Dr. Holland's Travels in Greece, &c. He has the repute, and I believe deservedly, of being the first botanist in Greece. His knowledge of the progress of chemistry, I found to extend to as late a period as the discovery of the metallic bases of the alkalies; on which subject, and on others connected with chemical science, he was solicitous in asking questions, and ingenious in the remarks with which he accompanied them. It appeared that he had thought much on the various topics of metaphysics and morals, and his conversation on those subjects bore the same tone of satirical scepticism, which was apparent as the general feature of his opinions. We spoke of the questions of materialism and necessity; on both which points, after some remarks which shewed him intimate with the history and merits of these controversies, he declared an affirmative opinion. Connected with these endowments of knowledge and taste, there is in the character of Velara that stoical humour to which I have already alluded; occasionally passing into an air of loftiness and pride, which might better have been suited to the old times of Grecian li berty than to these of modern degrada tion. I am disposed to attribute to this temper of mind, a circumstance, which was surprising to me in a man thus acute and intelligent, an assumption of indifference as to the condition and progress of other countries, and little expression of interest in the anecdotes which conversation suggested on these subjects. With the exception of certain questions upon the state of medicine and chemistry in England, Velara made few enquiries, and seemed studiously to repress any movement of curiosity. The same feel ing, though in a minor degree, I have observed in several other Greeks of literary character; and I cannot otherwise attribute it, than to that indefinite mixture of pride and shame with which they regard the fortunes of their country. I venture to place before the reader these personal details, because I consider Ioannes. Velara to be one of the best examples of the modern literary Greek; superior, indeed, to most of his Countrymen in acquirements, and stronger perhaps in the colouring of his character; but nevertheless exhibiting well all the more decided national features of this people. His reputation is very considerable, and on various occasions I have heard his name cited by Greeks, with a sentiment of pride, which may be pardoned in his origin, and justified in the real merits of the object. THE VALE OF TEMPE. 649 are The term vale, in our language, is usually employed to describe scenery, in which the predominant features breadth, beauty, and repose. The rea-❤ der has already perceived that the term is wholly inapplicable to the scenery at this spot; and that the phrase of Vale of Tempe is one that depends on poetic fiction, ignorantly selecting the materials of descriptive allusion, and conveying an innocent error to the imagination of the modern reader. The real character of Tempe, though it perhaps be less beautiful, yet possesses more of magnificence than is implied in the epithet given to it. The features of nature are often best described by comparison; and to those who have visited St. Vincent's Rocks below Bristol, I cannot convey a more sufficient idea of Tempe, than by saying that its scenery resembles, though on a much larger scale, that of the former place. The Peneus indeed, as it flows through the valley, is not greatly wider than the Avon; and the channel between the cliffs is equally contracted in its dimensions; but these cliffs them, selves are much loftier and more preci. pitous; and project their vast masses of rock with still more extraordinary ab ruptness over the hollow beneath. The length of this remarkable gulph from west to east, is nearly five miles; its direction in this distance varying but little from a straight line. Its breadth is varied by the projection or recession of the cliffs; but there are places in which the bed of the river occupies the whole space between the rocks; and where the interval from the base of one cliff to that on the other side cannot exceed 200 feet, and possibly may be still less. In these places, and indeed through out a great part of the extent of Tempe, the road is carried over and along the ledges of the cliffs; sometimes seeming to overhang the river; then receding to seek a passage across the ravines which descend from the mountain, Livy well describes this singular route," Rupes utrinque ita abscissæ sunt, ut despici vix sine vertigine quadam simul oculorum animique possit. Terret et sonitus et altitudo per mediam vallem fluentis Fenei amnis.' Of the height of the cliffs of Tempe, L cannot speak otherwise than from surmise. Those on the north side, about the middle of the pass, are undoubtedly the highest; and here they appear to rise from six to eight hundred feet above the level of the river; passing more gradually afterwards into the mountain. heights Except in those quarters where the prin. cipal Turks reside, there is a general appearance of life and movement which forms a striking contrast to the monotony of a Turkish town. The quays are covered with goods; numerous groupes of people are occupied about the ships or the warehouses, and the Bazars are well stocked, and perpetually crowded with buyers and sellers, They are in fact chiefly Greeks or Jews who are thus occupied, people ever ready to seize any opening which may be offered to com heights to the south of Olympus, of which they may be considered to form the base. Towards the lower part of Tempe, these cliffs are peaked in a very singular manner, and form projecting angles on the vast perpendicular faces of rock, which they present towards the chasm. Where the surface renders it p ssible, the summits and ledges of the rocks are for the most part covered with small wood, chiefly oak, with the arbutus and other shrubs. On the banks of the river, wherever there is a small interval be. tween the water and the cliffs, it is co-mercial industry, and ever ingenious in vered by the rich and widely-spreading foliage of the plane, the oak, and other forest trees, which in these situations have attained a remarkable size, and in various places extend their shade far over the channel of the stream. The ivy winding round many of them may bring to the mind of the traveller the beautiful and accurate description of Elian, who has done more justice to the scenery of Tempe than any other writer of antiquity. SALONICA. The first two or three days of our residence at Salonica, were chiefly occupied in surveying the interior of this city, well known to antiquity under the name of Thessalonica, and at the present time one of the most considerable towns in European Turkey. In its present state, Salonica is exceeded in population only by Constantinople, and possibly by Adrianopole, among the cities of European Turkey, and in the extent of its commerce is probably second to the capital alone. Its general situation, and the magnificence of its external appearance have already been noticed. The circumference of the city, as determined by the walls, probably exceeds five miles. This included area bas the form of an irregular triangle; the sea wall being the base, and the apex of the triangle being formed by the castle, which surmounts and commands the town. Nearly the whole of this area is occupied by buildings, only a small interval of rocky ground being left between the city and the fortress. The interior of Salonica presents the same irregularity, and many of the same deformities, which are common in Turkish towns. The rapid ascent of the bill diminishes this evil in the upper part of the town; and, on the whole, as respects cleanliness and internal comfort, Salonica may contrast favourably with most other places in Turkey of large size and popu. lation. It certainly gains greatly in the comparison, if activity of business be admitted as a criterion of superiority. meeting and frustrating the political oppressions under which they labour. At the time when we visited Salonica, the great and sudden influx of trade to that port, had afforded such an opening of the most favourable kind; and the character of Yusuf Bey's government was such, as not, in any material degree, to check the progress of industry. The population of Salonica, in its present state, probably exceeds seventy thousand souls. I have heard it esti. mated as high as ninety thousand; but in this statement there appears to be some exaggeration. It is certain, how. ever, that the number of inhabitants has been much increased within the last few years, owing in part to the extended commerce of the place, partly to the settlement of numerous emigrants who have fled hither to shun the power or the vengeance of Ali Pasha. The popu lation is composed of four distinct classes, Turks, Greeks, Jews, and Franks; the last comprizing all those inhabitants who are natives of the other parts of Europe, whether English, French, Germans, or Italians. The Turks probably form somewhat less than half the whole population of the city. Though thus intermixed with other communities of people, they preserve all their peculiar national ha hits, and a greater facility of exercising them than their countrymen of Ioannina. In walking through those quarters of Salonica, which are chiefly inhabited by these people, we were more than once exposed to insult from the young Turkish. boys, who, with the accustomed oppro brious epithets, amused themselves by throwing stones at us. In a case of this kind, it would have been fruitless to remonstrate, and dangerous to offer violence in return. The number of Greek families in Salonica is said to be about two thousand. The greater part of this population is engaged in commerce; and many of the Greek merchants resident here, have acquired considerable property from this source. Dr. Holland's Travels in Greece, &c. source. The trade they carry on is in some measure subordinate to that of the Frank merchants of Salonica; but they have likewise extensive independent connections with Germany, Constantinople, Smyrna, Malta, and various parts of Greece. They do not possess so much reputation in literature as their countrymen of Ioannina, owing perhaps to the difference which their situation produces in the nature of their commercial concerns. I have visited, however, the houses of some of the Salonica mer chants, in which there were large collections of hooks, including as well the Romaic literature, as that of other parts of Europe. Salonica is one of the Greek metropolitan sees, to which eight suffragan bishoprics are annexed. The Greeks have a number of churches in the city, the principal of which is called the Rotundo, rendered remarkable by the domes rising from its roof, and giving an air of splendour to its external ap pearance. THERMOPYLE. We now entered upon that narrow portion of the plain which lies to the south of the Hellada, intervening be tween this river and the precipitous cliffs of Eta. It was in this district, which had the name of Trachinia, that the vast army of Xerxes was encamped, while the passage of Thermopyla was disputed with him by the Grecian army. Look ing over the ground, and recollecting the estimate which Herodotus gives of the number of the Persians, it is difficult not to believe from this observation alone, that the historian has greatly exaggerated their amount, unless indeed we suppose that a large portion of the army was left on the northern side of the Sperchius, or that the multitude extended far to the west up the valley of this river. Presuming, what is probable from the season of the year, that there had been a long continuance of dry weather, we may believe that much of the marshy ground at the mouth of the Sperchius was capable of bearing the march or encampment of an army; but with all these allowances, a presumption still arises from the appearance of the ground against the accuracy of the historian's statement. From the bridge over the river, we proceeded in a south-east direction to wards Thermopylæ, having on our right hand the Trachinian cliffs of Œta, which rise above into the lofty summits anciently called Kallidromos and Tichius, impending over the pass. We were made aware of our approach to this memorable spot, as well by the contracting MONTHLY MAG, No. 271. 651 interval between the cliffs and the sea, as by the columns of vapour rising from the hot springs, which have given origin to the name of the strait. We hastened rapidly towards these springs, which are scarcely two miles distant from the bridge. We observed immediately before us the sacred eminence of Anthela, where the council of the Amphictyons was first assembled; and in the contracted pass in which we now stood, saw the obstacle that prevented the Persians from bursting at once into Greece,—that produced the battle and the glory of Thermopyla. The lapse of 2,300 years has indeed made certain changes in the character of this spot; yet, nevertheless, its more remarkable features still remain to attest the integrity of history, and the valour of those who here sacrificed themselves for their country. The traveller must not, it is true, expect to see the waves washing against the narrow road which winds under the rocks of Eta. A low swampy plain, or what, when I saw it, might well be termed a morass, every where intervenes between the cliffs and the sea; and the alluvial depositions of the Sperchius appear to have been greatest on this side the bay, the river now flowing for some distance opposite and parallel to the pass, before it loses itself in the sea. It is certain, however, that as far back as the time of Herodotus, a morass formed one of the boundaries of the pass even in its narrowest part; and it appears, from his account, that the Phocians had artificially increased this, by allowing the water from the hot springs to spread itself over the surface, with the view of rendering the passage yet more impracticable to their restless neighbours, the Thessalians. From the description of later events by Livy and Pausanias, it is probable, that before their time this swampy plain had extended itself, and become more nearly resembling its present state. DELPHI, Urged forwards by the cold and stormy weather which had now come upon us, we travelled from Salona to Athens in eight days, a period of time, which upder other circumstances would have been much too short, for a country abounding in natural beauty, and in the vestiges of ancient history and art. The first object of interest in our route, was the venerable Delphi, which, though its glories of inspiration are now gone, and its temples levelled with the ground, still preserves something of sanctity in the solitary magnificence of its situation, and 4N in in the silence now resting upon places where all Greece once assembled to the solemnities of the Amphictyonic council, and to the contests of the Pythian games. The modern village of Kastri stands upon the sacred ground, wretched in all but the scenery that surrounds it. Where the splendour of art has disappeared, that of nature has remained; and, standing on the spot, one cannot but admire that taste and spirit of ancient Greece, which chose for its place of national assembly one possessing so many great and imposing features. The lofty and abrupt chiffs rising behind, to form the two Delphic summits; the chasm, and Castalian fountain between these cliffs; the profound valley of the Plistus beneath, bounded on the opposite side by the mountain-ridge of Cirphis ;-all these objects are still in the outline before the eye. About the Pythian cave more doubt may be entertained. Various caverns in the lime-stone rock may be seen at the base of the Castalian cliffs; but none which with any probability will admit of this name. The vestiges of art, with the exception of the stadium, the tombs, and niches cut in the rock, are equally obscure, and even the site of the temple of Apollo is by no means distinctly ascertained, though some have fancied its periboles in an ancient wall of massive stones, which now supports the Greek church of St. Elias, while the site of the temple of Minerva has been assigned to another similar wall at the church of Pan-Agia, on the opposite side the Castalian stream. The traces of antiquity, however, are every-where visible at Kastri in the fragments of marble and Greek inscriptions scattered through the village; and notwithstanding all that Nero obtained from Delphi, it may be presumed that future excavation here will still produce much that is valuable of ancient sculpture. We saw lying on the ground, within the village, the fine remains of a colossal statue, which but two days before had been discovered in digging the foundations of a cottage. We ascended to the summit of one of the Castalian cliffs which overhang the site of Delphi, a woodless steep, though Gray has otherwise pictured it, and at this time covered with snow. The highest points of these cliffs (which may be considered to form on this side the base of Parnassus,) are from six to eight hundred feet above the level of Delphi,-nearly two thousand above that of the sea. We drank of the Castalian fount; but inspi 1 ration would have been impossible with the necessity of guarding against the pollution of dirty clothes, which some ragged females of the village were washing in the sacred stream. Two Greek priests attended us in our survey of Delphi,men, who in wretchedness I could well compare with the priests of Iceland, but who entirely wanted the knowledge which is often so remarkable in the latter. THEBES. The remains of antiquity in Thebes are externally less conspicuous than most of the other great cities of Greece, and, even with the minute details of Pausanias, it is difficult to make out the position of the seven gates, or of the nu merous temples which adorned the city. Three or four places, indeed, may be pointed out within or around the mo dern town, where, from the form of the ground, and the numerous fragments of columns and marbles, it may be presumed that certain of these temples stood; and I doubt not that when circumstances shall allow of excavation here, much will be found to repay research, even though the Mercury of Phidias or the Minerva of Scopias should never again be restored to light. One of these spots is the small Greek church of St. Luke, on an eminence close to the town; now itself in ruins, containing various sculptured marbles, which have thus doubly gone to decay. ther church, to the south of the town, also in a ruinous state, contains similar vestiges of an ancient temple. Many Greek inscriptions are visible, as well in these places as in other parts of the city; but more interesting, because more de finite objects are the fountains of Dirce and Ismenus; the former at the entrance from Livadia, and probably near the site of the Crenean Gate; the latter about half a mile to the south-east of the city. The fountain of Ismenus forms a small pool, through which a body of water gushes from the rock, forming at once a considerable stream. This phenomenon, as I have elsewhere observed, is very common in every part of the limestone forination of Greece. ATHENS. Ano Those who expect to see at Athens only the more splendid and obvious testimonies of its former state, will find themselves agreeably mistaken in the reality of the scene. It may be acknow. ledged that the Parthenon, the Theseum, the Propylcea, the temple of Minerva Pulias, &c. are individually the most striking of the objects occurring here; yet Dr. Holland's Travels in Greece, &c. yet it may perhaps be added, that they have been less interesting singly, than in their combined relation to that wonder ful grouping together of nature and art, which gives its peculiarity to Athens, and renders the scenery of this spot something which is ever unique to the eye and recollection. Here, if any where, there is a certain genius of the place which unites and gives a character and colouring to the whole; and it is further worthy of remark, that this genius loci is one which most strikingly connects the modern Athens with the city of former days. Every part of the surrounding landscape may be recognized as harmonius and beautiful in itself; and at the same time as furnishing those features, which are consecrated by ancient description, by the history of heroic actions; and still more as the scene of those celebrated schools of philosophy, which have transmitted their influence to every succeeding age. The stranger, who may be unable to appreciate all the architectural beauties of the temples of Athens, yet can admire the splendid assemblage they form in their position, outline, and colouring; can trace out the pictures of the poets in the vale of Cephissus, the hill of Colonos, and the ridge of Hymettus; can look on one side upon the sea of Salamis, on the other upon the heights of Phyle; and can tread upon the spots which have acquired sanctity from the genius and philosophy of which they were once the seats. The hill of the Areopagus, the Academy, the Lyceum, the Portico, the Puyx, if not all equally distinct in their situation, yet can admit of little error in this respect; and the traveller may safely venture to assert to himself, that he is standing where Demosthenes spoke to the Athenians, and where Plato and Aristotle addressed themselves to their scholars. No where is antiquity so well substantiated as at Athens, or its outline more completely filled up both to the eye and imagination. The state of society in Athens is distinguished from that of other parts of Greece, by its greater vivacity and freedom from restraint. In this circumstance also there will be seen some affinity to the habits of the ancient Athenians, thought it must be owned that the probable causes are peculiar in part to modern times. The feebleness of the Turkish government here, has contributed much to this effect; still more - perhaps the constant residence of foreigners in the city. The influence of 653 the latter circumstance is distinctly seen in various habits and feelings of the people, and has been considerably extended of late years, by the direction which English travellers have taken during their exclusion from other parts of the continent. There is a certain festivity about Athens which does not equally belong to any other Greek town; the oppression of slavery is less visibly present, and is actually felt in a smaller de.. gree by the inhabitants. Even the Turks here seem to have lost something of their harshness, and become a people of quiet and inoffensive habits. From whatsoever part of Turkey the traveller may arrive, he finds himself coming to a sort of home, where various comforts may be obtained that are unknown elsewhere in this country. Society is more attainable, and the Greek females enter into it in general with much less restrant than in Ioannina or other Greek towns. HYDRA. Near the mouth of the gulph of Argolis, is seen the small isle of Hydra, a spot which, of late, has become very interesting from the extent and importance of its commerce. But a few miles in circum. ference, with a surface so rocky as scarcely to yield the common vegetables, and even without any other water than that collected in cisterns; this little spot. has an active and wealthy population of more than 25,000 souls, and a property in shipping, amounting, it is said, to about 300 trading vessels, many of them of large tonnage, and well armed. I have heard, and have some reason to believe the statement, that there is a merchant in Hydra, whose acquired property amounts to about a million of dollars, and many others, with a trading capital, which bears proportion to this sum. Their trade consists principally in the transport of the produce of this part of Turkey to other quarters of the Medi terranean, and in bringing back to the Levant return cargoes of colonial and manufactured articles. The chief export, especially lately, has been grain; the scarcity of which, for two or three years in the west of Europe, has given an extraordinary stimulus to this traffic. The Hydriote ships, many of them of three, four, or five hundred tops, purchased their cargoes of corn in Greece, Egypt, or Asia Minor; much of it froni the Morea, Thessaly, or Macedonia; and, carrying it down the Mediterranean, ob tained a ready`sale, occasionally at a profit of 40 or 50 per cent. upon the cargo. 4 N 2 ADDITIONAL |