I [o < ^ If nuihtTl laf AN OFFICIATING DEACON OF THE GREEK CHURCH. WITH HIS TWO CHILDREN /// ////■- crrlinof) rrsdunr cl' (\phaloma llavafi\o le^oSiavxjir \co(ja^as Pajtarr^rjs o OX'- If occajs FewpT io\-. THE IONIAN ISLANDS IN THE YEAR. 1863. PROFESSOR D. T. ANSTED, M.A., F.R.S., ETC., ETC., ETC. " The isles of Greece ! The isles of Greece ! • Where bvirning Sappho loved and sung — Where grew the arts of war sgad peace." — Bteon. LONDON: Wm. H. ALLEN & CO., 13, WATERLOO PLACE, S.W^ 1863. LEWIS AND SON, PEINTEKS, SWAN BUILDIHOS, MOOBQATB 8TB1BT. PREFACE. When it became probable that the islands forming the Septinsular Republic of Ionia after having re- mained imder the protection of the British Cro^vn since the Peace of 1815, were likely soon to become a part of Greece, I felt that it would be interesting, m every way, to visit them before so great a change should take place. The presence of my fellow-coun- trymen could not fail to render the task of investi- gation comparatively easy. I should see a country preparing for a peaceful revolution. I should be able to judge in some measure what England had done, how far she had fulfilled the responsible office she had undertaken, and what was the probability of her plans being carried out. I should be able at a turnmg pouit in their history to observe and study IV PREFACE. the physical geography and geology of the islands and the customs of the people; and, although a mere looker on, I might perhaps see as from "svith- out, and judge more fairly than those mingled in the strife how far there was reason for the unpopu- larity of British government in the Nationtd Assem- bly that had been so long notorious. The results of my \'isit will be found in the following pages. They represent the islands and people as they are, and as I saw them, and I hope they will reflect a part of that satisfaction and plea- sure I experienced whilst making my observations. I owe the warmest acknowledgments to all my numerous and kind friends in all the islands. From the Lord High Commissioner, the Residents, the Secretary to the Government, and the other officers of State, through every rank to the poorest boat- man, mule driver, policeman, and servant, both from my fellow-countrymen and from natives of the islands, I have everywhere met with the most friendly hospitality, and the most ready attention to all my wants. Hospitality is, indeed, now no less than in clas- sical tunes a sacred duty in these islands, and it is a duty most conscientiously performed. Where all have cxhil)itcd sucli kindness, I dare not })articu- PREFACE. V larize; but I confess I have been as frequently touched at the evident pain -with which the refusal to accept some act of simple kindness has been received as "vvith the expression of satisfaction when some small service has been rendered. That a people with so many good qualities as these islanders, should possess at the same time a share of the weaknesses and vices so common on the shores of the Levant, is not sui'prismg. But their good qualities exist, and must not be for- gotten. Xo one who has visited the Ionian Islands can, I think, doubt that a change fi'om the present mode of government to that which will succeed it under a Greek king must involve a period of great trial. The enthusiasm with which union of Greece will be welcomed must soon cool do^vn under the influence of reality, and a very difficult task will then be commenced, that, namely, of adapting the old method under which the people have gro^vn up — always in leading-strings — to any new method consistent with the management of a kingdom under a constitutional govermnent. That the ultimate result may be satisfactory, that England may see the kingdom of Greece flourish and become great under the Prmce who has now VI PREFACE. been selected to guide her destinies, and that the East may once more possess a powerful, indepen- dent, and well-governed Christian kingdom, would be a result worthy of the nineteenth century, re- markable already for the revival and restoration of Italy. And let not an apparent failure or early troubles discourage those who wish well to Greece. The way to freedom is not smooth and flowery. Free- dom loves to dwell on rocky shores and in almost inaccessible haunts; but Greece has already been her home, and she does not easily forget the spots once made sacred by her presence. Impinqton Hall, Cambridge, August, 1863. CONTENTS. CORFU. CHAPTER I. Pago Trieste to Corfu — The island from the sea — Corfu and the Corfiots — The modern tovrn, the churches, and the university — Public build- ings, occupations, manufactures, and markets — The suburbs — Public amusements — The citadel — Fortifications of the town — Vido — The Lazaretto 3 CHAPTER II. Ancient Corcyra and modern Corfu — Lake Calichiopiilo and the Hyllaic Harbom* — The gardens of Alcinous and the spring of Cressida — Divisions of the island of Corfu — The ohve groves and the cypress — Habits and growth of the olive — Absence of cultivation — Production of oil — The women and children of Corfu — Houses and habitations — Rarity of streams — The River Potamos — The villages of the plain — Alepu and CurcmnelU — The houses of the villagers and small pro- prietors — Country houses of the gentry — Govino. 35 CHAPTER III. Excursion to Pelleka — The road, the village, and the view — Chapels on the hill tops — Val di Roppa — Its appearance and imhealthy state — Paleocastrizza — Beautiful clifi" scenery of this part of the island — Monastery and convent — The monks and nuns — Chapel of the con- vent — Pantaleone and the coimtry beyond — Sulphur deposits at Spagus — Character of the country people — Ipso and its gypsum — Spartilla — San Salvador — Ascent fi-om Glypho — Signes . . .69 Vlll CONTENTS. t CHAPTER IV. Page Excursion to Benizze — Gasturi and Stavro— Springs at Benizze — Road to the Santi Dcca — Ascent of the mountain — Views from the top — Pass of Garuna— Mountain of San Mathias — Lake of Corissio — Mcditerranoan tides — Escape of the rain-water and formation of swamps — Malaria and ague fevers — Lefkimo — Paxo and Antipaxo . 9G SANTA MAURA. CHAPTER V. Santa Maura — The island and its early history — Remarkable position with regard to the mainland of Greece — Later history — The chief town — Its position and origin — The Lagoon — Approach to the island — Description of the town — Its bouses and suburbs — The fort — Cyclo- pean remains and antiquities — Preparations for the Prince's wedding day — The levee — The performance at the church — The ball — Cos- tumes — The supper — Behaviour of the guests — Illuminations — Influ- ence of the Resident . 125 CHAPTER VI. The outskirts of the town — The ancient city of Leucas — The honey bee and the beehives among the ruins — Position of the ancient Leucas — Antiquities of the island — Cultivation of the olive — Effect of earth- quake action — The roads to Moimt Scarus — Tlie kettlo-shaiwd valleys — Scarus — Its monastery and ilex forest — The hospitaUty of the monks — The boidder, the chapel, the mysterious well, and the goat shed — The shady walks near the town — The villages in tlio outskirts — Account of Phrene or Frini — The beds of the streams near the hills after rain — The niins in the olive groves and their modern uses — The Turkish well and the cafes of the groves — Mechanical result of the growth of the olive in imdermining old wslls — Meganisi and other islands 16G CONTENTS. IX CHAPTER VII. Page Visit to the interior of the island — Family arrangements — Communism and patriarchal system among the people — Road to the mountauis — Mountain villages — Englnvi and its primate— Costumes of the Til- lages and towns of Santa Maura — Rise of the mountain towards Stavrota — Descent to Attane — House of the chief person of the dis- trict — Arrangements of the interior — Briganda formerly in the island — Hospitality of the people — Earthquake and storm — Bituminous shale near Attane — Geology of Santa Maura — Stavrota — Sappho's Leap — Descent to Basilike ........ 198 ITHACA. CHAPTER VIII. Ithaca — Romance and poetry of the island — Ithaca, the country of Ulysses — Passage to the island from Basilike — Coast of Santa Maura and Ithaca — Arrival at Erikis Bay — Singular mineral springs — The school of Homer — Condition of this ruin — Its real nature and meaTiing— View from the ruins — Peculiarities of structure — Exoi — Visit there and reception — Modern school contrasted with the ancient — Sail to Bathi — Gulf of Molo — The town — Bathi from a distance — Dexia — The Resident at Ithaca — Population of the island — Town of Bathi — Resources of the island — Cultivation in Ithaca — Fisheries — Sponges — Occupations of the people — Boat building — Prospects for the future 231 CHAPTER IX. Excursions from Bathi — Cave of Dexia — Ancient and modem grottoes of the Naiads — The Prince's pony — Visit to Corax and the fountain of Arethusa — The cliff at Arethiisa's Fountain — Water and ferns over- hanging the source — Cathara and the ancient Neritos — View from the mountain top — Hospitality of the Superior at Cathara — Lenten repast provided for the traveller — Aitos, or the Eagle's cliff — Castle of Ulysses — Great extent of the ruins — Style of architecture — The Acropolis — View from Aitos — Laertes' farm — Homer's poetical use of Ithaca and its buildings defended — Calamos.. Petala and the Echinades 258 CONTENTS. CEPHALONIA. CHAPTER X. Page Cephalonia — Its position and the origin of its name — Communication with Ithaca — Gulf of Samos — The old city of Samoa — Cyclopean walls — Roman remains and Roman conquest of Samos — Construction of the walls — Polygonal and Hellenic styles — Gate and towers — The Acropolis — Accommodation at the modem town — Antiquities found near the sea — Vases — Journey to Argostoli — Sir C. Napier and the roads — The town of Argostoli — Hotel — Wine manufacture . . 293 CHAPTER XL Mills at Argostoli driven by sea water running into the earth — Explana- tion of the phenomenon — Tide at Argostoli — Ancient city of Cranea — Wall-masonry — Plan of walls and gates — State of preservation of the walls — Effect of vegetation in wearing Umestone rock — Anti- quities of Cranea — Mount Enos — Ascent to the Black Mountains — San Gerosimo and its convent — Miracles performed there — Pine forests on the mountains^Legendary lore — The dragon and the brothers Lucchcsi — Murders on the mountains — The goats, and the mischief they do to the young trees — The vale of Rakli — Circular lakes — Return to Argostoli 322 CHAPTER XII. Manufactures of Cephalonia — Wine — Culture of the grape and currant vine — Aloe — Aloe-fibre lace — Basket-work — Carpet-weaving — Boat- building— Lixuri — The town — The market — The mole — Moving rock- Gypsum near Lixuri — Its grotesque appearance — Sulphur springs — Climat« of Cephalonia — Sanitary condition — Earthquakes — Curious circular lake — Ancient Pronos — Sudden rising of the sea — Scala and the ruins there — Cultivation of the low lands — Maize crop — Present state of the country population — Disturbances of 1848 — Local politics 351 CONTENTS. XI ZANTE. CHAPTER XIII. Pajc Zante — Distance irom Cephalonia — Means of communication — Steamers and passengers — The Grreeks on board — A dinner — Dress of the tra- . veiling Greeks — Appearance of the island from the sea — Grease wells — Bay of Zante — The city — The churches, and their rich decorations — The saints — The belfry — Public buildings and hotels — Badness of the accommodation — Manufactures of the island — HiU behind the town — Country houses — View from the castle wall — Swamps towards Chieri Bay — Character of the Zantiots — Antiquities of the island . 381 CHAPTEE XIY. The Bay of Chieri and the pitch wells — Position of the wells — Lithaki — A beautiful ravine — Goat island — The pitch fountains — Origin of the pitch— Earthquakes in Zante — The earthquake of 1840 — CUmate of Zante — Cultivation of the currant vine — Preparation of the fruit — The ohve in Zante — Hospitality of the Zantiots — Country farm- houses — Venetian pictures — Langadakia — View of Zante from the west — A curious slate — Antiquities — Cerigo and Cerigotto . . 407 CHAPTER XV. Journey from Zante — West coast of Cephalonia and Santa Maura — Corfu to Ancona — Approach to Ancona — Landing — Custom-house pro- ceedings — The city — Journey to Bologna — Comparison between the Ionian Greeks and the ItaUans — Education in the Ionian Islands — Origin of the people — National character — Work of England — Na- tional faults of the people — Result of annexation considered — Popu- lation of Corfu — Great wealth introduced by England — Landed pro- perty and laws of descent — Probable result of the sudden removal of protection — Value of the islands to England 438 CHAPTER XVI. The islands as a group — Modern history — Inhabitants — First constitution — Constitution of 1848 — Power of the Lord High Commissioner — Conflicting powers — Residents in the various islands — Police system — Passport system —Taxation and revenue — Imports and exports — Value of money — Usury — Banking— Population — Conclusion . . 460 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Portrait of a Greek Priest, with his family .... ^roulitpiece Map of Corfu /o face page 122 Map of Santa Maura and Zante 22H Ground Plan of the School of Homer. Ithaca 2.31) l'"levation of North Wall of the School of Homer. Ithaca . . . 241 Elevation of South Wall of the School of Homer. Ithaca . . . 243 Section of the Cliff at Arethusa's Fountain. Ithaca .... 2tiS Elevation of Part of the Great Wall of Samos. Cephalonia . . 302 Earthenware Vase from Samos. Cephalonia 311 Ground Plan — Argostoli Mills. Cephalonia ..... 325 Wall of Polygonal Masonry at Cranea. Cephalonia .... 330 Ground Plan of part of the Walls of Cranea. Cephalonia . . 331 Cup of Coarse Pottery from Cranea. Cephalonia .... 337 A curious Earthen Vessel from Cranea. Cephalonia . . . 353 Map of Cephalonia and Ithaca to face page 378 Sketch Map of the principal Ionian Islands .... to face the end CORFU. " I will lead Thy steps toward my royal father's house Where all Phaeacia's nobles thou shalt see. There, on the summit of the hiU, is built Our city, with proud bidwarks fenced around, And laved on both sides by its pleasant port Of narrow entrance, where our gallant barks Line all the road, each station' d in her place. And where, adjoining close the splendid fane Of Neptune, stands the forum with huge stones From quarries tliithcr drawn, constructed strong." Odyss. vi., 308 et seq. CHAPTER I. TRIESTE TO CORFU THE ISLAND FROM THE SEA CORFU AND THE CORFIOTS THE MODERN TOWN^ THE CHURCHES, AND THE UNIVERSITY PUBLIC BUILDINGS^ OCCUPATIONS, MANU- FACTURES, AND MARKETS THE SUBURBS PUBLIC AMUSE- MENTS THE CITADEL FORTIFICATIONS OF THE TOWN VIDO THE LAZZARETTO. A JOURNEY from London to the Ionian Islands, at the present tune, is too easy and matter-of-course an event to require much description. For the benefit of those who may not be accustomed to trips of this kmd, or who are interested m the route, I may mention that, by traveUing day and night, Vienna is reached by several Hues of railway in about three days from London, and that Trieste is about twenty-two hours distant from Vienna by ordinary, and fifteen hours by express trains. As the latter, in winter, run only 4 CORFU. twice a week, and start at a quarter to seven o'clock in the morning, special arrangement must be made to take advantage of them.* The travelluig from Viemia is comfortable; but the contrast is great between the easy-gomg style here considered sufficient and the rapid movements to which Enghsh people are accus- tomed. Except the occasional express, there are only two trains daily each way. Near Vienna, stoppages occur about every five minutes. Aftenvards, the intervals are longer, as the country is more thinly inhabited ; but wherever they take place, there is time enough allowed for anything that may be needed ; and wherever there is a buffet^ it may safely be taken ad- vantage of. To those who have not previously travelled over the road, in the old time, by sclmell-post, the rail- road between Vienna and Trieste is not Avithout mterest, but nothing is seen of the toAviis. Occasional views of the Eastern Alps, — not, of course, of the highest tops of that mighty chain, but peaks for mtuiy months snow- capped — are fine, andbresik themonotony of the sceneiy. A large part of the road near Trieste is over singular limestone plains, amongst which almost the only objects of interest seen by tourists are the vast caverns near Adelsberg. To the geologist, the scene is especially interesting, especially if he has not before become familiar with great limestone ])lateaux elsewhere. The karst^ as the hmestone plateau is here called, resembles some parts of the south of Spain; and the singular, cold, bluish grey colour of the lunestone — the occa- * At present, Monday and Thursday are tlio days in Winter, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, in SumnuT. THE KARST. 5 sional softer rocks — the curious rounded forms, and the cracked appearance of the mass — the deep, narrow gorges, always dry, because the water that fills on them passes rapidly out of sight — these are features which deserve more than passing notice, and suggest important lessons. Among the peculiarities of this great flat, barren, lofty tract of limestone, the fierce north wuid that rushes over it is by no means one of the smallest, or the least disagreeable. Travelling southwards from Viemia, it is only when the tram is stoppmg, or is exposed sideways by a turn of the road, that the full force is appreciated. The wind then rushes into the carriage, through all the crevices, with such force as to make one doubt whether the "windows can be closed. It roars and blusters so loud that one can scarcely hear oneself speak ; and its dry piercing nature is very soon appreciated through the thickest wraps. But when it is necessary to meet this terrible tempest, the traveller is to be pitied indeed. He must be well provided with furs, and must use them all to keep life and soul together; and there seems some reason to fear that the train must certamly be checked, if not stopped, should the wind continue. Still, this fearful blast steadily and incessantly rushes on, for it is the cold dry air of the north making its way as best it can to the south to fill up the vacuum formed in the Medi- terranean when the warm rays of the sun expand the au', and tend to lift it to the upper regions of the atmosphere. The great storm- wind will never cease to blow across this low pass of the Eastern Alps so 6 CORFU. long as Europe and Asia retain their present form and character, and so long as the countries south of the Alps are warmer and more pleasant than those to the north. Trieste is a bright, lively, bustluig town, with excel- lent hotels, and with a fair amount of shipping in the offing and port. It is said to be now decreasing in importance, though, for many years, it has been rapidly increasing. Ancona, the port of the newly-bom king- dom of Italy, is beginning to claim its share of Adriatic traffic ; and being already connected by railway with the principal Italian cities, it vnW probably increase ■Nvith greater rapidity, and at the expense of Trieste. The continuation of the Italian railway from Ancona to Otranto Avill also affect Trieste veiy seriously; and as soon as the tunnel under the Mont Cenis is com- pleted, and quick trains are organised on the chief Italian railroads, there is no reason why the Indian mail and the great traffic of the East should not find its way at a much quicker rate than at present to the southern ports of Italy mthin a very short distance of Alexandria. The streets of Trieste are, for the most part, narrow, and the houses rather lofty. The quay is wide and fine. All the streets are paved witli large fiat stones, well adapted to the peculiar, low, small-wheeled ox-carts, which are here chiefly used for heavy traffic. Horses are not very much used for draught in Trieste, and, indeed, the extreme care Avith which it is necessary to clothe them in winter makes it evident that the sharp winds from tlie kni'st ni'c not at all less felt ])y the ])rutes MARKET OF TRIESTE. 7 than by the human race. It would be inconvenient in other ways to replace the ox by the horse, for even the narrowest of the many narrow streets and lanes are generally passable by these ox-carts; and although, occasionally, there is a dead lock, the convenience is great, for the narrowness of the streets ensures shade in summer. The lower classes of the mhabitants of Trieste are picturesque, and their occupations are not less so. Most of the wares sold are exposed in the open air; and one passes pleasantly from yellow, picturesque crockery, of ancient form and the most prmiitive style of ornament, to shawls and calicoes that speak of Paisley and Manchester ; and so again by curious old Venetian and mediaeval goldsmith's work, back to the wooden tools and implements where style is, perhaps, the oldest of all. Everybody screaming, and everybody, appa- rently, very happy, though doing very httle, — the contrast to an Enghsh seaport town, even at its busiest tune, is exceedmgly striking. The common food, too, is pecuhar. A variety of beans, of colours and sizes almost incredible, is everywhere exposed, and seems the first necessary of existence ; grain, of many sorts, dried herrings and oranges, apples and lemons, figs, dates, olives and potatoes, are all huddled together in the same baskets ; close by are combs, knives, buttons, and small haberdashery, then a little very coarse glass, then more handkerchiefs and shawls, and so on in every narrow street and open square throughout the lower part of the town. A little above are detached houses and \dllas, some very fine, and many of them pic- 8 CORFU. turesquely placed, but not pleasant to reach in the terrible wind that meets one at every turn. Hot sun and biting wind do their work m Trieste. I noticed in the "Diavoletto," a local journal of very exceptional name, but well conducted, a sanitary report of the past week. Among the various diseases named as the cause of death, a marked preponderance were those involving, or resulting from, disorders of the respiratoiy organs. Consumption, bronchial attacks, and pleurisy, often recurred. In the streets, I was struck with the appearance of a young girl, who had manufactured for herself an unperfect respu*ator by a little bit of rag, not too clean, which she kept hanging out of her mouth. It is to be hoped that it was more efficacious than it was ornamental, but it told a tale. I doubt whether Trieste can be healthy, for many reasons ; but, at any rate, it is certain that the causes of consumption and pulmonary disorder which are so strongly mdicated there, exist, though in a smaller degree, throughout the north of Ital}^, and extend to Tuscany. They are, also, veiy decidedly present in the north of Spain. It is true that we all must die of some disease, and, per- haps, this is better than t}qihus and malaria fever, common m many wanner climates on the sliores of the Mediterranean. It is to be hoped that the thin dry an* and constant north wind at Trieste preserve it from malaria; and, at any rate, there should be no difficulty about the drainage of the suburbs, for they slope so steeply that nothing but a free course to the sea can be needed. One sees, in Trieste, a considerable admixture of VIEW or TRIESTE. 9 costumes and physiognomy, although hardly more than might be expected from its position, — with Italy on one side, the Sclave population of Istria and Dahnatia on the other, Germany to the north, and Greece and Turkey not far oiF. There is much trade between Trieste and Greece, extendmg to Constantinople and Alexandria, the steamers touching at all the prmcipal ports of the Levant. There is httle tide in the Adriatic, and thus it is easy to construct a length of quay, mth occasional moles and jetties, to which steamers of all sizes can, at all times, be moored. Small boats are thus not much needed. It is worth while, however, to put off to some distance from the town, in order to see the glorious panorama there presented. Immediately behind the houses are the villas, on the steep hill-side; above them, the hills continue to rise rapidly to a consider- able elevation, and, apparently, Avithout break. As the distance from the shore is increased, still higher hills succeed those near the to^vn ; and soon the long and picturesque line of the Alps rises, and occupies a pro- minent place m the landscape. One after another, the sno"svy tops are recognised, until they also are lost in the light grey mist which defines the horizon. The steamer by which I travelled from Trieste to Corfu was more remarkable for its comfortable ar- rangements than for speed. The number of first-class passengers was very small, and the society not lively, but the cuisine was fair, and everythmg clean and weU ordered. Italian was the language almost exclusively spoken, though German was understood. Italian po- 10 CORFU. litics, also, were altogether in the ascendant. One of the party at table (the doctor) was an Austrian Pole, — a little, weazen old man, whose chief occupation seemed to be to lament and maunder, sotto voce, in Gennan, on some matter that had been the subject of conversation half an hour before. Long after the two or three per- sons who remamed in the cabin after dinner had left the table and were amusing themselves with reading, this poor gentleman would be heard mutterhig to him- self, or addressing one of his companions without the smallest chance or expectation of being replied to. The purser who, like the doctor, was out of unifonii, was the chief talker. The captain appeared generally in light kid gloves, and was accompanied by his wife and children. He was, evidently, far too fine a gentle- man to do anything but please himself. The voyage from Trieste to Corfu direct, ^\dthout stopping at Ancona, occupies about forty-eight hours, but, m bad weather, may take three or four hours more. On the present occasion, the weather was per- fectly favourable; and I was informed by the purser, that had we been provided with English coal only, we should have gained some hours. But there was nothuig to regret. Coasting, during the first evening, close to the eastern shores of the Adriatic, we passed next morniiig near several islands, the largest of which, Lyssa, is an Austrian settlement of about 8,000 Dal- matians, and a war harbour of some Uttle importance. We also passed in sight of several smaller and unin- habited islands and rocks. During the rest of the second day, tlierc avms notliin;^ woi'tliv of notice. On APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 11 the third mornmg, the high ground of the north of Corfu was visible in the distance, and the grand Acro- ceraunian cliffs of Albania, rising abruptly from the water m a steep slope, almost amountmg to a vertical Avail, were seen streaked with snow where they cut the blue sky. Behind them, at intervals, could be seen, from time to time, the far loftier ridges of the Albanian mountams. These were so completely and densely covered with snow that no break, or shadow, was dis- cernible m the flat expanse they presented ; and their Avhiteness contrasted with the thm greyish outline of the nearer and more thuily-clad summits. Very soon the hills of Corfu become more distract; the little light-house of Trogonos is shot past ; the low hills that separate the great sheet of water behmd Butrinto from the open channel, are lost sight of; and, presently, the deep, open bay and sheltered roads of Corfu are seen, graced by several large ships of war and numerous smaller craft, and protected by the little bristling island of Vido, and the loftier citadel and castle close to the town. The first aspect of Corfu, and most of the vieAvs that can afterwards be obtamed of the island and of the o]3po- site Albanian coast, are extremely grand. The channel of Corfu is so narrow at the upper or northern ex- tremity, and the ground is so high in that direction, that the appearance of the channel from the middle of the island is that of a bay or mlet of the sea. Towards the south, the island curves round to the south east, and the main land curves to meet it, so that the southern outlet of the channel is also narrowed, though less so 12 CORFU. than the north, and thus from some points, the whole resembles a vast lake. Few islands can be seen except Yido and the Lazzaretto, and no well supplied river of the smallest importance breaks the long line of coast. There is, too, a certain monotony m the general effect that will ]je understood by those who are in the habit of noticing the causes of picturesque beauty, for all the rocks are of the same material — limestone, — and most of them are m the same state. Still, that traveller must be very fastidious in scenery, who would not be both delighted and surprised at the first sight of Corfu. The landing at Coi'fii is not unlike that at Gibraltar. The same low, narrow, dirty entrance, and total absence of decent accommodation. The same crowd of bipeds and quadrupeds, the same mixture of fish and oranges. There is, however, an apparent difference, the empty form of a Custom House having to be passed. This, as far as my experience goes, was not more teni- ble than the same institution elsewhere; a simple question and answer settling the whole matter. True my luggage was not excessive, which may have helped the transit. The crowd, seen at the water gate of the city, does not diminish as we advance further into the great thoroughfares. We at first pass through a kind of market, a bazaar always so full of human beings, and stalls of fruit and vegetables, that it is really difficult to get on. And if, as is the case, picturesque effect is produced by an admixture of every conceivable style of all kinds of objects, natural and artificial, living and dead, veiy few places iu the world are superior to STREETS AND SQUARES. 13 Corfu. The narrow streets of this part of the town combine all that is most striking in Gibraltar, Genoa, Algiers, Bologna, Turin and Marseilles. Arcades, under whose shelter all classes meet ; gloomy recesses, open, indeed, towards the street, but so black in their own darkness, that the Greek or Jew seated within is as invisible as the spider in its web; houses of rich Greeks, where the rooms are luxuriously furnished, but which can be visited only by entering dirty, shabby doors, and clunbing dirtier and shabbier staircases; adjoining houses tumblmg down, and not affording shelter enough for an English pig ; churches, only dif- fering from stables by bells placed above them ; such are among the first things seen. As we proceed, the streets are less crowded, and the houses wider apart and better built, and, at length, we emerge upon a fine terrace or piazza, at one extremity of which, is the handsome residence of the prmcipal dignitary of the place, known only in the island as the " Lord High," but who, in England, is called by his full title of Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. In the middle of the side opposite the terrace, the citadel is seen, occupying a curious promontory, rising into two lofty cliffs, crowned with forts and a telegraph. From the palace and citadel the views are channing, and ex- hibit that lake-like character of the chamiel of Corfu, to which allusion has already been made. Other parts of the to^vn are regular, and somewhat better built than the streets near the entrance, but as it is often the case elsewhere, in proportion as they are regular and comfortable, in exactly the same proportion 14 COEFU. do they lose all that is characteristic and interesting as well as beautiful. Strange that the practical and economical styles introduced by the western Euro- peans, should so invariably oppose and clash with the older architectural forms, whether Gothic or classical. There seems no reason why the house architecture of the eighteenth and nmeteenth centuries, should be so ugly, and still less reason, if possible, why the speci- mens in which most care and money were expended, should be the most hopelessly and incorrigibly bad. It is so, however, and in this little to^vvn of Corfu, where there have been no architects, and no idea of taste, the result is more striking than if every effort had been exerted to produce effect. Certainly, no artist could fail to enjoy, and take advantage of the m- numerable morsels of combined form, colour, and grouping, presented at every turn in the loAver and poorer parts of this mixed Venetian, Greek, and Turkish town. Of the inhabitants of the town and suburbs, it may be said that they form three very distinct groups. One third consists of Jews, who resemble their brethren elsewhere, but are a superior class with fewer distm- jTuishmo; marks. Another third is an admixture of Turks, Maltese, Italians, Albanians, Dalmatians, and many other races; all, indeed, of that mongrel class, for which the shores of the Mediterranean liave been notorious from time immemorial ; these are, as it were, the camp followers of the Enghsh garrison. They live largely upon them, and are a pestiferous race that can- not be got rid of. They do no credit to anybody. POLITICAL YEARNINGS. 15 Only the remaining third can pretend to be Greeks : but even these are not Greeks of pure descent, being greatly mixed up with the remains of the old Vene- tians. On the whole, they form a tolerably respectable and not unimportant body. They are intensely na- tional ; often without or against apparent reason. But who shall say that national feeling is other than a most admirable and praiseworthy mstmct? Or, what Eng- lishman who would scout the idea that by any com- bination of circumstances he should lose the right of callmg himself by that name, can venture to blame the Greek for desirmg to be once more a member of the Greek nation, while he supports the claim of the Italian to Italy, and even recognises and honours the poor Pole in his hopeless struggles against the tyrants who would crush out his very name. The more respectable of the middle classes consist of those lonians, and others, who are occupied m trad- ing. Of these a large number are English, and a few are Germans, many of whom have been long settled in the island, doing business as merchants and bankers. Most of them are well off, and are naturally well satis- fied Avith the steady and firm hand which has repressed political yearnings, and ensured for the people an amount of material good which would assuredly have been lost to them, had they unfortunately been enabled to throw off the mild protectorate of the Queen of England — that excellent mother m Israel — for the miserable mismanagement and real tyi'anny of an Otho. Most of them know and feel this, and are ready enough to admit it; but if Greece can be governed steadily 1 6 COTIFU. and priulently under a constitutional monarch, it is no discredit to the lonians to desire that they may once more form part of their mother country. It may be, that as sons who have grown rich and strong under the guardianship of wise and wealthy strangers, they will expect and claim a large share of the general govern- ment, when united to Greece ; but, after all, this is an affair for themselves and the inhabitants of the main land ; and if both agree, we have no right to complain. Although, then, only a third of the effective popula- tion of the town of Corfu and its suburbs might honestly desire and be proud of a return to Greece, while another third should be indifferent, and the rest opposed to such a change; it is evident that the voices must be weighed, and not estimated merely by theii' loudness and numbers. This is, perhaps, much more difficult than it may at first seem ; and it must not be forgotten that, although noisy and demonstmtive, the town of Corfu contains only a small part of the Greek popula- tion of the island ; and Corfu is but one of the islands of the septinsular republic. There is a Ghetto, or Jew's quarter, in the town. It is neither dirtier, nor more noisy, nor more crowded, than the other narrow streets. Though there is little remarkable in their personal appearance, the Jews arc easily distijiguished by their blue dresses, if not by their physiognomy. The latter is unusually pleasing. There are none, or at least I saw none, of those higlily charactenstic and almost caricatured features, one sees in many towns. I am inclined to attribute this not a little to the fact, that these poor peo})le have not JEWS AND DALMATIANS. 17 been so lono- or so terribly persecuted here as else- where. A prmcipal emplojnnent of the Corfiot Jews seems to be moving furniture and goods, and they act as porters, to the exclusion of furniture vans. Thus, one is constantly liable, in passing along the narrow streets of the toTvii, to meet a procession of good-natured sons of Israel, — one, entirely buried under a huge chest of drawers — another, fantastically covered with a chaii* — a third, yawning under a bedstead — and a fourth, de- corated with pots, pans, glass and crockery. While the Jews serve as porters, the Istrians and Dalmatians, as well as the Albanians, seem to wander about for the sake of meeting and chatting, and airmg their curious cloaks or togas of sheepskin. The wool of these sheepskins is generally turned outside, and is considered to afford such excellent cover for fleas, that I found my friends carefully makmg a small cii'cuit to avoid a near approximation, and not venturmg to pass through the gates where the owners of these cloaks sleep, but rather walkmg outside them. There is, however, another reason why it is prudent to avoid gloomy thoroughfares, and it is curious as indicatmg pecuharities, for which Corcyra is celebrated in classical poetry. Fortunately for me, the time of year of my \dsit was such as to duninish greatly the chance of being devoured by parasites ; and I was the less troubled by unsavoury odours, masmuch as the peculiar wind of Corfu kept me in a state of perpetual catarrh durmg the whole tune of my visit. The churches of Corfu arc not without interest. 18 CORFU. The principal church, dedicated to St. Spmdion, con- tains the rehcs of that saint enshrined in a chest with a silver case. It is a fine and richly-decorated con- struction, not very large, but well proportioned and lofty; and the ceiling, which is in compartments, is covered with paintings, tolerably executed, drawn in good perspective, and much adorned with bold gilding. The ceiling is flat, and richly decorated. No Roman Catholic cathedral could be more completely covered ■with works of pictorial art. The length of the build- ing is divided into three parts, as is usual in Greek churches; but all the people, women as well as men, seemed to have free access to two parts, which are alone seen. The high altar is completely concealed by a screen reaching the ceilmg. At the time of my visit a priest was reading from a desk. A large num- ber of other priests were present, all "\vith their hats on, but they were loitering about, and did not seem to take any part in the proceedings, except that every now and then they joined in some response. As soon as the readuig was over, they began to amuse them- selves, talking apparently on indifferent subjects, either amongst themselves or with their acquaintances. There was no appearance of any sacred character either be- longing to them or the building. Some, probably the acolytes, near the entrance to the high altar, were incessantly crossing themselves, in the complicated Greek fashion. Others were simply idling; but the number of those belonging to the priesthood was so large as to form a marked proportion of the congregation. Tlic relics of the saint are in a little chapel, or CHURCHES. 19 recess, at the further end of the church, at the side of the altar. The only light in this dark corner was from a few lamps burning so dimly, that nothing but the reflection from the silver casing of the shrine could be perceived. Endeavouring to feel my way round, I came in contact with the head of some votary, either male or female, and was obliged to beat a retreat. The very small space left round the shrine was nearly filled by two or three worshippers, and the darkness was too great to make anythmg out. The shrme was covered with plates of silver extremely thin, and beaten out into a very high relief. The body of the saint is preserved inside, and is said to be embalmed. Others of the churches, though not so highly orna- mented, possess considerable mterest, owing to the pictures they contain. These, like those in the church of St. Spiridion, are by no means ahvays in Chinese perspective. Some are really well designed and well painted. There are generally some small pictures rano:ed in frames at a convenient heio;ht ao-ainst the great screen, and it is amusing to watch the people of all ages making the round of all these, kissing the pic- tures as they pass, with more or less reverence. They hardly seem to cross themselves in doing this, though many of them go through the complicated formalities of the Greek crossing so mcessantly, while engaged in their acts of worship, that it is difficult to find an interval. They do not select any particular part of the picture, none of them, indeed, kissing the face, but making for hands, sleeves, body, or feet, indifferently. The priests in Corfu are easily known by their 20 CORFU. dross, tlie style of wliich is always the same, though the material and state of cleanliness differs exceedinorly. There are two classes ; the celibates, among whom are the monastic priests, and from whom the bishops and archl)ishops must be selected, and the parochial clergy, who must be married. In the event of the latter ])e- coming widowers, they cannot marry again, and are obliged to enter the monastic orders. The dress of all the priests and of the deacons is nearly the same. It consists of 'a loose flowing oriental robe, ^vith wide sleeves, made of some dark-coloured material, but whether dark brown, dark puq^le, or dark green, does not seem to be of much consequence, nor is the ma- terial very important. Cylindi'ical hats of the same material, but without rims, are Avorn in the towns. In the case of the celibates, or monastic monks, the fiat top of the hat is larger than Avould fit the c}'linder, so that the effect is rather that of an ordinary hat put on upside doAvn. The parish priests, and others who are married, are known at once by the top of the hat not projecting beyond the cylinder. The hat of the arch- bishop has a veil attached. The archbishop wears the same kuid of dress as the other priests, but there is a violet lining to it, and he is also distinguished by a large gold cross worn on the breast. All the priests wear the hair, both of the head and the beard, long, and many of tliem have long flowing curls hanging doAvn behind, resembling those corkscrew curls that it was the fiishion for English ladies to exhibit suspended at the side of the head some years ago. Tlic priests in tlie iovn\ an*, on tlie whole, respect- EDUCATION OF THE CLERGY. 21 able. In the country, they are often so wretchedly provided for, that they scarcely rise above the lowest classes. I was ferried by a priest across the Lake of CaUchiopulo, who was so exceedingly filthy and stank so abominably, that it was necessary to get to wuid- ward of him, to avoid a positive nuisance. The poor man was endeavourmg to earn a few pence in the absence of his friend the ferryman. The Greek church in the Ionian Islands, derives its highest orders from the Patriarch of Constantinople; and, in this respect, differs from Greece, which, since the recovery of freedom from the Turks, is nearly, if not quite, independent. There is, however, no supremacy acknowledged to the Patriarch, or anything approach- ing to the claim of papal jurisdiction in any country where the religion of the eastern, or, as they delight to call themselves, the Orthodox Church, flourishes. The education of the clergy is carried on in their own establishments, and is understood to be very im- perfect. The university of Corfu is only for the edu- cation of students in medicine and law, and is not numerously attended. Probably, as the method of competitive examinations has recently been introduced, the youth of the islands would have found it necessary to attend more carefully to the acquisition of sound knowledge, if the English rule were likely to l^e per- petuated.* Many of the professors of the university, * The system of examination adopted has been modeHed entirely upon the Cambridge University method. A number of questions are set, and a limited time allowed for each paper. A certain minimum of marks must be obtained in every subject of examiiuition, and unless 22 CORFU. and some of the more intelligent islanders, have been educated in Italy, and others have even proceeded to Paris. The University is a large house at the extremity of the Parade, not ill adapted for the purpose for which it is required, but altogether without order or arrange- ment. On the ground floor are some antiquities, almost entirely collected from the remains of ancient Corcyra. They include two or three inscriptions of extreme antiquity; some vases and fragments of pot- tery, and a few other articles, probably of the second Greek city, and a large number of miscellaneous anti- quities of the later Roman period. Some of the latter are m good condition, and of mterest. There are sepulchral vases of large size, containing bones, many amphone, and a few large jars, of the kuid formerly buried in the earth for storing com. There are also many squares of flooring in a coarse mosaic, repre- senting, the bustard in various attitudes. Besides these, are terminal stones, and some fragments of busts and statues. ]\Iuch more valuable results might probably be obtained by S}'stematic exploration. On the upper floor of the imiversity building are class rooms, a laboratoiy, and a museum. The latter is only worth notice as containing the commencement that niiiiinium is reacliecl, no cxccllcnco in other subjects counts. Spelling and grainnuir arc closely attended to — a matter rather hard on the Greeks, who rarely trouble themselves about such matters in in the modern llomaic form of the language. The examination is held in both the Greek and Italian languages, both being equally essential 111 tlie IsJundij. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 23 of a local ornithological collection. The other collec- tions are from Paris or Italy, and are both poor and unarranged. The number of students is not large, and rarely exceeds twenty in each faculty. With the exception of the palace of the Lord High Commissioner, called the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, and the house of the President of the Septm- sular Republic mimediately adjacent, there are no public buildings in Corfu that can attract attention, or delay the traveller even for a few moments. The palace is large, well contrived, and well placed. It faces the esplanade, looking out upon a small but well- kept garden, planted with pahns and other trees, and evergreen shrubs. At the back, is a private garden. From the windows at the back of the palace, there is a superb view of the harbour of the Channel of Corfu, and of the Albanian mountains, on the opposite shore. The elevation of the building is handsome, and it has a neat colonnade in front, mth two gates, one on each side. That to the left, connects the palace with the garrison, library and reading rooms, which forms one wing ; and to the right, there is a corresponding struc- ture, which forms another -sving. The length of frontage is very considerable. On the ground floor, are the offices of the Senate on one side, and of the Chief Secretary and the Director of Police on the other. There is a very noble hall of entrance, a fine double staircase, and a second upper haU. The reception rooms are large, well proportioned, and handsomely furnished ; and the whole does no dis- credit to the British nation. Two statues, an o]3elisk, 24 CORFU. and a quaint little circular temple, serve to adorn the esplanade. The stranger looks in vain in Corfu for any special industry. A little goldsmiths' work may be seen in some of the shops in the lower to^vn, but it is chiefly the remains of a Venetian craft. Most of the shoi)s are loaded with the most heterogeneous articles ; even those in the principal streets and in the esplanade not being free from this odd peculiarity. Old books, old crockery and millinery ; mirrors, photographs and soda water ; jewellery of the modern kmd, canes, hats, um- brellas and night caps. These all elboAV each other in the stores, which more resemble what is seen in America than shops ui an Enghsh town. In the streets of the lower to^vn, near the landing- place, and in the back streets throughout the town, the shops are for the most part mere stalls, and the greater number of them are confined to the sale of articles of food. At this season of Lent, all kinds of meat, and indeed everythuig that can in any sense be coimected mth animal food, is strictly forbidden, not only to the priests, but to the orthodox of all ages and both sexes. Even oil is not permitted, though the olives are allowed to be eaten ; and this state of things lasts for the whole of the first and last week of Lent, and on every Wednesday and Friday. I knew an m- stance in which a poor boy refused bread offbred to lum, ])ecause he did not know that eggs had not been used in making it. The food, therefore, during Lent is adapted to the time. It includes al)undance of dried fruit of all kinds; and, among tlie rest, a peculiar FOUD DUPvlNG LENT. 25 kind of almond paste, made up with sugar, is very common. It is sold in large cakes that can be cut "with a knife. It is not unpalatable, and, being very oily, is no doubt nourishing. There is also caviare in large quantities consumed at this tmie, but this is brought from the Black Sea. I presume it is not animal food. The days that are not kept Avitli such abso- lute strictness, are still parts of the great fast of Lent, but as far as I could learn, the highly orthodox are chiefly met with among women, and in the lower classes, although the pretence of fasting is kept up m all Greek houses, and no society is invited. In the villages by the sea, there is a species of echinus^ or sea-urchin, that seems a great favourite; and oysters are allowed to be eaten except on the strict days; but the supply of crustaceans and mol- luscs in this part of the Mediterranean is not very large. Cuttle fish {sepia and octopus) are excellent, but they are not to be had every day, and are regarded as flesh. Among other articles of food, not quite familiar to those coming from England, may be men- tioned melon seeds, which are sold in a dried state, and eaten by the children in the streets. The fishes of the Eastern Mediterranean are not generally very excellent, and the variety is small. Red and grey mullet are, perhaps, the best kinds. A fish hke the bream is common, but wooUy. Sar- dines and ancho\des are caught, and are delicious. The tunny is abundant, but is not pleasant food. A smaller fish, between the tunny and the mackerel, is better. The john-dory, sole and other flat fish are 26 CORFU, common enough. Of fish not used as food, the sharks are, perhaps, the most remarkable. They are not very numerous ; but, from time to time, very large and fierce individuals make their way to these waters, following, probably, the large ships. On one occasion, a sailor smmming out a short distance from his sliip was bitten in half before he could be saved by his companions, who saw the fish coming, and had thro^^m a rope over, too late for the poor victim to be hfted in time. On another occasion, a woman was washing clothes at tlie water's edge, and a large shark threw himself so far towards the shore as to be caught between two rocks and re- tained a prisoner, unable to retreat. Such accounts seem to show that these animals wander, occasionally, out of their natural beat rather than that they are pemianent residents on these shores. Whales of considerable size have sometunes come into the waters round the islands of Corfu, and have gene- rally been shoaled and brought to shore. Such events afford a great harvest to the natives of the neighbour- ing ^illages, who combine their forces to secure the prey. The beef and mutton consumed at Corfu in ordinary seasons are the meat of a small kmd of ox and a small khid of sheep from Albania. Young lamb and young kid are eaten in the early spring, imd are excellent ; but the mutton is apt to be tough, and the beef is not first-rate. The Albanian sheep is a pretty animal, with wool ahnost approaching to haii', and somewhat silky. The ox is not remarkable. Meat sells in tlie market at the rate of about liv('])enc(' ])vr pound; l)ut rOTTEllY. 27 on the other side of the channel, m Albania, the price is said to be much lower. The prmcipal suburbs of Corfu are Castrades, to the south, between the town and the peninsula, and near the old city of Corcyi^a, Manduchio, to the west, and San Rocco between them. Castrades contamed, m 1860, upwards of 2,000 persons, includmg those in the Penitentiary. It is occupied by a very poor and sickly population, exposed to malaria from the un- dramed lake of Calichiopulo. Several fragments of the old Greek and Roman city exist in it, built uito walls and houses, but they hardly tell any story. One interesting fragment is built mto a modern church and forms its western entrance. Pottery is manufactured in this suburb of a clay obtamed from the spot. It is light, but fine, and makes a neat, though not strong, material. The same place has probably been occupied in the same way from time immemorial, and it is curious to com- pare the modern mth the ancient production. Not only are the forms identical, but even the strange waved fines on the necks of the vessels, scratched with a stick as a kuid of rough ornamentation, are unchanged. Compare these with the marks made by the Greeks more than two thousand years ago, on similar vases, and you cannot distinguish between them. The total absence of any change ui such absolute trifles as the size of the various kinds, the form of the fip and the handle, and the width of the neck ; the retention of forms perfect of their kmd, and many of them exceedingly elegant, with markings in 28 CORFU. the hiohest deofrce inartistic and unmcanino: ; tlie fact that all these articles are, and were, made by hand, but never vary in the slightest degree from one gene- ration to another, is a suljject of mtense interest to any one who cares to consider what good taste is, how it has happened that a people once struck out a few shapes which have never been surpassed, and how it is that the descendants of these people retain the power of reproducing these mthout the smallest power of improving them. Nothing better has since been done; and, for scores of generations, all that is left of the mtelligence of the old Greek potter is first to copy and admire, and then to continue to cop}'^, but forget. Perhaps, after all, Chinese nature is not so much unlike human nature elsewhere as we sometimes fancy, m the incessant repetition, without improvement, of so many of their mventions. Manduchio is much larger than Castrades, its popu- lation amounting to 4,000. There is nothing very noticeable about it, beyond the fact that it looks less squalid and unhealthy than its neighbour. It is chiefly occupied by the lower classes, but among them is a colony of Parguinotes, the former Christian inhabitants of Parga, a small territory oi)posite the island of Paxo, given up to the Porte after the settlement of the Ionian Islands under British j)rotection. The hihabitants of Parga, bitterly liated by Ali Pasha, the tyrant of Jo- annina, preferred selUng their property, and leaving their country, to being delivered uj) to his tender mercies, and some of them removed to Corfu wlien their little i)rovince was surrendered, estabUshinu- POPULATION. 29 themselves in a curious wide street of small houses in the middle of Manduchio. There they remaui to tliis day, industrious, hardy, and respectable. San Rocco is the third principal suburb of Corfu. It contains about 800 inliabitants, and is a very busy, bustling place, both by day and night. It is passed through on going northwards or westwards from the town, and always seems crowded. By day, it is a contmual horse and cattle fair, — horses, mules, don- keys, pigs, goats, and other animals, herding in the road, and pushed about by eveiy comer. Here, also, are the blacksmiths; and here, at night, every stall is open, and brilliantly illuminated, for the sale of meats and druiks, and an infinite variety of sundries. The houses begin close to the gates of the town, and extend along two roads, on either side of wliich numerous sheds and low huts are built. There is a fourth suburb, called Molino a Vento, also tolerably populous. The lunatic asylum is in San Rocco. The whole population of Corfu, in 1860, was 17,699, of whom 4,453 were foreigners. There had been an increase of about 1,000 souls since the census of 1848. The suburbs durmg that tune had only mcreased by 300 ; and Manduchio was the only one that exliibited any marked difference . The town of Corfu is at present lighted with oil; but gas works are in progress. The streets are gene- rally well paved, and kept in tolerable order ; but as I did not see it in a trying season, I cannot tell how far it may be pleasant in rain, or during great heats. There are some large, new, convenient houses in a 30 CORFU. terrace in the upper part of the town, ])ut, witli those exceptions, the decent lioiises are so mixed up with those of very mferior construction, that it is not easy to discover them. Almost all the larger houses are built so as to be inhabited by several families, one on each floor. Corfu is indifferently supplied with hotels. There are several inns, about equally good, but the rooms are inconveniently arranged, and the accommodation very deficient. The entrances, also, are miserably poor, shabby, and dirty; and the attendance is in- different. It is somewhat smgular that, in a place so much visited, and ^'isited by persons who require, and would willingly pay for, the comforts and luxuries of home, no one has yet established a good hotel. It is probably too late now, or there would be a good open- ing for a company. I found, at Turnock's Royal Hotel, all the comforts that seemed to exist elsewhere, and met with good food, civility, and moderate charges. Carter's, the Hotel de 1' Orient and the Hotel de 1' Europe, are the names of the others. All seemed to be on about the same scale. The habits of the English at Corfu are somewhat monotonous; and our countrymen do not mix much 'vvith the natives. There is, of necessity, a consider- able amount of official and fonnal division into sets, — the civil and military departments keeping, in some measure, apart. Few of the residents or officers take interest in anythmg beyond the ordinary occupations of their respective professions. PAPER-HUNTS. 31 I observed, on one occasion, an amusement of the common people of rather a curious kind. It took place in a small open space, or piazza, close to the main street, much to the satisfaction of a crowd of men and boys, of various nationalities, and a little to the obstruction of the traffic. It was a hurdle race by dogs. The owner of a dog took his stand, holdmg his dog at one end of the square, while several men held up cloths, and other obstructions, in a straight line. The dog had been taught, when let loose, to leap madly over all these at a great pace, and so reach the opposite side without escapmg a hurdle. There was a fair amount of excitement, but not so much as there would have been in Italy. No doubt, there was also some bettmg. While I was looking on, the race com- menced. The dog, without a false start, cleared the first and second hurdles very cleverly, but refused the third. He was a good deal excited, and probably another time might do better. Hunts of another kind, called here paper-hunts, are common among the officers of the garrison and their friends. Ladies often join. Some one is selected who is a bold rider; and he goes on a-head, across countiy, droi^ping, at intervals, pieces of paper pre- pared for the occasion. The field then follows; and it becomes a kind of steeple-chase, every one endea- vourmg to take the leaps and ride over the difficult ground that the leader has marked out. As the whole countiy is unenclosed, and there are plenty of small difficulties, the sport is often very exciting; but, not unnaturally, the cultivators complain that their crops 32 CORFU. are injured, and their land cut up, by this wild romp. It is not easy to appreciate this kind of amusement without some knowledge of the country round Corfu. In the absence of these exciting pursuits, all the beau monde of the town are to be seen, every afternoon, performing a pilgrimage on the road from the parade to the little convent at the end of the promontoiy on which old Corcyra was built. This walk is technically called the walk to the one-gun, because it is said that there was formerly a small battery there, no remains of which now exist. The promontory is very pictu- resque; and the upper road, among the olive trees, past the village of Ascension, is charmmg and soli- tary. A few romantic lovers may occasionally wander through the groves, and gaze mth reflected tenderness on the lake of Calichiopulo, extended at theii' feet ; but of the Corfu polite world, there is seldom anybody to be seen beyond the gateway leading to the grounds of Sir Patrick Colquhoun's pleasant villa. The stranger in Corfu should enter these gates and stroll through the park, which is always open, for there may be seen in it some of the noblest cjq^resses and one of the most remarkable olive trees of the island. The latter tree is twenty-seven feet in girth, and must be of extreme age. It still, however, bears excellent fruit. The citadel occupies a rocky promontor)'-, jutting out into the chamiel of Corfu, and rising into two rather lofty peaks, on one of which is a telegraph and signal station. It is detached from the land by a ditch, and connected by a bridge, which opens into the middle of the east side of the es])lanade. An excellent view MANDUCHIO. 33 of the towii and suburbs is obtained from the signal- station. The enceinte includes the residence of the general in command and of some of the officers, ex- tensive barracks, the military hospital, the ordnance stores, and the powder magazines. The garrison church is also there ; and it is a handsome building of white stone, the model of a heathen temple, very classical at any rate, if not exactly adapted to its present use. A great deal of the ramparts of the citadel consists of old work, but the most essential parts have been put in repair. Opposite the citadel, outside the town on the west side towards the suburb of Manduchio, is another fort of considerable extent, and there are others round the toAvn of greater or less importance. Some are in good condition, but others are so rotten that the firing of a heavy gun from them would shake their foundations. These forts were, most of them, constructed by the Venetians, and are utterly unfit to cope with modern artillery. Large sums have been expended since the EngHsh occupation, to put them m repair; but the work seems to have been rather unwisely undertaken, owing to the loose state of the material. There are a few islands m the bay, enclosed between the high mountain chain of the north of Corfu and the tongue of land termmatmg with the citadel. Of these, Vido is, beyond comparison, the most important, as it is only a short distance either fi'om the citadel or from another of the principal forts, and entirely protects the harbour both from bad weather and hostile attacks. It is a low island, fortified very strongly, and mounting 34 CORFU. hea\y guns towards the chumiel, but conipamtively open, and commanded by the citadel and fort, towjiards the land. There is generally smooth water between Vido and the town, and always an open passage both ways. Vido is more remarkable for its military value than for its picturesque beauty. It presents nothing interesting in the latter respect. Little of the enor- mous outlay that has been expended to strengthen this island can be recognised by the passuig traveller, although it has been said that eveiy stone in it has cost a dollar. Almost all the heav}^ guns imd the principal batteries are mjisked, and except a Ioav tower and a still lower fort, there is nothhig to mark the nature of the works. The whole place is casemated. It has been much reduced in extent of late years. The Lazaretto occupies another island in this bay. The building is large and convenient ; but fcAV would desire to avail themselves of its advantages, whatever they may be. Corfu has, in former times, suffered so fearfully from the plague — nearly half the island ha\dng been depopulated — that it is not wonderful if the peoj)le are still nervously anxious about contagion. The seeds of the pestilence fell into good ground when, by some unhappy accident, they were conveyed to Lefkimo. The island has never recovered its population; and whether it has become permanently unhealthy, owuig to any change in the climate, or whether it is due to other causes, certain it is that the people do not increase witli due rapidity, and there is a languor and listless- ness amongst them which }n'events their availing them- selves fully of their great natui-al advantages. CHAPTER 11. ANCIENT CORCYRA AND MODERN CORFU LAKE CALICHIOPULO AND THE HYLLAIC HARBOUR THE GARDENS OF ALCINOUS AND THE SPRING OF CRESSIDA DIVISIONS OF THE ISLAND OF CORFU THE OLIVE GROVES AND THE CYPRESS HABITS AND GROWTH OF THE OLIVE ABSENCE OF CULTIVATION PRODUCTION OF OIL THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF CORFU HOUSES AND HABITATIONS RARITY OP STREAMS THE RIVER POTAMOS THE VILLAGES OF THE PLAIN ALEPU AND CURCUMELLI THE HOUSES OF THE VILLAGERS AND SMALL PROPRIETORS COUNTRY HOUSES OF THE GENTRY GOVINO. If we may believe the account of Homer, describing to us the beautiful comitry of the Phasacians and the gardens of Alcinous, the charms of ancient Corcyra, the softness of its climate, and its wealth of oil, wine, corn, pears, figs, pomegranates, apples, and other fruits, we shall feel, in visiting the Corfu of to-day, that mo- dern civihsation has not even approached the perfection of fomier times. And if, too, we read the accounts of its inhabitants — ^their women industriously spinning 36 CORFU. and wcavrnf^ fine cloth — their men workinor m metals, building ships, trading and manufacturmg — we shidl be still more disappointed at the contrast now pre- sented to us. It is true that one traffic spoken of by Homer — that in slaves — is no longer a source of profit, and that the want of hospitality and the roughness that then characterised the people has disappeared with their commercial habits, but the habits of luxuiy and the taste for art, the poetry and the music, the dance and the games, have also disappeared, and no modern Demodocus replaces him who once sung the loves of Mars and Yenus, and first gave to his countr}-- men and the world a taste for dramatic representation.* The picture of domestic institutions presented by Homer, and supposed to refer especially to the earliest history of Corfu, is well known, but can bear repeti- tion. The queen, or mistress, seated amongst her women, weaves rich crimson cloths, while her daughter, the Xausicaa of poetiy, looks after the household afFaii's, or sees to the washing of the ftunily linen. iva kXvtci et/iaT^ ayoi/xai 69 TTOTa/iov TrXvveovaa. And here, as in Greece, the fountains remain little changed — the gnarled olive tree still overhangs the path — the little walls of stone, roughly built up to enable the women to beat the linen without stoopuig, * Plutarch spoaks of Domoclocus of CorcjTa as having given the first notions of the drama. — See nxj/Tap;^ f» t* iri/>i fxaug-turif. EARLY HISTORY. 37 are still used for the same purpose — the hanging gar- dens of Alcinous are visible from the sprmg still comiected with the name of Cressida — the vme flourishes — the apple and the pear ripen — the fig yields its luscious sweetness, and the pomegranate its dehcious juice, but the people haye become listless, idle, and bad cultivators — they are little capable of self-government — they distrust each other, and all that belongs to them ; and while they yield unphcit confi- dence to the stranger in some matters, they are equally and foolishly inclmed to suspect him of interested or political motives whenever he endeavours to introduce improvements into the old, complicated, and badly- working methods to which they are accustomed. It is impossible to remain in Corfu a short tune — -it is difficult even to pay the island a cursory visit with- out one's mind and memory bemg carried back to those classic days when its history was first written, and to the many important events in the progress of civilisa- tion with which it has been connected. Its excellent and roomy harbour was the rendezvous of some of the largest fleets of ancient times. The great collection of ships that afterwards perished at Syracuse was passed in review here. Not far from here was fought the battle of Actium, and here, long afterwards, were col- lected the ships that destroyed the Turkish navy off Lepanto. From time to time, this noble and well- sheltered roadstead has seen all varieties of naval construction, from the earliest Pha3acian galley to the heaviest modern three-decker, with its screw propeller, its steam power, and its Armstrong guns. 38 CORFU. Corfu is the ancient Corcyra, described by Hero- dotus, alluded to by Homer, described in its liigli day of wealth and prosperity by Xenoj)hon, absorbed into the great lionian Empire about two centuries before Christ, visited by Nero, seized by the Crusaders, long in the possession of pirates, and taken under the pro- tection of the Venetians when their republic was in its 2)rime. It was attacked in vain by the Turks at the beginning of the last century, when the Ottoman power made, and failed in, its last great effort at sub- jugating Europe. It was successively m the himds of Russians and French, and has now, for half a century, remained under English care. The old town of Corcyra did not occupy the site selected for the modern to^\m, but seems to have been built on, and near, the eastern shore of the lake Cali- chiopulo, once an important arm of the sea, though now a mere swamp. Twenty centuries ago, it seems to have been used as the pnnci})al shelter for small vessels, and was then called the Hyllaic Harbour ; but, at that time, it was doubtless both deeper and more healthy than it is now. All the harbours and recesses of the coast of this part of the Mediterranean are rapidly silting up, and the effect is very visible in the dimhiislied salubrity of the islands and adjacent coasts Avlierevcr the process is going on rapidly.* * It has been by no i'ault, or neglect, of the Lord Jligh Commissioners, cither formerly or lately, that the nuisance of Lake Calichiopulo has been perpetuated. I am informed, that Sir Frederick Adam took all necessary measures to drain it, and was on the ])oint of com- ineniin,Lr work, M hen it aiiiuared thai llie lake \\ as private j)ro}ierlv. HYLLAIC HARBOUR. 39 It has, indeed, been assumed tlmt the land is up- heaved, and that this upheaval has some reference to the numerous slight earthquake undulations with which the islands have been aiFected ; but there is little ground for this assumption, and it is not necessary to have re- course to it to account for the alterations of level observable. The promontory extends from outside the walls of the modern town of Corfu, towards the south, for a distance of about two miles from the suburb of Cas- trades. The ground rises into a range of hills, Avhose extreme height is about 250 feet. The slope is cliiefly towards the east, the ground fallmg precipitately to the west, where it presents a low cliff towards the channel. It was on the eastern slopes, and chiefly on the lower ground, that the old city seems to have been built, although there are remams of more than one ancient temple on the brow of the hill overhanging the western cliffs. This projecting land parallel to the coast has fonned an arm of the sea and the old " Hyllaic Harbour," of which all that remains is the modern lake of Calichiopulo. There is no high ground near the neck of this pro- montory, the isthmus which connects it being low and and could not be touclicd. Rather tlian give up a fishery of some small present value, the owners would sacrifice the certainty of a great increase in the value of the property by the recovered lands, and they were quite willing that the health of the town should suffer into the bargain. Certainly, a little wholesome tyranny in such cases would not be misplaced ; but Lord Higli Commissioners have enemies enough when acting strictly within their powers, to permit them to risk illegal intertc'vonco for the public good. 40 CORFU. flat, and used as the race-course. At some pre-historic period, the liigh ground must have formed an island, for all the land around is low, and nearly level, and has been below the sea. The old town was probably large, but it may have somewhat shifted its position hi successive ages, and certauily undenvent many changes as time went on, — the fragments of antiquity found in the ground all around, whenever it is turned up, uidicating the existence of the various peoples who successively built, modified, or occupied it. ^lost of the larger remains are naturally those of its more recent masters, the Romans; and after they had left., it would seem that the present town was planted still nearer the present citadel. After this removal, the neglect and destruction of the old town ineviUibly followed. The whole of the promontory is interesting, and its position unmediately adjacent to the to^vn, traversed by convenient roads, together with its villages, chapels and olive groves, which afford pleasant shelter from the sun, would ensure frequent visits, even if it were not ahnost the only available easy walk out of the town. It also has the advantage of bemg m fashion. In no other direction can one find such convenient- walking ground for ladies, and it has long been the general resort of all classes, both for walking luid dri- ving. ]\Iany of the inhabitants rarely get nuicli beyond it. Jt contains two or three countiy houses, a village, and some rich and well cultivated gardens. In most parts of it, whenever liouses are built, or fields turned u]), mimei'ous eoppci- coins, a lew silver coins, frag- VILLAGE OF ASCENSION. 41 ments of squared stones, and other curiosities, be- longing to the latest occupants, are found, but not many of them are perfect enough to possess any value. A walk to the principal points of view over the olive- covered hill, which forms the central and terminatmg point of this tongue of land, I found sufficient to remove almost entirely the troublesome sense of new- ness and town mamiers that pervades Corfu. After all, this is merely a thm varnish of modern civilisation, that Avill pass away with our rule, and, m a few years after our departure, there Avill be no trace of it. On the hills, there are only two country houses, one (not generally occupied) belongs to the Lord High Com- missioner, and the other to Sir Patrick Colquhoun, the present Chief Justice of the Islands. These, though placed so as to conmiand exquisite pomts of view, do not at all mterfere with the effect of the natural scenery of the spot.' After passmg the second of the countiy houses, two or three paths are seen, one of which whids about among the olive groves, and brings us to the group of cottages formmg the picturesque valley of the Ascen- sion. Passmg on, and making one's way to the summit of the low hills of marl and calcareous sand, a view is obtained across the Hyllaic Harbour — the modern Lake Cahchiopulo — already alluded to. The Chamiel of Corfu is also m sight from one end to the other. The Citadel, and the Island of Yido, jut out midway between the two bays, and the lofty spars of the ships of war indicate the position of the roads. It is im- possible to have a more magnificent back ground for 42 COKFU. these objects, than that afforded by the mountains of Albania. They are, indeed, equally grand from every point of view, and from every principal height, through- out the Island, and they strengthen and extend in all the landscape. The near views from the village of Ascension are hardly less charming than those mclu- ding the opposite mountains. Immediately below, at our feet, a fine spring bursts forth, close to the foundations and some of the columns of an ancient temple of Neptune, which occupied a site on the cliff midway between the two ancient harbours and beyond the old town, but looking across the channel, and not witliin sight of the Hyllaic Harbour. From the top, where is an old chapel, the \dew across to the ancient harbour is even more beautiful than that just alluded to, and extends far back into the hiterior of Corfu. The worst feature it presents, is tlie half swamp-like state of the greater portion of the lake, which is now reduced to a small, shallow pool ; and it is impossil)le that this should be other than mischievous, for, with a summer sun, it must serve as a hot bed for malaria, and, even in winter and spring, it is not-svith- out danger. The little village of Ascension I found more inter- esting than the greater part of the modern to-wn of Corfu. It is almost entirely peopled by families of Suliots, some of whom settled here when driven from their he.arths and homes by Ali Pasha, the tyrant of Joaniiinti. They were Christians; and, at one time, are said to have num])ered 4,000 families, who lived in practical iiidcpcndence in tlit-ir mountain lionics in SHIP OF ULYSSES. 43 Albania. At length, almost destroyed by incessant persecution, they became scattered over the islands of the Ionian group, and a few are comfortably settled in Corfu. Their modest, but picturesque huts, by no means dirty lookmg, and their peculiar physiognomy and costume, distinguish them from their neighbours. They are an interesting people, and more industrious than the Corfiots. The main road through the promontory leaves As- cension to the left, and terminates in a bluff marly cliff. At the foot of this, a narrow causeway stretches out into the lake nearly a third of the way across, and at its extremity there is a monastery on the very smallest scale. On a lumpy mass of limestone, near the middle of the opening of the harbour, is another equally small conventual building, picturesquely rising out of the rock, and overtopped by a few cypresses. It is not unlike, either m size or shape, one of the very ancient Greek galleys. It is called the ship of Ulysses ; and, we are told, that after landmg the hero in the harbour, the Phasacian gaUey that had conducted him hither, preparing to return, was suddenly arrested by Neptune, who, angry that it had so far contravened his wishes, suddenly converted it into the rock we now see. This legend is alluded to in the thirteenth book of the Odyssey : — " Swift as the swallow sweeps the liquid way, The winged pinnace shot idong the sea ; The god arrests her with a sudden stroke, And roots her down an everlasting rock." Another rock, near the north coast, competes with this 44 eORFl'. for the honour of being the petrified ship. The \'isitor to the pass of Pantaleone, whence the rival is seenf may exercise his judgment as to the probability of one or the other having thus originated. There is a ferry across the lake of Calichiopulo. fix)m the monastery at the end of the causeway to the other side, and a beautiful walk through the olive groves leads on among the hUls towards Gasturi, or l^ack to Corfu past the fountain of Cressida, where there is a perpetual source of delicious water. The spark- ling element here bursts forth from the rock in a frill stream, among a variety of bright green water-plants, which greatly increase the effect. The water is cool, and said to be very imiform in quantity and tempera- ture. Tradition points to this as the spot where the daughter of Alcinous* and her maidens were appealed to by Ulysses; and, certainly, there is nothing either in the position of the foimtain or the circumstances of the narrative to render it uuprobable, though, on the other hand, there is certainly a wonderfully small amount of evidence in favour of the assumption. The adjoining plains are now covered with olive trees, or are under cultivation for wine and com; but when the lake was a harbour, it is not milikely that these fields may have formed part of its bed, and * The grorea on the steep hiD-side of the promontOTy orerlookiDg the Hjllaic Harbour are considered to represent the ancient hanging- gardens of Alcinous, whose palace may, in that case, hare occupied the part of the hill beyond the rillage of Ascension. A charming glade exists thefe, in which a house might be built with great advantage but for the present state of the lake below. s.i FOUNTAIN OF CRESSIDA. 45 that the harbour approached the fountam much nearer than it does at present. The statement m the Odyssey would seem to pomt to a more distant fountam than this from the palace at Corcyra. A range of low hills to the north seems to afford a natural boundary to the ancient harbour; and as the soil up to the foot of these hills is clearly alluvial, it is the more probable that they anciently formed its limit. At present, although the lake is several hmi- di'ed yards distant,, the smallest ditch dug in the soil shows that water is very close to the surface. It seems strange that the Avater of the sprmgs of Cressida, which is close at hand and abundant, should not have been made use of rather than that of Benizze to supply Corfu. Doubtless, the fall of the water from the latter place, which is considerable, is a great advantage, but it can hardly counterbalance the ex- pense of conveying a stream through seven or eight miles of closed conduit over a difficult country. It seems, also, that the natural chokmg up of long pipes by lunestone water was not anticipated, though it has ah'eady taken place to some extent. There are not many excursions in Corfu that are within the limits of an easy walk from the town ; and except to the promontory and the path towards Cres- sida's fountam, it is necessary to go, and return, two or three miles over a dull, flat, and uninteresting country, to reach much that is striking. All the roads are, however, carriageable; and the traveller has only to select that excursion which his time will best enable hun to complete without inconvenience. 46 CORFU. For the convenience of description, I have preferred giving an account of what I saw in the island, in separate chapters, one referring to the middle part of the island, another to the south, and a third to the north. In the present chapter, I shall confine myself to the circle of comparatively Ioav, cultivable land, ex- tendmg around the toAvn, and from the tovm to the cliffs in the Avest, or the hills in the north and south. In this way, the reader may, if he please, familiarise himself first with the nearer, and then with the more distant trips. In a general way, the island of Corfu may be said to be divided into three parts : — a northern mountain district, — a southern tract, much of which is compara- tively low but not flat, — and a central district of broken ground, surrounded by mountains and hills. The northern and southern districts are coimected by the high ground of the west coast. The northern and central districts thus belong to each other, and the southern is distinct. The latter is, in fact, the un- healthy and narrow tail of the island, about fifteen miles m length, and from two to three miles wide, thinly peopled, and rarely visited. There is in it some fine scenery, and a fine of cliff, rising into lull, extends on the west side to Cape Bianca, which tenninates the island, but it nowhere approaches the rest of the island in variety of outline or in elevation. Of the northern and central parts, the mountam dis- tricts in the north, of which San Salvador is the highest point, and the mountains of Santa Deca (or rather Santi Deca — ten sahits^ — to be hereafter alluded to) SCENERY OF THE INTERIOR. 47 and San Mathias in the south, afford distinct points of interest. The chffs of the west, mth many isolated but noble hills, terminating in steep and nearly vertical precipices towards the west, require special notice. On the whole, the country may be said to slope from the north, the west, and the south of this prmcipal dis- trict, towards a large semi-circular area, forming a half basin, in the centre of which is the to"\vn of Corfu. This is the part of the island best kno^vn, and most easily visited, being all within convenient distance of the capital. The vicinity to the toA^^i is a great ad- vantage, as notwithstanding the large size, and, especi- ally, the gi'eat length of the island, there is, really, no second town or village to be found within it, m which a night's lodging and food can be obtained by the traveller without making pre\ious special arrange- ments, and obtaining introductions from the poHce authorities, or letters from the o"svners of decent houses who occasionally visit their comitry estates. To obtain an idea of the aspect of the interior of Corfu and its peculiarities, which are many and very mterestmg, the central basin, as I shall call this semi- circular area, must be crossed m many directions, and the mountains to the north and south, as well as the hills and cliffs to the west, must be ascended. This is neither troublesome nor tedious, and the best plan to adopt, is to cross the island, first of all, in its narrowest part, towards Pelleka, which will be described in the next chapter. This course was suggested to me by Mr. Lear, an artist, whose accurate and conscientious pictures of Corfu are well knoAvn, and who, fortunately 48 CORFU. for mo, veiy kindly undertook to accompany me in my first drive. I am satisfied that the same route may safely be recommended to future visitors. Leaving Corfu, we soon come in sight of the low, marshy shores of Lake Calichiopulo, and continue to pass through a cultivated plain, till we reach the little hill and village of Alepu. From this pomt the scenery begins to improve, and we at once enter one of those remarkable and magnificent olive groves, which are the glory and wealth of the Ionian Islands, but more especially of Corfu. Growing freely and natui'aUy all over Greece, the Greek Islands, and the shores of Asia Minor, cultivated for its fruit, and valuable for the oil obtamed from the fruit by the most simple contrivances of crushuig and squeezmg, the olive is one of those trees which may be resrarded as almost essential for the existence of the people in these countries. It abomids in all the Ionian Islands, but the Venetians, in their day, anxious to take full advantage of the profit to be hence derived, long encouraged the plantmg of oHves by a bounty of a sequin for eveiy tree. The Corfiots desu'ed to take the benefit of this chance, and seem to have covered ever}^ available part of their island with a young olive tree. The efi'ect is now seen in the wide spread of groves of old trees m every direction. Once planted and grafted, the tree has been left to its own devices, and has availed itself of this perfect liberty. It is not the custom of the Corfiot to work when he can remain idle, and he has, therefore, left his tree to the accidents of time and weather, and as it is not the CULTIVATION OF THE OLIVE. 49 fashion in the island to construct hedges or walls, or ditches or any other limits of property, the whole place has become one unbroken olive forest for miles and miles together. The total absence of pruning and traiinng after once grafting, and the habit of oiily collectmg the fi'uit when quite ripe, and never gathering it as in Itaty, have combined to mduce the mhabitants to leave the tree to adapt itself to circumstances; and so far as picturesque beauty is concerned, no lover of fine trees can regret that such a course has been pursued. The olive tree of Greece and Corfu has a very different gro^vth from the cultivated trees of Italy and Provence. It appears to grow spirally, vnth a number of small stems interlockmo- and embracins; in a singular manner, and this growth contmues mdefi- nitely at all ages of the tree. The trunks thus present a honey-combed and latticed appearance, and attain dimensions almost incredible. I have seen (in the island of Santa Maura) three large trees, each seven or eight feet in girth, aU gro^ving withm the compass of one lining bark, so that the girth of the whole group, which is, to all intents and purposes, a single tree, is nearly forty feet. There is a fine tree in the grounds of Sir Patrick Colquhomi, close to Corfu, which is also, to all appearance, a single individual, whose girth is twenty- seven feet. Not unfrequently, m the compli- cated trunk of one tree, there "will be apertures — not arising from accident, but clearly the result of natural growth — large enough, and open enough, for a boy to E 50 co]{FU. climb colli} )letely through; and the great majority of the trees arc so deeply furrowed on the outside by the twisted and contorted condition of the trunk, that they present, in every part, deep recesses, into which one might thrust an arm. These, it will be understood, are not the result of decay. The trees, thus attaining a most unusual bulk, grow also to a very great height; and their foliage is very thick, the branches bemg long and pendulous, and exceedingly graceful. Young trees seem to grow from the roots of the old, and old trees obtain fresh vigour from the embraces of the yomig, the whole of a gigantic tree being, apparently, a family of many generations rather than the mere development of a sino;le trunk from one root. The olive in this part of the world does not fruit generally more than once in two years, although, on the coast of Greece, there are trees that fruit aiinuall3\ These latter are somewhat different, m their orro^vth and appearance, from the others, and are not con- sidered to be, on the whole, more profitable. In Corfu, the tree is rarely touched, even the dead Avood not being removed, nor are the roots ever attended to. In the other islands, and by careful proprietors in Corfu, the tree is trimmed eveiy spring; the roots are laid bare every year, and some slow manure is dug in with them. The result is veiy manifest. In Corfu and Santa Maura, the trees are never pollarded. The number of trees in a given area in Corfu is not easUy estimated, o^ving to the extreme irregularity with which they are planted. As a rough calculation. YIELD OF THE OLIVE. 51 I believe about fifty to the acre will not be found very far Avi'ong ; and as, perhaps, nearly a hundred square miles of the surface of Corfu may be thus occupied, the total number must exceed a quarter of a million. As there are no statistics of the agriculture and culti- vation of the island, and as the properties are so much mixed and. so much subdivided as to render it almost impossible that there should ever be any under the existing laws, all calculation of the crop is exceedingly vague. It is certain, however, that only one crop in two years is expected, and that only one good crop out of five (once m ten years) can be calculated on. It is evident, too, that the crop is extremely specula- tive, — the yield of a tree varying from almost nothmg to about five gallons of oil, and occasionally much exceeding that. I was told, m Corfu, that, one year with another and one tree with another for an average of twenty years, a return of oil to the value of six- pence per tree per annum is all that can be calculated on. I am inclined, however, to think that this estmiate / is greatly below the mark ; and, in some of the other islands, it is certamly very greatly exceeded. The olive suffers from an insect that attacks it ^ occasionally, and entirely destroys the crop. It is also affected by unfavourable seasons, especially by bad weather near the time of ripening, and again when the fruit is falling. Unlike the custom in France and Italy, where the finest oil is made, the Corfiots allow the fruit to ripen on the tree and fall to the ground, or, when quite ripe, the tree is sometimes beaten. The fruit is small and 02 CORFU. l)omte(l ; it is of a deep purple colour, and the juice is also of a deep puq)le. It is ine\'itably bruised by falling. Women and children are employed to lift the fidlen fruit, which they put first into their aprons, or into bags, and then tumble into baskets. It then becomes more bruised. AMien collected, the fi'uit is left in heaps till the mill is ready to receive it ; and, during that time, it is subject to heat. The oil is obtained by grinding the ftiiit and stone between an upright cyhndrical roller and a horizontal stone table ; but the stone is veiy roughly broken. WTien thus crushed, the whole result is put into round baskets made for the purpose, and a number of these being placed together, one above another, are squeezed under a screw press. The oil that runs out* is thick, and veiy highly coloured ; but after being kept in jars, it clears itself. It is highly valued for exportation to the East and the Mediten'anean shores. The quantity of oil that pays the export duty from Corfu is from 150,000 to 200,000 barrels, of sixteen gallons each, equivalent to about three milUons of gal- lons. Probably as much is retained for home use; and a very large but unkno^^^l quantity is smuggled out of the countr}'. Grovring "svith the olive tree, and equally charac- teristic of the sceneiy of Corfu, is the C}'])ress. Gloomy and forbidding, but wondei-ftilly majestic, this noble tree — its foliage almost becoming black witli advancing age — stands out in the liuidscape, overtopping the olive, and rarely rivalled by any other fonn of vegetation. The cj-press has often, GROWTH OF THE CYPRESS. 53 perhaps generally, planted itself, and has known how to select good and telling positions. In some places, it appears in groups amongst rocky ground, where oHves would not be convenient ; often it is seen by the road side, or by the side of some ancient path, now obhterated, but wherever it appears, it is gene- rally m lines nearly, or quite, straight, and several in number. It seems to designate the form of the country, and is suggestive of ancient limits of pro- perty which do not now exist, but whether this is a mere accident, I am unable to say. I thmk if it were not for the cypress, the vast extension of the olive would be tame and monotonous; but, on the other hand, if it were not for the olive, the cypress would be too melancholy m its stately individuality. Even when several trees are together, each fall-gro"SYn cypress is an mdi\idual, and stands apart from its neighbours as an object in the landscape ; and one may study every one with advantage, whether in the wooded plams of the middle of the island, the pleasant and suimy cliffs of the west coast, or the dark hill sides of the northern range. But it is not only when full-grown that the cypress claims attention. For every one such well-grown king of the trees, there are thousands of younger and fresher, but less prominent offsprmg, dotted everywhere about the country. Some of these, half grown, are already assuming the family stateliness, but the rest, the baby trees, by far the most numerous, are so prim and so pretty in their primness, that one laughs at the absur- dity of their pretence. To see scores of these young 54 CORFU. plants, from six inches to three feet in height, rano'cd in strai<2:ht lines, or m lines that will suo-^^est strui«j:ht- ness, whether they are straight or not, contrasting with the wild luxuriance of the myrtle and thorn, and other brushwood with which they are associated, is almost ludicrous. But rt is impossible to help noticing them wherever they are ; and they are so abundant as to be characteristic of the island. The cause of the great luxuriance of the cypress in Corfu is doubtless the existence of so calcareous a soil, and the favourable state of the rock for the growth of the plant. As in England, the chalk favours the yew, so in Corfu, the limestone favours the cypress. There are many other parts of the world where trees of this kind are common enough, but I have been tempted to record my impressions of the pecuhar effect they have on the sceneiy of Corfu, because I have nowhere seen them take a more prominent place in the landscape. There are neither olives nor cypresses, neither vines nor fig-trees in the numerous undrained valleys of Corfu. It is in the dry hollows and on the slopes looking towards the East tliat they are chiefly al)un- dant. Olives are admirable resources for an idle people, and they tend to encourage speculation, but they are a valuable crop. The possessor of a few acres of olive trees and orange trees miglit bid defiance to fortune, if he were to look forward and make provision for tlic alternate years of famme, with- out being obliged always to borrow when the evil dav comes, and thus remain li<)]»cl('ssly and pcniiaiiciitK- in THE VILLAGERS. 55 debt. But this is too much to expect of mortal Greek. He might as well not live as not speculate, and thus the olive is well suited to his nature and also en- courages his small vices. We may easily study the phases of Greek character without introducmg agricul- tural statistics. On arriving at one of the httle villages commonly resorted to by the residents of the island, who, in summer, spend much time and money in pic- nics, a crowd of young \T.llagers collects around the party. All are idle, noisy, and useless in an equal degree. All claim with equal urgency to be employed, and all enjoy equal and supreme ignorance and indifference to the object the traveller has m view. Every one de- sii'es to be allowed to act as guide. 'No guide at aU is wanted, for one has only to follow any of the little paths at hand, and observe the clue of broken bottles and oyster shells, to reach the usual point of view, whatever it be. To save this trouble, however, and, as we vainly hope, to rid ourselves of the other pests, some Themistocles, or Aristides or Miltiades, is selected. He CEirries your cloak, if you desire it, and marches on; but the others, with perfect civility and with extreme volubility, have no idea of parting with you, and all follow in train. You cannot move a step mthout havuig half-a-dozen on each side and a dozen at your heels; and as the consumption of garlic has been carried on amongst the islanders generally for many generations, you are at once fully immersed in all its fragrant perfume. You cannot speak to your friend on any subject, however uidifferent, or m any languao-e, without a volley of modern Greek being throAvn at 56 COHFU. you, a propos des hottes^ liberally seasoned with the favourite condiment. These boys of all ages, from five to fifteen, or more, not only form a circle round you as you go, but if you stand still to make a note or a sketch, they squat round in a small circle in a dozen different attitudes, any one of which would be a fortune to an artist or photographer. They are imperturbably good-natured, but very tiresome ; and when you finally take leave, and present sixpence to the selected lad, the others, though quite aware that they have earned no- thing, are all clamorous for some reminiscence. It is not difiicult, indeed, to satisfy them, for a few coins, each worth the tenth of a penny, thro"svn amongst them, occupy them all long enough to enable you to escape ; but the true oriental clamour for bakshish, or payment for annoyance, is invariably heard.* After all, these children and their parents are acute, shrewd, and good-natured. They are as quick at repartee as the Irish; and not unfi*equently give hard hits and good answers to those who meet them on their o-svn ground. At the stmie tune, they are respectfiil, and never encroach. Nor are they dis- agreeable and hardy beggars like those too often seen in many parts of Ireland. They do not continue to persecute you by asking for money, although they • It must be acknowloilgoJ that our countrj' people hare brought this upon themselves. Nothing of the kind is obsenable in country villages out of the way of tourists and pic-nic parties ; nor do the people in the other islands make the same demand. Experience has taught the natives of the frequented spots what they may expect as the reward of riamour. THE WOMEN. 57 follow your footsteps closely. In fact, they follow the visitor partly out of vague curiosity; partly out of utter idleness; and partly, no doubt, with the hope of makuig somethmg out of him. But they do not actually beg till the moment of departure, and are then easily and cheaply stopped. One sees but few of the women in the villages near Corfii, and these seldom wear any other part of their ancient costmne than the handkerchief — the Turkish yash-mak — which, when coquettishly put on by young and pretty girls, add as much piquant effect as it ren- ders more hideous the features of the old and ugly crones who also adopt it. The children of both sexes are generally very pretty, and the growing girls not less so; but they fade early, and pass at once into old women. It is then much better that they should not show themselves. In the cases where I observed the women with their children, the latter were rather put forward and invited to address the stranger than held back, and kept out of sight m the manner so common in Italy. There seems, in Corfu, no dread of the evil eye^ though, when first under the protection of Eng- land, the case was very different. Even now, there is no want of belief in various matters of the grossest and most pagan superstition. The usual dress of the women in the middle of Corfu presents little that is remarkable, and nothing that is pleasing. Only on the great festivals of the chui'ch do they put on their ancient costumes; and these, as they gradually wear out, are not very con- scientiously replaced. 58 CORFU. When working in the fields, or walking along the roads, it is not always easy, at a little distance, to tell Avhether the miserable figure before us, clad in a scanty blue skirt, "with the legs mufiled up in a thick "wrapper, and an exceedingly dirty handkerchief hanging over the head, can really be a woman. No doubt, there are many exceptions ; but, on the whole, it is to be feared that the gentler sex is still very orientally handled in these fair islands. When young and good-looking, they are shut up; when married, then* husbands are at first foolishly jealous, and then cruelly indifferent. They have to take a full share of all house and field work, and enjoy few or no indulgences, except it may be on the rare occasions when there are great festivals. No wonder, then, that they soon look faded and miserable. I have seen, notwithstanding, even in Corfu, sufficient bright eyes and pretty features among the very young girls to feel sure that beauty is not wanting, and that, with time, should the peo[)le be- come more educated, their condition in this respect Avill improve. There are not wanting a few pretty villages around Corfu, both in tlie ])lain country and among the low hills covered with olive trees and vines. Potiuno is one of these. It is chiefly remarkable for the campa- nile^ or bell tower, belonging to its church. This is a prominent object from the coast road, and is much more lofty and of better proportions than is usual. It is, ncj dou1)t, one of the results of Venetian rule. The houses of Potamo, some of tlieni witli large and cidtivated gardens, are prettily grou})ed round RIVEllS. 59 the church, which, though not of greater architectural pretence than is usual with village chui'ches, looks well in its position. This town, as its name unports, is built on the banks of the river that runs down and enters the sea a few niiles below, after passmg under a stone bridge, perhaps the only one in the island. Corfu is singularly without running water. Nume- rous springs arise out of the limestone at the foot of the hills, and some of these are very abundant ; but, with very few exceptions, hardly any water reaches the sea durmg those seasons when heavy rain is not falling. Two or three of the streams are called Potamos; but the one we are now alluding to is the chief. The name is sunply the Greek word irora^io';^ a river. The little stream under consideration, takes its rise at some distance from the sea, runs down through a narrow choked-uj) passage for a few miles, receives here and there a few small drains as tributaries, and, when it enters the plams, is hardly more than a re- spectable brook, not rmmmg with any rapidity. A wide sj^ace has, however, to be left for it to expand, for it occasionally becomes a torrent ; though, judging by the small size and paucity m number of the blocks of stone brought down by it, there can never be the stream that, in so large an island, might be expected. The water no doubt disappears in the crevices of the limestone, and the whole drainage is explained by the nature of the rock of which the island is formed ; but I must not detaui the reader here with ph^^sical disser- tations on scientific subjects. Among the smallest of the feeders of the Potamos, 60 COIIFU. is a ri\Tilet, derived partly from a ferruginous spring, bursting out in the Inlls near the \'illa residence of Sir Demetrio Curcumelli, the present Regent or Prefet of Corfu, a gentleman who takes a great interest in de- veloping the resources of his island. The spring iu question rises through a vein of gypsum, containing iron pjTites, and tastes warm in winter and cool in sum- mer, having always, it would appear, the mean tem- perature of the locality. Xo use has yet been made of it. Other mineral sprmgs are kno^^^l in various parts of the island, but they also are neglected. The \'illage of Alepu is another of those little groups of houses also on the course of the Potamos, but much smaller, and less important than Potamo. Including a subui'b, called Triclino, it only musters 200 inhabi- tants, whereas Potamo boasts of 1,500. Alepu is prettily placed on a Ioav sand hill cut through by the road leading to Pelleka, and takes its name from the foxes that doubtless were formerly common enough in the brushwood, at that time thickly covering the gromid. Foxes, however, have left Corfu ; and, though wolves and jackals still hold their o^vn in some of the islands, most of these "vvild animals are rare. There is nothing remarkable ui the \'illage of Alepu, beyond its jx)sition; and one would pass it by without notice, were it not for the ^'iew obtained of the countr}^ to the west, on first emergmg from the little cutting al- luded to. Passing a number of small properties, and through extensive olive groves, we approach Afra and the vil- lage of (^ircumelli, luar which is the country liouse of CONDITION OF THE PEASANTS. 61 the gentleman of that name, picturesquely placed on a low hill. Sir Demetrio Curcumelli is the present Kegent of Corfu, that being the title of the chief officer of the municipality, rather corresponding to the French Prefet than the English Mayor. He has interested himself greatly in the material progress of the island, and has improved the cultivation of the land in his own neighbourhood. The peasantry in this part of Corfu seem to obtain fair wages and plenty of work during the busy time of the year. Their condition, however, if judged of by English eyes, and with English ideas of comfort, and cottage neatness, is very inferior to that of the corres- ponding class in England, with even smaller wages. I visited the house of a workmg man who had a large fa- mily, including several young children. The wages of the family were said to amount to about 145. Qd. per week, and the house consisted only of two dark rooms on the ground floor. A large part of one was taken up with an oven, while the comers appeared to serve as general receptacles for odds and ends. Adjoining was a room with a very small opening in the wall to let in light and air. In this, slept the women and young children. There was, besides these two rooms, only a kind of loft, with a floor of loose reeds on the beams of the sleeping room, and reached by a ladder. It is usual for the men to sleep wrapped up in their cloaks in any corner they find convenient. The floors of all the rooms consisted of dried beaten earth, and the fur- niture was limited to the very smallest amount of movables. The whole food of such a family was stated 62 CORFU. to consist of a very coarse bread, made of Indian corn. This bread was sweet, and good of its kind, and is Sold at the rate of about a halfj^enny a pound ; but, being- made at home, could not cost so much. Beyond this bread, nothing in the way of food Avas expected, be- yond a httle oil, the value of which was about tenpence per week,^ and an occasional fowl, on very special occasions. For their hovel, a rent of a dollar a year was paid ; and fuel costs nothing but time, the women picking up stra^}^ branches and l^rushwood sufficient for the oven, which is all that the climate requires. For clothes, the expenditure must be wonderfully small, if one may guess fi'om the bundles of rags covering the women and children. Certamly, a family receivmg such wages in England would enjoy many more com- forts ; and, it is a curious instance of extravagance in the midst of this penury m Corfu, that most of the families possess a dog, who eats nearly as much bread as a man. The average consumption is estimated at three pounds per diem for each member of the family, and two for the dog ; but T imagine this must be some- what in excess. It must not be supposed that all the country people are thus poor. There are some whose houses though apparently little different in the exterior, arc really much more commodious, and are far better furnished. As a contrast to the hovel just described, I was taken into the house of a respectable small farmer, one who fanned a certain tract of olive grove, vineyard and * The present ])ripc of oil (1803) ia about 2s. per gallon in Corfu. INTERIOR OF THE HOUSES. brf arable land, partly his o^vn, partly paymg a rent, either m money or kind. The entry of this house also was the cellar and general store. At least, a score of large casks for wine or oil were ranged in order on each side. Besides these, there were various implements and some miscellaneous property. A decent . stair conducted into two upper rooms. We only entered one of them, and it happened to be the apartment of the women. It was of large size and good proportion. There was a very large high bed, nearly seven feet square, in one corner. On it were two mattrasses, one of maize straw, and another of wool. In the room, were three large old Venetian linen chests, in Avhich were, no doubt, the household linen and the costumes, worn only on feast days. These chests were ornamented with a quaint kind of carving. Hanging on the wall, was one of those good old fashioned lookmg glasses, with large wooden frames, that one sees now and then in farm-houses in England, and a smaller one below. On some shelves, were a number of square glass bottles, like liqueur bottles. Several pictures of Greek samts were there, and the wedding-wreath of the house- mother was carefully suspended on the wall, covered with a cloth. It was much faded. There were tables, good, strong and sound, some benches, and some chaii's. The whole was comfortable and substantial. This house was the habitation of five men, four women or groAvn-up girls, and three children, all young. No doubt, the people were sufficiently weU oif to be well fed and comfortably provided ; but they could not live much in the house. There seemed no G4 CORFU. special apartment for eating ; and it is most likely that the bedroom we \dsited answered all purjDoses. ' With regard to the field labour in such a family as that we were now visiting, it would be managed by the joint eiFort of two or three neighbours. True it is that the labour is very small. The vines are pruned and the earth turned up around the roots in spring, and the oUves shaken off the trees, and picked up when they fall in autumn. The loose, open soil is prepared for planting maize, and perhaps beans, and then all is over. The people are industrious only by fits and starts ; but certainly, when they do work, they seem to get over the ground quickly. I saw a con- siderable patch of vines, at wliich three boys of about thirteen were digging, and one old man pruning. The work they had got through since the morning was much more than could have been expected from the tools they use. The soil, however, was very light. My companions were curious about the age of the people, and other matters ; but so suspicious are most of the villagers and so much more accustomed to ask questions than answer them, that we feared we had seriously offended one family, whose house we had entered, by our minute enquiries. A young and pretty girl, who certainly had no sufl[icient reason for concealing her age, for she could not have emerged from her teens, bridled up, and replied that she did not remember being born. Another older one looked daggers, and altogether declined replying. As the party of whom I foiTned one was in company with the Regent, wlio, moreover, was a near neighbour, and ROAD-SIDE TAVERNS. 65 took an interest in his neighbours, it might have been thought that an apology would be sufficient to put thmgs right; but Sir D. Curcumelli informed us, next day, that he had great difficulty in explaining why a party of English gentlemen should come and look into their houses and ask their ages. They certamly did not accept as true the real reason; but connected the enquiry mth some deep political stratagem. In the open country, away from the village, it is not unusual to find houses of some size consisting chiefly of one large chamber, and one much smaller out of sight. These houses are not raised above the ground-floor; they are built with stone walls, and roofed with tiles, the roof projecting three feet or more beyond the walls. Such houses are wayside taverns, and in them may be obtained wine, raki (the common spirit of the country), and generally, at a few minutes' notice, an excellent cup of cofi*ee. On all the chief roads out of Corfu these houses exist, and they seem to do a good business. Carts, each loaded with half-a-dozen people, drive up at a hand- gallop, and immediately the whole party jump out singmg and shouting in a truly oriental and tho- roughly unmusical manner, and turn in to one of these taverns. Sometimes they seem to come out of their way to patronise a favourite estabhshment, for, after they have enjoyed themselves, they return by the road whence they came. No women jom in these revels. Such houses are often picturesquely placed far away 66 CORFU. from a \dllage, and ^^^th a back ground of olive-trees and oranges, that is very pleasing. Occasionally, they occupy prominent positions on a hill side, and they always add to the effect of the landscape. If not on the road side, such establishments will be found at the entrance of the villages; but the traveller must not suppose that he would obtain food or a night's lodging at them; they are mere drinking booths, "with one wretched dark chamber behind. Of the better class of country houses, and of villas belonging to the higher classes, there are very few. That built and occupied by Sir D. Curcumelli, is an exception, for it is large, roomy, handsomely fur- nished, and charmingly placed. A large court-yard is enclosed by buildings, which include stables, stores, offices, and convenient sheds for making wine and obtaining oil. Over this court yard is a trellis-work covered with vines, which, in the heat of summer, must afford a delicious shade. Smaller villas there are, but they are few, and not connected with pro- perty ; they are mere summer resorts, r Go\4no is another \'illage of the plains, not very far from Curcumelli, and as it is one that has a history of some interest, it deserves a brief notice. In 1848, Govino numbered 162 inhabitants. In 1860, the number had dAvindled to 118. It is one of those unfortunate localities where nature has srranted beauty, but denied health. It looks inviting and plea- sant, but residence in it involves an attack of malaria and fever. During the time when the Venetians occupied Corfu, they selected the natural harbour of HARBOUR OF GO VINO. 67 Govino as one of their chief places of resort. Here they constructed an arsenal, store-houses, and other public buildings; and here, no doubt, they planted a tOAvn which they believed would be permanent. It is not unlikely that, at that time, the harbour was deeper than it now is, and the neighbourhood less unliealthy, but at any rate, after a time, the to^vn was abandoned, and even the few straggling sickly fami- lies, who now call themselves its mhabitants, live at some distance from the harbour. It is a silent and rarely visited spot, for there* is poison in the air aromid. And yet to look at Govino from a little distance, one would be inclined to select it as the site, of all others, for a town; a fine harbour, with an entrance both north and south, an island and promontory sta- tioned as if to fend off aU troublesome ^viiids and keep the sea calm, and rich vegetation clothing the ground everj^where, all look tempting. The stagnant waters on the swampy plains around, and the rapid evapora- tion from the calm waters of the harbour, which receive all kinds of dying and dead matter, and ai»e too little disturbed ever to get rid of them by any other method than allowing them to decompose, fully explain the state of the case. The want of tide is a fearful want in the Mediterranean, and the farther -sve go east the more is this great want felt. It was neces- sary, perhaps, that some drawback should exist on these beautifrd shores, that man should not find a paradise too complete, and that he should be tauo-ht caution, and made to tremble Avhere he would other- 68 CORFU. wise have been inclined to lie down in the careless enjoyment of too much terrestrial happiness. Certain it is that the absence of resrular and considerable movement of the sea is the great cause of all the fever that is so rife on the shores of the eastern Mediter- ranean. It is not necessary to describe at length the other viUiiges and places of interest within the area of com- paratively low ground encircling the town of Corfu. All partake of the same general character, and consist of picturesque but small and irregular groups of houses hall' buried in groves of fine olive-trees, and varied by low hilljt or projecting rocks of limestone. There are few or no regular valleys, no rivers, and no com manning points of view, but all is pleasing and cheerful. The people, too, are ci^'il and well-disposed, but are thinly spread over the country, there being few detached houses. The population of the \Tllages is rarely above 600, and there are nowhere any marks of growth as exemplified by new buildings. CHAPTER III. EXCURSION TO PELLEKA THE ROAD, THE VILLAGE, AND THE VIEW CHAPELS ON THE HILL TOPS VAL DI ROPPA ITS APPEARANCE AND UNHEALTHY STATE PALEOCASTRIZZA BEAUTIFUL CLIFF SCENERY OF THIS PART OF THE ISLAND MONASTERY AND CONVENT THE MONKS AND NUNS — - CHAPEL OF THE CONVENT PANTALEONE AND THE COUNTRY BEYOND SULPHUR DEPOSIT AT SPAGUS CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY PEOPLE IPSO AND ITS GYPSUM SPARTILLA SAN SALVADOR ^ASCENT FROM GLYPHO SIGNES. I HAVE already said that the first visit of the stranger in Corfu, desii'ous of seeing the country and knowing the island, should be to Pelleka. It is not far, the distance from the town being only about eight miles. It is rapidly reached in a carriage, over a good road, and the way to it crosses much beautiful and charac- teristic scener}^: mld-lookmg, though valuable, olive groves, noble cypresses, isolated pinnacles and cliffs of limestone, the bed of a small stream with some- thnes — not always — a little water; handsome pines, 70 CORFU. trees not too common in the island, but always beau- tiful and well-grown when they are found; swelling plains, and at last a long rise up a picturesque and well- wooded hill side : these varied beauties succeed each other till at length we reach the modest little village with its 725 inhabitants perched high up on the side of the hill, \vithin a few hundred yards of the summit. Quitting the carriage at this point, a steep, narrow path conducts towards a chapel, small, but more picturesque than chapels of the Greek Church usually are, placed at the edge of a steep and lofty cUfF overhanging the sea, and presenting to \iew a few miles of that most beautiful part of Corfu, its west coast. Very grand is the contrast of the lofty cliffs and picturesque hills terminatmg the mountam chain of San Salvador towards the west, -with the valley clothed with rich vegetation spread out to the east, and equally interesting the view of the toAvn and citadel of Corfu, apparently not very distant; the chamiel of Corfu looking like a great lake, and the noble Albanian momitains ^vith their caps of snow closing the view in that direction. A continuous path along the edge of the cliff deve- lops every mmute a fresh point of view: the moun- tains m the south, Santi Deca and San Mathias, con- nect themselves with the northern range of San Sal- vador by means of the high ground on which we stand, and the whole fonns a noble amphitheatre, having a radius of at least ten miles. The beautiful ridge near Pelleka is greatly visited j'rnin Coi'f'u, Ix'iiiL!: aiiiong flic j)laces resorted to for VISIT TO PELLEILA.. 71 celebrating that singularly British institution the pic- nic. Large deposits of oyster shells and broken cham- pagne bottles will clearly indicate to future genera- tions the important uses and sacred character of the place, and long after Great Britain has ceased to act as the Protectmg Power of the Ionian Islands, long after even our roads — the most durable mark of Eng- land's empire — have become obHterated, future travel- lers will discover in their search after the remains of a former people, these umnistakable proofs of the taste and habits of the western rulers of the world. Pelleka, though small, is flourishmg ; at least this is the conclusion forced upon one by the rush of chil- dren, of all ages, who greet the arrival of every car- riage, and the persistent devotion with which every stray traveller is pursued from the moment he leaves the carriage till the last instant of his stay in the neighbom'hood. The children, too, look healthy and free, and contrast strongly -with the pallid and hag- gard appearance of the inhabitants of Castrades and the lower part of the town of Corfu. Still more favourably do they contrast with the inhabitants of the villages below, either on the shores of the marine . swamps, or of the fresh- water marshes. Referring to the census tables, I find that since 1848 the increase of population fi'om 1848 to 1860 is as much as 134, or at the rate of nearly two per cent, per annum ; not very fast it is true, but better than the average of the island. The villages on the plauis, on the other hand, many of them show an actual decrease, or, at the best, stagnation. 72 CORFU. Passing along the cliff from the south towards the north we find another little chapel also prettily situated, and not far from it a very bold, jagged, pro- jecting rock, suddenly ending in a precipitous fall towards the east and north. From this point there is a view, not Avithout gi'eat beauty, but even more mte- resting than that ah'eady alluded to as involving con- siderations in reference to the smgularly small and slowly-increasmg population and sanitaiy condition of the island. Immediately beneath the eye, in two directions, are extensive plains; one running to the west of north towards the foot of the great transverse mountam-chain of the island, and the other towards the east, smaller, but. of the same nature. The former is the Val di lloppa, a place well kno^vn to sportsmen from the garrison, for the enoraious supply of water- fowl to be shot there in the whiter. It is one of the most singular and most mischievous of several similar valleys in the ishmd of Corfu, and deserves special attention. From the picturesque extremity of the rocky cliff of Pelleka — the beautiful hill of San Georgio risnig, with its double- rounded summit, to the left, and a continuous coast range beyond, as far as the eye can reach — with the high mountain range terminating in San Salvador immediately l)elbre us, and with lower picturesque hills to the right, let us contemplate for a moment the level space at our feet, extending lor about six miles without interruption. This level bottom is the Val di Koppa. Xo river enters it; none emerges from it; none runs tlirough VAL DI ROFPA. 73 it. It is the bottom of a basin, or long trough, receiving all the water that falls on the slopes of the surrounchng hills and mountains, allowing the water to soak into the ulterior as long as it can do so, and then allowing the rest to remain on its surface till it has been slowly evaporated off by the hot sun. So long is this process going on, that when I saw it, during the month of February, after two month's drought, the whole of the part nearest the mountams — which appears to be the highest, but must really be the lowest, part — was still under water, and the rest was like a half-drained marsh. The angel of death hovers over this wide plain, — death in the terrible form of a wasting and poisonous fever. Here are always at hand the seeds of malaria ready to attack every victim who comes within their influence; and in the miserable villages on the plams and low hill-sides around, we may read the effects of a badly-chosen locality. In order to estimate this fairly, I have taken fi'om the census the details of the population of six villages surrounding the valley, comparmg their state at the two periods, 1848 and 1860. I find that in these six villages, the total population in the former year was 1,750, and in the latter, 1,754; that of three of the villages the population had sensibly decreased, and in the other three had slightly increased. With a single exception, none of these villages have a popu- lation of 500 inhabitants; and one of them is now reduced to 64. I thuik it is impossible to show 74 coRFy. more clearly that something seriously and radically bad must exist in the air around. There would be little practical difficulty in draining the whole of this large tract, and bringing it mto per- manent and profitable cultivation; and it is much to be desired that a work so important should be tiiken in hand while the island yet remams under British protection. Besides the Val di Roppa, another smaller tract of marsh land is below our feet when standing on the edge of the cliff at Pelleka. Without bekig so much exposed to evil influences and receiving less water than the larger valley, there can be little doubt that, in its way and m its proportion, this, also, is mjurious. A little chapel, dedicated to St. John the Evan- gelist, stands near the extremity of the precipice, overlooking the plains below. Very small, with no window, and only one door — a mere shed roofed in — ■ this chapel is a great attraction, and the object of many a weary pilgrimage when the proper day aiTives. The pictui'esque costumes and strikuig groups that then cover this beautiful cliif, and, per- haps, some interesting pagan customs, traceable in the worship and amusements of the day, would render a visit at that time very pleasant. A more distant excursion than that to Pelleka con- ducts the traveller past the village of Potamo (leaving it to the left), and not far from the village of Curcu- melli, to the north of the Pelleka road, and so through olive groves, and pines, and cyi)resses, past miuiy pic- PALEOCASTllIZZA. 75 turesque rocky precipices to the foot of the San Salvador cham, and so up a long, steep zigzag, round the shoulder of the hill to the sununit of another lofty cliff, whence the eye looks down mth delight on a nearer and equally beautiful glimpse of the western shores of Corfu. Down this chff, along a steep, but well-made road, we rapidly descend, and soon come in sight of a multitude of little bays, each with its lovely white sands and clear blue water — each with some fantastic rock jutting out of the water or termmating the bay, and every one briUiant and sparkling in the simshine and almost touching the foot of the cliff, on which alternate vines and c}^3resses, myrtles and ohves, are growing and flourishmg. About two-thii-ds of the way down, the cliff and hill are entirely formed of beautiful sparkling g}q)sum, quite crystalline and pure. The rest of the hill is of the ordinary limestone of the country. At the foot of the cliff, on a little hillock forming a khid of promontory, connected by a hilly isthmus separating two s}Tnmetrical httle bays, are the monas- tery and convent of Paleocastrizza, — the object of many a charming pic-nic, and the occasional habi- tation, during summer, of some of the English residents of Corfu, who are able to offer a sufficient inducement to the regular proprietors to justify them in accommodatmg themselves elsewhere. The con- sideration is not very serious. The distance of Paleocastrizza from the to^vn is about seventeen miles, and the road is good; but it takes three hours to drive there, owing to the hilly 76 CORFU. nature of the way. The situation is channing; very retired, but far from dull ; and it well deserves to be, as it is, one of the most frequented and favourite resorts of those who visit, or reside in, the island. Notliing can be imagined more exquisite than the broken and indented coast here presented. The steep cliff rises behmd to a height of from 800 to 1,000 feet; but, both in approaching it by the road and from the sea, a great multitude of rocks of all shapes and sizes are obsei'ved lying about in wild confusion. AU are covered with a rich vegetation. At our feet are at least a dozen tiny little bays, the horns of which stretch far out into the bright blue water, Avhile little crescents of the most delicate white shingle, as fine as sand, tempt the foot of the bather. A few caverns are seen at mtervals, but they are only acces- sible by boats. The last but one of the small bays is separated from the last by the promontoiy, on the top of which is the monastery. It is so calm, so clean-look- ing, and so comfortable in its accommodation that I greatly admired the taste, not only of the original monks, but of my friends and companions, who had, last summer, taken possession of the place, under arrangement mth the monks, and occupied it them- selves. A more delightful retreat caimot be imagined ; and during the intense heats of summer, far removed from all danger of malaria, and with the beautiful sea, and rocks, and sky all around, it would be hard to select a spot where life could be more enjoyable. Both monks and nuns are attached to this establish- ment. The latter, indeed, are more like the yfcurs THE nuns' embroidery. 77 de charite than nuns of the Romish church, and are usually old women. We saw, however, two, and neither of them was veiy old. One was spinning flax with a distaff, and the other was embroidering a kind of gii'dle, or belt, with gold and red, in a style of which there were some examples in the Ionian Court of the International Exhibition. One of the ladies of our party purchased a belt just completed; but the price paid (nearly nine shillings) seemed to me very high. There are, however, too many English visitors ; and there is too much demand for wares of the kmd, even among the villagers, to let the prices fall. The embroideress was good-looking, and scarcely middle aged. She wore a serge dress, plain and be- coming, rather different in style from the dress of the peasants, but not remarkable m any way. I observed that, although she spoke chiefly, and by preference, the Greek language, she understood, and could speak, Italian. There is a fair amount of cultivation on the hill sides near the convent; but in order to keep up the soil, there are numerous terraces. These must have been built at an enormous expense of time and trouble, even if they did not cost actual money. The vine is one of the trees here planted, and, it seemed to me, the chief one ; but, no doubt, there are grain and root crops in due season. The sides of the slope appear to be too steep to admit of any other kind of cultivation with a chance of success. The ground that is at all level is occupied with olive trees. A ruined castle is seen on the summit of the high 78 CORFU. cliff nearly adjacent, but a long and rough road must be travelled to reach it. It dates from the Venetian period, like most of the median'al ruins of the island, and is called the Castel St. Angelo. The iX)sition is strong and fine, but the remains are not very exten- sive. Beyond it is a fine bay. Paleocastrizza seems to be almost the only accessible part of the coast of Corfii at which genuine cliff scenery can be found ; and what is here seen is, beyond ques- tion, extremely bold and fine, contrasting }X)wei'fiilly with the other limestone scenery of the island. A large and valuable mass of gj^sum is cut through by the road a little before arri^'ing at the foot of the cliff, but it has not been worked. AVith this exception, the cliffs are entirely calcareous. Many pleasant walks and excursions might be made fi'om the monaster}'; but the wandering about in the little bays — climbing the low cliffs near the sea — reaching the numerous headlands by land, or paddling about m a little boat that peeps ui\'itingly out of a small recess in the rock under the convent — would, perhaps, suffice to occupy most of those who come here to escape the intense heat of the summer sun, wliich bums up everythmg in Corfu. The clearness of the water is extraordinary as it ripples over the delicate bed of shingles and minute shells, — the shingles being, as I have said, so small as to deser\'e being cidled sand. There is here none of that muddy appearance seen on the shore in the channel of Corfii ; and as a healthy summer resort, there is, probably, nothmg in any part of the island to compare with it. THE CHAPEL AT PALEOCASTRIZZA. 79 The establishment at the convent is small compared with the size of the builclmg and the large church accommodation. Without the shghtest architectui'al pretension, the chapel is large, lofty, and well pro- portioned. It is ornamented with a few pictures, probably by native artists, — one series representing, m a very incomprehensible way, the creation of the world. Each picture was divided mto compartments representmg some one event. The creation of the fowls of the air was pretty clearly indicated by the simplest of all contrivances. It was a poultry- yard in an uproar. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise was neatly executed by an angel in a broAvn great coat and scarlet waistcoat, with small golden wuigs. The flames of the sword were also golden. Some of the image pictures were curious. The painted part, consistmg of the face and breast, seemed well done, and was recessed deeply behind the silver plate which so usually covers the dress of pictures of tliis class m the Greek church. A box for ahns, tliinly plated with silver, was placed withiQ sight. I camiot refrain from inserting here, for its o"\vn sake and as an instance of the style of the Baron Theotoki, the native liistorian of Corfu, the brief notice he gives of this gem of the island. It is at once illustrative of the Greek character and amusing in itself. I give it in his own French, which is no less characteristic than the matter and treatment. It would be easy to find passages far more uiflated, for every place in turn comes in for its share of descrip- 80 CORFU. tion, and language evidently fails to convey the inten- sity of his patriotism. " Paleocastriti. — Si quelqu'im aime a chercher le vrai pour le connoitre, non pas pour s'en glorifier, si quelqu'un aime a se concentrer, purifier son coeur, et retrancher tout ce qu'il pent y avoir de contrau'e a la droiture, qu'il aille se refiigier dans eet asyle. Sur des bords glissans et ignores d'une mer sans homes, il lui paroitra n'appartenir plus a la terre, si ce n'est pour craindre les embuches des avares qui I'habitent.* D'un cote un ancien chateau bati par le frere du dernier Souverain de Byzance, comme un colosse foudroye, sort des eaux pour deposer contre les fastes de la grandeur humaine ; de I'autre, le mont Hercule fend le ciel d'mi sommet nu, couvre le pays, et ajoute a I'illusion de ce site solitaire, un sentiment profond et sublime." — Details sur Corfu^ 1826; p. 25. Beyond the exquisite coast scenery and the simple but quiet residence, there is really nothing in Paleo- castrizza that admits of description ; but no one having any love for nature could spend a few weeks m its calm seclusion ^vithout benefit to mental as well as physical health. It is the perfection of its peculiar, but chaiTning, style. Not very far from Paleocastrizza, a road bi'anches off, and travershig one of the little hollow valleys so common in the islands, rises gi'adually to the village of Scripero, on the shoulder of a portion of the mag- * Je dis dc8 avares, car jc suis pcrsuadd que sur cent calamitds qui aflligont In terre, les 99 sont le rcsultat do ravai'ice (dans uuc acception tr58 i- tahty, cheerfully and instantly rendered, is not easily to be forgotten. It would clearly be impossible, if stray travellers often visited the island; but there seems no danger of its being converted into a heavy tax. Although, however, Amaxiki does not boast of an hotel, it has its public buildings. There is, first — the Palace, or Residence, where the representative of the protecting sovereign takes up his abode. Then there are the Law Courts next door; there is the Mansion House, the residence of the head of the nnmicii)ality; the Casino, or Club; the churches, of which there are many; the Market-phice ; the Health-office, uicludhig the Post-office, and the Prison. The principal street is called the Bazaar, and is, in so far, fitly named, that it is full of open sheds from one end to the other. Not a pane of glass in a shop front; not a decent PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 137 looking shop of any kind is to be found there. All is oriental and dirty. Certainly it does not abound in silks and gold or silver ware ; there are no rich scarfs, or amber beads, or handsome arms. It is not luxuri- ous, in fact, m any sense ; but it is not the less oriental. And the public buildings are not models of archi- tectural beauty. There are few constructions of any kind m the whole place that are more than one storey high; there are hardly any that are built of anything much stronger than wood, ten feet above the founda- tions. The town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1825, and built up afterwards with a view to the return of a similar convulsion. Thus the foundations of most of the buildings are laid deep in thick walls of sohd stone, and the superstructure is a plain, stout framuig of oak, filled in with brick and stucco. In case of future earthquakes, it is hoped that the damage would be trifling, although, should fire occur, the result would be very serious. Slight earthquake shocks are veiy common. The style in the better class of buildings is more Italian than anythmg else, and is by no means unpic- turesque, the lines being much broken, and no two houses that are detached being ahke. All but the principal streets are narrow, dirty, and badly paved. The better houses have large, airy rooms, with French windows, which are sensible enough, for the climate rarely requires much shelter from cold, and the heat is said not to be excessive. The smaller houses are dark and dii*ty, and the rooms are small and miserable. The churches are not large, and are built in the style 138 SANTA MAUEA. common in the East, except in rich and luxurious cities. They are oblong, bam-like constructions, with a small detached bell-tower holding two bells. Exter- nally they are quite "without ornament, and inside the decoration consists of a number of figures painted on the screen that, as usual, not only shuts off the hifjh altar, but reaches to the ceHino^. The num- ber of churches is large compared with the size and population of the town ; but Santa ^laura is an archbishopric, and there is a goodly array of town priests, all of whom seem to belong to the class of celibates. Outside the town is the commencement of a hand- some stone bmlding, in the style of an ancient temple, which was intended to be dedicated to the patron saint of the town, whose name is Santa Maura. After the foundations were laid and the wtdls raised to the height of about four feet fi'om the ground, and when there had been brought to the spot a vast number of squared and rough blocks from the ruins of Leucas, the work was stopped, and seems likely to remain a monmnent of folly, extravagance, and the barbarous and needless destruction of one of the grandest re- mains of antiquity. One would have hoped that no one having the smallest pretence to liberal education, or who could appreciate the value of ancient monu- ments of art, would have destroyed, wilfully and utterly, one of the very few remains that exist of ■ the complete gateways through Cyclopean wtdls. Such a gate, however, existed at Leucas till destroyed for the sake of this modem temple, and the stones SANITARY STATE. 139 of it may still be recognised among the large blocks by the roadside adjacent. In front, and on each side of Amaxiki are the shallow waters of the lagoon, gradually diminishing in depth, and in many places already reduced to a few inches. Less mischief arises fi'om this lagoon than might be expected, and sometimes a summer and whiter will pass away with much fever. So httle unhealthy, indeed, is the mere shallow sea water, that the fort, wliich is entirely suiTomided, is said to be singularly salubrious. Probably the small amount of population, and the distance of the fort from the town, may have something to do with this exemption. There are large salinas, or salt pans, in the neighbour- hood, and these also are not considered to poison the air. It would seem that during the whole of the summer, at a tune when most of the islands suffer greatly from malarious fever, the never-failing land and sea breezes keep the town and its neighbourhood in good health. Little organic matter finds its way mto the water, and there is always a good supply of fish. The old fort, built on onfe of the prhicipal expan- sions of the generally narrow strip of land enclosing the lagoon, is interesting, and hi the middle ages must have been capable of makhig a good fight. It could not, however, stand ag-amst modern artillerv. It covers much ground, and uicludes several outworks. It bears marks of its successive masters, who, iu each modifi- cation in the buHduig, employed the old materials, of whatever kind they were. There is a Tui'kish mosque, 140 SA2JTA MAUHA. perhaps originally a heathen temple, ultimately Chris- tianized by the Venetians. As a Christian *chiirch it has, in its turn, been occupied by Greek and Roman, popish and orthodox congregations, and now, at last, under the English rule, is converted into a store- room. There are walls of all kinds, bastions, and out- works, chiefly constructed by the Turks; but the prisons and oubliettes were added by the Venetians, the old tyi*ants, but now the slaves of the eastern Mediterranean. To these have been added modem barracks and earthworks. It is interesting rather for its historical recollections than for its actual remains. Viewed fix)m any of the neighbouring hills the lagoon, the spit of white sand running out to Teki Castle on the Greek land ; the ti*act of cultivated land, with a house, and church, and oHve trees upon it, which projects from the sand spit into the lake nearly opposite the town ; the large enceinte of the fort witli its bastions and outss'orks; the Salinas to the south, and a conical hill cro^^Tled •with the ruins of a dismim- tled fort erected by the Turks opposite the siilinas: — these together form a pleasing and striking group. Inmiediately behind the town, and extending almost the whole distance to the foot of the hiUs, some miles inland, is a flat plain somewhat above the level of the sand-spit, covered ahnost entirely on the west side ■with magnificent olive trees, and on the other side partly cultivated for garden produce, fruit trees, and com. Here also, however, are other olive groves. This rich tiiict affbrds largo and profitable crops, OLIVE GROVES. 141 and combines great beauty with material sources of wealth. The olive groves are very ancient, and con- tain trees of almost fabulous growth. In one place I observed three trunks, each of the largest size that a sound young single tree ever attains (seven or eight feet in gii'th), growing together within a single bark; the total girth could not have been less than thirty feet. The age of some of these old trunks can only be guessed at ; but certainly must be exceedingly great. No order is observable in the planting of these trees, and young trees are mixed up indifferently with old, but all are well cared for, and the ground beneath them, which is generally very good soil in this part of Santa Maura, is for the most part under tillage, or is at least available for grazing sheep and homed cattle. The olive groves now extend nearly to the edges of the lagoon ; but they must have advanced by degrees in this direction, as the area of water has been gra- dually becoming less considerable for a long while. Remains of an old wall, partly Cyclopean, partly of tj^at somewhat newer construction caUed polygonal,* are found at intervals, and some towers of similar construction have been destroyed within the present centuiy. These clearly mark the ancient lunits of land towards the lagoon, and show that the water is now more than a quarter of a mile further back than * By this term is meant large blocks, of various shapes, closely and neatly fitted, and having artificially smoothed surfaces in contact. The tarue Cyclopean wall is one in which the blocks of stone are selected as nearly adapted, but are not chiselled so that the surfaces in contact correspond. Both terms are limited to walls constructed chiefly of gigantic blocks. 142 SANTA MAURA. it was two thousand years ago. Besides these walls and towers, remains of an ancient temple of Neptune just within the old walls still exist, and have been con- verted into the foundations of a modem chapel. The walls seem to have been contmued so as to include most of the present olive groves, and they are trace- able outside, but at no great distance from the modern city. It might be supposed that in a place so out of the world as Amaxiki, the events 2:oino^ on in Enfj;land would possess little interest. This is not, however, at all the case, and ample proof was established of its loyalty and good feeling on the occasion of the mar- riage of the Prince of Wales to the Princess Alex- andra. Perhaps this might not be uninfluenced by the great question of the day, which to every one speaking the Greek language must certainly be, union with Greece ; but, whatever the cause may have been, the effect was veiy marked, and it will give some insight into the Greek character, and may afford some amusement if I conclude the present chapter witli an accomit of the rejoicings that took place in the island on that day of universal hoUday wherever the English flag was hoisted. I arrived at Santa Maura about the beffimiins: of March, within a few days of the weddmg of the Prince and Princess. Days before this, the preparations for cele- brating the grand event had been going on to the utter stoppage of all busmess. This might no doubt have been a much more serious matter if the busuiess inter- fered with amounted to other than wanderinjr about, PREPARATION FOR THE BALL. 143 'hearing and saying some new thing.' The streets had been crowded with Greeks of all classes, in every con- ceivable variety of picturesque shabbiness. Even the ladies had been seen in public, and as for children and dogs, they had constituted themselves permanent guar- dians of the principal preparations, and steadily kept guard at every pouit where work was goiiig on. The pre- linunaries consisted in bringing in on the backs of old women thousands of loads (none of them too heavy) of green branches from the adjacant hill sides. From these hills any quantity of myrtle, ilex, and other beau- tiful materials for decorative purposes may be obtained, and there will still be enough left for celebrations much larger even than this. When brought, the loads were thrown down in fi'ont of the public and private build- ings that were to be adorned. Looking on at these preparations, I see other Greeks, chiefly men, squatted down in the middle of the road, weaving the branches into interminable strings, which, in course of time, are susj^ended in wreaths round windows, doors, and other places. While this is going on, a car- penter appears with a comfortable ladder, on which he can sit at ease, and having provided sticks and nails, he proceeds to do his share in getting ready for the illumination. Fortunately, the weather is dry, and progress is not checked by any imtoward event. After many days of such labour, reheved by the occa- sional shouts of httle boys and the gapiag wonder of every peasant of the neighbourhood, long lines of bril- liant green vegetation may be seen decorating the 141 SANTA MAURA. market-place. All this confusion and bustle does not interfere with business, for as it is now the ^eat fast of Lent, the sales consist chiefly of oranges and beans, and the transactions are so small that they can afford any amount of interruption. The wreaths extend over the whole fa9ade of public buildings occupied by the Resident, the Tribunals, the Public Offices, the Schools, the Churches, the Casino, or Club, and others ; and at length things are beginning to get into some- thing like order. Meanwhile, the weather looks treacherous, and much alann is experienced by those who are sujijxjsed to be weather wise. I have said already that the houses in Amaxiki are not lofty. The island generally, and especially these low plains at the foot of the hills, on one of which the town is built, is subject to frequent and troublesome eiu*thquakes. In 1825, much of the to^vn and part of an aqueduct crossing the lagoon to the castle were almost destroyed by a con\^lsion ; and in the houses that were rebuilt, care has been taken by deepening and rendering very sohd the foundations and diminish- ing the upper works, to avoid serious risk should such a catastrophe recur. The result is that, "with few ex- ceptions, the houses are either entirely on the gromid floor or ^vith only one storey above the ground. Thus, though the fa9ade of the public buildings alluded to is certainly extensive, the elevation is not commanding. The palaces, in a word, are more stife than oniamental. But as the pubUc eye of the Amaxikians has not been educated to any other style, they ai'e quite prepared to CURIOSITY OF THE GREEKS. 145 admire this; and no complaint is made. On the con- trary, all the newest constructions vie with the palace in simpKcity. Exhausted, perhaps, by the excitement of the prepa- rations, and in anticipation of the work of the day, the morning of Tuesday, the 10th March, is ushered in by unusual calm. Even the little boys have deserted their posts in front of my Avindow— perhaps attracted by more excitmg scenes elsewhere— the municipality havino; decided at the last moment to do sometliino; more than they had previously intended. My windows, it must be said, are part of the Palace fa9ade, decorated for the occasion. I am thus enwreathed with myitle ; and, mdeed, I may venture to say that, independently of the myrtle, I am the object of great wonder and of much discussion to the worthy people of the toTNii. Your true Greek of the islands is behind no one in curiosity; and his intelligence and acuteness are so developed that he sees motives and meanings "without number in everything that happens around him. Thus, when an Englishman arrives, who does not deal in cur- rants, or wine, or oil ; who is neither soldier nor sailor, judge nor physician; and especially if, as in my case, he carries a box roiuid his neck, by the aid of which he measures the heights of the hills, and who, more- over, when he walks out of the town, has a policeman as a guide to help him look at, and knock about, the rocks by the sea-side, and climb hiUs that lead nowhere, the native is too clever a great deal to be puzzled, and at once discovers deep political motives, utterly un- kno^vn and unguessed at by any one but himself. The L 140 SANTA MAURA. stranger is the precursor of Alfred, He is going to make the islands of the Septinsular Republic and the mother country rich and great by a stroke of the pen. There is nothing he is not capable of. It is true he professes not to speak modem Greek, but then he is only the more mysterious because so utterly incom- prehensible ; and wise men shake their heads when they find that he can read the Greek Testament and -write the character and yet pretends that he neither speaks nor understands what is said. But I am forojettino: the events of the day. The perfonnances, besides the grand exhibition of garlands and wreaths, and the illu- mination, were to include a considei'able distribution of money to the poor, that they also might bless the happy occasion. More than a hundred families had been thus supplied on the day preceding; and none can help feeling how much this added to the satisfac- tion, both of those who gave and those who received.* Within the residence, there was much to be done. A grand ball and supper, to which two hundred of the principal Leucadians had been invited, was to take place in the evening. A levee was to begin the day, a grand performance at the church to come next, and in the evening the illuminations and transparencies were to precede the ball. Such was the general pro- gramme, to say nothing of royal salutes from the castle, bands of music hi the to"\vn, and the marching to and fro of soldiers and police. Everybody, m a word, was to be rendered happy; and the excitement * It ought to be mentioned that the expense of most of this waa borne by the municipality. PREPARATIONS FOR THE " LEVEE." 147 was to know no end. The ladies had already trans- lated mto the best modern Greek, for hnmediate use, the well-known lines — " We won't go home till morning, Till day light doth appear ;" and the gentlemen were fully prepared to assist them in keeping their word. Balls are not events of every day at Amaxiki ; and it was shrewdly supposed that the supper might have its charms also. It was well known that most of the invited had been practismg the dances for a long time; and for the last three evenmgs there had been regular rehearsals in the Httle theatre. One of the great difficulties in the way was, indeed, the want of gloves; and I was in- fonned, on good authority, that this might have the sad effect of diminishing the number of the ladies present at the ball, for gloves were understood to be de rigueur^ and all gloves of all colours had long been bought up from all the shops in the place. It was too late to get more from Corfu. Precisely at eleven, the business of the day com- mences, the whole pohce force of the island, fifty in number, marchuig up to the house of the Resident with then' band playing, and forming a guard of honour. Then the principal officers of the municipality ap- peared, and waited the arrival of the archbishop, whose approach was soon heralded by the striking up of the band to a Hvely air. At this moment, the Resi- dent descended, accompanied by the regent and the judge, and on their appearance, the guard saluted. 148 SANTA MAURA. Close to the door was the archbishop, in his robes of state, heading a procession of priests, and holding in his hand a veiy ancient and curious crosier. His robes were long, and the train was held by the chief deacon. The archbishop was followed by his grand vicar and chancellor; and the three made a noble group, being all remarkably fine handsome old men. They were followed by the priesthood of the to^vn, some of them fine and interesting-looking men, but others of a lower caste. The Resident and the archbishop having bowed, they joined company, and marched on side by side, followed by the mayor, to a room in the Tribunal, or Courts of Justice, a buildmg adjoming the Residence. Arrived there, the Resident stood in the middle of a small room with two doors, the archbishop on his left hand and the regent, or prefet, on his right. I, as a stranger, was placed next the archbishop. When the court was arranged, the priests came in at one door, each bo^ving to the archbishop, and shaking hands with the Resident. They went out by the other door, remaining, however, at hand. After them, came the judicial officers, and then other town functionaries, and, at length, private gentlemen. The scene was rather disorderly ; and the bows were, some of them, awkward enough. The stock of black coats and white gloves seemed also to have been distributed by some freak of fortune, — ^the small coat with short sleeves, terminating in gloves with ample room for the hands, while the man with a coat and trousers hanging about linn like a bag had split both gloves in the vain attempt to force his hands MARCH TO THE CHURCH. 149 into them. Still the afFaii' went off very decently. Last of all came the primates, or head men of the villages, who form a khid of police establislunent, and are generally the most respectable persons in each neighbourhood. These were particularly interesting. They wore a national costume, and looked much better than the to^vn gentry. They were, many of them, fine old men; and I noticed some long, venerable, curly locks among them. Most of them behaved veiy well, — entering slowly, stoppmg when they approached, puttmg the hand on the heart, and then bowmg in a grand oriental style. This was the best part of the levee. As soon as the reception was over, a move was made towards the church. The archbishop headed the pro- cession, and the clergy followed m something like order. The Resident and his party, after a short delay, also proceeded through the bazaar under a triumphal arch of evergreens, to a large square at the end of the town, where was the church selected for the commg solemnity. The streets and windows were lined with people, all of whom uncovered as we passed. About half way down the street, we met the officers of the garrison from the fort, who had been prevented by the strong wind from coming across in time for the levee. They turned back ; and we reached the square, and there found the police with then' band, and also the soldiers from the garrison, draAvn up. As the archbishop entered the church, the band commenced playing, and continued until the resi- dent and liis party had also entered. The principal visitors were placed m the stalls on each side of the bishop's stall, and the priests were crowded together 150 SANTA MAURA. in the part behind the screen, coming out only now and then. There were a vast number of candles in the ch\;irch, which w^ere being sometimes lighted and sometimes blowni out during the whole service, a beadle having a long stick, provided with a taper at the end and a little fan close to the taper, so that he could amuse himself in this way and produce endless occupation veiy conveniently. The semce consisted of prajT^ers sung m a nasal, disagreeable tone, in something like a very bad Gregorian chant, and the responses were made by the whole body of priests. The bod}^ of the church was quite full of men and boys, some of whom were rather unruly, and a con- stant squabble went on as to places and other matters without much reference to the service, and not always sotto voce. There was a large latticed gallery, in which were as many ladies as could be crammed. They did not appear on the ground floor. After the prayers, the Gospel was read by the arch- bishop, the book being held by the grand vicar and the chancellor. This book was said to be an old Alexandrian manuscript, and was handsomely bound in embossed silver. It was brought after the reading to be kissed by some of the prhicipal persons, the Kesident, the regent, and myself being selected for the honour. Then followed a specisd Litany, that had been drawn up by the archbishop and his secretary for the occasion. It is interesting as a specimen of the style of the Greek Church on such occasions, and also for the fjood feeling it exhibits throughout. The original Greek is not re- markable as a composition, but the substance may be SPECIAL SERVICE AT THE CHURCH. 151 thus rendered in a free translation. The officiating chief deacon chanted the versicles, standing outside the screen before the door that leads to the altar, and the priests present joined in the response, which con- sisted of the well known Kyrie eleison ! Kyrie eleison ! The Litany. Officiating chief deacon. Lord have mercy upon us ; and m the multitude of thy mercies, we beseech thee to hear us and help us. Response. Lord have mercy upon us. D. Bless, Lord, we beseech thee, Thy Holy Or- thodox Church. R. Lord have mercy upon us. D. Bless, Lord, thy servant Gregorius, our arch- bishop, and all Christian people tln'oughout the world. R. Lord have mercy us. D. Bless, Lord, we beseech thee, thy servant Victoria, our protecting sovereign. Preserve her in health and strength for many years, and keep, also, under thy charge, her faithful army. R. Lord have mercy upon us. D. Bless, we beseech thee, thy servants, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra, Princess of Denmark, who have, this day, been united in the holy bonds of matrimony. R. Lord have mercy upon us. D. Vouchsafe, Lord Most High, to presei*ve these thy servants in strength and power. Grant them, we beseech thee, long life, and endue them with all the blessmgs of thy goodness. 152 SANTA SLA.URA. B. Lord have mercy upon us. D. Keep them, Lord, in health of body, in peace of mind, and in uprightness of heart. R. Lord have mercy ui)on us. D. Gnmt unto them, Lord, a numerous offspring, and that they may enjoy length of days, even for ever and ever. R. Lord have mercy upon us. D. Grant unto them that their cliildren's children may remain on the earth, and that they be midtii)hed as the stars of heaven. R. Lord have mercy uix)n us. D. We beseech thee, Lord, to hear these our humble petitions, and to have mercy upon us, miser- able sumers. R. Lord have mercy upon us. The Archbishop. Hear us, we pmy thee, God, our Saviour. Thou who art the hope of all the ends of the earth and of them that remain afar off in the broad sea. Be merci- ful unto us. Forgive us all our sins and be gracious unto us. Amen. At that verse in the Litany in which the names of the bride and bridegroom were introduced, a signid was given, and the band, stationed outside the church, broke forth uito an outburst of music fitted for tlie occasion. After the Litany had been sung, the Lord's Prayer was rej^eated, luid the Archbishop concluded the ceremony by pronouncing a short blessuig. When VISIT TO THE PATRONESS OF THE BALL. 153 he had taken oiF his vestments, he came and sat down for a short time on his throne in the stall next to me, and conversed. I noticed that he alone had a veil on his hat, but he did not use it. The other priests, as well as the Archbishop, were all celibates, and this seems to be generally the case in the towns, though not so often in the country. The whole floor of the church had been strewed with laurel leaves and other evergreens, and the general effect impressed one as exhibiting oriental, or rather barbaric, splendour, although mthout the smallest attempt at that order and decency which, among northern people, seem so essential to the performance of a religious ceremony. After the service the people dispersed, and we. re- turned home, making on the way a visit of ceremony to the lady of the Regent, who was to act as lady patroness of the ball in the evening, the Resident not beiag a married man. We found her evidently pre- pared for the visit. She was a simple-mannered, well- informed person, young and good-looking, and well fitted for the occasion. The conunandant of the fort was selected to assist this lady as master of the cere- monies, and, with her, superintend the dancing part of the entertainment. The day had now pretty well advanced, and there was a lull in the entertainments, everj'body looking forward to the evening as the next great event. Rather unluckily, as it then appeared, the weather, which had been threatening for some days, seemed inclined to break up and terminate in ram. A rough ^vind blew, and an miiform coat of grey completely 154 SANTA MAURA. concealed the sky; a few drops of rain also fell, and looked very ominous with reference to the evening's illuminations. A town council was held, the result of wliich was that the illuminations were officially postponed till the next day.* After our return to the Residence a sound of distant music was heard. I was at the time talking to one of the officers of the garrison, and I stopped to ask if they had any Highlanders, as I thought I recognised bagpipes. The error was soon explained, for the sound proceeded from a drum and three fifes played on by ^TLlagers from the mountains, whose national music and some of their other peculiarities have a singular resemblance to those of the Scotch. Even when the men were standing, dressed in their pic- turesque costume, before the door, and I saw the instruments in their hands, I could hardly feel satis- fied that they were not bagpipes after all. The pipe must be nearly the same as an acoustic instrmnent, and thus the effect is similar ; but the more acute Celt has distanced the simple Leucadian by raismg the wind at the expense of something else than his o^vn limgs. This peculiar music of drum and bagpipe, if so it is to be called, sounds somewhat orientid, and we find it in the mountiiins of Albania, as well as in the wilds of Leucadia. I ought to add, that the drum was played Cliinese fashion, the art seeming to consist * From what I was afterwards told, I am inclined to think that the ladies lent their influence to produce this delay, for they were obliged to be in the agony (or delight) of preparing themselres for the ball at the time when the illuniiuatioud would have l>ceu chiefly eflective. PREPARATIONS FOE SUPPER. 155 only in sticking a succession of unmeaning bangs; but I was told that in the old national dances it is this martial sound that brmgs forth all the most violent efforts, and stimulates to the utmost the excitement of the performers. By dusk, the elaborate preparations made at the residence for the expected visitors, were complete. The -^Teaths were suspended, the rooms decorated •\\ath flags ; stars, composed of bayonets and ramrods, were placed m prominent positions; bouquets, con- sisting of flowers and mandarm oranges, were arranged, and supper was laid. Long lines of tables were pre- pared in the dining hall, and were so closely covered ^nth. eatables, that there was barely room for plates. It was expected that nearly two hundi'ed guests might arrive ; and, as a good many hangers-on had also to be provided for, and appetites on such an occasion are proofs of loyalty, the supply was by no means so ex- travagant as it seemed. What would an Enghsh lady say to providmg a ^vild boar and half-a-dozen young pigs (the latter roasted whole), half-a-dozen turkeys, and as many hares; simdry quarters of lamb, a score of meat, pigeon and game pies, and a few other such trifles, as the foundation of a ball supper. Countless dishes of smaller articles and sweets were at hand to fill up every spare corner ; and a good reserve was re- tained in the kitchen in case of need. Such was the scale of hospitahty provided for Her Majesty's pro- tected subjects in the Ionian island of Santa Maura; and the event showed the ^visdom of the provider. Long before nine (the hour named in the invita- 156 SANTA MAURA. tions) the guests began to muster. The majority of the ladies were dressed in the fashion of the day, the dresses having been obtained for the most part from Corfu. These dresses were almost all in excellent taste, but of course offered nothing for remark. Some of the ladies of the old school appeared in national costume, and were more interesting. These were all married ladies, the wives of merchants and landed proprietors. The costume they wore was very old, and rather Byzantine than Greek. It is, however, an island costume, and is considered to have been intro- duced origmally from Constantinople several centuries ago. The dresses were of silk, but the colour seemed unimportant. All were bound with an edging of rich gold embroidery, more than half an inch wide. The dresses were not worn Avith much crinoline, but they stood out well from the figure. From the back of the neck, long lappets seemed to fall, also boiuid Avith gold embroidery of the same kind and -width. The sleeves were of curious shape, fitting tight from the elbow to the wrist. At the elbow, a double gold band, or fillet, was seen, but the bands were of dif- ferent pjitterns, although in the same general style in all the dresses. Above the elbow, the sleeve was puffed into the shape of a small balloon, with many plaits. A veiy broad and rich gold band encircled the waist ; a chemisette of peculiar shape reached from the waist to the neck, and the head dress was a long strip of fine cambric and lace, curiously arranged, and hanging l)ehin(l below the waist. On the left side of the head was a gold ornament, or ea]), shaped like a GENERAL GRIVAS' COUSIN. 157 shell, and put on so as to form a part of the dressing of the hair. On the whole, the costumes were more interesting than beautiful, though they did not lack a quiet dignity, and an indication of very comfortable re- sources. I have since seen some of the wedding dresses, which are singularly beautiful and costly. They are now rarely worn. Very few of the gentlemen from the town appeared in costume. One, a cousin of General Grivas, a name well known in the history of the recovery of Greek freedom, made his appearance in an extremely hand- some dress, something intermediate between the usual Greek and Albanian costumes, as known in England, but more like the latter in the extremely full short petticoat and gaiters. His jacket was of a pale coffee colour (cafe au lait), covered with beautiful embroidery. The various chiefs of the country villages were in their ordinary costume, though of a better quality than is worn every day. They looked exceedingly well in their dark blue jacket and short full trousers, with a coloured sash round the waist, their white stockinofs sho^ving from the knee to the ancle, and their large, curiously shaped shoes, oddly contrasting with the thin pumps of the other gentlemen. Over the jacket, the villagers generally wear a kind of pelisse or long sleeved coat. This is thro'wn off sometimes in society, but rarely, except when dancing is going on. Dancing commenced in due time, and was kept up with the spirit that might be expected, in the case of ladies whose appetites for this amusement had been shaq^ened by long fasting. The real yoimg Leuca- 158 SANTA MAURA. dians are believed to have kno\vn balls hitherto only as historical events, and those who had been educated at Corfu, though more instructed by experience, were by no means less active or less inclined to enjoy themselves. I was much struck by the large number of pleasing ^ces among the young ladies present, but not less so by the fact that hardly any one of them possessed the slightest degree of what is called classical beauty, or Greek style of countenance. Their style was, in fact, much more that of Eastern Italy and Venice, than of Greece. Some of the prettiest were remarkable for bright dark eyes and dark hair, though lighter and bluer eyes and fine complexion were numerous. The gentlemen of the town were also strikingly different in physiognomy from the Greeks of the \'illages, the latter much better representing the recognised t}^s of their countr}^ people. The primates, who were present, were not accompanied by wives or daughters ; and it was considered rather a stretch of authority on the part of the Resident to bring together, on any terms, in a room honoured by the presence of the descendants of old Venetian aristocracy, these real indigens of the island, who had so long been depressed. They did not jom in the regular dances, and sat all together in one room, scarcely mo^'ing the whole evening; but, just before the ball broke up, a request was made that they should take their share, and, a proi)er instrument being obtained, they favoured the comjmny witli a specimen of the remarkable and most ancient Romaika^ a curious measured movement, probably identical >vith the PjTrhic dance, and certainl}^ handed down from A PYRRHIC DANCE. 159 very remote antiquity. The dance was thus con- ducted: — A number of persons, all of whom were men, stood in an uneven line, and each took hold of a handkerchief held by his next neighbour m one hand, and held a handkerchief in the other. The two out- side had, of course, one hand free. AU then moved together m a monotonous step, first slowly and soon more quickly. They retained throughout a wavy ser- pentine line, changing every instant, and from time to time the dancer at one end would detach himself, and perform gesticulations much more violent. They after- wards danced again, each holding the sash of his neigh- bour, but all the effect seemed to depend on the wavy line in which moved. Balls, like everything else, come at length to an end ; and, by half-past four o'clock, a long line of ladies, escorted by their cavaliers, might have been seen by the bright moonlight wending their way to their homes. Wisely wrapped up, so that nothing was left exposed but the tip of the nose, it might have been a procession of nuns, or an eastern pilgiimage. Gradual^, all sounds died away, and the morrow of the wedding was left to commence its history of happiness or disappoint- ment. If the wishes and hopes of half the civilised world can give happiness, the former is insured. But I have said nothmg of the supper. It disap- peai'ed as if by magic, and hardly left a trace behind. Turkies and wild boar, jellies and cakes, all came alike to the consumers . The great majority created for them- selves a special dispensation from the fierce Lenten fast on so auspicious an occasion, and allowed them- 160 SANTA MAURA. selves thorouirh enjoyment of the good things p^o^^cle(l for them. It must be admitted that most of them ate their fiU, in spite of the unlucky fact that Tuesday night had passed into Wecbiesday morning before the meal was aimounced, and that they thus greatly in- creased the enormity they were committing. To the honour of human nature be it said however, that there were many of the country people whose con- sciences were stronger than their appetites ; and thus, while the residents m to-svn devoured all before them, I observed some, and knew of other excellent, but superstitious men, who would touch nothing but bread, nuts, olives and oranges. One, in particular, an old man, after supping m this way, and sitting up all night, followed me on foot the next day to a mountain top, half-a-day's journey from the to^vn, and, after tliis act of politeness (for his attendimce was nothing more than a compliment to me, as the friend and guest of the Resident), he still would take no other breakfast than a cup of coffee. He looked worn and exliausted, as he well might ; and one could not help respect mg his sciTiples of conscience thus acted on at extreme personal inconvenience, and with an example of such different conduct before his eyes. This man was wealthy, and lived on his own estate. The final event of the celebration of the festival took place the next night ; and, certainly, the illumination of the tovm did the greatest credit to the loyalty and good taste of all the inhabitants. To all intents and puqwses, it was universal. Hardly any one was so pocir, that he could not show by a little lamj> of some THE ILLUMINATIONS. 161 kind, placed in a prominent position, that he partook of the o^eneral feelino^. All the principal public buildmgs were lighted at the expense of the municipality ; and the houses of the Resident and Regent, as well as those of the principal gentlemen of the place, were resplendent. The effect was not broken by street lamps, of wliich there are hardly any. The Resident's house, situated between what maybe called the Law Courts and the schools of the town, forms, with these, a long uninterrupted line, occupying the whole of a terrace lookmg towards the lagoon, and with only a few houses opposite the schools. This terrace is seen at a distance, and is detached from the to-wai. Every window hghted with candles, a con- tinuous cham of lamps on the balconies of the upper rooms, each doorway marked by a large arch of hght, and some coloured hghts uigeniously placed in a row of vases on the balcony of the Residence, formed a combmation, which, for simphcity and effect, deserve the highest praise. Even transparencies were not wanting ; one being placed iu each of the wuidows of the duiing-room on the ground floor. Wonderful transparencies they were ; and they were as much ad- mired as they deserved. They quite carried the palm over all other attempts, and ensured the Resident the credit of ha^ong excelled everybody. One was a not unfamihar representation of St. George and the Dra- gon, a legend as well known m the Ionian Islands as in England. The drawing was veiy fairly done. The other was a sketch of Sappho, floating majestically away M 162 SANTA MAURA. from a celebrated cliff, bearing her name, fi'om whence she is said to have leaped into the sea, and where there still remain fragments of an ancient temple of Apollo. Dressed in one long lemon-coloured garment, of which the idea seems to have been taken from those invented to cover the youngest babies, this classical young lady has already left earth behind her, and has nearly reached the mam top of a British vessel of war floating in the blue water below. The royal standard of England is of course flying at the mast head, and one solitary British tar, "vvith glazed hat, blue jacket and white trousers, is energetically dancing a hornpipe, in anticipation of her an'ival. British protection to the sons of Apollo, thus worthily represented, was a fertile source of the loudest expressions of delight from all who passed; perhaps not the less so, as it was kno"\vn to be the work of a native genius. The Market Place was the next m importance of the illuminations of the evening. Continuous lines of lamps here, also, produced a fine effect, especially when straight, and not too close. This was the style gene- rally selected, and was Avonderfully effective, the broken outhne of the architecture of the place, and the fact that few of the houses are exact counterparts of their neighbours, preventing the smallest approach to mo- notony. I had, indeed, no idea that the fonns of the houses were so picturesque, until I saw them thus in- dicated. Altliough candles were used in many windows, the great effects in all tliese cases were produced by lamps, of which three kinds were employed. One — the best STYLE OF LAMPS. 163 knoTvn, readiest, and most usual, consisted of common tumblers half filled Avith water, on which oil was poured. Small wicks, passing through cork, were floated on the oil; and the oil used being the olive oil of the country, it burnt with a pui'e, bright, clear flame that was extremely pretty. When all the tiunblers in the town had been bought up, an ingenious potter manufactured and sold a mul- titude of Httle lamps of the prettiest antique form miaginable. I doubt whether anything better de- signed was done anywhere. But neither was this enough ; and, at last, a tinman entered the field, and, by stampmg out little saucers of tin plate with a small hp, which he sold at the rate of about tln'ee farthings a piece, this patriot laid the foundation of his own fortune, and met the demand that had arisen. Hun- dreds of these were turned out m a few hours; and they answered all the purpose, so long as the weather was fine. Most fortunately, the evening turned out clear, cahn, and warm ; and the whole population was in the streets from dusk till ten o'clock. From tune to time, a band of music was heard, and everybody was delighted. I have omitted to describe the illumination of the "Bazaar," as the Eegent Street of Santa Maura is called. It is the principal place of busmess of the town, which it crosses from one end to the other ; and I believe there was not in its whole length one shop or shed, however poor, that was not lighted up. There was no attempt at designs, which would, most likely, have failed, though for want of experience rather than 164 SANTA MAURA. from absence of taste ; but there was plenty of variety, and abvindance of light. Regent Street, no doubt, is ■wider and longer, and looked more brilliant in its gas, and more elaborate in its costly decorations, but I doubt whether, in proportion to its resources and means, our little Bazaar and its inhabitants — repre- senting the poor ■widow ■with her mite — did not exert themselves as much and make as much sacrifice in honour of the Queen and her son on this occasion as any one of the hundreds of islands that prosper fmd are happy under her much-loved sway. In this true history of an interesting exhibition of loyalty, good feeling, and affection, on an occasion fraught with interest to every one connected ■with England, however remotely, there lies a moral that has special reference to the group of dependencies, of which the island of Santa Maura is one. Although it is true that the inhabitants of the Ionian Islands, for various reasons and at various times, have intimated a strong desire that they shoidd form part of a free Greek people, it is not true that the majority of the people dislike, distrust, or object to the government of England. England and tlie English are well liked, aiid are respected for their solid qualities. They are not always popular, for an Englishman abroad has the art of seeming supercilious, and his resei'\'e is taken for pride; but when occasion arises, and when, as is the case in Santa IMaura, the highest English authority is a ])rudont, considerate, firm, and intelligent gentleman, undci'standing the people and understood by them, it is hardly possible to exaggerate the amount of ijiflucnce APPRECIATION OF THE ENGLISH. 165 he possesses or the good feeling reflected upon every- thing connected with his country. Whenever the right person is selected to hold authority, England need fear nothing. Her only danger lies m the placmg of Aveak, idle, mcompetent officers m posts where individual character and uifluence have weight. Numerous illustrations of this truth might be dra^vn from the history of the Septmsular Republic withm the Last quarter of a century ; but I beheve that, m spite of many mistakes on our part, there will be found amongst the inhabitants a general feeling of admiration and respect, if not of affection, for the western race, who have dwelt among them and who have ruled them "without domineermg over them. CHAPTER VI. THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN THE ANCIENT CITY OF LEUCA8 THE HONEY-BEE AND THE BEEHIVES AMONG THE RUINS POSITION OF THE ANCIENT LEUCAS ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISLAND CULTIVATION OF THE OLIVE EFFECT OF EARTH- QUAKE ACTION — THE ROADS TO MOUNT SKARUS THE KETTLE- SHAPED VALLEYS SCARUS ITS MONASTERY AND ILEX FOREST THE HOSPITALITY OF THE MONKS THE BOULDER, THE CHAPEL, THE MYSTERIOUS WELL, AND THE GOAT SHED THE SHADY WALKS NEAR THE TOWN THE VILLAGES IN THE OUTSKIRTS ACCOUNT OF PHRENE, OR FRINI THE BEDS OF THE STREAMS NEAR THE HILLS AFTER RAIN THE RUINS IN THE OLIVE GROVES AND THEIR MODERN USES THE TURKISH WELL AND THE CAFES OF THE GROVES MECHANICAL RESULT OF THE GROWTH OF THE OLIVE IN UNDERMINING OLD WALLS MEGANISI AND OTHER ISLANDS. Immediately outside the to"\vn of Santa Maura we enter a tract occupied chiefly by olive groves and enclosed gardens. These outskirts are almost ^^^tllf»ut inhabitants, for the toAVii itself is not only sniidl, but it is not straggling, and no houses extend beyond the last of those that form the main street. We })ass, CULTIVATION IN THE ISLAND, 167 in fact, immediately into the olive groves on the right and the gardens on the left. The former I have ali'eady mentioned, and shall allude to again imme- diately; the latter are evidently very productive, and go do"svn close to the edge of the water. One branch of a small stream (one of the largest m the north of the island) passes through these gardens, and from time to time enables the owners to irrigate them ; and there are a few strong sprmgs turning mills that come out at the foot of the hills, and assist the supply of water. But generally during summer the stream is altogether absent, and spring water alone is available for all purposes. Part of the water of these springs is conveyed to the to^vn, as in Corfu, by a system of conduits ; but as the distaixie is much less than m the sister island, the eno-meerino; works have involved no difficulty. The water is calcareous. The cultivation of the gardens and grounds, as observable around the town of Santa Maura, is de- cidedly superior to that seen in the island of Corfu. The work is done hi better style, the limits of pro- perty are marked, and the crops obtained are said to be, and no doubt are, proportionably larger and more profitable. Fruit of all kinds are especially abundant, and excellent. The date ripens, though not well. In May there are ah^eady fruits ready for the table, and the supply continues abmidant and varied till late in autumn, when the orange only remams to carry on the supply till the next season. Figs, grapes, currant- grapes, pomegranates, apricots, pears, apples, plums, quhices, and many others, all ripen to perfection. 168 SANTA MAURA. There is no want of interest in the neighbourhood of Amaxiki in whatever direction we turn, and to whatever subject of ancient or modem history, anti- quities, picturesque scenery, or natural history, the attention and taste of the traveller may be directed. I will describe a few of the walks, to give the reader an idea of the island and the country. The ruined walls of the ancient town of Leucas are among the first objects of attraction ; and on the way to see them one is struck by the neat and well cared for appearance of the countiy. The old Greek to-svn was built on one of the amphitheatre of hiUs em- bracing not only the lagoon but the large tract of richly cultivated plain around. All this at some former period has been recovered from the sea, and at least half the space is now covered ^^^th olive trees, which yield every second year an important crop. Esti- mating roughly, there cannot be less than half a mil- lion of fine trees m this part of the island, and the crop is exceeduigly valuable, though, unfoitunately, very specidative. I have already observed, and must now repeat, that in this island property of all kinds is more cared for, and all kinds of agricultural work is much more advanced than in Corfu. The olive trees are kept in good order, the dead wood being removed every spruig; the roots of the trees arc annually laid bare and manured; the properties ai-e all carefull}' marked, generally by troches, but sometimes by walls, and the ground under tlie trees is often rendered available for other croi)s mstead of being left to run to waste, or covered by all kinds of CYCLOPEAN WALLS OF LEUCAS. 169 weeds. Sheep are often seen feeding in these locali- ties. The field work in Santa Maura is also neater and cleaner than in Corfu, and the people are said to be more intelligent as well as better off. The crops at the time of my visit looked healthy, and were well advanced, m spite of an unusual drought fi'om which the land was suiFermg. The first tlung one sees of ancient Leucas is a Cyclopean Avail, of great beauty, near the foot of the hill on which the ancient city of Nerilvos was built. This wall may be traced at intervals all round the old town, and it seems to be the lowest of several that rise in successive steps, or terraces, accordmg to the form of the ground. The part first met with is for at least thirty yards in a very good state. The stones are for the most part closely fitted, so closely, that it Avould be diflS.cult to find room for the blade of a knife between them; but some of the blocks certainly con- tain fifty cubic feet, and must weigh more than two and a-half tons. They consist of the white limestone of wliich the hill is composed, but this stone contams numerous flints and lumps of chert, and is trouble- some to cut by the tools noAV used owing to its irre- gular hardness. Pfist this fi*agment of wall, wliich is, indeed, in better preservation than any other, one emerges on a rocky, bare-looking hill, and a few modern cottages "with a bee garden. The people I found very fi'iendly, and I took the opportunity of entermg one of their cottages. r>ut first, I nmst say a word on a bee 170 SANTA MAURA. garden ■which met my eye on climbing the old wall of colossal stones that is the first evidence of jthe ancient city. Bees are celebrated in Greece, and have been so fi'om time immemorial. The great extent of lime- stone, of which almost the whole country is made up, the rocky and fragmentary state of the rock, which is eminently favourable to the growth of those flowering herbs that bees most delight in, and that communicate the most pungent flavour to the honey, and the fact that, once established, bees give little or no trouble, are all reasons why these useful insects should be encou- raged. The honeys of Hybla and Hymettus are at this day almost as celebrated as they were in the tune of the classical Greek poets ; the honeys of Cerigo, of Zante, and many other places continental and msular, are all fine, and each has its admirers. The honey of Leucadia is perhaps almost as good as any, and the descendants of the bees that fed Ulysses desei've some consideration. I was interested, then, m the little bee garden on the site of the old city of Lcucas. It was a rocky, barren-looking spot, and did not at first sight seem very promisuig, for the whole ground, for a great distance around, looks naked, and mthout vege- tation. But it is not really so. Eveiy little crevice or interval between two stones, whether large or small, and not a few holes made by vegetation in the solid rock itself, contain some little flowering plimt especially patronised by the honey-bee. I was not much surprised, therefore, to see the bees, but the hives i-atlicr puzzled ine at first. They consist of BEES AND THEIR FOOD. 171 small oblong boxes placed on end on a low stone, each box being covered by two or three tiles, evidently to kecD off the heat of the sun m summer. Two round holes, each about half-an-inch in diameter, sufficed for the bees to enter and emerge, and it did not seem to matter much where these holes were pierced. The boxes were run together in the roughest manner, and seemed to have two or three cross sticks within them. They were placed not two feet apart, and each box was about twenty inches high, and nine niches square in section. The bees were exceeduigly busy, and perfectly good-tempered. I noticed among the bee plants that there was an enormous quantity of a large kind of rosemary, of which the spikes of flower were so large and nu- merous as to conceal the leaves ; there is also an abun- dant supply of sage on all the rocks. In the way of actual remams, there is not much now to be found at Leucas, with the exception of ruined walls; these, mdeed, are met -vvith in abun- dance, and are interestmg, as presenting all the various styles of construction, from the early Greek to the time when Rome was exercising its influence. As in Corfu, there seem to have been two old cities on the same site, one very early, the other about the second century before Christ. Most of the material that re- mamed available of the former was worked up in con- structmg the latter, and thus, practically, it is the fragments of the latter city that we meet -with every- where. Coins and pottery of both periods are ob- ttiincd, though rarely ; and now and then fragments of 172 SANTA MAURA. stone with inscriptions. Works of art in sculptured marble do not seem to have reached this somewhat remote comer. Of the few things that have been found, some are curious enough. Within the walls, at various places, are several excavations, and one or two good remains of a line of foundations Avith large squared stones. The excavations include a singularly small adit, or tunnel, run into the solid limestone for a long distance, and communicating (apparently "v\dth intention) with the outer air at several points. This tunnel is admirably constructed ■with a vaulted roof, but it is so exceedmgly small, that it seems imposf>ible that a man of ordmary size could have used tools to work in it. It is not more than about eighteen niches ■wide and about three feet high, dimensions that seem almost impossible. There are other larger and less perfect adits offering fewer difficulties of construction, and a few well-cut chambers in the rock, not communi- cating Avith each other, no doubt used either as vaults, cellars, or prisons, according to circumstances. In addition to these there are nmnerous chambers for storing grain, also cut out of the rock, and of the shape of large jars formerly used by the Romans and still used in Spain, which were buried in the ground for a similar purpose. Those at Leucas are just large enough at top to admit of beuig entered by a man ; but inside they are from ten to fifteen feet diameter, and from six to ten feet deep ; they seena to have been lined with cement, the sui*face witliin being beauti- fully smooth. An afternoon is 2)leasantly spent in wtuideruig POSITION OF ANCIENT LEUCAS. 173 among these few but curious reminiscences of a past age. The distance from the to^ATi is within a walk, and lies through rich gardens and olive groves. Some doubt has been expressed as to whether the more modem city of Leucas, estabhshed or adopted by the Eomans, was not on the lower ground between the hill and the sea, the real isthmus of the ancients being between the little building called Fort Alex- ander and the village of Paleocaglia opposite on the main land. No doubt at this point the channel is very naiTow, though the distance across is still be- tween three and four hundred yards, but no natui'al cause is likely to have removed an isthmus if once existing there. All the tendencies are rather to choke up than to mden such a passage, and if at the present day the channel were closed, the waters in the lagoon would certainly evaporate very rapidly, and probably induce a current from the north by Teki Castle, deep- ening that channel. It is, however, difficult to under- stand how an isthmus can have disappeared anywhere in the neighbourhood of either spot, without some depres- sion connected with earthquake movements, and had any such event taken place, we should look for evidence of it in the place where the water is now most shallow and deepens slowly in all directions rather than where it is deep and deepens rapidly in one direction only, as is the case near Fort Alexander. One can hardly conceive a depression to cause a neck of land to be converted suddenly mto a deep channel, except where a strong current or a heavy tidal wave is at hand to remove to a distance all the detritus, and increase a 174 SANTA MAURA. channel once raade. The tendencies here are in the opposite direction, OTring to the rapid accunmlation of transported matter. This clearly shows that an isth- mus if it -were once formed near the latter place, must tend to be rapidly enlarged, and could hardly become obliterated. If it is remembered that every south wind that blows drifts into such a channel from the south, a quantity of silt which cannot but be deposited before it is carried through to Teki Castle, and that every north wind must drive other silt in the opj)Osite direction, both meeting in the lagoon, it is clear that, unless it were carried through a deep channel and deposited at the other end in deep water, no canal or natural cut could long remain open without being kept clear by artificial means, and that no isthmus once existing at this southerly jwint could be natu- rally removed. After all, it is perfectly conceivable that the exceedingly shallow, fordable channel to the north might have existed as it is now even at the time when it is descril^ed as an isthmus. It is still bo easy to traverse, that even a child might, with care, be enabled to walk across the ford; and there are num- bers of persons, men, women, and children, who. from time to time, during the first Greek revolution of modem times, thus succeeded in securing the shelter of the British flag when disposed to do so. The depth at the other end of the channel, or rather outside the lagoon to the south, is quite enough to render it cer- tain that there are here no remains of a broken com- munication. Besides Leucas, there are other places in the islaDd ANTIQUITIES OF LEUCADIA. 175 where remains of some of the ancient Greek cities have been found ; and, from time to time, collections of an- tiquities have been made. It is to be regretted that all these have been distributed, and that now no one on the spot possesses more than very meagre and com- paratively valueless examples. The various articles of which I heard, include funereal and other vases ; small articles of pottery, chiefly such as were used in fimeral ceremonies; lamps, and small statuettes. These are the most common ; but medals are not rare, and possess some interest ; slabs with mscriptions, belonging to the second city, and a few other objects, more curious than valuable, are also to be seen m the possession of one or two gentlemen in the town, but they call for special description. A few bronzes have been turned up at times; but considering that a city existed for two thousand years on the hill, where now hardly one stone is left upon another, it is certain that larger and more important antiquities might have been expected. Perhaps one reason of their rarity is the state of the rock and the absence of any depth of soil in which objects of moderate size might lie concealed. The completeness of the desolation is ahnost startling ; for over almost the whole area, nothing can be detected above o-round but fraomients of the walls. The style of art exhibited m the antiquities is not of the highest order, as, mdeed, might be expected. Most of the remains are funereal ; but even the sanctuaries of the dead have not often been met with, and a few vases, partly filled with calcined bones, in- dicate the reason why there are no sepulchres. A 170 SANTA MAURA. minute silver coin is common enough. It is the coin usually put in the mouth of the dead. Medals have at one time been more commonly found than they are now at Leucas and other places in Santa Maura, and many of them seem interesting. A work on the subject was published in Padua in 1815; and, since then, additional medals have been found. Some few of these are very ancient, the letters on the legend being of a fomi different from that afterwards used. In some, the writing is from right to left, in- stead of in the usual way ; but they all belong to the second city of Leucas, founded by the Cormthians in the sixth century before Christ. ]\Iany of them ex- hibit, on one face, the prow of a galley ; many more a Pegasus, or winged horse; and many the club of Hercules. Heads of Apollo, Minerva, and Diana, seem also common. Many of them have the name AHTKAAIflN^ or part of it, in characters of the ordinaiy form. Indications of the story of Sappho appear, also, on some of the medals; but they are rather doubtfiiUy expressed. The houses of the villagers near the to"svn of Santa Maura are small, but remarkably neat, and ix'rfectly clean. I visited one, consisting of a single room mid a veiy small dark shed adjacent, used, apparentl}', for the oven, and for holding tools and other odds and ends. The room had an imglazed -window, and seemed to be about fifteen feet square. The floor was earthen, but scrupulously clean. There were two Iju'ge double beds, very comfortable looking, and provided with really handsome counterpanes; two PROCESS OF MAKING OIL. 177 good and large chests ; a table covered Avith tin and brass cooking utensils ; a small fire-place in the corner ; a number of jars and bottles, and some other odds and ends. This house was occupied by two famihes ; but whether they were two generations of the same family, or other relations, I did not make out. The roof was moderately high pitched, and the rafters were strewn with a large kind of reed, formmg a kind of floor, on which stores of various kinds could be kept. I had no sooner entered the house, and sat do^vn, than coffee was offered ; and as I would not give them the trouble to make that, it was necessary that I should taste a glass of raki^ the spirituous drink of the country and of Greece. I cannot say I felt inclined to do more than sip it, in acknowledgment of the compliment. Although, at the time of my visit, the olives had long been ripe, and ought to have been made into oil some months before, I found one oil-mill, close to the town, at which work was still gomg on. The process there adopted was singularly inartificial, but is little varied, even in the best establishments. The fi'uit is not collected till quite ripe, and is then often kept for some time. Withui a shed, a large and wide cylin- diical stone was revolving upon its edge, on a flat stone table. The ohves being thrown on this table are swept with little rods under the vertical stone, which is turned by a horse, mule, or ass. They thus become crushed, and a portion of the oil runs off; and the operation is continued till they are thought fit for squeezing. The crushed mass is transferred to small round baskets, made of soft grass or matting, and rather N 178 SANTA MAURA. smaller at the opening than within. A number of these are placed upon each other in a firame, and a powerful pressure is produced by a strong and large wooden screw, worked by leverage. The oil is thus squeezed out, and runs down through a spout into a trough. Nothing can be imagined more mipleasant than the appearance of this product ; but it is put into jars to settle, and afterwards dra^vn off fine into skms or barrels. The crushed and squeezed cake that re- mains after pressing, and which ought, if properly pressed, to be as hard as wood, is of loose texture, and full of oil. It is used as fuel. No doubt, in some of the larger establishments, the mechanical ai)paratus is on a better scale, but the principle is the same, and the result is not satisfactory either as regards quantity or quality. Still, notwithstanding these drawbacks, Santa jNIaura, which also grows cur- rants and sells -vvine, exports its thirty thousand barrels of oil, and provides, also, a supply of no small magni- tude for its native inhabitmits. Very primitive Uttle com mills are dotted about, — some worked by wind, some by water. The former are on the spit of sand separating the lagoon from the open sea — the latter are wherever a suitable fall of water can be secured. The little water mills consist only of a pair of stones of veiy moderate size, with a little feeding hopper, and a box for the flour as it emerges. Nothino: can be conceived more classical and inartificial ; each person bringing his measure of Indian corn, waiting his turn to grind, lookmg on during the grinding, and carrying away his flour on SHELL-FISH AND MINERALS. 179 his back. There is always a little group of idlers to be seen gossiping in these mills. Horizontal and un- dershot wheels seem most common; and, indeed, I am not aware that any others exist. A stroU on the sea-shore by the town of Amaxiki will not be ^vithout interest to the naturalist and geologist. Sea- weeds are not abundant ; but there are some mteresting species. Large sponges are occasion- ally thrown up, and sea-eggs — their spmes of the richest blue colour — are common. They and other shell-fish — such as the pinna and a species of spondylus — are liked as food by the islanders, though there is an un- pleasant and prevalent idea that they disagree with strangers. A very curious and completely honey-combed kind of limestone is seen on the sea shore; and a rich variety of flints, jaspers, cherts, agates, and other forms of silica may be found there. These have been washed out of the compact cherty limestone that forms the chief mass of the rock, and a much larger propor- tion of the siliceous stones has been preserved than of the calcareous in this reconstructed rock, owing to the greater hardness of the former. The occa- sional presence of large angular blocks, as well as the niunerous rounded boulders of unaltered and compact limestone, clearly indicate the origin of the conglo- merate. There is an interesting walk from Amaxiki towards the south through the olive groves and past the foot of the hill on which stands the old city, past a foun- tain of the peiiod of the later city of Leucas, and then 180 SANTA MAURA. between the foot of the hills and the sea to a curious hill ha\dng a face of conglomerate rock clipping to- WiU'ds the sea at a high angle. Throughout this tract the low land is on a gentle slope, the highest point of which is about thuteen feet above the present sea level ; but at the last hill the conglomerate is throAvn up to a height of nearly two thousand feet. This evidently belongs to a different and earlier elevation. The last movement was no doubt slow, and may be going on now. It certainly has taken some thousands of years to rise the last thu'teen feet, since there is reason to suppose that it had commenced long before the first Greek city was founded. The other belongs to a period when all was under water. That this latter change is quite uncomiected -vnth the earthquake disturbances that have troubled all the Ionian islands for many years, but especially those belonging to the southerly groups, is more than pro- bable. It is, as I shall presently explam, an inevi- table result of the exposure of the mountain sides and tops to the effect of rain and atmosphere, lasting for a long while, and always proceeding on a large scale. An important and interesting question arises here as to the effect of the earthquake shocks m producing permanent elevation or depression on the coast of Leucadia. That all the chief results obtauied are due to silting up and not to earthquake action, I have no doubt whatever; and I have seen no sufficient evi- dence of elevation. Indeed, I think that if there had been elevation, it could hardly have failed to affect the EFFECT OF EARTHQUAKES. 181 whole plain between the hills and the sea, so that Amaxiki itself would have been lifted, and the walls of the fort of Santa Maura must also have been affected. Neither of them shows marks of ha\ing once been lower than they now are, nor is any change of level perceptible hi the rums of the. aqueduct con- structed by the Turks and destroyed in 1825. Nor, on the other hand, is there proof of depression; no doubt e\adence of this change is more difficult to obtain than that of elevation; but, apart from the uiunistakeable fact that the lagoon is rapidly filling up, neither the piers of the aqueduct, the spit of sand, nor the cliffs at the western extremity of the lagoon, show mdications of such phenomena. On the whole, I thuik it the most probable explana- tion of the phenomena to assume that the earthquakes have been simple \'ibrations producmg no permanent result; and that the changes recorded are due to a natural accumulation of deti'itus, partly owuig to the position of the island in reference to the mainland. Geological changes of very great extent have taken place within the later tertiary period, and these may have produced the origmal separation of the island from Greece, for they have thrown up the east coast at an angle of twenty or thirty degrees, or even more, thick beds formed in the sea bemg now two thousand feet above it. Smce that elevation, the ten- dency has been to fill up ^^^th detritus and silt the large gap then made. But it is equally certain that the great coast elevation was an operation that took a long wliile to bruig about, and that it has been long 182 SANTA MAUEA. since completed. There is nothing to prove that great change of a paroxysmal character has taken place ■\vitlnn the latest of the great geological periods. A ride into the countiy reveals one great want of Leucadia, for the roads are veiy bad. It is true that several good roads have been commenced; but it is thankless work, for the whole conunmiication being kept up by horses and mules, the old steep mountiiin paths are used, and will continue to be used, mitil carriacres can be taken to the different ^illaf!:es. As the island is very mountainous, it may be doiil)ted whether the result would justi^^ the cost. Certainly, the experiment is not likely to be tried should the island pass fi'om mider British rule. YeTj soon after quitting Amaxiki in any direction towards the mterior, it becomes necessary to leave the strip of low cultivated land near the sea, and rise upon rough and steep hills, full of broken rock, and thoroughly wild and picturesque. But it is not here as in Corfu. These moimtain sides are ctirefully and well cultivated, \-ines cover every available s|X)t, com crops are seen here and there, and to avoid loss of soil and economise space^ the whole hill sides, even to a great altitude, are most carefully terraced. Thus, though there are fewer olives, and tliis picturesque tree is rarely seen away from the low plains, there is no want of vegetation and cultivation. A YQW steep and rocky path conducts up the side of one of the hills behind the to^vn across the first or coast range, revealing, at intervals, the beaut ifiil lagoon, the naiTOW strip se|)ai'ating it from the sea NATURAL AMPHITHEATRES. 183 and ruimiiig out far towards the bay of Arta, the causeway separating it from the channel on the east, and the salt works. The masts of the ships are visible, should any be in the harbour or the roads. Dotted over the blue water are many white specks — the lateen sails of fishing-boats, and far away the mountains of Albania, above the lake of Joamiiiia, be- gin to mark the horizon with a white line. On reach- mg the top of the ridge we look towards the coun- try beyond, and, at fii'st sight, the antiquary might fancy himself m some vast amphitheatre of giants, so perfectly circular is the sweep, and so regular the apparent seats in two or tlu'ee valleys at his feet. Two such valleys are seen nearly adjacent, one a httle beyond the other. The nearest is the most perfect, and might well deceive any one whose faith in the magnitude of human works was sufficiently great. A much larger one is close at hand. The bottom is perfectly circular ui its outline, and is absolutely flat. It is, mdeed, the bed of a lake ; and at the time of my visit the water had only just left the bottom. I had no means of measuring the dimensions, but I tliink the diameter could not be less than half a mile at the bottom, and the depth to the bottom I esti- mated at a hundi'ed and fifty feet. The apparent seats were natural terraces, carried round at intervals at various heights, produced by the action of the water that had rested at those levels. The resemblance to an artificial construction is admu'able. Without de- tauiing the reader here with learned disquisitions, it may be well to say, that there are good reasons m the 184 ^ SANTA MAURA. geology and physical geogi'aphy of the district where these curious valleys should exist, and that they re- present very closely the kettle-shaped valleys already alluded to as common m Corfu. They are, in fact, portions of the limestone of which so much is seen in this part of the world, and they mdicate places where hollow cavities have been produced in the interior by infiltration and the passage of Avater, and where pro- bably the roof of some cavern has fallen m. Leaving these curious valleys behind, and passmg numerous vine-dressers and other peasants cultivating their fields, I had to make my way from pomt to point, the horses clunbmg up and down the rough stony paths like Avild cats, until at length I wound round the foot of a hill and came m view of the pic- turesque monasteiy of Scarus, or Cams, at the foot of the low mountain group of that name, which it was the object of my journey to visit. The monastery is situated about fourteen hundred feet above the sea, near a "svide and wild opening towards the north. It occupies part of the west slope of one of sevend hills almost deserving to be called mountains. The jiath to it is steep, stony, and long, and winds a good deal both up and do-\\ai before reaching the monasteiy. Beyond the monastery there is a good hour's walk through some of the finest forest trees of white oak that exist in the island, up and down steep and diffi- cult paths, always affording grand and fine \iews, both near and distant. The forest was till lately in a very valuable state, and much money might have been made of it by judicious thinnuig, and removing only VIEW FROM SCAR US. 185 the trees then at then* prime. There was much timber of very unusual size for this kind of wood, and perfectly sound, and probably a succession of va- luable timber might then have been secured. Left too long to the carelessness and ignorance of the vil- lage population, many of the best trees have been spoilt by bui'ning and charring, and thus the value of the forest is much reduced. But the forest is still well worth \'isiting. T\Tien the green leaves are freshly out m spring, and in the early days of summer, its shade must be delicious. At all times it is a glorious object, interestmg in itself for its own great beauty; interesting still more as pointing out the probable condition of the mountain sides in all the islands in the ancient time. As in so many cases in the Greek mountains, there are here several detached summits, or pyi'amids of rock, some higher than others, but all affording good pomts of \'iew. The most lofty summit is about 2,300 feet above the sea, roughly estimated by the aneroid barometer. It affords a charmino- view of the nume- rous fine islands between Santa Maura and the mam- land. Meganisi looks low, and is flatter than the others. Calamos is very lofty and fi'OAvmng. Sparti, Scordi, and Scorpio are picturesquely spread out, and are close at hand. Ithaca is barely seen, but the lofty mountam chain of Cephalonia — the Black J\Iountam — lifts its head far above every other elevation m the neighbourhood. The sweet httle bay of Vhko is the prettiest object of all within this wide ransfe. You look do-svn over a 186 SANTA MAURA. sea of rocks, and see, completely enclosed in hills of moderate elevation, a small, square, weU-proportioned basin with a very narrow outlet, its shores covered ■svith wood to the water's edge, and calmly buried at one's feet. Not a sign of hmnan occupation is visible, for, though occasionally used as a port, it is neither very accessible, nor does it lead to accessible places; but it is wild, natural, and classical, and un- presses one very strongly by the contrast it affords to the surrounding scenery. The path fi-om the monastery to the summits of Scainis is obscure, and my guide was less inclmed to push on than I was. AATien more than half way I was in doubt about the du'ection I should take, and, while waiting for mformation, heard myself called. I then learnt that some time after I had left Amaxiki the primate of the \dllage nearest Scarus being uiformed of my movements had followed me on foot by a much nearer but very rough mule track, and by dmt of running had succeeded in catching me up. The poor man was nearly exliausted, but still msisted on sho"\vuig me ever}'thhig. He had been up all night, had eaten nothing but a httle bread and some olives, but his extreme respect and regard for the Resident had induced him to exert himself in tliis way to be of use to the Effendi's friend. 'V\nien he had jx)inted out all the beauties of the mountaui, iuid was return- ing, I induced him vdih. difficulty to take advantage of my mule, and ride down to the monastery. I have already alluded to this trait of character in the respec- table prunate of Scarus. MONASTERY OF ST. GEORGE. 187 Most of the mountains in the Ionian islands have a religious house either at the summit or at the neai'est convenient point. Some are large and regularly in- habited ; some are only occupied during a part of the year when a festival of the patron saint is likely to attract a large multitude; some few are residences adapted only for one or two monks or nuns; and others are mere hennitages. Few of them have till lately been kept up in the old style, and, as in Roman Catholic countries there are scandalous tales afloat about the gouigs on when a convent and a monastery were adjacent. Nothmg of this kind has tainted the fair fame of the monastery of Saint George of Scarus. The building is large, and there is fan' accommodation for strangers. There are at present only two monks, venerable, kind, intelligent old men, kno'sving little and caring httle for the world outside them. Their habitation is convenient, safe, and healthy. They pos- sess all reasonable comforts, and they are willing as well as able to accommodate strano-ers in case of o need. The monastery being on the mountains is required to he made defensible against brigands as well as wolves. It is walled, and has double gates. There is a small court-yard on entering. On one side is the chapel, large in proportion to the population, and round two sides are the dwellings. These are perfectly plain, and veiy barely furnished. Opposite the chapel is the refectory, or feeding-room, and this serves as a place of extra accommodation in case of need. Near it ai'e sleeping-rooms for strangers, and tlic 188 SANTA MAURA. cells, or rooms, of the monks. These are small, and often mere bare walls ■with a roof, a hole in the wall to let in au' and hght, and a door by which to enter. The floor is earth ; but this is no great hardship in a warm climate ; and as the Greeks all dress warmly, they can bear the temporary cold that sometimes occurs. I have mentioned that there are only two monks regularly uiliabiting the monastery of Scarus, and they are pleasant, honest-looking, and hospitable. On first entering I was greeted warmly, with much shaking of hands, and proceeded to the chapel, where the different pictures were pointed out. I was then shown into the refectory, and seated on a kind of sofo, the two priests sitting opposite, while an attendant was preparing coffee. A decanter contaming a little raki was first brought. I tasted a little, mixed -with water, and found it very refreshing. Soon the coffee succeeded, and -with it half-a-dozen slices of bread that had been air or sun dried so completely as to be per- fectly hard and crisp, and nearly mouldy. This dried bread is a kind of biscuit The coffee was excellent. After partaking of it, I asked to see a certain manu- script of the Gospels, of which I had heard, and botli that and another in the possession of the brothers was brought out. Both were admirably written, and in excellent preservation ; but they were not old. Tlie curiosities of this kind that may once have existed m the Greek monasteries have long disappeared in the Ionian islands, and, indeed, except at Mount Athos, and in a few other places, there is little now to be leanit in such depositaries, so far as Europe is concerned. A CURIOUS BOULDER. 189 The monks are simple, pleasant people, and one sees them with pleasure. They believe in the forms of their religion, and really practise their fasts, no doubt to the great mortification of the flesh; but the old celibates of this kind are few in number, and seem gradually dying out. It is impossible to go fai' in any direction without seeing some buildmg devoted to religious purposes ; but, in most cases, these buildings are only occupied once a year, on the occasion of the festivtd of the saint to whom they are dedicated. Before leaving the monastery of Scarus, I was asked to give my name, which I -svrote in the Greek character. As I had previously read a verse or two of the Gospel in one of the manuscripts, I found that it was con- sidered veiy remarkable that I could read and write the Greek language, though I could neither speak nor understand Romaic. So completely is this the con- verse of the usual state of thmgs in the country, where all, of course, speak, and very few read and write, that it was quite a phenomenon. After quitting my friends, the monks, I went back from Scarus towards the town, by a shorter and more precipitous road than that by which I had come, and, on the way, stopped to look at a very striking and pictm'esque block of the conglomerate of the hiUs, which had fallen do^vn, and stuck out from the mountain side in a singular mamier. The exposed part of this vast block, as it projects from the ground, measured full fifty feet square, and nearly twenty feet thick. Underneath it was a lai-ge space, which had been walled in to make a shed for cattle, part of the 190 SANTA MAURA. stone forming the roof. Near the top, in a recess in the stone, was a little chapel, constnicted in honour of three saints, whose portraits had once been painted on three little boards hanging up in front of an altar. Nothing remained of the paintings but parts of the gilt rings of glory that had once encircled the heads of the figures. All the rest had been long since kissed away; but my companions, hke many other persons, still most reverently saluted the dirty boards. The most cui'ious thing was the presence of a well in the heart of the boulder, the water of which fills a cistern, said to be the coffin of one of the saints, and performing marvellous miracles. This must be a small, natural, artesian sprmg, derived from some crevice, perhaps connected with the falling of the rock from above. Besides this gigantic boulder, looking like the cap stone of a vast cromlech, there are many large stones, on the side of the hiU, that have fallen doAvn after bemg undermined by atmo- spheric action. A curious appearance has been noticed in some of these blocks, both in their natural place on the rock and when fallen. Many of them are scooped out ver- tically, as if drilled by some enormous tool ; or part of the stone being broken away, they look like gigantic seats sculptured artificially. This is, however, to be accounted for in a natural and easy way; and hundreds of cases of the same kind, in different stages of progress, may be observed on the rocks all round. They are the result of vegetation commencing on the surface of a block of the conglomerate, and eating its VILLAGE OF FRINI. 191 way down into the substance of the rock by the dis- solving power of water. Near the town of Amaxiki, there are lovely shady walks among the olive groves, which occupy almost the whole of the available land between the lagoon and the hills. Winding about among these old trees, we come at last to a steep face of naked limestone rock — the ancient sea chff, against which the waves of the Mediterranean have dashed before the lagoon existed, at a time when the island was smaller and lower than it now is. Caverns abound in this cliff; and one of them is said to open into a village a mile or two distant. At present, these caverns are the dens of the owls and jackals, which abound in the neighbourhood. They are not stalactitic, and do not seem to contain much beyond the recent remains of their uihabitants. But the scenery on the hill tops and amongst the little villages adjacent is singularly pretty, for it affords numerous contrasts of vegetation and varieties of form that are sure to please. I ob- tained a sketch of part of one of these villages,* a very pleasing and creditable specimen of Greek art, by a Corfiot artist, resident in Santa Maura. The houses of the village are sprmkled about here and there with extreme UTegularity, no two being together, or in line. Most of them are of moderate size, and, though with- * ♦p»i»»i, phrene, or frini (tlie brain), is so called because the dwellers tberein are considered unusually stupid, and are said to have no brains. This mode of giving nicknames — equivalent to the lucus a non lucendo of the Eomans — is especially Greek, and is characteristic of their style of joking. 192 SANTA MAURA. out much of the comfort of an English cottage, are sufficient for the purpose requu'ed. They afford shelter against weather, and thieves, and "wild ani- mals. They are stormg places for gram, wine, and oil, and sleeping places for the women, and sometimes for the cattle ; but of these latter, there are few of any Idnd, except goats. This and other similar old villages are wisely built on the steep slope of the hill, where there is abundant natural drainage. Of water, there is not often serious want ; and there cannot be a doubt that the health of all such places must be greater than of the villages on the plains. Besides the village of Frini, there are others larger and richer between it and Leucas. One rarely sees the human inhabitants; but the dogs are sure to present themselves. They are, as everywhere in eastern countries, fierce, noisy, and troublesome ; cowardly and wolfish m their habits, and annoying beyond measure. There is, however, no- thing to be done but threaten them vnth. stones. It is curious to see how instantly they turn tail and run off if one merely stoops ; but they come back before long, unless actually i)elted and warned off" by their masters. The heavy rains had already detained me longer than I intended ui Santa Maura, wlien, durmg a temporary lull, I crossed the plains, in order to visit one of these villages. The stream from the moun- tain, though never veiy large, was yet fierce and irregular enough to have carried away and distri- buted over the plain a large and -wide area of stones. A few hours after the heaviest rain, there was no part of the stream that one could not jump across, and FILLING UP OF THE LAGOON. 193 certainly none in which the depth was more than nine or ten inches; and yet there were acres of land co- vered entirely with large stones, all removed from the momitains and distributed within a period which could not possibly have extended over three days. These stones and the mud, or silt, which inevitably accompanies them, are either retained on the surface of the plam, thus permanently elevating it, or are car- ried out into the lagoon, and there help to bring that into the condition of dry land. The filling up of the lagoon is thus easily and clearly accounted for, with- out bringing in the aid of earthquakes, of whose re- sults there is as little evidence in this direction as in the others to which I have already alluded. A picturesque and favourite monastery is situated on one of the hills behind the glorious olive groves of Amaxiki. A steep zigzag road, in good condition, leads up to it; and, from this road, there is a blmd path, of about a quarter of a mile, but almost impass- able, mto an excellent road, wide enough for carts, and contmued for several miles into the mterior and to a village on the west coast. The case is singularly illustrative of the slipshod and unpractical habits of the people. As far as the mules are concerned, for whose benefit, chiefly, the road is needed, I am con- vinced that they very much prefer a road in which every step offers a difficulty and presents danger ; and judgmg from the way in which the old paths up the steep hill side are preferred to the new zigzag, I am equally certain that the foot-passengers and mule leaders partake of this preference. It may thus seem 194 SANTA MAURA. that roads are thro^\^l away iii the island ; but it is not so, and those that have been constructed have unques- tionably, after a time, civihsed and humanised the people. Indeed, were it only that they afford a fi-ee course to the police and open the country m spite of the countrj^-people, there would be a gi'eat advantage gained. The Greeks would not be brigands, nor, per- haps, would the mhabitants of South Italy be brigands if, in those countries, there were free and fair means of communication between villages, and from the to^vns into the recesses of the country, such as now exist, thanks to British protection, even in the smallest and least peopled of the Ionian Islands. But I have not yet done with the shady olive gi'ovcs and their numerous pomts of interest. They are the every-day resort of the present inhabitants of the is- land, and have probably always served, during nearly four thousand years, a somewhat similar puq)ose. Even when a great Cyclopean wall* extended from the cliff that juts mto the sea, along the imier margin of the ancient lagoon to the old city of Leucas, the old groves, whether then of olive or of ilex, were the siicred resort of the divinities of classical antiquity; and the foundations of their temples dedicated to the old gods still exist, though the superstructure bears * Remains of this wall and of some of its towers, all of Cyclopean work, may be distinctly traced far within the present margin of the lake. Remains of the ancient temples exist in the foundations and walls of the existing chapels, and are seen from time to time. These fragments and the gigantic stones, many of which are broken, are some- times arranged along the present roail. Each ancient construction has served as a quarry for that of subsequent date. THE SACRED GROVES. 195 the name of an early Christian or mediaeval saint. Still, on the occasion of the festivals of these saints, perhaps on the day once devoted to a heathen sacrifice to Neptune or to Apollo, to Venus or to Diana, the people, with their habits and customs marvellously little changed, come down from the coimtry and march in long procession; still, perhaps, do they repeat, not knowing why, and not carmg about its former meaning, the slightly-modified hjTnn, or the never-forgotten chorus; still do they tread the same labp'inthic dance, slowly and painfully imitatmg the movements of their far distant ancestors, while they mix Avith these unmistakable marks of antiquity some of the latest results of civilisation, which, m so far as they are natural, clash and jar but little with the ancient myth, and leave the mass of the people very- much in the same state, both physically and intel- lectually. At other times, these sacred groves are the resort of more lively groups. Each day in summer, the towns-people of Amaxiki stroll out after theii' early dinner, and meet in a spot where a well of delicious water reminds one, by its name, of its Turkish masters. This well is suri'ounded by half-a-dozen sheds of the rudest kind, where coffee is made in oriental fashion ; and a little cup of this ever- welcome stmiulant may be had for a penny while seated on a rude bench under the foliage of some gigantic tree. Not like the coffee serv^ed in an English hotel, or a Parisian or Vienna cafe, is the delicious thimble-ful here offered. The pure bean from Mocha, well and recently roasted; 196 SANTA MAURA. crushed between two stones ; heated, but never boiled, in a most unpromising tin pot, by the aid of a few burnt embers of olive roots; then cleared for an instant by a couple of drops of cold water, and finally poured out to be eaten rather than drank, — such is the coffee to be got at the Turkish well m the olive grove. Nor is such a draught to be despised. It is astonishing how soon and how completely one gets accustomed to a change of habit in articles of food, when the mateiial itself is excellent; and I confess that, when on the last day of my stay in Amaxiki, I made a pilgmnage to the well, tasted its sweet waters, and refreshed myself with the accus- tomed cup, I could appreciate it thoroughly, and shall never complain if I can obtaui a draught equally well flavoured, and equally answering the purpose as a stimulant. A curious instance of the effect of vegetation in lifting stones is seen in one of the fragments of the Cyclopean wall, just alluded to. An oUve tree has planted itself, or has been planted, close to the wall, and its roots and two of the principal bnmches have pushed their way through some little crevice, or through the grouting between the stones, preferring this to a more open course. In grooving, they have succeeded in displacing the gigantic stones of which the wall was built; and one stone, about tliree feet long, thirty inches wide, and as much deep, is alto- gether removed from its original position in the wall, and, in the course of years, has become built into the tree, and raised at least a foot higher than it was MEGANISI. 197 originally placed. Two other larger stones are much disturbed. The Dryades have thus succeeded in over- turning the work of the Cyclops; and nature has sho"\vn that the subtle mfluences of life, lonsf con- tinned, and unappreciable mthin the period of a few scores of years, may yet, in time, bring about results which aifect and destroy the combmed efforts of a multitude of human beings, who have endeavoured in vain to produce an abidmg monument of their skill and labour. Accordmg to the political division that now obtains, Meganisi is the only one of several large islands that adjoin Santa Maura, and lie between it and the main- land, that belongs to this government. The rest belong to Ithaca, to make up to that island a respect- able population. Meganisi is a long narrow island of the shape of a bent bow, the back of wliich is turned towards the south-east extremity of Santa ]\Iaura, from Avhich it is only separated by a channel about a mile mde. It is remarkable for quarries of excellent stone, and for the very fine quality of the corn grown there. It has been celebrated for the latter from time inunemorial ; and its buildmg stone is exported to various islands and the mauiland, besides being ahnost exclusively used for the newer buildings in the tovm of Santa Maura. Like all the islands, it is hilly ; but much of the coast is readily accessible in fine weather. CHAPTER VII. VISIT TO THE INTERIOR OP THE ISLAND — FAMILY ARRANGE- MENTS COMMUNISM AND PATRIARCHAL SYSTEM AMONG THE PEOPLE ROAD TO THE MOUNTAINS MOUNTAIN VILLAGES ENGLUVI AND ITS PRIMATE — COSTUMES OF THE VILLAGES AND TOWNS OF SANTA MAURA — RISE OF THE MOUNTAIN TOWARDS STAVROTA DESCENT TO ATTANE HOUSE OF THE CHIEF PERSON OF THE DISTRICT ARRANGEMENTS OF THE INTERIOR BRIGANDS FORMERLY IN THE ISLAND HOSPI- TALITY OF THE PEOPLE EARTHQUAKE AND STORM BITU- MINOUS SHALE NEAR ATTANE GEOLOGY OF SANTA MAURA STAVROTA SAPPHo's LEAP — DESCENT TO BASILIKE. The more distant excursions that can be made Iroiii the chief town of Santa Maura require some arrani- ITHACA " Who brought thee, stranger, to the sea-girt land Of Ithaca ? and from what foreign strand ?" " At dead of night, while fast asleep I lay, Phseacian seamen bore me on my way From Scheria's isle, in ship that oft before Hath men transported to this rugged shore." Odxss. xvi. 222— 227.— (>r. 3Iure.) Horses I would not take to Ithaca : In Ithaca, in sooth, neither broad runs Are there, nor aught like meadow : goats it feeds, And lovelier 'tis by far than feeding horses. For of those isles that lie so steep in the sea Kot one is fit for horsemanship or driving, Isor with good meadows one : and Ithaca Is such beyond them all. Odyss. iv. 601—G08.—{Xorgate.) CHAPTER VIII. ITHACA — ROMANCE AND POETRY OF THE ISLAND— ITHACA, THE COUNTRY OF ULYSSES PASSAGE TO THE ISLAND FROM BASILIKE — COAST OF SANTA MAURA AND ITHACA ARRIVAL AT FRIKIS BAY SINGULAR MINERAL SPRINGS THE SCHOOL OF HOMER CONDITION OF THIS RUIN ITS REAL NATURE AND MEANING — VIEW FROM THE RUINS — PECULIARITIES OF STRUCTURE EXOI VISIT THERE AND RECEPTION MO- DERN SCHOOL CONTRASTED WITH THE ANCIENT — SAIL TO BATHI GULF OF MOLO THE TOWN — BATHI FROM A DIS- TANCE DEXIA THE RESIDENT AT ITHACA POPULATION OF THE ISLAND TOWN OF BATHI RESOURCES OF THE ISLAND CULTIVATION IN ITHACA — FISHERIES SPONGES OCCUPATIONS OP THE PEOPLE BOAT BUILDING PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE. If Corfu is the most beautiful, Cephalonia the largest, Santa Maura the mldest, and Zante the prettiest of the Ionian islands, Ithaca is, beyond all comparison, the most romantic. A pure and bright halo of poetry surrounds it — a poetry the most dreamy and the 232 ITHACA. sweetest, the most homely and the pleasantest — a poetry that touches eveiy feeling and harmonises with every association — a poetry that is in us and not in the place — a poetry that carries us back to the earliest childhood of civilisation, and speaks of men as strong, ^\ase, and simple, and of women as helps meet for a race of heroes — a poetry which presumes each tree to have its Dryad, each spiing its Npnph, and each grove its sylvan god. And there is no place m which this sweet spirit of poetry is better preserved. Ithaca is now peopled by a new race, and there is in all convenient parts of it a certam amount of modem cultivation; but the population is not large, and the people are collected into a few groups. It is not difficult to find parts of the little island where one can wander all day without seeino- a human face or hearinof a human voice, and certainly ■without seeing the impress of a human foot. Small as it is, it abounds in charming and retired spots, where one may fancy the old sj)irits still haunt and where nature has not cluuiged. It is easy to appreciate the fondness of Homer for this spot, which he certainly knew well, and whicli he wisely selected as the home of the Avise Ul3'"sses. But one of the great glories of Ithaca has departed. No longer does the swineherd build his hut in the dark forest and tend his charge on the wooded clitfs. The ilex and the numerous other varieties of oak once so useful in affording food for the pigs and supjjlying wood for building boats, have long been destroyed, ajid tlu' rocks once