, affording a gloomy sort of harmony with the
musty appearance of the rest of their aged gar
ments. But already I must claim the indulgence of my
readers, for one of those irregularities of which I
fear I shall be so often guilty throughout these
incoherent pages. In fact, I must admit my un-

26 MANNERS AND APPEARANCE
pardonable culpability in attempting to describe a
court, and instead of commencing with the mo
narch, to have given precedence to a parcel of old
women ; and can only account for it from my ex
treme admiration of the fair sex, united to my
profound veneration for age and grey hairs ; but
be that as it may, it certainly is a most uncourtier-
like proceeding, and I have no doubt, were the
case brought before the court of etiquette, I must
infallibly be exchequered. In order, therefore, to
compensate for the error I have committed, I will
now present to my readers his august majesty the
King of Greece.
When one beholds a sovereign, we generally
look at him with a very scrutinising eye, en
deavouring to discern a something beyond the
ordinary stamp of man. To make any disco
very of that description in Otho, must require a
being of superior penetration ; at any rate, I must
confess my own deficiency in that respect, never
having been able to perceive that majesty of ap
pearance in the young king which we naturally
imagine the attribute of monarchs. His counte
nance is ever replete with the expression of good
nature, and is in that instance a faithful index of

OF KING OTHO. 27
his character. He is in stature about the middle
height, perhaps rather above, may be from five
feet nine to ten inches : would appear taller if he
did not wear his hair so flat to his head, as though
it were gummed thereon ; and as if to preserve it
constantly in an unruffled state, he has a habit
ever and anon of stroking it down with his hand,
thereby retaining it in the most perfect and obe
dient state of smoothness that man could desire :
I never saw one rebel hair astray ; happy would
he be could he keep his subjects in the same state
of subordination. But I suspect that this extreme
neatness of coiffeur assists in giving him the air
of a grocer's apprentice, when dressed in his Sun
day clothes ; that is to say, those of Bishopsgate-
street or Holborn, as those of the west end are
more stylish looking fellows than King Otho: and
indeed he has other symptoms which savour of the
grocers shop, having a curious knack of continually
giving innumerable little nods of his head, which
one might be led to imagine he had acquired from
endeavouring to emulate those Chinese figures, the
usual appendages of dealers in groceries. The
comparison may be carried still further : nothing
can be more inoffensive than the physiognomy of

28 APPEARANCE OF KING OTHO.
those images ; but undoubtedly that of the king's
is as much so. In fact, he always appeared to me
to have the expression of a good lad whose master
had just patted him on the head, and said to him,
" There's a good boy ;" thus giving the youth an
air of satisfaction with himself and all the world.
It would not be fair for me to comment on his
colloquial powers, not understanding the German
language : what converse we ever had together,
was in French, which he spoke very indifferently ;
and having a great many nervous little twists and
quirks in addition to the aforesaid incessant nods
of the head, his articulation appeared to me to be
impeded, though his animation certainly was
increased by these vivacious gesticulations. The
fact was, that I could seldom understand what he
said, and it was quite evident that I was as rarely
comprehended by him : 'tis true he is deaf with
one ear, and I with my usual bad tact always con
trived to get on the deaf side ; it may therefore
be easily imagined that our conversation was not
very brilliant, having no other merit than its
brevity. He has been very wickedly styled by
some of the English newspapers the ugly King of
Greece ; but this is going too far, as I never can

BAVARIANS — THEIR DEMEANOUR. 29
admit that where so much good nature is associ
ated with a countenance, as is so conspicuously
the case in his, that the term ugly is admissible.
I know no better manner of describing him than
by quoting the words of one of the ambassadors of
his own court, who observed that when his fea
tures were quiet he was very passable, but the
moment he spoke or laughed his whole face tum
bled to pieces. On these occasions, had not Pro
vidence in all its gracious mercy placed his ears
remarkably far back, they must have long since
fallen a sacrifice to the threatened invasions of his
mouth. But his eyes and complexion are good ;
and when in uniform he is much better looking,
having a more patrician appearance, particularly
on horseback, as he sits his horse gracefully and
rides well.
As might have been expected, the King was
accompanied by a host of Bavarian followers, many
of whom might be cited as the most perfect models
of the pure awkward, as could have been selected
from the boors of the wilds of Russia. They dis
played a peculiar talent for running against one,
treading on one's toes, or some other little speci
men of maladresse every time they crossed the room,

30 BAVARIANS  THEIR DEMEANOUR.
rarely troubling themselves to make the slightest
apology for their clumsiness, except a few of better
feeling, who would sometimes turn round and give
a sort of grunt, which I verily believe was well
intended, and meant to convey the sense of "I
beg your pardon ;" at least so a good-natured civil
ized being, taking the will for the deed, would
interpret it. Yet were there many very fine
young men amongst them, tall, athletic look
ing fellows; such, in fact, as would not have
disgraced a plough's tail even in England, not
withstanding the boasted physical superiority of
their peasantry over those of other nations.
But I request my readers will not imagine that
I mean by the foregoing observations to libel the
whole Bavarian nation. On the contrary, I am
convinced that those specimens with which Greece
was honoured, were selected as the superlative of
all that Bavaria could disgorge of that which was
awkward, stupid, and disagreeable. Indeed of this
I had something like a confirmation. Conversing
one morning with one of Count D'Armansperg's
(the president) daughters, she made some remarks
rather disadvantageous to the English, and endea
vouring to prove the immense superiority of the
10

THE PRESIDENT. 31
Bavarians; whereupon I demanded how it happened
that if they were such exalted beings, that we had
such miserable samples in those who had favoured
Greece with their presence ? To which she replied,
that Bavaria wished to avail herself of that op
portunity of discarding all that was good for no
thing from her soil ; hence the delectable acquisi
tion Greece obtained by the influx of Bavarians
who crowded to her shores. Yet in candour I
must admit, that there were some most pleasing
exceptions amongst these hordes from Munich,
and none so prominent as the president. And
having thus introduced him on the tapis, and as he
has ever filled an elevated situation in the political
world, a few observations regarding the positions
he has occupied may not be uninteresting to many
of my readers.
Count D'Armansperg is in every sense of the
word a gentleman, a scholar, and a statesman.
He was for some time prime minister of Bavaria,
and highly esteemed by his sovereign, who was at
that period considered the most liberal in his
opinions and practice of any monarch in Europe ;
but suddenly his sentiments changed, and he
found the Count (whose ideas could not waver so

32 POLICY OF THE ALLIES,
rapidly as those of his master) too liberal in his
views, and too firm in his principles, to be warped
into that mode of thinking which had so quickly
metamorphosed the King. An honourable dis
missal was therefore suggested, and it was decided
that the Count should be nominated ambassador
to England, when the opportunity presented itself
of appointing him to the still more important post
of President of Greece ; and happy would it have
been for that country had his energies and talents
been unshackled by the cabals and intrigues of
the other regents.
When England, France, Spain, &c, have been
placed under the government of a regency, one
regent has been considered as sufficient ; but
the Allied Powers, in their high and mighty
wisdom, because Greece was too poor to have
it in her power to pay one regent sufficiently
to support the dignity of the character, must
needs name three ; and not even then satisfied
with drawing thus far on her resources, appointed
a fourth, under the name of a supernumerary, to
act in the event of either of the three being inca-
pacitated by illness, but always to have a vote in
their councils.

AND ITS RESULT. 33
The result proved as common sense might
easily have anticipated. The regents could never
agree ; and when one party proposed some mea
sure that might prove beneficial to the country,
the other party would insist on an opposite
course ; and thus a state of interregnum ensued.
The intellect of D'Armansperg was superior to
those united of the other three regents; but their
votes always telling in the ratio of three to one,
completely nullified the talents of the president.
His rivals were conscious of his superiority, and
knew that it was only by their constant union
that they could make any head against him ; but
the mortified amour propre of a female was the
first cause of fomenting the faction against the
Count ; and as it contains a proof of what power
ful influence even the petty cap or bonnet quar
rels of females may have over the welfare of a
nation, I shall here state it in detail, leaving the
reader to judge how the most important events
may arise from the most trivial causes.
When Count D'Armansperg entered on his office
of President of Greece and regent, in conjunction
with the other regents, he received a certain salary,
which I have understood to be a hundred thousand
VOL. I. D

34 COUNTESS D'ARMANSPERG.
francs, or four thousand pounds sterling per an
num, being the same as that of his colleagues ; but
in addition, two thousand more were placed at his
disposal, in order to enable him to give soirees
and occasionally dinners to the different ambassa
dors, generals, commanders on the station, &c,
&c, or, in short, for holding the court, which was
deemed too arduous a task for the young monarch,
he being only nineteen at that period; and as there
was no queen, the Countess D'Armansperg pre
sided at the receptions, if not exactly in that cha
racter, at any rate as a substitute till a royal
mistress could be supplied ; and as there were no
females in the country of equal talent, or rather
tact, which she had acquired from having been
accustomed to a life at court, she reigned unrival
led. The Princess D'Archiropolo was certainly of
higher rank, but so mild and unassuming that she
only showed herself in society for the purpose of
chaperoning her daughter, whose accomplishments
and natural genius must have shed a lustre on any
court in Europe, but was too young to support a
conspicuous part in the saloons of the Countess.
Her sway, therefore, was undivided ; no aspirant
appeared to" claim a portion of the attention (I

A TROUBLESOME AMBASSADRESS. 35
may almost say devotion) paid to her and her
three daughters ; but this absolute power was not
long doomed to have an unchequered reign, the
wife of an ambassador arriving who had too high
an idea of her own pretensions to suffer the
thought that any other lady should be the only
rising sun worshipped in Greece, whilst she inha
bited that country ; a regular blue-stocking, she
was well aware of her acquirements being more
profound than usually fall to the share of females,
and she soon enlisted under her banners some of
the attaches, and drew to her parties some de
serters from those of the Countess ; and in conver
sation with that high personage, on certain occa
sions in society, took opportunities of proving that
her erudition was deeper, and her general inform
ation more extensive, than that of the Lady-Presi
dent, who soon found means of mortifying this
aspiring rival.
An entertainment was given on board an Eng
lish frigate ; the King, the regents, the ambassa
dors, and some of the appendages were invited.
Refreshments were provided under an awning upon
the deck. Whilst seated at the repast, the afore
said ambassadress merely loosened the strings of
'd 2

36 REVENGE.
her bonnet, but kept it on ; and soon received a
message from the Countess, recommending her to
take it off, as she did not consider it was suffi
ciently respectful towards his Majesty, while sitting
at the same table with him, for her to retain it.
The mandate was obeyed, but the wound rankled
deeply in the breast of the reproved fair one : to
receive a lesson upon good breeding before so
many witnesses was too humiliating to be easily
forgiven ; she therefore set all her talents and
ingenuity to work to degrade her rival.
It must be stated that this mortified and incensed
lady had a husband ; nor must it be supposed that
because he has not been before named, that it was
owing to his insignificance rendering him invisible ;
on the contrary, his stature was far above the usual
dimensions of men, but it has been generally con
sidered that his mind was of an inverse proportion ;
but this I believe to be true, that he was possessed
of some discernment, as he suffered his Avife always
to write his despatches, thereby displaying mo
desty, judgment, and what is still more, a know
ledge of himself. This was the instrument she first
set in motion to commence the grand operation of
revenge which she meditated. Accordingly she in-

INTRIGUE. 37
structed him to observe to the regents who were
the colleagues of D'Armansperg, that every one
was surprised how they could tamely endure to be
thrown, as they were, in the background, by the
advancing assurance of the President's family,
which they had arrogated to themselves, from
their having the privilege, and the means of hold
ing the court ; all the attention was naturally di
rected towards those who presided at the levees,
balls, receptions, &c. ; all distinguished foreigners
who visited Greece paid their compliments and
devoirs alone to D'Armansperg, scarcely knowing
even by name the other regents. Some friends of
the ambassadress followed up these remarks, by
stating that the world was astonished how they,
the regents, could consent to appear mere cyphers
at D'Armansperg's parties, when they had it in
their power to deprive him of the funds allotted
him for sustaining the court, &c. ; and that it was
a duty they owed to the public to take such sums
into their own hands, the President having mis
applied them by the favoritism and partiality
which he had evinced, and particularly towards
the English.
These remarks soon had the desired effect ;

38 INTRIGUE.
every thing was accomplished by a majority of
votes in the regents' council ; the resolution was
carried therefore that the President be deprived of
the means formerly placed in his hands for giving
public dinners, soirees, &c, on account of the
improper manner in which he, and his lady had
acquitted themselves in their execution of that
duty. I was passing the evening at the Prussian
ambassador's when this decision was there stated,
in an audible whisper, by the delighted husband of
the lady who had thus far brought part of her
scheme to bear. D'Armansperg treated the affair
with silent contempt, and from his own resources,
proudly continued to receive as usual ; whilst the
adverse party absolutely opened an opposition
receiving house, and those whom it was deemed
requisite to fete, enjoyed that honour twice over,
first at the President's, then at the newly esta
blished banqueting hall arranged by the dissen
tient faction.
Meantime the soirees of the Countess were
less numerously attended; in fact, so evident
was the desertion of the President's party,
that from about two hundred gentlemen, and
sixty or seventy ladies, whom I was wont at

PRINCE MAVR0C0RDAT0. 39
first to meet at the presidency, their number at
last diminished to perhaps twenty or thirty gen
tlemen, and two ladies; and to crown all, the
King, who had been accustomed to pass every
evening at the President's, was seen there no
longer. But these were not all the most important
effects of the bonnet intrigue. Hostilities having
now been wrought to the extreme pitch between
the two parties, the opposing regents determined
to reverse every decree that had before passed,
which had emanated from D'Armansperg's sug
gestion, although sanctioned by their own consent.
With change of measures change of men was
deemed requisite, and one of the first that it
was thought judicious to displace, was Prince
Mavrocordato, at that time minister of foreign
affairs, who was known to be a great admirer of
the English, and suspected of being ever disposed
to favour their interests. To turn him out in an
abrupt manner would have been impolitic, there
fore the politest method of getting rid of him was
resorted to, that of making him an ambassador :
accordingly he was nominated for Berlin and
Munich. As he has been so often named in the
letters of Lord Byron, and ever so favourably, I
d 4

40 HIS INTIMACY WITH BYRON.
conceive that some account of him may not be
uninteresting to my readers.
Prince Mavrocordato is rather above fifty years
of age, and about five feet seven inches in
height, very stoutly made, extremely dark, wear
ing large black mustachios ; and though his phy
siognomy would at first strike any cursory
observer as being harsh, because when thought
ful, his features assume a very stern appear
ance, yet his smile is one of the most pleasing I
ever witnessed; and whether one meets him in
society, surrounded by his friends, or in his bureau,
amidst his secretaries and clerks, the same kind
expression ever greets one, and the ready extended
hand bids one welcome. In fact, I never met with a
man invested with " office and with state," whose
manners were so easy and unostentatious.
His favourite theme (at least when with me) was
Lord Byron, who seemed to have left a most
agreeable impression on the Prince's reminiscences.
Although he had a most exalted idea of the
grand sublimity of Byron's imagination, yet he
would relate with a smile some of the little weak
nesses incidental to human nature which fell to
the poet's share ; and one instance in particular he

ANECDOTE OF BYRON. 41
cited, wherein personal vanity appears to have
been a predominant passion with the noble bard.
Suffering under a severe indisposition, for which
bleeding in the temples was considered as a
certain specific, none of the physicians nor the
friends that were around him could persuade
him to undergo the operation, till at length they
sent for Mavrocordato, whose influence over Byron
they hoped might prove sufficient to prevail upon
him to submit to the sentence of his doctors.
Mavrocordato assured me it was with the greatest
difficulty, he at last prevailed on his friend to
accede to the wishes of his medical attendants.
He at first asked if it would not very much dis
figure him, and next observed that it was his
opinion that more persons had been killed by the
lancet than by the lance. In his last and fatal
illness the same arguments were adduced to per
suade him to lose blood, but in vain. The influ
ence of Mavrocordato could not be procured, he
being in a distant part of Greece, nevertheless
they sent off an express urging him to come with
all possible speed. He started at the instant he
received the news, and travelled as fast as the
state of the country and the roads would admit,

42 M. MAURER.
but when he arrived Byron had already expired.
Some pretend that had he been bled his life would
have been saved. Mavrocordato was of that
opinion, and perhaps he may have been right ; but
I believe that at present a great majority of me
dical men will admit that many more persons have
been killed by bleeding than ever it has saved.
Mavrocordato figured most conspicuously in the
struggle for Greek independence, has travelled
much in Europe, and is generally estimated as one
of the best informed and most intellectual men in
Greece ; and from all I have heard, I should believe
him to be an honourable man, although some
recent authors have censured his conduct, and
motives most severely, but I am willing to hope
they have done so in error.
Maurer, the regent who headed the adverse fac
tion, proceeded to Athens (which it had been decid
ed by ordonnance was forthwith to be constituted
the capital), declaring that the plan which had been
drawn up for the regeneration of the city must be
annulled, and presented them with another, which
was to be irrevocable; after the inhabitants
had been expending their funds in erecting build
ings in the most eligible situations, according to

F. Herve lei-1

J.W.GileaLitko^

If AVIS® COIR PAT (

DISCORD AT ITS ACME. 43
the plan from which they had been instructed to
proceed in security, whilst by the project now
proposed, those positions which before appeared
the most central, now became the outskirts, and
the poor Athenians found they had expended
their cash, and labour in vain: moreover they
were informed that Athens could not become the
capital for some years, and at length Maurer left
it; whilst the inhabitants cursed the President, the
regents, and the government at large, for having
misled them into an expenditure they could so
ill afford, and for which they were to be so ill
requited. This is one amongst so many instances of
the paralysing effect that the repeated subversion
of former decrees had upon the interests of
Greece ; no one could proceed in any undertaking
with confidence, not knowing but some repeal of
a former ordonnance would suddenly appear, that
might render all their operations abortive. This
clique, which so retarded the progress of affairs in
Greece, had the credit of originating in a French
intrigue, as Maurer was supposed to be well
affected towards France ; but in reality it arose
from private pique, and soon included amongst

44 BAVARIA INTERFERES.
its supporters men of many countries. And though
the English ambassador adhered unflinchingly to
D'Armansperg, yet he who held the British official
situation next in rank, was one of the most
zealous of the anti-D'Armansperg party, as also
was the advocate general, a shrewd, talented
Scotchman, but who in this instance overreached
himself. Affairs at length arrived at that state, that
the intervention of some other power was re
quisite; accordingly, Bavaria was referred to,
each party sending in their voluminous state
ments of the erroneous, if not iniquitous proceed
ings of their adversaries, and their own immacu
late conduct.
The diplomatic agents of different nations
contributed their pour et contre ; but England,
through the representation of her minister, who,
ever on the spot, had keenly scrutinized the affair,
and reported faithfully to his government, all
powerful England, cast her colossal weight into
the scale in favour of D'Armansperg. Need I state
the result ? It was not promulgated till a few days
after I quitted Greece, but the evening prior to
my departure, I was walking without the gates of

A DIPLOMATIST. 45
Napoli, and met the English ambassador, who was,
as well as myself, alone. After a few sentences
interchanged between us, he asked me what I
thought of the state of things, and which party I
judged would prevail? I smiled at the question,
observing, that he who had the means of procur
ing every information that could be obtained,
could not attach any value to my opinion on the
subject : I also added, that I very much suspected
that he at that time knew the decision. He re
plied by observing that I was mistaken in imagin
ing that he must always be the best informed on
every subject of that nature. People, he re
marked, were always on their guard towards him,
" whereas," continued he, " they will be much more
at their ease with you, and proportionately more
communicative," adding, that I went much more
into society than he did, and concluding by again
pressing me for my opinion as to who would
triumph ; to which I replied, I had no doubts on
the subject, having every reason to feel certain
that it would be D'Armansperg. " Indeed ! " he
exclaimed, "I am glad you think so, but can assure
you the other party are full of confidence of
success." After a few more observations, we separated,

46 A DIPLOMATIST.
and I afterwards understood that he was at that
time in possession of the news which settled the
whole affair ; but why it was not proclaimed, even
for some days afterwards, no one that I ever met
with could comprehend. The public were in the
most feverish state of anxiety; no subject but
that seemed to be talked, or even thought of.
The triumph for D'Armansperg was as full and
complete as his most sanguine friend could have
desired, and the most singular method of first
announcing it was adopted by the Countess. A
large party was invited to dine at her house, a
few of whom were her real friends, but the major
part were her enemies ; certainly not publicly
declared as such, but whose machinations, and
inimical wishes towards her and hers the Countess
was well aware of, whilst it must be admitted that
they had not taken any pains to disguise their
sentiments, but on the contrary had ceased to
frequent her soirees, but without coming to any
explanation ; consequently, no open rupture had
taken place between them, and they now received
her invitation with surprise, and from the impulse
of the moment, bowed assent.
The reader may not be aware perhaps that
regents, (and more particularly the President,)

AN AWKWARD DINNER. 47
assume the authority of sovereigns, and an in
vitation to dinner is very little better than a com
mand ; prior engagement is not admissible ; a
refusal therefore under any circumstances, is con
sidered a presumption that is never forgiven nor
forgotten. Friends and foes at length assembled at
Count D'Armansperg's at the time appointed,
the former tolerably well informed for what pur
pose, whilst the latter knew not what to conjec
ture. The dinner passed, as might be expected,
gaily by the one party, whilst an air of embarrass
ment restrained the enjoyment of the other. The
repast over, an adjournment took place to another
room, where there were no seats, the Countess,
I suppose, imagining that the information she was
about to give would have a higher relish by being
received standing; and after a few prefatory
remarks, as to the great gratification the tidings
she had to communicate would afford to all pre
sent, she informed them, that the King of Bavaria
had thoroughly approved of Count D'Armans
perg's conduct, and confirmed him in all his
powers ; which could only be effected by the
removal of his political opponents.

48 DISCOMFITED PARTY.
A gentleman who was present (of the dis
comfited party), declared to me that it was
beyond his powers to describe the sensation
excited by this unexpected news ; the friends
of the President expressed their unfeigned satis
faction most unequivocally; whilst his oppo
nents were so taken by surprise, that they
knew not how to act, but attempted not con
gratulation, but as imperceptibly, and as speedily
as they could, abstracted themselves from the
party. The French ambassador spared himself
this mortification by declining the invitation,
on the score of ill health, but witnessed with
regret the dismissal and disgrace of all the most
active agents of the anti-D'Armansperg party.
Maurer, the regent, was deprived of his office,
as also the supernumerary; the obnoxious ambas
sadress, and her husband shared the same fate.
The English diplomatist who had played so con
spicuous and important a part against the Presi
dent, was discharged, and I believe never again
employed by the British cabinet, although his
family had for half a century at least, been hold
ing lucrative appointments in the diplomatic
career ; the Scotch advocate general was dis-

RESULT OF THE INTRIGUE. 49
missed, and received a subordinate post at a town
in the interior, where probably he would be the
only educated being in the place ; but with him
I have no doubt it is but a suspension, as his
talents are of too high an order to be suffered to
remain in obscurity, whilst Greece must ever find
them so useful to her interests.
Thus terminated this extended intrigue, the
effects of which had been felt from one extremity
of the kingdom to the other, and to which, perhaps,
I have already devoted too much time and space,
but trust I have given a faithful report, though in
many instances, as I could not personally witness
that which I have related, I may in some of the
minutia have been led into error; but at all
events the substance and material are correct, and
for that which may be otherwise, let it lay at the
door of my informers ; but 1 verily believe they
have no dereliction from truth to answer for. And
now presuming that my reader is as tired of this
chapter as I am, I will speedily conclude it, and
proceed to the next, hoping it may be shorter,
and more amusing : the first I will guarantee, of
the second I am not so confident.
VOL. i. e

CHAPTER III.
YOUNG LADIES AT THE COURT OF OTHO  SERVILE DEVOTION TO
HIS MAJESTY  TREMENDOUS ACCIDENT AND BLOODSHED —
FANCY BALL  A GENERAL REJECTED  BAVARIAN BEAUTY 
GREEK DITTO  MENAGERIE ROYALE  ANIMATED INDIVIDUAL
 HIS VALOUR  A VAUNTING PRUSSIAN BARON, HIS MA
NOEUVRES AND RETREAT  HIS AUDACITY  A GAME OF CHESS
 THE BARON'S ELOQUENCE  A DRAWN BATTLE  A GREEK
PRINCE  HIS CONDUCT, AND THAT OF HIS SON  PRINCE
IPSILANTI, HIS CAPTURE AND DEATH.
Amongst the brightest ornaments which adorned
the court of Otho, none were so brilliant as the
three daughters of Count D'Armansperg, who
might justly be compared to the three Graces. If
not handsome, yet extremely pleasing in their
persons, agreeable in their manners, and elegant
in their deportment, they gracefully floated through
the mazes of the waltz, forming a most striking
contrast to most of the Greek ladies, who rolled
about like a parcel of heavy tubs one after the
other, assisted in their progress, as they were
lugged along, by those who had the misfortune of

LADIES AT THE COURT OF OTHO. 51
being their partners, whom I have often heard
declare that the next day it was impossible to
write, or in any way use their arms, after the
fatigue of spinning round one of these cumbrous
ladies. Not that they were by any means tall or
large women; on the contrary, generally very
short, certainly often thick, and that sort of dead
weight which is difficult to wheel about. Often
have I pitied the king, who, though young and
slight, and not possessing, I think, much physical
strength, yet out of pure kindness of heart would
ask one of the aforesaid drags to waltz with him
who became so elated and bewildered at the idea
of being encircled within the arm of a king, that
it required no common exertion, paralyzed and
motionless as they were, to turn and twist about
a heavy machine of that description.
There certainly is something of magic contained
in the idea of king on many, nay, I will say on
most people. That those who have been reared
in aristocratic feelings, should pay a respectful
homage to the summit of aristocracy, is not to me
surprising; but that your brawlers after liberty,
your roarers for freedom, soi disant Republicans,
Carbonari, &c, should be the first to jump at an
e2

52 SERVILE DEVOTION TO HIS MAJESTY.
opportunity of saving a king the trouble of taking
up his hat when under his hand, or of removing
his coat tails out of the way when he sat down,
&c. &c, I confess is to me most marvellous, yet
such I have witnessed ; in fact, the anxiety to
have the honour to perform any trivial act of po
liteness to the King, was most amusing, when it is
reflected that many who composed the court of
Greece, were those who had fled from Italy,
Naples, &c, on account of their too liberal and
free thinking principles.
I well remember seeing the King most closely
watched during the progress of his raising a cup
of tea to his royal lips, by two vigilant observers,
who waited impatiently the moment when the
cup should be empty, that they might fly to the
aid of their monarch, and disburthen him of the
vacant vessel. These aspirants for royal favour
were situated at opposite sides of the room, and
unfortunately made a rush at the same instant,
whereby they came most violently in contact,
within a few inches of their sovereign. Now each
of these gentlemen had a proboscis so far exceed
ing the usual proportions, that when their two
faces struck together, the concussion was audible :

FANCY BALL  A GENERAL REJECTED. 53
the King advanced a few paces to ascertain the
extent of the damage ; a powerful sensation was
excited throughout the assembly, until it was
ascertained that one of the victims had sustained
but little injury. The other, however, whose nasal
charms appeared to be of a more tender and sus
ceptible nature, bled most copiously, whilst I
could not resist congratulating him on his good
fortune, in thus having had an opportunity of
shedding his blood in the service of his monarch.
At first he half thanked me for my condolence, but
observing some of the bystanders inclining to
smile, he looked at me with a sort of expression,
which seemed to indicate he would rather I had
held my tongue.
Among the many whimsicalities which occurred
at the Grecian court, few occasioned greater mirth
than the following. The Countess wished to give
un bal costume, or fancy ball, wherein it was ex
pected that every one would come in some different
habit from his usual garb, or in some character, or
in a domino if they chose, but it was strictly en
joined that no one should be masqued ; and so
rigidly was this mandate enforced, that a servant
was placed at the entrance, with orders to turn

54 BAVARIAN BEAUTY DISPARAGED.
away any one who might appear in a mask. The
man was most zealous in obeying his instructions,
and being a stranger, was not acquainted with the
countenances of all who were accustomed to fre
quent the presidency ; and amongst the number
that presented themselves for admittance to this
bal deguise, was one person whose physiognomy was
so extraordinary, and forsooth so remarkably plain,
that the poor servant absolutely thought he had a
mask on, and therefore perforce would not suffer
him to enter, but at the same time explaining
the cause; nor could the rejected individual obtain
an entrance, until some gentlemen stepped for
ward, and convinced this pugnacious Cerberus that
it was the General's own natural face, which he
had mistaken for a mask.
But for the honour of Greece, it behoves me to
state that the personage here alluded to, was not
a native ; not that she would have had any difficulty
in selecting from her population some nearer
approaches to the perfect line of distortion ! Cer
tainly, when Bavaria sent forth her tribes to assist
in populating the classic Grecian shores, she ought
to have paid more attention to the personal ap
pearance of those whom she thus transported, as

ANIMAL RESEMBLANCES. 55
Greece, if she had any wealth, could only be said
to be rich in ugliness ; therefore, the great portion
of that ingredient which his Bavarian Majesty
exported to his son's dominions was, to use a
vulgar adage, no better than sending coals to
Newcastle. When Henry the Eighth went to Rochester to
take a peep at his betrothed Ann of Cleves, he
said they had sent him a great Flanders mare.
Often have I thought of the monarch's words, as I
have regarded some of the wives of the Bavarian
soldiers ; tall, gaunt, long-faced and bony, they
often reminded me of a whitish-headed horse stuck
upon his hind legs, and a little female attire pitched
upon it ; and, in fact, I doubt not but that an
animal thus accoutred, might pass amongst a
crowd of Bavarian women of the lower orders un-
nqticed ! As they were accustomed to wash their
own and their husbands' rags facing my windows,
I had a fair opportunity of contemplating these
uncouth specimens of the fair sex.
As a proof that my description is not outre,
I was laughing with the young ladies D'Arman
sperg, about the singularity of the physiognomies
of some of the persons who attended the court,

56 DISCORD — DUELLING PROPENSITIES.
and observing the great resemblance many of them
bore to divers animals, — they demanded names,
which I declined to mention, but consented to
particularize the different description of animals to
whom I found a likeness amongst the visitors
frequenting their receptions; and, strange to say, I
had only to state the animal, when they named
the person immediately, proving that I could not
have given a more accurate description ; as, for
instance, a sucking pig, answer, the young Coun
tess  ; a parrot, Madame  -; a dancing bear,
the Minister of  ; a poodle dog, the Secretary
to  ; an ourang-outang, an Attache to  ;
a cat, the Lady of  ; a weasel, Captain  ;
an elephant, the  Ambassador ; a kangaroo,
Mademoiselle  , a Greek young lady, who had
a singular manner of holding her hands not unlike
the way in which that gentle animal keeps its
fore paws whilst squatting on its hind legs ; in
fact, if Menagerie Royale was written on the
palace walls where the court was held, it would be
a very concise and faithful description of the major
part of its visitors !
Amongst the strange mixture of various nations
congregated in Greece, harmony could not be ex-

THE CHALLENGE. 57
pected to exist without occasional interruptions ;
and as a great proportion of new arrivals were
military men, " sudden and quick in quarrel,"
duels became very frequent, and at every trifling
dispute amongst those gentry their sabres were
appealed to for a decision ; and several passable
looking faces were horribly disfigured by unseemly
scars. But some there were amongst the gay
and courtly throng who did not approve of this
disagreeable mode of settling a difference of opi
nion. Of this description was a gentleman whose
overpowering agility and animation had often
amused me : he had not quite St. Vitus's dance,
yet it was very evident that none of his limbs
could remain quiet for more than an instant ; and
when he really did dance, one would have sup
posed it was St. Vitus himself. Delighted to
have that privilege of motion, arms and legs flew
about as if enchanted at having their full swing ;
but one evening, as he was thus displaying his ac
tivity in all the full luxury of enjoyment, charmed
with his own prowess, in a fling-about extraordi
nary, in terminating a most splendid pirouette, he
upset a little Greek officer, who being rather of a
fiery order, sternly called out, " What do you

58 THE CHALLENGE.
mean by that ?" " What else should I mean," re
plied the other, " but to prove that you were in my
way." " Sir," replied the man of Mars, " this is not
the place to discuss this subject ; but you shall hear
from me to-morrow morning." " Shall be very
happy, Sir ; always gratified at having the pleasure
of seeing you, or hearing from you," said the
twist-about gentleman, with that invincible good
humour, ever unruffled, at the same time swinging
round on his heel, and performing one of his
favourite pirouettes, greatly to his own satisfac
tion, having this time full and uninterrupted
swing ; the officer retiring a few paces to give him
fair play, having no ambition to be floored a second
time. But the next morning he sent a brother
officer to the quicksilver gentleman, who was an
under secretary in one of the minister's offices, to
demand an apology ; at which the young scribe
exclaimed, " What ! — I apologize ! — No, indeed,
I shall do no such thing ; but should act in the
same manner under similar circumstances."
" Then, Sir," returned the officer, " you must ap
point a spot and hour when you can meet my
friend, and give him that satisfaction which honour
requires, having the goodness to provide yourself

GOOD-HUMOURED PUSILLANIMITY — THE DUEL. 59
with a second and sabre." " What ! I fight !" sung
out the young clerk. " Not I, indeed ; what should
I do with a great gash across my face ? I should
not think of such a thing ; his trade is fighting,
mine is writing ; he may fight all the world if he
likes, but he shan't fight me." " Then, Sir," re
plied the Greek, " the first time my friend meets
you he will give you a box o' the ear." " Ah ! well,
I shall like that much better," quoth the secretary,
with an air of high satisfaction at the thought of
getting through the affair so harmlessly. Here
the fracas, I believe, ended ; nor was the promised
gift ever delivered. I certainly imagined that the
challenged would never again be received in so
ciety ; but I met him as usual, looking as good
humoured and as frisky as ever.
Another ball-room dispute of a very trifling na
ture was productive of a duel, but of a bloodless
nature. The parties having fired without effect,
and the seconds interfering, it was amicably ad
justed. One of the parties was a Prussian baron,
who came to Greece with very high pretensions,
and was introduced into society by the Austrian
consul. I met him at Athens at several different
houses, where he talked very high — had been to

60 THE PRUSSIAN BARON.
all the architects in the place, employing them to
draw designs of the houses he intended to erect,
and which were to be like castles. But, alas !
they all proved castles in the air. He also entered
into long discussions with the proprietors of land,
respecting extensive purchases he intended to make
of that commodity.
Meanwhile, the bills against him of the different
tradespeople began to rise as high as the tone he
assumed; whilst he began to display his preference
for some of his friends over others, by borrowing
certain sums of them, to be returned from his
next remittances. I happened to stand but low
in his scale of friendship, as he obtained but a few
dollars from me.
At last, his most intimate friend and companion
was called by affairs into the interior ; and as an
accommodation lent him his horse during his ab
sence. This was a golden opportunity not to be
neglected. So he turned the horse into gold, and,
with the proceeds, made his escape across the
country; arrived at Patras, and embarked on
board a vessel bound for Corfu. A pursuit was
set on foot for the purpose of bringing him back ;
but he was too quick in his motions for his pur-

HIS ESCAPE — LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION. 61
suers, and quitted the Greek territory before they
could come up with him. But his audacity still ac
companied him. When at Corfu he met with two
English gentlemen, who were on their way to
Greece, of which he gave them a very minute
description ; informing them that he had just
quitted it ; that having had a little duel with a
young Greek prince, he became so remarkable
that every one looked at him to such a degree,
that his diffidence could no longer bear it; and he
resolved on quitting the country ; but also stated
that he would give them letters of introduction
that would be highly serviceable. The gentlemen,
with thanks, accepted his offer ; and accordingly
he had the impudence to write to the Prussian
ambassador, and others, recommending the bearers
in the highest terms ; and when they presented
their letters, they were not a little shocked and
surprised to learn the character of the man from
whom they had received them.
It must be admitted that the baron played his
role well in Greece. He possessed but little cash
when he arrived there ; yet he obtained all that
respect and attention which in all climes is pressed
upon him who has the credit of being a rich man.

62 THE BARON AND THE LADIES.
But the poor Greeks were less culpable in their
adoration of a golden idol, which they flattered
themselves fortune had thrown in their way in this
soi-disant wealthy stranger, inasmuch as almost all
the foreigners who had come to reside amongst
them had nothing. Therefore, one who had some
thing was a rara avis, and was cherished accord
ingly, not only by the poor and humble, but by
the highest and most influential persons in the
kingdom. I well remember passing an evening
in a social way at the Prince C — a's, and having
known them in France long before, was received
in their snug little parlour as one of the family ;
and as we were all sitting comfortably and quietly
the baron was announced. The Baron ! exclaimed
the party. Already he had been ushered into
one of the state rooms, whilst the females began
flying about to improve their costumes ; and all
the quiet of the domestic circle was deranged to
receive this mighty baron. He was certainly gen
tlemanly in his manners, young, and good-looking,
possessing some degree of talent, a constant flow
of conversation ever at command, and an inex
haustible stock of assurance, which tells immensely
in society. He was not only ever a welcome

MODEST ASSURANCE — POMPOUS ELOCUTION. 63
guest at the President's parties, but had also ob
tained an entry at the petites soirees.
I remember to have met him at one of these, —
the very evening prior to the day of his departure,
and remarking how perfectly confident and at
home he appeared whilst conversing with the
King in his usual style of volubility ; how much
more he seemed at his ease with Otho than any
of the ambassadors, or any other individual, except
the President, or the Prince Saxe Altemberg,
brother to the Queen of Bavaria, and uncle to the
young King of Greece. But, in fact, who but a
man of the most unparalleled impudence could
have played the part which he did so unblush-
ingly ?
One night, at Count d'Armansperg's, I afforded
him an excellent opportunity of displaying his
elocution, and at the same time his scientific
knowledge of the game of chess; he had always
proclaimed that he was so accomplished a player
that he had never been beaten, yet in spite of this
thundering announcement, I was induced to en
counter him. He modestly asked me what piece
he should give me, to which I replied, we would
begin on equal terms, and when we had played

64 THE GAME OF CHESS.
one game, we could better judge of our relative
strengths ; he assented, smiling at my temerity,
and accordingly we set to, amidst a crowd of spec
tators, amongst whom was the king, some of the
ministers, ambassadors, &c: therefore the baron
appeared determined to profit by so fortunate an
occasion of displaying his choicest flowers of rhe
toric; and, after having made about a dozen moves,
he observed to the bystanders, "You now perceive
the sound policy on which my game is founded :
although I have considerably advanced my forces?
my rear is so protected, that there is not any one
point on which it is assailable ; and you will soon
find, by my system of manoeuvring, that I shall
win the game on the same principle as Napoleon
gained his battles, that, however the numbers
are in fact equal, wherever the point of attack
takes place, I shall appear the most numerous by
the skill I shall display, in throwing in my forces
where their strength will be most demanded."
He then certainly commenced a most powerful
assault upon my king, which might have ended
in checkmate; but in repelling his attack, I
brought out my knight and bishop, so as to have
a vacancy which enabled me to castle my king,

THE REPULSE — A DRAWN BATTLE. 65
thus changing the scene of action, and rendering
his plan abortive. Perceiving this, he observed,
"Ah ! that alters the case for the moment ; but jury
position is so fine that I shall remain the assailant
to the end of the contest."
It was evident that most of the spectators were
interested for the admired baron, and did not for
an instant doubt his winning; but one of my good-
natured but rough countrymen said to me in
English, " Don't you let that bullying baron pala
ver you out of the game ; preserve your silence
and attention, and he'll not beat you now." My
opponent, in bringing the greater part of his
forces to bear on one point, had left another
unguarded, of which I availed myself by making
a counter attack upon him, and by a succession
of checks, brought on a series of exchange of
pieces, which I considered to my advantage.
whilst he declared that there was no system of
play so idle as a parcel of useless checks ; that I
was only making a number of waste moves, that
could end in nothing, and exchanging for ex
changing sake.
However, the end of the skirmish was, that I
had gained a pawn, he having a king, and bishop
VOL. I. F

66 THE REPULSE — A DRAWN BATTLE.
left, and I a king, knight and pawn; whereupon
he got up, saying, it must be a drawn game, as
I could not prevent his exchanging his bishop for
my pawn. I doubted it at the same time, and have
never since tried it ; but as I was very well con
tent, after an immensely long game, to draw it, I
did not press the continuance, and verily believe
that if he had held his tongue, and paid strict
attention, that he would have beaten me ; instead
of which he talked so incessantly that his holding
forth amounted to one continued oration, and
had he been describing the battle of Austerlitz,
he could not have made use of more military
technicalities, nor adopted more bombastic lan
guage; and he still came off with flying colours, as
almost every one complimented him on the
scientific acumen he had displayed, and how
evident it was that he was a player of the very
first class, whilst the Englishman, who had said
a few encouraging words to me, made strenuous
efforts to promote the finishing of the game, but
was answered from all quarters that it was useless,
as it must be drawn. I therefore ceded the point
to the majority, much more to my countryman's
vexation than my own.

ANECDOTES OF THE PRINCE C — A. 67
Having alluded to the Prince C — a, I should
not pay him the respect due to his grey hairs, if I
passed him over without further observation. He
certainly is the finest looking old man I ever be
held ; his head might serve as a model of the
perfection of all that was venerable, and digni
fied ; his dark eyes, his long white flowing beard,
his majestic costume surmounted by the graceful
turban, gave the most noble, and imposing air
to his manly figure. He was one of the many
Greeks from Fanar, a suburb of Constantinople,
and sort of hot-bed for Greek talent, from which
sprung most of the celebrated dragomans, envoys,
secretaries, &c. &c, whom the Porte received in
their service, and if faithful promoted to some of
the highest posts in the empire: this was the case
with Prince C — a, who was appointed hospodar of
one of the most important provinces of the Otto
man empire ; this situation he had held some years
when the Greek revolution broke out, and which
policy forced him to deprecate in the severest
terms; meanwhile he was meditating a stroke
which he afterwards accomplished, and which
gave that strength to the efforts of his country
men, that enabled them to sustain the contest :
f2

68 PECULATION — SUSPECTED PATRIOTISM.
at a period when their energies were languishing,
and the want of funds was so severely felt, that
all the endeavours of the patriots were paralysed,
that nerve of war, money, he supplied, having
escaped from his capital, with, it is said, as much
as a million sterling, partly consisting of an accu
mulation of his own savings during his reign as
hospodar, and partly (I suspect the major part)
being the public treasury of his principality,
consequently property belonging to the Turkish
government. All, they say, is fair in war; his friends
observe, that his countrymen were at war at that
time with the Turks their oppressors, therefore
that spoil which he could take from the destroyers
of his nation, and give to his distressed country,
was fulfilling his duty; whilst his enemies declare
that during the time he was receiving the pay of
any government as the wages of his fidelity, and
continued in that lucrative employment, notwith
standing the conduct of his rebel countrymen
might cause him to be a suspected person, that
the desertion of the power that raised him, was a
breach of trust and act of treachery. I shall leave
others to judge of the rectitude of his proceedings,
merely putting one query, — had he remained

ANECDOTES OF THE PRINCE C — A. 69
ever so faithful to the Porte, how long, judging
from too many fatal precedents, would he have
escaped the bowstring ?
On making his escape he wrote to one of his
sons, who was at the time in Constantinople, two
letters, the one recommending his son to go
immediately, and denounce him to the Sultan,
and taking the other letter with him, in which
he merely states his intention of escaping with
all his wealth, &c. This measure was necessary
to save the head of his son, who would have been
immediately executed, if he had not been the
first to communicate the news to the Sultan, in
the shape of an information against his father,
who took good care he should be beyond the
reach of the Ottoman power, before the intelli
gence could arrive at Constantinople. Accordingly
the young prince went, and threw himself at the
feet of the Sultan, giving most violent vent to his
feelings, and presenting the letter of the hospodar,
bewailing himself that it should fall to his hard
lot to become the denouncer of his father; at the
same time stating, that he had not balanced an
instant between his duty to his parent, and that
to his sovereign, aware how light was the former

70 THE ESCAPE — AUSTRIAN RAPACITY.
when weighed in comparison with the latter. The
Sultan perfectly approved the young man's con
duct, and took him into higher favour than ever ;
but the wily prince profited by the first oppor
tunity of secreting himself on board a vessel
bound for Europe, and finally arrived at Marseilles,
where I first met him . His father, the ex-hospodar,
is considered to be the richest man in Greece ;
but report states that when he fled from his prin
cipality, and reached the Austrian territory, he
was not permitted to pass untaxed through those
dominions, but was compelled to pay as much as
a million of francs (about 40,000/.) for the privi
lege of having a free passage through the country,
instead of being delivered up to the Turkish
government, or confined within the walls of some
old German fortress ; and indeed he might have
congratulated himself in escaping thus cheaply,
as, when some years before, Demetrius Ipsilanti, a
Greek prince, was compelled to avail himself of
the same resource, he was never suffered to quit
the imperial realms, to record the inhospitable
treatment he there encountered. Hoping for sup
port from Russia, he had been induced to raise
the standard of revolt against the tyranny of the

ANECDOTES OF THE PRINCE C — A. 71
Porte : at first carrying every thing before him,
he possessed himself of Yassy and Bucharest, the
capitals of Moldavia and Wallachia ; but sustaining
one ruinous defeat, he sought refuge in an Aus
trian province, was arrested, and imprisoned for
the rest of his life in a tower, which proved both
his gaol and his tomb, he dying in captivity a few
years after his incarceration. Had this young man
borne in mind the conduct of the Austrian go
vernment towards Lafayette, with such a prece
dent before him, how could he have expected
any other than similar treatment; but the ex-
hospodar was rich, and not having the greater
part of his wealth with him, his liberty was
therefore requisite in order to obtain the gold
for his ransom ; otherwise, would he have been
more fortunate than his predecessors, placed under
the same circumstances ? But I must break off
abruptly, or I shall not perform the promise to
which I pledged myself at the conclusion of the
last chapter; but, on the contrary, if I trust myself
with another subject, shall make this longer
instead of shorter than the foregoing.

CHAPTER IV.
POVERTY OF THE BAVARIANS  THEIR ECONOMY, AND GREAT
APPETITES  THEIR TALENT FOR MUSIC  TOTAL DEFICIENCY
OF THE GREEKS  EDUCATED GREEKS  CAPO D'lSTRIAS  HIS
ASSASSIN  AND HIS EXECUTION  PETRO BEY  THE MAINOTES
 VINDICTIVE CUSTOMS  NEVER ENTIRELY CONQUERED 
AWKWARD ATTEMPT BY THE BAVARIANS  THEIR TOTAL
DEFEAT  THEIR MATERIEL $AVED BY THE GREEKS  NEWS
PAPER MISREPRESENTATIONS — MIAULIS, THE GREEK ADMI
RAL  CANARIS, THE BRULOTIER  HIS EXTRAORDINARY COU
RAGE  GREEK NAVY  FABVIER  HIS DEVOTION TO THE
GREEK CAUSE  GENERAL GORDON  HIS ZEAL AND PERSE
VERANCE  COLATTI  HIS STERN EXTERIOR  GREEK WAR
RIORS  THEIR COURAGE  GREEK DIPLOMATIST  HIS FORE
CAST AND CALCULATING POWERS.
When Bavaria exported her refuse to Greece,
it is to be lamented that she did not furnish them
with a little coin in their pockets, to have kept up
in some measure, rather more decent appearances,
instead of their being obliged on their arrival to
anticipate their appointments, as Greece was the
last country in the world capable of paying in
advance. But, alas ! it was the poor devoted loan

THE FRENCH RESTAURATEUR. 73
that went to work, not for the legitimate sons of
Greece, but for her adopted children. It was
pitifible, certainly, to see many of the mountain
chiefs, after having shed their blood in the cause
of their country, while struggling against the
power of Turkey, and in many instances sacri
ficing their patrimony, covered with wounds,
wandering about the streets of Napoli, their
meagre appointments taken from them, and
bestowed on the newly arrived foreigners, some
of them the sons of shopkeepers in Munich, who
were so ignorant respecting Greece, that when
the map of Europe was presented to them, they
knew not in what quarter to seek it !
I wish to do justice unto all men ; and having
made some allusion to the poverty of the Greeki-
fied Bavarians, let me now make the amende
honorable, by declaring that however poor they
might be, they were not improvident; in fact,
their system of economy was carried to a degree
of rigour I have seldom witnessed. A luckless
French restaurateur had come to Napoli, hoping
to improve his fortune, and was soon assailed by
the Bavarian officers, with the colonel at the head,
who, partly by persuading, and partly by bullying,

74 BAVARIAN PARSIMONY — CAT-KILLING HEROES.
induced the poor devil to provide them a good
dinner, at a drachm a head (about eight pence
halfpenny). The man declared he should lose by
it; upon which they assured him that his great
gain would be on the profit he would make on
the French wines they should purchase of him ;
and the poor fellow declared to me they never
ordered any but the cheap Greek wines, which
are scarcely fit to travel down a Christian throat,
as resin is always put in them, from the idea that
it enables them to keep the better, but in effect
renders them so horribly nauseous, that one taste
of them is quite sufficient to prevent your ever
having the desire to repeat it. But the ingenuity
with which these gentlemen had a knack of turn
ing every thing to advantage, was highly instruc
tive : if they were not able to consume their
allotted portion of bread at dinner, they pocketed
the remainder, for the convenience, no doubt, of
gnawing at another opportunity. Thus much for
the officers. The men were not behind in endea
vouring to prove themselves worthy of their calcu
lating commanders, and displayed a most laudable
ambition, not only to follow the example of their
superiors, but if possible to surpass it. A number

WHIMSICAL MEMORIAL  BAVARIAN MUSIC. 75
of them were quartered at a place called Pronea,
a large village, so near to Napoli that it might be
considered one of its suburbs, and the inhabitants
complained bitterly that they never could keep a
cat, the Bavarian soldiers having eaten every one
in the place, and that they had endeavoured in vain
to replace them with others, but that they infalli
bly shared the same fate! The consequence was
that they were overrun with rats and mice.
The redress I recommended was to draw up a
memorial, and send it to the head-quarters, pray
ing the commanding officer to give orders, that,
his men having eaten up all their cats, should
immediately turn to, and eat up all the rats and
mice, being only a reasonable compensation, and
such a one as justice loudly demanded ! Having
left Greece before the result of the petition was
known, I am ignorant whether the Proneotes
obtained the desired satisfaction.
One service Bavaria undoubtedly rendered
Greece, that of introducing music into their coun
try; for their bands were certainly extremely
good, and never perhaps was there a nation more
destitute of all ideas of harmony than Greece.
The natives make an immense noise, commencing

76 GREEK NOTIONS OF HARMONY.
always with " Yar," which they hold on as long as
their breath will let them, ringing it through the
nose, and running about the gamut in all possible
ways, and succeeding in raising such a hideous-
yell, that until I got more accustomed to it, I
have run as fast as my legs would carry me to get
out of the hearing of so disgusting a noise ; and
their lungs are so eternal, that they will keep on
this dissonant howl for an hour without stopping.
But it will afford some idea of Greek taste, when I
state a circumstance that occurred to me, when
walking with a Greek gentleman. Some Zantiots
were singing very sweetly the Venetian air of " II
Pescator," &c; and I remarked to my companion
how well they sung ; he smiled, and observed "They
sing well, indeed ! they have some knowledge as
to using their mouth, but they have no idea what
ever how to make use of their nose !" the latter
talent being that which is the most highly valued
amongst the Greeks.
Their attempts at painting are little better,
and I am at a loss to discover on what grounds
so many persons assert, that, had they the ad
vantages of the highest education, they would
surpass all other Europeans, when the experi-

MODERN GREEKS DEFICIENT IN GENIUS. 77
ments which have hitherto been tried have not
produced any one above mediocrity.
Lord Guilford, that true philhellenist, sent at
his own expense a number of Greek youths to the
English universities, where for the most part they
conducted themselves with propriety, but displayed
no brilliance. The King of Bavaria did the same,
sending many lads from Greece to various colleges
in Europe; other philanthropic characters pursued
similar measures, actuated by a desire of resusci
tating, if it were possible, the genius and fire, of
ancient Greece; but, alas ! the ashes of her former
glory appear to have been too long extinguished,
for the power of man to awake from them one
spark of their once sublime heroism and intel
lectual grandeur.
Not one celebrated character did all the efforts
of the enthusiastic admirers of Greece bring forth.
From all the young men selected for the purpose
of receiving the most classic and polished educa
tion, Capo d'lstrias alone stands forward as an
eminently talented man, emanating from modern
Greece. He, I believe, was born at Corfu, and
became a protegee of Russia, and is well known

78 CAPO D'lSTRIAS — HIS ASSASSINATION.
during his presidency of Greece, to have favoured the
interests of that country, which was of course con
sidered inimical to those of England and France ;
but, with all his faults, I must confess that when
ever I found any institution existing, that was
beneficial to the country, if I asked who was the
founder, the reply ever was, Capo d'lstrias.
His assassination was not, as has been generally
supposed, instigated by political, but by private
feeling. He had imprisoned Petro Bey, Prince
Mavromichali, the prince of Maina ; and as the
natives of that province are reared with the idea
that it is a sacred duty to revenge an injury
inflicted on a relation, the brother, and son of
Petro Bey resolved on murdering the President,
who had been cautioned to be on his guard : how
ever, naturally courageous, and thinking it politic
to affect a greater degree of boldness and confi
dence than he really felt, he took no precautions ;
and on the day that he fell, he proceeded to church,
but when within a few paces of the door, being in
advance of his guard, he perceived two men of
suspicious and scowling appearance. He paused
for an instant, then, as if checking his hesitation,

F.Ht.-ni <!_,-¦:'

Prince of the Mamotes.

J. "W. Giles Mheg

"ld£7V.

EXECUTION OF THE ASSASSIN. 79
he raised his hat to the strangers, and smiling
passed on, but as he entered the porch they buried
their weapons in his breast.
The brother of Petro Bey was sacrificed at the
moment by the guard ; but the son escaping, fled
to the French ambassador, who himself declared
to me how embarrassed he felt as to the line of
conduct he ought to adopt under such delicate
circumstances. The youth came running into the
room where the baron was sitting, exclaiming,
"The tyrant lives no longer ! he expired under the
hands of myself and my uncle ; and I now ask you
for an asylum from an infuriated populace." The
baron, after a moment's hesitation, replied, " I will
protect you from the mob, but when the authori
ties, delegated by the laws of your country, de
mand you, I can shelter you no longer ;" which, as
the public well knows, was the case; and the
handsome assassin was tried, condemned, and
shot ; but it is worthy remark, that, as he was
descending the rock of the almost perpendicular
Palymede, on which his prison was situated, on
his way to execution, he could see his father
walking about the yard of the building, in which
he was confined, and bowed his farewell three

80 VINDICTIVE CUSTOMS.
times to his parent, but never even at the last
moment for an instant lost his firmness.
The French ambassador, I have no doubt, felt
much hurt at delivering young Mavromichali into
the hands of justice, as it was very evident that
the fall of Capo d'lstrias, inasmuch as it was a
death-blow to the preponderating influence of
Russia, was proportionately beneficial to that of
France. It was, therefore, impossible but that
the baron must have had much sympathy for the
instrument who struck the blow so favourable to
the interests of his country ; and, independent of
any political feelings, much allowance must be
made for a young man brought up with an idea,
that, if you revenge not an injury to a parent, it
is not only a breach of filial duty, but a proof of
cowardice. Some of the most inveterate enemies
of Capo d'lstrias go so far, as to blame the ambas
sador for having delivered the assassin into the
power of his judges, by declaring that, after the
death of the President, the government that was
immediately formed was not acknowledged by the
whole of Greece, nor by the European powers ;
consequently, whatever tribunals they might form,
they were not legally constituted; and that he

PETRO BEY  LACEDEMONIA. 81
should on that account have refused to deliver
Mavromichali into any hands, but those of a power
that was legitimatized by the sanction of the
Allies, such as the present. And had that been
the case, I verily believe that the culprit would
now have been alive, as nothing could exceed the
attention of Otho's government to his surviving
brother, and to Petro Bey, who certainly is a very
fine old fellow.
He was suffering from the gout at the time I
took his portrait, which I have still preserved ; for,
though an invalid, his eye had lost none of its
natural fire, and the resemblance, it was admitted,
could not have been better, had it been taken from
him whilst in the full vigour of health. Having
thus much dilated on the princes of Maina, it will
not be irrelevant to the subject, to make some
remarks on that most extraordinary province.
Maina forms a part of that country which was
once the far-famed Lacedemonia. Many persons
have remarked that it never was conquered ; but
that assertion is not thoroughly borne out, as it
has entered into arrangements with several powers,
in common with the rest of Greece, to pay certain
taxes, and to have certain restrictions imposed
VOL. I. g

82 FORTIFIED HOUSES — FAMILY FEUDS.
on them ; but have retained so many privileges
that they always considered themselves as inde
pendent. When I passed at sea within sight of a
part of the country, I asked how it happened that
all the buildings had the appearance of churches ;
and I was informed that the custom ever had
been, from time immemorial, for every house to
have a tower, whilst the inhabitants, being well
armed, are always prepared to stand a siege ; and
family feuds go so far, that some men have been
compelled to remain upwards of thirty years
without ever quitting their own house, on account
of their having injured some one, whose family and
numerous relatives alternately keep watch, armed
with a firelock, pistols, &c, to be ready to shoot
the delinquent the moment he appears outside his
door, but aware that he is too well prepared for them
to attempt to storm his castle. Under these cir
cumstances, the man thus confined is supplied by
his wife, mother, or sister with provisions ; and the
women (whatever may be the furious pitch to
which these murderous quarrels are wrought) are
always held sacred. But this system of shooting
at each other at the first convenient opportunity,
is not confined to the Mainotes, as a friend of

CORSICAN MODE OF DUELLING. 83
mine, General G — , commanded a brigade in
Greece, composed of many nations, and heard one
morning, that one of his officers had shot another
under the following circumstances : — They were
both natives of Corsica ; and having had a dispute
of so violent a nature, that killing each other was
the only remedy that could be resorted to, they,
according to the fashion of their country, agreed
to despatch each other, as speedily as possible.
One of them lived hard by, and ran home for
his musket, and, calculating that his adversary
would do the same, flew towards his house, and
placed himself in such a position, as to be ena
bled to shoot him as he entered ; but the other,
judging that he would do so, called in at a
friend's, where he borrowed a firelock ; and getting
behind his enemy, shot him in the back, at the
very moment that he was watching for his assail
ant's entrance by the door of his dwelling. Ge
neral G., on making inquiries, found that it was
the regular mode of duelling in Corsica, and there
fore did not visit the survivor with any severity for
the part he had acted.
Many attempts have been made to reduce the
Mainotes ; but never with full success. Their
G 2

84 BAVARIAN ATTACK ON THE MAINOTES.
country is surrounded by immense mountains ;
the passes, which form the only entrances to the
province, are so fortified by nature, that a few men
can defend them against a host ; and that part
which is open to the sea, offers equal difficulties to
the invader, whilst their possessions are too poor
to tempt the cupidity of the warlike adventurer.
Ibraham Pacha, after having carried every thing
before him in Greece with his formidable army,
made but a feeble attempt upon Maina ; finding
that it would require an innumerable sacrifice of
men, he considered that the object that might be
gained by the conquest of the country, would be
too dearly purchased ; and to starve them into
obedience is impossible. The sea supplies them
with fish, and game is remarkably abundant, parti
cularly quails, which they salt, and lay up as provi
sion for the winter. Thus fortified, and supplied
by nature, they have hitherto successfully bid
defiance to their enemies, who have been glad to
enter into a compromise with them, rather than
visit them hostilely in their strongholds.
But the Bavarians thought differently, and sent
a small force to compel them to pay a tribute, that
was demanded of them ; to insist on their demo-

DEFEAT AND FLIGHT OF THE BAVARIANS. 85
lishing the towers to their houses ; and that they
should deliver up their arms. I was in company,
at the President's, with one of the officers com
posing this ill-fated expedition, and much amused
with listening to his comic singing. How greatly
was I shocked, a few days after, to hear of his
death, having been killed in an encounter with the
Mainotes ! The Bavarians were injudiciously led
by their commander into a defile, between two
rocks, which were nearly perpendicular, and con
nected with the chain of mountains which bounded
the province of Maina. The natives suffered them
to advance some distance into the pass, and were
themselves perched amongst the cliffs and crags
above, concealed behind pieces of rock, or among
the stunted bushes, — some lying down, others on
their knees, and, in fact, in all manner of positions,
where they could but remain hidden, and take aim
with advantage at their enemies ; which they cer
tainly did most effectually. At the signal given,
all fired at once on their invaders, who fell in such
numbers that those who remained unhurt, were so
alarmed at such a destructive fire from an invisible
foe, that they fled precipitately, abandoning their
artillery and baggage, whieh was immediately

86 THE SURPRISE — RESTITUTION.
seized by the Mainotes, who, emerging from their
concealment, without resistance, possessed them
selves of the spoil. But not long were they
allowed to retain it, as about forty Greek gens-
d'-armes suddenly galloping upon them, the moun
taineers were in their turn surprised ; and imagining
their assailants to be the advanced guard of a fresh
corps, quickly scrambled up the mountains, leaving
their newly gained prize to revert to its former
owners. Thus were the same artillery, baggage,
&c, in a few minutes recaptured by some forty
Greeks, which had just before been lost by some
hundred Bavarians. Prior to this affair the latter
had ever been detested by the former ; but with that
detestation, now was mingled the most heartfelt
contempt ; the Greeks, from the occurrence they
had just witnessed, having but a very poor idea of
Bavarian courage. But in the above rencontre
there were several palliating circumstances : most
of the men composing the defeated corps were
recruits from Munich, who never before had been
exposed to fire, and, led into a trap as they were,
far more experienced soldiers might have been
appalled by the suddenness of the attack, as it is
indisputable that there is no lack of bravery

CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES. 87
amongst the Bavarians. On the contrary, they
are ever ready to maintain their honour with their
sabre's edge.
Several other encounters with the Mainotes
proved as unsuccessful ; but the details of these
affairs were never permitted publicly to transpire :
the particulars having been furnished to me by an
officer who was employed to translate the bulletin
from the Greek, as written on the scene of action,
into French, for the use of the government ; espe
cial care being taken that the disastrous news
should have as little circulation as possible. The
official gazettes assured the public, that the war
with the Mainotes was proceeding in the most
favourable manner. Ultimately, by the influence
of their prince, Mavromichali, a compromise was
entered into, Maina engaging to conform partly
to some of the demands made by the Bavarian
government, on their agreeing to forego the most
important of their exactions.
Indebted as they were, to the individual exer
tions of Petro Bey in arranging an accommodation
with the rebellious province, it was not surprising
that every attention should be paid to him and his
family. His surviving son, young Mavromichali,

88 MIAULIS, THE GREEK ADMIRAL.
having a commission bestowed upon him, with
the honour of wearing the newly introduced Bava
rian uniform, instead of the picturesque costume
of the Greeks; in which, I presume, he must have
been seen by the author of "Pencillings by the
Way," as he describes him as a perfect Adonis.
That he was a good looking young man, and
very amiable, cannot be denied; at the same
time I cannot help thinking that the god of
beauty would have been very justly indignant at
the comparison. But I suspect, had the author
alluded to, been a portrait painter, he would have
taken very flattering likenesses; as, speaking of
the Greek admiral, Miaulis, he observes that he
was one of the most imposing and dignified per
sonages he had ever beheld, and that he, the
author, never felt more awed by the presence of
any one than by that of the Greek admiral. Whilst
the author of Cavendish, when describing the
same person, declares he had seldom seen so in
significant a looking being. Whence this difference
of opinion? can it arise from a difference of
vision ? Whilst, in a description of Miaulis, I must
differ from both the gentlemen above quoted, by
stating that he was neither dignified, nor in-

CANARIS, THE BRULOTIER. 89
significant in his appearance, but looked like
what he was, a rough but true-hearted honest
sailor ; his exterior, in my opinion, completely pro
claiming his character : this is not always the
case, and we are too apt in our mind's eye, to
award a fine majestic form to one, whose heroic
deeds we have been accustomed to hear recorded.
I had fallen into this error with regard to
Canaris, the celebrated Brulotier, who with his
fire-ship has dared the Turkish fleet, and with
imperturbable courage has stood amidst the hail
of their grape, until he has accomplished his
object. Few men now existing have caused so
many deaths as he, but it was in the service of
his country, and therefore do we honour him. How
was I surprised when I was first presented to
Canaris, to find in him a person diminutive, a
countenance plain and mean looking, and not
one trait in his physical appearance that savoured
of the hero ; and I could almost suppose that he
had some consciousness that his exterior was not
the most prepossessing, as when I requested him
to sit to me for his portrait, he always laughed,
and declined ; but being resolved to obtain it if
possible, I took a boat, and, accompanied by Mr.

90 CANARIS, THE BRULOTIER.
Black (the. husband of the celebrated Maid of
Athens), who was kind enough to act as inter
preter, went on board the brig Canaris commanded,
stating that I was arrived with the determination
of quartering myself upon him, until he consented
to my proposal ; and, as there was no language
common between us, I imagine that he concluded
that we should be most annoying company for
each other, he at length, the sooner to get rid of
me, consented to sit, and sat " like patience on a
monument smiling at grief," and, some days after
wards, went through the required repetitions of
the operation with becoming resignation.
Few men are so respected as Canaris is, through
out Greece, and had many of her sons proved as
able, active, and daring, her cause would have
triumphed, without needing the battle of Navarin,
or the interference of other governments ; nor was
the aid she received from the enthusiasm, and
devotion of talented individuals from various
countries so effectually serviceable as might have
been expected.
When I left Greece, Canaris commanded a brig
of about eighteen guns, being the largest ship in
the Greek service ; Miaulis having burnt the fleet
10

Tl A* M E i

X-fV?///-" .'"'/- Y/S'lfft' &y . .'r$;Tl"}.yfrlCer-li

THE GREEK NAVY. 91
that was confided to his charge, to prevent its
falling into the hands of the Russians, Mho wished
to have taken it under their protection at the
time the affairs of Greece were in an unsettled
state. For this act Miaulis was much applauded
by the English and French party, and as much
condemned by the Russian. Since that period
Greece has been too poor to build ships, but has
always an eye to her navy ; in fact the genius of
the people ever inclined to a maritime life, and
few have carried on piracy with greater success
than they did at one period ; and even now, when
any piratical vessel is captured anywhere in the
Levantine seas, two thirds of the crew are always
found to be Greek. The present government,
anxious to introduce English naval tactics into
their marine, have equipped a young Greek, who,
with the consent of the English government, has
been received in the British navy, being allowed
the rank of lieutenant, the same as that he bore
in the Greek navy. The uniform they have adopted
is nearly the same as that of the English. Whilst
he wore his native costume, he passed for an
extremely fine young man ; but, in his present
dress, he does not appear to soar above mediocrity.

92 FABVIER  GENERAL CHURCH.
Fabvier, who entered the service of Greece soon
after she hoisted the standard of independence,
possessed every requisite to form a soldier ; a frame
of iron, a mind that no reverses could bend, and
an experience of military life which had been
acquired in the Napoleon wars ; yet was he unfor
tunate in his career when he commanded Greek
troops, except in his succour of the Acropolis of
Athens, which he achieved under the most perilous
circumstances ; but, from the disastrous result of
the battle fought on the plains adjacent to that
city, was obliged to surrender his strong position
by capitulation.
General Church was not ultimately more suc
cessful in his military operations, and most la
mentably the reverse in the action just alluded to,
yet, notwithstanding the reverses he has met with,
few, if any, amongst the Philhellenists, are more
beloved by the Greeks than he ; mild in his dispo
sition, amiable in his manners, and ever most
disinterested in his conduct, he soon won the
hearts of his soldiers, whose fatigues and privations
he ever shared with exemplary cheerfulness.
Lord Dundonald was not happy in his hostile
operations, notwithstanding it Mas supposed that

GENERAL GORDON — COLETTI. 93
his high name alone would have carried so great a
terror with it, as half to win the battle before
a shot was fired ; but he alleged, (no doubt, with
justice,) as the cause of the comparative failure of
his enterprises, the very indifferent crews which
were assigned him.
General Gordon (then Colonel) may be ranked
as one of the most zealous and persevering friends
of Greece, having considerably aided her cause
both with his fortune and his personal exertions,
but never had a command of sufficient extent to
have had any important influence on the contest
then pending between Turkey and Greece ; but in
consequence of the incessant and active attachment
he has continued to display for the latter country,
has been promoted to the high military rank which
he now holds.
Amongst the conspicuous characters who held
official situations, one of the most prominent was
Coletti, the Minister of the Interior. He and
Mavrocordato had long been considered as rivals
during the struggle for Greek independence ; and
in every form of government that was attempted
prior to the arrival of Otho, those political oppo
nents were always at the head of adverse factions.

94 COLETTI  MAVROCORDATO  ALI PACHA.
Since the accession of the present King, policy
seems to have suggested an apparent union of all
parties; hence I have met Coletti at Mavrocordato's
soirees, although no real friendship could exist
between them. Coletti had formerly been the
physician to Ali Pacha, and had resided with him
at Yanina, the capital of Albania, and had also
been, as it were, the confidential secretary of that
sanguinary and wily chief. Coletti's conversation
was to me highly interesting ; he related many
anecdotes of Ali Pacha, which were extremely
entertaining, but which I shall not here state, as
they have been mostly given in his memoirs, which
are so universally known throughout Europe, and
particularly in this country.
Coletti was considered as the centre of the
French interest in Greece, and perhaps the man
who had more influence over the Greeks than any
individual existing. D'Armansperg, aMrare of this
circumstance, was no sooner restored to power,
after his sway had been virtually nullified by the
influence of his enemies, than he resolved on
removing Coletti, which was effected in the usual
manner, that of making him an Ambassador ; and,
accordingly, he was sent to Paris. His demeanour

ANECDOTE OF COLETTI. 95
was remarkably imposing, having a sternness in his
air which was at first forbidding, investing his
manner and address with a dignified hauteur ; but
a short intercourse with him, soon dispelled any
unpleasant impression which his first appearance
might excite. A singular circumstance is related
as proving how commanding an exterior he pos
sessed. One of the family of Grivas went twice into the
presence of Coletti, with the intention of assassi
nating him, but, awed by the firmness of his aspect,
his enemy was daunted, and retired without
effecting his purpose, although at the last time
he had his hand upon his dagger, prepared to
strike. One reason which has been given for the ill
success of the foreign commanders, is their having
attempted too suddenly to introduce the European
military tactics amongst the Greek troops. There
is no doubt that, could they have had some months
training, they might have been drilled under the
usual system, ultimately with the same success as
any other men ; but as they had frequently to
enter the field of action, M-ithout any time being
given to perfect them in the new exercises, which

96 GREEK TROOPS  MILITARY TACTICS.
they were required to practise, when they were
brought forth to meet the enemy they were com
pletely out of their element: accustomed as they
had been to a guerilla kind of warfare, each man
acted on his own account, and, screened amongst
the rocks and underwood, being good marksmen,
generally picked out their man ; or, if obliged to
come hand to hand with their opponent, they
well knew how to use their sabre, their poinard, or
their yatagan, as occasion might require ; they
therefore spurned at the idea of being made to
stand like a machine, passively to receive the
enemy's fire, and return it at command, turn right,
or left as ordered, — in fact to be rendered a com
plete instrument, worked by their officer at his
pleasure. Amongst the many military men from various
nations who have fought with the Greeks and
resided amongst them, how few I have found who
would admit that they possessed personal courage,
yet, from what I have seen, heard, and read, I am
convinced that, generally, bravery must form a pro
minent feature in their character, particularly if it
were called forth to acquire property, or having
acquired it, to defend it ; in fact, when money was

THEIR COURAGE. 97
at stake, I verily believe a Greek would face any
danger ; and it is but fair to state that I have
heard General Church declare that he ever found
them as firm in the hour of peril as the generality
of troops of other countries, and no one could have
had a better opportunity of judging than himself.
Perhaps it may be considered that I have made
too sweeping a conclusion in stating that Greece
has not produced any talented men, but all these
general remarks are of course subject to excep
tions ; and one instance, I remember, of singular
acuteness, displayed by one of their diplomatic
agents, which, as a tribute to the genius of modern
Greece, I hold myself bound to mention. The
gentleman alluded to had just received his nomi
nation to a court in civilized Europe, when with
penetrating calculation he began to reflect, that it
would be an absurdity in him to encumber himself
on his journey to his embassy, with any of the
elegancies and luxuries which peered amongst his
goods and chattels, when proceeding to a country
where they abounded ; but that, on the contrary,
he might dispose of them to considerable advan
tage in his own nation, where superfluities were
expensive in proportion to their rarity. This
VOL. I. H

98 THE GREEK DIPLOMATIST.
reflection made, the result of mature deliberation,
he proceeded forthwith to put in practice that
theory, which had so opportunely gleamed across
his mind ; and soon his searching eye darted upon
a set of tea things, which he flattered himself he
could turn to a good account; nor was he de
ceived. The arrival of a gentleman of fortune, with
the intention of settling in Greece, immediately
suggested to the diplomatic dealer in crockery, a
good market for his ware: accordingly, he sent
a note instanter to inform the nouvelle arrive, that
being on the eve of quitting the country, he (the
vender) should be happy to cede to the settler
a tea equipage, which, it was presumed, would
particularly suit his convenience, as it was his
intention to remain in Greece. The offer was
accepted; and a few evenings after I took tea at
the house of the purchaser, when the mistress
asked me how I liked her tea things, and, as
politeness dictated, I praised them as much as the
subject would admit, when the next question was,
what did I suppose they cost ? After thinking a
minute, I guessed twenty-five dollars. Instantly
I was declared an utter ignoramus, and pronounced

HIS FORECAST AND CALCULATING POWERS. 99
no judge whatever ; and so I began to think I
really was, when the lady informed me that the
price was fifty-five dollars ; but adding that she
thought them extremely dear, and had even sent a
representation that several articles were missing,
and others cracked ; whereupon five dollars were
returned. I happened to mention the circumstance to a
merchant respecting the dear tea things, and the
bad shot I had made, in guessing them at less than
half the price they had been charged. The mer
chant smiled, telling me that he it was who sold
them to the diplomatist for twenty dollars, about
nine months before, and would show me the entry
in his books whenever I pleased. This transaction,
it must be admitted, proved the principal actor to
be a man of extreme shrewdness, and one who
well knew how to turn the circumstances of the
moment to advantage ; and I do not hesitate to
say, if he does as well for his country as he
did in the above instance for himself, that after
such a debut in diplomacy, he may one day
become the very beau ideal of diplomatists, and do
much in supporting the very tottering fabric of the
Greek government, which dissimulation and mis-
h2

100 INSTABILITY OF THE GREEK GOVERNMENT.
representation alone can pretend to state, will ever
have any permanent political existence. But the
gentleman need not fear that his abilities will ever
be suffered to languish without employ or lucra
tive recompense, as, after having displayed such
calculating acumen, Russia would, no doubt, be
happy to avail herself of his services, as she is ever
ready to enlist talent under her banners, no matter
from what nation ; even though Greek, she would
not object.

CHAPTER V.
TRAVELLING IN GREECE  APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY  BAD
ROADS  EPIDAURUS  COMFORTLESS QUARTERS  THE RATS-
WET MUDDY FLOOR  A PIG  AN EGG  GREEK RASCALITY 
PICTURESQUE RUINS — SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS  FORTUNATE
SUPPLY  ROUGH SEA  EGINA  THE TOWN AND ENVIRONS 
GREEK CAPTAIN  HIS NOBLE EXTERIOR, AND GALLANT CON
DUCT  GREEK HOSPITALITY  ADMIRATION OE BYRON  IGNO
RANCE OF GREEK FEMALES  PUT TO SEA AGAIN  TEDIOUS
PROGRESS  LAND TRAVELLING ADVISED.
I started from Napoli for Epidaurus with an
Italian merchant and his wife; and, although my
luggage was little more than a change of linen,
was obliged to hire two horses, the one for myself,
and the other for my baggage, the principal article
of which was my mattress, this being the regular
custom with travellers in Greece, where no de
scription of bedding is to be found at the khans
or houses of accommodation on the road.
A total dearth of trees renders this country
rather desolate in its appearance ; and though the
mountains are extremely high, and of the most wild

1 02 DESOLATE APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY.
and picturesque forms, the mind soon tires of the
barren melancholy stillness which reigns around.
However, at the first view, one is enchanted
with the bold romantic heights which bound the
scene on every side, and which give to Greece an
air of solemn grandeur, which is truly imposing.
This is beautiful to the eye of the passing stranger,
but let him reside for some length of time amongst
this sublime desolation, and see with what rapture,
on his return to civilized climes, he will greet the
green meadow, the smiling corn-field, and every
object which tells of social life.
From Napoli to Epidaurus is about twenty four
miles : not one house cheers the road side, in all
that distance, although it is the most frequented
road from Napoli (at that time the capital) to
Athens. Now and then appeared a shepherd with
a flock of goats, most highly picturesque, but
looking very solitary and miserable. Occasionally,
at a short distance, we could see the ruins of cot
tages, and sometimes of villages, which told a tale
of wretchedness, and marked the progress of the
spoiler's hand, where war had given an unbridled
license to her ruffian host. We baited at a foun
tain, which was situated at about half the distance

BAD ROADS. 103
we had to perform : it was the spot where travel
lers generally met to refresh, as also the country
people for miles round ; but we found no one
there, and, after having recruited our strength and
spirits, resumed our journey, which is extremely
annoying, from the slow and tedious pace at which
one is compelled to proceed ; the men belonging
to the horses accompanying us on foot, thereby
limiting our progress to their convenience.
There were none but bridle roads, which some
times were through bogs that were too muddy for
our companions on foot to penetrate, and they
had to make circuits, whilst we were forced to
wait for them, thus retarding our movements. It
is true many parts of the road were such as could
not ever be passed over with much rapidity, the
shelving rocks sometimes forming completely stone
steps, in descending which the horses frequently
fall, and considerably damage their riders. We
passed through one spot which was most singularly
beautiful, the mountains being covered with in
numerable varieties of brushwood, presenting a
curious diversity of all the gayest colours that
fancy could depict : at an immense depth beneath
us we could see a hurrying stream gurgling through
10

104 EPIDAURUS — COMFORTLESS QUARTERS.
the valley, and here and there, peeping between
the variegated foliage; amongst the numberless
shrubs through which we had to thread our way,
most conspicuously appeared the arbutus, very
plentifully adorned with their deep scarlet berries,
which, without dismounting or stopping an instant,
I gathered, and found them most refreshing.
At length, about dusk, and in a shower of rain, we
arrived at the once far-famed Epidaurus.
Oh ! how I could have wished for an English
inn, with all the delicious comforts that appertain
to that dear refuge of the wanderer, that ever
welcomed traveller's home ! But I was in Greece,
and above all, in that misery-stricken Epidaurus.
I entered with my companions a sort of hovel.
We were cold and wet, and saw little chance of
redress to our grievances. A fire on the floor there
certainly was, but almost invisible, from the num
ber of grim ill-looking figures which were around
it, some squatted on the ground, others bending
over them, in order to inhale a sniff of smoke and
heat. Chairs or tables there were none, but some
boxes, forming part of my companions' baggage,
were arranged as seats, of one of which I availed
myself, and was quietly contemplating the savage

A GREEK HOTEL. 105
looking group around me, when I found the rain
was amusing itself by pattering on my bare head,
entering very unceremoniously from a hole in the
roof just above me.
This splendid hotel had no other flooring than
the unsophisticated earth ; windows it had none,
nor chimney, but its absence was not felt, as in the
many apertures between the tiles, the smoke had
free egress. The principal piece of furniture, nay,
the only one which I remember, was such as I
observed in almost all the Greek cottages, viz.,
a sort of table, reaching from" one end of the
house to the other, resembling most a tailor's shop-
board, or a counter ; on this the^ family sits, or
rather squats ; there they also do every species of
work, and on it they spread their bedding ; in fact,
it answers the purpose to them of table, chair,
and bedstead, and on this they hauled my mat
tress ; and being bed time, I, like the other inmates
of the dismal den in which we were stowed, sought
the blessed state of forgetfulness.
But alas ! it was not so easy to forget the dis
gusting torments with which I was surrounded,
for I had not lain down five minutes before three
great rats came romping, and tumbling within a

106 THE RATS  PLEASANT BEDFELLOWS.
few inches of my nose : I was regularly horrified ;
the Lady of General G. having previously enter
tained me on the passage with anecdotes respect
ing the biting of rats in the East, she, and all her
sisters, having been dreadfully bitten by them at
Constantinople. But at last, after many very
disagreeable cogitations, " tired nature's sweet
restorer," came to my relief. The next morning I
caused the circumstance, through the means of an
interpreter, to be mentioned to my host, not wish
ing another night to be exposed to the mercy of
such bedfellows. In answer, he very coolly replied,
" Then the gentleman did not want for company."
Another misfortune befel me : when I mounted
the great shop-board to go to bed, I had left my
boots on the ground ; consequently, in descending
the next morning was bootless, and it being very
dark, I did not perceive where I stepped, and set
my foot in a hole in the floor, which the entrance
of the rain from the aperture above had converted
into a pool of black mud, giving me in appearance
a half boot, but so cold, wet, and filthy that as I
drew off my nasty beplastered stocking, I could
not help execrating the Greeks, their dirty ways,
and their beastly hovels.

A SWINISH STORY. 107
Yet I was much better off than a friend of
mine, who arrived at Epidaurus at another period,
and was not so fortunate as to be conducted, as I
was, to the best inn in the place, but was ushered
into one considerably inferior, where they had not
even the aforesaid shop-board ; consequently, his
mattress was laid on the floor, which was as usual
the unspoiled earth ; but, having observed that there
was a great pig, which appeared to have the run
of the house, he began to entertain sundry sus
picions that the pig would be walking upon him
in the night, whilst he might be asleep, and com
municated his apprehensions to his landlord and
landlady, who assured him that the pig never went
into that corner where his mattress was laid. My
friend, however, could not understand why that
spot should be more respected than the rest by
this ambulating swine, and retired to his pillow,
very sceptical on the subject, his doubts, and fears
for a long time keeping him awake. At length
fatigue and drowsiness operating upon him, he
sank into the arms of Morpheus. How long he
had remained in that delicious state of uncon
sciousness is hard to say, when he was disturbed
by a tremendous pressure on his cheek ; and

108 THE PIG'S FOOT.
naturally turning his head, the pig's foot (for it
was the pig's self that pressed) slipped into his
mouth, being well charged with an accumulation
of mud and filth, collected in its nocturnal pro
menades. My unfortunate friend sprung on his feet spit
ting and spluttering, endeavouring to clear his
mouth of its unwelcome contents ; at the same
time with stentorian voice vociferating an an
athema against the accursed hut and its inmates,
he rushed into the air and sought a brook that
" babbled by," and there performed an ablution
which had become highly necessary. As he re
gained some degree of composure he stalked about
the deserted village, contemplating the moon, con
tent to find so clean a looking object whereon to
fix his gaze, where so much dirt surrounded him ;
and, after wearing away the time till sunrise, pre
suming that his host, and family would have risen,
and consequently be on the qui vive to prevent his
new acquaintance, the pig, from again treating him
with such indecorous familiarity, he once more
entered his loathsome quarters ; and having re
ceived an assurance from his landlord, that his
slumbers should not again be intruded upon, he at

THE HEN'S NEST — A NEW-LAID EGG. 109
length took to his bed, hoping to obtain one re
freshing nap, to recruit his spirits for the con
tinuation of his journey. But ah, delusive hopes !
in lying down he felt a hard lump under him
which instantly broke with a queer sort of squash,
emitting a liquid, which, as the Americans would
say, pretty considerably wetted him ; and starting up,
and examining the cause, from the state of the
tail of his shirt a piteous tale was elicited, from
which it appeared, that during his absence a hen
had found his bed a very warm comfortable place,
and had crept into it, and there laid an egg, and
he lying thereupon had crushed it, and by that
means had befouled his linen !
To return to my own case : I soon recovered my
calm, after my more trifling mishaps, and at the first
opportunity emerged from my rat-hole ; but, as I
pique myself much upon my impartiality, and am
determined not to suffer dislikes or prejudices to
influence my opinion to the disparagement of any
one, so that when they merit praises I may even
eulogise my enemies, from that same Christian
spirit, I feel myself bound to declare, that how
ever those rats to whom I have alluded were ob
noxious to me, yet I must say they were the finest

110 ENORMOUS RATS — GREEK RASCALITY.
of the description of any that I ever beheld : I
am certain that some of them would have measured
at least eighteen inches from the point of the nose
to the tip of the tail, and were equally stout in pro
portion, and I have no doubt but that amongst
their own coterie they were considered complete
models of their race !
Our first care on sallying forth, was to discover
what vessels there were in the port bound for
Athens ; and we found many open boats, and one
galliot of a respectable size : this then was our
object, and finding the captain, we arranged for
the price of our passage. In him we had a speci
men of true Greek rascality : he stated that there
was not sufficient wind at the moment for him to
put to sea, at the same time that the small boats
were all departing, which we remarked to him,
but were answered that they, by making use of
their oars, might make way, but that he must wait
for a breeze ; and having seen the last boat double
the most distant point, he then coolly told us that
now that there was no vessel left by which we
could depart but his, we must pay double the
price we had agreed for ! — this the wretch said with
a ghastly grin ; — oh, how ugly the brute was !

PICTURESQUE RUINS. Ill
We were determined not to countenance the
scoundrel's imposition, and decided on waiting,
with the hope that other boats might arrive ; but
contrary winds springing up, we were obliged to
wait at this forlorn place four days, and had full
leisure to examine its localities. It is said to have
once possessed a population of a hundred thou
sand souls, and now there are but, perhaps, some
thirty habitations, scarcely meriting the name of
houses. The walls of its ancient boundaries are
to be seen in fragments, proving how great must
have been its former extent, and at a short dis
tance I found some most picturesque ruins, which
must have formed a part of an immense building.
I could not learn that there were any traditions or
records concerning them, that could give the re
motest idea as to what they had formerly been,
but, from the style of architecture, and some
peculiarities, such as funnels or very small chan
nels conducted through the walls, I conjectured
for giving free passage to smoke, I should imagine
they had been Roman baths. Such was the ex
treme poverty of this place, that we could neither
procure meat, vegetables, nor fish, although a port,
and the sea almost washing the base of their

112 MEAGRE DIET — INDOLENCE.
houses. This was entirely the consequence of the
extreme indolence of the inhabitants. I never
anywhere saw a finer and richer soil, but the
men were too lazy to cultivate it, or to supply
that labour necessary, to avail themselves of the
advantages the Ocean afforded them ; but, as they
cared not for comforts, nor for a more generous
mode of living than could be supplied by rice,
onions, olives, black bread, coffee, and sometimes a
little brandy, they had no incentive to render them
industrious, and all their ideas of happiness ap
peared to consist, in passing the whole of their
time smoking at the coffee-houses ; the one at
which I had the misfortune to be stationed, had a
constant supply of these lazy lusty visitors.
The besotted ignorance of these people is most
remarkable. My watch having stopped, I asked
what was o'clock, but found that there was not
any person in the place," that had any idea of the
division of time, farther than sunrise and sunset.
What we should have done for food in this desolate
hole I know not, had it not been for two gentle
men of the name of Upton, who arrived in their
yacht, and made me a present of a brace of par
tridges, but who only staid a few hours, and a

A DISAGREEABLE VOYAGE. 113
German Baron who shared his provision with us,
having more than he required, as he was only pro
ceeding to Egina. We had merely provided our
selves for three days, imagining that it could not
occupy more than that time from Napoli to
Athens, instead of which it took us nine days, and
only twenty-four hours to return ; such is the
extreme uncertainty when one has to depend on
winds and- waves.
At last my patience being quite exhausted, I
insisted on putting to sea, as soon as the wind, which
was still contrary, somewhat abated. Accordingly,
at midnight I was aroused, and bidding a final adieu
to the rats, entered the boat : it had no deck, and
the sea still running high, dashed upon us as we
lay at the bottom of our crazy bark ; the sailors
requesting us to lie down, as being the least in
their way, whilst running to and fro to shift the
sails. I soon found we made but little way, and
that all I had gained by quitting my late com
panions was change of scene, and change of
misery, for nothing could be more disagreeable
than our situation : coats, cloaks, and all our
paraphernalia were soon wetted through, which,
whilst one is in exercise is a trifle, but in a posi-
VOL. I. I

114 EGINA.
tion where we could scarcely move, is intolerable ;
and though in so mild a climate, I that night found
the cold very severe.
Our sailors were old men, and had not sufficient
activity in the management of their sails to take
advantage of the tacks ; and after beating about
all night, we found ourselves when daylight ap
peared nearing Egina, which was only about half
way to Athens. The seamen asked us if we would
put in to that island, the wind still being so con
trary, that it was almost impossible to proceed.
We gladly assented ; but when exactly opposite the
very point at which we were to land, it was long
before we reached the shore. Though the town
of Egina offers few attractions, I was glad to set
my foot on an island so often named in the most
ancient history. It is from Egina that we have
the medals or coins of the greatest antiquity, that
is, as early as eight hundred years before Christ,
Egina being at that period a piratical republic :
at present it is difficult to imagine a more melan
choly looking place. Capo d'lstrias having decided
that it should be the capital of Greece, many
persons had been induced to settle there, and
numbers to build: now there are whole streets

THE TOWN AND ENVIRONS. 115
uninhabited; and many of the houses having
fallen to decay, present a most miserable appear
ance. I know not any thing so desolate-looking and
so uninteresting as these modern ruins, some con
sisting of houses inhabited only a few years since,
others that had never been finished ; as when the
king and court fixed their residence at Napoli, all
the works already in progress at Egina were sus
pended, and speculators then began to build with
avidity at Napoli, which has now in its turn been
abandoned for Athens. The poverty-stricken look
ing people, and the yellow squalid faces which one
sees at every door, heightens the forlorn aspect
which reigns throughout this deserted city.
There are several objects of high interest to be
seen in this island ; amongst them is one supposed
to be of extreme antiquity, the column of Venus ;
also a most extraordinary piece of mosaic work, at
a short distance from it; and the temple of Jupiter,
at a remote part of the island. In the town is a
museum of specimens of ancient sculpture, which,
by the order of Capo d'lstrias, were collected and
here arranged in a building assigned for that
purpose. Here also is a college for the education
i 2

116 THE GREEK CAPTAIN.
of boys, established by the same person, and, when
we were there, more numerously attended than I
could have expected. The interior of the island
presents some beautiful spots ; and I found ample
temptation for sketching during my forced stay of
four days, for which period we were obliged to
hire an empty room, the only inn in the place
being so full that they could not receive us. Some
acquaintances of my fellow travellers lent us a
chair, a stool, and a bench, and that which was
still more useful, a mangale; a sort of brasier, or
brass vase, which is much in use throughout the
East for burning charcoal. However, all was
pretty miserable, notwithstanding these auxilia
ries ; but in one respect we were better off than
at Epidaurus, having found the means of stopping
all the rat holes ; therefore, we were not annoyed
by those gentry.
Whilst in these comfortless quarters, we re
ceived a visit from a Greek captain and his wife.
I never before saw a man who had so completely
the air of the ancient warrior ; his costume was
splendid, in the best style of what is usually termed
Albanian ; his features were not large, but per
fectly regular ; his dark eyes were full of fire and

THE BESIEGED FORTRESS  THE SORTIE. 117
quickness ; his complexion that bright olive, which
one finds alone in the East ; his mustachios black
and glossy as silk, and his jetty hair fell in bold
curls wildly about his neck, and gave a most pic
turesque appearance to his manly head; his stature
was not much above the middle height, but his
breadth of chest, the smallness of his waist, and
well-turned limbs, all seemed in a just proportion,
while the natural boldness of his attitudes, the
unstudied dignity of his step, and the ever inde
pendent air which characterised all his movements,
gave a daring appearance to his person, which pro
claimed the fearless chief.
An extraordinary instance of his prowess was
related to me, by which he was said to have saved
his regiment from total destruction; which was, as
nearly as I could understand, as follows; but
having been recounted to me in bad French, I
cannot pledge myself for the exactness of all the
details. The corps to which he belonged had the
charge of defending a fortress, which was besieged
by the Turks; and the Greeks seeing a favourable
opportunity of attacking their assailants, agreed
upon a sortie, which at first succeeded ; but the
Mussulmen being reinforced, their opponents soon

118 THE GREEK CAPTAIN.
found that a retreat into their stronghold was
their only salvation. A small body of their enemies
having perceived this, had contrived to penetrate
between the Greeks and the fort, with the inten
tion of either getting in themselves, or closing the
gates against their flying foe, and thus cutting off
their escape. The handsome captain to whom I
have alluded, and whose name was something like
Balastchar, as nearly as I could catch it, seeing
their intention, by dint of his superior activity,
arrived there first, and with his sabre in his right
hand, and his yatagan in his left, maintained his
post for some seconds, against the assaults of the
numbers who pressed upon him, until the arrival
of his friends, who soon put to flight those Turks
who were nearest to the gates, and thus secured
their retreat before the greater body of the enemy
could come up. Balastchar dropped at the instant
his comrades arrived, covered with wounds, re
ceived both from pistol shots, and from sabre
cuts. I took a slight sketch of him ; and he informed
me that an artist had made a complete portrait of
him on horseback, at whose solicitation he had
consented to sit. This circumstance alone must
10

HIS INTREPIDITY AND WARLIKE EXTERIOR. 119
have taught him well to appreciate the superiority
of his external appearance, if he had not before
been fully conscious of it. He had entirely re
covered from the injuries he had received in
defending the gates of the fortress. From the
position which he occupied, it was explained to me
that more than three could not attack him at a
time, the archway in which he stood not affording
room for more than that number to use their
sabres with effect against him, otherwise it would
have been impossible for him to have sustained
the attack of so superior a force ; but, admitting
some latitude for exaggeration, it was allowed to
have been a most extraordinary instance of hero
ism and devotion to his cause.
We returned his visit, and were regaled accord
ing to the usual Greek fashion, a servant bringing
in a waiter, with coffee, some kind of preserve,
and water; the mistress of the house, or the
daughter, if there be one, then presents you with
a cup of coffee, inserted in a little gold or silver
stand worked in fillagree, and sometimes extremely
elegant. The same fair one then hands you a
large glass vessel, containing jams or jellies of some
description, of which you take a spoonful, then

120 ANCIENT CUSTOMS — LORD BYRON.
put the spoon in a silver tankard, which is exclu
sively for that purpose ; lastly, you finish with a
draught of water. You are then offered a pipe,
which I, being no smoker, was always obliged
to reject. In this respect I was singular, as it
appeared to me that every man but myself, come
from where he would, by the time he reached the
East, had acquired the habit of smoking.
It always struck me that there was something
of romance that was interesting, in being thus
served by the young lady of the house, instead of
suffering that office to be performed by servants.
This custom once prevailed in our own country,
and in many others, some centuries back ; the
ladies of the house themselves attending on the
stranger, being considered the most distinguished
mark of hospitality ; and this is one of the many
instances which I have met with, which have
proved to me that it is in the East that you find
still preserved many of our most ancient customs,
which have in our climes long fallen into disuse.
Some of the mountain chiefs had a most enthu
siastic admiration for Lord Byron : one of them
who was talking to me about him, after expatia
ting most eloquently upon his numerous superior

IGNORANCE OF GREEK FEMALES. 121
qualities, terminated by observing, in fact, he was
completely Greek, even to such a degree that
when he perspired, he used to wipe his face with
his fostanella, in the same unaffected manner as
would any Greek peasant !
But in these parts of the world it is often
amusing to meet with incidents which prove the
simplicity, and total want of information, of some
of the females, even of the highest classes. I was
passing the evening at a merchant's villa near
Smyrna, where the Greek customs are as preva
lent as in Greece, and on entering found the
rooms filled with company. The heat being ex
cessive, I, like many others, quitted the house,
after making my obeisance to its mistress, to
lounge about the cool walks in the garden. I had
struck into a dark avenue, but not so dark but
that on turning round I could perceive a fine
female form, all clad in flowing white, approaching
me, bearing a cup in her hand, which, as might
be surmised, contained coffee, she having been
sent by the lady of the house with the usual
offering; and as the bearer was considered the
beauty of Smyrna, in returning my thanks I ob
served, that she made me too proud, that I could

122 CLASSICAL COMPLIMENTS — HEBE — VENUS.
absolutely imagine myself Jupiter attended by
such a Hebe ; when she asked with much naivete,
" Et qui sont Monsieur Jupiter et Mademoiselle
Hebe," having just sagacity sufficient to place the
sexes rightly. I explained ; but as the young lady
was not so celebrated for the quickness of her
intellect, as for her personal charms, I do not think
she ever understood my definition.
Another similar instance occurred to me also
at Smyrna. A very handsome girl was accustomed
of an evening to seat herself, on the terrace of her
house; having often observed her gazing towards
one quarter, I asked what object so rivetted her
attention :. she replied it was her favourite evening
star, which at that period was Venus. I remarked
that in that case she certainly displayed much
vanity, in being so fond of contemplating her own
portrait. A whole group of young ladies w7ere
present, but not one comprehended my meaning,
until I had been compelled to give a detailed
explanation, when the pretty unlearned observed,
for the future she should not forget who Venus
meant. But to return to Egina: the turbulence of the
winds having in some degree subsided, we began

A TEDIOUS VOYAGE. 123
to hope there was some prospect of departure :
numbers of vessels of various sizes were waiting
for a favourable opportunity, and having com
pelled our boatmen to engage another hand,
younger, and more active than themselves, we
were the first to put to sea, and the example
was soon followed by all the other boats ; and
we had in a very short time the satisfaction of
seeing them all pass us, owing to the clumsiness
of our sailors, and perhaps the heaviness of our
bark. Certain it is, although we were the first
to start, we were the last to arrive, and were
doomed to pass another night at sea, not reaching
the Pirsean shore till the break of day.
The passage from Epidaurus to Athens is
sometimes attended with the greatest inconve
nience. Prince Cantacuzeno told me he was once
obliged to pass five days on a little island, which
was nothing more than a piece of rock, the wind
having become so violent that it was impossible
to keep the sea in their little bark. Fortunately
they had a tolerable stock of provisions, and by
the help of their sails they made up a sort of
tent, sufficient to keep out wind and weather.
Such has been the state of the elements in the

124 LAND TRAVELLING ADVISED.
Mgean sea in some winters, that persons have
been detained a fortnight on one of those islands.
In the winter of 1832, a French ship of the line
was wrecked in these seas. Mr. Black was once
compelled to take refuge on one of those rocky
isles, and was kept there by stormy weather for
three days, not having any provision whatever ;
yet he dared not put to sea in his crazy caique,
as it would have been certain destruction. The
Northern winds prevail so constantly in winter
and spring in this quarter, that it is far better
to go all the way by land from Napoli to Athens,
by Corinth, than to proceed to Epidaurus with
the expectation of meeting with a favourable
wind.

CHAPTER VI.
ATHENS  ITS IMPOSING APPEARANCE  DIFFERENT STYLES OF
ARCHITECTURE  RUINS OF VARIOUS EPOCHS  NUMEROUS IN
TERESTING OBJECTS  MIDSHIPMAN'S FREAK  CONSERVATOR
OF ANTIQUITIES  HIS MISTAKES  ANCIENT COSTUME  RAPID
VISIT OF SOME ENGLISHMEN  RUSSIAN CONSUL  HIS UN
BOUNDED HOSPITALITY  SOCIETY AT ATHENS  CLAIMANTS
OF THE GOVERNMENT LANDS IN GREECE  ENCOURAGEMENT
NOT GIVEN TO SETTLERS  DEARTH OF TREES IN GREECE 
EXTRAVAGANCE OF THE GOVERNMENT  CHANGING THE NA
TIONAL COSTUME  GREEKS HARD TO GOVERN  THEIR INDO
LENT HABITS  QUARREL BETWEEN AN ITALIAN AND GREEK
 PRODUCE OE THE COUNTRY.
Piraeus, where we landed, is a very small port,
scarcely even deserving that name, about six
miles from Athens. Never shall I forget my
first view of that interesting city : a blue mist
enveloped the space between us, and this once
mighty metropolis; even its suburbs were ob
scured by the same dewy veil, which exhaled
from the extensive plains surrounding it, while
its splendid Acropolis towered above this etherial
cloud, and appeared as a majestic palace sus-

126 ATHENS  ITS IMPOSING APPEARANCE.
pended in the heavens. No other object was
visible, nature having wrapped all beneath it in
an aerial vapour ; the polished marble columns of
the Parthenon, of a bright orange tint, reflected
the rays of the rising sun, and were hardly less
brilliant than that resplendent orb, from which
they received their light. It is as impossible for
any one to conceive the grand sublimity of the
scene, as it is for me to describe it. I took out
my pencil, endeavouring to trace some sketch,
that might afford me a memento of so imposing a
sight, but soon renounced the thought, perceiving
the presumption of the attempt.
As we advanced, the mist became gradually
dispelled, and with it a great portion of the charm,
for as the veil was slowly drawn aside, the un
sightly buildings of Athens began to appear ; the
nearer we approached, the more did the number
of these objects increase, and proved clearly to me
that clouds and distance lent enchantment to
the view. After the mind has had the high
gratification of beholding one of the finest edifices
that art and science could produce, enhanced by
every association that the love of antiquity could
inspire, how revolting to the tone of one's feelings

DIFFERENT STYLES OF ARCHITECTURE. 127
is it, to see a parcel of white wooden boxes of
houses, rising amongst the most picturesque and
venerable ruins, that have ever stood the storms
of time.
Perhaps no town in the world possesses such
an extraordinary melange of different styles of
buildings as Athens, which may be accounted for,
from its having fallen under so many masters,
each of whom has left some specimen of the
architectural style of their nation ; first, and pre
eminent of course, are the magnificent monu
ments of ancient Greece, which all date about the
same epoch, from between four and five hundred
years before Christ; and while on the subject, it is
worthy of remark that those columns most ex
posed to the sun, have assumed that rich colour,
partaking of a reddish yellow brown, which pre
sents a most resplendent appearance when the
sun shines upon it ; but that part which remains
in the shade is of a much tamer tint.
It certainly inspires one with wonder and ad
miration to behold these massive pillars, which
have stood for so many ages, still retaining all
their pristine majesty: could they but have the
gift of speech, what wonders could they relate of

128 RUINS OF ANCIENT ATHENS.
scenes that have passed beneath their capitals,
and with what avidity should we hearken to their
recitals. Next in antiquity are a few Roman remains, but
those which I found peculiarly interesting, were
some of the old Byzantine churches, being of a
most curious style of architecture, many of them
half mouldering to decay, covered with various
descriptions of mosses, which give them a most
picturesque appearance. Some Venetian towers
are to be seen, raising their heads amongst their
more venerable neighbours ; other objects of in
terest are to be found amongst the great lumber
ing old Turkish houses, many of them retaining
somewhat of the Moresque, vothers of an architec
ture so singular and grotesque, that they defy all
description. The Greek habitations of the same
standing, though totally foreign to what we are
accustomed to, possess no style that can be de
fined, but have a whimsicality about them that
attracts the stranger's eye. Thus all contribute
to form the most extraordinary confusion of
buildings that ever was congregated together in
the same city.
But last, and most unsightly, are the new

PICTURESQUE SCENERY. 129
erections, which have been constructed by fo
reigners, who, having purchased property in and
about Athens, have built snug neat-looking dwell
ings (something like those which the London
citizens choose for their country houses, when they
wish to display their rural taste), far more offen
sive to the eye than any of the other habitations.
As however they may be discordant in style and
date, yet there is something that savours not of
that common-place to which we are so accustomed
at home, and of which we are now quite weary.
On the contrary, with the exception of the above
mentioned modern innovations, most of the streets
and buildings in Athens have some feature about
them which tells of other times, and gives a sort
of keeping to the whole.
At almost every turn and corner, ruins rise
before you, some as ancient as nearly three
thousand years, others of the middle ages, and
some, perhaps the greater number, as recent as
within the last fifteen years, bearing evidence
of the execution of Turkish artillery. I verily
believe an artist might live in Athens seven years,
and sketch all day and every day, and still find
some object picturesque, and interesting for his
VOL. I. K

130 NUMEROUS INTERESTING OBJECTS.
pencil to trace. I shall not attempt a detailed
description of the splendid specimens of architec
ture of ancient Greece, as to the height of their
columns, their bulk, the extent of their interco-
lumniations, &c. &c. ; but shall refer the reader to
those works where these particulars are most
faithfully registered.
I pore but little over the minutia of these
elevated subjects, content to view their general
effect : and, take Athens altogether, I doubt if
there be any other spot in the world, containing
objects more enchanting to the antiquary, the
artist, the historian, or in fact to any one who is
capable of appreciating the beautiful and the
sublime. The climate is generally considered to
be remarkably fine, but in that respect I was
unfortunate, as it rained all the time I was there,
which was during the months of November and
December. In fact, so few were the fine inter
vals, that I was obliged to make my sketches
whilst the rain kept falling, and blotching my
paper. At that period there Mras but one passable
inn in the place, and their charges were propor
tioned accordingly; but I owe the landlord some
good-will, as, on hearing I was an artist, he put me

THE CONSERVATOR OF ANTIQUITIES. 131
in a room looking on the temple of Theseus, per
haps the most perfect and entire of the Athenian
monuments. A short time before my arrival, a most inte
resting discovery had taken place. Some frieze had
been dug up of immense antiquity, having been
found under the foundation of some part of the
Acropolis. The subjects were in mezzo relievo,
and remarkably fine ; all more or less damaged,
but not enough so to please the taste of some
people, as a party of young midshipmen who had
landed from an English frigate, having obtained
permission to see these specimens of antique
sculpture, one of them for a lark, no doubt as
they would style it, broke off the nose from one
of the figures. Signor Pittacki, the conservator,
appointed by the Greek government, of these
works of art, absolutely wept with vexation.
As far as affection for the objects of antiquity
committed to his care be desirable, no one could be
more fitted for his office than Signor Pittacki ; but
with respect either to classical or general informa
tion, he is certainly most lamentably deficient.
I had a particular letter of introduction to him,
requesting his granting me every facility for
k2

132 A LEARNED AUTHOR.
sketching such remains as the Museum, or, in
fact, the government collection afforded. He in
formed me that he was writing a work on the
antiquities of Greece, with which he soon intended
to indulge the public ; but, from his conversation,
I soon found how very shallow was his erudition
on the subject; and in his description to me of
different objects, he designated all as basso re
lievos, whereas many of which he spoke were
mezzo relievo, and some even alto relievo. I
explained to him the distinction, for which he
thanked me, declaring he never knew the differ
ence before, but thought that all sculpture raised
from a stone groundwork, but still attached to it,
was called bas relief, but he would take care to
give the proper definition in his threatened book.
One day he discovered a figure which was dug
up some feet beneath the surface of the ground,
which he named after some hero, of whom he
had read in history, and would have described it
as such in his work, but fortunately for him a
gentleman happened to pass by, and the moment
he saw the disinterred statue, observed such pro
portions as plainly proved it to be a woman, which
he remarked to Pittacki, who Mas thankful for

HIS LUDICROUS BLUNDERS. 133
the information, observing, that he should dilate
upon the circumstance in his book, and certainly
class his relic in the female gender !
Pittacki is cicerone-general to almost all the
strangers who arrive at Athens, and is ever very
communicative and obliging ; and, in taking leave,
always presents you the prospectus of his book,
solicits the honour of your name, and receives
your subscription with great complacency. I was
both astonished and gratified that he did not pay
me the compliment of asking me to subscribe,
but suppose he thought that a wandering artist
had hardly money enough to pay his way, and
therefore spared me. He was quite right, and I
was about to applaud his discernment, when I
found it was his intention to bleed me in another
way, having the modesty to ask me to make him
a present of the portraits of his wife and three
children, which I with equal modesty declined,
pro tempore. The fact was, he had done nothing
for me which took him an instant out of his usual
routine. He accompanied me, it is true, to the
Acropolis, and which was a journey he had to
perform every morning, being one of the avoca
tions which was incidental to the appointment

134 ANCIENT COSTUME.
which he held. I, therefore, considering myself
under no obligations to him, postponed the affair
of the portraits sine die.
In one of the subjects from the chisel of some
sculptor, who must have lived a thousand years
before Christ, I found a proof of the extreme
antiquity of the costume which the Greeks now
wear. A man is represented stepping into a cha
riot, having a fostenella in large plaits or folds,
precisely the same as worn at the present day.
The Romans also adopted something of the same
description of garment, from the waist to the
knees, the form exactly similar, but, instead of
being only of white linen, was composed of various
materials, and what it lost in simplicity, it gained
in ornament ; but this piece of drapery, with the
Greeks, has not varied, it appears, from what it
was three thousand years since, and in Scotland
is still to be found in the highlands of various
coloured plaid.
It is curious to reflect how very little some
persons interest themselves in works of art or
science — how insensible to the beauties of nature
— how callous to those feelings which are engen
dered by associations, arising from the contempla-

A RAPID VISIT. 135
tion of objects which are the only relics of cen
turies past, and which alone can recal to our
minds that of which we have read, but which
still remains imperfectly revealed ; obscured as it
is by the veil of time, and presenting to our view
the scenes of other days, as a romantic picture of
interesting mystery ; yet, true it is, that two
English gentlemen arrived in their yacht at the
Pirseus, and proceeded up to Athens, which they
reached at ten at night, and left it before it was
light at four o'clock the next morning, content
that they could then say, that they had been at
Athens !
That there are beings in the world as dead to
every intellectual feeling as these persons must
have been, I can understand ; but that such men
should travel for pleasure, insensible as they must
be to all the delights that travelling can afford, is
really more than I can comprehend. I so doubted
the circumstance that I inquired of Cassali (my
landlord), as I had heard that it was at his house
they had arrived, if it were the fact : he assured
me it was, as he was the person who received
them on their arrival at night, and opened the
gates for them the next morning before dawn to

136 RUSSIAN CONSUL — HIS HOSPITALITY.
depart ; providing them with horses, men, &c, for
their return to Piraeus. At this confirmation I
blushed for my countrymen, as several foreigners
were present when the affair was recounted.
Hospitality in the East is carried very far.
When I arrived at Athens, I delivered a letter
I had received from the Russian ambassador to
the Russian consul, M. Paparigopolo: the latter
immediately invited me to make his house my
home during my stay at Athens, which I de
clined, not wishing to commit such an intru
sion on a total stranger, nor, in fact, to lose my
liberty, which ever must be the case when on a
visit, and which is particularly inconvenient when
at any place for the purpose of seeing its wonders,
as one must be limited to certain hours for repasts,
&c, or in some degree, incommode the family.
M. Paparigopolo appeared distressed at my refusal,
but was not allowed to regret it many minutes, as
immediately after my rejection of his hospitality
a Russian General entered, named Osterman,
attended by his physician, an aide-de-camp, an
interpreter, a secretary, and his antiquarian, who
certainly had not the same scruples as myself; as
he at once asked M. Paparigonpolo to receive him

SOCIETY AT ATHENS. 1 37
and his suite, for the time they might sojourn
at Athens. The request met with instant
acquiescence. I cannot but think that Athens will one day
become a favourite residence with the English,
and that it will be visited by them almost as
frequently as Rome. The site is considered re
markably healthy; the country around, has rather
a barren aspect, and the soil is certainly very
poor, which has been noticed by several of the
ancient authors ; but the scenery has a very
romantic appearance, from the bold outline of the
surrounding mountains, which, on some points, are
bounded by the sea. In a short time, nature
will be assisted by art ; and the environs of Athens
will no doubt be considerably improved. Now
that it has become the seat of government, there
must be an abundance of society ; the court, all
the embassies, the consulates, and the appoint
ments of the highest order, all are concentrated
at the capital, and they before had a circle, con
sisting of a few families, sufficient to chase soli
tude, and to cause their evenings to pass most
agreeably. Had the rulers of Greece apportioned out the

138 CLAIMANTS OF GOVERNMENT LANDS.
millions of acres, which they possessed, and pro
claimed them to the world at large for sale, at a
low price, they would have soon attracted that,
which one of the regents remarked to me, they
most wanted, capital and population. Who would
emigrate to the Cape, Van Diemen's Land,
America, &c, when they could have the same
advantages in Europe, where the contiguity to
ports affords a certain market for their produce ?
or, in case of total failure of crops, in an untoward
year, where they could be as certain of supply
from other nations ? — whilst in those distant climes
one fatal season has been followed by a deadly
famine, as occurred some years since in Africa.
I once remarked to one of the ministers, my
surprise that they had not availed themselves of
so valuable a property, instead of suffering so
many square miles of the richest soil to lie totally
profitless. He replied that it was a most difficult
and delicate affair to manage ; that, amongst the
numerous chiefs who had taken part in the
struggle, many there were whose various claims
and pretensions could never be satisfied, without
exciting the most serious discords and endless
jealousies ; and, therefore, they kept deferring a

INSUFFICIENCY OF THE REVENUE. 139
work which they knew to be pregnant with so
much danger.
This but displayed a consciousness of their own
weakness. Influenced by this feeling, they have
suffered four years to elapse, and still the waste
lands remain as unproductive as they were when
Otho first came to Greece, in 1833. The insuffi
ciency of the revenue is such as scarcely to afford
a hope that it can ever defray the expences of
the government ; even admitting that it increase
to the extravagant estimate that some of the most
sanguine calculators have thought proper to pre
dict : nor could I ever find any rational being,
well acquainted with the resources of the coun
try, that could foresee by what means Otho's
kingdom is to be supported, except by a succes
sion of loans from other powers ; and, as the
securities that she might have given are already
anticipated, and she has at present a debt
that it would take a century to liquidate, I
know not where she can be likely always to
find speculators to supply the funds necessary to
her existence ; whereas, had she but held out a
liberal encouragement to settlers, her advantage
would not only have accrued from the sums she

140 NO ENCOURAGEMENT TO SETTLERS.
would have received from the sale of her lands,
but the capital brought by each purchaser into
the country, for the requisite expenses of culti
vation, maintenance of an establishment, &c,
would have been felt throughout the whole
kingdom. Prior to the arrival of the Bavarians, several
individuals of fortune, purchased lands in Athens
and its vicinity, and have been of the greatest
service to that city ; but the present govern
ment have rather embarrassed those gentlemen's
exertions, than facilitated them ; some of whom,
wishing to dispose of their property, in smaller
proportions, to different parties, were impeded by
the authorities, at first disputing the lines of
demarcation, which defined the boundaries of their
properties, then promising to appoint commis
sioners to settle the question: this they so
postponed, that the persons inclined to purchase
got tired of waiting, and no longer held them
selves bound to their original engagements.
In one instance, these Bavarian blunderers came
upon the estate of a friend of mine, and cut down
some of his trees, imagining all the time that
they were at work upon the national lands. When

DEARTH OF TREES IN GREECE. 1 4 1
they discovered their error, which they would not
acknowledge until my friend had been at the
utmost pains and trouble to convince them, they
did certainly apologise ; but half a century would
not replace the trees as they were before ; and a
tree in Greece is worth its weight in gold, not
only from its rarity, but from the heat of the
climate rendering shade so desirable. Few coun
tries in the world are so deficient in that charm,
so delicious to the traveller, so requisite to his
repose, after his exposure to such a sun as that of
Greece, when it is remembered that it is in that
country we find the most southern point of the
continent of Europe.
The Turks, in the late war, cut down every
tree that came in their way, when they wanted
fuel, which was not surprising in an enemy's
country ; but the Greeks followed the same plan,
though to their common injury ; so that between
them they have not left a tree in those parts
which were traversed by either of the armies,
except the fig, the wood of which, as it will not
burn kindly, was unmolested, if any other were
near. True it is, that there are some few spots,
which lay so remote from any town, village, or

142 EXTRAVAGANCE OF THE GOVERNMENT.
even habitation, that they escaped the observation
of the hostile marauder ; and here and there a few
stunted looking olives, rear their melancholy heads,
but, instead of cheering the scene, rather add to its
sombre aspect.
To change the gloomy tone which pervades
the greater part of Greece would be a work
of time, under the most enlightened administra
tion ; but, whilst it remains subject to its present
legislators, there is but little hope of any ame
lioration. The desire of aping the great powers has in
duced a misapplication of her funds. Instead of
contenting herself with having commercial agents,
resident in the different nations, with whom she
carries on any trading communication, she must
needs have ambassadors, in addition to the consuls,
vdio are now established at the various ports,
with which she carries on any commerce, and who
were certainly necessary to her interests. Al
though they had but a handful of men, which
composed their army, yet there were seven or
eight generals ; and many other instances of unne
cessary expense, whilst useful works, which were
of vital importance to the welfare of the country,
2

IMPOLITIC MEASURES. 143
were totally neglected ; such as making of roads,
and establishing a greater facility of communi
cation from one part of the kingdom to the
other ; the total deficiency of which has deterred
foreigners in general from visiting Greece with
their families.
Were the conveniences of travelling in some
degree improved, numbers of the English nobility
and gentry, who have been for years accustomed
to pass their winters in Italy, would infinitely
prefer the greater novelty of sojourning in the
still more classic territory of Greece. But the
counsellors of Otho have ill studied the genius
of the people over whom they preside, or their
interests: they needed not Bavarian state, and
etiquette ; rude and simple in their manners, the
hardy mountaineers scoffed at the petty pride and
ceremonies incidental to a court, united as they
were with German stiffness. They wanted, in a
king, a mere centre to a social compact, and as
much simplicity as could be consistent with main
taining the dignity of royalty, was absolutely
necessary to preserve the affections of a race,
whose habits were primitive, and had taught them

144 THE NATIONAL COSTUME ALTERED.
to despise all the forms attendant on luxurious
refinement. One impolitic measure much displeased the
Greeks, immediately after the arrival of their new
masters : they undertook to reform the troops,
and introduced the Bavarian uniform, compelling
the natives to throw aside their picturesque cos
tume, which they had ever been accustomed to
wear, and to hear extolled by all foreigners that
visited their country. Some of the most enlight
ened had even pleased and gratified them, by
casting off their European dress, and adopting
the Palikar (being that of the Greek military),
amongst whom were Lord Byron, General Church,
&c. I am, nevertheless, bound to exonerate
Count d'Armansperg, from participating in this
absurd innovation ; he having assured me that
it was adopted against his judgment, and that
it was his intention, at any rate, to form a reo-i-
ment of Greeks, in their ancient costume.
It is amusing to observe the metamorphose that
is effected in clothing men in our apparel, who
have been accustomed to the full flow of Eastern
drapery; they having only habituated themselves

RESTLESSNESS OF THE GREEK CHARACTER. 145
to tightening the waist, whilst they have left full
play for the limbs, can ill support the confinement
of our trousers, which has a manifest influence on
their gait. Instead of that bold dignified step,
which characterised even the Greek peasant, when
buttoned up in our nether garments, their walk
descends into a little sneaking shuffle ; and, as a
proof of how they were degraded in personal
appearance by the change, in the eyes of their
country people, a good-looking young man, whom
I had understood had been always particularly
successful in his affairs with the fair sex, assured
me one day when I was rallying him on the sub"
ject, that since he had assumed the European
costume, that the ladies would not look at him,
telling him that before he had a chivalric air, but
that now he looked all that was insignificant.
That the Greeks are naturally a very difficult
people to govern, I readily admit; and the in
stinctive restlessness of their character was in
creased by the marauding life they had led since
the commencement of the revolution, which had
entirely weaned them from habits of industry.
Turned from their homes, they had long been
accustomed to rove about the country, having
VOL I. l

146 INDOLENT AND PREDATORY HABITS.
no other means of subsistence than plunder ; and
when they found no Turkish property that they
could pillage, in a legitimate way, according to the
rights of war, they made free with whatever force
would enable them to seize with impunity; and
this predatory sort of proceeding agreed with the
genius of their character. Yet might this evil
have been in a great degree corrected, when a
regular government became established, had each
man been allotted a plot of ground, which would
have been a homestead, and proved a great incen
tive to industry; for though there were plenty of
lands to whpm no one could lay any claim, and
that a man might have cultivated for years un
molested, yet there is not that inducement for
toil, where a doubt is felt, as there is, when a
spot, however small, can be legally confirmed to
you as your own. The Greeks are naturally an
idle people : it appeared to me that the women
worked harder than the men.
I was once highly amused by witnessing a quar
rel between an Italian and a Greek ; the latter, at
last, became exceedingly irritated, and called the
former a liar, who coolly replied, "But you are a
Greek," whose ire increasing, told the Italian he

THE ITALIAN AND THE GREEK. 147
was a thief, who, in return, again said, "But you are
a Greek," who then becoming still more incensed,
roared out, " You are a murderer !" " But you are
a Greek," returned the assailed ; and although he
was abused by every epithet that language could
muster, all the Italian ever replied to the reviler
was, " that he was a Greek," till at last the latter
observed, " I know very well I am Greek, there
fore, what do you mean by that ?" " I mean," said
the Italian, "being Greek unites all the bad
qualities you have ascribed to me, and, if it were
possible, ten thousand times worse."
This anecdote will give some idea of the oppro
brium which is attached to the Greeks in some
countries. There were several foreign spectators
who witnessed the above scene, and who were
much entertained with the violent rage of the
Greek, and the imperturbable coolness of the
Italian. Although some have laid great stress on the
judicious selection of the regents, — D'Armansperg
being a statesman, Maurer, a sound lawyer, and
Heydig, an experienced general, — yet it is evident
that the interests of Greece would have been
better served by a man who well understood a
l 2

148 DEFICIENCY OF THE REVENUE.
good system of colonisation, and also one who had
a sound knowledge of political economy. The
Allies, undoubtedly, set the first example of unne
cessary extravagance, in appointing four regents,
whilst they followed it up by nominating diplo
matists, and other superfluous officers, without
properly calculating the very limited resources
of the country, which, in extent, is not so large as
Ireland, while the population is only eight hundred
thousand, being a little less than half that of
London. The year I was in Greece, the revenue amounted
to but thirteen million drachms, of which the
accounts of the minister at war absorbed eleven ;
I therefore leave the reader to judge what means
they had left to pay their king, regents, ambas
sadors, generals, troops, &c. Of course, hitherto,
the loans have supplied the deficiency, and, by
their assistance, affairs may go on for some years ;
but, if a day of reckoning must at last arrive,
Greece would be placed in an embarrassing predi
cament. Even if it were confined to the interest,
the capital must inevitably remain their perma
nent national debt.
Of products for exports they have but few in

PRODUCE OF THE COUNTRY. 149
number, and those small in quantity. The most
marketable, and perhaps one of their most im
portant and profitable articles, is currants, for
which they have ever been celebrated, the French
calling them raisin de Cwinthe, though at pre
sent the isle of Zante is still more fame'd for its
production of that fruit. In wool they have done
something, and, I should think, are likely to
do more ; as also in cotton, vallonea, spunges,
madder, oil, &c. Their silk is not so highly esti
mated as that of Turkey ; and in olives, figs,
oranges, and lemons, they do little. But, as the
country becomes more settled and inhabited, there
is no doubt but that (as all the above productions
are capable of increase and improvement) more
attention will be devoted to these objects.

CHAPTER VII.
A BALL AT NAPOLI DI ROMANIA — THE CHARACTERS THERE AS
SEMBLED  IMMENSE HEAT AND CROWD  GREEK ECONOMY 
CURIOUS LOOKING SET OF PERSONS — AN IRISHMAN'S MISTAKE
 PRINCE SAXE ALTEMBERG  THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTERS
 ELABORATE EDUCATION  SONATA ON THE PIANOFORTE  A
GREEK BEAUTY  THE MODERN HELEN  A SLIT EAR — A
CHIEF IN HIS LAIR  HIS ATTENDANTS  HIS MISTAKE AND
OSTENTATION — DIPLOMATIST'S RECEPTIONS  UNJUST ASSER
TIONS IN NEWSPAPERS  THEIR MISREPRESENTATIONS  AN
EDITOR FEASTED EVERY WHERE  HIS GRATITUDE AND RE
VENGE  A FORMIDABLE CAPTAIN  HIS OVERFLOWING CAN
DOUR  CONSCIOUS WEAKNESS OF THE BAVARIAN GOVERN
MENT — ATTACK ON A LADy's REPUTATION.
I quitted Athens at three o'clock in the after
noon, and embarked from Piraeus at five. We
had, as sailors, two men and a boy; one of the
former was drunk ; but the night was bright, and
the wind was fair, and I passed the time in a man
ner which is often the most agreeable at sea, viz.,
in sound sleep, and did not aM'aken till we arrived
at Epidaurus. The distance is rather more than
forty miles.

BENIGHTED TRAVELLERS — NAPOLI. 151
We disembarked soon after midnight ; but my
reminiscences were too powerfully fraught with
the gambols of my old companions, the rats, to
feel any inclination to stop a night with them. I
therefore took measures to procure horses imme
diately, in' which, after much bargaining, I suc
ceeded, and determined to proceed on my journey
instanter, the moon then giving ample light.
About five in the morning it deserted us, and left
us in total darkness, in a part of the road so
rugged and precipitous, that it was with difficulty
we could keep our horses on their legs, whilst
scrambling over the stones in the rocky descents,
through which we had to thread our way. At
last our guides lost their track ; and when daylight
appeared we found we had strayed far from our
path. But as it afforded me the view of a most
picturesque scene, with a convent very .roman
tically situated, I was gratified at the mischance ;
and, in spite of all impediments, we arrived at
Napoli before three, and I resumed my old quar
ters at Bruno's hotel.
At a ball given by the authorities of this town
to the king, I had an opportunity of seeing all the
choice spirits of the place ; and certainly I never

152 THE BALL  A SQUEEZE.
witnessed a more extraordinary assemblage of
persons. A caprice had entered the heads of the
regents, that whoever was in a government office,
even to the lowest clerk, must wear the uniform
they had established ; and this was an opportunity
for display : many an awkward ape was buttoned
up in light sky blue ; the regents, ambassadors,
their attaches, the consuls, &c, were all likewise
in full dress, and the coup d'ceil might have had
a fine effect. But the managers of the fete had
sent out so many tickets, that no one could see
above six inches farther than his nose, as we were
literally packed together like herrings in a barrel,
and one's olfactory nerves were unequivocally con
vinced that the Greeks were very partial to
garlick and onions, which perfumed the room to
such a horrid degree, united with the heat, that I
really thought we should share the same fate as
most of the poor wretches who were stuffed into
the Black Hole of Calcutta. And though I had
determined to escape as soon as possible, I saw no
hopes of effecting my purpose, till, espying Mavro
cordato (at that time minister of foreign affairs)
approaching, by dint of physical strength, I soon
perceived that his intention was the same as my

GREEK ECONOMY AND MEANNESS. 153
own ; and was confirmed in my surmise, when
asking him how he endured stewing in a vapour
bath, he vowed he could not, and would not bear
it a minute longer ; and setting to work with his
lungs, aided by the most powerful efforts of his
lusty arms and legs, he ploughed his way through
the human lumber which impeded his progress ;
and I, constituting myself one of his suite, stuck
so close to him that I got out by the same furrow
which he, by means of bodily force, had opened.
On reaching a sort of vestibule, I gladly availed
myself of a vacant seat ; and there, from a half-
opened door, which afforded me a view into a sort
of ante-room, which, like a peep behind the scenes,
let me a little into the by-play, I unintentionally
became a witness to a practical lesson on Greek
economy, and was thereby furnished with an idea
of management to me entirely new. Glasses of
orgeat and lemonade had been served to the com
pany, and, as one seldom drains the contents to
the lowest level, a certain portion was left in each
tumbler, which I observed the servants (no doubt
from superior orders they had received) carefully
collecting together for replenishing the glasses.
These were again sent in to the thirsty souls who

154 A COLLECTION OF ODDITIES.
still composed the gay and crowded throng ; there
fore, in some instances, one might have had the
supreme felicity of drinking after a dozen mouths,
till at last, I am certain, even the glasses must
have been impregnated with the scent of garlick.
But had it been nectar handed by the gods, it
could not have received a warmer welcome from
those for whom it was destined. In fact, the
scramble around the waiters, when they entered
with refreshments, as seen from the outside, re
sembled a combat ; it was an amusing study to
stand where one had breathing room, and contem
plate the motley group.
Hitherto, at the court, I had seen a selected
assemblage of persons ; but in this instance it
descended to classes who could not procure the
entree to the Countess's soirees. I certainly am
of opinion that they owe it to philanthropy, to
have it written on the gates of the town, " Refuge
for the awkward and the ugly ;" for however a
person might possess those qualities to an extreme
degree, he might, at a public ball at Napoli, still
find his peer ; for it really was remarkable, that
amongst the number of foreigners that were con
gregated together in Greece, how very ordinary

THE IRISHMAN. 155
were the samples of the different nations, as far as
regarded personal appearance. Nor was my own
country wholly exempt from this remark, parti
cularly as regarded the females, who, with one
exception, were any thing but such specimens as
I could be proud of.
One curiosity there was amongst the gifts which
Bavaria presented to Greece, who afforded consi
derable amusement. This was a gentleman whose
features were not bad, if perchance they were ever
quiet, but unfortunately they were perpetually at
work. The consequence was, he was eternally
grimacing so ludicrously, that it was difficult to
look at him without an inclination to laugh. It
was not always, however, that his unlucky habit
excited only good humour ; for an Irish gentleman
who had newly arrived, of a choleric temperament
(he, like many others, was panting to enter the
service of the young King Otho), prior to his ad
mission to the audience chamber, was shewn into
an ante-room, where many other persons were
waiting for the same purpose as himself. At first
he preserved his patience tolerably M'ell ; but when
he saw several ushered forth into the regent's
presence, and himself remain unnoticed, he began

156 THE IRISHMAN'S MISTAKE.
to wax wroth ; and not speaking any language but
his own, he was rather annoyed at the foreign
gabble that was clacking around him ; and now
and then a laugh occurring, he began to have
sundry suspicions that it might be at him. At
length, rising from his seat, he commenced pacing
the room, looking very big, and in one of his turns
he suddenly came opposite the gentleman so
famed for distorting his countenance, whose fea
tures were as usual fatiguing themselves with
their accustomed evolutions. Already prepos
sessed with the idea that every one was disposed
to affront him, he now imagined he had received
the confirmation ; and fiercely strutting up to the
unfortunate gentleman, whilst bursting with an
ger, he loudly exclaimed, " What do you mane by
making mouths at me, Sir ?" The Bavarian, thus
assailed, denied the charge, being himself totally
unconscious of the various twists of his physiog
nomy, and, understanding a little English, coolly
replied that he had not made any faces, when the
Hibernian reiterated, in a still higher tone, " But
I say you did, Sir, and devilish ugly faces they
were too." This insult was not to be borne ; and
the grimacing gentleman becoming indignant in

PRINCE SAXE ALTEMBERG. 157
his turn, demanded his accuser's card, at the same
time delivering his own ; but the circumstances
being explained to the Irishman, in his cooler
moments, he was induced to admit that he had
acted under an erroneous impression, and to ex
press his regret at having uttered any offensive
expressions. As I have so much dilated on the uncouth
samples imported into Greece from Bavaria, it is
now high time that I should mention the excep
tions ; and foremost I will introduce to my readers
the Prince Saxe Altemberg, brother of the Queen
of Bavaria, than whom I never saw a finer young
man : always gentlemanly, kind, and affable in his
manners. Amongst other accomplishments, he
possesses that of being an excellent musician ; and
with his characteristic good humour, whenever he .
saw me approach the piano, whilst he was playing,
he always struck up an English air, — as " God
save the King," " Rule Britannia," or his favourite,
"Cherry Ripe." His aid-de-camp was as fine a
man as himself ; and certainly, in external appear
ance, they were unrivalled at the court of Greece,
and would have been conspicuous at any other.
Maurer, the ex-regent, was a very handsome

158 THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTERS.
man, possessing a most pleasing address, and an
air of frankness which was extremely engaging to
strangers ; it might be affected, but it passed cur
rent at any rate, until he was well known. Arbel,
the ex-supernumerary regent, was also a good
looking man ; but had not the same polished
manners. After these, I do not remember any
others amongst the Bavarians who were remark
ably eminent, either for their persons or their
talents. But, of the fair sex, the daughters of
Count D'Armansperg must not be omitted, though
their system of education appeared to me some
what singular.
Calling one morning on their mother, I was con
ducted through a room, where I found the three
young ladies, each with a musket, going through
their military exercise, to the word of command,
given by a Serjeant. The eldest daughter appeared
not to like having been thus surprised; but the
second came up to me and presented arms in due
form. What could be the motive for giving them
this accomplishment I know not. They were also
excellent shots. In fact, to have had a challenge
from the second daughter would have been no joke,
as her aim was infallible. Immense pains were taken

THEIR EDUCATION. 159
with these young ladies' education : all their day was
spent in attention to a succession of masters, who
were instructing them in English, French, Greek,
and Italian ; music, drawing, dancing, riding, and
military exercises ; besides which the eldest
learned Latin. But I cannot help thinking the
same error was committed with them as that
which too often occurs in this country, when
parents, wishing their children to become para
gons of perfection, crowd their brains with such a
variety of acquirements, that it would be beyond
human capability to obtain other than a superficial
knowledge of so many accomplishments ; hence
arise such a multitude of characters who appear to
have been formed alone for display : they learn to
copy a few drawings, which, with much retouching
of the master, pass off tolerably well ; but require
them to sketch even a cottage from nature, and
they have not the least idea how to set about it.
In England all young ladies learn French, and,
according to their mamma's decision, can translate
it marvellously well ; and then, when they arrive
in France, to the great wonderment of the parents,
Miss cannot understand what is said, nor make
herself understood. The same may be said of
2

160 SUPERFICIAL EDUCATION — MUSIC.
Italian, and now, forsooth, the poor things must be
bothered with German, as if they had not sufficient
torments before. And in no respect is this mere
surface of education more conspicuous than music.
How many are there who learn a few pieces, to
play in company, passably perfect, such being
selected as require some execution, and are more
calculated to astonish than enchant. " Now, has
she not improved?" is the exclamation of the
delighted papa and mamma, whilst one declares it
is wonderful, another that it is surprising, and,
without a division of opinion, the young creature
is voted a prodigy ; yet set her down to play any
trifling air at sight, she is immediately at fault.
I had a practical specimen of this at a family's
with whom I dined in Greece. After dinner, I
asked the elder young lady to favour me by play
ing any favourite piece that she preferred : accord
ingly, she fixed upon a military sonata, with varia
tions, by Herz, which she executed very correctly,
and with some brilliancy. The Princess Canta-
cuzeno came in to tea ; they asked for music :
again the fair performer played the military sonata
by Herz. At nine the King arrived ; and he, a
true lover of harmony, wished to be gratified with

A SONATA THRICE REPEATED. 161
the young lady's performance : once more, she re
sumed her seat at the pianoforte, and a third time I
had the pleasure of hearing Herz's military sonata.
It was therefore quite evident, that this was her
show-piece ; and on my requesting her to try a
waltz of Beethoven's, she declared that she should
be very happy, but that she had never practised
it. Indeed she was so overcharged with accom
plishments, that she was sinking under their
weight ; and I suspect her knowledge of each was
about as profound as that which she had just dis
played in music. For though Germany was her
native country, and where she had always been
brought up, she had never heard of the names
of either Kotzebue, Zimmerman, Kant, &c,
but had been so bored with acquiring the lan
guages of other nations, that she had never found
time to attend to the literature of her own ;
yet, with all the errors in her education, she
was the most elegant and most admired girl in
Napoli. Amongst the ladies forming the society in
Greece, there were many from Constantinople,
who certainly had rather a more refined air than
those of the Morea. Of the latter I only remember
VOL. I. M

162 A GREEK BEAUTY.
one, decidedly pretty ; and her I have only seen
at a window, as the gentleman to whom she
was affianced was absent ; therefore, according to
the customs of the country, she could not appear
in society. When I first arrived at Napoli, a
lady was there, whose reputed beauty created
quite a sensation ; and, as on the Sundays she
promenaded on the public walk, I, as well as many
others, went to see her. She was leaning on the
arm of her husband, who was dressed in a very
picturesque costume, truly Greek. The lady wore
the dress of her island, being a native of Hydra :
though far from becoming, I admired her taste, in
still wearing the habit of her ancestors, instead of
adopting the Parisian fashions, with which most
European ladies spoil themselves, if they have
not Parisian grace to sustain it. I like to see
national character marked by national costume.
A view of the lady in question at once convinced
me how rare must beauty be in Greece. She cer
tainly was a fresh-coloured, good-looking woman,
with fine dark eyes ; but either in England or
France would not have been estimated any higher.
Her head-dress was very graceless, consisting of a
sort of handkerchief, which so bundled up the

THE MODERN HELEN. 163
face as to cover the greater part of her cheeks,
which, being rather fat, might perhaps derive
some advantage by being in a degree concealed.
She was in mourning ; and one peculiarity in
her costume was, that of the petticoat showing
about nine or ten inches below the gown, which is
not only a Hydriote fashion, but I observed it to
prevail in several of the islands ; and, except when
a person is dressed in black, the under garment is
of a different colour from the upper, and very
often red or green. The lady so celebrated for a
beauty was a daughter, or niece, I forget which,
of Conduriotti, who is supposed to be one of the
richest men in Greece. There was also a lady who
was called the modern Helen, M'ho had the ap
pearance of having been handsome, but though
only twenty, was, what the French call passee,
on account of the trouble and illness which she
had endured. She had been considered so great
a prize, that war had taken place on her account.
Fields were devastated, villages burnt, and battles
were fought between the contending parties, who
contested the claims of the different candidates for
the fair hand of the admired object. She was
styled the Modern Helen, not only on account of
m 2

164 A GREEK WARRIOR.
her beauty, but for the strife she occasioned, and
which at one time threatened to involve all Greece.
At length, she was awarded to her present hus
band, who had nothing to do with the contests
that had taken place concerning her, was com
paratively a stranger too, and came from afar
off, being a native of Candia, whilst she was of
Corinth. But the reader must not suppose that her per
sonal or intellectual charms were the only induce
ments which attracted the lady so many admirers,
the greatest fascination consisting in extensive
and valuable currant plantations, which formed
part of her dowry. Her husband was one of the
most active men that ever figured in the revolu
tion ; and even after the Turks had been entirely
driven out of the country, his restless spirit excited
him to rebel against all the various forms of
government that were attempted in Greece, with
the exception of that of Capo d'lstrias ; and as he
has ever been known to be in the Russian inte
rest, he adhered to the cause of that unfortunate,
though talented statesman. He is small in person,
though big in courage; was ever to be found
where the battle M'as rife, and famous for his

A SLIT EAR. 165
prowess in combats which brought the opponents
hand to hand.
He was often taken prisoner by the Turks; and
the last time, at the battle of Athens, was ordered
by Omer Vrione to the executioner, being recog
nized as so persevering an enemy to the Ottoman
dominion ; but, as it was remarked that his rela
tions and friends were very rich, and would no
doubt pay a heavy ransom, the humane commander
gave directions that his life should be spared, but
that his ear be slit, that he might be known as an
old offender, if again he should fall into the hands
of the Mahometan chiefs ; and this little souvenir
of Turkish kindness he still retains, and will with
his life. Having been at Paris, he has endeavoured
to introduce European customs, regarding the
arrangement of his menage, furnishing his house,
&c. ; but, like all the Greeks, when they attempt to
engraft luxury on their semi-barbarity, he displayed
an instance of ridiculous inconsistency. Purchasing
a magnificent glass chandelier, he hung it up with
a bit of tarred rope. I slept once or twice at his
house, and was put into a room which, in its
different articles of furniture, united all that was
elegant, but one vessel there M'as, which I am

166 AFFECTED DIGNITY.
convinced had never been cleaned since it was
created, and emitted so detestable a scent, that it
prevented my sleeping, and I was finally obliged
to put it out of the window.
There is a mock dignity about the Greeks that
has often afforded me much amusement. I re
member one morning, while paying a visit to
Madame Papadopolo, a Greek came in and said
that a chief named Carli Christo was most anxious
to have his portrait taken, and how delighted he
would be, if I would call upon him to talk over
the subject.
Madame Papadopolo thought it would be too
great a condescension for me to call upon him,
and therefore suggested that he should call upon
me : but this did not enter into my views ; having
heard much of this wild mountain chief, I preferred
seeking the lion in his lair. Accordingly, having
had his house pointed out to me, I sought the
entrance, but, after a long research, the only door
which I could find opened into a stable, wherein
several horses were installed, and the passage so
narrow, that I could scarcely pass without incon
venience ; particularly as one of the steeds was
amusing himself with kicking against the wall, pre-

THE MOUNTAIN CHIEF. 167
cisely where I had to pass. I therefore was obliged
to make a very nice calculation, so as to get by
exactly during the intervals between the kicks ;
but I ascertained that this was the only entrance
by which both bipeds and quadrupeds had ingress
and egress to this extraordinary mansion.
At length I arrived at the foot of a flight of
steps, something betM'een a ladder and a staircase,
but so miserably broken, that no common degree
of caution was requisite to mount it in safety : at
last I reached the den, where Carli Christo was
reclining on a sofa. The room was low and dark ;
a parcel of sombre-looking figures were around
him, some friends, others dependents. I was
immediately assigned the seat of honour, a great
ragged old arm-chair, into which I know not whe
ther I flumped rather too suddenly, but certain it
is that down it came, and I with it, which appeared
greatly to shock the assembly, who, in a drawling
hollow tone and solemn manner, ejaculated, " Aw !
aw !" as they ran forward to assist me, and making
such dismal faces, that I found it impossible to
resist laughing. By means of props, the chair of
state was once more placed erect, and I again
reinstated on the tottering throne, when pipe,
10

168 A SLIGHT MISTAKE.
sweetmeats, coffee, and water were presented to
me, according to the custom of the country. I
then much excited their adiniration by showing
them the pictures of their countrymen, which
inspired Carli Christo with a great desire to have
his own ; and through the medium of an inter
preter, alluding to the portraits which I had shown
them, wanted to know what they cost.
When I informed them, the chief immediately
decided that he would have his own; but I soon
found that a misunderstanding had taken place, I
having named the price of a single portrait, whilst
they had understood it as collectively, and were
making their calculation of the number (might be
two or three and twenty) that I had shown them
at the sum I stated, and deducing from thence what
would be the proportion for one. I began to sus
pect the kind of arithmetic that was going on, by
observing how busily they were counting their
fingers; but when an eclaircissement took place,
and they found the cost would be above twenty
times more than they had imagined, an excla
mation of "Aw !" was universally echoed all round.
But Carli Christo got out of the scrape most
magnificently: springing on his legs, he showed

A STRIKING ATTITUDE. 169
me the whole extent of his person, which certainly
was beyond the usual proportions, and directed
the interpreter to tell me that he would pay me
a visit some day, and have a picture as long as
that, stretching his arms to their utmost length,
whereby the tips of his right hand almost touched
the ceiling, whilst those of his left nearly reached
the floor; flattering himself that he displayed a
degree of grandeur that must raise him in my
estimation, in conceiving the idea of having a
picture of such dimensions ; not that he ever for a
moment dreamed of having anything of the kind,
but he wished to terminate the affair in an ap
parently pompous style. The menage of Carli
Christo was truly Greek, dirty, miserable, and
comfortless, yet having an air of ostentation
withal ; his establishment appearing to contain an
interpreter, a pipe-bearer, other servants, hangers-
on, and several horses.
On the whole, Napoli offered more advantages,
in regard to society, than might have been ex
pected. In addition to the receptions at the Pre
sidency, on the Saturdays and Wednesdays,
Prince Mavrocordato, as minister of foreign af
fairs, and Coletti, as minister of the interior, each

170 THE ENGLISH AMBASSADOR.
had an evening in the week for receiving, as well
as the respective ambassadors, with the exception
of the English, who, no doubt, from a love of
retired habits, or some other reason, had not any
fixed evenings for opening his doors to his friends
and acquaintances. Still, it must be admitted
that he did not carry this anti-social feeling so far
as not to frequent the soirees given by others at
which he mostly attended, and by his wit and
vivacity enlivened whatever circle he entered.
Yet the world had a curious manner of describing
this affair : they would say the French ambas
sador receives on Sunday, the Russian on Monday,
the Bavarian on Tuesday, and so they would run
through the days of the week, and then terminate
by stating that the English ambassador receives
on the 29th of February, except leap years, when
it is put off till the 30th !
Be this as it may, personally speaking, I feel
bound to observe that 1 always met with kindness
and hospitality from that gentleman, as also from
those who were at the head of the embassies
from Russia, France and Prussia; and I feel it
almost a duty incumbent upon me to refute a
calumny which appeared in one of the English

NEWSPAPER CALUMNIES. 171
newspapers, against the Russian ambassador, M.
Caticazy, than whom a more amiable man I never
met. The paragraph to which I allude stated that
M. Caticazy was despised for his cowardice, on
account of his conduct at the battle of Navarino,
pretending, that just prior to the fleets engaging,
he sent to Admiral Hey den, desiring a vessel to
carry him to a place of safety, not daring to
expose himself to the perils of the combat. Now
mark the real fact : — a sloop was placed under his
orders to convey him to wherever he thought
proper, and he was earnestly pressed to retire, on
account of his diplomatic character, but he posi
tively refused to quit the ship he was in, and
remained a witness of the engagement, of which
he gave me himself a most accurately detailed
account. I met with the writer of this article, and asked
him what was his motive for this severe and
unjust philippic on the Russian ambassador : he
replied, that he had written according to the in
formation he had received, at the same time
admitting that he might have been misinformed ;
but concluded by declaring that he considered it
an affair of the utmost indifference, as to what

172 INFLUENCE OF NEWSPAPERS.
appeared in a newspaper, either for or against an
individual. My own experience has convinced
me to the contrary ; and however people may have
a habit of declaring, " You must never mind what
they say in newspapers," yet I am confident tha^
they have an important influence over the public
mind, particularly when they allude to a foreign
country. In England, the majority form their
opinions of the French, and- their politics, in a
great measure from the extracts that are given
from the French papers : in France they return
the compliment, and have the highest idea of oue
press, as giving a faithful picture of the feelings
of the people, and the general state of the
country ; though, could they be aware of the
manner in which many of the articles are pro
cured, the bias of party feeling, to the complete
annihilation of truth, and how often they are
rendered a vehicle for revenge, from some private
pique, their faith in newspaper information would
be materially shaken.
I met in the East with several correspondents
of the London papers, gentlemen receiving high
salaries, and generally passably well informed men ;
but I was much surprised at the light manner in

THEIR MISREPRESENTATIONS. 173
which they gathered their intelligence, the little
trouble they were at to ascertain whether it was
correct or otherwise. In one instance, where I
convinced one of them who read me the article
he was about to send to England, that part of
what he asserted was the direct opposite to the
fact, he replied, " Oh, never mind, it will suit my
purpose just as well ; so it shall go as it is, and
will be more amusing than if I were to send them
the real truth."
One of these gentry went to Egypt, and re
ceived an introduction to a certain consul at
Alexandria, a complete creature of Mehemet Ali ;
and as the literary gentleman met with much
hospitality from the said Consul, whilst he ate
his dinners and drunk his wine, he listened to his
tales, representing the pacha all that was imma
culate, and his dominions with regard to popula
tion, finance, army, navy, agriculture, and other
resources, most prosperous and flourishing. The
hired scribe then framed his article for his London
employer accordingly; in short, as much the
opposite of the real fact, as Mehemet Ali himself
could desire, as a description of himself, and his
government, to figure away in the English papers ;

174 AN EDITOR'S VENALITY.
and a most brilliant gem of statistical information
was drawn up, in very pretty language, and most
highly edifying for those who might never have
an opportunity of knowing better.
However behind us in civilization, they may be
in the East, with respect to the manoeuvres and
trickery incidental to the manufacture of news
papers, they already rival us. Whilst I was at
Napoli, the editor of a journal published in Tur
key arrived, and was overwhelmed with atten
tions from all the authorities, and persons con
cerned in the government. It was well known
that he had entered into some arrangements, for
which he was to receive a certain consideration,
and in turn, it was understood that he was to
extol the Bavarian government in Greece to the
utmost of his powers of elocution ; this compact
was entered into, with the anti-d'Armansperg
faction. Afterwards I met with this same editor in
Turkey, and I remarked how much Greece was
indebted to his paper, for his flattering commen
dations regarding the improved state of its affairs,
and the political conduct of its rulers. I thouo-ht
his reply was rather ambiguous, and some weeks

HIS MORTIFICATION AND REVENGE. 175
afterwards he complained to me that D'Armans
perg owed him a certain sum of money, for which
he had written, and had only received an evasive
answer. About a month after this, he stated the
amount owing as double what he had before said,
and a third time he mentioned a still higher sum,
and that he could obtain no answer whatever from
D'Armansperg to his letters; adding, that he
would give him one fortnight longer, and if he
did not reply in a satisfactory manner, by that
time, he would write as much against the Bava
rian government as he before had praised it;
declaring that he was sure it was in his power to
ruin Otho, and his whole gang, and get them
driven back to where they came from ; and he
certainly did hurl his anathemas at them at a most
tremendous rate. D'Armansperg deigned not
to notice his thundering declamations, which had
little influence on Greek affairs ; the editor re
mained unpaid, and unrevenged. I suspect his
contract had never been ratified by the President,
but merely made with his enemies, who had
pledged themselves to take so many papers
weekly, to a certain amount, on condition that
their measures were upheld therein. This explains

176 THE GOLD SNUFF-BOX.
the increase of the sum with the increase of
time, adverted to by the editor, in complaining of
D'Armansperg's conduct, who certainly could not
be blamed for not adhering to an engagement
made with his opponents.
Several papers made their appearance whilst I
was in Greece, without their containing any thing
worthy of remark, otherwise than a powerful
emulation as to which could tell the greatest lie ;
nor were the editors men at all celebrated for
literary talent, or for any thing else, except one,
who had travelled, and had attained some degree
of notoriety, from a report prevailing, of his
having stolen a gold snuff-box once at Paris. A
thundering captain there was, who accused him
of it in society; but although the rest of the
company were horrified, the editor himself re
ceived it with Christian forbearance, and being of
a mild and gentle disposition, had too much
philosophy to attempt to resent it. This said
captain was so strange a character, that I cannot
pass him by unnoticed. He was in height about
six feet three or four, and the most audacious
man in speaking his mind that I ever encountered :
one would imagine that there Mas some spring

THE GREEK CAPTAIN. 177
within him, which compelled him to say exactly
what he thought. He had been one of the hardest
labourers in the Greek cause of any, had marched
for months without shoes or stockings, and with
out knowing the comfort of a bed, or having a
roof to cover him, had shared the peril of most
of the battles which had been fought with the
Turks, and, in fact, under all circumstances, proved
himself a hardy soldier, and an excellent officer.
Having in vain personally solicited the Bava
rians for a confirmation of the rank he had held
prior to their arrival, at last, out of all patience
at their delays and evasions, he brought me a
letter, which he addressed to them, full of the
bitterest abuse ; not giving them more than they
deserved, but infinitely more than prudence would
dictate. He was on the point of sending it to
the seat of government, when I advised him to
reflect some time before he had recourse to so
rash a measure, reminding him, at the same time,
that there were such places as the Palymede, the
Ichkali, and the Bourgi, — the three principal
prisons at Napoli, — in one or other of which he
might stand a chance of finding lodgings gratis.
After reflecting a few days, he MTote another,
VOL. i. n

178 A LETTER OF REMONSTRANCE.
couched in rather more moderate terms, yet con
taining one expression which would have caused
it to have been indignantly rejected by any go
vernment which possessed a full confidence in
its own strength ; viz., observing that he was
conscious of one disadvantage under which he la
boured, that of being an " old Philhellenist," which
he was well aware was a crime in their eyes.
Nothing could be more insulting than this
remark. The expression of an "old Philhellenist"
can only be understood in its fullest sense in
Greece ; meaning any one who assisted either per
sonally or in a pecuniary manner, or both, in the
arduous struggle which the Greeks had in effecting
their emancipation ; whilst the great charge made
against the Bavarians was, that they felt a jealousy
against these true and tried friends of Greece,
endeavouring to cast them off, in favour of their
own countrymen ; and though the government in
dignantly repelled the accusation, yet the captain's
letter was received with complacency : notwith
standing the offensive reflection it cast upon their
justice, he obtained partly what he solicited,
whilst no remonstrance was made against his
letter ; by which tacit acquiescence, the regents
10

A LADY'S REPUTATION ATTACKED. 179
certainly displayed a total want of dignity, in ad
mitting thus tamely so severe a censure on their
conduct ; but D'Armansperg was not then in
power. There was another instance of this captain's
unparalleled audacity. An excursion of pleasure
was formed, consisting of rather a large party, and
one of the ladies had the misfortune to do or say
something which offended this high-mettled cap
tain ; in fact, his ire had been for some months
longing to burst forth against her, and at last he
gave it full vent, — whilst all the company were
seated at a repast, loudly accusing the lady of
infidelity to her husband, in favour of a gentleman
who then sat next her. He then entered into a
retrospect of her former conduct, and charged her
with many other derelictions at various other places.
The husband all the time sat mute, with a sort of
air as if he wished it to be supposed that he did not
hear, and the gallant was equally dumb ; but some
excuse perhaps may be made for him, as he was
suffering from a tremendous scar received in a
recent duel, which spoiled his forehead, interfered
with his nose, and just noticed his cheek en passant.
In short, not one of the persons present spoke a
n 2

180 FEMALE LEVITY.
word ; and the captain was suffered to run out his
yarn quite unmolested.
I feel certain that he was mistaken regarding
the lady whose character he thus unceremoniously
vilified. She was incautious in her conduct, and
careless of the opinion of others, — erroneously
imagining that the consciousness of her innocence
was a shield which ought to render her indifferent
to the judgment of the world ; and though this
daring fair one was certainly much to blame,
yet was she far more blameless than some who
shunned her, and were ever courting appearances,
at the same time that they were really guilty,
but ever blinding the public by very minute atten
tion to all the littlenesses of punctilio, and the
strictest observance of all the rules of external
propriety.

CHAPTER VIII,
A GREEK WEDDING  TREATMENT OF SERVANTS  A STRING OF
BEADS RECOMMENDED  SUPERSTITION  STREET SCENES 
COUP DE SOLEIL  HARDSHIPS ENDURED BY PH1LHELLENISTS
 UNFORTUNATE ENTHUSIAST  HIS AMIABLE QUALITIES 
GALLANT CONDUCT  HIS DEATH  GREEK SERVANTS  FRENCH
TROOPS ATTACKED BY THE GREEKS  REPULSED AND PU
NISHED  AUDACIOUS THEFT— THE ROBBER KILLED — GREEK
PEASANTS' IDEAS ON THIEVING  THEIR LOVE OF PLUNDER,
AND CRUELTY— A GREEK AT HIS TOILET  RELUCTANCE TO
PAY THEIR DEBTS  MODE OF DOING SO  GREEK FRIENDSHIP
 THEIR APTNESS IN CHEATING  GENERALS CHURCH AND
PISA — THEIR RELATIVE POSITIONS.
One custom is observed amongst the Greeks,
which struck me as very remarkable. When a
couple is going to be married, they walk about the
streets of the town almost the whole day ; he, with
his male companions, looking very jovial and de
lighted ; she, supported by her female friends, is
expected to appear very sad : weeping and almost
fainting, leaning on those who sustain her, she is
thus slowly borne along. Music precedes them,
and the rear is brought up by camels, horses, or

182 A GREEK WEDDING.
asses, carrying the greater part of their goods
and chattels, such as all their linen, blankets, bed
ding, kitchen utensils, plate, glass, knives and
forks, dishes, &c. : I have sometimes seen tables
and chairs. All these are paraded about with the
lovers at least one day, and sometimes it is con
tinued two or three days.
Their system with regard to servants is most
singular : they will take a girl very young, give
her no wages, but some old clothes and her board ;
but they tell her, when the opportunity arrives,
they will marry her ; that is to say, they will give
her a little portion, when the time shall come that
any one takes a fancy to her, and that she ap
proves. But if this circumstance should never
occur, and that the female should pass the mar
riageable age, which very soon takes place in
Greece, then the family with whom she lives con
soles her by telling her, that, as they could not
marry her, they will bury her ; and the contented
servant remains in her place, always solacing her
self with the idea that she is sure of being de
cently buried ! It often happens, however, when
she has entered very young into service, that she
outlives her master and mistress ; it then devolves

TREATMENT OF SERVANTS. 183
on their children, relations, or successors, to fulfil
the contract, by performing the last rites over the
faithful domestic. Changing of servants is not
frequent in Greece, on account of the above prac
tice ; but when it does happen that a master may
wish to diminish his establishment, and sends a
servant away for that or any other reason, he is
still generally permitted to come and dine, &c, at
his old place until he can find another. Nay, it
is rarely noticed if brothers, sisters, or any of the
servant's family frequent the house, and partake of
the kitchen fare for several days in the week ; in
fact, any one having a regular menage in Greece,
however he may abstain from inviting guests above
stairs, would find it difficult to get rid of them
below, without flying in the face of the customs
of the country, which is generally impolitic.
The Greeks have a great fellow-feeling for rela
tions, and open their houses to them, and give
them board as a sort of duty, or rather a habit.
Thus I have generally found, that where there is
any thing of an establishment sustained, there are
mostly one or two hangers-on, the relative position
of whom one cannot at first understand, or know
whether to treat them as of the family or as do-

184 HOSPITALITY TO POOR RELATIVES.
mestics. Sometimes they do sit at the table with
the heads of the house, and at others they do not ;
but, on inquiry, I always found they were poor
relations ; and I really believe there is not a
respectable house in Greece without them. This
I have understood is the remains of a very ancient
custom, which has always prevailed throughout the
East, and is one of the expected rites of hos
pitality. Provisions, as far as regards meat, bread, and
wine, are very cheap ; as also is rice, which forms
a constant ingredient of some of the dishes that
deck a Greek table. They seldom dine without a
pilav, which is composed of rice and some kind of
meat or poultry.
One custom which exists in Greece I should
like much to see introduced in our own and other
countries : the gentlemen carry a string of brown
beads, which I thought related to religious cere
monies, but found it was merely an article of
amusement, to have something constantly in the
hand to twist about. This is a very good thing ;
and it would be a capital plan if all the fidgets I
know would adopt it, instead of picking to pieces
raid spoiling every thing they can get hold of.

A STRING OF BEADS. 185
Hom7 often does it happen with friends and acquaint
ances that come to see me, that they catch up
my pens and split them up, or my pencils, and
break their points, or my painting brushes, till
they slit the quills; and sometimes contrive to get
my penknife, or a pair of scissors, and cut away at
every thing they come near, regardless of blunting
some choice blades that I only reserve for select
purposes. How frequently I have seen different
articles in their destructive paws, which I knew
they were ruining, yet could not make up my mind
to spoil their amusement by telling them of it.
But I do now hope and trust, that, if these pages
fall into the hands of these fidgetty and mischievous
friends of mine, that those whom the cap may fit
will have the goodness to provide themselves with
a string of the said beads, whereby they will have
something to twirl and twiddle about, and there
will be some chance that they will let my things
alone. One extraordinary instance of superstition exists
in Greece, which perhaps will be better explained
by citing a circumstance which occurred to my
self. Praising and caressing a little girl, of whom
I was very fond, the mother begged of me not to

186 ABSURD SUPERSTITION.
display so much affection for the child, or the
nurse would spit upon me ; they having an
idea that, if you take too great a fancy to any
thing, animate or inanimate, that it will become
charmed and wither, and that the only means by
which the charm can be dissolved is by spitting on
the person who has cast on it the evil eye, as they
term it. I was joking once with a Greek lady on
this subject, who persisted that it was no idle
superstition, but absolutely a fact. She stated
that many cases had come under her own observ
ation, and one particularly, which she related, of a
child who had died, but whose hair had been so
remarkably long and beautiful, that the parents
had cut it off and hung it up in the room they gene
rally frequented ; but a female came in, who kept
praising and looking at the hair, until it became
fraught with the evil eye, no one taking the pre
caution of spitting upon the woman : the unfortu
nate hair, therefore, all shrivelled up, and when
touched crumbled to dust.
To dare to doubt a lady on a subject which had
been confirmed to her by the evidence of her own
eyesight would have been the height of presump
tion ; I therefore remained silent, which she took

GREEK INHUMANITY. 187
for assent, and congratulated herself on the powers
of her elocution, in having thus convinced me.
I have generally found the Greeks very good
natured in directing me when I was at fault, and
even guessing where I was going. This happened
to me at Athens. I was plodding on, as I thought,
rightly, when a woman came forward and showed
me that I was going a wrong course for the Hotel
de l'Europe, which she very justly .imagined I was
seeking, though at the time it was very distant.
On the other hand, from a long familiarity with
scenes of famine, blood, and slaughter, their feel
ings have become wonderfully blunted : this has
often been exemplified to me by various little
street scenes, which, I consider, very much display
the natural disposition of the people.
From my window I was often the witness of
events which betrayed that total want of the com
mon feelings of humanity, so striking in the Greek
character. I remember a boy who was in the
habit of passing every day with a basket of loaves,
which I had often thought far too heavy for him :
one morning, as he was labouring along on his
usual course, a workman who was, with many
others, digging a trench, threw a stone at him, out

188 STREET SCENES.
of mere wantonness, and hit the unfortunate boy
on the ancle, so violently as to draw blood, and
to cause him to fall. There were many specta
tors who witnessed this unprovoked outrage, not
one of whom showed the slightest sympathy for
the lad, but, on the contrary, set up a hearty
laugh. At another time, I saw a little white-
headed child, perhaps of eighteen months old, fall,
and lie crying on the ground ; and I counted eight
Greeks who passed, and not one extended a hand
to help the poor infant. Would this have been
the case in any other country in Europe ? Many
persons whom I knew, and on whose veracity I
could rely, assured me, that they had repeatedly
witnessed similar scenes, proving the total callous
ness of the Greeks to any sensation of sympathy
or compassion.
I shall conclude this subject, by stating what
occurred to two of my friends, on the first of May.
They took horse, and had proceeded far into the
country, when one called to the other, requesting
support, as he felt himself sinking : his companion
did sustain him for an instant, but immediately
after, he himself fell forwards on his face. The
other then gained sufficient strength just to call

A COUP DE SOLElL. 189
to some Greek peasants who were passing, but
who showed an extreme unwillingness to give any
assistance, until some money was produced, and
which they accepted. These gentlemen had been
struck by a coup de soleil. Fortunately, they had
dismounted from their horses, or they might havet
been severely injured : one cut his cheek and
mouth, and was compelled to have the wound
sewed up, and both were obliged to keep their beds
some time, with fevers.
It will be well for persons to know, that the
cause of their misfortune was the wearing thin
straw hats, which were not sufficiently substantial
to defend their heads from the power of the sun.
Had they put handkerchiefs in their hats, as many
do, they would not have received any injury.
From this circumstance happening so early in
the season, it may be imagined how tremendous is
the power of the sun at a more advanced period,
and what the foreign Pbilhellenists, who came from
more temperate climates, had to endure, in their
toilsome march through a country, the major part
of which offered not the shelter of either house or
tree, when to this hardship are added the frequent

190 BELASQUE.
privations from want of food, and, more than all,
the ill-treatment and ingratitude of the Greeks.
Of the difficulty they had to restrain their
cruelties when any unfortunate Turkish prisoners
fell into their hands, a more powerful proof per
haps could not be cited, than in the case of the
young Belasque, the son of a merchant at Mar
seilles, who, full fraught with enthusiasm for the
deliverance of the Greeks from slavery, left the
paternal roof, and repaired to the seat of war and,
as he hoped, of glory. Though but a youth, his
fine person, his undaunted courage, still tempered
with a judgment rare at his age, gained him an
ascendancy amongst his mountain comrades, that
few strangers had acquired ; but his manly deport
ment and his extraordinary prowess commanded
their respect, and ultimately so gained their love,
that he soon obtained an influence, and even an
authority over them, which awed the rude barba
rians. But often he had a hard part to play.
Being stationed at a little town near the sea, hav
ing a small force with him, he had occasion to
display his humanity, discretion, and intrepidity.
Some Turkish vessels appeared, loaded with

HIS INTREPIDITY AND HUMANITY. 191
troops: alarmed at their numbers, the Greeks
proposed abandoning their town, and flying to the
mountains, after murdering about seventy Turkish
prisoners, who had hitherto been spared to the
intreaties of Belasque. Notwithstanding the in
feriority of his little troop, he would not hear of
retreat ; but having wrung a promise from the
governor of the place that he would preserve the
lives of the prisoners, he marched his band to the
coast, and so ranged them round the base of a
semicircular hill, that the end of their line could
not be seen from the sea. By this means the
Turks could not form an idea of their numbers,
and remained in their ships, merely reconnoitering
the Greeks with their glasses.
Belasque's heart now misgave him, as to the
prisoners he had left behind ; and having consigned
his soldiers to the command of the officer on whom
he thought he could most rely, he galloped back to
the town at full speed, where he found the treache
rous governor preparing to massacre the unfortu
nate captives. Denouncing vengeance upon him,
and the inhabitants, if they offered to touch a hair
of their prisoners' heads, he, by his imposing man
ner, extorted at length the most solemn oaths

192 A SUCCESSFUL MANOEUVRE.
from them, that the poor wretches should not be
molested during his absence ; and again, with the
utmost rapidity, he returned to his little band. To
his utter vexation, he found them on the point of
retreating, perceiving the Turks making demon
strations for landing their troops.
Belasque thundered forth an anathema against
the timidity of his comrades, and with stentorian
voice, commanded them to stand. They remained
immovable. He then bade them, with a bold front
to the foe, set up a shout of defiance, and at the
same moment all at once to fire; though they
were too distant from the enemy for it to have
any other effect than that intended, viz., to prove
to the Turks, that they were so well stocked
with ammunition, they could afford to M'aste (which
in fact was not the case), whilst the shouts and
reports of their pieces being re-echoed by the
mountains, induced the Mussulmans to suppose
they were much more numerous than they
actually were, who consequently tacked about,
leaving Belasque the uncontrolled master of the
place. This affair, as might be supposed, contributed
to raise him in the opinion of the Greeks ¦ but

DESPERATE ATTACK ON THE TURKS. 193
alas ! poor young man, he was not always doomed
to be so fortunate. Long after this event, he
commanded a small force in Candia, consisting of
Greeks, who, conceiving, they perceived a favour
able opportunity of giving battle to the Turks,
insisted upon being led forward. In vain did
Belasque represent the impossibility of success,
on account of the nature of the ground, and other
causes. Finding them impenetrable to any argu
ments, he headed them, and advanced to des
truction. By this time he well knew the men he had to
deal with, and that if he refused the combat when
they demanded it, he should for ever be despised
by his own troops, though he had so often urged
them on, when their doubts and fears restrained
them. He also knew how prone they were to fly
in disorder at the first symptom of reverse. Thus
situated, Belasque did all in his power to make
the most of the ardour of his men, and onwards
they marched to the attack ; but the Turkish
position was infinitely too strong for them,
enabling the enemy to pour a tremendous fire
amongst the Greek ranks.
After sustaining the contest a short time, the
vol. i. "o

194 DEATH OF BELASQUE.
Greeks, perceiving Belasque drop wounded, took to
flight ; but, being unable to run, he was carried a
short distance by a few attached Philhellenists. At
length, finding that the Turks gained fast upon
them, and their burthen much retarding their
progress, they listened to his intreaties to save
themselves, and leave him to his fate.
Neither persuasions nor commands, however,
would move his servant, who, to the honour of his
nation, was Greek. The poor fellow seated himself
beside his wounded master, and weeping over
him, waited the approach of the Turks, who, with
their sabres, directly began mangling the unfor
tunate Belasque, and even deliberately cut off one
of his legs, before they finally despatched him.
Ultimately they sent his head to Constantinople,
where a gentleman I knew, recognized it, having
long been one of his intimate friends.
Thus was recompensed this young and mis
taken enthusiast, having interested himself for a
people who had not sufficient solidity to be firm
and true to their own cause. The poor servant
was spared : the Turks were so astonished at such
an instance of devotion, that they regarded him
as some superhuman being, and refrained from

FRENCH TROOPS ATTACKED BY THE GREEKS. 195
shedding his blood; nay, even suffered him to
remain at liberty.
Fabvier was nearly meeting as bitter a fate as
that of Belasque, having more than once been in
danger of being massacred by the very men for
whom he had fought and sacrificed every thing.
When the French troops occupied a part of
Greece, although they were there in the light of
friends, there was frequently a propensity to treat
them as enemies on the part of the Greeks : it
was seldom, however, that these dissensions
absolutely proceeded to acts of violence. Yet
one instance there was at Argos and Napoli,
wherein both parties had recourse to arms, and
many were killed and wounded on each side.
The discontent of the Greeks towards the
French had been much fomented by an indi
vidual, who was either Ionian or Maltese. Hav
ing been guilty of some misdemeanor towards
the French troops, some slight punishment was
inflicted upon him ; probably confinement for
a few days, but sufficient to excite his revenge,
which he gratified by endeavouring to ex
cite the Greeks against their Gallic friends.
Being taken, however, in the fact, he was
o 2

196 FRENCH TROOPS ATTACKED BY THE GREEKS.
tried, and found guilty, but pardoned, and
set at liberty. Having learnt that the French
soldiers at Argos, where he had been confined,
intended the same evening, after his liberation,
to dismount their arms, for the purpose of clean
ing them, he considered so golden an opportunity
of attacking them was not to be lost. He there
fore exerted himself considerably in haranguing
the Greeks, and prevailing on them to attack the
French at so favourable a moment. Accordingly,
the inhabitants of Argos, assisted by some persons
from the country, surrounded the barrack-yard
with such caution that they were not seen or
suspected, until they poured their fire upon the
French troops, at the very moment when they
had taken their muskets to pieces, and were in
the act of cleaning them. Many soldiers fell
from this discharge; but their comrades soon got
together their arms, and vigorously attacked their
assailants, who soon fled in all directions, and
sheltering themselves in their houses, fired from
the windows (or rather holes) upon every French
soldier within musket-shot. The latter, however,
were soon victorious, forcing the houses, and
taking a terrible vengeance, that will ever be

THE GREEKS REPULSED. 197
remembered, as in the indiscriminate fire which
took place several women and children were
sacrificed. A bitter reproach was cast by the
Greeks upon the troops, and one instance was
stated, of a French soldier having taken aim, and
deliberately killed a woman, which was true ;
but she had just shot one of his comrades, and
was preparing to reload her musket for further
execution, at the very instant that a bullet ended
her career.
The man who stirred up all these discordant
elements, and caused the loss of so much life, was
taken and shot, after a very short trial. This
affair operated upon the Greeks so severely, that
they never again attempted to molest the French
troops. One instance of the audacity of a Greek, in
the mode of committing a robbery, occurred,
which I think is unparalleled. Monsieur Perraut,
a French officer, had purchased a fine Arabian
horse of a Greek, who tried some manoeuvres
to obtain the money before he delivered the
animal ; but Perraut knew the world too well to
pay beforehand. The Greek, therefore, came the
next day with the horse, which was placed in a

198 AUDACIOUS THEFT — THE ROBBER KILLED.
stable, and Perraut paid the price demanded, but
was surprised to see the Greek, after receiving
the money, again bring forth the horse, and
mount it under pretence of displaying some par
ticular gambol which the animal had been taught,
but was no sooner well seated, than he started off
at full speed. Perraut, seeing through the trick
and being an excellent runner, by taking a short
cut, overtook the thief, who was obliged to follow
the horse-road, which making a circuit, he lost
just as much ground as gave his pursuer sufficient
advantage to get up with him, and catch hold of
his bridle, which Perraut effected with great
address. The Greek, determined not to relinquish
his prize, drew his yatagan and wounded Perraut
in the side, who dropped, and the robber once
more set off at full gallop ; but Perraut's
dragoons had not, in the mean time, been idle
spectators of the affair, several already being on
horse, and in full pursuit ; but the runaway, better
mounted, still kept a-head, and continued rather
gaining than otherwise, when those pursuers who
were nearest to him perceiving the impossibility
of overtaking the Greek, fired after him and
brought him down mortally wounded. The horse

GREEK IDEAS ON THIEVING. 199
was recovered, and fortunately untouched. The
money found upon the Greek was kept, in case
of any claimant appearing, who might be entitled
to it ; but none coming forward, it was ultimately
divided amongst the soldiers who entered into
the pursuit of the thief, and became the means
of recovering the Arabian.
A great portion of the Greek peasantry, who
would despise any one for slyly stealing in a
sneaking way, attach an idea of something noble
to robbing in bands travellers, and their escorts,
who were capable of making resistance ; as they
regard it in the same light as regular warfare.
Having been so long in a state of hostilities with
the Turks, they had been in the habit of asso
ciating themselves in parties together, for the
purpose of attacking small bodies of Turks, who
formed the only passengers that traversed the
country. They considered themselves as soldiers
fighting for their independence; and, for the com
mon cause, were undoubtedly very useful in pro
moting the success of the revolution, inasmuch,
that they greatly harassed the enemy, and often
cut off their supplies. They were a sort of free

200 GREEK IDEAS ON THIEVING.
troops, or klephts, who received no pay, but were
sanctioned by the sort of provisional government
which existed at the time ; and having neither
money, clothes, nor provisions from their em
ployers, they were allowed to help themselves,
which they did with no sparing hand, and at last
began to like that sort of loose roving life so well,
that they had no wish to quit it ; and when there
were no more Turks to plunder, they way-laid
other travellers, as a matter of necessity, contend
ing that everybody must live, and that property
should belong to the brave.
In the same manner, the men who inhabited
the coasts fitted out vessels, and carried on the
same game at sea as their countrymen of the
interior did by land. And if the present govern
ment were to scrutinize the character of their
troops and seamen, they would find that their
best soldiers had been banditti, and their best
sailors pirates. But in this respect we cannot
reproach the modern Greeks with degeneracy,
as, amongst the Spartans, thieving was not con
sidered a vice. But men who have long been
accustomed to a freebooter's life, whether by land

THEIR LOVE OF PLUNDER. 201
or by sea, are extremely difficult to domiciliate ;
and the remark may be considered as applicable
to half the present population of Greece.
The desire of appropriating to themselves that
which belongs to another is the ruling passion
with the Greeks ; and however, in our own, and
other countries, we have heard of articles of all
descriptions being stolen, yet one sort of thieving
I never heard of, until I arrived in Greece. A
family, who had lost one of its members, had
ordered the grave to be dug, and prepared for the
funeral, which was to take place the following
morning; but another family, having a similar
misfortune, in the course of the night, availed
themselves of the grave that was ready, thereby
saving the expense of having one dug ; clapped
in their coffin, with its contents, and covered it
up ; and, as it is not permitted to disinter a body,
without great difficulties, they kept possession,
retaining the full benefit of the theft they had
made. With this inordinate love of self-appropriation,
their rapacity in plundering may be imagined,
and was most fully displayed at the taking of
Tripolitza. After every portable article of any

202 GREEK CRUELTY.
value had been carried off, even for a fortnight
subsequent, Greeks still kept arriving from dis
tant parts of the country, and rather than go
back empty handed, loaded their horses or asses
with the windows and the doors! The cruel
ties there exercised on the Turkish women are
too revolting and indecent to bear description,
although some authors in detailing them, have
given particulars too horrid and disgusting to
appear in print. It is true that they received the
greatest provocation that it was possible for their
enemies to give; as, whilst the Greeks were
besieging the city, the Turks seized such priests
as they could find of the Greek church, and
crucified them on crosses sufficiently elevated for
the besiegers to behold their sufferings. In fact
it was completely a war of demons ; but it must
be admitted by every impartial person, that the
Greeks, in cruelty and bad faith, far exceeded the
Turks. The latter, in a few instances, did display
some traits of humanity ; but I never heard of
any such example from the Greeks, except that
they had been awed into some act of moderation
by the Philhellenists. Every allowance is to be
made for the causes which have produced so

A GREEK CHIEF AT HIS TOILET. 203
many bad feelings in the present Greek character.
Oppressed by their barbarous rulers, craft, and
falsehood became necessary to their interests,
and sometimes even to their self preservation, as
regarded their lives: hence has arisen that con
stant practice of dissimulation, which at last has
become habitual.
In most of the transactions which I had in my
profession with the Greeks, they found out some
means of cheating me ; and one circumstance
occurred, that was so amusing, that I cannot
refrain from giving my readers the full benefit
of the farce, which one of their principal chiefs
played me. His name was Grivas ; he came
to me for his picture, attended by his pipe-
bearer, his interpreter, and I suppose his valet ;
and brought with him a choice costume, that
was certainly most splendid, and in which he
adorned himself in order to look to the best ad
vantage, in his portrait ; but his manner of putting
on his sash was very singular: one breadth
was fastened round his waist; the servant then
went with the other end to the opposite side
of the room, holding it as tight as possible, -whilst
the master whirled himself round until he reached

204 GREEK APTITUDE AT CHEATING.
the other extremity of the sash, by which he then
became encompassed ; but nothing can be imagined
more ludicrous, than to see the high and mighty
general, as he considered himself, with the most
solemn gravity, twisting himself about the room
just like a spinning top.
When I had finished his portrait, he sent me
some pieces of gold, and I thought, as they were
showy looking coin, they were of more value than
they proved to be, and that he had sent me more
than my due, and applied to Bruno, my landlord,
not wishing to retain that to which I had no claim;
but he, who knew the Greeks better than I did,
immediately said, "Don't alarm yourself, Sir, on
that score," assuring me that it was far more
probable that there was a deficiency than an
overplus; and so it proved, there being four
pieces minus.
Some time after, wanting some alteration in
the costume, Grivas re-appeared, and I informed
the interpreter of the error which had been com
mitted; to which he replied, that he did not
know how to communicate such a thing to his
master; that I had not a man of the mountains to
deal with, but a general. I then observed, that

RELUCTANCE TO PAY. 205
it was very indifferent to me, whether I had to do
with a man of the mountains or a general : all I
wanted was an honest man. The substance of
what I said was communicated to Grivas, for,
although he looked very dignified at first, yet, in
going out, he presented me his great hand, some
thing less than a leg of mutton; then extending
his arms to their utmost stretch, he made me
understand that he would send me a pipe as long
as the extent he described, that should be worth
ten times as much as the sum he owed me.
Many months passed away, ere I heard more
of him or his pipe, nor should I probably to
this day, had not General Church wished for a
portrait of him, to form one of a collection, which
I had been painting for Sir Richard, of his prin
cipal chiefs, for whom he entertained the greatest
friendship. Accordingly, Grivas came, and sat to
me once more, but looking rather foolish, from
the recollection that he was still my debtor.
When the likeness was finished, he was so de
lighted with it, that he begged to have a copy for
himself, with which I was not very ready to com
ply, from a recollection of how he before had
mulcted me. At last, there was no resisting his

206 A NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS.
intreaties. I promised to undertake it ; but when
the day of reckoning arrived, he showed himself
in his true colours. He began stalking with a
melancholy air up and down the room, occasionally
heaving a sigh ; and when he thought that he had
sufficiently paved the way for what was to follow,
he sat down, and broke the silence, by saying he
was very poor. Knowing the contrary, I did not
much attempt to pity him. As he had no inter
preter with him, our conversation was in broken
Italian, and it was about a match between us
which spoke it the worst. After a few more sighs,
groans, and lamentations, at length he came to the
point, by saying, very pitifully, "What is to be done
about this picture ?" " Why you must pay for it,
to be sure," I coolly replied, which produced in
creased moanings and groanings on his part. At
last, finding me impervious to any feelings of
compassion, he asked me what he must pay ? and
on my telling him that which I had before stated,
and the same as other people paid, he uttered all
the complaints his stock of Italian could muster ;
but suddenly he started up as if inspired, an idea
having struck him, and with a smile, expressive
of great self-satisfaction, he informed me, that a

GREEK FRIENDSHIP. 207
thought occurred to him, by which we could arrange
the affair agreeably to us both ; and that was, that
I should make General Church pay half as much
again for his copy, and that he (Grivas) should
only pay half for the one he was to retain. Thus,
he observed, it would be the same thing to me,
as I should obtain my price for both copies.
The sentiment here displayed was, I think, new
in the annals of friendship. Sir Richard, from a
kindly feeling for a brother in arms, and from a
motive of affection which he entertained for his
comrades, willingly pays for his friend's picture,
and one of these Greek friends wants me to pick the
General's pocket, in order to put something in his
own. I represented this to him, endeavouring to
convince him what an infamous part we should
both be acting. This he could not at all understand,
having ever been accustomed to regard cheating
as an accomplishment, forming a branch of educa
tion. But, on my observing that I had already
taken many for the General, the charge of which
was fixed, and must ever be the same, this, at
first, rather appeared to pose him ; but he was
not yet beaten, for, reflecting an instant, he

208 NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
returned to the charge, endeavouring to induce
me to persuade the General that the picture in
question was much better done than any other,
until finding me totally deaf to all his arguments ;
he produced a gold coin, and in order to discover
whether I was aware of its value, he affected ig
norance, and asked me how much it was worth,
which I stated, according to what I had under
stood. " Oh," returned he, " it is much more than
that (although the fact was the reverse). Finally,
he paid me, as I thought, correctly; but, seeing
him go out with a very cheerful countenance, I
suspected all was not right, and, on inquiry, found
that he had at last contrived to cheat me out of a
few drachms.
Many may consider that I have dilated far too
much on so trivial a circumstance, but it is so
truly characteristic of the Greeks, that were I to
write volumes, I could not give any description
of them, which dived more deeply into their hearts'
core. Their adoration of money, or rather pro
perty, absorbs every other feeling ; and I do not
believe it possible for any government, however
enlightened, considerably to improve the present

GENERALS CHURCH AND PISA. 209
race of Greeks ; but the next generation, I have
no doubt, will present to the world a much more
favourable specimen.
Having several times alluded to General Sir
Richard Church, I shall here relate a circumstance
which proves the inscrutability which hangs over
the destinies of man. The General, liberal in his
feelings, through a connexion of various cir
cumstances, became commander-in-chief of the
Neapolitan forces, and conducted the campaign
against the patriots in that struggle, which ter
minated so fatally for the latter. Opposed to him
was General Pisa, whose troops were defeated,
himself obliged to fly, and a price put upon his
head. General Church, in his military and official
capacity, instituting a pursuit against General
Pisa, as well as the other officers in the Carbonari's
service ; as, although Sir Richard's feelings were on
the side of his opponents, a feeling of honour and
duty bade him serve to his utmost that power to
whom his oath of allegiance had bound him ; and
this sentiment I have heard him express.
Some time after this General Church arrived in
Greece, shared in its struggles for liberty and
independence, and when it became a question
VOL. I. P

210 GENERALS CHURCH AND PISA.
as to a liberal or a despotic party, the General
ever declared for the former, and thus became
obnoxious to Capo d'lstrias. General Pisa also
came to Greece, and also bore his part in her
contests, but attached himself to the high aristo
cratic party, and was employed by Capo d'lstrias
to arrest General Church, who had become the
avowed opponent of the President's measures:
thus General Pisa became in his turn the pursuer,
and General Church the pursued. But the death
of Capo d'lstrias changed the face of affairs, and
when the present government was established,
the contending parties were brought together in
harmony ; and the two generals to whom I have
alluded, I have often met in the same parties,
appearing to be on an amicable footing together ;
in fact, I had the pleasure to know them both,
and never heard either say a word against the
other ; and this is not the only instance in which
those who had been before opposed to each other,
both in the council and in the field, have met in
Greece, in good fellowship, and have become inti
mate friends, which has been most particularly
the case with French and English.

CHAPTER IX.

SCENES AT COURT  ITS FREQUENTERS  PHILOSOPHY  COURT
CONVERSATIONS  DIPLOMATISTS  A POKING GENTLEMAN — ;
LESSONS ON LISTENING  RUSSIAN DIPLOMACY  ENGLISH
ATTACHES  THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND INFORMATION 
EXTRAORDINARY APPOINTMENT  DIPLOMATIC INSTITUTIONS
 RUSSIAN AGGRANDISEMENT  GUARDED POLICY  ANTIPA
THY TO OPPONENTS OF CAPO D'lSTRIAS  SWEDISH CHARGE
D'AFFAIRES  HIS TALENTS AND CAREER  TYRINS  ITS EX
TREME ANTIQUITY  ARGOS  ITS SINGULAR CATHEDRAL 
TOMB OF AGAMEMNON  GATES OF MYCENJE — PAUSANIUS- 
IMMENSE WASTE OF UNPRODUCTIVE LAND  SNAKES- — SCOR
PIONS — BEDSTEADS  DOGS, ENCOUNTERS WITH THEM  HOW
TO DRIVE THEM OFF  NOCTURNAL RAMBLES  CLOSED GATES
OF NAPOLI  GREEK CUSTOMERS  BUYING ENGLISH ARTICLES
 IDEAS OF PAINTING  EXTRAORDINARY MINIATURE 
GREEK COSTUMES  MODERN GREEKS, A MIXED RACE  THEIR
PERSONAL APPEARANCE  TURKISH ADMIRAL  PHYSICAL
STRENGTH OF THE GREEKS  HEAT OF THE CLIMATE  HORSES
FOR HIRE  GREEKS GOOD HORSEMEN  PRISONER'S ESCAPE.
When inferior persons attempt to imitate those
who are superior, they generally seize hold of some
peculiarity or fault, which, in aping, they ever
exaggerate. Thus, with the little court of King
p 2

212 SCENES AT COURT.
Otho, its members, in endeavouring to give it an
importance that should raise it to the level of the
higher courts, attempted more etiquette than is
observed by the first-rate powers, which, instead
of increasing its dignity, rendered it ridiculous.
If, perchance, one was talking to a lady, and the
King happened to pass behind one, there were
always plenty to roar out " You turn your back
upon the King !" a circumstance which must arise
sometimes, unless the monarch thought proper to
remain stationary, whilst the company were indis
criminately circulating. At the court of France
this punctilio is not so strictly enjoined. Some
looks and hints were also sometimes given, ex
pressive of disapprobation of the ladies' costume.
It must be admitted that the daughters of the
President were ever clad in the simplest attire,
which is supposed to be the reason why their
mother always looked severely upon any orna
ments that were the least obtrusive.
The lady styled the modern Helen once went
to one of the balls in her jewels ; but the presiding
countess so scowled at the offending fair one, that
she, who was all gentleness, never dared sport her
brilliants there again.

SCENES AT COURT. 213
On another occasion, reproof was not confined
to looks. A young Greek lady appeared in a comb,
somewhat elevated, studded with diamonds. The
mistress of the ceremonies soon cast upon it her
stern and withering look, and stalking up to the
wearer, told her she thought she would do well
to remove that comb ; that, as she sometimes
waltzed with the king, it might go into his eyes,
and hurt him very seriously ; terminating by say
ing, " Rely on it my dear, a simpler comb will
become you better."
Ill-natured people said, the President's lady
could not bear that any one should wear any
thing smarter than her daughters ; hence, her
extreme aversion to seeing any display of dia
monds, jewels, or any thing that appeared rich or
costly. Be that as it may, certainly her own
daughters were far more attractive in the simple
costume they ever wore, than any of those ladies
who were more richly attired ; being a perfect
illustration of Thompson's idea, that " Beauty
needs not the foreign aid of ornament, but is,
when unadorned, adorned the most." The second
was a general favourite, and being named Sophy,
gave rise to a singular play upon words. I was

214 COURT CONVERSATIONS.
mentioning that young lady in a favourable man
ner, when a gentleman said M'ith a sigh (perhaps
himself somewhat touched), that it was but too
perceptible that philosophy had become very pre
valent in Greece amongst the young men.
The conversations are generally of rather a light
description in public assemblages of this nature ;
but I was witness to one between the monarch
and one of the ambassadors, so remarkably sapient
that I cannot refrain from indulging my readers
with it; but it being impossible to give all the ges
ticulations which accompanied it, the treat cannot
be so rich as it proved to me.
I have heard that gaping was infectious, but
never saw it exemplified ; but that nodding is so,
I can positively attest, having a practical proof
during the following dialogue. Dramatis Personae,
the King of Greece and a certain ambassador.
King — It is a very fine day (a little nod).
Ambassador — A very fine day, your majesty (a
respectful bow).
King — But very warm (another nod).
Ambassador — Very warm, indeed, your majesty
(a slight inclination).
King — How do you like Napoli? (two little nods).

COURT CONVERSATIONS. 215
Ambassador — Very much, your majesty (a re
sponsive nod).
King — Oh, very much ?
Ambassador — Very much indeed, your majesty.
King — How do you pass your evenings ?
Ambassador — Very agreeably, your majesty.
(Here the nods became so incessant on both sides,
that they resembled those figures which the
Italian boys carry about on their boards, and
whose heads appear loose, and are always shaking.)
The King continued — Is there much visiting
amongst the society here ?
Ambassador — Yes, your majesty. Madam Mav
rocordato and Madame Gasser regularly receive
on the Tuesdays and Thursdays; and the other
evenings the gentlemen pass alternately at each
other's houses.
King — And how do they amuse themselves at
Argos? Ambassador — Please your majesty, Madam
Gordon, Madam Papalexopolo, and Madam Ka-
lergi, receive each a night in the week.
" Oh, Madam Gordon, Madam Papalexopolo,
and Madam Kalergi, receive each a night in the
week," repeated the acquiescent monarch, and,

216 COURT CONVERSATIONS.
satisfied with the additional stock of information
he had just received, passed on to another oracle, to
gather a farther supply. Whilst the ambassador,
relieved of the King's presence, took a pinch of
snuff, and caressed his nose a little with his fingers
and thumb, when it was evident that " Richard was
himself again," by the manner in which he snuffed
up the consoling dust; pleased with the signal
honour he had received, in being engaged in con
verse with the King, and still more delighted in
having got rid of him.
The foregoing conversation may serve as a fair
sample of the majority that take place between
monarch and subject at levees, public receptions,
&c. ; but why some persons should be so tre
mendously awed by being brought in contact with
majesty, appears to me most surprising, particu
larly in the case of the diplomatist above alluded
to, who was a man remarkable for his non-chalant
sort of off-hand confidence ; yet, when conversing
with the King, his confusion was manifest ; and
though an extremely" clever man, his self-posses
sion in some degree forsaking him, his external
appearance assumed rather the air of imbecility
than of talent, which his physiognomy usually de-

SYMPATHETIC NODDING. 217
noted ; and although not generally given to nod
ding, yet, during his discourse with the sovereign,
in returning so many sympathetic nods to the
royal nodder, at last he himself looked like a
perfect noddee.
I gave a description of the above amusing little
scene to a Mr. F  , who himself, shortly after,
was addressed by his majesty, and engaged by
him in a colloquial entretien. Mr. F  declared
afterwards he was so fraught with the account
I had given him of the dialogue between the king
and the ambassador, that he vowed he had the
greatest difficulty in keeping his head still, and so
doubted whether he succeeded in so doing, that
he asked me if he really did retain it in a tolerably
fixed position, feeling an inclination almost irre
sistible to keep up a nodding duet in harmony
with his sovereign, yet fearing that his majesty
might think he was mocking him ; at the same
time assuring me that his efforts to keep his sconce
in a proper state of due subjection, had absolutely
given him a stiff neck.
The elite of every court will be generally found
amongst the ambassadors, as far as regards con
versational powers, and those requisites which form

2 1 8 THE POKING GENTLEMAN.
the charms of society, as they are mostly obliged
to go through the minor grades of attache, secre
tary, &c, at different courts. They of necessity
become travelled men, before they arrive at the
summit of their profession. The superiority of
the diplomatists over most of the characters form
ing the circles in the various salons in Greece, was
more evident than in other countries, as so few
of its natives had the opportunities of acquiring
either the education or the address which a com
munication with polished life alone can render, to
form the accomplished man of the world.
Amongst the ambassadors, charges d'affaires,
secretaries, consuls, &c, assembled at Napoli, there
certainly were some curious characters, one of
whom was so singularly energetic, that he was not
content with arousing one's attention by words,
but had a habit of poking one with his finger,
when he wished to make a considerable impres
sion upon his auditors. He was, without excep
tion, the most indefatigable talker that I ever
encountered ; the incessant power of his lungs was
inexhaustible ; and I never met with a man who
was more exacting in his demands, upon one's
listening to him, with the most undeviating exclu-

A GOOD LISTENER. 219
siveness : with one hand he seizes you by the
button, and with the other he keeps his finger
ready stuck out to poke you, in case your atten
tion should for an instant relax.
I admit that there is much in the art of listen
ing, and I had flattered myself that it was the
accomplishment in which I most excelled, perhaps
the only thing that I ever could do well ; and
I verily believe that the society of persons have
much oftener been courted for the sake of their
listening, than for the sake of their talking ; and I
always imagined that what attentions I had re
ceived in my progress through the world were due
to the high perfection to which I had brought the
art of listening : to shake the head for a negative,
to incline it for an affirmative, to smile or look
grave in the right places, and to keep the eyes
fixed upon that part of the speaker's face which is
between the brows, was a lesson I received when
a boy from a very particular old gentleman, who
was remarkably celebrated for his long-winded
stories ; but it appears that I was not a very apt
scholar, in the opinion of the official personage,
of poking notoriety, at Napoli, having been called
to order by him in the most impressive manner,

220 THE POKING GENTLEMAN.
spending an evening with him, when he had pinned
me as usual. I had my tea in my hand; and
although my gaze had been unremittingly dedicated
to his countenance, and my ears to his volubility,
yet I thought I might, without breach of etiquette,
give one glance to my cup as I conveyed it to my
mouth. But no ! the moment I averted my eyes
from the features of the perpetual speaker, in
order to recal my attention, he gave me such a
poke, that I really think his finger went half an
inch into my side; so tickling and startling me
that I gave such a jump, that I upset my tea and
tea-cup all over the addresser's white trowsers ;
and I verily believe that neither he nor I will ever
forget the circumstance.
But in respect to diplomatic agents, the Rus
sians certainly have a decided advantage, all the
establishments connected with their embassies
being conducted on" the most liberal scale; and
the individuals attached to them being persons
whose education has been so modelled as to
qualify them for that career. Not only are the
secretaries and attaches to the different ambas
sadors well versed in those languages which are
most required in society, or for correspondence

ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN DIPLOMATISTS. 221
with the various powers of the globe, but they
have also a thorough knowledge of statistics,
geography in its minutest points, history, both
modern and ancient, and a general idea of political
economy. Often have I been surprised at their
retentive memories regarding the division of pro
vinces, the source and course of rivers, &c, of
countries they had never visited, or of historical
events occurring in nations remote from them, in
whom one would imagine they could have little
interest. As strikingly deficient is the general
system of our diplomacy, and must ever be so,
whilst the error commences, as it does at present,
at the root.
Circumstances have so occurred as to occasion
me to have known numbers of the young men
who fill the subordinate situations in our em
bassies, and I have universally found that they
ride well, dress well, are fond of shooting and
hunting, dance quadrilles, play ecarte, and have
sufficient stock of small talk to pass current in
the drawing-room with the ladies; but as to the
discharge of their official duties, that is confined
to a very limited scale ; being engaged principally
in copying letters, and the making up parcels. It

222 AN ENGLISH ATTACHE.
is of course imagined that, from the position which
they occupy, they will endeavour to avail them
selves of the opportunities they have of instructing
their minds, from the constant association with
eminent characters, which their situation enables
them to command, and the introduction that is
afforded them of entering the very first society
that exists in the country, wherever their services
may be required. Yet how rare is it that they
profit by such advantages.
I remember a circumstance occurring, which
will serve as an illustration of the foregoing re
marks. Conversing with some Russian officers, I
expressed my astonishment at their stating that, at
that time, their government had thirty-six ships of
the line in commission, and on my observing that
I did not believe that England had more than
twelve or fourteen, they in their turn became
surprised, and imagining that I must make a
mistake, appealed to Mr.  , an attache to an
English embassy, who in reply to the question put
to him, said he did not know exactly, but he was
sure we had at least thirty ships of the line in
actual service. Upon which all the Muscovites
exclaimed, " Ah ! that was much more likely ; and

HIS DIPLOMATIC ACQUIREMENTS. 223
that they thought it was not probable that the
greatest naval power in the world, should have in
employ so small a number of the largest class of
vessels, even though reduced to the peace esta
blishment ;" and the conclusion was, therefore, no
doubt, that I knew nothing about the matter. The
fact was, what the Russians termed in commission
only meant afloat. However, M  was all
triumphant, it being decided that his information
was quite correct ; but every dog has his day. I
merely begged of them to defer the subject until
we met in the presence of Capt. L  , who was
commanding an English frigate then on the sta
tion ; and a few evenings after we again all assem
bled at the Russian embassy, and Capt. L- 
being present, he was referred to as umpire, and
confirmed what I had stated; and I could not
refrain from informing Mr.  , that Capt. L 
had convinced the Russian officers that I was
right, but he did not appear to care about it, being
infinitely more interested about the game of ecarte
which he was playing.
This circumstance merely proves an ignorance,
which in any Englishman who had been in the
world would have been remarkable, but much

224 ATTAINMENTS OF DIPLOMATIC ASPIRANTS.
more so in any one filling a diplomatic situation,
whom it would be natural to suppose had some
what more knowledge than the generality of indi
viduals, respecting the resources of his country,
and their application ; and had this gentleman's
information been put to the test, regarding the
forms of his government, its laws, &c. &c, it
would have been found equally shallow; yet he
was but the type of the majority of these gentry.
He was a good shot, a prime fox-hunter ; his cos
tume spoke well for his tailor ; he played an excel
lent game at whist, as also at ecarte ; he had
always something to say, which, although in point
of fact was the nothingest of nothing, yet it at
tracted attention, because his position ensured it,
particularly amongst the ladies, as he was what
the French style " un bon parti," or to Anglicise
it, what parents would regard as a good match.
Therefore was his converse always acceptable to
mammas ; and as for the daughters, they could
extract wit from his imbecility, profundity from
his shallowness, and if he were about to say aught
that he intended for humour, the willing laugh
was already prepared by his indulgent auditors.
Thus much for the generality of English at-

SINGULAR DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT. 225
taches ; and when we ascend to the goal to which
these gentlemen aspire, we there find but little
improvement ; and with regard to a display of
judgment in their appointments of diplomatic re
presentatives, the government, instead of having
improved, appear to have retrograded, when we
see a captain taken from the deck of a frigate,
and suddenly made an ambassador. And although
no one could deny but that the individual alluded
to, was an excellent officer, and had ever acquitted
himself with credit in his professional career, yet
those qualities which enabled him to attain a
certain reputation as the commander of a ship
of war, are not alone sufficient to accomplish him
for the more refined role he will have to perform
as the head of an embassy. In that character, it
is at any rate requisite to speak French fluently,
and to write it correctly, being the diplomatic
language in which the correspondence is conducted
between all the courts of Europe ; and that a more
polished address, and education for the represen
tation of majesty is necessary, than can generally
be found in the gun-room or cabin of a frigate,
every one acquainted with the subject will readily
admit ; whilst the injustice towards those who had
VOL. i. Q

226 DIPLOMATIC QUALIFICATIONS.
been for years serving as attaches, or secretaries,
caused a universal murmur ; as, however those
aspirants may be deficient in too many points
required in the service they have embraced, they
are at any rate, from habit, well acquainted with
all the routine of office, and are familiar with that
tongue which is the medium of communication
throughout European society ; and, therefore, to
find any one put over their heads, who possessed
not any great transcendental talent to sanction a
proceeding so foreign to the usual course, naturally
excited much dissatisfaction.
In some countries they have institutions or
establishments expressly for the instruction of
youth intending to pursue the diplomatic career,
who study every branch of education which may
afterwards be called into practice, according to
the different grades they may be wanted to fill,
and the various duties they may be required to
discharge. Although, in the usual habit of speaking, in
alluding to the different representatives of various
nations, we often call them ambassadors, yet that
title is frequently given but in courtesy, as it is
only to the highest powers that governments send

RUSSIAN AGGRANDISEMENT. 227
diplomatists of so high a rank ; hence in Greece
there were not any who were literally speaking
ambassadors ; the Russian representative being the
highest, and he was envoy ; the English, plenipo
tentiary ; the French, minister resident, &c. &c. :
in fact, the Russians have but three ambassadors,
which are, at London, Paris and Vienna, though,
in the language of compliment, the title of Ex
cellency is often given where it is incorrectly
applied. But no country has carried the art of diplo
matic finesse to so high a perfection as Russia.
Let any one cast a retrospect on the politics of
Europe, and they must perceive how successfully
she has lulled other powers, whilst she has carried
every object that she has undertaken, none of
which required more address than the subjugation
of Poland, effected, as it was against the sym
pathies of half Europe. Their acquisitions they
have contrived to retain, notwithstanding the
murmurs of other nations, whether on the side of
Persia or Turkey ; whilst the resources of the
latter power are at the command of the Autocrat,
whenever he may think proper to enforce his
demands. Nor are the Russians so detested by
q2

228 THE RUSSIAN ENVOY.
the Turks as we have been led to imagine, which is
in some degree accounted for by their stepping in
at the critical moment, and checking the progress
of Mehemet Ali. In Constantinople and through
out the Turkish dominions, Russia is at present
considered the first power, although England, until
within a few years, had that reputation, as it must
still have in the eyes of every other nation.
However amiable in manners, towards all per
sons in society, the Russians may be who fill the
diplomatic situations, yet essentially party spirit
retains its full force in their hearts, and in their ac
tions, even towards individuals. I had a powerful
instance of this at Napoli. Mr.  , an English
gentleman, who was rather an influential person
age, as being the largest landed proprietor amongst
the foreigners in Greece, requested me to in
troduce him to the Russian ambassador, which I
would rather have declined, knowing that Mr. 
had been decidedly anti-Capo d'lstrias, and as
such by no means an agreeable subject in Russian
eyes. I therefore observed that I thought his
ambassador was the more proper person to present
him at any of the embassies ; to which Mr. 
replied that he had already troubled that gentle-

AN APPOINTMENT. 229
man on several occasions, and therefore would
rather prefer another source of introduction.
I at length consented ; and as I was to spend
the evening with the Russian ambassador, I pro
mised to take an opportunity of entering on the
subject, and accordingly stated that if he would
allow me, I wished to have the pleasure of in
troducing my countryman Mr.  , who was very
anxious to have the honour of his excellency's
acquaintance ; to which he immediately replied
Mr.  was a very respectable man, and he should
be happy to see him. I then asked if ten o'clock
the next morning would be a favourable time
{that being the hour I always had found the
ambassador most at leisure). At first he replied in
the affirmative, but afterwards said " Suppose we
make it eleven." Accordingly, at eleven I repaired
with Mr.  to the embassy, but found that his
excellency had gone out : an after-thought, no
doubt, had struck him, that it would not have been
agreeable to his government for him to receive
Mr.  ; and, meeting him in society the same
night, told him I had mistaken the hour, as he had
expected us at ten. He then asked Mr.  how
long he intended remaining at Napoli, and was

230 THE SWEDISH CHARGE D'AFFAIRES.
answered, about ten days. " Then," resumed he,
" we shall meet at Athens," where Mr.  resided,
which was plainly telling him he need not trouble
himself to call again.
I met the Russian ambassador at the Prussian
embassy the next night, when he made many
apologies for being out when I called, but pre
tended I had mistaken the hour ; hoping that I
would take the earliest opportunity of compensat
ing him for the pleasure he had missed. I thanked
him, at the same time convincing him that the
error was on his side.
One of the most remarkable characters amongst
the diplomatists at Napoli, was the charge d'af
faires of Sweden. He had scarcely the appearance
of being forty, yet he had acted, seen, and ac
quired more than most men at double that age-
He could speak nine different languages, some of
them with the greatest fluency. He had been in
every country in Europe, with the exception of
Portugal ; he had passed some years in Persia, and
recounted many most interesting details of the
court, customs, and manners of that country ; he
had also spent some time in Syria and Egypt ;
six years of his life had been occupied as aide-de-

HIS EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS. 231
camp to Marshal Murat, king of Naples. In
addition to all these claimants on his time, he had
found leisure to write some extremely clever novels
in the French language, which have met with the
greatest success, and, as an author, he has acquired
some celebrity. Being a communicative man, his
conversation, as might be supposed, was highly
interesting, when it was possible to obtain it ; but,
as all the diplomatists at Napoli were so absorbed
with whist and ecarte at the different parties,
any intellectual intercourse was most effectually
checked, as, even those who were not playing were
betting ; and when any attempt was made at
rational conversation by a few individuals, it
was eternally interrupted by some one calling
out, " Oh, I must go and see after my bet !" which
would infallibly break the thread of discourse, in
which a few more reasonable beings might be
engaged. I have often been astonished at seeing
several most superior literary men meet continually
together, and, instead of appearing to have the
desire to converse with each other, they seem
to fly with eagerness to the card table, and waste
a considerable portion of their lives in playing
some game of chance.

232 RUINS OF TIRYNS.
Before I quit Napoli, I must not omit to men
tion the ruins of Tiryns, or Tyrinthus, the most
ancient now extant in Europe. They are mentioned
thus in Homer's Iliad : — " Within old Tiryn's
strong and lofty walls." It would appear, by the
manner in which it is alluded to, that Tyrinthus
was at that period a powerful and flourishing city ;
but, some twelve hundred years after, when Pau-
sanias wrote, it was already a lump of unmeaning
looking ruins. They are situated about two miles
from Napoli. I passed them on horseback twenty
times, without being aware that they were any
other than a large mound of earth ; but, on hear
ing what an interesting relic I had thus neglected,
I immediately went and examined it closely. I
found it consisted of immense stones, placed toge
ther in the same order as we mostly find in all
the cyclopian buildings ; I measured one which
proved ten feet eight inches in length, and three
feet nine inches in height. These M-alls are
most probably nearly four thousand years old.
Tiryns is renowned as having been the birth-place
of Hercules, and from its walls he is stated to
have thrown Iphitus, and caused his death.
Tirynae, the son of Argos, is said to have founded

RUINS OF TIRYNS. 233
Tiryns in 1379, A. C, but it was probably merely
so called at that epoch, being then named after
that prince ; as there is every reason to presume
that its foundation dates from a much earlier
period, and its original name was Halcis. It was
considered by the Argives, by whom it was des
troyed 468, A.C., as far more ancient than their
own capital (Argos), of which their records enable
them to affix a date, whilst that of Tiryns, they
ever considered as lost in the obscurity of extreme
antiquity. Its citadel is called, by Strabo, Dukimna.
The general opinion of historians is that there
are no ruins in any part of the world much more
ancient than those of Tiryns, nor any inhabited
town in Europe that can trace its origin to so
distant an epoch as that of the celebrated Argos,
which stands but a few miles from Tiryns, and
was founded, according to the chronology of
Usher, 1856 years before Christ, that is, twenty
years prior to the birth of Jacob, and thirty-three
before the death of Abraham. In this city it
is recorded that Ceres killed Pyrrhus, about
fourteen hundred years prior to the Christian era,
not, as has been erroneously stated, the son of

234 ARGOS.
Achilles, being long before that invincible bully
existed. Argos was built by Inachus, and was the
capital of the kingdom bearing the same name.
Its present population may be from three to four
thousand. It is surrounded by plains of extraor
dinary fertility, but its streets are those which tell
of desolation : some are composed of houses half
battered down, broken walls and unsightly heaps
of rubbish ; and oh ! the squalid looking faces, of a
yellowish-green complexion, to be seen at the
doors, with groups of sickly looking children, as
though emulating the miserable aspect of their
mothers ; but here, as well as everywhere else in
Greece, the men are as usual ever to be seen
lounging away their time at the coffee-houses.
There are the remains of a theatre still to
be seen here, supposed to have been erected in
the halcyon days of Greece : its form is semicir
cular ; the seats are all easy to be defined, and
occasional spaces occur for the convenience of
ingress and egress. There are also some Roman
ruins, but I could not learn what they were sup
posed to have been ; some description of temple is

s>%>

ITS SINGULAR CATHEDRAL. 235
generally conjectured. But one of the most curious
and inconsistent monuments I have ever seen, is
the cathedral they have recently built here. They
have huddled together a variety of material, which
they have beplastered over, and given it some
thing the appearance of some of our new village
churches, after they have just been whitewashed ;
but, as it was in Greece, they imagined that they
must endow it with some classic character. They
therefore routed out all the fragments they could
find, such as the capital of a pillar, a piece of
entablature, a bit of a broken column, or a
pedestal, or in fact any of the remains of anti
quity that they could muster ; each served to stop
a gap, and form one of the most singular masses
of incongruity that I ever beheld.
Four or five miles farther, amongst the moun
tains, stands the tomb of Agamemnon; a very
small village contains the only habitations near
it, and I verily believe all the inhabitants, man,
woman, and child, followed our little party to the
tomb, asking for money on any pretence that they
could turn into an excuse for taxing your gene
rosity : one holds your horse while you dismount,
asks a reward and gets it ; then another catches

236 THE TOMB OF AGAMEMNON.
hold of the bridle, and takes care of it for you
until you again want it ; a third holds your stirrup
whilst you mount ; one points to something to
the right, another to the left; and all claim a
reward. We found the tomb in a most extraordinary
state of solid preservation, and the interior rising
to the summit in a conical form, something the
same as the pyramids of Egypt. It was on the
29th of January that we visited this interesting
monument ; and although we only proceeded at a
slight trot, our horses become so warm that we
found it well to slacken their pace. The sun shone
most brilliantly, and, in winter, Greece, like most
other hot climates, is the greenest, and the gayest.
The spring is beautiful ; a number of varied
coloured heaths and other plants shoot forth,
some of which emit a most delicious odour ; but,
in the summer, all nature appears broM'n, every
species of herb or grass being burnt up ; and, as
there is such a dearth of trees, scarce any verdure
meets the eye.
We proceeded about a quarter of a mile farther,
to the gates of Mycenae, which are surmounted
by two lions, and a sort of column between them.

EXISTENCE OF TROY DOUBTED. 237
This was the capital of Agamemnon, and through
these gates most probably he led his host forth
to embark for the siege of Troy. Why so many
persons should recently have taken it in their
heads to doubt that such a place as Troy ever
existed, I cannot understand ; not only that there
are the ruins of the city, on the very spot which,
by comparing circumstances in classic history, is
indicated as the site of Troy, and that the part
of the country where these remains are found is
even to this day called Troas, — but that, in Greece,
you still find confirmatory proofs in the existing
remains of the cities appertaining to the heroes
who took part in the great struggle between the
Grecians and Trojans ; whilst so many of the
Greek authors allude to the event, which at that
period was never doubted.
Pausanias mentions all the different mementos
remaining in his time of that interesting epoch,
not supposing that the subject ever had or ever
would be questioned. He traces the descent of
Pyrrhus for seven generations, which brings it
down to the time not very remote from the
author's birth. He also mentions a Greek writer
who had known a man of an extremely advanced

238 EXISTENCE OF TROY DOUBTED.
age, who stated that, in his childhood, he had been
accustomed to hear his great grandfather talk of.
having seen in his youth, some old men who were
known to have been some of the soldiers who had
returned from the siege of Troy. Athens, Argos,
and many cities prior to the contest, had been
founded some hundred years, and the use of let
ters was known ; consequently, the means of re
cording it existed. Yet many of those persons, so
sceptical on this subject, are ready enough to
believe many other circumstances, connected with
English or Scottish history; of towns founded
some hundred years before Christ, such as Bath,
Colchester, &c, which it was impossible could
have been conveyed to posterity, but by oral tra
dition, as, prior to the landing of Julius Caesar, no
species of literature was known ; consequently,
any accounts previous to that event can be but
conjectural. Therefore, it appears that with those
individuals who believe the latter, and doubt the
former, it is like straining at a gnat and swallow
ing a camel.
As the eye wanders over the wide waste which
modern Greece presents, very imperfect, I admit,
are the conjectures hence engendered, as to its

STATE OF ANCIENT GREECE. 239
state and appearance during the zenith of its pros
perity. How highly cultivated must have been her
soil, — even, one would suppose, to her mountains'
summits, — to have supported that immense popu
lation which must have existed in ancient Greece,
in her brightest days ; the very surface of nature,
one would imagine, must be changed, and that
which is now but barren rock must once have
been covered with fertile earth. The number of
kingdoms which existed in Greece formerly, proves
incontrovertibly that most of them could not have
been more extensive than some English counties,
looking over the space occupied by the kingdoms
of Attica, Argos, Sparta, Messenia, &c. &c. ; but
the number of the inhabitants must have been
much greater in proportion, than could reasonably
be expected from the extent of the territory the
different governments possessed. From the armies
they were enabled to bring into the field, some
idea may be formed of their population, as it is
generally estimated that one-eighth only of the
bulk of the people is capable of bearing arms. We,
therefore, must come to the conclusion that their
land must have been amazingly productive, and
that they must have had the art of rendering its

240 FATAL BITE OF A SERPENT.
advantages available to a most extraordinary de
gree, when we reflect what they effected, and
from comparatively such limited means ; admitting
that their commerce formed one of the most con
siderable sources of their wealth.
Before I take leave of Greece, I must not omit
to caution travellers against snakes and scorpions.
I knew a gentleman, named Sartirioris, whose
uncle had recently been killed, whilst reposing
under some trees behind his house, by a snake.
He was lying on the grass and fell asleep, but was
awakened by feeling something entering his mouth,
when, putting up his hand, he felt the snake, which
at the same moment bit him in the lip. He called
his servants, and with much coolness and presence
of mind gave orders for killing the serpent ; but,
before his domestics could convey him to his
house, he expired.
Once taking a walk about a mile from Napoli,
I saw a most formidable snake. Two English gen
tlemen were with me, and M^e immediately re
solved upon killing it, which we effected by throw
ing large stones at it ; but my companions called
me off considering I approached too close, as it
appears they will fly at you from some distance,

SNAKES AND SCORPIONS. 241
and coil round the leg or arm ; and their bite, if
not fatal under all circumstances, generally proves
so, if too distant from medical aid, or from the
means of procuring such specifics as will coun
teract the effects of the poison. Just as we had
given the last mortal blow to the poor struggling
reptile, some Greek peasants came up, and said it
was one of the most venomous kind. Scorpions
are very frequent in Greece. A Mr. Burgass, a
friend of mine, was sitting on the grass with
several other persons, when he was bitten by one
of those insects. Although the pain was acute, it
was considered by the surgeon who examined the
wound, that but little venom had entered it,
having gone principally into the trowsers ; conse
quently the effects of the sting or bite were not so
serious as they otherwise might have been feared.
It is pretended that the wound inflicted by this
insect is cured by killing it, and rubbing the part
affected with the crushed pieces of the animal.
These disagreeable creatures, as well as centi
pedes, are often found in the bed-rooms in Greece,
and I should recommend every one living in that
country to adopt the method which I had recourse
to, to prevent their getting into the bed. Have
VOL. I. R

242 FIERCE DOGS.
an iron bedstead, and take care it does not touch
the wall, and let each post stand in a tin-cup of
water, and by that means all vermin are prevented
from creeping up and entering the bed. True it
is that some insects there are that will drop from
the ceiling upon your musquito net, and introduce
themselves by that means.
Another of the offensive objects in Greece
consists in the dogs ; they spring out upon one
wherever they are seen. Some pretend that per
sons have been devoured by them, but that numbers
of the fiercest have been shot by foreigners, since
Greece has become more the resort of strangers.
I knew a surgeon, who, whilst riding through
Argos, was assailed by a host of these animals,
and very imprudently attempting to dismount,
was soon pulled to the ground by his canine
enemies, and might have been most seriously
hurt, had not some persons come to his relief;
but as it was, his clothes were torn to ribbons :
but, if on foot, the best means of repelling them
is to stoop and pick up a stone, or pretend to do
so, even if there be not one to be found, as it
generally scares and causes them to run, which
arises from the extreme certainty with which the

ENCOUNTERS WITH THEM. 243
Greeks can always throw a stone : the dogs, hav
ing often experienced this, have become frightened
at the idea of anything being thrown at them.
It is a curious circumstance that the Greeks, in
any trifling quarrel, instead of attempting to strike
each other, immediately stoop and pick up a stone
to fling at their opponent; and from constant
practice from childhood, their aim is so unerring,
that I never saw them miss their mark.
I had numerous encounters with the dogs,
though not of a very serious nature, and they
were chiefly during my nightly prowlings. Ever
accustomed to devote my daylight to my profes
sional occupations, I never could find time for
exercise till dark, and therefore, like an evil
spirit, have been much in the habit of wandering
during the night. In the course of these sombre
rambles, which I was in the practice of taking
from Napoli, at one spot, which I had to pass
almost every evening, where there was a group of
cottages, seven dogs used regularly to assail me ;
but, by taking the precaution of providing myself
with a stock of stones, and with the aid of a stout
stick, I had ever kept myself unscathed.
One night, when proceeding on my usual beat, I
r 2

244 NOCTURNAL RAMBLES.
met a Dr. Reiser, the king's physician, as kind a
hearted soul as ever existed. Having asked me
for where I was bound, he offered to accompany
me in my roamings, adding, that he was in that
mood that he felt disposed to walk the live-long
night. We had not journeyed far together before
I began picking up stones, which excited his
curiosity ; but I had no sooner explained that
I was gathering ammunition for an expected
attack from the dogs, and recommended him to
do the same, than he immediately found out that
it was no use our walking any further that night ;
or, that if we did, we could confine ourselves to
pacing up and down where we then were. In
vain I urged that it was a more even road as we
went on further, and much pleasanter walking :
by all the arguments I could adduce, I could not
prevail upon him to advance to meet the canine
foe ; no persuasions could bring him to the scratch.
Another evening I was accompanied by a Greek
gentleman, named Pschycha, who seemed to
enjoy the thought of the combat, and displayed
so much prowess as a marksman, that I felt quite
ashamed of my comparative aiuWardness. Every
stone he threw told as effectually as if they had

NOCTURNAL RAMBLES. 245
been balls fired from a pistol by a first-rate shot ;
the howlings and retreat of the dogs bearing-
ample evidence of my companion's dexterity. My
nocturnal rovings, which generally extended to
between two or three miles from the town, at last
excited such observation, that the nomarch of
Napoli heard of them, and his brother cautioned
me against continuing them, on account of the
probability of being stopped, robbed, &c, observ
ing that I might do it a hundred times without
injury, but that I might repent it the hundred
and first. I thanked him for his advice; and the
days getting much longer, the space I had to
return in darkness became shorter, and, as I had
sometimes companions, I had to incur but little
risk ; in fact, even in all my solitary nightly
rambles I never was in the slightest degree
molested, though some months before, when
Greece was in a comparative degree of disor
ganisation, I could not have wandered thus with
impunity ; a short time prior to my arrival a per
son having been robbed and shot within a few
hundred yards of the gates of Napoli.
One of my great delights was hearing the
report, at nine o'clock, of the great gun of the

246 GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF GREECE.
Fort of Palymede ; whilst strolling amongst the
rocks, the reverberations of the echo from the
amphitheatre of mountains, in the solemn hour
of darkness, having an awful effect that was in
describably sublime. But as the gates were shut
at that hour, my enjoyment was somewhat alloyed
by the doubt whether they would open the wicket
to let me in, or doom me to pass the night in my
favourite haunts, amongst the craggy beds the
nature of the country afforded.
It struck me as very remarkable, that, although
Greece certainly is in Europe, yet every one
speaks of it in the country, as if it were in some
other quarter of the globe ; for example, they
will say to an Englishman, Frenchman, German,
&c, " You, who are an European ;" and will ask
you how long since you quitted Europe, at the
very time that you still are in Europe. This is not
only the case with the Greeks, but I have found
my own countrymen, and all other foreigners
established in Greece, express themselves in the
same manner. This idea of being out of Europe,
whilst you are actually in Europe, exists also
all through Albania, Servia, Bulgaria, and in fact
all over the eastern part of Europe.

GREEK TASTE FOR EUROPEAN LUXURIES. 247
The Greeks begin to have some taste for luxu
ries, although they have a queer way of showing-
it. They have a high idea of any thing that comes
from civilised Europe. I was much amused with
some Greek customers, who entered the store
which belonged to an Englishman at Napoli. A
boy was attending, and explained to them the
uses and value of many different articles. At last
one of the Greeks took a fancy to some head-
brushes, and understanding that they were for the
purpose of cleaning the hair, immediately took
up one and began brushing his mustachios and
eye-brows, and asked the price, but upon being
told that it was only three drachms, laid it down
with great contempt. When the master of the
store stepped forward and shewed them some of
the same description, which he said were nine
drachms, " Ah !" ejaculated the Greeks, in the most
drawling and sonorous manner, adding those were
something like, and each purchased one ; but, as
they were going out of the shop, one man turned
back to ask what was the difference between
those they had purchased and the others at three
drachms, whereupon the vender entered on a most
elaborate explanation, and the Greek departed

248 DEFERENCE TO EUROPEANS.
perfectly satisfied. One of his companions bought
a cork-screw, held it up above his head, bid the
others look at it, and with an approving and im
portant air, said " It is European ! " paid for it,
and quitted the store, but came back in a minute
or two to know M'hat it was for, and when in
formed seemed quite enchanted, and ran after his
companions to tell them the delightful news.
Many foreigners imagine that the Greeks are
deficient in personal courage, because they will
take a blow from those whom they consider as
Europeans without resenting it; but they have
an idea of the superiority of those who come
from civilised countries, and regard them
almost in the same light as the horse does his
rider, and never would dream of exerting their
physical strength against beings they regard as of
a more elevated species than themselves. From
any one that they conceive an equal, they would
not endure for an instant what they considered an
insult. Although the Greeks are so totally destitute of
any idea of the art of painting, they are very fond
of displaying their graphic powers on their houses,
by adorning them with borders formed by designs

THE PROFILE. 249
©f landscapes, of houses, trees, and figures, which
rival each other in stiffness. I was much amused
by the manner in which the Greeks handle a
picture. When you present them a miniature, or
portrait of any one, instead of holding it as we
should with the head upwards, they always turn
it with the side of the picture so placed as to form
the base, and sometimes they will twist it upside
down altogether, but never by any chance do they
hold it in that direction that a rational being
would. The ex-nomarch (late governor) of Napoli had
his son's likeness taken in profile ; and the grand
mother of the child, when shewn the picture, was
very indignant at there being but one eye. I
endeavoured to make her understand, through the
medium of an interpreter, that the other eye was
on the other side, meaning of course the other
side of the head ; but the old lady mistaking what
was meant, turned the paper round, expecting to
find the other eye on the other side of the paper.
But in this idea she was not alone, as I once saw
a miniature painted in Russia, which in front
represented a reasonable looking being. I Mas
told to turn it round, when I found the back of

250 EXTRAORDINARY MINIATURE.
the head and shoulders painted so as to corres
pond with the front ; and I found that the original
had given regular sittings for both sides of the
picture, so that they had a sort of double likeness,
and I was assured that the one side was as strik
ing as the other, and nothing could convince the
parties to whom this curiosity belonged, but that
if I would introduce that style of portrait (that is,
back and front on the same picture), in civilised
Europe, I should make my fortune.
One art there is in which the Greeks excel, and
that is embroidery, in which they display the
greatest taste, and by its aid so considerably add
to the beauty of their costumes. On their heads
they all wear a round, upright red cap, which
coming down to the brow, hides the forehead, and
is not becoming : in winter they wind a handker
chief round the lower part of it, which gives it the
appearance of a turban, and has a very picturesque
effect ; from the top a blue silk tassel droops, and
has gather a graceful appearance. These caps are
all manufactured at Tunis; and the number of
them which are there made is immense, as they are
universally worn in Turkey, as well as in many other
parts. Fesse is the name by which they are called.

GREEK COSTUMES. 251
The mixture of rich luxury with primitive bar
barism is worthy remark. Their jacket of velvet
is profusely embroidered, the waistcoat so closely
covered with gold lace, and little buttons of the
same material, almost touching each other, that it
appears one entire mass of gold ; and over all this
is flung a raw lambskin, forming a sort of cloak.
Most of the Greeks of the Morea wear the fosta
nella, but those of the islands, and of Maina, wear
short trowsers or breeches, so remarkably full, that
a part of them is pendent in the middle, in a sort
of bunch that is always swinging.
As to the dress of the women, it varies so in
every island and province, that a description of it
would be endless : some are very picturesque, but
mostly they are far more singular than beautiful.
The islands are much more reputed than the con
tinental part of Greece, for producing handsome
women ; and one of the most famous is the isle of
Tinos. The Greeks of the present day are perhaps as
mixed a race as any in Europe ; and the major
part of them would be very much puzzled to trace
their ancestry to very remote antiquity. Certainly
there are the Cantecuzenos and the Pallialogos,

252 MODERN GREEKS A MIXED RACE.
who undoubtedly are amongst the most ancient
families in Europe.
Greece has had many masters; and each ap
pear to have left some specimens of their breed.
Migrations from Asia have also often added to
the population of Greece ; hence must have arisen
that Jewish style of countenance so frequent
amongst many of the handsomest Greeks. In
fact, their features have a more Eastern cast than
might be expected of Europeans ; and every ves
tige we have in sculpture of the ancient Greeks,
presents quite a different style of physiogomy from
the present race. The outline of the face was
much straighter, and the features smaller; and
even in the representation of their most sturdy
heroes, no resemblance can be traced of the enor
mous noses, so prevalent in modern Greece, and
which I suspect are of south-eastern origin. In
passing through the country, I have sometimes
seen that beautiful line of feature so constantly
found in the antique ; but I doubt not but that I
should have found as many in other countries, had
I sought them as much as I did in Greece.
The men from Hydra I remarked as being
particularly good looking : a fair middle height,

THEY ARE EXCELLENT SEAMEN. 253
remarkably strong made, very fresh coloured, and
fine open countenances ; as opposite as possible to
the green yellow-looking Moreotes, who have
mostly a sinister expression. The Hydriotes
almost all look alike. I am not alone in that
remark. I remember a stranger, observing a
group of these islanders together, declared that
such was the resemblance they bore to each
other, that it might be imagined they were all
brothers. They are good seamen ; indeed, so the Greeks
generally are. In most of the naval encounters
which took place between Turkey and Greece, the
latter displayed a great superiority, both in skill
and daring. Notwithstanding this advantage, the
Turkish admiral generally contrived to pick up
some prisoners, whom he hanged or strangled ; and
on his entrance to Constantinople suspended them
to the yards of his shipping, as trophies of his
victorious achievements.
But one capitan-pacha, who had the command
of the grand fleet destined for Greece, evinced no
other talent than that of getting out of the way
of all species of combats ; consequently, had no

254 BARBARITY OF A TURKISH ADMIRAL.
prisoners. What was to be done ? — To pass the
walls of the seraglio without the accustomed
appendages, would have been a reflection on his
prowess, which might have covered him with dis
grace. At length a bright thought struck him.
Amongst his crew were a number of Greeks (many
of whom had been long in the service of Turkey) ;
these he hanged, and appeared before the inhabit
ants of Constantinople with his ships' yards as well
ornamented as he could wish, making as good a
show as any of his predecessors ; and was as well
received as any one ought to he, who made his
entry, as the French would say, "couvert de
gloire." From the very little the Greek sailors require
to keep them, and the small wages they demand,
merchants of other nations have found their ac
count in employing them. The physical strength
of the Greeks is remarkable. In fact, the weights
that I have heard that they will carry appear so
incredible that I shall not state them, lest my
readers should think I meant to impose on their
credulity; although my information was derived
from an English merchant at Napoli, on whose

PRODIGIOUS PHYSICAL STRENGTH. 255
veracity I place the greatest reliance. Certainly,
to look at their limbs, one might indeed imagine
that they might rival Atlas himself.
I remember amusing myself at a coffee-house,
taking the portrait of a pair of legs that would
have served for the pillars of Hercules; every
muscle so forcibly delineated that they appeared
exactly made for the study of an artist ; yet they
belonged to a lantern-jawed looking rascal, who
seemed to me as if he had not had a dinner for
the last twelvemonth !
The Greek men are generally naturally grace
ful ; their salutation has something interesting
and respectful in it : they bow their heads slightly,
and place the right hand on the breast. I was
much struck with this custom the first time I
witnessed it, during a walk from Napoli to
Argos, for the purpose of visiting General G  ,
starting on the 5th of September, in the middle
of the day, shortly after my arrival in Greece,
without calculating on the extreme heat of the
climate. I therefore state the circumstance, that
travellers may take warning by me, and not at
tempt such walks at noon-day, under such ver
tical rays.

256 HORSES FOR HIRE.
When I arrived at my friend's, Mrs. G  — burst
out laughing at the sight of me. From the effect
of the sun I was nearly black in the face. As I
had often to repeat the same journey, I took care
to perform it on horseback. There are always
plenty of hired horses to be had, as I afterwards
found, at Pronea, about half a mile out of Napoli :
many of them do not go badly, though small and
unsightly ; but let the rider look well to the
girths, and not trust to the Greeks for tightening
them, as they do it very insufficiently ; so that, if
you are not constantly on your guard, the saddle
will turn under you ; and the horses in this
country are very apt to shy, and have a most
dexterous method of leaping sideways, sometimes
several feet ; and as there is often a ditch on each
side the only bit of road at that time in Greece,
from Napoli to Argos, the rider stands an excel
lent chance of being canted into one or other of
them. The Turkish saddle is much in use in Greece :
it is dangerous in case of the horse falling. In
front there is a piece of brass, which rises some
times nearly a foot high, and the same ornament
behind, which reaches half way up the back ; and

REMARKABLE ESCAPE OF TWO PRISONERS. 257
when seated you appear quite boxed up in your
saddle. The stirrups are in the shape of a fire
shovel : the broad end has points, which you use
as spurs, and of which the horses have an absolute
terror. As carts, or any kind of wheeled vehicles,
were unknown in Greece, until they M'ere intro
duced by the Bavarians, the horses are so fright
ened at them, that it is with extreme difficulty
they can be induced to pass them on the road,
particularly the artillery waggons.
The Greeks are usually bold horsemen, and look
particularly well when mounted. They are like
wise famous for running and enduring any fatigue.
As swimmers, also, they are equally celebrated : to
prove which, I shall relate a circumstance, of which
I was informed by a Mr. Simmons, of Constanti
nople, who was an eye-witness to the circumstance.
Soon after the action of Navarin, some Turkish
vessels and one of our ships of war were lying
within sight of each other : from on board one of
the former two Greeks, chained together, jumped
overboard, with the intention of swimming to the
English frigate ; but the weight of the chain was
a dreadful clog upon their endeavours. One of
them, Mr. Simmons declared, was in form a giant,
vol. i. s

258 REMARKABLE ESCAPE OF TWO PRISONERS.
except in height, which was not much above the
usual average ; the other was about the ordinary
size of men, and he at length began to sink under
the tremendous exertion that was required, until
at last his strength totally failed. It was then
that the utmost powers of the other were de
manded to sustain his sinking companion, as with
his fate his own was linked : he, therefore, was
obliged every instant, with one hand, to catch
hold of his drooping comrade, whilst with the
other he took his strokes ; and still advanced with
a burden hanging to him that must have carried
any other than such a colossus to his last home.
The frigate at length launched a boat for them,
and brought them safely on board, to the great
joy of the crew, who had been watching the event
with the most intense anxiety. The Turks at first
fired after them, but without effect. On board
the ship, it was found that the stronger of the
rescued captives performed such feats as caused
him, by the sailors, to be called the Greek
Hercules. I confess this anecdote would have appeared to
me too marvellous to be entitled to any credit, if
I had not received it from an authority that I

FEATS OF ANCIENT HEROES. 259
considered unquestionable : yet there are so many
passages in the histories of various nations, allud
ing to heroes of antiquity swimming in their
armour, that, although common sense, on the first
blush, pronounces it impossible, yet I have known
some such extraordinary instances of physical force
displayed by Turks and Greeks, that I am now
inclined to admit the possibility of many things I
should once have rejected as absurd.

s2

CHAPTER X.
ANTIQUITY OF NAPOLI  ITS UNHEALTHY POSITION  HINTS FOR
COLONISTS  PRICES OF PROVISIONS, AND LAND  MODE OF
PURCHASING IT  INDECISION OF GOVERNMENT  ITS PROPEN
SITY TO BLUNDER — MORTALITY AMONGST THE BAVARIANS 
DISAFFECTION OF THE GREEKS  COLOCOTRONI  HIS TRIAL 
BAVARIAN EQUITY  THEIR AGITATING FREAK  THEIR AP
POINTING AN AMBASSADOR, AND THEIR DISAPPOINTING AN
AMBASSADOR  PROMENADE AT NAPOLI — BAVARIAN BAND 
GREEKS FOND OF DRESS  THE LADIES HAVE RECOURSE TO
ART  THEIR BAD TASTE  RELIGIOUS FEELINGS  THEIR ABO
MINABLE NAMES  THE AUTHOR NEARLY STEALS A HAT 
DEPARTURE FROM NAPOLI  MODERN GREEK LANGUAGE 
PROCEEDINGS AT SYRA  FRAUDULENT PRACTICES OF CONSULS
— DIFFICULTY OF CONVICTING THEM  INTENTIONS TO THAT
EFFECT  AN EXILED COUNT  HIS CONTEMPT FOR MEDIOCRE
BEINGS  A MISTAKE OF THE SARDINIAN CONSUL  THE
COUNT'S INDIGNATION  GLASSES OF WATER FOR SALE 
JACKASS FOR DINNER  A GORMANDISER  HIS WONDERFUL
GASTRONOMIC EXECUTION  HIS PRUDENT PRECAUTIONS —
DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON THE GREEKS  REMARKS UPON
THEM BY FLYING TRAVELLERS, AND THEIR SAPIENT CON
CLUSIONS  HORRIBLE OUTRAGE  TRAGIC TERMINATION 
MURDERER TAKEN, TRIED, AND EXECUTED.
Napoli, which the Bavarian government at first
constituted the capital of Greece, is also known

ANTIQUITY OF NAPOLI. 26 1
by the name of Nauplia, and Napoli di Romania,
whilst the Turks call it Anaboli. History states
that it was founded by Nauplius, the son of Nep
tune and Aneymone. It is principally celebrated
as having long been the station of the Argive navy.
A sort of aqueduct (hardly meriting the name)
still conveys water to the town, from the once
famed fountain of Carathos, to which fabulous
accounts have ascribed such wonderful properties
and of which Juno is stated annually to have
availed herself.
The few remains of cyclopean walls are suf
ficient, without the aid of fable, to attest its remote
antiquity. The situation of Napoli is most re
markable. The castle and prison of the Palymede
is perched on the top of a rock that rises perpen
dicularly to an immense height over the town.
Steps have been formed, in a zigzag direction, for
the purpose of ascent, which, when accomplished,
affords a recompense which amply repays the toil
required in mounting to the summit, the view
being immensely extensive. The rock of the
Ichkali, also with a prison at the top, bounds
another side of Napoli ; and as these mountains
form an approach to the semicircle, the town can

262 NAPOLI — ITS UNHEALTHY POSITION.
only be said to remain open on one side, being
that which is exposed to the gulph, and a sort of
marshy swampy ground, which exhale a most
offensive odour : all contributing to render Na
poli perhaps one of the most unhealthy towns in
Europe. On account of the sun's rays being reflected
from the stone rocks that surround the greater
part of the town, the heat is tremendous. In
fact, if it were not for one outlet, it would be
the same thing as living in the bottom of a basin.
I passed a winter there without ever lighting a
fire ; nor did I ever feel any inclination for one,
until March ; and having gone so long without
one, I braved it out, and soon the power of the
sun rendered all idea of a fire out of the question.
Fuel, therefore, as may be imagined, is seldom an
expensive article ; and indeed any one may live
long in Greece and spend but little money. Meat
is seldom more than two or three pence a pound ;
bread rather less than half that price ; vegetables
in the same proportion. Fruit is "cheap and
nasty," to use a vulgar phrase, as I never tasted
any that was good during my residence in Greece.
The grapes were passable, but the skins thick and

RENT AND LABOUR. 263
hard ; their peaches only half ripe and not fine,
whether from neglect, or a want of geniality in
the climate or soil, I know not ; but certain it is,
that travellers always remarked how very indif
ferent was the fruit generally in Greece.
Rent at Napoli, at the time I was there, was
extravagantly high ; even a small bed-room at
any of the hotels was a dollar a day, although at
present, since the removal of the Government to
Athens, Napoli being totally deserted, rents are
low in consequence. The English ambassador's
residence is now let for one-sixth what he paid
prior to the departure of Otho and his court,
ministers, &c.
All the coffee-house commodities are extremely
cheap ; such as ices, lemonade, tea, orgeat, coffee,
&c. Labour is dearer in proportion than provi
sions ; and those who have gone over to Greece,
as settlers from England, have found it to their
cost : and taking over Englishmen, with the idea
of their being able to perform agricultural labour,
in such a climate, would be absurd. But amongst
the Maltese, many are there who are willing to
work, and can endure the heat ; and, as the greater
part of them are in a state of starvation, most

264 HINTS FOR COLONISTS.
willingly would they accept any proposal that
offered them any prospect of ameliorating their
condition ; and these are the men who would
best suit those who may have any idea of colo
nizing in Greece, as the Greek labourers have so
many holidays, from their religion imposing such
numbers of feasts and fasts, that the workman is
idle nearly one-third of the year.
Horses and cattle in general are very cheap, as
also poultry and eggs, but for their meat I can say
but little ; the lamb was that which I found the
best. They have some species of sheep quite
different to any I had before seen, with very large
full fleeces, and immensely spreading horns. Buffa
loes are very numerous, and more advantageous
for the work of husbandry than oxen, being much
stronger, and better adapted to the climate. There
are immense flocks of goats, and some of the most
beautiful varieties : it is their milk, or that of
buffaloes, that one generally procures in Greece,
and too often their flesh, which is coarser than
mutton or beef. Servants, although extremely
cheap to Greeks, are not so to foreigners, if they
be worth anything.
As to giving any idea of the price of land, it is

HINTS FOR COLONISTS. 265
impossible. There is little doubt but that it might
be obtained for the merest trifle in some situations,
whilst in others, as between Napoli and Argos,
on the rich plains, it is rather dear. I had a con
versation with M. Papalexopolo, formerly nomarch
of Napoli, on the subject ; and from his explana
tion, and the comparison I could carry in my eye
between their measure and ours (taking their
stremma to be about a third of our acre), some
of the best fetched as high as from fifty to sixty
pounds an acre ; but the price is of course much
enhanced in proportion to its contiguity to a port,
of which the above had the advantage, besides
being very rich.
As there are scarcely any navigable rivers and
no roads for vehicles, much of the land in the
interior, although of a very good quality, is but of
very trifling value, as the conveyance to market
can only be on the backs of horses, asses, or some
times camels, which becomes immensely expensive;
and if it be a very heavy commodity, and the
distance be great, the cost of the carriage will
soon equal in value that which is carried, whereas
that land which is near the sea, even if the
soil be less rich, will be worth more, on account

266 NOVEL MODE OF PROCURING LAND.
of the facilities afforded of disposing of its pro
duce. A friend of mine planted a vineyard of, I think,
about ten acres : I believe ultimately the extent of
land was to be twenty. He engaged to keep it in
good order for three years. He then divides the
land with the proprietor, by which my friend
becomes possessed of five or ten acres, freehold
property, in consideration of having borne the
expences of planting ten or twenty acres, rearing,
pruning, and cleansing round the young trees, the
cost of which wholly to fall upon him for the first
three years ; after which he has only his own part
to manage, whilst the original possessor comes
upon his portion ready planted, and the vines
beginning to bear.
This agreement is very frequent in Greece, as
there are many who possess an immense extent of
land, and have not capital to cultivate a tithe part
of it. A person named Souzzo, formerly Governor
of Missolonghi, and who resides at Athens, told
me that he should be happy to make that engage
ment with all the land he had, being some thou
sands of acres, not requiring anything farther than
the first planting ; not considering it necessary to

GOVERNMENT LANDS. 267
exact three years' labour, if the requisite number
of healthy trees be planted.
At the time I left Greece, affairs were in such
a state of confusion, owing to the disunion of the
regents, that it was impossible to obtain any other
than evasive answers, regarding any grants or sales
of the government lands ; in fact, they could not
act otherwise without betraying their ignorance,
as to which lands belonged to the nation, and
which to individuals. Hundreds of claimants were
constantly besetting the ministers, in vain, ever
meeting with prevarication, and being referred to
a distant period for the settlement of so delicate a
question. So great a portion of the soil of Greece
having belonged to the Turkish government, when
its downfall was effected, immense possessions fell
into the hands of the conquerors ; and the division
of that spoil was an affair of so difficult a nature,
that the Bavarians, with a consciousness of their
incompetence, where judgment and decision were
required, and their utter deficiency in that which
was most necessary, firmness to carry their deci
sions into effect, have ever been induced to post
pone a transaction which they knew they could

268 BAVARIAN BLUNDERS.
not conduct with satisfaction either to themselves
or to other parties.
Amongst those who have claims on the present
government of Greece are some Turks, whom, as
inoffensive individuals, having had property in the
country, and not having taken any part in the war,
merit attention ; and their applications have been
received, but whether the claimants will ever
obtain the restitution of their lands or not, is
difficult to determine.
In almost every thing the Bavarians undertook,
they committed some blunder. In the grande
place at Napoli they planted some trees, and
heaped the mould a foot and a half high up the
stem, which made a little hillock round each tree:
the object was to keep the roots moist, but instead
of which, it produced a contrary effect, as the
earth being drawn up round the trunk in a sloping
direction, the wet ran off, and left the trees dry.
At length seeing their error, they endeavoured to
repair it by running into the contrary extreme,
and dug away the mould around each stem half a
foot below the level of the ground ; a drought fol
lowing, the roots thus exposed having but a very

DISAFFECTION OF THE GREEKS. 269
slight covering of earth over them, the rays of the
sun penetrated to them, and, with the exception
of one out of a dozen, the trees died. In planting
in a hot, dry country, the best plan is to set the
trees much deeper in the ground than in our
comparatively cold, wet climate. I recommended
a fi-iend of mine to try that plan, and not one out
of ten on an average died.
The summer is very trying to strangers. When
the Bavarians first came, some hundreds of them
were carried off by the insalubrity of the climate ;
and I believe that had they been all taken off, the
Greeks would not have been sorry. Almost all
nations have a sort of distaste for foreigners as
rulers : the very circumstance of their not speak
ing the same language, occasions a want of sym
pathy between the native and the stranger. A
disposition to revolt amongst the Greeks very
soon manifested itself ; and Colocotroni, with seve
ral other chiefs, were soon imprisoned, and detained
many months before their trial came on. A gene
ral murmur was excited through the country, at
the manner in which it was conducted ; and the
president of the court was so disgusted with the
proceedings, that he left the chair, and of course

270 TRIAL OF COLOCOTRONI.
was severely reprehended and dismissed by the
government. Colocotroni was sentenced to twenty
years' imprisonment ; but, with true Bavarian con
sistency, was a few months after liberated, and
made a counsellor of state !
I was accommodated with a place in the court
where I could obtain a good view of Colocotroni,
for the purpose of taking his portrait during his
trial. His career had been rather an extraordinary
one, he having been in the English, French,
Russian, and, lastly, in the Greek service ; and
report states that for a time he had been a klepht.
He was one of the most active agents, both in a
military capacity and politically, of the Greek revo
lution. I knew one of his sons, who had, in a
great measure, been brought up at Paris (and
though his father was a rough soldier of the wildest
description, not to say absolutely a barbarian), he
was a young man of most gentlemanly manners,
and possessing a refined taste. His father being
rich, had not spared expense for his son's educa
tion, and who amply availed himself of the advan
tages which had been afforded him.
It was gratifying to an Englishman to see a
Briton pleading at the tribunal of justice, in Greek,

BAVARIAN NOTIONS OF EQUITY. 271
as attorney-general, his language being far purer
than that of any of the natives; and though he
had acquired his first knowledge of the tongue
from being well instructed originally in the ancient
Greek, yet he had so contrived to amalgamate the
modern with it, that he expressed himself in such
a manner as to be able to render himself intelli
gible to his auditors. He was a native of Scotland,
named Masson, and was charged with the prose
cution of Colocotroni and those who were asso
ciated with him, in the alleged conspiracy that had
been discovered against the Bavarian government.
An amusing instance occurred of the equitable
manner in which these sapient legislators arranged
affairs with their Greek subjects. The husband of
the modern Helen (whom I have already intro
duced) had a very large house, a few stones' throw
from Napoli, which was to be let, and suiting the
interests of the government, they hired it; but,
according to Bavarian fashion, they named the
amount of the rent. This was their custom in all
transactions of this kind ; and in this instance the
owner was very well pleased with the sum they
had fixed, and mentioned it to me with much glee,
they having decided upon a hundred dollars per

272 BAVARIAN NOTIONS OF EQUITY.
month. However, his tone was very soon changed:
his new tenants had not been installed a week,
before they began dismantling the whole of his
ground floor, and turning the parlours, kitchen,
and other offices all into stables. It was not the
only mortification which the landlord had, that of
seeing his house completely spoiled, as they brought
him in the bill for the alterations they had made,
which far exceeded a year's rent ! and as they
only occupied it about twenty months, the only
advantage the owner derived from letting his
house to the government, was the seeing it pulled
to pieces, and rendered uninhabitable for any
private individual !
Some months after this he went to see a rela
tion of his in Russia, who was very rich, and on
his return, having, it is supposed, received some
accession to his fortune, he was rather liberal of his
gold ; and the watchful Bavarians then suspected
that he was an emissary of Russia, and was dis
tributing money to excite the people to insur
rection. On the strength of this suspicion they
had him arrested and imprisoned, until they began
to think it was possible they might be mistaken,
when he was set at liberty.

AGITATING FREAK. 273
One manoeuvre, emanating from Bavarian ge
nius, animated the town of Napoli for an hour or
two to such a degree, that every individual inhabi
tant appeared more or less excited. This brilliant
display of ardour and activity, on the part of these
German slugs, was developed towards the close of
the day, just as I was about to take my peaceful
ramble ; but all of a sudden every pacific symptom
disappeared, and the noise and din of war pervaded
every corner of the streets. The gates of the city
were shut, to my great annoyance, as I neither
could visit my favourite tree, nor hear the moun
tain echo of the nightly cannon ; in fact, I was cut
out of my walk altogether. Drums were sounding
the rappel; soldiers were running to the rendez
vous, or to seek their arms ; officers tried to look
martial ; and the regents, to their honour be
it spoken, were to be seen in the middle of the
melee, with countenances most awfully expressive
of how deeply they were impressed with the im
portance of the event, which had so rapidly called
all the loyal inhabitants of Napoli together. The
questions of " What's the matter?" " What is it ?"
&c. &c, passed from mouth to mouth, with so
much hurry and agitation, that the questioner
VOL. I. T

274 A FALSE ALARM.
seldom waited for an answer ; nor would he have
been much wiser if he had, as the only reply that
I could obtain was, " I don't know, but it must be
something very serious ;" in short, from all the
physiognomies of the authorities, one might have
supposed that the place was surrounded by some
hostile army, or that the insurgents were within
the walls of the town. Now all this was uncom
monly alarming to us poor ignorant souls, who
never dreamed what was the real cause of this
menacing bustle and confusion, and at last it
proved merely a freak of the Bavarian commander,
who wished to ascertain how the troops would
behave if a hostile force or rebellion threatened
the government of Otho.
They certainly had the most extraordinary
manner of conducting the affairs of the country
they were deputed to govern. A person of some
rank and influence was appointed as ambassador
to a foreign court, for which honour he received
the congratulations of all his friends, and the
appointment was echoed throughout all the conti
nental and the London papers. At the time that
the nomination was made public, some of the
attaches of the court to which the ambassador

APPOINTING AN AMBASSADOR. 275
elect was to be sent, assured me that he would
not be received by their sovereign in any official
capacity, as his principles were known to be far
too liberal to suit the ideas prevalent in their
country, and that an intimation to that effect
would very soon be forwarded to the Greek go
vernment; and, in fact, it very shortly after arrived;
and of which I was apprised through the same
source as I had received the former information ;
but when I requested permission to state the cir
cumstance to the gentleman who had been nomi
nated as minister to this ultra aristocratic court, I
was then told by my informers that the communi
cation was confidential, and must not be mentioned
until it was publicly promulgated, or they would be
compromised. In vain I contended that the per
son in question, under the erroneous impression
that his appointment could not meet with oppo
sition from any quarter, was making the necessary
preparations for his long journey, and incurring
some requisite expences, and as I much esteemed
him, I wished to save him such unavailable trouble :
all the reply I could obtain was, " Impossible ! at
that period, at any rate."
Some time after this, one of the secretaries in
T 2

276 DISAPPOINTING AN AMBASSADOR.
the foreign office informed me that he had been
commissioned to write, on the part of the Greek
government, to the court to which the individual
alluded to had been appointed, stating that another
person had been named in lieu of the one to whom
objections had been made; and the second ap
pointment was immediately approved by the fas
tidious government, who were so alarmed at having
any one of liberal feelings enter their dominions.
Again I begged I might be permitted to men
tion what had taken place to the rejected party,
and was allowed so to do, provided I did not name
my informant. Very soon after having received
this permission, the unconscious personage was
talking to me of his embassy, and the country to
which he was destined to proceed. I then said
" Is it possible you do not know that Prince 
is permanently confirmed as the ambassador to
that court?" "Certainly not!" replied he; but
when I assured him of the fact, his astonishment
may be well imagined ; but he did not notice the
circumstance to any one ; and three weeks after
wards, when I asked him if he had heard from
any other source, that which I had communicated
to him, he declared upon his honour he had not ;

PROMENADE AT NAPOLI. 277
and the first confirmation he received of what I
had stated, Mas from the public papers. Thus
much for Bavarian management and candour.
On arriving at Napoli, the first object that
strikes the eye, is the castle of the Bourji, now-
used as a prison. It is in the Gulph of Napoli,
and entirely surrounded by water. It has an
ancient and picturesque appearance, and was of
much importance during the war, affording the
greatest advantages to those parties who were
fortunate enough to obtain its possession. I was
much struck with the Sunday promenade just
outside the walls of Napoli. The Greeks were all
assembled in their gayest attire, and gay indeed it
was: scarlets, crimsons, sky blues, bright greens,
&c, were set off to the best advantage, contrasted
as they were to the pure white flowing fostenella.
The sun was setting, and its last red rays were
reflected from the rich gold embroidery, which
shone in profusion amongst the picturesque groups :
their splendidly mounted pistols, yatagans, and
sabres, all added to the glitter of the animated
scene. How different is a crowd of men in more
civilised countries, an unseemly looking mass of
black and brown ! The rocks around Napoli,

278 GREEKS FOND OF DRESS.
particularly those forming the boundary of the
public walk, are extremely grotesque in their
forms ; and whole families of Greeks were perched
upon the different projections, as far as the eye
could trace, and scattered promiscuously amongst
the cliffs, in such an interesting manner, that one
might indeed say, which ever way one turned, a
picture was before one. Some young sparks were
racing about on swift horses, galloping at full
speed to and fro ; and what added to the effect
was a Bavarian band, which was playing martial
airs in the most delightful style, and during the
intervals, when they ceased, the brazen trumpets
struck up their inspiring clarion.
The male Greeks take great pains in rendering
their waists particularly small ; in short, I never
saw any young lady's more diminutive, than those
I have seen amongst some of the men in Greece :
from infancy they bind a sash round them so
tight, that they are always kept within the most
limited bounds. Many of them take great pains
with their dress. One point they consider should
always be attended to, in order that their costume
should be in good keeping, which is, that the
jacket and the leggings should always be the

K Herve del1:

On Stone iv J .W. Giles

<S®IL®e®'im©If 31

Zfiun/i Pu.Vi.ihtd ty fnitta/certCC'Avc Jfarta Sax,

GREEK DANDIES. 279
same colour: this part of their drapery is often
arranged with great taste; amongst the better
classes, they are of velvet, embroidered with
silver or gold, and about the middle of the calf
bunches of silk tassels are worn, forming a sort
of centre, in front of the leg, a few inches under
the knee : this contributes to giving an appearance
of size to the calf, and the reverse to the ancle ;
and they display a good deal of dandyism in the
trouble they take in fitting on their leggings as
tightly as they can draw them, in order to set
off the symmetry of their limbs to the best
advantage. The Greeks certainly are fond of adorning
themselves, and occupy their thoughts more about
costume, than might be imagined. Colocotroni
sent his fesse (the red cap) to Paris, to have it
arranged as a Roman helmet, which he had sur
mounted by a great tail of horse-hair dyed blue ;
for epaulets, he had lions'-heads in brass, with
chains of the same metal hanging from them.
When thus accoutred, he might have been pre
sented as a complete model of a captain of
banditti. Salvator Rosa could nowhere have
found a more fit subject for his pencil. I had his

280 PAINTED BEAUTIES.
costume some time at my apartments, whilst I was
taking his picture, and what with its singularity,
and the extraordinary workmanship of his arms,
they altogether formed so curious an appearance,
that they might have been a welcome present
to any museum. Some of the Greeks wear
immense mustachios ; — one man I once saw tie
them behind his head !
The ladies occupy themselves just as much as
the men with their dress, but not with the same
success ; and as much as the men's waists have
a deficiency according to the usual proportion,
so one is led to suppose, that they had bestowed
their overplus upon the women, whose bulkiness
in that part of their persons is pre-eminent. They
frequently paint their faces both white and red ;
but the most skilful management is exercised
in the arrangement of their eyebrows.
Old M'omen travel about the country, whose
profession, is that of arranging ladies' faces ; they
stain their eyebrows, and I have been told, even
their eyelashes, redden their lips, and put on a
patch where it will have a great effect ; but that
in which they most excel is in the extracting
superfluous bristles, an art particularly useful to

THE MODERN HELEN. 281
the Greek ladies, as they are very subject to
having rather too much fur on their upper lip :
these little intruders are eradicated by means
of a curious contrivance made with silk thread,
with which they have a method of twitching out
any stray hairs. The eyebrows are always operated
upon in this manner, if there be any unevenness
that spoils the regularity of the arch.
They are very fond of gold or silver lace, and
neglect no opportunity of introducing it about
their dresses. The modern Helen had a red silk
gown, trimmed with silver lace, which was cer
tainly very handsome ; but, as she had worn it
at all the public assemblies and soirees, &c, which
she had frequented, Mrs. G. prevailed on her to
substitute another for the ball which was to be
given at her house to the King. Mrs. G. also
offered the services of her lady's maid, to make
her a dress suitable for the occasion. Accordingly,
one was completed of white muslin, in the last
Parisian style, which much pleased the fair Greek ;
but, prior to the momentous event of her opening
the ball with his Majesty, she contrived to take
off the silver lace from the red goAvn, and stitched
it on the new one, without saying anything to

282 RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES.
Mrs. G., who was quite surprised when she
entered the ball-room, to see the queer figure
the unsophisticated lady had made of her new
dress. The Greeks also paint their dead; and, as they
generally carry the corpse to interment uncovered,
I have frequently seen them (en passant) looking
much more rosy than they ever did in life. Few
nations are so attentive to all the forms of religion
as the Greeks. They do not admit images in their
churches, but are very fond of paintings, repre
senting our Saviour, the apostles, saints, &c,
which are such execrable daubs, and made such
ludicrous figures, that it really is almost impos
sible to regard them without laughter.
There is one night during Easter, when every
one at twelve repairs to church with a lighted
taper ; to witness the performance of some grand
ceremony, although I was present, the crowd was
such, that I could not distinguish what they
were about : but the streets had a very singular
appearance; numbers of people were streaming
from them, all carrying lights, and giving the
town the air of being illuminated.
The Greeks are much attached to their papas,

UNPRONOUNCEABLE NAMES. 283
as they term their priests, and their surnames are
often formed in such a manner, as to indicate that
they are descended from priests, such as Papa
dopolo, means the son of a priest. Some names
are still more explicit, even including the name
of the parent, as Papadiamandopolo, by which is
understood, the son of a priest named Diaman ;
but it really was a most terrific task to meet the
last-named gentleman, and greet him as some
persons did, with " How do you do Mr. Papadia
mandopolo? how is Madame Papadiamandopolo?
and all the little Papadiamandopolos ?"
In addition to the above names, I knew those
of Paparigopolo, Sevastopolo, Tabacopolo, d'Archi-
ropolo, Vlacopolo; and Madame Papalexopolo
had the conscience to upbraid me with my name
being so difficult to pronounce, which consists but
of two syllables, whilst hers contains six ; in fact,
a young Oxonian who was acquainted with that
lady, never could manage to call her properly,
and, instead of endeavouring to simplify it by
abbreviating it, as one would naturally suppose,
he made it worse by lengthening it, always calling
her Madame Papalickapoplopolo ; and, although he
visited at the house, he always made the same

284 A HAT IN EACH HAND.
mess of the name, whenever he had to pronounce
it. There were other names, which appeared as
if they were created only for the botheration of
strangers, as Rodoconachi, Kairaskachi, Theotachi,
Kidonachi, Liberachi, Maniachi, &c.
I cannot pass over the name of Papariguopolo,
without mentioning an instance of that gentle
man's forbearance, which he displayed in seeing
himself robbed of his hat, with the most stoical
philosophy, and without moving a muscle. I was
paying a morning visit to the Princess d'Archi-
ropolo, and there found M. Papariguopolo, a
Greek by birth, but Russian consul at Athens ;
the other persons present were ladies : and after
conversing with them some time, I took up my
hat, and was bowing my way out of the room,
when some remarks addressed to me engaged my
attention, and forgetting what I had already
done with my disengaged hand, I caught up
another hat, and was making my sortie with a
hat in each hand, when the Princess very politely
observed, how sorry she was she could not accom
modate me with a third hat, as I might then put
one on my head, and carry besides one in each
hand. This remark called my attention to the

DEPARTURE FROM NAPOLI  SYRA. 285
robbery I was about to commit, exciting the mirth
of all present.
I need not state that the hat belonged to the
patient M. Papariguopolo, who had very calmly
looked on, and certainly would have suffered me
to carry off his hat uninterruptedly, had it not
been for the gentle hint of the Princess : he joined,
however, in the laugh in a very quiet way, and took
the restitution of his property with the same sang
ffoid as he evinced when he saw himself about to be
deprived of that to which he had a legal claim.
Having taken leave of all my Napoli friends,
acquaintances, and above long-named gentry,
I embarked in the Smyrna packet for Syra.
The crew were Greek, and the living, to me,
was starving, or little better. At the mouth of the
gulph of Napoli, are the islands of Hydra and
Spezzia, both equally barren looking and uninvit
ing. We arrived at Syra on the second day, which
I found a busy crowded place, the population
being more numerous than that of any other
town in Greece, being from twenty to thirty
thousand. Trade has greatly increased in this place,
which has become a sort of commercial depot for

286 MODERN GREEK LANGUAGE.
Greece, her islands, and for many others in the
Levant trading with her, and other nations ; every
flag of Europe, and some of Asia and Africa, are
to be seen in this port. Neither the town, nor
the interior of the island, offer any objects of
interest; the most prominent feature of the former
being a great many windmills, with each about
a dozen sails, which is not unfrequent in the
East. The Greek, spoken in this place, has a slight
difference with that which is usual in the Morea ;
in fact, there is some variation in most of the
islands, with regard to their patois, for such it
can only be called all throughout Greece. It is
supposed to be spoken the best at Fanar, a suburb
of Constantinople, from whence spring the most
enlightened Greeks ; but even with the best,
there is a most essential difference between the
present and the ancient Greek. Most of the words
which imply luxuries of any sort are from the
Italian ; many others are Latin ; and, in fact, every
nation under whose yoke the Greeks have fallen
appear to have bequeathed them some words of
their language ; but that which is most singular,
is, that many words of the first necessity, such as

MODERN GREEK LANGUAGE. 287
house, which in modern Greek is " speetie,"
should be totally different from the ancient. At
this time there are many well informed men in
Greece who are endeavouring to correct the
present language, and assimilate it as much as
possible with the ancient Greek. In some parts,
they have a curious manner of transforming our
Christian names ; as Katherine, they call Catinka ;
John, Yani ; and Mary, Mariyonka. Demetrius
is one of their most favourite names. There
are now some literary men who are rising in
Greece, and whose works are published in the
Greek language, which is purified as much as
possible, retaining sufficient of its present cor
ruption only as is necessary to render it com
prehensible to the natives. This is the case also
with all the public ordinances, police regula
tions, &c.
Amongst their favourite authors, is one named
Souzzo, whose poetry has been much admired ;
he has also published a novel, and was preparing
another at the time I quitted Greece, which was
to be partly historical.
I called on the Russian and Sardinian consuls,
whom I had known at Napoli ; the former was

288 THE SARDINIAN CONSUL.
remarkable for his superior stature, but not for
any other quality that I could ever find out. His
lady was considered handsome, which I had not
penetration sufficient to discover ; but, if she pos
sessed intellectual beauties, she was unkind to
punish the world by keeping them to herself.
From the Sardinian consul I derived much
information. He had been recently appointed, and
had entered with patience and perseverance into
an investigation of the conduct of his predecessors,
who had always been either Greeks or Jews,
terms synonymous, where overreaching or cheat
ing is concerned. No salary had ever been allowed
by the Sardinian government, yet there were
always plenty of candidates for the office ; the
fees, perquisites, and opportunities of defrauding,
affording a sufficient temptation. When a vessel
put in from Genoa or any other Sardinian port,
with the cargo slightly damaged, means were
found for prevailing upon the captain, or super
cargo, if there were one, to draw up a most
exaggerated report of the extent of the damage,
and the injury which had been sustained. The
consul then proceeds on board, confirms the
captain's account; the spoiled state of the mer-

FRAUDULENT PRACTICES OF CONSULS. 289
chandise is made public, and an auction is got up,
in which some of the most injured of the goods
are put forward, and the whole are supposed to
be much in the same state ; and a friend of the
consul's purchases them for a mere song.
When a wreck happens the consul is still more
fortunate, as he has to take care of what remains ;
his first and last care ever being that nothing
whatever shall revert to the right owner. In
stances have been known where captains have
been refractory, when certain terms have been
proposed to them injurious to their employers,
that they died suddenly, or disappeared mys
teriously. A most flagrant imposition had always been
carried on regarding the fees in making out the
captain's papers for clearance, and they, eager to
depart, and not knowing the language of the
country, could only remonstrate through the
medium of an interpreter, who, it always so hap
pened, was no other than the consul himself! But
the most iniquitous proceedings were in cases
where a Sardinian subject had died at Syra, a
circumstance which did not often happen, but had
occasionally occurred. The system of pillage in
vol. i. u

290 FRAUDULENT PRACTICES OF CONSULS;
the first instance, and juggling in the last, when
the relatives came or sent to claim as heirs to the
defunct, surpassed all that has ever yet been
recorded in the annals of rascality.
The consuls of Syra are not alone in these
misdoings ; those in many other stations, as well
as from various nations, are in the habit of practis
ing various peccadilloes of the same nature, though
not perhaps carried to such lengths, which, in
fact, they could not be in more civilised countries,
where men's actions are more strictly scrutinised ;
not that I wish to stigmatise the consuls at large.
In my personal experience, I have generally found
them extremely kind and hospitable ; still there are
very many to whom the above censure would apply ;
therefore, I trust, that those alone will be offended ;
and if there be none amongst them to whom it
does apply, " Then none have I offended."
The great difficulty of inducing witnesses to
appear against public authorities, often creates an
insuperable barrier in the course of establishing
proof against these official delinquents ; but the
newly-appointed Sardinian Consul had been for
tunate enough to collect M'itnesses, and proof
sufficient to fix the guilt against his predecessors ;

FRAUDULENT PRACTICES OF CONSULS. 291
and he was the more determined to expose their
mal-practices, from having received a hint from
his government, alluding to the extreme eligibility
of his appointment, which he could not discover,
and even insinuated as much ; not perceiving the
immense advantages to be derived from being
doomed to a complete exile, and without any salary
to compensate for the privations he was compelled
to endure. To this it was replied, that whenever
a vacancy occurred, with what avidity persons
came forward to obtain the appointment, which
was natural, from the circumstance of those who
had filled the situation having hitherto made for
tunes, although it was but too evident that an
honest man would not be enabled to realise suffi
cient to pay his lodgings.
I should have much liked to have known the
result of the expose he was preparing for his
government. He was a remarkable instance of
how completely a man may deceive himself, with
regard to the estimation in which he is held by
others. When I knew him at Napoli, I was also
acquainted with a Sardinian count, who had just
been liberated from a prison, wherein he had been
confined for thirteen years, in consequence of his
u 2

292 AN EXILED COUNT.
having been induced by the Prince de Carignan
(the present king of Sardinia), to espouse the
cause he had undertaken, when he unfurled the
standard of ultra liberalism. Every one knows
how this red-hot patriot afterwards cooled, and
suffered his misled followers, without an effort in
their favour, either to perish on the scaffold, or to
linger out their days, doomed to incarceration.
He even permitted the count in question to re
main two years in confinement, after he ascended
the throne, merely giving him the liberty of walk
ing on the ramparts of the fortress in which he
was imprisoned, although he had formerly been
his most esteemed and confidential friend. At
last, yielding to the remonstrances of the count's
friends, he so far ameliorated his condition as to
banish him to Greece, under the surveillance of
his brother-in-law, who was appointed Sardinian
consul at Napoli, and there terminated his exist
ence by blowing out his brains; the count not
having waited for that event; took French leave,
and proceeded to Malta.
He was a man of strong intellectual powers,
which had been much improved by thirteen years
intense study, during his imprisonment. The ex-

HIS CONTEMPT FOR MEDIOCRE BEINGS. 293
treme superiority of general information which he
had acquired, had given him a sort of contempt
for men whose minds were but mediocre, and but
moderately instructed. Hence, for his country
man, the consul at Syra, he had a most profound
contempt, who, although no Solon, was certainly a
man whose capacity was about the usual stamp ;
yet, whenever he was alluded to by the count, he
was always designated as "that simpleton!" and, as
ill luck would have it, I never received a visit
from one, but the other was sure to come in. This
used to irritate the count to such a degree, that, as
soon as he heard the consul's step, he would begin,
" Here comes that superlative ass ! what can
bring the blockhead here every time I come ?" He
then would exhaust all the contemptuous epithets
of which the French language was capable, in
speaking of the inoffensive consul ; yet, was the
latter so totally unconscious of the compliments
with which he was honoured, that, talking to me
once when we were alone, of the count, he ob
served, " That is a man that it is impossible I can
like, and, in fact, he is universally disliked ; but
he has so exalted an opinion of me, such an high
idea of all I do and say, that I cannot find it in

294 THE count's indignation.
my heart to be otherwise than polite to him."
This declaration amused me so much, that I could
not resist telling the count, how grateful the
consul-elect felt for the high opinion he enter
tained of his talents, &c. The misanthrope at first
smiled satirically when he heard it, but, as the
venom of his contempt began to stir up, he could
bear it no longer sitting, but rose and walked up
and down the room, exclaiming, " Le nigot ! Vimbe-
cile ! le couyon ! le Mte !" then running into the
Italian language, poured forth its artillery of con
tempt ; and, lastly, ended in English, by appealing
to me if he were not a d — d fool, imagining that
to be the utmost extreme that words could con
vey, to express how much he despised him !
But however despised was the consul, yet could
he afford to despise others. Alluding to his exile, as
he termed it, at Syra, he observed that there was
no society there for an educated man, with the
exception of the English consul and his family,
remarking, that, as to the Russian consul and his
wife (to whom I have before adverted), the hus
band could only talk of shooting, and the wife of
nothing. Prior to the Sardinian consul having been sta-

GLASSES OF WATER FOR SALE. 295
tioned at Syra, he had been an attache at Lisbon,
and his reminiscences of the gaiety of that court
were too fresh to bear a comparison with the
barren dulness of Syra, which certainly possesses
all the evils of a seaport, and few of its advan
tages. The heat was excessive, and the thirst in
proportion, and which assailed me to a tremen
dous degree, as my only amusement, exercise, pro
moted it, whilst I kept walking about and explor
ing every corner of the place ; but could find no
shade whatever. However, an antidote to my suf
fering was everywhere found, as most delicious
water is sold in the streets, at the rate of a fifth of
a farthing a glass.
But it was far easier to obtain that which was
pure and good to drink, than to find any thing fit
to eat : the restaurateurs, eating-houses, or rather
starving-houses, are the most execrable I ever
met with, except at Napoli, and there I was so
disgusted with them, that at last I went without
dinner so long, that, at length, I began to think
dining was but a bad habit. After having alter
nately tried all the establishments that undertook
to calm the appetite, I was turned with nausea
from the last, by the brutality of the Greek

296 JACKASS FOR DINNER.
waiter. Having brought me a slice of meat which
looked very uninviting, I observed that it was
neither cold nor hot, upon which the wretch took
it up in his hand, and squeezed it until the juice
oozed out from between his fingers, asking me,
whether I should like it warmed up again? I
dashed down the money, made my exit in a rage,
and never again entered those mansions of filth.
In another of these dens of infamous cookery,
they gave me some meat of a description which I
certainly never before tasted. I appealed to Mr.
Finlay, of Athens, who was with me, who declared
it was jackass, and vowed it was delicious, though
I found it quite the reverse. The charge was cer-.
tainly very reasonable, being only two drachms,
not quite eighteen pence of English money.
The Bavarian government introduced an entire
new coinage, all bearing the profile of Otho. The
drachms much resembled a franc, and were equal
to one hundred paras, a very small copper coin, of
the value of one-third of a farthing. There are also
half and quarter drachms ; the latter is the smallest
silver coin, but all very neatly executed. They
have besides five drachm pieces, which are called
Qthos. Their golden coinage consists of ten and

SPANISH DOLLARS. 297
twenty drachms; and there were some few forty
and five drachm pieces, but they were not general.
Whilst I was in Greece, Spanish dollars were
the most frequent coin, known by the name of
collonades or talaris, and passing for six drachms.
It is a singular circumstance that this should
be the case throughout the East, even to the
Indies. How such immense quantities of Spanish
money should have found its way almost exclu
sively into all eastern Europe, and the major part
of Asia, and great part of Africa, I never met
with any one that could give a satisfactory ex
planation ; as the Spanish have ever had much
less commerce with the East than either England,
France, Russia, and other powers, who have held
a constant communication with the Oriental
nations. During my passage from Napoli to Syra, and
in my wanderings over the latter place, I had a
most curious companion. He was a Bavarian, and
one of the secretaries to La Haute Regence, as
they styled it. His name was such an abominable
one, that I never could remember it, nor ever
meet with any one else that could. He was an
accomplished man, and a profound musician ; but

298 A GORMANDIZER.
all his thoughts and cares appeared concentrated
in an anxiety to subdue his appetite. I had
entered the ship late at night, and, retiring to rest,
did not see this gormandizing Apollo until the
next morning, when he introduced himself to me ;
and, after a few minutes' conversation, he asked
me if I had observed any symptoms, which might
indicate any probability of the steward's giving us
our coffee. On my answering rather indifferently,
that I had not noticed, he very gravely said, " But
do not you think it a subject on which we ought
immediately to interest ourselves?" Having an
swered him, by stating that I was in no hurry,
he could endure his suspense no longer, but
instantly instituted an inquiry: then quickly
returning, with an air of satisfaction, announced
the approach of the desired beverage, which hav
ing swallowed with all the accompaniments he
could lay his hand upon, he went away and was
quiet, but soon came back, and, after a few ob
servations, returned to the charge, by wishing to
know if I had remarked any preparations for
cooking the dinner ! On my replying in the nega
tive, he appeared very uneasy, and I saw that
something was labouring in his mind, and, at last,

HIS PRUDENT PRECAUTIONS. 299
it broke forth. Approaching me with a very serious
air, he asked me if I did not think that it would
be better, as a measure of precaution, to take some
substantial refreshment, in case the dinner should
happen to be an hour later than we expected. In
fact, no sooner was a repast over than he began
his speculations on the next.
The day we went on shore at Syra, he emptied
his pockets of all kinds of incumbrances ; the rea
son was soon explained: I saw him looking right
and left with a searching air; at last, the great
desideratum of his wishes appeared in a cake-shop,
from which he so replenished his pockets, that
they stuck out so prominently, as to resemble an
ass's panniers ; but, fearing that I should be as
tounded, he said, by way of explanation, that he
only purchased a stock of provisions, as a measure
of precaution, as we were going in the country,
and there was no saying at what hour we might
dine. Thus provided, he accompanied me, and
whilst I sketched, he sat by me, cramming all
the time, and, after a few moral reflections, he ob
served, how infinitely more confined were my
pleasures than his ; for that I could only eat three

300 A GORMANDIZER.
or at most four times a day, whilst he could eat
all day !
But it was at Smyrna that I had the most comic
proofs of his voracious appetite. While sitting
at breakfast one morning at the inn where I was
staying, he came in, and I invited him to partake,
but he declined, saying he was engaged to a
friend, who that morning gave a dejeune a la
fourchette to a number of his acquaintances, and
he was sure it would be more substantial than
many dinners. However, he soon changed his mind,
and said he would take some bread : a large loaf
stood on the table which might have had two or
three slices cut from it ; he displayed his prowess
to such effect in reducing its dimensions, that I
could not forbear smiling, which he perceiving,
laughed heartily, and observed that, as he had
got on so famously, he thought he had better
finish the loaf, as it was not worth while leaving
any ! He therefore proceeded in his work of demo
lition, until his object was accomplished ; and he
departed in order to keep his engagement. But the
most amusing circumstance was when the waiter
entered, who, glancing at the space which the loaf

WONDERFUL GASTRONOMIC EXECUTION. 301
had so lately occupied, appeared to wonder what
could have become of it, and looking at me with
an air of inquiry, I stated the truth, that the gentle
man who had just gone out had eaten it. He
laughed incredulously : I verily believe he always
thought that I had pitched it out of window, into
the sea.
The next day I found, on comparing notes, my
gastronomical companion and myself were invited
to dine at the same house, that of the Dutch
consul ; and when we there met he took me on
one side, and asked me if I did not think he had
acted very prudently, in having already eaten a
hearty dinner, " because," added he, " one cannot
in company eat as much as one would wish."
His appetite, notwithstanding, retained its wonted
force ; for when I afterwards let some of the party
into the secret, as to the precaution he had
taken, they declared that they thought, from
the manner in which he devoured every thing, he
had not dined for a month. In the evening he
regaled us with some music, and played on the
pianoforte in the most masterly style. It is sin
gular that great musicians should so often have been
great eaters, as Handel, Dussek, and many others-

302 OPINIONS ON THE GREEK CHARACTER.
After three days I had enough, and something
too much of Syra, which, like many of the Greek
islands, presents a barren, rocky, uninteresting
aspect. I then embarked for Smyrna on board the
same filthy packet in which I had arrived at Syra,
and thus bid adieu to Greece. Yet, ere I quite
bid adieu to the subject, I must anticipate the
objections which will be made to the general
character which I have given of the Greeks, as I
am well aware on what false grounds the majority
of travellers form their judgments of the nations
through which they pass, and of the erroneous
opinions which they conceive of the natives. In
proof of this I shall cite an instance which came
under my own observation.
I once met at Napoli with a reverend gentle
man, who was a sort of regular young bear-leader,
and had three young cubs with him under his
charge at the time I encountered him ; and these
were his remarks : — " How this country is mis
represented ! — they would persuade us that there
are bands of robbers in all directions, and that it
is impossible to travel through the country without
an army; and we have been from one end of Greece
to the other, amongst the mountains, and reputed

OPINIONS ON THE GREEK CHARACTER. 303
dangerous places, without ever having been robbed
or molested ; and I really think we could not
have done the same thing in England."
Here the gentleman was interrupted by one
of the youths observing that the Greeks had
stolen a pair of candlesticks, and some other trifle,
as soon as their own servants, whom they had
brought with them from civilized Europe, had
turned their backs for an instant. " Oh, yes," said
the first speaker, " that is very true ; but that might
have happened in England ; and then," continued
he, "it is said that the Greeks are very dirty; now
we certainly have not seen any proofs of it." " Did
you ever enter any of their houses ?" demanded a
gentleman who was present. " Only two," replied
the acute observer, " as we had our tents ; but I
admit that those habitations whose interiors we
did see were very dirty."
Notwithstanding this last proof of the reverend
gentleman's candour, he returned to his first text,
that the Greeks were very clean and honest. The
party could certainly have very little fear of
being robbed : there were four of them, and each
had their servant, and in addition a regular cook
and a guide ; besides which, four or five men ac-

304 SUPPRESSION OF ROBBERY.
companied them, of whom they hired the horses ;
so that they were a little army in themselves. At
the period they were in Greece, a great check
had been given to a marauding system which
had prevailed in the country, and had given rise
to many robberies and other outrages, until the
government had found it absolutely necessary to
have recourse to the most decisive measures, for
insuring the safety of travellers, and which they
had just effected, prior to the arrival of the gen
tlemen alluded to.
At the time I quitted Greece, highway robbery
was by no means prevalent, but since I left, there
have been insurrections in various provinces, and
under those circumstances some danger is always
incurred, in passing through the disaffected parts
of the country; as the traveller is frequently
assailed and plundered by those who have taken
up arms, pretending to enrol themselves under
patriot banners, but, in effect, to avail themselves
of that pretext to pillage, and sometimes mur
der the weak and unguarded.
Greece has lately found an advocate in a gentle
man who passed a few weeks in the country, and
who has given the public the benefit of his re-

A SANGUINARY PROPOSAL. 305
marks, and observes that it has been the fashion
lately to decry the Greeks in a most merciless
manner, but that it was his opinion that there
was as great a proportion of virtue and morality
in Greece as in other countries. When one first
enters amongst a people, it is very natural to
wish to think well of them, and that, I have no
doubt, was his case; but, had he staid months,
instead of weeks, I think he would have found
cause to change his opinion.
During the time I was in Greece, a most ex
traordinary outrage was committed, which created
a great sensation. A lady and gentleman, ac
companied by their man servant, took a small
boat to carry them to some spot which was not
very distant. The little bark to which they com
mitted themselves belonged to a captain, who,
with his man, managed his vessel without further
assistance. On their way they had occasion to
touch at a small island ; and the captain and his
man going on shore, the latter proposed to the
former to murder the gentleman and his servant,
by which means they could possess themselves of
the property the strangers had with them, as
also the person of the lady. The captain rejected
vol. i. x

306 HORRIBLE ASSASSINATION AND OUTRAGE.
his proposition indignantly, whereupon he was
instantly stabbed by the sanguinany fellow, who
had endeavoured to tempt his master to commit
the foulest of crimes. The wretch then went coolly
to the boat, forming some pretext to induce the
servant to come on shore ; and when he had
drawn him into the island, out of sight of the
other passengers, he murdered him, as he had
done the captain.
Once more returning to the boat, the assassin
plunged the fatal knife into the back of the
gentleman, who fell and expired at the feet of
his wife, who fainted, and was carried by the
murderer to a hut where he also deposited the
property. The unfortunate lady, when she recovered,
found herself in the arms of him who had so
recently killed her husband in her presence. For
some days she was obliged to yield to the brutal
force of him whose hand had widowed her. Resist
ance was vain ; her feebleness could nought effect
against the assassin's strength ; therefore was she
forced to submit to all his desires, still cherishing
the hope that some fortunate circumstance might
arise that might lead to her deliverance,

EXECUTION OF THE MURDERER. 307
At length her hated companion was obliged
sometimes to quit her for a short period : during
one of these intervals she saw a vessel passing,
to which she made signals, and had the satisfac
tion of seeing them answered, and soon after, to
her inexpressible delight, she saw the vessel tack
and make for the island. Finally she was delivered
from the grasp of her monster, and he was taken.
I saw him in the hands of justice, walk across
the Place Platune at Napoli, on his way to trial.
He was a remarkably fine looking man, much
taller than the Greeks generally are, having also
a dignified style of countenance and demeanor,
and there was something dauntless in his air,
as, with long but quick steps, he strode along
amidst the throng of spectators who were assem
bled to look at him.
As might be expected he was condemned, and
was the first man guillotined in Greece. I really
believe that seven eighths of the population of
Napoli were collected to see him executed. I
passed through the crowd, a few minutes prior to
the culprit's being brought forth, and it appeared
to me that all the higher, middle, and lower
classes of the male inhabitants of the country, for
x 2

308 EXECUTION OF THE MURDERER.
some miles round, were congregated together.
The guilty wretch showed much firmness at the
last hour; harangued the people in a manner
which astonished his auditors, exhorting them
to take warning by him, in language that ap
peared superior to his class ; acknowledged the
justice of his sentence, and had already made a
detailed confession of the extent of his crime.
Many persons, at different periods, have been
robbed, and some murdered, in those caiques, or
small boats, when they have engaged them for
proceeding to any considerable distance.

CHAPTER XI.
SMYRNA  ARQUEE'S  POPULATION OF THE CITY  BOURNABAT
 ITS DELIGHTFUL RESIDENCES  ITS BEAUTIFUL GARDENS 
ITS GAY PARTIES  TURKISH AND ARMENIAN QUARTER — ;AN-
TIQUE REMAINS  PLEASING ASSOCIATIONS  BORJA  AN ARA
BIAN CAMP — ASSES OF SMYRNA  FLOORING AN ENGLISHMAN
 STRANGE DISTINCTIONS  UNTAUGHT LADIES  CHARACTERS
OE THE LEVANTERS  THE CASIN  TROUBLESOME MIDSHIP
MEN  THEIR COMICAL PRANKS  DISTURBED OLD GENTLEMAN
 AN AWFUL PERSONAGE  ENFORCES HIS AUTHORITY  A
HOAX — CASIN BALLS  ONE GIVEN BY FRENCH OFFICERS 
DIFFICULTY TO KEEP ORDER  THREATENED DUEL  DEVO
TION TO PLAY  GREEK CASIN  ILLIBERAL EXCLUSION FROM
SOCIETY  TRADE OF CARD PLAYING  AN ELOPEMENT  THE
PARTIES CONCERNED.
We passed by the isle of Scio, still fresh, I have
no doubt, in my reader's memory, on account of
the dreadful massacre there committed by the
Turks, upon the Greeks, when they invaded that
unfortunate island. It is the most fertile and
cheerful looking of any that I saw in the Archi
pelago, and is famed for producing the gum
mastic, so constantly in use by the ladies through-

310 A PUGNACIOUS LADY.
out the East, both natives and Franks, who mas
ticate it almost the whole day. We then coasted
along the shores of Anatolia, which are remark
ably fertile and picturesque. On the third day we
descried the castle of Smyrna, the scenery increas
ing in richness, and at length we entered the
magnificent bay of Smyrna.
On arriving at this city most European strangers
go to Madame Moracini's ; but the accounts I
heard of that lady's prowess, rather scared me
from the desire of domesticating myself at her
boarding-house, she having left the visible impres
sions of her claws upon the face of the son of
the great Israelite capitalist, who certainly, from
all I ever saw of him, is a most inoffensive young
man. She also pitched the trunks and effects of
Lord P  out of window, who always has
been known for the mildest of the mild ; and I,
being of a very pacific turn, and having a pecu
liar objection to female belligerents, took up my
quarters with M. Arquee, who is just what an inn
keeper should be, quiet, civil, obliging, and not
extortionate in his charges ; and one is about as
comfortable there as one can expect to be in
Turkey, though my first night was miserable;

POPULATION OF SMYRNA. 3 1 1
having neglected to unfurl my musquitiere, I was
tormented to the most torturing degree by the
musquitoes. In my opinion they are one of the
scourges of Smyrna. If one would read, write, or
occupy oneself in any manner during the evening
it is necessary to wear gloves, if one does not wish
to have one's hands covered with red and white
blisters ; and then it is requisite to be constantly
on the qui vive to protect the face.
Smyrna is a large city, and extremely populous :
the number of inhabitants is generally admitted
to be about 150,000. It is divided into four
quarters, thus distinguished, the Frank, Turk,
Jew, and Armenian ; besides which is an immense
number of Greeks, whose residences are mixed in
a great measure amongst those of the Franks. The
aristocracy of the society consists of the consuls
and the merchants, who live in a generous and
hospitable manner ; perhaps rather too much so
for the extent of their incomes, as there are none
who possess such as would be called large fortunes
in the great commercial towns in Europe.
There are many interesting spots round Smyrna;
and I never was struck with any village as much
as I was with that of Bournabat, about eight

312 BOURNABAT — ITS BEAUTITUL GARDENS.
miles from the city. Having just come from
Greece, where I never saw a tree, except one just
outside the gates of Napoli, which I used to go
and look at almost every evening, I was so
delighted to arrive at a spot which was one entire
bower, composed of immensely high trees ; here
and there a few stately cypresses towering above
the rest. Amongst this forest of various shrubs,
entwining round or shrouding the more lofty
timber, the villas of the merchants, both right
and left, show their trellissed balconies, and cheer
ful white walls. Most of them are extremely
pretty, and some in very good taste. The gardens
are beautiful, and all joining to each other, and
possessing the choicest plants of the East, as well
as those of Europe, combine to form one of the
richest scenes I ever witnessed. Bournabat has
perhaps not less than from fifty to sixty of these
delightful residences. Some may be termed elegant
mansions, others merely tasteful cottages, but all
present to the view such cool shaded retreats,
as charm the stranger in these oppressive climes.
A large gateway generally forms the entrance
to the gardens of these dwellings, having on each
side of it stone seats, capable of containing, per-

DELIGHTFUL COUNTRY RESIDENCES. 313
haps, a dozen persons ; and here the family sit
at sunset regularly every evening, if the weather
admit. I was much struck with this custom the
first time I visited the village, as, in riding through
its whole range, I saw on either side, at every
gate, groups of well dressed people, of which the
greater proportion were females, and who greeted
us as we passed, as Mr. Whithall, an English
merchant, to whose house I was proceeding, was
known to all ; therefore salutations of recognition
were exchanged with every family from each
side of the road, as we continued our course
towards our destination.
From the balconies of some of these agreeable
country seats, the view is most exquisite : beneath
you lies the garden, consisting of plants of the
most varied and richest foliage that fancy could
have flung together; some they have whose leaves
were of the deepest crimson, which contrasts
beautifully with the pale yellow and light green,
which twine themselves together, and climb up
the trellisses which form a sort of awning round
the lower parts of the mansion ; masses of beds
of flowers display a bright variegated carpet, which
compose a groundwork, from which rise, some-

314 PICTURESQUE SCENERY.
what higher, the rich and spreading vine, with
its purple clustering treasures, which in big pro
fusion are seen reeling to the earth ; then the dark
green orange and lemon trees, with their bright
fruit, looking like spots of sunshine, glittering
amongst the shade ; above, in broad clumps, the
timber trees extend their round masses, occa
sionally broken by the dark melancholy cypress,
rearing their pyramidic heads sometimes in the
distance, even to the clouds. Smyrna appears
sufficiently obscured to leave only its beauties
distinctly visible ; its mosques and minarets, rising
from the mass of roofs, alone arresting the ad
mirer's eye ; whilst beyond its noble bay presents
her wide silver sheet, bounded by the wild barren
mountains, whose mantling brows majestically
uprear their summits, and shut the scene. Thus
you have for your foreground the richest and
gayest fertility that nature and art can bring
together, whilst your extreme distance, though
arid and naked, presents a grand romantic outline,
relieving boldly from the bright horizon.
At nightfall, the different groups retire within
their gates, to their tea and supper, which they
are in the habit of taking together as one meal ; as

EVENING PARTIES. 315
many introduce hot joints, poultry, game, fruit, &c.
(and ultimately wine, if any one choose it), at the
same time that they take their tea. This generally
ends about nine. Then the visiting and parties
begin ; and I verily believe that not one family in
Bournabat ever remain at home alone, unless
confined there by illness : either they receive and
have a party at home, or they go to one elsewhere,
at some of their neighbours'. The amusements
are always the same, consisting of ecarte, at which
every one bets. The ladies seldom take the cards,
but display great avidity in betting, with the ex
ception of the young unmarried girls, who do
not enter into it. Whist is sometimes introduced ;
and although the fortunes are so small in this
part of the world, yet I have frequently known a
person to win or lose twenty pounds in an even
ing, even at these little parties. About twelve
they mostly break up. It is pleasing then to
stroll about Bournabat, and see the various groups
coming from the different soirees, particularly of a
moonlight night : the light flowing drapery of the
females has a pretty effect, floating about the green
lanes, and dark sylvan shades, formed by the nu
merous groves of Bournabat ; it gratifies to hear

316 BOURNABAT — ITS VARIED BEAUTIES.
their mirthful voices, as they pass in converse, or
catch a few wild notes, carolled in playful care
lessness ; or listen to the chords which just meet
the ear from some distant guitar; or hear the
sprightly laugh ; all uniting to tell a tale of cheer
fulness and merriment. Parties such as these
appear at every turn and corner about midnight,
or until one, when the village is left to that repose
which its thick and lofty bowers seem so peculiarly
to invite.
The tree which is most cultivated here is the
ungrafted mulberry : it grows rapidly, reaches a
fair height, and forms a delightful shade. There
are other parts of Bournabat, inhabited by the
Turks, some Jews, and a few Armenians, which
are quite in the Eastern style. There is a sort of
bazaar, and vines so trained that they cross the
streets, and you walk under them, having a canopy
of bunches of grapes above you. The inmates of
the various houses, or shops, sit smoking before
their doors at sunset, forming the most grotesque
pictures ; and in different parts one finds some
interesting little bits of ruins, most highly pic
turesque. In fact, I doubt if there can any
where be found a village capable of affording

FRAGMENTS OF ANTIQUITY. 317
more agreeable impressions to the observing
stranger. The road to Smyrna I also found replete with
objects which must excite the attention of every
traveller who possesses an inquiring mind. Many
of the fields are divided by walls, formed of stones
laid one upon another ; and amongst them I fre
quently found fragments of fluted marble columns,
of the most exquisite workmanship, having no
doubt belonged to some buildings of antiquity,
which must have been of the highest order ; but
I could obtain no particulars, or even conjectures,
as to what they had belonged ; nor, indeed, could I
find any one in the slightest degree interested in
the subject.
The ancient history of this part of the country
is rather obscure. Strabo is the author who has
afforded the most information regarding this neigh
bourhood. Polycarp, we are informed, suffered
martyrdom near Smyrna ; and it is pretended that
the father of Peter the Apostle was bishop of
Smyrna. This, if true, proves that prelates, in
those days, must have been much more humble
than those of the present time, who certainly
never bring up their sons to be fishermen. Not

318 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BIBLE.
very distant is a spot called Homer's Grotto, where
the credulous are persuaded he wrote his poem of
the Siege of Troy.
At a short distance from Bournabat, on the
road to Smyrna, I passed by some fine groves of
olives, which were composed of the largest trees I
had yet seen of that description, and really had a
very picturesque appearance. I then rode between
myrtle hedges, and met numbers of camels ; in
fact, all around me appeared to savour of the East,
ever to me delightful, as being connected with
associations which cheered my earliest years.
Approaching a well, I paused to view a handsome
Greek girl, who was standing with a pitcher, just
the same in form as always given in illustrations
of the Bible. Some Turks, with their camels,
were also seeking water, and were talking with
her. Who is there that would not have thought
of Rebecca ? So it was at times I was reminded
of the Scriptures, and at others of the Arabian
Nights. In fact, it is in Oriental customs and
manners alone that we now find some vestige of
romance. I love to see their orange groves, their cool
fountains, their myrtle bowers ; even their women,

DIANA'S BATHS— BORJA. 319
with their long white veils, have an air of mystery
which interests. Their cemeteries, beneath the
shades of the tall and sombre Cyprus ; the poetic
costume of the men ; their fine features ; their
turbaned heads ; their long strings of camels ; and
even the camel-drivers' rude madrigal, has charms
for me. As I proceeded further, I came to some
lakes, or rather ponds, called Diana's baths. Here
they pretend the chaste goddess and her nymphs
were wont to bathe.
There is another very pleasant village about
four miles from Smyrna, called Borja, possessing a
number of delightful little retreats ; some of which
reminded me of Goldsmith's description of the
Vicar of Wakefield's dwelling — so rural, so simple :
the approaches to some of them have quite the
appearance as if you were entering a bower ; and
the fashion of the houses have a something origi
nal about them that partakes not of the stiffness
so general with our habitations in more civilized
nations. Here, also, the custom exists of the
parents, with their children, visitors, or other
inmates of their family, even to the servants, all
sitting, after sunset, before the doors of their
houses. There is something primitive and patri-

320 SOCIAL HABITS.
archal about this that I like ; it promotes sociality,
neighbours are constantly brought in contact, and
the whole village, by this means, are continually
communicating together ; and he who seeks so
ciety has only to take a stroll through the hamlet,
and form one of that circle which most takes his
fancy, as all here are known to each other.
In returning from this village to Smyrna, I was
much amused by seeing an Arabian camp. The
women had a sad, skinny, squalid appearance ; the
tents were arranged in a circle, forming an area,
in which the children were playing.
Borja, although extremely pretty, is not on so
high a scale as Bournabat ; the former being
composed of houses of an humbler class, very pic
turesque, but not to compare to the elegant man
sions of the latter, many of which are adorned by
handsome porticos, formed by fine stone columns,
and having quite the air of Italian villas.
The mode of conveyance between Smyrna and
the adjacent villages is almost exclusively by
asses. Some few of the merchants keep a horse,
but much oftener are they seen upon an ass ; and
I never remember seeing a lady on horseback
whilst I remained in the country. It certainly

ASSES OF SMYRNA. 32 1
must be admitted that the asses at Smyrna are
superior to any I have ever seen in Europe ; and
the price bears an adequate proportion. A fine ass
will sometimes cost as much as a thousand piastres
,ten pounds) and will not be apt to stumble ;
but, with the generality of them, you must make
up your mind to a fall once in about every seven
or eight times that you mount them ; and nume
rous are the accidents occasioned by such falls. I
have known many ladies who have had either an
arm, a leg, or some ribs broken, and yet mount
again and gallop away as boldly as ever, as soon
as they have been cured and allowed to take the
air. Until one is, in some degree, accustomed to
them, it is certainly very difficult to keep one's
seat; as the saddle is arranged for men, being
often very wide, square, and flat, and the girths
consequently can never be drawn very tight, the
saddle projecting too far beyond the rotundity of
the animal.
I remember an English gentleman, on being-
cautioned to take care that he kept his seat (as he
had no sooner mounted his ass than he began to
swing about in a very unsteady manner), replied,
that he had rode all manner of horses without
VOL I. Y

322 FLOORING AN ENGLISHMAN.
coming to the ground, and that it was not an ass
that was going to throw him. He had about
eight miles to go, and absolutely contrived to
fall from his ass seven times in the course of
his journey. Some might suppose that he had
been making too free with the juice of the grape ;
yet that was not the case. But the saddle being
loose, every time he swayed too much to the right
or left, it turned under him, and down came the
rider, who, being an animated man, was always
forgetting, twisting about, and losing his equi
librium. As I had no penchant for rolling in the
mud or dust, I took some pains to keep my ass"
on his legs, and to preserve a well regulated balance,
and was fortunate enough to escape the degrada
tion of having ever been brought to the ground by
an ass.
Few places, I should think, could vie with
Smyrna for the number of large families ; and as
to the young marriageable ladies amongst the
Frank society, they might form a little army.
Taking the first and second classes, they enume
rate four hundred ; of which it is calculated that
there are eighty-four appertaining to the first class,
which I understand is a very correct estimation,

STRANGE DISTINCTIONS IN RANK. 323
according to the Smyrna statistics : whilst, amongst
the young men of the privileged class, there are
but six in a situation to marry. So much for the
hopes of the young ladies in this overstocked city ;
and, in ten years hence, they will probably have
as fine a posse of old maids (or at least of single
ladies) as any town could desire, that commodity
being rather at a discount already in the Smyrna
market, owing to the great glut. In fact, at
almost all the houses at which I visited I found
an elderly unmarried lady.
Their line of demarcation for the separation of
the classes is a subject that I never could under
stand ; and, indeed, I have heard it remarked that
it would require a residence of seven years tho
roughly to understand it. You will meet a man,
well educated, of gentlemanly manners, having a
handsome house and establishment, a good for
tune, and living generously and hospitably ; then
why, it will be asked, is he not in the first class ?
The answer is, because he is an Armenian, or he
is a Greek, or a person of the country. Thus,
at ¦Smyrna, it is the nation that renders a man
otherwise than a gentleman. Some instances exist,
amongst the first class, of females who cannot read,
Y 2

324 UNTAUGHT LADIES.
in fact, have never learnt their letters; and amongst
this boasted first class, intended to be so aristo
cratically select, are women who make neckcloths,
shirts, stocks, &c. ; but they are either descended
from Europeans, or are so by birth.
I was astonished when I heard how extremely
illiterate were some of the ladies, whom I met in
what was considered the first society: in fact, one
whom I had particularly remarked as possessing
the most pleasing person and agreeable manners,
I was informed could not read or write in any
language, although she spoke fluently Greek,
French, and Italian. There were many females
under the same circumstances, who M'ould not
have condescended to have associated with any
one of the second class, who might be infinitely
better informed. The young persons are all edu
cated, at least to the degree of reading and writing.
They have an extraordinary tact for learning lan
guages : the first they learn is Greek ; as all the
servants are so, they naturally acquire that tongue
first that is spoken by their nurses ; then French,
being the language of society, is what they acquire
the next ; Italian soon follows, and some learn the
Turkish ; but it appears singular that the English,

DESCRIPTION OF A LEVANTER,. 325
French, Germans, &c, who have established them
selves at Smyrna, and married ladies of the place,
frequently could not converse with their children,
who, until a certain age, could only express them
selves in Greek.
Respecting the Frank inhabitants, it has been
observed that it matters little what nation a man
comes from, as a few years' residence in Smyrna
will make any one a regular Levanter, perhaps the
term may not be perfectly comprehended by all my
readers ; I will, therefore, endeavour to give some
idea of it, although it is very difficult to render it
in all its meanings, as understood by those who
have travelled or sojourned much in the Levant.
A regular Levanter is supposed to speak several
languages badly, and none well. The Greek
spoken at Smyrna is execrable; and the little that
a foreigner there acquires is a grade worse. The
Levanter is ever considered so quickly alive to his
interest, that, if he can take you in, he never will
resist the opportunity, either in making a bargain,
getting off from it, or taking advantage of the
difference of the value of money, which often will
vary several times in the course of the day. His
answers are generally evasive : he fears to give

326 DANGER OF INSURANCE AGAINST FIRE.
you a direct one, lest he might in any shape com
promise his interest ; yet he is indolent, compared
with European merchants, which arises from his
adopting Eastern habits, which, after a time, he
finds infectious ; and as he becomes ostentatious,
he spends much, and saves little. Hence so few
large fortunes amongst the foreign commercial
men in this part of the world ; but it heeds little
what strangers say of the Smyrniots, when they
are so severe upon themselves, that it would not
be easy for travellers to exceed the condemnation
they pronounce on their fellow townsmen.
I have often observed, that, as so many persons
are totally ruined by the frequent fires at Smyrna,
I wondered that they had not any fire insurance
offices, as they had three for losses in shipping.
They invariably made me the same answer, that,
if there were any means of insuring against fire
at Smyrna, every man would set his house on
fire! They have an establishment which they call
Casin, or, as the Italians term it, Casino, and which
might be translated into English as a club-house,
although that does not describe it exactly : it is
supported by a subscription of the principal mer-

THE CASIN. 327
chants ; and any stranger arriving at Smyrna, well
recommended, is always introduced at the Casin,
and as soon as he enters he is presented with
coffee. Several rooms are always open; and
there are two billiard-tables, at which the visitor
may take his turn to play equally with the sub
scriber. Whist and ecarte are constantly going
forward throughout the whole evening, and every
evening (except during the summer), Sundays
included. Newspapers are taken, and several
sets of chessmen are kept ; so that there are a
variety of amusements to attract the strangers,
who, perhaps, not knowing any families with
whom to pass the evenings, find a delightful re
source in the Casin.
Few institutions are conducted on so liberal a
footing, free admittance being accorded to all offi
cers of every nation; but the conductors are
rather tenacious with respect to a certain degree
of etiquette regarding costume. In those warm
climates it is agreeable to take off one's coat when
playing billiards, but it is not deemed sufficiently
respectful to the Casin, therefore it is not per
mitted ; and in the summer the gentlemen are in
the habit of wearing short linen or cotton jackets,

328 ENGLISH MIDSHIPMEN.
or rather loose waistcoats, even at the evening
parties ; and many persons endeavoured to do the
same at the Casin, but it was not allowed. Many
an attempt was made, and many a white jacket was
turned away at the door.
I was informed by Mr. M  , an old English
merchant, who was termed the father of the Casin,
and who thought it impossible to treat the estab
lishment with too profound a veneration, that the
most troublesome gentry they had to deal with in
enforcing the due respect which they exacted for
the Casin, were the English midshipmen, who
were inclined to rebel against all rules, whether
of etiquette, costume, or, in fact, anything that
subjected them to the slightest control ; and one
evening that I was poring over the newspapers,
Mr. M—  very gravely came up to me, and
begged I would step with him, and he would show
me a proof of what he had stated. Accordingly,
I accompanied him to another room, where he
pointed out to me one young spark, who was cer
tainly in a most piteous plight. All the lower
part of his trowsers were one mass of mud, and
there was a hole in them which displayed his bare
calf, from his stocking either having a similar

THEIR MISCHIEVOUS PRANKS. 329
misfortune, or that he had none on, or that it had
fallen down to his ancles. Be that as it may, to
the old gentleman's appeal, whieh he addressed to
me, of whether any one in that condition ought
to be admitted into saloons which were opened
for the reception of gentlemen, I certainly felt
compelled to reply in the negative, as he evidently
did appear as if he had been dancing in some
filthy ditch.
In some instances the directors had been under
the necessity of resorting to severer measures
with the young midshipmen, who would some
times lie on the rich velvet sofas, putting up their
muddy boots upon them ; and as I have been in
formed, but did. not witness, have scrambled upon
the billiard-tables, and have jumped thereon, with
other acts of mischief ; which at last induced the
stewards to write to the commanders, requesting
they would remonstrate with these youths on the
impropriety of their conduct ; or that they should
be compelled to rescind their regulation, which
admitted all officers to the Casin, as far as regarded
the English nation.
They received for their answer, that, as long as
those who were placed under their command be-

330 UNCEREMONIOUS EJECTMENT.
haved properly on board their ships, and punctually
performed the duties required of them, they could
not take cognizance of every trifling irregularity
that they might be accused of while on shore;
and that with respect to the rules, regulations, &c,
the proprietors might think proper to make re
garding their Casin, they, the directors, must, of
course, be the best judges.
The stewards, therefore, finding that this means
of redress was unavailable, resolved to have re
course to more summary measures ; and a circum
stance occurring soon after, in which the young
men had surpassed themselves in some indecorum,
force was applied on the part of the Casinists, and
two of these young springals were flung down
stairs, and one of them rather scathed by the fall.
But these circumstances all happened before my
arrival at Smyrna. What little affairs of the kind
I witnessed were not very serious, as, on the con
trary, they rather amused me than otherwise.
One night, a long young English midshipman
had laid himself very comfortably on the crimson
velvet, his whole length just taking the measure
of the sofa, and, as might have been expected,
soon fell fast asleep, when his snoring became so

THE SNORER. 331
outrageously loud, that he disturbed four gen
tlemen who were engaged over a most solemn
game of whist.
At last one began, " It is really very disagreeable
that our amusement cannot proceed quietly, but
that one must be subjected to the annoyance of
the snorting of yon huge animal !" "He must be
awakened," said a second. " Ah, that is right," re
turned the first, " so do ;" " wake him by all means,
partner." " No," resumed the second ; " as you were
the first to complain, so I think it incumbent upon
you to relieve us of this nuisance." Upon this the
first old gentleman turned towards the sonorous
mass of flesh, as if with the intention of following
his partner's advice, but I believe he thought the
young officer was too big, as, after a little hesita
tion, he came to the decision, that the best person
to proceed actively in the affair, was one of the
commissaires (or, as we should say, stewards).
Accordingly, that one who was always present
advanced; and, willing to display a little autho
rity, and being a most awful looking personage,
six feet three at least, office sat well upon him,
and he readily undertook to awaken the delin
quent to reason and himself, which he did ; at the

332 THE SNORER AWAKENED.
same time, as he spoke some English, addressing
the drowsy subject with the question of, " Why
are you sleeping heref" " Why?" replied the
other, " why, because I was sleepy, to be sure !''
" But this is not the proper place to sleep in."
" Oh, as to that," returned the midshipman, " I
slept very well, thank ye :" then rubbing his eyes,
looked up at the steward with a familiar air, and
called out, " I say, what's o'clock ?" The dignified
gentleman did not deign a reply, but with a
haughty air showed his elegant repeater. " Oh,"
said the seaman, " past ten;" adding, with a
sociable tone of voice, " then I think I had better
be off;" and at the same time off he toddled.
But the extreme carelessness with which he re
ceived the reproof from the high and mighty
steward, was so comic, that even the old gentle
men could not refrain from laughing ; and I made
no attempt to conceal my mirth.
Another instance I once witnessed, of breach
of respect to the Casin, and which I found equally
amusing. The hero was again an English mid
shipman, who, I imagine, had been taking a walk
in the country, where he had cut a stick ; and
having seated himself, set to work with a knife,

A COMICAL DIALOGUE. 333
shaving his shelala into a respectable form, until
at length the chips began to have a very unsightly
appearance on the beautiful Turkey carpet ; where
upon the censor approached him, asking, if he
thought that he was in a fitting place to do work
of that kind ? "I don't see why it is not as good
as any other," said the sea-cub. " And pray,"
demanded his interrogator, " do you expect a
servant to come and clear away all that litter
after you ?" " Oh, not at all," replied the youth ;
" it is not in my way." " No, perhaps not," re
joined the steward ; " but it may be in the way
of other people." "Ah," replied the tar, with a
smile of irresistible good humour, " but that's
nothing to me !" The steward, at length provoked
at the imperturbable indifference of the young in
corrigible, said, in a serious tone, " You cannot
continue that work here, Sir. If you choose to go
down stairs in the smoking room, you may do as
you please." " Any where to oblige you," said
the son of Neptune, walking off with his knife and
stick, whistling as he went.
But the most comic event that ever was
recorded in the annals of the Casin was brought
about by the waggery of a young Maltese, who

334 AN ILLUSTRIOUS INCOGNITO.
introduced a youth, which he had no right to do,
not being a subscriber ; but, on his stating in a
whisper, that it was an English duke, travelling
incognito, whom he wished to view the interior of
the Casin, the stranger was received in the most
distinguished manner. The proud and pompous
steward doffed his beaver with all possible respect,
and it is even said, that the great ball room,
which was seldom opened, except on extraordi
nary occasions, was lighted, that it might appear
to the young duke to the greatest advantage ; and
every attention that could be lavished on any
one was conferred on the illustrious stranger.
Two days after this, the son of the English
vice-consul had occasion to go on board a ship bound
for England, and there found the reputed young
duke, and remarked how sorry he felt to observe
that they were so soon losing his Grace. The
youth, perhaps not noticing the last expression,
very innocently said, " Why, Sir, Mr. Burton says,
there is nothing for me to do here, and I had
better quit." "But how is it," demanded the
inquirer, "that Mr. Burton can have so much
influence over your actions ?" " Why, he says it
is not worth while for me to be remaining here,

THE HOAX DISCOVERED. 335
only just to brush his clothes and shoes." The
secret now was out : the stranger, who had been
introduced as a young English duke at the Casin,
was no other than the servant of a gentleman
named Burton, who was on his travels, and pass
ing some time at Smyrna.
The steward who was thus taken in would
not suffer this anecdote to be mentioned in his
presence, nor could many of the proprietors of
the Casin bear to hear of it, though it was from
one of them I derived my information, and had
it confirmed by several others.
But, notwithstanding all jokes or hoaxes that
may have been played upon it, there are few
establishments in Europe which so merit the
stranger's praise ; and none can have more reason
to speak well of it than myself, having frequented
it for more than six months as a visitor, and ever
having met with the greatest attention and polite
ness from the stewards and subscribers.
They get up the balls at the Casin on a most
splendid scale; the large room appropriated to
that purpose is of the handsomest description,
and the other apartments being also opened for
the accommodation of the company, a thousand

336 THE FRENCH OFFICERS' BALL.
persons might participate in the amusements of
the evening, without being subjected to incon
venience for the want of space ; and if the rooms
be required by any individuals, wishing to give
the Smyrniots a ball, by application to any of
the subscribers, on reference to the stewards and
a certain number of the members, it is generally
granted. During my sojourn at Smyrna, the French
officers of the ships of war on the station decided
on giving a ball: the Casin was asked, and granted;
and certainly every thing was arranged in the
most sumptuous manner, and provisions laid in
with no sparing hand; but no sooner was it
decided that there were to be sixty turkeys,
with a proportionate number of hams, fowls,
ducks, &c, than it was known and echoed
through all the Frank quarter of Smyrna, and the
poor officers were assailed by every one they met
for tickets ; and many who could not meet with
them on shore, took boat, and went off to their
ships, rightly judging that they were sure there to
find some of the gentlemen, from whom by dint
of solicitation they could obtain tickets. The con
sequence was many persons procured entrance,

THE FRENCH OFFICERS' BALL. 337
who had never before gained admittance to the
balls generally given at the Casin ; but the young
officers were too good natured to resist entreaty,
therefore gave away their tickets without much
discrimination. The Smyrniots themselves, aware of the gas
tronomic powers of their townspeople, cautioned
the Frenchmen, that, unless some restrictions were
placed on the indiscriminate access to the provi
sions, that they would all be demolished in the
first hour. Profiting by this hint, the officers, by
means of their sails, converted the grand terrace
of the Casin into a sort of immense tent, and
there all the good things were arranged, with
permission given to the ladies (as being judged
the least cormorants of the two) to enter at will
as soon and whenever they pleased, but that the
men should not have entrance until the ladies
should have had ample time to take as much
refreshment as they might desire.
To enforce this regulation, a sentinel Mas
placed at the door which led to the grand awning
under which the collation was spread : one of their
marines, a fine fierce looking fellow was selected,
to protect this pass, and could he have maintained
vol. i. z

338 THE FRENCH OFFICERS' BALL.
it inviolable, he would have been entitled to more
honour and glory, than ever has been bestowed
on Leonidas, for his celebrated defence of the
pass of Thermopylae. The bravest of the brave
must at last yield to numbers ; the most doughty
hero must fall before a host ; so it was with the
luckless sentinel : his post was forced ; he was
disgraced, and was punished, in order to maintain
the honour and character of the French nation ;
and the Rubicon once passed by the ravenous
guests, like wolves, they pounced on their prey,
and many a turkey would have been speedily
demolished, had not the officers rallied, and by a
sudden charge drove back the invaders, who
attempted a counter-charge, which failed ; and two
sentinels being stationed to guard the post in
dispute, well supported by several of the aspir
ants (that is, French midshipmen), and one or
two lieutenants, no farther incursions succeeded,
although many were attempted ; but I found that
near this aforesaid door was the most interesting
spot in the room, from the constant struggles,
or discussions that were going forward. One gen
tleman, of colossal height and size, and whose very
nose, one might imagine, would have knocked

A THREATENED DUEL. 339
down a moderate sized man, remonstrated bitterly
against the regulation adopted, of only admitting
ladies, without their husbands or brothers, saying
that his sisters were then in the tent, where he and
all the gentlemen were forbidden to enter, except
indeed the French officers themselves, and how
could he tell what might be their conduct towards
the ladies, when they had no protectors, and that
there was no check to any familiarities that might
be offered them ; at the same time insisting upon
being allowed to enter, and making a desperate
push forward, on being refused ; but receiving a
repulse from the arm of a French lieutenant, he
was obliged to relinquish his object, informing his
repeller, that on the morrow he should expect
satisfaction. "Sir," said the officer, "the night
is bright moonlight ; we can arrange an affair of
this nature immediately, if you will retire with
me." This the other declined, and had business
which demanded his presence at Odessa, and
caused him to quit Smyrna at five o'clock the
next morning, leaving the French officer to seek
him in vain.
I seldom witnessed a more animated scene,
than when a man first entered with a tray of ices,
z2

340 A SINGULAR SCENE AT A BALL.
wines, and other refreshments : a simultaneous
rush was made at him, from all parts, which
defeated its own object, as they pressed so sud
denly upon him, that the poor fellow lost his
equilibrium, and let fall all the nice things that
he was carrying. Numerous were the gowns which
were spoiled ; I knew one lady who had a beauti
ful rose coloured silk dress totally ruined. After I
had retired, I understood the greatest clamour
and confusion took place at the throwing open
the door, that gave ingress to the refreshments :
the numbers who pressed for entrance so choked
up the doorway that there they stuck, for some
minutes, neither able to advance nor retreat ; but,
once well in, the work was just what Prince
Eugene declared a battle should be, short, sharp,
and decisive. Bones alone remained to attest the
havoc that had been committed, and numbers
went grumbling away, dissatisfied, particularly
those who had gone without their dinner, cal
culating on the slaughter they should commit,
when they heard of the sixty turkeys, &c.
Whilst dancing and scrambling went on in
some of the rooms, gaming continued with all the
intense anxiety that cupidity could excite in the

DEVOTION TO PLAY. 341
others, and, although, to a frequenter of Crock-
ford's, it would only be called child's play, yet it
was to a most extravagant degree for Smyrna, as
I have known a person win to the amount of 370/.
in an evening ; and when it is considered that not
one of the players possessed an income amounting
to a thousand a year, it must be admitted how
criminal is such a pursuit for men who have large
families, and such limited funds.
As this occupation goes on at the Casin every
night, Sundays not excepted, and there are per
sons who have no other means of obtaining their
livelihood, but whist and ecarte, they become
great adepts at it, preserve a respectable appear
ance, and have never been suspected of having
played otherwise than fairly. They usually play
until past midnight; but on those nights when
there are balls, they continue playing until ten or
eleven o'clock the next morning. But the scenes
which take place on account of mistakes, which
are constantly arising, regarding the division of
the money, are sometimes highly amusing. Per
sons who have won, have often found, if they did
not take up their money pretty quickly, that there
was none left on the table. It generally happened

342 THE GREEK CASIN.
that when two persons were seated to play at
ecarte, that there would be eight or ten betters
on each side, and every one should deposit their
stake on the table, but they do not all do so ;
hence, I imagine, arise the errors that have so
often proved the source of discord, whilst persons
who have been accustomed to witness these defi
ciencies, naturally, as soon as they find they have
won, catch at the money, fearing lest there should
be none left ; and, all eager to help themselves, a
sort of snatching match takes place, and the modest
stranger, who forbears to display so rude a greedi
ness for the money, is mostly the individual who
loses ; he quietly waiting until the first pressure
is over, and then when he seeks his own, finds
nothing left.
Beside the Frank Casin, the one I have hitherto
described, there is another, entitled the Greek
Casin, wherein gambling is carried to a much
greater pitch, and where the faro table is esta
blished. On those nights when balls are given, the
ladies then enter with great avidity into the game,
and often have I seen them weeping over their
losses. There are many Europeans M'ho are mem
bers of the Greek as M'ell as the Frank Casin,

THE GREEK CASIN. 343
although the Greeks are not admitted to the
latter establishment, any more than the Arme
nians, Turks, Jews, &c, as it would be considered
a compromise of their dignity, to suffer any one to
belong to the Frank Casin, who was not a Euro
pean, an exception being admissible in favour of
the United States.
The Greeks had long made every possible effort
to obtain admission to the Frank Casin, until it was
compared to the Catholic question, always peti
tioning, always rejected, until, at last, finding no
chance of emancipation, they established a Casin
of their own.
Nothing can be more absurd than that exclu
siveness on the part of the Franks, merely because
a man is of a certain nation; and, as a proof of
their false judgment in that respect, it has fre
quently happened that a young Greek or Arme
nian has gone to London and Paris, and has
been received in the first society, and his know
ledge and information* has been appreciated. I
know instances myself of those whose company
has been courted in the most refined capitals, and
yet could never get admitted in what is styled the
first circles in Smyrna. This is a subject that has

344 ILLIBERAL EXCLUSION FROM SOCIETY.
frequently astonished strangers, nor can they un
derstand the explanation that is given in reply. A
foreigner, perhaps, will meet with a well-informed
man, and afterwards find that he is one of the
excluded, and will naturally ask why. " What !" the
Frank will say, "admit a man, who only a few years
since wore a calpac and long robes," being a cos
tume worn by many in the East, and much adopted
by the native brokers, who are employed by the
merchants. The Smyrniots are, however, at last,
somewhat relaxing in the rigour of these preju
dices. Just before I quitted Smyrna, some Greeks
and Armenians were proposed as members of the
Casin, and likely to be admitted ; and one grand
innovation I witnessed, which was the presence of
Hadgi Bey, captain of the police guard, at one of
their Casin balls, as also two young Turks of rank;
it being the first time that any one was admitted
who wore any other than the European costume.
I perhaps have devoted too much time and
space to this subject, but it gives a most complete
illustration of the customs and ideas of the people
in this part of the world ; in fact, I know no other
means by which I could have given a more exact
portrait of the Smyrniots.

TRADE OF CARD PLAYING. 345
Their devotion to play is proverbial, and cer
tainly does not redound to a merchant's credit;
and that some there are amongst the members
who have no other trade is undeniable ; certain
individuals having had the candour to acknow
ledge, that they had no other means of living. The
chances which were in their favour, arose from
the naval officers and strangers frequenting the
Casin, who were induced to take the cards, and
if not favoured by an uncommon run of luck, ge
nerally left off losers, not having the same skill at
ecarte as those who made it their profession.
Some have remarked that life itself is but a
game, and that all our endeavours and under
takings are but playing our cards to the best of
our abilities. Happiness is the goal at which we
would aim ; but often we make the mistake, and
pursue its shadow instead of the substance.
Amongst other freaks that had been played off
in these climes, which excited much interest, was
that of an elopement ; from which no doubt the
parties calculated they should derive numberless
hours of bliss, but, as I was only witness to the
first few weeks of their having lived together, I
cannot state whether, on the score of happiness,

346 AN ELOPEMENT.
they had won or lost by the game they had
played. At the inn, where I was staying in Smyrna,
before I obtained apartments, I met with the hero
of this adventure, a Capt. O  , a very fine young
man, and of most gentlemanly manners. He had
not long arrived from Constantinople, and had
run away with a Greek girl from Therapia, a vil
lage on the Bosphorus, where she was living in
the service of an English merchant, when Capt.
O  saw her, and was much struck with her
charms ; but to obtain possession of her was not
so easy a task, as she was not only kept very
closely by the persons with whom she lived, but
was under the surveillance of her father, who
watched her with a most scrutinizing eye. Capt.
O  had two men in his service, who were ever
devoted to their master's wishes ; the one was
Greek, the other Italian : both had wit enough
to discern the captain's admiration for the pretty
Abigail, and that nothing could better recom
mend them to their master's favour than affording
him the means of obtaining a prize which they
considered he so much coveted. Accordingly, the
Greek, who was a downright sturdy fellow, proposed

AN ELOPEMENT. 347
a plan for carrying off the young damsel, offering
his services to knock down all obstructions, whether
personal or otherwise ; in short, his project was to
carry every thing before him, simply by physical
strength. The other servant, who was a deep
subtle fellow, suggested the more prudent means
of effecting the same end, by having recourse
to stratagem, which advice was followed ; and at
a certain hour in the night, a boat was in attend
ance near the residence of the maiden, into which,
after much manoeuvring, she was conveyed, where
Capt. O  was ready to receive her, and im
mediately conducted her to Smyrna. She was
decidedly pretty, having an expression of sweet
ness in her countenance which I have rarely seen.
Her complexion was not good, being very dark ;
she had a fine head of hair, black as jet, which
hung in most picturesque ringlets about her neck
and shoulders ; and one charm she had, which is
very rare with the Greeks, and that is a voice
remarkable for its exquisite softness of tone.
She spoke fluently French, Italian, Turkish and
Greek.

CHAPTER XII.

SOCIETY AT SMYRNA  FLATTERY OF STRANGERS  THEIR ADMI
RATION EXPECTED  CHURLISHNESS OF THE AUTHOR  SMYR
NIOT GENTRY COMPARED TO SOME CLASSES IN LONDON,
BUT SOMETHING WORSE  FEMALES MOST NUMEROUS  EVER
PANTING FOR HUSBANDS  A DISAPPOINTMENT  AN IMAGI
NARY CONQUEST  THE SUPPOSED VICTIM  A LADY's ANNOY
ING POWERS  A MERCHANT ROUTED  AN ELDERLY MAIDEN
 HER EMBELLISHING  ARRIVAL EXTRAORDINARY AT THE
CUSTOM-HOUSE  AN ACCIDENT  A FELLOW BOARDER  HIS
COLLOQUIAL POWERS  HOAXES THE SMYRNIOTS  HIS CON
TEMPT FOR THEM  THAT WHICH CONSTITUTES THE CHARMS
OF SOCIETY  ANECDOTE  DISAGREEABLE INTRUDERS  SHAR
ING WITH ONE'S NEIGHBOUR  SUCCESSFUL MANOEUVRE  AN
OFFENSIVE ODOUR  HOW TO GET RID OE IT  PERSEVERING
AUDACITY  ULTIMATELY TRIUMPHANT  AN ABLE ARGUER 
CONSUMMATE ADDRESS  AN ARTFUL DESIGN  ITS V1LLANY
DEVELOPED  ITS OBJECT FRUSTRATED  MEHEMET ALI —
TURKISH WOMEN  TURKISH PORTERS  PERSONAL CHASTISE
MENT  GREEK PASSIVENESS  SINGULAR COSTUME  ARME
NIAN LADY  HER COSTUME  GAMING PARTIES  MYSTERIOUS
MEANS OE GETTING RICH  YOUNG LADIES' INDISPOSITIONS 
A PRODIGY  HOPELESS ATTACHMENT  FATAL RESULT  AN
UPRIGHT MERCHANT.

A stranger cannot have long arrived at Smyrna,
before he is assured by its inhabitants that all

SOCIETY AT SMYRNA. 349
foreigners declare that they never were at any
place where they found the women so beautiful,
and the society so delightful, as at Smyrna. This
gives you a tolerable idea of how you will be
judged, if you venture to form a different opinion,
and in fact, that it can only be laid to your
stupidity. Yet, with this terrible denunciation
hanging over me, I shall venture to state, that I
believe that the high character that the Smyr
niots pretend that they have ever received from
foreigners, has originally emanated from them
selves ; but that it may have been echoed by many
strangers I have no doubt ; as I well remember at
one of their Cassin balls, a Liverpool gentleman
remarking to me, that he never saw females waltz
so awkwardly as they did at Smyrna. Some time
after a Miss M., asked him, " If he did not think
that the Smyrna ladies waltzed extremely well ?"
" Splendidly !" was the reply ; which was imme
diately repeated throughout the room in all
directions, every young lady appropriating the
compliment to herself; and, towards the close of
the evening, Miss M. came up to the flatterer,
saying, that if he would accompany her, she
would introduce him to Miss J. and her mamma,

350 A WHITE LIE.
who were anxious to invite him to a ball they
intended giving the following week. I certainly
did feel so surprised at my Liverpool friend's
giving the young lady an opinion so directly
opposite to that which he had just expressed,
that I asked him how he could be such a hypocrite.
To which he answered, that he had always made
it a practice to gratify people's feelings, when he
could do so without prejudice to his interest ; and,
as a little white lie cost him nothing, she was
welcome to it. This appeared to me as very
calculating, and rather mercantile.
I am very well aware that when persons have
received much hospitality in a country, that, if
they tell the truth afterwards, and if that truth
be not agreeable, then the author is pronounced
an ungrateful wretch ; the dinner bribes are found
to have been thrown away, and he who has re
ceived them is almost regarded as a swindler, or
as a man who has carried off goods and never paid
for them. Of this crime, I trust, I cannot be
accused, as most of the houses where I dined, and
received any marks of kindness and attention, Mere
either at those of the different consuls, or at those
of my countrymen, or of foreigners. Therefore, all

SMYRNIOT AND LONDON GENTRY COMPARED. 351
that I can be reproached with by the Smyrniots
are some sundry cups of coffee ; for which, as I
am not inclined to pay for in the coin of flattery,
nor, indeed, in any other, I must place the donors
on the permanent list of my creditors, and sustain
all the stigma that must overwhelm me for so
unprincipled a line of conduct.
If my countrymen would wish to know what
society in Smyrna is like, I can refer them to some
circles at home, which will present them with its
picture very fairly, without their having the trouble
of proceeding to the Levant.
In London, I should say there are five classes:
the lowest of the low, the decent working people,
the shopkeepers, a commercial class, and the sum
mit, people of fashion and nobility. They are not,
certainly, kept quite intact, each caste having
different shades, whereby they occasionally inter
mingle almost imperceptibly ; but that class which
is placed between the shopkeeper and the people
of fashion is that which assimilates most to the
society of Smyrna. Then need I describe it ?
Be it understood, that when I state the commer
cial class, I allude to those who are a grade above
the counter, which includes a variety of occupa-

352 LONDON GENTRY — THE WHOLESALE CLASS.
tions, who affect a great contempt for the retail
dealer, many of them being in what they call the
wholesale line; and therefore, as they are very
numerous, I shall style them the wholesale class,
in which many respectable families are to be
met with ; some of whom are highly educated
and intellectual, consisting principally of manu
facturers, their agents, some merchants, stock
brokers, brewers, ship-brokers, contractors, higher
clerks in public offices, &c. &c, with a mixture of
certain lawyers, some medical men, and a few
stray parsons, as also a lot of briefless barristers,
who are glad to go any where from whence there
exists the remotest chance that there may here
after spring a brief; and these illuminati are gene
rally regarded as the oracles and lights of these
brilliant circles. They inhabit an immense district
of London, beginning at Bedford-row, take in Red
Lion, Queen's, Bloomsbury squares, &c, so proceed
west and north, till they arrive at Cavendish-square,
and there, with a few exceptions, they stop.
Who is there that has frequented this caste,
that has not been satiated with what may be called
their little genteel tea parties? — or soirees, as
affectation will now have it — where perhaps you

LONDON GENTRY  THE WHOLESALE CLASS. 353
have the luck to be stationed with a fal-lal miss
on one side, a titivating prig on the other, who
says something sMeet to miss, and miss replies
with something equally cloying ; a rubicund, pot
bellied old gentleman, with iron mouth, lays down
the law ; mamma talks about style and good taste,
and knows nothing about either ; the bel esprit of
the family says something empty, and the vacant
laugh goes round. The tea over, the different
misses of the company, no matter if there be
nineteen of them, are all requested to give you a
tune on the piano ; and as vocal harmony doubles
the charm, a few sentimental strains are selected.
Perhaps a young lady favours you with one of
Moore's Melodies, and as she sighs it out, rolls her
eyes tenderly towards the best looking young man
in the room, who sympathetically replies with a
responsive grin ; and if you go from house to house,
what do you generally meet Avith but a slight
variation of the usual insipidity.
Something like, but something M-orse than this,
is the society at Smyrna ; not having had those
advantages of education, which are so exuberant
in London : where there are certainly many
circles, amongst professional people particularly,
vol. I. a a

354 A stranger's reception.
which form some most delightful exceptions to the
above remarks, but which are rarely to be met
with in Smyrna.
As may be supposed from what I have already
stated, the females are the most numerous in
almost every house you enter, in this part of Tur
key, at least amongst the Frank population ; and as
their minds are not cultivated, and few of them have
been beyond the precincts of Smyrna, their con
versation is as confined as their field of action.
When a stranger is introduced to the house,
the elders of the family give him their welcome
in a few phrases politely expressed, then divide
their attentions, as might be expected, with other
individuals in the society ; whilst the young people
form a sort of knot, huddled together, now and
then look at the stranger, giggle, and talk Greek,
whilst he is left alone in a crowd, unless he hap
pens to be, as they term it, un bon parti, and then
he is overwhelmed with the notice and smiles of
all the single ladies from fourteen to forty. There
are a few instances of foreigners in good circum
stances having many years since married Smyrna
ladies. This has made a lasting impression upon
the female population ; so that now a ship of war

AN OLD MAID. 355
is never descried in the offing, but immediately
some hundred hearts begin to palpitate with hope,
particularly as several English naval officers have
chosen wives from Smyrna.
One vessel that arrived whilst I was there,
brought with it a bitter disappointment, having
four or five young ladies from London to augment
that stock which had so long hung on hand ; and
absolutely did monopolise three out of the very
small list of beaux which were considered desira
ble matches.
As the young ladies of Smyrna occupy their
thoughts eternally about the possibility of pro
curing husbands, so are they rather prone to
fancy persons are violently smitten with them,
when their imaginary conquest is but a chimera
of their own brain. I remember a young lady of
the fair name of Helen (being unmarried, I believe,
in courtesy, I should call her young, though she
was about forty), and notwithstanding she was
always flattering herself that her darts were pene
trating the heart of some susceptible swain, still
the bitterness of celibacy was her portion. At last,
she was quite in ecstacies, thinking she had made
a lucky shot. a a 2

356 AN IMAGINARY CONQUEST.
A Monsieur D., whom I well knew, and was
the last man in the world to be violently struck
with the charms of any fair, happened to be look
ing at Helen as she floated through the mazes of
the dance. Perhaps his gaze might have been
rivetted upon her for some time, as her dress was
rather remarkable, and she skipped about rather
friskily for a person of her age, or he might be
thinking of something else all the time ; but, after
remaining in the same position some time, he
leaned his arm against a pillar, little dreaming
what interpretation would be applied to so un
meaning an action. But Helen had marked him
well, and immediately went to several of her
female acquaintances, informing them that she
had made such an impression on Monsieur D.,
that he had looked at her till he became so
enamoured with her, that the emotion was too
powerful for him, and feeling himself fainting, he
caught hold of a pillar to prevent his sinking to
the ground ! Mr. D., at last, himself heard of the
, extraordinary manner in which the lady interpreted
the almost unconscious glance he had bestowed
upon her, and was much more amused than flat
tered at the importance she attached to his regards.

AN IMAGINARY CONQUEST. 357
In another instance a like fancy of the soi-disant
love-inspiring Helen, was attended with much
inconvenience to a gentleman under the following-
circumstances. Immediately opposite to where
she lived, a Monsieur B. had his counting-house,
and was in the habit, like most of the Frank mer
chants, of smoking his pipe at his door the greater
part of the day ; but, happening to cast his eyes up
at the windows of Helen, unfortunately the very
moment when her person was adorning one of
them, she instantly concluded that poor Monsieur
B. was smitten with her beyond redemption; and
in order to administer all the comfort M'hich she
considered his case required, she remained im-
moveably fixed at the window all day long, and
every day.
Monsieur B. soon heard of the effect the lady
imagined her charms had operated upon him, and
as there was a good deal of quizzing on the sub
ject, he was excessively annoyed, and dare not
hold his head up for fear his glance should reach
the window where he knew the persevering-
Helen was stationed, hoping thereby to dissolve
the false impression which the lady had conceived
of the force of her attractions ; but in vain, as she

358 A RETREAT WITH BAG AND BAGGAGE.
attributed his downcast looks to his overpowering
modesty. At length Monseur B., tired of keeping his
head only within a certain level, and not daring
to look up, for fear he should encounter the grey
eyes of the formidable Helen, and feed her hope
less flame, resolved upon quitting his counting-
house, and absolutely had to remove a large
quantity of merchandise, that was stowed in an
adjoining warehouse, as he gave up the premises
altogether, and took others at a more distant
quarter, where he was beyond the annoying effects
of the lady's powers, could smoke his pipe at his
ease, and move his head in any direction that
caprice might dictate.
Whilst the Smyrniot fair inspire my pen, I
cannot refrain from relating a little anecdote,
which created much amusement. A single lady,
who, I suppose, would expect I should call her
young, as she M'as unmarried, although she was
not less than seventy, in person tall and gaunt,
did all in her power to give as juvenile an appear
ance to her charms, as art, aided by her abilities,
could effect ; and as she was a very good judge of
the proper proportions of the female figure, she

AN ANTIQUATED BEAUTY. 359
had sufficient discernment to discover, that nature
had not gifted her with that degree of rotundity
that was requisite to be in harmony with her
superior height. That art and science have often
been successfully employed to repair the deficien
cies of nature is undeniable, and the lady thought
that idea might be applicable to her own case.
Accordingly, she sent to Paris for some material
to supply a deficiency in that part of her person
which she considered was not sufficiently en bon
point. At length, the substitute for flesh, so much
desired, arrived, in the form of pieces of cork, so
contrived as to add grace to the shape of the
lady's figure, by giving that bulk and roundness
required to that part of her person which she
considered ought to be the most circular. Now
it so happened, that this new species of merchan
dise was, like all other importations, first conveyed
to that inquisitorial and impertinent establish
ment, the custom-house. In vain the clerks turned
over and examined this new article of Parisian
manufacture, wondering what it possibly could be,
and totally at a loss what duty to put upon it,
as they could form no idea of its value. At last
they appealed to the merchant to whom the

360 A lady's rotundity.
goods were consigned, and amongst which the
machine in question had arrived, who, being the
brother of the lady for whom it was destined,
and in the secret, when asked what it was, with
most laudable candour and simplicity called out,
" Oh, that's my sister's rotundity !" No sooner
was this explanation given, and understood, than
the custom-house officers, with a spirit of gallantry
that cannot be too highly praised, immediately let
the article pass free of duty.
It is needless to state that this circumstance
quickly got wind with the public; and no sooner
had the lady shown herself in society, than every
eye was bent upon her, anxious to view the effect
of the Parisian improvement ; and every one
admitted that her figure was considerably beau
tified by the recent addition. She was not always
as fortunate as she could wish with her artificial
aids, as one evening that I had the pleasure of
taking tea in company with her, as she was sipping
the refreshing beverage, I heard something rattle
in her cup, and perceiving that there was a sort of
scramble and confusion displayed by the lady,
with a visible change in the formation of her
mouth, I soon discovered that she had dropped

ADVICE TO OLD LADIES. 361
her teeth, which occasioned her abrupt retreat
with her handkerchief up to her face ! Much as I
admire the taste and talent she evinced in the
adorning of her person, which was, in truth, but
making the best of a bad bargain, yet I consider
she was very injudicious in one respect, and that
was in exposing her bare throat, which had on
each side of it a great vein as thick as a two-penny
cord ; and I would advise all old ladies who are
not fat to wear some sort of ruff, or frill, up to
their chin, to hide their wizened, scraggy necks.
A Swiss merchant, who boarded in the same
house with me, amused me much by the descrip
tion he gave me of Smyrna society, soon after my
arrival. Having been a resident in the place for
ten years, he knew his subject ; and although it
was given in bitterness, there was much of truth
in the picture. He was a man who had travelled
far, and seen much of the world : naturally shrewd
and penetrating, his remarks on human nature,
and his recital of his travels, were both entertain
ing and instructive ; of this he was conscious, as
in Europe he had ever found his conversation
appreciated, and his society courted; but these
qualities were lost upon the people of Smyrna,

362 CREDULITY OF THE SMYRNA LADIES.
where the men only care to converse upon
business, and the women had not the slightest
interest as to what passed in other countries.
Smyrna was all the world to them ; therefore, any
conversation that had not for its subject the
scandal and gossip of the place, was thrown away
upon them ; so that B's superior colloquial powers,
richly stored with travel and anecdote, were
exerted in vain : amongst the whole host of young
damsels that infested the parties of Smyrna, he
could not obtain a listener. B., however, mali
ciously gratified himself by making fools of them,
and, by dealing in the extreme marvellous, some
times succeeded in exciting their attention and
their credulity.
One instance of this I remember, which some
what amused me. B. had an immense dog, whom
he had taught, at a signal given, to fetch a foot
stool for a lady, or to pick up a handkerchief, &c.
This did really attract the notice of the ladies
of Smyrna ; and when B. assured them, that all
the dogs did so in Europe, they replied that indeed
then, in Europe, the dogs were much more polite
than the gentlemen amongst them ; and so com
pletely did this idea pass current with them, that

AN ACCOMPLISHED MAN. 363
I heard several of them allude to the politeness of
our dogs, and could not find it in my heart to
spoil B's joke, by convincing them to the con
trary. Few men had acquired the art of complimenting
a female in an indirect and delicate manner, to
such a perfection as himself; but unless you told
a Smyrniot lady in direct terms, that she was a
beautiful creature, she could not understand you :
therefore, were all his elegantly-turned phrases
wasted, as though addressed to the desert air ;
and being naturally disposed to be very gallant to
the ladies, he felt their indifference towards him
the more bitterly. The fact was, he was not
young, and he was not rich ; he therefore had the
mortification of seeing his juniors preferred, many
of whom had scarcely wit enough to string a few
words together, sufficient to express an idea, if
ever they had one.
It may easily be supposed that B. was always
lamenting that fate, and his affairs, should have
consigned him to such a place as Smyrna, to
spend the rest of his days. He, like many others,
could not resist going into society, and would
execrate it afterwards. How few there are who

364 INSIPIDITY OF FASHIONABLE SOCIETY.
can be convinced how much more real happiness
there is to be procured from books, at your own
fire-side, than from the general state of society, as
found even in capitals of the most civilised coun
tries. And although I may be considered as having
been severe on the parties, of what I call the
wholesale class, yet, are the soirees of fashion
much superior ? Is it not merely a higher class of
insipidity ? I find almost every one agree with
me, in confessing that they find no pleasure in
those immense parties ; yet they conceive they
must go and punish themselves, because they have
not the resolution to refuse.
When a few literary or scientific characters, or
artists, or, in fact, well informed persons, meet
together in an unceremonious manner, and presume
not upon their information, then indeed society
becomes an intellectual treat ; and how often have
I known such delightful re-unions entirely spoiled
by being joined by some empty men of rank, or
over-rich booby, who, ever having a tendency to
overbear, affect a superiority over that talent, which
has still to strive against the chilling current
of adversity, until their arrogance has assumed so
insulting a tone, that the humble struggier, be-

(I
DISAGREEABLE INTRUDERS. 365
coming wounded and disgusted, quits the circle,
and the once social meeting terminates in being-
broken up.
But to return to Smyrna and Monsieur B. I
never met with a man who had so much ingenuity
in ever devising some scheme to extricate himself
from a dilemma into which luckless chances may
have thrown him ; although I cannot say he always
displayed the strictest delicacy in the means to
which he resorted to deliver himself from trouble.
Having for some time been wandering about
Syria, he arrived at a port where he found a French
ship of war bound for the same destination as
himself, and having an introduction to the officers,
he gladly accepted a passage which was offered
to him.
Persons who have not been accustomed to tra
velling in very warm climates, are not aware of
the extreme difficulty, even the cleanest man has,
in preserving himself clear of vermin. No one
would have been more likely to take the requisite
precautions than B. ; but the strictest vigilance
will not always avail. Having no other more
convenient place, a bed was arranged for him on
the cabin floor, as also one for a Capuchin monk.

366 AN INGENIOUS EXPEDIENT.
B. was very restless during the night, and as soon
as daylight appeared the next morning, discovered,
to his extreme chagrin, that he was inhabited by
certain little drab-coloured insects, which, I dare
say, nine-tenths of my readers never saw, and I
hope they never may. He was tremendously
annoyed at the discovery. His first thoughts were
" What will the officers think of me, if any of these
little wretches are found on the bed linen, or seen
on my clothes, so as to reveal the state that I am
now in." The Capuchin, meantime, lay snoring on
the other bed, when the thought struck him that
Capuchins always have the credit of being encum
bered by those intruders ; hence, he very logically
inferred, that having the stigma hanging over one
for possessing any bad quality, is just as bad, as far
as regards our estimation in society, as if we really
had the fault ascribed to us. This reasoning
appeared to him incontrovertible ; and he deter
mined to act upon it forthwith. He therefore
selected seven of the little offending creatures,
and put them on the Capuchin : he then rang the
bell ; and when the servant appointed to attend
on B. came, he observed that he had rested rather
badly since midnight, and had been much tor-

AN INGENIOUS EXPEDIENT. 367
mented; hoped he had not received anything
unpleasant from his neighbour, casting an eye
towards the Capuchin, who still slept on ; and B.
continued, " These Capuchins seldom travel alone,
as they generally contrive to carry a good deal of
company about them." These hints set the servant
upon examining the Capuchin's bedding, in which
B. assisted by lifting up his head, and stretching
out his neck, descried the seven little unconscious
creatures, which he had just lent to the Capuchin,
saying to the servant very innocently, "What are
those things that I see moving about there ?"
When the servant, espying them also, exclaimed
with a " Sacredi ! well I declare, Monsieur, if he
is not swarming; for here are six or seven to
gether ; and who knows how many may have
crept upon you ! Our gentlemen M'ill never forgive
themselves for having placed you in so unpleasant
a position !" and off he ran to tell the officers, who
descended with a thousand apologies, for their
indiscretion in having subjected him to the dis
gusting effects of so filthy a neighbour, promising
him, at the same time, that for the future the
Capuchin should be removed to another part of
the ship ; whilst B. endeavoured to console them,

368 AN OFFENSIVE ODOUR.
as they were quite au desespoir for the desagrement
that had happened. Warm bath and every con
venience being provided, B. was enabled to purify
himself, and ordering all his clothes that he had
worn throughout his Syrian journey, to be thrown
overboard, he had no farther apprehensions of the
re-appearance of his late tormentors, and got
through the affair with eclat; whilst the poor
Capuchin, totally unconscious of what had trans
pired, was kept aloof, without being one instant
allowed to suspect the cause.
Another instance occurred, wherein B. relieved
himself of an inconvenience in the most effective
manner, but which required his consummate au
dacity to carry him through the affair in triumph,
and which he effected with unblushing assurance.
He had taken his passage in a small merchant
vessel; and when he retired to his berth, was kept
awake all night by the terrible odour proceeding-
from some jars of oil, which were placed imme
diately under his den. The next morning he
complained to the captain, that he had not been
able to sleep on account of the stench from the
oil ; whereupon the captain declared that there was
none in the jars alluded to, making this assevera-

A PUZZLING QUESTION. 369
tion in the presence of his mate and another pas
senger. As soon as B. was left alone with the said jars,
he set about examining them, and found them
brim full of oil ; he therefore, without the least
ceremony, emptied them out of the cabin- window
into the sea, and slept undisturbed for the rest of
the voyage ; but when they arrived at their des
tined port, and the captain began to unfreight
his ship, the jars were found to be empty ; and
immediately suspicion fell upon B., the captain at
once accusing him of it. B. replied by a question,
"If there was no oil in them, as you solemnly
declared there was not, how could I have thrown
any oil away ?" " They were as full as they could
hold," said the captain, " and you know very well
that I only said there was none just to quiet you !"
" Indeed !" returned B., "I cannot suppose you
were capable of telling me such an infamous false
hood !" " Ah !" said the captain, " that's all very
well your saying that now, but that's nothing to
the purpose ; you have thrown away my oil, and
you must pay me for it !" Again B. answered by
repeating the same question to every charge that
the captain could make, who, finding he could get
vol. i. b b

370 AN ABLE ARGUER.
no more out of him than a repetition of the same
tormenting question, at length summoned B. before
a magistrate, who heard the charge, and also the
defence; the captain not denying that he had
stated that there was no oil, but vowing that he
only said so to quiet the gentleman. "Then,"
said B., " you have now impeached your own
evidence, as any proved liar can never be legally
received as a witness in any court, in any country,
and that you are such, you yourself have proved
by your own confession. The magistrate could
do no otherwise than confirm B.'s assertion. The
captain hesitated a few minutes, and then said,
" But if my evidence won't do, I can bring forward
my sailors as witnesses that they were full of oil
when they were placed on board." " That can
avail you nothing," rejoined B. ; " what there
might have been at one period in the jars is
another question, you having subsequently declared
there was none : any person might have thrown it
away after it came on board ; perhaps you yourself,
more likely than any, as it was so offensive in
the cabin ; reserving to yourself the intention of
charging me with so doing, and making me pay
for it at your own price !" At length the magis-

HIS ELOQUENCE TRIUMPHANT. 37 1
trate, to cut the matter short, demanded of the
captain, " What evidence have you that this gen
tleman threw away your oil ?" " Because I'm sure
he did, as the scent prevented his sleeping," re
plied the captain. " But," said the magistrate,
" your conjectures, as it amounts merely to that,
are not evidence ; and as you have no witnesses, I
must dismiss the case ;" and B., as usual, came off
with flying colours.
I have seldom met with a man who had more
of that presence of mind which can turn to
advantage the circumstances of the moment so
well as B. ; hence in argument he had always
that command of ideas as well as words, that
although he might have the wrong side of the
question, he could mostly give the subject that
turn which would make it appear that he had
floored his adversary ; so that there were but few
persons who would attempt to argue with him,
particularly at Smyrna, where there were not
many individuals who could pretend to any very
strong argumentative powers.
One evening I set out at the same time as B.,
who, according to the custom of the place, had a
lantern with him, which was lighted, although
B b 2

372 LOOKING FOR A FOOL.
not dark, to save him the trouble of stopping to
get it kindled in the street. We had not gone
far before we came to a group of persons, one of
whom called out, " Look at that chap ! he has a
lantern to light the sun !" B. stopped instantly
opposite the man, and holding his lantern up to
his face said, " Ah ! I was looking for a fool !" and
blew it out. The fellow looked confused, and his
companions burst out a laughing ; and B., as usual,
turned into ridicule his assailant.
But the circumstances which tried his address
the most happened at Cairo, which had become
quite a refuge for outlaws, scamps, and runaways,
from different countries in Europe, and at the
hotel where B. was staying there was a complete
nest of them, who soon marked him for their
prey ; but they had fixed on a wrong subject, and
whatever were the manoeuvres practised by them on
B., he always found the means of out-manceuvring
them. At length, after a residence of manymonths,
constantly employed in endeavours to baffle the
various attempts made upon his purse and pro
perty, he prepared to depart, congratulating him
self upon having evaded all the arts which had
been played upon him, to draw him into their

AN ARTFUL DESIGN. 373
snares, and that he had still preserved such terms
with them as to avoid coming to open rupture ;
but, just as he was setting off, several of these
crafty adventurers came to him, begging he would
take charge of a small box of jewels, which
they stated to be of great value, and which was
sealed up with every possible precaution, to be
delivered at a certain place indicated at Alexan
dria ; but B. was too keen to undertake the care
of any packet, received from such hands, there
fore declined, stating that he really was such a
careless fellow that he was the worst in the world
to take charge of anything of value ; adding
that if he himself had been M'orth preserving, he
should have been lost long ago, and endeavoured
to laugh it off in that manner. But they were
not so easily to be put off from their object, and
pressed him by every entreaty that their ideas
could suggest ; but the more they pressed, the
more determined was B. to have nothing to do
with their packet, and at last got clear of Cairo,
and of their importunities. B., however, had not
been above a few days at Alexandria, before he
heard of a Dutch gentleman having been accused
of abstracting some jewels from a packet given

374 A FALSE ACCUSATION.
into his charge at Cairo. B. needed no further
information to convince him that this was the
identical packet which his Cairo acquaintances
had been so anxious to consign to his care, and
instantly repaired to the spot, where he under
stood the accused was undergoing an examination,
and whom he found extremely agitated, labouring
as he was under the charge of theft, and in a
country where he was a total stranger. His ac
cusers were present, and, as the reader may
imagine, in them, B. recognised the very men
who had destined him for their victim. They
appeared at first somewhat daunted at the sight
of B., but soon recovered their audacity.
The accusation against the stranger stated, that
he had received a box of jewels at Cairo sealed
up, containing a certain number of jewels, of
which some had been abstracted, and the box
when delivered was unsealed ; consequently it was
inferred that he had opened it. The unfortunate
gentleman could but declare his innocence, but
had only his own word to pledge against those of
his three accusers. B. then explained the circum
stance of the box having been so earnestly pressed
upon him, and his reasons for declining to receive

THE ACCUSERS BAFFLED. 375
it, and requesting to examine the box, proved that
the wax was of that ductile description that would,
if the box were contained in any trunk or port
manteau exposed to the sun, or in a pocket, if
liable to any friction, melt merely from the heat
of the climate ; which wax, no doubt, had been
purposely selected by them to forward their views ;
at the same time observing, that, as they had not
exacted any acknowledgment from the gentleman,
specifying the contents they had consigned to him,
they could have no legal claim for what they
might think proper to declare was missing. " And
now, gentlemen, I shall address you one question,"
said B., turning to the accusers ; "as it appears that
you were yourselves coming to Alexandria, and, I
have ascertained, arrived an hour or two before
the defendant, why should you have wished another
to take charge of any thing so valuable, instead of
yourselves being the bearers?" This question baffled
them for a moment ; but one who had the most
presence of mind said that business necessitated
their taking another route, which was far more
dangerous than that pursued by the gentleman
to whom they consigned the packet.
The authorities were puzzled ; but finding that

376 A VILLANOUS DESIGN FRUSTRATED.
the Dutchman was a person well accredited to
his consul, and highly recommended to several
merchants of respectability, they considered that
his word ought to have more weight than those
of three individuals who were outcasts from their
country, not acknowledged by the consuls of
their nation, nor countenanced by any persons of
character or credit in Cairo or Alexandria : there
fore was the case dismissed ; at the same time the
accusers were recommended, another time, when
they trusted their property to strangers, to make
at the time a declaration of the nature and value
of the goods they delivered, and to exact an ac
knowledgment accordingly.
The plaintiffs of course were indignant at the
decision, but their murmurs were unavailing ; and
Mehemet Ali was so disgusted at last with the
various swindling tricks, practised by the numerous
adventurers that flocked to Egypt, that ultimately
he would not suffer any foreigners to enter the
country, who professed not some calling, or had
letters of credit on some house, whereby there
might appear a visible means of keeping them
from want, without their being obliged to have
recourse either to cheating or begging ; and when

MANNER OF LIVING AT SMYRNA. 377
they have arrived totally destitute, and without
the intention of following any trade or profes
sion, Mehemet has sent them back whence they
came. But it is time I should return to Smyrna, from
whence I have been led far away by my last
digression. The manner of living at Smyrna
amongst the Frank inhabitants is extremely re
gular : they breakfast generally between eight and
nine, and dine at one, after which (except in the
winter), every one lies down for about a couple
of hours, which mostly happens between two and
five, during which period the counting-houses are
all closed, and nothing living is to be seen but
dogs and Englishmen (as the saying runs through
out the shores of the Mediterranean). At eight
they usually take tea or supper, or both; and
afterwards the ladies meet at each other's houses,
and the gentlemen go to the Casin, where they
generally remain until midnight.
With the Franks and the Turks not the
slightest association takes place, as, what Euro
pean can conform to customs which neither admit
of a table nor a chair ? whilst you must be com
pelled to eat with your fingers, as knives or forks

378 TURKISH WOMEN.
are never used by them, and I am certain that
there are many Frank merchants, who have been
born in Smyrna, and lived there all their lives,
who have not the least idea of the habitual cus
toms and manner of living of a Turkish family,
nor perhaps ever even entered their houses. In
the various transactions between the Frank and
Turk, they may sometimes smoke a pipe or drink
a cup of coffee together; but there ends any
degree of association that they ever have with
each other.
The Turkish women at Smyrna entirely cover
their faces with their veils; that part which is
before the eyes being of black crape, projecting
an inch or two from the face, and sustained by a
wire, they certainly are most dismal looking
objects; the veil they wear covering almost the
whole of the person, their figures have a most
awkward inexpressive looking appearance, — one
unseemly mass, as it were, which is moved forward
by a clumsy looking pair of yellow feet and legs,
that being the colour adopted by Mahomet, and
that they pride themselves on having the privi
lege to wear.
The Turkish porters at Smyrna are a most

TURKISH PORTER. 379
remarkable race. They mostly come from a place
called Konieh, a town of Anatolia. They are
many of them absolutely gigantic. I never saw
such immense chests and shoulders as these men
have ; in fact, their arms and legs are in the same
proportion. They often appeared to me like co
lossal satyrs. Their shirts are always open at the
breast, displaying a mass of hair almost like the
fur of some animal. They are a remarkably quiet,
civil, inoffensive people. I have seen sometimes
a little whippersnapper of a merchant's clerk
strike these enormous fellows, without their hav
ing the least idea of resenting it, not from any
want of courage, conscious as they are of their
superior strength ; but from a sort of feeling that
would cause them to imagine they were wrong,
and that they merited correction, and would have
no more thought of resistance than would the
schoolboy towards his master.
I know not anything more revolting to one's
feelings than to see a man receive passively a
blow from another ; for my own part, I feel indig
nant against both the striker and he that is
struck. I like not to see human nature so de
graded : there is a sort of sympathy in us for our

380 GREEK INSENSIBILITY TO INSULT.
species, so that we have some feeling for the very
lowest being upon the earth. This may at once be
proved by the sensation we feel, if we view any
one in a very perilous situation, on the verge of a
precipice, or on the edge of the parapet wall of
an extremely high building; and to see any one
fall from an immense height, the shock is as
painful to the beholder, perhaps, in some instances,
as to he that falls. It was from this sort of sym
pathy, I imagine, that occasioned me to feel so
hurt, when I saw one man with impunity strike
another. I remember seeing a Turk give a Greek three
blows with the handle of a hatchet. I was at some
distance, or I should have interfered ; but the
manner in which the Greek received the chas
tisement was impressive. He turned his head away,
put his hand over his eyes, but spoke not; and
though I despised and pitied the latter, I felt the
utmost indignation against the Turk.
Facing my windows at Napoli they were build
ing some barracks : the workmen were all Greek ;
one amongst them I observed that was particularly
irritable ; I had seen him several times throM'
stones, when in a passion, at his fellow labourers,

GREEK INSENSIBILITY TO INSULT. 381
yet he submitted as quietly as possible to a few
strokes of the cane from a Bavarian serjeant.
I was informed by an eye-witness that Captain
Hastings, who commanded, with great credit to
himself, a steamer, in the service of Greece,
thrashed his lieutenant, who never attempted the
slightest resistance : it is needless to say he was
Greek ; and the captain, feeling that he had acted
wrongly, instantly offered his lieutenant satis
faction ; but the latter was content with what he
had already received, yet he had given ample
proofs that he was a man of courage.
The Smyrna porters are generally, from their
birth, destined for the humble calling which they
follow ; in fact, as soon as they are born, their
mothers pray to God and Mahomet, that they may
become good porters, and as soon as they have
sufficient strength, they are sent to Smyrna, where
they toil for the greater part of their lives. They
then contrive to make sufficient to buy a little bit
of land in the neighbourhood of Konieh, their na
tive place, to which they retire ; and in cultivating
their ground, consider that they have a comfortable
retreat. But sometimes the poor fellows perish at
Smyrna, not unfrequently during the Ramazan,

382 ENORMOUS LOADS CARRIED BY PORTERS.
which enjoins them to abstain from tasting any
thing whatever between sunrise and sunset ; and
when this fast occurs in the heat of the summer,
the perspiration becomes so excessive, promoted by
their Herculean labour, that they sometimes fall a
sacrifice to intense thirst. The burthens they carry
are immense : the English consul assured me that
they usually average from between four hundred
to seven, and, in some instances, even reach eight.
With these tremendous loads they walk with
their backs quite horizontal, and their heads and
necks sticking out like those of a Turkey.
There are a number of men that wear a comical
sort of head-dress, which is called a calpack, and
is puffed out to the dimensions, almost, of a kettle
drum, and has a most curious effect. I had a
great curiosity to know if these immense caps
were hollow, or, if not, what was inside of them.
I tried to knock my head against one in passing,
as if by accident, hoping to push one off, and
then with an apology to have an excuse for picking
it up, and peeping within ; but I could not succeed,
and hit upon another scheme. I took off my hat,
and made a very low bow to several of the
wearers ; but that did not answer, as they only

CURIOUS HEAD-DRESS. 383
made me in return a very respectful bend of the
head and body. However, I had afterwards an
opportunity of gratifying my curiosity, and can
indulge that of my readers, if they have any on
the subject, by assuring them, that these heavy,
outrageous looking head-dresses were light as
possible, having nothing within them but vacancy.
Many of the brokers and persons employed by the
merchants wear this costume, with long flowing
robes, the outer being quite loose, whilst those
worn close to the body, and which are mostly
striped, are fastened round the waist. But many
of the more aspiring of the brokers are now
assuming the European garb, and are frequently
more rich than their employers. Each merchant
has his broker, and often, when the former becomes
bankrupt, the latter has feathered his nest; he
having no risk, being paid his commission, whether
his employer ever obtains payment for the com
modity supplied or not.
I once went with B., the Swiss merchant, to
whom I have before alluded, to dine at his broker's,
who was an Armenian. His reception of us savoured
much of the ancient hospitality: a band of music
struck up on our entrance, and continued playing

384 AN ARMENIAN BEAUTY.
during the whole time we were there. I observed
a singular peculiarity on the part of the Armenian
females, whenever they drank, they turned their
heads aside. The mistress of the house was truly
beautiful ; the expression was so sweet, kind, and
modest, that a physiognomist must have loved her
for the good feelings which her countenance pro
claimed. Her skin was brilliantly white ; of colour
she had not much, but what there was, rivalled,
in softness and beauty, the tender tint of the rose-
leaf. Her eyes were dark, but so veiled by her
black silken eyelashes, that they had not that
hard, harsh character, too often the case with those
coal-jet eyes. The nose and forehead approached
the Grecian ; the mouth, perhaps, somewhat larger
than that class of beauty would admit, and, on
that account, perchance, might have more expres
sion : the form of the face was also rounder than
perfection would allow. I was told she had upon
her a thousand pounds of jewels, which did not
deform her so much as might have been expected.
I frequently think women make a great mistake
in imagining that jewels heighten their charms:
there may be this policy certainly in an ugly
person wearing them, that the eye, attracted by

AN ARMENIAN BEAUTY. 385
the brilliancy of the jewels, may forget to look at
the wearer.
But to return to my fair Armenian. — She wore a
small green velvet jacket, richly embroidered with
gold, tight in the sleeves to the wrist, where they
opened, and drooping, displayed immense bracelets,
formed of plates of gold; a sort of silk, light as gos
samer, or sometimes of Brussels lace, very ample,
hung from the end of the sleeve, having a pic
turesque effect. The jacket is open in front, the
bosom being covered with a transparent silk, which
is not bright (I believe they call it washing silk) ;
it has a yellowish tint, but is too thin to be strictly
delicate, and is worn by all the Greeks, as well as
many of the Armenians. The waist was quite
short; and on her head she wore a kind of tur
ban, the folds of which were held together by a
diamond aigrette; a chain of the same stones hung
round the neck, at the end of which was a heart
of emerald, which was placed on the right breast.
After dinner, she accompanied her husband in
a dance of the country, in which they held the
opposite corners of a handkerchief; the man always
having the air of commanding, and the wife of
obedience; as she danced she kept her eyes always
vol. i. c c

386 INVETERATE PROPENSITY FOR GAMBLING.
fixed on the ground. The fare, as might have
been expected, was sumptuous and solid, with a
profusion of different wines. The party consisted of
about twenty, principally composed of merchants,
who were friends of B.
The morals of the European society at Smyrna
are not of the purest description. I cannot help
thinking that the constant habit of play, even in
an honourable manner, has a demoralising effect,
where the stake is higher than it ought to be,
according to the player's means. I have known a
person at Borja, or Bournabat, give a dinner, and
invite, perhaps, a dozen persons, gentlemen only-
The declared purpose is only for gaming, or, as
they would term it, playing together. What is
the principal hope of the host but to pillage his
guests ? and that of the guests is to pillage their
host, or each other. They ride off together, all in
good humour, laughing and chatting cheer the
ride there ; they arrive at their destination, and
mirth reigns throughout the dinner, even perhaps
until the tea is over; then all the intense anxiety
of business begins, and ecarte sways in its full
force, and continues throughout the whole night.
The next morning, about nine or ten o'clock, they
15

FRAUDULENT BANKRUPTCIES. 387
prepare to return ; but the ride back is a very
different thing: the plundered is serious and
thoughtful, however he may endeavour to appear
otherwise; the plunderer is gay, nor seeks to dis
simulate. But must not the feeling of harmony
and cordiality to each other be in some degree
affected, in spite of attempts to seem the reverse ?
The plundered cannot have a very grateful feeling
towards the plunderer, whilst his only consolation
is in the hope of an opportunity of taking his
revenge. Bankruptcy is very frequent in Smyrna, con
sidering the number of the merchants ; more so in
proportion than in any other place I ever visited.
But the most remarkable is, that they may be
known to begin upon nothing but credit, follow
business a few years, become a bankrupt, get their
affairs settled, and then live independent, without
following any business whatever. When you ask
the explanation of this, " Oh, because he is a
rascal !" is the reply. But, rascal as he may be, all
his neighbours will visit him. Therefore are you
subject to meet with beings such as these in fre
quenting any of the society of Smyrna ; and some
there are who are amongst the wealthiest, and give
c c 2

388 A PROSPEROUS ROGUE.
the most stylish parties, when the means by which
they obtained their riches are the most equivocal.
Amongst these examples was an individual, who,
having no property whatever, was received as a
clerk to a rich merchant ; and after a year or two
he was taken into partnership. Very shortly
after this, he became possessed of the entire
concern by the death of his patron, who left an
immense property, which agents of his widow and
his relations came to claim ; but no books, no
accounts, were to be found. Legal proceedings
were threatened, and defied by the surviving
partner, who, at last, compromised the affair by
allowing the widow something per annum, and
giving a certain sum to the relations.
Thus the pennyless clerk, who, a few years
before, no one noticed, suddenly became pos
sessed of an immense property; and no longer
bothered himself with business ; but, as one of
the richest, became one of the most important,
men in Smyrna : and several of the first merchants
have I heard declare, that they had the worst
opinion of the means by which he procured his
wealth ; yet would they pay him the highest
respect ; accept, with glee, his invitations ; pro-

YOUNG LADIES' INDISPOSITIONS. 389
pose his health, and accompany it with a pane
gyric on his virtues. Oh ! reign of humbug ! to
what corner of the earth must one flee to get out
of its dominions ?
The fair sex are not very far behind the gentle
men in this laxity of morals. Young ladies are now
and then indisposed, and recommended change of
air and scene. The counsel is followed ; they
absent themselves a few months ; return purified,
and resume their place in the Smyrna circles. Some
there are who have taken a little trip to Europe,
to see France, Italy, or some other pretty country,
and always come back perfectly cured. Amongst
those young ladies who required a little rustica
tion for the benefit of her health, was one to
whom a French gentleman was paying his ad
dresses ; but some ill-natured zephyr whispered in
his ear the nature of his mistress's indisposition.
Whereupon he repaired to her mamma, and, after
some preliminary remarks, gave her to understand
that he wished to decline any further communica
tion with her daughter. The mother insisted
upon an explanation ; and, on being pressed, at
last he frankly avowed that he had discovered that
the fair but frail one had produced an offspring !

390 FEMALE LAXITY OF MORALS.
to which the mother replied, " Oh, yes ; but I
assure you, Sir, it was such a little bit of a thing
(un piccolo piccolo, the conversation being in
Italian), that it was not worth mentioning." But
the Frenchman could not be induced to view the
subject in so indulgent a light.
As may be imagined, after the ladies get mar
ried, they need no little country excursions ; but,
inasmuch as they are kindly disposed to look with
an indulgent eye upon the juvenile indiscretions
of their juniors, so do they appear to think it
might be construed into a reproach to them, if
they were very strict and rigid as wives : hence,
they hold themselves in no way bound for ever to
pursue the path of dull, unjoyous constancy ; and
sometimes diverge from it with the connivance of
their husbands, if they take the road to wealth,
but certainly more often against their wills, and
oftenest against their knowledge.
That there are many exceptions to the above
remarks cannot be denied; and on such excep
tions it is pleasure to dwell. Therefore shall I
state the case of a young lady, whose extraor
dinary genius and intellect would have rendered
her the admiration of the most refined circles of

A PRODIGY. 391
any civilized capital. Her natural abilities for
music were of so high a cast, that had I heard her
without seeing her, I could have supposed I was
hearing a Kalkbrenner or a Moschelles. I never
yet heard an amateur player unite so much bril
liancy of touch with such force and expression,
and, where required, a rapidity of execution with a
distinctness that I have seldom known surpassed ;
and this acquired in Smyrna, where no advantages
are to be obtained. Her principal instructress
being her mother, who certainly had an elegance
of taste not to be found in any of the masters in
that part of the country. Nor were the talents
of this young phenomenon confined to music ; she
equally excelling in the graphic art : her paint
ings, whether in oil or water colours, displaying a
breadth and freedom, ever the heralds of real
genius ; not the slightest sketch ever came from
her pencil in which her mind was not conspicuous :
and her conversation was as intellectual as might
be expected from a being who possessed such
strong natural powers.
But the happiness of this interesting girl was
early blighted. A young artist of superior talent

392 HOPELESS ATTACHMENT.
arrived at Smyrna : this opportunity was eagerly
embraced by her parents for perfecting the studies
of their daughter in portrait painting ; and, most
imprudently, she was left alone with the artist for
hours together ; whilst he was one of those young
men the most likely to captivate a girl who had
only been accustomed to the society of merchants
or their clerks, and a few officers, whose strongest
recommendation consisted in their epaulettes.
Her master was not only talented as a painter,
but possessed such mental endowments as ren
dered his society most desirable to a female who
was as intellectual as himself; and, as might be
expected, the result was a most passionate attach
ment which arose between them. They knew
too well the iron disposition of the father ever to
nourish any hope of his consent ; as, although the
young man was in circumstances which rendered
him independent of his profession, yet a consul, a
merchant, or an officer of rank, was sought by the
ambition of her parent ; whilst the mother, as
amiable as the daughter, would rather only have
studied that which would have been conducive to
her child's happiness.

INTERCEPTED CORRESPONDENCE. 393
The lessons being finished, the master and his
pupil could no longer find any pretexts which
could afford them the enjoyment of each other's
society, and he departed for Constantinople ; but
not until they had exchanged vows of constancy,
and means were arranged for a correspondence,
ever bearing in mind a plan which they had de
vised, which was inseparably to unite them. One
of their contrivances for conveying a letter was at
the back of a portrait of her god-daughter, — the
mother of the child being in their confidence ; but
her husband was to be the bearer, and some cir
cumstance raising his suspicions, he discovered the
letter, and immediately delivered it to the father
of the young lady, who, highly indignant, instantly
wrote a letter so goading and insulting to the young
artist, that the double wound of receiving an epistle
from the father, expressive of the utmost con
tempt and abuse that language could convey, and,
at the same time, the destruction of all his hopes
of happiness, produced an immediate illness. A
more genial air than that of Constantinople, where
the winter is detestable, was prescribed, and Malta
was fixed on, where he had relations and friends ;
vol. i. d d

394 FATAL RESULT OF AN ATTACHMENT.
but he was scarcely restored to them, as he died
in quarantine. I did not know him, but was
acquainted with a person who was also in quaran
tine at the same time, and who assured me that
his lost mistress was the only subject on which he
could talk or think ; and, in his last moments, he
ejaculated her name.
She, as might be imagined, was for a long period
plunged into a deep and settled grief, from which
she had not entirely recovered when I knew her.
She still entered into society, with a revulsive
feeling ; and has often declared, that if it were to
meet any strangers, she has been ready to sink on
entering the room. Tin's arose, in a great degree,

from her natural ^tifflftijftity, which had been in
creased by the un«ft|u.'nate circumstances which
had clouded her youth, and broken the natural
energies of her mind. If asked to play before
persons she was not familiar with, her perform
ance was no better than that of a child beginning
to learn music ; and, though possessing conversa
tional powers of the highest class, yet, in company
she was totally silent. Yet I cannot, in justice,
quit the subject without stating, however severe

PALLIATING CIRCUMSTANCES. 395
was her father in this instance, yet in others he
had shown himself a man of feeling ; and his cha
racter for honour and integrity, as a merchant,
stood, perhaps, the highest of any man in
Smyrna.

END OF VOL. I.
fVAU

London:
UILBERT Si RIVINGTOK, PRINTERS,
ST. JOHN'S SQUARE.