.%: ^v m f^^m !»i% ^ma j^* m '^7, LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA FROM THE LIBRARY OF F. VON BOSCHAN LC.SB. l\BMM /-4^ o ^y-y ^ /^?^^^/^-/v ■^ >^^ t-^. ii- ^^ . 1^ GUIDE THE DANUBE, FROM PARIS TO MARSEILLES, ANCONA, TRIESTE, VENICE, MUNICH, STRASBURG; AND FROM VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE, SMYRNA, ATHENS, THE MOREA, AND THE IONIAN ISLANDS. €fte J^oute to UntJia tip luap of iBgppt, BY R. T. CLARI DGE, Esq. A NEW EDITION. LONDON: F. C. WESTLEY, CHILD'S PLACE, TEMPLE BAR MADDEN AND CO., LEADENHALL STREET; GALIGNANI, PARIS. 1839. Palmer and Clayton, 9, Crane-Cfuit.. Fleet-street. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The very favourable reception which the first edition of this little work met with from the public, has induced the author to make many and material additions to it. It now comprises, in addition to the voyage down the Danube, and the tour of Constantinople, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, &c., the route from Paris to the Mediterannean, I'm Marseilles and Malta — the route from Paris to Ancona, via Geneva and Milan — the routes from Paris to Munich, via Nancy, Strasbourg, Baden- Baden 3 and via Metz and Frankfort — the route from Munich to Venice and Trieste, via the Tyrol — the routes from London to the Rhine and the Danube — and the route from Alexandria to Cairo, &c. on the way to India. Besides these useful ad- ditions, various others have been made throughout the work, especially in the part relating to Greece ; while the general directions to the inexperienced traveller, and the information touching the various modes of conveyance, from point to point, have VI PREFACE. been made so full and complete as to leave nothing further to be desired. For more ample information connected with Egypt and India, reference is made to Mr. Wag- horn's Offices, in Cornhill, while the numerous pamphlets that indefatigable traveller has recently published, will furnish almost everything that can be wished for, relative to the political state and prospects of Egypt. To those who wish to obtain a more minute knowledge of the manners and customs of Turkey and Greece, than our space has permitted us to communicate, we strongly recom- mend " Slade's Turkey, Greece, and Malta," and his " Records of Travels in the East;" and " Coch- rane's Wanderings in Greece," as the best calculated to afford information 3 those gentlemen having had the advantage of a long residence in the countries they treat of. Mrs. Starke's "Guide to Italy" is indispensable ; and Craven's '' Tour through Southern Naples," and his "Excursion in the Abruzzi," will be found full of useful informa- tit>n. July 25th, 1839. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION The resurrection of Egypt, the emancipation of Greece, the revival of commerce in Persia, and — "though last, not least," — the present aspect of the internal and external affairs of Turkey, invest these and the adjacent countries with a degree of interest they have not hitherto possessed ; whilst the establishment of steam navigation throughout the entire length of the Danube, the Black Sea, the Bosphorus, the Archipelago, and the Adriatic, have converted what was hitherto a journey of toil and danger, into one of unmixed pleasure and enjoyment. Few tours that can be made, combine so many objects of interest and instruction as one from Vienna to Constantinople, which drawing, as to a common centre, the inhabitants and produce of the numerous countries composing the vast Ottoman empire, presents an epitome of the manners and customs of the Eastern world -, while the ease and * safety with which this tour can now be made, will VIU PREFACE. not fail to render it a favourite one with all who travel for pleasure or information. Those who are disposed to proceed further into the interior of Turkey and Greece than we pro- pose to take them, must make up their minds to some hardships which we have not " set down. " The general want of roads and hotels, the lawless state of society, and the absence of most of those objects of historical and artistical interest, which one is used to depicture as inviting attention at every step the traveller takes on his way through these countries, can hardly fail to disappoint the expectations with which any further exploration may be undertaken. In order to enable the traveller to avoid those delays, difficulties, and dangers which must attend any attempt to search out many doubtful or un- authenticated sites of ancient places, and other objects of curiosity, the tour sketched out in the following pages, embraces only the things worth seeing along the Danube, at Constantinople, in the Dardanelles, at Smyrna, Ephesus, Athens, the Ionian Islands, and on the way through Italy, by way of Venice, homewards. Such an excursion, whilst it is most economical, both as to time and money, will give the traveller ample means of forming a judgment of the poli- tical and social condition of some of the most PREFACE. IX interesting countries in the worlds while it will bring under his notice almost everything worth seeing amongst those monuments of former great- ness, included within the limits of Greece and Turkey. Those who may cherish a desire of visiting the Ottoman capital before it is entirely stripped of its original Turkish features ; or who, tired of its long-trodden routes through France, Switzerland, and Italy, may meditate a visit to Athens and the adjacent places,- will here find a hand-book to carry them along their journey in the most agreeable and least costly manner. R. T. C. Venice, May 1st. 1837. COISTTENTS. NOTABILIA. Pagp Travelling . . Passports . . Letters. . Money. . Fares of Dili- gences. . Luggage. .Apparel. . Carriages. . Sea Sickness. . Politics. . Sen-ants. . Tea, &c.. . Hotels, Conveyances, &c. . . Duties payable in London on the importation of Works of Art, Curiosities, &c., from the Continent.. . Route to India . . Disbursements . . Steam-Boats. . Quarantine . . i SECTION L FROM PARIS TO THE MEDITERRANEAN, VIA MARSEILLES AND MALTA. Chapter I. — Paris to Marseilles, via Lyons. Different Routes . . Conveyances . . Fares . . Time for the Journey, &c.. . Places. . Melun. . Montereau. . Sens. . Jo- iguy. . Auxerre . . Avallon. . Autun . . Chalons . . Ma9on. . Viliefranche. . Lucenay. . Lyons. . The Rhone. . Avignon .. Petrarch's Chateau .. Aix .. Marseilles.. ^m^5 to Travellers at Marseilles, tvith a List of Steamers, Sfc. in the Mediterranean and the Levant . . . . 1 Chapter IL— The Voyage from Marseilles to Malta. Genoa. . Leghorn . . Civita Vecchia. . Naples, and its En- virons. . Trip from Naples and back. . Messina. . Malta, 21 CONTENTS. SECTION II. FROM PARIS TO ANCONA, VIA GENEVA AND MILAN, AND FROM MILAN TO VENICE AND TRIESTE. Page Dijon. . Genlis. . Auxonne. . Dole. . Poligny. . Mery. . Cham- pagnole. . St. Laurent. . Morey. . Le Rousses. . The Jura Mountains. . Gex. . Ferney. , Geneva, . Excursions from Geneva. . Mount St. Bernard. . Valley of Chammonix. . The Simplon. . TheBorromean Islands. . Milan. . Monsa . . Lodi. . Piacenzi. . Fiorenzuola. . Borgo San Donino. . Catel Guelfo . . Parma . . Reggio . . Rubiera . . Modena. . Castel Franco. . Bologna. . Imola. . Faenza. . Forli. . Ce- sena . . Rimini. . Pesaro . . Fano . . Sinigaglia. . Ancona. . Brescia . . Verona . . Vicenza . . Padua . . Venice and its Environs. . Trieste. . Lloyd's Austrian Tariff. . Ample Information relative to Steamers, &fc. to the East, 40 SECTION III. FROM PARIS TO MUNICH. Chapter I. — Munich via Nancy. Void. . Toul. . Nancy. . Luneville . . Eperney. . Strasburg . . Baden-Baden . . Carlsruhe . . Stutgard. . Ulm . . Con- veyances on the way to Vienna. . The Danube. , Augs- burg. . Munich . . . . . . . . . . 78 Chapter II.— Munich, via Metz, Frankfort, &c. Bondy.. Menax. . Dormans. . Eperney. . Chalons-sur-Marne . . St. Menchould. . Verdun. . Metz. . Manheim. . Heidel- berg. . Darmstadt. .Odenwald. . Frankfort. . Wurzberg . . Ritsingen. . Nuremberg. . Ratisbon. . Steamers for Descending and Ascending the Danube .. . . 97 SECTION IV. From Munich to Venice or Trieste, via The Tyrol. Innsbruck. . Trent. . Verona. . Venice. . Trieste . . . . 117 CONTENTS. SECTION V. MUNICH TO VIENNA. Page Salzburg . . Ischl . . The Salt-mine . . Lintz . . St. Polten. . Enns. . Moelk. . Vienna . . Amusements of the Vienese . . Useful Information. . Environs of Vienna . . Heitzing . . Closternenberg . . Lnxemberg . . Mudeing . . Bruhl . . Baden .. .. .. .. .. ..120 SECTION VI. FROM LONDON TO THE RHINE AND THE DANUBE. Chapter I.— London to the Rhine .. .. 135 Chapter II. — London to the Danube .. .. 136 SECTION VII. FROM VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. The Voyage down the Danube. . Altenberg. . Hain- burg. . Wolfstal. . Hungary. . Pressburg. . Gonyo. . Co- mom. . Nesmuhl. . Gran. . Vissegrad. . Waitzen. . Buda. . Pesth . . Semlin . . Mohas . . Vukovar . . Peterwardein . . Carlowitz. . Semlin. . Fortress of Belgrade. . Belgrade . . Overland route thence to Constantinople. . Pancsova. . Vincsa. . Fort Kulick. . Fortress of Semendria. . Basiasch ..Moldavia. . Drenkova. . Milanowitz. . Kazan. . Pisca- bora. . Ogradina . . Orsova. . Baths of Mahadia. . Skela Kladova, . Bulgaria, Moldavia, and Wallachia. . Bucharest. . Bender. . Palanka . . Kalafat . . Widdin . . Ni- copoli . . Pellina. . Sistova. . Rustzuk. . Giurgevo. . Silis- tria. . Hirsova . . Rassova . . Ibraila . . Galatz . , Entrance into the Black Sea. . Ambitious Policy of Russia. . The Black Sea. . Varna. . Messembria. . The Bosphorus . . Buyukdere. . Therapia. . Constantinople . . . . 137 XIV CONTENTS. SECTION VIII. THE CITY OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Page § 1. Topography.. Population.. Historical Reminiscences . . Dogs. . Plague. . Fires . . . . . . . . 183 § 2. The Turkish Character. . Origin of the Turks . . Peculiarities . . Women, . Marriage. . Eunuchs . . Reli- gion. . Education. . Language. . Divination. . Law, &c. . . 188 §3. Mahmoud and his Reforms. . Destruction of the Janissaries and the introduction of European military tactics. . Religious Reforms. . Toleration. . Architecture . . Manufactures. . Possession and descent of Property. . The Fine Arts. . Visits. . The Press, &c. . . . . 208 § 4. Public Buildings. . Ancient divisions of the City. . Bazaars. . Slave Market. . Grand Seraglio. . Mosques. . The Hippodrome . . Marcian Column . . Cistern of a Thousand Columns. . The Seven Towers. . Imperial Mau- soleum. . The Baths. . Harems. . The Festival . . . . 214 § 5.* Economical Information. . Hotels. . Cafenehs, or Cafes. . Stores, &c.. . Money. . Various terms . . . . 231 SECTION IX. EXCURSIONS FROM CONSTANTINOPLE. Scutari. . The Cemetery. , The Giant Mountain. . Bulgurlu . . Belgrade. . Broussa. . Water Excursion. . Adrianople . . Philipopolis. . Tchapan. . Sophia. . Nissa. . Roumelia . . 233 SECTION X. ASIA MINOR. The Dardanelles.. Gallipoli.. Sestos..Town of Darda- nelles. . Chandcabesi. . Barber Point. . Nerringuay. . The Troad.. Ternedos. . Besicka Bay. .Cape Baba. .Mity- lene. . Assos. . Fortress of Mullivar.. Mount Pagus. . Smyrna... Ephesus.. Scio .. .. ..241 * Inaccurately printed vi. in the work. CONTENTS. XV SECTION XL MODERN GREECE. Page Condition of the People.. . Divisions of the Country, . Promising condition. . Athens and its Neighbourhood . . The Acropolis. . The Parthenon. . Temple of Victory . . The Erechtheum. . Various Discoveries in the Acro- polis. . Theatre of Bacchus. . Temple of Theseus. . INIount Pnyx. . The Areopagus. . Temples of Eolus and Jupiter Olympus — Educational Institutions.. Ejccursions from Athens.. Marathon.. Grotto at Antiparos.. Thebes.. Kalamachi . . Mount Hymettus. . Egina or Scala. . The Peloponnessus or Morea . . Epidaurus . . Valley of Esculapius . , Tiryns . . Napoli di Romania .. Trip- politza . . Mistra . . Argos . . Mycenae . . Megaspilion . . Corinth. . Delphi. . Mount Parnassus. . Patras . . 251 SECTION XII. THE IONIAN ISLANDS. Government. . Zante. . Corfu, &c. . . . . . . 279 SECTION XIII. ROUTE TO INDIA VIA EGYPT. Several Routes to India . . Mr. Waghorn's Route and Establishments . . Alexandria and its iVntiquities . . Boulac. . Cairo and its Antiquities . . The Red Sea to Bombay .. .. .. .. .. ..282 NOTABILIA. 1. TRAVELLING. The facilities for moving from one part of the globe to another are so great at the present day, that instead of consulting the seasons, the traveller has only to suit his incUnation as to the time of his departure from England. If he proposes starting for the East, in winter, he can take the Mediterranean steamer at Falmouth, and in sixty or seventy hours he nill be at Lisbon, and thus arrive at Alexandria during the most wholesome months for visit- ing Egypt, wliich are, December, January, and February. If he leavts England in tlic spring, he bhould commence his journey at Trieste, and spend the summer months in Germany : if in the autumn, he should descend the Danube, as every day ^^ ould bring him into a warmer climate. To proceed to Palestine, a traveller may take the Medi- terranean mail-packet, via Falmouth, to Bej-rout, in S}Tia, touching at Malta and Alexandria; or proceed by Mar- seilles, the expenses being only ^33. 10*. 4c?.; or by way of the Danube, ^40. From Bepout, two or three days will bring him to Jerusalem. After a journey, nothing refreshes more than a waini bath. In Pans, Rue Rivoli, the bath costs only a franc ; and if an agreement be made for half-a-dozen, the cost is only sevenpence each. In most German towns baths may be procm-ed at about the same cost. 2. PASSPORTS. To travel on the continent, a passport is requisite ; which is obtained, as a matter of course, by the applicant b XVlll NOTABILIA. causing his name and address to be inserted in a book kept for that purpose, at the office of the French embassy, in Poland-street, Oxford-street, before twelve o'clock, and his personally appearing there the next day at that hour. For this passport no charge is made. The traveller who intends visiting the Austrian or Rus- sian states, had better provide himself with a Foreign Office passport : it being more respected than any other, particularly in the Austrian dominions. It is indeed the only passport that the Austrian ambassador will vise in this country. An application to Lord Palmerston, for one of these passports, should be accompanied by the recom- mendation of two respectable persons. The office fee is £2. 7s. ; much time and trouble vdll be saved by handing it over to one of the messengers at Downing-street, who for 7s. will procure the signatures of the ambassadors representing the countries through which it is contem- plated to travel. The application should be for a passport for travelling on the continent, and not for any definite point, as it has occurred to travellers, who have stated Milan to be their destination, that the police of that city have refused to allow them, without great difficulty, to proceed farther, insisting that their passports did not justify them in so doing. If, on arriving at the frontiers of France, the traveller states that he is bound for Paris, his passport is detained and sent by estafette to that capital, and he is furnished with a provisional one, for which he pays two francs. E[e has the additional trouble imposed on him, on arriving in Paris, of going personally to the Bureau de Police, which closes at three o'clock, to reclaim his passport ; whereas, if he demands his passport for any intermediate town, it is at once returned. Again, when quitting Paris, if he asks for a passport for a foreign country, except for England, he is sent to the Minister des Etr angers, and must pay 10 francs ; but if he only demands a vise for a frontier town, the fee and trouble are both saved. To quit Paris, the passport must be left, first, at the English embassy, before twelve o'clock, from whence it can be withdrawn at two o'clock. It must then be taken to the police-office ; but much annoyance and loss of time NOTABILIA. XIX may be saved, by leaving it with the clerks at the embassy, who \vill get it properly signed for a fee of two francs. It is almost unnecessary to add, that a passport ought always be obtained a day before that of departure, and that the greatest care should be taken of it, since its loss will subject the traveller to much trouble and vexation. It should, moreover, always be at hand, as it is constantly liable to be called for. If made up into a book form, it will be found very convenient, and less liable to be injured than if carried in its original shape, — and it will be easily found by the employees in the different bureaux. Travellers who cannot wait to obtain a passport in London, may proceed to any port in France, Holland, or Belgium without one, as a passport can be procured of the English consul at either of the places of disembarka- tion on the payment of 10 francs. Travellers who intend visiting the Austrian dominions, should especially pay attention to having their passports en regie, for it frequently happens that parties are detained at Geneva whilst their passports are sent to Berne, for the Austrian vise. 3. LETTERS. All letters should be written on foreign post-paper. Light glazed paper, though only a single sheet, costs the party double postage. In foreign countries, the traveller should put letters into the post, and pay the postage him- self. Porters at posting inns, in Italy, are freqliently tempted, when entrusted with letters, to omit putting them into the post, and keeping the money given them to pay the postage. 4. MONEY. As bankers' circular notes are cashed almost every where, it is unnecessary, and would be improvident, to pro^^lde any other species of money for foreign travel. These notes may be obtained of the principal bankers in London, upon paying in an equivalent sum of money ; but Messrs. Herries, Farquhar, and Co.'s, and Messrs. Hammersleys and Co.'s, are the best known. Their value will be reduced into foreign money, when offered for payment, at the current course of exchange on b 2 XX NOTABILIA. London at the time and place of payment, without being subject to any charge whatever ; whilst the obtaining of money on letters of credit subjects the traveller to the payment of a commission, postage, &c. To procure these promissory notes, the only expense incurred will be the cost of the stamps upon which they are drawn. The bills should not be of large amount, as the weight of silver which it is advantageous to take in exchange, is incon- venient. The follomng are the different descriptions of monies, reduced to their value : — One Penny Englisb, is 2| kreutzers Austria, 3 kreutzers Bavaria, 12^ cents Lombardy, ] 6 paras Turkey, 12 leptas Greece. One Shilling English, is 30 kreutzers Austria, 36 kreutzers Bavaria, 1 lira 50 cents Lombardy, 4| piasters Turkey, 1 drachme 49 leptas Greece. One Pound Sterling, is 10 gulden Austria, 12 gulden Bavaria, 30 lira Lom- bardy, 95 piasters Turkey, 28 drachme 24 leptas Greece. MEASURES OF LENGTH. Miles fur. yds. French Post 5 6 17 German Geographical Mile ... 4 4 184 Long Mile 5 6 H Italian Mile 1 1 45 5. FARES OF DILIGENCES. frs. cts. From Paris to Lvons 40 50 Marseilles 81 50 Dijon 29 50 „ Geneva 45 50 Metz 30 50 Frankfort 7^ 20 „ Strasbm-g 45 25 frs. From Ancona to Rome 46 „ Paris to Milan .^ 140 „ Milan to Strasburg 139 „ Brussels to Milan 205 „ Milan to Ancona 65 ,, Milan to Lvons 85 „ Calais to Milan 200 „ Milan to Marseilles 135 „ Milan to Vienna 140 5, Venice to Frankfort 100 NOTABILIA. XXI 6. LUGGAGE. It is particularly requisite, when the traveller arrives in any place, to see that his luggage is put upon the different public conveyances. In Germany, when it exceeds 40 lbs. in weight, it is generally left behind to be sent by the luggage vans, and thus is created considerable delay. It not unfrequently happens that travellers are obliged to retrace their steps in search of it. Too much luggage occasions endless difficulties; too little luggage none, as all necessary articles can be tolerably well procured in most places through which the traveller passes. An old traveller judiciously said, in reference to this subject, that he considered, first, the least he could accommodate him- self with, and then reduced it to one-half; and that under no circumstances did he ever part with it. 7. APPAREL. For travelling in the East, an air bed, as it takes up but little room, would be useful ; but the Hungarian cloak, or bounda, lined throughout with bear-skin, which costs about d!4, and which is to be procured at Vienna or Pesth ; and the Corfu capote, valued at less than half that sum, to be had at Venice or Corfu, are not bad sub- stitutes. No traveller in the East ought to be without an umbrella, to keep oiF the heat of the sun. 8. CARRIAGES. A carriage, after embarking at Vienna, Trieste, or Mar- seilles, becomes utterly useless, there being no roads in Turkey or Greece ; and depositing it at any particular place fetters the future movements of the traveller. He is therefore strongly advised not to encumber himself with any such vehicle. English saddles will be found agreeable ; but to induce prejudiced guides to permit the use of them, may be a matter of difficulty. 9. SEA SICKNESS. Travellers have less to fear from sea sickness in the Mediterranean than in any other seas. People frequently XXll NOTABILIA. suffer more in crossing the channel in three hours, than they woukl be subject to in as many days in the Levant. In summer, breakfast and dinner are generally served on deck, from which the voyageur is rarely disturbed. As a preventive to sea sickness. Dr. Granville recommends forty-five drops of laudanum, at starting, and as often afterwards as uneasiness occurs; Lord Byron recommends a beefsteak ; the author, a hght stomach and remaining quiet on one's back. 10. POLITICS. The EngUsh are more respected on the continent than most other travellers, for two reasons : first, their being supposed to be rich ; and, secondly, they are known not to interfere with the politics of the countries through which they are travelling. Political neutrality is a maxim that should under no circumstances be deviated from. 11. SERVANTS. Those who purpose extending their plans of operation beyond the limits pointed out in the following pages, will find all things requisite for their use and comfort at any of the capitals in the East, without the expense and trou- ble of taking a large quantity of luggage from one place to another. They will learn on the spot, moreover, what articles are most useful and best calculated for the coun- try. They may also find in those places servants who speak English, and the language of the country; and who ai-e also climatized, and accustomed to overcome the diffi- culties of travelhng and humouring the caprice of the natives. 12. TEA, &c. Notwithstanding Kotzebue's affirmation, that the En- glish carry their prejudices as they do their tea-kettles, all over the world, the traveller may dispossess himself as far as he can of the former, but he is strongly advised not to forget the latter. Good tea may be had at Vienna, Trieste, Marseilles, or Corfu, and it will be found a re- freshing beverage in the course of travel. A very conve- nient apparatus, comprising tea-kettle, tea-pot, &c., may NOTABILIA. XXUl be had at Jones' Light-house, Strand, near St. Clement's Church. 13. HOTELS, CONVEYANCES, &C. In France and Germany it is not usual to enquire be- forehand the charges at hotels, but in Italy and Greece it is to the economist a matter of necessity. At Napoli di Romania, after a party, known to the author, had paid a dollar for a bed for the night, the host demanded another for a pair of sheets. In Italy for carriages, and in Greece for boats, nearly double the price intended to be taken is asked. Contracts should always be made in writing. On entering an hotel three things are indispen- sable : first, to obtain a room, and see that the luggage is safely deposited in it ; next, to see that the linen is well aired ; and, lastly, to ascertain the mode of proceeding on the journey, and secure places in a conveyance. It not unfrequently happens, that when a traveller delays se- curing a place in the public carriages, he is obliged to wait some days : this applies more especially to the dili- gences from Paris and Geneva, in the summer. For the information of those who may wish to make purchases abroad, we insert the following tariff, and re- commend the traveller to make his consignment to the following houses, who will take charge of the projjerty on its arrival in England : Messrs. Redhead and Spiers, Trinity-square ; or Mr. James, Lower Thames-street. 14. DUTIES PAYABLE IN LONDON UPON THE IMPOR- TATION OF WORKS OF ART, CURIOSITIES, &C. FROM THE CONTINENT. £ s. d. Agates, not set . . . for every ^100 value 10 , set ditto . . 20 Alabaster, Sculpture of .... the cwt. 030 Anchovies the lb. 2 Arquebusade Water the gallon 1 10 Books, editions printed prior to 1801, the cwt. 100 in the Foreign Living Languages — of editions printed in or since 1801, bound or unbound the cwt. 2 10 XXIV NOTABILIA. £ s. d. Books in the Dead Languages, printed in or since 1801 the cwt. 5 , EngUsh, printed in England (unless declared that no Excise Drawback was received on Exportation,) . . the lb. Bronze: all Works of Art in Bronze . the cwt. 1 Candlesticks, Inkstands, or any Arti- cles of Furniture, of Bronze, and Or Molu .... for every ^100 value 30 Brass : Candlesticks, Inkstands, &c. . ditto 30 Cameos: ditto 20 Carriages, of all sorts . for every ^100 value 30 Catlings and Harpstrings, the gross of 12 dozen knots — — — , Silver Strings, for for every ,^100 value 20 China of Porcelain, plain, and Earthenware, ditto 1 5 , painted or gilt . ditto 30 Clocks and Watches, (Maker's Name required on the face and works) . . . ditto 25 Coin, Copper ditto ^ , Gold and Silver, free. Cordials and Liqueurs .... the gallon Coral made up into Necklaces, Negligees, &c., for every ,^100 value 20 Eau de Cologne the flask Embroidery & Needlework, for every .^100 value 30 Flower Roots cUtto 20 Flowers, Artificial, not of Silk . . . ditto 25 Furniture ditto 20 Fm-s, or Dressed Skins ditto 75 Glass, Manufactures of ditto 20 , and further the cwt. 4 Gloves, prohibited unless in Packages contain- ing not less than 100 dozen pairs. Jewellery .... for every j^lOO value 20 Live Creatures, illustrative of Natural History, free. Maps or Charts . . each Map, or part thereof 6 Manuscripts the lb. 2 Maccaroni and Vermicelli ditto 2 3 6 4 10 10 1 NOTABILIA. XXV £ s. d. Magna- Graecia and Ware, or Ancient Earthen Vases . . . for every .^100 value 5 Medals, not of Gold or Silver . . . ditto 5 , of Gold or Silver, free. Models, of Cork and Wood .... ditto 500 Musical Instruments ditto 20 Mock Pearls ditto 20 Minerals, Specimens of, under 14 lbs. v^^eight each, free. • , above 14 lbs. weight, for every <^100 value 5 Marble, in anywise manufactured . . the cwt. 3 Mosaic-work, and Sculptured Stone . . ditto 2 6 ■ , small Ornaments, for every ^100 value 20 Ohves the gallon 2 Plants and Trees, alive, free. Plaster Cafts of Busts, Statues, &c. . the cwt. 2 6 Prints and Drawings, plain .... each 001 — , coloured . . . ditto 2 Pictures ditto 10 , and further, the square foot .... 1 , being 200 feet square and upwards, each 10 Picture-Frames ... for every ^100 value 20 Paintings on Glass ditto 5 , and further . . per cwi;. 4 Painters' Colours . . for every J^ 100 value 10 Sausages the lb. 4 Seeds, Garden ditto 6 Silk : Millinery, of which the greater part of the Material is Silk, viz. Turbans or Caps each 15 Hats or Bonnets .... ditto 150 Dresses ditto 2 10 Or, (and at the option of the officers,) for every ^'100 value 40 Scagliola Tables ditto 20 Sulphur Impressions ditto 5 Specimens, illustrative of Natural History, fi-ee. riles for every <£100 value 50 Toys ditto 20 £ 5 s. d. 5 6 6 10 1 1 2 6 3 10 XXVI NOTABILIA. Vases, ancient, not of Stone or Marble . value Wine and Spirits, viz. Wine in casks, all Wine excepting Cape, the gallon in bottles, the gallon of six bottles Spirits in casks, containing not less than 40 gallons .... the gallon in bottles ditto 15. ROUTE TO INDIA. That indefatigable and enterprising traveller, Mr. Wag- horn, will furnish those destined for India with letters of credit, and consign them to the charge of his agents, whom travellers state to be most assiduous in the dis- charge of their duties. Messrs. Grindley, Christian, and Mathews, of Cornhill and St. Martin's-lane, also furnish information, letters of credit, &c., for travellers to India. Mr. Clark, 5, Jeffery's-square, London, is acquainted with all matters connected with the Danube, in Austria ; and Mr. May, the Bavarian consul, 123, Fenchurch-street, will afford information as to the steamers in Bavaria. Messrs. Wild and Co., of Charing cross, have pub- lished a map, pointing out the overland route to India, that will be found extremely correct and useful. \ 16. DISBURSEMENTS. In order to show clearly how the journey sketched out in the following pages is to be made at the very moderate cost assumed as the maximum, viz. ^100, it vtill be ne- cessary, first, to fix a sum for daily hotel expenses ; and next, to point out the cost of conveyance from one point to another. It is difficult, if not impossible, for one person to deter- mine the expenditure of another, for in travelling, as in all other things, that depends upon individual disposition and taste. The object of these remarks, therefore, is to direct those who vnsh to see a great deal, at the least possible cost, consistent with comfort and enjoyment, and who, having resolve*^ upon a journey of this description, for NOTABILIA. XXVll the purpose of making themselves acquainted with the physical, domestic, and political state of the various coun- tries embraced in it, are prepared to conform to the cus- toms of their respective inhabitants; to join the pubUc tables, where such are to be found; and, in fact, whilst at " Rome to do as Rome does." This being assumed, the ordinary d;iily outlay, in most of the states through which the traveller will pass, may be estimated pretty accurately as follows : — 1. — France — excepting the capital — bed, \s. 8d; break- fast, 10c?.; dinner, including Avine, 2*. 6c?.; tea, 10c?.; — 55. 10c?. a day. 2. — Switzerland and Lomhardy. At expensive hotels here, the bed is 2s. 6c?. ; the dinner 3s. Ad. ; other things being about the same as in France ; making ^s. Qd. a day. 3. — Belgium, the Rhine, and Germany. Here the ex- penses are 20 or 30 per cent. less. The steam-boats on the Danube are well served at the following charges : breakfast, 9f?. ; dinner, \s. 6d. ; supper, 1*. 3c?., wine included ; — 3s. 6d. a day. 4. — Orsova, where two or three days are passed, bed lOd. ; breakfast 4c?. ; dinner 1*. ; supper lOd. ; — 35. the day. 5. — Galatz to Co7istantinople. While on board the vessel, the cost will be one dollar a day; in Constanti- nople, where articles are considered dear, the cost will be double this sum. 6. — At Smyrna, there are several excellent boarding- houses, the charge at which is one dollar a day. 7. — At Athens, where there are several good hotels, the expenses, while remaining there, will not exceed two dollars a day. On the journey from Athens to Patras, and whilst there, provisions will not cost more than a dollar a day. 8. — From Patras to Marseilles, Trieste, or Ancona, on board steamers, the charges are 55. a day; but if quaran- tine be finished on board an Austrian brig, then 35. a day- is charged. Thus, when the number of nights spent in travelling — XXVm NOTABILIA. the trifling daily expenses incurred in descending the Danube — the non-necessity for extra expenditm-e on board ship — and the absence of all occasion for excess in Greece and Turkey, are taken into account, an average of one dollar (45. 2d.) a day, will be seen to be the maximum of the cost for provisions, domiciles, &c. ; and as parties are supposed to lose no time in reaching one of the places of embarkation, viz. Marseilles, Vienna, Ancona, or Trieste, three months will be ample time in which to complete the tour. But in order to provide for servants and other contingencies, Ss. per day is assumed as the amount of expense ; and as every facility is now aiForded for moving from one place to another, the calculation of time made will be found ample for the purpose of completing the journey. Thus, those who understand travelhng, and who desire to undertake an economical journey, will be able to determine how far this may be effected ; while those unaccustomed to it, will perceive that something is allowed for their inexperience. Let us now sum up these separate expenses : — J^ s d Provisions, &c. for three months, at 8*. per day, 36 The expense from London to either of the three places of embarkation differs but little, none exceeds 12 From Vienna to Orsova 3180 Carriage from thence to Mehadia and back . 8 From Orsova to Constantinople 7 18 Guide for a week at Constantinople ... 1 10 Horses for self and guide to Belgrade ... 8 6 Visit to Broussa and back 4 4 Horse to the Giant Mountains, from Scutari .030 Steam-boat from Constantinople to Smyrna . 3 7 2 Horses for self and guide from Smyrna to Ephesus and back 150 Steamer from Smyrna to Syra 1 16 Syra to Athens 16 9 Guide two days in Athens 8 Boat to Egina and Epidorus 10 Carry forward . . £7^ 2 5 NOTABILIA. XXIX £ s. d. Brought forward ... 75 2 5 Two horses to NapoU di Romania .... 8 6 Carriage from Napoli to Argos and back . . 5 Horses for self and baggage to Corinth ..086 Boat from Corinth to Patras, touching at Sa- lona, and horse from thence to Delphi and back ? 18 Patras to Trieste, touching at Corfu . . . . 7 10 From Trieste to England 12 98 12 5 To this let us add a visit to Zante, and from thence to Corfu and Ancona, by the steam- boat, instead of going direct to Trieste ; this would be an additional expense of . . 3 14 Making a total expenditure of . . j^l02 6 5 Thus, it will be seen, that a single traveller (whose in- dividual expenses are greater than they would be, if he travelled with others), though diverging from the direct route and taking the best i)lace in the public conveyances, and denying himself nothing to make his journey of the most agreeable description, would find, upon his retuin home to England, a small balance remaining out of the ^100 set apart for his tour; or if he made the additional trip to Zante, &c., the excess would be about M2. COST ON THE USUAL ROUTES. £, s d 1. — London to Paris 2 2 Paris to Marseilles 3 6 8 5 8 8 2.~London to Paris 2 2 Paris (by way of Geneva) to Milan (140 francs) 5 16 8 Mdan (by way of Geneva) to Venice (33i francs) 1 7 H Venice to Trieste, by steam- boat (22^ francs) 18 9 10 5~4 XXX NOTABILIA. £ s. d. 3. — London to Paris 2 2 Paris to Milan (140 francs) .... 5 16 8 Milan to Ancona (65 francs) . . . . 2 14 2 10 12 10 4.— London to Paris 2 2 Paris to Strasburg (68 francs) . . . 2 16 8 Strasburg to Vienna (60 florins) ..600 10 18 8 5. — London to Frankfort, up the Rhine . . 3 16 10 Frankfort (by way of Munich) to Vienna 4 4 8 10 6. — London to Hamburg 4 Hambui'g to Vienna 5 4 ^9 4 17. STEAM-BOATS. 1. The traveller, whose intention on leaving London is to descend the Danube, or take the steamer at Trieste, should proceed by way of the Rhine to Fraiikfort, ft'om whence he can continue his journey by eilwagen or lohn- kutscher to Ulm, where he will meet the steamer for Lintz and Vienna; the lohnkutscher is a private carriage, the expense of travelling by which is much less than by the eilwagen, but it is nearly double the time en route. 2. At Ulm a new steamer was placed in June, 1839, which runs to Lintz and Vienna, where the traveller can take his place for Constantinople, at the charge of £\\. 165. 3. Hitherto, travellers desirous of proceeding from Con- stantinople to Malta or Alexandria, have been compelled to rely upon the uncertain passage of the English packet or of merchant vessels ; tiie charge to the latter place was NOTABILIA. XXXI 30 dollars. A regular steam communication is now esta- blished to all parts of the I^evant and Mediterranean. (See Tariff, infra.) 4. A Russian steamer leaves Constantinople for Odessa, on the 15th of the month ; charge 22 dollars. This route, and thence to Hamburg, is the most expeditious way of reaching England ; but the traveller by adopting it, will have to endure a quarantine of 14 days. 5. For Persia, steamers run regularly between Constan- tinople and Trebizond. The distance is about 530 miles, and the fare 30 dollars. 6. The Imperial Austrian Lloyd's Company have esta- blished a communication by steam between Trieste, the Levant, and Egypt, Aaa Ancona, Corfu, and Patras, which will be found the direct and most economical way to Greece. A tarifl" of their prices and days of departure will be found i7ifra. Stopping at the above-named places breaks the tedium of a voyage. These steamers conduct the traveller for Greece at once to his destination ; whereas, the French steamers take him round by JVJalta. 7. By the tariff it will be observed, that the French steamers do not touch at Corfu or Patras, therefore the traveller, bound for Greece, will in the first instance be obliged to proceed to Malta. For Egypt and India, this would be the direct route ; but as most persons who can spare the time would prefer visiting the classic soil of Greece, they may secure their object better by procee(Ung in the Austrian vessels from Trieste, which vessels allow their passengers to land at Ancona, Corfu, and Patras. 8. The service of the Mediterranean steam-boats, esta- blished to facilitate the conveyance of the mails and travellers, between Marseilles and the ports of the Levant, is divided into three lines. The first commences at Mar- seilles, and terminates at Malta, touching at Leghorn, Civita Vecchia, and Naples. The second leaves Malta for Constantinople, touching at Sp'a, Smyrna, and the Dar- danelles. The third leaves the Pyraeus (the port of Athens) for Alexandria, touching at Syra. At Malta, passengers and goods from the Levant undergo quarantine ; and all XXXU NOTABILIA. papers and letters are fumigated, or other\\ise purified. The port of Syra is the point at which the two Hues from Malta to Constantinople, and from Athens to Alexandi'ia, intersect each other, as also the rendezvous of the pack- ets simultaneously arriving from Malta, Constantinople, Athens, and Alexandria ; and also where the travellers and mail-bags are passed from one line to another. The days and hours of departure from and arrival at each station, are indicated on the tables annexed to this notice. Ten steam-boats, of 160-horse power, commanded by officers of the Royal Navy, and manned each with 50 hands, are stationed on the above lines. Then* names are : — The Dante, the Eurotas, the Leonidas, the Lycurgus, the Mentor, the Minos, the Ramases, the Scamander, the Sesostris, and the Tancred. Travellers will find every desirable accommodation on board these packets : com- fortable bed-rooms, handsome saloons, decorated mth muTors and carpets, a well-selected library and pianos. There is also a private saloon appropriated to the ladies. The places allotted for travellers are divided into three classes : Those of the first class are at the poop of the vessel ; and the passengers have separate bed-rooms, con- taining two or four beds, according to \Aish. Those of the second-class are forward, and the beds are arranged around the public room. The travellers of the third class remain on deck during the day, and sleep in hammocks placed between decks. There is a restaurateur on board, who provides a table at the following prices, viz., two francs for breakfast and four francs for dinner ; but pas- sengers may order their meals h la carte, as well as every kind of refreshment, at stipulated prices exhibited in the saloon of each vessel. On board of each steam-boat are a steward and attend- ants exclusively for the service of the passengers. 9. Regulations to be observed by travellers previous to embarkation : — Places to be secured at the office of the Steam-packet Company at Marseilles, as also at the dif- ferent stations in the Mediterranean, on application to the resident agents. The whole amount of the charge to be paid on the insertion of the traveller's name in the books of the company. No traveller will be admitted on board until all the formalities prescribed by the police and NOTABILIA. XXXm quarantine regulations shall have been fulfilled. The tra- veller who dechnes the place which he had previously engaged, to forfeit one-half of his passage money. 10. To Athens, the French steamers proceed direct from Marseilles, making the voyage in about nine days ; fare, ^16. 19*. 2c?. The Austrian steamers from Trieste, ma- king the voyage in seven days; fares, ,^9. 12*. From London the mails, via Falmouth, proceed once a month Gibraltar, and join communication with Malta; the total expense of reaching which is ,^31, in 16 days. From Malta, the traveller must take the French steamers for Athens ; fare, £7, in four days. Thus, by proceeding from London to Athens, by this mode, it costs ^38. 4*., besides expenses of provisions. To proceed to Palestine, or the Holy Land, the traveller, once at Malta, has made the principal expense. 11. Being at Marseilles and desirous of seeing Italy, take the steamer to Leghorn, from thence proceed in half a day to Florence ; or laud at Civita Vecchia, thu-ty miles distant from Rome. From thence a vetturino will con- duct the traveller in thirty hours to Naples. Being there, he can either proceed to Palermo, and reach Malta by way of Sicily, or take the French steamers direct for his des- tination. 12. In addition to the steamers indicated in the different Tariifs, the Ionian steamers leave Corfu for Zante on the 8th and 26th of each month, and return on the 12th and 29th. The charge is ji2, the voyage being made in about fourteen hours. The steamers for Ancona leave on the 16th, and arrive there on the 18th : they leave Ancona, on their return, on the 21st or 22nd ; charge j£6, 13. The EngHsh steamer leaves Corfu on the 29th, touches at Patras on the 31st, to take in her mail, and thence proceeds to Malta, touching at Zante, and on to Falmouth ; occupying twenty days in making a voyage of 1900 miles. 14. Those who wish to proceed to Egypt, or Syi-ia, and who prefer the English steamer, will find her at Zante, on XXXIV NOTABILIA. the 31st of the month. She reaches Malta in three days, the charge being £8. Another steamer leaves Malta on the 20th, and arrives at Alexandria in six days, the charge being ji\2 ; and thence a communication is kept up with Beyrout, in Syria, which it reaches in two days : the charge is M6. [It will be seen that by making two separate voyages from Malta to Beyrout, i. e. stopping at Alexandria, the cost is £.\S ; whereas, booking direct to Beyrout from Malta, the charge is only ^15. It may be well to intimate, that similar economy may be generally practised in travelling.] 15. The steamer leaves Beyrout for Malta, on the 30th, touching at Alexandria. At Malta, the traveller will again find the English steamer on the 20th, proceeding to Zante, Patras, and Corfu. 16. Those who wish to proceed to the East by way of Italy and Sicily, in preference to proceeding by sea to Ancona or Trieste, can hire a boat at Syracuse for Malta, which will cost but two or three dollars, and give a plea- sant little voyage of six or eight hours. Steamers run regularly from Naples, to Messina and Palermo. At Naples the traveller falls into the line of French steamers. 17. A steam-boat leaves Trieste for Venice, twice a week : i. e. on Wednesday and Saturday ; and returns alternate days, weather permitting. The charge is I65., and the voyage is made in nine hours. Parties can book throughout ; care must be taken to have a proper receipt. 18. Austrian sailing-brigs leave Trieste for Corfu and Patras, on the 1st and 16th of the month, returning on the 8th and 21st. The voyage is made in from ten to twelve days, including a stay at Corfu for two days : charge <:^6. 65. These vessels, on returning, are privi- leged to take in a guardian at Ragusa, from which time the quarantine commences, and thus pratique is obtained on arrival sooner than if the traveller had taken his pas- sage on board any other vessels : he has also the advantage NOTABILIA. XXXV of being allowed to finish the quarantine on board, at a charge of '3s. a-day. 19. The steam-boats of the Company, appointed for the conveyance of letters, goods, specie, and passengers between Trieste, the Levant, and Egypt, on their voyage touch at Ancona, Corfu, Patras, Piraeus (Athens), and ai-rive at S}Ta, where their service is then divided into two lines. The one proceeds to Constantinople, touching at Smyrna and the Dardanelles ; and the other to Alex- andria, touching at the island of Candia. Syra is thus the meeting point for the vessels from Trieste, Constantinoi)le, and Alexandria, where the exchange of letters and the transport of the travellers, specie, and goods, from both side lines and to all the ports above-mentioned take place, with observance of the subsisting quarantine regulations. Persons and eifects, coming from the Turkish or Eg-^p- tian territories, can continue the voyage by one of the ships bound to Trieste only after they have been admitted to free pratique in S}Ta. For these voyages six steam- vessels are appointed. The departures take place regularly, wind and weather permitting : — ON THE OUTWARD PASSAGE From Trieste on the 1 and 16 Ancona Corfu Patras Pyraeus (Athens) Syra Smyrna Candia GE, Ifi"^ J 20 b 21 \ii 23 £• 25 o 26 i> 26^ c ON THE RETURN PASSAGE, From Constantinople on the 5 ftmyrna Alexandria Candia Syra Pyraeus (Athens), Patras Corfu Ancona For the steam-boats fi'om Trieste, Constantinople, and Alexandria, the 9th and 24th of each month are the ap- pointed arriving days in SjTa ; and for departure thence to Constantinople and Alexandria the lOtli and 25th ; and for Trieste the 11th and 26th. The passengers find on board of the above every desu'able accommodation, — separate apartments for ladies and gentlemen, as also separate rooms for families, — tastefully ornamented saloons, — and fiu-ther, a small but appropriately chosen library, for the amusement of the passengers. c2 XXXVl NOTABILIA. Such passengers as might wish to embark at Venice, can do so by the usual steamers to Trieste, and will have to pay, besides the regular fares, for the passage from Venice to Trieste 10*. for first, and 6s. for second class passengers. Travellers who will be contented with the provisions on board, pay as follows : — 5s. for the first place, and 25. 6c?. for the second, per day. Luggage is received without extra remuneration, as fol- lows : — Belonging to first class passengers, to the weight of forty Vienna lbs. ; to second class passengers, thirty Vienna lbs., or so many pounds weight of luggage as they pay florins for the passage : for instance, a traveller book- ing himself at Trieste for Constantinople, has the right to bring with him (free) 1201bs. weight, if of the first class passage; and 801bs. if betake the second class place. NOTABILIA. :i s u ^ 1= =1 S t^ o.^ ^^ s:; s= -'^ S* ^ o — .:5 o 'hz: ^ S ^^- af> 8^ |2 o O 1^" o O iX) o - o a w o ^ S z ^ * « 'a C a a HO a O . (si < o X o o Ph ^ P g- O rt to a. Q o .5 o 0, fc O i c o ; III • ^-^ St: D, g O ' ^ o S (NOi»Cir50000aO : «-2 : ''■%S'^ s b.s-a . . 5 rs *2 rt 2 « 11 c • li 'S - b bC-Z : «s ij : : <: Q O Q 2 g ^ < c^ CO saniasHVjv NHOHoaq XXXVlll NOTABILIA. 1 < M O 1- > < Packet coming from France arrives at Civita Vecchia on the 4th, 14th, and 24th of each month, at 6 o'clock a.m. Departs from Civita Vecchia on the 4th, 14th, and 24th of each month, at 2 o'clock p.m. Packet coming from Malta arrives at Civita Vec- chia on the 9th, 19th, and 29th of each month, at 6 o'clock A.M. Departs from Civita Vecchia on the 9th, 19th, and 29th of each month, at 2 o'clock p.m. Packet coming from France arrives at Malta on the 7th, 17th, and27ihof each month, at 8 o'clock A.M. Departs from Malta on the 6th, 16th, and 26th of each month, at 10 o'clock a.m. Packet coming from Constantinople arrives at Malta on the 4th, 14th, and 24th of each month, at 3 o'clock P.M. Departs from Malta on the 8th, 18th, and 28th of each month, at 6 o'clock a.m. o 1 1 1 ^ CX) 30 t^ O CO (M O tv. ^C O «0 CO <0 kO CO iC .CX!t^ 1 o c 1 To Alexandria Constantinople Dardanelles. . . Leghorn Malta Marseilles .... Athens Smyrna Svra To Alexandria. . . . Civita Vecchia. Constantinople Dardanelles... Leghorn Marseilles .... Naples Athens Smyrna Syra viHDDaA vj.iAio vxivpv NOTABILIA. 1 5' ^,1 ,-i ^'i ^ es at each yth of 1^ 2 2 .IS 11 |2 J 1 'o,-^ 1j -^I "o = ''^■s -"!:; '"s '^ i^ 1 O < ^-S ^^ ''^ ^. g 2 ^1p ^1 fill ill 1 ='''i"00O-O«£:00'*O^00 (MOOCCTf^CdCq-^^CTf en TS V^— i^cq-HeocMoo C CO ^ i i^^oci^fNoaoTjiTjiooo aooo«o-o.oo — cot^coc^-^ccoooo-^o -•^* O C» 'O yD C^l M t^^Oiros-. -5- — QCt^iC •S3[! in III oot^coccc^. inif^-^t>.«o COt>.CCOOCiC<5COOO!r<5t^ aauu ma TfO-^C-l— ^o-^o^ — < •^O"^(M-H-omcn05 •aSeis od JO >'t>.C30»OOOOt>.Oil>.t>i-<* t>.oo»nir5aot^ODt>.0'!f sail JH : c3ii :::::: : • 2 -^ • • ; . •= Om 5 ~ O M aHm : M .2 1 l^lllJIiil < b u Q >-; S S ^; < c« c , s ^ 5 o c 1 ^ ^ H 1 VHAS SN3HXV xl NOTABILIA. §=: -^ %j: 6 1 « n 4^ «M n CO <: j3 ^ cij o .= s MYRNA Ith, at and 22 arrives ch mont and 30 §§ 5 2*5 S n <3l eDA chra 3rd, arriv id 28 8th, M. o w w Q Q < i w t coming from France arrives at S 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each mor ock, A.M. ts from Smyrna on the 2nd, 12th, ach month, at 5 o'clock p.m. t coming from Constantinople RNA on the 9th, 19th, and 29th of ea o'clock a.m. ts from Smyrna on the 10th, 20th, ach month, at 8 o'clock a.m. t coming from France arrives at th LES on the 3rd, 13th, and 23rd of ea o'clock A.M. ts from the Dardanelles on the 23rd of each month, at noon. t coming from Constantinople Dardanelles on the 8th, 18th, ar X month, at 7 o'clock a.m. ts from the Dardanelles on the 28th of each month, at 9 o'clock a. < Packe the o'cl Depar ofe Packe Smi at 8 Depar ofe Packe nel atl Depar and Packe the eacl Depar and ^•io«r>ica)Tt«ooocx)^cx: 0'*aoio»^>o«cocol ^CO— 'VO^C^l— 'i-^oo^ t^c30io-Ht^«oc.QO-^wooc^i>.«n-^»n| St)J KU i • 5 ^ • • : : CS.2 : • o ■-So?-' : xn ..lli CO 5 1^1-^ F= -s^-^s ~ cS • 1 ^ Q Alexan Civita Consta Dardai Leaho Malta . Marsei Naples Athens g =^5 5 ^-p S S g • Q o o eS H H s vndaivis sanaNVQHVQ NOTABILIA. Xli . - -3 ' ^fx Z'o -=" X •£ c ^^^ f- 9. K a fl «B td H «> i!^ d = Ui z^ . < S -5 O o o ^ . *J -= t>. < ^x ^ s Jo S^ O W 1 <5 S 2 w H6 5^ c 1 < in 1 5 « c '■* _ £ M 1« £ - £ ^ -^ ="« a§oo g o J ^^i; p < o «*- «« > 2 ! S i •»=*OOCSIOO^«5-<1<'*00:00 OQ0O«0«>(Mt}-4 >-H 1 1 C+J(NCOO-^(NiOCC-HO-H ■"^fMWTt-iMirico---^-^ § ^r)«00'.c(:i(N.i:oco.CO'*COCO T)-H -H — H Ot^O — Ot^iC^COM (NOO^OiOC^IOtNOO •831! ni ui (NC^iO«0(N-.^ooci'!fir5y5Tf< 1— < — H -H — < -H — < »M -H -H 1— 1 •a^Bjs od JO ■i2GOOO'*c»oooj(X)vniftir5 OJQ0t>.©00©C^t>.J>.t^ sajT !H c :•§ : : • \ .2 rt'8 s : OS ".S:S * w .2 1 o 1^1 i II J < 11 < i ^ ^ s .^ ^ 31dONIXNVJ.S>;03 viaaMvxaTV Xlii NOTABILIA. 18. QUARANTINE. By proceeding to the East, via the Mediterranean, the traveller inll only be subjected to one quarantine on his way to England, which will be at Orsova, of from four to eight days. If he is proceeding to Egypt or India, he will not be required to perform any; on the contrary, by descending the Danube, he must suffer at least seven days durance at Syra, or the Pyraeus, and the hke at Malta, and again on arriving at either Ancona or Trieste. The quarantine at the latter places will be avoided by proceed- ing from Malta by way of Sicily, through which beautiful and highly interesting country Mrs. Starke's Guide will conduct him, veiy much to his satisfaction. A traveller observes, that " no privation in life is so impatiently sub- mitted to as quarantine. All persons think it useless, when applied to the hving subject, except when disease exists. A prisoner in Newgate has the advantage over one in a lazzaretto. No regulation in civihzed society is more subjected to caprice. Vessels arriving in England from Turkey, have pratique after three days ; the same going to a French port would be subject to thirty days quaran- tme ; going to Semlin, which is only a few minutes from where contagion is supposed to exist, from four to eight days ; arriving at Trieste, after having made a sea voyage of perhaps ten or fourteen days, an imprisonment of a fortnight is imposed upon the traveller." REGULATIONS RESPECTING PASSENGERS IN THE FRENCH STEAM-PACKETS. Luggage. — Each passenger is allowed a weight deter- minable in the following proportions, viz. : — Within the Stations between Marseilles and JSlalta. 200 lbs. for places of the 1st class. 120 ditto 2nd class. 60 ditto 3rd class. NOTABILIA. Xliii And from any one of the Stations in the Levant to another in the same Sea, of which Malta forms the immediate point. 400 lbs. for places of the 1st class. 200 ditto 2nd class. 100 ditto 3rd class. When the weight of luggage exceeds the weights men- tioned above, each 20 lbs. or less above such weight, will be liable to the payment of one centime (about the tenth of a penny) per marine league. Children under ten years of age pay half the fare of the person in charge of them. For children above ten years of age, the whole fare is demanded. Carriages. — Eighty centimes per marine league is charged for the transport of a four-wheeled carriage, and fifty centimes per marine league for a carriage on two wheels. Dogs are admitted on payment of two francs for a tUstance of less than one hundred marine leagues, and five francs for that distance and upwards. J IliMiihecl lyF.C. IVeitlej. C7uZ
  • furnished at the expense of a people's privations; and the less noted masses of tottering Adllas, which skirt the Scoglio di Virgiho, unite the last modern casino of a tasteful English lady to the sites of the Mare- diiano, where stood the villa of Pollio, and the maritime retreat of Lucullus, which forms the extremity of the promontory of Posilipo — a savage rock, among whose \^ild entangled shrubs springs the Indian fig. Behind rises the hill where Virgil reposes. At Campo Santo, about a mile and a half from Naples, are 365 pits, one of which is open every day for the inter- ment of the dead. The bodies are pitched in quite naked, and slaked lime is thrown upon them. A more revolting sight cannot be imagined. Portici is four miles from Naples. Its royal palace, the favom-ite retreat of Madame Murat, the ex-queen, is well knowTi for its splendour, and for the extraordinary events which have occm-red within its walls, which Lady Morgan has so admirably described. Curiosities. — Of these, Herculaneum, Vesuvius, and Pompeii are the chief; for an account of wiiich the tra- veller should consult more ample sources, than the limits of this volume "will permit us to affbrd him. Amongst the natural curiosities are the Grotto del Cane and the Sol/a- NAPLES. 33 tar a. The first is a cave not far from Naples, which throv. s out a warm mephitic vapour, which is fatal to dogs if they are long exposed to it. The Solfatara, is thus described by the elegant author of ' T/^e Classical Tour:' — "The appellation of Solfatara is a corruption of sulphutara, and is given to an oval plain extending on an eminence, but surrounded on all sides 1)y an elevated border resembhng a rampart. The shattered hills that form this rampart are impregnated ^^ith sulphur, and heated by a subter- ranean fire. They are destitute of all verdm-e, and of all appearance of vegetation. The plain below is a pale yellow surface of sulphureous marl, throiATi like a vault over an abyss of fire. Its heat almost scorches the feet of those who pass over it, and the workings of the fm'nace beneath are heard distinctly through it. A stamp, or the rolling of a stone over it, rebellows in hoUo^v mm-mm's, weakening as they descend, till they lose themselves in the vastness of the abyss below. Sulphureous exhalations arise fi*om the crevices ; and from an orifice at one of the extremities a thick vapour ])y day and a pale blue flame by night burst forth vrvth. a murmuring sound and great impetuosity." True it is, that " in all the sublimer phenomena of natm-e, Naples is suri)assed l}y no country in the world." Hercu- laneum and Pompeii, the tremljling earth, the roaring volcano, and the desolating lava, are all proofs of this. TRIP FROM NAPLES AND BACK. Travellers will save much time and expense by follow- ing the subjoined directions, by which in seven days they will see all that is of importance in the neighbourhood. 1st Day : Proceed to Grotto del Cane, PuozzoU, Cumae, and Baia3. See the Solfatara, the Elysian fields, &c., and sleep at Ischia, where dinner and bed will be provided at a good hotel for one dollar. 2xD Day : Hire a boat to Capre; visit the rercains of the Villa of Tiberius and the Azure Cave. See the rums and picturesque scenery. See also the natives dance the Tarantala. Sleep at Sorrento, at the Coca Mella, an excellent hotel, where for board and lodging the charge is one dollar a day. D 34 MARSEILLES TO MALTA. 3rd Day : Hire a boat, visit Mafra ; see the ruins and picturesque scenery; and sleep at Salerno. 4th Day : Hire a carriage to Psestum, see the splen- ditl remains of temples, and return to Salerno. The hotel Victoria, kept by a Swiss, will be found very com- fortable. 5th Day : On returning to Naples, visit Pompeii, Herculaneum, &c. 6th Day : Visit Vesuvius, and the museum at Portici. 7th Day : Proceed to Ceserte, a distance of about thirteen miles from Naples. See the gigantic aqueduct and the royal palace, which, for the beauty of its architec- ture and its size, is equal to any in existence. Public Institutions. — In 1224, the University of Naples was founded. It covers a very large space of ground, and in the various departments many highly va- luable collections are contained. The library consists of 90,000 volumes, many manuscripts, and specimens of printing of the fifteenth century. In another department are the MSS. found at Herculaneum, with curious ma- chines for unfolding them. The other most remarkable collections in the university relate to sculpture ; and there are also many Etruscan vases, and numerous bronzes from Pompeii and Herculaneum. Naples has also a Royal Academy; Agricultural and Manufacturing Societies; a Botanical Garden, and an Observatory. It is celebrated likewise for its military and naval colleges ; for a school for Chinese and Japanese youths; and for an excellent establishment for the deaf and dumb. Amongst the charitable institutions are two principal hospitals : one for all persons who wish to enter it ; the other for foundlings and penitent females : there are also seven other hospi- tals. There are six banks for jsawning (Monts de Piet^) and thirty free-schools, in which boys and girls are fed, clothed, and taught some means of earning their bread; though education, properly speaking, is not attended to. Commerce, &c. — A good deal of activity generally prevails in the port of Naples : nothing but its own pro- ductions are exported, and these consist chiefly of fruit, oil, wine, sulphur, silk, and wool. Puglia(the ancient Apulia) produces wool, which the French and Germans hold in high estimation. Liqueurs, essences, and some little tim- NAPLES. 55 ber are occasionally exported from Naples. Manufac- tures at Naples are continetl to stockings, gloves, lawn, lace, diaper, and silk and cotton fabrics. Glass, fire-arms, and china are mauufactm-ed in considerable perfection ; and musical instruments, tortoishell boxes, tlie Vesuvian lava for brooches and other ornaments, carriages, and furnitm-e are also made at Naples. The import trade of Naples is generally brisk : it includes many articles of colonial produce and of Eurojjean manufactm-e. Literature. — Our limits will not permit us to expa- tiate upon the literary history of Naples, which abounds in all that can shed lustre on a country. Tasso was born at Sorrento, in the sixteenth century, on the south side of the gulph of Naples. Tansillo was a contemporary poet. At Naples Metastasio began his dramatic career in 1742. Vanini, who, for the freedom of his opinions, was burnt alive in 1619, aged 34, also studied here. Salvator Rosa was a native of Naples : but it would fill pages to enumerate the names of those of whom this city ought to be proud, and therefore we must desist. To Naples the Italian opera is indebted for that height of perfection for which it is now distinguished. The inimitable Lablache has a superb chateau near to the city. Hotels. — The Crocelli, Victoria, and Hotel de Russia all face the bay. The Hotels de V Europe and Sperenzella are not so well situated, but are the most reasonable, the proprietors of both being very civil and obliging. At the latter there is a table d'hote, vvhere the traveller may get as good roast beef and plumb pudding as in England. There are several caf^s and restaurants : the Cafe d' Italia, on the Toledo, is considered the best. Remarks. — The hire of a carriage for a day is two dollars; for half a day, one and a half dollar; or Is. 8d. the first, and Is. each hour afterwards: for visiting Pom- peii, the hire of a carriage is three dollars : for a carriage with four horses to Salerno, to wait there a day whilst tiie traveller proceeds to Pscstum, and to return the third day to Naples, the charge is twenty dollars : to visit Vesu- vius, a carriage is procured for two dollars : to go as iV.r as Resina, where Salvatori, the most experienced guide resides, who will provide horses to conduct the traveller to the hermitage, which is placed some distance up the D 2 36 MAFvSEILLES TO MALTA. mountain the guide is paid a dollar for his trouble, and each horse costs about two francs. The fare by voiturino from Naples to Rome, including provisions, is from nine to eleven dollars. The hotel keepers at Naples will contract to find the traveller board, lodging, carriage-horses, &c. on very moderate terms. Saddle-horses are charged a dollar for the entire day. Oranges are four for a penny : gloves, cane- sticks, coral, silver, and Vesuvius, or lava, ornaments, are very cheap. Without referring to the wonders, both of nature and art, M'hich present themselves to the traveller at every turn, we would recommend him, in an especial manner, before leaving Naples, to hire a horse and proceed up to the monastery of Camaldoli, from which the view is really enchanting : inspect closely the grouping of the figures, and the coloming of the ground of the frescoes in the Bom-bonica; and whilst there to see the loaf foimd at Pompeii, with the baker's name indented around it, crea- ting a surprise that printing should have remained so long unkno^^m; — also, to enquire for a secret chamber, where are exhi'oited a number of objects connected with Pom- peiian rites, not intended for the public eye. The traveller, ha^dng secured his berth in one of the steamers, may proceed at once between Scylla and Charybdis to Malta, or he may be landed at MESSINA. Situation. — Messina is situated on the north-east of Sicily, on a strait called Faro de Messina. The best part of the tov\n of Messina is an extensive line of buildings, called the Marina, v.hich faces the harbour. This range of splendid edifices was begun in 1662, and from it nine- teen openings led to as man)^ streets, to each of which was a gate. In 1783, these buildings were nearly all de- stroyed by an earthquake, but they have been rebuilt, and the Marina is again a delightful place of recreation. Since that period the town has nearly all been rebuilt upon a much improved plan. The principal public buildings are erected upon eminences, so that they are not only seen distinctly, but appear in pleasing contrast with the green forests and the pleasant villages which occupy the valleys beneath. Messina, like Naples, is paved with slabs of lava. Two streams are poured from the sur- MESSINA. 37 rounding mountains into the town, through which they floAv in courses, to which they are confined by stone walls. History. — Both the Romans and Greeks were acquaint- ed with Messina, and at different periods it has heen called different names, viz., Zancle, Mamertina, &c. It was ori- ginally a settlement of the Seculi, who were expelled by the Cumaeans, a people ambitious of commercial exten- sion. They were succeeded by some Samians, who, in their turn, were overcome by a colony from Messene, who changed the name of the island to that of Messana. Some soldiers, who served as mercenaries under Agathocles, re- turning to Italy from S3Tacuse, were received into ]\ies- sina : they killed the inhabitants, and took possession of the island. These soldiers were called Mamertines. To protect themselves from the Sicilians they implored the assistance of the Romans, which was readily given, and the first Punic war was the consequence, the result of which is well known. In 829, Sicily fell into the hands of the Saracens; but threw off the yoke in 1037. It subse- quently defied the whole Mussulman army, but was ulti- mately compelled to yield; and in less than twenty years after, it was rescued from the Mahommedan power by Roger the Norman. During the crusades, Richard I. of England and Philip xVugustus of France stayed here during the entire winter, on their way to the Holy Land. After various vicissitudes, in which the courage and suf- ferings of the Messinese were put to the severest tests, Messina was yielded to Lev.is, king of Naples; but it soon reverted to its original possessors. In 1672, the people rescued themselves from the Sjjanish power, and swore allegiance to France : they were, however, deserted by the King of the French. The Spaniards agaiii exercised sway over them with great cruelty. Tb.eir spirit thus became broken : in 1 743, a plague swept away half the population ; in 1780, Messina suffered for six months from an earthquake: in 1783, another earthquake of several months duration visited it; and in 1784, a dreadful storm destroyed almost all the other houses, &c., which the earthquake had spared. From this train of disasters, Messina has never recovered, although it was exempted from taxes for twenty-five years, and was declai-ed a free 38 MARSEILLES TO MALTA. port. For some years prior to the peace of 1814, Mes- sina was the head quarters of the British forces. Public Buildings. — The cathedral has an imposing gothic fi'ont ; and the roof of it is supported by an im- nense pillar of granite, which belonged to a temple of Neptune. There are also thirty convents, four seminaiies, fifty churches, foiu- libraries, &c. The royal and episcopal palaces are very beautiful buildings, convents are many excellent pictures. The Harbour. — There is not in the Mediterranean a harbour superior to that of Messina. It affords great p-rote'^tion to fleets, which have no difficulty of ingress, rnd which are, notwithstanding, fully sheltered fi'om storms. There is a strong citadel ; and the depth of the harbour is not less than forty fathoms upon an average. Commerce. — Not less than 10,000 pipes of wine, called Fnro, are annually shipped from Messina. Corn and fruit, vdth the other productions of Sicily, are .^Iso exported. The cultivation of silk-worms has long been pursued vnXh. advantage at ]\Iessina, in which city there are several ex- tensive manufactories of silk. The principal imports con- sist of colonial produce and British manufactures. ScYLLA AND Charybdis. — Between Sicily and the coast of Calabria, the traveller will pass Scylla and Cliarybdis, to which it is sufficient to direct his attention. MALTA. History. — The history of Malta has been even more eventful than that of Sicily. It was originally called Melita, and is, in all probability, the Ogygia, or H}-peria, of Homer. The earliest holders of the island upon record are the Carthaginians, from whom it passed into the hands of the Romans by conquest. Whilst under these two powers it was almost barren, and even water and fuel were very scarce. In 828, it was taken by the Ai-abs ; in 1190, it was siezed by Roger the Norman, king of Sicily -, and afterwards it became subject to Charles V. This Emperor gave it to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, when expelled from Rhodes by the Turks, in 1530. They forti- fied the island; and in 1532-.3, they were engaged in a war against the Turks : this was prolonged until the contest became merely nominal ; and the noble order ha\ing re- MALTA. 39 laxed in that energy which had been the cradle of their power and fame, the French took the island, with veiy little opposition, in 1 79S. A two years blockade placed it in the hands of the English ; and by the treaty of Amiens it was agreed to be given back to the Knights, under the guarantee of Russia ; and the non-comphance Anth this condition by England, was the cause assigned for the com- mencement of hostilities by France, in 1803. Situation, &c. — The island is about twenty miles long, by twelve broad. It rests on a foundation of white free-stone, in which are numerous fossils and petrifac- tions, Avith the remains of very large fishes. There ai*e a few hills, but the surface is generally level. It contains a greater population than any other tract of a corresponding size in the world. In 179Q, the number of inhabitants w^as 90,000. It is exceedingly fruitful, although the soil is generally not more than six inches deep, and has been conveyed thither from Sicily. There is no river, but there are some s})rings in the island, and water is principally collected in cisterns during the rains. It has no venom- ous reptiles, which is attributed to a miracle AATOught by St. Paul, by wdiich it was for ever freed from them. The coasts on the west and the north are naturally fortified by immense perpendicular precipices. The cHmate is not unhealthy, though the heat is very great. Language, — The Maltese speak Arabic, mixed vdth Italian. They are supposed to have been partly of Ai-a- bian origin. Character. — They are industrious and vahant, but exceedingly vindictive, and prone to jealousy. The City. — The old city was called the City of Nobles, and is situated on the highest point of the island, which is also nearly in the centre. The entrance is so strongly fortified as to be considered incapable of being reduced except by famine. Productions. — The best oranges in the Mediterra- nean are produced at Malta ; as also roots, fi-uits, and herbs in great variety. Cotton and materials for dyeing are also plentiful. When at Malta the ti-aveller can embark for any port of the Mediterranean. — See the Tariff. 40 PARIS TO ANCONA. SECTION 11. FROM PARIS TO ANCONA, BY GENEVA AND MILAN. On this route there is nothing to engage the notice of the traveller until he reaches Dijon, except what has been described in Route 1, as far as Joigny. DIJON. Description. — Dijon is in the department of the Cote d'Or, of which it is the chief town. The streets are ^A•eil paved and clean, but the town is didl ; the society, however, is excellent. It can boast of many fine buildings, although the cathedral is small and uninteresting. The principal part of the city is the Place Royal, which is in the form of a horse-shoe. The plain in which Dijon is situated produces excellent wines. Public Buildings. — The to\ra is entered by a tri- umphal arch. In the ancient palace of the Dukes of Burgundy are now united the Museum, the Library, and the Observatory. Such of the tombs of the Dukes as remain are truly splendid : one of them is supported by a number of marble figures most exquisitely sculptured. There are twenty porticoes to the church of St. Michael ; and the spire of St. Benigne is 370 feet high. The church of Notre Dame is looked upon as a model of gothic architecture. The library contains 36,000 volumes. The grand square is ornamented \dth an equestrian statue of Louis Xiv. The public walks are very beautiful, and the cmirs is considered the best in France. Productions. — There is a nursery for mulberry-trees at Dijon, and manufactories of printed calicoes, cotton, velvets, muslins, cards, and stockings. Its wax candies are very good ; as also a description of cheese equal to Stilton, and its corn and wine trade are considerable. Bossuet and some other celel)rated characters were born here. Amongst them was CrehiUon the poet. The population, including the suburbs, is about 21,000. Remarks. — The celebrated Burr/undy vdne is produced GENLIS— AUXONNE— DOLE. 41 in the country, between Dijon and Chalons. The large canal was finished in 1807. Hotels. — The Hotel de la Cloche near the church is an excellent house. GENLIS. This place has a neat bridge over the Norge. Close to it is a chateau belonging to the family of Madame de Gen- lis. This eminent authoress was born near Autunin 1746. Her beaut}' and her talents procured her reception into the best circles ; and the Count de Genlis, who had never seen her, but who became enamoured of her from her style of wTiting, oflPered her his hand. She had no for- tune ; but after her niamage became the governess to the childi'en of the Duke of Orleans. Her works form up- wards of ninety volumes : they are chiefly historical novels. Buonapai-te gave her a pension of 6000 francs per annum. AUXONNE. Shortly after leavmg Dijon the snow-capped summits of Mont Blanc are discernable in the distance. Auxonne is situated on the Saone, over which there is a bridge of very singular construction. The large sluice is to allow a free egress to the water in the event of an inundation. There is a school of artillery here, in which Napoleon stu(hed. The ramparts were erected by the celebrated Yauban. There is a cannon foundry here, and mills for making salt- petre and powder. Serges, wine, wood, and cloths are the chief commodities in which it trades. DOLE. History. — Dole was called Dola Sequanarum by the Romans, of whose works it still contains many remains. Until 1704, it was the capital of Franche Compte. The fortifications were destroyed in 1674, by Louis XIV. Description. — It is situated in a country which, from its richness, has been called the Val d'Atnour. The town is large and well built. Public Buildings.— The chm-ch of Notre Dame is worthy of a visit, chiefly on account of its massive pillars and the statues at the altar. The Palais de Justice is a 42 PARIS TO ANCONA. good building ; and a fountain representing a child, by Attiret, an artist of Dole, is much admired. Trade, &c. — There are coal-pits and iron-works in the vicinity : there is also a glass-house at Dole, and manu- factories of stockings. The trade consists of corn, wood, iron, and millstones. From Dijon to Dole the journey is accomplished by diligence in eight hours. Hotel. — La Ville de Lyon. Near to Dole the remains of the great Roman road, from Lyons to the banks of the Rhine, have been disco- vered. ' In the towa. itself are two Roman aqueducts, and the remains of a large Roman building. PoLiGNY is at the foot of one of the Jura moun- tains. The saw-mills and shambles are the only things worthy of being noticed. There is a manufactory of salt- petre here. At Mery there is a black marble quarry. Soon after leaving Poligny, the traveller arrives at the road constructed over the Jura by Buonaparte. Champagnole has several iron- works, and sends large quantities of ])rass vAve to Paris. Near to it are the iron--i^orks of S}i'od, which are very extensive. The Chateau Vilain, situated on a rock near 500 feet high, is also an object which cannot fail to attract the traveller's attention. St. Laurent trades in timber and cheese ; and the inhabitants of Morbier are supported by their manufacture of watches and cheap clocks. Mo REV. — Morey consists of one long street, which is in so narrow a mountain pass, that there is scarcely room for the two rows of houses and the street between them. The mountains rise on either side full 1200 feet above the dwellings. It has the same manufactm-es as Morbier, with the addition of tacks and pins. Le Rousses. — This is the name of a cheese-making ullage with about 800 inhabitants. The church is re- markable for its exceedingly elevated position : no church in the Jura chain of mountains is so high, but there are some few huts above it. The Swiss custom-house is at THE JURA MOUNTAINS. 43 he Roiisses. A tourist has remarked, that " if a quantity of water were divided into two portions on the side of the chui'ch at this place, one wouhi flow into the Mediterra- nean and the other into the ocean." THE JURA MOUNTAINS. The Jura INIountains are mentioned by Caesar, Phny, Straho, and Ptolemy. They are a portion of the Alps, and the traveller, a few hours after quitting Dijon, begins the ascent. A view, scarcely equalled in magnificence, is obtained from the summit, which places before the eye the rich vallej's of the Pays du Vaud, the city of Geneva, the silvery waters of Lake Leman, and the glaciers of the surrounding mountains. It is one of the most imposing spectacles in Europe. The inhabitants of the Jura are an exceedingly industrious people, and travel great distances to vend their cheese, &c. ; in fact they lead a complete wandering hfe. The harvest in the plains is abundant, but on the entire it is totally unequal to the support of the people. The pastures however are good, and excel- lent black cattle and horses are fed in them. In summer the small huts on the heights are used as houses for the herdsmen and as stables for the cattle ; but about October the people abandon these cliiF-homes, and reside in cot- tages which are erected in the lower parts of the mountains. The mnters are very severe. On the top of that part of the chain which is called Mount Joux, and indeed in other parts of the chain, are valleys formed by the moim- tains which are exceedingly pictm-esque. The most elevated points are the Reculet, which is 5200 feet high ; the Dole, which is 5178 feet; and the Montendre, which is 5170 feet above the sea. From the summits of these the iVlps may be seen for more than thirty leagues ; and in about the centre of the chain is Mont Blanc, which appears of an astonishing height, although it is nearly a hundred miles distant. The country is much infested with wolves and bears. In the lakes there is a great abundance of excellent fish. Travellers, who Avish to ascend the highest parts of the Jura, ought to sleep at La Cure, where there is a comfortable inn. Beyond it are high posts, which are placed to point out the road during floods which the mountain torrents frequently create. 44 PARIS TO ANCONA. Gex is situated at foot of the Jm-a, and trales in cheese. At about two leagues from this place is FERNEY, THE RESIDENCE OF VOLTAIRE. The house is still standing : it is a large square edifice. The gardens are extensive and beautiful, and from the apartments are delightful prospects commanding the city and lake of Geneva. Ferney is five miles fi'om that city. The inhabitants, who were Protestants, were compelled to emigrate under Louis XIII. and XIV. Yoltaii-e pm'chased the lands in 1762, and imited a number of workmen, par- ticularly watchmakers, to settle there. He also erected a chm-ch for their accommodation. He died here in 1778- It is unnecessary to detail the events of the life of this extraordinary individual. His house of Ferney is open for the inspection of the cmious. GENEVA. Description. — This is imdoubtedly one of the most interesting cities in Em'ope ; not, indeed, for the variety or beauty of its buildings, but for the scenery which sur- rounds it, the numerous historical associations which are coupled with its name, and the conspicuous part v> hich it has ever taken in the labours of literature or the struggles of religion. Pre%ious to entering the city, it appears like a number of country seats sm-rounded ^^ith lawns. This arises from the lofty houses rising amongst the verdant glaciers of the sm'rounding hills. The streets are irregular, but -vnde and convenient. They are, however, frequently dai-kened by arcades. There are some elegant dwelhngs in the upper town. The population is estimated at 30,000. The scenery is delightful, and the roads are excellent. The hedges and grounds bear a near resemblance to those of England; the former are kept regularly cut, and the latter are in a high state of cultivation. History. — Geneva was part of the empire of Charle- magne, and was subsequently subject to the Germans. The House of Savoy afterwards purchased the territory from the Genevese Counts, and ruled ^^'ith almost des- potic power. Dissensions ensued, in which the bishops took the principal part: they sided with the people; but GENEVA. 45 the House of Savoy got rid of their opiiosition by placing their own family in the Episcopal See. The people were mocked by being told that the government was republican, whilst Charles III. of Savoy had almost unlimited power; and at length violent commotions broke out. The people were divided into two parties — the patriots, and those who sided with Savoy, and to whom the name of Mame- lukes or slaves was given. The bright period of Genevan liberty did not da^^^i imtil 1526, when a treaty was conclu- ded, in consequence of wliich the Duke lost his authority and the prelate his power. A genuine republican govern- ment was then established, and the Reformed religion introduced. In 1584, Geneva became allied to the Swiss Cantons; and 1602, the House of Savoy made their last effort against it. That attempt, however, totally failed; but another war was the consequence, which ended in a year by a treaty between the two parties, which has never since been violated. During the seventeenth century there w ere continual struggles between the aristocratic and the democratic parties. In 1776, the government was a "mean between the aristocratic and popular cantons of Sv»itzer- land." Various disputes were agitated with great acerbity, relating to the representation, and to the exclusive privi- leges which the citizens claimed. In 17/0, eight of the lea(hng natives were banished for declaring that those privileges belonged not only to the citizens but to them- selves also. The intrigues of the court of France in- creased the difficulties of coming to any adjustment of the disputes; and in February, 17^1, a general insurrection broke out. The Sardinians and the French both supported the city : the patriots fled, and the old magistrates, &c., who had been displaced were restored. Lord Temple, then Viceroy in Ireland, was applied to by nearly a thou- sand of them, who wished to settle in Ireland. The proposal was received with approbation. Lands near Waterford were set aside for them ; but after the country had spent ,^30,000 on the plan, it was suddenly aban- doned. In 1789, the Genevese again resisted the autho- rities, owing to the high price of bread ; and a new constitution was established, which was a medium between that of 1/68, which was very democratic, and that of 1782, which was too aristocratic. In 1813, the old repubUc ^^as -1'3 PARIS TO ANCONA. proclaimed, to the great joy of the inhabitants, when the Austrians, under General Bubna, entered the city. In 1814, it ',vas admitted into the Smss Confederation, when it was declared " that all the Genevese are equal before the law; and that no patricians or privileged classes are acknowledged by the state." A council of 250 manage the pubhc affairs, and a smaller council of 28 are the exe- cutive. By the late treaties, the republic was increased by an area of 120 square miles ; and it now fm-nishes 600 men and nearly .^'1000 per annum to the Confederation. Manners and Habits of the People. — In Ge- neva, as in Scotland, education prevails. The people possess a highly moral character; they are exceedingly industrious, and objects of distress are rarely seen. The rate of remimeration for labom' is, generally speaking, high; and for such as are really in need of relief, it is a^orded from funds which are administered in a ^ery satisfactory manner. Laws exist which restrain liixm-ious enjoyments; and the city of Geneva may justly be declared one of the most industrious, moral, and intelligent in Europe. Persons of every class have a great taste for reading; and there are many excellent public schools and other institutions to supply the demand for kno^vledge which so hap})ily prevails. Trade. — The more extensive merchants in Geneva act as agents to an immense amount, and manage money operations in all the public funds of Em-ope. The staple manufacture of Geneva is that of watches, for Avhich it is famed throughout the world. Above 7000 persons are said to be employed in this branch alone; and there are also manufactories of chintz, linens, and woollens. Ma- thematical and surgical instruments are also made; and the jewellery and toys of Geneva have long been celebrated. Environs. — The cemetery must enlist the sympathy of every English traveller. Amongst the tombs are many to the memory of Englishmen who have died far fi-om their father-land. But there is one, which from the melancholy records it bears, must claim partieidar notice. It is dedicated to the remembrance of two Englishmen, Bracken and Campbell, who perished in a snow storm, on Mount St. Bernard, so early in the winter as the 4th of September. GENEVA. 4/ Bracken was 30, and his companion in misfortune was 20 years of age. Literature. — Geneva and its immediate vicinity have been celebrated as the residence of many illustrious cha- racters. The retreat of Voltaire has been aheady noticed. Cahin and Cassabon, Rousseau, Necker, Berenger, the Baroness de Stael, B5Ton,and Maria Louise all resided here. Hotels. — The hotels at Geneva are numerous and good. The first the Hotel de Berg. The Hotel Secheron is about a quarter of a league from the tov.Ti, and it is the most retired and expensive: the lowest dinner is 5fr. At the Hotel de I'Ecu, which has a view of the Rhone, the table d'hote is -4fr,, and the landlord exceedingly obliging. There are also several good boarding-houses at Geneva. Conveyances. — The dihgencefrom Geneva to Lausanne is 6|fr. From Lausanne to Domo d'Ossala .... 48^ From Domo d'Orsola to Arona Hi The steam-boat on the lake Maggiore, to Cesto Calench 1| The dihgence from Cesto Calendi to Milan . 6^ 74i THE LAKE OF GENEVA. The lake was formerly called Lemanus, and hence it is sometimes now called Lake Leman. It is nineteen leagues long, and fom- wide at the broadest part, which is near RoUe. The greatest depth is about 1000 feet. At a distance its Avaters appear of a beautiful blue colom*. It is subject to sudden storms, as is always the case with lakes in the midst of mountains. The Rhone rims through it from one extremity to the other, and it is never frozen over. It is remarkable for the influence of electrical clouds on its surface j and Mont Blanc is reflected in the water. excursions from geneva. These are very numerous and pleasant : Chammonix, Lausanne, Ferney, Byron s house, &c. &c. After nsiting the Mer de Glace at Chammonix, the traveller may proceed 48 PARIS TO ANCONA. over the mountains by the Col de Balme to Mount St. Bernai'd; and from thence he descends to Martigny, where, taking the dihgences which pass daily to the Simjilon, he mil save expense, and be 100 miles on his journey. MOUNT ST. BERXARD. The Great St. Bernard is much visited by travellers for the romantic beauty of its scenery. The summit is about 11,000 feet above the sea, and 8000 feet is the height of the highest pass. Here is a monastery, which has existed under thirty-four superiors for nine centuries, unchanged in its rules, and unrelaxed in its duties of hospitahty to travellers, who with their mules or horses are gratuitously entertained for three days. In very severe weather, the monks traverse the mountain in search of persons who may have gone astray. In this they are assisted by a peculiar breed of dogs, which, when every road has been blocked up by snow, \vill conduct travellers in safety to the monastery : even if a traveller has been overwhelmed these sagacious animals will discover him. Not far from the convent is a lake, formed by the tha^nng of the glaciers; and so far from enlivening the scene, it casts an adthtional gloom upon it. The waters, which appear black in their frame of snow, are so cold that no kind of fish can subsist in them, and it is too high to attract any birds; it is in fact the Dead Sea in miniature. Men and dogs alone have reached the summit of this mountain. The bodies of those who have died on the mountain are shevai in a state free from decomposition. The chain of Alps in which St. Bernard is situated has witnessed four mihtary expeditions, viz. : — those of Hannibal, Charlemagne, Francis I., and Napoleon. The latter crossed Mount St. Bernard immethately before his descent into the plains of Lombardy, where he fought the battle of Marengo. Charlemagne and Napoleon crossed St. Bernard to con- quer : the two others to be conquered. The Little St. Bernard is to the south-west, and its summit is 7200 feet higher than the sea. VALLEY OF CHAMMONIX. The verdant clothing of this extraordinary valley appears MOUNT BLANC. 49 in beautiful contrast with the wildness and variety of the surrouncUng scenery, the most conspicuous portions of which consist of vast ranges of mountains clad in eternal snows; gloomy forests of fiis ; rushing torrents dashing through the ^dilages which are scattered about ; vast rocks of granite and porphp-y ; glaciers of snovAy whiteness ; and pyramids of ice, which when shone upon by the sun produce an effect which cannot be either described or imagined. Mount Blanc can be seen from all parts of the valley. This giant Alp is said to be 15,300 feet above the Mediterranean. It was ascended in 1/86 and 17^7- The usual point of ascent is gained in about three hours, through forests of firs. The desolating traces of ancient avalanches are frequently met A^ith : large ti-ees laid prostrate, and immense blocks of granite overturned, mark their progress. From the part called Chemin des Chrystalliers, the appearance of the valley and of the town of Geneva is perfectly astonishing. In the Mer de Glace, which is a deep sea-green colour, are numerous hills of ice, from twenty to forty feet high. It is eight leagues long and one broad. On its banks rise rocks in the shape of pjTamids, which are called needles, and the summits of which are lost in the clouds. The Mer de Glace was dis- covered by two Englishmen, W}Tidham and Pocock, in 1741, who penetrated these retired regions without a guide. To make the excursion to Chammonix from Geneva comfortably, it should occupy three days. The first night the traveller sleeps at St. Martigny, where he leaves his carriage, and proceeds in a charaban, with post-horses pro\ided by the government. These vehicles are built naiTOw and strong, to suit the roads. On arriving at Chammonix, mules, at five fi-ancs each, and guides at the same price, are pro^dded to ascend the Mer de Glace. On descending, parties are generally too fatigued to commence a journey to Geneva on the same day. If a party of three or four be made up for this excursion, the whole of the expenses will not exceed j^2 each. A carriage from Ge- neva for St. Martigny costs twenty-five francs. If there are only three persons, one charaban is sufficient, the expense of which to go to Chammonix is fifteen francs. If there should be four persons, two charabans mil be re- 50 PARIS TO ANCONA. quired, which doubles the expense. A riding-horse for the excursion from Martigny costs eight francs. Persons intending to visit Milan should not return from Chammonix to Geneva, but should proceed to Martigny by the Col de Baume, already mentioned. From its summit may be seen the Vallais, the Rhone, St. Bernard, the Passages of the Simplon, St. Gothard, and the Alps of Berne and Unterwalde. This journey is accompHshed ■with mules in about twelve hours. The dihgence fare from Geneva to Milan is seventy francs. GENEVA TO THE SIMPLON. The dihgence proceeds along the shores of the pic- turesque lake, and in about six hom-s arrives at Lausanne. It was here that Gibbon the historian completed his stu- pendous work ; he finished it in a summer-house, between eleven and twelve o'clock at night, on the 27th of June, 1787. If, instead of proceecUngby thligence, the traveller takes the steamer at Geneva, he can see the prison of Chillon, Verney, and the places where BjTon and Madame de Stael resided. The dihgence may be taken at Vevay, where there is the tomb of General Ludlow, one of the judges of King Charles I. : the general resided thh-ty-two years as an exile at Vevay. Near to his monument is that of Broughton, by whom the sentence of death was read to the " martyred king." After passing through Sion, St. Maurice, and Martignay, the traveller arrives at Brigg, or Brieg, a village at the foot of the Simplon, where the vehicle stoi)s for the night, and where there is a toler- ably good hotel. THE SIMPLON. This mountain is the ancient Mons Caepionis, or Sem- prionii. It is one of the highest of the Alps, and sepa- rates the south of Switzerland from the Piedmontese ter- ritory. The traveller will be occupied t^velve hom-s in proceeding from Brigg to Domo d'Ossola; the distance is fourteen leagues. The road by which he will travel is the stupendous work which was planned by Napoleon, and executed at the joint expense of Italy and France. It was an undertaking of essential service to the whole of Europe, THE SIMPLON. ;A and has been properly styled the eighth Avonder of tlie world. It was commenced m 1801, and finished in 1805, not less than 3000 men having been daily employed : the breadth is nowhere less than twenty-live feet, and strong parapets are erected on the immense precipices along which it winds. There are fifty bridges and and several gi'Ottoes or tunnels hewn out of the solid rock. The only risk attending the passage of the Simplon arises from the occasional falling of avalanches, particularly in the spring. The road itself affords so gradual a descent on both sides of the mountain, that it is not necessary to drag the wheels of cai-riages, and hea\^ ammunition and artilleiy-wagons can pass without any danger or inconvenience. The highest point of the road is 6000 feet above the sea, and the summit of the mountain is 5000 feet higher than the road. The village of Simplon is 3216 French feet above the sea, and the Glacier Grotto 4690 feet. " When we consider the stupendous height, the numerous and appal- ling precipices with which it abounds, the impetuous tor- rents which deluge its declivities, and the tremendous avalanches by which its works are frequently rooted v.\) and its rocks overthrown, we cannot but acknowledge that those who, in defiance of such obstacles, could form a road exempt even from the appearance of danger, — capa- ble of braving the most furious storms, resisting the great hand of time, and conducting human beings, cattle, and carriages of every kind, in safety through regions of eternal snow, — we cannot, we say, but consider the men who ac- complished such an undertaking, not only equal ^^ith, but superior to the ancient Romans," in all that is requisite to constitute the planning and execution of a stupendous pubhc work. In the descent of the Simplon, the traveller will pass through a grotto eighty paces in length; beyond which there is a magnificent waterfall, called Frissinone. So lofty is the rock fi-om which the waters are precipitated, that they seem to fall from the clouds itito the bed of the Vedro which receives them. Shortly after passing this, the tourist arrives at another grotto of far more imposing splendour than that which has been mentioned : it is 202 paces long, and is cut through a solid rock of granite. On emerging from this grotto, a somewhat sudden turn in the E 2 52 PARIS TO ANCONA. road, another waterfall, even superior in sublime and awful beauty to Frissinone, is seen. An immense torrent rushes from the Gor(/e of Zwischbergen, and falls perpendicularly with such clamorous violence, as to impress every beholder with the conviction that farther progress is utterly impos- sible. Farther on is the still more sombre Gorge of Isella, sm*rounded by vast mountains with perpendicular sides, and each throwing forth vast torrents, which would deluge the road and prevent the traveller'sprogress,if they were not received into immense diains into the river Vedro ; that river, swoln and agitated by these streams, rushes furiously through enormous fragments of thssevered rocks — some- times exhibiting all the colours of the rainbow, and others forming vast and dark gulfs, comparable only to the Inferno which Dante has pictm-ed, or the Chaos which oiu* own Milton has described. But all efforts to render the toiu-ist famiUar with the scenery of the Simplon must utterly fail. It is there that stern Nature sits enthroned in all that she commands to excite terror or astonishment; and next to the wonders she herself has -wTOught is that unequalled work of art, which enables the traveller to come into her presence without apprehension, and to stand without fear amidst all the sublime grandeur of this her mountain citadel. DoMO d'Ossola. — This place is on the Italian side of the Alps, and the dihgence stops here for dinner. Baveno is on the Lago Maggiore, which forms so en- chanting a-picture. It is fifty-six miles long, and six wide, and 80 fathoms deep in the centre ; its banks are richly ornamented with forest-trees, ohves, oranges, and vine- yards. If the traveller is not much pressed for time he will make some delay at Baveno, where he will find a comfort- able hotel. He should hire a boat, and visit the far-famed palaces of Borromeo, situated in two islands of the lake. The boat will cost two francs (Is. 8d.) for the first two hours, and 5d. for each hour afterwards. THE BORROMEAN ISLANDS, OR FAIRY PALACES. There are two islands upon which the Borromean family erected palaces. The old palace was built on the Isola Madrea, and the modern one stands on the Isola Bella. The former is built on a rock, and the beau- THE BORROMEAN ISLANDS. 53 tiful grounds are all artificial. Some idea of the enchant- ment of the scene aaiII be formed from the fact, that here, mthin sight of the snow-crowned Alps which sm-roundthem, the shrubs of every clime are seen in rich luxuriance, with lemon and orange trees in full bloom or bearing. The latter ti-ee presents blossoms, and ripe and unripe fruit all at the same time. The tea-tree, the colfee-plant, and the sugar-cane also flourish here. " The rose \\'ithout a thorn" like^A-ise adorns the gai'den. This ancient palace is well calculated to impart to the traveller an exalted idea of the splendour which once reigned in its magnificent hall; but ** all that's bright must fade :" and this imposing record of the pomp of the " Olden Time" is rapidly sinking into ruin. After about twenty minutes roT^ing the traveller finds himself at the other palace in Isola Bella. It is inha- bited by the family of Borromeans ; but tourists are per- mitted to see it. The rooms are lofty and well propor- tioned. The paintings are very numerous, but the number of those which possess high merit is small. Some of the cabinets are very beautiful. The reception rooms are up stairs, and on the floor or basement stoiy are a suite of summer rooms, which sene as a cool retreat from the sun. The ceihngs, floors, and walls of these rooms are curious. They are formed of small stones in mosaic, and instead of mirrors, some large pieces of marble, of various colours and highly pohshed, are let in. Several pieces of sculpture are displayed ; and a sleeping beauty, large as hfe, is con- sidered most worthy of attention. The gardens ai-e perhaps more to be admired than those at the old palace. The manner in which they are laid out, the beautiful statues which greet the Adsitor at every turn, the grottoes and all the other ornamental arrangements, are in perfect keep- ing with the splendid internal decorations of the palace. Here is the largest lam-el known, and upon it Naj)oleon cut the word " Victory." The letters, however, have long been obliterated, but an excrescence on the bark of the tree still markes the place where the word was incised. The orangery is very extensive ; one tree, healthy and full of fruit, measures sixteen feet in circumference. The cork, cotton, and pomegranate trees also flom-ish here. The delightful walks skirted by lemon-trees will not fail to 54 PARIS TO ANCONA. command the attention of visitors. These palaces have been, and still are, denominated "Faiiy Palaces;" and every person who witnesses their pecuUar position — floating as it were npon the waters — their beauty, the taste which they (hsplay, and the historical associations which they recall, will at once admit that the appellation is well apphed. Having returned from the " Fairy Palaces," the tourist may take a steamer (1| fr.) to Sesto Calendi, and from thence proceed by dihgence to Milan. The dili- gence is always waiting for i)assengers who may arrive by the steamer. Or, if he prefers making the entire journey by land, he may reach Milan by Arona. By this route he will pass Somma, on the right bank of the TicinOy where Scipio and Hannibal fought their first battle. A R o N A is on the lake and has a strong castle. Upon an eminence is a statue of bronze to St. Charles Borromeo, from whom the hill is called, Monte di S. Carlo. The statue was erected by the Pope, in 1624, in memory of the saint, who was archbishop of Milan. The pedestal of the statue is thirty-six feet high. It is the largest metal statue in existence ; and the height of the statue itself is seventy- two feet, making a total of 108 feet. Fifteen persons may get into the saint's head, which mil also accommodate four persons, and a table on which they can dine. The cost is said to have been one million one hundi'cd Milanaise Hvres. As the grandeur of the Borromean palaces still proclaim, that family had formerly an immense influence in this district. Saint Charles was generally esteemed as a vii-tu- ous and charitable man. To designate the characteristics of certain branches of the famity, it is said, that " one Borromeo belonged to heaven, another to hell, and all the others to earth." Arona is advantageously situated for trade, and has a population of about 4000, with an excellent hotel. The adjoining country produces ex- cellent wine. MILAN. Description. — The capital of the Austrian Lombarr do -Venetian territory is nearly circular in its form, and is ten miles in ckcumference : it stands on the small river Olena ; and has a population of 130,000 inhabitants. The MILAN. 55 old streets are narrow and irregular ; but there is a great improvement in the new parts of the town, where the houses ai-e well built, and are from three to five stories high. The gothic castle of the Visconti family stands in the esplanade at the north-west, or principle entrance to the city. This esplanade was laid out as a garden, and otherwise ornamented by one of the Itahan viceroys. The fortifications are not very strong. The Cathedral is considered one of the finest in Em-ope. It is of Avhite marble, and was commenced in the sixteenth century. So great were the bequests to it, that ages passed by before it was finished. Charles Bor- romeo did much towai'ds its completion, but it was reserved for Buonaparte to fiu-nish it with nearly all its splendid facade, and with a considerable number of its celebrated 400 statues. The number of statues inside and outside of the cathe(h'al is said to be 4000. Not many years ago the ecclesiastical buildings in Milan occupied more than one-third of the city. Several of the smaller chm'ches are well deserving of attention, for the statues and paintings ivith which they are adorned. The cathedral is 449 feet long, and 275 feet wide. The obelisk above the dome is of the height of 238 feet. The stained glass windows are very much admired. Underneath is the tomb of St. Chai'les Borromeo, which is considered one of the most gorgeous in Europe. PuBLic Buildings. — We shall notice these without regard to their relative interest or importance. There are upwards of tliirty hospitals, and other charitable insti- tutions. The Ospelade is capable of containing 1200 patients, and has an income of 100,000 rix dollars. The Foundling Hospital receives about 4000 children. A Lazaretto outside the city is very extensive, but admits only such patients as are labouring under epidemics. The Arch of Peace was intended by Napoleon as one of triumph : it is of marble, and bears bas-reliefs of the battles of Napoleon in Italy. The columns are solid blocks, without either bases or capitals, and are thhty-six feet high. The horses and carriages are beautifully exe- cuted. It is at the point where the great road over the Simplon terminates. 56 PARIS TO ANCONA. The Corso is the Hyde Park of Milan, and displays more equestrians and better equipages than any other city, except London. In Milan nobody who has the means to ride ever thinks of walking. Palaces stand round it on the ruins of palaces and convents, and on the left of it is the delightful public garden. The building in the centre, now devoted to pleasure, was recently a temple of nuns, belonging to one of the most rigid of the orders. The Mint is on a small scale. The Library contains many valuable MSS. ; one is of Virgil, by Petrai*ch. It is celebrated as the Bibliotheca Ambrosiana. The MSS. of Leonardo da Vinci are called Codice Atlantico, from the immense size of the volume which contains them. The library was founded by Frederic Borromeo. It contains some splendid paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, and a bust of Canova, who was a native of Milan. The Arena, or Champe du Mars, is the open space in which the troops are reviewed. It affords accommodation for 36,000 persons. Charioteering, racing, and naval combats are the amusements here indulged in. For the latter, the arena is laid under water. Theatres are encouraged in Milan to an astonishing extent. Considerable ill feehng exists between the Aus- trians and the Milanese, which prevents that intercourse so general in other cities. Consequently, parties go to the theatres, and the result is, that the Scala is supported in a style scarcely, if at all inferior, to that of St. Carlos, at Naples. There are three other theatres. At La Scala there are seventy performers in the orchestra. The pit is large, very commodious, and respectably filled. The ad- mission is two fi'ancs : at the Theatre del Re, S^d. The Schools in the University, or Institute, are numer- ous : those of Painting and Architecture are famous. The Observatory, raised in 1765 by the Jesuits, is one of the finest in Europe. Remarks. — The INIarquis of Hertford and the Coun- tess of Semiloff, a Russian, entertain on a grand scale. The trade of the city is by no means extensive. Rice is the principal production, and the natives suffer much in the cultivation of it. The porcelain of Milan is beautiful ; and the manufacture of snuff and tobacco considerable. MONSA. 57 Hotels. — The Hotel Grand Bret ague is most fre- quented by travellers. Hotel Reichman, a German house, is kept by an obliging landlord. The charges are mo- derate : table d'hote, 3 francs. Hire of a carriage, 15 francs per day; from 12 till 4 o'clock, 7f francs. MONSA. Monsa is a few hoiu-s' excursion fi'om Milan, and for 20 francs a carriage to it can be hired. The old church has been erected ui)wards of 1200 years. The priests require travellers to produce a letter from the Governor of Milan; and upon payment of five francs any number of persons are permitted to see the rehcs v^^hich are preserved within its walls. The celebrated iron cro-wTi, which so many kings have w^orn, and which Napoleon placed on his head vA'ith his owTi hands, is seen here. It is fixed in a cross of gold; and in the same cross there is what the priests represent as small pieces of the cross upon which the Redeemer of mankind suffered. They also profess to shew a portion of the same sponge and reed as w^re used at the cruci- fixion. The Viceroifs Chateau and Gardens shoidd also be visited by the traveller in this excursion. The Hotel at Monsa supplies a tolerable dinner for three francs. The traveller who ^^dshes to make the best of his way to the east, will at once push on from Milan for Ancona ; but he who may be desirous of an excursion to Yerona and Venice, will take the diligence, w^hich leaves almost daily, and the fare by which is 33 francs. To Ancona the fare is 65 francs. § 1. — From Milan to Ancona. Mrs. Starke very justly obsei-ves, that the road from Milan to Bologna traverses a luxuriant country, which aboimds with fields of rice and every other grain ; vine- yards and streamlets for the pursose of irrigation ; and thsplays perfect neatness, without an inch of fallow land. We are told by Dionysins of Halicarnassus, that, in ancient Italy, the land produced three crops every year ; the vines were excellent, and required httle trouble to 58 MILAN TO ANCONA. grow them; the oil was delicious; the pastures were abundantly stocked with cattle; the mountains were clothed with fine timber, and contained quarries of the choicest marble; the forests swarmed with game; and the navigable rivers afforded a constant communication from city to city. All these advantages, and many more, beautiful modern Italy still enjoys. LoDi contains 12,000 inhabitants. The cathedral is a handsome one ; and on the bridge Napoleon gained one of his most important victories. The cheese called Parmesan is made here. After dusk the gates of Lodi, which are remarkable for their architectural beauty, are closed ; but the traveller will be admitted on the payment of a small fee to the guards. Lodi Vecchio, the Laus Pompeii of the Romans, was three miles from the present town of Lodi. PiACENZA w^as anciently called Placentia, and is de- lightfully situated between the Po and the Trebia. The cathedral, which was built in the twelfth century, is very splendid, and contains several superb paintings. On the side of the Po towards Piacenza is a custom-house, where a fee frequently has the effect of rescuing travellers from the delay and unpleasantness of being searched. In the time of Hannibal, Piacenza was a ])lace of great strength and importance. The church of La Madonna del Com- pagna and the town-hall are worthy of being visited. All the houses are built of brick. The hotels are good, and there is a tolerable theatre. The Via Posthumia ran in this vicinity, and the Trebia is sufficiently known to every scholar, on account of the sanguinary battle which was fought on its banks. Between Piacenza and Fiorenzuola the Appenine views are delightful ; and the Larda, which is always diy in summer, is passed. Fiorenzuola is a small town, but the inns are excellent. BoRGO San DoNiNoisso called after St. Doninus, who was put to death here. The asylum for the poor owes its origin to Napoleon. Near this place is Catel Guelfo, from which the Guelphs derived their name. PARMA— REGGIO—MODENA. 59 Parma is a place of great antiquity, it being doubtful whether it was founded by the Gauls or the Etruscans. It was formerly much celebrated for its wool. It is a handsome town : the walls are nearly four miles in extent, and the population is 35,000 ; but the city is nevertheless dull and melancholy. The cathedral has a cupola painted by Corregio, in his best style : it also contains a monu- ment to Petrarch. The church of St. John is a majestic structure. The other buildings are the Sticcata, St, Paul's Convent, the Royal Academy, &c. In the latter are an- tiquities from Velleia, which was about 13 leagues dis- tant. It was buried by a mountain falling upon it in the fourth century. The Farnesian Theatre, built entirely of wood, is the largest in the world. It A^ill easily contain 6000 persons, and some say 9000 : it is greatly out of repair. The new theatre was finished in 1830 : it is handsome, and will accommodate 2000 persons. At the Palazzo Geardino are five Cupids, the last work executed by Augustin Caracci. R E G G I o was anciently styled Regium Lepidum, from iEmilius Lepidus, to whom it owed its origin. It was here that Brutus was slain by Pompey's orders. Ariosto was born at Reggio ; and not far distant is Corregio, the birth-place of the immortal painter of the same name : he died when about 40 years of age. The Albergo Reale is a good hotel. RuBiERA is an old and decaying fortress. There is a fine bridge here, and a column, said to be in honom- of Napoleon. M o D E N A appears to have been founded at the same time as Parma. It is a rapidly improving town, and the promenades on the ramparts are delightful. In the church are some fine works of art, and the University has long enjoyed a high repute. The Ducal Palace is a splendid edifice, and contains numerous paintings of the highest character, by the best masters. The Duke of Modena detests the English, and has all the inclination necessary to constitute a tyrant. After the murder of Caesar, Brutus found an asylum at Modena. Hotel, the Albergo Reale, 60 MILAN TO ANCONA. Castel Franco is the first town in the Papal territories. Bologna is most pleasantly situated on the R,heno river, at the base of the Appenine. It has 70,000 inhabit- ants ; it is well built, and is healthy. The cathedi'al was built in 1600; and the Annunciation was the last work of Ludovico Caracci. The church of St. Petronius was built so early as 432, and restored in 1400. Clement VIII. crowned Charles V. in this church. Guido was buried in the Do- minican church, in which are some of his paintings. Lo Studio is a palace attached to the university. The Library is large, and the Museums extensive. The University once contained 6000 students, but its celebrity has greatly declined. Bologna is still, however, a place where literature, science, and refinement characterise the better classes. As a place for the education of youth it still possesses many advantages ; and for a permanent residence, it holds out many inducements which few other cities can afford. The Academy of Arts contains a small but exceedingly choice collection of paintings : there are several by Domenichino. There are also good collections at the Palazzo Marescalchi, the Palazzo Sampiere, the Palazzo Aldrovandini, the Palazzo Tanara, &c. &c. The Bologna theatre is very extensive ; and the facades of the numerous richly adorned palaces captivate the beholder with their splendour and beauty. There are two remarkable towers at Bologna: one erected in 110.9, and the other in 1118. Guido, Domenichino, the Caracci, and BenecUct XIV. were all born in this city ; and the phosphorescent stone is obtained from a hill in the vicinity. The church of the Madonna delta Guardia has a portico of 640 arches, erected at the expense of various institutions, jDublic bodies, &c. The burial-place without the walls, which was completed by Napoleon, contains the remains of Banti, the Braham of his day. If the traveller has time he ought to visit S. Michelle in Bosco, to enjoy its lovely views and scenery. Hotel. — Hotel Switzzera. I M o L a hasrisen on the spot where the Forum Cornelii, built by Sylla, formerly stood. It is at the entrance to the plains of Lombardy. FAENZA— RIMINI— ANCONA. 61 F A E N z A was formerl)' FaAentia, ^vhere Sylla overcame Carbo. Inhabitants about 1700; its ancient celebrity for earthenware has not yet altogether declined. At F o R L I (Forum Livii) there is a square, which for size and beauty can scarcely be equalled in Italy. Cesena is the last place on the Via Emilia. The bridge over the Sario is a s])lendid one. The city contains 10,000 inhabitants. There is in it a curious library; and some ancient tombs have been discovered on a neigh- bouring hill. — A rivulet between Cesena and Savignano has been mistaken for the Rubicon. Rimini was anciently called Ariminum, and was consi- dered of the utmost importance by Caesar. The magnificent white marble bridge was begun by Augustus and finished by his successor. Omng to the retiring of the sea from the coast, the ancient port of Ariminum can scarcely be traced. The town contains about 17,000 inhabitants. There are many antiquities in the neighbourhood. P E s A R o became a Roman colony in 568. Its climate, which was condemned by Catullus, is now very wholesome ; and Pesaro is a cheerful and healthy town. The best figs in Italy are gro\^Ti in the Adcinity. The theatre is a very superior one. About a mile from Pesaro is a villa which which was inhabited by the late Queen Carohne. In the gardens are two monuments erected by her : one to the memory of her brother, who was killed at Waterloo; and the other in honour of her lamented daughter, the Princess Charlotte of Wales. Fang is built on the ruins of an ancient temple of Fortune. The ruins of a triumphal arch erected in honour of Constantine, the cathedral, the hbrary, and the theatre, are the only objects worthy of attention. A pecuhar shell- fish is found on the beach. SiNiGAGL I A. — The Romans expelled the Senones, its original inhabitants, and estabhshed a colony here. In July a celebrated fair is held here. ANCONA. Ancona is situated 115 miles east of Rome. It was a Sicilian colony, and took its name from its shape, which 62 MILAN TO VENICE. resembles the bend of the elbow. The port, which the Emperor Trajan erected, was the finest in Italy, and is at present the see of a bishop : it is on two hills. The streets are narrow, and contain nothing worthy of attention. The Jews are very numerous. In 1797 it was taken by General Victor, but shortly after restored to the Pope. Two years subsequently it yielded, after thirteen days' siege, to the Russians. In 1801 it again fell into the hands of the French; and in 1838 it was restored to the Pope. It has a sugar refinery, and manufactures white lead brought from England. A great deal of soap is also made here. Its exports are wool, silk, ship-biscuits, sail-cloth, sulphur, fruit, alum, and soapj. The harbour abounds mth a kind of shell-fish, which are in high estimation amongst epicures: at Rome they are called " Dainties fit for Cardinals." The triumphal arch of Trajan is still almost perfect. At Ancona the tide does not rise above a foot. The traveller will receive every attention and civility from Messrs. Costantini, the bankers. Hotels en Route. — Lodi — Post House; Piacenza — Albergo delletre Ganasce, and the S. Marco; St. Donino — La Croce Bianca, and Albergo del Angelo; Parma — II Paone, is remarkably comfortable; Reggio — Albergo Reale; Modena — Albergo Reale : here is an excellent hotel; Bologna — Grande Albergo, Imperiale Albergo de S. Marco. From Ancona, the Austrian steamers proceed to the Archipelago, Athens, and Asia Minor. — {See Notabilia.) § 2. — From Milan to Venice. The diligence leaves Milan for Venice three times a-week. BRESCIA. The first town of any importance is Bergamo j and next, at about .30 miles distant, Brescia, which has 50,000 in- habitants. In the churches are found pictures by Paul Veronese, Titian, and Bassano. There is a small museum replete with interest, as containing an extensive collection of Roman antiquities, said to be of the time of Vespasian. VERONA— VICENZA. 63 The Campo Santo is also an oliject worthy the traveller's attention. The Hotel le Due Torri is a good one. VERONA. Verona is beautifully situated, partly on a hill which forms the last swell of the Alps, and partly on the borders of an immense plain, extending from those mountains to the Appenines. Some fine palaces, a theatre, and some religious structures, decorate the cit}'; but the Roman amphitheatre, erected by Flaminius, will be the great ob- ject of interest. Nearly all the circumference, forming the ornamental part, has long since been destroyed, but the rest is in a fine state of preservation. There are forty- five rows of steps, or ranges of seats, carried all round, and formed of fine blocks of marble ; upon which 22,000 persons may be seated. The traveller mil be disappointed in looking for Juliet's tomb, to find something which more strongly resembles a horse-ti'ough. The streets are spacious and well paved. A visit to the principal square will place all the best builcUngs before the traveller. PHny the Elder, Vitru\'ius, Catullus, and Cornelius Nepos were all born here, and statues or busts have been erected to their memory. The population is about 45,000; and silk is the principal manfacture in which they are engaged. It was originally one of Caesar's colonies. In 774, it became subject to Charlemagne. In 1796, it was added to Italy; and in 1814, it became again subject to Austria. Hotel. — Le Due Torri. Ices at Verona are good at 2d. a glass. Diligence from Verona to Vicenza, five hours ; Viceuza to Padua, five hours. Diligence from Verona to Venice, 15 francs, gondola included. VICENZA. Vicenza is a town and province of Austrian Italy. It contains 25,000 inhabitants. It is clean and cheerful, and the style of the magnificent buildings has been introduced in the fa9ade of Carlton Terrace. A great number of the nobiUty of Lombardy reside at Vicenza. The rides and drives are varied and delightful. The mansions are 64 MILAN TO VENICE. spacious, and all the necessaries and luxuries of life are cheap. A family with ^1000 a-year can Hve at Vicenza, in a style equal to that of those who have five times that income in England. The residents are exceeding affable. The buildings which attract most attention are princi- pally by that celebrated architect Palladio, who hved and died here. His house forms one of the sights of the town. Here are also the remams of an ancient theatre, which appear to have attracted the attention of Palladio ; but their insignificance never entitled them to general notice. In 1824, a young architect, named Migliorenza, took the neglected " Teatro Berga " under his protection, and WTote a dissertation on it, which was thought by most to be hypothetical and visionary, and gained him httle applause. The Archduke, however, the viceroy of Lom- bardy, entered into the views of Migliorenza, whose sagacity has been fully vindicated by subsequent exca- vations. In clearing out the Teatro Berga, several fragments of ancient sculpture were found, and have been deposited in the Palazzo Chiericati, which is now converted into a pubhc museum. The province is very fertile, and contains a population of 310,000. PADUA. Padua, the birth-place of Li^7, and w hich is still a con- siderable town, with 50,000 inhabitants and a university. The abbey of Justina and its church will be found beautiful specimens of architecture, while the piazza running along in fi'ont, is one of the largest and noblest in Europe. As Mr. Eustace justly remarks, Padua is still a great, and, in many respects, a beautiful city. Its circumference is neai* seven miles, and notwithstanding the general narrowness of the streets, many of its buildings, both public and pri- vate are truly magnificent. Several canals traverse the town. The arched saloon in the towTi hall is the largest in Europe. The palace of the Commandant is a charming structure. The university was new modelled in 1814 : there are 32 professors and about 300 students. In the dark ages Padua was an independent state; but it became subject to the Carrara family in the fourteenth century; and in the following century it was embothed in the Ve- netian republic, Belzoni the traveller was a native of VENICE. . 65 Padua;* and Lady Morgan's sprightly description of Padua is known to every English reader. The cafe is the largest in Europe. In the cathecbal is a monument to Petrarch, who had a villa not far fi'om Padua. Hotel. — Croce d'Or, excellent. From Padua the dihgence proceeds to Fusina, w here the traveller will be transferred to a gondola, w hich in about an horn- mil convey him to Venice, without any additional expenditure. The usual charge for a gondola for two persons, from Fusina to Venice, is three swansickers, or 2s. A carriage, with one horse, from Fusina to Padua, is fom'teen swansickers, or 9s. 6d. VENICE. "A thousand years their cloudy ^ving■s expand Around me, and a dyino; g;lory smiles O'er the far times, when maii^y a subject land Look'd to the wing^ed lion's marble piles, Where Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles." After the transfer of the seat of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, Italy was divided into seventeen departments, of which Padau and its \icinity formed one. From this time the invasions of the Goths became both more fre- quent and more dangerous ; and during that of Alaric, in the year 400, some citizens of Aquileia sought an asylum upon one of the many sand-banks at the mouth of the Brenta. It was only a few hundi-ed feet in extent, but being the highest of the group, it was called Rivo alto, or Rialto. Here they took up their abode ; but the place being destitute of vegetation and of fresh water, and the colonists being without the materials for buililing or for settUng the soil under their feet, theu- only means of sub- sistence were derived from fishing, and the sale of salt collected from the lagunes. Another invasion of the barbarians in 409, so increased the numbers of these immigrants, that the senate of Padau, wiiich appointed magistrates for their government, decreed, in 421, the founding of a city, and the building * Two Egyptian figures, presented by this intrepid traveller to the town-hall, are to be seen in the large room of the Palace de Justice. This room is much admired for its size and proportions: it is 300 feet long, 100 broad, and 100 high. F G6 MILAN TO VENICE. of ships for its defence. In 451, a considerable addition was made to its wealth and population, by most of the respectable inhabitants around flying hither from the hostile aggressions of Attila. In 679, a chief, or doge, with supreme power and the right of nominating his successor, was elected; and no material change in the government took place tiU the thirteenth century, and when he was deprived of the latter part of his functions, and the grand council, which con- sisted of 500 or 600 members, reduced their acting num- ber to forty, who delegated their power to ten, and these again to three, who were thus invested i^ith an uncon- trolled and unquestionable power over the hves and pro- perty of all. Upon the discovery of the ashes of St. Mark, in Alex- andria, in the year 810, they were conveyed thither, and the apostle was declared to be the patron saint of Venice. The Venetians continued to extend their commerce, and to augment their territories, until sixty islands, con- nected by five hundred bridges, formed their state. A group of mere huts became converted into a city of palaces : and though destitute of land, and of the means for producing the necessaries of life, with no other de- fence than their lagunes and their na\T, and a population never exceeding 200,000 souls, they grew up into a mighty republic, which was absolute mistress and queen of the Adriatic, held the balance of power in Italy, defied the European league, extended her conquests along every shore of the Mediterranean, and despoiled Egj^it, Syria, Turkey, and Greece, of their glorious monuments, in order to embelhsh her own proud palaces withal — " She look'd a sea Cybele, fresh from ocean. Rising- with her tiara of proud towers At airy distance with majestic motion, A ruler of the waters and their powers : And such she was ; — her daughters had their dowers From spoils of nations, and the exhaustless East Pour'd in her lap all g-ems in sparkling showers : In purple was she robed, and of her feast Monarchs partook, and deem'd their dignity increased." The Venetians were the first people in Italy who had printed books. They originated a Gazette in the year 1600, and the example was followed at Oxford in 1667, VENICE. 07 and at Vienna in 1700. They also undertook the dis- covery of America, and the passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope. It is worthy of remark, that since the regeneration of Egypt, under that astonishing man, Mahomed Ah, that coimtry appears Hkely to become again the route to the East, and to be the entrepot of the wealth of Em-ope and the riches of India. But the decHne of Venice was to be as extraordinary as its rise had been. The progress of manufactures in the west of Europe, while her's remained stationary, and the loss of the Morea, the Archipelago, and Cyprus to the Tm*ks, and of the Italian provinces to the French, at once put an end to her commercial empire, and paralysed her arms. She made an ineffectual struggle for some time, to regain her lost possessions in the Levant : but a series of disasters abroad, with increased administrative ten'ors at home, at length reduced her, at the commence- ment of the eighteenth centmy, to a state of mere passive existence, in which she ingloriously di*agged along, until the great council, threatened with external aggression, and fearing the violence of the people, whose rights they had so long usurped, declared the government to be de- funct, burnt the golden book, in which the names of the self-constituted aristocracy were inserted, and, ^nthout striking a blow in its defence, permitted the winged Hon of their saint to be supplanted by the eagle of France, amidst the enthusiastic shouts of the multitude ! * By the treaty of Campo Formio, in 1798, the Ionian possessions of Venice were ceded to the French, and the once imperious Queen of the Adriatic was made subject to Austrian domination — "An emperor tramples where an emperor knelt." " Venice lost and won. Her thirteen hundred years of freedom done, Sinks, like a sea-weed, into whence she rose !" Venice, however, is stiU beautiful in her ruins. * It is a curious fact, that during- the decline of the state, the num- bers of the priesthood and the vices of the people increased in an almost equal ratio— the former, until there was one priest for every fifty-four persons ; the later, until women sold their children, and magistrates enforced the contracts ! F 2 68 MILAN TO VENICE. " You may break, you may ruin, the vase if you will. But the scent of the roses will hang round it still !" The Piazzo St. Marco, and the adjoining edifices, form a grou]) to which Europe offers nothing in comparison. Around three-fourths of the Piazzo is the Procurative, or Arcade, oA'er which reside the Viceroy and nobihty ; and this is flanked by the Royal Mint and Garden. The re- mainder of the Piazzo is occupied by a tower, built in the twelfth century (from which Gahleo made his astrono- mical observations), and the church of St. Mark, wherein repose the remains of the apostle. It was began in 976, and finished in 1071. It is of the Greek and Arabic style of architecture, and is composed entirely of marble and mosaics, having 500 columns of the most precious and varied specimens of the former, including Oriental ala- baster, jasper, verde antique, and porphyry, some of which are said to have belonged to the temple at Jerusalem. Over the portico, are " The Bronze Horses," which 1500 years since were so highly appreciated for their antiquity and beauty, as to be considered the finest ornaments of the Hippodrome in Constantinople, These, and the Equestrian Statue of M. Am-eUus, in the Roman capital, are the only ancient monuments in metal now extant. The Palazzo Ducale, or Palace of the Doge, a continua- tion of the same range of buildings, is a magnificent structure, supported by an infinity of columns, every one of which has a different cap. It is approached by the Giant's Staircase, of pure Carrara marble ; the ornaments of which are chiselled with all the minutiae of cameos. Its interior, fi'om the massive carving and gilding of the ceiling, and the fine and valuable paintings inserted therein, greatly surpasses all oriential pretension ; but, like a Turkish seraglio, it had its secret council or divan, and its executioner's rooms — the waters of the Adriatic being substituted for those of the Bosphorus. In different parts of the exterior were placed lions' mouths, cut in marble, for the reception of anonymous accusations. It had also its inquisition, with thumb- screws, and other devices, to extort confessions; with cachots or cells, twenty feet below the canal, for winter ; with others called piombi, in the roof, for summer, to put to the torture those who were suspected of dissenting fi-om VENICE. 69 or questioning the decrees of the immaculate triumvirate. Lord Byi-on's description of this place is so much better than anything else that could be given, that no apology v^ill be deemed necessary for inserting it here. "The communication between the Ducal Palace and the prison of Venice, is by a gloomy bridge or covered gallery, high above the water, and divided by a stone wall into a passage and a cell. The state dungeons, called **pozzi," or wells, were sunk in the thick walls of the palace, and the prisoner, when taken out to die, was con- ducted across the gallery to the other side, and being then led back into the other compartment or cell, upon the bridge, was there strangled. The low portal through which the criminal was taken into this cell, is now walled up ; but the passage is still open, and is still kno\ATi by the name of the Bridge of Sighs. The pozzi are under the flooring of the chamber at the foot of the britlge. They were formerly twelve ; but on the first arrival of the French, the Venetians hastily blocked or broke up the deeper of these dungeons. You may still, however, descend by a trap-door, and crawl down, through holes, half choked up by rubbish, to the depth of two stories below the first range. If you are in want of consolation for the extinc- tion of patrician power, perhaps you may find it there : scarce a ray of light glimmers into the narrow gallery which leads to the cells, and the places of confinement themselves are totally dark. A small hole in the wall admitted the damp air of the passages, and served for the introduction of the prisoner's food. A wooden pallet, raised a foot fi-om the ground, was the only fiu-nitm-e. The conductors tell you that a light was not allowed. The cells are about five paces in length, two and a half in width, and seven feet in height. They are directly beneath one another, and respiration is somewhat difficult in the lower holes. Only one prisoner was found when the Republicans descended into these hideous recesses, and he is said to have been confined sixteen years. But the inmates of the dungeons beneath have left traces of their repentance, or of their despair, which are still visible, and may, perhaps, owe something to recent ingenuity. Some of the detained appear to have ofi'ended against, and others to have be- longed to, the sacred body, not only from signatures, but 70 MILAN TO VENICE. from the churches and belfries which they have scratched upon the walls." The interior of most of the palaces and churches in Venice are so adorned with chef-d'oeuvi-es, in sculpture and painting, that they would occupy the traveller's attention for any length of time. None of the numerous magnificent structm-es and repositories of which Venice can boast, ought to escape the tourist, if he have time to examine them in detail; but presuming that not to be the case, we strongly recommend him to visit the Academia della Belle Arti, Barbarigo, Pisani, Manfrini, Vice R^ and Ducal palaces ; St. Giovanni e Paolo, St. Georgio Maggiore, Redentore, Gesuiti, Scalzi, della Salute, St. Rocco, and St. Zeminiano churches ; the Armenian convent ; two granite columns, brought from the Archipelago, one sup- porting a saint, and the other the winged hon ; and the Arsenal, at the gate of which is seen the hon of the Piraeus. Amongst the curiosities are several thumbscrews, and a model of the Bucentaur. The ground w^as rescued from the sea, and formed into a garden by Napoleon. Venice is well situated for an occasional torn'. It has a fine and agreeable climate, and the palace of a doge may be rented at less than ^60 a-year, and a box at the opera — to which only those of Naples and Milan are su- perior — for half that sum. The gondola, which supersedes the carriage, with two men, who officiate as servants, entails an expense of but four shillings a day ; and for the supjily of necessaries and luxuries, " the merchant of Venice" enjoys all the advantages of a free port. Yet, notwithstanding all this, as w ell as the hospitality with which strangers are treated, the amusement to be derived from either of five theatres, concerts, and nightly soirees, Venice is little resorted to. The reason of this does not lie very deep. " A stranger may soon dehght in Venice, but I doubt if he could ever feel at home. Every hour would be a contradiction to his whole past existence. There must be thousands here who never saw a hill, or a wood, or an ear of corn growing, or a vineyard, or a green field, or heard a bird sing, except in a cage, or slaked their thirst, even in this thirsty climate, at a spring- head, or saw its waters bubbling from out the earth : spring water, like other luxuries, is an importation. VENICE. 71 •" Ever3l;hmg at Venice is dreamlike : what is more so than to walk on the Rialto, where Antonio spat on the Jew's gaberdine ? — to stand where Othello addressed the assembled senate ? — to lose yourself in search of old Priuli's palace? And for realities, go to St, Mark's of an evening; see its fine square in all its marble beauty ; the domes and minarets of its old church ; the barbaric gloom of the doge's palace ; its proud touring campanile : look upon the famous Corinthian horses, and think of their emigra- tion; on the mnged lion of the Piraeus; — walk in the illumination of its long line of caf^s ; — observe the variety of costume, — the thin veil covering the pale Venetian beauty ; — the Turks mth their beards, and caftans, and long pipes, and chess-playing ; the Greeks v^dth their skull-caps and richly laced jackets : — look at this and be- lieve it real, and ever after put faith in the Thousand and One Tales. " Venice is in everything delightful. It is the most picturesque city in Europe, and full of character and variety. In its palaces and public buildings, you may read sermons in stones. The history of Venice is written upon her front, from the rude, massy, frowning architec- ture of barbarism and power, to modem elegance and imbecihty." But A^ith all this, Venice, as already intimated, is an unintelhgible place ; strange and perplexing in everything to the stranger, who can scarcely accommodate himself to scenes and circumstances so different to all he has ever seen and experienced before. It has been hastily said, that " it is not merely that there are canals and gondolas ; that it is all canal and all gondola. It can be likened to nothing but a large fleet, wind-bound; you order your boat and roAv round, and all that are at leisure do the same." — How can a being, who all his life long has been used to riding and walking, settle do\Mi in a short time to so altered a mode of life ? The Venetians are a lively, ingenious, and generous people, extravagantly fond of amusements, and much ad- dicted to humour. The fair sex are given to great levity of manner, and no woman thinks it corame il faut to be seen much in the society of her husband, or to be thought living -without a cavalihe servente. Lord Byron says. 72 MILAN TO VENICE. " The general state of morals here is much the same as in the doge's time : a woman is virtuous who limits herself to her husband and one lover; those who have more are considered a little wild or diffuse. Love, in this part of the world is no sinecure, changing or going upon re- newed leases. The carnival of Venice is the season when every body makes up their intrigues for the ensuing year, and cuts for partners for the next deal." The carnival, however, is no longer what it was. Out of doors, it is confined to a few miserable masked figures, the characters being supported only by the lower orders. In society, it is somewhat better ; and the balls and soirees are kept up with great spirit, when the travel- ler, if at Venice, will have to bear testimony to their hospitahty. The city is about two miles long. The Venetians ex- cel in making gold chains, which exceed all others in fineness and dehcacy. Beautiful ear-rings, necklaces, and other trinkets are made from the shells of the Adriatic, which the Venetians sell at a very cheap rate. Lodgings are much easier to be obtained, and the charge for them is still less since the Emperor of Austria visited Venice, after his coronation at Milan in 1838. The Hotels at Venice are the Lioni Bianci, DanielVs, and the Europa. The first-mentioned of these is the most reasonable ; and at the last there is a table d'hote every day at five o'clock. Conveyance. — Places can be taken at Venice for Milan in the dihgence, which runs in connexion with the gondola to Maestre. Messrs. Holmes and Co., the Enghsh bankers, whose house is always open for the reception and entertainment of respectable travellers, Avill furnish the earhest and most ample information relative to the sailing of steam-boats in the Adriatic, the Levant, or the Ued Sea, and Tvdll cash bankers' bills or circular notes, whether they be addressed to their firm or not. They will likewise take charge of any consignments to or from any part of the globe. Too much cannot be said of the obliging civihty which is ma- nifested by the gentlemen of this firm. At Venice the traveller can take a steamer in the evening at nine o'clock, and arrive at Trieste the next morning at six TRIESTE. 73 o'clock, from which place the Austrian steamers proceed to the East, touching at Ancona. — See the Tariff, p. 75. As we have before stated, if he mtends proceefUng im- mediately from Trieste to the Mediterranean, he should pay his fare throughout, and take a proper receipt, as by dividing the payments he is subjected to a loss. TRIESTE. Trieste is a large, clean, well-built, handsome city, of cosiderable commercial importance, and \\ith upwards of 50,000 inhabitants. In 1730, the Austrians determined upon making it a naval port, and declared it to be free. The pope did the same by Ancona, and the emperor by Venice. It is situated at the extremity of a bay in the Adriatic, and offers one of the best harbours for shipping in the Mediterranean, and is the point of depai'tm-e of the Austrian steamers for the Mediterranean. It is a newly built city, and has no other pursuits than those of com- merce. As a to^^'n it offers but little which mil interest the curious. The hotels are large, and the charges moderate. The theatre is highly creditable to the town, not only from its appearance, but from its management, and the way in which it is supi)orted. Near to it are several excellent and cheerful caf^s, celebrated for their coffee and ices. The warehouses are extensive, and the shops appear to be well suppUed with the productions of other nations : English goods are particularly plentiful, but they are all of a miserable quality. Too often our goods, which are manufactm-ed for foreign markets, are intended more for the eye than for use. The population of Trieste is near 50,000. Every European trading nation has a consul residing at Trieste. Coal is found in the neighbourhood. Trieste is to southern, what Hamburgh is to northern Germany. It is daily increasing in com- merce and wealth; and about 1000 large merchantmen, with 800 coasters, annually leave its port. The language most commonly spoken is the Italian, and in the public offices German is used. In the old town the streets are very narrow and dirty. The new tOTMi is nearest to the harbour, and consists of broad airy streets and well-built white mansions. By means of a broad canal which runs through the city, merchants can unload vessels at their 74 MILAN TO VENICE. OTMi doors. The best building in the to^^^l is the Ex- change. The Piazetta di Ricardo is said to have received its name from Richard Cceur de Lion : it is a small square, in which he is supposed to have been confined on his retm-n from the Holy Land. The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Justin, and is very ancient. The mosaics are rich, and the form is round, corresponding \^'ith the Byzantine style. The new Lazaretto is out of the to^Mi, and is one of the most extensive, as it is most assuredly one of the best directed in Europe. It is approached by a separate harbour, in which 60 vessels can lie ; 200 persons can be accommodated in the building, and the wall round it is about twenty feet high. There is a tribunal of commerce, before which all commercial disputes are arranged, subject to certain laws, without anj^ appeal to law com-ts of the ordinary character. Delay and great expenses are thus avoided; and there is httle doubt that more substantial justice is rendered to all parties. The chmate is very changeable ; and the traveller who seeks for a shade from the oppressive -winds which assail Trieste will be sadly disappointed. Many English reside here : they have erected a chapel, in which Divine service is performed as in their own country. Various vAines and hqueurs can be bought cheap at Trieste. Steamers go to Venice twice a-week or oftener, and the fare is about five florins. There is now a constant communication by steam ^dth the eastern world : those to Constantinople, corresponding ^vith others on the Black Sea and the Danube, completely round to the Austrian capital. There is an eil wagon to Vienna twice a-week, and a post-wagon every day by Adelsburg and Gratz. A pleasant excm-sion for three or fom- days, by water or by land-journey, may be made to Pola, a mass of Roman remains in great perfection. At Zara the famous maras- chino is made ; and at Spalatra, are the ruins of the palace of Dioclesian. At Adelsburg, there is the most striking cavern on the continent : it is incomparably finer than that at Antiparos. Sir Thomas Sorrel, the consul-general at Trieste, is remarkable for his hospitality to his countrymen, and for his zealous discharge of his duties. LLOYD'S AUSTRIAN TARIFF. 75 The traveller wll find the greatest attention from Messrs. Morel, Ernst, and Co., bankers. The Schwartzen Alder is a good hotel. There is a table d'hote. From Trieste, the Austrian steamers proceed for the East, according to the following Tariff : — LLOYD'S AUSTRIAN TARIFF. PRICE OF 1st Cab. From £ s. Trieste to Ancona 1 17 „ Corfu 6 4 „ Patras 7 16 „ Island of Candia 10 Athens 10 S>Ta 10 „ Smyrna 11 6 „ Dardanelles 11 6 „ Constantinople 12 10 „ Alexandria 13 Ancona, Corfu 4 12 „ Patras 6 4 „ Island of Candia .... 8 16 „ Athens 8 16 „ S}Ta 8 16 „ Smp'na 10 8 „ Dardanelles 10 8 „ Constantinople 12 Alexandria 12 10 Corfu, Patras I 12 „ Island of Candia .... 4 14 „ Athens 4 14 Sp-a 4 14 „ Smyrna 6 6 „ Dardanelles 6 6 „ Constantinople 8 8 „ Alexandria 8 18 CABIX. 2d Cab. £ s. 1 2 4 4 5 6 6 16 6 16 6 16 7 14 7 14 8 10 8 18 3 2 4 4 5 18 5 18 5 18 7 7 8 2 8 10 1 2 3 4 3 4 3 4 4 6 4 16 5 16 6 76 MILAN TO VENICE. PRICE OF 1st Cab. From £ s. Patras to Island of Candia . . . . 3 18 „ Athens 3 18 Syra 3 18 „ Smyi'na 5 14 „ Dardanelles 5 14 „ Constantinople 7 12 „ Alexandria 8 8 Island of Candia, „ Athens 1 18 Syra 1 12 „ Smyrna . 3 4 „ Dardanelles 3 16 „ Constantinople 5 14 „ Alexandria 5 2 Athens, „ Syra 10 „ Smyrna 2 12 „ Dardanelles 3 4 „ Constantinople 4 10 „ Alexandria 6 6 Syra, „ Smyrna 1 18 Dardanelles 2 10 „ Constantinople 3 16 „ Alexandi'ia 5 12 Smyrna, „ Dardanelles 1 18 „ Constantinople 3 2 „ Alexandria 6 18 Dardanelles, „ Constantinople 1 18 „ Alexandria 7 10 8 16 Notices to Passengers. Children under 10 years of age, not requiring a separate bed, pay half-price. The weight of luggage allowed to each passenger, is fixed at 40 killogrames for the first cabin ; 30 for the second. LLOYD'S STEAM BOAT. 77 Over-weight pays accovdint)? to the Tariff. Provisions for passengers of the first cabin, 5s. a-day. It con- sists of a cup of black coffee, early in the morning. Breakfast, at twelve o'clock, consists of tea, coffee, and two dishes, one hot, the other cold. Four o'clock, dinner, consists of soup, four hot dishes, with wine, &c. In the evening, tea or coffee. Second cabin, 3s. per day.— The provisions will be served in proportion to the other. Liqueurs, spii'its, or anything required, may be had onboard, at prices that will be seen on a Tariff. "The traveller must declare, on taking his place, whether he avails himself or not of this accommodation, and pay for the same in advance. If a ti-aveller, having engaged for the whole voyage, on ar- riving at any port, feels disposed to stay there, and avail himself of the next boat belonging to the company that may arrive there, for continuing his voyage, he is at liberty to do so, if, on ar- riving he immediately states such intention to the captain ; without which declaration he would lose his passage-money. In no case can this privilege be extended to a longer period than two months. Lloyd''s Steam-boat. The company announce that, in addition to the regular com- munication of twice a-month, from Trieste to Ancona, they have provided two additional steamers to this station, as also two others to proceed to the Levant ; so that now there is commu- nication, by steam, between Trieste and Ancona, four times a month. The voyage occupies about sixteen hours. A traveller, leaving Vienna with the velocifero, or post-coach, and embarking at Trieste for Ancona, will there find a diligence for Rome, where he may arrive the fifth day after his departure from Vienna, and the sixth day he may reach Naples. Lloyd^s Lines of Route for Steam-boats, are as follow: — From Trieste to the Levant, the 1st and 16th of every month. They leave Trieste at four o'clock in the afternoon, and touch at Ancona, Corfu, Patras, Athens, and arrive 'at Syra, where they form a junction with the steamer of the 5th and 20th, which leaves Constantinople 5th and 20th of every month for Syra, touching at the Dardanelles and Smyrna. From Syra, one returns to Trieste and the other to Constan- tinople, touching at the intermediate points: in returning, the steamer touches at Ancona the 2nd or 3rd, 17th or 18th of every month ; but coming from Syra are subject to quarantine. From Trieste to Ancona.— The 8th and 24th of every month, at four o'clock p.m., steamers leave Trieste direct for Ancona, which they leave again the 10th and 26th ; and are never detained by any quarantine regulations. From Trieste to Dalmatia.— From March to October, a steamer leaves Trieste the 5th and 20th of every month ; in the 78 PARIS TO MUNICH. other four months, from November to February, they leave only once a month, the 5th, and extend the voyage to Cattaro; touching, in returning, the ports of Lussin-Piccolo, Zaro, Se- benico, Spolato, Lesina, Curzola, and Ragusa. Between Trieste and Venice. — A steamer leaves regularly three times a-week, from Trieste for Venice : Tuesday, Thurs- day, and Saturday, in the evening. From Venice for Trieste, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The voyage is generally made in nine hours. Steamers leave Trieste for Syra, touching at Ancona, Corfu, Patras, and Athens, the 1st and 16th of every month, at four o'clock in the afternoon, where they form a junction with the Austrian steamers, which arrive there from Constantinople on the 5th and 20th, having called at the Dardanelles and Smyrna. SECTION III. FROM PARIS TO MUNICH. There are two routes to be described under this section : § 1, By way of Nancy j § 2, By way of Metz and Frank- fort. Chapter I. MUNICH, VIA NANCY. There is little between Paris and Nancy to engage the traveller's attention. Void trades in cattle and cheese. TouL is situated on the Moselle, and the country abounds 'with excellent -wines. It contains several military institutions founded by former bishops. The old Ejjis- copal Palace is a good building. The Catlietlral is not a bad specimen of the gothic : it was commenced in 965, but it was not completed till 1446. Strong china is made here ; but the principal articles of commerce are brandy and wines. NANCY. History. — Nancy owes its origin to the first Duke of Lorraine, previously Ladislaus, king of Poland. He was related to Louis XV. of France ; and upon taking up his residence in that country he received this dukedom. It was built in the eleventh century. Description. — It is a large and handsome iovm, and NANCY. 79 is considered one of tlie most beautiful in France. The streets are broad and handsome, and the squares spacious. Fountains are numerous, and the }3romenades dehghtful. Buildings. — The Mnseum contains some good paint- ings. In the Cathedral are the splendid tombs of the Dukes of Lorraine. In one of the churches in the old town is the marble mausoleum of King Stanislaus of Poland : it is one of Girardin's best works. There are eight hospitals at Nancy, an exchange, a theatre, &c. The Place Royalis well deserving of a visit. The Library- contains 23,000 volumes ; and there is also a good bo- tanical garden. Remarks. — Callot the engraver, PalHsot St. Lambert, a philosopher and poet, mth Molt^vant, and some other men of science, were born here. Nancy is a bishopric and a post-tov^n ; population, about 30,000. Trade, &c. — It is celebrated for embroidered collars and handkerchiefs. For types, cloths, and liqueui's it is also famous. ' Hotel. — Le Petit Paris. Lu NEVILLE. — Luneville is a very neat town. On the Place Neuve is a beautiful fountain. Attached to the barracks is a riding-school, in which 200 men can exercise on horseback. The court of the Dukes of Lorraine was formerly held here. In 1801, a treaty of peace between Austria and France was concluded at Lune^^lle. The Mar- quise de Chatelet, Voltau-e's heroine, was buried here. It manufactiu-es gloves, coarse stockings, cloths, &c. Hotel. — La Poste. Eperney is famed for its champagne. If, whilst changing horses, the traveller is induced to taste it he will be astonished at the inferiority of its quality : this is not surprising, as all the best is destined to foreign markets. It has often been remarked that champagne, like most French wines, is better in London than in France : but the traveller is strongly recommended to see the cellars belong- ing to the principal houses at Eperney. The wTiter knows of no journeys of equal length, excepting perhaps those from Paris to Metz and Lyons, which are so dull and un- interesting as those from Nancy to Strasburg. The winds from the Vosges cause the route to be exceedingly cold 80 PARIS TO MUNICH. and bleak. The Vosges mountains are supposed to be the oldest knoT\Ta, and the valleys are considered very fertile. From a part of the road on this route may be seen, the Vosges, the Jura, the Alps, and the Black Forest, At Blamont, on the Vezouze, there are manufactures of china, glass-houses, and mineral waters. STRASBURG. History. — Strasburg existed prior to the Christian era, and was kno'W'n to the Romans as Argentoratum. It received the principles of the Reformation very early ; and even to the latter end of the seventeenth century, its inha- bitants were mainly Protestant. During the late war it was more than once the scene of bloody contests. Description. — This fi'ontier town is pleasantly situ- ated on the river 111, and is a town of considerable strength. It is much divided by canals, over which there are bridges. The houses are high, but hea-sy and sombre ; and with few exceptions the streets are narrow. There are some good buildings in the Place (TArmes, which is a large square. The town is semicircular ; and in the subm'bs there are some pleasant promenades. The plain of Hohenlinden is near. Churches. — The cathedi-al is a much admii-ed speci- men of the gothic. There are 635 steps to the tower, which is 549 feet high. The largest of the Egyptian PjTamids is only one yard higher. The lower fagade, and the stained glass windows of the cathedral, command the admu'ation of every ^dsitor. From the summit of the tower, said to be the highest in Europe, the %dew is absolutely enchanting, and commands the smTOunding country, the Rhine, the Black Forest, &c. The tower was 150 years in building. Some time ago it suffered con- siderably from a thimder- storm. The church of St. Thomas contains the tomb of Marshal Saxe, erected in 1777, by Pegalle, by the orders of Louis XV. The marshal is represented advancing, and looking into a coffin, which is held open by Death, in a white sheet, at one end, whilst Hercules mourns at the other extremity; and a female figure, representing France, is endeavouring to prevent the Mai'shal from advancing further. In the back-ground are STRASBURG. 81 heraldic representations of the three alhcd nations : the Lion, for Holland ; the Eagle, for Austria ; and the Leo- pard, for England. This monument is erected at the end of the church, and presents a very imposing appearance. There are other interesting monuments in this edifice, in which also there is the body of a monk in a state of com- plete preservation, which is said to have been there for upwards of 500 years. On the tower of the church, called the Mitre, there is a telegraph which communicates with Pfu-is. Public Buildings. — These are numerous. The citadel is very strong : it is a regular pentagon, with five bastions, and as many half- moons. The town-hall is large, and its fayade is highly ornamented. The liishop's palace is modern, and there is a handsome theatre. The great bridge over the Rhine is 3900 feet long : it is built entirely of oak, and is so constructed that in forty-eight hoiu-s it can be completely removed. The hospital for the military, and those for foundlings and the lower classes, ai'e extensive, and under excellent regulations. There are monuments at Strasburg to Kleber and Desaix. The museum of natural history in the Academie Royale is of considerable merit. In the Library there are several public curiosities, which comprise Cicero, printed by Faust in 1465; a Bible, printed in 1466 at Strasburg; and the celebrated Missal of " Landsberg," executed in 1180. Some of the first efforts of printing were made in this town. In 1834, the Jews erected a very splendid syna- gogue ; and the present toleration of all creeds at Strasburg is a pleasing contrast to the persecution which once raged there so furiously. The cannon foundry is extensive ; and the depot of arms is one of the largest in France. When Vauban fortified the town, he constructed sluices, by which the country between the 111 and the Rhine can be laid under water, and the to\Mi protected from the approach of an enemy. Remarks. — Though united to France, Strasburg has all the appearance of a German to;^!, and the German is the prevailing language. It is divided from Germany by the Rhine, over which a bridge of boats is thrown. The population is very equally divided between Protestants and Catholics. The chmate is much colder and more 82 PARIS TO MUNICH. damp than at Paris. No person can pass the gates after ten o'clock, either into or out of the city. Trade, &c. — Strasburg is well situated for trade, being connected by the Rhine mth the Netherlands and Switzerland. The soil of Alsace is very fertile, and pro- duces large quantities of tobacco. The exports are corn, linens, spirits, blankets, carpets, and lace. The Strasburg Fates de foies gras are celebrated throughout the world. They are made of the livers of geese, which are increased far beyond the natural size, by the fowls being cooped up in narrow pens, and fed with maize. The duty on the admission of these pates into England is very high ; they are best in winter. Schools. — The only Protestant universities in France are at Montauban and Strasburg. The medical school was re-estabhshed in 1802; and there is also a law school. Hotels. — The Hotel d' Europe; the Hotel de Ville de Paris is a very comfortable house. The others are Rothes Haus (the Red House), in the Grande Place : Poele de Viynerons. Conveyance. — The malle-poste runs to Paris in thirty-six hours ; the diligence in forty -four. A carriage may be hired at Strasburg to convey two persons to Baden Baden for 10 or 12 francs. The distance is twelve leagues. The diligence from Strasburg to Munich is 20 gmlders, or 32 shillings. BADEN BADEN. The most gloomy misanthropist will find something to amuse him here, in the season, which is during July and August, although the place is greatly resorted to from May to the middle of October. Its situation is undenia- bly charming, reposing as it does amongst hills, which are, as it were, the outposts of the Black Forest range. The beautiful scenery is viewed to most advantage fi'om a fine old ruin, situated upon a moimtain close to the towTi. The baths were known to the Romans, who colonized the district. It is by far the most fashionable of the German watering-places ; but since the gaming-houses were closed in Paris, Baden Baden appears to have been fixed upon as the head quarters for ''play." So strong is the pas- sion for gambling, that even ladies play at roulette. BxVDEN BADEN— CARLSRUHE. 83 rouge et noir, &c. &c. The gaming-houses are open all day, and pay a heavy tax to the government, by ^vhich they are tolerated. Balls, concerts, and every enjoyment which society affords, can here be had ; while for those who prefer the more tranquil delights of retirement and of rural pleasures, the numerous retired valleys and silent woods spread unusual charms. The number of English visitors is very great, and several English gentlemen have purchased seats in the neighbourhood. The greatest attention is paid to our countrymen by the grand duke. Lodgings are cheap, but hotels are dear. Dinners at the Saloon is 4 francs ; at the Salmon, 3 francs. The price of a hare is Is. 6d. ; butter is 8d., and meat Sjd. per lb. The best wines of Baden are not a frank per bottle. There are tables d'hote at almost every hotel ; but those most frequented are the Saloon, the Com* de Baden, and the Hotel de Salm (Salmon). There are thu-teen hot springs ; the highest degree of heat is 54° Reaumer ; and the lowest 37°. Over the principal one a handsome pump-room has been erected. The castle of the Dukes of Baden is remarkable for its dungeons, and for the bloody deeds which are said to have been perpetrated in them. In the parish church are the tombs of the Mar- graves of Baden, many of whom distinguished them- selves in the crusades. The " Nuns of the Holy Sepul- chre" conduct a school at the east of the town ; and the chaunt services in the convent chapel should be attended by every lover of melody. The principal promenades and lounge at Baden Baden, are the Promenade and Conver- sations Haus. The assemblies are frequent; theatres, reading-rooms, gardens, pleasure-grounds, and an excel- lent restaurant, are all attached to the establishment. Dr. Hutton, a skilful English physician, has fixed his residence at Baden Baden. There is a circulating library, an English news-room, and, in fact, every luxury which an Englishman can enjoy or desu-e. CARLSRUHE. This place contains about 20,000 inhabitants, and is the chief town of the Grand Duchy of Baden. It was not begun until 1 750, and is pleasantly built, though uninte- resting. The iovm. arose from a hunting-lodge having been G 2 84 PARIS TO MUNICH. built there by one of the Margraves of Baden. The city is in the form of a wheel, and the streets branch off hke spokes from the palace, which is as the centre. The palace contains nothing remarkable. There is a theatre near to it which is open once a-week, and the opera is very good. The churches are well built. From the hleythurm, a turret of the palace, there is a delightful view of the city. The ol>elisk of red sandstone in the great square marks the place where the founder of Carlsruhe is interred. The Picture Gallery, Botanical Gardens, and Museum contain nothing particular. Between this and Baden is an hospital, founded by Baron Stultz. There is a good supply of newspapers at the Club, to which strangers are admitted on the introduction of a member. There are conveyances three times a-week to Munich and Vienna, and daily to Stutgard, Frankfort, Baden, and Basle ; and a voiture may be hii-ed to Stutgard for 20 florins. Hotels. — The Poste is good, but the prices are high; Hotel (T Angleterre is very comfortable and moderate. STUTGARD. Stutgard is the capital of Wih-temberg, and the residence of the court, ambassadors, &c. It is closely pent up within hills which rise close to it, and which are covered with vines. From its confined situation, and from being built on the side of the stagnant Nesenbach, it is far from being a healthy town. It is exceedingly dull, and possesses few works of art, or other attractions, to engage the tra- veller's attention. The houses are plain and homely in their appearance, and most of them have been built since 1805. The palace is an enormous building of freestone : it was commenced in 1/46, and is decorated with a pro- fusion of ornaments, which amounts almost to vrdgarity. In the library, it is said there are 197,000 volumes. In one room of the palace there are five works of Canova, and others by Dannecker. The studio of the latter is still shewn. Some models of Pompeii, Herculaneum, &c. are interesting, as are also the zoological curiosities and the museum. The palace gardens, to which all persons are admitted, are beautifully laid out. Near to them is the Liebstall, or king's stables, which generally contains ULM. 85 100 horses for his Majesty's use. The extent of the manu- factures at Stutgard is very hmited. A fine bronze statue of Schiller has been cast at Munich, and will be erected, at what is called the Folksfest, in October. Phortzium. — This is a small town famous for the manufacture of silver and gold ornaments : silver-handled knives are sold as low as 6s. the half-dozen. The church is worth seeing. Conveyances to Heidelberg, Mainz, and Frankfort every day; and also to Carlsruhe and Strasburg ; to Ulm, Augsburg, and Munich three times a- week; and twice a-week to Nm-emberg. The shortest way from Paris to Vienna, via Munich, is from Strasburg to Stutgard, by Kniebis. This is a shorter way by one half than via Carlsruhe ; but the road is bad, and post-horses are scarce, so that this route is very little frequented. Between Stutgard and Ulm, at a village called Blockingdon, the traveller will find excellent accom- modation. Hotels. — Hotel de Cerf d^Or, good accommodation; dinner, 1 florin 12 kr ; beds, 2 francs. Hotel Konig von England. ' A vetturine may be hired from Stutgard to Munich for 30 florins. ULM. This frontier to^^•n of Wiirtemberg is on the left bank of the Danube, and on the other side of that river is Bavaria. It is a dull toAAm, and the population is about 14,000. Grits and snails are its chief exports. The latter are considered a great Lenten delicacy throughout the Catholic countries. A minute calculator states, that more than four milhons of snails are annually packed in casks and sent from Ulm. The cathedral is"^ almost the only interesting object in this tOAMi. It was begun in 1377, and the works were carried on to 1488, but it still remains unfinished. No pecuniary assistance was afl'orded for it, but that which the citizens themselves supplied. The tower is 237 feet high : it was designed to be 491 feet. From the summit the fields of Blenheim and Ilockstadt 86 PARIS TO MUNICH. may be seen. In 1805, this town was ingloriously sur- rendered to the French, without making an effort, though 20,000 Austrians, well armed and with plenty of provisions, w^ere in the fortress. The cathedi-al is by far the largest in Germany, and is celebrated for its painted windows. A curious story is told here about the Emperor Maximihan, who is said to have stood with one foot on the parapet of the tower of the cathedral, and to have balanced a wheel on the other. Hotels. — Hirsch j Ochse. Conveyances. — Elegant and commodious steamers descend the Danube from Ulm to Ratisbon or Regensberg, where they arrive in the evening. They leave Ratisbon the next morning, and arrive at Linz in the evening. They leave here next morning, and arrive at Vienna in the afternoon. The passage from Ulm to Vienna is thus comfortably made in three days; or from Ratisbon in two days. The best way for travellers starting from England, is to go up the Rhine either to Strasburg, and from thence to Ulm or to Mayence, and from thence to Ratisbon; which can be done by the well-known steamer, Batavier, leaving London every Sunday for Rotterdam. This vessel is in direct communication with the steamers from Rotterdam to Mayence, wdiere passengers arrive on* the Friday. The fares are, from — istC £ London to Mayence ... 3 Ulm to Ratisbon . . . . 1 Ratisbon to Linz . ... 1 Linz to Vienna . . . .1 THE RIVER DANUBE. Extent of the River. — Scenery, Sfc. — Historical Associa- tions. — Improved Navigation. — Its importance to Eu' rope. The Danube, though inferior to the Volga, in point of extent, may, in consequence of its central position,* be * By placing the map of Europe at a trifling distance, with the S. W. corner upwards, it will be found to resemble the form of a woman in a sitting posture, her head being Spain, her neck France, her right hand Italy, and her left England ; the Danube taking its rise from lin. 2nd Cabin. s. £ s. d. 12 2 8 7 7 18 10 1 13 THE RIVER DANUBE. S7 considered the first river in Europe. Taking its rise at Elsingham, in the Black Forest, in the Duchy of Baden, it continues its tortuous course through a long extent of country, washing the shores of AViirtemberg, Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, and Turkey, and at length empties itself, by four mouths, into the Black Sea, at a distance of 1825 miles from its source. A voyage down the Danube, therefore, which thus sepa- rates European Turkey from the great northern states, wdll lay open to the observation of the traveller, the physical, moral, and political peculiarities of many and interesting countries; familiarise him with the geogra- phical position of the most important states of Europe ; and furnish the means of forming a clear insight into the main features of that great political problem which holds so prominent a place in the diplomacy of the present day. Although not so richly diversified in natural history as the Rhine, the countries along the Danube have been highly favoured by natm-e, and are liberally adorned by art — " A blending of all beauties ; streams and dells. And chiefless castles breathing stem farewells From grey but leafy walls, where ruin greenly dwells." No river in the world is more intimately associated with interesting historical facts than the Danube. The deten- tion of Richard Coeiu- de Lion in one of its numerous castles, on his way back from Palestine, is matter of record ; but its chief historic interest is derived from the numerous heroic actions which, from a very remote to a very recent period, have distinguished it as the theatre of war. The Romans, who once commanded it, surrendered it to the Goths and Huns, the former of whom poured the heart. This view of the great European countries, as thev lie pourtrayed upon the map, might furnish an interesting theme" for imaginative speculation. Italy, the representative of the fine arts, has the appearance of being a withered and decayed member of the body, while England, which represents the sciences and useful arts, has all the appearance of full health and vigour. Did Austria possess the enterprising and industrial energy of our own country, how might that river, which pours forth its waters throughout the whole extent of her mighty empire, be made to carry moral and political fertiliza- tion to the hearths and homes of all her children, and to give them a distinctive pre-eminence amongst the nations of the world ! 88 PARIS TO MUNICH. forth from its banks those hordes, who erected thrones in Spain, Gaul, and Italy, and who, by the physical strength of their numbers, devastated and overwhelmed the more polished empires of Greece and Rome ; while the others dictated terms to the Roman Pontiff on his knees, at the gates of " the Eternal City," within sight of the Vatican ; extended their conquests into France, German)', and Dacia; signalised themselves in the Crusades; and waged w^ars, offensive and defensive, for many centuries, with little intermission, but with varied success. The cessation of these conflicts, however, has not tended to secure the countries bordering the Danube all those advantages which it is so capable of conferring. The obstinacy of the Turkish character, and the hostile posi- tion in which that so long kept the Ottomans towards other countries, together with the natural obstacles which presented themselves to the navigation of the river, have been the chief reasons of this. All these circumstances, however, are now in a considerable degree removed ; and the Danube, while it defines and guards, more effectually than any other barrier could do, the limits of states and kingdoms, and fertilizes their lands, will become largely contributory to the extension of civilization in the greater portion of the globe. The formation of a society in Vienna for the navigation of the Danube, enrolling amongst its members the most distinguished of the Austrian and Hungarian nobility, including the Royal Palatine himself, brother of the late Emperor of Austria, and which, at great expense, com- pleted the navigation by steam to Constantinople, Smyrna, and Trebizond, has been followed by the formation of similar companies in London, Marseilles, and Trieste, the object of which is to co-operate in forming an uninter- rupted line of communication with the Eastern world. To this they have no doubt been mainly instigated by the indefatigable and unceasing exertions of Mr. Waghorn. England having previously estabhshed a communication by steam to Malta, the Ionian Islands, Alexandria, and Syria, will extend the communication to IntUa by way of the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea. France has estab- lished eight steamers, of 160-horse power and of 42 men, mounting two guns, and commanded by officers of the RIVER DANUBE— AUGSBURG. 89 navy, to render complete and effectual the navigation from Marseilles to Genoa, Naples, Malta, and Alexandria ; and thence to Athens, the Archipelago, Smyrna, and Constan- tinople : and Austria has established six steamers to effect the same object as regards Greece and Turkey. Thus it is not improbable, that even in the present year (1839) upwards of twenty steam-vessels will be ploughing those seas, of which the navigation was two years ago so un- satisfactory and incomplete, A negotiation is being carried on between the various powers, for establishing a better and less inconvenient system of quarantine, and for faci- litating the several operations connected with commerce. Nothing can be more absurd than the present system. From these well-directed and enlightened efforts, it is but just to anticipate the happiest results. Merchandise, which it formerly occupied the Spians — the carriers of the world — eleven months to convey from Byzantium to China, will in future be transported that distance in pro- bably less than a month; and a communication ^nth Calcutta, which usually occupied two years, will now be effected in about four months ! To what vast undertakings v^ill not this extension of facilities for communication lead ! Having mentioned the conveyances from Ulm, and the modes of transit afforded by the Danube, we will now briefly notice the land journey from Ulm to Augsburg, and thence to Munich. The distance is 4/ English or 10 German miles, and is performed by the eilwagen, which travels three times ia-week, in nine or ten hours. On the left bank of the Danube is Elchingen, a small village with an ancient monastic establishment, which gave the title of Duke to Marshal Ney, for the victory he gained here in 1805. At GuNSBURG, which was anciently called Giintia, there is an English nunnery : the inmates devote themselves to the education of females. AUGSBURG. Augsbm'g was called Augusta Yindelicorum by the Romans ; and in the loth and 16th centuries it was one 90 PARIS TO MUNICH. of the principal towns in Europe, inhabited chiefly by princes. Its history is intimately mixed up with that of many of the German Diets. It began to decay when its commerce was in a degree removed by the discovery of the passage round the Cape; and the religious wars in the 1 7th century had then* full share in causing the desolation which has befallen it. The appearance of the old man- sions is calculated to impress the beholder Avith exalted ideas of the former, but departed splendour of this once busy and magnificent city. The town-hall is the first building which Augsburg contains. The cathedral, which is irregular and heaw, is remarkable only for some rough figures in the Byzantine art, which are supposed to have been made about the middle of the 15th century. The palace, which is close to the cathedral, is now used for public offices. It was formerly an episcopal palace; and it was here that the celebrated Protestant declaration, known as the Confession of Augshurg, was submitted to Charles V., in 1530. It was also here that Luther and Cardinal Gaeta held a conference in 1542, on the merits of the Reformed Faith. The gallery of paintings has been despoiled of all its attractions to increase those of the gallery at Munich. Baron Cotta is the proprietor of the well-known Augsburg gazette, called Allgemeine Zeitung .- it has great political influence, and is more widely circulated than any other journal in Germany. On the bourse there is a club estabhshed where the supply of newspapers is plentiful. Holbein, the father of the cele- brated painter, was born at Augsburg. The chief cannon foundry of Bavaria is also at this place. Hotels. — At the Drei Mohren the wines are very good ; the others are the Goldene Trauhe (Grapes), and Weissen Lamnj the latter may be considered as a second- rate house. Conveyances. — To Munich and Ulm every day; Nuremberg twice ; and to Wurtzburg and Innsbruck once. Augsburg is a great resort for lohnkucher, or vetturino : and the traveller may arrange to travel by them to any part of Germany at a very low rate. From Augsburg to Munich the distance is 8 German miles, or 41 English. The journey is accomplished through an exceedingly flat country in about eight hours. The MUNICH. 91 mountains of the Tyrol, which are occasionally seen to the north, are almost the only relief to the dull and cheerless prospect. The road crosses the hech river, near to which is the to^A'n of Friedberg. It is situated at the end of an avenue six miles in length. The castle was erected by the Dukes of Bavaria, as a check upon the aggressions of the prelates of Augsburg. Schwabhausen is a village comically perched on the summit of a steep hill, which rises out of a very flat and desolate plain. Nymphenberg, a royal palace, lies to the left. A rail-road from Augs- burg to Munich will, in all probability, be opened in the autumn of the present year; and there are at present 3000 men employed on the Ludswig Canal, which was planned to form a communication between the Rhine and the Danube. The expense of this vast work is defrayed by the King of Bavaria. His majesty was one of the warmest and most devoted of the Philhellenists, previous to the emancipation of Greece. MUNICH. Munich is forty-one miles from Augsburg, and the eilwagen is eight hours on the road. It is situated in a large j^lain, which is 1568 feet above the level of the sea, and contains nearly 100,000 inhabitants : it is well knoAMi as the cheapest and one of the best cities on the continent. Until 1175 it was a very inconsiderable place, and even in the last century it had httle of importance or beauty to recommend it. It is the capital of Bavaria, and is called the Athens of Germany; a title for which it is mainly in- debted to the munificence of Ludwig, the present king, who is considered the most accomplished sovereign in Europe. In the works of the new city, his majesty has had the aid of the talents of M. Klenze, who is perhaps the first architect of the age. Considering the situation and circumstances of Mvmich, it is astonishing fi-om whence the funds have been derived, which Avere required for erecting so many and such splendid buildings, as have been raised during the present reign; and the number of which is still increasing. It is matter of congratulation that the King of Greece was chosen from the royal house of Bavaria. King Otho has the benefit of his father's counsel and advice in the construction of the new city at 92 PARIS TO MUNICH. Athens, and also in the restoration and renovation of many of the precious rehcs which attract the scholar and the antiquarian to that classic soil. King Ludwig is par- ticularly attentive to English travellers ; who likewise ex- perience the greatest civility, kindness, and hospitahty from Lord Erskine, the English ambassador. His majesty speaks English. The Dusseldorf Gallery, the Egina marbles, and the numerous productions of modern artists will afford abun- dant gratification. The patronage of his majesty is liberally extended, not only to architecture but to the arts in general, and the number of resident artists in Munich is not less than 500. The Palace and the Glyptothek were paid for out of the king's privy purse ; and though his territories are so small, he has earned the admiration of Europe by the magnitude and splendour of the under- takings which he has accomplished. The Ludwig' s Stasse is the noblest street in Munich, and contains several mag- nificent public edifices. The churches are not upon a scale of splendom- corresponding with that of the other buildings. The cathecbal was built in 1488. At the Jesuits' Church the music is ver^' fine ; and the monument erected here to Eugene Beauharnois, Duke of Leuchten- berg, by Thorswaldsen, deserves to be noticed. The Church of St. Lewis, commenced in 183/, exhibits a front which is considered an architectural chef-d'oeuvre, and contains some excellent frescoes by Cornelius. All Saints' Church is a most elegant structure ; and the gothic church in the suburb Au is very handsome. The nineteen large painted windows "will, however, form its principal attrac- tion, A third new church was commenced in 1835, op- posite the Glyptothek, which, when completed, will be very handsome. The Glyptothek, or sculpture gallery, was erected by Klenze for the present King when he was Crown Prince. It is of the Ionic order, and, together with the valuable col- lection which it contains, was paid for by his majesty out of his o^ATi private funds. Travellers are admitted gratis, with tickets, on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Admission without tickets on Friday, from nine to twelve. Except when the king is not at Munich, it is closed on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The vestibule is forty-eight MUNICH. 93 feet long. The Egyptian base contains the Egyptian an- tiquities ; and there are eleven other halls. The Egina marbles in the third room were pm-chased by the Crown Prince for^'GOOO : an agent had been sent from England to oifer ,£8()l)0. But we do not wonder that our countrymen should have been too late in this affair, considering the apathy which exists as to bringing home that splendid Eg}i)tian monument, Cleopatra's needle, which it is said might be done for ^5000 : by some management they were allowed to become the property of their present no- ble o\\Tier. The decorations, walls, floors, and ceilings of the Glyptothek are very splendid. In the twelfth hall, are the productions of modern artists ; those in all the others being the works of ancient epochs. The most re- markable modern works are by Canova, Thorswaldsen, and Schadow% The Pinacothek, or picture gallery, was commenced in 1826, and was twelve years in progress : it is considered the best building for exhibiting pictures in Europe. It is open every day, except Saturday, from nine till two. It contains about 1500 pictures, which have been selected as the best from all his majesty's collections, which consist of not less than /OOO pictures. The Pinacothek contains seven splen(hd halls, and twenty-three smaller rooms. A book in the French language is sold at Munich, by Geo. Franz, entitled " Ei(/ht Days in Munich," in which the traveller will find a very ample description of the various pictures. The Palace may be said to consist of the old and the new. The former was commenced towards the close of the sixteenth centmy, and has no pretensions to architectural merits. The traveller, however, should not omit to see the Rech Chapel, which may almost be called a mass of precious stones and metals. It contains a small altar, which was used by Mary Queen of Scots in prison and on the scaffold. The treasury of the palace contains the crown, royal jewels, and a great number of costly pieces of bijouterie. The neiv palace is another of those works for which Munich is indebted to the reign- ing monarch : it is copied from a palace at Florence, and is a noble edifice. Its "fittings up" are in the style of the houses at Pompeii, a style at once novel and interest- ing. This palace will long be a monument of Ludwig's 94 PARIS TO MUNICH. refined taste and somid judgment. The New Post-office, is copied from that at Rome. The hofgarten is a large enclosure near to the palace, and is well planted. It is girded with an o])en arcade, which displays in frescos and paintings most of the remarkable events in Bavarian his- tory. In the garden is the bazaar, which includes caf^s, a reading-room, &c. The Library is the largest but one in the world, that being the library at Paris. The Munich library contains 540,000 volumes and 16,000 MSS. It has been stated to a committee of the English House of Commons, that the Munich library contains 800,000 volumes ; but the above estimate will be found more ac- curate. The library abounds with literary cm-iosities, and the reading-room may be visited from eight till one on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On every day but Sundays strangers can view the immense collection of engravings and of Greek and Roman medals. Munich has not much to boast of in its scientific collections j the Brazihan collection in the museum of natural history is the most interesting. On any day but Sundays strangers can gain admittance through the porter, who expects a small gratuity. The University was founded in 14/2, at Ingoldstadt; in 1800, it was fixed at Landshut; and in 1826, was transferred to Munich, where it is frequented by about 1500 students. The Theatre is admirably con- structed, and its internal arrangements and machinery render it a model for such buildings. It is generally open four days in the week, and possesses an excellent orchestra, the best in Germany, and equal to any in Europe. It is liberally encouraged by his majesty. The prices are for boxes, 2s. ; for the stalls. Is. 8d. ; pit. Is. 4d. The Odeum is an assembly-room, in which the winter balls and concerts are regularly held. The English Garden is a good imita- tion of what it purports to be : it was planned by Count Romford, and is much frequented as an agreeable prome- nade. In Carolinen Platz is a bronze obelisk to the me- mory of 30,000 Bavarians, who fell, fighting for Napoleon, in the Russian campaign in 1812. It is 100 feet high. Near the library is an Institution for the Blind, which is ably superintended by M. Gortner. The Museum is a club to which strangers may be introduced for a month. In the reading-room, the leading journals of Europe will MUNICH. 95 be found. A subscription of three zwanzigers will pro- cure admission for a stranger for a month into a reading- room in the colonnade of the hofgarten. The palace of the Duke Maximihan is one of the most splendid in Munich. It was erected by M. Klenze ; and can be seen when the duke is absent. The Leuchtenherg Gallery is next in merit to those of his majesty. It contains celebrated pictures by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Paul Veronese, and Salvator Rosa. There are likewise some superb Murillos, and aMagdalen and the Graces, by Canova. M. Hubes, M. Klenze, M. Kirschbrum, M. Speth, and others have also good private collections. The Academy of the Sciences was founded by Josej^h III., anno 1/59. In 1800 lithography was invented at Munich, by Senne- felder; and Munich telescopes are celebrated for their great power. There is an excellent institution at Munich (The ClubJ for the encouragement of young artists, who have the liberty of sending in then pictures, which are then raffled for by the gentlemen of whom the club is composed. In the environs of Munich are numerous tea- gardens and taverns, which are much resorted to by the people, to drink beer and dance. The manners of the in- habitants of Munich are said to be very loose. The public cemetery near the Sendling gate is very large, and both Protestants and Catholics are interred in it, Nymp)henherg is a royal palace, three miles from Munich, which the traveller should visit : it was erected in the 17th century. The Folksfest is a kind of agricultural meeting, which is held every October, under the patronage of the King. It is a period of great rejoicing in Munich, and throughout the adjoining villages. For those who seek to live econo- mically, Munich holds out advantages which no other city can aiford. A gentleman who resided there for eight months, states, that he had a large furnished chamber for ^1 per month ; a man to attend him twice a day, one dollar per month ; and he agreed vsdth the proprietor of the best hotel for his dinner, a pint of wine, a cup of coffee, and a glass of brandy, for 45 florins per month. Posting is lOd. a mile, and a carriage for the afternoon is 4s. Horses are very cheap, and good ones can be purchased for £,2b. A pair of horses can be kept a month for about 50s. A coachman receives 40s. a month, and supplies his 96 PARIS TO MUNICH. own food ; and for 35s. a month, including board wages, an excellent indoor servant can be procured; a valet-de- place is paid four zwanzigers, or 2s. 8d. a day ; and the cost of hackney-coaches is one florin, or 2s. an hour, and 48 kr. for each subsequent hour. A suite of rooms on the first floor, consisting of three or four apartments, can be had for jk^4 a month ; and two rooms for a bachelor, with a kitchen and a room for a servant, will not cost more than 35s. a month. Hotels. — The Golden Hirsch is most frequented by English travellers, and is considered the first in the city. The dinner hour at the table d'hote is at four o'clock. 111. 12kr. Englishmen prefer this to the other hotels, at which they dine at one. As the prices of apartments are not fixed at the Golden Hirsch, arrangements should be made respecting them. There are three other hotels of more moderate pretensions, at which the traveller will find equal accommodation at much less expense. These are the Goldene Kreiitz, the Goldene Haan, and the Swart- zen Adler. Dinner at the table d'hote is about 2fr. There are also some excellent restam-ateurs. The best cafe is Tombozi's. Lodgings above the bazaar, in the Royal Hof Garten, are strongly recommended as the best in Munich. A military band plays there twice a-week. Sledging is very fashionable in winter: the sledges and saddlery belonging to the royal family are extremely well worth seeing. Game abounds ; and a traveller, by pacing a trifle per annum, may have as much shooting as he pleases. Passports must be delivered on arriving at Munich, to be signed by the police and the English ambassador. A carte de sejour is necessary for those who stay above seven days. Conveyances from Munich to any part of the con- tinent are numerous. Having brought the traveller on his journey as far as Munich, by way of Nancy, we must go back to Paris, and proceed to the same point, by way of ]Metz and Frank- fort, for the assistance of those who m?y prefer that route from Paris, or who proceed by the Rhine. 97 Chapter II. MUNICH, VIA METZ, FRANKFORT, &c. At the distance of three leagues and a half from Paris, is BoNDY, a village known for above 1000 years. The large forest which bears its name has been the scene of many tragical events. Chelperie II. of France was mur- dered in it. M E u A X boasts of the choir in the cathedral. Part of the old town was a citadel, in which the people took refuge during several sieges. The illustrious Bossuet is buried here. Meuax is celebrated for its cheeses. Many grind- ing-stones are found at La Ferte-sous-Jouarre. Near it is the splendid residence of M. Jussieu. Chateau Thierry was the birth-place of La Fontaine, whose residence is still pointed out. At Dorm AN s there is a coal-pit, and an aperient mineral water. E p e R N E Y carries on a vast trade in champagne. Chalons- sur-Marne is the capital of the de- partment of Marne. It is an ill-built town, with very narrow streets. The country is by no means fertile. Under Aurelian it was considered one of the chief towns in Gallic- Belgium. Aurelian was overcome here by Tetricus ; and Attila was defeated by the Romans, Goths, and Gauls, in 451. Blondel the architect. La Caille the astronomer, and Ablancourt, an eminent classical scholar, were born at Chalons. The Jard is a delightful promenade ; and some public buildings are worthy of notice, particularly the pre- fect's hotel, and the gate of Ste. Croix, in the Ionic style. Hotels. — La Cloche d'Orj la Ville de Paris j and la Ville de Nancy. St. Menehould is in a marsh, and has several times been besieged. It has manufactures of china, and spinning-wheels ; and wool spinning is also carried on to a considerable extent. Verdun on the Meuse, is strongly fortified. Its suburbs are delightful, and the numerous picturesque H 98 MUNICH TO MENTZ, FRANKFORT, &c. islands in the Meuse are much frequented. A bell which weighed 24,0001bs. was destroyed here by lightning. The sweetmeats of Verdun are celebrated throughout France. Fine marble is found in the vicinity The altar in the church of St. Vannes is much admired. Verdun was a depot for English prisoners during the last wai*. AtVARENNES, which is near Verdun, Louis XVI. was captured. METZ Is the chief tovsn in the department of the Moselle. One of the chieftains of the Gauls anciently resided here; and at present it has an academy, a board of trade, and a royal college. It is also the see of a bishop. The gothic cathedi-al is 363 feet long and 73 feet broad : the height of the tower is 345 feet. The library contains 60,000 volumes ; and the theatre is an excellent one. Near to it are the remains of a very large aqueduct, consisting of seventeen arches, seven of which are still perfect. Metz is celebrated for its beer, hams, liqueurs, and sweetmeats. Its inlaid work is much admired. Glass, china, snuff- boxes, and furniture are made here. The population is about 40,000. Hotel de r Europe is an excellent hotel ; the proprietor has also a house in the country, where the traveller may pass as much time as is agreeable to himself, and the hotel keeper will procure him shooting if he requires it. After leaving Metz for Manheim, the traveller arrives at Forback, where there is the first douane, or custom- house, on the route from France to Frankfort. Sarrebruck is the first Prussian town. It was known to the Romans; and near it is a grotto cut out of a rock, which was anciently used for Pagan rites. Papier- mach^e snuff-boxes are made here in great numbers. Hotels, both extortionate and bad. MANHEIM. This to\Mi has about 20,700 inhabitants, and upwards of 300 respectable English families have made it their residence. This has arisen from its being one of the cheapest and most agreeable places on the continent. The traveller will find in it very few objects of attraction. The MANHELM— HEIDELBERG. 9.9 palace is the chief buikling; it is very large, but exhibits nothing striking in its architecture : one wing of it is in ruins ; another portion of it is now a gallery of jjaint- ings, but the works are of a very inferior class. The gardens are behind the ]jalace, and have much to recom- mend them. The theatre is upon a large scale ; and near to the chief entrance is the house in which Kotzebue was murdered by Sand. Messrs. Artaria and Co. have an establishment, at which travellers may supply themselves with anything which they may require in connexion with the literature, history, or science of the countries through which their routes may lay. Manheim is celebrated for the number of sieges which it has undergone. It began to exist as a to\A'n in 1606 ; and within a hundred years was twice destroyed and twice rebuilt. In 1794, the French bombarded it; and in 1795, it shared the same fate from Austria. In 1689, it was taken by a French general, who determined upon its destruction, but offered to let the people of Manheim themselves lay it in ashes. They were allowed twenty days to do so, and at the end of that period it was done by the French soldiers. After the last siege only 14 houses remained. Being defenceless, it is now no longer an object of strife. It consists of only eleven streets, which are not named, but distinguished by the letters of the alphabet. Good water is scarce, but the town is remarkably clean. Hotels. — La Cour du Palatinat is the most expensive ; Rheinischer Hqf and Russcher Hof are good houses. HEIDELBERG. Heidelberg, like Manheim, has repeatedly experienced the horrors of war. At one period it enjoyed all the splendour which commercial prosperity and court patronage eould confer. It has been bombarded five times, taken by assault thrice, and twice has it been consumed by fire. In the capture of it by the French under Chamilly, in 1693, the cruelties they practised upon the Protestants were such, that history scarcely affords a parallel. The Library contains 120,000 volumes in addition to many MSS. Part of it was sent as a present to the Pope by the Bava- rians, who took the entire; but in 1815, every volume was restored by the sovereign pontiff. The University, which H 2 100 MUNICH TO MENTZ, FRANKFORT, &c. was founded in 1386, and which is the oldest in Germany, contained 800 students a few years ago ; but recent events have greatly diminished that number. As a school of law and physic, Heidelberg ranks very high. The public buildings are by no means attractive ; most of the ancient ones have been destroyed. The church is divided by a partition wall, and under the same roof both Protestants and CathoHcs assemble for their devotions. The most ancient church in the town is that of St. Peter. On the door of this church, Jerome of Prague fixed his memorable pro])Ositions, which he explained and defended to large multitudes in the church-yard. The Castle of Heidelberg is the principal object of curiosity. Ten times has it been subject to the ravages of war. In 1764, after it had been put into thorough repair it was biu-nt by lightning. For about a century it has been in ruins ; but it is so vast, so romantic and picturesque, that it is still \iewed with the most intense interest. Part of it is called the English Palace, fi'om having been erected for the daughter of James I., who was also grand-daughter of Mary Queen of Scots. The Heidelberg tun is the largest wine-cask known : it is in one of the cellars of the castle, and holds 800 hogsheads, or 283,000 bottles. It has not been filled since 1769. The fardens attbrd views which cannot be surpassed in beauty, 'he rage for duelling amongst the students was formerly very great, four or five combats frequently taking place in one day. The Neckar river has many interesting places and views on its banks. Heidelberg is an exceed- ingly cheap place; and the conveyances in all directions are very numerous. Hotels . — Prince Karl j Hotel de Holland. The latter has not been long established. The road from Heidelberg to Darmstadt is one of great beauty. It is perfectly level, running through a range of hills, the fertility and luxuriant vegetation of which can- not be surpassed. The road is called Bergstrasse. The author of " Autumn near the Rhine'' says, " Almost every mountain near the Bergstrasse is crowned by a castle, one of those relics of the days of knighthood, which, embo- somed ia the woods of beech or surrounded by vineyards, add*- the interest of its antiquity and chivalrous associa- DARMSTADT— FRANKFORT. 101 tions to the charms of the landscape." An eilwagen goes daily from Heidelberg to Darmstadt in six hours. DARMSTADT. This exceedingly dull town has numerous squares and long straggling streets. The court of the duchy of Hesse Darmstadt reside here, and the town depends much more upon it than upon its commerce. There is a preserve for wild boars for hunting not far from the town, and the stranger can see them fed in the evening. The Catholic church is handsome, and the residence of the Grand Duke is a healthy edifice, considering the purpose to which it is applied. His son lives in the old palace, which has been repaired. The Museum of Paintings contains 600 pictures, some of which are by the best masters. The theatre, once so celebrated, is now almost deserted. The Museum of Natural History contains some very rare specimens. We may particularly allude to the perfect paws and other re- mains of the deinotJierium, an amphibious animal, as large as the elephant, but which is not now known. The library contains 200,000 volumes. The riding-school is now an artillery depot. The roof is 15/ feet broad and 319 long. In the pretty gardens at the royal palace is the grave of a Landgravine of Hesse, with an appropriate inscription. ODENWALD, OR THE FOREST OF ODIN. It requires three days thoroughly to explore this most interesting region. The Melibocus ought particularly to be visited, for the immense panoramic view which it affords. FRANKFORT ON THE MAINE, Frankfort is the seat of the German diet. The popu- lation is 48,000, of whom 5000 are Jews. There is not in Germany a pleasanter city, and the streets and build- ings are veiy handsome. The quays of the river Maine are ranges of palaces, and are inhabited by merchants and bankers of immense wealth. The old town forms an ex- traordinary contrast, the streets being very narrow, and the old wooden houses unsightly. Frankfort has not a territory of more than ten English miles. It has long been the commercial enterpot for central Europe. Am- bassadors and diplomatists from all the chief states reside 102 MUNICH TO MENTZ, FRANKFORT, &c. at Frankfort; and the British consul is Mr. Koch, an ex- tensive banker and a highly respected citizen : his kindness to travellers is beyond all praise. Such travellers as intend to visit Austria or Italy, should not fail to get their passports vise at Frankfort. The principal business of the city consists in money transactions. The Rothschilds are a Frankfort family, and were born in a miserable street called the Judengasse. The Jews were long treated with great cruelty here, but they are now fully tolerated. Their sy- nagogue deserves to be visited, and so does the splendid villa of the Rothschilds, outside the Brockenheim gate. The Frankfort fairs are declining in importance. They are held at Easter and a month afterwards. Nearly all the booths are shops for the sale of pipes ; and the other goods exposed for sale are of an inferior kind, but they are cheap. These fairs offer but little to interest the traveller, they being chiefly of a commercial nature ; and most bargains are made from samples of goods, so that very few things are exhibited publicly. The cathedral was built in the thirteenth century, and the chou* in the year 1338. St. Bernard preached a crusade in this chiu'ch, and is said to have AM'Ought miracles in it : it contains a few curious tombs. The Romer, or town-house, is asso- ciated with numerous interesting historical associations. Here the emperors were elected, and banquets given in honour of the event, whilst kings and princes attended at the emperors' table. St. Leonhard's church occupies the site of the palace of Charlemagne. The Palace of the Teutonic Knights is in ruins. The Stcedel Museum of Pictures is open daily from ten to one, and may be visited gratuitously by any person : it contains some good paint- ings and a few frescoes. The Museum of Natural History is well supplied with very rare specimens from the Red Sea, Nubia, Abyssinia, and Eg}^3t : they were collected by Riippel, a native of this town, who enjoyed a pension from the city. On Wednesdays the museum is open from two to four, and on Fridays from eleven to one ; but on payment of a small gratuity the traveller may see the specimens at any time. The statue of Ariadne, by Dan- necker, is one of the finest productions of later times. The works of this excellent artist are by no means sufficiently appreciated in England. The library is not extensive. FRANKFORT ON THE MAINE. 103 but the selection of books is judicious. In it the first Bible, printed by Guttemberg, may be seen, bearing date 1450 — 1455. There is also a portrait of Luther, and a pair of that great reformer's shoes. In the French Protes- tant church English service is performed every Sunday at twelve. The theatre is not remarkable for either its excellence or defects. At the Cassino an immense num- ber of newspapers are taken in : great hberality prevails as to the admission of strangers. Public gardens sur- round the town, where the fortifications were formerly erected. The Garden of Main Lust is much frequented by the higher orders on summer evenings. The shop of Mr. Jugel, the bookseller, near the guard-house, has been properly styled, " the Gahgnani's of Frankfort." At Offenback, Dr. Becker educates Enghsh yoimg gentle- men. Weisbaden, the Brunnen of Nassau, and the Taunus moimtains, are all pleasant trips from Frankfort. Goethe was born in this city, and his house can stiU be seen. The family coat of arms consists of three lyres : it is emblazoned over the door, an appropriate bearing for so distinguished a poet. Hotels. — No city in Eiu-ope can compete with Frank- fort for hotel accommodations. The Hotel de Russie, is a splendid estabhshment, and may be considered the first and most expensive. The hotels Weisen Swann and d^Angleterre are good ones, but Hotel Weidenbush is the least expensive. Dming the fair, in a room in this hotel, a table is set for 1000 persons for dinner, and a band of music plays at each end of the room : the proprietors are exceedingly attentive and civil. Persons wishing to stay some time in this town, may make an arrangement at this hotel that will astonish for its moderation. Frankfort is a grand rendezvous for vettminos from all parts of Germany. The Wiedenbush is the resort of most of these. The traveller who intends hiring one of these carriages, or taking advantage of a retm-n one, should make his intention kno^^'n, as the competition amongst the coachmen tends generally to reduce the charges. In Germany persons wishing to travel alone may obtain of the postmaster a small car with one horse. Conveyances. — Eilwagens go daily to Coblentz in 12, to Leipsig in 38, and to Basle in 48 hom-s. They 104 MUNICH TO MENTZ, FRANKFORT, &c. go daily to Strashurg and Baden ; and they start every Thursday for Vienna, via Nuremberg : they reach Vienna on the Tuesday following. There is almost hourly com- munications with Mayence, from whence steam-boats de- scend the Rhine. FROM FRANKFORT TO WURZBERG AND NUREMBERG. The traveller will not be allowed to pass the frontier unless his passport is signed by the Bavarian minister. The distance is 137 English miles. At Sehgenstadt a daughter of Charlemagne and her husband, who was that monarch's secretary, are buried. The Bavarian frontier is at Stockstadt, where passports must be produced. Dettingen, where the English andAustrians gained an important victory over the French, in 1743, is not far distant from this place. Aschaffenburg is a large and pretty to\Ma. The royal palace was built in 1606, and its architecture resembles the Elizabethian. The road then runs for nearly twenty miles through the Spezart forest, which is exceedingly wild and very scantily inhabited. Near to the Tell con- vent is the establishment of Konig and Bauer, who were the inventors of the steam-press which prints with cyhnders. WURZBURG Is situated on the Maine, and has 27,000 inhabitants. For many hundi-ed years it was ruled by bishops who were princes, and had vast wealth and influence. Under their sway numerous churches were founded and endowed, but they are now shorn of their magnificence. The streets are narrow and the buildings ancient. The citadel may be visited by any stranger. It is said to occupy the place of one of the many castles built in Gaul by Drusus, and is alleged by others to have been originally a heathen temple. With many rehcs of a feudal strong-hold, mo- dern improvements, even so recent as the last century, are apparent in its different departments. Of all the mo- nastic estabhshments for which Wurzburg was once cele- brated, only three now remain. The university is now thought little of except for its school of medicine : it was founded near the close of the sixteenth century. There is a magnificent hospital for the sick, with sixty-two win- WURZBURG— NUREMBERG. 105 flows in front. The cathecbal was built in the eighth century; and St. Kilhan, an Irish missionary, suffered martjTdom on the spot where it now stands. Of the original building there are now no traces; and it appears that the present edifice was constructed in the eleventh and twelfth centiu-ies. The palace is of immense size and great magnificence. The curious staircase is, how- ever, the only feature which it presents worthy of ex- amination, unless we except the gorgeously ornamented chapel. The Franconian vines, which grow in the vicinity of Wiu-zbiu-g, ai-e highly esteemed. The view from the citadel is very pleasing and extensive. Hotels. — Baierescher Hofj Schwartzen Aader, &c. The journey fi'om Wurzburg to Nuremberg is accom- phshed in twelve hours. KiTSiNGE N. — The inhabitants of this place, in 1525, took so determined a part in the Peasants' War, that Casimir ordered seven persons to be beheaded and fifty- nine to lose their eyes. After passing through Mainbernheim, Einersheim, Possenheim, and some other places of no importance, the traveller reaches the large manufacturing town of Fiirth. This is the Birmingham of Germany; not only on account of the value of the manufactures, but also because of the rapidity with which it has risen into manufacturing im- portance. In 1632, a battle was fought in this vicinity, between Gustavus Adolphus and WaUenstein, in which the King of Sweden was overthrown. The battle was most obstinate, and the Finlanders behaved with great valour. The first railroad in German}^ was laid in 1836, between Fiirth and Nuremberg. The length of it is 4^ miles, and the trains go the distance in fifteen minutes. Between Fiirth and Nm-emberg is the grand canal, which has been undertaken in order to connect the Rhine and the Danube. NUREMBERG. Nuremberg, once the queen of commerce and the mis- tress of the arts, is now indeed a "fallen city." Its exports are now confined almost entirely to chikh-en's toys and lead pencils. Early in the 11th century it received great privileges from the Emperors of Germany ; and 106 MUNICH TO MENTZ, FRANKFORT, &c. ceased to be a free city in 1806, by a decree of Napoleon, who transferred it to Bavaria. The proud days of the city were in the 15th and 16th centuries, when it was the entrepot for all the trade of the East and West. Not only by its carrying trade, but much more by its manufac- tures of hardware, it attained a high degree of wealth and importance, of which it has been deprived, chiefly by the discovery of the passage to India round the Cape ; by the desolating effects of war ; and last, though by no means least, by the selfishness and intolerance of the inhabitants themselves. It had formerly 70,000 inhabitants within its walls, but at present it has barely half that number. Not- withstanding the decay of its commerce, the city itself is but little changed. Its feudal walls, and many of its boasted 365 tm'rets — its'immense ditch-gates and towers, still remain. Its churches and public buildings have been but little injured either by war, by vicious taste, or by the love of plunder. The palaces of its nobles and merchants, in a state of great perfection, serve as unerring records of the magnificence of which they were once the scenes and the receptacles. An eloquent wTiter has said, " Nurem- berg, though dull in a commercial sense, will aiFord to the traveller of taste, high entertainment for several days. In its ancient and palmy state, when the seat of arts and commerce, it was termed the Gothic Athens ; it may at present be regarded as a sort of Pompeii of the Middle Ages." Our limits mil not permit us to do more than briefly mention some of the principal places which the traveller ought to visit. The Church of St. Sebald pos- sesses great beauty, and the carvings and sculptures are veiy interesting ; but the shrine of St. Sebald, the mas- terpiece of Peter Vissher will engage the most attention : it cost the artist and five of his sons 13 years incessant labour. In the rector^ s house is a splendid painted glass window. The chapel of St. Maurice is now a picture- gallery, with scarcely a good painting. The imperial castle is supposed to have been partly erected by Frederick I. (1187), although other parts of it are still more ancient. In the yard is a lime-tree said to be 700 years old. A part of the castle is still occupied by the Bavarian king when he visits Nm'emberg. The palace collection of pictm'es is very uiferior as a whole ; but Four Apostles hy Albert Durer NUREMBERG. 107 is worthy of that great artist. There is also Albert's o\^ti portrait, which is a copy, the original having been stolen from the panel by one Kiiifer, who received it to make a copy, and then sold it to the Elector of Bavaria for 550 florins. In the Church of St. Giles (Egydien KircheJ, a modern edifice, is an altarpiece by Vandyke, and likewise a relief of the Coronation of the Virgin by Adam Kraft. The Catholic church and the beautiful fountain, both in the market- square, are deserving of notice. Near the Ca- tholic church is the goose-market, with another fountain; and near to that is the house of the cobbler poet, Hans Sachs, who \^Tote 600 poems, which were chiefly satires : he flourished about 153.9. The to\^^l-hall was originally erected in 1.340, but the present edifice dates from 1619. The great hall formed part of the old building, and con- tains several paintings on its walls by Albert Durer, which are much damaged. Secret passages were con- structed under the toAvn-hall, to enable the magistrates to escape from popular risings or violence. The government was aristocratic : a few families enjoyed all the power, and fi'om them eight persons were elected to form the execu- tive. Notwithstanding its oligarchical character, the government of Nuremberg was frequenty selected to arbitrate between kings and emperors, when disputes arose. The Church of St. Laurence, the largest and noblest in Nuremberg, was founded, A.D. 1274. The west portal, and the bride's door on the north, are not to be exceeded in richness; but, in short, this chm'ch presents a mass of attractions to the eye of the traveller. The repository for the sacramental wafer, which is so much admired, is by Adam Kraft. He and two of his appren- tices worked at it for four years. This artist, whose genius and industry added so many embellishments to his native city, is said to have died a pauper in the hospital. His grave is in the church-yard of St. John. The works of Albert Durer, who was also born here, are not so numerous : they have been mostly removed from the public places to enrich the collections of princes and institutions ; and the decay of wealth in Nuremberg has caused the private collections to exchange masters. There is, however, one of his pictures which still remains in his family. It is the portrait of a rich patrician friend 108 MUNICH TO MENTZ, FRANKFORT, &c. of the artist's, and is freely shown at stated hours by the holder of it to travellers. Albert Durer's house stands at the corner of a street bearing his name. No. 3/3 : it is now occupied by a society of artists. His grave is No. 649, in the church-yard of St. John, where there are upwards of 3000 tomb-stones. One is to the Behaim family, to whom belonged one of the companions of Vasco de Grama when he sailed round the Cape. There are several other grave-stones, &c., in this cemetery, at which the traveller's curiosity mil be gratified. The origin of many important inventions, &c. is associated with this city. Play-cards were made, though perhaps not invented here, in 1380. In 1390, the first paper-mill in Germany was erected at Nuremberg. In 1356, cannon were cast: those previously used were made of iron bars bound together. In 1500, Peter Hele made the first watches, called " Nuremberg eggs." In 1517, the first gun-lock was made. In 1360, machines for drawing wire were invented. In 1550, important discoveries in the composition of metals, by Erasmus Ebner. In 1560, Hans Lobsinger invented the air-gun. In 1690, clarionet invented by Christopher Denner. DuRER was a painter, mathematician, sculptor, and engraver; he also excelled as an engineer. Vischer was a sculptor, and caster in bronze. Kraft was a sculptor; and Stross excelled early in carving in wood. Sandrast w^as of eminence as a painter. The cloth- weavers of Nuremberg were formerly celebrated, as were its dyers, smiths, armourers, and goldsmiths. Melanc- THON found the school before which his statue is erected, and which is near to the church of St. Giles. Hotels. — Whittelshacher Hof, near the post-ofiice; Der Baierischer Hofj Rothes Ross, &c. Conveyances. — Eilwagens start twice a-week from Nuremberg to the following jilaces : — Augsburg, Munich, Anspach, Gemund, Stuttgart, Dresden, Leipsig, Ratisbon, or Regensburg, &c. RATISBON. 109 The traveller who wishes to see Munich, aaiII proceed thither by the diligeiice from Nuremberg; but those who }3refer to reach the East w ithout loss of time, will proceed to Ratisbon, and there take the steamer for Vienna. RATISBON, OR REGENSBURG. Ratisbon is 65 English miles from Nuremberg : an eilwagen goes twice a-week, and completes the journey in about twelve hours. In the vicinity of Neumark there are several interesting ruins of castles. At Scambach there is a bridge over the Danube, 10.92 feet long ; it was erected 700 years ago. Ratisbon was anciently called Castra Regina. Like Nuremberg, it has suffered much in its commerce and importance. It shared with that city the commerce of Europe ; and even in foreign countries it had extensive manufactories. From 1663 to 1806 the Imperial diets were held here. Since the 10th centurj', it has endured no less than seventeen sieges ; the last was in 180.9, under Buonaparte, who received a wound in the foot upon the occasion. The whole of the suburbs were destroyed, and nearly 200 houses were burnt. The streets are narrow and gloomy, abounding with edifices of a very ancient date. Those which were tenanted by the oligar- chical rulers of the people, are built with a view to protect them fi'om any attack which their tp'anny might provoke. The cathedral was begun in the middle of the 13th century, and is one of the most splenchd in Germany, and contains many very remarkable monuments. There are two cathedrals of a much earlier date, which the vergers will show to the traveller on being requested to do so : they are both near to the cloisters. From the top of the cathedral itself, there is an excellent view^ of the town and the river. The ascent is curious : it consists of an inclined plane, which was laid for asses to carry up the materials used for the tower, and has not been removed, because the building was never finished. There were formerly two nunneries here, the abbesses of which sat in the Imperial diet as princesses. The numerous churches are not interesting ; the Rath-haus is a large but unsightly building. For more than 150 years the Imperial diets held their meetings in it. The dungeons are very exten- 110 MUNICH TO MENTZ, FRANKFORT, &c. sive, and the instruments of cruelty in the torture- chamber are still preserved, and excite the utmost horror at the pain which they must have inflicted. The building erecting upon an eminence by the King of Bavaria is in- tended for the reception of statues and busts of celebrated characters. The old bishop's palace is now a brewery. Kepler the astronomer died here; and there is a monument to his memory. The club and the theatre are in the same building. Hotels. — Goldene Kreufzj Goldene Engel. Conveyances. — Eilwagen once a-weekfrom Ratisbon to Frankfort, through Nuremberg, and twice a-week to Munich. Steamers jAy twice a week between Ratisbon and Vienna, passing Passau, Lintz, and Moelk. Should the traveller have proceeded to Munich (an account of which we have given, ante, p. 91) he must then determine by which route he will reach the point of his destination. He may either proceed by the Tyrol to Venice or Trieste, and there take the steamer for Greece ; or he may pass on by eilwagen to Vienna, and thence proceed down the Danube to Constantinople. Diligences or eilwagens leave Munich for Venice, via Innsbruck, Tuesdays and Fridays; they reach Innsbruck in 24 hours. Diligences leave Munich for Vienna, via Salz- burg foiu- times a-week: the fare to Salzburg is 9 fl. lOkr.; to Vienna, 34fl. 6kr. : there are besides numerous oppor- tunities of proceethng by lohnkutscher. Between Munich and Salzburg there is no object worth notice. From Munich to Innsbruck, if travelling in summer, and not pressed for time, the traveller should take the old road by Sauerlack, Holzku'chen, and Kreuth, the scenery being most romantic. TARIFF OF STEAMERS. Ill Tariff of the Bavaro-Wurtemburg and Austrian Steamers, for 1839. [Fl. signifies a florin, equal to about two shillings English. Kr, signifies kreutzer, 60 of which are equal to a florin. I. and II. denote theflrst and second cabin.'] § 1. — Bavaro-Wurtemburg Steamers. descent of the DANUBE. PRICE OF I. From fl kr Ratisbonne to Stauf 51 Straubing 2 Bogen 4 Deggendorf .... 5 Hofkirchen et Pleinting . 6 Vilshofen 6 Passau 8 Obernzell 9 Englhartszell . . . . 10 10 Wesen-Urfar .... 11 Aschach 12 50 Linz 15 II. fl kr 34 58 44 58 28 38 32 12 48 21 34 Linz, ascent of the DANUBE. Aschach ... . . 1 15 Wesen-Urfar . . . 2 38 Englhartszell . . . 3 16 Obernzell 3 57 Passau 4 42 Vilshofen 6 3 Hofkirchen et Pleinting . 6 29 Deggendorf .... 6 58 Bogen 8 15 Straubing 9 3 Stauf 10 45 Ratisbonne 11 15 50 1 45 2 10 2 37 7 2 20 40 31 2 10 7 30 112 TARIFF OF STEAMERS. § 2. — Austrian Steamers. DESCENT OF THE DANUBE. PRICE OF CABIN. From LiNZ to ViENNE Presburg Pesth, ft Mauthhausen 2 Grein ........ 3 Ybbs 4 Pochlarn 5 Molk 6 Stein 8 Vienne 10 Presbourg 3 Gonyo Comorn Gran Pesth Gonyo . Comorn Gran Pesth . Foldvar Paks . 7 8 9 12 4 5 6 9 3 4 Tolna 5 Baja 7 Mohacs 8 Apatin 9 Vukovdr 10 lUok 11 Neusatz 12 Semhn 15 Pancsova 16 Kubin 16 Basiasch 17 Moklava 18 Drenkova 20 Orsova 28 Skela-Clado\d .... 33 kr 30 30 30 9 30 30 30 30 30 30 50 40 30 30 20 II. fl kr 2 40 20 20 40 2 30 5 5 20 6 20 8 3 3 20 4 20 6 20 40 40 20 20 10 50 20 10 40 11 11 30 12 13 20 18 40 22 TARIFF OF STEAMERS. 113 PRICE OF CABIN, I. Skela-Cladova, jl kr Viddin, Kalafat ... 6 „ Lom-Palanka 8 „ Oreava, Piquet .... 11 „ Nicopoli, Islas . . . .15 " Sistov, Simnitza ... 17 „ Roustchouk, Giurgevo . 20 „ Tui-tukan, Oltenitza . . 23 „ Silistria 25 „ Hirsova 30 Ibraila 33 30 Galatz 35 Galatz, Touldcha 12 8 Varna 34 24 „ Constantinople . . . . 55 • 3 40 Constantinople, Spanish dollars „ Sinope — „ Trebisonde 30 „ Dardanelles ..... 9 6 „ Smyrne 15 10 „ Salonique 20 15 II. Jl kr 4 10 5 30 7 30 10 30 12 14 16 10 17 30 21 23 30 24 30 Smyrne, Scio 4 Scalanova 7 Cos 9 Rhodes 12 Castel-rosso 15 Lamaca 27 Beirout 33 Tripoli 35 Latakie 38 Alexandrette .... 40 3 4 6 8 10 18 22 24 26 29 114 TARIFF OF STEAMERS. ASCENT OF THE DANUBE. PRICE OF CABIN. I. From dol. Alexandrette to Rhodes, Cos, and Smyrna, see the tariffs pubhshed at Constantinople. Sm)Tne to Constantinople ...... 15 „ Salonique 15 Salonique to Constantinople 20 Ti-ebisonde to Constantinople .... 30 From Constantinople to Varna „ Touldcha . Galatz, Galatz Ibraila Hirsova Silistria . . . Turtukan, Oltenitza Roustchouk, Giurg Sistov, Simnitza Nicopoli, Islas Oreava, Piquet Lom-Palanka . Viddin, Kalafat Sk. Cladovi Orsova Drenkova evo Drenkova, Moldava J» Basiasch Kubin J» Pancsova Semlin Neusatz Illok . 3» Vukovar 5> Apatin Mohacs i> Baja . jl kr 22 46 55 1 30 5 30 10 20 12 30 15 30 18 30 20 40 24 20 27 20 29 30 35 40 48 50 30 8 8 50 9 50 11 11 50 II. dol. 10 10 15 ft kr 16 30 40 1 3 50 7 10 8 50 10 50 13 14 30 17 19 10 20 40 24 30 27 50 33 10 20 50 20 40 20 40 20 50 30 20 50 TARIFF OF STEAMERS. 115 PRICE OF CABIN. I. II. ji kr fi kr Drenkova, to Tolna 13 8 10 Paks 13 50 9 40 Foldvdr 14 30 9 40 Pesth 17 on 20 Pesth, I Gran 1 40 1 10 Comorn 2 40 1 40 Gonyo 3 2 „ Presboui'g 6 4 Vienne 9 6 ViENNE, I Griefenstein 1 0, 40 Tuln 1 20 50 „ Krems, Stein .... 1 30 1 Molk 3 2 Pochlani 3 30 2 20 „ llabs 4 2 40 Grein 5 O! 3 20 Walsee 5 30 3 40 „ Mauthhausen .... 6 4 „ Lintz 7 4 40 Steamers proceed from Ulm to Ratisboii, and from Ratisbon to Lintz : the Maria Therese and the Max- imilian steamers go and return every other day. Austrian Steamers. From Lintz to Vienna, in one day, i 6 o'clock morning Vienna to Lintz, two days, i 5 o'clock morning ' Vienna to Presburg & Pesth, j inone day, 5 o'clock morng. \ Pestlx to Presburg and Vi- < enna, 6 o'clock morning. . ( A second steamer, the Arpad, ' from Vienna to Presburg | and Pesth, 5 o'clock morng. . Pesth to Presburg and Vien- ( na, 6 o'clock morning . . . . ! June. July. August. 3, 8,13, 3, 8,13, 2, 7,12, 18, 23, 28. 18, 23, 28. 17, 22, 27. 4, 9, 14, 4, 9, 14, 3, 8, 13, 19, 24, 29. 19, 24, 29. 18, 23, 28. 5, 12, 17, 3, 10, 17, 7, 12. 17, 23, 28. 21, 26, 31. 23, 30. 2, 8, 14, 6, 13, 18, 3, 9, 14, 19, 25, 30. 23, 28. 19, 26. 3, 9,14, 1, 7,13, 4, 9,14, 19, 26. 19, 24, 29. 21, 27. 5,11,16, 3, 9,15, 6,11,17, 22, 28. 21, 26, 31. 23, 30. I 2 116 TARIFF OF STEAMERS. The quarantine regulations render a double line of steam-boats requisite from Pesth. One line proceeds dovMi the left side of the Danube, touching at Wallachia, Moldavia ; the other Widdin, Rutschuk, and proceeds to the Levant. From Perth to Semhn and Drenkova. — \ Friday Drenkova to Semhn. — Wednesday Semlin to Pesth. — Friday Skela, Cladova, to Galatz. — Tuesday June. July. 7,21. 5,19. 12, 26. 14, 28. 11, 25. 10, 24. 15, 26. 9,23. The Steamers for the Turkish side. Pesth for Semlin and Dren- kova. — Friday Drenkova to Semlin. — Wed- nesday Semhn to Pesth. — Friday . . Gladosnitza to Ibraila. — Tuesday Ibraila to Gladosnitza. — Sa- turday Ibraila, by Galatz to Con- stantinople — Saturday .... Constantinople, by Galatz to\ « 17 Ibraila.— Monday / -"' ^'- June. 14, 28. 5 19, 7, 21. 4, 18. 8, 22. 8, 22. July. 12, 26. 3, 17,31. 3, 19, 2. 2, 16, 30, 6,20. 6, 20. 15, 29. August. 2, 16, 30. 7,21. 9,23. 6,20. August. 9,23. 14, 28. 16, 30. 13, 17. 3, 17,31. 3, 17,31. 12, 26. OBSERVATIONS. Each passenger is allowed to take 601bs., Vienna weight, without extra charge. / * T}ie charge for a dog from Lintz to Vienna 1 30 Vienna to Presburg 1 Presburg to Pesth 1 Pesth to Orsava 2 Orsava to Galatz 2 Galatz to Constantinople 2 The dogs must be tied to the prow of the vessel. Sick persons are not admitted. Children under ten years of age pay half price. Between Pesth and Constantinople, all the vessels are pro- vided, in the first cabins, with berths, mattresses, pillows, and coverings; the berths are numbered, and each person must take care of the number which is given to him before his departure. The traveller who performs the whole journey has the pre- TARIFF OF STEAMERS. 117 ference ; and if the number of passengers exceed that of berths, the captain will endeavour to supply any deficiencies. The principal administration is that of Vienna : there are also offices at Lintz, Presburg, Pesth, Semlin, Orsova, Guirgevo, Galatz, Constantinople : there are also tariffs of the steam navi- gation on the Rhine on board the following boats : Marie- Anne, Sophie, Arpod, Zeingi, Fi'anz, and Galathea. Travel- lers will find private cabins, with sofas, berths, &c. at the fol- lowing prices. For a cabin From / I From / Lintz to Vienna 10 Vienna to Presburg 10 Vienna to Pesth 20 Presburg to Pesth 20 Pesth to SemUn 30 Pesth to Drenkover 40 Skela, Cladova, Glados., "I c^ to Ibraila and Galatz. J 50 Ibraila and Galatz to Skela, Cladova, Glad. Drenkover to Pesth 40 Semlin to Pesth 30 Pesth to Vienna 30 Pesth to Presburg 20 Presburg to Vienna 10 Vienna to Lintz 20 In the voyage from Pesth to Drenkover there are no fixed stations, and the captain stops where he thinks proper. The departures are regulated as follows : — From Drenkover, on Wednesday early, with the permit of the commandant. From Semlin. — Friday.. . "^ C Semlin ,, Vucovar. — Saturday M o'clock in the morn. < rp, , „^ i* , ,; Mohacs.-Sunday..J \ Thursday ,, Baja. — Sunday 8 o'clock in the morn. Passengers who wish to land in the intermediate station.?, must enquire of the conductor what time the vessel stops. SECTION IV. FROM MUNICH TO VENICE OR TRIESTE, VIA THE TYROL. From Munich to Innsbruck the distance is about 100 miles : the diligence I'oad is by Batenkirchen, celebrated for its sulphureous baths, which are much resorted to in summer. The scenery along the whole of the route is very delightful. INNSBRUCK. At Innsbruck the Estates of the Tyrol assemble. It is singularly situated in a valley ; and the precipices which 118 MUNICH TO VENICE. surround it are so high, that they seem to overhang the towiLi, although situated at a considerable distance from it. The to\\Ti takes its name from a wooden bridge over the river Inn, on which it is situated. The bridge is celebrated as having been the place where the French were repulsed by the peasants under Hofer. In the Franciscan Church there are some splendid monuments. That to Maximihan L, who is buried in Austria, has not its equal on the continent. The row of twenty-eight bronze figures on each side of the aisles were cast early in the fourteenth centuiy, and represent " The Worthies of Europe." They are colossal figures of excellent work- manship, and invariably excite the highest admiration and curiosity of the traveller. The Silver Chapel is so called from a silver statue of the vu'gin, which it once contained : it was erected as a mausoleum for the Arch- duke Ferdinand and his wife, the burgher's daughter already alluded to. The grave of Hofer is at the entrance of the church. He was shot at Mantua in 1810; and thirteen years after, his remains were conveyed to Inns- bruck. The University affords gratuitous education, for which it has funds to the amount of 12,000 florins per year. The Palace has nothing to induce the traveller to visit it, but the gardens are a pleasant promenade. The Museum is confined exclusively to the productions of Tyrol, whether in art or nature. In one of the rooms are several interesting relics connected with the death of Hofer. In the Library there is still preserved the letter which Lord Sidmouth sent to Hofer, with ^30,000, as a gift from England to assist the brave defenders of their " fatherland from the tyranny of Napoleon." Unhappily, the gift did not arrive until the struggle had terminated. In the church of the Capuchins is the cell in which Maximilian II., archduke of Austria, made a penitential retreat for a fortnight every year. Collin, the sculptor, is buried in the large cemetery at the Spital Church. The post-office is in the Neustadt, a very handsome street, and on the left bank of the river is the schooling-house, where the traveller will see astonishing proofs of the skill of the Tyrolese archers. On a market day the appearance of this towTi is exceedingly interesting, from the variety of the costumes of the country people who frequent it. The INNSBRUCK— TRENT. 119 celebrated " Golden Roof,'''' of Innsbruck, is a kind of wndow Avith a roof of gilt copper, in front of the old residence of the Dukes of Tyrol. One of the dukes, called " empty purse," spent 30,000 ducats upon this piece of foolish extravagance. Hotels. — Goldene Sonne j Schwartzen Adler. After leaving Innsbruck, the traveller will cross the Brenner-pass, which can be crossed at all seasons of the year. Beyond this, and about sixty-five miles from Inns- bruck, is BoTZEN, where there is an excellent hotel. The cuisine would be gratifying to the palate of the choicest Parisian epicm'e ; but this observation does not apply to many other hotels in the Tyrol, and it is highly important that the traveller should see that the bed-linen is properly aired. Botzen, though small, is a very flom-ishing town, and has a population of about 8000 inhabitants. Four fairs are held here every year. Figs, lemons, ohves, and pomegranates floiu-ish in the neighboiu'hood, where the roads and fields are hemmed in by high roads ; and it is, therefore, very difficult to obtain good views. TRENT. Thirty miles from Botzen is Trent, celebrated as having been the place at which a great ecclesiastical " general council " was held, from 1545 to 1563. It was held in the church of Sania Maria Maggiore, which is a red marble edifice, and has recently undergone great repairs. In the church, the places are still shewn which each party occupied dm*ing the council. Trent has a population of 12,000, and the Italian is the prevailing language. The cathedral was completed in 1212. It is a splendid structure, and is famous for the beauty and splendour of its altar. Trent is a tovra of great antiquity; it is a bishop's see, and is situated on the Adige. Hotel. — La Rosa. From Trent the traveller may continue his journey by dihgence to Verona, and thence to Venice (which have been described in Section 2) ; or he may make an inte- resting tour through Bassano and Castella-Franca (at both of which there are excellent hotels) to Maestre, where there are always gondolas, which v^ill convey him to 120 MUNICH TO VIENNA. Venice in two hours. The entire distance from Trent to Venice, by this route, is about ninety-five miles; for Trieste the traveller will leave the Venice road at Vicenza. SECTION V. MUNICH TO VIENNA. SALZBURG. Salzbui'g contains 12,000 inhabitants. The to^Mi is exceedingly dull, and its main attraction is in the delight- fuhaess of its situation. It is in a valley sui-rounded by magnificent mountain scenery. It is imiversally admitted to be by far the most lovely spot in Germany. Every variety of scenery, — mountain and plain, — a beautiful river, wooded slopes, and numerous villas, all contribute to render it in summer deserving of the celebrity which it has acquii'ed. The castle was established in the eleventh century, and was long the refuge of the bishop-princes of Salzburg, from the tumultuous risings of their own. dis- affected subjects. These bishops enjoyed large incomes ; they were possessed of considerable territories ; and they frequently led then* armies to battle. Strangers cannot see the castle without an order from the commandant of the to^^^l. It is now used only for a barrack ; and there are always plenty of persons ready to conduct the traveller through it, and amuse him with, a ghb narrative of the legends and stories which are told respecting it. The torture-chamber, the rack, and the trap-door, through which so many have been consigned to death, still remain. Early in the seventeenth centmy, the most horrible atro- cities were perpetrated against the Protestants in this castle. From the upper balconies of the castle a very fine view is obtained. Some of the houses, which are built near the rocks, are subject to great danger from the falling of earth. In 1669, not less than three hundred persons were destroyed, together with thu'teen houses and some public buildings, by one of these landslips. St. Rupert, who died in 620, was the founder of Salzburg. St. Peter^s Church contains several monuments. One is to the memory of a brother of Haydn, the composer: ISCHL— THE SALT-MINE. 1:21 and it is said that St. Rupert also was buried within its walls. The Library is celebrated chiefly for the typogra- phical cm-iosities which it contains. In the Cathedral there is nothing remarkable. Mozart was born here in 1756; and Theophrastus Paracelsus^ a celebrated quack, who boasted of having invented the elixir vitse, and the philosopher's stone, also lived and died at Salzburg : he was buried in the church-yard of St. Sebastian, where there are several monumental cm-iosities. ISCHL. Ischl is one of the principal German bathing, or water- ing places, a short remove from Salzburg. The scenery and amusements, together with the cheapness of the place, render it of such fashionable resort in summer, that it is frequently difficult to obtain accommodation. The baths are situated in a large handsome building ; and on the Grecian portico are inscribed the words, " In sale et in sole omnia consistunt." The vapour-baths at Ischl are of a very pecuhar construction ; and there are also mud-baths which are made from the settlement, brought from the reservoirs in the salt-mine. This to\Mi may be called the Leamington of Germany ; for it is only within a very few years that it has risen into its present eminence, attracting crowds of the Austrian, Bohemian, and Hungarian nobi- lity and gentry to enjoy the delights which it yields. The lakes of Ischl abound with fish, and the amusement of fishing is under no restraint. THE SALT-MINE. The great salt-mine is not more than three miles from Ischl, and the chief office of management is situated there. Application should be made at this office before parties set out for the mine. At a place called the " Berghaus Miners," cbesses are prepared for visitors, whether ladies or gentlemen, for it is not unusual for the former to ex- plore the mine. Twelve stories, or huge galleries, one above the other, present themselves to the beholder's eye on an entry being eff'ected, which is done by the sixth of the tier. If parties are sufficiently numerous, or if they do not grudge the expense, the mine is illuminated : a lake surrounded by hghts has all the appearance of being 122 MUNICH TO VIENNA. surrounded with diamonds, as do the walls of the cave; in fact, the whole presents a most singular and beautiful ap- pearance. They are close to a place called HaUein, which lies at the foot of a mountain called Durrenberg. The mines have been worked for three centuries and a half: there is no dano-er attending a visit to them, and they are neither damp nor dirty. Previous to descending, even ladies usually equip themselves in the attire which does not belong to their sex, and then they proceed through a long tunnel to a shaft, or well, which is very dark : this is descended by a kind of inchned plane, which is formed of two poles, which are about a foot asunder. The guide throws his legs across these poles, and holding a strong rope, which is suspended from above to preserve his balance, and then, as he lets it slip through his hands, he descends. Visitors arrange themselves in a similar man- ner behind him, only they put their hands on his shoul- ders, and thus the descent is eiFected. There are three or four such descents as these, and then the traveller arrives at a large apartment, filled with fresh water, and which is being changed into brine, by the dissohing of the salt on the sides and at the top. Visitors make their exit from the mines through a timnel cut from the rock, which is nearly half a mile long. They are placed on a wooden horse, which the miners hurry along at a rapid pace. About three hom-s are spent in this singular expe- dition ; but thrice that number of days, would not suffice to examine every part of it. The salt is made in the evaporating-houses in the town, to which the brine is con- veyed through wooden pipes. LINTZ. At a distance of thirty-five miles is Lintz, a town which is exceedingly uninteresting. It has, however, a singular appearance, from being surrounded by a great number of towers, which command the heights, to the distance of a league. The public buildings are very un- important. Two rail-roads meet here. One runs 67 miles north, into Bohemia ; the other to Wels and Gmun- den. Some travellers have affected to discover great beauty in the women of Lintz ; but unless those tourists have been mistaken, the Lintz ladies have greatly dege- VIENNA. 123 nerated. The principal attractions at Lintz are the splen- did views in its neighbourhood. The descent of the Danube to Vienna is a most delightful passage. There is a daily correspondence by eilwagen to Vienna. Hotels. — The Goldene Lowe and the Stuck. The land jouraey from Lintz to Vienna occupies twenty hours. At St. Polten, where those who travel by post usually terminate the first day's journey, there is a very comfortable inn. At Ebersherg bridge there w^as a severe contest, in 1809, betAveen the French and the Austrians : upwards of 12,000 were killed. Enns separates Upper from Lower Austria. Many Christians were martyred here under Galerius in 305. The walls of the town were built out of the ransom of Richard Coeur de Lion. At MoELK or Melk, is the largest monastery in Ger- many: it belongs to the Benedictines, and was built in 1702. It bears no resemblance to a place of penitential austerity ; but, on the contrary, has all the appearance of a luxurious residence. It is tenanted by forty monks, who live in great splendour: each has his ow^n apart- ments, which are richly carpeted. This is a luxury which, in German}^, is principally confined to palaces and princes. Some idea of the stores in their cellars may be formed from the fact that, dm-ing the late wars, they supplied Napoleon's army with 50,000 pints of wdne for several days. Napoleon slept in one of the rooms, which com- mands a view of the Danube. Having set fire to one of his despatches, he threw it on the floor, and the mark which was left by the fire is still shown. The library contains 20,000 volumes, and 1500 MSS. The Inns are by no means good, and it matters little w^hich the traveller selects. VIENNA. The early history of Vienna is involved in great obscu- rity ; and the following is a chronology of the principal events connected with the city. A.D. 70, in the reign of Vespasian, it w^as a garrison town for four legions. In the fourth century the Christian rehgion was in- troduced. 124 MUNICH TO VIENNA. Under Charlemagne it was united to France. From 1246 to 1251 there was no sovereign. In 1315, the University was built by Count Rodolph. Sohman penetrated to the walls with 300,000 men, and was repulsed with a loss of at least 40,000 of them. In 1657, the Jews were expelled. In 16/7, 120,000 people died of the plague. In 1681, the column on the Graben was erected, to commemorate the return of the Imperial family after the plague : it is to the honour of the Holy Trinity. 1683. — In September of this year, the finest army ever raised by the Tm-ks w^as routed by Sobieski, through the imbecility and avarice of Cara Mustapha. The battle took place under the walls ; and from this event may be dated the commencement of the downfall of the Ottoman empire. Cara Mustapha met the bowstring as the reward of his misconduct. In 1697, the Tm-ks were again defeated. In 1700, the first gazette was printed. In 1 789, campaign against Turkey. In 1792, war with France. In 1798, Bernadotte ambassador for France. In 1805, the French army occupied Vienna. In 1808, Napoleon engaged to Marie Louise. In 1809, entry of the French : Buonaparte took up his quarters at Schonbrun, and on the 12th of July signed an armistice. In 1810, marriage of Napoleon. In 1814, congress of Vienna. The last emperor was married four times. Vienna is a place w hich merits attention, as a large, cheerful, bustling city, pleasantly and advantageously situated on the left bank of the Danube, encircled by ramparts that form a di-y* and agreeable promenade, which commands an intervening space, called the glacis, lying between these and the suburbs on Forstadts, which are thirty-four in number. * By unremitting- attention, this place is kept continually dry, the snow, when it falls, bein^ immediately swept away. In this capital the streets are cleaned by nio^ht instead of by day, and thus many annoyances are prevented to which the inhabitants of other capitals are subject, where a contrary course is followed. VIENNA. 125 Although the suburbs contain several fine palaces, churches, and other pubhc buildings, which present a general uniformity to the eye of the beholder, there is, nevertheless, an absence of that imposing effect, which structures of a former age confer upon the parent city. In the city itself, some of the streets, though formed chiefly of palaces, are without any pretensions to regula- rity; others are crowded with shops, which would not suflPer in a comparison with those of the larger European capitals ; while, towering above all, is seen the venerable cathedi-al, which, though pelding in height to that of Strasbiu-g, has no sviperior for its sublime gothic archi- tecture. Public Buildings. — The cathedi-al is a lofty gothic buihhng of imposing magnificence : it was completed in 1480. The tower was begun in 1359, and completed in 1433. The charges for seeing it are high. In the catacombs of this venerable pile, innumerable bodies, apparently defSdng the ravages of time, are seen in the most confused and appalling forms, some of them being of an extraordinary size. One may be seen reclin- ing against the wall, despoiled of a leg; another presents only a decapitated trunk ; while a thu-d is still entire, the beard and robes exhibiting the style of the fifteenth century. Of the numerous inferior churches, two only possess more than an ordinary degree of interest ; and this re- sults rather from what they contain than from what they are in themselves. One, the Capuchins', enshrines a long line of the Austrian dynasty, with the remains of the Duke de Reichstadt; while the other, the Augustins', pos- sesses their embalmed hearts ; together mth a cenotaph, by the great Canova, of equal merit A^ith Theseus in the Temple in the Folks Garden, by the same inimitable artist. The Temple was copied from that of Theseus at Athens. In the church of St. Michael Metastasio is buried, but the exact spot is not known. The Imperial Palace has been built at various periods : it is large, but has a mean appearance. The most an- cient part was built in 1210. When the court is not in to\Mi the apartments can be seen every day ; and every Sunday, all who choose may repair thither to see the 126 MUNICH TO VIENNA. royal family retm-n from chm-cli through the state apart- ments. The poorest peasant can, at any time, have an audience with the emperor. The Folks Garden, or garden for the people, is one of the most frequented spots in Vienna; and there is an excellent cafe in it, where a public concert is given every Sunday night. In a temple in this garden, dedicated to Theseus, is a fine piece of sculpture by Canova. The Collection of Engravings in Vienna is one of the richest and most extensive in Europe. It was coin- menced by Prince Eugene. Regalia Office. — Admittance is easily gained. The greatest curiosity is the Regalia of Charleniagne : it was taken out of his grave at Aix-la-Chapelle. There is also what are said to be " a holy spear,"—" the nails of the cross," — " a tooth of St. John tlxe Baptist," — " a piece of the true cross," and of " the table cloth used at the Last Supper" ! ! ! There are several objects of immense value and interest in this place, which will be explained to the visitor. The Cabinet of Antiquities, h open from 10 to 12 o'clock, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. In a private room is the celebrated " Leda and the Swan," by Bene- venuto Cellini. The Archduke^s Palace on the bastion is rather com- fortable than splendid ; it is famed for its collection of di-awings and engravings, and for its Ubrary. It boasts of many works by Canova, Raphael, A. Durer, And. del Sarto, &c. The Imperial Library contains 300,000 volumes, and 16,000 MSS., and abounds with antiquities and typo- graphical curiosities. The Cabinet of Minerals is open every Wednesday. In several of its departments, this collection is inferior to none in Eiu-ope. The Museum of Natural History, though not on a grand scale, will afford much pleasure to the visitor. The Imperial Arsenal is open to the public on Mondays and Thursdays, from 7 to 10, and from 1 to 5 o'clock ; and the Town Arsenal is open at nearly the same hours, and on the same days. In winter it is not open after dinner. In the latter is the head of Cava Mustapha, and VIENNA. 127 the cord by which he was strangled on his return from his disastrous expedition. He was buried at Belgrade; and when that tOMn was taken, his head was severed from his body, and taken to Vienna. His shroud is also showTi. The town has arms for 24,000 civic guards ; and the imperial arsenal, besides a vast number of curiosities, scarcely equalled in any continental collection, contains arms for 150,000 men. The Brazilian Museum. — Amongst the numerous inte- resting objects which are presented to the traveller in this extensive collection, the following deserve especial notice : — A bird, the size of an eagle, with three large talons in each vnng, said to be the greatest enemy the boa-con- strictor has to contend with ; then the small musquito, so destructive, that if one penetrates the skin in the morning it produces many thousands by night ; a large insect, the size of a butterfly, which reflects as much light as a common-size lantern, &c. The Ambrass Museum contains a collection of ancient armour, which is by far the best in Europe. The Imperial Picture Gallery is open on Mondays and Fridays. The collection is extensive, and is generally termed a good one. As specimens of the Austrian school of paint- ing, some full-size pictm-es by Shnoor may be pointed out. This is the same artist who painted and lithographed the most striking and faithful portrait of young Napoleon. To enumerate all the pictures would far exceed our limits; and the same remark applies to the galleries of Prince Lichtenstein, Esterhazy, Lamburg, Schonbrun, &c. The Polytechnic Institute was established in 1816 : it gives a good business education to 500 pupils. The esta- blishment for the encouragement of natural industry merits attention. The Normal School was estabhshed as a model for other schools throughout the Austrian dominions ; and to its operations must mainly be attributed the fact, that in Vienna the population are better educated than in any other part of the dominions. The Asylum for the Insane has usually 300 patients ; and there is an Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, in which they are treated with the fondest care. The Hospital of the Charitable Brothers is a most 128 MUNICH TO VIENNA. meritorious institution. It gives the best accommoda- tion to the sick of all countries, without regard to their creed. The General Hospital is an immense structure. It contains 111 sick chambers, and 2000 beds. A lying-in hospital is attached to it. A woman may enter it unseen, and for a small sum will receive every care. She may, if she pleases, leave her child to be sent to the Foundling Hospital. She receives a ticket, which enables her to identify the child ; and if by a certain time it is not claimed, it is put to some employment. The University was founded in 1237- The 80 pro- fessors are paid by government; and the number of students is about 2000. The professors receive no fees; and the small sums which are paid on admission to cer- tain lectures, are distributed amongst the poorer students, ■without any regard to their religious opinions. As a school of medicine, this university enjoys a high repute. The Institution for instructing Army Surgeons has a most remarkable and extensive series of anatomical pre- parations in wax. AMUSEMENTS OF VIENNA. Having thus briefly spoken of the principal public buildings, we may give some description of the amuse- ments of the Viennese. They are undoubtedly the most musical people in the world. To the lovers of music, waltzing, and eating, Vienna is an earthly paradise, wdiere every man, whose circumstances are above mechocrity, plays the piano, and where all waltz h merveille, and are unanimous in their respect pour la cuisine, which, though open to Epicurean criticism, is extremely well underr stood. In winter, the amusements of the Viennese chiefly con- sist in the theatres, besides which, nightly concerts are held, as secondary to the favourite waltz, so quick in its step as to form a singular contrast with the general cha- racter of the people, and yet so peculiar as to become identified with all those who live within the sphere of the paternal government. The gentlemen stand in the mid- dle of the saloon, and leave a large space between them VIENNA. 129 and the boxes, which are filled with spectators : in that space the waltzers whirl round with great rapidity. There are five theatres, three of which are minor, or suburban establishments. The entertainments begin between six and seven, and are over shortly after nine o'clock. The legitimate drama is performed best at the Hof, or Burg Theatre. The Karnther Thor-Theatre is the Opera Houses and the ballets and music are excellent. The largest theatre is the Der Wien: spectacles and melo-dramas are got up here. The Leopoldstadt is the theatre fi*equented by the bulk of the population, where extravaganzas and satirical pieces, suited to the tastes of the audience, are played. Each quarter of the city has its saloons, not less re- markable for their elegance, than their capacity of accom- modating the crowds which nightly resort thither. Into these, no other introduction is requisite than the ])ayment of fi'om 30 to 60 kreutzers; i. e. from one to two shillings. Here nothing can exceed the decorum and propriety observed by all, from the dame de la cour to the blan- chisseuse. Some of them join in the maze of the waltz, while others look on, and enjoy the enchanting music, conducted by one of their famed leaders, Strauss, Larner, or Morelly. Galleries and side-wings are set apart for suppers, served hot, at prices noted do^m in the lists distributed to the guests. The moderation of these prices will astonish the inexperienced traveller. Strauss and his band of 40 musicians are celebrated throughout Eurojse ; and are now as well known in London as in Vienna. One of the dancing-saloons has rooms in which 1000 persons can dance. Larner is the rival of Strauss. In summer, the glacis becomes thronged at an early hour, the object being to partake of a mineral spring, breakfast, and a promenade, under the shade afibrded by groves which extend in all directions. Music is continued throughout the whole of the time, one band ceasing only that another may have an opportunity for display. The favourite resort for the after-part of the day, is the Prater, which adjoins the suburbs, and where large clus- ters of woods, stretching along to the Danube, upon too grand a scale to permit of its being called a park, although 130 MUNICH TO VIENNA. possessing, all the beauties of such a place, exhibit nature in some of her lovehest features. Here an umbrageous walk of nearly a mile in length, and a drive of great extent by its side, are ever filled ; the one by large numbers of well-dressed people on foot, the other by two interminable lines of carriages, the interstices and another avenue being filled vnth equestrians of both sexes, consisting less of the elite of Austria than of her contributory states. Large trees, in all the pride and lustihood of their growth, afford shelter to thousands who refresh themselves with ices, coffee, or lemonade ; while here and there, a building dedi- c^ated to the Vienese muse, and its orchestra illumined by her attendant stars, attracts numbers of waltzers within, and crowds of loitering admirers around it. At a short remove from these, a circus for horseman- ship, menageries for wild beasts, phantasmagorias, round- abouts, and shows, invite others to gratify their several tastes, and minister to then* amusements. Sometimes the ear is deafened by the cry of a juggler, or assailed by the importunity of a fortune-teller; and the night occasionally closes by an exhibition of fire-works, at which the Royal family and court attend. There are thus all the concomi- tants and variety of an English fair, without any of its vulgarity or confusion. This being an everydaj^ scene, it might be thought that so much gaiety tended to demoralize and impoverish the people. The contrary, however, is the case: it has the effect of refreshing the industrious after their toil; and it prevents those lamentable consequences of idleness and intemperance, of which the instances are so many and so melancholy in our country; none are more cleanly, better dressed, or courteous. An English gentleman, who recently travelled through various countries, and the whole of Ger- many, under the direction of the British government, for the purpose of enquiring into the condition and manage- ment of the poor, declares that he never was in any country that evidenced so much sobriety, so httle discon- tent, and so completely the absence of indigence, as Austria. There has been much exaggeration as to the dissipii'don which is said to prevail in Vienna. A corps of 700 men are the only conservators of the peace ; and disturbances rai*ely occur. Gaming-houses are unknown. VIENNA. 131 and there is not any of that unblushing display of \'iee, so constantly mtnessed in London and Paris. USEFUL REMARKS. Lodgings are twice as dear in the city as they are in the suburbs. Nearly every door in Vienna is in the care of a porter, who shuts it at ten o'clock at night, and a small fee of three kreutzers, or Id., is paid to him by every person for whom he opens it after that horn-. It rarely occm-s that a house is tenanted by one family. A valet-de-place expects to receive from Ifl. 12kr. to Ifl. 48ki\ per day. The restaurateurs are very numerous, and their charges are lower than in Paris. The common people dine at twelve or one, and the higher class at four or five. The Emperor dines at two. The cafes are plain, but well frequented. Coffee is gene- rally taken without milk. Melange is the term applied to it when milk is mixed mth it. It is not usual to call a waiter in Vienna, but to strike your glass instead. There is a great deal of smoking in the cafds, as it is not allowed in the public streets. Fiacres, or hackney-coaches, superior to any other capital, are to be had in all parts of the town ; but there is no fixed rate of pa^-ment, and therefore it is necessary to make a bargain with the driver : the usual price being from Is. 6d. to 2s. an hom\ Conveyances to the neigh- bouring villages are very numerous and cheap ; and every means is used to make kno\Mi the places and times at which they start. Gahgnani's Paper, and a good supply of other journals, will be found at the Handleings Verein, or Commercial Association. The price of admission is 1 florin. Galignani's Paper may also be read at the cafe on the Graben. Jewellery, and particularly small gold chains, are made in great perfection at Vienna. The Churches in A^ienna are open from sun-rise until noon, when they shut during the dinner hour. The latter custom is also observed by the leadnig houses of business. The Puhfio Institutions for the people in Vienna are most liberally supported by the government. The schools, K 2 132 MUNICH TO VIENNA. hospitals, &c. &c. are numerous, and exceedingly well managed. Women. — The women, who may in general be termed pretty, are devotees to the toilette ; but surpassing the French in extravagance, they lose sight of their neat and elegant simplicity. Carriages. — Vienna carriages are proverbial for their close approximation to those of England, and are to be procured at about one-thu-d of the English price. To keep a can-iage is so far a matter of necessity, that the greatest domestic economy is exercised to achieve it ; and when it is stated that all the necessaiy expenses may be kept within the compass of ^^120 per annum, a judgment may be formed of the cost of a manage in the Imperial city. Carriages, 5 florins, or 10s. a day — half-a-day, beginning at half-past one until midnight, 3 florins, or 6s. ; for the evening only, about 3s. 4d. Man servant's wages, 16s. a month ; woman servant, 10s. ; lady's maid, 20s. To board themselves they require double. Hackney-coaches, 20 swanzickers, or Is. 4d., an hour. Money. — Twenty kreutzers make 1 swanzicker. Sixty do. . 1 gulden. An Austrian gulden 2s. English. Cloths are extremely well made. Hats are as good as London made ones, 12s. each. Linen and ladies di-esses are also very cheap. Bankers. — Messrs. Arnstein and Eskeles; M. Guy- miiller. At either of these bankers the traveller will meet with every attention, and will obtain any information he may require. Hotels. — The Archduke Charles is the most fashion- able ; the iVeissen Schivan, or White Swan : this is considered the best hotel in Austria; the landlord is obliging and attentive. Outside the city walls, and pleasantly placed on the Danube, is the Goldene Lamm : a list of prices is fixed up in the hall, and rooms are paid for according to their height and size, from Is. 3d. to 4s. There is a re- stam-ant below, well served, at remarkably low prices. VIENNA. 133 Passports. — The traveller's passport will be sent to the police-office near St. Peter's church, and within twenty- four hours after, the traveller himself must apply for it. Minute enquiries are made as to the business, and even the means, of the stranger, chiefly with a view to prevent him from leaving Vienna without pa3dng his debts. This scrutiny is very unpleasant to an Englishman ; but he is recommended to take it as a matter of course. He pa3s two florins for leave to remain in the city, which must be renewed when the time for which it is given expires. Notice should be given of any change of residence. The passport remains at the police-office until he leaves the city. When doing so, he must provide himself with a jmssir schein, or he will not be allowed to pass the outer lines. The police registries ai-e kept with the greatest minuteness and accuracy. ENVIRONS OF VIENNA. In the immediate vicinity of Vienna, are many pic- turesque and beautiful sites peculiar to the spot. From the Kaklenberg and Leopoldberg hills, there is a wide expanse of country, including the villages and plains of Wagram and Aspern, so memorable as the theatre of war between Najioleon and the Archduke Charles. Within the distance of one German mile, or five En- glish miles, is The Imperial Palace of Schonbrun, where is shown the window fractiu-ed by the bullet of the enthusiastic student who shot at Napoleon while he was reviewing the Im- perial guard, and also the apartment he occupied when he made this his head-quarters, instead of entering the city. An additional interest is imparted to the place, by tlie circumstance of the Duke de Reichstadt having, when taken ill, chosen the identical chamber and spot in which his father Napoleon had slept, to close his mortal cai-eer ; and by a singular coincidence, the remains of the young prince were subjected to a post-mortem examination upon the same table at which the emperor had held his councils. In imitation of the military hardihood of his sire, the young Duke was in the habit of exposing himself to all weathers, and keeping guard during successive nights; a practice which often called forth from his sur- 134 MUNICH TO VIENNA. geon. Dr. Malfati, the expressive words, Rappelez vous, mon Prince, que vouz avez un Cceur de Fer dans un Corps, de Verre. The gardens of this palace conduct to Heitzing, a summer resort for the fashionable world, where many of the nobility, including Prince Metternich, have their chateaux. Here are also several large saloons, fitted up with a degree of taste and extravagance peculiar to the Viennese, in which dinners are supplied to thousands, particularly on Sundays, when a band, consisting of a hunch'ed musicians, plays the whole time. Balls are fre- quently given here on a grand scale. Closterneuberg is approached by a delightful ride on the banks of the Danube. The high antiquity of the convent, and the diversified character of the surround- ing scenery, including the castle of Greifinstein, renowned as the prison of Richard Coeur de Lion, produce a deep and lasting impression. Laxenberg has little to recommend it as a royal residence ; but there is in its grounds the facsimile of an ancient castle, filled with armour, and other interesting relics replete \A-ith interest. It is surrounded by a moat ; the interior presents armour and implements of war taken from the Turks. The figures represent several Inthan kings or chiefs, and articles of vertu innumerable. The tower presents a prison, where an automaton figm-e of a captive, dressed in coarse brov^n holland, salutes the stranger : next are the dungeons, one side of which was destined to those in- tended to be starved to death, the entrance just large enough to admit a man. About half \vay up the tower is a room for the judges, to which room the prisoner was hauled up from his prison beneath, his head alone being permitted to enter the room, very much like a man in a pilloiy. The day's excursion is finished by \dsiting Mudling and Bruhl, the Switzerland of Austria. Baden, about 20 miles distant, is the Cheltenham of the Viennese. 135 SECTION VI. FROM LONDON TO THE RHINE AND THE DANUBE. § 1. — From London to the Rhine. Parties to whom any of the routes already described are famihar, and who may, therefore, prefer a different one, may proceed from London to Ostend, or Antwerp, and thence through Brussels and Liege to Cologne. They may there ascend the Rhine to Frankfort, from whence they can proceed either by the Danube, or by the Adriatic. The expense of this route will differ little from that of any of the other routes, but some time will be saved in adopting it. The following is a list of steam- ers, &c. : — From London to the follow- Chief C lotterdam . Via Antwerp, | Via Ostend, and and from Cologne, from Cologne. ing Places. ab. Fore C ab. Exclus Chief Cab. ive of la Fore Cab. id conve Cliief Cab. yance. Fore Cab. Dusseldorf . . Cologne £ s 3 3 3 2 3 7 3 7 3 10 3 12 3 13 3 12 3 13 3 12 d 4 4 6 6 3 £ s d 2 2 2 1 G 2 4 11 2 4 11 2 8 2 8 7 2 10 1 2 8 7 2 9 2 8 7 £ s d 2 4 2 4 2 8 2 9 2 12 2 15 C 2 17 2 16 6 2 17 2 16 6 £ s 1 14 1 14 1 16 1 17 2 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 d 6 6 6 6 6 6 £ s 1 12 1 12 1 16 1 17 2 2 3 2 4 2 4 2 5 2 4 d 6 6 6 6 6 6 £ s d I 5 6 1 5 6 1 8 1 9 1 12 1 13 I 14 6 1 14 1 14 6 1 14 Neuwied Coblence. . . . Ems Bingen Kreuznacli . . Bieberich .. . Wiesbaden . . Mayence .... Frankfort on ? the Maine) 3 IGIO 2 12 6 3 2 6 2 8 1 17 6 Children under Ten years of age half prices. On Carriages and Horses booked in London direct for the Rhine, a considerable reduction is made. For Dogs half the price of Fore Cabin is charged. The Railroad fare from Antwerp to Liege, (Ans.) 7fr. 50c., or 6s.; Antwerp to Brussels, 3fr., or 2s. 6d.; Ostend to Liege, (Ans.) 14fr., or Us. 4d. ; Ostend to Brussels, 9fr., or 7s. 6d. 136 LONDON TO THE RHINE AND DANUBE. The Diligence leaves Liege for Aix-la-Chapelle, (fare 7fr., or 5s. 8d.) ; and Aix-la-Chapelle for Cologne (3 tha. 3sg., or 9s. 3d.) twice daily. It is highly important for all travellers landing at Antwerp or Ostend, with the intention of proceeding to Aix-la-Chapelle, or the Rhine, to bear in mind that they must get their passports vise by the Prussian consuls at either of those two places. They will spare themselves much trouble and inconvenience by adopting this precau- tion before they proceed on their route. § 2. — Prom London to the Danube. Travellers may proceed from London to Hamburg, through Hanover and Prussia to Vienna, and thence descend the Danube. The General Steam Navigation Company's vessels sail as follows : From London. Wednesday. 5 „ 5 Saturday . . 8 ,, 6 Wednesday. 12 ,,1 Saturday . . 15 ,, 2 Wednesday. 19 ,, 5 Saturday ..22 ,, 6 Wednesday. 26 ,, 1 Saturday ..29 „ 2 From Hamburs:. Saturday . . 1 June 2 Morn. \ Saturday . . 1 June 3 Morn. Wednesday. 5 ,, 6 Friday.... 7 „ 12 Night. Wednesday. 12 ,, 2 Morn. Saturday . . 15 ,, 4 ,, Wednesday. 19 ,, 6 ,, Friday .... 21 „ 12 Night. Wednesday. 26 ,, 1 Morn. Saturday . . 29 ,, 2 „ Passengers must be on board before 12 o'clock on Tuesday and Friday evenings. State Dues on Baggage to be paid at Hamburg by the Pas- sengers. Fares :— Chief Cabin, £4 ; Fore Cabin, £3 ; Four W^heel Car- riages, £10; Two Wheel ditto, £6; Horses, £7; Dogs, £1 each. The following shows the total expense of this route: — £ s d From London to Hamburg, by steamers 4 ,, by sailing vessels £2 2 ,, Hamburg to Berlin, about IB hours 15 ,, Berlin to Dresden, „ 26 ,, 14 ,, Dresden to Prague, ,, 24 ,, 1 13 ,, Prague to Vienna, ,, 24 ,, 1 12 £9 4 137 SECTION YII. FROM VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. THE VOYAGE DOWN THE DANUBE. We some time since left the traveller at Vienna : we now retm-n, and accompany him thence dowTi the Danube. The bed of the Danube being formed of stone and sand, w^hich are easily acted upon by the force of the water, is changed almost every week. Divided into many arms, it forms innumerable islands, which are covered with shrubs and trees ; while its flat and uninteresting shores are only relieved in the distance by two chains of mountains, which inchcate an approach to the Hungarian frontier. On the left is the terminus of the Carpathian, on the right the Levithe chain. Not far from the town is Lemming, where horse races are held. Opposite to an Imperial palace, called Theban, are some Roman ruins, and a church walled round, supposed to have been the first built in the coimtry, having an antiquity of nearly 1500 years. The remains of a wall are seen in the distance, which rims from thence to the iake Neusiedlesee. It is gigantic, and is supposed to have been undertaken by the Germans, as a defence against the Huns, Tartars, and other Asiatic tribes. At Petronell, the Carmentum of the Romans, are the remains of an arch, erected by Augustus in honour of Tiberius, who conquered Pannonia. This is said to have been the station of the tenth Roman legion, at the time when two others were put in garrison in Vienna, under Vespasian, in the year A. d. /O. From hence a fine view is had of the chateau of the Hungarian kings, majestically seated upon an eminence, and leacUng to the supposition that the old Magyar sovereigns, contemplating an extension of terri- tory, erected their palace on the confines, in order to command the country for many miles around. At the foot of Mount Caucasus are two villages, named Magyar and Torok. 138 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Altenberg has two warm springs, which were known to the Romans. H A I N B u R G. — The Royal tobacco manufactory is here, in which 1000 men are employed. WoLFSTAL is three miles from the last place, and is the custom-house between Austria and Hungary. The officers are very strict. A diligence runs regularly between Vienna and Press- burg, the capital of Hungary, leaving the former place at six o'clock in the morning, and arriving at the latter in seven hours. The fare is 4s. HUNGARY, Of which Pressburg forms the capital, is one of the most interesting but least known countries in Europe. It contains about 12,000,000 of inhabitants, and an area of 133,000 square miles. Under the name of Pannonia, it was subdued by the Romans, eleven years before the Christian era, and was conquered by the Huns in the year 433, when the monarchy was founded. Attila, the king, whom Gilibon calls " the supreme monarch of the bar- barians," estabhshed his court and camp between the Teisse and Danube, in 452. Having led his uncivilized hosts to Rome, Pope Leo and the senators met him at its gates, and prostrating themselves, besought him to spare the city ; which he did, upon condition of its becoming tributary to him. In 462, the Huns struck terror into France and Germany ; and after becoming masters of the latter, and of all Dacia, they were united under Charle- magne ; but in 920, shook oif the French yoke. In 1010, they embraced Christianity; and Louis, then- last king, was killed in battle, at Mohatz, in 1526. In 1684, a bloody war commenced between the Hungarians and Ma- homet IV. ; but the coalition effected between them and Sobieski, king of Poland, the Venetians, and Peter the Great, led to the utter defeat of the Turks, in 1686. Mustapha, the son of Mahomet, concluded the peace of Carlowitz, in 1 699, by which Austria became possessed of all Hungary, which had been in the hands of the Turks ever since the time of Ferdinand I. Possession of the country was disputed, however, until 1739, when, by the HUNGARY. 139 treaty of Belgrade, the Sultan renounced for ever his pretensions to it. A decrease of the population and a check to civilization were the natural consequences of these contests, v^hich had endured, with little intermis- sion, for nearly 1600 years : viz. from 154 to 1739. Voltaire describes the Hungarians as a proud and generous nation, the scom'ge of tjTants, and the defender of its sovereign. Gibbon says of Hungary, that it was adapted to the production of great bodies and slow minds. As the title of a noble descends to all his posterity, the great increase in the number of this class* has reduced the majority of them to a miserable and proud povert)^ and has completely prevented the creation of an inter- vening class. Ridiculously devoted to ancient customs, as indeed to everything Hungarian, they are pertina- ciously opposed to all innovation, and take advantage of a multiplicity of legal absurdities to exempt themselves and their retainers from every sort of direct taxation, tithe, and local impost, and to throw the whole burthen of these upon the operative and unrepresented body ; who, having made the roads and erected the bridges, are obliged to pay the toll ; whilst others, who from poverty are com- pelled to move in the same sjDhere and to engage in laborious occupations, being shrouded under a title, pass on free. The OAATiership of the soil being restricted to the order of nobility and the clergy — whose offices are patents of nobihty — severely cramps the energies of the people, and retards improvement ; while an uncertainty of occu- pation extinguishes all spirit of enterprise. Thus, the cupidity of the privileged class not only has the effect of excluding commerce, but of thro\^ing more than one-half of the available land out of cultivation, which would other- wise give them an excess of three times the amount of their consumption, as the soil is perhaps unequalled for fertility by any in Europe. The Hungarian peasants are in reality slaves ; for they are compelled, directly, to con- tribute a part of their industry to the lord of the soil. Though forming an essential part of the Austrian dominions, Hungary is said to be a free nation ; but this must be taken in a limited sense ; for recently, when many * The nobles amount to at least 300,000, and are very patriotic. 140 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. of its most liberal rulers, who, it is but justice to say, have succeeded in introducing some useful changes, and in rendering the Danube navigable, wished to carry out their views upon a more enlarged scale, by extending the representation, estabHshing a free press, and remo\'ing some of the most onerous legal disabilities, they found that they had over estimated their power, and were thwarted in all their useful pm'poses. Hungary may be considered as forming a little Europe in itself, so rich and fertile that, notmthstanding the ad- ministrative defects in its government, it derives from its own internal resources almost everything that can be produced in Em-opean countries. Wines, of which there are at least a hundred different sorts, vary in price fi'om one penny to five shillings the bottle (Tokay). Coffee, olives, mulberries, and tobacco are in great plenty ; while the cattle supply the German markets. Horses are good and cheap, the price of the best seldom exceeding J^25 ; and from the introduction of Arabian and Enghsh horses, the breed improves every year, although a little more strength is still desirable. Mines of all sorts abound, but they make but a small retm*n, compared with what they are capable of. Fish and game are so abundant, that the natives assert the river Teisse to consist of two parts, one of fish, the other of water. The various productions of the soil are wines, hemp, grain, tobacco, wool, minerals, and tallow. As the seigneurs elect the magistrates, and as all pro- perty is held upon a precarious tenure, the election is a mere matter of form. Amongst the population there are 800,000 Lutherans and 160,000 reformed Protestants, and the rest are Catholics. The number of churches is about 600, and that is also about the number of pastors. The clergy, and paiticularly the bishops, are most exorbitantly paid. PRESSBURG. Pressburg is a respectable though unsightly town, of about 35,000 inhabitants. It is situated in a plain, at the foot of the Carpathian range of mountains, on the left bank of the Danube. A bridge of boats, or pont volante, 780 feet long, conducts to the pubhc gardens, which are PRESSBURG. 141 extensive, and tastefully laid out. A royal palace, occu- P3'ing the highest summit of the lower chain of the Carpathian range of mountains, was rebuilt by Count Palfry, in 1635, and enlarged in 1/60; but was accident- ally bm*nt by some Italian soldiers quartered there by Napoleon, in 181 1 . It now only exhibits exterior evidences of its former grandeur. The kings of Hvmgary (the emperors of Austria having held that chgnity since 1536) are cro\Mied in this city, where also the diet is held, the acts of which must have his majesty's approbation ; whose policy of equilibrium, like the head of Janus, or the Austrian eagle, looks two w^ays — in Austria to suppress liberty; here to support it, in opposition to the aristocracy. The kings are crowned in the cathedral ; and outside the town is a mound called Konigsberg. Hither the newly cro\^^led kings proceed on horseback, and having ascended the mount they swear to maintain the constitution. At the ceremony of coro- nation, the king, taking the sword of Holy Stephen, who first introduced Christianity into the countiy, presents it to the four \Ainds, declaring that he will defend the king- dom against the enemies that may arise from either quarter. The diet consists of four states, or orders : 1st, the bishops and abbots ; 2nd, the magistrates or great nobles, who are also called magnates ; 3rd, the knights ; 4th, the free cities. The two former appear in person, and con- stitute what is called a magnate table; the two latter, who forln what is called the state table, appear by their repre- sentatives. They ought to assemble every three years, and sit during the king's pleasure ; but his majesty need not call them together so often unless he pleases. Until very recently the debates were in Latin, but they are now conducted in Hungarian. The traveller who knows Latin can make himself sufficiently understood in Hungary. The hall of the diet is a plain building ; and the diet is of more than seven centuries standing. All the four orders must accord, or the sovereign can neither impose or change a law, nor levy troops. AU religions are tolerated ; one half of the magistrates being chosen from Protestants, and the other half from 142 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Catholics. In public life, the greatest liberty in both sexes is tolerated. There are several exceedingly moderate hotels and lodgings at Pressburg; and every article of life comes under the denomination of cheap. The principal hotels are the Gruner, Baum, Sonne, &c. When the French besieged the town, in 1809, there were 129 houses destroyed. FROM PRESSBURG TO PESTH. Distance 140 miles. The steam-boat leaves Pressbiu'g at six o'clock in the morning, and, after traversing the most serpentine of rivers, arrives at Pesth about the same hour in the evening. On leaving the city, the Danube divides itself into many arms, and is shallow. It here forms the island Czallokoz. On each side is an extensive flat country, which offers nothing remarkable, until the traveller arrives at GoNYO, which is pronounced Ghennee, a place pointed out for a rail-road to Vienna, as it sometimes happens in the summer, that large vessels cannot proceed higher than here for want of water. It has a tolerable inn. In an hour's journey from this place, through a mountainous district, the Virgin fortress and steeples of C o M o R N are descried — a city which, amidst the various changes and vicissitudes that have for centuries agitfvted the immediate vicinity, never admitted an enemy within its gates. It stands at the confluence of the Vagus and the Danube. It still bears the same distinction that it did at the remote period of 12/2, as one of the bulwarks of the Austrian monarchy. Opposite to Comorn is Brega- TiON, which was founded by a colony of Greeks After passing a number of mills in the stream, which is here very powerful, the voyage becomes more interesting and beautiful. Not far inland is Nesmuhl, a place faiaous for the production of an excellent wine, named after itself, and which is equal, in GRAN— VISSEGRAD— WAITZEN. 14 3 point of quality, to new Rhenish Hock : it is the property of Counts Zichy and Esterhazy. It is sold in most hotels at 6d. a bottle. Gran is marked by the extensive ruins of a castle. It is a considerable town, and was once a military post of considerable importance ; it is now influential as the eccle- siastical capital of Hungary, being the residence of the archbishop, who is primate and chancellor of the kingdom, and whose revenue, even in so small a country, amounts to ^100,000 a year. On a promontory of the river is the cathedral, designed to be the most splendid fabric in Hun- gary : it was commenced in 1821 at his own cost, and it is feared that it will be long before it is finished ; it is nearly as large as St. Peter's, at Rome. Some short time since, a spring, similar in the quality of its water to that of Epsom, was discovered here. ]\Iagnesia is manufactured from it. The banks of the river are enlivened by good culti- vation; and a number of small villages present many beautifid pastoral scenes, in the approach to VissEGRAD, where, upon the top of a high perpen- dicular rock, are seen the ruins of a triangular castle, first mentioned in history, in 1/07, as a place where Lathslaus confined his cousin. King Solomon, for a period of eighteen months. The prison, six stories high, is still to be seen ; but it partakes less of the Roman gothic than of the Huns' or Barbaric style of Asia. W A I T z E N, on the left bank, presents one of the pictu- resque parts of the river, ^^hose com-se, hitherto eastward, now makes a sudden bow to the south, presenting a fine coup-iVml of the hills of Ofen, which place and Pesth may be considered as one, the former being the old town, the latter the new one. They are divided by the Danube, being connected in the summer by a bridge of forty-seven boats, and in the \^-inter by the ice, which, during six weeks or two months, is of sufficient strength to sustain the heaviest carriages ; the bridge of boats is then removed : a new bridge is contemplated. This is an e})is- copal town, with 12,000 inhabitants. One part of the to^^^l is inhabited by Cathohc^;; and Jews are not jjermitted to enter the ])lace except at fairs. It has a good church, and a fine bisliop's palace, erected 1777. 144 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. B u D A, or O F E N. — More aristocratic than its commer- cial rival, Pesth, though the number of its inhabitants has been reduced to 28,000, this place still enjoys the proud dis- tinction of being the seat of government, and the residence of the Palatine, brother to the late emperor of Austria, It is supposed to have been founded by the Romans, who named it Acquineum. It subsequentl}^ became the seat of Attila; and in 1351 it assumed the name of Budavar. It is in- debted for its present pre-eminence to Joseph II., who transferred the government thither from Pressburg, in 1/82. It was a Roman colony for the space of 145 years. The lofty and imposing fortress, sho^\ing none of the mutilations wdiich it might be supposed to exhibit, in con- sequence of having withstood at least twenty sieges, during the last 300 years, would seem to be impregnable, were it not that its chequered history records successive abjuga- tions by Romans, Turks, Imperialists, and Frenchmen. The air of Ofen being pure and dry, is deemed to be pai'ticularly salubrious. Computations which have been made, show that they have there, on an average, but 83 rainy and 26 sno^^y days, in the course of the year ; whilst in Paris,* they have not had an average of more than 126 tolerably fine days, annually, during the last twenty years. In summer, Ofen becomes the resort of a large number of persons, who visit its fine mineral and Turkish baths, sup- posed to have been erected by Solyman, after the battle of Mohatz. From the observatory a good view of Pesth is obtained, and also of the river meandering through a vast extent of desert and monotonous country. The Danube between this place and Vienna varies in depth from 8 to 42 feet ; its fall being 17 feet. PESTH. This city, though not having more than 64,000 inha- bitants, assumes, not inappropriately, the designation of " Hungarian London." Some accounts represent the united population of Buda and Pesth at 100,000. The extraordinary aelvances which it has made in civilization and commerce, since 1 703, when it obtained its commercial freedom ; the English style of its buildings, and the desire * See Bulwer's France. PESTH. 145 everywhere manifested to imitate the manners and customs, and even to adopt the language of om- own metropohs, make Pesth an object of peciihar interest to the Enghsh traveller, who is, moreover, sure to be treated with the greatest kindness and hospitahty. Its proximity to the Eastern w^orld, and its complete command of the now navigable Danube, together with the low price of provisions and labour, give it peculiar advantages for commercial enterprise ; and it is gratifying to know that there is a large and influential class of per- sons, chiefly instigated by Count Szecheny, who are labouring with much zeal to extend the sphere of liberal feelings, as well as to promote the interests of commerce, by abrogating the law which confines the possession of land to the nobles. Pesth promises, at no very distant day, to take precedence of Vienna itself, as a great com- mercial city. In 1802, a museum w^as founded, supplied with a valuable collection of antiquities, as well as a library, in which are many valuable MSS. ; and about eight years since, a casino, or club, having a splendid edifice — little inferior to similar buildings in om- own country — w as formed, and now exists in a flourishing condition.' It is conducted much upon the same principles as those of its English prototypes ; but is less exclusive, and more social in its habits. Strangers are admitted as honorary members ; and the members themselves are permitted to introduce friends at dinner. Concerts are given every week ; and during the Carnival, which generally continues for six weeks aft^r Christmas, there is a series of balls. Several English and French newspapers are taken in ; and we should not omit to notice, that annuals have made their appearance amongst the literary productions of Hungary, and the best English publications are provided at the casino. Upon the quay, in a long line of handsome buildings, stands the theatre, a large modern structure, to which are attached spacious dining-rooms, and a saloon for public balls. The colossal artillery barracks are deserving of particular notice. They were built by the Emperor Joseph II., in 1786, though their original purpose is un- knoAATi. It is supposed that they were intended for the residence of a number of poor families, upon a plan simi- L 146 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. lar to that laid down by Mr. Owen, at New Lanark. The streets of Pesth are very wide, and some of them are handsome. The university has a splendid hall : it was founded in 1787, and accommodates 1000 students. A library of 6000 volumes is attached to it. The churches are not remarkable; and the number of religious persua- sions is very great. A large national theatre has just been erected. Several newspapers are printed here. Four great fairs are held here every year. Wines, raw hides, honey, and a coarse spirit made from plums, which is called sle- bovitz, are the chief commodities in which Pesth trades. The principal amusements of the male portion of the population consist in hunting, shooting, and fishing. In the former, the sportsman exhibits his scarlet coat, and English horse and groom ; and is so completely h VAn- glaise, as not to be distinguishable from the followers of her majesty's hounds at Windsor. It must here be remarked, that in consequence of the dryness of the climate, and consequent absence of scent, this amusement rarely continues longer than two months in the year. Agriculture, and the arts, sciences, and industry are encouraged by societies and premiums, and this has had the eifect of developing much natural talent. Most of the merschaum pipes sold in Germany are made in this city. Pesth recently suffered severely from an inundation. The calamitous circumstances connected with it are fresh in the mind, and stiU constantly on the tongues of those who survived. Though the winter is much colder here than at either Paris or London, it is less severely felt, in consequence, probably, of the excellent German mode of heating the houses, by which an equal temperatui'e is diffused through- out. Upon going abroad, only a small addition to the clothing is necessary, the rarified state of the air render- ing persons less liable to take cold than in either of the capitals just-mentioned. An Englishman, on entering a church here, in the winter season, would be surprised at finding that such a thing as a cough is seldom heard. To any one obliged to practise economy, especially if he be a lover of the chase, Pesth offers an inviting resi- dence. Here he may live at one-half the expense to which he would be subjected in almost any other place, have the PESTH— MOHAS. 147 advantage of sporting over an extensive range of country, abounding with all descriptions of game, and associate with a peo})le proverbial for their hospitality, who are desirous of assimilating their own manners to om-s, and many of whom speak our language. No Arab in the De- sert ever exercised the virtue of hospitality with more unbounded liberality than an Hungarian magnate. An English gentleman travelling in Hungary, after having once obtained an introduction, will be lodged and fed by every noble to whom he presents himself. The price of a carriage at Pesth is from ^60 to ^80 ; and it ^^ill not cost more than that sum to keep one, in- cluding coachman, &c., for a year. Hotels. — The Jdgerliorn (or Hunter's Horn) is a magnificent building : the porter wears a gay livery. The Palatine is the next best hotel ; but those on the other side of the river are much the cheapest. The C«- sino is recommended for dinner ; and the traveller, on applying to the secretary, will find no difficulty in gaining admission. The voyage from Pesth to Constantinople is made in eleven days : for example — those who embark at the former on the 14th of the month, at four o'clock in the morning, will enter the Bosphorus the 25th, at the same hour. The (hstance from Pesth to Semlin is 360 miles. The steam-boat leaves at four o'clock in the morning, and has to encounter a number of mills, which reach into the very centre of the river, and materially impede its navigation. The route is shortened many hours by the canals which have been cut through a flat and uninteresting plain, that appears to be incapable of cultivation, and to have been converted, by the overflowing of the water, into a vast bog. After passing the Drave, which here forms a junction with the Danube, the latter runs easterly. The villages of Baja and Tolna, are second in interest to Foldvar. Mo HAS, or Mohacs, where the vessel anchors for the night, and which, though only an assemblage of cottages, was the scene of a great battle gained by the Turks in 1524, L 2 148 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. in which Louis II. king of Hungary perished, mth twenty- eight magnates, five hundred nobles, seven bishops, and twenty-two thousand troops. After leaving this place, which is usually at four o'clock in the morning, the ruins of Erlod Castle, in the distance, is the only noticeable object before reaching the province of Sclavonia. The castle just mentioned is supposed to be the remains of the ancient Teulobungum. VuKOVAR, a Sclavonian market-to^^'n, of 6000 inha- bitants. From thence, passing a tovra called Illok, the fine old ruins of Sharengrad are seen ; and, towering high beyond them, the remains of a Roman castle, command- ing a valley, in which is a decayed temple of Diana. The Danube is here a mile broad. On the right, halfway between Vukovar and Neusatz, is the old monastery of Oldescalchi, now a crumbhng fortress, which, with the tOAver adjoining, belongs to a prince after whom it is named. A little beyond this is the neat village of Car- meni; and next. The Fortress of Peterivardein, or Petervara Varadin, placed upon a bold and commanding promontory, 204 feet above the river, and supposed to take its name from Peter the Hermit, who was born here. The external appearance of this isolated place, may in some degree justify its assumption of the name of 'the Hungarian Gibraltar;' although it was unable to hold out against the Imperial forces under Prince Eugene, in 1716, when they gained a decided victory over the Ottomans, leaving 30,000 of them dead in the field. The Turks here lost, by a musket shot, Mustapha Kuprogh, the able and dis- tinguished successor of Cara Mustapha, who was defeated before Vienna. The view of the surrounding country from the clock- tOAver is very fine, and the peculiar turn of the river shows the fortifications to great advantage. Peterwar- dein and Neusatz, together, form the largest Sclavonian town. They are united by a, pont-volante, and are of the utmost importance in the Military Cordon. They are a part of the long frontier between Austria and Turkey, which extends more than a thousand miles. The steamer is six hours proceeding from Peterwardein to SemUn. CARLOWITZ— SEMLIN. 149 Next in succession is the picturesque village of Carlowitz, of an amphitheatre-like form, placed in one of many hills, beautifully covered with vines. It belongs to a Greek bishop having the same name, and produces excellent wines and absynthe. By a treaty made at this place, the Porte added Transylvania to Aus- tria, the provinces of Podolia and Ukrainea to Poland, and Port Azoph to the Czar. The cathedral, and the palace of the metropolitan Archbishop of the Greek church, are the chief buildings. The population is 5000. Between Carlowitz and Semlin is Slankaner, the Retium of the Romans, where the Theiss joins the Danube. After passing several small islands, the traveller next reaches — Semlin, at which the vessel anchors for the night. It is a respectable town of 10,000 inhabitants, and has a small but comfortable hotel. Being the frontier to^^^l, travellers overland from Turkey are here reqidred to per- form a quarantine of from six to twelve days, in a spacious and well-conducted establishment, which is near the to^Mi, in which are a Greek and a Roman Catholic chapel, a medical attendant, and an excellent restaurateur, who furnishes the table in a very satisfactory manner. Each person is accommodated mth separate apartments, and a small place in which to promenade ; and the daily ex- penses may be estimated at from one to two dollars. Mattresses may be hired, and an attendant introduced ; but if he once enter, he must remain till the quarantine term has expired. The castle of John Hunyades, the great champion of Christendom in the fifteenth century, is in ruins on the top of the Zigankaberg. From Semlin persons are allowed to visit Belgrade, and retm*n before sun-set, A^ithout subjecting themselves to the sanatory laws. The chstance across the Save to Bel- grade is not more than 1| mile. The distance from Semlin to Cladova is 200 miles. On a commanding elbow, formed by the Danube and the Save — the great Illyrian contributory stream that divides Hungary and Servia, and thus forms a boundary between Austria and Turkey, — stands The Fortress of Belgrade, which has ever been justly 150 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. regarded as the key of Hungary, has heen the scene of many memorable contests. It was taken by the Turks in 1521, and again in 1691 ; and was retaken by the Imperialists in 1717- By a treaty made here in 1739, its possession was secured to the former ; but a subse- quent war between the two powers again placed it in the hands of the Emperor, in 1 789, w^hose troops penetrated as far as Sistow, where two years afterwards peace was again concluded, and the Tiu-ks once more occupied Belgrade. Inside it is dilapidated and dirty. The troops by which Belgrade is garrisoned, are sent round by way of Bosnia, the people of which country are bold and generous, and so jealous of their rights and privileges, that they will not permit a Turkish pasha to reside longer than three days in the year in their capital. From the Bosnians sprang that extraordinary man, Djezzer Pacha, who, when a youth, w^as pm-chased as a slave by Ali Bey, in Egypt, but who rose to fill the im- portant post of viceroy of Cairo, Damascus, Tyre, and Sidon; and rendered himself not less famous by his defiance of the Ottoman jwwer than by his rigorous ideas of justice, which frequently prompted him to act in the twofold capacity of judge and executioner. His defence of Acre, in conjunction with Sir Sydney Smith, when Bonaparte, after failing in twelve assaults, Avas obliged to raise the siege, exhibited much of the energy of his singular character, and excited general admiration. The Towji of Belgrade, which has a population of 30,000, including 6000 Turks and 2000 Jews, was ceded with the rest of that country to Prince Milosch, another extraordinary inch\idual, who, without the capability of reading or writing, has raised himself, in the space of twenty-five years, from the lowest condition to be Prince of Servia. The revolt against the Porte, Avhich was led on by George Petrowitz, as leader of the people, having proved unsuccessful, compelled him to fly into Russia; and during his absence, Milosch became the leader of the discontented party. Fortune favoured him above his predecessor ; and a door of hope being thus opened, in 1807 Petrowitz returned. Milosch, however, became jealous of his influence, opened a treaty with the Sultan, and ultimately sent forward his old leader's head to the BELGRADE. 151 Imperial city. Having thus got rid of his rival, he secured to himself the chieftainship; and, in 1827, the influence of Russia procured him to be declared Prince of Servia, where he reigns as king, paying a tribute to the Porte. Nearly at the same time, the Emperor of Austria, who is thought to be anxious to annex Bosnia to Servia, conferred upon him the order of tlie Iron Cron-n. His religion is that of the Greek church. He is 60 years of age, and has two sons and a daughter. Milosch is de- sirous of introducing great reforms into Servia; but he has many long-established customs and deep-rooted pre- judices to contend against : he has, however, done much ; and it must be mentioned to his honour, that he has liberated the serfs, and declared every Servian free.* He has given a constitution ; ti-ade is unfettered by restric- tions ; his ports are open to all countries ; a traveller is safe, for whenever a robbery takes place the inhabitants of the nearest village are responsible, and must find the de- linquent, or pay a fine. His residence is in the village of Kragojeracz, where accommodation is afforded to ambas- sadors and other persons of distinction, who may have occasion to pass through it. The to\^Ti is very dull ; and not less than 5000 dogs, owned by nobody, are said to prowl about. The eating-houses are disgustingly filthy ; but the shawls, carpets, and pipes are very rich. Colonel Hodges, who distinguished himself so nobly in the Portuguese and Spanish cause, is the English repre- sentative in Servia. If the traveller wishes to proceed overland to Constan- tinople, he must obtain a firman from the Pacha. There are no carriage-roads : the distance is 700 miles, and is performed on horseback in 12 days. A Tartar guide will convey a traveller, and feed him on the journey, for ^^20. On the road there is scarcely any accommodation. The inns are empty rooms, without even a car])et for tbe tra- veller to sleep upon. A carpet, a tea-kettle, some brandy, &c., should be procured previous to starting : likewise a pair of buskins to ride in. • While this sheet was passing through the press, news was received of a revolution in Servia. Milosch, it appears, has abdicated in favour of liis 152 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. On leaving the village of Pancsova, which is at a short distance from Bel- grade, the river ai)proaches nearer to the Servian moun- tains, which are of a bokl and commanding character. Here the Temes falls into the Danube. Close to a sand- bank, on the right, is another village called V I N c s A ; when the Danube, winding north-east, sud- denly presents to view a Servian fortress, known as Fort Kulich. Many small and uninteresting islands intervene ; and, in a south-easterly course, the next place is The Fortress of Semendria, the Aureus Mons of the Ro- mans, consisting of twenty-four towers, the town having ceased to exist; but the increasing width and agitation of the river are all that deserve notice, before reaching Basiasch, where the steamer again anchors for the night. Here there is but one small public-house, where, however, they sell a very good description of wine, called shumla, at 2d. a bottle, and of gin made of plums, at the same price. There is an antique Greek church here ; and there being no sort of medical aid, the sick of the vicinity superstitiously beheve the air of its interior to possess a healing quality, for the enjoyment of which some small fees are demanded, and of the belief in which, therefore, their pastors are not likely to disabuse theu- minds. For two hours after quitting this station, the country is more interesting on both sides of the river, the banks of which are covered with foliage. The vessel, after ha\dng been delayed an horn- at Basiasch to take in coals, touches at M o L D A V A. Both the old and new towns of this name are empaled by a lofty chain of the Banat mountains, where copper mines are successfully worked by emigrants from the Tyrol. Not far from hence, the river forms a channel called Babakaly, arising out of the circumstance, as tradition says, of a Turkish chieftain having left his favourite wife upon an isolated piece of rock (which now stands prominently out of the river), saying Babakai, or repent of your sins. The river is not always navigable here, where the w^ell -known rapids commence. These enery is of indescribable magnificence. On the right, and impart- ing a singulai' and pictui'esque effect to the scene, stood MOLDAVA. 153 Golubocz's Castle, of which nine towers only remain, as sombre rehcs of its former greatness, when it became the prison of Helena, the beautiful Greek empress. This pass being the most formidable on the Danube, the Turks (hu'ing their W' ars with the Austrians built this castle, which they strongly fortified. It is on a high rock, and is now merely a picturesque ruin. At this point two branches of the Danube unite, and dash through a defile in the mountain. The river is compressed into a bed not above 400 yards wide, and a considerable swell is occa- sioned. A little farther on, upon the other side of the river, is seen The Cavern where St. George slew the Dragon, from which, at certain periods, issue myriads of small flies, which tradition reports to proceed from the carcass of the dragon. They respect neither man nor beast, and are so destructive, that oxen and horses have been killed by them. They are called the Golubacz's fly. It is thought when the Danube rises, as it does in the early part of the summer, the caverns are flooded, and the water remaining in them and becoming putrid, produces this noxious fly. But this supposition appears to be worthless, because some years ago the natives closed up the caverns, and still they were annoyed with the flies. They nearly resemble musquitoes. In summer they appear in such swarms as to look like a volume of smoke ; and they sometimes cover a space of six or seven miles. Covered with these insects, horses not unfrequently gallop about until death puts an end to their suff'erings. Shepherds anoint their haruls with a decoction of wormwood, and keep large fires burning to protect themselves from them. Upon any material change in the weather, the whole swarm is destroyed thereby. It is supposed that the Banat, of which Temeswar, one of the finest and strongest towns in the kingdom, is the capital, was once covered with water, and called the White Sea, shells of fish being constantly found on removing the sm-face of the earth; and to some of the castles inland are seen rings, to which boats have apjiarently been attached at some former time. Trajan has the credit of having formed the present channel of the river, by which aa immense tract of country has been reclaimed from the 154 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. watery invader.* The wild mountain scenery, the sudden developments and contractions of the river, the whirlpool of Tachtalia, and the small villages of Gorni Liapkava and Dornkava, which are separated from the immediate scene by a fertile valley, claim particular notice. The rocks in the bed of the river, for some distance, render its naviga- tion difficult to those not perfectly acquainted with them. DrenkovaIs another station for the night ; and the steam-boat that will have made the voyage thus far, is obliged, in consequence of some impediments that yet remain in the navigation of the river, to consign her passengers, on the following morning, to a neat covered boat, rowed by four pairs of oars. This may, however, be considered an advantage, as it affords a better opportunity of examining many objects of interest. On the'left stands an unsightly ruin, formerly a fishing-house of the Hun- garian kings ; and here, the agitation of the waters, and the strong currents occasioned by the rocks and springs beneath, are again remarkable. After passing the village of Berzasta, and pursuing a southerly course for fourteen miles, we arrive at Swinitzka. The bed of the river is here formed of masses of rocks, which make it dangerous even to an experienced navigator. These rocks extend about fifteen miles, where, opposite to a solitary public-house, at Swinitzka, is MiLANowiTz, a new town, built by Prince Milosch; and nearly opposite, on the left, at Tricolo, are the ruins of a champion's castle. The Danube here runs to the east and then to the north, and within three miles forms three sides of a triangle. The boats in use on this part of the river are cut out of solid trees, and resemble canoes, as do the natives that class of people accustomed to their use. Thirty miles, rowed with the current, in an almost incredibly short space of time, conducts the traveller, after passing Plasisovicza, to Kazan, a place chosen by the diet as a depot for the * The Banat comprised, according to Rufus Festus, the present Transylvania or Siebenbergen, Moldavia, Wallachia, and all the coun- tries between the Theiss, tiie Carpathian Mountains, and the Danube. Ptolemy and other virriters add Besarabia ; but Ovid, who lived in exile on the right bank in Bulgaria, mentions the Goths as the pos- sessors of that tract of country. KAZAN— PISCABORA. 155 materials employed in carrying on their improvements. Besides having nearly rendered the river navigable to steam-boats, they have made considerable progress in the formation of a new road, through projecting rocks, whose bases are in the river — from Moldava to Orsova. The expense already incurred in these works has been enor- mous, but it is estimated that a further outlay of at least ^200,000 will be necessary to complete them. The Servian mountains, which have an abrupt altitude of 2100 feet, are pleasantly covered with foliage, except where occasional rocks thrust themselves through, in fan- tastic forms, and add much to the picturesque beauty of the scene, which for some distance partakes strongly of the features of the Rhine, " Making' its waves a blessing as they flow Through banks whose beauty would endure for ever." Between Drenkova and Kazan, the width of the river varies from 500 to 5000 feet ; the fall of the water, from Pesth, being half an inch in 600 feet^ the depth, from three to one hundred and eighty feet. The echo from blasting the rocks, resembles the reiterated discharge of artillery. A natural cm'iosity is seen in the form of a tunnel, running completely through the mountain, a dis- tance of 1500 feet. PiscABORA. — Near to this is the Veterans^ Cave, or Vedranische HoUe, where a few soldiers, in 1692, de- fended themselves against a Turkish body of 600 men, and protected the river both ways, for a considerable distance, obtaining provisions from the interior by means of the tunnel, of the existence of which their enemies were ignorant. It was enlarged by an Austrian general named Vedran, in 1692. A Roman fort formerly stood here. A Roman Tablet, three feet square, in the form of a scroll, is cut in the rocks, supported by flying genii, and having on each side a dolphin, encompassing the Roman eagles, and a Latin inscription: — "Imp. Caes. D. Nervae Films Nervae Trajaims Germ. Pont. Maximus.'" This is to commemorate Trajan's first Dacian campaign, in 103, and the construction of the road along the Danube. At the foot of this is a stage, also cut out of the rock, twenty feet wide. 156 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Traces cut in these rocks for some miles, have ever borne the name of Roman roads ; and the perpendicular descent of the rocks into the water, leads to a behef that their bases were cut away to widen the bed of the river, whose rocky sides, shooting forth at intervals lilacs and other blooming shrubs, form a striking contrast to the opposite banks; where the unpretending village of Ogradina, retiring behind a pleasant valley, takes its station on the brow of a chain of hills, which are backed by the summits of the Carpathian range, which run from near Pressburg, and make a circuit of nearly all the kingdom. After separating Hungary from Poland, they run southward, and divide Hungary from Moldavia ; they next turn to the west, and separate Hungary from Wallachia. On the Hungarian frontiers, called the Military Granze, the natives form a barrier against the inroads of the Turks. They live under a complete feudal system, holding all their lands upon condition of taking the field, or relieving the guard, when called upon to do so. They are generally called out on this duty for six months, after which they are free except a war arises, until they are again called upon. This system commenced with Croatia and ended with Transylvania; and in time of war it furnishes one hundi-ed thovisand effective men, who, for strength and courage, form the flower of the Austrian army. It is said that fully one million of people hold their lands on con- dition of defending the frontiers from Tm-kish aggression. Every man, from 18 to 50 years of age, is liable for this service. The Austrian cordon which is thus established, extends from Bocca di Cuttaro, in Lower Dalmatia, to the Buc Rovina, on the frontiers of Poland, traversing Croatia, Sclavonia, Hungary, and Transylvania. The entire dis- tance is 455 leagues. No person can pass the cordon without permission, and must answer on being challenged, or he incurs the danger of being shot. The people also enforce the quarantine laws on the frontiers. Watch- towers are erected about every mile. On the left bank of the river, about six miles farther on, stands Orsova, a clean-looking little military town, where the traveller will find tolerable accommodation, in a com- ORSOVA. 167 fortable hotel, called the Roman Emperor, at incredibly low charges.* Orsova is at the extreme south-east })oint of Hungar5\ Wallachian, lUyrian, and German are the languages spoken by the inhabitants. As the traveller will be detained here a day or two, awaiting the return of the Argo from Galatz, he may embrace the opportunity of visiting the environs, and of examining the various objects of interest in and near the town, whence may be seen the possessions of four powers : i. e. Servia, Wallachia, Hun- gar}^, and Turkey. At a place called Ruskaberg, 15 miles from Orsova, are extensive lead, silver, and iron mines. Gibbon says, " The command of iron soon gives a nation the command of gold." Near the water-side, wooden buildings have been erected, for effecting an exchange of commodities with the people of the adjoining states, under such restrictions as ai-e likely to })reclude the chance of contagion. There is a Greek church well worthy of notice here, as also the La- zarette, part of which is appropriated to the reception of merchandize, and the horses and men engaged in its transport, the rest being set apart for the reception of travellers, who will have little beyond the confinement to complain of, though the place is not equal in convenience to the Lazarette at Semlin. The Austrian government having reduced the term of quarantine to five days, has called forth a remonstrance from Russia, who alleges that tiavellers avail themselves of this establishment to evade the sanatory regulations which she has thought proper to impose upon persons entering her dominions. We should state, that coal has been discovered at Orsova, and that the steamers now obtain a supply of that article here. Persons having descended the Danube thus far — an extent of 600 miles through the Austrian dominions — may return wdien they please ; but should they cross the frontier, but for a single moment, they must submit to the quarantine regulations. * The charge for a bed is lOd., for breakfast 6d., for dinner Is., for supper 9d. A barrel of good wine, containing eighty bottles, may be had for a dollar. 158 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Contiguous to the to^vn, is The Fortress of New Orsova. It is garrisoned by Turks, and may be seen in company with an officer of quarantine and of customs. He must pay them about two florins a-day, and return by sunset. At a distance of two-and-a-half German, and twelve- and-a-half Enghsh miles, are The Baths of Mahadia. Having hired a carriage, which may be done for four florins, or eight shilhngs, the tra- veller passes along through a grove of trees (principally cherry-trees), by the river Cserna, enclosed on either side by a chain of high and precipitous hills, until he reaches the famous Roman baths, seated in the bosom of the wildest mountains, and encircled by almost perpendicular rocks, whose bases are washed by the waters of the Cserna — a stream, which, in summer, is almost dry, except when increased and agitated by the cascades that descend from the neighbouring heights, at which time it flows with great impetuosity. These baths were known to the Romans as the TliermcB Herculis, and were much fre- quented by the Roman legions which were stationed in Dacia and Wallachia. The wiiole state of Mahadia consists of two ranges of handsome buildings, forming an oval, three-fourths of which are let out as lodgings, having an hotel amongst them. The remainder of the buildings are appropriated to the reception of invalid soldiers, who, in most cases, recruit their health here in the short space of four weeks. The place enjoys the proud distinction of having been built by the Austrian monarch ; and the total absence of shops, the uniformity of the buildings, and the air of re- tirement which pervades the whole, give it all the appear- ance of a royal palace, with its appendages. The super- intendence is confided to a single person, and is conducted upon the same system as the baths of Schlangenbad, in Nassau. The scenery around is very fine, and the woods are pierced in all directions, to affxjrd walks and shady retreats. The season commences in the middle of May ; and after the first fortnight, it is difficult to procure apartments. Count Szecheny, a liberal and public-spirited Hungarian nobleman, to whom the public are much in- debted for the navigation of the Danube, as well as for THE BATHS OF MAHADIA. 159 almost every other improvement that has heen introduced into Hungary, during the last twenty years, being de- sirous of extending the inadequate means of accommo- dation afforded at this charming place, applied to the Austrian government for permission to erect a large hotel, at his own expense. He was informed that he might do so, upon condition that no person should enter the estab- lishment until every other })lace had been filled ! A military band is in attendance at Mahadia, morning and evening, and a ball, to which visitors are admitted, is held once a-week. Here the Hungarian nobility, who make it a favourite placeof resort, throw off all ostentation, and mix with the company at the public tables. At these places, the conversation is chiefly carried on in French, although many speak English, which is much studied and cultivated in Hungary. The English language is cultivated every where. A Russian gentleman must speak it ; an Hungarian the same ; and in every part of the Mediter- ranean the youth are taught the English tongue : it pro- mises to supersede French as an universal language. Gibbon says, " The Romans were so sensible of the influence of language, that it was their most serious care to extend, with the progress of their arms, the use of the Latin tongue." Most of the Hungarian nobles are excel- lent players on the piano. There are eight baths, ])ossessed of as many different qualities, and said to be stronger in their mineral pro- perties than any others that are known. That the Romans thought so, is to be inferred from the name, ' Hercules' Baths ; ' and that they really are so, is indicated by the extraordinary and almost miraculous cures they effect. The number of springs is twenty-two, and the waters are to seven degrees of Reaumer : they cure chronic, scrofu- lous, and rheumatic diseases; also the gout and con- tractions of the limbs. There are a number of Latin inscri})tions in various places; and in 1828, a fine marble statue of the deity, after whom they are named, was found in the principal bath, and conveyed to the museum at Vienna. The climate is so mild at Mahadia that the fig- tree and others, peculiar to warm countries, grow wild in the woods, notwithstanding the evening damps which prevail here as well as in every part of Germany. no VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Some idea may be formed of the cost of a sta}- at Ma- hadia, from the following statement, which is taken from printed lists of the apartments there. Each room on the first floor is about \s. 6d. a day, and persons who arrive in time may take as many rooms as they require. The table d'hote is l^r. 4c?. The keep of horses is about 10c?. per day each. The baths are 5c?. each. Meat is bought at \hd. to 2c?. per lb. ; and half a dozen fowls may be pur- chased for 2^. To proceed to Skela Cordova, a distance of twelve miles, recourse is had to a small boat. Having passed the rubicon, or sanatory cordon, the first striking object seen, is a small fortified island, called New Orsova, the residence of a pasha. Upon a nearer approach, this place does not appear so inviting as when at a distance ; it then forms a delightful object in the view. Nearly opposite, and high and commandingly placed, is Fort Elizabeth, at which commence the cataracts that have hitherto presented such formidable impediments to the navigation of the Danube ; but the rocks by which they are caused have been, by great labour and perse- verance, so far removed as to render it no longer danger- ous to steam- boats drawing but little water, and which were to be placed on this part of the Danube in the pre- sent s])ring. In the absence of these, travellers are carried in boats, rowed by four pair of oars, to Kladova, the voyage occupying about six hours ; the baggage being sent forward in the same manner on the previous day. Two officers accompany the boats, to see that the sailors, who return on the same day, touch nothing contagious. This part of the river is known by the appropriate name of the Eisei^n Thor, or Iron Gate. It extends 7200 feet, in which distance there is a fall of sixteen feet. The breadth is 600 feet, and the velocity from nine to fifteen feet, in a second. Strabo was of opinion that the Danube ended here and the Ister began. At about two miles distant from this place, are the the remains of Severus' Tower, an ancient fortress ; and then we reach Skela Kladova, a Turkish name, which signifies BULGARIA— WALLACHIA— MOLDAVIA. 161 a * place of exchange,' but at which, though there were recentl}'^ only a few huts of straw, erected for barter and commodities, there is now a good deal of business carried on ; particularly in transporting merchandise, &c. between the steam-boat stations which ai-e above and below the rapids. It is an anchorage for the company's vessels ; and the traveller will find one of them, the Arr/o, ready to convey him to Galatz. The Wallachian government commenced, but discontinued, a lazarette here. Should it be completed, the Steam Navigation Society intend building an hotel for the accommodation of travellers, instead of detaining them at Orsova. In Wallachia there is a five days' quarantine established against the Turks; so that they are in reality excluded from a country which is said to belong to them. BULGARIA, WALLACHIA, AND MOLDAVIA. On leaving Orsova, the traveller has on his right Servia and Bulgaria, bounded by the Balkan Mountains. Of Servia, we have already spoken. Bulgaria is a fine fertile country : the people, originally Tartars, but now professing the Greek religion, are said to be industrious and hospitable. The Bulgarians were formerly called Volgarians, because they came from the Volga. At an early period of their history, part of the tribe crossed the Volga and Don, and settled on the coasts of the Black Sea ; after which, in the seventh century, they passed over the Dneister and Danube into the comitry once called Moesia, which now bears their name. The Bulgarians erected no kingdom of their own, but were subjected to Turkey, in the fourteenth century. On the left, are the flat and marshy })lains of Wal- lachia * and Moldavia, forming an extensive region of about 350 miles in length, and 150 in breadth; bounded by the Pruth and the Carpathian Mountains. The inha- bitants are a mixture of Dacians, Egyptians, Goths, Sclavonians, Romans, and Bulgarians; and as regards dress, aspect, and manners, they are in precisely the same state as when they were first subdued by the Romans, as * In Illyrian, vlach sit^nifies a herdsman, whence is derived Walla- chia, pronounced Vallachia. M 162 YIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. may be seen by reference to the figures on Trajan's Column, in Rome. Nor could the wagon of the Dacian camp, or the implements of the Scythian farm, haA^e been more rude than those of the present day. Even the cattle appear to have lost none of their primitive features, or their original untamed character. The ])igs are hardly distinguishable from wild boars; while the dogs, like those in the vicinity of savage settlements, are only one remove from wolves. Dressed in sheep-skins and sandals, the peasants bordering the Danube exhibit a lamentable contrast to their neighbours. They are small in stature, weak, idle, and faithless, living in huts com])Osed chiefly of straw, nothing of the consistence of stone or brick being seen; whilst the Servians and Bulgarians, strong and robust, are accustomed to houses, many of which are composed of both these materials. A long period of slavery has completely extinguished everything like inde- pendence and nationality in the breasts of the Moldavians and Wallachians. The Hospodar of AVallachia and the Prince of Mol- davia are appointed by the Ottoman Porte, and being Greeks, and destitute of all sympathy or feelings in com- mon with the people whom they have been selected to rule, the character of their government may be easily conceived. The principles of justice appear wholly un- known to them ; and the most outrageous exactions are made, for the acquisition of property, during the pre- carious term of their dominion. By the treaty of Adria- nople, the Porte retained the right of nominating these petty sovereigns only once more; after which, the people were to elect for themselves. The same treaty secured for them national institutions, and placed them under the protection of Russia ; and from the correspondence that has been laid before Parliament, there is but too much reason for believing that Russia has her agents at work here, as she has all along her eastern boundary, for the purpose of increasing her own territory at the expense of her neighbours. With Turkey, in particular, her quarrels are b}^ no means settled, and, in all ]n"obability, they will speedily be renewed, on the ground of her claims to the sovereignty of these two provinces ; claims which neither Austria, England, Turkey, nor the inha- WALLACHIA AND MOLDAVIA. IG'3 bitants themselves, will submit to without a contest. The signal for a renewed encroachment will be the first shot fired between the Grand Seignior and his vassal, the pre- sent ruler of Egypt ; and Russia is inciting them to the contest, in order that she may come in for a share of the spoil. Austria evidently dreads such a result, and is making preparations to secure herself against any further encroachments on her eastern frontier. This is one of the main objects of the commercial and political treaty lately formed with England. After many contests between Turkey and Poland, for the sovereignty of these provinces, they w^ere finally ceded, in the year 1621, by Poland, to her old antagonist, Turkey. On this the Turks fixed their camp on the Dneister, and the plains of Moldavia became the prey of ravages similar to those which had long devastated Walla- chia. Poland, thus constrained to oppose, on her own soil, the irruptions of the Turks into the heart of Europe, was obliged to turn a deaf ear to the appeals of the Hospodars, who frequently rose in arms against the Sultan. A strong feeling of discontent long continued to exist against the Turkish government, which Russia in time took advantage of, and made subservient to her own designs, in the same manner as she turned to her own profit the abuses of liberty and the vices of the constitution in Poland. The last proofs of this influence were the erection of Greece into a kingdom, and the new constitution of these states created by the treaty of Adrianople. By that treaty they were to have " the free exercise of their religion, an entire and perfect security, a national and independent administration, and an entire freedom of commerce." Russia, however, paid little regard to these conditions ; but, under the title of protector, proceeded to carry her real views into effect, and assume at once the whole government of the principalities : she has thus called forth opposition on the part of the people. The struggle has been going on for three years, and still continues, and in all probabihty will continue till, on some pretext, if Austria permit, she takes military possession of the country. The Emperor treats them ahcady, not as a protector, but as a supreme sovereign. He has not only M 2 1G4 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. imposed on them a Hospodar in contravention of the treaty, by which this functionary was to be elected by the general assembly, but has also appointed to be chief officer of the quarantine establishment (a most important appointment as regards Austria), a foreigner with powers totally independent of the Hospodar; in other points, Russia is endeavouring to make the most important changes. By one of the articles, the assembly had the right to introduce, with the concurrence of the Hos- podar, any reforms in the state which time and necessity might require ; but Russia now refuses her assent to this, and insists upon an additional article, by which the right and the most precious privilege of reforming and ame- liorating the institutions of the country would be annihi- lated. The General Assembly, fully understanding the object of Russia, refused its assent both to the proposed changes and to the additional clause; and the efforts of the Hospodar, and the intimidations of the Russian con- sul, were all employed in vain to dissuade the assembly from adopting a resolution in accordance with the express articles of the original treaty. The debates became more and more animated ; and at length the Russian consul, alarmed at this manifestation of hostility to the vieAvs of his court, thought proper to enter a protest, to which the assembly published a reply in the shape of an address to the Plospodar, in which are these words : — " Is it not a severe blow aimed at this innocent assem- bly, to consider its labours, its conscientious principles, its love, and its confidence in the rights guaranteed to their country, as an infraction of the laws, or a conduct worthy of blame ? "When the assembly performs religiously the sacred object for which it is convoked, does it deserve to incur a ])rotest against the legality of its proceedings, and consequently a charge — for which its members were far from being prepared, a charge wholly incom]iatible with their ardent love for the rights of their country?" The consequence of which was, that the Hospodar was obliged to yield to the intimidation of a foreign ambas- sador, and dissolve the assembly. The object of Russia a])pears to be, to exchange her title of a protector for that of a sovereign power; and it remains for the diplomacy of Europe to decide whether these principalities "so im- WALLACHIA AND MOLDAVIA. 166 portant by their geographical position, their numerous population (a million and a half), and the fertility of their soil, shall be allowed to augment the resources of that great empire, already too powerful and too alarming for the peace and even for the independence of Europe, xind whether, by such a consummation, Russia shall be permitted to control the navigation of the Danube to the extent of nearly two hundred miles ; to check the whole commerce of Southern Germany, and of all the Austrian possessions extended along that noble river ; to exclude us from trading with Hungary, Servia, and the principalities ; and, finally, to assume that position which would enable her to excite among the Sclavonic populations of Austria and Turkey, and in the very heart of those empires, those con- stant troubles for which her common origin and religion give her so great a facility, and which she can turn with so much art to the advantage of her favourite idea of founding the Sclavonian Empire." The treaty with Austria, and particularly that part of it which concerns the ports and commerce of Wal- lachia and Moldavia, is directly framed to avert such a result which it involves. " All the ports of the Danube in Wallachia and Moldavia are assimilated to the Aus- trian ports ; and thus the commercial interests of these two provinces pass now under the protection of England and Austria." The treaty with England, however, is not the first proof of the jealousy entertained by Austria of Russian encroach- ments in this quarter; for in a treaty concluded with Greece in 1835, she protested against any control on the part of Russia of the mouth of the Danube. In the com- mercial treaty with England, she now not only protests against the stipulations of the treaty of Adrianople, granting to Russia an exclusive influence to the princi- palities, but assumes also an attitude of a rival })ower for a claim to the possession of these provinces. So long, however, as Russia occupies the Delta of the Danube, some of the most important articles of that treaty must remain a dead letter. Ah-eady has Russia, to secure her influence the more efi^ectually, compelled Turkey to consent to a quarantine cordon along the Danube, from the Euxine to Hungary, 166 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. by which all free communication between the Porte and its provinces has been destroyed ! Bucharest, the capital of Wallachia, is a large city, with a population of 80,000 ; while Jassy, the capital of Moldavia, has a population of only 30,000. Both cities are built upon swamps, and the streets, instead of beinp^ paved, are covered with boards, or trunks of trees placed longitudinally across them : through the boards the dirty water exudes from the kennels beneath. When the Russians first occupied Jassy, their band was in the habit of playing the music of some of the finest operas ; but finding that the ladies absented themselves, they enquired into the cause, and found that they pre- ferred waltzes and mazom-kas, which henceforth superseded everything else. Moldavia is interesting, as having been the theatre of war, in 1611, between Charles XII. of Sweden (aided by the Turks, under Achmet III.) and the reigning prince, who placed himself under Peter III,, when encamped near Pruth. Bender is rendered memorable for the defeat of the Swedish army by the Russians, when Charles took refuge with the Turks here ; and still more so, for the obstinacy with which he defended himself, with only some thirty or forty men, against his former allies, whose hostility had been provoked by his determination not to leave their city, after he had taken up his abode in it. The distance from Skela Cladova to G a l a t z is 625 miles. At the distance of about two miles from the point of starting, are the remains of an ancient tower, erected by Septimus Severus, whose name it still bears ; and near to it are the ruins of Trajmi's Bridge. — On either side is a large pile of but- tresses, eighteen feet thick, with the bases of small castles that were erected for its defence, and in the bed of the river, which is 2400 feet wide, eleven piles are visible at low water. It is supposed that there was formerly an island in this part of the river, from which two small bridges ran to the shore. The fact that there is an islet lower down, wovdd seem to justify this allegation. The Dacians, who inhabited the country on the left bank of TRAJAN'S BRIDGE. 167 the Danube, were a warlike and crafty people, and iu consequence of the incursions they were constantly making into the Roman territories, Augustus Csesar proceeded to secure the frontiers against them. A war was the consequence, which continued under the Em- perors Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vespasian, Titus, and part of the reign of Domitian, when the Dacians, under their Prince Dorpereo, defeated the Romans in two battles, and compelled them to assent to a humiliating peace. Trajan, who after the death of Nerva, succeeded to the throne of the Caesars, marched at the head of the Roman legions over the Balkan Moun- tains, through hidden and dangerous defiles, never before penetrated (as is evidenced by a gate now existing in Bulgaria), into Dacia, where, after a brilliant campaign, Decebulus, the successor of Dorpereo, was obliged to con- clude a disadvantageous treaty of peace. Within two years afterwards, the Dacian reassembled his forces, and renewed the war, but Trajan soon reduced the whole of the country. Decebulus destroyed himself, and Dacia became incorporated into the Roman empire, a.d. 103, under the name of * Dacia Augustus." The new empire thus acquired, was, according to Gibbon, 1300 miles in circumference. The natural boundaries were the Dneister, the Lower Danube, and the Euxine Sea. The remains of a military station may still be traced from the banks of the Danube to the vicinity of Bender, a place famous in modern history, and the actual frontier of the Turkish and Russian empires. It was divided into three provinces : viz. Transylvania or Siebenburgen, Wallachia, and Mol- davia, and formed the boundary and bulwark of the Roman empire in this quarter. The better to unite the countries, the emperor ordered A])ollodorus Damencenus to build the bridge, of which we have spoken, across the Danube. Dio Cassius says the bridge was 150 feet high, 60 broad, and 900 long. It was subsequently destroyed by Adrian, with a view to checking the barbarians. Trajan died at Seleucia, in Armenia, about the year a.d. 115; when his countrymen erected the column at Rome, to perpetuate his memory and that of his two Dacian expe- ditions. Proceeding down the river — here famous for sturgeon — 168 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. we pass the Bulgarian frontier, which commands a fine view of the Balkan Mountains, which are 7000 feet above the sea, and arrive at Florentine, a toA'^n at the foot of a rock, on the summit of which is a ruined castle. With a fortress, the town contains 2500 inhabitants. Palanka is a Servian town, celebrated for its springs. The next place is a village called Praova, and nine miles below it is the stream which is called Tiniok, the point of demarcation between Servia and Bulgaria. Opposite to Florentine, as if in contrast to its comfort and neatness, is Kalafat, a Wallachian village; or, rather, an assemblage of huts, miserably built, although it is the residence of a general. The natives are small, and apparently half-starved. Linen is unknown to them, and their covering consists of sheep-skins : their sandals are of the same material. In the last war, the Russians had an encampment in this vicinitv, and lost nearly 10,000 men. The course of the river is through luxuriant pastures and richly wooded hills. There are no rapids; but several rocks, &c., render navigation still dangerous. The Fortress and Toivn of Widdin are the next in order. They are on the right side of the river, and here the vessel anchors for the night. A number of towers and minarets give the coup-d'ceil a pleasing effect. The fortress, though reputed to be the largest in Bulgaria, and the third in importance on the Danube, has alternately surrendered to Austrians and Russians; to the former in 1689, to the latter in 1828. Hassim Aga was presented to the Pashalic of Widdin, for his gallant and obstinate resistance to the Russians whilst in command at Shumla. In 1828, the Pasha of Widdin crossed the Danube with 15,000 men, and at- tacked Geismar, the Russian general, who was at Golang. The Russians were put to flight; but the Turks knew not how to turn the victory to account ; and upon Geismar rallying, he defeated the Turkish army, who abandoned their baggage and retreated across the Danube. The town is pleasantly situated on an imposing part of the river : it is a place of considerable commercial importance. A few straggling houses and a ruin at Ovare, impart the NICOPOLI— PELLINA. 169 only interest to its vicinity. At a distance its numerous minarets have a grand a}Dpearance. It is the see of a Greek archbishop. The width and motion of the river here, in stormy weather, would almost entitle it to be called a sea : at other times it appears like a vast lake. The Fortress and Town of Nicopoli, founded by the Romans, contains about 20,000 inhabitants, and is famous for the first battle fought on the Danube, between the Turks and Christians, in 1396, when Sigismund, king of Hungary, in conjunction with the French and the Knights of St. John, was defeated by Bajazet, and the king and the grand-master of Rhodes only saved themselves by jumping into a boat. Such of the Christian chiefs as were not ransomed, were compelled to embrace Ma- hometanism, or were put to death. Those who were ransomed were sumptuously entertained by Bajazet; and Gibbon mentions a circumstance which occurred at the entertainment, that strikingly illustrates the low estimate placed upon human life by these semi-barbarians, as well as the summary and sanguinary justice thej^ were in the habit of administering. It happened that a Turk was accused of sucking the milk from a poor woman's goat, and the sultan immediately ordered him to be ripped up, in the presence of his Christian guests, in order to ascertain the fact; an order which, we need scarcely add, was at once carried into effect. Cruelties of this description were not confined to those of their own race, however; the Christians partook largely of them; although it is but just to remark, that the latter were little, if any- thing, in advance of iMussulman humanity. A Turk might as well have asked for the Danube in the desert of Ai-abia, as for mercy in a Christian court or camp. In 1828, the Northern Eagle floated upon the battlements of Nicopoli, which, stretching from a hollow up the side of a hill, presents a pleasing effect in the distance. A little further on, is Pellina, a Latin settlement, of about 12,000 souls, who chose this spot to avoid the persecution to which they, as infidels, were subject to in Nicopolis. As the steam-boat passes along, a number of them generally 170 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. assemble on a hill, having a bishop at their head, and cry aloud, " Brothers, come to us ! " imagining the passengers to be of the same creed with themselves. The captain returns their invitations by a salute. Passing through the Boghaz, or throat, as this part of the Danube is called. The Fortress and Town of Sistoa, or Sistova, is reached in about two hours. The place has a population of 21,000 inhabitants, and is celebrated for the peace concluded there between Austria and the Porte, in 17^1? by which the former was guaranteed equal advantages with all other powers. Here the river is 4150 feet wide. Farther down the river, which has increased to two miles in width, on the same side, is The Fortress and Town of Rustzuk, with a population of about 30,000 souls, consisting of a melee of Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Jews, who carry on an active trade. Like Widdin, this is one of the defined military stations of the Turks. The fortifications of the place bear evidence of recent demolition. The Russians will never forget the check they received here in 1811. The failure of their attack upon Rustzuk so paralyzed their troops, that the Emperor forbade any more assaults to be made upon it. It is one of the most important commercial towns in Bulgaria. At a distance it appears like a hand- some city, but upon entering it, the traveller will be dis- gusted with its filth and dulness. Horses and guides are to be had here to perform the remainder of the journey to Varna by land, if required. This will occupy three or four days, and cost about ten dollars. The journey hence to Constantinople is about 300 miles : it is performed in a few days on horseback. The country becomes better wooded as we enter Wallachia, the first object of importance being The Fortress and Town of Giurgevo, considered the most complete fortress in the empire. It was the resi- dence of a pasha, who defended it in the last war with Russia, in 1829, until hardly a house was left standing: the Russians were victorious, but it cost them 30,000 men. At present it affords a good idea of the discomfort that must necessarily attend the first attempt at coloni- zation. SILISTRIA— RASSOVA. 171 The shores here enclose a vast extent of water; but an infinity of small islands, adorned by shrubs, afford some rehef to this otherwise uninteresting part of the river. The triangle formed by Silistria, Shumla, and Varna was the centre point of the Russian army in its second cam- paign. Redschid Pasha occupied Shumla. The Sultan sent to him his laconic message in 1825, " Missolonghi, or thy head." The Fortress and Town of Silistria is distinguished for its long and obstinate resistance to the Muscovite arras. It capitulated to the Turks, June 22, 1829, after a gallant defence, at intervals of six months. In 1810, Count Langeron took it in seven days. On its surrender, every Turkish family retired. Both town and fortress owe their restoration to the conquerors ; and the lands in the vicinity give evidence of the industry of the Russian pea- santiy, who were introduced on its conquest. Their superior mode of building and of cultivating the soil will, it is hoped, afford a lesson to the indolent natives, to whom it was delivered up in the autumn of last year, on the terms of the treaty of Adrianople being complied with by the Porte. Russia being paid a certain sum, which was guaranteed to her by France and England, gave up all claim to a much larger sum which the Porte had un- dertaken to pay. The villages of Tepren Karahausen, Rasova, Gokerlin, and Sunawesh pass in review on our right previous to arriving at Hirsova, and where the Danube makes a curve to the west, the very opposite to its natural course. The Fortress and Town of Hirsova constitute the last of the chain of Turkish fortresses on the Danube, which Russian policy has dismantled, as presenting obstacles to its future designs upon the Ottoman dominions. Rassova: "until the wars of 1828 and 1829, the Russians had always met with opposition from the Cos- sacks bordering the Danube, but the defection of these tribes was, in this instance, of great assistance : some who still persevered in their fidelity to the Turkish cause near Rassova, met with the most savage Muscovite revenge ; the latter set fire to the village, and killed every human being." 172 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Between Hirsova and Ibraila, the river is famous for pelicans, sometimes as many as a hundred being seen in a flock. The flat and insipid landscape is bounded on the right by the Maczin mountains, backed by those of the Balkan. Lower down on the opposite bank, is Brail A, or Ibraila, a commercial town of 25,000 inhabitants, with an excellent harbour. In bad weather, the waters in this part of the river are agitated in an almost incredible manner. In 1811, the Grand Duke Michael directed the siege of this fortress, which totally failed: all was prepared for a second attack, when it sur- rendered. In the last war the Russians lost 25,000 men, and the Turks their whole garrison ; the latter by spring- ing a mine blew up 12,000 Russians at one time, the former by some mistake are said to have blown up 1 0,000 of their own troops. At twelve miles distance from Ibraila, the river Sereth forms the boundary of Wallachia and Moldavia, and soon after we arrive at the chief com- mercial town of the latter — Galatz, which is a miserable place, though said to be of considerable commercial importance. It is the residence of British and other consuls, who appear to occupy the only tolerable houses. Hotels there are none; and in wet weather the streets are impassable, except where planks are laid longitudinally across; and these being generally broken or rotten, subject the passenger to considerable inconvenience at almost every turn. The shops are destitute of windows. The gothic w^agons here, having wheels formed of mere circular pieces of wood cut off from the trunks of large trees, and drawn by oxen a la Gordian, conducted by men enveloped in skins of beasts, show how perfectly unconscious the inhabitants are of the improvements going on in the world. Proceeding into the interior, the traveller cannot fail to be struck with the Ethiopian-like indifference of the peasantry, who evince no desire either to acquire new ideas, or to perpetuate or communicate then* old ones. Travellers for Odessa and the South of Russia may go there from Galatz by land. The quarantine at Scouleni is seven days ; and those w^ho may wish to go GALATZ— KILI BOGASI. 173 to Constantinople from Odessa, and not having time to wait the departure of the Russian steamer from that port, may travel by land to Reni, and embark at Galatz for the Osiamin capital. This observation will also apply to the journey from Odessa to Vienna. Diebitsch, during his campaigns in this quarter, seized on the carts of the pea- santry, and said, " If cattle cannot be found to draw them, you will harness women." From Galatz to the embouchure of the Danube, the distance is about eighty-five miles, which is now made, in the new steamer, the Ferdinand, in ten hours. The river sweeps along between the reedy and boggy margins of Bessarabia,* on the one side, and the Delta, or, wdiich shovdd be, neutral ground, on the other; either shore presenting a monotonous extent of flat, muddv, marshy, and dreary country, as far as the eye can reach, without anything to relieve it, until the vessel passes the bar,t where the river merges into the Euxine, or Black Sea. Kili Boc/asi, the principal entrance to the Danube from the Black Sea, is obstructed by a bar, inside of which there is six fathoms, and thence the navigation is uninterrupted as far as Ismael, 1 00 miles up, where there are two fathoms. A trifling expense would remove this bar ; and Hungary, Servia, Moldavia, and Wallachia, would all benefit thereby, as those countries might be made to rival Odessa. Mr. Slade justly remarks, that mauy wrecks in the Black Sea are occasioned by vessels running for the false Boghaz, which, it being to leeward of the true one in a bight, prevents dull sailors from getting off shore. It is, how^ever, astonishing that this error should be committed, or be considered easy to fall into, by any body who has made the voyage, nature having marked the entrance of the Bosphorus as clearly as if to provide against the casualty. To the right of it, the coast of Roumelia is uninteresting, chequered with red patches : to the left, that of Anatolia is mountainous and * The river Pruth divides Bessarabia and Wallachia. t The first time a steamer made this passas:e in 1836, the passengers were required to show their passports, the Russians having- claiined this part of the Danube, under the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi, and placed gun-boats there to enforce its orders. 1/4 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. picturesque. These are general remarks; but Mount Mal- tepe and Two Knolls (the Brothers), in Anatolia, are the peculiar indices of the Bospborus, further distinguishable by a high mountain to the left over point Kili, the site of the false Boghaz. Having thus completed oui- voyage dowi the Danube, it may not be uninteresting again to advert to the am- bitious policy of Russia, in reference to the navigation of this most important river, which runs through the very heai-t of Europe, and which is capable, therefore, of being rendered subservient to the highest purposes of civi- lization, commerce, and political freedom. It is evident that Russia has never been indifferent to the advantages wdiich the command of the Danube would confer upon her, in prosecuting what no longer remains a matter of doubt — her ultimate designs upon the Turkish empire. Without avowing her purposes, she has been gradually extending her influence and power along its shores; and has already given suflicient proofs, that she is alike indif- ferent, in the ])ursuit of territorial aggrandizement, to the faith of treaties and the force of moral obligations. By the treaty of Bucharest, in 1812, Russia obtained the province of Bessarabia ; the Delta formed between the two principal mouths of the Danube, however, being reserved as neutral ground. At the congress of Vienna, the power which the annexation of this country to the Russian dominions threw into the hands of the Autocrat, in relation to the passage of the river, wus a thing of too great importance to be overlooked, and it was expressly stipulated in the treaty then executed by the allied j)owers, that the navigation of the Danube should remain free to the commerce of all nations. Russia was not in a condi- tion to contest this stipulation, because to do so, would have involved the necessity of revealing the character of her sinister policy; but subsequent events have shown, that she only held herself bound by the treaty until she could command the means of setting it at defiance. By the treaty of Adrianople, she obtained the actual posses- sion of a most important part of the Turkish dominions upon the Danube, which she was to hold until certain conditions she had imposed upon Turkey were fulfilled ; THE DANUBE. 175 a contingency which she hail hoped would never arrive, as was evident from the rebuilding and fortifying of Si- hstria, so as to make it one of the most formidable fortresses on the Danube. But being disappointed in this expectation, she determined to make the best use of the influence she had acquired by the same treaty, in the provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia, of which she became the "protectress," and for the exercise of which maternal function, she has garrisoned those countries with her Cos- sacks ! On the right bank of the Danube her power is scarcely less. " All the fortresses are razed ; Shumla is degarnished ; and now, over the Balkan, are two roads, practicable for vehicles. Thus the obstacles to Russian encroachment are thrown down : her frontier now is the Danube, instead of the Pruth ! The Emperor imposed seven millions sterling as an indemnity." Prince Milosch, who is in no inconsiderable degree indebted to Russia for the sovereignty of Servia, is not likely to stand in the way of anything being attempted by the Emperor; while Bosnia and Bulgaria, in which a discontented and insm-rectionary spirit is sedulously fostered, as part of the policy of the court of St. Petersburg, Avill become ready instruments for effecting its purposes, when the fitting time shall have arrived. Austria, in the mean time, is not insensible to the am- bitious projects of the Autocrat, nor wanting in her efforts to thwart them. She foresaw, that the emancipation of Greece might be turned to good account . in this way, and embraced the earliest opportunity that presented itself, to educe some practical advantage from its political inde- pendence. In the treaty of commerce executed between the two powers, in March, 18i54, a clause was inserted, securing to Greek vessels the free navigation of the Danube; thus counteracting the selfish designs of Russia, by asserting, on behalf of Europe, a right which the cabinet of St. Petersburg dared not formally dispute. The sub- sequent establishment of a line of Austrian steamers on the river, guarantees to other nations a right of passage, which they will continue to enjoy, until the imbecility of the British government shall have encom-aged Russia to throw off all reserve, and seize at once upon the Danube and the Dardanelles, a contingency which her recent 176 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. boldness might warrant us in believing to be not very remote. It is in contemplation to cut a canal from Rasowa, on the Danube, to Kostendja, on the Black Sea. It is said that one formely existed, under the name of Trajan's Canal, but that it was filled up by gradual agglomerations of sand. Eighty miles will be saved ; and Sulina, which is occu])ied by the Russians, at the mouth of the Danube, will be avoided, should such a work be completed. FROM THE EMBOUCHURE OF THE DANUBE TO CONSTANTINOPL E. Of the four mouths by which the Danube empties itself into the Black Sea, or Euxine, that of Sulina, being the safest and best, is the one through which vessels gene- rally pass. These mouths of the river are separated from eacii other by low marshy islands, often covered with water, and which run into the sea in the shape of sand- banks. The Black Sea is about the same size as the Baltic, presenting a sm-face of 170,000 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the government of the Cau- casus; on the east by Mingrelia and Georgia; on the south by Natolia ; and on the Avest by European Turkey. Its coasts are, in general, elevated and rocky, a few spaces only being formed of sandy plains. All "the celebrated nations of antiquity in turn contended for the commerce of those shores ; and Russia has made it one of the great objects of her pohcy to secure dominion on the sea. The Circassians, who inhabit the country on the north-eastern shores, resist, with a heroism not exceeded in history, the authority which the Autocrat asserts he possesses over them by virtue of the treaty with Tm-key, and thus pre- sent a formidable ditficulty to the consummation of his ambitious designs. The discussion of that question, however, forms no part of our business, and we therefore resume our voyage. In about eighteen hours after the vessel leaves the em- bouchure of the river, a number of mosques and minarets indicate the approach to the strong military position, on the western coast, and about midway between Sulina and Constantinople, called VARNA. 177 Varna, which is situated on an abrupt point in a bay, within a larger bay, of which Cape Calaghriah forms the north-east point. The road is sheltered from all winds, except between south-south-east and east-north-east. Vessels will ride here in perfect safety during all weathers. Varna is celebrated for the signal defeat of the Hun- garians, on the 10th of November, 1444. Ladislaus, their king, in his first campaign against the Turks, under Amurath, had reached St. Sophia, on his way to Adi-ia- nople, when winter approaching, a treaty was entered into between the belligerent parties. The Sultan swore by Mahomet, the twenty-four prophets, the souls of his father and himself, and by his sword ; while Ladislaus swore, by all that should have bound a Christian, to hold the treaty sacred for the space of two years. Upon the faith of this engagement, the Sultan withdrev/ his forces into Asia; but shortly afterwards the Pope, seeing that this truce inter- fered with arrangements he was making in Italy for another crusade, dispatched a Cardinal to remonstrate with the King, and to absolve him from his oath, on the plea, that although an oath in a good cause was binding, one tending to the loss or injury of others, or in favour of infidels, was void. Ladislaus entered into his jdans, and, having concerted with the Christian powers, who under- took to defend the Hellespont and the Bosphorus, and to furnish troops from Constantinople, again had recourse to arms. Amurath H., though obstinately opposed, succeeded in crossing into Europe, with G0,000 men, and met his enemy at Varna ; where, before commencing the action, he took from his breast the violated treaty, and holding it up to heaven, cried aloud : — " Oh, Christ ! thou seest the treaty sworn to in thy name : if thou art the True God, it is for thee to punish the perjurer !" The battle was contested with great bravery and slaughter, and ended in the total defeat of the King, who was killed, as was also the Cardinal, who had absolved him ! This disas- trous event effectually checked the ardour and neutralised the power of the Latin fanatics; and nine years afterwards the Imperial city fell under the scimitar of Mahomet, Amurath's son — the Greek emperor, Constantine Paleo- logus, who died in its defence, having in vain called upon N 173 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. the Christians for assistance. After the battle of Mohatz, the banners of the great prophet were unfurled upon every fortress on the Danube, even to the Austrian capital, which was besieged in 1533 ; but from which the Turks were ultimately obliged to retire, with the loss of 40,000 men. Varna fell to the Russians in 1828; and Slade says, that looking at it, the defence its garrison then made would appear fabulous : it had but 60 pieces of cannon. Two of its sides are washed, one by the sea and the other by a small creek. On the north side the ground slopes imtil it commands the works ; and on the west is a morassy lake, which became its defence against the operations of the siege. Yussuf Pasha is accused of having basely and cowardly sm-rendered the city to the Russians ; which is a natural conclusion, from his having gone previously and sm-rendered himself to Admiral Greig. His defenders say, that having provided at his o\ati expense 6000 Alba- nians, and marched with them to the siege of Varna, he thought himself entitled to the command, which had been confided to Mehemet Izzet, a man brave as he was cruel. Finding himself in the power of so treacherous and aspiring a man, Yussuf saw no means of esca^je but by flying to the enemies of his country to save his own life. The con- sequence was, that the next day, his Albanians refusing to serve another, the place was surrendered. The vessel remains at Varna a sufficient length of time to enable the stranger to form a tolerable idea of a Turkish town. There are the palace of a pasha, a mosque, an hos- pital, several fountains, and two or three coifee-houses, much frequented by the Turks. The men, who are larger and finer persons here than at Constantinople, di'ess more h la Tiirque. Roman and Greek coins are frequently found here, and are offered for sale by children in the streets. A boat may be hired with rowers, to coast along to the capital. Horses are easily procured for proceeding by land, should the traveller prefer either mode to the steamer. The boat having left Varna, to complete the last portion BOSPHORUS STRAIT. 179 of the voyage, the traveller will have a fine mountainous coast, and passing Cape Emineh, the termination of the Balkans, and the northern point of the Gulf of Bourges, the town of M E s s E M B R I A is Seen on a rocky isthmus ; and four miles farther on, Ahiouli, another town situated in the same way. Next is Bourgas, at the bottom of the gulf, the head-quarters of General Diebitsch during the winter. The Gulf of Bourgas is 20 miles in depth, E.N.E. and W.S.W.; with good anchorage, not more than 14 fathoms. In Bourgas Gulf the fleets of the world might ride. SizEPOLis, Ignada, Mount Papias, and Prom Media, are objects that one occasionally gets a glimpse of, during the eighteen hours which a steamer employs, before the impatient traveller descries the Thracian Sym- plegades, with their castles, which mark the entrance to The BosPHORUs Strait, about 20 miles in length, which, running out of the Euxine into the Sea of Mar- mora, separates Europe from Asia. Its mouth being small, considerable danger is incurred in hazy weather, and vessels are sometimes lost in attempting the passage. The entrance into the Bos])1iorus is defended by fortresses placed on the acclivity of projecting mountains on either side, beyond which others are seen towering still higher towards heaven. On entering the Boghaz, or throat, lines of batteries, apparently rising up out of the water, and built as much for appearance as for use, seem to defy all intrusion. As the steam-boat glides along, the eye catches some of the more prominent objects which, for the length of twelve or fourteen miles, adorn both shores, on the approach to the " Queen of Cities." The European and the Asiatic coast are equally covered with villas and gardens, adorned in the most tasteful manner, having verandas and trellis-work, covered with roses. Those on the margin of the shore have arched entrances for the caiques, or small boats, through which, by means of short canals, they glide into the centre of the court-yard. Beyond the villas on the margin of the strait, and which have their foundations in the water, others rise in succes- sion, stretching up to the summit of the mountains, and n2 180 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. forming a picture upon which the eye might rest with un- diminished pleasure for many hours in succession — " struck with a splendour never seen before, Drunk with the perfumes wafted from the shore; Approaching near these peopled groves we deem That from enchantment rose the gorgeous dream. " On the left, a fortified castle, which, from its height, seems to pierce the azure sky, becomes a commanding object of attention ; and this is scarcely lost sight of, before some formidable batteries indicate the approach to BuYUKDERE, or the " Lovely Valley," a spot selected for the residence of the diplomatic corps. A mile distant from hence, another range of batteries, on either shore, mounted with fourteen large guns, introduce us to Therapia, a village, where there is a royal palace, which is a favourite spot for the Oslamin elite. At a considerable elevation is seen a Roman aqueduct, which formerly conveyed water from one mountain to another, and finally into the city. On the left is a royal tan-yard, and near to it a valley called Kui^haghadge, thickly studded with trees, and famous for keffs, or pic-nics. Proceeding onward, a number of fairy-looking villages, mosques, harems, chateaux, and batteries, with the Greek and rich green cypress filling up every interstice, and tlie shipping floating on the waters below, produce the most beautiful eff'ect, and almost overpower the senses. The vessel soon enters a sort of basin, when the ingress and egress become lost to the sight ; but on a sudden, the latter is perceived through a vista formed by a number of white towers : those on the European side being called Roumilly Hisar, those on the Asiatic shore, Anadaly Hisar.^' The next object which strikes the eye is a new Ira- * This is said to be the place where Darius crossed on a bridge of boats, when marching against the Scythians. The crusaders are also stated to have passed into Asia at this spot, when about to imbue their hands in Moham- medan blood, for the honour of the Christian faith ! The Towers were for- merly used as prisons, and the doors are so low, that it is requisite to stoop on passing in or out. The unfortunate Janissaries were for some time their inmates, 'and manifested more reluctance to leave their gloomy portals than they did to deliver themselves up to their custody. Wlien the messenger announced the Sultan's pardon, they at once anticipated their fate. They had no sooner recrossed the threshold, than the bow-string was upon their necks, and their bodies dropped into the rolling waves beneath. THERAPIA. 181 perial palace, consisting of a long range of buildings, rich in gold and colours, with the bright blue waters washing its base ; while above, and crowning the summit of a hill, is another royal residence, built by the Sultan for his son-in-law, Capitan Halil Pasha, grand admiral and su- perintendent-general of the fleet.* On the right is a large harem, and a third palace, occupied by the newly- married princess; and opposite to these a range of barracks, the elegant construction of which is in perfect keeping \^ith the whole scene. Farther on is seen, in progress, another Imperial residence; and this passed, the widening of the river and an accumulation of shipping indicate the approach to Tophani Point, where the Sultan's present abode, the splendid mosque, and the extensive arsenal, with nearly a hundred pieces of cannon en hatterie, form a coup-cVml that might be supposed to be unequalled, were it not that, in a few minutes afterwards, the vessel casts anchor in an open space, half a mile in width, appro- priately denominated the Golden Hornj where " The Sweet Waters," the Sea of Marmora, and the Bosphorus unite, and whence is commanded a picture such as no combination of nature and art ever before presented to the human eye : — " The European with the Asian shore Sprinkled with palaces ; the ocean stream Here and there studded with a seventy-four ; Sophia's cupola with golden gleam ; The cypress groves, Olympus high and hoar, The twelve isles, and the more than 1 could dream, Far less describe, present the very view Which charm'd the charming Mary Montague."! In the front is Stamboul's grand Seraglio, with its golden gates; and behind this, rising in succession one above another, appear numberless white mosques, with their graceful minarets glittering in the sun, intersected with houses, " Beyond the bounds of sight, Countless and colour'd ; wrapped in golden light, 'Mid groves of cypress, measureless and vast." * Slade informs us, that when he succeeded Admiral Papudgi, " he knew nothing more of the sea than that it was salt, and full of tish." t Byron declares, that he never beheld a work ef nature or of art which yielded an impression like the prospect on each side of the Seven Towers, to the end of the Golden Horn. 182 VIENNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. On the right, Galata, headed by Pera, is not less beauti- fully attired, the rear being flanked by the sovereign stream ; while on the left, Scutari, as though jealous of its European rivals, invites the spectator to survey her numerous buildings and cypress-loving cemetery, which occupies a commanding position on a lofty eminence, in front of " The Giant Mountain." At each successive survey, a multiplicity of new objects present themselves to the eye, and excite a w^onderment that they had eluded observation before. The continuity of painted buildings, with the golden domes and tapering minarets ever and anon peering above them ; the dark cypresses and graceful plane-trees softening and subduing the glitter, and throwing around a spirit of life and ani- mation ; with the clustering roses w4iicli intertwine themselves with the trellis-work, and adorn the numberless gardens and villages,* stretching along as far as the eye can reach ; while the broad blue waters below, bear on theii' bosom the vessels of all nations, " Many a light caique dancing on the foam," form a picture which the fertile and graceful fancy of a Claude could never have conceived, but which is all that he could have desired. Taking one of those light canoes, or caiques, of which we have just spoken, the traveller, without the inqui- sitorial visit of custom-house officers, will be landed at Galata, whence he must walk to Pera,t up a narrow and ill-paved street, rising almost perpendicularly, and called "The Infidel Hill." * There are twenty-three towns and villages on the right, and eleven towns and villages on the left, of the Bosphovus. f Pera, means beyond, and denotes the suburb beyond Galata and Top- kanah. Beyouglu, is the Turkish name for Pera. 183 SECTION VIII. CONSTANTINOPLE. "Queen of the mom ! Sultana of the East I City of wonders, on whose sparkling breast, Fair, slight, and tall, a thousand palaces Fling their gay shadows over golden seas ! Where towers and domes bestud the gorgeous land, And countless masts a mimic forest stand ; Where cypress shades, the minaret's snowy hue, And gleams of gold dissolve on skies of blue ; Daughter of Eastern art ! the most divine. Lovely, yet faithless bride of Constantine ! Fair Istamboul, whose tranquil mirror flings Back with delight thy thousand colourings ; And who no equal in the world dost know. Save thy own image, pictured thus below ! Dazzled — amazed— our eyes, half blinded, fail. While sweeps the phantasm past our gliding sail. I. Topography, Pojmlation, and Historical Sketch of the City. — Dogs. — Plague. — Fires, <5'C. The city of Constantinople is divided by water into three parts : viz., Stamboul and Pera, in Europe, and Scutari, in Asia. The former and the latter are the residences of the natives; Pera being appointed to the reception of strangers, or Franks, as all foreigners are indiscriminately called. Like Rome, Constantinople is seated upon seven hills, and comprises a mixed population of Turks, Greeks, Armenians,* Europeans, and Jews, said to amount to between 500,000 and 600,000, although some statists will not allow them to exceed 400,000. There are within its limits, 100,000 houses, fi-om 200 to 300 mosques, and at least 500 fountains. It forms a triangle, almost equilateral in its form, and covers a space of five miles. For the purjDoses of trade and commerce, Constantinople stands in a jire-eminently advantageous position, and has one of the finest ports in the world. These advantages, * The Armenians separated from the Greek church about the sixth century, to follow the opinions of Eutyches. They have four Patri- archs, and several Bishops. 184 CONSTANTINOPLE. however, are thrown away upon the proud and indolent Ottomans ; and their capital maintains but a low- rank amongst commercial cities. The streets are without names, and the houses without numbers ; nor is there any register to supply these defects, or a post-office establish- ment to facilitate the transmission of letters. The total absence of carriage-wheels, clocks, bells, and all sonorous occupations, leaves the whole city wTapt in almost im- broken silence ; while the people appear to be mute, and desirous of passing along the streets without being seen. In perambulating the city, a bazaar and a cemetery alter- nately present themselves, as though the sole business of its inhabitants consisted in barter and death ; or a long and filthy lane is found to lead to a marble fountain, or a royal mosque ! These deformities, however, are not dis- pleasing; the perpetual contrast furnishes food for the eye and excitement for the mind, says Slade : " We leave Pera, a regular European town, and in five minutes are in scenes of Arabian Nights. The shores of the Bosphorus realize our ideas, or recollections, of Venetian canals, or the Euphrates' banks. Women, shrouded like spectres, mingle with men, adorned like actors. The Frank's hat is seen by the Dervish's calpack; the gaudy armed Chuvass by the Nizam dgeditt ; the servile Greek by the haughty Moslem ; and the full blovAn Armenian by the spare Hebrew. The charsheys resound vrith Babel's tongues ; the streets are silent as Pompeii's; nothing seems to attract notice ; there are no indications of joy or grief; no pleasure but debauchery — no trouble but death. Be- tween prisons and baths they place their harems, and the capital of slavery — the grand seraglio ! Few cities have passed through more vicissitudes, or been more distinguished for extraordinary events, than Constantinople. It w^as founded 658 years before the Christian era, as the capital of Thrace ; w as besieged and taken by the Romans, B.C. 193; and received its present name in a.d. 324, Constantine making it the seat of imperial power six years afterwards, when it succeeded to its Itahan matron as the refuge of all that remained of science and civihzation, during the long period that the world was inundated by barbarism. Superstition and luxury at length rendered the imperial city the scene of DOGS— THE PLAGUE, &c. 185 internal commotion and the object of external attack ; and, after endm-ing twenty-five sieges, it surrendered to the scimitars of Mahomet I., in 1453, who adopted the symbol of ascendancy from the conquered empire, and made Constantinople the capital of the Turkish dominions. One of the annoyances to which the visitor to Constan- tinople is subjected, arises from the thousands of lean, wolf-like looking dogs that infest the streets, and which are only to be kept at a distance by the use of a stick. Although the Tm-ks have great respect for the canine species, they hold them to be unclean, and never permit them to enter into their houses ; thus the animals, having no owners, seek shelter under the benches and sheds in the streets, whence, half-starved and exposed to the inclemency of the weather, they send forth yells in the dead of the night, and prevent the repose of those unused to the dismal soimds. They are permitted to increase and multiply v^ithout the shghtest check ; and may be seen from a day old to an age when capable of foraging for themselves. Nothing Avill entice these fom'-footed inhabitants of one district to make an incursion into another, although those resithng in the suburbs will some- times be induced by himger to venture into the streets in the night in order to procure sustenance. Basins, con- taining water, are often placed on the outsides of houses, to afford them the means of quenching their thirst ; and men are seen offering coarse meat for sale, which the more affluent purchase, and throw to the dogs. Instances have been known in which legacies have been left for the support of the dogs in a particular district. Many of them appear to suffer much from the mange ; but hydropho- bia is altogether unknomi in the East. Another and a more serious visitation to which Con- stantinople is subject, is the plague. When this malady is known to exist, Europeans turn their houses into laza- rettes, from which strangers are excluded. If obhged to go out, they use sticks to avoid coming in contact ^^•ith other persons, and consider a change of apparel to be indispensable on their retm-n home. By adopting these precautions they usually escape the infection ; while the bigotted and indolent Turks, despising all such prudent means, fall a prey to its ravages in great numbers. That 186 CONSTANTINOPLE. this frightful visitation is not indigenous to European Turkey, is a fact beyond question. In 1834, and the beginning of 1835, Alexandria was subjected to its scourge, and one-third of its inhabitants are supposed to have been swept away by it. Upper Egypt, out of a population of 250,000, is supposed to have lost one-half. Those parts suffered especially that were most in prox- imity with the Nile, where whole villages were totally depopulated. Any other but a Moslem government would have adopted prompt and vigorous measures to prevent its introduction into the capital, or the adjacent provinces ; but they persisted in declaring all precautions to be not only unnecessary but criminal. The conse- quences were what might have been expected. In the summer of 1386, it was introduced into Magnesia, a town of Asia Minor, in its commerce with the interior, in the article of cotton ; and of 50,000 inhabitants one- half fell victims to it. From thence it proceeded to Smyrna, Adrianople, and the capital, where it raged with unprecedented violence, carrying off 1000 persons a-day, and at least 200,000 in the course of that year. The Sultan has at last determined upon establishing a quaran- tine, with a view to rescue the country from this direful malady. Great difference of opinion, however, exists as to the cause of plague, and the efficacy of sanatory laws.* Fires are of almost nightly occurrence in some parts of Constontinople, and their frequency and extent seem to have induced some caution on the part of the Turks ; for on the tower of Galata, and that on the opposite shore, called Stamboul Kalesi, or ' The Seraskier's Tower,' both * Dr. Madden says, that neither the inundation nor the drawing off of the water of the Nile has anything to do with the generation of thi miasma. " Both plague and malaria have their origin in putrefaction, exhaling an invisible vapour, which can only be estimated by its consequences. Malaria originates in the decomposition of vegetable matter ; plague miasma, according to my opinion, originates in the putrefaction of animal matter; the produc- tion of both, of course, depends on certain states of moisture and heat, which in other places, of even a damper climate and a higher temperature, are wanting to the generation of these diseases." In all Turkish towns, the filth is generally beyond conception; and I think that its pre-eminent accumulation in Egypt and Turkey, aided by a certain disposition of the atmosphere, is the cause of plague : neither in India or Abyssinia, nor yet in the deserts adjoining Egypt, is plague to be found. FIRES— ROADS, &c. 187 of which command a complete view of the city, guards are constantly pacing the circle, to give alai'm in case of need. It sometimes happens that whole districts are destroyed by fire. In 172.9, 20,000 houses were consumed, and 7000 people perished in the flames ; and in August, 1782, an equal number of houses were destroyed. In 1826, a fire broke out at Pera, which consumed 6000 houses, including those of the ambassadors ; and last year many w^ere destroyed in a similar way. It is said, that when the people wished to gain an object, such as the head of a Vizir, or other trijie, they resorted to fire-raising. It is vain to attempt to save a wooden house in flames. The only thing to be done is by going lower do\ra, in the opposite direction to the wind, and making a large cut in the street by razing three or four houses. This the proprietors naturally try to prevent, and never yield but to force. Is it surprising that a wooden town should often take fire? It is said, indeed, that the city arises anew out of its ashes, once in about every twenty years; and this being the case, it may appear strange that no improvement takes place, either in its architecture or in the materials employed in building. The houses are still constructed of wood ; the only innovation upon the old mode of connecting them, consisting of a party- wall of brick being introduced between every fifth house and the one that adjoins it. The want of roads and the perijendicularity of the streets, as well as the costliness of the more enduring and less ignitable materials, no doubt prevent, in a great degree, those improvements which are, in this respect, so much to be desired. It is supposed, and with some reason, that the extensive con- flagrations of which the city has been the scene, arose less from accident than from design, the Janissaries usually resorting to this method of expressing disapprobation of their rulers. Another motive which may have induced this class of men to produce these fires, was the gain they derived from them, as they arrogated to themselves the exclusive power of calling into requisition and directing the firemen. Extensive fires have been much less frequent since the Janissaries have ceased to exist. 188 CONSTANTINOPLE. II. THE TURKISH CHARACTER. Origin. — Peculiarities. — Women. — Marriage. — Eunuchs. — Religion. — Education. — Language. — Divination. — Law, Sfc. The Turks, who were originally from Tartary, first made an irruption into Persia, of which they became masters, in 1065. In the fourteenth century, a Sultan, named Otto- man, and who reigned in Cilicia, became the founder of the mighty empire afterwards called by his name. Ha\dng conquered Bithpiia in Asia, and the provinces adjacent, he fixed his residence at Prousa, now called Broussa, and which his son Orchan made the capital of his domi- nions. His successors continued to push their conquests against the decaying Greek empire, until at length the imperial metropolis comprised all that remained of the empire of the Csesars. In 1453, Mahomet II. attacked Constantinople, which he took, and terminated the Greek empire in the East. The Turkish power now became an object of terror throughout Europe ; Egjqjt, the Barbary States, all the coast of Arabia, the Crimea, and the countries along the Danube, including Hungary, having fallen under its iron hand ; and the Austrian capital itself having become an object of attack. The Ottoman scimitar continued to be victorious, throughout a considerable part of the sixteenth century, when Solyman the Mag- nificent to avoid a disputed succession, confined all the young princes to the seclusion of the seraglio, where, associating with slaves and denaturalised men and women, they became imbecile and eff'eminate, imbibing all the vices that such society was calculated to produce. From this time, the star of Ottoman glory set. In the seven- teenth centm-y, the decline of the empire became ^isible enough, but more so in the following century, whence its decay proceeded rapidly, accelerated, no doubt, by the weakness and ignorance of the barbarous and bigotted sultans, who, by a blind adherence to obsolete customs, were no longer able to repel the attacks of disciplined armies. Several of her finest provinces have fallen into the hands of Russia, by whom the Turks have been de- THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 189 feated in almost every battle, and whose dominions, not- withstanding the two Tributary Princes on the Danube, may be said to be conterminous with that river ; Cossacks guarding its banks, from the Hungarian frontier to the Black Sea. Greece, too, has been rescued from the iron grasp of Turkey ; and Syria, Assyria, and Arabia, seized upon by Ibrahim Pasha, whose standard would have been placed alongside that of the Holy Prophet, in the Im- perial capital, but for the assistance afforded to the Sultan by his greatest enemy, who, jealous of such a rival, marched the Russian troops to within gun-shot of its city gates. The ti'ibutary states of Albania and Servia, with the Bosnians and Bulgarians, are vacillating between continued subjection and independence — the effect of disastrous and ineffectual wars. The destruction of the Janissaries, and the ravages of the plague, are severely felt in the reduction of the male population of the empire; while a total mismanagement of the interior, by which vast and fertile regions are converted into deserts, and the loss of commerce occasioned by individual monopolies, added to the obstinate and ignorant conduct of the government in matters connected with foreign policy, have reduced this once mighty empire to a dependence upon its weakness and decrepitude, rather than anything else, for the consideration which it still enjoys in the political world, and afford good reason to presume, that if no extraorthnary change should take place, the Ottoman Porte will, in a few years, cease to exist. Colonel Evans, in his " Designs of Russia," states, " that the military force, in all, is 1/0,000 men, of which 47,000 are for the defence of the Baikan, Bulgaria, and the Danube. But this being a paper account, may safely be reduced one- half. There are eight or nine milUons of Mahometans, and one million of Christians in Asiatic Tm'key, a country that two centuries ago was said to have contained fifty millions of people, its area being more than double that of France, and its fecundity superior ; while in pictiu-esque beauty and classical interest it almost rivals Italy and Greece." Thornton says, the Turks are " brave and pusillani- mous, good and ferocious, firm and weak, active and indolent, passing from austere devotion to disgusting 190 CONSTANTINOPLE. obscenity, from moral severity to gross sensuality ; fas- tidiously delicate, and coarsely voluptuous; seated on a celestial bed, and preying upon garbage; the great are alternately haughty and humble, arrogant and cringing, liberal and sordid; though naturally sedate and placid, their rage when once roused is furious and ungovernable, like that of a beast." It is but just to say, however, that they are not much addicted to torture, widely differing in this from the Persians : but when they do set about it, they do it seriously. One of their modes of questioning a prisoner is by binding his head with a rope, and draw- ing it tight, until he speaks, or faints. The discomfort of a tight hat may give one a millionth part of the idea of this frightful torture. Those who undergo it rarely lose the mark of the rope, which rem_ains impressed on the head, as though burnt in with a hot iron. They also practise mutilations of a hand or a foot ; the former on burglars, the latter on highwaymen. And a very effec- tual punishment it proves ; but, unfortunately, three out of four that undergo it die from want of surgical aid; the operation being generally performed at the same place where the sentence is pronounced, by one of the cha- vasses present, who draws his ataghan, and lops off the proscribed member. The stump is then smeared with hot tar, to staunch the blood. In Constantinople, during 1829-i30, was to be seen a Turkish beggar, who had been deprived of both his feet by this rude operation. He was in good health, and enforced his arguments by carrying in his hand the skeletons of his poor feet. Towards strangers the Turk is neither courteous nor rude; argument and expostulation are alike thrown a^^ay upon him ; like his camels, he appears to be the slowest in creation; and like them also, at times, he becomes the most infuriated ! Praise his horse, or his white hand,* and you reach his heart. He is very fond of his male offspring, but for the female he cares but little. f He is devoted to his chibook and harem, both of which he studies to have well furnished. The contradictions in * The Turks are vain of a white hand. f In no part of the world, perhaps, are more love and attachment mani- fested by children towards their mothers than in Turkey. THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 191 his character are very striking : he administers to a sick dog, and bowstrings his friend, — he beheves in fataUty, yet consults a doctor, — in pubhc, he is modesty personified ; in his harem, obscenity itself, — the name of God is ever in his mouth, the devil in his v»'orks, — he will forgive a personal atfront, and embrace the murderer of his friend, — he will fight for his patron, and afterwards be faithful to his fortunate rival. Neither surprise, joy, nor sorrow^ is betrayed by his features. He loves gold, but ostenta- tiously spends it, — he will give rich presents to a stranger, whilst his friend may die in penury. A great Turk, when he wishes to rise, is by his attendants lifted on his legs ; if to drink, the glass is lifted to his lips. No Turk is so high as not to have a master ; none so low as not to have a slave. Thoroughly oriental, the Turks diff'er in every respect from the inhabitants of western European nations. In- stead of a plain, tight dress, they wear loose, gaudy robes ; instead of hats, turbans ; instead of boots, slip- pers; instead of sitting upon chairs, they lay stretched upon sofas, or squat cross-legged upon small stools or ottomans. In writing, like the Hebrews and Ai-abs, they begin on the right ; for quills they substitute reeds, and for ^'^Titing-desks their knees. Their paper is highly glossed, and the ink thick, like that used in printing. On entering a mosque or a house, instead of removing then- turbans, they take off their slippers. When bas- tinadoed, they receive the blows on the soles of the feet, instead of on their backs. On retiring at night, they sleep in their clothes ; for knives and forks, fingers are substituted ; not contented with one wife, they venture to take four. During the fast of Ramazan, which coin- cides with the Greek Lent, and continues for forty days, they fast all day and feast all night. During a lunar month, not a morsel of bread nor a drop of water is to be seen all the day, without a dispensation from the Cadi. When the Mogreb is announced from the mosque, the revels commence. After this comes the feast, or Beiram, a festival corresponding to our Easter, when every Osmanley gives himself up to universal rejoicing. The idea of walking for mere pleasure they cannot com- prehend, and consider it an act of insanity. Instead of 192 CONSTANTINOPLE. being seen in public with tbeii' wives and daughters, they expect them to be enveloped with all the care of Egyp- tian mummies ; and instead of allowing them to be the delight and ornament of their houses, they imprison them in harems, where they are not to be seen, or even named by the opposite sex. Instead of inviting others to their houses, they steal into them themselves, as if afraid of being seen ; and, as though it were too much trouble to talk, they hold little or no conversation. In- stead of the fermented juice of the grape, they are accus- tomed to the intoxicating use of opium.* For meals they have no fixed time, but act upon the princi})le of Diogenes — " The rich eat when they like ; the poor when they can." The shop-keeper, partaking of the general lethargy, is never found standing in his shop, like the more active and bustling tradesman of western countries, but squats upon his counter, upon a handsome carpet, with which it is overspead, wearing only his mestler, his exterior slippers being left upon the floor ; and rather than move, would refer the purchaser to another shop. Being much exposed to cold, in consequence of the bad construction of their houses, in which there are no chim- neys, they use braziers lighted with charcoal, \A'hich they place under a carj)et, drawn over and around their lower extremities. The use of costly furs is a thing in which they much indulge ; but the most characteristic feature of dress is the coloured slipper, which was formerly re- gulated by the government — the Turks wearing yellow, the Armenians red, and the Jews blue. Of tlie turbans, which also differ in shape and value, some are very splendid, varying in cost from £5 to ,^200. Mr. Urquhart, in his " Sph-it of the East," Mr. Slade, and other authors, have enumerated some striking points in the Turkish character. We select a few of them : — Europeans commemorate the laying of the foundation- stone ; Turks celebrate the covering in of the roof. * The Theriaki , or o\nnm eaters, are now much less common than they were, howc. er, it having been discovered that Mahomet did not prohibit the use of rum — a favourite article with the Turks. The omission, no doubt, arose out of the same circumstance as that which occasioned the omission of any prohibition against the sluggish Mussulmans travelling on rail-roads. THE TURKISH CHARACTER. li)3 Among the Turks a beard is a mark of dignity; with us of negUgence. Shaving the head is with them a custom ; \^ith us a punishment. We take off our gloves before our sovereign ; they cover their hands with their sleeves. We enter an apartment with our heads uncovered ; they enter an apartment with the feet uncovered. With them the men have their necks and their arms naked; with us women have their arms and necks naked. With us the women parade in gay colours, and the men in sombre ; mth them in both cases it is the reverse. With us the men ogle the women; in Turkey the women ogle the men. With us the lady looks shy and basliful ; in Turkey it is the gentleman. In Europe a lady cannot visit a gentleman ; in Turkey she can ; in Turkey a gentleman cannot visit a lady ; in Europe he can. There the ladies always wear trousers, and the gentlemen sometimes petticoats. With us the red cap is the symbol of licence; with them it is the hat. In our rooms the roof is white and the wall is coloured; with them the wall is white and the roof is coloured. In Turkey there are gradations of social rank without privileges ; in England there are privileges without cor- responding social distinctions. With us social forms and etiquette supersede domestic ties ; with them the etiquette of relationsiiip supersedes that of society. With us the schoolmaster appeals to the authority of the parent ; ^^ith them the parent has to appeal to the superior authority and responsibility of the schoolmaster. With us a student is punished by being contined to chapel ; with them a scholar is j)unished by being excluded from the mosque. Amongst us masters requh"e characters with their servants ; in Turkey servants enquire into the character of masters. We consider dancing a polite recreation ; they consider it a disgraceful avocation. An Englishman will be astonished at what he calls the o 194 CONSTANTINOPLE. absence of ])ublic credit ; in Turkey the Turk will be amazed at our national debt. The first will despise the Tm-ks for having no organiza- tion to facilitate exchange ; the Turk will be astonished to perceive in England laws to impede the circulation of commerce. The Turk will wonder how government can be carried on with divided opinions ; the Englishman will not be- lieve that without opposition independence can exist. In Turkey commotion may exist without disaffection ; in England disaffection exists without commotion. A European in Turkey will consider the administration of justice defective ; a Turk in Eiu-ope will consider the principles of law unjust. The first would esteem property in Turkey insecure against violence ; the second would consider property in England insecure against law. The first would marvel how without lawyers law can be administered ; the second would marvel how with lawyers justice can be obtained. The first would be startled at the want of a check upon the central government ; the second would be amazed at the absence of control over the local administration. We cannot conceive immutability in the principles of the state compatible with well being; they cannot conceive of that which is good and just being capable of change. The Englishman will esteem the Turk unhappy because he has no public amusements; the Turk will reckon the man miserable who lacks amusements away from home. The Englishman will look on the Turk as destitute of taste because he has no pictures ; the Turk will consider the Englishman destitute of feeling from his disregard to nature. The Turk will be disgusted at our haughty treatment of inferiors; the Englishman will revolt at the purchase of slaves. They will reciprocally call each other fanatic in religion, dissolute in morals, uncleanly in habits, unhappy in the developement of sympathies, and their tastes destitute severally of their ])olitical freedom, each will consider the other unfit for good society. THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 195 The European will term the Turk pompous and sullen ; the Turk will call the European flippant and vulgar. It may therefore be imagined how interesting, friendly, and harmonious must be the intercourse between the two ! The Turks have a sovereign contempt for little men, and hold \nsdom to be inseparable from a long beard. They judge of a great man's consequence by the size of his nether garments. The head is shaved; the beard unshorn. The men wear petticoats of cloth ; the women trousers of silk or cotton. Instead of a surtout, a piece of blanket is thrown across a Turk's shoulders ; a wooden bowl serves for a service of plate ; a pewter tray for a tablecloth; fingers for forks, and swords for carving- knives. A man salutes without stooping. If you praise the beauty of his children, he suspects you of the evil eye. The name of the Proi)het is in every man's mouth, and the fear of God in few Turks' hearts. The women glory in the lascivious evolutions of the uleme, and blush at the immodesty of an English woman without a veil. When a Turk regards om- ridiculous attire, as he conceives it to be, he has just the same opinion of our dress and manners that we have of his. The Turks turn in their toes, and mount on the right side of the horse ; they follow their guests into a room, and precede them on leaving it ; the left hand is the place of honour ; they do the honours of the table by serving themselves first ; they take the wall and walk hastily in sign of respect ; they beckon by throwing back the hand instead of drawing it towards them ; they cut the hair from the head, but leave it on the chin, conceiving a shorn face to be a mark of effeminacy or of slavery ; they eschew pork and dancing ; their mourning habit is white; their sacred colour green; and the hoW day is Friday. The knowledge of foreign languages is a crime ; they never shake hands, but embrace ; when smoking a pipe they say they are drinking a pipe, probably from their habit of imbibing all the smoke into the stomach. The Turks, with our Shenstone, seem to think that *' women are pretty dolls ; if anything else unnatural." Every female in the kingdom belongs to the Sultan, who is only supposed to lend them to others, reserving the right o 2 196 CONSTANTINOPLE. of demanding tliera back again at pleasure. No Tm-kisli woman, free born, can be a mistress, even of tiie sovereign. He does not condescend to marry, but chooses from bis harem seven favourites. Others can marry four wives, and have as many concubines as their means will justify them in taking, all children being equally legitimate. The women are consigned to harems, excluded from all but female associates or the nearest relations, others not being permitted even to mention their names. They never appear in the streets without veils and loose robes, that mask their face and figure. Madden says, " I often thought there was as much elegance of attitude displayed in the splendid arm of a Turkish beauty holding her rich chibouque, and seated on her Persian carpet, as in the form of a lovely girl at home bending over her bar]), or floating along with the music of the waltz. The female apparel is superb, and certainly becoming: there is a profusion of gaudy colour, but well disposed; and the head is constantly decked with all the fair one's diamonds. They are always in full dress; no turban, but the hair curiously plaited in an embroidered piece of gauze around the head." They are not permitted to join the men in their repasts, nor to enter the mosques; it being believed that they have no souls, and that they were created solely to minister to the pleasm-es of the opposite sex. As no female is allowed to act as servant, but expects to have slaves of her own, the society of Turkish women is beyond the reach of the poor; a circumstance which produces a host of evils. Those a remove above poverty, though able to support more, find one wife quite sufftcient, and thereby avoid the broils to v.hich the rich subject them- selves by increasing the number of their wives ; for although the eunuch occasionally administers corporeal punishment, he is unable to quiet those freaks of jealousy, which the attentions shown by his master to one above another continually creates. The marriage of a Mussul- man convicted of crime is declared to be null. No Turkish woman can marry or connect herself with a man out of the faith ; and the alternative of death or Islamism awaits any one found with her under suspicious circumstances. The excursioEs of women out of town s.ve generally made THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 197 upon asses, wliich they ride like men, or in gaudy gilt wagons, 'without s})rings or seats, drawn by oxen. Their greatest opportunities for relaxation are in the baths, which on certain days in the week are appropriated exclu- sively to their use, and which become the resort of great numbers. Incontinency is of rare occurrence; and when discovered, places both jmrties at the mercy of the hus- band, who has been known to sever the head from the body of the one, and to throw the other tied up in a sack into the Bosphorus. When men have been afraid to ex- press publicly their contempt for any measures of govern- ment, they have sent their ^^ives in a body to clamour at the gates of the palace, and to express opinions that would have exposed themselves, if not to the bowstring, at least to a sound bastinadoing. The females being unknown, effect their return without discover)'; and in this way disturbances have been originated that have agitated the whole empire. A Turk about to be married knows nothing of the figure, intellect, or accomplishments of his futm-e wife, except what he learns from her parents, or some aged matron, whom he may have employed to examine and report thereupon. When the ]iarents have agreed and fixed the sum the husband is to settle upon the wife, they make an inventory of all that belongs to her, which is returned, in case of divorce or repiidiation. Prehminaries being settled, the future husband, the father, the next nearest relative to the lady, and two witnesses, go before a cadi to sign the articles of conti'act, and obtain a permission in writing. Tlie celebration of the nuptials can only take place on a Thursday night, which precedes their Sahbath. A day or two before this, the lady is taken to a bath ; and on the wedding-night she is dressed in the richest stufi's that can be procured, covered with jewellery, pearls, and pieces of money — which the parents often hire. They also try to beautify the face, by colouring it red, blue, and white, painting the eye-brows black, and staining the finger-nails red. Thus adjusted, and placed upon an ele- vated seat, under a canopy — the bride composes herself, keeping her eyes firmly fixed upon the floor ; whilst a troop of \^omen, invited to the fete, abandon themselves 198 CONSTANTINOPLE. up to amusements of a ludicrous and disgusting nature, executing divers dances, and plajdng upon instruments. At night, the parents, husband, and women proceed with torches and music to the house of the bride, to conduct her to that of the husband. She sets out with her parents and more immediate friends, the men remaining at her house and regaUng themselves. Arrived at the harem, the attendants perfume and place the bride upon an elevated seat, prepared for the purpose, and all strangers retire, leaving only the relations of both parties. The husband is all this time in another apartment, being per- fumed and dressed in the most expensive apparel his station affords, by the young men of his acquaintance, who sing songs adapted to the occasion. This done, all the men, accompanied by music, go to the mosque, from whence they return to the door of the house of the bride- groom, leaving him to enter only with his parents. Whilst they are at the mosque, the lady is conducted into her destined place of incarceration; and upon the bride- groom being introduced, all retire except an old woman, who serves him with supper. Whilst he partakes of this, the bride remains standing before him in an humble pos- ture ; and after supper she presents her lord and master with a dish, water, and linen, and then sits down. When she has handed him a pipe and coffee, she sups herself. The servant now retires, and the newly-married pair remain alone. On the following day, the female friends return more richly dressed than before to congratulate the bride and bridegroom, and to spend the day in amuse- ments. The husband is expected to appear very modest and silent; lounging upon an ottoman, his eyes cast down, his face melancholy, whilst all besides are transported with joy. Amongst the slaves resident in the palaces of the Sultan, there is an order consisting of whites as well as blacks, known under the appellation of eunuchs — the employment of whom may be termed a vice of the Byzan- tine court, since it is in total defiance of the laws of the Koran. In the Grand Seragho, there are at least fifty of these, who have the superior advantage of being deaf and dumb — or, at least, of being thought to be so. The black and most deformed guard the interior, whilst the THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 199 rest have charge of the passages and exterior apartments. There are no secret visits or conferences held in the harem or seragho, slaves being always present. Even when the Grand Turk is there reclining upon his couch, he requires incessant attendance, for the purpose of being supplied with his hookah, sherbet, and coffee ; and it becomes ne- cessary that he should have those before whom he can speak without reserve, i. e. the deaf and dumb ; and many, to attain to this high dignity, feign to be deprived of the two faculties of hearing and speaking. Some of them rise to great importance ; as the Kislar Aga, guar- dian of the young princes of the blood, who is one of the leading personages in the empire, and even of the church. To a deaf and dumb dwarf the highest value is attached. Eunuchs are also found in the private houses and harems of wealthy Turks. A Turk, having the most implicit confidence in the bounty of Providence, is desirous of repose, but dislikes purchasing it with fatigue. He enjoys the present, with- out thinking of the future ; and holds in great contempt all idea of those pressing ills with which mankind are menaced. His amusements are chiefly domestic ; he de- lights in the dolce far niente, in giving himself up to continued and unvai-ied reverie, and unrestrained de- bauchery. His sole desire seems to be to glide down the stream of time without thought or anxiety. He is indiflferently fond of loitering under a tree, of reclining with his favourite ladies in his caique upon the ])lacid waters, or upon an ottoman, smoking his chibouque or narghile,* and drinking sherbet, lemonade, or coffee, without sugar or milk, out of cups little larger than thimbles, during the whole day. All coffee-houses, or cafanehs, are fitted up w ith cushions around the walls, and refreshed with little fountains in the centre. The rear of them is fitted up, so as to render unnecessary the caution, " Commit no nuisance," which disgraces every part of the British metropolis. Keeping open their doors for the accommodation of the public, forms one of the conditions of their licence: it is very much to be regretted that a similar accommodation is not • Chibouque, a long pipe. Narghile, a water-pipe, or hookah. 200 CONSTANTINOPLE. insisted upon from the licensed victuallers of London. The places are filled from morning till night; and the Turk, though not talkative himself, loves the society of his fellow-man ; and the sound of falling water, rushing wind, and his chibouque, are indispensable to his existence. Slade enquires, " How do their inhabitants exist ? for Constantinople does not offer the same resources as the great Christian capitals, for those who live on their wits. Vice, the great alimenter of idleness, is kept under the strong arm of the law\ There is little commerce ; there are few arts. There is no great influx of travellers ; the rich men of the provinces do not congregate in it. There are no cultivated lands to speak of within twenty miles, in some directions within fifty miles. The commonest necessaries of life come from distant parts : the corn for daily bread from Odessa ; the cattle and sheep from be- yond Adrianople or Asia Minor ; the rice, of which such vast consumption is made, from the neighbourhood of Philopopolis; the poultry chiefly from Bulgaria; the fruit and vegetables from Nicomedia and Mondania. Thus a constant drain of money is occasioned, without any visible return except to the treasury, or from the proi)erty of the Oulema. The places above mentioned may be considered foreign parts; their inhabitants never visit the capital, and thereby restore the equilibrium." On mounting the ottoman, it is an invariable custom to leave the slippers on the floor. Notwithstanding his indolence, however, the Turk is a being of strong animal impulse, and when prompted by passion, he is extreme in his activity, as he is at other times in his repose. When pressed by necessity, or favoured by circumstances, he will accomplish prodigies ; but his powers of endurance are not great. In war, his first onset is that of the tiger, but missing his aim, he creeps back to his jungle. There being no theatre or public place of resort in Con- stantinople, the streets, by an early hour of the night, are hushed and quiet, and, for want of lamps, in total dark- ness. An individual may occasionally be seen in Pera, with a paper lantern in his hand; those found without being entitled to a lodging in the guard-house. In Stam- boiil, it is forbidden to stir out after dark, except on THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 201 urgent occasions, \^hen permission must be obtained of the officer on duty at the nearest station, who furnishes the pass-word. Early or late, however, strangers have nothing disagreeable to a]>prehend in any part of the city. The religion of the Turks is identified with oriental civilization. Mahomet,* impressed with the necessity of su]ipressing the idolatry which then almost universally prevailed, but feeling .also that any attempt to achieve such an object woulii have to encounter the most for- midable difficulties, arising out of the generally and almost uncontrollable tendencies to materialism, everywhere in operation, struck out a course for himself; in which, while he conceded much to the fondly-cherished notions of the time, he struck a mortal blow at the heart of that atheis- tical and demoralizing system which held such an extensive dominion over the human mind. The frequent lapses of the Jews into their besetting sin of idolatry, and the heresies which divided the Christians into various and hostile sects, warring Avith each other, and all of them with their common enemy, who still clung to Moses and the })rophets, and asserted the perpetuity of the ritual of the Levitical law, invited him to undertake the functions of a mediator, and to arbitrate between these contending factions. For this purpose he armed himself with the authority deferred to by all, and wielded it with a power which finds no parallel except in the introduction of the Mosaic and Christian ceremonies. Putting forward the Jewish prophets on the one hand, and Christ on the other, he propounded to the benighted w^orld the sublime doc- trine so long overladen by superstition and ignorance — the existence of one God, as the invisible creator of the universe, and the all-wise and benevolent superintendent of its affairs. This laid the basis for his work of recon- ciliation. " Each nation has his apostle," says. the Koran, * INIahomct, at 25 years of age, married the widow of a rich merchant in Mecca; his frugality, charity, and religious habits insured him respect, and finally veneration. He thought himself an envoye from heaven, or a mediator between man and his Maker; and it is said, that after he became master of Arabia he continued to mend his own sandals and dress, occupied himself witli the sheep, and lighted his own fires. Dates and water formed his habitual repast, honey and milk his luxury ; and in travelling those he divided with his servant. The Hegira, or flight of Mahomet from Mecca to Medina, is the era of Mahonimedan nations, 16th Julv, 622, A. D. 202 CONSTANTINOPLE. " and Mahomet* is the apostle of Arabia." " Be judges," says the same book ; " say to the Jews and Christians, let us terminate our differences ; adore but one God, give him no equal, that none among you may have any other God but him. Abraham was neither Jew nor Christian ; he was an orthodox Mussulman and an adorer of one God, and only one." Napoleon justly remarked, that had Ma- homet spoken only of spirit he would not have been understood. This he himself foresaAv; and therefore, that he might succeed in divesting the oriental world of some portion of its accumulated vices, and elevate the character of an abased people, he eschewed all mystical subtleties, and addressed himself more immediately to the senses of those whom he undertook to reclaim. Whilst he prohi- bited those things that were either vicious in themselves, or had a tendency to promote vice, under the peculiar cir- cumstances in which the eastern people were then placed — such as dice, sporting, music, cUvination, jewellery, and wine — he enforced his obligations by the most tempting promises of material enjoyments hereafter. To the poor Arabs, scorched by a burning climate, and inhabiting a country destitute of shade and water, he promised rich and extensive pasturage, watered by delicious rivers — that they should inhabit the garden of delight, reposing upon beds enriched wdth gold and precious stones, living in per- fect harmony, and being waited upon by eternal youth — that they should banquet upon the most delicious fruits and the flesh of the choicest birds — that they should sit under the Tiiba tree, and enjoy the society of the Houris, with eyes " Dark as above us is the sky ; All love, half languor, and half fire;" and the transparent whiteness of whose complexions is only to be equalled by pearls. By such menaces and pro- mises as these, did Mahomet attack idolatry in its strong- hold; and uith the overthrow of this, the destruction of children, and prostitution and polygamy, though not * Mahomet prophesied that the Arab cry should be heard before the walls of Rome, which at the time, no doubt, appeared a work of superstition. But Anastasius states, that they ascended the Tiber and encamped before the Holy City, and pillaged St. Peter's, but that the Romans dispei-sed them. THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 203 wholly suppressed, were considerably diminished; while the condition of women was largely ameliorated : sisters were entitled to inherit conjointly with brothers, and a slave, upon becoming a mother, was declared free. Mo- hammedanism, in fact, rendered those who were brought under its influence, as far in advance of other eastern people, as they are now in arrear of the more civihzed nations. Imbued from their infancy with a lofty conception of their own spiritual condition, the Turks regard every other form of religion than Islamism with mingled feelings of hatred and contempt. As followers of Omar, the successor of Mahomet, they hold that the Persians are doomed to perdition, for adhering to Ali, the son-in-law of the Pro- phet, who was at the head of the great Mohammedan schism — a circumstance which has materially tended to strengthen and sharpen the political enmity that has ever existed between the two empires. The propagation of the Koran is a fundamental principle of Islamism, the destroyer of the infidel having ensm-ed to him a place in paradise. " The neck that bends," however, is preserved from violence. The Koran, which comprises the cixil as well as the reli- gious code, is taught by the ministers of religion. Stated prayers form a very leading feature of the Mohammedan theology; and whenever these are omitted, in consequence of the pressure of imperious duties, the faithful must make up for the deficiency at the first opportunity he can com- mand. Prayer carries a Turk half-way to paradise,* and fasting the remaining distance; but it is charity that gains him admittance to the society of the Horn-is. Some writer remarks, that the brightest redeeming virtue in a Turk is charity, or the giving of alms;t and next, his love of cleanhness. The latter may be demm-red to, probably, as inconsistent with the habit of sleeping in his orthnary apparel, and wearing it for years. At the same time, it * A Mussulman prays seven times a-day, each time making three prostra- tions, touching the ground with the head twenty-one times ; upon the infirm this produces such exhaustion as sometimes to cause them to faint away. t By the Mahometan law, Mussulmans are bound to give to the poor two per cent, of all they have ; and this is strictly observed. 204 CONSTANTINOPLE. should be remarked, that the Turks undergo many ablu- tions, and that their houses, and everything appertaining thereto, are scrupulously clean. They wash their hands at least five times in the course of the day, and the feet twice. The}' use the bath several times a v^ eek, but more parti- cularly on the night preceding and on the mornmg of their sabbath. Nothing offends them more than the commission of those indelicacies, which are sometimes uselessly pro- hibited by a " Commit no nuisance here," in most other capitals ; and trespassers in this respect incur a risk of being soundly bastinadoed by any casual passer by. The knowledge of the Turks is exceethngly limited. Until the time when the jn-esent Sultan succeeded to the throne, education, if not totally neglected, was chiefly confined to the Koran and the Arabic language, a course which limited their knowledge within a very narrow compass, ill adapted to the expansion of the human mind, or the duties of active life. They are not altogether ignorant of mathematics or navigation, for which they are indebted to Baron de Tott, who, in 1773, established an adult school in the arsenal for teaching these branches of science. Of natural history, physics, geography', and botany, they may also be said to know nothing. The most useful science introduced within the last few years, is that of medicine, which, though very imperfect, and but little understood at the present time, will ultimately supersede the use of the nostrums, hitherto transmitted from father to son, and destroy the delusion that European practitioners are endowed with a power of necromancy. There are about fifty practitioners in Constantinople, chiefly Franks, from Italy, Malta, &c. Of this number there are not more, perhaps, than half a dozen regularly educated men. It has been frequently remarked by tra- vellers, that cripples are rarely seen in Turkey, even after sanguinary engagements, the inference being, that the wounded are lost for want of surgical aid. The printing of military tactics, by Sultan Selim, in 1807, created so much alarm amongst the scribes, who lived by copying, that a fetwa, or decree of the mufti, was obliged to be had recourse to, authorizing the printing of everything but the Koran — a useless measure, that being the only book the Turks ever read. THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 205 On ascending the throne, Sultan Mahmood j^ubhshed at the press estabhshed by his predecessor, a work entitled " The Basis of Yictorv," pointing out the existing defects in the political and social condition of the Turks, and showing the necessity of reforms ; but as a general dislike existed to printed books, it was Uttle read, and less under- stood. From 1811 to 1819, the Turks were dependant upon the Armenians of the St. Lazarus convent at Venice for an account of the political, literary, and scientific transactions of Europe, which was published in a news- paper in the Armenian language, and forwarded tAvice a month to Constantinople. An unwarrantable massacre of some of the chief families of this persuasion, in the capital, however, caused its chscontinuance. About five years since, the Sultan established a weekly gazette, in the Turkish, Greek, French, and Armenian languages, to which the rich subscribe perforce. Like the French language in Europe, the Turkish prevails over the greater part of Asia and the north coast of Africa. Being a Tartaric lUalect, it is rude, abrupt, and poor ; but the Turks have much enriched it by the introduction of Persian and Arabic ; although the mixtm'e of three such dissimilar languages renders the acquisition of it extremely difficult. They have one alphabet for public business, another for letter-writing, a thu'd for law, and a fourth for instruction; and it often happens that those who are perfect in one, know nothing of the others. It has been justly remarked, that the Arabian language persuades, the Vnx^ioxijiatters, and the Turkish menaces. Turkish law is sim])le and summary. Civil matters are decided by the Ouelmas, who have the case laid before them upon a sheet of paper, space being left at the bottom for their fiat. Two or three witnesses are examined, and a decision given instant er. The contempt in which all aa ho are of a dififerent faith are held, almost excludes such persons from becoming witnesses ; and the oaths of a dozen Christians are less regarded than the single affirmation of a Mussulman, though he may be known to commit the most flagrant acts of perjury ; indeed, there was formerly a class of men who made this a profession ! Pubhc ofiences are sub- mitted to the Pashas, whose decisions depended upon their 206 CONSTANTINOPLE. caprice ; and who vnW sometimes, in a fit of anger, order a person charged with a mere trifling offence, to be basti- nadoed or hanged, while at another time, a culprit who has perpetrated some atrocious crime, is ordered to be discharged. From their sentence there was formerly no appeal; and, none daring to impugn the decision, the matter ended with the sentence and execution. It is a lamentable fact, that, in most cases, money was sure to obtain a judgment favourable to the parties who availed themselves of its use. But it may, perhaps, be to this uncertainty of the law, and of what may result from petty or trivial offences, that public crimes exist to a less extent in this than in any other capital. The Sultan in full council (and much to his honour) abrogated the power of the Pashas to inflict capital punishment, which now can only take place on a judicial sentence being obtained and signed by a Cadi; which also allows time for appeal. The power of administering cor- poreal punishments, however, still exists ; and a Pasha who lately passed through Venice, on his way as ambassador to Vienna, boasted that they had, upon the abridgment of their power, transferred the bastinado from the feet to the stomach, so that half the blows formerly inflicted will be sufficient to effect all that the greatest monster can desire. All Europeans charged Mith offences, are, or ought to be, handed over to the ambassadors, to be treated according to the laws of their respective countries ; and a departm-e from this, in the late case of Mr. Churchill, a resident merchant of great respectability at Constantinople, was followed up with great spirit by Lord Ponsonby. Mr. Churchill, it appears, being in^dted by a fi'iend to make an excursion into Asia, took his gun with a view of killing wild ducks. Being short-sighted, he missed the bird, and a spent shot penetrated the thigh of a boy on the opposite side of the water. The enraged people seized and mal- treated him, and then conveyed him before the Reis Effendi, who, instead of conforming to the custom of referring the case to the embassy, ordered incarceration and punishment. Lord Ponsonby demanded satisfaction, and refused ever again to communicate with a man who had so wantonly set at defiance the laws of nations. THE TURKISH CHARACTER. 207 The affair was for some time on the tapis, and was at length satisfactorily arranged, by the Reis Elfendi being discharged, and a pecuniary remuneration being made to the merchant. There were formerly three offices to which Greeks might aspire, \\z., to those of Hospodar of Wallachia, Prince of Moldavia, and Dragoman or Interpreter; all ojf whom had the distinguished honom- of wearing yellow slippers. But since the Greek revolution, the latter post has been filled by one of the faithful, and the Sultan has no longer the appointment of the two former. What a French author says of his own country, is perhaps more applicable to Turkey : " Fame is a pinnacle of so dangerous a height, that none but eagles and reptiles ever reach its top." Thus, have most important posts been filled by men of the very lowest grade. Porters have risen to be Pashas. Even so recently as the battle of Navarino, one of the Admirals, named Achmet Papudgi, was a vender of slippers, as his name imphes. The present Mustapha Etfendi was a boy employed in a cafeneh, at a village on the Bosphorus ; and Halil Pasha is by birth a Circassian, and was purchased in the slave market in Con- stantinople, by Khosrew Pasha, who was also purchased in the same market : the latter was the Sultan's butcher, or ex- ecutioner; and no man could have executed his mission with greater brutality than this monster, upon those suspected of treason, after the peace of Adrianople. " The practice of raising slaves to the great offices of state is still more common among the Turks than among the Persians : the miserable countries of Georgia and Circassia, supply rulers to the greatest part of the East," says Gibbon. Nothing can exceed the desire of taking office, whether to stand in the " deadly breach," or elsewhere ; nor can anything go beyond the hatred which those employed feel towards each other. No means are deemed too base to be era- ployed for one another's destruction. A Turk rarely hesitates to become the executioner of the friends of his boyhood. But this may be said more in reference to the past than the present, the Sultan being less open to intrigues, and (though sometimes imposed upon) endea- vouring to fill up aj)j)ointments by suitable persons, and rewarding with honours and medals those whom he con- 208 CONSTANTINOPLE. siders to be worthy. The first mark of distinction is a standard of one horse-tail, then of two, and finally ending with a Pashii of three tails,* of whom there are about fifty in the empire. III. MAHMOOD II. AND HIS REFORMS. The Sultan Mahmood is the son of Abdul Hamed, and the only survivor of a very numerous family of brothers and sisters. As vicar and successor of the great prophet, he unites in himself all the supreme, executive, and legis- lative powers. He is pontiff" and supreme chief of religion ; and as sole owner and proprietor of the lives and property of all his subjects, he can confiscate the one, and put out of existence the other with impunity, so that the number of his victims do not exceed fourteen in any one day ; although it is not until they extend to a thousand, that the peojjle have any right to entertain the notion of deposing him.f Mahmood was born on the 20th of July, 1/85, and ascended the throne on the 28th of July, 1808. He is a fine, strong, robust looking personage, about the middle stature, five feet eight inches high, jjarticularly wide across the shoulders and chest, of a dark swarthy complexion, with a long black beard (worn by him as head of the church), and mustachios. His deportment is haughty and ferocious. The destruction of the Janissaries was succeeded by the raising of a new order of soldiers, called Mansury Mahmdodie, or new soldiers of Mahmood. They were exercised in military tactics by French officers, had an Italian band, and were dressed a VEuropeenne, except that they wore a red cap, called Fez. Prior to this period, discijiliue was so little observed or understood by Turkish troops, that one writer compared them in the field to a * Tlie Egyptian bulls ha\e very large tails, which arc used as standards. •j- Turkey is the Sultan's life estate; the people and property constituting his live and dead stock : and the traveller will not fail to remark the gradual depreciation in the value of human life, which takes place in the course of the Danube, until at Constantinople, it is found to be at a discount. A dog enjoys almost an etjuality of rights with a man, the death of one caushjg no more regret than that of the nther. In Egypt, the Viceroy would rather the death of tifty subjects, than be deprived for a single day of his chibouque ! MAHMOOD II. AND HIS REFORMS. 209 quantity of coins flung carelessly upon a table — a simile not unwarranted by the ungovernable conduct of the Janissa- ries, who were totally without discipline, and who acted or not as their caprice led them. The Sultan's determination. to enforce obedience to his new orders, encountered some opposition in various parts of the empire, and particularly in the tributary provinces. Much, in fact, still remains to be done, before they will resemble the troops of European states. Those about the capital are mere boys, the more experienced being sent to the frontiers. The exercise of their religion, which re- quires them to kneel five times a day towards the east, or tomb of the prophet, as well as frequently to kiss the earth, prevents the troops from wearing the leather peak in front of their caps, as a protection for the eyes. Any projection there would require the cap to be taken otf, contrary to custom, Turks never being uncovered, either in the mosque or in the presence of the Sultan himself. Since the barbarous customs of making reprisals on the ears,* and of gratifying revenge by slitting the noses of their prisoners, have been interdicted, there has been some difiiculty experienced in obtaining recruits j notwith- standing that the disgraceful practice of striking soldiers and sailors while on duty is also suppressed. Formerly, this brutal custom was so common, that if the brains of a soldier or sailor were knocked out for disobedience, no one troubled himself about the affair. Elated with his success in the destruction of the Janis- saries, Mahmood at once resolved to strike a blow at another Oslamin excrescence ; and with that view ordered the Mufti and Ouelmas to lay aside their clerical turbans, and substitute the ordinary red skull-cap, or fez ; at the same time making a law for the hereditary descent of property. These things, especially the former of them, may appear to be of little consequence ; but their object being to amalgamate this proud and powerful class with the general mass of the peo]3le, they w^ere of the utmost importance, and would have hurled any of Mahmood's predecessors from the throne. * In 1825, Mehemct Ali, when in tlio Morca, sent the ?ultan a present of 700 pair of ears, which were exhibited for three days in front of the seraglio. P 210 CONSTANTINOPLE. From this period, the Sultan appeai-s to have entered upon a new career ; drilling his recruits, and being drilled himself; for he underwent more fatigue in six months than he had been subjected to throughout the whole of his former life. He persevered amidst all the difficulties he had to encounter, until he could ride upon an English saddle, and put a regiment through its evolutions, as well as a European field-marshal could do it ; but whether all his troops are equally adroit in the use of European saddles and clothes is matter of doubt. Cruelties be- came less frequent, and the value of human hfe increased. Mahmood, however, was still the slave of obstinacy and prejudice, in whatever concerned his sovereign power. He knew that the allied powers had determined upon the emancipation of Greece, and that he had no more might to resist that purpose with success than he had to change the current of the Hellespont. Yet he could not be pre- vailed upon to yield until all his fortresses upon the Danube had been taken, and his fleet in the Mediterranean completely destroyed. Mehemet Ali asked for the pashalic of Acre, and though destitute of all means for opposing his -wishes, the Sultan refused the boon, and Mehemet commenced a war which put him in possession of all Spia. These untoward circumstances, added to his blindly con- fiding, or rather selling, the government of distant pro- vinces to his own creatures, who ruined all who came within the radius of their authorit}^, and the maintenance of a system of universal corruption, and of continuing to grant government and other monopolies, of almost every article in demand, induce a pretty general behef that Mahmood's changes arise more out of a mere restless desire to be doing something, that from any profound con- viction of their necessity; and that they will sink into insignificance when compared with the deep and perma- nent evils which his caprice has inflicted upon the empire. But, after all, it is not to be forgotten that Mahmood is a Turk ; he has been brought up in all the dogmas of Moslemism ; and this being considered, we cannot but be surprised at the strength of mind and resoluteness of purpose he has (hsplayed in carrying into effect reforms, and founding measures and institutions so opposed to IMahommedan prejudices, and so at variance with the laws MAHMOOD II. AND HIS REFORMS. 211 of the Koran, as he has done. Many of his measm-es de- serve to sm-vive him ; and should they do so, they will form a noble monument to his memory, although the cu'cumstance of his having resorted to private assassination, shedding innocent blood for the mere sake of possessing himself of property, and violating all the laws of honour, hospitality, and friendship, by coolly consigning the friend of many years to destruction, remain as indelible blots upon his escutcheon, and deprive him of all pretensions to the character of a great man. As a father, Mahmood evinces the utmost sohcitude for his children. Tw^o of his daughters are married to Pashas, whose male issue are no longer to be put out of existence, nor are the princesses themselves to be forced out of the city, as was formerly the custom. His two sons, Sultan Abdid Medjid EfFendi and Sultan Abdul Aziz Eifendi, the one in his twelfth year, the other a year younger, have the advantage of more athletic exercises, and of more mtercom-se with others, than have hitherto been permitted to princes of the blood. They are no longer confined to the seraglio, although Mahmood knovi-s that, as they advance in years, the tenure of his own hfe becomes more precarious. These and various other innovations upon long estab- lished usages, will in time tend to ameliorate the condition of the people, and to assimilate their customs and insti- . tutions to those of the more civilized nations of the earth. At the commencement of hostilities with the Russians, in 1828, a body of his new^ cavalry having surprised and taken an advanced post of about 400 men, cut off their ears, and sent them as trophies to the capital. The Sultan, instead of exhibiting the satisfaction usually evinced on such occasions, reprobated the custom in terms of severity, insisted upon its disuse, and gave orders that in futm*e no prisoner should be maltreated, but that all should be con- ducted in safety to Constantinople. This was a bold, as well as an enlightened and humane step ; it w^ent to the very root of Moslem prejudice ; since Mahomet had de- clared the captive of the sword to be the property of the captor. Formerly, Christian subjects, by which are meant Ar- menians and Greeks, if ever seen at the departure of p 2 212 CONSTANTINOPLE. Turkish soldiers to the camp, were deemed to be ominous of evil; and if on horseback, they were obliged to dismount, and stand aside until the green banner had passed, none daring, at the peril of their hves, to be seen on the spot, when the banner of the great prophet was unfm-led ; nor were they permitted to look up at the Sultan. Now they are not only permitted, but invited to be present upon such occasions : they may look at the Oslamin chief with impunity, and, in his absence, even set their " infidel" feet in his sacred tent. None dare offer them the slightest insult, without incurring the severest chastisement. Am- bassadors are no longer subjected to the humiliating custom which, until recently, prevailed on dehvering their credentials to the Sultan, nor is it so difficult to obtain an audience ; on the contrary, ambassadors are frequently entertained by him ; and the difference which exists between the present time, and some few years since, in the conducting of the Turkish embassies at the different courts of Europe, where the representatives of the Porte not only conform to the customs of the country, but as- sume an importance, was totally unknown to the Turks twenty years ago. All religions are now tolerated ; and a few years since, the Armenians obtained a piece of ground for the build- ing of a church, which they erected at an expense of £36,000. Architecture has received great encouragement; and the barracks, which are generally beyond the hmits of the city, might be taken as models for more refined countries. The arsenal, the royal mosque, and several of the palaces — one of stone, and quite European in its style — have all been erected by the present Sultan. Extensive manufactories of guns, caps, leather, cloth, cannon, silk, &c., conducted principally by foreigners, have sprung up within the last five years; but they are all government monopolies. Carriages were never patronised by the successors of the prophet, before his present representative ascended the throne. About two years since, Mahmood introduced a small English phaeton, in which he drives four horses remarkably well. Roads, however, are still much wanted, although this is a matter that has not escaped the Sultan's attention. He has made MAHMOOD II. AND HIS REFORMS. 213 a new one from Scutari Isnikmid, a distance of about sixty miles, upon which are estabUshed post-houses and other conveniences. Unhke his predecessors, who moved about in appearance hke malefactors doomed to destruction, Mahmood rides openly through Stamboul, and is rowed about on the Bosphorus, often accompanied by his two sons, with as much confidence as any European could exhibit. The use of knives and forks is becoming general ; and, what is unheard of in the annals of Turkey, ambassadors and Christian chiefs are imdted to dine at the palace, where the Sultan, although he does not condescend to eat with them, freely converses,* and partakes of the cham- pagne, which his conscience-keepers are said to have dis- covered to possess none of the elements that constitute the reprobated beverage, but to rank more properly under the order of sherbet or lemonade, than of mne.f Orders and medals reward merit, a quahty which now more generally raises men to fill important posts, than the gross intrigues that formerly led to their selection. The power of Pashas, which formally extended over the lives of all under their dominion, has become more Umited. Sentence of death must be signed by the proper autho- rities, and sufficient time be allowed for appeal. Formerly, all property belonging to persons employed by the government reverted to the Porte at their death ; and the possession by such persons of any amount of wealth, was held to be sufficient justification of sacrificing their lives to increase the public funds. Mahmood, much to his honour, waived this privilege ; and in full divan, where he generally presides, made a law for the hereditary descent and secure possession of property. Notwithstanding that all pictures, representing the human form, or any living creature, as well as music, are forbidden in the Koran, a triumph over these two obsta- cles to civilization has been effected. The young princes have been painted in miniature, by an Italian artist, and the Sultan's portrait has been painted in oil, and placed * Mahomet II. said "My illustrious predecessors were in the habit of dining with the viziers — I abolish the custom.'^ t The Turiis are no strangers to drunkenness; and the ladies drink rosaglio or liqueurs, rum and rakee. It is recommended as medicine ! 214 CONSTANTINOPLE. in the arsenal. It is also lithographed, and sold in the city ; and is the only thing of the kind to be seen. There .are now seven hospitals, three for the army in general, one for troops and navy, one for the artillery, one for workmen and military, and one for the naxy. The " concord of sweet sounds," too, is now often heard, " Coming o'er the ear like the sweet south, That breathes upon a bank of violets. Stealing and giving odour." and an Italian opera has been established. It was formerly the custom, when any great personage received a visit, to have presented to him a pipe and coffee, by four kneeling slaves, who also perfumed his beard ; but this practice having been denounced at court, has almost wholly fallen into disuse. Harems are no longer state prisons ; the fair inmates are allowed to walk out at pleasure, and to adorn them- selves with jewellery. On the marriage of the Sultan's daughter with Ali Pasha, Mahmood pledged himself that" the male issue should no longer be destroyed, and that the princess should not be forced to leave the capital after three yeai's, as had previously been the barbarous custom. The mosques are ordered to be shown to strangers, when not occupied for prayer. The press, though it at present gives but a feeble light, has begun to shed its benign influence around; and a weekly gazette, in four languages, awakens the curiosity of the people. Some time since, the Sultan established steam-boats between the diff'erent parts of his dominions, with the intention of visiting the several places himself. The announcement at the time spread dismay amongst the sticklers for old customs. The shadow of God leave the city and its environs ! Verily, the end di-aweth nigh ! IV. — PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &C. The city of Constantinople, as seen from the Bospho- rus, is calculated to create expectations which will be disappointed upon an examination of its interior. In pictui-esque beauty and oriental adornment, it stands un- PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 215 rivalled, in the distance, perhaps, amongst the cities of the world; but having set foot within its walls, the traveller will find but little to call forth his admiration or to gratify bis curiosity. The streets are narrow and ill- paved, and generally so uneven, that such a thing as a carriage could not be driven along them. The houses are built of wood, painted red, and are low and unsightly j and even the mosques and other pubhc buildings, will be passed by without exciting attention. Formerly, Constantinople, like "the eternal city," was divided into fourteen regions, each one exhibiting evi- dences of Roman magnificence. The First region comprised the Palace of Plaudius, the Baths of Arcadius, and Theodosius' Column. The 2nd. — The Amphitheatre, St. Sophia, a Theatre, the Arsenal, Baths, and Columns. The 3rd. — The Hippodrome, Palace, and a Marble Gate. The 4th. — Bronze and Marble Columns, a Circus, and Monuments of Naval Achievements. The 5th. — Baths, Cisterns, a Forum, and an Obelisk from Thebes. The 6th. — A Burnt Column, ditto of Constantine, Church of St. Anastasius, and Baths. The 7th. — A Pyramid to indicate the Winds, a Forum, Column, and Temple. The 8th.— A Magnificent Chm-ch. The 9th. — A Forum and Public Magazines. The 10th. — Baths of Constantine. The 11th. — Palace of Faccilien, Cisterns, Church of the Apostles (equal to St. Sophia), and a Virginal Column, upon which was placed the Statue of Venus. The 12th. — Golden Gate, and Cistern of Arcadius. The 13th. — Forum of Honorius. The 14th. — Theatre, Baths, and Palace. Where are all these magnificent objects gone? The thu'd and fourth hills of Constantinople are con- nected by an aqueduct of 41 arches, built originally by the Emperor Valans of the ruins of Chalcedonia, since restored by Solyman. Presuming the traveller to be at Pera, and wishing to visit the principal noticeable things in the city proper, he will cross in a caique from Galata to the Balluk Bazaar (fish market), and then ascend a narrow street to Mizicharsay, or the bazaars. The Bazaars, Bezesteen, or Charcheys, are covered streets, apparently under the same roof, each di\^sion or shop being devoted to its separate merchandize : linens, cottons, shawls, silks, slaves, drugs, slippers, fruits, plate. 216 CONSTANTINOPLE. fire-arms, silver saucers, horse equipage, woollens, carpets, vegetable dyes, and antiquities ; and in most cases, two- thirds of the price asked is taken. From the opening of the gates in the morning until sunset, the bazaars are a fashionable lounge ; no smoking or cooking is allowed in them, which precautions have saved the valuable merchan- dize contained in them from fires. The principal things worth purchasing, are Persian shawls, which vary in price from ^20 to .^250,* Persian and Broussa silks, attar of roses, pipes, embroidered muslin, Damascus barrelled rifles, Mith curious inlaid stocks, from 40*. to Ji5 each ; and yatigans. The two last-mentioned articles belonged to the janissaries; the art of producing the Damascus barrel or jower is lost, and the articles now made are of a very inferior quality. The most amusing and extraordinary of all the bazaars is the Bitt Bazaar, where second-hand articles of every description, and from every clime, are offered for sale. In these bazaars, strangers should be particularly on their guard against the Jews, who will almost insist upon be- coming their guides. Jews, Greeks, and Armenians, deem Christians to be fair game, and generally ask a hundred per cent, more than they feel sure of getting. The attar of roses and other scents sold here are rank impositions ; and the cherry-tree chibouque should be selected by those who understand them, in order to guard against being taken in. In the Avret, or Woman Slave, Bazaar, are seen huddled together in one part of an enclosed yard, a group of black boys, and in another one of gu-ls (principally from Nubia and Abyssinia), a piece of coarse broT\Ti hoUand constituting their entire wardrobe. Each has an iron chain fixed round the waist, some of the girls being orna- mented with brass bracelets on their wrists and ankles. Thej sell from £\0 to ,^20 each, and are in great request as servants, no Turkish woman being alloAved to fill that station. Men are kept at a distance from the city, and white women are shewn in rooms adjoining the • Europeans generally imagine this to be a mart for Cashmere shawls, and that they are to be procured here at a very reduced price ; whereas the sale of those shawls is confined chiefly to the Armenians, who ask as high a price for them as would be demanded at Everington's, on Ludgate-hill. PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 217 bazaar, and sell according to their youth and beauty, at from ^20 to .€150. Like cattle, in other markets, the fat had a preference over the lean ones ; and the process of purchase and sale is truly (Usgusting. Byron aptly describes the scene : — " The eunuch having eye'd them o'er with care, Tum'd to the merehant, and began to bid First but for one, and after for the pair; They haggled, wrangled, swore too — so they did! As though they were in a mere Christian fair, Cheapening an ox, an ass, a lamb, or kid; So that their bargain sounded like a battle For this superior yoke of human cattle." What must have been the feelings of the unfortunate Greeks vihen thus subjected to the brutual treatment of the Turkish monsters, who exhibited them in droves after the aiFair at Scio ? Volney asks, " Is it not extraor- dinary to read in Herodotus, that formerly Colchis (Georgia) received black inhabitants from Egypt, and to see the same country at this day make so different a return?" This barbarous commerce is carried on in the same manner as the slave trade, by wars among the numerous tribes, and by the oppression of the inhabitants, who sell their own children for a subsistence. The slaves of both sexes are first brought here, and from hence are dispersed throughout the empire ; and although a Georgian or a Greek of extraordinary beauty is not exposed in the bazaars, the dealers always know where to find a purchaser, at a good price ; but as such a present generally precedes the asking of a favour from officers of state and other high personages, the trade is interdicted to Jews and Christians. The Koran, says Slade, forbids the separation of mothers from their children, and mussulmans obey its rules : the Georgian and Circassian women, being victims of custom, they appear anything but unhappy under their slavery ; kept in the strictest confinement at home, and the happiness that is to result from their being sold being constantly pictured to them, they look to a trip to Stam- boul with delight. There they are lodged in separate apartments, secluded ; except between the hours of nine and twelve, when they may be visited by those who may wish to become purchasers. The Koran decrees the 218 CONSTANTINOPLE. manumission of slaves after seven years, but the law is more honoured in the " breach than in the observance," for a greater calamity cannot happen to the poor blacks vs^hen worn out, than to be turned friendless upon the world. Some of these poor creatures are occasionally seen in a state of misery that the pen cannot describe. Almost the only noticeable things now in the city, are the following : — The Grand Seraglio, or Royal Palace, which is sur- rounded by a wall, surmounted by square towers towards the sea, and is three miles in circumference. It, at one period, formed the whole of Byzantium; but, like the Mount Palatine, at Rome, became, in process of time, too small for the residence of even one individual. Being no longer occupied by the Sultan, it affords a place of digni- fied retirement for the sultanas of deceased monarchs, and of seclusion for the male members of the royal family, where, debarred from all manly exercises, and restricted to the society of women and eunuchs, the young princes of the blood have contracted most effeminate and per- nicious habits. An opinion has long prevailed, that the Sultans, ever since the conquest, have successively made some additions to a treasure supposed to have been then deposited in the foundations of this building, to enable them the better to defend the city, or, in the event of its falling into the hands of an enemy, to build another in Asia. The present Sultan, who is accused of making everything subservient to the replenishing of his treasury, lies under the suspicion of having departed from the pledge he gave when begirt with the royal sabre, to follow the example of his predecessors, and hold the sacred treasm-e inviolable. The following is Mr. Slade's description of this splendid building: — "The original plan consists in four spacious com-ts surrounded by buildings connecting with each other by high gates, and running in an oblong square nearly across the area ; the remainder of which is laid out in pleasure-grounds, or filled up by kiosks, the fancies of different Sultans, which communicate with the main edifice one way, and command views, the other, of the finest scenery in the world. By the most modern of these kiosks, we begin our excursion, entering it through a PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 219 massy gilded gate in the sea wall. It was built by the present Sultan, and is no less distinguished for size than splendour, furnished in a style half French, half oriental : the former shown in cut glass chandeliers, mirrors, musical clocks, ivory ships, mosaic tables, and other trifles ; the latter in velvet covered divans, piles of brocaded cushions, highly wrought mats, and frescos on the wainscoting. The baths were perfect specimens of their kind, almost too beautiful for use, composed of variegated marbles, wherein roux and verd antique were lavished. The gothic richly- fretted marble chimney pieces in the winter cabinets were also highly ornamental, and excited a wish for fire ; in one of these cabinets were arranged the Sultan's personal arms, consisting of Damascus sabres, French pistols, Persian hangiars, all of exquisite workmanship, and set in jewels. By them lay a small assortment of korans and sunnas, beautifully written, and highly emblazoned." In the exterior court-yard, the heads of delinquents w^hose death calls for no privacy are exposed to view. Some remain there for only a few hours, while others continue for three or four days ; each one having an inscription affixed to it, stating the true or feigned cause of decapitation — an honourable mode of death, confined to the higher orders, all others being caught, strangled, and left on the spot where they fall. It was here that, on the day of Sultan Selim's death, the head of Kislar Aga, with the heads of as many others as could be caught by the Bairacter, w^ere exhibited ; that of the black being placed in a silver dish, on account of its high dignity. In the second court-yard, on the left, is the royal mint; and a little further on, passports for Mecca and for the other world are furnished to " the faithful." Nearly in fi'ont of the palace gate, and ^^ithin sight of the windows, stands the fatal stone upon which so much human blood has been spilled. With what exquisite pleasure has the savage Tartar often beheld a poor Pasha hurrjdng across the yard to breathe the air of liberty, exulting at having passed through the fiery ordeal of an interview^, and at having escaped the bow-string in the executioner's room,* * All persons before being admitted into the presence of the Sultan, are obliged to wait for some time in the room of this high and important functionary. 220 CONSTANTINOPLE. aiTested in his career, and then prostrated on this awful block ! In an open office contiguous to this place, the devout Mussulmans obtained firmans or licences to visit the Caabah, or temple of Mecca, always an object of Arab veneration, being, as they beheve, founded by Abraham, and rendered more sacred as being the tomb of the Prophet. On the road they die by thousands, although furnished with instruction in their own language, dictated by European physicians, how best to guard against the consequences of fatigue, climate, want, and dysentery. Those who have paid their devotions at the shrine, and ai'e fortunate enough to return home, are distinguished by green turbans. Oppposite to this office are the royal kitchens : and in front, the seraglio, whose threshold it is sacrilege to cross. On the outside of the wall here may be seen the spout or wooden gutter through which female offenders are transferred from the dominions of the Sultan to those of Neptune ! In the lower gardens, which are attached to the rear of this splendid state-prison, the cypress forms a conspicuous feature; and here also stands a Corinthian column, of large dimensions and of exquisite taste and workmanship, from whence is a view of the most charming description, over Princes' Island, the Sea of Marmora, and an extensive region of Asia ; the horizon being bounded by the Giant Mountain on the one side, and the snowy tops of Mount Olympus on the other. The Mosques are all built upon Greek models ; but not- withstanding that their numerous graceful minarets give them a pleasing effect in the distance, there are not more than three or four out of the three hundred contained in the city that are worthy of special notice. That of Ach- met is the finest in architectural beauty; that of the Sultan Mehemet has been named the St. Peter's of the East ; but that of St. Sophia is the most celebrated for its historical associations. Instead of the tolling of a bell, from the minarets of the mosques the priests or muezzins invite the faithful to prayer. The invocation, which is pronounced five times in the course of the day, and is called Eyan, is as follows : — " Almighty God ! I attest that there is no God but God, and that Mahomet is his PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 221 Prophet. Come, ye faithful, to prayer — come ye to the temple of salvation. There is no God but God. Prayer is preferable to sleep." St. Sophia is the third church built upon the same site : the first was overthrov^^l by an earthquake, after which Justinian built the present one on the ruins of a church bearing the same name, which had been destroyed by fire. The revenues of Egypt during seventeen years were de- voted to the work. Eighteen columns of verd antique, supposed to have formed part of the famous Temple of Ephesus, were presented by the magistrates of that city. The rest are Egyptian granite. Others of porphyry were sent thither from the Temple of the Sun at Rome. The Emperor boasted that he had raised a building which ex- celled in splendour the famous temple at Jerusalem, little thinking that they would both become desecrated by the Moslem, and " Turbans now pollute Sophia's shrine." The style of its architecture, however, shews that it was built at a period of the empire when taste was very bar- barous. In 1453, Mahomet II. ha^dng conquered the city, rode into the church, and after having offered up a prayer, he removed the altar and other objects pertaining to the Christian worship, consecrated the sacred edifice to his own prophet, replaced the Bible by the Koran, and the next day the muezzin's voice was heard from a hastily constructed minaret, which still exists, at the north-east angle of the building, calling the Osmanlie to prayer. To inspect the interior of this mosque, the Sultan's own firman must be obtained, which may be done through the ambassador, at a cost of from ten to twelve pounds. The gates being once open, all who choose to enter may avail themselves of the opportunity; but few will leave it without feelings of disappointment. Its exterior is unpre- tending. Though the first mosque in the city, it mil bear no comparison with the churches of Italy for architectural beauty, and its interior walls are destitute of all ornament. The cupola, wdiich is 128 feet in diameter, and 195 feet in height from the pavement, is said to be the first work of that style of architecture. The mosque itself is 'IT'i feet in length, from east to west, and 247 feet wide. 222 CONSTANTINOPLE. The next mosque that attracts attention after St. Sophia, is that of Solyman the Magnificent, surpassing St. Sophia in architecture, but not in antiquity. It is 234 feet by 227. The mosque SoUmanie is only remarkable from possessing some marble columns from Alexandria Troas. Behind Solimanie, in a garden, are two octagonal build- ings, which contain the bodies of Soliman and Roxalana. The love the people bore to the emperor induced them to break through prejudice and custom, to permit the bones of his favourite to rest beside him. The mosque Bajazet, built in 1498, has twenty valuable columns, consisting of verde antique, porphry, and Egyp- tian granite. Schahzade giamsi, built by Soliman L, and Ederne Kapusu are worth seeing. Laleli has extensive caverns, supposed to have been cisterns. Kiamsi giamisi was built by Anastasius, and con- verted into a mosque ; in the cupolas there are still to be seen mosaics representing the crucifixion, and other sacred paintings. The distinctive sign of a Ro3^al mosque, is having two or more minarets. In Constantinople, four mosques have each four minarets ; Achmet's only has six. All the mosques have pious or learned establishments. Three have lunatic asylums ; four have poor hospitals; and each has a library. Near to the mosque of Noor Osmanee is seen a sarco- phagus of gigantic dimensions, in ^vhich were deposited the remains of Constantine, the founder of the city. At Eyoub, one of the suburbs of the city, stands the mosque in which the Lion-hearted Mahmood was girded with the royal sabre, and in the cemetery of which rest the ashes of many members of his noble house — the amiable Sultan Selim being of the number. Mahomet II. built this mosque to immortalize a chieftain, named Eyoub (Job). There is a description of it to the follomng effect : — " The Emperor Mahomet built this mosque, in- tending it for a paradise of delights ; a place of worship for the people of God who have religion and purity. The office of investing sovereigns is hereditary in the Mevlevi Dervishes, called MoUah Hunkiar. The present Sultan was girt by the present Mollah, when the Mollah was only seven years old." PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 223 The Hippodrome, or At-Meidan,* is an extensive ob- long area, 250 yards by 150 yards. On one side of it stands the mosque of Achmet, protected by a handsome screen of masonry, begun by Severus and completed by Constantine, upon the model of the grand Circus at Rome. On the other, it was adorned mth the sacred Tri- pods, and the Apollo and Helicon Muses from Delphi. The four bronze horses — those records of the mutability of human greatness, which are now at Venice — were also brought from Rome, where they adorned the arch of Nero, and were placed in company with these sacred relics. But they have all disappeared. At present there are to be seen only an obelisk of granite, 65 feet high, of whose locahty, immediately before its transfer to Con- stantinople, writers disagree as widely as they do in decyphering the hieroglyphics on its base,t but which, there is no doubt, came originally from Thebes ; a pyra- midal column, 100 feet high, formerly cased with brass, and brought from Rhodes; and next a spu-al column of bronze, called the Serpentine Column, 1 1 feet high and 4 feet in circumference, covered by intertwining bronze serpents, whose heads formerly supported the golden tri- pods consecrated to Apollo, after the defeat of Xerxes. This is the best authenticated relic of the spoils of the Temple at Delphos. Mahomet II., seeing the infidel monument, became angry, and struck it with an axe, by which he cut off the head of one of the serpents. It is said that Belisarius, the Roman general, here received the honours of triumph, and aftei-wards begged at its gate! Near to the Hippodrome is St. Sophia ; the church of St. John the Evangehst, converted into a menagerie; and on the north side of the Hippodrome are the balustrades and carved cloister of Achmetie. On its south side is a remnant of Constantine's palace ; and a short remove from thence one of the cisterns. On emerging from the Bazaars, the first object that sohcits attention is the mosque Osmanie, built by Sultan Osman; and next, the Forum of Constantine, where stands * Horse-market. i This obtlisk is said to boast an antiquity of nearly 3000 years. 224 CONSTANTINOPLE. the Tchernherle Tasch, a porphyry column, of the Doric order, brought from Rome by Constantine, and upon which he placed the statue of Apollo ; it is 30 feet in cir- cumference, and is composed of eight blocks, each 10 feet in height. The top block and the figure were destroyed by a thunderbolt, and iron bands, placed both horizontally and perpendicularly, hold the remains together, it having suffered much from the fires with which this part of the city has been visited. A modern restoration has com- pletely covered the plinth ! The Marcian Column stands on one of the hills of Con- stantinople, and is in excellent preservation. Its height is 52 feet ; the shaft is granite, the capital Corinthian ; and in the precincts is the remnant of another column, sup- posed to be the famous historic column, representing Theodosius' victories. It is said that it rose 140 feet high, from whence Alexius Ducas was cast down by the judgment of the Latin chiefs, 1204. Eski Saray, or the old palace, where the Sultan for- merly resided, is now occupied by Seraskier Pasha, the governor of the city, and commander-in-chief of the forces. From the Tower, 100 feet high, the finest view of the city and envii-ons is had. Here men are on the watch, night and day, to give notice of fires. The pano- rama from this tower embraces the Aqueduct of Valens, the Seven Towers, the Mosques, the Sea of Marmora, Olympus, the Bosphorus, &c. The Cistern of a Thousand Columns is the one most worthy of attention ; and from this an idea may be formed of the other two. Though called the Cistern of a Thou- sand Columns, however, the number of its columns do not exceed 220. Each one is marked K. O. S., and is sur- mounted with a globe and a cross, capable of hokUng 14,600,000 gallons of water. There is another cistern, which has 32 columns ; and a third, called Birebindenck, where they now spin silk ! The Romans, who had water in abundance, built these reservoirs to prevent a scarcity, although this magnificent one is now dry. The Seven Towers, or Yedl Koulesi, is a cluster of forts erected by the immediate descendants of Constantine the Great, for the purpose of strengthening the fortifica- tions of this part of the city. Each tower is about 200 PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 225 feet in height, and the walls which enclose them are enormously thick, being constructed of immense blocks of stone. The conversion of this formidable structure into a state-prison, has invested it with a degree of interest which it would not otherwise have possessed. Formerly, upon war being declared by any power against the Porte, its ambassador was immediately consigned to one of the seven towers ; and tales of horror are connected with the dungeons beneath. There were formerly seven towers, but the earthquake of 1766 destroyed three of them; and now one of the others is nearly ruined. They were erected in 1458. Two dilapidated Corinthian columns denote the spot where Theodosius erected his golden gate, or triumphal arch, to commemorate his victory over Maximus, &c. Adjoining the towers, and supplying the want of the golden-gate, is the Gate Yadi Rule Kapusu : and the four other gates give entrance into the city. A fine road runs along the side of this wall, for three miles, from the Sea of Marmora to the harbour — a cemetery bordering it on the left hand for a considerable distance. A gloomy aperture, running down towards the foundations, is known as " the well of blood," and a court is pointed out, which is said to have frequently contained a pyramid of human skulls, reaching so high that from its summit migh thave been seen the Sea of Marmora. The barba- rous practices which gave rise to these legends, however, exist no longer, and the once-dreaded bastile is fast falling into decay. The Imperial Mausoleum, and the Fountain opposite, ornament two corners of a street. Fountains similar to this are seen throughout the city. They consist of an octagonal room, with gilded bars and bowls; and fresh water is supplied to all who desire it, by persons employed by the government. * The Lunatic Asylum is a building ornamented wdth colonnades, fountains, and gardens; but humanity shud- ders at seeing all its inmates chained by the neck by a heavy chain, fastened on the outside. Kis Koidessi, or " the Tower of the Maiden," stands isolated, between the Seraglio and Scutari, and is used as a light-house. It was built by Emanuel Commenus, for the pmpose of extending a chain across the strait. Be- Q 226 CONSTANTINOPLE. tween it and the shore is a passage for vessels drawing 14 feet of water. There is a legend attached to this tower, which some call " Tour de Leandre," to the following effect : — It having been predicted to one of the Sultans, that his favourite daughter should be stung to death by a serpent, he, in order to put such an event, as he thought, beyond possibility, erected this tower, in the most rapid part of the Bosphorus, where no reptile could exist, and placed her therein. But his precautions were futile; a small asp was conveyed thither in a basket of fruit ; it bit her, and she died ! — an event which confirmed the Turks in their belief, that nothing can change the decrees of the Eternal ! The Baths, or Hammams, of Constantinople, though evidently expensive in their construction and manage- ment, are open alike to all, no price being fixed or de- manded for admission, but each giving what he pleases — the poor seldom more than a penny ; the rich seldom more than sixpence. Having undressed in an outer room, a lai-ge coloured cloth is bound around the loins, and you are furnished with wooden slippers or clogs, and con- ducted into a warm apartment, from whence, when the blood is sufficiently excited, you are led into an octagonal marble chamber, heated to a great degree.* In each angle of this is a smaller room, constructed of the same costly material, which the bather has the option of using ; and to the sides are attached eight fonts for holding warm water. A number of bathers will generally be found lying upon raised planks on the floor, and producing at first sight a singular effect upon the nerves, since they look like so many dead bodies. Here you also are requested to lay down, and continue in a prostrate position, until in an almost insupportable state of perspiration, when an at- tendant commences the operation of shampooing, i. e, rubbing the body, and extending the joints, dwelling most upon any parts that may be affected. This done, you are placed by the side of a font, whence the water is ladled out and thrown over the body, which is rubbed at the same time with a coarse brown cloth or bag, into which the ser- vant thrusts his hand. Scented soap is next brought into • The average heat of a bath is, in summer, 102 ; in winter, 90. PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 227 requisition, and the body is covered with a fine lather, which you are left to rinse off yourself, whilst the attend- ant goes to procure warm linen. This obtained, a turban is ingeniously formed of a towel, and the rest of the body is carefully enveloped as nearly as possible to represent the costume in which the pilgrims or hadgis perform their ceremonies at Mecca. Thus equipped, you are recon- ducted into the first-mentioned room, wherein are placed a number of inchning ottomans, that invite to repose. Here you obtain another supply of wai-m linen, and are solicited to partake of sherbet, lemonade, or coff'ee ; not forgetting the chibouque. Whilst thus indulging yourself here, the corns and incrustations of the feet are care- fully operated upon, and shaving completes the business. When sufficiently cool, you are permitted to dress. The greatest decorum is used throughout by the attendants; indeed, it is rehgiously decreed and observed. Eighteen- pence or two shillings paid for all this, stamps you as a person of consideration ! * Slade very judiciously remarks, " That notwithstanding their ignorance of medical science, added to the extreme irregularity of their living, both as regards diet and exer- cise, one day dining off^ cheese and cucumbers (a favourite eastern meal), another day feasting on ten greasy dishes; one month riding twelve hours a day, another month never stirring off the same sofa; smoking always, and drinking coffee to excess ; occasionally getting drunk, besides other intemperances; combining, in short, all that our writers on the subject designate injurious to health, the Turks enjoy particularly good health. And this anomaly is owing to two causes : first, the religious necessity of washing their arms and legs and necks from three to five times a day, always with cold water, generally at the fountains before the mosques, by which practice they become fortified against catarrhal affections; second, their constant use of the vapour bath, by which the humours which collect in the human frame, no doctors know how or why, occasion- ing a long list of disorders, are carried off by the pores of • " The Orientals are always supple ; the joints of withered old men are as free as if newly oiled. It is a fact, that rheumatism is unknown in Turkey, which must be attributed to these batlis." a 2 228 CONSTANTINOPLE. the skin. Gout, rheumatism, head-ache, consumption, are unknown in Turkey, thanks to the great physicians — va- pour bath and cold bath. No art has been so much viti- ated in Europe by theories as the art of preserving health. Its professors, however, are beginning to recur to first prin- ciples ; and when the value of bathing shall be properly ap- preciated, three-fourths of the druggists will be obliged to shut their shops." Harems. — The Harem forms a most important appen- dage to the Ottoman Porte, and although much reduced in power, it is still supposed to exercise some political in- fluence. Under former sovereigns, its intrigues have been such as to shake the empire to its centre. In the Royal Harem are immured five or six hundred of the greatest beauties that Georgia, Greece, Egypt, or the neighbour- ing countries could furnish ; and from these the Sultan selects seven favourites. When he desires a change, the discarded are removed to a dignified retirement in the old palace or seraglio, where are " A thousand bosoms Beating for love, as the caged birds for air." Formerly, the inhabitants of the Harem were never per- mitted to pass through its portals, excepting for the pur- pose of being transferred to some other similar building; but the present Sultan, with a degree of humanity which is honourable to his character, not only allows them to go out, but to extend their walks, under a proper escort, into the city. They are sometimes to be seen in tolerable num- bers, but excite no attention, except in European visitors. A lady in a Harem has a train of female slaves, who dance, sing, act, or do anything to please her. None sit in her presence. She knows no other existence, and is, therefore, perfectly happy ; and although her lord may have others who participate in his favours, she never ex- hibits anything like jealousy, and really, in most cases, has an affectionate regard for him. Divorce in Turkey does not suppose crime. If the husband says, " I will live with you no longer," they go before a Cadi, the divorce is pronounced, the dowry returned, and the wife is at hberty to marry any other she pleases. Jews are as easily divorced ; but as the dowry on marriage is fixed at three PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c. 229 times Its value, its return becomes a matter of grave consideration. But almost every person of consideration in Constanti- nople has his Harem, in which are to be found as many beautiful slaves as his means will command ; and so sacred is the character of the building, as to place beyond re- demption any one whose temerity might lead him to cross its threshold. It is invariably separated from the apart- ments of the men ; and the windows, which are barricadoed — or, as the French more properly express it, protected by jalousies — seldom look out into the street. When they do so, the act of looking up at them excites the indignation of the owner. We may as well here describe, as one of the sights to be seen in Constantinople, The Festival, which is usually held in May, and which was this year (1836) celebrated on an enlarged scale of Oriental magnificence, in consequence of the marriage of a Sultana. Pashas and ambassadors were summoned from all quarters, to assist at the ceremony; and none ventured to attend without bringing a present worthy the reception of an Eastern monarch. These presents, which, on occa- sions of such a nature, far exceed the amount of the an- nual tribute, were exhibited in the daily processions. At night, the Riahatana, or Sweet Waters, and the Bospho- rus were illuminated, and presented the appearance of a vast fairy city, floating on the bosom of the placid waves, only to be imagined by the reader of the Arabian Nights. At the head of this expanse of waters were erected an amphitheatre and other buildings, for the purpose of cir- cumcision; and the importance of the occasion attracted multitudes from the most remote and retired parts of the Sultan's extensive dominions. No fewer than six thousand children and adults, including the two young princes, were thus admitted to the rights and privileges of Mussulmans, in the space of fifteen days. Society being altogether unknown in Constantinople, except in the diplomatic circles, much of the festival is usually spent in the caiques, or small boats, that, for neat- ness and elegance, are excelled only by the matchless gondolas of Venice; and when it is stated, that these boats furnish not only the amusement, but the only mode of 230 CONSTANTINOPLE. conveyance from one quarter of the city to another, for at least half a million of people, it will not be difficult to form some idea of the life and activity that a fete of this magnitude must have presented. Some of the boats re- presented sea-horses, — others dolphins, carriages, and va- rious other fanciful forms; while Pashas and ambassa- dors, the latter attended by servants in gaudy liveries, the former by half-a-dozen soldiers, were seen lounging under splendid canopies in their caiques, rowed by ten pair of oars, and cutting through the w ater at an almost incredi- ble rate. Here was to be seen one filled by a party of fat Armenians, and there another containing a stately Oslamis with his little harem. Not far distant, on the shore, was an encampment of troops, with tents of varied hues; and placed contiguously, one for Pashas and other persons of distinction, accompanied by marquees of unequalled splen- dour. The Sultan had a phaeton, with four small chesnut horses, which he drove about the grounds of his palace at Beschicktash, whither the ladies of his Harems were taken in covered waggons, of a hearse-like form, having windows on each side, gilt in a most extravagant manner. Each vehicle was drawn by a pair of oxen, gaudily caparisoned, with small looking-glasses in their foreheads. Four sul- tanas rode in each wagon, and were guarded by as many eunuchs ; but although their faces, excepting the eyes and nose, were covered,* it was easy to distinguish their fea- tures, which inclined to a sickly and palhd hue. Aloft, men exhibited on the tight-rope ; and below^ the children of Armenians, Greeks, and Jews paraded about, singing the praises of the founder of the feast. The peculiar cha- racter of the amusements, the odd appearance of the booths and their inmates, the heterogeneous mass of which the crowds were composed, the outre costumes, and the con- fused buz, which everywhere prevailed, gave to the entire scene the appearance of being a masquerade upon an enor- mous scale. * The females are less scrupulous now than formerly, and are rather desirous of being seen. 231 TI. ECONOMICAL INFORMATION FOR VISITORS AT CONSTANTINOPLE. Hotels. — Of these there are the Guiseppine, d'Europe, d' Italia, and Couronne d' Ungarn, in all of which it is the custom to charge by the day ; usually about two dollars. Madame Rubot, Madame Balbiani, and Madame Carton, a French woman, keep boarding-houses; and at the table of the latter, especially, the traveller vi^X meet with good fare, and acquire much useful information. Cafenehs, or Cafes. — There are several hundreds of these places of resort for the Osmanley, for which the most shady situations are chosen. Ai-ound the interior, and in front, there is a divan ; and in the centre there is generally a marble fountain. Pipes of all the descriptions known in Turkey are always filled and cleaned for those who may desire them. But the principal featm-e of a cafeneh is its being devoted to the barber's shaving art, who adds to this hair-cutting, dyeing and anointing, bleeding, tooth - drawing, and leeching. The delicacy observed by these men in the operation of shaving, and the delightful man- ner in which they effect it, will not be soon forgotten by those who pass under the operation. In many of the caf^s, cabobs and sheep's heads are ready at all hours of the day ; and, with a glass of sher- bet or coffee, they form an excellent luncheon. Turkish confectionary is proverbial for its goodness. A Chuvesch, which has superseded the Janissary, will be requisite to make purchases, and see the different ob- jects of cm-iosity. On application to Mr. Cartwright, the British Consul-General, a chuvesch belonging to the em- bassy, named Mustafa, who speaks EngUsh, and who is a Turkish encyclopaedia, will be permitted to accompany the party. He is paid one dollar a day. A Mr. Stampa keeps an English store, changes money, and is very communicative. On visiting the bazaars, guard against Jews, who persist in proffering their agency! 232 CONSTANTINOPLE. Money: — 40 paras make . 1 piaster 45 piasters make 1 ducat 21 piasters make 1 dollar 100 piasters make 1 guinea. The bom-se contains 30,000 piasters. For Greece, the passport must be signed by the English and Greek ambassadors. To retm-n overland by SemUn, it must be signed by the Austrian ambassador, and a firman, or teskere, be obtained, which entitles the traveller to lodgings, where they are to be obtained en route; but as they may be damp and dangerous, he is advised to avail himself of the accommodation of the cafenehs, which are perfectly aired and safe. To see the Plains of Troy and the Ruins of Assos, the traveller should be landed at Mitylene, in the Dardanelles. For Semlin or Belgrade, overland, a Tartar, named Achmet, furnishes horses, guides, and provisions. Four persons, for themselves, guide, and baggage, will require eight or nine horses, for which he asks 3500 piasters. Letters for England must be left at the Austrian Em- bassy, and the postage be paid. Should the traveller prefer can-jdng money rather than bankers' bills — a course highly injudicious, however — ^he should procure gold ducats or Spanish dollars. For Russia, steamers leave for Odessa every fortnight, on the Tuesday, at twelve at noon. Quarantine at Odessa fourteen days: those who object to so long a durance, or who may be desirous of leaving the Osmanley capital before the departure of the Russian steamer, may proceed to Galatz, and from thence overland to Odessa, in which case they will only be subject to seven days' quarantine. For Trebisond, two Austrian Company steamers are employed between Constantinople, Sinoj^Ee, Samsoun, and Trebisond. One leaves the imperial city every Friday at one o'clock in the afternoon, and the other leaves Trebi- sond every Thursday, at two o'clock in the afternoon. For steamers to other places, see the Tariffs. For making excursions on horseback, English saddles may be procured ; and for ladies, those of the Tartars or Greeks, well covered with cloaks, will be found tolerably convenient. ECONOMICAL INFORMATION, &c. 233 Yahondi is a Jew. Giaour is an Infidel. Bimbashis are generally aid-de-camps to the Sultan. Frank is a term applied to all who differ in religion with the Turks. Pereotes are residents at Pera. A Saracen means a pastor, or Arab shepherd: was ori- ginally Sai-aini. A Cadi is a common magistrate. Beyouglu is the Turkish name for Pera: it is necessary to learn this name, as very few of the natives know it by any other. The Vizier Asem is the Grand Vizier. A Cadilescha is a Lord Chief Justice. Fanariotes ai'e Greeks. Buyuk adam is a great man. Hekim bashi is a physician to the Sultan. Istamboul, or Stamboul, is said to signify " full of the true faith." Khan is a market. Az bez, white, in reference to bread. Balluk, fish. Osmanleys is a term applicable to Eiu*opean Turks. Turk, or Turkman, signifies husbandman. After 0th- man, founder of the reigning dynast}', conquered Broussa, his followers disdained the term Turkman, and assumed that of their leader, Osman. Comboloyo are beads, with which they count a rosary. SECTION IX. EXCURSIONS FROM CONSTANTINOPLE. Placing his foot for the first time on Asiatic soil, the traveller will not fail to reflect, that he is now upon the largest continent of the ancient world, extending from the dreary confines of the Polar regions to the centre of the tropics. Its extent is estimated at less than twenty-four millions of square miles, being nearly equal to Europe and 234 EXCURSIONS. Africa united. Here the human race had hirth ; and here primeval Ararat rears its snowy peaks, reminding mankind of the most memorable event in the moral and physical history of the globe. Here, too, Babylon, Nineveh, and Jerusalem rose and fell; and here was the theatre of Cyrus', Alexander's, and Mahomet's exploits. Upon its soil, the transactions recorded in the Scriptures took place; the prophets lived and died there; and Jesus Christ accomplished the mysteries of salvation! Scutari, formerly Chrysopolis (the city of gold), is the depot for the caravans from Ai*abia, Syria, and all parts of Asia Minor. Its inhabitants are principally engaged in the saddlery business. At the distance of a mile from Scutari, is the site of the city of Chalcedonia, now the village of Kady Keny; and a short remove from thence is a square white tower, called by Europeans, Leander^s Tower. At the extremity of the town, a forest, composed of the mournful cypress, indicates the cemetery, or church-yard, a place of promenade and recreation for some, of sorrow and meditation for others — a striking memento of human nothingness. This is the last home of the rich many, who in Ufe derive comfort from a conviction that their remains, interred under the sombre shade of "the cypresses of Scutari, will not, like Constantinople, be consigned to infidel hands. They hold, that the earth of the continent, rendered holy by possessing the dust of the great Prophet, can never be subjected to such a dire fatahty. '' The Osmanleys believe that the dead are examined in the grave before Moukir and Nekir, during the first three days ; on this account the grave is erected so as to allow the body to sit up and answer questions. Women do not attend. The tombs are denoted by a lotus-leaf being painted on them : no ceremony is performed, and there is no lying epitaph. Turkish females may often pass a great part of Friday, holding, as they suppose, communi- cation with the dead." The bodies of Turks are interred without coffins, which are carried by men, notwith- standing they know that the individual they are convepng to his long home died of the plague. Porters change as often as required on the road. It is vain to attempt to BULGURLU— BELGRADE. 235 convince them that this increases the number of its victims." Like Stamboul, Scutari has its mosques, its Seragho, and a large range of barracks, which have a most imposing effect. They were built by Selim IIL, or the Nezim d'geditt. ilorses are always to be procured for a visit to the Giant Mountain, which occupies about four hours ; but though a large grave, said to be that of a giant, is shown here, there is nothing remarkable but the scenery, which mil, however, amply repay the trouble of the journey. The only piece of good road in Turkey, supplied with post-houses, horses, and postilUons, is from hence to Isnikmid, on the way to Broussa. Four horses, attached to a small narrow wagon, without springs, gallop oif with you at an incredible pace. The circumstance of one falhng dead on the road from exhaustion, is treated as a matter of course. BULGURLU. This place is two miles from Scutari. The beautiful Chiosk of the Sultan is upon the mount, the view from which is conceded by all travellers to be the finest in the world. At one coup-dfrnl we have Stamboul, Pera, the Golden Horn, the Sea of Marmora, cloud-capped Olym- pus, the scenery of Asia Minor, the Bosphorus, and the hills of Thrace. BELGRADE. This place is about ten miles distant from Constanti- nople, and is celebrated as the place where Lady Mon- tague wrote some of her letters. Here the traveller should see Backchey Keni, or the aqueduct of twenty arches, and proceed from thence over the green-sward, which is like a carpet, to Calosagros, or " the Lovely Val- ley" at Buyiikder^, there smoke a chibouque, and take coffee, under the two famous sycamore-trees, where the Sultan had his imperial tent pitched to receive Sir Robert Gordon, the representative of Great Britain. The tent w^as hung with cashmeres, provided with a silver couch, and covered with a cloth of pearls. There are some beau- tiful rides through the wood: many of the merchants 236 EXCURSIONS. have residences there. From Buyiikder^, take a caique and descend the Bosphorus. To enjoy the enchanting scene mount the rocks of the Symplegades. On the top of one is the remnant of a column of white marble, six feet high, and three feet in circumference, connected by a base resting without fastenings in the rock. Respecting it are two opinions : the first, that it was a pillar raised in honour of Pompey ; the second, that it was an altar to Apollo. At the village of Beshick-tash is a palace and Harem of the Sultan, and the mausoleum of Hahidin Pasha, known by the name of Barbarossa, the Turkish Nelson. BROUSSA. A journey to Broussa will occupy three or four days. A boat must be taken to the Gulf of Mondania, and horses thence to the city, which being only a distance of fifteen miles, is accomplished in three or four hours. Broussa, the capital of Bithynia, is situated in a plain about twenty miles in length, and evidencing unusual care in its cultivation. To the south, snow-crowned Olympus, the proudest of all the Grecian summits, on which fable and mythology placed the celestial mansion, and the throne of Jupiter, rears its hoary head. The city contains about 50,000 inhabitants, who, by their indus- trious habits, have acquired a celebrity in the manufacture of silk, and who enjoy more aisance than any other people under the same government. At least 350 mosques, and as many thousand cypresses, relieve the monotony which would otherwise be produced by a mass of unsightly wooden houses. Want of accommodation for travellers would, notwithstanding the beauty of its position, exclude this city from their researches, but for its renowned mineral baths, and the reminiscences connected with its ancient and modem history, both being replete with interest. The high position which it held prior to the conquest of Constantinople, as the capital of Turkey, and the battle fought between Tamerlane and Bajazet, in which no less than 40,000 were slain, and when the conqueror condemned him who had boasted that he would feed his horse vdth a bushel of oats on the altar of St Peter's at Rome, to pass the remainder of his days in an iron cage. THE SERAGLIO. 23/ may be considered as the chief incidents which connect it with the Ottoman empire. To vary the scenery and incidents of this journey, the traveller should proceed overland and join the steam-boats in the Dardanelles ; or if he return to Constantinople, he may do so by way of Isnikmid, a place which, in the time of Dioclesian, was kno\\Ti as Nicomedia, and enjoyed the dignity of being the Roman capital. Some travellers hav^ identified it as the spot in which was placed the tomb of Rome's greatest enemy — Hannibal. Nicomedia, called by the Turks Ismid, contains 13,000 inhabitants. The ruins of the palace of Dioclesian are seated on the dech- vity of a hill here, and command some interesting views. From the extent of these ruins, it may be supposed that the palace must have been stupendous. Not far distant is the hill where once stood Nice, cele- brated for two grand ecclesiastical councils held there under Constantine, a. d. 325, and which was taken by the crusaders in 1097. The country is, in all directions, very beautiful, but ceedingly unwholesome. A pleasant excursion by water is round the wall that encloses the Seragho, keeping close in shore, from whence the rear of the palace with the Theodosian Column is seen ; and also two or three little doors through which many a dame has passed into the Bosphorus. At the end of the Seraglio wall are two Kiosks built over the water : one as a place of triumph for Viziers, the other of their execution. Behind it and \Aithin are the cavalry barracks. After landing at the angle formed by the wall of the Seraglio, turning inland from the sea, is the fortress Yedi Koulkler; on the left is the abattoir, called Sal Khaneh, where all cattle designed for the use of the city are slaughtered — a wise provision, which it is to be regretted is not adopted in our own countiy. Proceeding onwards, the Golden-gate is seen rising above the walls. The first entrance to the city is called Koulleler Kapoo ; before the next gate are seen the tombs of Ali Pasha of Janina and four members of his family — their heads only are bmied 238 EXCURSIONS. here, after having been exposed in the court of the Se- ragho. We next come to Top Kapoo, or Launch-gate, so called from four shot being fixed in the wall above it. Through this gate Mahmood entered as \dctor. Next is the Adrianople-gate ; whence we descend the hill and take boat to Galata. Persons who have come thus far by way of the Danube, and do not wish to extend their tour beyond the limits already described, but who desire to see something of the interior of the country, may proceed FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO SEMLIN, OVERLAND. Horses are to be procured at the different post-stations, and the journey, according to the Turkish mode of tra- velling, occupies 180 hours in the saddle, without allowing for delays. Couriers effect it in nine days, whilst others require thirteen or fourteen ; but at a fine season of the year — and at any other few would abandon the excellent st^am accommodation — travellers will have a better oppor- tunity of becoming acquainted with the country and the people, besides finding themselves much more at their ease, by extending it over a space of eighteen or twenty days. Two very tedious days' ride may be avoided, by pro- ceeding, in the first instance, to Rodosto, in Roumelia, in a boat ; from thence, twenty hours on horseback, divided into two days, will bring the traveller to adrianople; or the city of Adrian, the second city in the empire, con- taining an uncertain population of about 100,000 souls. Prior to the possession of Constantinople by the Mussul- mans, it was for a century the Turkish European capital. In perambulating the streets, one comes alternately to palaces, mosques, bazaars, and cemeteries, much in the style of Constantinople itself, excepting that it is smaller, and remarkably clean. Although there are scarcely any traces of its ancient walls, its situation at the confluence of two rivers renders its position favom-able for defence. The last remarkable trait in its history, was its occupatioH ADRIANOPLE— PHILIPOPOLIS. 239 by General Diebitseh, and the treaty concluded there with the Porte, in 1829. From thence, three days, or thirty-hours, are allowed for reaching Philipopolis, during which time the traveller will have passed through the village of Mustapha Pasha, over the river Marizza, Armaneh, and Hass Keny. The latter part of the journey, thus far, will be north-east of the vast plain of Roumelia ; ha^^ng on the north the Harmus, to the south-west the Rhodope Mountains, which two ranges nearly uniting, form " The iron portals of Trajan." Next the eye will rest upon the towers and minarets of PHILIPOPOLIS, an apparently flourishing towTi, with 22,000 inhabitants, which is divided into two parts by a fine river, over which is thrown a wooden bridge. The post-house furnishes what will have become of much more importance than running over the uninteresting city — a good dinner, with wine and ices of an excellent description. On quitting the towTi an ascent indicates the commencement of the far-famed Balkan, a continuous chain of mountains, stretching from the head of the Adriatic to the Black Sea. The traversing of the rugged and dangerous passes of these moimtains, penetrating their romantic defiles, and cross- ing their many deep and rapid waters, may be considered as forming the most interesting part of the journey. The greatest altitude of the Balkan is in this neighbourhood, being 6000 feet. The Russians crossed these mountains on the 20th July, 1829. On leaving Phihpopolis is Tchapan, a large Bulgarian village ; and next a well cultivated country, called the Garden of Roumelia. The roses are sent from hence to Adrianople, where the best attar is distilled. The ti-avel- ier will here remark the air of prosperity and good appear- ance of the peasantry, so different to anything he will have met with in the Osmanley dominions. Three days' travel from hence will bring us to SOPHIA, which is the capital of Bulgaria, a large, dull, dirty town, situated in a flat, marshy plain ; on leaving which, the 24a EXCURSIONS, &c. scenery becomes more varied and picturesque, fi'om the uudulatory or mountainous character of the country. From hence it requires three good days' travel to reach Belgrade. NISSA, a Servian to^Ti, will furnish to those who require it a carriage, though of a gothic description, to prosecute the remainder of the journey. Here the physical features of the country, and the manners of the people, present a totally different aspect to any thing around — the effect of industry and better government. An extensive forest of oaks, that would suffer no disparity on a comparison with those in the wilds of North America, has monopohzed a great portion of the surface of Servia, and through this a camage-road is cut to Belgrade. RouMELiA, through which the traveller will have passed, gave birth to one of the most extraordinary men of the present day, viz. Mahommed, or Mehemet All. He was born at Cavalla, in the year 1769. Arrived at manhood, he married a widow of the family in which he was em- ployed as a collector of taxes, and had three sons, Ibrahim, Tousson, and Ismael. He subsequently commenced trade as a tobacco-merchant, and continued in it \vith success, until the governor of the district in which he lived was obliged to furnish a contingency of men, amounting to 300, in order to oppose the French in Egypt. The com- mand of these troops he confided to his son, and sent Mahommed with him, as a sort of Mentor. The young man soon grew tired of his occupation, and surrendered it to Mahommed, who thereupon assumed the title of Bim bashi. His successes and intrigues at length raised him to the dignity of Pasha, and finally procured him the viceroyalty of Egypt. The regeneration of Egypt — the institutions and reforms which he has effected — all tend to show that he is entitled to be considered as a " great man," It is a curious fact, that Mahommed Ali, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Duke of Wellington were all born in the same vear ! 241 SECTION X. ASIA MINOR. The Dardanelles. — Sestos. — Nagara, ^c. — The Troad. — ■ Mitylene. — Assos. — Smyrna. — Ephesus. — Island of Scio. Supposing the traveller to be desirous of extending his exciu-sions into Asia Minor and Greece, both of which are included in the tour intended to be sketched out in these pages, we shall proceed FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO SMYRNA. The distance to be now traversed is about 120 leagues, and the steamers make the passage in about 30 hours. The steam-boat leaves at five p. m., and after passing the Isles of Princes, and losing sight of the Imperial city, an excellent dinner will be served up ; and the waters here being as unruffled as a lake, except in boisterous weather, we need not say that the enjoyment of the repast will be much enhanced. The Propontides, or Sea of Marmora, calculated from the Isles of Princes to GaUipoh, is 150 miles in length, and in breadth about 90. At five o'clock in the morning, after leaving Stamboul, the vessel should be at the entrance of THE DARDANELLES, OR HELLESPONT, which forms the communication between the Sea of Mar- mora and the Ai-chipelago.* The passage of this strait, which is about thirty-three miles long, and varying in breadth from half a mile to a mile and a half, is protected by a number of formidable batteries placed upon its banks, and mounting between 400 and 500 pieces of cannon. British valour, however, proved itself more than equal to their power, when, in * Persons proceeding up tlie Dardanelles might be put on shore at Mity- lene, see the plains of Troy, and proceed overland to Broussa, from thence to Isnikmid, Scutari, and Constantinople. R 242 ASIA MINOR. 1807, Admiral Duckworth forced the passage; and al- though the fortifications have subsequently been strength- ened, it may reasonably be presumed that English inge- nuity, by the invention of steam-boats, has provided against any contingency that may be apprehended in the closing of the Dardanelles. The Hellespont is rendered famous by the story of the tragic loves of Leander and Hero ; and by its association with the siege of Troy. The descent of this noble stream is, in fact, connected with the history of ages. Gallipoli, or Keleeboly, guards the entrance, and is interesting as having been the first place in Europe where the Turks acquired that dominion which so rapidly extended itself, and which became so disastrous in its con- sequences. It is seated upon a rock, that forms a cape, at the extremity of which stands a light-house : it is said to contain 24,000 inhabitants, and is about 100 miles distant from Constantinople ; and is famous for the manu- facture of Turkey leather, which they have brought to the highest perfection by a process which they keep a pro- found secret. Gallipoli was formerly celebrated for its gardens, wines, and temples; and particularly for the sin- gularity of its religion. Nearly opposite are two small vdlages given by Xerxes to Themistocles, the one for his retreat, and the other for his wine. About fifteen miles from hence, on the European shore, is S E s T o s, — though it is thought that the place of that name, where Hero dwelt, and where Xerxes had his bridge of boats, was three miles lower down, which is the nar- rowest part of the channel, not exceeding seven furlongs in width ; and where, on the xlsiatic shore, stands xlBYDOSy the dwelling place of Leander. Lord Byron swam from Sestos to the opposite shore, making an oblique descent of three miles, in an hour and ten minutes. Mr. Turner states that to make the passage in an opposite du-ection is a much more difficult task, the current being so strong on the Asiatic side, that, after a vain attempt, during twenty-five minutes, he abandoned it.* Nagara nearly faces the tomb of a Turkish saint, * The current runs at the rate of about four miles an hour. NAGARA, &c. 243 which their men of war salute, having vowed to do so on reaching the spot in safety. This part of the sea is jiro- tected by strong batteries, four on the European, and four on the Asiatic side, built obliquely, so that the huge balls of sixty pounds weight,* which are carried across, a dis- tance of a mile and a half, may not injure those on the opposite shore. They were erected by Mahomet IV., and are called the Keys of Constantinople. Though distant 200 miles from the city, no merchant vessel can pass v,i.t\\- out a firman or passport. Those coming fi-om the capital are detained three days at Abydos, in order to ascertain that they carry ofi" no slaves. The Toivn of Dardanelles is celebrated for the famous peace concluded between Mithridates and Sylla. It is the residence of a British consul ; and contiguous are a large hospital and barracks, constructed by Russian engineers, and standing in a marsh, as though intended for destroying the Tm-ks, the country offering no other spot equally un- healthy. The Russians also erected eight hurdle-batteries here, but they were so ill-constructed that they have been removed, and others substituted by Prussian workmen. A not very unusual exercise of despotic power was con- nected with this undertaking. The Sultan's firman, point- ing out the ground for the works, having been received, the Pasha, finding that it belonged to himself, sent for a creditor, and insisted upon his taking it for debt. In a couple of days, he was informed that it was required by the government, who makes no recompence to its sub- jects, all lands being supposed to belong to the Sultan, except those dedicated to religious uses. Nearly opposite is a small village, called Chandcabesi, and below, Kalid Bahar, or the Key of the Sea. Then we come to Barber Point, proverbial as the scene of disastrous shipwrecks; and next appears the village of Nerringuay, from whence are exported vallonia, or husks of acorns. On the left is the * Some of the stone balls are said to weigh 290 pounds, and require 1/8 pounds of powder to propel them. r2 244 ASIA MINOR. Fortress of Siego j and then the traveller will espy the spot " where Troy was — " The Troad, or Ancient Kingdom of Priam, cele- brated as the scene of Homer's Iliad, and which extends to the Adiymitian Gulf, the perspective being bounded by Mount Ida. The city of Troy, the capital of the country, is sup- posed to have occupied the site where Bournabachi now stands. It is about nine miles from the shore, at the foot, as we have said, of Mount Ida. On an eminence above the town is the supposed tomb of Hector. Troy was built by Dardanus, its first king, in the year of the world 2524, and overthrown 1184 b. c; not one stone now re- mains upon another, to mark the spot which Greek and Roman genius combined to render so famous. Some dif- ference of opinion exists among the learned as to the spot described by the great poet, it being alleged, amongst other things, that alluvial deposits must have effected great changes. Modern travellers, however, aflFect, by their investigations, to have traced the Scamander and the Simois, and to have settled, beyond doubt, the identity of Homer's topography. " While from the centre Hector rolls his eyes On either host, and thus to both applies : Hear all ye Trojan, all ye Grecian bands ! What Paris, author of the war, demands. Your shining swords within the sheath restrain. And pitch your lances in the yielding plain. Here in the midst, in either army's sight, He dares the Spartan king to single fight; And wills, that Helen and the ravish'd spoil, That caused the contest, shall reward the toil. Let these the brave triumphant victor grace, And differing nations part in leagues of peace." Broken columns, six feet in diameter, are occasionally found here; but we apprehend there is more reason in supposing them to have belonged to Troy Alexander, which was erected near the ruins of the former city, in honour of the Macedonian monarch.* * By tracing the Scamander and SimoVs, the correctness of the Poet's topography is not surprising, since he was bom and lived in the vicinity of Troy ; but to treat the inimitable work of the Iliad as anything but a splendid fiction, to believe in the 1130 vessels which landed the warriors on the shores of the Hellespont, as well as in the existence of gods and demi- gods, would be a severe tax upon our credulity. TENEDOS— MITYLENE. 245 In winter, these plains produce a prodigious number of ducks, herons, snipes, plovers, and other aquatic birds, which any one who pleases may shoot, no " Game Cer- tificate" being required ! But something else must be noted ; for " There, on the green and village-cotted hill, is (Flank'd by the Hellespont, and by the sea) Entomb'd the bravest of the brave — Achilles, — They say so — (Bryant says the contrary); And further downward, tall and towering still, is The Tumulus — of whom? Heaven knows : 't may be Patroclus, Ajax, or Protesilaus. — All heroes, who, if living still, would slay us." But although tumuli, said to be the tombs of Achilles, Ajax, and others, are pointed out, it is pretended that the ashes of the former were exhumed, and deposited at Te- nedos, or Natolia, an island which is distant six or seven miles, and where Alexander is said to have wept over the tomb of that famous warrior. Tenedos is celebrated for its muscatel wine, which is more esteemed than any other in the Archipelago. The inhabitants, nearly all Greeks, are estimated at about 5000. They are extremely poor, and their habitations are of the most wretched description. Tenedos has asserted a claim to the honour of having given birth to Agamemnon. Besicka Bay is approached by two batteries; and here the English fleet anchor, until permitted to enter the straits. Passing Cape Baba, a fortress and town, the ancient promontory of Lectos, which is now apparently deserted, we shall have entered the Gulf of Adrymiti. On the left will be seen the beautiful town of MiTYLENE, of poetic fame, 1 70 miles in circumference. It was anciently called Lesbos, and gave birth to Arion^ Terpander, Sappho, and Alca^us. Sappho was born here about 600 years before Christ, and when slighted by her countryman, Phaon, threw herself into the sea from Mount Leucas, now Santa Maura, near the coast of Epirus. The tragic fate of this angelic poetess — the fable of Arion and the Dolphins — the remembrance of Terpander, whose mu- sic appeased even a Spartan tumult ; and the knowledge, 246 ASIA MINOR. that in addition to these historic three, the inventor of Uleaic verse also flourished in Mitylene, throws a charm around this island which is almost sufficient to entrance a classical enthusiast. To these must be added the wise, brave, and disinterested Pittacus ; the historian Theo- phanes, the friend of Pompey ; and, among many others, Hellenicus, all of whom were natives of the island. By the ancients, the fruitfulness of its soil and the stateliness of its buildings were commended ; and as a seat of learn- ing it contended with Rhodes and Athens. As SOS, or Be IR AM, on the Asiatic shore, will amply repay the antiquarian's researches, although, in the anxiety to visit the far-famed Trojan Plains, the splendid and extensive ruins which here exist have been compara- tively neglected. The crumbling remains of a large and well-built city, such as streets of houses, an amphitheatre, baths, and prostrate columns, will furnish much occupa- tion to the curious and inquisitive. The Fortress of MuUivar, embosomed in woods of olives on the one side, and the ruins of Casda on the other, are all that remain to be seen before entering the Gulf and Bay of Smyrna, where the vessel arrives about mid- night. Situate on the lower half of the wave-reflected Mount Pagus, at the head of a gulf which is considered by many equal in beauty to the Bay of Naples, the view of the city from the sea is highly pictm-esque. A large inlet is seen on the left, backed by the magnificent plain of Hadjilar. On the right is the extensive range of Mount Corax. Im- mediately in front towers Mount Pagus, its summit beau- tifully crowned with an old castle of considerable magni- tude, but now almost a heap of ruins. Lower down this natural inclined plane appears, both on the right and on the left, an immense cemetery, containing several thousand cypress trees. These evergreen funeral forests flank the upper part of the city — vulgarly called Turk Town — and form a pleasing contrast with the highly-coloured roofs of the intermediate houses, the dazzling whiteness of the domes, and the light and elegant minarets of the mosques. SmjTua has a sea-front of about two miles in length. Its streets gradually rise above each other, hke the seats of an SMYRNA, 247 immense amphitheatre ; and thus they present to the eye, in one view, the habitations of 100,000 persons. That part of the city which is nearest the sea is principally inhabited by the Franks ; here the various buildings wear a more European appearance, and here also the different flags of several nations and states flutter before the residences of their respective consuls. The landing from the steamers is effected by boats: there are no jetties, no piers, nor are there any docks for merchantmen or men-of-war. The inbat, or sea-breeze, is sometimes strong enough to prevent communication with the shore, especially in the neighbourhood of the custom-houses, the officers of which estabUshment never interfere with the passengers' baggage, if presented with a bakshish of four or five piasters, SMYRNA Is said to contain 100,000 inhabitants, and claims the distinction of having given birth to Homer. The first mention of it in history was 1050 B.C. It has been ten times destroyed by earthquakes and conflagrations, and it was after one of these calamities that Alexander the Great laid the foundation of a new city. Timothy was its first bishop, and here was held the third general council of the church. Though important for commerce, it is destitute of interest or amusement ; the streets are crooked and dirty, and the bazaars inferior to those at Constantinople. Smyrna, called Naidefeh Nalaashi, contains not a single antiquity, or an object of art. There are the nuns of a castle, on the top of an eminence, which commands a view of the town, and of a charming thstrict of country ; to see this, and the Bazaars, and read the papers at the Casino, or club, will occupy a day. Another may be ap- propriated to visit Boudja and ' Bournabat, two pretty suburban retreats of merchants, who enter the city merely to transact business. If the traveller choose to throw off his migratory habit for a time, and enter into the society which this gay and animated place — termed " The Paris of the Levant " — ■ affords, he may make his stay somewhat longer, without finding it disagreeable. The women are pretty, and their picturesque costumes and graceful tournures have enabled 248 ASIA MINOR. one writer to discover in tliem the representatives of the Grecian sculpture ! The merchants of Sm\Tna have increased in about an equal ratio to the decrease of commerce, a great part of which is removed to Pera. The Turks complain that Smyi'na is no longer what it was, particularly since their reforming Sultan has insisted upon Christians being treated with respect. Previously to the emancipation of Greece, the arrival of news indicating any insurrectionary movement in that part of the Turkish dominions, was a signal to hunt the unfortunate Hellenes through the town, and shoot them in the public streets, mth as much evi- dent satisfaction as that with which a sportsman bags his game; and so indifferent were the handsome Greek women to such enormities, that though, in going to the Casino,^ they were compelled to walk almost over the mangled corpses of their countrymen, they went thither, and joined in the dance, with all the sang-froid imaginable. In this they remind one of the Parisians, who never ceased their amusements even when the Allies were at the gates of then- helle capital. The Bazaars, though extensive, are inferior to those at Constantinople. The entrance to the slave market is open to strangers. The porters at Smyrna carry bales of wool on their backs, the weight of which would astonish any London coal-heaver ; frequently lOOOlbs. weight. The visitor to Smyrna will find the Pension Suisse to be a good hotel; but a boarding-house, kept by Madame Marachina, aflFords the best accommodation. The price is one dollar per day. EPHESUS. To visit this celebrated city the traveller must procure the Bey's firman, and a trusty Tartar guide, which he may obtain through the English Consul. Horses, also, should be hired for three days, at one doUai' a day each, and provisions laid in for the same time, as no sort of accom- modation will be found on the road. A ride of from • The Casino is used for public balla. EPHESUS. 249 fifteen to eighteen hours brings you in sight of the Acro- polis, and of the place where once stood the far-famed Temple of Diana, burnt by the Amazons, about the year 1182 b. c; by Erostrate, in 356 b. c. ; and lastly by the Goths, a. d. 256. Once the seat of enterprise and active commerce, Ephesus is deserted; the very sea has shrunk from its soHtary shores ; and its streets, formerly so thronged with the devotees of Diana, are now ploughed over by the Ottoman serfs, or browsed upon by the sheep of the illiterate peasant. Once the head of the apostolic churches of Asia, it now contains not a single Christian within it. Its mouldering arches and dilapidated walls give but a faint idea of its ancient glory. The actual site of this first " wonder of the world," is a matter of doubt and controversy. Pocock and Van Egmont state, that it was in a marsh towards the south-west corner of the plain, having a lake on the west side (now a morass), extending to the Cayster River; and they pretend to have discovered foundations calculated to sup- port that opinion. Some gi^"antic foundations of a building, discovered within the modern fortifications, though partaking strongly of Roman features, show that the high and commanding position of the Acropolis was appreciated at a very remote period. The only remains that have any pretensions to an alliance w^th the sacred pile, are a number of enormous columns that support the dome of a mosque, and part of its marble facade ; and several of these temples, now in a state of decay, lead to the belief that even Mussulmans were seized with a religious veneration for the spot. The buttresses or supporters of an aqueduct, extending for about half a mile, as well as every building and tree to be found, are in the possession of a community of storks,* and upon the very apex of them are placed their nests. After crossing the Cayster bridge, the traveller should traverse the plains, barren and desolate, leading to the right, where the tracks of former pilgrims will conduct • These birds have such an attachment to the Oslamin race, that in towTis and villages where they are seen to occupy a tree, house, or minaret belonging to them, they are also observed to avoid those of Jews or Christians, and generally even the district occupied by them. 250 ASIA MINOR. him to some rocks, in which chariot-roads have been worn by Avheels, that resemble in every respect those in the streets of Pompeii. The scenery here is of a romantic character, and looks as if nature had never been interfered Avith. Camels grazing in endless pastures, then encamp- ments of the same animals, and, lastly, continued strings of them, announce the close proximity of the sacred meles, over whose bridge the traveller passes before his descent into the labyrinth of Smyrna. From Smyrna to Athens the distance is 236 miles, and on its way the steamer passes THE ISLAND OF SCIO, At one time, called " the Flower of the Levant," and at another time " the Paradise of the AiThipelago ;" and Cape Colonna, which, though apparently lonely and desolate, is celebrated for its Temple of Minerva, and as being the scene of Falconer's Shipwreck. The voyage is made in forty- eight hours. Previously to the Greek revolution, in 1820, the Sciotes lived on friendly terms mth the Tm-ks, and had established schools and a college, to which most of the country resorted, and in which they had made considerable intel- lectual improvement. In 1821, they succeeded, with the assistance of the Moreotes, in ejecting the Turks ; and to revenge the atrocities then committed, Ali Pasha, in 1823, having effected a landing of troops from the Turkish fleet, ordered a general massacre of the male population. Upwards of 40,000 are said to have been sacrificed, and as many, principally females, to have been carried to Constantinople as slaves. A new Pasha, or governor, was appointed; and, strange to say, he exhibited his humanity by collecting and succom-ing the poor creatures who had escaped the massacre, promising his protection to all who should return. Confidence Jbeing thus restored, about 15,000 settled down to their occu- pations, when, in 1827, Colonel Fabvier landed in the island, but, after subjecting it for some months to the horrors of war, was forced to retire, leaving the unfor- tunate people to assuage the wrath of the Turks as best SCIO— MODERN GREECE. 251 they could. They dreaded a renewal of the tragic scenes of 1823; but greatly to his honour, the Pasha kept his promise, and no retaliation took place. On the settlement of the Greek question, this island was ceded to Turkey, to whom it now belongs ; but the disastrous occurrences of which it had been the scene, reduced a population of 100,000 to about one-sixth of that number, and converted into a desert an island that had previously been considered as the most beautiful in the Levant. SECTION XI. MODERN GREECE. Condition of the People. — Athens. — Mount Hymettus. — Egina. — Epidaurus. — Tirynus. — The Morea. — Napoli di Romania. — Argos. — Mycenea. — Megaspilion. — Co- rinth. — Delphi. — Patras. Modern Greece is stated to contain an area of 57,750 square miles ; and is thus almost equal in extent to Eng- land, although its population does not exceed 1,000,000 of souls. The country is thus bounded : — On the western coast are the Gulf of Arta, the Ambracian Gulf, and the Gulfs of Patras and Lepanto (the Corinthian Gulf) ; on the south, are the Gulfs of Coron (Messenium), and of Colokythia (Laconia) ; on the east is the Gulf of Egina, penetrating far inland from the well-known peninsula of the Morea, or Peloponnessus, which is connected with the main land and the isthmus of Corinth. The strait of Eubora separates the island of Eubora, or Negropont, from the continent. The country was, in 1833, divided into 10 nomoi, and subdivided into 42 eparchies. The follomng will be found of use to those who visit the country : — 252 MODERN GREECE. Division. Chief Towns. Macedonia Pydua, Pella, Thessalonica (Sa- loniki), Edessa, Potidea, Boroea, Olyntlius, Stagira, Philippi. Epirus, with CoRj^^^™^(^'H'^'''X^''/-^'t TnTsl^v'tLaVo ^ ^^^^^^^^ '^'SfptklgiifS^^ Pharsalus, Gonnus, paiiotis, Phthiotis)./ Gomphi, Golcos. HELLAS PROPER. Doris Dryopia, Cyxinium, LocRis (Opuntian).. . . Opus, Thermopylae. LocRis (Ozohan) Naupactus (Lepanto), Amphissa (Salona). Phocis Delphi (Castri), Crissa, Antieyra. ^Etolia Calydon, Thermus. AcARNANiA Leaeras, Argos, Stratus. BcEOTiA Thebes, Platarae, Lebadea (Liva- dia), Cheronsea. Megaris Leuctra, Orchomenus, Tanagra, Aulis, Megara. Attica, with Sala- \ Athens, Eleusis, Marathon, Sa- Mis (Colouri) J lamis. peloponnessus. Arcadia Mantinea, Tegea, Orchomenus, Megalopohs, Hippohtza. Laconia, with Cy- 1c? ^ T? • 1 \n ^ r Sparta, Epidaurus. thera (Cerigo).. . J ^ ' ^ Messenia Pylos (Navarino), Messena, Me- thone (Modon), Corone (Co- ron). ARGOLis,withEGiNA. Argos, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Tro- ezane, Napoli di Romania. SiCYONiA Sicyon, Phlius. Corinthia Corinth, Lechaeum, Cenchrae. PELOPONNESSUS. 253 ISLANDS. Division. Chief Towns. EuBOSA (Negropont). Chalcis, Eretria. Creta (Candia) Cydonia, Gnopus, Cort\Tia. Cyclades Delos, Paros, Naxos, Myconos, Ceos, Andros, Cythnos, Melos. Sporades Scyros, Anaphe (Nauphis), Thera (Santorin), Astypalaea (Stam- palia). Though possessing some fine antiquities, and associated with many extraordinary facts and fictions, the sight or recollection of which calls forth the subhmest ideas, the traveller cannot traverse this " Land of lost gods and god-like men " without painful emotions. — Excepting the " Isles, that gem Old Ocean's purple diadem," and which, as seen in the distance as if floating upon the waters, present a beautiful appearance, the scenery is flat and monotonous, and will bear no comparison with that of many other countries. Lord Byron says, "I heard much of the beauty of Arcadia, but, except the view fi'om Megaspihon, which is inferior to Zitza in command of country, and the descent from the mountains in the way from I'ripolitza to Ai-gos, Arcadia has but little to recom- mend it but its name.'* Most of the mountains in the country are barren, and therefore unpicturesque, while the vaUeys are for the greater part destitute of trees, although some of them are richly clothed with forests of myrtles and oleanders. The land every where gives evidence of the absence of industry, and shews that the Greeks are no more attached to agri- cultural pursuits now than in former times, when they were dependant for corn upon foreign countries. There cannot exist a doubt, in the mind of any impar- tial person at all conversant with the state of Greece, that the country holds out inducements to the advantageous employment of capital in many diff'erent ways, and to an extent which few countries can equal : for in spite of the 254 MODERN GREECE. alarming reports which have for the last few years been circulated by the British and continental papers, relating to the unsettled state of Greece, we have seen that not only she is not in a state of anarchy, but that she has been gradually developing those physical and moral quahfica- tions, which were anticipated by all Philhellines, as the consequence of her liberation from slavery, and her at- taining to a state of independence, similar to that of any other smaller kingdom in Europe. The difficulties with which the Greeks have had to contend have been very great ; for, unacquainted themselves with the modern im- provements in agriculture, ship- building, mining, and other important branches of knowledge, they have had to combat, at fearful odds, with want of capital, v^hich may be considered the keystone of commercial and agricultural improvements. Any one who had visited Greece five years ago, and v/as to see it again now, would scarcely be con- vinced that so great a change could be ^'VTOught in so short a time, by a nation placed in so very peculiar a position. Athens, then a miserable heap of ruins, has now assumed the gaiety of a modern metropolis. The streets, inter- secting each other at right angles, contain spacious and well-built houses : roads, bridges, aqueducts, and pro- menades have been formed; gardens and vineyards planted; and unhealthy marshes have been drained, so as not only to improve the air, and render long-lost land available for pastural and agricultural purposes, but by proper treatment, the water thus drawn off have been turned to the puri)0ses of irrigation, a process particularly necessary in a hot climate. The estabhshment of a settled government in Greece is a thing greatly to be desired, not only for the purpose of elevating the character of the Greeks themselves, but also for the creation of another element in the balance of nations, and as a counterpoise to the encroaching power of the northern leviathan. Whether any considerable progress towards this will be made by the present king is exceedingly doubtful. The mistake committed by him, at the outset of his career, in disbanding the native troops, and the introduction of a Bavarian body in their stead, has been productive of the most calamitous result. A large number of the dismissed Greeks, who had been PELOPONNESSUS. 255 brought up to no other profession than that of arms, were thus sent back destitute and discontented to their respec- tive districts, where they joined and led on the factious parties, and have thus kept ahve and extended the insur- rectionary spirit, which has been subdued in one place only to burst forth with increased violence in another. The Bavarian troops, on the other hand, unaccustomed to the unwholesome climate, and subjected to the harassing duty of pursuing the malcontents from island to fastness, exposed to the heat of the sun by day, and to the ravages of the malaria by night, were soon reduced to half their original numbers, and the survivors debilitated by the attacks of fever. The Hellenes, having made such sacrifices to throw oft' the Turkish yoke, and having resisted foreign aggression until scarcely a house or a tree is left standing in their country, are not at all disposed to be treated as a con- quered people ; and the horrible barbarities they have practised upon such of the Bavarian troops as have fallen into their hands, and the jealousy with which strangers visiting the discontented districts are questioned, before any civility is shewn to them, afford abundant evidence that they are yet very far from settling down into a state of social re})Ose. Towards Otho himself, the natives do not appear to entertain any dislike; and the dismissal of nearly the whole of the German troops has operated favourably upon the public mind. The government, too, has undoubtedly effected some ameliorations in the condition of the people. The press is free ; civil and criminal codes and courts of justice have been established; coinage has been introduced : commerce has revived; and the revenue is more than trebled. Order and improvement have encouraged re- spectable emigrants from all countries. In the neighbour- hood of Athens, and at Negropont, some rich and highly respectable gentlemen have purchased, and are cultivating, estates. A lazarette has been established at the Pireeus, where the traveller, at the charge of a dollar a day, may have a room ; and, if he prefer it, two — a sitting-room and a 256 MODERN GREECE. bed-room. It is allowed to be the most convenient, although not the largest lazarette in Europe. A restau- rant supplies everything, including wines of all descrip- tions, at moderate charges. The produce of the country is currants, wine, olive oil, wool, cotton, wax, honey, tobacco, all sorts of grain, opium, julap, salts, and various di'ugs. An able work, entitled "Wanderings in Greece," has been written by Mr. G. Cochrane, who was for many years resident in that country, and served in the war. He again visited it in 1834, and, through the favour of tht young monarch, obtained a grant which incurred the hostihty of the French government, whose opposition, it appears, became detrimental to his interests. Mr. Coch- rane's intercourse wdth royalty, and with the first society in x'^thens, has enabled him to draw a very hvely picture of the Greek court, nation, and manners ; while his observations upon agriculture and colonization, which he has blended \Aith other things in a most entertaining way, render his work not only highly agreeable, but extremely useful. ATHENS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. The PiR^us, or Port of Athens, is at the distance of five miles from the city, and w as at one time an excellent to\ATa, with a great dock-yard. It is approached from Athens by a fine road ; some remains of ancient walls are still to be seen ; but the antiquaiian will find it difficult to discover the tomb of Themistocles, who is said to have been buried here. The lion that guarded the entrance was taken to Venice, by Morosini, in 1686. • The honey from Mount Hymettus, and a species of butter called caimak, are generally deemed very good here. Phaetons from the different hotels in Athens will be found in waiting, to convey the stranger to whichever he may select. The charge of one of these conveyances is a dollar, for a party; saddle-horses are three drachme each. Horses to hire are 2s. a day. A good horse costs from MIO to ^^20. Hotels. — The leading hotels at Athens are the Hotel Royale, the Four Nations^ the Hotel de France, and the ATHENS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 257 Hotel des Londres. The Hotel des Londres and the Vic- toria are comfortable and moderately charging houses, although it is requisite in all things to arrange about the price. From eight to ten drachme a day is about the average charge. The Hotel Royale is the principal hotel. A shop kept by a Mr. Browne furnishes almost everything the traveller will want ; amongst the rest, English hams and excellent eau de vie. Restaurants are numerous, and moderate in theii- charges. Money, Weights, and Measures. — 100 leptas make a drachme. A drachme is about 8^c/. English. There are five-drachrae pieces, and others of 20 drachme each ; also double Othos, and copper money from one to 10 leptas. An oke is about 43 ounces avoirdupois. 400 drachme are equal to one oke. The cantar is 44 okes; 2| okes repre- sent an English gallon. A strema is a square of 40 pics, each pic being 2^ English feet. A strema is one-third of an acre. Mr. Frederick Strong, the Bavarian consul, is the ac- credited agent of Messrs. Herries and Co., Coutts and Co., Hammersleys and Co., and the other London ban- kers, who furnish travellers with circular notes and letters of credit. This gentleman will be found extremely oblig- ing, and will give the traveller the best information as to anything connected with money. It is understood that Messrs. Wright and Co., bankers, Henrietta-street, in conjimction with an influential house at Paris, have determined on establishing a bank, with collateral branches, in almost every capital in Europe. The road being completed to Kalamachi, and over the Isthmus of Corinth, travellers can proceed to Leu- traki, and thence descend the Gulf of Lepanto, to Patras. For steamers to the different ports in the Levant or Mediterranean, see the Tariffs. There is a road in progress from Athens to Thebes and Negropont. The language spoken at the Greek Court is German. Of the kind and obliging attentions of Sir Edward Lyons, our ambassador, all travellers speak in the most unqualified terms. In a plain, surrounded by Mounts Hymettus and An- 258 MODERN GREECE. chesmus on the east, Parnes on the north, and ^giatos om the west, with the Bay of Salamis in front, stood ATHENS, " mother of the poetry and wisdom of the world :" it was formerly 22 miles in circuit, and had between 70,000 and 80,000 inhabitants; one-half of whom were slaves,, and at least one-seventh foreigners. It was founded by Cecrop*, in the year 15/1, b. c, whence the inhabi- tants were denominated Cecropidse, and the country Ce- cropia. " Most of the buiklings, which all subsequent times have despaired of imitating, were erected under the glorious administration of Themistocles, Cimon, and Peri- cles. The streets, though irregular and narrow, were adorned with simple but elegant statues of gods and god- like men. Adrian once repaired and beautified the city ; but soon after his time began the gradual work of de- struction, which has continued to our ovm day, and left hnt little except a few sohtary columns, and traces of some of the public buildings." The decay of the buildings of Athens has been attri- buted, with good reason, partly to the abolition of Pa- ganism, and partly to the gradual progress of new faiths. In 1204, it formed part of the Venetian dominions, and in, 1456, it fell under the yoke of Mahomet II. ; but long ere that, it had been despoiled of its honours by Christian invaders. Mahomet, who wa& celebrated in the East for his love of learning, not only respected the antiquities, but visited with attention the Acropolis, and exempted the Convent of Cyriani, on Mount Hymettus, from impositions, be- cause the keys of the city were there presented to him by the abbot. Alaric the Goth, and Mahomet the Mussulman, re- spected the Parthenon ; but Morosini and Lord Elgin destroyed its monuments ! Although Athens can no longer be regarded as swaying the destinies of surrounding states; though, perhaps,, never again destined to astonish the world with her ge- nius, or astound it with her heroism, it appears to have been decreed that tlie city of Minerva shall again hold a. ATHENS. 269 conspicuous position amongst the other and not less dis- tinguished cities of Europe. Otho having been raised to the throne of Greece, all the European powers were represented by their ambassa- dors (except the King of Bavaria, who attended in per- son), at the ceremony of lading the first stone of the New Palace, by the young king, in March, 1834, at which time Athens was again raised to a political existence, as the capital of modern Greece. During the last Greek struggle for independence, al- most every house in the city was destroyed. It could no longer be said of her — " Proud Athens rears her towering head, With opening streets and shining structures spread ;" only a few third and fourth -rate houses being left stand- ing amidst the ruins. As we have already stated, however, the city is now rapidly assuming an an* of importance, and will, ere long, present a very striking appearance. The king's palace has reached the second story. It is built of Penteilic marble. There will be 120 columns, of the same dimen- sions as those at the Parthenon ; and the estimated cost of it will be a million sterling. The most celebrated work- men from Rome and Germany have been employed. It is said that each column will cost .^1000. The view from hence is very delightful. Whilst so many of our countrymen are annually expa- triating themselves to uncivilized countries, at a distance of four or five months' sail fi-om England, it is matter for surjjrise that Greece, with all its pleasing reminiscences, should not prove attractive in this respect. Lands adjoin- ing Athens, which seven years since were bought at a dollar an acre, are now worth ^20 an acre. At the island of Negropont, Mr. Noel, Mr. Bracebridge, and several other independent gentlemen, have settled on estates they purchased, and have built a Protestant church. A finer opportunity of obtaining a large interest for money, or realizing property from the purchase and sale of land, nowhere exists. And such has been the increase of po- pulation, that the city of Athens, which eight years ago contained but 500 or 600 inhabitants, can now boast "of s2 260 MODERN GREECE. from 8000 to 10,000, many of whom are persons of for- tune, who have been attracted there by the salubrity of the ehmate and her classic associations. Without the city have risen a number of large houses in the German style; some in lines, some apparently dispersed according to the caprice of the specidator. This part of the future Athens is well laid out, and good advantage is taken of the ground, which is undulating. It is to be lamented that arcades have been omitted, though one would think obviously necessary in a warm climate, where the ancient narrow shady streets have been dispensed with. The materials, broken limestone, with excellent mortar, are cheap ; so that the structures are for the most part solid, and the corner-stones being worked with the chisel, and the whole washed, have a respectable general appearance. Among the royal structures, the MiUtary Hospital is really very creditable, as is also the Mint. In the centre of the town, where the Turkish Waiwode's house stood, a massive German casern has been built, the head- quarters probably of the garrison. The king at present lives in two very moderately-sized houses, connected together, near one of the carriage roads, which have been made in different directions round the town, and in the plain of Athens. Of these roads the principal is, that to the Pu-seus along the line of the long walls. For a particular and detailed account of the antiquities of Athens, the traveller is referred to Colonel Leake's " Athens," to Dr. Wordsworth's " Greece," or to Mr. Pittachy's description of them. The last-named gentleman is employed in illustrating and deciphering the objects already discovered, and in superintending the restoration of the Avorks upon the Acropolis. He will be found ex- ceedingly obliging and communicative. The following are the chief objects of interest still to be seen at Athens ;* and which, standing in all the majesty of ruin, exhibit the most affecting combination of splen- dour and decav. * "Athens, compared to Rome, is like the colkction of the Elgin marbles compared with the sculptures in the Vatican." ATHENS. 261 At the south-west of the city stands the Acropolis, where are found the remains of the grandest monuments that human genius ever achieved; the Doric and Ionic orders of architecture, defying all human efforts to copy them, being amongst the rest. There were formerly nine temples, ornamented with 3000 statues ; but these have been appropriated to adorn most of the capitals in civi- lised Europe. The remains of them only are now to be seen. During the Revolution a shot from the Acro- polis passed through the face, and carried away the clock from Lord Elgin's tower ; it was afterwards plas- tered up, and an inscription merely denoted that a clock, presented by Lord Elgin, had previously occupied the place. The King of Bavaria, in 1838, had a new clock made at Munich, which he presented to tlie inhabitants. Near to the tower are some stone w^alls, with several Co- rinthian columns ; what it has been will be matter for the curious to determine. Having passed the western en- trance of the Acropolis, which formerly was the famed Doric portico, called the Propylsea, the visitor will be in- troduced to the Parthenon. The Parthenon, or Temple of Minerva, w'as built by Ictinus and Callisti-atus, and was adorned with sculptures from the hand of Phidias, under the orders of Pericles, after having been destroyed by the Persians. It is of the Doric order, and passes for the chef-d'oeuvre of architecture, ancient or modern. It formerly consisted of a cell, 62i feet in breadth by 142| in length, in the interior, surrounded by a peristyle of forty-six columns, and an interior row of six columns at each end. The height was 6^ feet to the top of the pediment : the whole length 228 feet, with a breadth of 102 feet. Its destruction is attri- butable to the Venetians, who, in 1687, when the Aci'opolis was used as a fortress, despite the solemn awe that memory should have inspired, placed six pieces of artillery and four mortars upon the Pnyx, and over- whelmed the sacred pile with red-hot balls. A bomb destroyed the roof, and they set fire to some barrels of gunpowder, which blew up part of the edifice. Morosini took away some of the statues to embellish Venice, and an English traveller completed the spoliation of the 262 MODERN GREECE. facade,* leaving only two mutilated figures, supposed to be Cecrops and liis wife ; the former of whom we may almost imagine as declaring, that he would submit to no Christian violation of the laws of sanctuary, after they had been acknowledged and respected for ages, even by Goths and Mussulmans ; but that both he and his royal consort would maintain their place in the city which he had founded. It was at this portico that Xerxes sat in a chair to wit- ness the battle of Salamis. The centre of the temple is divided into two apartments, of unequal size, the smaller of which served as the treasury of Athens; the other apartment contained the colossal statue of Minerva, the exquisite workmanship of Phidias, whence the building takes its name — the Parthenon, or residence of the virgin goddess; it having been previously made a church by the Christians, and then a mosque by the Turks. The Temple of Victory, though almost entirely de- stroyed, has had its materials preserved, and its restoration is now completed, so far as replacing the blocks of marble forming its walls and columns ; the frieze, too, might have been added entire, had not four portions of it been in the British Museum. On the whole, it is an elegant sti'ucture, but from many points of view^ destroys the effect of the Propyleum. * Lord Elgin, in a letter addressed to the author, says, that when he was appointed ambassador to Constantinople, he took some painters, architects, and modellers with him, in hopes of a favourable opening presenting itself, which might admit of delineating, measuring, and making easts of remains of ancient arts in Greece. After a good deal of delay and difficulty, he was al- lowed to send these artists to Athens, there to enter on their respective tasks. While so employed, they discovered that among the ruins of the Parthenon, which had been partly blov\^l up by the bombardment of the Venetians, many exquisiti' specimens of the decorative sculpture of that temple remained ex- posed to every injury ; that the Turks occasionally ground down the most b autiful parts for the purpose of cement; and that travellers not uncommonly knocked off limbs, &c. which they carried away. The artists also reported, that the latest French ambassador in Turkey, the Comte de Choiseuil, had brought machinery from France, for the purpose of lowering down sculpture still standing on the remaining walls of the temple; one metope having actu- ally fallen and been broken to pieces in the operation of lowering it. Those pieces of machinery were still on the spot ; and his lordship, therefore, in the hope of stopping the course of devastation, and profiting by the example commenced by the French ambassador, obtained authority from the Porte to remove what he could do without damage, and especially, what pieces of sculpture had been thrown out of their places by the explosion occasioned by the Venetians. The motive of his lordship was undoubtedly a noble one, although it has been subjected to much misrepresentation. ATHENS. 263 The Erechtheiim, or Temple of Ereehtlieus (who married a daughter of Cecro})s), was formerlj' a large building, said to have been his dwelling, and which served afterwards as a residence for all the kings of Attica. It was divided into three pai*ts, forming two temples and a portico, dedicated to Erechtheus and Neptune, a small gallery connecting the two temples. Notwithstanding the several distribu- tions of the building, it has preserved its pristine form, and is considered to be the finest specimen of the Ionic order that the world can produce. The smoke from a small modern house, or powder magazine, erected between the caryatides (Athenian virgins dressed in their pana- thenaic costume), six of which still support the southern portico, has somewhat discoloured them, but not suffi- ciently so to conceal their exquisite workmanship. Several discoveries and restorations have been effected among the ruins of the Acropolis, since the author's visit to Athens. They are thus spoken of by an accurate writer in the Athenceum .- — " What then can we say of the huge Hymettian marble pedestal, which once supported the statue of Agrippa, in advance of the other wing of the Propyleum ? but that a more grateful incense would have been offered to the illustrious Roman, had the eyes of the Greeks been allowed to regard the works of the age of Pericles unmingled with memorials of foreign power and foreign patronage. This lofty pedestal is now eleai-ed ; and it is difficult to believe that the more ancient statue, mentioned by Pausanias, could have so materially injured the entrance to the citadel as this must have done. Behind the Victory and the Roman pedestal, the marble way has been opened to the brazen gates, each broad step only three or four inches high, cut into ribs for the safety of the horses : the huge portals indeed are gone, but traces of their bronze remain ; two other door-ways appear, one on each side ; these are again flanked by smaller entrances. Thus the great pro- cession, its attendants, and the crowd, may have entered simultaneously, without disturbance, as the Pope's pro- cessions enter St. Peter's. Here the noble colonnade has been cleared of the solid walls built within it, and, for the first time (at least since the Frank conquest of Attica, in ih& early part of the thirteenth century), this stupendous 264 MODERN GREECE. work is displayed to admiring eyes. All the majestic columns are in situ, and most of them entire. On the right, the huge tower of the Venetian dukes of Athens still encumbers the flanking walls ; but on the left, the noble chamber of the Pinacotheca has been completely opened. Its marble walls bear traces of paint, and the columns of the wing in its front (now first seen) have the singularity of being sunk about one-eighth of an inch in the marble on which they stand ; a circle has been drawn round them for this purpose, so that each fluting forms a segment of a small circle. These little segments have evidently been painted with two colours, each being divided by a line perpendicular to the chord. Those who know the traces of polychromy which exist in fragments of the Propyleum in the British Museum, will be interested in these undisputed remains of ancient colours : how would they be delighted by the numerous small specimens of painting on terra cotta and white marble preserved among the four temporary museums of the Acropolis ! Within the walls of this sacred enclosure, part of the plain of the northern side has been cleared, and consequently the superior level of the Parthenon made evident, and its efl^ect increased. In this clearing, several pedestals have been found, in situ, with inscriptions, which show that Romans have been substituted for Greeks, by erasure of he first legend, and, probably, the change of the heads. While so base and childish a fashion prevailed, it would be vain to expect that any statue of real excellence should have been left. Like the modern rulers of Hellas, the Romans no doubt wished the Greeks to forget that they were ever conquerors; and the names and features of native heroes and patriots must make room for foreign patrons, whose insignificant pride would make Greece the mirror of their own ephemeral existence. But though no fine sculpture has been found, except two or three beautiful rehefs of the Parthenon, inscriptions, both here and in the town below, are discovered in great numbers, and pre- served with care. Many decrees have been found, which have great local interest from their minute descriptions of reparations, &c. of ancient buildings. Next to those of the Propyleum, the excavations round the Erectheum do most honour to Mr. Pittachy. The temple had beeo- ATHENS. 265 greatly shattered by the explosion of powder in 1825, and the greatest care was necessary in clearing away the modern buildings \\Tithin and about it : this has been done admirably; the head of one of the caryatides very respec- tably restored ; columns re-erected, and walls rebuilt : within, not only can the visitor verify the fact, that the Erectheum was lower than the Minerva Polias, but he can now boast of having stood in the tomb of Cecrops. The olive is, indeed, no more to be seen, and the altar has disappeared ; but a little more labour will now perfectly display the curious combination of these most sacred temples, at the very spring and origin of all Attic mytho- logy. Such a result would probably be move affecting to the ancient Athenian (were he to revisit the Acropolis) than even the illustration of the mighty Parthenon ; and the scholar and antiquarian must, in some degree, parti- cipate in this feeling. It is now some years since the subterranean way through the base of the Acropolis rock, leading into the towTi from the Temple of Minerva Polias, was discovered and cleared, — a circumstance which has thrown light upon the almost incredible story of the Persians having scaled the northern walls of the Acropo- lis, — so that this temple has acquired a great accession of interest. Of the statues, reliefs, and sarcophagi now collected in the Temple of Theseus, I will only say they are numerous ; and, though almost all of Roman periods, possess an interest from the inscriptions which belong to them, and from the light they throw on the localities where they were found. A judicious excavation, made by the Ai'chaeological Society, has discovered the circular building forming part of the structure of the Temple of the Winds, so called, in which the apparatus for the water-clock was contained ; and when finished, the exca- vation will restore to the world this beautiful octagonal building in its original proportions." At the southern base of the Acropolis, the TJieatre ex- hibits sufficient of its remains to satisfy an enquirer as to the extent of the edifice, which is supposed to have been the largest ever built. Thirty thousand spectators are said to have been at one time within its walls. The Theatre of Bacchus is a large cave cut in the rock, in the rear or southern foot of the Acropolis. At its en- 266 MODERN GREECE. trance, there was formerly a statue of the god ; but it has been conveyed to England. Two Corinthian columns are all that remain of its architecture. The Temple of Theseus, one of the most exquisite spe- cimens of ancient architecture, of the Doric order, stands upon a small isolated hill in the district of Melite. The building of this temple, which was of white Pentellic marble, was commenced under the auspices of Cimon, son of Miltiades, b. c. 476. It has six columns at either end, and thirteen on either side. The eastern pediment and metopes are adorned with sculptures, as are also the four on the north and south sides. It would be still perfect, but for its modern roof. At present it is converted into a mu- seum, where, amongst a quantity of dilapidated pieces of sculpture, are some recently discovered tablets, upon which the ancients recorded the arrival and departm-e of vessels employed upon any important service, together with the names of their commanders, achievements, &c. Mount Pnyx. — Lord Elgin cleared away the earth here, and discovered the steps which define more clearly the form and position of the Bema. The public assemblies were held here ; and within its walls Pericles, Alcibiades, and Demosthenes raised their voices. Aristides was ba- nished from hence ; and here also the people were heard against their tyrants. We may just notice The Mount of Nymphs, so called from a tablet found there ; Mount Jupiter; and then The Areopagus, a rock west of the Acropolis, called Mai'S Hill, upon which one wonders how a building of any extent could have been erected. The superior council of the Areopagites assembled here, first in the open air ; but in process of time they had a roof of tiles. The Ai*eopa- gus was for a very long period the most impartial and august tribunal that had ever existed, and was so much esteemed, that the Mycenians desired to refer to its deci- sion their quarrels with the Spartans. Socrates' Cell, which is composed of two exterior rooms, and a circular one beyond, cut out of a solid flinty rock ; Diogenes' Lantern, a copy of which is to be seen in the garden of St. Cloud ; ATHENS. 267 The Temple of Eolus, or the Eight Winds ; and The Gate of the Fish Market, are seen in descending into the city. The Arch of Adrian, of pure marble, richly adorned with sculpture, leads to The Temple of Jupiter Olympus, a splendid specimen of the Corinthian order. Adrian, the imperial architect, besides embellishing the city, finished this temple, which had been seven centuries in progress. It was half a mile in circuit, and consisted of 120 fine marble columns, each sixty feet high, and six feet in diameter, supposed to have belonged to the Pantheon. Sixteen of these remain. This temple, which contained the colossal statue of the god, in ivory and gold, is said to be nearly equal to that of Diana at Ephesus : * that of the virgin goddess Minerva, and that of Theseus, appear to be the largest buildings that Athenian devotion and greatness ever reared.. Educational Institutions. — It is gratifying to be able to notice some of these in modern Athens. The University (liav^iriffT-nixeLnv) has no less than thirty pro- fessors, some of whom are honorary. The present number of students attending the lectures does not exceed 150, but this will speedily be augmented, as the Greek youths pass through the Gymnasium. The faculties are divided into Theology, Law, Medicine, and Philosophy; the former has four lectures a day — on the introduction to the Scrip- tures, Ecclesiastical History, Hebrew Ai'chaeology, and the Hebrew Language. Law has no less than six Pro- fessors,, who lecture on Mercantile Law, Social Rights, Civil Jurisprudence, Roman and French Law, Penal Law, and Political Economy. Medicine has eight Professors, their lectures being on Pathology, Nosology, Medical Law, Anatomy, Surgery, Diseases of the Eye, &e. Philosophy is divided into Archaiology, Mathematics, * The Temple of Jupiter Olympus was 340 feet long, and 165 feet wide. That of Diana at Ephesus, 425 fiet, by 220 feet. The Pattlienon, 23r) feet, by 98 feet, The Temple of Theseus was 104 feet long. The space allotted to the Temple of Jerusalem was a square of G40 feet, although Pridcaux says the structure was only 120 feet long. i)iodorus computes the circumference of a temple at Thebes, at a mile and a half, the heiglit being 45 cubits, and the walls 24 feet thick. Pocock says he found a temple 1400 feet long, and 350 wide, the ruins of which extended for half a mile ! 268 MODERN GREECE. Moral Philosophy, Botany, History of Ancient Greek Philosophy, with Latin, Zoology, Mineralogy, &c. Of the thirty Professors, eight only are Germans, all the rest being Greeks. For the present, perhaps, the Gymnasium is a more important institution than the University; its crowded rooms, and the evident eagerness of the pupils, show how instruction is prized; and the progress made by the young men is truly astonishing. The Gymnasium has eight Professors, and is divided into three classes : — 1. Ancient Greek, Latin, Geometry, Moral Science, Algebra, and Logic. 2. Ancient Greek, Geometry, Algebra, Psychology, History. 3. Ancient Greek, Latin, Algebra, Geography, History, French, and English. The number of regular students is 800, but many more attend particular lectures ; the w^hole being, as the Uni- versity, gratis. With the Gymnasium is connected a Mgh school, divided into four classes, which is attended by a crowd of youths anxious to get their certificates of com- petency to enter the Gymnasium. There is, independent of these schools, a normal school, for the education of schoolmasters for all Greece ; and, attached to it, a Lancasterian school, of about 200 boys. Another Lancasterian school, of about 150 boys, is sup- ported by the municipality of Athens. A Lmicasterian school for girls, attended by about 150, is supported by the contributions of a society called the Friends of Education. Besides these public institutions is an excellent school, attended by nearly 500 boys and girls, and divided into several classes, conducted by the American missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. Hill, who established it, in a handsome building erected for the purpose, about five years since. These Christian philanthropists have gained the entire confidence of the Greeks ; and, by the earnest desire of many of the best families, have lately received fifty young ladies into their house, who receive that higher education fitted to their station in society. In the various towns of Greece, there exist 4 gymnasia, 12 primary schools, and 180 Lancasterian schools, sup- ported, partly by the government, and partly by the ATHENS. 269 communes. It is, however, to be regretted, that the government has scarcely pushed the school system into the villages; that in many places the masters are not very competent, and that there is a general want of school- books. At Syria, besides the commercial schools, is a large and well-conducted boys' and girls' school (attended by from 200 to 300 of each sex), long since established by the English Church Missionary Society, and now con- ducted by Mr. and Mrs. Heiderer. To travel into the interior of the country, it is necessary to provide a servant who speaks Romaic ; he is paid from 16 to 20 dollars a month. To visit Marathon, which is about thirty miles distant, horses and provisions for two days must be procured. The journey made, however, barren plains are all that the traveller will behold. For the rest, he must draw upon his reminiscences and invention ! Mr. Cochrane justly remarks, that of all the capitals with which he is acquainted, Athens exceeds them all, for the diversity of the rides in its vicinity. To visit the Grotto at Antiparos will occupy four days, and provision must be made accordingly. This grotto is a most wonderful exhibition of the freaks of natiu-e. The only expense that need be incurred is that for guides and lights . This grotto was consecrated, and mass performed therein, in 1673, by Mons. Nocutal, ambassador from France to the Porte. The whole is not so striking as the Grotto at Adelsburg. Thebes is about 24 miles from Athens : there is a car- riage road about half the distance. The voyage to Kalamachi is made, with a good wind, in three hours, the usual charge for a boat being four dollars. Those who may desire to return to England from Kala- machi, will cross the Isthmus of Corinth, to Leutraki, a distance of about four miles, on horseback, and there take a boat to descend the Gulf of Lepanto to Patras ; or the steamers may be taken for any port in the Levant or Mediterranean. If the traveller is not pressed for time, he vnW hire a 270 MODERN GREECE. boat by the day, and visit the different islands, which, though destitute of architectural remains, are replete with classic interest ; but to continue the route herein pointed out, a boat should be hired for Egina and Epidaurus, or Pithavro, at the cost of four or five dollars, with orders to be landed at the Bay of Santa Marina, which is only a short walk from the temple. If put on shore at the town of Scala or Egina, the traveller must hire horses to ride a distance which will occupy him three hours; or a boat to cast round the nearest point, which occasions the loss of about a day. An agent will make the best bargain for a boat, should that be preferred ; a stranger being generally charged twice, sometimes thrice, as much as an agent will procure it for. Having seen the sacred relic, the traveller may either retm-n to Egina, or proceed at once to Epidaurus. Those who wish to go from Athens to Turkey du'ect, will proceed by a steam-boat to Syra, whence they may continue their voyage ; or, if not pressed for time, by hiring a sailing-boat, by the day, they may visit the Cyclades, land at Scala Nuova, the port of the ancient Ephesus, and proceed overland by Ephesus to Smyrna. To ascend Mount Hymettus, horses may be procured at Athens, at three drachme each, and they will carry the traveller as far as the convent of Kasariani, from whence he will proceed to the summit on foot. The ascent will be found rugged and difficult. MOUNT HYMETTUS. To proceed thither the visitor will have occasion to cross the river Ilissus, which had its source at the spring Ce- phissia, situated in a plain immediately on the outside of the town, but which, in consequence of the water being exhausted in irrigation, is now di'ied up. Hymettus has suffered less from the ravages of time than of the axe. The forests of timber that once were its ornament and its pride, are now supplanted by brushwood, and a species of wild thyme, that affords sustenance to m}T:'iads of bees,, whose honey is said to be unequalled. From its summit may be seen all the features of Grecian scenery, on the greatest and most imposing scale. In one view are com- prised the islands that form the Archipelago, the Aero- EGINA— PELOPONNESSUS. 271 polls at Corinth, the Temple at Egiua, the Port of the Piraeus, the Bay of Salamis, Cape Colonna, and the Attic plains, backed by the mountains of Pentelicus, where are found the quarries whence the ancients hewed the mate- rials for so many magnificent structures. The marble of Pentelicus was equal to that of Paros in whiteness and splendour, while it was still finer in its grain. One of the two quarries has been opened to obtain the marble for the king's palace : it is approached by a road which was cut for the purpose. Near to this quarry is a monastery, which is a favourite resort with jne-nic parties. EGINA, OR SCALA. There is a military college in this island with about 80 cadets, and in w^hich is a small museum, with a better col- lection of antiquities than those of Athens, though scarcely a figure is perfect. At a distance of 12 miles, on the sum- mit of a high hill, stands the Temple of Jupiter Panhelle- nus, or the god adored by all the Greeks. Twenty-three stone columns of Doric architecture are all that remain of this once elegant structure. Amongst the numerous islands comprised in the mag- nificent view from thence, is Cape Schillo, formerly Calac- cria, where Demosthenes poisoned himself, to avoid falling into the hands of Antipater, his enemy. Cape Colonna, and the Acropolis at Athens, are also? prominent objects in fine weather. There is a comfortable hotel here. In a sailing-boat, with a fair wind, in five or six hours the traveller will be landed at Epidaurus, in the Morea. THE PELOPONNESSUS, OR MOREA. This celebrated peninsula holds, as it were enshrined, a cluster of once proud republics — their monuments and their heroes. Though only 150 miles in length, and 130 in breadth, it once possessed a population equal to half that of England and Wales, but which is now lamentably dwindled down to 300,000. Forests and w^oods, each of which had its god and its altar, have fallen beneath the axe. The peaceful god of the Arcadian shepherds * has- * Ancient Arcadui is now the seat of the Mainotes. 272 MODERN GREECE. long since rendered up his sovereignty to a people less disposed to his rustic rule. The greater part of the popu- lation are Albanians, who, on taking possession of Tripo- litza, to theu' deep and lasting reproach, massacred 3000 persons in two hours. This horrid and heart-rending event, and its yielding in 1825 to the arms of Ibrahim Pasha,* are the only noticeable circumstances connected with the modern history of the Morea. A recent writer observes that "the finest and most romantic part of Greece is in the neighbourhood of Navarine, Sparta, and Calamata: these mountains, co- vei'ed to their summits by majestic timber, form a con- trast to the country more immediately connected with or nearest to the capital. In aforest called Kombe, between Calamata and Navarine, oaks of an unusual size are seen in great abundance or numbers. Arcadia, or Cyparissa, offers nothing but the site ; near it are the ruins of Phigaleia, from whence were taken the Phigaleian marbles." Epidaurus, or Pithauro. — A few miserable houses are all that will be seen here, and the traveller will only remain a sufiicient time, therefore, to procure horses for Napoli di Romania, which should be reached before nine o'clock at night, its gates being closed at that hour. It may be entered, however, with some little difficulty, at the Water Gate, at a later hour. It is considered a day's journey of twelve hours, allowing two hours for resting the horses in the middle of the day. Arrived here, a ride of four hours, through a romantic country, the bridle road being hedged in with blooming shrubs, will bring the visitor to Yero, or The Valley of Esculapius, held sacred by the ancients, as the birth-place of the god, in whose time it is said to have been the resort of invalids. A number of semicir- cular steps, which are the remains of a theatre, are in tolerable preservation ; but the Temples of Esculapius, Diana, and Venus have long since disappeared, leaving only some scattered fragments of two orders of architec- ture, and the foundations of extensive buildings, to satisfy * It was thence that Ibrahim sent seven hundred pair of cars, as trophies, to Constantinople 1 TIRYNS— NAPOLI— TRIPPOLITZA. 273 the traveller that he is upon the site of the ancient " Chel- tenham" of Greece. TiRYNS. — This place does not present even the ves- tiges of a town, and is only identified by some Cyclopean walls, 23 feet thick, and 43 feet high. The fact of their being mentioned by Homer, places their great antiquity beyond a doubt. They are said to approach nearer to the Pyramids of Egypt than any other antiquities yet dis- covered, and to have been the work of giants. A cele- brated writer, however, justly remarks, that this is an idea every nation has entertained respecting its ancestors. Napoli di Romani a. — This is one of those places of modern origin, that possess no extrinsic claim to notice. The town is not of any magnitude, and has only 3000 or 4000 inhabitants ; but the Lion of St. Mark, which stands over the gateway, and the towering fortress, crowned with Palemede castles, bear testimony to the fact of its having belonged to the Venetian republic, who conferred upon it the expressive designation of " The Gibraltar of the Archipelago." On emerging from the summit of the castle, the eye suddenly alights upon an infinity of islands, the Argien Plains, and a vast undulating region beyond. Napoli should have been selected as the seat of govern- ment, ha\dng an extensive and w^ell-sheltered port, and being in all respects placed in a fine position for a naval and commercial capital. The associations connected with Athens, however, bore away the palm. It was here, on the threshold of the church, that the late regent. Capo d'Istrias, w^as assassinated by two Greeks, who had in vain petitioned him to release a bro- ther, confined for some crime. His servant pursued and shot one of them, the other was taken and hung. The Hotel V Europe is dear, but certainly one of the best in Greece ; near to it is a caf^, where they sell excel- lent ice. Trippolitza, which stands further inland, having been chosen as the Turkish capital of the IVIorea, and made the residence of the Paslia, astonished Sir Willituii Gell, who states it to be a dull, uninteresting to^^-n, " seated in the most uninviting country, and the worst possible climate;" a fact which Lord Byron, Chateaubriand, and T 274 MODERN GREHCIT. most other travellers who braved the dangers of the soutBv had the misfortune of proving in their own persons, lu this section of country we have the site of Mistra, or Misi- tras, and Sparta; and it is in this section that the warlike Mainotes dwell. The disasters of the late Revolution re- duced the population of Trippolitza from 15,000 to 3000. The Temple of Apollo at Bass^r, whose bas-reliefs are in the British Museum, is the most perfect in the country, unless that of Theseus may be said to form an exception. As to the rest, memory outUves their ruins. Mistra is so despoiled as to render even its site problematical ; yet they still aflPect to point out the tomb of Leonidas, although the circumstance of four or five bodies having been interred there, raises strong doubts of its authenticity. Here once stood Sparta. Small carriages are always waiting on a stand, without Napoh, and may be hired for a dollar to Argos and back. The distance being only five miles, on an excellent road, it is best to make the excursion and return at once. Those who go direct to Patras, by way of Megaspilion, however, can see it en route, it being requisite to sleep one night at the Convent of St. Georgio, where the monks are noted for their hospitality. A R G o s is said to be the most wholesome town of the Morea ; but it is destitute of accommodation, almost the only good residence in it being that of General Gordon^ who has the command of the Greek army. The most interesting object at Argos is the Acropolis, with its Palamede castles and monastery, which stand upon the smnmit of a lofty hill, at the distance of about four miles from the northern shore of the Argolic Gulf. At a short distance from hence is a theatre of great an- tiquity ; by which must be understood, a number of semi- circular steps cut in a rock. There are also some very imperfect remains of a Roman Temple, with its secret passage, from wiiich the responses were given by the un- seen priest, in the name of the god. In the time of Pau- sanias, there was a statue of Jupiter, brought fi"om Troy, remarkable for having three eyes, and said to be the same at the foot of which Priain was murdered in his palace, by the sou of Achilles. NAPOLI m ROMANIA TO CORINTH. 275 'Riis neighbourhood was famous, as the haunt of the Nemean hion. FROM NAPOLI DI ROMANIA TO CORINTH, The plains of Argos, through which the traveller will proceed in his route to Corinth, though now, from the absence of trees, found dull and monotonous, before the war contained upwards of 100,000 fine olive trees,* and at least 100 flourishing villages. In about four hours after leaving Napoli, at a spot indicated by a small hut, where eggs or coffee may be procm-ed, the traveller diverges fi-om the road ; and in half an hour he will have ascended the moimtains, on which are found the remains of Mycen^, the early capital of Greece, founded by Perseus, " The King of Men ;" and destroyed more than 2240 years ago by the Argiens, who were jealous of the glory the Mycenians had acquired, in having sent 40 war- riors to die with the Spartans at Thermopylae. Its Acro- polis, perhaps the most ancient in the world, and of the most massive materials, exhibits two styles of architecture — rough Cyclopean, consisting ofunhewn masses of stone, and regularly constructed walls. The Gate of Lions, or rather of Panthers, in relief, without heads, are mythological figures, through which Perseus passed when going to the siege of Troy. It is supposed that this edifice, like the Acropolis at Athens, and the Temples of Egypt, possessed a sacred character. The Tomb of Agamemnon exhibits three ditFerent styles of architecture ; the interior is composed of two large oval chambers, lined with stones of huge dimensions, oue of which, over the entrance, is the most extraordinary, and, perhaps, the largest in any building, ancient or modern. It measures 2^ feet by 17 feet, by 4| ieet, and weighs lo3 tons. To visit Megaspilion, a detour must be made to the left, passing through the Nemean Plains, than which nothing can be more tedious ; for though Hercules here furnished • The olive in the western world followed the progress of peace, of which it was considered the symbol. T 2 276 MODERN GREECE. himself with his club, so destitute is it now of wood, that the traveller will find it impossible to procure even a walk- ing-stick. At the Convent of St. Georgio accommodation will be afforded for the night. At Megaspilion, every attention mil be paid by the liospitable monks, who point out one of the finest and most interesting views that Greece can boast of, including the tops of Hehcon and Parnassus. They are also proud of possessing the largest wine vat in Europe, the filling and emptying of which appears to be a duty paramount to all others. At a long day's journey from here, is CORINTH. The city is seated on the isthmus which separates two seas and the Peloponnessus from Attica, and which in some parts does not exceed three miles and a half in width, if measured in a straight line, but which, from its sinuosity, cannot be crossed in a shorter space than six miles. Corinth was one of the most populous and wealthy cities of Greece ; but its few miserable and dirty modern houses, and destitution of all comfort and accommodation, form a striking contrast with its former luxury and splendour. The citadel mounts 25 pieces of cannon, and the g-arrison consists of 100 men. A group of eleven Doric columns, and some very imperfect remains of a theatre, west of the town, alone remain to identify the spot, not a particle of the Corinthian order of architec- ture being found ! The former magnificence of this city was proverbial throughout Greece ; and the saying, " It is not for every one to go to Corinth," was expressive of its high rank amongst the surrounding states. It is now equally dis- tinguished for its poverty, insalubrity, and generally uninteresting character ; and it may be justly said, it is not every one who would wish to go there. Of how many great historical events has this been the theatre ! Though " the prow and stern " of Greece, it was destroyed by the Romans, b. c. 146.* It was subse- * It was during tLc coi.fiagvatioiiof the city attliis time, that several metals in a fused state, ace. dentally running together, produced the composition named I&s Corinthium, or Corinthian brass. CORINTH TO PATRAS. 2n quently rebuilt by Julius Caesar and Adrian, and a second time destroyed by Alaric. The Venetians again restored it, and it was sacked by Mahomet II.; when the republics of Argos, Sparta, and Athens were swallowed up in a single province of the Roman Empire, and became the capital and residence of a pro-consul. Paul was at Corinth, a. d. 52, and stayed there a year and a half, when he sailed for Ephesus. From the decaying Acropolis, which is more than double the height of the Pyramids, a fine panoramic view is had of the Isthmus, of the Gulf of Lepanto, of the position of the canal which Nero commenced in order to join the two gulfs, and, in fine weather, of the Parthenon at Athens, 44 miles distant. Four rooms, destitute of all furniture, excepting a mat- tress on the floor, constitute an hotel.* The road across the isthmus is completed. FROM CORINTH TO PATRAS, Is a distance of 90 miles down the Gulf of Lepanto, and to accomplish it a boat should be hired, at from eleven to thirteen dollars, to proceed to the Bay of Cresa, or Scala di Salona, on the north side of the gulf, near Liakura, or Parnassus. It occupies the site of the ancient Amphlissa ; and the little village of Castri that of Delphi. Here the boat will wait, whilst the party proceeds on horseback to Delphi and back, which occupies the greater part of a day. Delphi is situated in the cleft of two mountains, and contains only about 1000 inhabitants. It is the most celebrated shrine in the world, and one to which people went in crowds to be deluded. Of the temple, however, not a wreck remains ; but at the bottom of a deep ravine, surrounded by the steep and barren rocks of Parnassus, is the far-famed Castalian spring, where the Pythian used * The state of society here may be judged of from the sudden disappear- ance of the purser of her Majesty's ship Portland, who preferred going into the town to ascending the Acropolis with the rest of the officers. Every search was made for him, but nothing further than of his having been heard to ask his way to the hotel, was ever discovered relative to him ! 279 MODERN GREECE. to make her ablutions, before placing herself upon the tripod in the Temple of Apollo. The Delphic oracle was but a theatric deception, a splendid falsehood ; no answers from the god were to be obtained gratuitously : thus a single word, uttered by a senseless girl, sufficed to produce bloody wars, and spread desolation through a whole kingdom. The mountains of Helicon, Cithceron, and Parnassus, w ere ever deemed to be the favourite haunt of the Muses. Byron says, he has " on Parnassus — seen the eagles fly, Like spirits of the spot as 'twere for fame ; For still they soared unutterably high. I'sc looked on Ida, with a Trojan's eye, Athos, Olympus, yEtna Atlas made, These hills seem things of lesser dignity". Dr. Clarke considers their grand aspect and romantic valleys as having had a wonderful influence in promoting the high flights of the Grecian Muse, and doubts whether any great poet could spring up on a flat and even cam- paign. His statement of their height being equal to any in Europe, is only to be tolerated as a poetic licence : although their height is certainly the only thing to com- pensate for their barrenness. The poet JE^sop was throvm from the rock Nauplia, in the year 560 b.c. Patras is a small, uninteresting modem town, with about 10,000 inhabitants; and has no antiquarian interest whatever. It was destroyed by the t\ ar of the Revolution, and there are scarcely any vestiges of the ancient Olympia. It was once celebrated for its magnificent Temple of the Olympian Jupiter, and for its Games. Austrian brigs leave Patras for Trieste on the 8th and 21st of the month. Boats to Missolonghi cost five or six dollars ;* to Zante from six to eight dollars. * This sum takes the traveller to Missolonghi and back. The chief in- terest of this place, which is situated in a dead flat, almost a morass, is derived from its having been the residence and death-place of Lord Byron ; and from its memorable siege and catastrophe. The only object to be seen there is a pyramid of human skulls. THE IONIAN ISLANDS. 279 An English steamer arrives here from Malta on the 22nd of the month, g-oes on to Corfu, and returns on the 51st, stopping only a suffiv ient time to take up the mail, when she proceeds to join the communication at Malta, for England or Egypt. To Corfu the distance is about 100 miles, and from thence to Trieste about 500. The English Consul-general, George Crowe, Esq., is a gentleman to whose civilities and attentions travellers are much indebted. The Hotel Britannica, though bad, is the best house at Patras. The hostess is a Turkish woman, bought and afterwards married by the proprietor, who is a Greek. SECTION XIL THE IONIAN ISLANDS. Political State of the Islands — Zante — Corfu. This name is given to a group of seven islands, chiefly extending along the coast of Albania, the principal of which ai-e Santa Maura, Cephalonia, Cerego, Zante, Corfu, and Ithaca. When the French became masters of Venice, in 1797j they made these islands an appendage to it ; and after the cession of that capital to Austria, they endeavoured to retain them, under the title of The Ionian Republic. . They w ere unable, however, to do so against the power of England, which, at the Congress of Vienna, in 1815, w^as declared to be their protector. There is a representative body, which is presided over by a High Commissioner sent from England, who also protects the Greek confederation by a garrison. The senate consists of forty deputies, of the different islands, and a president, named by the High Commissioner, who also appoints the governor of the islands, and commands the farces. 280 THE IONIAN ISLANDS. I. ZANTE. This is the ancient Zacynthus, and is situated opposite to the western coast of the Morea. It is about 14 miles long, and 8 broad, with a population of nearly 40,000. It is celebrated for the beauty of its gardens, and for having produced the hyacinth, and a great natural curiosity, viz. some wells of boiling pitch, at the extreme end of the plain, north of Keiri. The pitch bubbles up from beneath the surface of the water, and is gathered in a liquid state, by means of myrtles, which are as common here as thorns in other countries. Henry Robinson, Esq., is the vice-consul here. A steam-boat leaves for Corfu on the 12tli and 29th of the month. The English steamer touches here, going to and re- turning from Patras. For about two dollars a day, a boat may be hired to visit Santa Maura, Cephalonia, and the other small islands, as well as to proceed to Corfu. II. CORFU. This is tlie key of the Ionian, Adriatic, and Mediter- ranean Seas. Homer calls it Phaeacia ; its present Greek name signifies summit. The mountain on which the city was built is 70 miles long, 20 mde, and 180 in circum- ference. Corfu may be considered as the capital of the islands. Paul Paruta, in an old history of Venice and its pos- sessions, says that Corfu was formerly a large and populous city, united to the island of Paxo, until divided by an earthquake, that created a vacuum of ten miles, similar to that which is supposed to have separated Italy and Sicily, Amongst other events that entitle this island to a con- spicuous place in history, are, the shipwreck of Ulysses, who was thrown naked upon its shores — its regal reception of Alexander and his mother, on leaving the Macedonian court, accompanied by his master Aristotle, who expiated in exile a passion that philosophy does not always sur- mount — and its being the place from which the Empress CORFU. 281 Helen, mother of Constantine, commenced her pilgrimage into the Holy Land. Ver)^ large sums were expended by the Venetians in their fortifications here ; nor are those of the English go- vernment on the Vido less extensive. At least a million sterlmg will be expended before these formidable works are completed, when half the number of men will be suffi- cient for its garrison. No foreigners are allowed to see the works, and others must obtain the governor's order ; which, from the lu-banity and attention manifested by Sir Howard Douglas to all strangers, is attended with no difficulty. The climate and position of this island are hardly to be surjjassed : there is an excellent road extending sixty miles, and there are many pleasant drives. On arriving here from Greece, one is struck ^^Hth the cleanliness of the tovra, and with the appearance and number of the EngUsh soldiers in the streets. The governor's palace is a splendid stone building, the rear of which commands the sea. In the front there is an esplanade, and a handsome terrace. The traveller's attention should be especially called to the remains of a small temple recently discovered, a short distance out of the city; to the olive-trees that astonish by their size and exuberance ; and to the view from the citadel, which may be termed unique. The best hotels ai-e Taylor's, the Bella Venetia, and the A steam-boat leaves Corfu for Ancona on the 16th of the month, and makes the voyage in forty-eight hours. Another proceeds to Zante on the 8th, and on the 26th. For Malta, an English steam-packet leaves on the 29th, touches at Patras on the 31st, and reaches Falmouth in about twenty days. Distance, 1900 miles. Those who may wish to make an excursion to Jannina, wiU proceed as follows : — From Corfu, by boat to Santa Caranta (five hours) ; from thence to Delvino, by land (four and a half hours), first day. From Delvino to Delvinaki, on horseback (ten hours), second day. From Delvinaki to the Convent of Zitza, where the traveller will 282 ROUTE TO INDIA, EGYPT, &c. be accommodated by the monks for the night. From thence to Jannina will occupy four hours. There is a return by a shorter road : first day, the Khan of Resina; second day, to Seiades, on the coast, from whence the voyage to Corfu is made in about five hours. The steamer leaves Corfu for Ancona and Trieste on the 8th and on the 21st of each month. Upon his arrival at Ancona, the traveller vrill be subjected to fourteen days' quarantine in a good lazarette, after vi'hich he may procure a passage in a vetturine to Rome, the journey to which occupies about four days; the charge, including provisions, being about eight shillings per day. Proceeding on to Trieste, the same quaran- tine as at Ancona will have to be performed;* after which a dihgence may be had to Milan, and thence to Paris, SECTION XIII. ROUTE TO INDIA, VIA EGYPT, &c. Cplonel Chesney's report gives four different lines of communication between England and India. (1.) By sea to Malta, Constantinople, and Trebisond, and thence by horses through Persia : this route will occupy fifty- nine days. (2.) By the Rhine and Danube, and across the Black Sea from Constantinople to Trebizond, and thence by post to Bushire : occupying fifty-three days. (3.) By Alexandria, Suez, and the Red Sea. (4.) By the Euphrates, as follows : — London to Malta ; from Malta to Scanderoon ; from Scanderoon to Beles ; from Beles to Mohammera ; from Mohammera to Bombay. This route will occupy forty-six days. Mr. Waghorn, however, has now so fully demonstrated the advantages of the route by way of the Red Sea, and • There are three lazarettos here, and persons occupying them are supplied with provisions from a contiguous hotel, where they may also procure such furniture as they desire, at moderate charges. ALEXANDRIA. 283 has matle such ample accommodation for travellers throughout the whole length of the line, that there must be preference given to this above any other. It combines comfort, ])leasure, and expedition : giving to the traveller a sight of Boulogne, Paris, Chalons, Lyons, Marseilles, Leghorn, Civita Vecchia, Naples, Malta, Syra, and Alex- andria ; as well as of Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli, Pompeii and Herculaneum; of the beautiful Straits of Messina, with Scylla and Charybdis ; the steamer staying a few hours at most of the places mentioned. Persons intending to undertake this journey, should make application for the necessary instructions at Messrs. Waghorn and Co.'s offices, Cornhill, a week previously to the time fixed for starting ; and reminding the reader that we have already described the route from Paris to Malta, in Section I. ante, we shall now proceed to accom- pany the traveller to Alexandria, where he will have been landed by the steamer in which he embarks at Marseilles. Should it be preferred, however, the voyage may be made direct from London, by the Mediterranean mail steamer, from Falmouth, in which the following will be the fares : — From London to Gibraltar, From Gibraltar to Malta . . From Malta to Alexandria, From Alexandria to Beyrout, 6 On landing at Alexandria, passengers should apply at Waghorn and Co.'s India Agency Office and Depot, situ- ated in the Great Square, where, on presenting a letter of introduction from the London office, they will receive all the information, advice, and co-operation, requisite for their purpose, and best adapted to ensure them a short stay in the country, as well as economical arrangements. Waghorn's establishments at Atfeh, Boulac, Cairo, Suez, and hereafter, at every point of ingress and egress through- Chief Cabin, £ s. d. 18 13 12 Second Cabin £ s. d. 12 01 7 10 8 43 27 10 ^1= 16 6 10 4 0, 1 284 ROUTE TO INDIA, EGYPT, &c. out Egypt, will also be at their disposal, and present them the means of cheap, commodious, and expeditious transit, as well as of meeting every want, however trifling, at the €Ost of the country. The only charge for this, is a fee of ten dollars, to be paid on registering at the office in London, or at Alexandria. This secures, in addition to the best information, free access to the Casino and reading-rooms, as also boats, servants, and all other re- quisites, to enable them to proceed to Cairo with comfort and economy ; the luggage being properly attended to ; and when at Cairo, they will, upon application at the office of the firm, meet with cheerful and efficient attention to all their wishes, and receive every information and assist- ance they can desire. The means of conveyance to Suez are there always at hand. Guides to the different places and objects of antiquity or curiosity, viz. the Pyramids, the Citadel, Caliphs' Tombs, Joseph's Well, &c. &c. will be placed at their disposal, and precautions will be taken to prevent their suffering extortion, for want of proper iuformation and support. A reading-room, with the latest papers and periodicals of Europe, India, and elsewhere, is attached to the establishment ; or, should a desire be expressed to visit Thebes, boats will be procured through the same channel. At Suez, the travellers who go through Waghorn's agency, are entitled to apartments gratis ; and there are many other facilities, which wdll be at their command along this point of the Desert. Alexandria, which was the ancient capital of Lower Egy})t, is situated on the Mediterranean, between the Lake Mareotis and the fine harbour formed by the Isle of Pharos. At present it presents a scene of magni- ficent ruins and desolation. It is partly enclosed by walls, evidently of Saracenic structure, and supposed to have been built by one of the successors of Sala(hn, about the year 1212. The ruins of the ancient city, however, are easily traceable over a much larger extent than that en- closed within the wall. As Volney remarks, the traveller passes over a vast plain, furrowed with trenches, pierced with wells, divided by walls in ruins, covered over with ALEXANDRIA. 285 ancient columns and modern tombs, amid palm-trees and nopals, and where no living creature is to be met with, but owls, bats, and jackals. Amid this total ^^Teck of ancient grandeur, inspiring reflections of the most varied description, a few objects only rise distinguishable through the surrouncUng desolation. Of these the most remarkable is that called " Pompey's Pillar,^' a monument of great loftiness and grandeur, and perhaps the finest column that the Corinthian order has ever produced. Its height has been estimated at 11/ feet ; but it appears, by more careful measurements, not to exceed .94 or 95 feet. It consists of three pieces of the finest granite, one of which serves for the pedestal, the other for the shaft, and the third for the capital. The mean diameter is seven feet nine inches, so that the entire contents of the column may be estimated at 6000 feet. It is uninjured, excepting the pedestal, and some portion of the bottom of the shaft. The notion that it was erected by Csesar, to commemorate his victor}' over Pompey, is now generally exploded. Its origin and design ai-e very doubtful. The famous Tower of Pharos has been long since de- molished, and a square and ugly looking castle, called Farillon, has been erected in its place. The island of Anti- Rhodes is in the middle of the pre- sent town, and is only marked out by an eminence covered with ruins. Some parts of the old walls are yet stanchng, and are flanked ^nth large towers, at the distance of about 200 paces from each other, and with smaller intermediate ones. Below are magnificent casements, which may serve for galleries, in which to walk. In the lower part of the towers is a large squai'e hall, whose roof is supported by thick columns of Thebaic stone, and above this are se- veral rooms, over which are platforms more than 20 paces square. The reservoirs, vaulted with much art, and ex- tending under the whole to^An, are almost entire at the end of 2000 years. Of Cajsar's palace there remains only a few porphyry pillars and the front, which is ahnost entire, and a])pears very beautiful. The palace of Cleo- patra was built upon the walls facing the port, having a gailtry on the outside, supported by several fine columns. 286 ROUTE TO INDIA, EGYPT, &c. Towards the eastern part of the palace are two obelisks, vulgarly called Cleopatra's Needles. They are of Thebaic stone, and covered with hieroglyphics : one is overturned, broken, and lying on the sand; the other is on its pe- destal. These two obelisks, each of them of a single stone, are about 60 feet high, by seven feet square at the base. It is by no means creditable to the British Govern- ment, that this relick of antiquity, which was presented to England by the Viceroy of Egypt, and which might be brought here at a cost not exceeding ^5000, should be permitted to remain exposed, to be defaced and mu- tilated, as though we could not afford so contemptible a sum of money as that. Not so the French : they trans- ported to France, about three years since, the Luxor, an obelisk presented to them by the Viceroy. Towards the gate of Rosetta are fine columns of marble, on the place formerly occupied, in all probability, by the porticoes of the Gymnasium. The rest of the colonnade, the design of which was discoverable 100 years ago by Maillet, has been since destroyed by the barbarism of the Turks. The canal of the Nile, already mentioned, is about 70 paces from Pompey's Pillar; and on the top of the hill is a tower, in which a centinel is placed, who gives notice by a flag of the ships that are coming into port. The remains of the ancient reservoirs, with which the city used to be supplied with water, are amongst the most interesting things to be seen ; though the catacombs, per- haps, will stand first in the estimation of many. They begin at the exti-emity of the old city, and extend some distance along the coast, forming what was called the Necropolis, or city of the dead. They consist of small sepulchral grottoes cut in the rock, and the interior of most of the galleries is plastered with mortar. Dr. Clarke says of these catacombs, " Nothing so marvellous ever fell within our observation. The cry^itce of Jerusalem, Tortosa, Jebille, Laodicea, and Telmessus, are excava- tions of the same kind, but far less extensive." He con- ceives them to be of earlier antiquity than the foundation of the Macedonian capital, and to have been the Necropolis of the more ancient city of Bacotis. ALEXANDRIA— BOULAC. 287 About a mile to the east of the catacombs, and within the walls of the ancient city, rises a majestic column, called Dioclesian's Pillar. It is elevated upon an imperfect pedestal, about 12 feet in height, the shaft, which is round, rising to the height of about 90 feet, surmounted mth a Corinthian captal of about 10 feet. The cohimn is one block of large-grained granite, nine feet in diameter, with- out hieroghqihics, and remarkably well cut. No Englishman \T,siting Alexandria, will omit a walk to the glorious field of the 21st of March, where Abercrombie fell. It is at a distance of about four miles from the city, in the direction of Rosetta. There is a ruin here, sup- posed by some to be the remains of a Roman fort. Dr. Richardson, w ith more reason, thinks it to be that of a caravansera. In conclusion it may be remarked, that the site of this once famous city will afford many days' gratifying occu- pation to those fond of exploring the remains of antiquity, which are here spread over a wide surface, and assume a variety of forms There are two routes from Alexandria to Cairo. The most usual route is by water. Embarking at Alexandria, the passengers proceed by the great canal, that has been re-opened by Mehemet Ali, to the Nile, and thence up the river to Cairo. Another route is by the coast to Rosetta, at the mouth of the Nile, whence the passage is up the river to Cairo. The former of these two is the route adopted by Mr. Waghorn. Native boats proceed along the canal as far as Atfeh, and thence through the lock to the Nile. B o u L A c, the port of Cairo, is at the chstance of about two miles from the city. It is mean in appearance, if we except the palace of Ismael Pasha, which presents a sin- gular intermixture of Italian, Greek, and Arabian archi- tecture. The other buikUngs, which occupy the banks of the harbour, consist of houses of from one to two stories high, almost heaped one upon the other. The town is, however, in an improving condition, and bids fair to be- come a place of much interest and importance. 288 ROUTE TO INDIA, EGYPT, &c. A good road leads to Cairo; and the city, as it is approached, presents an imposing appearance : the citadel towering above innumerable other lofty edifices and count- less minarets, all springing as it were out of a grove of the richest foliage. The streets, however, are narrow and unpaved ; and, we need hardly add, are not of the most cleanly description. Most of them have a gate, which is shut as soon as it is dark. A canal, supplied by the Nile, runs through the city, varying from 15 to 20 feet in breadth. Norden calls it " an ill kept ditch." It is an- nually opened to let in the waters amidst great festivities. In the Blrket Eskebequieh, an open, irregular square, vvliich must be crossed to gain the interior of the city, some good buildings will be found. To the right are the })alaces of Ali Pasha, Ahmed Pasha, and other grandees j and in various places the graceful minaret of the mosque will be seen to rear its head. A large wooden gate leads to the Frank quarters of the city, where are three hotels, in one of which the British ambassador resides. The houses of the city generally are well built, partly of stone, but their external appearance will be thought gloomy by the European. There are a great many mosques in Cairo, and several of them are very splendid, being adorned with beautiful granite columns, brought from Heliopolis and IVIemphis. The largest mosque is that of Azhar, which stands in the centre of the city. The next in size is that of Sultan Hassan, which stands near the gate leading to the castle-hill. It is built in the form of a parallelogram, anil has a deep frieze running all round the wall, adorned with gothic and arabesque sculpture.* The castle stands at the east extremity of the city, on a projecting point of Mount Mokettam ; and behind, on a higher ridge of the mountain, is a square fort, erected by the present Pasha, capable of containing a garrison of 400 men. The road to the fortress is hewn out of the rock, and the gates have an imposing appearance. The in- terior comprises many ruins, and a palace of the Pasha, something in appearance like an officer's quarters in ordi- nary barracks. The interior of the citadel is three miles * Each mosque is presided over by a nazir, or warden, who is the trustee of the funds bequeatl.ed for its supi)oit,and appoints the nnnisttrsofrcligi(;n, as wtll as the inferior attendants. CAIRO. 289 in circumference, and it affords one of the most splendid views in Egypt, extending over the ruins of old Cairo, the suburbs of Boulak and Djizah, the site of Memphis, the great Pyramids, the obelisk of Heliopohs, and the ruins of Mateka ; the pyramids of Sahhara, and the "Eternal Nile." Amongst the antiquities shown here is " Joseph's Well," which is cut through the rock to the depth of 270 feet, where it opens a spring of brackish waters on a level mth the Nile, from which it is derived. The " Hall of Joseph" is a noble apartment, though in ruins; the roof, which is now gone, having been supported by four enor- mous pillars of red granite, each of one piece. There is another fine apartment shown here, also called by some travellers " Joseph's Hall," in which stand a large number of granite pillars, which formerly supported the roof. The walk along the rampai-ts is the finest that can be conceived, and commands a most extensive prospect on all sides, including an extraordinary assemblage of objects, ancient and modern, associated with events of a striking and interesting character. Cairo is said to contain 240 principal streets, 46 public squares, 11 bazaars, 140 schools for chikben, 300 public cisterns, 1 166 coffee-houses, 65 public baths, 400 mosques, and one hospital for the infirm and insane. English hotels, as well as lodging-houses, are estabhshed at Cairo ; and houses, both furnished and unfurnished, may be ob- tained by those who prefer them. English medical men are also practising there. Not far from the city, in the way to the desert, is the cemetery of the Mamelukes, the finest burial place in Egypt. The forms of the tombs are various, and some of them magnificent, having domes, supported by finely- carved slender marble colums. The tombs of the Caliphs ai-e at the distance of a mile and a half in another di- rection from the city : they are beautiful structures, being of the light and elegant style of the Saracenic architec- ture, and have some exquisitely worked domes and min- arets. Poor Burkhardt's grave, under a small tomb-stone, scarcely discernible, is just on the edge of that immense desert he was preparing to explore. As Mr. Waghorn justly observes, there is so much in u 290 ROUTE TO INDIA, EGYPT, &c. the way of antiquities to interest the traveller in the vicinity of Cairo, that he vs^ill be amply rewarded for his stay there until the departure of the next month's mail from Suez. To visit the Pyramids the Nile must be crossed, which will occupy three hours ; donkeys may always be had to perform the land portion of the journey, at the rate of three piasters a day. From Cairo to Thebes, the journey will occupy about 15 days. The distance from Cairo to Suez (about 70 miles of desert) is performed by the aid of donkeys, camels, and wheeled carriages. There are also travelling chairs for children. The journey through the desert is made in about two days and a half. Tents are, of course, always at hand, to contribute to the ease and comfort of the travellers. S u E z is a most miserable looking, and, in all respects, uncomfortable, place. The houses are built of mud and wood ; and being bounded by the desert and the sea, not a blade of grass or the foliage of a tree is to be seen around. Extensive salt-marshes, filled with stagnant waters by the tides, render the air bad, and there is not a single spring throughout the place. The Red Sea, at the head of which Suez is situated, is a long and comparatively narrow sea, being about 1200 miles in length, and not more than 200 in its greatest breadth — generally, much less. Its mainline is n.n.w. to S.S.E., and its mid-channel is so even and clear, that notwithstanding its length and narrowness, a straight hue drawn between its extreme points, Suez and Babel-Man- del, does not touch the land on either side, and scarcely even an island, rock, or shoal, of any description. The singularly-formed coral reefs with which the chan- nel abounds are very beautiful in appearance, but they ren- der the navigation extremely dangerous to saihng vessels. As steamers keep the middle of the sea, they encounter no difficulty. In no part of the globe is it possible to meet with a more desolate scene than the shores present, being destitute of every particle of verdure ; not even a blade of grass is to be seen ; and the camels, mules, and JUDDAH— MOCHA— BABEL-MANDEL. 291 poultry, feed upon fish, which is abundant. The brown, rude, and barren appearance of the soil, conveys to the mind an idea that all is exactly as it emerged from the flood. On the east side of the head of the Red Sea, the tra- veller will have a view of Mount Sinai; and the steamers, on their way down, touch at Cosseir, at Juddah, and at Aden, taking in passengers at the two first-mentioned places. Passengers going to Thebes, will find opportuni- ties every three or four days, at Cosseir, to proceed thence in the native boats of the Red Sea to Juddah, whence Mr. Waghorn's agent will forward them to Mocha, to proceed by the conveyance which will take the mails on to India. Juddah is the port of Mecca, from whence pilgrims proceed to the Tomb of the great Prophet ; a distance of about thirty miles. This route, it is said, has never been trodden by any other than the faithful, since the time when the shrine became an object of Mussulman venera- tion. Strangers attempting to pass the gate which leads to Mecca, mil subject themselves to annoyance from the natives. Mocha is famous for coffee, but the natives are igno- rant of the manner of making it ; being accustomed to boil up the stalks, leaves, &c., they render it exceedingly disagreeable. The Straits of Babel-Mandel are, in Arabic, called the Gates of Death, from the fear the ancients had of passing into the ocean. The Arabs of the present day, instead of crossing the Red Sea, always keep in shore, thereby extending a voyage of a couple of days into one of twenty days. From Babel-Mandel to Bombay, the course through the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea is east by north, and forms nearly a right angle with the com'se down the Red Sea. Along this line, the north-east and south-west monsoons blow, not in the exact dnection which their names imply, but nearly east and west. In Mr. Wild's map, recently pubUshed, and which the traveller will find exceedingly useful, we have the dif- 292 ROUTE TO INDIA, EGYPT. &c. ferent distances of the voyage accurately pointed out a follows : — Miles. From Falmouth to Malta 2200 Malta to Alexandria 860 Alexandria to Rosetta 30 Rosetta to Cairo 143 Cairo to Suez 92 Suez to Ghenneh 145 Ghenneh to Cossier 96 Cossier to Juddah 386 Juddah to Mocha 639 Mocha to Aden 150 Aden to Socotra 439 Socotra to Muscat 352 Muscat to Bussorah 737 Bussorah to Bombay 1587 By the Red Sea- Days' Journey. Falmouth to Malta 11 Malta to Alexandria 4| Alexandria to Cairo 2 Cairo to Suez 2 Suez to Juddah 8| Juddah to Mocha H Mocha to Aden 1 Aden to Bombay 10^ Mr. Waghorn's time employed — Days. Alexandria to Cairo 3^ Cairo to Suez 2^ Suez to Aden ' ^i Aden to Bombay 7 FINIS. Palmer and Clayton, 9, Crane-court, Fleet-street. DCSB LIBRARY ^ w 'm\ l» 'W^-