then fled to a distance, attempting with her ragged veil to conceal features apparently not the most lovely. Within the enclosure of the city where strangers are more frequently seen, we found the people less timid. shore, and almost directly Tenedos, we saw several Two of them which some On our return near the opposite to the island of serpents of different colors. what startled us, were black, and though short, sufficiently large, with the aid of the traveller's lips and the poet's imagination, to correspond to those of which Virgil speaks in the story of Laocoon- "Ecce autem gemini a Tenedo tranquilla per alta, We saw also the centipede, and the echinus. The latter was pointed out to me by one of the Greeks, who opened its prickly shell, and ate it raw as he would have done an oyster. Of trees, besides the valani and walnut, the pine was most frequent. The cystus plant was also common. Many hundreds of granite balls which had been formed from ancient columns for the cannon at the Dardanelles, lay scattered about the plain, as though now of little value. The artificial lake which made part of the excellent harbor of Alexandria Troas, is now mostly filled up with sand. While lingering about this spot, and picking up fragments of ancient pottery, &c., some Turkish soldiers came out of a guard house, and asked from whence we were and said that we ought to go before the Aga and Bim bashi. The reason they assigned was that we were not at liberty to carry off antiquities, without payment or permission. As we had nothing of value, we informed them we had not time to stop, and continued our walk towards the vessel. Shortly after a shepherd Turk came to the brow of the hill above us, called upon us to return, and loaded his gun in our sight. I pointed out our vessel, which had its Russian colors flying; shook my travelling firman, and took no farther notice of him. At the place where the boat came off for us, two others approached from a contrary direction. These pointed their guns at one of the young men who was cutting bushes for our live stock, and threatened to fire upon us, if we did not leave the shore. Thinking my Frank dress would afford him some protection, I went and sat down on a rock before him, while he completed his task, and the rest of the party proceeded leisurely to the boat. On reaching the vessel just at night, we found considerable apprehensions had been entertained for our safety, from the length of our absence and the sight of the armed Turks upon the shore. During the excursion, I had given away a quantity of Greek and Greco-Turkish tracts, to travelling Greeks with whom I met. They are not permitted at present to reside in the immediate vicinity of the coast. I felt gratified here on the plain of Troy, a Scene so celebrated in the earliest writings of the Greeks, to distribute among their reputed descendents, books in a language intelligible to them, yet bearing great resemblance even to that in which Homer sung, I have, however, a higher satisfaction in contemplating the holier tendency of the humble narratives of the Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, the Dairyman's Daughter, the Young Cottager, &c. which I have circulated. Their object is not to excite, but to allay the violent passions of men; not to stir up the "Sons of the Greeks" to deeds of murderous war, but to enlist them in that good fight of faith whose "warfare is within." CHAPTER' XXII. SCIENTIFIC NOTICES. Thermometrical observations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean-At Smyrna and Constantinople-Tribute to a departed friend-Geological collection, and notes on Constantinople and the Bosphorus-Shores of the Marmora-Daghamam— Princes' Islands-Dardanelles-Tenedos-Alexandria Troas-Smyrna-Sepulchral stones-Concluding hints. Smyrna, Jan. 1. 1828. THE following summary of my thermometrical journal since I left America, may interest those who are visiting the Mediterranean. You will see, that for the most part, the weather has been of a very agreeable temperature. Occasionally during a calm, the heat was rather uncomfortable, but we have experienced the greatest inconvenience from the cold. Indeed, at almost any season of the year, a good supply of warm clothing is important for a sea-voyage. A temperature which would be grateful amidst active employments on land, causes the sensation of chilliness at sea. While at sea I made repeated observations on the temperature of the water near its surface. As this varies but little from that of the atmosphere, they seem not worthy of insertion.* Atlantic. Average temperature of the air from 17th Sept. to 22d Oct. during voyage from Boston to Gibraltar. Greatest heat within two days' sail of the Azo res, Oct. 4th, Least heat, near American coast, Sept. 19th, 58° Gibraltar to Malta. Gibraltar to Malta, including four days at former place, and three in the harbor of Messina, from Oct. 22 *The importance of such observations as indicating approach to land, soundings and ice, is acknowledged by all skilful navigators. Passengers do well to supply themselves with one or more thermometers, since masters of vessels often sail without, or are left destitute by accident. On my return to America, the Captain's thermometer being broken, mine proved a great convenience, when in a thick fog the mercury suddenly fell more than twenty degrees, to within two or three degrees of freezing. Probably we passed within a mile or two of an ice island. Malta, Nov. 13, to Dec. 17. 6 o'clock, A. M. 12 do. 6 P. M. Greatest heat, 15th, 18th and 19th Nov. Least do. 6th and 12th Dec. Malta to Smyrna. Déc. 17th to 27th. 6 o'clock, A. M. 12 do. 6 P. M. Greatest, 23d Dec. Least, 27th, 6010 62 61 66 56 59° 62/ 59 71 50 Malta, Dec. 1827. My rain gage was made after the model recommended by Pres. D. I expected to set it upon one of the hills of Palestine, but after standing a while on the terrace of a Greek in Smyrna, it is now removed to that of our missionary brethren here. It cost but a dollar and a half, and was a convenient article on ship board for various purposes. Since leaving Constantinople, amidst the pirates of the Archipelago, and the distress of the Morea, I thought it not safe to carry my thermometer. I send you an abstract of my journal to that time. Smyrna, Dec. 27, to Jan. 23, 1827. |