Journal of a Tour in Greece and the Ionian Islands

Chapter I

Voyage from Ancona — Coast of Epirus — First impressions of Corfu, 1 H. Corfu — its intercourse with the opposite coast, 7 III. Albanian Travelling Servant, and Greek Travelling, 20 IV. Ionian Sea — First impressions of Ithaca, . 36 V. Crime, and Criminal justice in Ithaca, . . 46 VI. Topography of Ithaca, 60 VII. Voyage to Petala — First impressions of Continental Greece — Mouth of Acheloiis, . . 82 VIII. Pastoral habits of Greece, ancient and modern, 91 IX. River Acheloiis — Ecliinades — Ruins of Œniadæ, 102 X. Katochi — ■ Acarnanian Peasantry — Village Demarchus, 116 XI. Ætolia — Anatoliko — Mesolonghi — Ruins of Pleuron 127 XIL Mesolonghi — its defence against the Turks — Character of modern Greek nation, . . 143 XIII. Voyage up the Corinthian Gulf — Crissa — Sacred Plain of Apollo, 1 CONTENTS.

IV Page CHAP. XIV. Delphi, 185 XV. Aracova — the Cleft Way — Death of Laius — Daulis, 199 XVI. View of Parnassus — Panopea — Chæronea, . 207 XVII. Field of Chæronea — Monument of Bœotian slain — Orchomenus — Lake Copals, . . 218 XVTH. Livadia — Khan of, and its inmates, . . 229 XIX. Lake Copais — Haliartus— Thebes. . . 248 XX. Cithæron — Bacchæ of Euripides — Platæa — Battle of, 262 XXI. Platæa — Character of its Citizens — its destruction by Sparta — Remarks on Spartan character, . 273 Additional Notes, Greece is a country which can never cease to assert a powerful hold on the sympathies of enlightened Europe, whether from the charm of her historical recollections, the beauty of her scenery, or the grandeur and elegance of her ancient monuments. It is, however, very doubtful how far her own claims on public attention may be favourable to the interest of a work, the scope of which is to extend or enforce them.

Her objects of attraction, as being superior in character to those of which most other countries can boast, have been very frequently and ably described ; but as, on the other hand, they are not perhaps equally remarkable for number or variety, there is here the less room for exercise of ingenuity, in impart ing popularity to an old subject by a new method of treatment. As regards her social condition, during the last two centuries that Greece has been habitually fre- VI INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. quented by Frank travellers, she has remained— up to a very recent period— altogether stationary ; so that no velty was perhaps still less to be expected in the portion of any such work devoted to what is called, in the tech nical language of the present day, the personal narrative, than in its literary or scientific department.

Although, therefore, the description of any newly-discovered monu ment, or hitherto little explored region of the classic land, might hope for some share of attention from the practical scholar or antiquary, the announcement of a volume of Greek travels seemed to promise little more to the general reader, than an addition to an already superabundant stock of treatises on a somewhat thread bare subject. Of late years, however, new and interesting matter of observation has been opened up to the curious traveller in this apparently exhausted region, by the political changes it has undergone — by the overthrow of the Turkish dynasty within its bounds, its establishment as an independent state, and the eight years of extermin ating war of which these events were the consequence. Formerly a tour in Greece was, in fact, and frequently was entitled, a tour in Turkey.

The mountains, rivers, seas, and ancient monuments, were those of Hellas ; but all the more prominent features of human life and action were foreign to her soil. Such a work, therefore, partook perhaps more of an oriental, than of either an European or a classical character. The author transplanted us into a world of mosques and harems — of pashas and agas — of firmans, Tatars, and Janissaries. The actual Greek population, the real children of the soil, had but little part in the matter; unless through the medium of an incidental malediction against their sordid servile character, or a lamentation over their fallen state, and the cruel tyranny to which they were subjected by their Turkish masters, according as the traveller might happen to be influenced by the humour of the moment, or the bias of his political predilections.

This long familiar picture of oriental life is now effaced. The Turk, with all the appendages of Mos lemism, has been swept off the land, and the Greek re instated in its exclusive possession. The titles above cited from the court calendar of Constantinople, have been supplanted by the more classic sounding appellatives of Nomarches and Demarchus — Strategos and Chiliarchos.* The whole appearance of the country, and of its towns and villages, has been changed — unfortunately not for the better. The old Greek population, on entering on their new career of independence, have assumed, in many respects, a new and improved charac ter. Many favourable traits, which had lain smothered under the Turkish oppression, have been brought to light; and the natural talent of the race, universally acknowledged to be great, although for the present per- * Governor — mayor, or justice of peace— general — colonel. haps little favoured by circumstances, will, it is to be hoped, daily obtain a wider and more beneficial field for its display; while the anomalous features which the sudden transition from bondage to independence could not fail to stamp on the character and habits of a lively people, render the study of both replete with amusement, as well as instruction.

To place this altered state of society in as distinct a light as the author's opportunities would permit, has been the scope of a considerable portion of the following journal. His passage through the country was indeed rapid — far too much so for the execution of any finished picture. Possibly, however, any little value to which his sketches can lay claim, may not be diminished by the circumstance that they embody the lively impression of the moment, rather than the results of elaborate study and analysis.* But although it is to the personal narrative that the author has chiefly to look for any small share of general popularity his pages may be destined to obtain, so little has it been his object to exclude the classical or antiquarian element, which indeed can hardly fail to enter into a work of this nature, that he has rather perhaps reason to fear, lest it should have been placed more in the as- * It may be proper to remark, in illustration of certain parts of his journal, that the author travelled under the military title of Colonel, which appertains to him as Commandant of a Scottish regiment of militia.

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. cendant than may be agreeable to many. It has, how ever, been his wish to confine it to matters not altogether devoid of interest, even to those who may not have made classic lore an especial object of study; together with such notices of existing monuments — some of them not previously explored or described— as the future traveller in the same route, who might consider his journal worth consulting, would be entitled to expect. Whatever appeared to exceed these Umits has been embodied in the notes. The portion of the text devoted to the Ionian islands has been bestowed chiefly on Ithaca, an island possessing, both in its classical recollections and in its present social condition, strong claims on the attention of the intelli gent traveller. For the better understanding of the historical allusions interspersed throughout these pages, a brief summary is here subjoined of the events which led to the late change in the political state of Greece.

The revolt from the Sultan was originally planned and matured by a Secret Society, called the Hetœria, which had for its object to re-awaken and keep alive the dormant national spirit, until a favourable opportunity should occur for calling it into activity. The remote origin of this association has been traced as far back as the close of the last century ; but it was first fully organized, at Athens, in 1814. From thence it soon spread over the whole of European Turkey ; and the perfect secrecy maintained, consider- X ing the number and miscellaneous character of its members, is certainly very creditable to the Greek character. The first outbreak took place early in 1821, in the pro vinces of the Danube, but was speedily suppressed. The rising of the Morea, in April of the same year, was more successful.

The Turks were defeated in several pitched battles; — Navarin,* Tripolizza, the metropolis of the Peninsula,*!* and other towns, were taken ; and before the conclusion of the year the whole of the Morea, with the exception of one or two fortresses, was in the possession of the Greeks. The insurrection spread north of the Isthmus, and to the islands. In the course of the year 1822, Corinth,:): Athens,§ and Nauplia,'* fell into the hands of the patriots, who soon obtained, together with the superiority at sea, virtual mastery of the whole country they now possess ; and successfully resisted or destroyed all the powerful armaments fitted out by the Sultan for the re-establishment of his authority. These fair prospects were damped by the appearance of Ibra him Pasha in the port of Navarin, on the 24th of Feb ruary 1825, with the fleets and armies of Egypt.

The Morea was speedily overrun by his troops. Tripolizza,^ Mesolonghi,** and Athens, tt were successively retaken, and the cause of the insurgents seemed desperate, when the triple alliance interfered. The battle of Navarin was * August. ■(* October 5. { January 26. § May 13. || December. f June 20, 1825. ** April 22 18">6 tt June 5, 1827. fought on the 20th of October 1827 ; and the subsequent diplomatic arrangements established Greece as an independent state,* the boundaries of which were fixed by a line drawn from the gulf of Arta to the pass of Ther mopylæ. The form of government first attempted was republican ; but was productive of little else than dissension and anarchy. Count Capo d'lstria, who enjoyed the title of President, was assassinated, from motives of pri vate malice, on the 9th of October 1831.

The supreme authority was then conferred, with the title of King, on prince Otho, second son of the King of Bavaria, who landed at Nauplia in January 1833, and fixed his seat of government at Athens. A representative constitu tion was promised to the nation on the final establish ment of order and regular police ; but the power of the king in council still remains uncontrolled by any species of popular check. The whole population of continental Greece, according to its present limits, prior to the revolution, has been rated, apparently on trustworthy data, at about 560,000 souls.t It were to be supposed that, owing to the ex pulsion of the Turks and the disasters of the war, this estimate ought now rather to be diminished. The go vernment returns, however, inserted in the Hellenic * February 3, 1830. f Gordox, History of Greek Revolution, vol. i. Introduction.

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. Epheteris, or Almanack, for 1837, (the year preceding the author's visit,) give 926,000 as the gross amount, for both continent and islands. No returns are given of the population of the towns. Athens, in 1838, was com monly held to contain 20,000 souls. According to the same official document above quoted, the standing army on the peace estabUshment numbers 13,326. The navy consists of thirty-two vessels, large and small ; the largest, a twenty-gun corvette. The gross ordinary revenue for 1836 exceeded £500,000,* and has since been on the increase. The national debt, in the same year, amounted to about £1,700,000 ; the civil list to £37,000. The kingdom is divided into thirty governments or prefectures, (diœceses;) with eighteen subprefectures, (hypodiœceses.) Each of these districts is subdistributed into demi or mayoralties, chiefly presided over by respectable peasants, to the number of about four hundred and fifty.

Besides schools of theology, medicine, and jurispru dence, modern Hellas boasts of five gymnasia or univer sities, at Athens, NaupUa, Mesolonghi, Hydra, and Syra; twenty-five academies, called Hellenic ; and upwards of a hundred schools of a more elementary character, called * 13,623,81" drachms. There are about twenty-seven drachms in a pound sterling. A Spanish or Roman dollar passes current for six. The drachm is subdivided into 100 leptd. Demotic ; supported in whole or in greater part by the government.* On the settlement of the new dynasty, the Hellenic church threw off its allegiance to the patriarch of Con stantinople, and is governed by a synod of five prelates selected by the king from the thirty bishops who form the hierarchy of the estabUshment. The monastic institutions are in course of being abo- Ushed, with a few special exceptions; aud their lands appropriated by the State. * Something is also contributed towards the maintenance of several excellent schools, established in different parts of the kingdom by foreign, chie8y American, missionaries.

Caldwell, ERRATA. VOL. I. Page 40, line 21, for peculiar rites, read peculiarities. " 63, " 12, /or Planota, read Plancta. " 102, foot note, for Plate II., read Plate I. " 107, sqq. foot notes, for Plate III., read Plate II. " 168, line 2, for Bazzaris, read Bozzaris. " " " " for Diamondopoulos, read Diamandopoulos. " 188, line 14, for Cassino, read Casino. " 231, " 1 7, for windows, read window. " 277, " 7, for care, read case. VOL. II. Page 48, ) „ T „ ,. > for Lyon, read Lyons. " 113, line I, for apothegm, read apophthegm. " 127, " IS, for in the roads, read on the roads. " 152, " 1 , for ar, read for. " 162,*) " 163, > for Herœum, read Heræum. " 165,) " 167, " 6, /or herœum, read heroiim. " 307, " 30, for part, read port. DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES. Vol. I. The Continent of Greece . to face . .

Title Ithaca after Leake . . . ... . . Page 6 1 Mouth of the river Acheloiis . ... . . ... 1 02 Ruins of Œniadæ .... ..... ... 107 Delphi after Leake . . ... . . ... 185 Parnassus from plain of Panopea ... . . ... 207 Vol. II. Athens from Pass of Daphne . ... 44 after Wordsworth . ... . . ... 52 Plain and Bay of Marathon 108 Mycenæ ■•• 164 Sculpture over Gate of Mycenæ ... - . ... 168 Heræum . . . . . ••• • • ... 179 Pyramid near Argos . . ... . • ... 195 Bridge of Xerokampo . . ... ■ ■ ••• 248 Olympia after Leake . . ■■• CO The doOrdLine marks the Author.' rot/lc . the Continent OF S _B IS LESS according to its present limits . J.f-'ilJunimyt LLAcf. TOUR IN GREECE.

CHAPTER I. VOYAGE FROM

AXCONA— COAST OF EPIRUS— FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF CORFU. (3ouZ6rai roil irguvsg s^oyot x.ardx.stvrai, AaSuvahv apyb^tvot, irobg 'Ibviov irogov. Pind. Nem. iv. 52. " There, stretching from Dodona's sacred steep, Huge cliffs extend along the Ionian deep." On the afternoon of Saturday the 17th of February 1838, I embarked at Ancona in the Austrian steam packet for Corfu, which port we reached, after a fair average passage, about the same hour on the second day. The weather on the 18th was dull and dark. The only visible objects, besides water and clouds, were the numerous islands to the eastward, extending from the coast of Dalmatia far into the centre of the gulf. They are not remarkable for beauty, either of outline or grouping; and although on a bright day, relieved by an azure sea and sky, they may have a cheerful and picturesque effect, their broken masses now tended but little to enliven the general gloom of the prospect.

But on the following morning the view from the deck was one of unusual splendour. The weather was clear, and A CORFU, 2 the sun of Greece shone bright. We were now coasting along the mainland of Epirus, which here consists of one uninterrupted line of lofty mountains, extending down to the water's edge in precipitous cliffs or rugged declivities, and terminating, often at no great distance from the shore, in snowy peaks of dazzling whiteness. The prospect, in addition to its grandeur, had for me all the charms of novelty; for, although familiar, both in Italy and in my own native country, with many a lofty iron-bound coast, I do not remember having elsewhere seen a continuous ridge of snow-capped mountains, rising thus abruptly from the very brink of the sea. This whole range bore among the ancients the very appropriate name of Acroceraunian, or Thunder-cliffs.

The general aspect, even of their less precipitous flanks, was that of a barren rocky wilderness, relieved here and there by a coating of heath or brushwood, or by patches of stunted oak forest. Occasionally, in some more sheltered recess, an Albanian village could be recognised, more by the dark shade of a few straggling cypresses, than by its own cottages, rudely constructed of broken fragments of the rock on which they are founded, and from which they are not easily distinguished either by their colour or form. In the midst of these groups of hovels a better-looking structure might some times be observed, with an upper floor and a whitewashed exterior — the dwelling, perhaps, of a patriarchal robber-chief,* or possibly, of some petty agent of Turkish rapacity on the occupants of the humbler mansions by which his seat of authority was surrounded.

Over the remoter summits rolled heavy masses of silver-white * Among the Albanians, it may scarcely be necessary to remark, robbery is one of the most honourable professions — as it was with the population of the same country in the days of Thucydides, (Hist lib. i. c. 5.) CORFU 3 cloud. But as the momentary clearing of the horizon discovered from time to time, at the extremity of the wider glens that opened up from the maritime ridge, some distant peak of the interior, one delighted to figure to one's-self the region of the " wintry Dodona," the primeval seat of the Hellenic race — shorn, indeed, of its ancient sanctity and honour, but still inhabited, as in Homer's time, by a race "with unwashed feet, and sleep ing on the ground."* There is something in this mode of forming a first acquaintance with any country, especially one so rich in associations, and so novel and romantic in appearance, far more interesting than merely crossing a frontier or disembarking on a coast.

During six or seven hours, the whole face of the land, or at least those features of its surface that offered most to gratify and least to offend the imagination, lay spread out, as it were, on a map for our inspection. If, on the one hand, it was tantalizing to be unable to follow up this more general acquaintance by a closer familiarity with the interior, the fancy had at least free scope for filling up the deficiency from its own resources, or from those which the poetical geography of the district so richly supplied, without the risk of its illusions being marred by the uncongenial realities, which a day's march up the country could hardly have failed to force on the attention. As we advance, the coast of Corfu rises to the south, presenting one long swelling mountain ridge, " Spread Hke a shield upon the dark blue sea."f Towards the entrance of the channel, between the island and the continent, the scene is enlivened.

Numerous * dvitrrotroSig, yafj.aituvai H. xvi. 235. t ug ors livh sv rit^oeiSei irbvru — Odyss. v. 281. CORFU. vessels are seen shaping their course in different directions ; the natural features of the Turkish coast become less rugged, while its custom-houses and castles, of bright exterior, and the improved appearance of its domestic edifices, give it a more civilized aspect. The first view of Corfu, however, so celebrated in all ages for beauty and amenity, was rather a disappointment, though one for which ample amends were made on further acquaintance. Mount Pantokratora, or San Salvatore, as it is called in the Greek and Italian dialects respectively, here forms the whole visible landscape of the island. Its outline is graceful — its surface one dark mass of luxuriant groves, of olive, cypress, and ilex.

But I miss here, as along the whole shore both of these islands and of continental Greece, the gay white lines of build ing with which my eye had long been familiar on every populous district of the Italian coast; and in the interior, those elegant clusters of towers, parapets, open galleries, and balconies, which form the characteristic features of even the meanest groups of rural architecture in that fair country, and impart to each hamlet, or larger assemblage of farm buildings, the air of a castle or palace. In this extensive forest of gardens not a single village was to be seen, while the few white cottages that could be detected were so small and low, as scarcely to be visible amid the thickets in which they are imbedded. The dark woods of Corfu were as celebrated formerly as now, and from them it is said to have received among the ancient mariners the familiar title of " the black Corcyra." * The eastern extremity of this long mountain ridge, which forms the greatest breadth as well as height of the island, projects to within a mile and a half of the main- * Apoll.

Rhod. Argon, iv. 5G9. CORFU, 5 land. On clearing the strait, the sea again expands into an open gulf between the two coasts, and the citadel, town, and port of Corfu appear in sight, forming the centre of an amphitheatre of rich and varied scenery. To the right, the interior of the island offers a wide stretch of hill and dale, finely planted and cultivated, and backed by the woody summits of San Salvatore. In front, the city itself is as yet half concealed by the green slopes of the islet of Vido, spread over a basement of yellow rocks, and crowned with extensive lines of fortification. The promontory on which the town is situated termi nates to the eastward in the citadel, a nearly insulated rock, with its summit split into two lofty peaks, from whence its own name and that of the island is derived.* Where not occupied by buildings, its sides are mantled by a profusion of evergreens and wild-flowers.

To the left the coast of Albania has now a more open and genial character. The ridges of snowy mountain retire into the distance, while the land in the immediate vicinity of the sea offers, by its comparatively bleak but varied landscape, a fine contrast to the richly clothed and cultivated shores of the island. The feature of the town which first strikes the eye accustomed to the architecture of the opposite side of the Adriatic, is the diminutive size of the buildings, both public and private. The comparison suggests itself the more readily, owing to the correspondence in other respects between the habits of the two countries. Every thing appeared a miniature of what I had left behind at Ancona, Civita Vecchia, and other Italian ports of the same rank. This remark, however, applies merely to general form and structure ; for the Italo- Greek architecture has little or no pretension to the ornamental * /.oppol.

CORFU, elegance of the native Italian. The most remarkable edifices are the barracks, built by the protecting government on the north side of the citadel, and the palace of the Lord High Commissioner. The latter, a work of Sir Thomas Maitland, now asserts the same high superiority over the other dwellings of the city, as did that of the hero who swayed the destinies of the island at the period of the visit of Ulysses : — " The stately palace overlooks the town, From every dome by pomp superior known, — A child may point the way." * On approaching the quay, we are surrounded by boats full of mariners and porters, clamorously soliciting the privilege of taking us on shore, in a Babel of tongues. Although a few strange and highly picturesque costumes are visible, the general appearance of this population, to one arriving from Italy, presents few features of novelty. * Pope's Odyss. vi. 300. CORFU, 7

Chapter II

CORFU— ITS INTERCOURSE WITH THE OPPOSITE COAST. The family ofthe Lord High Commissioner, Sir How ard Douglas, comprised several old and valued friends of my own, whom I had requested by letter to provide the best accommodation the place supplied, against the day of my arrival. Their answer, however, had not reached me before my departure from Ancona. I therefore, on dis embarking, proceeded with an English fellow-passenger to secure quarters for myself, in a lodging-house which had been recommended to us as affording the best in the town. This establishment, dignified by the title of Tay lor's Hotel, or, in more homely phraseology, Sergeant Taylor's lodgings, (being kept by the wife or widow of a retired officer of the name and rank above mentioned,) was one of the most diminutive of the small mansions of the city.

It contained several spare rooms, dark, close, and dismal, but not uncleanly, with an aspect into an equally dismal-looking street, at prices equal to what would be asked for the best apartment in a good Italian hotel. It seems a strange thing that the capital of an important British dependency, containing a population of 20,000 souls, with a large garrison, and numerous civil and military functionaries of our own nation, besides the native nobility and gentry, and forming the leading point of inter-communication between Eastern and Western Europe, should not contain so much as a tolerable inn. An attempt was made some years ago to establish one, the failure of which was ascribed chiefly to the circum- CORFU. 8 stance, that visitors are in the habit of depending more for their entertainment on the hospitality of their own acquaintance, or of persons to whom they may be recommended, than on any species of public accommodation.

But, although the English tourist may in most instances reckon upon a bed in the quarters of a countryman, this can hardly be the case as regards the numerous travellers from other parts of Europe, who annually visit the island. The reason therefore, although perhaps the best that can be assigned, seems hardly sufficient. My own experience, it is true, went far to justify it, ; for while we were making arrangements with the landlady, a young officer of the garrison, who, on return from leave of absence, had been our fellow navigator, came to announce that there was a vacant bed at the English Club House, which he politely placed at our disposal. The offer was eagerly accepted by my companion, who was more offended with the homeliness of the sergeant's apartments than myself, and to whom I ceded my claims.

A few minutes after wards I heard my name called by familiar voices at the door, and in less than a quarter of an hour was estabhshed in most luxurious quarters at the palace, leaving the poor landlady not a little disconcerted at being thus suddenly robbed of two promising guests. The carnival was now approaching its conclusion, and the evening of my arrival was that appointed for a grand ball at the palace, as a winding up of its festivities. The chief topic of interest at this moment with all classes was an adventure on the Turkish coast, of which a member of the Buonaparte family had been the hero. The individual in question was a son of the Prince of Canino, (better known in England as Lucien Buona parte,) who, about two years before, had been tried and found guilty by the Roman tribunals of the crime of murder, in deliberately shooting, while following his CORFU, 9 game on his father's estates in the Campagna, a country fellow whom he suspected of poaching, or who had given him some other real or imaginary cause of provocation.

During my residence at Rome in the winter of 1836, 1837, he was lying in the castle of St Angelo under sentence of death, or of the galleys for life ; and it was then understood that his holiness, as a practical evidence of the blind impartiality with which justice is administered in his dominions, was determined, waiving all claims to pardon or mitigation of sentence which the offender might derive from his rank and connexions, to allow the law to take its course. The result, however, was dif ferent ; for owing chiefly, as was said at the time, with what truth I know not, to the exertions of a distinguished British ex-diplomatist who happened to spend that season at Rome, and whose family is connected by marriage with the criminal, he was set at liberty, with the simple award of banishment from the papal states.

In the course of his travels he visited Corfu, and hired a small house in the country, with the object of pursu ing his favourite occupation of the chase. The opposite coast offers more particularly a fine field for this diversion, and is accordingly much frequented by the sportsmen of the garrison. Turkey, however, it must he observed, is always, in regard to our islands, in that state which the Adriatic navigators call Contumacy ; that is to say, all intercourse with its coast is subject to a quarantine of greater or less duration, according to its reputed sanitary condition for the time being. This restriction never ceases entirely, as might otherwise be the case? owing to the neglect of all quarantine police by the Turk ish government — a consequence of their predestinarian prejudices; hence there can be no security against the sud den spread of contagion, or the existence of lurking disease in the interior, even at periods when the immediate shore CORFU, is apparently in the healthiest state.